ENnie Award Winning Rocket Age role playing game adapted to the popular 5e system
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Live Tonight on Random Worlds -Ken Spencer!
almost 5 years ago
– Tue, Jun 18, 2019 at 10:16:05 AM
Ken Spencer will be live tonight on Random Worlds chat! Stop in to watch or ask questions. The chat log will be posted after the interview, if you can't make it you won't miss out!
Interview with Idle Red Hands and A Look At Classes
almost 5 years ago
– Mon, Jun 17, 2019 at 02:14:20 PM
Last week Ken sat down with the Idle Red Hands podcast to talk about Rocket Age (5e). These expats living in Japan were a great crew to discuss not just the mechanics, but also the deeper philosophy behind the game and the setting.
The Scientist is one of the five classes in Rocket Age (5e). As our system is broadly compatible with other 5e products, you can use classes from other sources if you want. The ones we have designed are particularly well suited to the Solar System of Rocket Age.
Scientist Class Discoveries
The core of the Scientist class is their discoveries. Each of these gives a limited power whose full use is up to the creativity of the player. You acquire discoveries at 1st level and as you progress in the Scientist class. When you choose the Scientist class you pick a career, either doctor, engineer, or inventor.
Doctors are focused on healing, but they do much more than allow their allies to recover hit points. Our engineers do not just repair equipment they make small modifications that improve them. The inventor is focused on discoveries and making them useable for a short time by others.
Any scientist can alter the role they fill in the party depending on the discoveries they choose. Some discoveries, such as medicinals or sensor apparatus make the character better at their core talents. Others, applied ballistics and explosives for example, improve the scientist's combat potential.
Backgrounds Preview!
almost 5 years ago
– Sat, Jun 15, 2019 at 12:38:01 AM
We are moving along towards our first stretch goal, Ed Greenwood's adventure Bold Brigand's of the Belt (5e)! When it is unlocked we will add the 5e version in print, and the Classic version in pdf or print+pdf as add-ons.
Today we have previews of the backgrounds chapter. These follow the standard form of 5e backgrounds, at least for the most part. Your character will get skills, proficiencies, and equipment. You also get a background feature, and we have spiced these up a little bit. In play we have found that the usual 5e background features don't see as much use as they should. This is a shame and we want your character's background to tie them in to the setting both narratively and mechanically. Our background features allow you to perform those feats a person who is, for example, a Rocket Wire News stringer could.
Instead of lists and tables of personality traits, bonds, flaws, and so on, we have a list of things your character could do that should gain them an inspiration point. These show your background's prime motivations, and those rare instances where dramatic tension can be built by playing against expectations or coming to grips with a character's past. These work well with the standard 5e inspiration point system and really shine when using our optional cinematic inspiration point system.
Last night we had a rare event, all the principals in Why Not Games were working on projects at the same time! Even though we all live within a mile of each other (or in the case of Krystal and Ken in the same house), it is rare that our schedules sync up so well. Here is a picture of the Why Not Games crew hard at work in our main office, aka Krystal and Ken's dining room. Maybe next time we will get our local playtesters and artists to come on over!
Funded!
almost 5 years ago
– Wed, Jun 12, 2019 at 10:25:23 PM
A big thanks from the Why Not Games crew to all of our backers, those who shared and spread the word, and our fans. We have achieved our goal, but why stop there?
We are less than $2,000 from our first stretch goal, Bold Brigands of the Belt (5e), a Rocket Age (5e) adventure by Ed Greenwood. Ed is most famous as the creator of the Forgotten Realms, but he is also a Rocket Age fan! We first worked with Ed on Tales from the Rocket Age, our fiction anthology (available in pdf or pdf+print as an add-on). Bold Brigands of the Belt (5e) will go out to all pdf level and higher backers this Fall as it is completed. It will also be available as an add-on in print, or as an add-on using the Rocket Age Classic system in both pdf and print+pdf.
We have changed up our $9,000 stretch goal to Rocket Rangers Handbook (5e). This guide to all things Rocket Rangers covers the history of the legendary heroes of the Solar System, their missions (adventure seeds), Ranger bases around the Solar System, equipment, subclasses, feats, ships, and more. Rocket Rangers Handbook will go out to all pdf level and higher backers this Fall as it is completed. It will also be available as an add-on in print, or as an add-on using the Rocket Age Classic system in both pdf and print+pdf.
Why change the stretch goals? Well, I really want to write this book and I'm the creative director. Who can stop me? Well, technically Krystal or Will could, but they are not here right now. I run the show, bwahahaha!
$119 to go and the Equipment Chapter!
almost 5 years ago
– Tue, Jun 11, 2019 at 09:49:58 PM
We are nearly there, a little over $100 to go! Thanks to everyone who has backed, and spread the word so we can get those last few backers and start dreaming about stretch goals!
Take a look at the start of the equipment chapter:
The left hand page gives the usual introduction; we keep these short so that we can leap straight to the action. The textbox describes how to adjudicate prices and how equipment prices might change based on who is doing the buying and where they are shopping. Fairly standard guidelines, but it needed to be said.
Check out your armor options. There should be a lot here that is familiar to 5e players, armor class, light-medium-heavy armor, and shields. In our equipment design we wanted to model the distinctions between the different types of equipment using properties. This allowed us to stick closely to the core rules of 5e while at the same time introducing concepts that are tied to the setting of Rocket Age (5e). Some of these include such things as the suit has a RADIO, or can be sealed against vacuum or other environmental dangers. Others are limiting, both extra limbs and extra fingers levy penalties for users who do not have the requisite body parts. You simply are not going to fit your meager four limbs into a suit designed for the Metisians' glorious six. Plus, you have a torso, ick.
You might notice that the Maduri have male and female types of their armor and shields, and that the female types are tougher. This Martian caste has extreme sexual dimorphism, female Maduri are larger and stronger than their male brethren (who are already pretty fearsome). This is reflected in their approach to warfare, for the Maduri are the warrior caste of Mars. The males are shock troops that use speed and ferocity to win the day, and failing that, retreat behind the sturdy shield walls of their sisters. A traditional Martian battle sees two female shield walls slowly moving towards each other while small units of males vie for control of tactical positions, flank their foes, or break their opponent's shield wall.
