Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 30

Whoa, 3rd Edition incoming!!!

MegueyB @megueyb.bsky.social · Aug 30

Alright, my dearies. Here we go. Join us for the ride?
www.kickstarter.com/projects/lum...

Coming soon: Apocalypse World: Burned Over

The 3rd edition of the groundbreaking original.

www.kickstarter.com

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Reposted by Bill (he/him)

Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Jul 30

Another innovation I'm proud of in Restore the Warp is the Galactic Pillars.

Each character is tied to an important NPC.

Here's my inspirations and my tweaks to give it more life. 🧵

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Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 25

Restore the Warp has 5 archetypes in the ashcan, but there are so many more good ones I'm saving for the full version.

Images of the 5 archetypes...

The Big Brute: a blue alien in a sweat suit.

The Gadgeteer: a panda wearing an apron, with a small droid hovering near.

The Renegade: A person in a leather jacket, in a jaunty stance.

The Starblade: A robot with a glowing sword

The Tempest: A floating dryad, surrounded in flames

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Reposted by Bill (he/him)

Sandy Pug Games @sandypuggames.bsky.social · Aug 23

With profit matching, we're sending $5000 of supplies to mutual aid and community relief groups in preparation for the upcoming disaster season, that translates to real lives saved, real homes protected, real food and water in people's hands and bellies. Please share!
itch.io/b/3228/the-d...

The Disaster Preparedness Bundle by Sandy Pug Games and 13 others

The Disaster Preparedness Bundle: 25 items for $10.00

itch.io

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Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 23

Past a couple milestones on itch while away on vacation. 5000+ views, 2000+ downloads, 100+ followers.

Also 100+ downloads for Restore the Warp. I know some people have plans to play it, and excited for feedback once those games get going.

5562 views, 2125 downloads, 103 followers.

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Reposted by Bill (he/him)

Gwent Stefani @madadric.bsky.social · Aug 12

I'm honoured to be in such stellar company! There's a bunch of very cool space RPGs in Bill's list. Bill is also right in that I don't feel in competition with these other works, but in conversation. Space dork RPGs are enriched by having such expansive choices.

Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 11

Impulse Drive by @madadric.bsky.social was an early one. I love it's core loop of ducking into cover, based on Mass Effect, but my favorite idea is "hooks". I love mechanics that ask you to lean into your characters' vulnerabilities.

adrian-thoen.itch.io/impulse-drive

Impulse Drive by Adrian Thoen

A roleplaying game about misfits and spaceship powered by the apocalypse

adrian-thoen.itch.io

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Reposted by Bill (he/him)

Alex Kanaris-Sotiriou @kanaratron.bsky.social · Aug 13

Happy 30th birthday to the game that made me care deeply about a frog knight.

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Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 13

“I make it how I want to make it, and they eat it how they want to eat it.” - Erykah Badu to Donald Glover

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Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 13

It’s definitely been a plus in play test games. A lot of people who ask to run my game want to run it in Star Wars though, which could still work, but it needs adjustments and I think they might miss out on some of my favourite parts of the system.

Happy with whatever people choose though.

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Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 12

pokemon4ever.org/cdn/shop/pro...

Pokémon World Championships this weekend!

You betting on Ice Horse or Shadow Horse? My gut is shadow, but I’m excited to see how top players try to counter it.

Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 12

You did a really cool job! I’ve listened to podcasts where you talk about some design choices and I think they come through really clear. I’m also a mass effect fan but channeled different parts of it I think.

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Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 11

Good pic! I really like the hisuian one too.

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Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 11

Super cute! That card deck reference is going to be killer!

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Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 11

Restore the Warp is for the sickos.

You want a long move like this, with a whole 2nd page for your superpowers???

The storm inside
There are powers swirling inside you. They have three aspects. There are things you can always do. There are more extreme powers you can access when you unleash (see below). And when you lose control, they bleed out unwished (ex. When you roll a 6-). For more information, see the Tempest’s Powers Sheet.

Unleash the storm
When you enter a trance to unleash the powers within you, roll +Conditions (max 3).

On a 7+, you tap into your powers, enhancing your abilities as written. Achieve major Impact. Describe it.

On a 7-9, the storm comes fast and hard. Choose one.
○ Powers bleed: Danger equal to Conditions (max 3)
○ Stuggle for control: mark 1 Condition

On a 6-, you can’t reach your powers. Choose why.
○ Danger equal to Conditions (max 3) interrupts
○ Tap into bad memories: mark 2 Conditions

While you act further, you may trigger other moves. To continue using your powers for more than a few moments, roll this move again.

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Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 11

If you're also working on a pbta space game, take this thread as intended. Don't worry that it's already "been done" because there are so many unique ways to do it.

Yours will be cool too!

