Hello! My name is Jason. I'm a newcomer to the community. I've been playing RPGs for almost 30 years now, usually as DM/GM. I've mostly played Dungeons and Dragons, and Exalted, but in the last few years I've been much more interested in small indie games, and write a column based around finding games people outside the community may have never heard of.
i've had a couple systems and settings bouncing around in my head for some time now. When I saw RPGenesis, I decided to take the leap and use the deadline to force myself to write one of the games I've only ever had hurried notes for ideas on.
Outlaws on the Steam Frontier is a game that takes place on the edge of an invasion. An empire, The Confederacy of Steam, has set its eyes on conquering your home, exploiting your people, and seeking out ancient relics of great power in the ruined cities of your ancestors. You play as an Outlaw on the run from the Confederacy's military and their legions of hired killers. You avoid staying in one place too long, and rely on support networks to keep you alive and supplied while you sabotage the Confederacy's plans.
I've been thinking about a card based conflict resolution system based on the casino game Blackjack and I think I've figured out the right way to present it. Characters themselves are defined by four basic Abilities, four Ideals, and their Resources (attachments and items that help them overcome conflicts others might not.) There are mechanics to guide the narrative built in, with players awarding each other for upholding their Ideals - those points being spent on deepening relationships between the players and the antagonists - building to climactic Showdowns with their Nemesis and riskier missions to stop the agents of the enemy that they find the most interesting.
I'm hoping I can get it all under wraps by the deadline - I only realized the game jam was happening by halfway through it and I have an awful lot to get down and plotted out, even just for a playable bare-bones game, and I'm hoping to have time to write up lore for this world I've been imagining. Thank you for taking the time to read this and good luck to all of you!