So, I'm pretty happy with the initial Unleashed playtest results. The 2d10 system works wonderfully at first level, future testing for upper levels will definitely be needed to see if the system holds up under the advance of BAB and ACs.
I'm especially liking the Heroic Aspects thrown into the mix for it as well. Next I will introduce injuries/consequences to offset debilitating (read below 0) damage. Having some injuries which stick around for awhile might prove interesting, and prevent TPKs.
Still working on the armor system. I have gone back to full armor with DR original idea I had 2 or 3 years ago, in which a hit at the touch rating up to the full AC, is reduced by the DR of the armor. A hit above the Full AC ignores the armor entirely. Flat Footed AC works similarly, just without the standard avoidance AC bonuses.
It works like this. A roll of 16 with a damage range of 3-16 hits AC 12/17 (DR2), this margin is 4 above , 3+4= 7 dmg - 2DR = 5 inflicted damage. This same attack ends up with a 24 = a margin of 12 without DR. So 12 damage is inflicted. (seems like a lot I know, but this is effectively a critical, a result of high dice rolls.
Fun stuff, and we're going to play a bit more tonight. So more results to come.
I hope the holidays are finding everyone in a festive mood.
We'll be doing my first real Alpha playtest of the Unleashed RPG on Sunday. Right now I'm running a more Pathfinder type game, with some modifications, just so I can test some of the changes. It's definitely early Alpha, I'm hoping to have the full Alpha ready for Kingdom Con in April!!!
The holidays are one of the best times to game, it's a great idea to relax and enjoy each other's company. Role-players tend to be social creatures, even if some of us only really feel comfortable around other gamers. So get out there, game, have good times, and be Excellent to each other!
In other news, I did get my entry into RPG Superstar on time. I did some fine tuning to my final entry.
Here were some other ideas I didn't use, but aren't completely finished. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a cool item, but, very SIAC! Also it seems like more of an artifact. I loved the concept, but couldn't really make it work.
Titanic Lock Aura moderate transmutation CL 15th Slot waist; Price gp; Weight 5 lbs. Description A thick braided belt, made from the hair of a titan, bound by bronze rings inscribed with copper runes. The Titanic Lock allows the wearer to grow to huge proportions 3 times per day upon command. The wearer grows to the size of a huge giant. Gaining the following +8 size bonus to Strength, -2 penalty to Dexterity, +6 size bonus to Constitution, +6 natural armor bonus, darkvision 120ft, +10 foot enhancement bonus to your speed, in addition, air walk, mind blank, and true seeing are in effect while in Titanic form.
Construction Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, giant form II; Cost ZZ gp ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the item I switched from, I hadn't finalized its abilities until now, I still think it needs work, but the overall concept is fun, I also thought of a cursed version that creates an uncontrolled Flesh Golem on a failed healing check while using raise dead.
Chirurgeon’s Mending Kit Aura strong conjuration (healing) CL 13th Slot none; Price gp; Weight 1 lb. Description Well-crafted adamantine needles, several lengths of trollgut string, and several squares of trollskin, wrapped in a small well oiled leather bundle. The kit has enough trollgut for 50 charges. The user of the kit makes a healing check (DC 15) to treat a wound. This healing check takes 10 minutes to perform. Failure consumes 1 charge. Success allows the healer to apply one of the following effects: - Fast healing 1 for 13 rounds. (1 charge) - Fast healing 2 for 13 rounds (3 charges) - regenerate (5 charges) - raise dead (10 charges) Construction Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, Heal; Cost ZZ gp ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please feel free to use these items, but give credit where credit it due, these items were not submitted to Paizo, thus all rights remain with me, though I'm releasing them as CCNA and OGL. Items which I had the idea for but never developed. (too meta for RPG Superstar) Two-stride Boots Allows a wearer to use a 10ft step rather than 5ft step. RequirementsCraft Wondrous Item, haste ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (abandoned early on, and I just brain-stormed the rest for now, I like it. This will probably be the first one I finish.) Aldori Dueling Gloves Supple leather gloves which appear to be well worn. Quite common in Taldor, and are often given to a duelist who does not know how to use an Aldori dueling sword. Grants wearer proficiency in the Aldori Dueling Sword. For those who are already proficient, once per day, they may double the bonuses from an existing feat related to the Aldori Dueling Sword. For example, a character with Greater Weapon Focus may double the normal +2 to hit, to +4 to hit. The effect lasts an entire round. RequirementsCraft Wondrous Item, heroism
The new Kickstarter from Gamesmiths, LLC, after the failed Saga of Dragon Star KS. In 24 hours it has already made its initial $1000 funding goal.
Check it out!
A new sword-and-sorcery campaign setting for the Savage Worlds game system!
Summoned spartoi, ready to do the bidding of the sorcerer that summoned them...
This is not a genre piece!
