Seeking 25,000 Playtesters! Shattered Stars, F2P

Hello! My development team is nearly finished with the project we set out to complete so many years ago. As we draw closer to the goal of publication, we realize that we can't test every aspect of the game with our small pool of developers. So, we've decided to try and gather our goal of 25,000 playtesters.&nbsp; The game material (PHB, SMM, Bestiary) will be provided freely once we officially launch our playtest. We do not intend to include ourselves in the playtesting process to avoid tainting results with our own knowledge of the game and how it *should* work versus how the average player interprets the rules, lore and so on. Thus, we are looking for both GMs (SMs) and players to test this game.&nbsp; Currently, we are gathering on Discord in this server to await the launch of the playtest.&nbsp; <a href="https://discord.gg/V7EmTRsbb3" rel="nofollow">https://discord.gg/V7EmTRsbb3</a> What is S hattered Stars, you ask?&nbsp; Shattered Stars is a game where players take on the role of a mercenary doing covert operations and espionage for mega-corporations, galactic governments and more. As a mercenary, your character is considered a disposable asset by these entities. Enter a universe where the double crossing happens for a reason, classified data might save your life, and death is around every corner. You'll encounter beings beyond your comprehension, multidimensional threats with technology that appears as magic even to your advanced civilization, and if you're lucky you'll survive it all and become a legend in the history books. As for our game, we are getting the lore together still as is expected of a game in effectively its beta. Especially since our lore and system work hand in hand rather than one following another.&nbsp; But!&nbsp; You're a small fish in a big pond, unlike most other scifi where you're some fabled chosen one of superhuman.&nbsp; Espionage isn't just your job, it's survival. Uncovering secrets, manipulating factions to your benefit, and not getting caught or having your off button pushed in the process are your primary tools, not just side quests.&nbsp; Cosmic horror meets with corporate interests, the good of the public and galactic politics. You're going up against truly alien beings that are incomprehensible by their very nature whose technology might as well be magic at higher tiers of play. And you'll be brushing with both the lowest and highest members of society any time before then.&nbsp; Looking for a scifi experience that emphasizes gritty survival, intricate conspiracies and encounters with such being? Welcome to Shattered Stars. We look forward to seeing you.&nbsp; Edit:&nbsp; ALSO!&nbsp; We have decided to include discount codes for our digital copies of our books when they are released, and other potential perks of playtesting are being discussed by the development team.&nbsp; The first module:&nbsp; Prelude Colonies are constantly in peril against forces that use them as stepping stones for greater goals. As always, pirates seek to extort and even enslave local populations of wayward frontier worlds far from the reach of their parent nations. If it were not for the actions of a small number of Mercenaries, many would suffer greatly before the bulk of a nation’s military could arrive. Regardless of if their actions are done for the sake of justice, for money or for fame, they directly cripple encroaching forces and change both history and destiny forever. Many of them have a common interest with these worlds that they interact with as well.&nbsp; Whatever your motivations, you have elected to employ yourselves under the banner of the Blood Dog mercenary group (you may change this name if you’d like). Most of your time until now has been spent training constantly in virtual reality. As fresh faced mercenaries still wet around the ears, you were tasked to go to Evis; a small frontier world that has stopped responding to communications.&nbsp; Evis is sparsely populated with only a single major city that has a starport. Upon reaching the world, you were supposed to touch down there and begin investigating the local population for signs of rebellion and unrest. At most, you were supposed to expect a mass riot that tore down a communications tower or a simple equipment malfunction. Under the supervision of Blood Dog Sergeant Andrew McCole, this mission should have been simple.&nbsp; As you soon find out, nothing in a mercenary’s life is ever so straightforward.&nbsp; When your craft reached low orbit, missiles struck your vessel repeatedly with little warning that they were even inbound. With your engines disabled, your starship plummeting, you have scant time to find a seat and strap yourself in before the inevitable thump of hitting the atmosphere resounds through the vessel. The malfunctioning vessel deployed flares, chaff and sent burning hunks of debris towards the planet below as it careened out of control. You remember the impact… and little else.&nbsp; You’re not sure how or when but at some point you were knocked unconscious… and when you awakened you found Sergeant McCole impaled through the chest by debris; killed on impact. Acrid smoke fills the interior of the vessel as you hurriedly rip apart your restraints by whatever means available to you. Even with your suit environmentally sealed you can still smell the singed flesh of your fallen superior and fellow mercenaries.&nbsp; Now, you awaken inside a burning starship that most likely has a containment breach in its reactor that will soon explode and level a small portion of this countryside. You can see a small settlement in the distance though you cannot make out any more than that through the burning trees around you. Time is of the essence. You must move… or you will die.

