War Possum. This is a project that has been in preparation for a long time. I’ve always wanted to build my own tabletop role-playing game. I’ve been working on rules, going back and forth, and developing concepts for literal decades. This is the outlet for those ideas, and hopefully a way to bring it to the masses.
It began with Xenomega, a concept of a science fiction post-apocalyptic Earth that had been ravaged by war, but all the while, there had been an undercurrent of Super Soldier programs in progress around the globe. It was originally my take on a fairly well-known game: Rifts. I admit it started there, but it has evolved far beyond its humble beginnings. In Rifts, there was a world war that open portals to other dimensions, bringing in demons, aliens, mutants and magic. Its utter chaos. Xenomega was my attempt to make something like Rifts, but less crazy.
I want post-apocalypse, I wanted magic, mutants and high technology. But I didn’t want the absurdity that came with it. I wanted controlled chaos. I wanted a realistic world that still felt like Earth we know, while still being fantastic enough to make adventuring there fun. I wanted there to be discovery of old relics, ancient technology, and forbidden knowledge. But I still wanted super powers and magic and mutants and cyborgs.
So it grew and was refined. It blossomed into its own unique world and left the trappings of Rifts behind. It was now inspired, not derivative. But then came the rules to play this world with.
I went through a lot of changes. I started with d20 Modern because that was where I really cut my teeth on RPGs. I had played TMNT & Other Strangeness, Rifts, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition, but I didn’t really get into building worlds and running games until D&D 3rd edition came out. I played 3e a lot. And I mean a lot. I moved on 3.5 when it came out, played some Shadowrun in there, as well as d20 Modern. It felt solid and it worked. As time went on, I moved a few states away and started playing other games: Star Wars Saga, World of Darkness, Mutants & Masterminds. But still, the d20 system called to me.
So this, War Possum Publications, is the culmination of that. I am back with d20 Modern and the MSRD. I’ve added rules from other games and third party publications. I’m bringing it all together here, in the wiki.
If you want to run a game in Xenomega, the rules will all be here. With some help, I’ll be consolidating everything together into one massive document. All the rules, updated with ideas from Pathfinder and Alternity, but kept d20 at its core. I’ll eventually have a PDF for publication with the art help of Seth Damoose. He’s been helping me for awhile (he was there for my budding TMNT RPG days) and I think his art fits chaotic, destroyed look that Xenomega requires.
I’ll post regular updates here and on the War Possum Facebook group, but I’m going to start the editing now. Give me awhile, but I’ve got lots of time on my hands and will be working on Xenomega and the consolidated MSRD as much as I can.
Eventually, I’ll be running games in forums as a play by post. I will be moving around a lot in the coming months and years and can’t have a steady game group, but I still need to play my games. So play by post it is.
If you have any questions or comments, send them to me: ebaierl@warpossum.com. Game on!
