Pain (RPG) and stress

 

Oof. I missed the March update.

Well, I took a break from designing the Pain and writing the rulebook. After completing a huge, d666 Sync Omens random table (216 entries, whew!) I was totally burned out. But I feel like I should be able to work on it again.

Why I took a break? Because I could. I have no deadlines and no commitments. I made no promises. And I believe that's the only way to make this game as good as it could be. To minimize the stress associated with the project and maximize the fun. 

That's why there will be no Kickstarter campaign for the game.

I do believe that I could do it right. Calculate everything properly, manage to print and deliver the game in time. But I will be honest with you - even the thought about the responsibility is scaring the shit out of me. There are way too many variables which aren't dependant on me. Hell, we are living in the interesting times. Everything can become worse literally every single second. And I couldn't even imagine the levels of stress I'd experienced during the KS campaign and after it.

I'm battling depression for years. And one of the most important things I learned about the daily struggles with mental illness is that stress is making everything worse. And stress + depression could easily make everything spiral out of control. And it could issues with any aspect of fulfilling the campaign.

Okay, that's one extremely chaotic post! To make things even more convoluted, I will end it right here!

Feel free to ask any questions or express your opinion about my decision (or current weather, haha) either here or on my MeWe account (I stopped updating FB Ortix profile some time ago, as FB sucks ass).

 

Pain - glimpse of the game mechanics

 

Yup, entire ruleset on one page. Of course I expanded it in the Pain manuscript, which by the way is now over 110 pages long. Still, even though I slowly see the end on the horizon, it's still relatively far away.

And then I must make the artwork :)

700th post! PAIN Character Classes

 

For the last two days we were working hard to figure out what Character Classes we want to include in the game. So, after almost boiling our brains due to the overheat, we came up with the following list. They both fit the game world perfectly and also are full of its dark atmosphere.

I think it's a pretty good post for the 700th blog entry!

CHAOS WARRIOR [to embrace the Machine's corruption] 

DEATH CULTIST [follower of the Assassin's philosophy]

DOOMED SENTRY [I've seem too much on the surface, time to delve down]

ENLIGHTENED PILGRIM [in a search of Wisdom of the Depths]

FORLORN AVENGER [going to the Depths Below to avenge his fallen ones]

INSPIRED ARTISAN [and inspiration lies deep under the City of Pain]

LOST MOON SAGE [the Crimson Ones must be punished for the Moon's destruction]

LUCID DREAMER [they need my ability to dream]

MASTERLESS GUARDIAN [looking for a purpose, down there]

REPENTANT SINNER [salvation thru service for the Seekers]

RESTLESS CHRONICLER [someone have to write it down]

ROGUE TINKERER [in a search for the Artifacts]

SHADOW ARCANIST [not all magic is demonic, although all magic is destructive]

VERMIN SPY [servant of the deity known as the Chaos Rat]

XENOLOGIST [not all life is extinct... but all life is dangerous]

Pain progress report 2/2021

 

I started working on the current iteration of the game in May 2018, while the first concepts began to appear in... 2005. But for the first time in countless millenia, I feel really full of energy for the game.

So, today I have a big announcement!

I've finished working on the setting! 99% of the world's descriptions are now ready. I worked on it on a daily basis and even reduced my roaming thru the local forests to focus on Pain ;)

Of course, there's still much to do, namely:

• The game mechanics (based on even more streamlined Perilous Ages ruleset) - as I absolutely love working on game rules, I think I will do it in the following weeks. I must playtest it ASAP!
• At least 20 random Artifacts (it won't be easy, as so far I created over a hundred such items for my previous projects, haha);
• Circa 30 maps of various size and detail;
• About 100 pieces of artwork. It will be pretty time-consuming, as I decided to release this game in full color!

Also, this time I will do a proper proofreading of the game. I want to release it in physical form (as premium as possible!), so I want to make it as perfect as I am able to.

More info really soon!

