Cycles-RPG

First instance of a series of posts that will present a history of the project : from its initial point to its complete publication (which is yet to come). It may occurs that I talk about some of the points already in the teaser, but I shall be more explicit here.

Since my adolescence, I had been playing RPG, essentially as a DM. A couple of month before leaving to Europe (I didn't know it yet), I began "writing" down a new campaign. Writing is a little bit exagerated : playing once a week, my scenarios were limited to a couple of lines. Let's put aside my insatisfaction about playing with so little material (in fact, creating more would have taken me too much time) and allow me to present some of the specifities of this so-called campaign, which will have a major impact on Cycles.

I wanted to create a somehow vast world, in which a major plot would occur and reveal itself thru numerous adventures. However, I didn't want to define the space beforehand : each region would be elaborated in the context of a scenario. Also, I wished the players could also explore not only space, but also time. So, each and every scenario would be set in a different region, but also in a different time. That way, each adventure would present an important moment of the world I was building. I had the occasion to play it a couple of sessions, but I found a certain depth was lacking : I would have liked that my players be able to explore each space and time for a longer period of play. And then, I left for Paris, where I knew no one.

Living without a television nor a computer, I dispose of much time, which I mainly used to read (and go to movies, but that is another story). Soon came a moment where I decided I could began to write again, on a regular basis. So, why not this campaign I already had in mind ? I would have enough time to finally flesh it out and to give it all the depth I had always dreamed of. But, how would I write down the characters, the locations, the various organisations ? What shape would their description have ? I had been reading the newspaper Le Monde for a quite a while by then and I really, really appreciated the "history" they provided for any main figure of the world they would introduce : you could easily understand the character thru his personal history. So, from the very beginning of my writing, the structure of any presentation of an element of essence was set and is still the same today. I was finally ready to begin. I still remember clearly the writing of the first character, who's description was over one thunsand words : as soon as it was done, I had emailed it to some of my firends. I would ceased this habit very soon, althougth I didn't know it yet.

Avalanche was started. I thougth I would need around a dozen characters and some locations. The whole scenario would be done in fifty pages, quite swiftly. I was wrong, so wrong. I had just opened Pandora's box. I was beginning a project that would take a size I wasn't expecting. I would have to spend evenings, weekends, whole vacancations working on this. But I didn't know it. I had just finished writing down the first character and I was so glad. So glad to be writing again.

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Première intervention sur une série de rubriques qui présentera l'historique du projet : de son point initial jusqu'à sa publication complète (qui est encore à venir). Il peut s'avérer que je reprenne certains points dejà présents dans le teaser, mais je serai ici beaucoup plus explicite.

Avalanche avait donc commencé. Je croyais avoir besoin d'une dizaine de personnages, quelques lieux. Le tout devait tenir en une cinquantaine de pages, être joué en quatre à sept séssions. J'avais tort, incroyablement tort. Je venais d'ouvrir la boîte de Pandore. Je venais de commencer un projet qui allait prendre une envergure, une échelle à laquelle je ne m'attendais pas. J'aurai à y consacrer des soirées, des weekends, des vacances entières. Mais je l'ignorais encore. J'avais créer mon premier personnage et j'étais bien content, ne serait-ce que parce que je m'étais remis à l'écriture.

A recurring question, who's answer, sadly, isn't in the teaser.
My answer is quite simple and honest : I don't know !!! And I'm quite serious.
Unlike classic prewritten scenarios, Avalanche doesn't tell you how to use it. Is that a flaw ? I'd say, in fact, that this is its greatest strength.
You'll allow me the use of a strange analogy, but which, I hope, will allow you to understand the use of Avalanche and to capture, in a way, its essence.

One of the main idea behind Avalanche is to mimic, but with the help of dedictated structure, the inspiration that can be retrieved from a book, a comic or a movie. How often did one of those had been used as a fondation for the creation of a scenario (or even a campaign) ? How often did a DM, after the reading of an epic novel, decided to use it, to adapt it for the purpose of one his game ? Personnally, I believe this is quite typical. But, a novel doesn't provide you with indications on how to adapt it for the role playing game.

Let's take a simple example, the matrix. After seeing this movie a DM can decide to adapt it for the purpose of one his game. But, what will he do with this ? Substitute the role of Neo to his players, letting them incarnate the "main characters" ? Play some protagonists who follow Neo ? Or characters that "live" in the matrix's universe, at the time of the events of the movie, without taking part directly into them ? Or maybe some heroes who are outside the matrix, like Morpheus, looking out to free the chosens ? Or some matrix's agents, tracking the humans ? Of course, other possibilities exist. So, this adaptation may wear many masks.

