Reinventing the Wheel

Let’s talk about Rainwall. Rainwall has been in and out of development for a few years. It started out as an RPG system for my Everwind materials, but I decided to put the system along with a setting that would appeal to more people than just fans of Everwind. But back up a bit. Why create a whole new system, when there are other systems already ready already? Truth is, I’m lazy. That probably sounds weird considering how much work is involved in making a new set of mechanics from scratch. So let me expand upon that a bit. I didn’t want to learn the ins and outs of any other systems that are available (creative commons, OGL, etc.), then find out it’s no longer available to use, that it’s expensive, or worse — that it doesn’t really work for the game after all. So I started making a new system from scratch.

I don’t have to jump through anybody’s hoops if I create my own content.

Everything in the game must serve the purpose of enhancing the setting and the feel of the apocalypse. What weapons are people most likely to find or make? What resources are scarce? What will civilization look like? What skills will people need to survive? What are the dangers that lurk around every corner? More importantly — what will the players want to do now that civilization is gone? These are all questions I must answer.

So that’s where I’m at. I’m still compiling all the core rules, but my goal is to have a workable prototype within the next month or so. I’ll likely give it a dry run on my own just to work out any noticeable kinks before opening it up to playtesting. We’ll open up playtesting to anyone who wants to try it, for free. The intro player guide and character sheets will be uploaded to RainwallRPG.com as well as here, once it’s done.

Aside from the mechanics needing to be sound, my other main task is going to be knocking the setting and the theme out of the park. Knowing what I know, I think it will be just fine.

-Janden Hale