The Legends of Sinbad is a new sword-and-sorcery campaign set on Earth in the year 801 C.E.
Inspired by the Harryhausen Sinbad trilogy but based on real-world mythologies, histories, and legends, as well as the tales of the Arabian nights, the game is more than a Prince of Persia tale. As you can see from the map below (which is not yet complete--more cities will be added as development continues), a wide variety of cultures are represented. In this one era, you can find every RPG setting imaginable. You have the Vikings in the Norselands; feudal Europe with the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms and the Carolingian Empire; wild, druidic barbarians in the Celtic Kingdoms; a classical feel with the Eastern Roman Empire; savage nomadic hordes with the Kazar Khaganate; and Arabic with the Abassid Caliphate.
And each culture brings with it its own monsters from mythology--kraken, gray dwarves, and frost giants in the Norselands; dragons and centaurs in the Carolingian Empire; trolls and ogres in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms; brownies and banshees in the Celtic kingdoms; gorgons and hydras in the Eastern Roman Empire; and djinn in the Kingdom of the Moors; just to name a few!Of course, there is a lot more to this setting than just the above. This is just a quick note to point out that this setting is not just another Arabic genre piece, but a vibrant, versatile, and unique sword-and-sorcery campaign setting!
The campaign book will be made available in Savage Worlds, and you won't need to buy the Savage Worlds book to play! This will be a complete set!
BUT THIS IS ONLY FOR THE PDF. Part of the reason we are raising these funds is to get enough to make a print run. One of our early stretch goals will be to include print copies as add-ons!
Another stretch goal will be to add a Pathfinder version of this game, so please stay tuned!
Bedouin warriors of the Abbasid Caliphate...
BACK COVER COPY:
Welcome to the year 801 C.E. and the world of Sinbad, a period of excitement and high adventure on the Seven Seas! Journey to a time of incredible magic and danger when brave adventurers battled foul demons and exotic monsters for golden treasures and personal glory! Travel the world encountering brutal pirates, evil viziers, vile sorcerers, and cunning sultans; bargain with bound genies while exploring lost islands and forgotten kingdoms; journey into the frigid wastelands of Hyperborea, battling pre-historic creatures and savage troglodytes; hunt beastly dragons with the knights of Charlemagne’s Empire; or reave coastlands with the proud raiders of the Norselands while avoiding the grasping tentacles of hungry kraken!
In The Legends of Sinbad Roleplaying GameTM, players take on the roles of members of the same crew aboard a ship bound for uncharted waters, amazing dangers, and ancient treasures.
Exploration and discovering ancient treasures is a large part of The Legends of Sinbad!
Play a wily rogue from the Abassid Caliphate, a Grecian alchemist searching for rare ingredients for a new potion, an exiled sorcerer from the Eastern Roman Empire, a fierce barbarian raider from the frigid lands of the Norse, a vassal knight of Charlemagne sent out on a holy quest, or a treasure hunter from the Kingdom of the Moors.
Chart your own course as you travel the world, working for the good of the crew and ship while also pursuing your own private quest. New merchant mechanics encourage you to chart new trade routes while investigating rumors of magic-shrouded islands, vine-choked ruins, and lost treasures, and new ship mechanics allow you and your fellow adventurers to gain a crew of followers and customize your ship.
New merchant mechanics add a whole new realm to your roleplaying experience!
The Legends of Sinbad Roleplaying GameTM provides you with several campaign and adventure ideas, dozens of new magical treasures and thrilling monsters, fully fleshed-out NPCs and organizations to serve as reoccurring antagonists, a map and information on the kingdoms and empires of the Seven Seas, as well as mysterious locations such as the City of Brass, the lost island of Lemuria, and the Fountain of Destiny!
Grab your astrolabe, sharpen your scimitar, and set sail for the Seven Seas inThe Legends of Sinbad!
801 C.E.
Charlemagne, ruler of the Carolingian Empire.
Though dragons are not intelligent, spellcasting, flying beasts, they are still incredibly powerful, capable of breathing fire, and the plagues of the Carolingian Empire and Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms. Knights often embark on dangerous quests to destroy them.
Troglodyte from the frozen realm of Hyperborea.
A ferocious roc--a gigantic, legendary bird of prey--perches atop its nest in the craggy, windswept peaks.
So we got in the new Super Dungeon Explore expansion Caverns of RoXoR!!!
The boys and I cracked it open tonight (mostly the boys), and we had a good look at the expansion. Gamewise they are very similar. No assembly required this time however, the expansion come pre-assembled. Which for people who are buying this for their kids, and have no miniature experience is a good thing. It does make it a bit harder to paint professionally. But it reduces the stress induction for parents. The minis are nice too, very reminiscent of a certain video game with plumbers. From firey goo to all sorts of turtle men, this will be a great expansion to an already fun game.
