Thursday, September 13, 2012

Horrors on the Home Front

I think its time to confess something. I've been working for quite some time on creating my own roleplaying game. Originally it was going to be a module for BRP but I realised that I wanted to do more with it. Rather than tweaking existing mechanics I wanted to build mechanics that flow from the developing style of game so that the mechanics could help support it. I wanted to create its own little world with enemies that fit within the themes of the game.

Its already 260 pages long and will max out at 300 - 310. I'm holding some of my research aside (of which I've done plenty) for further supplements like Espionage on the Home Front and Mysticism on the Home Front.

So what is this game about?

Well, its about that peculiar point in history from 1939 - 1945 when Britain had mobilised for Total War. Its about the perils of the Blitz, the paranoia concerning fifth columnists, the mobilisation of the workforce, the terrors of invasion, and what might seep out from that.

I've done a lot of research on it. Dozens of books, plenty of web-sites, lots of videos, and I'm cross-referencing what I learn in one book with what I learn in another book to double check my facts. Don't worry, it's not going to be dry text but it is going to be accurate.

I had it suggested that I should probably talk about it on the blog. Let people know what I'm doing and how I'm doing it so I figured I may as well do that. This article is only really letting you know it exists. Later ones will go into more details.

2 comments:

  1. Nice to see a WWII game developing that isn't about Nazi SS troops from Cthulhu or whatever. Not that I dislike that kind of game, but most of my historical reading on the period concerns itself with life in the UK while it was all going on..

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    1. Well, this game sure isn't going to take a pulpy perspective on World War II at all. I do enjoy it but there's plenty of other options for that sort of thing. The core book will look at the mundane side of things (paranoia, propaganda, and war duties) with some advice on supernatural horror that might seep out of rationing, black outs, and the blitz. There'll even be support for a slice of life-style drama or even mundane investigation.

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