Elthos RPG Welcomes the New Year

Well, everything has gone as I expected it would, albeit somewhat slower than anticipated.  24 years to produce my first RPG software service isn't too bad... if you look at it from a certain point of view.

The Mythos Machine and the Elthos RPG Core Rules have been released to the world! Well, that was a bit of a long haul, but I'm happy with the work, so I don't mind. I'm using it now to create my first Packaged World for the World's Marketplace. It's fantastic to be able to use the application for what I intended from the beginning. And it works very nicely at that.

 Of course now that I'm actually using it in 'Reality' I'm finding some issues that one would have thought ought to have been glaring all along, but as I explained to Beta Tester #1, until now I've only had an eye on working out the primary functionality for the Mythos Machine. So some of those issues that might seem obvious to others were, at the time Beta Tester #1 complained about them, mere side-trips from my point of view. At least until the core engine was completed and actually running. Now, finally, I can look at the issues related to the UI that have been secondary on my list for so long. And these issues, compared with building the core engine, are turning out to be relatively trivial fixes. I can knock them off quickly enough. Even the most complicated one having to do with simplifying the Skills system really shouldn't take more than a week or two.  Maybe faster if I can get dedicated time to work on it.

And so it begins. I am starting off with a Science Fiction world named "The Way of All Flesh". I want to demonstrate (for myself as well as others) how the system can be used for any genre, and I've been itching to do a Science Fiction world for some time. I had this one in mind in late 1978, actually. Or at least the essential thread of the story dates back that far.  Yup. But I digress.

Later, once I have this one finished, and have posted a few more of various genres in the Marketplace, I will begin to solicit other RPG authors in earnest.  My goal will be to find a handful of actually good RPG authors and create as high quality worlds as we can.  When there are sufficient numbers of such worlds, I believe the GMs will come, and the Mythos Machine will become a useful addition to the tool set of Gamemasters.

Until then, I'm happily using it for my own games. And I just have to say, I'm really impressed. The Mythos Machine does for me exactly what I hoped it would. It makes my life as GM easier, faster and more elegant.  It's a pretty great thing.

I hope other GMs will find it equally enjoyable as time goes on.  But polishing and simplifying and smoothing the way and building fabulous worlds will all come first before that can happen.  So back to chipping away here.

Well, that's all for the moment. Cheers, and Happy New Years one and all!