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Ok so I gotta ask: you are waving around some really big names, to what extent are they involved? Like are they just kind of putting their stamp of approval on things? Are they just funding it? Are they contributing passages? Did Sean Astin and and Wesley Snipes sit down over mixed drinks after their weekly Pathfinder game and say, "Know what? WE need to write a campaign setting!" and hammered out the manuscript and style guide.
(And that post probably came of far snarkier than it should have- genuinely interested in this)
Snark is good—no worries. And of course! An entirely reasonable question. You had a lot packed in there, so let me hit things one at a time.
To start, neither of them is funding the project (I wish!). Nope, all funding comes from Rone, myself, and our company Iron GM, LLC. We’ve been preparing for years and are very excited to finally launch Iron GM Games.
We’re also humbled that so many people want to help us succeed through Kickstarter. Celebrity involvement, the success of Starfinder, and the willingness of top designers to join the team and pitch in have all combined to help us offer a deeper, richer product line from the get go—another thing for which we're thankful.
I hope to get Sean Astin and Wesley Snipes to game together. That would be amazing! To the best of my knowledge they’ve never met; however, we’re still planning what podcasts and/or video casts we’re going to invite them to join. We’re talking to a lot of people about this, so please stay tuned!
Wesley Snipes is a gamer, I don’t know how regularly he plays but I know he plays. My understanding is Pathfinder among other systems. The amazing BJ Hensley made the introduction for us, and we presented him with aspects of the Grimmerspace setting we thought he’d like.
Sean is a friend of Rone’s and mine, and the three of us have been working together on a different RPG-related project for a few years. It’s fair to say that Rone and I introduced Sean to gaming. Sean’s an accomplished director in his own right, of course, and has an eye and heart for story like no one else. He’s also a really incredible guy.
Both Sean Astin and Wesley Snipes have agreed to act, effectively, as Creative Developers. Meaning, they will review the setting material and adventures submitted by Designers, suggest adjustments, and recommend improvements (for example, “make it cooler here and do it this way instead” or “really? this doesn’t makes sense because of abc” or “what if we added xyz to these aliens? Or that storyline? Wouldn’t that be awesome?”). Being who they are, they’ll also identify which aspects of Grimmerspace might be suited to further development in other media (TV, movies, who knows).
Creative Development is pretty darn important. It’s one of the roles that James Jacobs fills on the Pathfinder AP line, for example, and Rone and I will also act as Creative Developers on Grimmerspace. Essentially Creative Developers are the source of feedback the designers get after turning in their first drafts.
Sean and Wesley, like all the Designers and Contributors, will be invited to the online Grimmerspace message board I’ve set up for the team, and we’ll all work together on the project. Realistically, Sean and Wesley have more demands on their time, so Rone and I will probably wind up feeding them material more directly, depending on scheduling.
That said, while both might choose to expand their involvement (it’s just a question of availability), Wesley Snipes has also agreed to write on the project as a Designer (we’ve assigned him a word count and everything!). Grimmerspace introduces a new class, an off-the-grid alien hunter, that he intends to write, along with an underground organization of suspicious origin that supports these mavericks.
More on the class and the organization soon!
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And just to keep track, my "to post" list tells me I still owe:
Cornielius - more info on Grimmerspace organizations
quindraco - a second example of alien life; also more non-human, non-kundaran, non-voti sophonts of the Crux (I think I'll sneak that in as a chapter title to troll The Jade)
Azih - options on magic (of which there will be many)
I also just said I'd provide more on a new class and its connected organization.
Stay tuned and thanks for your patience.
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Thanks for giving us that behind the scenes!
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The Netocracy seems like a pretty good place for heroes to come from too. I mean the only thing they demand is your dreams! You're not doing anything else in your sleep anyway right?
So another question. This does seem to be a very tech vs magic setting. So what space is there for people who want to use magic? Is it even possible? Are they heavily distrusted special agents like psykers in 40K? Or something else?
You're right. The Netocracy and the Thriftic are, as quindraco put it, both pretty egalitarian and both places for heroes to come from. I think of the Thriftic as a sort of CG/Han Solo-ish/Firefly/except-not-like-that-at-all place. All hustle and bustle.
