Steampunk

[Strengfellow]

The Victorian SciFI PC game thread got me thinking.

I cant recall ever seeing a Steampunk type game, so I started out with this.

The only conclusion I came too was that it would take the creation of a whole new/hybrid system.

The source material ranges from M Morcock, C Mieville, J Keyes and the like all the way back to Wells and Verne. The Difference Engine is obviously a must.

As for the combat system I have always liked the Millennium's Ends fire fight system as it's easy to use and truly deadly.

For your tech to be playable it needs to be inherently unstable, use modified Cyberpunk rules as these can provide pointers but to do this properly one must really start from scratch. Remember that Brass, Steel and Iron are the materials in use, not the more durable modern alloys or plastics.

As for your characters the 1880s Cuthulu character sheets should give a solid point from which to start.

Factor in some form of Luddite movement (anti) at odds with the Enhancers (pro), research your setting with maps from the time and away you go.

Anyone who care's to add to or point out flaws in this is most welcome.

[YPU]

there are quite a few steampunk rp's out there, both d20 and otherwize.

[Khoran]

If you are looking for a good Steampunk Setting and don't feel like Homebrewing one, Iron Kingdoms by Privateer Press is a good bet. Also, Fantasy Flight Games put out a small sourcebook called Sorcery and Steam, which is a general guide to Steampunk, though it's a 3.0 thing, so some of it need to be updated.

As for homebrew (since that's what section this is in), I am actually working on a Steampunk setting and going to hopefully drafting up some rules for it. So far, of the crunch, the only thing I've posted is the Machine clerical domain. However, when I'm finished, I'll post a Steampunk setting for ya.

[YPU]

something verry victorrian altough not heavy steam is victoriana, its really good in my opinion.

[aaron_the_cow]

I thought steam punk always seemed cool, but I was to lazy to make it.

[Khoran]

something verry victorrian altough not heavy steam is victoriana, its really good in my opinion.

If that was to me, then I am sorry but that's not in the cards. My setting is gonna be more Industrial Revolution meets fantasy (with a bit of a divine overtone). So, unfotunatly, not heavy steam and more Victorian is the opposite of what I am aiming for. Thanks for the idea though, I might do that as a side project.

[levi]

I'd like to second the suggestion that you check out Iron Kingdoms. Even if you decide not to use the setting, the rules are very good, and mostly OGL, so you can use them however you please. If not actually using the setting, I'd recommend the Character Guide and Liber Mechanika as a good start for steampunk rules.

[YPU]

If that was to me, then I am sorry but that's not in the cards. My setting is gonna be more Industrial Revolution meets fantasy (with a bit of a divine overtone). So, unfotunatly, not heavy steam and more Victorian is the opposite of what I am aiming for. Thanks for the idea though, I might do that as a side project.

If you get a chance to you should still check it out, perhaps the implied setting is not to your liking but the rules might.

[Ceres]

When it comes to designing the setting, you should play "Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura". It has a fantastic setting of industrial revolution meets fantasy which I am sure would inspire you.

I did actually make my own roleplaying-system based on Arcanum. It's hand-written and over eighty pages long, but I made it when I didn't have too much roleplaying experience, so I don't think I'll post any of the rules here.

Though the others here come with a lot of suggestions about systems to use I'd stick with designing your own system based on the best from other systems, which appears to be how you intend to do it, as you can tweak it to fit your setting perfectly.

[Khoran]

When it comes to designing the setting, you should play "Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura". It has a fantastic setting of industrial revolution meets fantasy which I am sure would inspire you.

I did actually make my own roleplaying-system based on Arcanum. It's hand-written and over eighty pages long, but I made it when I didn't have too much roleplaying experience, so I don't think I'll post any of the rules here.

Though the others here come with a lot of suggestions about systems to use I'd stick with designing your own system based on the best from other systems, which appears to be how you intend to do it, as you can tweak it to fit your setting perfectly.
Thanks for the tip, Ceres. Also, would you mind (if you can type it up) posting/pming those rules just so I could get a look at them? I'm gonna be writting my own, but I'd still like to get a look at some others.