Wolfe Tracks: To November and beyond!

Pardon if I wax on , wax off a bit dramatic there...

So, this month was a bit much. Moved the game design for Hoist the Colors forward a good bit, kept up with Windtracer Tales, but also last month saw the launch of Legends of the Privateers! Just a lot.

But it’s been worth it. I’ll break it down.

Host the Colors

I’ve been quiet about Hoist the Colors as I’ve been working on what I consider a ‘make or break’ part of the rules for an RPG. Early in the month, I rolled off getting the ‘Fortune roll’ set up for Hoist. Nice set of rules that, in my 2 cent opinion, would benefit about any other RPG out there. But I’ll probably babble on about that in another post.

But following that, along with some worldbuilding, I started on how to handle magic, enchantment and crafting. Those are rules that if they aren’t sound, will break your game design and quick.

See, it just didn’t make sense to get all hand-wavy and say “you can only play with magic between gaming sessions”. That makes sense for some things, sure. But in a setting rich with magic, even though its about as dangerous as it gets, players are going to want to play with it during a game. Who doesn’t want the ‘superpowers’, right?

This is hard in narrative systems like Hoist the Colors. You really need to be careful or magic will overshadow anything. It also makes ‘risking life and limb’ a little cheap. (Resurrection spell anyone? Two for one sale here!).

So the magic game design needed to allow for that same ‘risk and reward’ that scaled sharply as the player wants to take on larger stakes. But also not bog down the player in “wait, I add what, then subtract a 2, but I carry the 5?”

You just don’t want that. It needs to be fast and efficient but meet and support the lore and story. After all, playing an RPG is collaborative fiction writing in its own right.

Maybe just with a few more whacky shenanigans than in fiction.

Windtracer Tales

Tela and her crew are heading on, and really down, into the meat of the story. If you’ve been keeping up, then you know she’s taken it on the chin WAY more than once. At this point, its safe to say, she’s got a lot of axes to grind with the villain of the story.

I’m still giving it a healthy 6 to 7 more installments before Dark Device of the Great Chasm reaches its final conclusion. But is this the end of Windtracer Tales?

Oh, of course not. You kidding me? There will be more. I’m already shaping up the next plot and problems for Tela and her team. Sure, I’ll give them a little break. Everyone needs a vacation, right? But then they’ll be off to the next story in Windtracer Tales.

At the same time, Dark Device of the Great Chasm will be bound up in a single volume. I’m working with a fantastic artist for a cover and along with that will be copy editing for the interior and all the down and dirty to get a book ready for release. Of course I’ll mention something on here! I absolutely will.

Legends of the Privateers

Here we get to the new kid on the block. Legends leaped out on Friday, November 1st with Death Whispers of the Etherwave and has plenty of room to run. This one has so much to explore and get itself into trouble, I can’t even put it into words.

It’s in a different setting, perhaps a touch darker than Windtracer Tales, but it won’t lack for any amount of adventure. I see this one sailing strong into 2025 and beyond.

What more?

More? Sure. I can’t help myself. I’ve other settings I’ve been toying with along with another story that I’ve had in mind for some time now. Characters have taken shape, so we’ll see. This one is too early to really talk about, but maybe… just maybe… it’ll show up in a future post. If anyone who is a paid subscriber is curious, I wouldn’t be against sharing a little if they ask.

In any case, that’s it for now! See everyone next time!

For more about Hoist the Colors or any of the other fiction I write, please consider subscribing as I would really appreciate the support, sometimes I post behind the scenes on writing, worldbuilding and more. If you’re wanting a deeper look at Hoist the Colors, take the plunge here at the link: Hoist the Colors.

-Kummer Wolfe