The dreaming gods of the Netocracy demand slightly more than your dreams. They demand experiences from your conscious life that they then harvest from your dreams. I think that's more interesting because it leads to gameplay where the Netocrat in the party says, "We have to visit the Brax museum." And the party says, "We have to visit what? Why?" "If we want answers, we have to visit the museum, or at least I need to." I feel the RAW for characters from the Netocracy supports players who want to develop unique concepts with fun-to-play eccentricities.
Side note: a Brax is a cyber enhanced piranha-lizard used like a junkyard dog, primarily on Gylorr. The lizard thing perched on the severed hand at our registration page is a Brax. If you look closely you'll note the exocortex protrusions around the head and neck.
Okay, magic. Plenty of space for using it. To begin with, in the EN World article we mentioned the sci-fi universe of Grimmerspace sits on the cusp of an invasion by not-quite-human epic level mages.
I don't want to reveal too much (yet), but these mages and their warship erupt into the Gliding Rim Galaxy through a massive purple tear in the spacetime-continuum just past the Edge. This rip is called the Seethe.
It's the source of magic, so we made it a new Source of Magic for Mystics.
Additionally, magic has been leaking into the galaxy so technomancer's are popping up as well.
The conceit is simply that magic is new, poorly understood, and more than a little frightening if seen in the wrong light. On some worlds magic might be mistaken for a new kind of tech. It might simply be hidden. Among some it's accepted as a "knack" or respected openly as a skill. In other quarters magic might bring on the pitchforks and torches. It varies. It is, however, not usually something discussed on the news or over dinner merely because knowledge of magic is not common knowledge. It's special.
Without going overboard, we'll be providing new spells and spell lists with a decidedly Seethe+Grimmerspace flavor.
Finally our epic mages, in their quest to conquer Grimmerspace, start by building a 5th column amongst the star nations of the Crux. To these Agents of the Seethe they grant special, magical powers. You never know when those folks will pop up or what they'll dish out.
Finally our epic mages, in their quest to conquer Grimmerspace, start by building a 5th column amongst the star nations of the Crux. To these Agents of the Seethe they grant special, magical powers. You never know when those folks will pop up or what they'll dish out
I don't know what you have planned, but as soon as I read this, I began hoping you'll have multiple of these, granting different powers, and with different agendas. My mental image of these guys is essentially an army of Raistlins (an ascended mage from Dragonlance), and a trope I firmly support from the literature on incredibly powerful wizards, including pre-Tolkien, is that getting people like that to agree on anything is about as productive as getting a clowder of housecats to agree on a pizza topping. Obviously it's instantly believable that one of the few things they'd agree on would be conquering the galaxy for themselves, but I am hoping for quite of lot of internal intrigue among them. I guarantee you that you could make identical clones of Raistlin, and they'd immediately begin backstabbing each other for power.
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An overview of the playable races and the various cultures would be appreciated.
Will we see things like the Traveller Scouts or the merchant family ships from fiction?
In other words, a few words on organizations integral to the setting would be cool.
Hi Cornielius, cycling back to the info I promised folks. Here's a little more on organizations.
To begin with, if I wasn't clear, each of the five Crux star nations will also come with more than one organization unique to it. During the kickstarter we'll get into more detail on a few of these, including the organization Wesley Snipes is Designing.
Grimmerspace will also include organizations of alien origin, possibly tracing their roots to secret powers operating from within the Gyre. Not to mention that the settings magical invaders create front organizations recruiting in the Crux.
In addition to organizations tied to the star nations of the Crux, Grimmerspace will include pan-galactic organizations; meaning groups with their own agendas that are neither limited to one Crux nation nor even the Crux itself. They cross boundaries and borders. For example, the previously described I2U is a pangalactic organization, albeit largely found within the Crux and not beyond.
To illustrate what I mean by organizations tied to specific star nations, here is a little bit about Salvagers, organizations from the Thriftic Binary. I've added added an excerpt about their poster child, the (in)famous Touchdown Salvage, operating out of Gylorr the Junkyard Planet.
Salvagers
Though the stability of income from towing provides a comfortable, reliable living, the real money for a Thriftic commissioned Salvager – as well as the excitement and danger – lies in deep space salvage, outside the Crux.
While few travel the less charted territories of the Edge without expectation of great reward, Salvagers (often unwittingly) pioneer the discovery of new phenomenon, cosmology, or even alien entities. Children in the Binary romanticize Salvage teams and crews, and a popular tri-vid reality show, Salvage Ho!, has cemented the legendary status of Touchdown Salvage captains in the minds and hearts of Thriftic youth.
