About this project
What is Wormhole RPG?
Wormhole RPG is a sci-fi themed tabletop roleplaying game with a focus on exploration and trading rather than primarily being about combat. To play Wormhole players will collect a group of friends, have one take the mantle of Galactic Master, or GM while the rest will make characters using Wormhole’s robust character creation system, explore the Milky Way Galaxy and seek fortune.
Why should I back this project?
Wormhole is different in that it’s inexpensive, easy to play, and focuses on trade. With this project, I’m bringing a fresh outlook to the genre of space trading in tabletop games. Combat is a last resort or the result of a deal gone south. Fly your space ships, create stories of wealth won and lost, and even build your own species to play as if you like!
Who are the creators of Wormhole RPG?
Hi! I’m Chris Haner and when I’m not working on WORMHOLE RPG, I’m making Youtube videos on my channel, Rogueliker!(http://bit.ly/2hyROG) I’m a Dad, I work, I get out and play tabletop games as often as possible. I’ve been playing RPGs for fifteen years and running the games for the last nine years. I have a long history with gaming and would love to contribute to the culture.
UPDATE 3/19/2017-
Reddit user /u/Onewayout had some questions about the game and they might not be the only one wondering these things, so here are their questions and here are my answers.
"Hey, checked out your KickStarter today because I was interested. You might want to put some more details on there about the mechanics and how the game plays. I'm inclined to like something like this, but I'd want to know more about the system and how it plays before I commit to backing the game (or choose the backer level I want to commit at). Some things I would want to know, and what I suspect others might: "
1. Where does it fall on the "crunchy" vs. "fluffy" spectrum? Is it simulationist, or is it one of those story-driven systems? How combat-focused is it? How does it represent characters, how do I resolve actions, etc.? How easy is it to referee?
A1. The game is currently all rules with a little fluff in item and race descriptions. Combat can (and will) happen, though it can be very deadly and this lethality should hopefully keep combat from dragging on. Characters will have character sheets, and NPCs will have simplified NPC stat sheets, that are about half the size of the character's. Actions are determined by a target number set by the GM (Game master or Galactic master, your choice) and six sided dice are rolled with 4, 5 and 6 being a success. Each success counts toward the target number. I've been the only one running a game of Wormhole, so I can't yet say how easy a non-creator referee will have it.
2. Where does it fall on the complexity meter? Having some gauge as to where it falls will help people know whether the game is for them. Like, are we talking Basic D&D or Advanced D&D or MERP or what?
A2. I feel that the d6 success system with target numbers is pretty simple. There are skills and knowledges. Anything not governed by one of those is a direct ability check.
3. What kind of universe is this set in? Is it "hard" science fiction or is it more "space opera"? How gritty is it? Is the universe a dystopian one like in the Alien movies, or is it more egalitarian like in Star Trek? Should I expect to be hopping from star system to star system all the time, or is interstellar travel a "big deal" and only happens rarely?
3A. With the alien races, strange powers, laser guns and impractical star ships I can't really call it hard Sci-Fi. I tried my best to keep things logical and base tech in the game off what I think could be possible four hundred years in the future, but who really knows? The universe has a large merchant council like body that only steps in when things threaten their profits so piracy is their main concern, that being said, the Milky Way Galaxy and space itself is unfathomably big so potential pirates can and will slip through the cracks. Wormhole jumps are fairly standard and travel between the 13 major star systems in the game is a big part of gameplay.
4. What support materials am I getting with the game? Is it just rules? Or are scenarios included? How many pages of content are we talking about here? How much detail is there in the universe? How intricately tied are the mechanics to the particular universe (i.e., if I don't like something, how easy will it be to kitbash it)?
4A. As of now it's just rules and I plan to have all the different sheets available in the book. Character sheets, Ship sheets (Which are treated like characters) NPC sheets so far. If the Kickstarter overfunds I plan to include a mission in the book for new players to play with. Dice and miniatures are other potential stretch goals and I'm excited about those if we get there. So far we are at 93 pages, but I expect the content to bump up over 100 pages with the next content update, and art will carry it further. The 13 major star systems have their planets available (Some real, some I added) but there isn't a lot of detail for individual planets yet, but I do have a planetary threat level system in place and will detail some if not all of the planets in a future content update. I don't believe any of the rules are too firmly entrenched aside from the dice system so I can see the system being flexible.
5. The most intriguing thing I saw on the page was the bit about the ship-to-ship combat system, where all players work together to fight. I definitely think you should talk more about that on the page, because that seems like a real differentiator for your system. The stuff about customizing weapons also sounds interesting.
5A. Thank you, I go in to a little more detail on some of that in this thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/RPGdesign/comments/5ycdca/ive_been_developing_a_scifi_rpg_for_most_of_a/
6. It seems to have some kind of mechanic that deals with trade. Are there specific mechanics or other referee support for dealing with that? How does that work? Again, this seems like it might be a differentiator, so it would be good to go into some depth on this.
6A. There are charts of majorly imported and exported goods to certain star systems and each system away from its point of origin a trade good ratchets up the price a little, while weighing the chance for an encounter of something against scoring a bigger profit.
7.Got any playtest videos of the system in action? I'd be interested to check those out.
7A. I plan to record a playtest session and it will be featured in a future KS update.
Thank you Onewayout, hopefully some of these questions are what others have been wondering as well.
Some example pages with placeholder formatting:
What do Kickstarter backers get?
Add-ons
Risks and challenges
Risks and challenges
As far as the progress on Wormhole Tabletop RPG, the digital project already has a highly playable version so there is zero risk in delivering that version, but the physical product still requires work, expertise, and money to complete. We’ll be using Ship Naked fulfillment services to make everything smoother and we will be working with DiggyPod to deliver quality books and materials on demand.
The biggest risk that has to be overcome is that I am a first time developer and this is my first Kickstarter Campaign. That being said, I am confident in my game and I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead.
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Funding period
- (31 days)