benlehman

So, I'm back in the states, saw my brother after his incarceration, met up with family and friends that I hadn't seen in a long time, found an apartment, recovered from a hospital stay in China, etc.

But now I'm going to talk about something important: RPGs.

I'm such a geek. So, for the tiny number of you (1, I think) that haven't seen this already:


Polaris, my RPG of fairy-tale tragedy, has entered
playtest stage. Anyone interested in playtesting
should e-mail me, and I will set them up.

Ad Copy follows

Polaris:

Beneath the Guardian, the smoking Mistake festers like
a forgotten apology, giving witness of the might and
arrogance of your ancestors, just as its demons give
witness to the doom of your people.

You are one of the the Knights of the Order of the
Stars, also known as the Knights Stellar or simply
Knights, an ancient and solemn order, each one sworn
to drive back the forces that have shattered your
homeland and will eventually consume your people
entirely, leaving behind no trace of history, no trace
of culture, no trace of the greatest civilization that
the world will ever know.

This is the struggle given to you: Take up your
starlight sword, purify your heart until it shines
like the Guardian, wear only a breathsuit as proof
against the cold, and go forth to combat the demonic
hordes of the Mistaken. You are alone in the world --
all but abandoned by your family and your people --
but you are guided by the stars and still you struggle
on for their sakes.

The struggle will claim your life, if it does not
claim your soul. Your fight is as hopeless as a baby
crying against the coming of the summertime.

But you will fight it, and in the darkest abyss of
doom, you will find humanity, nobility, and even hope.


The stories of these knights, these people, and these
monsters are in your hands. They are now your stories,
to tell and to treasure.

Shall we begin?


Polaris is a role-playing / story-telling game for 4
players. It uses some reasonably "experimental"
techniques with regard to player authority and
responsibility -- "GM tasks" are not concentrated with
one player, but neither is the authority mushy or
unambiguous. Combined with these are some more
tried-and-true narrative resolution techniques drawn
from games such as Trollbabe, Pendragon, and Dogs in
the Vineyard. The setting is painted in broad strokes,
and contains themes of shattered beauty, grim
determination, and moral decisions in the face of
absolute oblivion.

Hope some of you are interested!


P.S. Does anyone know the protocol for posting playtester calls on lj communities like roleplayers, etc? I'd be much obliged to find out.