In the popular mind, Salvagers lead lives of freedom and adventure. In truth much of the salvage trade involves swapping parts off ailing ships in Crux space. Moreover, competition between Salvage companies is fierce, but generally good-natured. Practical jokes between competitors are legendary.
One need not be a Thriftic citizen to own a commissioned salvage company. The Binary denies very few requests. One simply files for a license to run salvage out of Thriftic territory to gain a commission. The Thriftics feel that the market – and the galaxy – will weed out those who should never have received their commissions. They tend to be right…
Touchdown Salvage
“The largest and oldest continuously operating Salvager company in the Thriftic. Touchdown Salvage takes the F out of Refuse. Whatever you need hauled from wherever it’s stuck. Wave goodbye to your bulky, damaged, or outdated ships, rigs, and industrial machinery, and let Touchdown Salvage clear the clutter!”
While its motto, “Taking the F out of Refuse” cleverly creates ‘reuse,’ a mainstay of Thriftic dogma, the informal intra-company variation, “Putting the FU into refuse,” better captures the dodgy reputation of this and other Salvager operations.
Complaints filed on Gylorr often allege Salvagers, Touchdown more than others, are... creative when distinguishing between legal and illegal salvage targets. Touchdown, in its defense, denies responsibility for the acts of a "few hothead franchisees" and insists they always revoke the license of any operator proven to violate Crux law.
The largest of the Binary’s commissioned Salvager companies, Touchdown Salvage not only explores the more remote reaches of space – where fewer speculators vie for derelict vessels – but a typical Touchdown tug, equipped with unique technology from the Binary, rips crashed wreckage intact from planet surfaces…
Stay tuned for more, the closer we get to the Kickstarter in February!
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Thanks for the info.
I can the appeal to running a Salvager character.
(Icon- younger nephew on the reality show, slowly growing his own name, constantly having to tell fans "Yes, the Captain's a @#$% in real life, too.")
Now, we're going to need Circus ships, traveling between the starts, delivering 'The Greatest Show On Any Planet!'
Loaded with family acts, aliens, animals- wild, domesticated, and trained, to wonder and amaze!, crooked carny games, and runaways, working on their player character background stories.
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Hey all, my apologies that I’ve been away for a bit. We’ve had some exciting developments in Grimmerspace world that absorbed my attention, and we hope to announce them soon!
That said, I owe a little more about alien sophonts. For your delectation, then, an excerpt from the strange and oft times frightening… Flod.
Physical Characteristics
Averaging seven to nine feet in height Flod, at first glance, most closely resemble the fusion of the ursine Yalkhym and a head louse. However, their external sensory organs set them apart from any Crux world species. Across the Flod’s body, external sphincter-stalked eye buds pair with internally-set, retractable radio-lenses to parse minute variations in electromagnetic frequency. Six chitinous legs sprouting feathery “whiskers” suspend the Flod’s ovoid body above the ground, which permits it to shuffle with surprising speed in any direction and to change course abruptly.
Contact Guidance
Flod “culture” remains incomprehensible, as the responses and behaviors of individual Flod vary from the merely curious to the explosively hostile. On the whole, they seem to enjoy gift-giving; however, some scholars argue this behavior simply indicates a failure to understand trade. For example, Flod have been known to openly ask for valuable gifts at bizarre times, to attempt to trade for wildly inappropriate objects — such as miscarried fetuses or missing body parts — and to offer one person the possessions of another.
In the eyes of some the Flod are a conniving species of obsessive-compulsives liars, while to others they are merely unpredictable violence engines. A pet theory of Netocracy xeno-anthropologists suggests inexplicable Flod behaviors reflect their failed attempts to mirror a Crux civilization they barely understand. Or in other words, their behavior is an attempt to mimic us.
However, when dealing with the Flod everyone — from Netocracy academics to Votigan Marines — accepts one fact: humanoids must never wink at them. For unknown reasons, the Flod view winking as a heinous offense. Accidental winks have sent more than one Flod into mandible-clashing, blood-thirsty murder frenzies. Blinking is fine.
Finally, Flod often adorn their shimmering black and silver-veined exoskeletons with decorations: metal piercings, lengths of coiled cloth, rolls of duct tape, whorls of pastel-hued paint, trinkets, and literal garbage hang and swing from hooks fixed directly into their carapaces. While what induces a Flod to weld or bolt a particular piece of debris to itself remains a debated xeno-biological mystery, all Flod operating in Crux space sprout a common piece of equipment: the Flod Smile-Screen.
