As a tabletopper, there are times when you're looking through the character generation and thought that you've not been able to generate the character you want from the start, so its always great when a game system takes into account that the best generation method allows you to figure out exactly what you want and fits around that. This is the case with Sabre, a fantasy roleplay system by Stephen Nowland (Sci-fi is currently being worked on) which had this been a few years ago, I wouldn't have been able to play because it wouldn't have been available worldwide.
I've been lucky enough to hear from the creator/designer for this new game and here he is to tell you more...
Stephen Nowland: My roleplaying group couldn't decide on which system they wanted to play, so I decided to blend a d100 system with a d20 system to take the best from both! I probably bit off more than I could chew, but I've managed to stick with it and create a fun system with plenty of depth.
TP: What would you say is the best selling point of your TTRPG's?
SN: Flexibility with character design and play style. It's taken some iteration to find the right balance between structure and freedom but it's in the sweet spot now. My players love that aspect, and the advance-while-you-play system is a cool mechanic. And to be clear, I'm a solo developer with a little assistance from my playing group, which is demanding on my time but it's very fulfilling to see it all in action.
SN: While I've also written novels, I love the idea of giving people the mechanics to tell their own stories. Making my own TTRPG was inevitable, given my love of roleplaying.
TP: What is your favourite product that you produce and why?
SN: The Sabre RPG is a passion project of mine, but the part of it I love the most is the starship's manual (not quite done yet!). After many years of being deep into fantasy works, I now prefer scifi over fantasy and the ship system works really well! I can't wait to get it finished so I can get it out there for people to enjoy.
TP: What is your current work in progress and what can you tell us about it?
SN: I'm finishing up a new supplement for the Sabre Fantasy system, with Summoning magic (a tricky one to get right) and the new Geomancy magic, involving gems, mirrors and other precious metals to create clever and powerful effects. Summoning was in the 2nd edition of Sabre, allowing the spellcaster to summon monsters of various types to fight for you (or grant you some of their abilities) but it was rather unbalanced so I'm taking another crack at it. Then I'll be finishing off the final tweaks to the Scifi system. I'm currently playtesting it with two separate space campaigns and tweaking/modifying as we go.
TP: Who do you think would love to play your TTRPG's and why?
SN: Anyone looking to tell practically any kind of adventurous story, be it fantasy, steampunk, modern era, future scifi etc. But not superhero stories, that'd need an entirely new manual to cover and there's plenty of those systems already out there :) I wouldn't say that newcomers to RPG's would be ideal for this, as Sabre isn't an entry-level RPG system like D&D, but once a player gets a handle on how an RPG works, Sabre is a great next step.
SN: WIth the core Sabre RPG system done, I want to finally finish off the atlas to my fantasy campaign setting, and also get my (slowly) developing scifi campaign setting done too! I'd also like to finish my current novel and complete the rest of the series. There's a work-in-progress.
TP: If you were given the time and opportunity to develop something unique, what would it be and why?
SN: The Sabre RPG is pretty much that; it's been ten years of work so far, and I hope to have it all done by the end of the year. If I knew how hard it was to make an RPG, I probably wouldn't have gone down this route, but I've managed to push through this behemoth in my spare time and I'm proud of the result.
SN: Anyone who takes the time to make their own TTRPG. It's a time-consuming process that requires dedication over many years, and those who decide to put their work out there automatically earn my admiration. Oh and I want to send a shout-out to Dean Spencer, who makes some of the amazing stock art I've used extensively to make my manuals look so professional.
TP: What got you into TTRPG's in the first place?
SN: An over-active imagination! I love telling stories, and when I finally gave rpg's a try back in my youth, I was hooked pretty quickly. The fun of playing with friends around a table (and virtual tabletops aren't bad either in this respect) is a style of gaming that's truly special.
No comments:
Post a Comment