MTG Update, the future of EG, and the upcoming contest!
4 days ago
– Tue, Mar 02, 2021 at 05:55:35 PM
Greetings, Espers!
It has been an extraordinarily long road through development of this project, to which we can finally see that light at the end. But, we still have a little longer to go. And so- this is also a pretty long update.
MTG Final Update
The book has had its share of delays, so I figure I would give an in-depth look as to where we are.
I had written the bare bones for the MTG around the same time that we were releasing the Core Manual. As the game evolved, we listened to what players liked, wanted, and requested, adding and changing more as the system took shape. By the time the Threats Database was out, I realized that the many of the original MTG mechanics not only didn't work anymore with one another, but it didn't stay true to our goal of not rewriting the entirety of 5E to make them work. And so, I started the revisions.
Completed Revisions:
Enhanced items remained mostly the same with some necessary balancing tweaks. Grand scale ships also got some minor tweaks, but starship construction had gone through a complete overhaul. Once that was done, we released it out to backers as part of the preview late last year.
Current Revisions:
I had to rebuild the cybernetics rules from the ground up. Many of them didn't work with the changes implemented for enhanced items. Those changes also greatly affected the rules for SIM devices and matrix combat, which also needed to be reworked. The choice was to either take the time to make these changes or eliminate them from the book entirely. As I still intended to deliver what we promised, I chose the former.
The COVID Factor:
Not long after we sent out the preview, my wife and I fell extremely ill. The next week, right before Thanksgiving, we tested positive for COVID. This put me out for almost a month and I was just short of being hospitalized. Even after it was done, I was deaf in one ear and was in a constant exhaustion for a month after that. I'll tell you now... I don't wish that illness on anyone. As this is all personal business, I've been trying to keep it outside of production discussion, but in light of the delay, it seems to be necessary for me to include it here.
Close to Done:
Beyond all that, I'm in the final stages of putting the written rules together. We recently lost one editor due to a non-competing contract from their employer, so I'm working that out as well. I estimated we would be done by the end of March and have been aiming for that goal. Right now, though, it looks more like I'll get most of the remaining chapters over to Brian for layout close to the end of this month. Whatever we finish by month end, we'll be releasing to backers, even if it's still pre-release text.
I would like to also clarify to non-backers: Late Autumn last year, we sent out a 90-page full-layout preview to backers containing the rules for running a campaign in a sci-fi environment, expanded gear, enhanced and core-forged items, and the advanced starship rules including the finalized starship construction system. Anyone who has backed this project or became a late backer via preorder has access to this preview. This should answer the speculation of whether or not people have already seen a good portion of the book.
The Future is Bright
With a new year in front of us comes some new changes. EG launched on Roll20 in the beginning of this year. The development of the compendium and the sheet are still ongoing with Charactermancer support on the way as well.
Announcements for other VTT projects are coming later this year - one likely by the start of the Summer (but I'm not allowed to give details on that yet...).
With completion of the MTG, we'll be moving many of those updates into the Basic Rules. Once that is done, we'll be able to open the EG universe up to writers who wish to build their own stories and adventures. While it likely won't happen until the MTG is printed and shipped, it is the plan for later this year.
Esper Genesis Shipwright Contest
Next week, we'll be sending out instructions for our Shipwright Contest. The contest is for project backers only, so stay tuned next week for a separate update.
Until next time!