Communication
Because they "speak" a language comprised of subtly-fluctuating high-wavelength electromagnetics and complex limb positioning — all riddled with metaphorical allusions to a non-Crux mythological history — Flod have great difficulty communicating with humans. To better interact with their fellow sentients, the Flod augment themselves with cyberware Smile-Screens. These are flat-screen monitors, bolted above and behind their heads, that identify Flod emotional states via icons and issue simple voice translations through built-in speakers.
Flod Speak
Flod are deeply proud of their ability to communicate with other sentients, but their translation technology functions like a “Common Crux Phrases for Dummies” book — plagued by programming errors. For example:
•Flod always loudly enunciate "Greeting!" when entering or leaving a room— even when inappropriate, such as during violent military actions.
•Flod do not understand social niceties and cannot differentiate between males and females; thus, they often default to broad racial terms. For example ”Human” as in "Captain Human,” "Broken Human,” or "Old Human."
•Once a Flod learns the name of a particular being, they will use it at every opportunity; for example, once they have met “Jim,” all Humans who look like Jim are called "Jim-like,” "Small Jim,” or "Jim Family.”
•Flod struggle to conjugate verbs, especially when posing queries; for instance, they will ask "May I having?” or "Will you leaving?" or "Are this breaking?"
•The Smile-Screen renders all Flod emotions transparent. A happy Flod, including at the prospect of killing you, will wear a bright and chipper digital smile.
Common Flod expressions include:
•“This Flod has found great liking in your (object)! Is may having?" (a polite suggestion to hand over the object)
•"Cannot understanding, what is?" (admission of confusion, a request for you to reiterate or rephrase your statement or query)
•"Now is violence-action?" (a hostile suggestion that violence is imminent)
That said, I owe a little more about alien sophonts. For your delectation, then, an excerpt from the strange and oft times frightening… Flod.
Thank you, that was absolutely excellent. I started this thinking I was going to read about giant tardigrades, but then everything just kept going uphill from there.
That's home-grown, right? You're not even describing the stuff coming out the Gyre yet. Delightful.
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The homeworld of the Flod is a setting mystery players can uncover, but yes, they are suspected to originate within the Edge and show up in the Crux almost at random. Like... lice.
To be clear, so I don't seem to be taking personal credit where it isn't due, the Flod were developed by Rone and I from the work of a very original (not yet announced) contributing Designer.
And we're so glad you liked it. We're also stoked to share the art for the Flod during the Kickstarter - I think Jean Brisset killed it!
And hey, while of course it's important to Rone and I to share the flavor of the Grimmerspace with you all, to receive and understand your feedback, it downright inspires us know you enjoy the work. Thank you!
PS Speaking of inspiration, I just learned that Larry Elmore was inspired to do a large scale b&w painting of his creation for Grimmerspace. We'll definitely figure a way to make the original available during the Kickstarter!
The homeworld of the Flod is a setting mystery players can uncover, but yes, they are suspected to originate within the Edge and show up in the Crux almost at random. Like... lice.
To be clear, so I don't seem to be taking personal credit where it isn't due, the Flod were developed by Rone and I from the work of a very original (not yet announced) contributing Designer.
And we're so glad you liked it. We're also stoked to share the art for the Flod during the Kickstarter - I think Jean Brisset killed it!
And hey, while of course it's important to Rone and I to share the flavor of the Grimmerspace with you all, to receive and understand your feedback, it downright inspires us know you enjoy the work. Thank you!
PS Speaking of inspiration, I just learned that Larry Elmore was inspired to do a large scale b&w painting of his creation for Grimmerspace. We'll definitely figure a way to make the original available during the Kickstarter!
You say painting, but all I can hear is "3D printed model".
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You say painting, but all I can hear is "3D printed model".PS Speaking of inspiration, I just learned that Larry Elmore was inspired to do a large scale b&w painting of his creation for Grimmerspace. We'll definitely figure a way to make the original available during the Kickstarter!
Ooh. Good idea and not out of the question; although we're currently limiting our minis on this kickstarter to the Hodrak and _possibly_ the Flod. The reason is we've decided to pre-purchase the run of minis so as not to create any risk to the Kickstarter. We're just happy people get them, and we build some inventory and relationships for going forward as a company.
