My Playtest Recruitment Flyer!

SOPHIA'S CHILDREN: PLAYTEST RECRUITMENT FLYER!

This flyer is intended to be a brief description of my D&D-derived ruleset I am intending to playtest, in addition to a recruiting tool. I am seeking play testers for my hope-to-be-published-in-some-manner Roleplaying Game, "Sophia's Children." I have discovered that Redcap's Corner hosts a D&D specific night every Wednesday and I thought that this would be a good forum to talk to some people and see what interest exists and/or drum-up some interest in my own game.

Who Am I? My name is Dane and I am an amateur game designer (I.E.: This is a hobby for me and I don't do anything related to this for a living.) who has been enjoying and musing on roleplaying games (of the tabletop variety) for about 20 years. I have designed all sorts of worlds and systems that are inspired in one way or another by Ye Olde Dungeons & Dragons game.

What Are You Looking For? My current creation, "Sophia's Children" is a culmination of what I believe to be my best efforts in game design and I want to collect a group of interested persons to take it through its paces. I have designed the game for play by both "experienced" and "inexperienced" players and, indeed, it would be helpful to have both kinds of players represented in my playtest group. I am ALSO looking for honest feedback regarding the game -- I will provide Feedback Forms following every session -- critical, scathing, praising and especially specific feedback is encouraged. Again, I am an amateur, so I am NOT looking for people to sign all sorts of NDAs or whatever -- just people looking to experiment with something new, have some fun and offer their opinions!

Well, What Kind Of Game Is This? My game relies on the tropes of Dungeons & Dragons most are familiar with: Wandering Monsters, Dungeons, Traps, Treasure, Fighters, Magic-users, Thieves, Priests, et alia. Characters / PC s are defined by Six Traits: Strength, Agility, Intellect, Appearance, Personality and Alignment. Characters are further defined by their Class and Background. The game has no skills as characters are defined by the above elements (E.G.: Weapon and Armor use depends on having certain scores in Strength or Agility) and several game mechanisms that are usually thought of as skills are now pieces of equipment (E.G.: any can use lock picks – but they can break). Combat utilizes 1d20 versus target number approach and there are traditional Hit Points. Rolling “to hit” is against the usual Armor Class, but sometimes against “Special Resistance” for extraordinary or magical attacks. Throughout the system there are elements of “novelty” (such as the initiative system, wounds & resting mechanics) and the “traditional” (class-based, level-gaining and experience points). Only 20-sided and 6-sided dice are needed to play.

OK, What's In It For Me? I don't have anything to offer apart from the possibility of having a fun time and including your name in the list of "Playtesters" in some sort of formal or informal publication of my game. If you have a blog or similar online identity I can, by your consent, include this information when I post "Playtest Reports" on my blog as well. I am open to suggestions, however -- let me know what you think!

How Can I Stay In Touch? Do you have questions? Are you interested in signing up for the playtest?? You can get in contact with me utilizing the information below. I also plan on checking out Redcap's Corner on Wednesday nights to get a feel for what happens here -- so feel free to approach me with your questions in-person if that suits you!