Oh, and I think you'll be interested in seeing the list of actual content made so far! Here it is:

INTRODUCTION

• Welcome to the Nightmare
• Modular game, modular setting

THE UNLIFE

• General appearance of the Unliving Ones
• Feeding
• Healing and body augmentations
• Connection ports and interface

THE SEEKERS

PAIN IS ETERNAL

• Layers of the City
• What Lies Below
• The Outside

THOUSAND SECTS

THE HOLLOW ONES

• The Black Dust

THE FALL

• The Machine 

THE ARCHONS

• Blood of the Gods
• Asccension
• The Architect
• The Alchemist
• The Assassin

IMMORTALS

• The Grey Wanderer
• The Silent Observer
• The Masked One
• The Watcher
• The Hunter

THE BOOK OF KEYS

• What do we know about the Book
• The Abyss
• The Archives
• The Altered Ones
• Awakened Ones
• The Arena
• The Ashen Spirits
• The Black Druid
• The Bone Forest
• The Book of Names
• The Chaos Rat
• The Chimney Towers
• Chronicles of the Lost
• Cosmology
• Dark Iron
• The Dead Tree
• Death Pits
• The Dust Sword
• Excavation Station
• The Fossilized God
• The Furnaces
• The Gatekeeper
• The Great Father
• The Guarded Passage
• Human Skulls
• The Inverted City
• The King
• The Knights
• The Lake
• The Last Star
• Lower City
• The Lower Outpost
• The Map Room
• The Mines
• The Moons
• The Necropolis
• The Portal Fortress
• Portals
• The Prison
• The Resurrection Monolith
• The Rift
• Rust
• Sorrow
• The Sunken Spires
• Thorns
• Tower of Mirrors
• The Trophy Room
• The Unknown One
• Upper City
• The Void Moth
• Warding Pillars
• Watcher's Outpost
• The Waterfall Cave
• The Waterfall Passage
• THE FOOTNOTES COMPILED

MOST IMPORTANT INDIVIDUALS FROM THE CITY

COGNITION CARDS

• Origins
• Card Suits
• Known Cards
• The Moon

THE CRIMSON ONES

• The Red Moon
• Ritual of the Seven
• Demonic Flesh

UNSORTED TEXTS

 

MMXXI - Pain progress report

 

Wow... three posts in 2020...

This time I decided to give up on any RPG-related plans. I just try to do my part of work but without any promises to anyone - even myself.

BUT I think there is one thing I could share with you - progress I made with designing Pain since my last post.

You know me - bullet point list incoming!

• I'm currently revising everything I wrote so far - condensed text fits into 27 A4-sized pages. And I rather remove stuff than add new. I simply rip out anything I'm not entirely satisfied with. This should help with, well, finishing it!
• Yup, only twenty seven pages. But when divided into chapters and fit into B5 format (which will be the final one - or at least I think so) they already take 77 pages. And that's without even touching game mechanics.
  
• Moreover - many entries must be expanded. Some really important figures and places are only described in 2-3 sentences. But for now I hit the wall and my brain is empty. So I focus on other aspects of the design.
• No artwork touched so far, except the first attempts to design a logo. I posted some initial doodles on my Instagram.
• I often switch methods of designing new stuff - sometimes I write only on Google Docs, sometimes I use pen and paper. The latter works especially well with revisions - but geez, applying the changes to the GDocs is PITA! But there is no way around - I tried a tablet but it was even worse than relying on a laptop! Good thing is that I borrowed one and had not spent any money on my own device.

I really hope that I will finish this game in MMXXI. But we all know how things are looking now. Still - expect no excuses for my laziness. If i drop it for several months due to me being too lazy - I will let you know haha.

Okay, I think it's enough for now. Still no promises - but I will TRY to post at least monthly updates on topic of this project. And it's more than sure that I will drop some less-important stuff on my IG (link above).

Stay tuned and be safe out there!

Pain is Eternal

 

still WIP, needs rework

Uh oh. Blogging is weak in me! But I am still working on my game, which I mentioned several times before under this tag (and several other tags as well, as my RPG-related settings and projects intermingled and devoured themselves over and over). But even the name of the game was changed.

PAIN IS ETERNAL.

Yup, that's a saying from the game's world - Pain is name of the city. The only city that survived the Fall (click but bear in mind that this info be quite outdated). And as you can see on the map above - there's quite a lot of things happening under it. So - maybe you should expect some solid underworld-crawling.

Next thing - there will be only one playable race - the Unliving Ones. Humans are now extinct and only the "amalgamations of biological flesh and arcane technology" remain. More info soon (ha, fucking ha... expect to read about them in the next 4d6 months).