That said, I found it curious that metal minis were more cost-effective. Slower and they involve an artist to do the sculpt, but I LOVE metal minis and appreciate a good sculptor so all positive to me. Then again I love to paint the little buggers.
Out of curiosity, what are you're preferences, quindraco? Prepainted vs. paint-yourself, metal vs. plastic? Anyone else with strong opinions?
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I prefer pre-assembled (not that you asked about that, just covering all my bases), pre-painted, plastic minis, because my primary interest with them is practical gaming - assembly lets you control the pose and painting lets you control the color, both of which matter more to the collecting side of minis, and metal is very satisfying to hold and has heft, but has weight problems when put in a large container with hundreds upon hundreds more minis for showing up to a game prepared to throw down - again, I view metal as more appropriate to the collector side of the equation. The distinction between the two materials matters a lot less for games where I need fewer minis, of course.
Inevitably, if I play a game long enough where I have to paint the minis myself, I end up paying someone else to paint them for me, and the same for assembly, which is why I'd rather just pay the money up front and get my model already done.
Looks like you have something good going for you here, Lou.
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Hi EltonJ!
Thank you, I feel that too. But, really, it's only because so many amazing people have jumped aboard. When The Jade and I decided it was time to pull trigger on our long-held desire to expand Iron GM into publishing, we expected our friends would help out a little. I mean, my friends helped me move, right, and that sucked. Why not this?
I don't think we understood how many friends -- how many professionals -- would step up to help and how much they'd pitch in! It's pretty humbling when so many people want you to succeed and, on top of it, give their time to help make it so.
Digging into the creative side, it simply caught fire for us, with more to come! I feel like the Artists and Designers on the team are high-powered jet fuel, and I'm very grateful they said yes. They all have plenty of other projects they could be working on, after all. The creative muscle they're putting behind this just astounds me. The Jade and I really can't wait to share Grimmerspace with everyone.
And it's more than Designers, of course. I like to think I've learned a few lessons over the years, but the brain trust helping us, most from the goodness of their hearts, just floors me.
Gamers are the best!
If anyone else here tried to register, please let us know in this thread if you had a missing button issue as well.
Tried it on Firefox with Adblock and no button was to be found and parts of that area were obscured by a text box saying things were not available.
I then used IE with no Adblock and it worked fine.
Hope this helps.
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If anyone else here tried to register, please let us know in this thread if you had a missing button issue as well.Tried it on Firefox with Adblock and no button was to be found and parts of that area were obscured by a text box saying things were not available.
I then used IE with no Adblock and it worked fine.
Hope this helps.
That does help, thank you. I suspect Adblock was the culprit because the registration is on a lightbox. I'll test it though and fix what needs fixin' -- thank you!
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Good for you, Lou. I hope they are good.
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So, any news on this one? :P Getting nervous with this silent treatment :)
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Gah! My apologies I missed this rixu! And apologies for the silence. Totally unintentional.
Yes, there is a lot of news. A. LOT. We've been on celebrity time (where everything takes 3-5x as long), and begun securing initial celebrity input _before_ the Kickstarter (see #7, below), so it won't all be on the critical path after people supported us with their money and are waiting for their rewards. Some of that interaction we expect to film for your viewing pleasure.
In the background we've accomplished a number of things:
1. Cut a deal with a major publisher for European distribution (details to be announced when we launch)
2. Begun developing Grimmerspace for an additional system (details to be announced when we launch)
3. Commissioned (and received) significant quantities of exciting art from amazing artists; some known and Starfinder iconic and others unknown
4. Made the decision to expand (and expanded) Richard Pett's intro/give away adventure for Starfinder into a full, 32+ page module which we will still give away for free, but now the adventure offers a taste of so much more of Grimmerspace. Play it and you'll know BEYOND A DOUBT if Grimmerspace is for you or not. This was very time consuming, but so worth it
5. Designed all the books, start to finish. TOC, lengths, etc.
6. Created our brand look, trade dress, and then our amazing layout designer, Tiara Lynn Agresta, translated that into our book design. It's amazing.
7. Wrote and distributed our Writer's Guide, which is essentially the entire core book "light" -- every corner of the setting (locations, mythology, organizations, NPCs, star nations, monsters, aliens, tech, magic, starships, you name it...) -- everything given a synopsis rich enough to ground writers so solidly that whatever they create will be inherently, inescapably, horrifically, deliciously Grimmerspace from GO. This is a crucial step that takes tremendous up front work, but saves so much time once the delivery clock is ticking
Like Grimmerspace's independent insurgent news agency, I2U, we'll be making more updates soon...
