The Broken Empires RPG™: Ask Me Anything!

[@vincentdurocher9699]

I don't think this system is for me, but I like you and I am super glad the kickstarter is doing so well. I wish you good success in all your future endeavours

[@captaindudeman3613]

2:03 start

[@jcraigwilliams70]

I'm so happy for you that your Kickstarter is doing so well. I've heard from several people that Kickstarters get a lot of extra support in the last 24-48 hours, when all the undecided people jump on board, so you may see a significant increase before you are done.I missed the live version of this AMA and am posting this at the start of the replay. I'll post again near the end with my questions if no one else asks them.

[@FMD-FullMetalDragon]

Begins chant *WE WANT STRONGHOLDS* ... *WE WANT STRONGHOLDS* ... *out of breath*

[@astrolama-p3o]

I'm a big fan of your show, and moreover, I feel like this game is absolutely tailored for me. Backed before I finished reading the KS page. Thank you for making this game happen!

[@matheusm.8784]

Travor, congratulations on the successful campaign so far. I'm really looking forward for TBE! I'm an avid fan of Forbidden Lands, and TBE feels like it takes me one step closer to simulation games, but not so much, which is exactly what I've been craving. Forbidden Lands gives me a taste of it, but this seems to dive even deeper. I've always loved the appeal of HârnMaster, but I never had the time or mental bandwidth to fully learn and run its intricate mechanics. So I'm really looking forward to the Sim-Lite concept. Thanks so much, my friend!

[@joeking1956]

Here is a coin for the algorithm machine.

[@joespizza11b42]

I also love ship combat, especially after reading the hornblower series, gets me juiced

[@YannMiollan]

"Note to self: check hornblower series for inspiration"

[@JL999k]

Most of us bought into the kickstarter and happy to reward the past 3-4 years work. Waiting for the next 'Ask me anything' I want to find out how the channel sits alongside Trevor's day job. Is it a 24/7 ? I can remember that first season when Simon 'sucked' and just a few hundred subscribers. Feels like quite a journey for a bag of dice and a handful of minis!

[@toddzircher6168]

Love that the rules reinforce role playing in social encounters and the magic system shapes the flavor and tone of magic.

[@shonenmc]

Thanks for answering my question. Life events systems are great- really interested in how they line up with character goals and the goals of the party. I've never seen that done before in a ttrpg!

[@hyperboreansky]

Learned about your game from BLG livestream, and it's a first non D&D/OSR product that grabbed my attention. Already backed! Shame I could not get to the livestream, as the hours were unusually merciful for European customers.

[@AgedBlaine0]

Probably one of the few people who heard about the game THEN your channel, but hi! Can't wait to get my hands on the book.

[@Adam89111]

Im from a third world country so don't have a lot of money, but I'll share this to my socio to support you.

[@crapphone7744]

Selling a low-cost PDF I think is a valuable thing to provide because there are many people with financial challenges who will be locked out of this great game by that cost. I get that you want to sell the book and I understand why, but for me if I ever release content commercially there will be a low-cost PDF for the financially challenged gamers out there. Shout out to Chris Gonnerman on this one.

[@jayache777]

I've been thinking, we need a public d100 game like Gonnerman's Basic Fantasy. An open source version of BRP.

[@crapphone7744]

@@jayache777 OpenD100 has a nice ring to it.

[@darecarrasquillo]

i understand your point, but not everything is for everybody. there are some fine artists i follow that NEVER make prints, or prints are extremely limited edition. and another point, im sure there will be homebrews of broken empires a few months after it is released... the same for all ttpgs.

[@darecarrasquillo]

@@jayache777 im pretty sure something like that exists on itch/reddit...

[@DeadMarsh]

I understand your point but Trevor has way more overhead costs making TBE than Gonnerman does with his game.

[@matthewbrown4137]

I used to play a fair amount of Ars Magica 4th edition and a bit of Mage, which was derived from the same system. In those games, the flexibility of the magic system made wielders very powerful. I am interested in what is done to balance character generation between magical and non-magical classes (if anything), as they simply didn't in both of those games. Magi were the most powerful by design.

