Design Journal 03/07/24

 

 

As this month has shifted attention to getting out The Kingdom of Castiel Sourcebook and The Cassian Cultural Handbook, we are working on updating the products associated to the region.  Our first will expand the q-encounter Beneath the Reeds – to Pathfinder Second Edition and Old-School Essentials.  We plan on adding more alternative game systems, creating a diverse pool of offerings.

We have also been working on spells.  The further I work through them, the more excited I want to see everything in action.  There is just so much material, and the spells alone will probably have just over 200 pages of options.  It will be amazing!

-          James S. Austin

 

New Cover Art

 

by James S. Austin

 

We have an almost-finished cover piece for an upcoming release. Hope you enjoy!

Design Journal 02/22/24

 

One of the struggles of putting yourself deep into creative work, which I am sure could be likewise for other careers, is the mental changes that take place. There is probably a certain point when going too far is a thing. An example of this is when going to bed. I put on the TV with a timer, playing a show I have seen a billion times, to resist the need to watch. This helps quiet the brain. During the day, while working or at any point of the day, it is constantly doing mental gymnastics with creative thoughts. And, wearing so many hats at once does not help, jumping between writing, editing, layout, and creating art.

 

Another fun effect of working nearly every day, if not nearly every hour in the day, is the sense of what day it is in the week. Don’t get me wrong, I do know what day it is as they pass. I guess you could call it ‘All Fridays.’ To me, every day is a Friday. I am excited to work and have plenty to do. I know that if I want, tomorrow could be a rest day if I want. But that day of rest never really comes or is quite infrequent. So, I have a proverbial carrot pulling me along.

 

When you combine the two, it is imperative for me to be sure to get some good sleep. I exercise enough so that when I climb into bed, I am good there those evenings. If I pull a long day, which is nearly every day, no problem there, either. When I wake the next day, I get up with a kick and jump right back into the fray. So, I do the things I must, because those mental yapping imps in my head still need to be quieted… until I am ready to let them loose again. 

 

- James S. Austin

Design Journal 02/21/24

 

Another task that sits high in this push is working through the Calling’s Special Features. These are skill-specific, leaning towards a particular role of an adventurer. Some may only fit for one Calling, while others are shared. An example is Maneuvers. Maneuvers are fighting skills, themed batches for the different weapon types. 

 

To make it a little light-hearted and exciting, each batch of Maneuvers is themed with an animal. So, simply take some of the highlights an animal is used for and work from there. The Bear Maneuvers are considered Heavy, focusing on strength and defense while moving on the offensive. As a peek into the mechanics – 

 

Bear Grasp - On the designated Attack's hit, an adjacent target to you is moved to a different space adjacent to you, Pushed 5 feet, Agility / Dodge Check to prevent the Push. And this Maneuver is stepped with level progression, to reflect your growth and understanding when using this Maneuver.

 

I am hoping this and early posts are grabbing your interest as we come closer to cementing the core mechanics and pushing for publication!

 

- James S. Austin

Design Journal 02/20/24

 

 

The time has come to push out as much of the ‘grindy’ over the rest of this and next month. One is no surprise when creating a new RPG – spells. The task of putting together a full list of spells has been completed, but leaving room for going beyond the base list, catching those spells that help balance the core adventuring needs. 

 

Right now, the list is over 900. This is because we want a sense of diversity between the available Callings. I, like many, am fatigued with all wizards having some of the same handful of spells in their repertoire. I do love a good fireball, but what about a cryomancer? We can have an ‘ice ball’ as a repurposed fireball, but let’s go beyond. When done, we should have a pretty awesome set to work with for players.

 

- James S. Austin

Castiel Journal 02/13/24

 

The Cassian Peninsula sits in the northwestern corner of Ballidrous, a massive continent located mostly in the northern hemisphere of Enolia. The region has been inhabited by humans for centuries and was geographically isolated from land passage until the Ardalian Empire’s seafaring expansion began charting and linking the north. The Ardalians mapped a land route and opened waterway trade routes connecting to ports within the Ardalian Empire and the surrounding kingdoms and territories. This resulted in an age of enlightenment for the Cassians, a blending of Cassian ideals and daily living with external arts and scholarship.

 

- James S. Austin

Castiel Journal 02/07/24

 

As we roll out the Chronicles of Ballidrous Campaign Setting, I am working through the various game systems to see what directions we should go. We are already using 5E, but there are plenty of other options. There is of course The Pathfinder Role-Playing Game and Pathfinder 2E. The goal would be to have the system complement the system, as some may not be a fit.

 

What would be other options you would like to see and play?