I'm in, gotta get the die rolling!

I fw this concept so hard but no offense this doesn't tell me much about it gameplay wise ngl you said smth about "advanced tech that may look like magic" and just wanna ask if that means I could be a wizard but with advanced tech instead of actually magic?&nbsp; that raises so many questions - is this a class based or skill based system? is it like Star Wars or Star Trek or something? laser sword? can you show at least part of the rulebooks? I wanna know mechanical stuff beforehand but again this sounds so cool&nbsp;

Maxi H. said: I fw this concept so hard but no offense this doesn't tell me much about it gameplay wise ngl you said smth about "advanced tech that may look like magic" and just wanna ask if that means I could be a wizard but with advanced tech instead of actually magic?&nbsp; that raises so many questions - is this a class based or skill based system? is it like Star Wars or Star Trek or something? laser sword? can you show at least part of the rulebooks? I wanna know mechanical stuff beforehand but again this sounds so cool&nbsp; Of course!&nbsp; Any advanced civilization with technology sufficiently beyond our own would likely appear as magic to someone that doesn't understand how it works. For comparison, a caveman could potentially understand at least a general concept of a firearm but would be completely lost on the concept of electrical systems (lights in your house for example, the internet). Describing these systems to them would take a considerable amount of time, likely years, for them to establish the basis of knowledge necessary to comprehend these concepts.&nbsp; For an alien civilization that's capable of manipulating the stars themselves and causing them to explode on command, our technology even as an interstellar species would pale so far in comparison that we would effectively be the cavemen in the aforementioned example.&nbsp; To the other part of your question; absolutely! We have Psions, Heralds, and certain subclasses that allow players to interact with the Ethereal; a realm where physics and the laws of nature change on a daily basis. The exact flavor of the interaction depends on the class and of course on personal taste but the end result is the ability to throw lightning at your foes, douse them with fire from your palms, and manipulate Realspace around you to cause mayhem on the battlefield.&nbsp; As for our system, it is a bit of a hybrid between skill based and class based. We do have classes and those classes do have features that rely on stats, but skills are leveled up independently of those stats.&nbsp; Generally, our setting is not quite as whimsical as Star Trek or Star Wars but not as Grimdark as Warhammer 40k. The majority of weapons still use projectiles although lasers do also exist within the setting and are commonly used; just for different purposes.&nbsp; The rule books are still being finished, but a link to the player handbook for public viewing is available in our discord. The SMG (Starmaster's Guide) is not currently ready for viewing. It should be finished within a month or two.&nbsp;

I'm down for it.

Derek M. said: I'm in, gotta get the die rolling! Thanks! Can't wait to see you in the playtesting server.&nbsp;

BrightBeautyT1 said: I'm down for it. Thank you for signing up! Hope to see you in the playtesting server soon!&nbsp;