Also - game will most likely use my percentile mechanics, a derivative of an engine used in Perilous Ages. But it will be even more streamlined and gritty. Why the d% engine, instead of more standard OSRish approach? There are two main reasons. First - I dislike asymmetrical combat (passive defense and binja armor paradox - the more heavy armor you have, the smaller the chance to hit you is). Second - percentile mechanics are really, REALLY easy to convert them to any other existing ruleset. And they are extremely easy to hack / modify. At least IMO.

However - this time things will be soo fucking different from my previous releases...

Let's be honest - I fell in love with MÖRK BORG. Absolutely, both in terms of aesthetics and content. What is even more interesting (at least from my point of view), I planned to do something similar two years ago - but still had no clue how to start (or finish). Artpunky rulebook is a way for me to go. And - as I already have like ~70 A4-sized pages full of text (not counting the rules) - it will be quite big.

I will try to update the blog with some Pain-related news. Also, check out my Instagram profile and add me on MeWe.

Ortix Year Ten (+ map!)

Wow... a decade of this blog.

As you can see, I'm still kicking. Not very active on the RPG-side of my numerous hobbies - was mainly focused on drawing, painting and music. But from time to time i work on the Pain project, adding new stuff - but mostly reworking the old ideas.

For example - yesterday I made a small, very basic version of the cross-section of the City of Pain, which you may gaze upon. Right here, right now I'm working on the much bigger and much more detailed one. Most likely will post some progress photos on my MeWe profile.

[whY] The Shards

1. All Shards revolve around some kind of central location, a place where immense power can be found.
2. Not all Shards are inhabited - conditions on some of them are quite lethal…
3. Shards that are left unprotected may vanish. Sometimes they reappear, twisted beyond recognition.
4. An artificial black hole is located in the center of all Shards. And all Shards are somehow connected to it.
5. Boundaries of some shards are clearly visible, while others seem to stretch infinitely.
6. Shards that are uninhabited by humans are sometimes home to some unspeakable monstrosities, much better adapted to particular fragments of reality.
7. From time to time, particular Shards seem to overlap. There was a clan who possessed a method of determining when and where it will occur. Or maybe it was just another myth.
8. Some shards are artificially lit, while others seem to be surrounded by dim glow. Night-day cycle is extremely rare.

The very first Ortix Podcast!

THE GUILTY FUCKER

Well, it happened. I recorded my very first podcast ever.

I was really nervous, the hum of the laptop can be perfectly heard (even though I recorded using the contraption presented above!) and my English is shitty. But I felt the urge to record it and I did it.

In this - the first ever - episode, I'm talking about the whY setting, its background, some basic features and the form. It's not very long, and most likely not very good as well! But I hope you'll enjoy it :)

Ortix Podcast S01E01 - Introduction and something about The Game Called... whY

[whY] doodle #1

I'm not good at drawing.
But I don't care.

[whY] Quote #2

“We came to existence during the collapse of your reality. Born from your fear, your lies, your sins. Now we just wait. One day - and that day is near - we will rise and devour your souls, just as the Womb - the Machine - devoured your world. Fear not, as it’s pointless to fear the inevitable.”

- Subject Eight

[whY] The Void Moth

This entry, although it depicts a monster from whY setting, also brings to you a sneak peak of the game mechanics that will be used in the game. Of course, it's the same system I've presented to you as the Perilous Ages game.

Type: Demon

Rarity: Unique

STR: 57%

DEX: 91% Inhuman+3, Flying

CON: 49%

INT: 66%

LCK: 89% Blasphemous

WIL: 34% Immunity

PER: 66%

LEA: 45%

MELEE: 69%

RANGED: n/a

DEFENSE: 76% Dodge while Flying

VP: 147

Weapons: Bite d6+1+2 Poison (Paralysis + Insanity)

Armor: 4 Magical

Other Traits: Arcane 99% Stealth 89% while Flying, Invisibility Aura (d4+2 minutes)

More classic stats:

HD 10, AC2, Movement 24 Flying, poisonous bite (sv vs Magic or paralysis for d4 hours)

[whY] General mood of the setting

Well, this time I will try hard to provide you with something more than gibberish quotes and cryptic random tables. However, I prefer to create stuff in a form that will be easy for you to cherry pick the parts that should suit the best your campaigns. So, it can still be a bit confusing and unclear. But I like it as it is.

