Kickstarter - CHILL Undead

It's Friday the 13th, so it's time to remind everyone that the latest book for Chill, Undead, is on Kickstarter.

Why is this book cool?

1) +Matthew McFarland  and +Michelle Lyons-McFarland  are good people.

2) The Chill monster books are set up epistolary style, which deliver information but not truth. Even if your players read the entry on a specific type of monster, they won't know its secrets chapter and verse.

3) My entry focuses on the Unknown possessing dead envoys and using them to sow discord within SAVE.

4) The company has a dozen free cases available on its website (mine is here). That's a whole campaign right there, for free, which they add to every time they do a Kickstarter. They've already unlocked two more cases through this campaign and are aiming for three more by the number of backers. That doesn't include the cases in the book or that every monster entry has hooks at the end for using it in your game.

5) CHILL's design hits a sweet spot for me. The percentile system is easy to explain and the light and dark tokens invoke genre while making monster power management a breeze. I like that, when the tokens are all dark, everyone leans forward a bit, waiting for the shoe to drop. It creates a Dread-like tension at the table.

The Kickstarter runs until October 31st, but backing it on a day known for hockey-masked killers and black cats seems like a good call.

Geek & Sundry - Heist RPGs

I love heist stories in case you couldn't guess from my Kickstarter, my most popular RPG blog, or this article about some sweet RPGs for Geek and Sundry.

Geek and Sundry - Vengeance

A game's theme is an important draw. If a game is about something, it needs me to feel like I'm doing that something. That's why I never got into Magic - I never felt like a wizard in a duel.

Vengeance has theme oozing out of every corner of the box. I love how it handles the roaring rampage of revenge genre, so I wrote it up.

Geek and Sundry - Shadow of the Demon Lord

One of the best RPGs from 2015 was this dark fantasy game from one of the developers of D&D. I talk about why I like it over at Geek and Sundry.

Geek and Sundry - Deadlands Kickstarters

One of my favorite RPGs has not one, but two Kickstarters running at the same time!

Geek and Sundry - Tiny Epic Games

I've really come to love this series of games from Gamelyn. Small, fun, but offering plenty of replayability and strategy. They're kickstarting an expansion of Tiny Epic Galaxies, so it seemed like a good time to talk about the whole line.

Kickstarter - Mecha and Monsters

I'm a part of this Kickstarter as a setting for the game. Ever want to play in a world where Monday Night Raw meets Pacific Rim? Back Mecha and Monsters today!

Girls' Heist Out - The Outhousers

We funded the project today. Be sure to click on the link to the left and check out the updates page with information on stretch goals. We'll be adding pages and art prints every 500 bucks from here on out.

Or, read this excellent profile on the project over on The Outhousers.

Girls' Heist Out - Manuela Speaks!

We have a little less than a week to go and about 3K to raise. I am confident we'll hit it, but the sooner the better.

Be sure to back us today by clicking on the link in the video...or the one on the left...or the one right here.

Girls' Heist Out - The Designer Experience

One of the best ways to connect with backers is to offer unique rewards. This can be a tricky part of a Kickstarter, because unique often means higher overhead or delving into additional logistics problems. Early wave Kickstarters were awash in T-shirts, mugs and other traditional promotional items. I didn't do any of those because, quite frankly, there are still some Kickstarters I'm waiting on years after the fact that never got off the ground because that stuff got underfoot. 

I considered talking to the companies I design for to offer PDF packages of the games I've done as rewards. I decided against it for a few reasons. Not everyone would go along with it easily. It seemed counter productive to talk about breaking into comics but reward people with RPG products. Most of the people supporting the Kickstarter likely already own whatever work I've done that they want to own. My licensed work might be a big draw but could get wrapped up in legal issues. Ultimately, much of the work I've done as a designer I don't completely own, which is why I'm doing a creator owned comic in the first place.

