Project pseudo-update - May'25

It's been two months since the last project update, and here I am with a new one, though I don’t have a ton of flashy news to share. But that definitely doesn’t mean nothing’s been happening with VI·VIII·X. Quite the opposite, actually: so is this an update? Well yes and no!

I’ve been laser-focused on one major front: the revision of the ruleset! That’s right, the “Hackssential Rules” are going through their final editing and proofreading phase thanks to the incredible help of

Whiskey, Blood and Dust

, whose support has been key in shaping the version I was aiming for. And, of course, a huge shout out to the ever-reliable

RUSS GIBSON

for his invaluable contribution to this game!

The upcoming rulebook will move away from a “textbook-style” in favor of a more accessible and quick-to-grasp layout. That was the real goal of this revision, keeping actual rule changes minimal, while making everything smoother and simpler during play.

While we’re wrapping up this version (yes, we:

Whiskey, Blood and Dust

and

RUSS GIBSON

are very much on board!), I’m also updating all previously released books to align with the new edition. Sounds simple? It’s actually much more work than I expected! Not only do I need to standardize formatting and layout, but I also have to go through each detail to reflect the small (but important!) rule tweaks. So far, I’ve completed:

• PC Notebook

• GM Log

• Quickstart “In a nutshell”

• Feræ

As for Personæ, I’m not just updating it for the new rules, I’m adding a whole new layer to make NPC management even better. I’ll share a separate post soon to explain this add-on in detail. Let me just say this much for now: it involves an onion. (Yes, you read that right: an onion!)

On the adventure front, I’ve revised all three published adventures (and yes, found typos: proofreading is an endless journey!). These will be re-released with an even stronger emphasis on something I’ve already been doing: keeping the adventure text as generic and universal as possible. Two appendices will be included: one for VI·VIII·X stats (new edition!) and one for B/X, which I still think is the most OSR-compatible system out there.

Oh, and here’s a new idea that popped up (because of course I had another one!): the limited edition of the first adventure, “The Beginning of the Story”, will feature AD&D 1E as the secondary ruleset instead of B/X. This is a small tribute to the folks at The Acaeum, to whom this adventure is dedicated (along with 100% of the profits it generates!). For this specific task, any help is highly appreciated as I have a very limited time and knowledge of this system (I played 1E aeons ago and as a player and never as a GM, I know it sounds weird but it is true!).

The first step toward the new edition of VI·VIII·X was the launch of the game’s new logo! I really hope you like it even more than the original!

Once all the revised books are published, I’ll be back at full speed with the sub-projects that are currently on hold: the setting, the cosmogony, and the adventures. And… there might be also a small surprise coming soon!

To close with a thoughtful thing, here’s an interesting article I recently read: Why Tolkien thought “sub-creation” was the secret to great fantasy and science fiction. It’s the kind of reading that makes you reflect and sparks new ideas. In a different moment I would have written a full post about it, but time is getting rarer and rarer in these days, so the mere url works more than fine! (Heads-up: the first link to Tolkien’s essay is broken, but if you go through the Beowulf essay link, you’ll find an online book that includes both!)

I’d love to hear your thoughts on it! And of course, any comments or questions about my project are more than welcome, don’t be shy!