One of the semi-secret projects I've been working on in the background recently is finished at last, the development of the Triffles concept into a form that shows its real potential.It's still system-neutral, but rather than just four ideas each, there are now 121, and a batch of other elements aimed at getting a useful tool for working up and growing narratives.
But where?
After cheering the indie publishers on from the sidelines for so long, I've decided it's time to follow up and get stuck in myself, not only posting up new material rough and ready here at the Expanse, but getting some definitive fuller work out there in other formats.
This particular work might not be everyone's cup of tea, but those whose cup of tea it is should find something to reward the exploration, and maybe whole worlds opening up.
This particular work might not be everyone's cup of tea, but those whose cup of tea it is should find something to reward the exploration, and maybe whole worlds opening up.
There's a lot more to come, and more than I expected, but not only from me - this is the first step in setting up a platform for more creators to do the same and get their work seen. Because I'm not the only creative influence behind the output of the Expanse.
And this won't be taking over. The links are in the right-hand sidebar, and that's pretty much it for now. I'll be talking about new things and future plans, and ideally ways of using the potential if a chance comes up or I think of more, but it won't be too often.
If you fancy a look, go for it. There's a flash preview available as well. Here's the blurb.
Forgotten, lost or left behind, they are the overgrown structures, lonely backwoods and no-go areas; depths, haunted spaces and futures past, disused, derelict or ruined, hidden by time or design. Do they fade? Fester? Remember, rediscover, return...
Triffles: Abandoned Space is a tool designed to support the development of narratives set in and around this location type.
It is compatible with a variety of fictional genres and game systems, and suitable for use by writers, roleplayers and tabletop gamers in general. It has applications in character creation, for scenario, adventure and campaign design and in the generation of events and interactions in the course of games. The potential may be almost endless.
The compact, 8-page tool is arranged for use on screen or printed and includes:
- a context table able to produce over 19,000 seed sentences
- a complete Fabric for narrative creation, formed of 121 Strands
- instructions for the use of the Fabric, with diagrams and options
- 144 adjectives for further detail, grouped across 12 categories
- a group of 21 adjectives and 11 adverbs for location essence
- 32 proposals for the overarching nature of the abandoned space
- a pair of example narratives, each for a distinct fictional setting
- a compact diceless number generator for the four ranges used
- a table of minimum, average and maximum results for eight ranges
- a full index for the 121 Strands present in the complete Fabric
- a blank Fabric, for remaking the complete Fabric or creating new
- suggestions for other approaches, layering and expansion...
And how much am I daring to charge for the privilege of owning it? Brace yourself...
_
8 responding:
Beautiful! Congratulations on getting this out there!
Great! I can't follow the links (as my employers blocks things that reference "games") but I can't wait to take a look.
Mindbogglingly awesome... and I mean that in its correct sense, not the slang version!
I am picking up a copy now. Great timing with this as I have been getting more interested in a more space/modern day setting. Look forward to it and good luck with it!
I wonder what my RPGNow password is?
Thanks very much for the support. It feels good to finally have it out the door. There's a lot more still to come, in terms of tools, materials and rules, but who knows when?
"Mindbogglingly awesome" will do me fine, and I'm very happy you think so. I like the image. That phrase really needs to get used somewhere.
As for the password, I hope you find it. I was recently pondering how many I have these days, and I wonder now how many I'll have lost over my lifetime. They're an IT key in more ways than one.
I just downloaded my copy and it looks brilliant. It also comes just at the right time for getting my Endland (postapocalyptic stuff) rolling!
It's very cool to think you guys could actually have a copy of it, let alone that you might actually use it..! It sounds like it could be a good match for Endland, and I'd love to hear how you get on, even beyond the natural interest in a campaign like that. Hopefully you can really lean on it, and rely on it when you need to, especially during long sessions or for days there might be less prep time. The thinking is that once you've got the hang of the basic mechanism, and maybe a feel for the possibilities, all you need is a complete or partially complete Fabric and nothing else, not even dice, and you can just lay it out and go.
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