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

There are a number of limiting factors to spellweavers: they burn through Resolve quickly; they start with far fewer “normal” skills; while they can wear whatever armor they want, the ENC factor severely limits their Resolve score; if they don’t manage their Resolve carefully, and cast spells wisely, they will provoke dangerous and unpredictable Weave Reactions; and with the constant threat of accumulating Fraying points, they are a ticking time bomb - there comes a point when any spell they cast could be their last.

[@slump2u]

Congrats on the KS success so far.... I'm in for the book (might upgrade to premium) and starter set. And I'm in for the Loom of Fate add-on when it becomes available. ***** Long post below, if you're not Trevor, skip it... unless you have nothing better to read. ***** I just wanted to thank you for the last handful of years of your efforts here. I discovered your channel early pandemic, and it helped rekindle my interest in gaming. I was an old school dude, played whatever I could in the early 80s, from original box with light blue dice... to Traveller, Gamma World, Arms Law, The Fantasy Trip (Melee/Wizard), GURPS, BRP/Runequest and Call of Cthulhu. And of course hacking the original RPG to suit my needs -- oh, my horrible attempt at a Time Bandits type game! Gaming faded in importance for me for years, but I'd play almost RPG when I was lucky enough to find friends to fill a table. I'm not a fan of the virtual TT experience, so I've missed out on a lot of gaming. Flash forward to the lockdown era, I was discovering all the trends in RPGs I'd missed. I began a search for game that I could run solo or convince my non gamer housemates to play. This led me to make an RPG game of my own -- with Mythic handling the oracle/GM functions. Right about then I found your channel! Some kind of fate there, bless the algorithm, and that I found Critical Role unwatchable. :) I looked forward to every episode as they came out, your way of solo play really aligned with how I wanted solo games to roll. If only to create worlds and characters on the fly, and a way to GM and play at the same time. Those created worlds could be taken to a table with others! So, after 3 seasons of excellent gaming, I was thrilled when you announced you were making a game, and it wasn't a solo game. I felt strongly then that it would be successful. It has been kind of eerie how your design decisions aligned with my own. My world is definitely low fantasy; magic is rare and risky, monsters also rare, the conflicts among men being central narratives. I have several area maps with landmarks, factions, and backgrounds, and a history (like Harn) that stopped where the play began. I also tried to make a magic system that was less ridiculous and clunky, I was only semi-successful at that. I made travel/exploration rules for expanded adventure, and no absurd dungeons. I borrowed life path backgrounds from other systems, instilled motivations in characters with big and small goals, group goals, etc. And always creating conflict. Personal, social, politics, wars, famine, earthquakes, etc. I was not truly satisfied with any of the combat systems I had played (at least 6 I can think of) and was still cobbling together a Frankenstein's monster; something like Melee but d100, with the critical hits of Arms Law/Rolemaster, less the fiddly bonuses/impairments and no damn tables! Needless to say, you have deftly covered all these concepts and more. So, I can't wait to dig into the book, absorb it, and play the game. And this is just the starting point. I am so happy it has taken off like this, you deserve a lot of praise! And praise to your small team as well. Kudos, and looking forward to the future of The Broken Empires! -- M.C. in the FB group

[@sebastienparadis9115]

I believe I get your vision on hit points vs wounds. I for one like hit points, to a certain degree, but i also use wounds. Being a torg player in the 90s. And a vampire / werewolf player later on, where in both games wounds and hit points are somewhat blurred but also different from what we see in 5e. In my game wounds happens on critical hits with more permanent effects and hit points dont really change troughout the game, but they are a reflection of what is the will to fight of the character, not his life force. Healing from a wound is quite an ordeal, it is a little like learning to get over it. Like seing a one armed man managing to work as efficiently as a normal person. It takes time, determination and some experience to achieve.

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

Yes, there are many fine ways of handling damage out there, to be sure. For myself, I like the visceral nature of a specific sword slash cutting into the left thigh, causing the enemy to fall prone, screaming in pain. Yum!