Sounds good. Looking forward to it.
That does help, thank you. I suspect Adblock was the culprit because the registration is on a lightbox. I'll test it though and fix what needs fixin' -- thank you!If anyone else here tried to register, please let us know in this thread if you had a missing button issue as well.Tried it on Firefox with Adblock and no button was to be found and parts of that area were obscured by a text box saying things were not available.
I then used IE with no Adblock and it worked fine.
Hope this helps.
Glad it helped you narrow things down!
Sounds good, thanks for the info :)
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well you do missed mine but my question kinda vague for the time so is there some thing for solarians in the setting.
Ah, my apologies! I did not recognize your first post as a question. My bad. And the answer is yes, of course. There is a place for all the Starfinder classes in the setting. Moreover we've discussed some unique approaches to Solarians in Grimmerspace, but are not yet ready to release details.
Never fear: if you can play it in Starfinder, you can play it in Grimmerspace.
No pressure, any news on progress, kickstarter or anything would be nice :)
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Hey Rixu,
We are indeed busy at work behind the scenes and hope to announce a Kickstarter date soon.
The Jade and I have been busy turning Richard Pett's first Starfinder horror adventure into the intro to all things Grimmerspace we want it to be; specifically, and as one might expect from Sir Pett, undead revenant that he is, it took on a life of its own and is now the size of a full-on module.
We'll be giving away this adventure (or at least a substantial portion of it -- still noodling that) for free during the Kickstarter so folks can try Grimmerspace on for size and decide by gaming if it's for them. I've always thought that's better than publishers trying to explain what they've created. Like a baker trying to explain a unique cupcake flavor; better to just give you a cupcake!
I'm pretty confident that anyone who likes our general flavor of cupcake will take one bite of Pett's adventure, titled Casket of the Cull, and want more... and... okay that's about as far as I'm comfortable stretching that metaphor. Your takeway?
Richard Pett = Cupcake of Space Horror. All I'm sayin'
And with that said we've also brought in some top notch artists to showcase our vision for the Grimmerspace setting. Being top notch, they have... schedules. How dare they.
Naetheless, Casket will head into layout soon. Once it's in layout and one or two other pieces fall into place, we expect to have a KS launch date for everyone.
Thanks for checking in!
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Just an update to let folks know that Grimmerspace is swinging along behind the scenes.
Today the project forced me to research alternate uses for ungulate manure (thanks Pett) and to write these words: That said, being strapped to a chair, unconscious in Big Boy’s Murder Closet shouldn’t prove the end of player agency.
Which, frankly, aren't words I ever expected to pen in an RPG.
The Jade and I haven't been plastering the boards with our every advance toward the Kickstarter because, at this point, firm and concrete next steps seem the best thing about which to inform folks.
At the same time we do want you all to know we are full steam ahead.
Thank you all for your patience. We can't wait to pull the wrappers off this beautiful beast! More soon.
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FYI, folks - I've seen some tidbits of this setting...and it's gorgeous indeed!!
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FYI, folks - I've seen some tidbits of this setting...and it's gorgeous indeed!!
Gor(g)e(eous) is more like it!
From what all I've seen of things we can expect some awesome stuff for folks looking for a more serious and adult-leaning audience.
Protip: Don't get too attached to your character for the horrors of the G-Rim are quite a bit more dreadful and terrifying than typical Sword/Sorcery or Space Laser-tag games on the market right now. Don't forget your Hygiene Kit folks, it's gonna be dirty out there!
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Sure!
We expect to announce a specific date relatively soon.
We've added James Sutter and Wolfgang Baur to the team. James is writing adventures and Wolfgang's going to do some monster design for Grimmerspace.
We're giving away the first half of Richard Pett's first ever horror adventure for Starfinder before the Kickstarter and folks on our newsletter will get early access even before that. It's called Abattoir 8 and it's heading into its fifth playtest. From there to a final revision and then layout.
We've created more content than what we've discussed previously in this thread, but if there's anything in particular you want to know, just ask!
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Heh heh, and this is going to be awesome! Hugely excited about seeing what these wonderfully sick and twisted individuals wring out of Grimmerspace, from what I’ve seen so far it’s very nasty....