We will be giving this a run-thru as soon as possible.
So at the last minute I scraped the Chirurgeon's Mending Kit in favor of an earlier idea. I will post the Chirurgeon's Kit tomorrow after the 2PM Deadline has passed. (Can't have a random person entering my item that just stumbles onto the blog at the last minute now can we?)
So putting on the final touches to my item, and hopefully I will be in the Top32!!!! I think this item really has a shot, it tweaks the game rules, is very thematic for what it is, doesn't break the main rules, definitely isn't a spell in a can, IP Violation, etc. I used a Golarion specific location for it. It doesn't grant a feat, or steal any classes abilities. I hope the community likes it.
So, looks like Sean is going to attempt to design an item, and Ian is going to try to submit next year. However, after the contest, I'm going to try to have them design something of their own every week. Should be Fun.
It's always so hard designing something of Superstar quality. It's easy to design magic items, but SuperStar quality requires really digging deep, throwing out crappy, trite, ideas. The writing must be tight. The idea must be innovative, rules twisting is a bonus, and of course, pricing must be perfect. If you're twisting the rules, up the price just a bit. Even if you designed the item perfectly to the rules as written, when you bend rules, you need to calculate what that tweak is worth.
I was going to have a post today, but I will forgo the post until tomorrow.
My heart goes out to the families of those children, and to the children who will be scared by the events of today. I will not get into any political aspects, now is not the time for discussions of gun control, or psychiatrics. Now is the time to spend with your families, now is the time to remember how much the people in your life mean to you, and to let them know what they mean to you; before they're gone.
Prayers, blessings, good vibes to help those affected by this tragedy.
So Here's some of the stuff I'm planning for the future for Curious Few Productions. I will need writers and artists, and cartographers. I'm new at this but determined.
Unleashed RPG
- New Core system based on the SRD featuring dynamic combat. I'm hoping to run the first Public Alpha test at Kingdom Con.
Campaign Setting featuring advancing ages, so time
Moderne Worlds of 2039 (system TBD)
Gods & Heroes of Mythology (PFRPG/URPG)
- Think Deities & Demigods, with less Uber monsters and more of a resource. Planning to have plenty of heroes, monsters and other resources for it however.
[unnamed] A Futuristic Car miniature wargame
[secret name] A Fantastic chess/wargame hybrid.
Watch this space and the sister blog for more info.
No, I'm not posting my entry, I will post it after it's over.
But designing a wondrous item was hard enough when you were just trying to please the judges, go by the rules and post something special, which bends rules, shows creativity, and of course, is of Superstar quality. With the new "Voting" by Paizo members to get to Top64, followed by Judging to Top32. There's a whole new Paradigm. Now we have to design down to the layman, while designing up to the judges.
Once I found out the new shift, I instantly threw out two ideas, as they might not be close enough to what paizoans might vote for. If you don't make Top64, you're not going to make Top32.
1. Naming
This is in fact one of the hardest parts of the contest.
2. Design that bends and warps rules. My entry last Year, the Eye of Abendego, bent the rules, but maybe a little too much. I mentioned lightning bolts that could be shot from the necklace, but since they were derived from call lightning I used that damaged. This was off-putting to the judges. I tweaked the rules from hurricane force winds, halving them to produce a lighter wind around the character, but the judges thought it was awkward. (Strange though, now an item or spell in the Ultimate Equipment I noticed has the same effect...)
3. Pricing This is a true pitfall, my Ghostfire Torch, was innovative, rule bending, and though it was a single use item and priced that way. With only a limited 10 minute duration, it's overall effect was thought to be worth more than 900gp. (900gp for a single use item it a LOT).
Overall, Designing for RPG Superstar is fun, challenging and frustrating all at the same time. Hopefully, I can make it to round 2 this year.
I love Fate because of the aspects. They really help cement the concept of the character.
Here are some great aspects from Famous Characters.
James T. Kirk -Leave bigotry in your quarters; there's no room for it on the bridge. -Worlds are conquered, galaxies destroyed...but a woman is always a woman. -Our missions are peaceful...not for conquest. When we do battle, it is only because we have no choice. Jean Luke Piccard -"Make it so number 1" Han Solo -It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs "Indiana" Jones "Snakes, Why'd it have to be Snakes" Luke Skywalker "I'm a jedi, like my father before me." Indigo Montoya "You killed my father, prepare to die." Fourth Dcotor" "Your mind is beginning to work. It's entirely due to my influence, of course, you must not take any credit." Ninth Doctor - Last of the Time Lords - Leave this planet or I'll stop you. Tenth Doctor "Wibbly, wobbley, timey wimey" "Because I'm clever" I could go on forever...
Been reading through the rules, excellently done, some language from Dresden Files/Spirit of the Century, has been simplified to make the game less complicated for newbies.
