I’m at an interesting stage with Sand & Stars. A lot of the ‘easy’ work is done. I’ve adjusted Cairn to be something different. But now is the hard work. That looks like going the extra mile to invent more bits and pieces to truly make this its own game and something with my fingerprints on it.
This is a battle against my own laziness here. There’s lots in the Cairn book which I could just repeat or file the serial numbers off of, but for this game to be the best it can be it needs some new and unique features. For me, that means creating my own relics, monsters, spells, etc. and also defining my setting more clearly.
Here’s my first little foray into this next stage of development.
Sand & Stars
(Desert survival x Cairn, Ashcan here [link])
For my relics, I want to directly address the needs the characters will have in my setting. Those needs include shelter from the sun, access to potable water, ways to navigate the Great Desert and ways to predicate the weather. This first relic is focused on the heat of the desert and provides a way for characters to stay cool. I’ve made the recharge easy enough to satisfy (though, water could be scarce in your game). Adding the word ‘delicate’ is my way of saying this cloak could get damaged and ruined if the wearer is not careful.
Geckohide Cloak
A delicate hooded cloak made from the skin of a geckos.
The wearer is protected from the sun and does not take Fatigue from heat related exposure for an entire day.
Recharge: Soak the cloak in five skins of cool water and leave to dry against a cave wall over night.
Running to-do list
Make relic 1. Something for the sun.Make relic 2. Something for water.
Make relic 3. Something for weather.
Make relic 4. Something for shelter.
Make spells specific to setting.
Add flavour text to bestiary items.
Add new monster to bestiary (Walking Flame).
Write setting section.
Make character sheet.
Make timekeeper reference sheet.
Make navigator reference sheet.
Make quartermaster reference sheet.
Add examples to text.
Finalize text.
Make point crawl.
Copy text over to Scrivener file.
Copy text over to Publisher.
Draw alternative cover image.
Draw internal images.
See ya later alligator.