 

- James S. Austin

Design Journal 02/05/24

 

We have our first printed product on the cusp of release. Just received the proof to review. Not bad as a whole. Need to adjust the margins slightly for a better presentation. The images come in darker than you would expect. I have the ‘shadow’ image in this one, and it is quite dark. I know it’s not practical, but I loved it being that dark, hard to distinguish the shapes… kinda like finding a shadow within a shadow.

 

I see the cuts are not as straight as I would like to shave the bleed, but that is somewhat to be expected when having page images with lines to highlight the issue. But overall, feels good to see a physical product.

 

- James S. Austin

Castiel Journal 02/05/24

 

 

The Kingdom of Castiel will be our first major location release for The Chronicles of Ballidrous. I chose this one as the primary as it is a coastal setting in the far northwest. The feel is as if it is an isolated nation with only interactions with a few other local nations, allowing players who are not familiar with the setting to have a chance to slowly learn.

 

Key points of this area:

 

- Low magic, higher levels of magic are looked upon with suspicion and fear.

- With the dawn of commerce abroad becoming prevalent, venturing out to discover the world around them sits at the heart of budding adventurers.

 

General Storylines

- Touch more on the Fae interactions with humans.

- A clash between the worshipers of the Old Gods and the introduction and rising popularity of the Eidonias (elven) gods.

- Was recently occupied by the Ardalian Empire, an elven military-driven nation.

- An empire of humans once ruled the lands in the north but mysteriously disappeared ages ago, leaving behind remnants of their civilization. Cassians are indirect descendants of these lost people.

 

Castiel will also be the launching point for the first set of modules focusing on the storyline – ‘The Bai’shen Prophecies’. Awesome times to come!

 

Let us know what you think!!!!

 

- James S. Austin

Design Journal 01/31/24

 

The final Archetype is the Naturalist. I struggled with this the most. They could easily fall under different Archetypes.

 

Transmorpher – Heroes who have bound their natural form with the energies of Nature.

 

Warden – Heroes who have found their calling in protecting Nature.

 

As can be deduced, these Callings will include druids and rangers, among other builds. The departure from the first impulse to just lump came from understanding how and where their magic was obtained from within the Weave. They are not truly divine or arcanic, using those universal terms. There had to be a distinction between these Callings and the others, sourcing from the Weave nature’s essence, the natural laws. From the egg of thought, this was hatched as the plan. (I know… so bad.)

 

- James S. Austin

Design Journal 01/30/24

 

Sensate is the next Archetype, introducing another pattern within the Weave, the philosophy of discovering one’s inner strength. They can lean more towards the mental or physical applications, but never completely separating the two in their growth.

 

Ascetic – Heroes who, through constant determination, devote their lives to achieve physical, mentally, and spiritual ascendency.

 

Mentalist – Heroes who push their minds beyond the commonplace, becoming skilled at imposing their will with a thought.

 

Here are your monk and psionisist builds, characters who desire to center on and enhance their inner strengths in a storyline. This was another fantastic challenge to rethink how game mechanics might incorporate the heart of these characters and allow them to flourish, while adhering to the game’s balance.

 

- James S. Austin

Design Journal 01/29/24

 

Opportunist is an Archetype I find to both embrace the skills a character has and go beyond. The offer a Player the familiar but yet become a little extraordinary in their own right.

 

Performer – Heroes who find the concept of adventuring a platform to showcase their artistry.

 

Scoundrel – Heroes who intend to benefit from their journeys, cleverly working through desperate situations.

 

Specialist – Heroes who latch onto a specialty, honing their skills to become the best.

 

As strange as it sounds, for the most unlikely Calling, I marginally gave the Player the authority to change the game, leniency to bend the rules in certain situations. The mechanic will make for some interesting stories or lead to terrible deaths. But hey… isn’t that the game?

 

- James S. Austin

Design Journal 01/27/24

 

 

So, I wanted to see where Tacitus’s progress in creating projects, and share with you. Not including the few bigger pieces, here are some numbers…

 

Type - Released / Near Completion

Battle Cards – 5 / 1

Q-Adventures – 2 / 1

Q-Crawls – 16 / 1

Q-Encounters – 54 / 34 (in the pipeline, AMAZING!!!)

Q-Haunts – 2 / 1

Q-Hunts – 1 / 1

Q-Quests – 1 / 1

Q-Towns – 1 / 1

Short Stories about the setting 28 / 17 (so proud of this one, too)

 

With all these great writers who have been a part of this growing setting, I am so thankful! And then we have all the fantastic artwork from a fine group of people also waiting in tandem for these projects.

 

 

- James S. Austin

Design Journal 01/26/24

 

 

 

The Red Wyvern RPG

 

We next look at the Archetype of the Disciple, one of the groups of Callings that has overlap - between the Champions and Adepts. This includes: 

 

Oath-Bound – Heroes who center their life on an oath given to a greater power. These would include the ever-needed Paladin in the mix. These are adventurers who favor a more physical means to their worship of a deity, the enforcers or devout soldiers. But it also gives freedom to twist up what that oath entails, which could then have, as an example, the Templar (don’t rush it, details come later.)