Got a surprise in the email this morning, even at the $1 level, we got the draft for the Wild Blue expansion today, now that is pretty EPIC! So I'l be able to start reading though that after I finish reading through FATE Core.
Fate Core is huge, but since it's going to be published in the 6"x9" format, it will be cheap, coming in at $25 I believe, and hard-bound since they passed that Kickstarter level.
Pledges have not only stalled but are being pulled. We need to get this project back on track.
"Help me Obi-Ron Kickobi!"
The N.R.G system is pretty unique in its approach, and they just announced that Saga of Dragonstar would now be N.R.G system as well, so it would be supported with a setting.
There's 8 days left, let's kickstart a revival of this great product. I have dealt with lots of Hank Woon's writing, and he is very prolific and makes great products.
Don't make them send this guy over to rough you up...
Well it is on again! RPG Superstar 2013. I've entered every year. My first year wasn't even a Wondrous Item, but an Anvil, which was more of an artifact. Every year I've improved, will I make Top32 this year? Competition is fierce. Are you going to be my competition?
Paizo Publishing is proud to announce RPG Superstar 2013, the sixth
season of its popular RPG design contest. The search for the newest
talent in RPG design begins now!
Over the last six years, RPG Superstar has discovered some of the
best new RPG designers in the business. Designers discovered in this
competition have found work writing for Paizo products or even joined
the Paizo staff as employees. The staff are excited to see the great new
talent out there, and look forward to working with the winners for
years to come!
RPG Superstar consists of five RPG design challenges spanning several
weeks. In the first round, members of the paizo.com messageboard
community votes for their favorite open call wondrous item submissions,
and a team of celebrity judges winnows those down all open call
submissions to 32 finalists. In later rounds, the judges provide
commentary and the messageboard community post their comments and vote
on following round submissions until only four finalists remain.
This year's ultimate winner will write a Pathfinder Module to be
published by Paizo. Three runners-up will win the opportunity to write
Pathfinder Society Scenarios, meaning all finalists will be offered
professional writing contracts with Paizo Publishing, and an opportunity
to begin their freelance careers with high-profile RPG releases!
Last year Mike Welham's Doom Comes to Dustpawn
emerged victorious as 2012's RPG Superstar winner after a week of
public comment and fan voting at paizo.com. His winning adventure will
release as a full-color printed Pathfinder Module.
Paizo has selected three veteran RPG Superstar judges to oversee the
competition--Paizo Developer Sean K Reynolds, Legendary Games president
and Necromancer Games founder Clark Peterson, and notable game designer
and Kobold Press founder and publisher Wolfgang Baur. Additional guest
judges will assist with each installment of the multi-challenge contest.
The judges will critique each round's entries.
Starting at 2 PM Pacific Time on December 4, 2012, contestants will
be able to submit their RPG Superstar entry. For the first round, that
entry will be a wondrous item designed for use with Paizo's Pathfinder
Roleplaying Game. Each entry must be 300 words or less, and must include
all of the proper mechanics and flavor. Contestants must submit their
entry by December 18. Voting is open to anyone with a Paizo.com
messageboard account, and begins on December 20. The judges will select
the best 32 entries out of the 64 most popular entries; the top 32 are
announced on January 22, 2013. Those 32 contestants will be assigned a
new design task and their entries will be posted on paizo.com for the
public to read, critique, and vote on. The designers garnering the most
votes in each round will continue on to subsequent rounds.
Specifics for each challenge will be announced as each round begins.
The winner of RPG Superstar 2013 will be announced on April 2, 2012. Do
you have what it takes to be the next RPG Superstar?
The buy-in to get 'something' is $1. That means you get the advanced draft copy of the Core rules. Before the Kickstarter end concludes in 60 days. Luckily I'll have time to scrounge up some cash, cuz this is going BIG!!!
Fate started as a "house rules" project for the Fudge system during a car ride Rob Donoghue and Fred Hicks had back in 2001. After seeing some success with it in their home games, they created a free, downloadable version for anyone who cared to grab it. They figured a few dozen people would have a look. Instead, hundreds did, and it fast became one of the most popular variants of Fudge out there, spawning its own thousands-strong discussion list and eventually helping to launch Evil Hat as a commercial game company.
From there, Fate grew into new revisions and iterations, showing up in Evil Hat's own Spirit of the Century in 2006 and the Dresden Files RPG in 2010 (each one leading to a temporary shortage in the supply of Fudge dice as demand spiked), as well as dozens of third-party Fate games and a few other popular games that borrowed ideas from Fate, if not the whole system.
Today, Evil Hat is proud to bring you Fate Core: the latest evolution of the Fate role-playing game system. Inside you'll find refined, clearer language about every part of the game -- ranging from streamlined language about aspects and skills, to a unified approach for game actions and outcomes, to our trademark, rock solid GM and player advice.
