Progress Update: Prepping is Now a Thing

I assure you, this project has not been abandoned. I've been hard at work writing the game. While it's not complete, it is nearing a final stage in which every part of the game has been written and just needs tuning. That is my goal for right now, and I'm very excited about that!

As the project progresses, please do keep in mind that I am a single person developing this game for fun, with no real aspirations of making money off of it, with no assistance, in between my real-life career, kids, etc. So I apologize for the slow development time, but progress is progress.

Here's some updates for version 1.13!

Prepping

Prepping is now a thing! Previously I had written the three core game elements we are familiar with from other TRPGs like D&D or Pathfinder: Exploration, Interaction, and Combat. Now, I've added the fourth, unique pillar for Bunker Radio: Prepping.

Prepping involves spending your resources as wisely as you can to prepare for the apocalypse, as well as base building, managing any followers you recruit, and managing resources throughout the game.

It's a Tabletop Game now

While I love ham radio, and I hope that hams play the game, I think that long term, the likelihood is high that if anyone plays the game ever, it will be non-hams, around a table, and I'm okay with that. So I've combed through the rules, modified the rules wherever possible to be more table-friendly, and added a section just for the hams to play over the radio. I believe this simplifies matters greatly, as even in testing, the game is best played around a table or over the internet, and honestly, not much changes.  This also gave me the opportunity to build in some special game mechanics just for the hams in the audience.

Skill Tree

The skill tree in Bunker Radio is complete! At least, in it's early phase. I suspect I will think of new game mechanics I will want to incorporate or otherwise decide that some skill options don't add enough and simply remove them. But for now, the skills are written, they exist, and they are ready to be incorporated into gameplay.

Here's how it works: Each skill line is named after the parent skill. Techniques are new abilities that are unlocked and purchased with skill points within a skill line (sort of a sub-skill). Any skill points invested in a Technique are counted towards your overall skill level for that skill line.

For now, the Techniques live in a spreadsheet, separate from the core game rules, and will be added to the document soon.

In Game Comms

Rules now exist for in-game comms, and how propagation works. There are two kinds of radios VHF (short distance) and HF (long distance), which don't talk to eachother. So you need different kinds of radios for different applications.

Additionally, propagation checks are made to ensure that you can communicate over radios, which factors in things like technical difficulties, weather, and whether the person you are trying to reach is listening in.

Vehicles

There is now a system in place for driving vehicles and upgrading them. Upgrades include things like adding armor, better drive trains for speed, suspension for difficult terrain, and weapons for vehicle combat. Rideable animals are a thing as well, but don't have any systems for upgrades, as that will really be accomplished by training your animals, and can be done with GM discretion.

Conclusion

There are many more, minor items that have been added and tweaked. Right now, I'm working on recipes and cooking systems. The goal is to have recipes for a variety of skill levels that will make foods to fill hunger but also give some special buffs when consumed. A similar system is also in development for crafting, and will take some time to complete.