For my contribution to the genre, check out Restore the Warp here.

billtherad.itch.io/restore-the-...

Restore the Warp: Ashcan Edition by billtherad

cosmic drama, personal struggles

billtherad.itch.io

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Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 11

Starscape by @goldenlassogirl.bsky.social captures the found family vibes of Star Trek and Farscape really well. It has a unique take on Trust as hit points that was really cool to see develop. (I got to test this one too.)

goldenlassogames.itch.io/starscape

Starscape PBTA by Golden Lasso Games

A found-family game about trust & feelings. KICKSTARTING SOON!

goldenlassogames.itch.io

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Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 11

Ironsworn: Starforged by @shawntomkin.bsky.social has incredible world building tools. Both the random tables and the questions for setting up your world.

(This kinda feels like descendant territory, but to me the moves still feel like pbta.)

shawn-tomkin.itch.io/ironsworn-st...

Ironsworn: Starforged by Shawn Tomkin

The standalone, sci-fi evolution of the Ironsworn tabletop roleplaying game

shawn-tomkin.itch.io

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Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 11

Space Legs by @toyourstations.bsky.social is a game that really nails its themes. It's a game about not colonizing space, being space pirates in an alien society where being human is a disability.

Great episode on Party of One podcast.

toyourstations.itch.io/space-legs

Space Legs v0.9 by Jack Blair

Space Legs is a Powered by the Apocalypse game about being the first humans in space

toyourstations.itch.io

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Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 11

Brigand Galaxy by Hella Broke Studio blew me away because the designer did all the writing and art themself, allowing them to really nail out their vision.

They posted about it in Stop, Hack, and Roll discord while working on it and I was inspired.

hellabroke.itch.io/brigand-galaxy

BRIGAND GALAXY by Hella Broke Studio

Travel the galaxy across mystical leylines, fight and scrap in a quest to secure yourself a future.

hellabroke.itch.io

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Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 11

Offworlders by @chrispwolf.bsky.social is a really tight book that has everything you need for space adventures in 30ish pages. I consider this a kind of yardstick. If a game adds more pages, they better by worth it.

chrispwolf.itch.io/offworlders

Offworlders by Chris P Wolf

A lightweight planet-hopping table top role playing game

chrispwolf.itch.io

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Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 11

Last Fleet by @armadajosh.bsky.social and @beckyannison.bsky.social is another game with a central conflict that really anchors the experience. I love the way it adapted the BitD loop of downtime, and the way cutting loose with other PCs helps make bonds.

blackarmada.itch.io/last-fleet

Last Fleet by Black Armada Games

The last of humanity flee across space from a merciless inhuman adversary

blackarmada.itch.io

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Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 11

Space Wurm vs Moonicorn by @chthonstone.bsky.social is another wild one. My favorite thing is the way this game centres around a core conflict, and makes the most out of PvP drama.

www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/1...

Space Wurm vs. Moonicorn - Chthonstone Games | DriveThruRPG

Space Wurm vs. Moonicorn is a science fantasy supplement for Dungeon World that combines the flavours of Johnstone’s Adventures on Dungeon Planet and the characters from Jackson Tegu’s Monsterhearts e...

www.drivethrurpg.com

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Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 11

Farflung by @normanrafferty.bsky.social, Friedrich Wallenhaupt, and Robert Vance is a really wild ride. They have 20+ playbooks, including an Energy Being who can transmit themselves through wires!

www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/1...

FARFLUNG: Sci-Fi Role-Play After Dark - Sanguine Productions | Mahagonny | Core Books | Farflung | DriveThruRPG

We are pleased that you have come here. Let us tell you about your Farflung experience. It is a tabletop game about the ends of the universe, where nothing has been undone and everything is permitted....

www.drivethrurpg.com

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Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 11

Uncharted Worlds by Sean Gomes is another early one that has a lot of flexibility. I loved how the expansion Far From Humanity built on it. To me it felt like a mix of good things from traditional and more story-style games.

www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/1...

Uncharted Worlds - Sean Gomes | DriveThruRPG

Uncharted Worlds is a space opera of discovery and adventure, which explores a universe full of deadly beauty, hostile frontiers, rapacious organisations, and crippling debt. It’s a story-building gam...

www.drivethrurpg.com

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Bill (he/him) @billtherad.bsky.social · Aug 11

Impulse Drive by @madadric.bsky.social was an early one. I love it's core loop of ducking into cover, based on Mass Effect, but my favorite idea is "hooks". I love mechanics that ask you to lean into your characters' vulnerabilities.

adrian-thoen.itch.io/impulse-drive

Impulse Drive by Adrian Thoen

A roleplaying game about misfits and spaceship powered by the apocalypse

adrian-thoen.itch.io

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