Simply put, Fate Core is the best version of Fate we can possibly make, built upon over a decade of play and design experience by Evil Hat, and with the Fate player community at large, taking the best lessons from all of gaming and distilling them into a cohesive, compelling whole.
With Fate Core, you'll be able to drive right to the heart of your characters, using simple-yet-deep rules to make the most of those stories. Throughout, you'll use Fate Core's mechanics to model how fiction, not physics, operates, producing an experience that's better than "realistic" -- it's authentic.
After the kickstarter campaign concludes and the game's text, art, and layout are finalized, the PDF of Fate Core will be made available to everyoneon a "pay what you like" scheme. We'll also be selling a printed version of the game, and will use the system to power upcoming games like the Atomic Robo RPG.
Upon publication we'll place near to 100% of the Fate Core text into the Open Gaming License as open content, once again continuing our commitment to supporting third party efforts to build the Fate games everyone wants to see.
In the meantime, as a backer of this Kickstarter campaign, you will get immediate, early access to the laid out text of Fate Core as it currently stands (see the link right below the video). You will have the opportunity to tell us what you think, and help us determine the final shape of the game.
It's an exciting time for Fate, and for Evil Hat, and we hope you'll join us as a backer, a fan, and a member of the Fate community. Let's rock this thing!
cover art by Kurt Komoda
We've set the project timeline on this to the maximum because we want a solid two months for our backers to have a look at the Fate Core preview, give it a whirl, and let us know what they think. We'll be iterating through the feedback you give us in that time to make any necessary tweaks to the text and the layout.
As project funding progresses, we'll continue our efforts to get the art buy and execution put together for Fate Core. At launch time we don't expect to have all of our art done, of course -- but we believe in getting a head start when we can afford to do so. Depending on complexity and speed of execution, art creation and placement into layout may run past the end of the Kickstarter campaign; we're giving it about a month.
Once the art is in and the text and layout are final, we'll charge hard on getting the print run complete. We'll be going with one of our established, fast-on-execution-and-quality domestic book printers for this. Setup and proofing will eat a week; manufacture shouldn't run much longer than a month, if that.
After that point, it's all about shipping, which is probably the most potentially elastic part of our timeline. But we'll be shipping out the copies we owe to all of our backers before we put the book on sale anywhere else.
Signed copies, consultations, and fudge dice will take a bit longer to get out there, due to the added steps involved.
The PDF: As a backer of this project at any level, you'll get immediate access to the early preview PDF (see the link at the top of this page, under the video) before the kickstarter campaign even concludes.The final PDF that will be released after the conclusion of the kickstarter will be available on a "pay-what-you-like" basis -- which includes free for those so inclined. (But folks who don't back this project will have to wait a few months before they'll get to see that.) We're doing this because we want you to see what's already been done -- and for you to get a chance to provide us critical feedback that will improve the game in its final form.
The HARDCOVER Book: Those backing at $30 and higher will receive a6"x9" formatted hardcover, black and white interior version of the Fate Core rule-set, with a page count somewhere in the lower 300 range.
The Digital Expansions: Backers at $10 or higher will get access to adigital expansion pack that starts with a fantasy adventure playable with Fate Core. Our stretch goals on this kickstarter will add more expansionsinto that pack at no additional cost to the backers! The higher we soar, the more awesome the expansion set gets. After the kickstarter concludes, each individual PDF in this expansion pack will sell for about $5 each, so this has a chance of being a real steal.
Fred's Fudge Dice Stash: Folks who pick a reward that includes Fred's Stash will get four fudge dice of one random color (i.e., all four dice will be the same color, and that color will be picked randomly) included with a signed-by-Fred copy of the Fate Core book. The six colors include the three bronze, copper, and gold tones of Grey Ghost Games' Olympic Fudge Diceset, and the translucent red, translucent blue, and glow-in-the-dark yellow-green of the no-longer-availableWizard Fudge Dice set that Evil Hat produced.
Fred's stash includes the largest quantities of the front row pictured here (the Wizard dice), and a smaller number of the back row (the Olympics). We will try to take requests if it seems feasible, but can't offer any guarantees about the color you'll get. Supplies will dictate!
The Consultation: Got a particular thing you want to do with Fate Core for your home game? We'll pair your ideas with an Evil Hat approved expert who will help you sort out your Fate Core implementation for your home game, and will also write up to 2,000 words so you'll have an official reference document to work from. Part of your contribution will be used to pay the experts for their time and wordsmithery. You'll share rights to the document with Evil Hat, or we can simply agree to enter it into the available open content surrounding Fate Core (assuming it's viable for us to do so) -- your call. This will be carried out either by a Skype call or an exchange of emails (or a mix of both), as fits the schedule of those involved. If it turns out your ideas exceed what's feasible in 2,000 words, consider this a starting point rather than a total solution -- but we'll do our best to cover the essentials!
