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Post by Vile Traveller on Jul 23, 2016 10:37:36 GMT -6
A little side project called BLUEHACK™ is about to come to fruition, as long as I can get the kinks out of my drawing muscles. Text is done, I just need to knock up a cover and one or two interior pieces and it's ready for DriveThru RPG.  |
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Post by Finarvyn on Jul 23, 2016 12:33:34 GMT -6
Maybe some details?
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Post by archersix on Jul 23, 2016 21:26:34 GMT -6
Yes, details!
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Post by Vile Traveller on Jul 24, 2016 4:53:44 GMT -6
It's based on The Black Hack, but also on Holmes. So mechanically it's pretty similar to TBH, while the other elements are derived from Holmes. There are 4 races (dwarf, elf, halfling, human), and 5 classes (cleric, fighter, fighter-mage, magician, and thief). Equipment, spells, and monsters are straight out of the Blue Book, adapted to the minimal BLUEHACK™ system. There are other bits of Holmes here in there, including the scroll rules (of course), and light/ normal/ heavy weapons. Currently clocking in at 22 pages of 6" x 9", not counting covers and OGL.
Once I knock up a cover I will put it up on DTRPG - probably a severed troll's head, which will be in line with both TBH (severed hand) and Holmes (for those of you that have read the short stories). I'll try to add the few pieces of interior art as I get around to it. I haven't done any illustration for a long time, so I'm a bit rusty.
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Post by Scott Anderson on Jul 24, 2016 8:02:37 GMT -6
22 pages is slim. Wow
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Post by Vile Traveller on Jul 24, 2016 8:18:24 GMT -6
Well, The Black Hack comes in at 20 pages including a character sheet and the OGL. It has less spells and creatures, though. |
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Post by roaktheunknowable on Jul 24, 2016 12:12:00 GMT -6
This sounds very interesting and definitely worth a look when you are through Vile. As I have said before, The Bluehome Prentice Rules were great and I have been looking forward to the Compleat Rules as well. Curious though, how does Blue Hack differ from The Prentice Rules? Cheers
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Post by Vile Traveller on Jul 24, 2016 17:49:52 GMT -6
The former were designed to mechanically emulate Holmes as closely as possible. The latter is an attempt to create as concise a set of rules as practical while still allowing play that evokes Holmes.
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Post by Vile Traveller on Jul 25, 2016 6:51:05 GMT -6
Bit of a WIP on the cover art.  |
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Post by earlteagrey on Jul 25, 2016 7:08:21 GMT -6
Love it! Sounds like a super simply way for folks to enter the OSR
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2016 10:11:24 GMT -6
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Post by Vile Traveller on Aug 11, 2016 4:17:17 GMT -6
Just need a minute's peace so I can get my markers out!  |
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Post by Vile Traveller on Sept 10, 2016 3:43:33 GMT -6
This will be a thing as soon as OneBookShelf do whatever they do to make the listing go live.  |
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Post by Mike on Sept 12, 2016 2:41:08 GMT -6
Wants it I do...
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Post by Mike on Sept 12, 2016 4:57:31 GMT -6
I has it!
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Post by Mike on Sept 12, 2016 5:09:23 GMT -6
Well... surprisingly it lacks the usual 5-star presentation we've seen in Blueholme but the content remains 5-star. It manages to iron out a few of the Black Hack's bumps and is written for accessibility. It may lack the looks but it scores everywhere else. For "A Little Bit of Fun" this is golden.
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Post by Vile Traveller on Sept 12, 2016 9:37:03 GMT -6
I plan to add a little to the presentation as time goes by, but I wanted to get it out there. It was stopping me from concentrating on the Journeymanne Rules. Here's a bit of a blog post about it: abominablefancy.blogspot.hk/2016/09/interview-michael-thomas-and-bluehack.htmlA few gremlins have already shown up, so please let me know if you spot anything amiss. This is why I like to keep things in PDF format for a while!  |
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Post by Vile Traveller on May 22, 2018 3:32:37 GMT -6
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Post by kersus on Oct 8, 2018 18:33:54 GMT -6
We had a fair amount of fun with BlueHack in Rappan Athuk. It was spontaneous and simple (except waiting for a player to pick equipment).
