First piece of artwork for my Borås 2045 project finished

My project called Borås 2045 is starting to shape up. I have both been writing on the actual story (built up by solo role-playing using Mythic GME and FU RPG), but also produced the first piece of artwork that I will use for the project:



Borås, year of 2045. A soldier of the invading force, using a classic
Kalashnikov (slightly modernized version; mainly the munition). Apparently,
the air is unhealthy.


I used a mix of pencil and water color to produce the picture. And of course, some digital editing using Photoshop Elements in the end.

My hope is to publish the project within a few weeks. Need to finish a few more pieces of artwork and the first posts of the actual story.

Mythic GME + FU RPG Quick Reference Guide (v1.0)

Have created a Mythic GME + FU RPG Quick Reference Guide (v1.0) that summarizes how I use the Mythic GME to solitaire play the FU RPG.

The guide is downloadade here (pdf):

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BxE4uLoo4hZFOTI5NWQ1ZWUtYzM5YS00ZDNmLWE3MjYtZWE1ZDM2MmEyZTI0&hl=en

I really like how light and easy FU RPG is, and how well it fits the Mythic GME.

Currently, I use them to produce a role-played story (which I mentioned in a previous blogpost: Borås 2045). I'm in the first scene so far, and it is soon to be published. Just need to do a blog banner and some other art before I'm ready to launch it.

Solo Tabletop Gaming Appreciation Month -- should I join or not?

Official logo of the Solo Tabletop
Gaming Appreciation Month.

I'm thinking of commiting myself to the Solo Tabletop Gaming Appreciation Month (initiative by Solo Nexus) which will set off in November 2011.

The idea is that you undertake some kind of solo tabletop related project during this month. Since solo gaming is something I do a lot, this shouldn't be a problem. However, if I join, I want to do something special, not just a regular play-through of a random solitaire game (which I regularly do anyway).

So far, I have come up with these candidates for a potential project:

* Re-learn the solitaire board-/wargame Fields of Fire by GMT Games, using the new version of the rules (second edition). I currently own the first edition, and have spent a numerous number of hours learning the game to a degree that I was able to play through the first couple of WWII missions. However, the (first edition) rulebook was lacking a lot of details, so while playing, I had to do a lot of forum posting/searching, reading FAQs, go through examples etc. That took away much of the fun/tempo of the game -- a game that certainly has a huge potential. Now, a second edition rulebook has been released, and perhaps I should go for it, and give the game a new try.

* DVG (Dan Verssen Games) is a little game company that makes excellent games, especially solitaire boardgames. One is called Field Commander: Napoleon -- the third game in the Field Commander series (the first two are Rommel and Alexander). The game is a solitaire board-/wargame, where you take the role as Napoleon. I have it on pre-order, since it is not available yet. But it has just recently been sent to the printer, and is expected to return in 12 weeks, plus a few weeks for shipping (so it should hit my desk well before November). Playing through a big campaign and write a nice/special/beautiful AAR (After Action Report) could be a perfect project for the Appreciation Month.

* Another DVG title named Phantom Leader is one of my absolute favourite solitaire board games. A Vietnam air war simulator. I'm thinking that I might run through the biggest campaign and write an innovative AAR (don't what it would look like though, just brainstorming).

* Use the Mythic GME together with some standard RPG (e.g. Call of Cthulhu or FU RPG), and run through a solo role-playing adventure. Have to think about this...

* Read the Strands of Fate rulebook (own the softcover version, but haven't read it yet), and make it work with the Mythic GME for the purpose of solo role-playing. Have to figure out a clever way of dealing with FATE Points etc, in a solo environment.

I need to think about these candidates for a few days or weeks. Perhaps I will join the November solo fun! =)

Borås 2045

I have just started to write on a blog-based fictional story about my home town. The town's name is Borås, and the name of the story is Borås 2045, indicating the year in which the story sets off. A doomed, wasted and wartorned future. Only a few survivors left of the native population, hiding, trying to survive the superior force occupying their land, nuclear plant meltdowns, extensive pollution and inhuman life-threatening beings.

The story will be written in classic manner (i.e. story transferred from head to keyboard, and then published), but also using role-playing elements to come up scenes, characters and events. The Mythic Game Master Emulator* will be used for that purpose, in combination with a RPG (haven't yet found a suitable, easy and generic/universal candidate, but are thinking about Strands of Fate or FU RPG).

Unfortunately, the story will be written exclusively in Swedish (my native language, and therefore the language where I have the best possibilities of expressing myself). Even though not yet activated, the blog address is reserved and will be available soon at http://boras2045.blogspot.com/.

* The Mythic Game Master Emulator is a product that enables you to run (basically) any standard tabletop RPG without a game master, which means you can even run solo. Mythic replaces the game master, so to speak. I will most likely come back to this very clever product in later posts.