We have a number of stretch goals in mind. Below, we reveal some of the ones that lie ahead. Stay tuned for updates as the project continues to learn of more!
Got the early backer PDF for Deadlands Noir...looks freaking sweet so far. I'll have a review of it after I'm done reading it.
So far, from what I've read it's pretty amazing...It's a 145 page book. Very professional looking.
The default area is New Orleans.New York or Chicago would be a good place to run the game in the Northern States.
The era is the Depression, after the Great War. Changes to bring the game from the Deadlands steampunk/western to a more Noire/Art Deco, include changing Hucksters to Grifters, adding Voodoo, Mad Science evolves to Patent Science, making the weapons look very art deco (like I wanted to do with my Moderne Worlds of 2039.)
The Artwork is gritty, dark deco. Black & White, with red color highlights unify the feel of the art. Many of the people have realistic looks to them. Especially since a lot of the art incorporates backers from the kickstarter if memory serves.
What's Noire without mysteries to solve. The book includes a Mystery generator, not some little one either, this is in depth and should provide dozens of great adventures. And of course since it's Savage Worlds, it's not as likely to be solved with a quick magic spell. Another great thing that since it's Savage Worlds, pulling source material from Weird War II, Realms of Cthulhu, or Rippers is easy, and can make things a lot more interesting.
It's amazing watching kickstarters, seeing which succeed, which fail, and by how much.
It seems games with Miniatures almost always do well. From the 3 million dollar Reaper run to the Judge Dredd MG run, to the Monster Board Game with its gorgeous minis. I know from what I was reading about the Reaper KS, that paying for the initial scuplt/mold is the expensive part, after that giving away plastics is the cheap part...which is why they were able to give out 3 to 1 payback.
Some games are too much, their focus lost, as they try to do too many things at once. They fail due to either unreasonable starting goals.
If I plan to run a KS in the future, I will continue to watch others, see what they do well, why they succeed, why they fail. I takes a lot of work to do it. Best not have it fail. People expect decent stretch goals. Be prepared for that.
So after I saw the Kickstarter for Through the Breach, I was thinking how awesome the Malifaux game really is. So later in the day I actually got some inspiration in part from thinking about Malifaux. I was working on the Weapons for Unleashed, bashing together ideas, writing stuff down, and all of the sudden, looking at the impale property on the spear, it hit me. Make that a triggered effect.
So here's the idea I'm thinking of, using Unleashed 2d10 system, the triggered effects would happen on a double, including the additional dice rolled during a critical. This could easily make the game more dynamic in combat, perhaps you trigger a disarm with your rapier, or bellringer with your mace. You hit and there's an extra effect that happens.
So that's a little bit of how one game can affect the design of another.
Movement.
Yeah, OGL has always had some sticking points with the way I think of the 5 foot rule. 5 foot rule makes perfect sense...for medium creatures with light/no armor. It doesn't make sense for a diminutive creature, it doesn't make sense for a 50 foot giant, and it really doesn't make sense for the monk with the 90 move.
When I did my Xaaon's Monk design during Alpha Pathfinder testing, I corrected the monk, the got an extra 5ft step for every 30 full feet of movement.
Now that I'm doing my own game design I will revisit this sticky point. The manuever will be based on movement and base. A Giant's base is 10ft, thus its step is 10ft. A small creatures base is 2 1/2 feet, so its step will also be 2 1/2 feet. Wait, the squares are all 5ft, how does that work?? Simple, small creatures can move onto the edge or corner of a square, actually anyone can. Watch out for that Colossal Monk, it's Monk's Stride is phenomenal!
Reach will also have something similar. But I'll cover that later.
OK I wasn't going to post another Kickstarter this week, but....OH MY GOD!!! The Malifuax RPG Kickstarter is LIVE!!! Through the Breach Kickstarter
I'm really jazzed that it's coming out. It's already at 95k!!! Which means it will be funded.
Weird thing is, that the minimum buy in is $60. I WISH i could buy in, I'd love the early supporter figure of Miss Terious, who's obviously a member of the Guild, my faction. This is made of awesome, and I expect it to be a magnificent game.
The stretch goals should be coming soon, I don't think they expected to be at 95,000 already, it just came online yesterday.
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A story-driven, roleplaying experience set in Wyrd's world of Malifaux.
Update: We are thrilled to see such an outpouring of support,
and are proud to say Malifaux RPG has become a reality in less than 24
hours since our campaign's launch. We will post campaign updates every day between 4pm and 5pm PST. Additionally, keep an eye out for the many exciting stretch goals we have in mind for you. We will start revealing stretch goals at the conclusion of our Early Supporter "Thank You" period.
As a special "Thank You" to all of our early supporters, if you pledge $60 or more by 5 p.m. PST on Friday evening (11/30), we will include a free Miss Terious miniature for Malifaux at any reward level.