Deez said: Maxi H. said: I fw this concept so hard but no offense this doesn't tell me much about it gameplay wise ngl you said smth about "advanced tech that may look like magic" and just wanna ask if that means I could be a wizard but with advanced tech instead of actually magic?&nbsp; that raises so many questions - is this a class based or skill based system? is it like Star Wars or Star Trek or something? laser sword? can you show at least part of the rulebooks? I wanna know mechanical stuff beforehand but again this sounds so cool&nbsp; Of course!&nbsp; Any advanced civilization with technology sufficiently beyond our own would likely appear as magic to someone that doesn't understand how it works. For comparison, a caveman could potentially understand at least a general concept of a firearm but would be completely lost on the concept of electrical systems (lights in your house for example, the internet). Describing these systems to them would take a considerable amount of time, likely years, for them to establish the basis of knowledge necessary to comprehend these concepts.&nbsp; For an alien civilization that's capable of manipulating the stars themselves and causing them to explode on command, our technology even as an interstellar species would pale so far in comparison that we would effectively be the cavemen in the aforementioned example.&nbsp; To the other part of your question; absolutely! We have Psions, Heralds, and certain subclasses that allow players to interact with the Ethereal; a realm where physics and the laws of nature change on a daily basis. The exact flavor of the interaction depends on the class and of course on personal taste but the end result is the ability to throw lightning at your foes, douse them with fire from your palms, and manipulate Realspace around you to cause mayhem on the battlefield.&nbsp; As for our system, it is a bit of a hybrid between skill based and class based. We do have classes and those classes do have features that rely on stats, but skills are leveled up independently of those stats.&nbsp; Generally, our setting is not quite as whimsical as Star Trek or Star Wars but not as Grimdark as Warhammer 40k. The majority of weapons still use projectiles although lasers do also exist within the setting and are commonly used; just for different purposes.&nbsp; The rule books are still being finished, but a link to the player handbook for public viewing is available in our discord. The SMG (Starmaster's Guide) is not currently ready for viewing. It should be finished within a month or two.&nbsp; ohh ok cool imma join

Maxi H. said: Deez said: Maxi H. said: I fw this concept so hard but no offense this doesn't tell me much about it gameplay wise ngl you said smth about "advanced tech that may look like magic" and just wanna ask if that means I could be a wizard but with advanced tech instead of actually magic?&nbsp; that raises so many questions - is this a class based or skill based system? is it like Star Wars or Star Trek or something? laser sword? can you show at least part of the rulebooks? I wanna know mechanical stuff beforehand but again this sounds so cool&nbsp; Of course!&nbsp; Any advanced civilization with technology sufficiently beyond our own would likely appear as magic to someone that doesn't understand how it works. For comparison, a caveman could potentially understand at least a general concept of a firearm but would be completely lost on the concept of electrical systems (lights in your house for example, the internet). Describing these systems to them would take a considerable amount of time, likely years, for them to establish the basis of knowledge necessary to comprehend these concepts.&nbsp; For an alien civilization that's capable of manipulating the stars themselves and causing them to explode on command, our technology even as an interstellar species would pale so far in comparison that we would effectively be the cavemen in the aforementioned example.&nbsp; To the other part of your question; absolutely! We have Psions, Heralds, and certain subclasses that allow players to interact with the Ethereal; a realm where physics and the laws of nature change on a daily basis. The exact flavor of the interaction depends on the class and of course on personal taste but the end result is the ability to throw lightning at your foes, douse them with fire from your palms, and manipulate Realspace around you to cause mayhem on the battlefield.&nbsp; As for our system, it is a bit of a hybrid between skill based and class based. We do have classes and those classes do have features that rely on stats, but skills are leveled up independently of those stats.&nbsp; Generally, our setting is not quite as whimsical as Star Trek or Star Wars but not as Grimdark as Warhammer 40k. The majority of weapons still use projectiles although lasers do also exist within the setting and are commonly used; just for different purposes.&nbsp; The rule books are still being finished, but a link to the player handbook for public viewing is available in our discord. The SMG (Starmaster's Guide) is not currently ready for viewing. It should be finished within a month or two.&nbsp; ohh ok cool imma join Thanks! It'll be a pleasure to have you come and playtest with us.&nbsp;

I'm down to join the playtesting

A Sci-Fi game with a focus on espionage? I'm in. =)

Deez said: BrightBeautyT1 said: I'm down for it. Thank you for signing up! Hope to see you in the playtesting server soon!&nbsp; Is this going to be played here on roll20 or elsewhere?

