My game baby: steampunk, alchemy, fusils, and swords

[tibbius]

https://tibbius.itch.io/the-knife-xe

This is the eXpanded Edition of a game I wrote a few months ago.

Here's a sample player character:

Nuraida: a Jugalian Mercenary. Luck 12, Breath 9.
She has adopted a pup from the white wolf's hidden den, survived a bear's embrace, been a mercenary at the gate of Thelav, and been taken a prisoner of war.
She's equipped with a greataxe and a chain byrnie, and a bag of copper solars.

Here's a sample combat:

Nuraida crouched with her axe held two-handed, ready to attack or evade the massive clockwork scorpion. Its iron-plated body bore numerous dents; this was not its first affray. She heard the hissing of steam as it moved, its essence-fired engine operating in a closed loop. Waves of heat rose from the cooling fins around its body.It sprang forward. Nuraida leapt aside and swung her axe: 3d6k2+4 = 10. She avoided the scorpion's pincers and tail, but it kicked her square in the shoulder with one of its legs, and she stumbled. -2 Luck = 10.

Here's a sample NPC:

Queen of Nights
Apparently youthful and lovely, corrupt and cruel, she (sometimes he) rules a seedier world than the Captain. For illicit pleasures of every sort, the Queen of Nights is the ultimate arranger. Like the Captain of Industry, the Queen of Nights caresses all parts of the Knife. She has her main boudoir in Whisper Street. DS 14 (unliving).

[tibbius]

I should have mentioned the Traveller-style character generation up front.

[cybersavant]

well, now you have MY interest

[tibbius]

It's not a full-on mini-game with risk of death, but you make four* rolls against a table of 108 formative life experiences and based on those establish a backstory with mechanical benefits. The example character, Nuraida, would get +2 to her 2d6 for rolls requiring physical endurance and toughness, +2 on rolls about close-in combat, probably +1 on rolls for scheming subterfuge of the sort that prisoners would employ to plan escapes and transfer contraband, basically +1 from each life experience that is relevant to a given situation. She'd also get an extra d6 (3d6k2) for rolls relevant to her Mercenary occupation.

*revised from earlier version where you made two rolls for life experience and two for personality traits - I decided that life experiences are a more interesting way to describe or imply personality traits.

Nuraida: a Jugalian Mercenary. Luck 12, Breath 9.
She has adopted a pup from the white wolf's hidden den, survived a bear's embrace, been a mercenary at the gate of Thelav, and been taken a prisoner of war. She's equipped with a greataxe and a chain byrnie, and a bag of copper solars.

[cybersavant]

cool

[tibbius]

Some examples of the "formative experience" style character generation.

TheKnifeXE_022.png (178.84 KiB) Viewed 430 times

[tibbius]

I'm going to be publishing a prettier edition with art and layout done by Andrew White of https://andyanimates.com - an Australian shepherd and graphic designer.

Here's the cover, and a sample spread:

The Knife_Tibbius_REVIEW COPY_001.png (456.38 KiB) Viewed 237 times

The Knife_Tibbius_REVIEW COPY_016.png (351.09 KiB) Viewed 237 times

[rredmond]

Looks great! Crisp and easy to read. Good luck!