Lone Wolf Fists: Interlude

Here I am in the eye of the storm: there’s nothing but wasteland in every direction. Why am I doing this to myself? Who am I writing this for? Why NOW, after so many years?

Because I’m tired of getting my ass kicked by the Exalted guys. I’m tired of GURPS and Fate being cited as kung-fu games while the true gems of the genre are ignored. I’m tired of thread after thread asking “What can do kung-fu?” or “What can do DBZ?” and being answered with “Just re-skin your favorite tasteless Styrofoam system!”

I’m impatient. Layout if horrifically difficult and time consuming and Vic, poor bastard, is paid about as much for his work on this project as I am.

I want my signature to point to my game. I want OTHER PEOPLE to start threads about Tian Shang.

I’m tired of years of work with nothing to show. Just like that doomed, miserable EX3 kickstarter, I just can’t ask people to take me on faith for years. I want to have something to show them.

God I don’t think I can do this: not in two days. But dammit, I’ve got to try. I’ve got to do as much as fast as I can, because if I keep putting it off I’ll never do it. What then? Grow old with my regrets?

To hell with that. One clan left. I can do this. One clan, then just draft the rules. Pull it together.

Okay. Time for a coke and then back to it. Rules first, then the last clan. Going to have to release without the map, push that to next week. That’s fine.

Let’s kick some more ass

Lone Wolf Fists: Sacrificing the weekend

Here's our sixth faction, the Radioactive Scorpions:

I think it's time for a little breather before the last faction joins the fray. Enjoy the half-Djinni nuclear punk faction!

Lone Wolf Fists: Trench coats and katanas are still kewl

Got some more coffee, feeling better today!

So, I grew up in the 90's and in the 90's, if you were:

1. Dark
2. Edgy
3. Wore a Trench coat
4. Something Something JAPAN
5. From Hell/demonic somehow

You were the bee's knees (as we said in those halcyon times). This next faction arises from that aesthetic. Also, copious amounts of 90's anime that required all of those things to be awesome. Demon City Shinjuku, Vampire Hunter D, the bad guys from Ninja Scroll...

So I present, the Shadow Vipers

There's more for these guys a bit down the line; I didn't make these demon rules to NOT use them. I want to flesh out some rules for characters to summon and bind demons too, because if its in the game, the players should have a fair shot at using it to blow up the world.

Lone Wolf Fists: Unhealthy Life Choices (of mine, which I'm regretting)

Wooo, well, guess who did 2/3rds of the work and busted his deadline by an entire day?

Yer lookin' at 'im.

Anyway. Here are the magical lightning guys.

I promise I'll wax poetic about these guys later. As for now, I'm burned.

Here are the little blue psychic kids from Akira. I mean, my totally original creation.

Argh. These guys are too cool for my caffeine-deprived blood to give them a proper gush. Take my word for it, they're awesome.

I'm going to take a little break and start working on the remaining three factions. Need. Coffee....

Lone Wolf Fists: Disrupting the work-life balance (of the author)

Oh yeah, you thought I was done, didn't you? You thought I wouldn't put blind adherence to an unrealistic release schedule over my own health and peace of mind, didn't you?

You were wrong! Behold the first half of today's work and tremble!

First, the mutation list to whet your appetite for post-apocalyptic goodness. Dare you roll a d100 and consult this list?!

Some of these have little spark notes for the full rules in parenthesis next to them; others are in various states of being written. The very last one turns you into a little blue person like the psychics in Akira, because an entire faction of those guys is a little dream I'm bringing to light with this project.

Next, the Dharmas. What heroic destiny will you pursue in the ashes of the world?

As you can clearly see, the poison-scorched world of tomorrow is a harsh one, but it has its heroes!

Next up today, not one, not two, but three more factions. Can I write and post them all before I die of exhaustion? We shall see!

Lone Wolf Fists: Progress

I wasn't kidding: this thing is happening

Here are the first two work-in-progress Lores for the factions. I've got the Brotherhood of Freaks and the Emerald Kirin here. All the spots in red need content that I'll generate when mapping and developing the world (or similar later design stages)

There's the Brotherhood. I'm going for a similar splat appeal to the Nosferatu from V:tM. They rode the line between iconic and pulp beautifully.

 And the Kirin. I like the idea of a faction of savage paladins fighting to return the natural world that was annihilated in the apocalypse. But... I also like them being real jerks.

I've got the other factions queued up for later in the week. On top of that, I'm revising the core Tian Shang rules for LWF; that's a big, technically difficult and extremely dull project that I'm pecking at in the background.

Stay tuned for more updates, true believers!

Lone Wolf Fists: Open Playtest (it's coming!)

Howdy everybody! I did some posting earlier this week and got a few of you fine folks interested in my little post-apocalyptic setting for Tian Shang: Lone Wolf Fists

Reading the excitement that the game generated got me back to working on it. In a flurry of creative energy, I wrote down a first draft for:

•        All seven clan’s fighting styles
•        Monster and Demon rules
•        The goals, plots and hooks for all seven clans
•        A 100-point mutation list
•        Psychic rules
•        Gritty wounding rules
•        Mortal hero rules
•     A streamlined Content Generation/Delivery method
•        A new, easier-to-read rules layout with new rules

So, I’m tired! But very accomplished!

I estimated two weeks from the post date I would have a nice document for you all to test to your heart’s content. That was about a week, ago, and barring any significant delays I’m still pretty confident in that figure.

When I get it done and formatted, my plan is to put it up on Drivethrurpg.com as a little pay-what-you-want book. This way, I can track acquisitions to see what the audience currently looks like number-wise, and also if you want to tip a little scratch into my jar for art and editing and layout and etc., well you can do just that.

I also plan to make a little feedback sheet for those of you who want to sample the playtest and give me your thoughts. Everyone who does so will receive credit for their playtesting (I mean, of course).

Look forward to it true believers. I’ll see you all in about a week!