AWESOME!
The Apostasy
Five aristocratic houses rule a wicked civilization of wealthy human sadists and their bio-engineered sycophants spread across the thirteen moons of a single crypt-world. The royal families of each house chase immortality in their own unique way and are always at each other’s throats. But two things unite them: faith in their inherent superiority and the annual festival of Tarthaziel, wherein they spill blood to appease the ghosts of the ancient aliens who once inhabited their home system.
Lou, all of the Grimmerspace teases sound fantastic and I'm anxiously awaiting the Kickstarter! I do have nagging questions though. If Grimmers are science-fiction and magic is new, why is one of the main Crux factions appeasing alien ghosts in a blood ritual? Wouldn't that be a culture built around knowledge of magic? That sounds straight-up science fantasy to me.
Also, are the factions described the largest Crux factions or the only Crux factions? While the factions described sound incredible, they also sound pretty specific and I'm wondering if/where less exotic(?) cultures exist (if, in fact, they do) and where core rulebook races might fit (if, in fact, they do). Galaxies are pretty big, after all.
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I'm not Lou but I may be able to field that question from a relative outsider perspective.
Magic is almost CERTAINLY not real in our universe but even today there are cultures that value live sacrifice in hopes to achieve personal/communal gain or wealth. Superstition and belief systems do not need to be grounded in the factual/historical reality of the setting mechanically in order for their adherents to believe that sacrifice adds value to their culture.
I'm not Lou but I may be able to field that question from a relative outsider perspective.
Magic is almost CERTAINLY not real in our universe but even today there are cultures that value live sacrifice in hopes to achieve personal/communal gain or wealth. Superstition and belief systems do not need to be grounded in the factual/historical reality of the setting mechanically in order for their adherents to believe that sacrifice adds value to their culture.
True, but I've having a hard time reconciling that with an advanced society that is one of the five cultural pillars of the 'no-magic' setting and squaring your approach with the whole "battle of science fiction vs. science fantasy". A culture with the mindset you're describing seems more likely to run screaming to embrace magic (with the purpose of controlling it for themselves, of course, since this is Grimmerspace).
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The Apostasy
Five aristocratic houses rule a wicked civilization of wealthy human sadists and their bio-engineered sycophants spread across the thirteen moons of a single crypt-world. The royal families of each house chase immortality in their own unique way and are always at each other’s throats. But two things unite them: faith in their inherent superiority and the annual festival of Tarthaziel, wherein they spill blood to appease the ghosts of the ancient aliens who once inhabited their home system.
Lou, all of the Grimmerspace teases sound fantastic and I'm anxiously awaiting the Kickstarter! I do have nagging questions though. If Grimmers are science-fiction and magic is new, why is one of the main Crux factions appeasing alien ghosts in a blood ritual? Wouldn't that be a culture built around knowledge of magic? That sounds straight-up science fantasy to me.
Also, are the factions described the largest Crux factions or the only Crux factions? While the factions described sound incredible, they also sound pretty specific and I'm wondering if/where less exotic(?) cultures exist (if, in fact, they do) and where core rulebook races might fit (if, in fact, they do). Galaxies are pretty big, after all.
These are GREAT questions. The Emanant Spectrality as a culture fears death. Each of their houses specializes in a different, bioscience/research approach to life extension technology. They have, in fact, given rise to an archetype, the Recombinator. A sort of biological mechanic who grows genetic experiments rather than build drones, but that's for another post.
As a whole, the Spectrality is also a superstitious culture. Living on the literal tomb-worlds of an extinct alien civilization amplifies their superstitious nature. Whether or not there was anything to that superstition before the arrival of magic in their universe is an open question; whether those who wield magic will attempt to use their superstitions against the Emanant Spectrality remains to be seen.
The five Crux polities are the major technic civilizations of Grimmerspace, but they are not the only locations from which a PC might originate. The Crux polities have all made forays into colonizing the Edge and splinter groups have also established their own independent footholds in the Edge as well. Additionally, alien races have from time to time fled the Gyre and found their home -- to varying degrees of acceptance -- within the Crux.
In the last two to three decades, an influx of new aliens have arrived, from locations unknown. They call themselves Vesk, Ysoki, and other strange names. They too have taken up residency within the thriving polities and peoples of the Gliding Rim galaxy.
Does that answer your question? If not, hit me again and we'll answer. I can also pull Rone in for more clarification!
