2024 is the Year of Rota Magnus
Work on the Rota Magnus rpg has pushed all other projects aside. Right now it’s being built as a generic system to make sure it can handle whatever comes up, but the final product will probably focus on a particular action genre, as if the product will at some point be final.
Some of the key features of the Rota Magnus rpg:
All dice rolls are opposed. You stack dice for all your abilities and skills and roll a big handful of mixed d6, d8, d10s against whatever the opposition can bring to bear. Whoever wins is successful for that round of combat, and you spin the wheel for results. If you fail, then your opponent succeeds, and vice versa. It’s fewer turns to play, so faster action.
The results of success are based on the wheel and include impactful injuries.
You have to win initiative by rolling higher than anyone else to get a turn. Every time you win by rolling high, you expend some of your initiative dice to perform an action. You keep doing that until all combatants are out of initiative dice, then you start another round.
Magic maximizes flexibility. You don’t have spells, you have power over elements and have a lot of options for what you can do with. it Magic is also opposed rolls, with opposition dice based on the scale and scope of what you’re trying to do.
All gameplay occurs in game rounds. There are three types of rounds: combat, social, and narration. Combat actions rely on a kind of action point economy. Social rounds are structured to allow all players to contribute to the game equally without being a natural-born performer. Narration rounds can be whatever time period the pace of the story calls for, 5 minutes or 5 years. Whatever type of round is played, it works the same. You get one roll on your turn, but the menu of actions varies by type of round. In a combat round, you make an attack, but in a month-long narration round you might raise an army or win a siege.
It’s been a lot of fun to design a system around the Rota, then making everything else about it try to be fun and simple. I like rolling lots of dice, so there are lots of dice, but the Rota is essential in determining the results of success. in a fun way that only the wheel can do. I hope to be play testing at some cons this summer.
Monster on the Phone is Free
Monster on the Phone is now free for all. It’s all at the Gill-T Games Patreon.
Changes to Store - Order Now
The Gill-T Goods Store will be closed for maintenance beginning March 8 2024 . Order now to ensure product availability.
There’s a Monster on the Phone
Patreon doesn’t just sound like the name of a pokemon, it’s your new source for “A Monster on the Phone.”
The Monster on the Phone series re-presents the monsters designed for Monsters from Beyond the Manor with some light editing, color, new flavor text, and formatted for convenient use on mobile. Now it's easy to scroll the monster stats and description.
They go up weekly on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th of the month. The first monster of the month is always free. The others unlock with membership of $1.49 per month.
https://www.patreon.com/user?u=106496833
Falling Forward
Fall and winter are the best times for product design and other tabletop projects (like gaming). I’ve removed the pdf products from the store and will be offering them in a new venue set up just for digital items. The physical goods remain here. I’m re-working some of the monsters too, to create something new that will be a lot of fun. Hold on, wait a minute, standby, because I think, “There’s a monster on the phone.”
That Was The Con That Was
Thank you to everyone who stopped by the table to talk about your games and my wheels, to try out the dice cannons, and buy stuff. It was fun sitting between two gifted local artists for 3 days, chatting with them and the passerby, observing so many amazing costumes promenading around the place. More wheels and cannons successfully launched into the world to be enjoyed at game tables everywhere. Now its time to re-stock, refine, and see what I can come up with for next year. Remaining stock is limited,.
Ready … Set …
Coming to Archon’s Creator’s Alley stocked with a carload of Wizard’s Wheels, Dice Cannons, and all the other stuff. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and seeing how the new product lines are received compared to last year’s designs. I’ve re-deployed the Rota Magnus playtest pdf, so it’s color now, but the printouts are still B&W (stupid printer). I think I’ll give the booklet of playtest rules free to anyone who buys a color wheel. It’s probably time to load the car and see what all I’ve forgotten to prepare. See you soon Collinsville and community-at-large.
More New Things
The inventory production phase of 2023 has been a lot of fun. With less than a month to go before Archon, I’m posting a ton of new items in the store. You can pre-order a special customized design of the brand new Wizard’s Wheel. It will be made to spec. I also completed the playtest guide for Rota Magnus, a tactical combat system for tabletop rpg’s, relying on the color wheel for combat results. I’ve also posted the spinner version of some of the more popular randomizer platters. More photos are in order, and maybe some videos if I have a chance. Anyway, more stuff in the Gill-T Goods store that is only available from Gill-T Games. Play on.
DICE CANNON IS BACK
The new DICE CANNON is in fulll production for ARCHON and available at the Gilll-T Goods store. Unlike previous models, this is no prototype. It’s built to last, fully functional, and looks awesome.
The dice cannon features a 1.5” bore brass tube with a spring-loaded hammer and wheels that spin. Load it with dice (holds around 6 average-sized dice), pull the hammer back, and launch away. They’ll go a foot or two (depending how many you load) and bounce. Aim it at a rolling tray or DM screen if chaos bothers you.