• Almost exactly one thousand years ago some unspeakable cataclysm shredded the world to pieces. The old order is shattered.
• Space-time was ripped apart, the remains are now called the Shards. Moving between them is complicated and dangerous.
• Humans are not the only inhabitants of the Shards. There are the Unliving - hideous mix of flesh and machine, the Demonic - hybrids of men and extra-dimensional entities and the Inhuman - various generations of mutants. Most of them are hostile towards mankind.
• The Guild controls the world. They are old, very old. Perhaps predecessing the Fall. Their oppresive rule stretches over most of the Shards.
• The Hollow Ones were the masters of the world before the Fall. Now they are gone (here you can read the old post about them - however, you should bear in mind that many things may change).
• Number of Shards is hard to determine - some may appear for the first time, some can vanish without a trace. Only few of them are explored, even smaller numbers are inhabited.
• World is a dangerous place, full of anomalies, monsters and other perils. But people still want to delve into the unknown, looking for knowledge of the past and artifacts of old.

[whY] Quote #1

“One thousand years ago there was the Fall - a cataclysm which destroyed the world. We have been betrayed, millions have died. We were plunged into darkness, lost everything. 

Now the backwards, primitive descendants of once great live amongst the ruins of the old order, on the Shards, the only remains of our reality. We are exposed to the unspeakable evil of the Inhuman, of the Unlife, of the Demonic. 

The end is near. 

At last.” 

Koaash, Overlord of the Red Pit

[whY] The Guild

1. They are the descendants of the Hollow Ones’ minions. 
2. The Guild are the only ones who are able to communicate between the Shards. 
3. They gained their power through the demonic pacts. Now the payback time is coming. 
4. They are the last ones who understand at least a portion of the technology of the past.
5. No one ever saw the members of the Inner Circle, not even other members of the Guild. 
6. Only descendants of the Guild members can join their ranks. They perform some kind of “gene-tests” on the recruits, whatever it means… 
7. They claim to be “maintaining the balance” but it’s just one of their countless lies.
8. Almost every aspect of their lives and deeds is heavily ritualized, entangled in long chain of over-complicated prayers and rites.

[whY] The Fall

1. The Hollow Ones. They built the Machine. 
2. World - both space and time - was ripped apart. 
3. They tried to open a portal to Hell - and they succeeded. The results, however, were far beyond their expectation. 
4. The device which destroyed the world is still there. Still active, pouring its poisons into our reality. 
5. Remains of the Machine are rooted deep inside the every Shard. That’s why the Shards are surrounded by the aura of… artificiality. 
6. The Machine was so powerful that not only our world, our dimension was destroyed. Some other, dark world was also shattered. And mixed with the remains of ours.
7. Someone tried to save the world from global disaster but it led to another catastrophe, maybe even worse than the one from which he tried to save us. 
8. The world was much better place before the Fall. It was safer and brighter. Technology was much more advanced but now most of the wisdom of the past is lost. 

(I will explain later ; I'm sorry, you must be patient)

Slaughter of ideas, stitching parts back together

Still here. Still working on some shit, although due to the amazing weather it's extremely hard to sit behind the desk and write some stuff. But some changes are coming.

I decided to butcher some of my unfinished projects - namely the Charon Prime one, Battlestation Omega and other stuff, which became obscure even for me (to be honest, I had to dig through my tag cloud on the blog to even remember some of their names!). They originated from the very old idea, started in 2005. That year I gathered a bunch of my friends and started to create a setting. Unfortunately, there were too many of us and the game stuck in the development hell. It was virtually dead.

I've lost contact with most of the guys involved in the project but the ones I still got in touch with poked me with a "do it" stick from time to time, usually once in two years. But I was sure that for me the whY (that was the name of the game) is deceased for good. But somewhere in 2017 I came to an idea to revive the project and I knew how to do it.

So, back to the present time. I've restarted the project in March 2018. Since then, not much was done. But the vision is clear and this time I started from the right angle - I'm avoiding dragging too many people into this pit and try to focus on the larger image than over-developing the tiny portions of the setting.

How will it end? I don't know, as nothing is certain with my ability to focus and create games (or supplements, or anything that isn't a spoon carved from firewood lol).

Tomorrow (or somewhere in the dark future hahah) I will try to post some more ideas about the game. Wish me luck!