Hey, Pilgrims!
It’s been awhile since we’ve had one of these blog posts, but fear not! There has been plenty of work going on behind the scenes. For those who follow us on our socials, you probably have seen the somewhat cheeky posts hinting at something called “The Hydra”.
Well, today is the day I reveal exactly what the Hydra is! The Hydra has arrived!!
Working Logo for the Hydra System
Over the past few months I have been having an interesting bunch of nights working on various games I have come up with where I realized I have many different ideas of settings and specific mechanics but found myself being buried in half thought ideas.
I had *at least* 3 settings half written and at least a few more still in the brainstorming stage! Now, to come up with an independent rule set for each would be madness, MADNESS I SAY! However, with some inspiration from one of the amazing members of the WPG community (@EldritchCrow on Twitter, seriously thank you so much!) I started thinking of more “setting agnostic” rulesets.
From there, I came up with the idea to instead of focusing on the settings themselves as I have usually done, I would come up with *one* set core system that would be able to be hacked into various other settings and materials (very much like how PbtA is).
So, thinking of something that every time it is hacked, more and more games and settings can spawn brought me to a revelation! The Hydra! In Greek myth, when one head was severed, or “hacked”, two more grew back in its place. Why couldn;t something similar work for TTRPGs?
What is Hydra?
From its inception, the Hydra system is created to allow for more narrative play but still retaining a slight level of “crunch” to allow. Drawing inspiration from some of my favorite systems, the allure of the Hydra system is to give players a fleshed out skeleton that they can place any theme or setting on with little work to make it “fit”. There are a set number of Archetypes and Backgrounds for character creation, with even more coming in each new settings specific primer!
For example, below is a VERY early Alpha build of not only some core Hydra abilities but also a few setting specific ones for two games in production, Steel Horizons and The Badlands:
Alpha build of current Archetypes from Core Hydra System as well as two separate settings, Steel Horizons and The Badlands
How Does It Work?
The Hydra system is a D12 system where players build a dice pool by combining the proper Attribute and Skill for their approach to various checks or attacks. Upon rolling their dice pool, all successes are tallied and compared to the Difficulty Level. Like many other games, should the player meet or exceed the target level, the check succeeds! Well done!
However, a major difference in the Hydra system, much like some of my other favorite systems, it is not just a “pass/fail” mechanic with rolling. Depending upon the difference in the number of successes and target level, players may not only expend various resources to meet the check, but also there is a “fail forward” mechanic. The check may not “fully” succeed or it could possibly outright fail but still aid the players in some way.
With this mechanic, the story doesn't need to ground to a halt because of one roll, instead, the players and Game Keeper can allow the failure of the roll to move the story forward to a new outcome. For instance, how many times in various media does the hero end up unable to get through an obstacle but then the situation doesn't just stay there, another event happens to move the story along?
It is the goal of the Hydra system to keep that narrative, cinematic focus to allow stories to thrive while still giving those fellow tactical players like myself to have fun in combat encounters!
Questions:
When will it be done?
Great question! As of now, the Hydra system is still in a very early Alpha build as I continue working on the core rules and then move on to different mechanics that can be added (or removed) for various supplements! However, that doesn’t mean that the wait will be too long!
How can I help?
Join Us!
I’m so glad you asked! As of now, as work continues, the members of the WPG Discord have not only been privy to this information for a while now, but also have been included in many developmental decisions and been amazing springboards for ideas and feedback. Until playtesting properly starts sometime in the future, you can always join our DISCORD and get in on the action before anyone else!
Thank you so much to everyone who has helped support WPG in the recent months, I know times have been difficult and it can be lonely staying safe, but we are always in this together and I for one can’t wait to spend more time with you all!
As always, keep wandering!
-Mike