 

Pact-Bound – Heroes who make a pact with a greater power. Again, we have that familiar build you would find in Warlocks. These adventurers have a pact, also having a physical component but leaning more toward the gifts bestowed upon them to carry out their duties.

 

These Callings presented the opportunity to explore and test the boundaries of how we design these builds and how they interact with the world. Not to dive into the full lore and magic’s blueprint, imagine their use of the Weave comes with manipulating the energies through their oath or pact. When they are ‘compliant’ with their actions and intent, the Weave is then influenced by this devotion, bringing forth the power they call upon.

 

 

- James S. Austin

Design Journal 01/25/24

 

The Red Wyvern RPG

 

The next Archetype is the Champion. This includes: 

 

Outlander – Heroes who are raised with a weapon in hand and come to respect their people’s connection to their homeland and have taken the mantle to defend their ideals.

 

Warrior – Heroes who enjoy the intricacies of battle and the artistry found in using a weapon.

 

I think the challenge here was not to fall into the trap of focusing only on the contributions of a combat-oriented adventurer held only to combat situations but on how they interact in other types of encounters. This was one dilemma that heavily pushed me to realize that trying to keep the design simplistic would not work… so, the crunchier The Red Wyvern RPG became. Each Calling must have an opportunity to be a part of every encounter, even if in a small way. To lose a player to boredom because they feel they have nothing to offer, even if for a brief period, seems problematic and defeats the purpose of a game. I have no issue if they choose not to participate, but sometimes, those small moments make a player’s night.

 

 

- James S. Austin

Design Journal 01/24/24

 

The Red Wyvern RPG

 

The thought of using a special term to identify a group that embraces an aspect of adventuring, having shared or similar features, was pivotal in establishing the design flow. ‘Callings’ soared above other possible choices put into the pool, and there were only a few after the word was proposed, as there was no need to look further. We wanted something strong to build upon as we began the process of gathering ideas, and a barometer to make final decisions.

 

Our first Archetype collection is the Adepts. These Callings have found ways to harness the powers found within the Weave. This reveal goes beyond just a list; it demonstrates how we approached the overall build designs to establish delineations between the Callings within the Archetypes.

 

Blooded – Heroes who connect with the Weave through their innate abilities.

 

Channelers – Heroes who channel the Weave through them, harnassing divine-granted power.

 

Weavers – Heroes who have learned how to manipulate the Weave through external means.

 

They each have a particular way of working with parts of the Weave – one is directly connected to the Weave and has learned to use it, one allows the Weave to flow through them, and one shapes the Weave around them. I will explain magic further once I get through the Callings, which will be eye-opening but also hopefully intuitive in its understanding.

 

 

- James S. Austin

Design Journal 01/23/24

 

The Red Wyvern RPG

 

The first interesting detail I would like to share is our breakdown of adventuring Archetypes into Callings:

 

Adepts – heroes who share a deeper connection with the Weave.

 Champions – heroes who favor a strong blade or a well-made bow.

Disciples – heroes who have connections with the greater powers of the universe.

Opportunists – heroes who survive off quick wit and have ‘a very particular set of skills.’

Sensates – heroes who tap into their inner strengths.

Naturalists – heroes who devote their lives to the natural world.

 

Every Calling has a particular flavor, trying to capture an aspect of play that separates them in spirit while still having some crossover, as they can have shared features. I’ll dive into each a little more in future journals; as you can imagine, this just scratches the surface.

 

 

- James S. Austin

Design Journal 01/19/24

 

I have been writing the new Red Wyvern RPG steadily for months, jumping in and out of the process. Although a challenge beyond anything, it can be gratifying and enlightening.

 

To start off by sharing glimpses of what is to be, I felt a need to embrace what I am creating. At first, this was meant to be like many of the new 5E clonish or alternatives that have been announced and are coming out in droves. But there was one key difference inherent with this build. It will not be that close to those. I came from the ‘old world’ of D&D and still have roots in the past. But I have embraced much of the newer outlooks on what a design can mean to a game and its players. So, in effect, I am berthing something of a hybrid of all past to present babies.

 

The result favors what many like in a game, but is not in the DNA of the current pattern. The current trend is to have simple and fast play. I am targeting to create a play-style with a sense of uninterrupted flow during a game, not bogged down in game mechanics. The flow is important! But so is the one thing missing from the larger projects of recent – options. Like 2nd edition, when the seeds of options started to blossom, I want that again. Large companies are held to certain constraints and answering to the many overseers. I am not. I am bringing the kitchen sink.

