Our Next Project: Hammercalled

We're still wrapping up work on velotha's flock (which you can read about and download here), but we've also been putting in a lot of work on our next project, Hammercalled.

Hammercalled is a multi-genre roleplaying game system tied into a system that focuses on intergalactic heroes from a variety of fantastical worlds trying to save their universe from an inexorable force of destruction.

It stands in clear opposition to our previous games, which could affectionately be called "super-indie" or less affectionately called "low budget"; we don't have a huge operating budget for the game but we have enough resources invested to be confident in using it as a seed for future things.

Hammercalled is built on a simple d100 system, but features innovative design features to make the game feel novel and refreshing. The emphasis is on storytelling, but still allowing high degrees of customization and flexibility: all of the game mechanics are designed to interface with the same core, making it so that players who want to use certain features only need to master the core and the features they want to use.
Mechanics like combat, which are shared between most players, are simplified to allow for the most speed and flexibility: you won't have combats accidentally last five hours and get in the way of storytelling, but the game's complex enough to still satisfy hardcore players who like experimenting with systems.

The best part of Hammercalled that we feel makes it stand out from the competition is an intense focus on using the characters that people create as a focus for the game. While characters share a set of core attributes, they are more heavily defined by specializations, talents, and gear designed by players and game masters to make settings and stories come alive.

Hammercalled is entering a four-stage development process meant to ensure that our finished product is as solid and user-friendly as it can be: the first stage of release will be Segira: 1985, an alt-history game with many of the final mechanics abstracted out: this tests our main mechanisms and concepts early on with an accessible and polished product that's not committing us to future design decisions.

The second stage is The Ashen King, a post-apocalyptic module inspired by the worlds of Mad Max, The Terminator, and Fallout. It will be paired with full rules for character creation and combat in line with the final game, though many of the systems will not be completed until later stages.

The third stage is Othenar, a high-fantasy module intended to test out the magic system and focus on fleshing out mechanics for other elements fitting a fantasy setting (alternate planes/dimensions, for instance).

The fourth stage is going to be The Dust, which focuses on a future society that has gone beyond our solar system and the limits of the human body. We'll use this module for cyberspace, economy, and supertech development and playtesting.

After all four stages are complete, we will be compiling the rules and linking them to the finished Hammercalled setting.

Throughout the full process, a rules reference document will be freely available, and each module will be released freely. When the final Hammercalled Roleplaying Game is released, it too will be entirely free. Everything is licensed under our Tabletop Attribution License so anyone can remix and redistribute it.

Before I wrap up, I'd like to thank the wonderful artists, Bruno Cerkvenik, Mohammad Qureshi, and Johnathan Chong, whose work for Loreshaper Games you can see above. These images are all samples of what will be in the final Hammercalled game.

If you're an illustrator or other content creator interested in working on Hammercalled or one of our modules, feel free to drop us a line at [email protected].