Malifaux is a successful character-driven skirmish game, with a
wide range of detailed miniatures and accessories. The stories of Lady
Justice, Nicodem, Colette DuBois, and many other masters of Malifaux are
told with furious battles on table tops across the globe. Some rise,
some fall, none of these characters have left unscarred. Their fates
have become legend.
Now it is time to determine your fate.
Through the Breach is a tabletop roleplaying game set in the
world of Malifaux. Players take on the roles of various citizens, such
as Gunfighters, Drudges, Dabblers, and Entertainers. Each of these
characters is as unique as the players themselves. These are the Fated.
As a Fated, you know your future, it has been told to you, as cryptic as
the sparrow on a moonless night. It is your task to rush headlong into
the arms of destiny, or to carve your own future.
One player takes on the role of the Fatemaster. It is his duty to
craft the legends of the other players, to narrate the story of Malifaux
in his own vision, and to move each Fated along towards the moment when
they must choose between their fortune and their soul.
Through the Breach is a card-driven RPG, with actions resolved
through the reveal of cards from a communal Fate Deck. Each player,
however, has a Twist Deck of their own, and they can use these cards to
push fate towards their own desires. The Fatemaster, however, relies on
no such randomness. He is the lord of providence, after all. It is his
task to weave a story, and if he dares to touch the Fate Deck… there are
repercussions.
Rather than bury you under a pile of cloth maps and t-shirts, we've
decided to take a new approach. We want to focus all of our production
effort on giving you a few high-production value rewards that we hope
you will treasure for years to come. Instead of swag destined for the
closet, we want to create trophies with reserved places on your shelves.
Access to Preview Forums: Anyone who pledges ($5.00 or more)
will receive special back door access to our Malifaux RPG Preview Forum.
In the Preview Forum, we will post regular development notes, gather
feedback from our community, and issue play tests. The Canon Campaign Raffle at GenCon: Everyone who pledges at
any reward level and also attends GenCon may enter the raffle there to
be a part of our Canon Campaign, run on-site by Mack Martin. The players
in this campaign will help shape the future of Malifaux and their
characters will be entered into canon in an upcoming book. Core Set: Get a soft-cover copy of both the Player's Guide and the Fate Master's Guide. Kickstarter Exclusive RPG Hardcover Book: Both the Player's Guide and the Fate Master's Guide bound together into one hard-cover volume signed by one of the creators. Special Edition Through the Breach Fate Deck: A 54 card deck featuring art and rules specific to the roleplaying game. Male and Female Multi-Pose Minis: These multi-part plastic
kits include weapons, pose, and clothing detail options to allow you to
customize your character's model for use in Through the Breach or the Malifaux skirmish game. Special Edition Malifaux Sculpt - Hannah, Chief Freikorps Archivist: We
haven't even released the rules for this model yet, but we are already
giving you the opportunity to get an exclusive sculpt of her.
Hannah, Chief Freikorps Archivist
Kickstarter Exclusive - The Wicked Doll: This handcrafted Wyrd
inspired doll is ready for play-time. Crafted from 100% new burlap and
cotton material, your new best friend will be individually
hand-stitched and have button and seam lines unique to each doll. No two
Wicked Dolls will be exactly the same and each will come with a
numbered certificate that presents a unique name that no other doll will
possess.
The Wicked Doll, designed by Professor Noxweiler Berf and constructed by Lizzie Dee Designs.
If you pledge $500 or more, we will contact you within one business
day and work out the details of getting you one of the below options.
Each additional $250 pledged will gain you an additional super secret
reward! #1 - Get automatic entry into the Gen Con Canon Campaign. #2 - Get your character drawn and have it included in a RPG book. #3 - Receive your Hannah professionally painted, and have your Kickstarter RPG book signed by the entire team.
When mankind had access to Malifaux magic flowed through the world,
but then the doorway into that world closed. The Breach began to seal in
an otherworldly howl, and as it closed, a single bloody corpse was
unceremoniously thrown through the closing gap. It had a single word
carved into its flesh. “Ours”.
Then the Breach re-opened in 1887. A hundred years had passed, to the
minute. The world had grown accustomed to existence without magic. For a
century, Soulstones had been the rarest commodity Earthside and magic
was slowly dying. Now, the people of Earth could once again reach into
the world of Malifaux.
The first heavily armed explorers through the Breach discovered an
empty city. There were signs of a battle, some of them fresh. The city
was in ruins, but there were no signs of the people who were trapped on
the other side when the Breach closed some hundred years before. No
signs of life at all, except a single corpse, hanging from a tree.
