Just a few ideas. First of all, I think using Pirates of Drinax is an excellent idea because it's a great sandbox. Second, I think it's a great opportunity to collaboratively run your game between the three of you. You can say, "I want to do this." One of your friends can say, "I want to do that," and somebody else can say, "I want to do that." Using those three things, you can build a concept. I'm really interested to hear regular updates, Maybe even a blog that each of you writes an entry into in sequence; so you write the first, the second person writes the second, the third person writes the third, so that we can really get a multiple perspective view of what's going on and how it works. Also consider documenting by either audio recording or YouTube video or something so that you guys can reference it when you're in the next session. Definitely record keeping is gonna be a big part of this.

Well, to start out with, Traveler was the second game I ever played in 1977, just a few weeks after I started playing Dungeons & Dragons. I think the pulpy goodness and the references to the Age of Sail give a really great roleplaying environment. Traveller really created the concept of the big story arc within the game, and the lifepath system. Both really give you a lot of information that you can use to create a fun character. Combat is pretty deadly and I think that helps encourage role-playing. There are some anachronisms and things that don't really make sense in a modern context. However, I think you can really leave those if the rest of this setting makes sense to you.

What do you think are the most important things to have as auxiliary systems on battle draft?

Shannon's work on game history is stellar. I ordered it immediately upon publication and it sits proudly on my coffee table.

I'd definitely study the evolution of the hobby using books like The Elusive Shift (Petersen), Role-Playing Game Studies: Transmedia Foundations (Deterding, Zagal) and Designers & Dragons: A History of the Roleplaying Game Industry (Appelcline). Once the students had a grounding in the history I would suggest a unit on Dice and Probability, the Mechanics and influence on settings.

• D&D for level and progression, and contrasting that against Palladium's approach.
• Traveller for the lifepath concept as well as the developing of universal setting.
• Hero System and the rise of point based mechanics, contrasting with GURPS.
• Interlock (Mekton, Cyberpunk) and the emergence of Unified Game Mechanics, maybe contrast with Atlas Games All Flesh Must Be Eaten, et al.
• Vampire, and the development of Dice Pools and the rise of “splats” as a business model.
• Over The Edge and Amber Diceless as differing approaches to non-traditional RPGs.
• Sorcerer, indie games, The Forge, and the story game movement. See also gamist/narrativist/simulationist as styles of play.
• D&D 3.0 and the OGL explosion.
• Apocalypse World and the New Wave of RPGs as a reaction to OGL. (one man's opinion).

Sorry, yes, terms are considered ten years IMTU.

Yes, 2013, 2020, and RED are. I am not certain about 3e as I wasn't a contributor.

Just curious, as a former 2020 freelancer I occasionally check in.

Why just RED? Why not a wider group?

I have never met a dice-pool mechanic I didn't dislike or despise. What makes your compelling?

• I refer to this as the 'Video Game Rule'. In the last thirty years the visual aspects of the hobby have become more important because we’re think we are ‘competing’ with video games. Once we realize we are making a different kind of experience it allows the story (that is the narrative elements) to outshine the graphics, if you will.-

I have always done this randomly since 1977. I was a kid but my mom and godmother were huge ERA supporters and it just seemed correct.