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True, but I've having a hard time reconciling that with an advanced society that is one of the five cultural pillars of the 'no-magic' setting and squaring your approach with the whole "battle of science fiction vs. science fantasy". A culture with the mindset you're describing seems more likely to run screaming to embrace magic (with the purpose of controlling it for themselves, of course, since this is Grimmerspace).I'm not Lou but I may be able to field that question from a relative outsider perspective.
Magic is almost CERTAINLY not real in our universe but even today there are cultures that value live sacrifice in hopes to achieve personal/communal gain or wealth. Superstition and belief systems do not need to be grounded in the factual/historical reality of the setting mechanically in order for their adherents to believe that sacrifice adds value to their culture.
The thing is -- and damn your unforeseen but inevitable perspicacity -- when all the crypt moons of the Emanant Spectrality align and eclipse their homeworld, the people of that Crux polity experience certain... effects... which they ascribe to the ghosts of the Elder Builders. What is actually going on? That is a setting secret to be uncovered in play, within certain adventures. And some of it we expect the sharp, wicked mind of Shanna Germain to expand upon. Is it technology? Is it magic? Are there actual ghosts? Wait and see.
Grimmerspace plans to explore 14 kinds of horror and the Emanant Spectrality lends itself to what we categorize as gothic horror. The fact that whatever has been going on there with this vanished alien race bears such a close resemblance to "magic" and feeds into their cultural fear of death and mortality, as well as their superstitious nature, makes the Emanant Spectrality of all the five Crux polities especially vulnerable to manipulation when real magic makes the scene.
Now, do we know what has really been going on with the Elder Builders? Yes. Am I going to tell you in this post. Nope. Gonna have to get the book for that. Sorry, not sorry. ;)
Awesome! Thanks for the answers!
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So for the multitude who don't recognize my mask, I'm Rone Barton, co-creator of Grimmerspace, but I've been posting on the Paizo boards as The Jade since 2005. I just like the lupine avatar. But speaking of lupine... I want to loop in because I saw Lou opine.
When even the most technic civilizations experience phenomena they don't yet understand, they'll sometimes define or label these mysterious occurrences using expired supernatural mythologies, even if the paranormal isn't being specifically implied. So when the Emanants of the Emanant Spectrality say "ghosts" they're hearkening back to a time long ago when folktales of apparitions chilled and delighted. However, they do believe that something terrible will appear if not appeased. Are they right? Tune in. ;)
But then also, for every one paragon of the scientific method who helps shape our future reality, you'll likely find many other people who instead hold onto beliefs that run counter to scientific proofs. For some, there's great romance and passion to be found in keeping select myths alive. So I'd imagine that even as a civilization goes from primality to modernity and then on to intergalactic colonization, many will continue to harbor a love of fantastic legends. Why I'm as rational a gamer as the next, but I'll freely admit to asking my púca friend Gilleagán here to proofread this post before I hit submit. I'll bet that if you're a gamer your vision constructs entire worlds between your waking eyes and the blank wall across the room at times. And when you focus on those daydreamt landscapes they sure can seem real enough, can't they? Or maybe I just need to be on meds. Who knows?
Sometimes it's often said paragons who indulge enjoyment from the supernatural because who doesn't like to escape the shackling mundanity of an ordered, thoroughly pre-defined existence? Check out the Philip experiment.
Even when we know something isn't real, sometimes... we want to believe. (Cue Mark Snow's X-Files theme)
And when, as is the case of the Emanant Spectrality, there's totemic worship of fearing and revering death hardwired into even a spacefaring society, that will inescapably seep into the look and custom of the place. And this particular Crux polity is noted for its brilliant though perverse bio-engineering skills. "Hey, you twisted creations of Dr.Frankenstein and Dr. Herbert West from Re-Animator, eat your heart out. No... that's an order... devour it now while I watch." The Emanants might confuse the scariest moments in those fictional works for a guided meditation video. They're... an interesting lot.
Thanks, Rone. I really appreciate your and Lou's answers and additional contextual info. It all sounds incredibly cool.
Please, don't misunderstand, I wasn't questioning the plausibility of the Grimmers believing in supernatural elements, especially in regards to matters of faith. It just surprised me that 1 of the 5 'pillars' of Crux-space would be culturally built around it.
Again, thanks for the additional details. I'm very much looking forward to Grimmerspace!