“practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty” – Anne Herbert
February 17th is Random Acts of Kindness Day. Let’s be good to one another and spread love like you’re patient zero. No grand gestures are necessary; give what kindness you can and touch someone’s soul in a positive way.
Work is almost done, and the Kickstarter is in the planning stages.
Prepare to change the world
Below is a work in progress character sheet for GODSEND Agenda. The game runs on 2D10 and is quite simple to play. However, the most important part of the game is what you do with them, even more so than your powers.
The big question GODSEND Agenda asks is; How will you change the world?
A pantheon is a team of super humans who have banded together for a common goal or Agenda. There are several benefits to forming a group:
Teamwork toward a common goal is easier to do when you have like-minded beings working in that direction.
There is protection in numbers from one’s enemies.
The team has a much larger pool of resources. Teams often intermingle their resources for the greater whole, enabling them to buy weapons, research and scientific equipment, and team gadgets. Characters can pool their Experience Points to buy large ticket items such as expensive bases of operation or a group vehicle or communication devices. To do so, they set aside Experience Points used for group endeavors.
A team of Heroes has a much higher profile than an individual, and they are thus able to channel more Ka.
Each Pantheon has unique Boons and Banes. As a group, the Players build their Pantheon and then give it a name.
Pantheons have traits that define them much like characters, and these traits help define the team.
The wheels are moving, and the pedal is to the metal. GODSEND Agenda is taking shape in the most unexpected and fantastic way. I hope to soon share the latest iteration of the GODSEND Agenda; a game I’ve worked on quietly for some time now.
Below are twelve Socratic questions about the game. I hope to enlighten and explain what the game is about.
1.) What is the game about?
If gods walked the earth today, they would be considered superheroes.
GODSEND Agenda is a game of postmodern mythology where the players create members of a pantheon that shapes the world. Through their proactive actions, the heroes will change the setting as they see fit. The world of GODSEND Agenda is not static or dependent on an existing state of affairs; it is a world in a constant state of flux influenced and altered through player agency.
2.) What do the characters do?
The protagonist are active superhumans that don’t wait for things to go wrong but proactively shape the situation to fit their world view. With godlike powers come godlike responsibilities.
3.) What is the resolution mechanic?
The system uses two ten-sided dice (2D10) for the resolution mechanics. The dice are rolled, attributes and skills are added, and the total is compared against an Action Chart. If the roll is 11 or higher, the action is a success.
4.) How does character creation reinforce what the game is about?
Most games with superhuman abilities and powers attempt to restrain the character. GODSEND Agenda wants to give you every tool needed to make a being with godlike capabilities and resources that change the world. The player characters are active agents, and their abilities should reflect this. To this end, characters are heroic from the start; even heroes without superhuman abilities are a quantum leap above their mundane counterparts.
5.) How do players contribute to the story?
The protagonist in GODSEND Agenda actively attempts to change the world for the better or worst. Each hero is a capable force in the game and, through their “Agendas,” change the course of human history for the better (hopefully).
6.) How does the setting reinforce what the game is about?
The setting is in a constant state of flux, always changing and reacting. If the heroes do nothing, the world will eventually change in ways that make the world a much bleaker and harsher place. If the heroes do not act, there are other agents of change that will enact their Agendas and shape the world in their image.
7.) What should the players feel when playing?
The protagonist in GODSEND Agenda should feel a sense of change at every turn. The game, if played as intended, should never reset to the status quo. The heroes should continuously move forward, making changes. The world at the start of a GODSEND Agenda campaign should look very different than the finale.
8.) What types of behaviors/styles of play does the game encourage?
The heroes paint the world in broad strokes. The game does not support zero- to hero-style play and allows creation of heroically compelling characters with the ability to change or, at the very least, make a mark on the world.
9.) Where does the game take the players that other games don’t?
GODSEND Agenda is not a superhero game. It doesn’t concern itself with catching bank robbers, catching crooks, or other “police” action. The game is less about maintaining the status quo and more about massively powerful beings subverting or changing the situation to better suit their version of an ideal world.
10.) What does the game do to engage the players’ attention; why should they care?
The heroes of GODSEND Agenda are the active movers and shakers in the world. Others may try to stop them, but the players have the agency and the game mechanics to make significant and lasting changes.
11.) What are the publishing goals?
Beyond the Core book, other books will follow detailing the different eras of play. Depending on the success, the game may expand out into future scenarios where the GODSEND Agenda reaches for the stars and other planets.
12.) Who is the target audience?
Players (Game Master included) that enjoy heroic and epic stories that take them beyond the confines of a typical “supers” games. GODSEND Agenda does not restrain players with extraordinary power, it celebrates them.
The rough unedited playtest document is available for you to consume, play, and comment on. GODSEND Agenda 3rd edition is in Beta, and we hope, with your help, we can make this the best version yet.
Khepera Publishing 