Ossus thoughts have been coming slow, especially on the mechanics side. On the other hand, I've got a megadungeon level based on an abandoned dwarven asteroid fortress keyed for ACKS, plus maps with partial keys for four sub-levels on the next level down. Thinking about just pulling that off the shelf to run as an open-table game over the coming school year.
Everybody knows that Spelljammer was basically the worst setting to come out of AD&D in the 90s, but that's not because the core concept is bad - the line suffered from attempts to inject humor, a lack of consistent and distinctive art (contrast with Di'Terlizzi's work on Planescape and Brom's work on Dark Sun), and the need to incorporate Dragonlance, the Forgotten Realms, and Greyhawk. I'd like to start over from the core idea of Age of Sail D&D in Space, pulling in the good bits of Spelljammer canon as needed. The plan is to start from a core concept loosely based off The Black City from Dreams in the Lich House - a recently discovered megadungeon (the ancient asteroid fortress) with a gold-rush adventurer town (based in a nearby comet). Once players get a few levels (and a ship or two of their own), the setting will broaden in focus to the local region of wildspace and eventually the entire local solar system/crystal sphere and beyond.
In terms of system, I'm starting off with ACKS and probably adding some bits onto it over time, especially additional PC races and classes and some Spelljammer-related proficiencies. I'm also a fan of the skill system used in Dungeon of Signs' HMS Appolyon campaign, but it would definitely need some modifications to work in this game, and I'm not convinced it's worth the effort.
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