Since my first choice of system for a second edition of Cloak of Steel can no longer go ahead I’ve turned my thoughts back to Legends of Anglerre and Starblazer and the version of FATE that is to be found in these books, as well as my own subspecies of FATE derived from these for Agents of SWING. This and the previous article about this might be considered preliminary, probing thoughts towards how that edition might look.
Cloak of Steel doesn’t have many playable races. Really you’r down to humans (with their various cultural differences) and the half-men. The result of magical experimentations in the past and, now, a self-perpetuating human subtype looked down upon as less than human in many quarters.
Half-Men
Half-Men are the result of ancient manipulation of human and animal essences to produce something that is not, quite, either. A half-man’s personality tends to express itself in the animal traits that they grow into and while some show the special capabilities of their animalistic appearance this is by no means true of all.
Typical Occupations: Worker, warrior, technician, beggar, criminal, slave.
Half-Men Aspects
Downtrodden
Half-Men are usually at the bottom of the social heap in the societies of Tierplana. This can be good, and bad, for them.
Invoke: Being ignored, eliciting sympathy from some quarters, being underestimated.
Compel: Being considered for promotion, being trusted, high/middle class society.
Determined
Due to their social situation the half-men have a lot to prove, both to others and to themselves.
Invoke: Reinforcing your will, keeping going against the odds.
Compel: When you really should give up and not carry on, losing your temper against the prejudiced.
Half-Man Stunts
Half-Man stunts are typically based around their animal ancestry or appearance and grant a +2 bonus where they apply. For example a dog man might choose from the following stunts, though this by no means describes them all:
- Bloodhound: +2 when tracking/sensing smells.
- Keen hearing: +2 when using aural senses.
- Terrible Jaws: +2 damage on a bite.
- Cheerful disposition: +2 when cheering people up or in most informal social situations.
Other possibilities might include claws, paralytic poisons (at fair strength), swimming, gills, even flight. All of which should be considered skills at that level +2, modifiers or powers. Multiple stunts may be stacked for increased effect, at the Games Master’s discretion.
I can now reveal to you that I was in negotiation to use the Heavy Gear 2nd Edition rules-set to power the next incarnation/edition of Cloak of Steel. Unfortunately those negotiations fell through at the last minute and so the prospect of a new edition of the game is now set back (perhaps not a horrible thing since I already have so many other projects – big and small – on the go).
Cloak of Steel is a fantasy game with magitech and anime stylings, it draws inspiration from Escaflowne, Sakura Wars, White Knight Chronicles and a host of other influences drawing them into a fantastical version of Europe on a magical flat Earth with a detailed background and a distinctive array of cultures, peoples, religions and technologies. It’s also one of our only games to be translated (into French) as Mantel D’Acier.
FATE, I like FATE and I’ve already done some makeshift conversion work but I don’t like putting all my development work in one basket.
I’m hoping to have some positive news about a new edition of Cloak of Steel at some point soon. I’m still waiting on some contractual/licensing negotiations with another company. A potentially very interesting development that really only needs a final contract signing before we can go ahead.
Squires
Postmortem Studios 