Post by fantasyauthor66 on Mar 28, 2021 20:25:29 GMT 1
(Most recent updates/news in BOLD)
Hey there!
First, thanks for your interest and taking the time to read. This project has been decades in the making, on and off, through many iterations. If this gets long-winded, well… now you know the reason why!
The project is based on pro wrestling. If you follow WWE, AEW, ROH, Japanese wrestling, or anything of the sort, this is right up your alley. Okay, wait… that’s a bowling analogy. This is actually a game that’ll hit you over the head with fun like it’s a steel chair. Maybe not as good, but work with me here.
Let me give a brief overview of what the game IS or DOES and what the game IS NOT or DOES NOT include. I don’t want anyone to expect one thing, but get another.
The game IS a dice- and chart-based, tabletop simulation of pro wrestling.
The game IS based on the wrestlers, storyline, angles, managers, and other aspects of a wrestling television show.
The game DOES allow you to create your own wrestlers, managers, and promotion.
The game IS NOT about running a company or promotion in order to make a profit, earn money, and upgrade assets.
The game IS based on the TV format of a weekly wrestling show.
The game IS focused on the wrestlers, but from a fan’s perspective. Imagine watching your favorite TV wrestling show, not knowing what is coming next. This game provides that sort of “feel” and excitement.
The game IS NOT a move-by-move match simulator. (Note: I have created an “engine” that does this and rather well. However, in the Basic Game Version I want to test first, it will not be used. However, if anyone wants a demo of this aspect of the game, I will gladly oblige and accept feedback.)
The game IS NOT about being a promoter and “beating” other promoters.
The game IS playable solo or with others.
The game IS NOT an RPG in the traditional sense. However, character skill advancement via an XP system IS part of the game.
The game IS NOT a traditional “Booker” sim. It could be used as such, but in a way, that would diminish a lot of what the game brings to the table.
I think that covers a lot of the basics.
If you have a slight, working knowledge of pro wrestling, you may be interested. If you enjoy “sports sim” style gaming, this may interest you.
However, if you are one of the people like I am, who LOVE pro wrestling, no matter how good, bad, or ugly it gets sometimes (I’m looking at you, years circa 2006-2015 or so…), I think you’ll enjoy what this game is and does.
All of the rules, character sheets, charts, etc., are finalized. It is just a matter of getting them in the “right” order that makes sense for the layout. This is where some outside player feedback would be TREMENDOUS, especially from fellow gamers. My playtest group of friends, while wrestling fans, are not the biggest on gaming. They just want to get together, play, and let me run the game using all the info I have developed over the years… errr… decades. They do not have much interest in reading the rules they “already know from playing with the guy who made them and knows them.”
While I am a published novelist, I have discovered that writing rules is a completely different animal.
How are you planning to playtest it?
There are a couple of ways I’d like to test parts of the game with various people, either as a solo player or in a small group. I may run several playtesting groups on Zoom throughout the week, if I have enough interest. Maybe an hour or two Monday, then someone else Tuesday, and so on, as people are available. This option would be fun and interactive, basically like an ongoing promotion with a show every week, building feuds, storylines, characters, etc.
The other, obvious, option is to hand over the rules and let folks give it a full-fledged "blind" playtest with no guidance from me. I have already started this process. If you want to playtest in this manner, all I ask is feedback as you read the rules, create characters, run shows, etc. I can take criticism and critique. You won't hurt my feelings. Believe me. But I would require a lot of written feedback, maybe some copies of characters, shows, feuds, etc., as well.
If you think you might be interested in this project, niche as I know it is, I would love to hear from you. Please send me a DM. If you have any questions, by all means, ask away.
Thanks again for reading!