But, the original picture, the movie, has nothing to do with rpg ; it is not design to be adapted to this hobby, to be used in that sense. To do so, in my opinion, details should have been omited, as not to restrain the players' actions. A complete cartography of all the events of all the protagonists should also be provided, as to allow the use of the plot for any type of characters. This is what Avalanche is about : to offer, thanks to a dedictated, flexible, structure, specifically designed for the rpg, a source of inspiration that allows you to use it as you see fit.

Where all the pre written scenarios offer you to play one, and only one, type of adventure, Avalanche propose you to build your adventure, your role, based on a context, a handfull of ideas.

I cannot tell you, even less dictate you, how to use Avalanche. On the other side, I can tell you that you have the choice to build the story you want upon a rich source of inspiration.

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Une question récurrente dont la réponse, hélas, n'est pas présente dans le teaser.
Ma réponse est simple et des plus honnêtes : je ne sais pas !!! Et je suis sérieux.
En effet, à la différence des scénarios pré écrits classiques, Avalanche ne vous indique pas comment l'utiliser. Est-ce un inconvénient ? Je dirais, au contraire, que là est toute sa force.
Je me permettrai une analogie, un peu boîteuse, mais qui, je l'espère, vous permettra de comprendre comment utiliser Avalanche et d'en saisir, en quelque sorte, l'essence même.

Je ne peux vous dire, encore moins vous dicter, l'utilisation que vous ferez d'Avalanche. Par contre, je peux vous dire qu'Avalanche vous laisse le choix, en vous offrant une source riche d'inspiration, de jouer l'aventure qui vous convient.

Already four years of work behind me, more than one full year with a team by my side : five hundred pages written so far, of which four hundred are translated, a database, a graphic interface, a hundred or so illustrations. But most importantly : un teaser and a first webpage, simple window, for the moment, of the final product we wish to offer. So, this project has already begun for a while. But, as long a dozen (or maybe fifty, in the most optimistic case) people knew of its existence, the real work hasn't begun yet.
Now, here we stand. How many people will download the teaser, how many will be interested in following it, expecting its release, will we able to get known, to clearly explain our vision of rpg ? There lies the true stakes ahead of us and that will validate all the hours spent so far. Now, our real work begins. Let's hope this will be exciting, to the height of our ambitions and your expectations.

This blog is the reflect of this reality. A space where not only will I be able to present news of the project, but also answer your questions. A commun ground who wishes, first and foremost, to be a place of exchanges and dialogues. Let's hope you'll find it interesting.

For information, Cycles-rpg is a french project ; I'm a native french speaker. But given the market of rpg, english is a must. But don't be afraid, the product we're selling has been translated by a native english speaker ; and I'm quite glad with the translation. For the purpose of this blog I won't sollicitate him (he has already much to do). So, you'll excuse my poor english. Given that, this blog will be either in english or french, or both, depending of my mood of the moment. Let's hope those two languages will be able to live together.

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Déjà quatre ans de travail derrière moi, plus d'une année entourée d'une équipe : cinq cents pages de texte, dont quatre cents sont traduites, une base de données, un interface graphique, une centaine d'illustrations. Mais plus important encore : un teaser et une page d'accueil, simple vitrine, pour l'instant, du produit final que nous souhaitons offrir. Ce projet a donc déjà commencé depuis fort longtemps.
Mais tant que nous n'étions qu'une dizaine (voire une cinquantaine, dans le plus optimiste des cas) à connaître son existence, le véritable travail n'avait pas encore débuté.
Maintenant, nous y sommes. Combien de gens téléchargeront le teaser, combien seront intéressés à suivre ce projet, dans l'attente de sa sortie, parviendrons-nous à nous faire connaître, à expliquer visiblement la vision du jeu de rôle que nous embrassons ? Là sont les véritables enjeux qui débutent pour nous et qui nous permettront, en quelque sorte, de justifier toutes ses heures qui sont derrière nous. Maintenant, le véritable travail commence pour nous. Souhaitons-le excitant, à la hauteur de nos ambitions et de vos attentes.

Pour information, Cycles-rpg est d'abord et avant tout un produit fancophone. Mais le marché du jeu de rôle étant ce qu'il est, la langue anglaise doit y avoir sa place également. Mes interventions pourront donc se faire, au gré de mes fantaisies, dans l'une et/ou l'autre de ses langues. Souhaitons que ces deux univers pourront cohabiter sur ce blog.