 

The Red Wyvern Role-Playing Game will undoubtedly fall into the ‘crunchy’ category by the time it is completed. I wanted each character’s core build not to constantly bleed over with every other build. Sure, there will be some shared features, but each approach should have a sense of being different, contributing in different ways. I will continue with this journal to share where the project is headed and listen to any thoughts and feedback as I go. I hope you will join me in this as we will be a community who will share in these adventures. Because I tell you now, if you are a gamer, you will not want to miss out.

 

 

- James S. Austin

Design Journal 01/17/24

 

Working on these projects is such an invigorating exercise. I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to jump between all the publishing hats – writing, artwork, editing, layout… The hardest hat to wear is marketing. No one in the industry would argue this. Reaching the right people can be a challenge. The social platforms can be helpful, but on the latest round, they proves to be also annoying and potentially wasteful. Something that didn’t happen in the past when boosting a post is the constant run of messages from ‘guests’ claiming we are doing any number of things wrong and are to be shut down.

 

But that doesn’t mean they are ineffective for those who might be the right audience seeing the post. You learn that when a lady puts you on blast for having an ad on her feed. At first, I found her anger most unwarranted until I realized I was the one who should be angry. Why was SHE seeing the boosted post? She should have been nowhere near my targeted audience. That means my paid efforts are being lost on people who could care less about what I was peddling. A bit frustrating.

 

 

- James S. Austin

Design Journal 01/08/24

 

This weekend included my birthday, which was intended to force me to take a break… but that was a massive fail. I used a good part of my time to do some housekeeping for the publishing company. I ran through all the projects in the pipeline awaiting a projected release date and found it was jam-packed. I was hoping to establish a schedule for my daily efforts and found I have plenty of material to share at some point, wading through what should be first. To give you an idea, we have at least 90 q-encounters at some stage in the publishing process, and to say over 50 of them are completed. That is thanks to the work of some great writers! And that is the tip of the ‘publishing iceberg.’

 

 

- James S. Austin

Design Journal 01/05/24

 

For this year’s Dungeon24 project, I don’t think I will fully invest the time. After last year, making it a quarter of the way, I know the time needed to invest in keeping pace. It is great fun and keeps the brain inspired, but when trying to also be an active creative, the drain could eventually be too much. So, as a compromise, I plan on doing weekdays as the build days. They can be a morning warm-up. But it also means going back at the end and finishing as I won’t complete all the new creature designs and fluff immediately like I did last time… but at least a complete project when I do.

 

Since a dungeon crawl is the heart of the project in essence, and wanting something slightly different, I am starting with a ‘forest crawl’ with location, that can then lead into smaller dungeon crawls underneath. This will help to keep things fresher for me. And since I am working on the Chronicles of Ballidrous campaign setting, why not drop it there, my most recent dive into the world – the Dyathukha Forest.

 

I’ll post here occasionally to help support the feed and make sure others don’t feel alone when we (hopefully) find ourselves deeper in the dungeon, where it’s darker and scarier.

 

 

- James S. Austin

Design Journal 01/03/24

 

 

For the last couple of weeks, I have been working on two Q-Quests, a new line of adventures. These short quests are meant to be used as intros for new parties. The quests are found around a starter town, so far one for each of the three major starter nations for Ballidrous. I have been enjoying this process, excited to see them in action. And maybe one day, I’ll hear how others used them to launch their grand campaigns.

 

The first one, set in the Lands of Tres, is undead themed and tries to tie in some of the local culture. What made it awesome was working through some of the new Challenges. Even though they will eventually be in the Red Wyvern RPG as core features of the game, making 5E versions has been interesting, and helps to test the bounds.

 

One is the Research Challenge, crawling around in a library, conducting some deep research. The design had me fully working my brain, thinking outside the box. Another was the Exploration Challenge. I wanted something that was not going across a hex map, trying to guess which was the correct one. Instead, I built it to be more ‘theater of mind’ with a system of rolls. And this is just the start of expanding further beyond the ‘combat’ storytelling style.

 

 

- James S. Austin

Design Journal 01/02/24

 

I have officially launched myself into the full-time design world. That means a lot in terms of Tacitus Publishing.

 

1. Material being worked consistently – quicker releases.

2. Pipeline is already full with partial and completed products – a constant flow of releases.

3. Having more time dedicated to having a pen in hand, creating art is not such a timesink.

4. Writing more fiction, building more onto the themes of the Chronicles of Ballidrous campaign setting.

5. Driving hard to complete the robust Red Wyvern Role-playing Game. This is a long game piece but absolutely fulfilling a dream.

6. Seeing the world of Enolia become a reality – all the small pieces falling into place to make a wonderous adventuring setting.

 

The excitement is real, and I hope you join me in this endeavor.

 

 

- James S. Austin