[@sebastienparadis9115]

​@@MeMyselfandDieRPGit is very well thought indeed. I understand completely how tired you mist be roght now with the titanic efforts you are pulling for this book. I hope to manage to get what it takes to back your kick starter to the level i wish before it ends. I love the work you did on the broken empire, and you deserve everything you got so far. Do not regret your success. I will wait for you to recover to listen to more solo gaming from you. By far the best rpg program to listen to in my car rides going to work.

[@darecarrasquillo]

i am planning on getting the all in digital, because really i just cant deal with more physical books and i'm a solo player, but i would love a print friendly pdf version of things (no to low artwork, greyscale and mostly white background, no heavy black pages etc)

[@Nezarus0]

I love what you say about the looking at the character sheet. 100% agree you can pretty much tell what is important to the system. I'm an odd duck that collects systems way more than I play them. I really enjoy mechanics and whatnot and it is crazy how much more I've studied character sheets than actually read the books outside of tying to glean the core mechanics.

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

Heh, you’re not that odd ;) I have more games on my shelf than I’ll ever have time to play!

[@Fedupg101]

Good luck with everything Trevor. ✌🏼❤️

[@TomTrustworthy]

At around 1:05:00 you answer a quesiton about how swingy the d100 rolls can be if you had high skill. You mention that this swingy-ness is representing the random and chaotic times during battle. Which sounds good to me. But what about when we're making these same d100 rolls when trying to pass checks that are not in such tense situations? Is there anything in place to even things out in out of battle rolls or would you just say there's no need to make a roll when a player in not in a heated fight or conversation?

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

If there’s nothing at stake, there’s no need to roll. If a skill value is required to resolve an issue at that point, a certain level proficiency will do.

[@SoggyTreks]

Would you come to Pax Unplugged in Philly in December? I would love to play a game with you. I am backing you with the top package. Hope you’re there. I have been going to pax for years. Great non electronic gaming convention if you never heard of it. It’s huge!

[@crapphone7744]

I hate to admit it but you make a good point about not showing your draft work. Even if it was completely changed from what you showed today, as you say the first impression will leave an impression and people will be like predisposed to think that the finished product matches what they saw earlier, which is not fair to you. Even though I realized that I'm still disappointed though got to tell you. 🤦‍♂️

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

The mockups on the KS page are a good example of what the book will look like.

[@nathankuma1845]

Full Broken Empires test sessions upload coming to KZbin?

[@teddynoteddie6826]

Professor Dungeonmaster sent me. And I backed. Feels like a new version of MERP- that fits that spot well with modern mechanics. I was a MERP/RM GM for-ev-er

[@JackMcCarthyWriter]

Good grief, I missed it! If i can squeeze in the one question i have: how has getting into solo play changed your views on RPGs? Had solo play become something you would do for fun, if you weren't doing the show? Ok, that's two questions. Love ya, Trevor!

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

I think solo play makes one a better GM. It forces you to think on your feet and allow the dice to tell the story. Relinquishing control is something more new GMs need to learn to embrace, and solo gaming is an excellent teacher.

[@dizzybilly1327]

How detailed are the hit locations? Are we talking about right leg vs right quad, knee (arrow in the knee), calf ,pinky toe?

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

The basic locations are Body, each Arm, Each leg, and Head. When you take a wound, there's a built-in sub table that gets more specific (it's optional, but I love the descriptive detail; eg you don't get hit in the right arm, you take a 3 point bash wound in the right hand).

[@joeking1956]

I love what I have heard and seen so far. I loved playing games like MERPS, but the extreme complexity of calculating results slowed the game to a crawl. Your sim-lite game sounds more my speed.

[@polp3tta88]

Very interesting video, thanks for sharing! The zones of travel ring me the journey rules from against the darkmaster but with more details (which I appreciate). I wonder... also in your game can players set up long term camp to rest and heal in the wilderness? And congratulations for the ongoing kickstarter!

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

Yes, if they can find a place of refuge in the wilds.

