Categories
RPG Design

Base Raiders is done. Now begins the real work.

so game. many words. wowMy newest book, Base Raiders, is finally out. It took me about 10 months to complete it, from first draft to final layout. That’s about 2 months longer than I originally planned for but I did have 2 additional chapters because of stretch goals. It’s a complete RPG, available in both PDF and print, and weighs in at 260 pages , which is about 146,000 words altogether. Originally, the plan was to release it and then start work on a new Kickstarter project but I realize now that Base Raiders could be an entire game line, not just a single product. That means I need to create additional content for the game, both free content for the website and paid content available as PDF and POD books. Working on the book for this long has also made me realize I need to find more writers because I can only create so much material in the amount of time I have available.

The plan now is to focus on short, quality PDF material for Base Raiders, but is also usable for other superhero RPGs – single NPCs, small bases, and other supplements. Obviously, I’ll supplement this with actual play podcasts and fiction. So, the challenge now is splitting my time between Base Raiders and other projects. Now that the GUMSHOE system is now available in OGL, I want to create a Carcosa based game for it, but that will take quite a bit of time and effort as well. Also, will splitting my time between 2 systems prevent either one from being as popular as they can be? It’s an interesting dilemma and I’m not sure exactly how I’ll proceed from here but when I do figure it out, I’ll let you guys know. In the mean time, BUY MY BOOK

Categories
blog posts Ross Payton's Work

2012 Year in Review

This has been a busy year for me, so I thought I would list everything I’ve done. See if you’ve missed any of my work!

Categories
blog posts RPG Design

Post Mortem of Call of Cthulhu: Hotline Miami

Do you like hurting other people?I recently posted a a one shot Call of Cthulhu scenario based on the PC game Hotline Miami on RPPR Actual Play that confused some fans of the show so I thought I would try to explain what the hell I was going for when I ran Hotline Miami. If you haven’t listened to the episode yet, I suggest you do or this won’t make much sense. This post will have spoilers in it for Hotline Miami and Spec Ops: The Line.

The scenario contains 4 main elements: Hotline Miami the video game, the King in Yellow mythos, Spec Ops: The Line, and an idea I’ve had for a while – instead of making the player characters fight, let them share control of a golem that fights their battles for them. Keep reading to find out how I used them…

Categories
Podcasts Travels

We won!!!!

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Categories
Web video

I let the actors improvise the entire sketch after giving them a basic premise. This was the second take and I think it worked well, although I think I over-corrected the video color balance a bit much. Does it look washed out to you? Maybe I’m being paranoid.

Categories
Web video

RPPR Video: Dread Actual Play

Categories
Web video

Raillery: Killing Floor modded servers

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Web video

Raillery: Hide the computer game

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Ransom Model RPG

Killsplosion: The PvP RPG

Killsplosion the PvP RPGRole playing games are usually games of cooperation and collaborative storytelling. This game isn’t one of them. Killspolosion is a competitive player versus player RPG where there is only one rule: fight to live. It is a rules light game that supports a variety of genres and rule sets. It was created using the ransom model.

Download Killsplosion first edition [PDF]

Download the Killsplosion character sheet [PDF]

Categories
ebook

Heretic Cycle: Hunted

The Heretic Cycle: HuntedWhen adventurers raid the dungeon of an immortal sorcerer known as Akil, he realizes he has to flee before the inquisitors find him. A heretic, thief and killer, Akil lives only for the next scheme to enrich himself and his personal code. To escape, he’ll have to deal with the border guards, patrols and other threats. With only the clothes on his back and a magical sword, he’ll be hard pressed to survive the hunt.

The Heretic Cycle is a new fantasy serial from author, podcaster and game designer Ross Payton. Follow the saga of a villain who builds dungeons, fights parties of adventurers and performs forbidden magic; a man damned by his choices and must wander the world alone for a crime that can never be forgiven.

Available at Amazon and Smashwords (for all other ebook formats).