Hearts & Souls 2E: Presenting The Flea!

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A rough prototype of the the Hearts & Souls 2E PC Sheet, set up for one of our smallest, but not least, iconic heroes.

I appreciate any feedback and suggestions. I've tried moving some elements around but it results in to much crowding and complexity back to back.

Why do I like superheroes?

Why do I like superheroes? It what about them moves me to enjoy reading about them, or in the case of games, playing and writing about them?

It's not an easy thing to narrow down. I guess at heart its the simplicity of a person who properly motivated can go forth and punch evil in the face. Sure its not always that simple. Complexity adds spice and flavor. Yet at its heart, its this "The desire and will to go out and make a difference, in the world."

We have real heroes too--though we forget them I think because they lack the capes, cowls, and other costume accouterments. Some of them are police officers, some are emergency workers, others teachers, lawyers, and just plain folks. They choose to make a difference in the world, they choose to step forward, especially when it isn't easy.

Now no one of any job or profession is guaranteed to be a hero. Many are in the profession but abuse it, others simply don't go beyond the absolute minimum they must do like any day to day job. It is grueling, terrible work, they face. No matter which profession we speak of in the above lists. Yet heroes are not the same as superheroes, and of course masked crimefighters are a relative but not exactly the same.

Masked Crimefighters began farther back--Scarlet Pimpernel, Zorro, and the Reverend Dr. Christopher Syn, the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh. They're heroes in their own way, they fight crime, they do so with skills and abilities a real world person can learn. Maybe they're better at them because they're protected by the fiction they dwell in of course. Yet at the core they are heroes, not superheroes. One could argue Batman is in this vein, but its questionable if he doesn't push narrative protection into the realm of even that being a superpower.


Superheroes are a bit more recent, or eons older depending on where you put culture heroes. Yet superheroes have created an existence all their own in popular media. Costumes, cowls, and all.

Yet when you get down to it--the desire to make a difference, and the will to go out and implement it, is why I like superheroes and their kindred spirits.

Why do you like superheroes?

The Wonders of an Unfocused Mind

Lately I've not been getting much writing done. It has more to do with health issues than other concerns. Though hopefully with one of them handled things will move forward.

Sadly High Valor has had to be moved to another layout person. No response from the previous layout person for over a month, and regardless of it being 99% through, I simply have no choice but to find someone else and start again. It's not something I wanted to do, and I held off far longer than I should have, but the person is good at what they do, and a friend. That made the whole need to move on, all the more despairing.

In the meantime Derelict Delvers is coming along. I now need to get some names for the sub powers for the Medic class. I need a side bar on "Engineer vs Scientist" in the book. I mean the Engineer is both, but he's a practical scientist. The go build something that works and kick it when it doesn't sort. Not the stay in a lab and create hypothesis type.

E.o.N's setting and work is getting more and more solid. I've really got a hold of the new direction both visually in my head, and more solidly in my rules. While I'd love to make custom rules for everything, that doesn't always work out so it will be similar to high Valor but with tweaks. Other games in the works will often have their own system, though some will use my fallback one. (High Valor's system.)


Now onto contemplating Tribes of Mother Night :D

Chinese Translation...

I am still looking for someone able to do English to Chinese translation, accurately enough for a game. I don't know when I'll find em--and at the same time the writing isn't done, but I figured a word here or there is better than waiting until the whole thing is almost done.

I need to wrap up Derelict Delvers, its an RPG I'm working on and its so close to completion, but one thing after enough has kept me busy. Mostly health concerns.

I got to play--actually play, the start of a campaign recently--of Talislanta. Was very fun. I hope it continues. One of my favorite games.

In the mean time I'm still pondering Tribes of Mother Night, E.o.N elements. Visually, I've very strong cues in my head. Game mechanics though need some examination.

Tribes of Mother Night

Believe or not, I've been dwelling on one of my first published works. The setting "Tribes of Mother Night," because of the ease of use of the system used in High Valor, and its flexibility. I've been considering using a variation of it for the setting for a 2E version.

The problem is--what Feat pools will it have? I'm pretty sure we need Fate (connection to Mother Night, or Haelot, Magic use.) Yet what do we do for fighting and thinking? The game can focus on duels and the dueling circle, as well as traditional conflict. I've been thinking on that quiet a bit. So "Warfare" and perhaps "Wits?"

Although I might go with Fate, Wits, and Warfare?

It flows well, but I'd be glad to see and think upon other ideas.

Hearts & Souls 2E

I've been having a heck of a time working on H&S2E, mostly I've not started the heavy lifting of mechanics. Primarily because other than a few minor changes the overt differences will be pretty small. The changes will be noticeable, but the effects will be to maintain the same play as before, just with some improvements brought on by the game design elements I've learned in the mean time.

The setting however is what is bothering me. I want this wonderful vast setting that is as wild as Marvel or DC, but without their depth of history or racism. I loathe racism. Even when I notice it in myself. (I fight it, seriously. Yet even then some slips in from my upbringing without thinking about it.)

It was something that was rampant and accepted in earlier eras of comic books. I could be true to them and allow it to slip in in the past and say "that was accurate for the time..."

Yet at the same time, I've the advantage of being able to look at that era with disgust at how we could have ever been so blind towards others (though we often still are...)

The setting is the big issue though. I want it to be filled with heroes and villains who are interesting, but unlike some settings I don't want to overlook that some were truly terrible ideas--even if they stuck around. (Example: Turner D. Century)

Yet still I want a few of.."hey that's mad, crazy, silly, and makes little sense, but what the heck..."

I'm a bit too serious at times to truly think of these though, and sometimes they come on me easily.

The joys of having an over-active brain.

Humor.

I don't do humor games. That isn't to say I don't put humor in the games I play, run, etc. I just don't do them explicitly. I played Paranoia 1E, I played Ghostbusters 1E, I wouldn't choose them today.

I prefer my humor more natural, more an aspect of situations that come out of things in games, than things "forced" into them. Same thing goes for April's Fools day. It is forced humor. Mostly unfunny. It is at best tiresome, at worst a way to really head down the path to ruining your reputation. I've seen so called "April Fool's" behaviors that if anyone had chosen to approach them could have put a few game designers years back into a real problem. Actual fraudulent statements, ones they used to make money.

Don't do that. Just don't be that person. Enjoy humor, make it subtle, but don't abuse the rights of others with it.

My April Fools post isn't a joke. It's not a laughing matter. I'm not going to say I sold out to some big company, or bought another one.

No. I'm writing games, I'm having fun with that. After all, its delightful to have a reptiloid Esper flare her frill at the other PC's because she doesn't want them to buy the "cursed" asteroid crawler at the local outposts rental place. It's fun and giggle worthy when she uses that as a "threat" to make them do what she wants. Especially when she interrupted the conversation, everyone paused, and then went right on. Maybe nudged by her antics, maybe not.

I giggle everytime my wife puts her hands up to her ears and flutters them and goes "flttrrrr" to mimic the action. She's a hoot to game with, soon it will be time for a Dwarf wedding that may resurrect a lost clan, and give them heirs. If of course the bride and groom actually go through with it. I can't wait to cause chaos, that has nothing to do with big dangers. Just small nutsy NPC's..

Chaos is fun.