Mode Changing

The mighty Maelstrom

I’ve finished the second version of my Outlive Outdead Companion adventure – the first created using the marvellous Snowflake Technique. While I’ll continue tinkering with the content and editing, I need to now switch focus. Indeed, I need to swap genre as well, from zombies to science fiction as I start work on a Sci-fi toolkit for the Maelstrom RPG.

Actually, I confess to starting this already earlier in the year. I worked on the basics over the course of two or three weekends, then got diverted by certain contractual obligations in respect of Outlive Outdead. Now, I get to switch back and look on what I have written so far with fresh eyes.

The toolkit aims to provide a generic sci-fi take for using Maelstrom rules in a futuristic setting. I can’t be too specific, as I don’t want to alienate people seeking a certain type of game, but I can’t be too general and all-encompassing because I simply don’t have the space. The Classic Fantasy toolkit for Maelstrom opts for a sort of Dungeons & Dragons-style middle ground, so I suppose I have gone for something middle-hard sci-fi with a hint of Traveller. Of course, Traveller appeared in the 70s and now, while a classic, seems thoroughly out-of-date in places. We might not have functional space drives yet, but we certainly have computer technology with complexity and size at odds with the Traveller vision.

Anyway, I’m not really looking to emulate any games here – I’m creating a generic science fiction feel to fit the hugely flexible Maelstrom ruleset and incorporating the core feature of the game background – the Maelstrom itself – into the setting.

Wish me luck!

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