[@GMRayJ36]

So, can we back just at the digital-only level and then add on the extra dice, core rulebooks, and gm's screen? I'm simply not seeing that option. If so, can you please link that here? Thnx a lot! Super excited for this!!

[@OgamiItto70]

I'm very curious. What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

What do you mean? An African or a European swallow?

[@koltonkulis4763]

I am a diehard Savage Worlds fan who has both the Deluxe and Adventure editions. I have purchased every SWADE companion book and mix and match the materials frequently to use in my own settings. I have run fantasy, supers, horror, sci-fi, Marvel, Mistborn, and Star Wars all in Savage Worlds. I'm currently running a solo Rifts game which I very much enjoy. I think the reason I love SW so much is the speed of play and minimal bookkeeping as well as the sheer flexibility of the system. Even when there is no combat, there are plenty of mini game systems that keep the action and story flowing like Quick Encounters, Social Conflict, Chase Scenes, and Dramatic Tasks. I bounced of DnD 5e and I cannot stand Pathfinder because I find it so clunky, but I do enjoy OSR play from time to time. With that context out of the way, here is my question. What would a person like me who has internalized the high octane Fast Furious Fun philosophy get out of The Broken Empires? I love your content and I want to support you, however I am on the fence about Broken Empires being for me. I am hesitant because I have steered mostly away from simulationist play and tend to be more TotM (even though I'm not a narrativist RPG guy).

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

Thanks for the supportive words! Me? I love all kinds of games. I love Savage Worlds for all the same reasons you do! But The Broken Empires™ scratches a different itch. If you don't have that itch, then the scratch won't be much good to you. Don't know what to say, friend. You'll either be into it, or you won't. Only you can answer that question :)

[@samuelk.7608]

I’m a poor man in Euroland, but I’m excited for the digital bundle. All the best for the rest of the campaign.

[@charlesgomes3696]

I'm very late to the party on this one, but I was wondering if you could go over the process of partnering with dice manufacturers/publishers etc to fulfil your kickstarter requests as efficiently as possible for someone creating a new game.

[@jcraigwilliams70]

Ok, so here is a setting question. This world has been evolving over the course of your show. Presumably, the game will have some basic details on areas that have not yet been seen in your sessions but you mention wanting players to make their own version of the Broken Empires, filling in the map as they play. You also mentioned that in future seasons, you will continue to play other games, but what about the setting? If down the road in season 6 or 7, you reveal something new about the Broken Empires, I will tend to view it as canon, even if it contradicts something I establish in my own play. Would those new elements become new sourcebooks at some point?

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

I don't know yet. You're waaaaaaay ahead of me here, man. I'm just trying to deliver a game first :)

[@jcraigwilliams70]

@@MeMyselfandDieRPG ha ha! obviously you're not thinking about season 5, let alone 6 and 7. I was just wondering if it had crossed your mind at all.

[@jcraigwilliams70]

I have another question. I am hoping to buy the premium version of the book, but I want to know if the awesome cover of the standard book will be included as interior art?

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

No, the cover art is unique to the core rulebook (although I agree it’s awesome).

[@jcraigwilliams70]

@@MeMyselfandDieRPG fair enough. Though it is the "cover" for the PDF, is it not?

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

That’s the plan.

[@TheRealKLT]

I would've just made rubber-armed bears a thing. Aberration bear. Hell yeah.

[@darylehret]

Is there Trademark infringement concerns regarding Mark Lawrence's "Broken Empires Trilogy"?

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

It's a different name, property, genre, and product.

[@YannMiollan]

I don't know if it matters, but Mark Lawrence's trilogy is "The Broken Empire", singular.

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

It matters.

[@tubebobwil]

I wish we had a clearer idea of what is present in the starter set vs. the full core rulebook in the Kickstarter

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

More details will be coming. In the meantime, the KS page has quite a thorough description of the elements of both.

[@tubebobwil]

@@MeMyselfandDieRPG all I found under the pledge description was "The Broken Empires! Includes Quick Start rules (the essential rules distilled from the full core ruleset)"... That doesn't really give a clear picture of what the difference actually is.

