Forging ahead with Steam Thieves this week. This part of the process isn’t hard, but it’s something that needs to get done if I want to achieve my goal. That goal right now is a fully playable version of Steam Thieves that I can play with my friends. If I achieve that, then — as a byproduct — I’ll also have a game that others might want to play, too. Then I can think about how I might deliver this to others.
This week’s progress has been minor tweaks to the Forged in the Dark clock system. I’m basically just substituting words and examples so I can imprint Steam Thieves’ nomenclature and themes on the text. That can be as simple as substituting the SRD’s ‘GM’ for my ‘Operator’.
I’m also going to be substituting ‘PCs’ for ‘Steam Thieves’. I think this will help readers get into the vibe more and get excited to play these characters.
Not sure if I did that early on in the Ashcan. Oh well, we’ll fix that at some point.
Anyways, here’s the most recent section.
Steam Thieves
(Steampunk x Forged in the Dark, Ashcan here [link])
Racing Clocks
Create two opposed clocks to represent a race. The Steam Thieves might have a progress clock called “Escape” while the coppers have a clock called “Cornered.” If the Steam Thieves finish their clock before the constables fill theirs, they get away. Otherwise, they’re cornered and can’t flee. If both complete at the same time, the Steam Thieves escape to their safehouse, but the hunting officers are outside!
You can also use racing clocks for an environmental hazard. Maybe the Steam Thieves are trying to complete the “Pilot” clock to right the Airship before the Operator fills the “Collision” clock and the dirigible careens into the Brass Palace.
Linked Clocks
You can make a clock that unlocks another clock once it’s filled. For example, the Operator might make a linked clock called “Trapped” after an “Alert” clock fills up. When you fight a hardened gangster, she might have a clock for her “Defense” and then a linked clock for “Vulnerable.” Once you overcome the “Defense” clock, then you can attempt to overcome the “Vulnerable” clock and defeat her. You might affect the “Defense” clock with violence in a fist-fight, or you lower her defense with deception if you have the opportunity. As always, the method of action is up to the players and the details of the fiction at hand.
Mission Clocks
The Operator can make a clock for a time-sensitive score, to represent the window of opportunity you have to complete it. If the countdown runs out, the score is scrubbed or changes—the target escapes, extra security arrives, etc.
Tug-of-war Clocks
You can make a clock that can be filled and emptied by events, to represent a back-and-forth situation. You might make a “Uprising!” clock that indicates when the starboard estates start to riot over steam rations. Some events will tick the clock up and some will tick it down. Once it fills, the uprising begins. A tug-of-war clock is also perfect for an ongoing turf war between crews or factions.
Long-term Projects
Some projects will take a long time. A basic long-term project (like tinkering up a new feature for a steampack) is eight segments. Truly long-term projects (like creating a new steampack from scratch) can be two, three, or even four clocks, representing all the phases of development, testing, and final completion. Add or subtract clocks depending on the details of the situation and complexity of the project.
A long-term project is a good catch-all for dealing with any unusual player goal, including things that circumvent or change elements of the mechanics or the setting.
Faction Checks
Each faction has a long-term goal. When the Steam Thieves have downtime, the Operator ticks forward the faction clocks that they’re interested in. In this way, the world around the Steam Thieves is dynamic and things happen that they’re not directly connected to, changing the overall situation in Cloudminster and creating new opportunities and challenges.
The Steam Thieves may also directly affect NPC faction clocks, based on the scores they pull off. Discuss known faction projects that they might aid or interfere with, and also consider how a Steam Thieves operation might affect the NPC clocks, whether the players intended it or not.