Hammercalled: Character Flaws and Logo Updates

So for this week I've been working on a couple things in particular, but I've already gone over most of them. I'm writing more about archetypes, but this time for a book, and generally been just getting stuff done left and right, though I'm a little too scattered to have gotten anything particularly newsworthy finished.

That will come shortly, however. Both the velotha's flock supplement and Segira: 1985 should come out this week or next, so that's something to look forward to.

However, a new thing that could really change Hammercalled is also being added, and it's part of my push to get a solid grip on the current ruleset and be able to release Segira with no regrets down the road.

That's allowing characters to take flaws. The original ruleset had flaws, but it was "everyone takes a flaw" with no bonus associated. This turned out to be a somewhat mediocre system, since people who were making characters didn't usually appreciate the consequences of the flaws they chose, and there was no reason to pick a nasty flaw over a lesser one unless there was also some bonus, so the flaws themselves got too complicated to follow.

The new system puts flaws in as a direct opposite of talents; you can take one at character creation, and in doing so you take a penalty in certain situations. I probably don't need to explain the mechanics very much (they work identically to talents but with negative effects), but the reasoning behind adding the flaws back in is important.

First, flaws give a character more definition. They're a humanizing element. The paper-pusher does really poorly at getting their bearings when a fight breaks out, and that's okay. It gives them another level of definition and pushes players' decisions further into a course of action that aligns with the universe.

However, I also want to use flaws as a setting tool. In Unsung Gods in particular I'm really wanting to have the ability to give some characters vulnerabilities and ineptitude in ways that the players can learn to exploit, and right now there's no strictly speaking mechanical system in Hammercalled to facilitate that.

For those who haven't been following Unsung Gods, which hasn't been seeing too many updates recently (too many irons in the fire, sorry), it's a fantasy setting intended to accompany the core rules and give examples of how to use mechanics to tailor a setting to the system.

Another point about flaws is that they do allow players to get more boosts in certain situations, trading one thing for another. This is a little dangerous, so I put a hard limit of one flaw during character creation, but I think it'll turn out for the best in the long run. It opens up the path for people to play builds that rely on more talent synergy than is currently possible in character creation.

Before I go, I want to just quickly say that I've been working on the logo for Hammercalled. It's really unfinished, but I've made it less extreme in its vertical/horizontal ratio (or at least attempted to; I think I might have screwed it up), and added some background texture. All of this is very unfinished, and I'm not happy with it so much as not sure where to evolve it next. I think it's definitely better than the old "banner" style, though.