Two years after I wrote the original ruleset called Legend of the Khurst Riders on itch.io I have taken the next step. Working with a consultant to bounce ideas off of for the last 6 months has pushed a new version of Khurst Riders away from the Wound by Tension model while maintaining the vibes. A couple totally new mechanics and storyline tweaks put me in a weird place. I realized I had written two games.
Original Gameplay
On one hand I already had a fully functioning sandbox rpg with the outline for town development without a goal but a hard out at the end:
- succumb to your folklore curse
- become irredeemable and fade away
- ride off into the sunset after finding redemption
People really enjoyed the game. You either pay off the Baroness or die trying. The adventures were interesting by being steeped in “Old World” myths clashing with “New World” beliefs. Native American alienists, a gang of Irish redneck werebunnies, the creation of an oni, and the prophecy of Ragnarok.
Players were free to create their own cryptids and curses. Like, how fun is that!
End of the Beginning
It seemed unfair to hand out an arbitrary end to the game to one player while the others kept their original characters. I thought it was neat, but I fully understand the feel bad. So, I wrote an overarching storyline revealing the mysteries of the Khurst Territory.
- Why do folklore beliefs come to life at this particular location?
- Why is the Baroness gathering a team of curse charged law folk?
I built 12 characters the players could choose from/pull from a deck of cards ala Mythic Bastionland. Each has a unique haunt that triggers story prompts when they die or rely on the Baroness too much (dying is just the beginning for a couple of the characters!). Each character also has a unique advancement and curse tree to climb. The game also changed to troupe style.
In this version, when/if you pay off your souldebt to the Baroness the game continues. This is just the end of the 2nd out of 3 chapters. The third chapter is shorter than the rest but deals in big reveals, hard choices, and a true climatic end to a campaign. There is no coming back from this ending.
Hard Choice
I fought making a choice for several months. I knew it was happening as I worked on the project. The question that got me was this; “If players ONLY play one version of the game, which would I want it to be?”
Sigh, so here we are. Making a new game built on the bones of the old. Gone is the city building and full player agency over what kind of crazy folklore creature to play. At least for now… I was thinking to release the sandbox version at the same time in an effort to keep my work alive somewhere.
However (and this is why they are getting the big bucks), the consultant suggested that maaaaaybe this is only the first chapter of games. Our imaginations spun. The sandbox version can have an end goal too. BUT it can be way more nebulous. What happens to the Baroness at the end of this game? Do the Riders live, I mean, they are legends after all only fading away…
The new title is TBA, leaning towards the Last Khurst Rider or Legend of the Last Khurst Rider. This game acting like a prequel to the original game I created full of sandboxy goodness. Playtest will measure when the release date will be but I’m thinking early next year!
What’s Next and Other Projects
- I am in talks with this person: ArtStation – David Venegas for cover art and some promo pieces. I need many more months of playtesting to hone the right story; the rules are singing right now!
- Writing an SRD for Goblyn Market and an Affair Template so I can have a game jam or adventure writing contest.
- Learning Affinity Publisher 2 so I can get the newly stripped of AI art Goblyn Market adventures back up for sale as bundles.
- Using the Affinity Publisher to get my Mutant City Blues case files published.
- Playtesting a campaign for Honorbound called Revenge of the Aeronaut!
- Updating website… (insert Cathy ACK!!! here…)
- Stay tuned for new mechanics for Khurst Riders in the next couple weeks!