Easy to pick up and go. Only thing I'll add for the future is equipment/weapons/armour kits. I hate the word kits in reference to D&D however I don't have a better one in me atm.
Anyhow, it ran easily and was much pulpier than our normal games. As I mentioned on some other medium, we'll also be making combat a hit or be hit mechanism instead of hit or miss, reducing the rolls needed.
Loved it. Thank you for BlueHack.
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jonsalway
Level 1 Medium
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Posts: 23
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Post by jonsalway on Nov 17, 2020 11:50:55 GMT -6
I'm surprised there isn't more here about Bluehack 'cos I'm dead impressed with it!
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Post by Vile Traveller on Nov 17, 2020 18:06:11 GMT -6
Just not enough time. Hopefully that will change in the coming years.
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Post by machfront on Dec 22, 2022 8:45:53 GMT -6
I just pulled this out again after a few years.
I love it. It’s my single fave ‘hack’.
I’m actually not a huge fan of the whole ‘Black Hack’. Never was.
Oddly, it was so huge for so long and so many waited for bated breath for its second edition…and then after it was released…it seemed as though the whole Black Hack fandom went silent. Odd.
However, the other ‘hacks’ still seem to do okay on RPGNow.
First, I’m curious if you’re still getting a steady trickle of sales/downloads of Bluehack or no?
Second…considering an update? Probably not as a ‘second edition’ nor such, but at least a newer iteration due to corrections, etc.?
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Post by Vile Traveller on Dec 22, 2022 8:58:23 GMT -6
I sell a lot more BLUEHACK than BLUEHOLME, though the price point is probably a big factor. It's not dead or orphaned, I plan to do one more errata update and then a companion and some adventures.
It's my preferred rule set for one shots, and online theatre of the mind play.
I think TBH 2E went wrong by going big. 1E's innovation was in its size, not it's content - after all it was just a mechanical variation on B/X, the way BLUEHACK is on Holmes. Of course I don't know, maybe 2E is doing well for the publisher, it just lost the buzz of 1E. Maybe the KS itself made it worthwhile (I didn't back 2E).
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Post by barbaribunny on Dec 22, 2022 10:53:29 GMT -6
2nd edition Black Hack is adamantine on DTRPG and the hard copy is on second printing; so I think it's probably doing ok.
I suspect it's still getting played (well, I still play it for a start) but it lost the 'new thing' buzz. That's currently with Into the Odd derivatives: probably partly because TBH's creator has stepped back from things, but ItO's has a very popular blog. I honestly doubt there is much correlation between being hacked a lot and having a sustained player base anyway: most players don't care much.
I really like the 2nd edition. The procedures are clever and complete, and bring their own vibe that's different to D&D: a bit more frantic, a bit more silly, a bit more powerful, a bit less about progression. The DM's tools in that edition are excellent too, if directed pretty narrowly to that tone.
The game itself was based on OD&D, not B/X (except the roll under mechanic); and for me that does come through in how it plays: it has a protean playfulness.
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Post by machfront on Dec 23, 2022 7:08:20 GMT -6
Brother… please do not get me wrong at all.
I do hope for a new Bluehack….but, hey, please….please…please…hahah…please.
Grant it a sword-swinging and spell-slinging cover. I beg ya.
😁
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Narmer
Level 1 Medium
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Post by Narmer on Jan 6, 2023 14:04:04 GMT -6
Bluehack is my favorite Hack, too. A Companion and/or adventures or whatever you have time for would be cool.
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Post by Vile Traveller on Jan 6, 2023 17:27:41 GMT -6
Well, the way things are going a 2nd edition may have to come first!
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