Now there is Conflict. Malifaux is ruled by the interests of powerful
organizations. The Guild was the first to seize power in this world,
establishing a rigid and fascist law that guarantees their control over
the precious Soulstones. Despite their control, the Arcanists have
managed to build a powerful resistance against that oppression and
maintain a black market Soulstone trade. Concerned with the buried
secrets of the past, the grim Resurrectionists loot the City of its
treasures and claim the inheritance of an extinct people, wielding
terrible powers garnered from the grave and forgotten lore. And what
agenda the nightmarish Neverborn seek is unknown, but their presence and
influence are obvious in the terror they sow. But to assume these
forces represent all interests in Malifaux is naïve. Within the tangled
skein of dirty politics in this city, there are many players.
The City of Malifaux
The Guild exists for one reason and one reason only. There is talk of
justice and peace, but these are secondary concerns, byproducts of
their primary interest. The Guild exists to maintain the production of
Malifaux Soulstone above all other things. The citizens abide by Guild
law because it offers some amount of protection, but no one is confused
about the way this force exerts its hold over the City and its
resources. The Guild uses many tools, from the Witch Hunters, to the
Death Marshalls, each suited to dealing with one of Malifaux’s unique
problems.
The Guild’s Witch Hunters have not proven very popular with the
citizens of Malifaux. Every man, woman, and child is viewed with
suspicion by the Guild's enforcers, and even the most minor display of
magical talent can result in unexpected midnight raids. These
individuals are able to do what the common man only dreams of in ragged
thoughts, they spit in the eye of The Guild. Of course, some Arcanists
garner enough power to be untouchable, protected by the Miners &
Steamfitters Union. The Guild does not dare to move against them in
overt ways, as a strike would slow Soulstone production to a halt.
The same cannot be said for those who deal in the necromantic arts.
The name “Resurrectionist” is a cruel joke, amusing only to the twisted
minds of murderers and graverobbers. Resurrectionists reanimate the
dead, but the trade of Resurrectionists results not in a body restored
but a soulless puppet. Their practices are particularly appalling to the
citizens of Malifaux who already must contend with the occupational
dangers of the mines and the nightmare spawn of Neverborn. That some of
the most terrible monsters this world knows are fellow men and women,
former friends and family, is a grim realization.
Crossing the Breach
Those living in Malifaux have more to contend with than just
humanity. There are things that go bump in the night. The creatures that
stalk the ruined city of Malifaux are terrible monsters that brutally
prey on the newly arrived residents of this land. The Neverborn take
many shapes, from the giant winged Nephilim to the small murderous Woes.
Some are deceptively similar in appearance to humans, able to walk
amongst them, and these are by far the most dangerous, as their unknown
designs are far more subtle and far-reaching. Where many Neverborn are
satisfied by grizzly, indulgent murder, these human-looking monsters
wage a campaign of terror on mankind through grand organized raids and
clever attacks on human settlements. They, too, are not above the
occasional indulgent murder.
Lastly, there are the Outcasts. Perhaps they have been rejected by
the power players of Malifaux, or maybe they have their own individual
agenda in the city, those not directly associated with the primary
powers. In a world of desperate convicts, power mad sorcerers, and
blood-thirsty Neverborn, these are the outsiders. The misfits of
misfits, they are the shady characters waiting in the back of the bar to
be offered a job from a non-descript man in a black cloak. They are the
cutthroats and mercenaries, loners and forgotten.
So when I was looking at the upcoming Kickstarters yesterday, I noticed this one.
Monster by Kingdom Death, a Boardgame with some amazing looking miniatures.
Don't worry, I'll be getting back to other posts soon, I started a Kickstarter widget, that will have various RPG/Board/Miniature games listed on it. (including ending dates.)
Well with 17 days remaining, The Saga of Dragon Star Kickstarter is currently at $8,555 of $15,000. so around 60% there. Let's go Gamesmiths!
Two big KS came online in the last day or so...
1st, Fasagames is pushing the 15mm miniature game, 1879. However in addition to the miniature game, they're also pushing the RPG, and an app game. However, they're goal is $300k. That's a lot of scratch, now it is entirely possible to get that, Reaper pulled in over a mil for the Pathfinder line of miniatures...the stretch goals giving people roughly $1000 worth of minis for like $300. Will it succeed? I hope it does, and if it doesn't I hope it doesn't discourage the newly phoenixed FasaGames. The weird thing about their Goals is that they are three separate goal trees. Good Luck FASA Games.
The bigger one is one that a lot of FanBois of Pathfinder are finding extremely attractive. (Not me, I watched the blog for the first couple months, and the EVE-like PvP game they're looking at doing is DEFINITELY not what I want Pathfinder Online to be.) Looking for $1,000,000 to speed up the process of getting it to market. (Though I'm pretty sure the reason they were going with a pre-packaged Engine, was to do just that originally.) The first Kickstarter they ran raised over $300,000...how much will this one raise? Sky's the limit I suppose, but as the game isn't what I'm looking for I won't be Crowdfunding it. But perhaps you want to...Good luck Paizo.