[@CantRIP9389]

How long after the kickstarter will the digital bundle be ready to be sent?

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

We don’t know for sure, but we’re hoping for March/April.

[@CantRIP9389]

@@MeMyselfandDieRPG That's pretty good.. so long as you don't mean 2026

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

I do not :)

[@ericdowning8705]

Still watching this as I write this so, my apologies if this has come up but I know you are a big fan of the original gray box set of Forgotten Realms. Would you consider doing something like this for the BE world, post core book release of course. I absolutely loved the old gray box set!!

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

Who knows? The better the campaign does, the more likely we can release further supplements.

[@LucazZerrano]

I hope that the "Expertise" talent/feat has a prerequisite of a minimum level for the skill, because having higher levels in that skill guarantees a minimum of success levels and can alleviate situations like: In a character roll against another, one gets a 19 (20%) and the other gets an 81 (90%), the guy with the 19 wins, so it kind of doesn't matter if you are a "Master in your Art". Yes, I know that a character with 20% will hardly pass any test, but I still think the point is valid. Please correct me if I misunderstood anything that has already been explained about the system.

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

It’s a blackjack system. Whomever rolls higher wins. 81 beats 19 (8SL vs 1 SL)

[@greenlocke]

I would love to see you stream on twitch.

[@rikwilliams6352]

Howdy, how does the system lend itself to solo play?

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

The system itself is not designed specifically for solo play. It is on the simulationist side of the scale, and these kind of games are usually too complex to be soloed effectively (in my opinion). However! I am working with Tana Pigeon (Mythic GME) and Shawn Tompkin (Ironsworn) to include rules and tools to make it easier to solo.

[@rikwilliams6352]

@@MeMyselfandDieRPG Thank you for getting back to me Trevor. Sounds great and love what you do!

[@solmyr42]

My main question is, why did you put the price point above the dealbreaker threshold? Grats on it going well. I just feel it could have been much more accessible, and I would have hopped onboard at a more reasonable price.

[@darecarrasquillo]

what on earth is "the dealbreaker threshold"?

[@solmyr42]

@@darecarrasquillo Do you have a point? I have free speech, deal.

[@solmyr42]

To be clear and to any onlookers, I would love to support Trevor and his (your if you happen to read this) work, which I have enjoyed. Maybe let us buy the pdf for 10 15 bucks, as a token of support and gratitude. I might - maybe - get to play the game at some point. It would realistically be just a source of inspiration tho. And that isnt going on the coffee table for that price what so ever.

[@TheTYMONGER]

solo play?

[@nathanielfrance5829]

Wishing you some sweet dreams.

[@CantRIP9389]

I'm wondering about copyright/license of use in context of wanting to be a... GM? Story Keeper? Game Runner?... with the only purchased PDFs who would want to teach player the rules. How would I do that best without breaking any rules? 🤔

[@MeMyselfandDieRPG]

Are you asking if you’re breaking copyright when GMing the game…? No, definitely not. Maybe I’m not understanding your question.

[@CantRIP9389]

@MeMyselfandDieRPG I'm used to sharing WotC SRD material when running games online. You haven't been clear about what kind of license your game will have for use... I guess that I don't have to worry about quoting sections of rules when teaching how to play the game or arbitrating the running of it.. but you seem responsive to questions here, so I took the chance of something I ask being "under your head" (too basic)

[@DungeonMonster]

😍😍😍 😈😈😈

[@thorjor1]

Broken Empires sounds awesome. HOWEVER, just like many other alternative ttrpgs that have come before it - my concern is content. The "other" franchise has so much content and depth of lore, it makes it really difficult to dive into a new world/setting. Lets take somethong like oota for instance - my players have been at it for 2 years thus far. They have been to the shadowfell, the feydark, they have slogged though demon infested blood pits, the wererats of blingdenstone are corrupted (70 years later from the players returning from the shadowfell) into what could only be described as skaven plaguerats. I would like a rules/creature system that could be slotted into 5e or even 2024. Smoothly? Dont care, juat need integration options. 5e is weak and boring when it comes to combat.