The Dice Cannon brings a new sense of flare to your die rolls. Save it for truly “critical rolls"," or aim for the DM’s Big Bad. So much fun. Perfect gift for the rpg player who has everything.
Invented, designed, built, and only sold by Gill-T Games.
A battery of Dice Cannons, new for 2023
MORE MONSTERS
It’s ready to share. “More Monsters from Beyond the Manor!” It’s 68-pages, 60 monsters for low to mid-level 5e dungeons and dragons campaigns. It’s now in the Gill-T Goods store and I’ll have some at Archon too. These are guaranteed to surprise and entertain your players. It’s available right now as a printed, comb-bound, black-and-white physical publication. Learn more in the store, Gill-T Goods.
This guy says “WOW!”
Archon 46 Artist Alley
Gill-T Games is officially booked to attend Archon 46 in Collinsville, Illinois Sept 29-Oct 1. I’ll have the first edition print version of “More Monsters from Beyond the Manor,” the best Dice Cannons ever — “give it a shot”, a re-designed Rota Fortunae Wizards Wheels — “roll with it”, and comb-bound print copies of “More Monsters from the Beyond the Manor” which features 60 new monsters for 5e.
2023 Spring Update and Convention Preview
My 2023 convention calendar will be less aggressive than last year. I’ve decided to focus on local cons this year, which really reduces the options. I’ll update the calendar when confirmations and reservations are complete.
There’s a brand new re-designed Rota Fortunae Wizard’s Wheel to be released in the next month or so. It’s all newly designed from top to bottom. The numbers will be easier to read and they will spin better and look better. On top of that, they will include a whole new set of disc platters that I’ve selected based on playability. How many of you were using the d4? I’ve got a new critical hits disc and the d100 will come standard with every wheel. The 2023 Wizard’s Wheel Rota Fortunae will be better than ever. I’ve also started design of a new game that takes advantage of the Wheel as a randomizer, but that probably won’t be ready until 2024.
But really, despite the redesign and rebuild of the Wheel, it’s been a Winter of 5e Monsters: playtesting, re-writing, editing, editing, editing — I should have a 68-page pdf ready to go … soon. It’s formatted so I can hawk print versions at the cons if I ever get back on the road. I would like to do one formatted for mobile too, but that’s down the list so far that it could be superseded by just about anything before I get to it. There will be More Monsters from Beyond the Manor coming soon.
Now Featuring More Monsters
While I finalize the monsters for The Big Book of Uglies Part II, I’m going to post some of them here when I get a chance..
Archon Is Our Con
All primped up for Creator’s Alley’ at Archon. I’m even gonna get my ears out for this, and hope to find some more Rota Fans at my last show for the year. Last chance for the premiere line of Rotas. Improvements on the Dice Canon keep occuring to me, but I’ve got three more builds all featuring the latest and greatest innovations — best cannons yet.
Kickstopped
While I’m a little disillusioned that the world is apparently not yet ready for the Rota in its current incarnation, I hope that at least some of my Kickstarter supporters will decide they still want a wheel and get one through my online store. All that’s changed is volume, and I will continue to tinker with these and offer them at some of the local conventions and online. The wheels will keep getting better, and I hope gamers will keep wanting to try to them out.
Facebook Monster of the Day
During the Kickstarter, I’m posting one new monster every day on my Facebook page. Check it out.
https://www.facebook.com/Gill-T-Games-102005469123039/
Kickstarter Update
About 4 days in, and we’re seeing around 20% funded. I’d like if that was more. To do so, I think it’s just a matter of exposure, sharing — playing the odds. So if you haven’t already, share it like mad and support it even more madly.
Kickstarter i n the Works
It’s coming soon. I’m going to offer a brand new version of the wheel that combines all the best features of my previous models. It’s going to come with 8 discs with some extra discs available as well. So soon.
3-in-1 Oil, Like Botox for Your Rota
If your wheel seems to not spin as well as it used to do, try a spray can of 3-in-1 oil. Stick that little straw in between the bearings and shoot until the oil comes oozing out. Do this at a few spots around the circumference of the bearings ring and you will be pleased with the results.
Storage Caves Sold Out
All models with storage caves have been sold out. That means if you are a lucky holder of either the os inferni or the oraculum models of the Rota Fortunae, you have something that will not be produced again.
The perfectus / simplex model is still available. Thick wheel, thin wheel, or the engraved turntable version. I need to modify my store page to offer all three of these, previously available only at conventions. Inventory is low though and not to be replenished until the Kickstarter late next month. I have some demo models of the new version I’m calling “sicut faba.” The sicut faba version will probably have a storage cave variant, but I’m still finalizing those designs. The walnut stain on these give them a rich and elegant vibe. I’ve also settled on using a more flamboyant curve for the brass needle that I think looks pretty cool. In any case, these will be available as part of my Kickstarter in July and will be featured in videos and photos in the near future.
Anyway, thank you, World for your support in buying me out of the storage cave versions of the wheel. I’m glad you like them.