BrightBeautyT1 said: Deez said: BrightBeautyT1 said: I'm down for it. Thank you for signing up! Hope to see you in the playtesting server soon!&nbsp; Is this going to be played here on roll20 or elsewhere? Games will be held wherever the players and GMs want them to be held. That can be r20, discord or wherever they want! Our discord is where we will be gathering feedback and playtesting data to make our game better for our players.&nbsp;

Ophi Draco said: A Sci-Fi game with a focus on espionage? I'm in. =) Welcome to the discord and hope you have a wonderful time!&nbsp;

Welcome to the game! Hope you like it!

I'm down

*Shakes dice* 🎲 🎲&nbsp; thank you dice gods

Sounds Fun, I'm down for this!

I'm in! Sounds cool.&nbsp;

Such a fun concept!

ALSO!&nbsp; We have decided to include discount codes for our digital copies of our books when they are released, and other potential perks of playtesting are being discussed by the development team.&nbsp; I added this to the original post, but decided to add this here as well so that it was more plainly visible to those lower in the forum.&nbsp;

queenie said: Such a fun concept! Will you be joining us for playtesting then? If you have any questions, please let me know!&nbsp;

Deez said: queenie said: Such a fun concept! Will you be joining us for playtesting then? If you have any questions, please let me know!&nbsp; I'll try at least!

I'm down to playtest.

Evan said: I'm down to playtest. Good to hear. Hope to see you in the discord.&nbsp;

Prelude Colonies are constantly in peril against forces that use them as steppingstones for greater goals. As always, pirates seek to extort and even enslave local populations of wayward frontier worlds far from the reach of their parent nations. If it were not for the actions of a small number of Mercenaries, many would suffer greatly before the bulk of a nation’s military could arrive. Regardless of if their actions are done for the sake of justice, for money or for fame, they directly cripple encroaching forces and change both history and destiny forever. Many of them have a common interest with these worlds that they interact with as well.&nbsp; Whatever your motivations, you have elected to employ yourselves under the banner of the Blood Dog mercenary group (you may change this name if you’d like). Most of your time until now has been spent training constantly in virtual reality. As fresh-faced mercenaries still wet around the ears, you were tasked to go to Evis; a small frontier world that has stopped responding to communications.&nbsp; Evis is sparsely populated with only a single major city that has a starport. Upon reaching the world, you were supposed to touch down there and begin investigating the local population for signs of rebellion and unrest. At most, you were supposed to expect a mass riot that tore down a communications tower or a simple equipment malfunction. Under the supervision of Blood Dog Sergeant Andrew McCole, this mission should have been simple.&nbsp; As you soon find out, nothing in a mercenary’s life is ever so straightforward.&nbsp; When your craft reached low orbit, missiles struck your vessel repeatedly with little warning that they were even inbound. With your engines disabled, your starship plummeting, you have scant time to find a seat and strap yourself in before the inevitable thump of hitting the atmosphere resounds through the vessel. The malfunctioning vessel deployed flares, chaff and sent burning hunks of debris towards the planet below as it careened out of control. You remember the impact… and little else.&nbsp; You’re not sure how or when but at some point, you were knocked unconscious… and when you awakened you found Sergeant McCole impaled through the chest by debris; killed on impact. Acrid smoke fills the interior of the vessel as you hurriedly rip apart your restraints by whatever means available to you. Even with your suit environmentally sealed you can still smell the singed flesh of your fallen superior and fellow mercenaries.&nbsp; Now, you awaken inside a burning starship that most likely has a containment breach in its reactor that will soon explode and level a small portion of this countryside. You can see a small settlement in the distance though you cannot make out any more than that through the burning trees around you. Time is of the essence. You must move… or you will die. We created the plot hook for our first module and are expected to finish it in its entirety in approximately two months. The PHB is finished, the SM... needs work. And the Bestiary will not be submitted before the first few modules are released (just how our creative process works).

I'm down to help out&nbsp;

Darrad said: I'm down to help out&nbsp; Thank you for joining us. We look forward to seeing you!&nbsp;

where you need me at brother?

Corporal Cartel said: where you need me at brother? Being in the playtest server for the discord is a splendid gathering place! We've just officially put out PHB into the polishing stages now. We'll need GMs and players alike!&nbsp;