But my time, on the other hand...  my time is something that I do own. What my rewards didn't have were that elusive experience one where a backers gets to do something few people rarely get to do. How often do you get a chance to play a game with someone that's made something for the game? The opportunity usually only comes at a convention once or twice a year, if you luck into tickets for the event. Why not offer the people who keep asking how to play Fate or Firefly a chance to see how the pros do it? 

Backers have an opportunity to play in a game that I run over Skype or Hangout which is pretty cool. You can pick from any game that I've worked on in the past fifteen years of my design career. Big or small. Licensed or original. The idea started as a reward tier for international backers who wanted to get a little more than just the digital basics but more and more people have asked me about this reward than any of the others. Outside of the Ella Fitzgerald, which I still can't believe someone took, it's the most unique reward I have for the project, because it offers me as the reward directly.

There are opportunities within these opportunities. The big one is that for backers near me, which the overwhelming majority of my backers are, I'm happy to set up a time and place to run the game in person. Beyond just playing Shadowrun or CAMELOT Trigger, I rarely get a chance to talk design and theory in person and I love doing it. It's why I enjoy hosting D&D&D events at 42 Ale House. Book one of these sessions and you have me as a resource for GM advice, game structure and whatever else you might want to talk about relating to RPGs. 

It's also one of the few rewards you can really share comfortably. Whether that means splitting the cost between your players (which comes out to about what you'd spend for a night at the movies) or picking it up as a gift for your spouse who doesn't get out to game as much anymore.

I'm excited about all the rewards I have to offer, but this one intrigued me the most. Con games are like Christmas presents to me. The backers who book my time and who want to see more of my work make me feel a little like Santa Claus.

Girls' Heist Out runs for the next two weeks on Kickstarter. I hope to see you there.

Girls' Heist Out - Fate Core

While discussing Girls' Heist Out the other day, Fred Hicks asked me a question.

"How would you build the main characters of in Fate Core?"

The project is steeped in gaming because of my background. A few of the characters are adapted from my Leverage RPG series. Manuela Soriani is a fellow Fate alum. Many of the stretch goal artists I worked with on Firefly. And I still get questions about making characters in Fate on a regular basis. So let's look at how I would make the main characters in my comic book.

Let's start with the leader of the gang:

Julia Pryce
High Concept: Glamorous Mastermind
Trouble: Blindsided By Love

Aspects
High Dive Artist
Cool Under Pressure
I Know The Mark Better Than He Knows Himself

Skills:
Good (+3): Expertise
Fair (+2): Rapport,  Notice
Average (+1): Physique, Athletics, Will

Stunts:
Planned Ahead: Once per session, may swap Expertise with any roll to Create an Advantage based on previously established facts involving the mark.
Unflappable: Gain a (+2) bonus on defending against Provoke attacks using Will
Fast Friends: Gain a (+2) bonus to overcome suspicion with a Rapport roll on people you've not met before

She was also recently betrayed by her partner and lover. she's convinced herself she can beat him at his own game, but she might still not see a few twists coming, She's the one who creates advantages on the marks but can also talk her way into and out of trouble.

Onto the muscle:
Dawn Montana

High Concept: Trash-Talking Muscle
Trouble: Punching Above Her Weight

Aspects
Gearhead
Cranky
Not Paid What She's Deserves

Skills:
Good (+3): Fight
Fair (+2): Physique, Provoke
Average (+1): Athletics, Drive, Stealth

Stunts:
Now it's On: Gain a (+2) bonus on attack rolls using Fight when you have at least one stress box checked off.
Hit Me Harder Than That!: Once per session, when you inflict a stress level using Provoke, clear your right most physical stress box off instead.
Exceptional Car Thief: May use Drive instead of Burglary to overcome the security systems on a automobile

Dawn's a heavy hitter but she also likes to psych out her opponents. This is her first job with a crew that's not petty thieves and criminals, so without a proper plan, she can be a bit lost.

Next up, the tech:

Tina Echevarria
High Concept: Punk Hacker
Trouble: Eat The Rich

Aspects
Flirty
Sarcastic
Never Without Her Laptop, Daniel

Skills:
Good (+3): Information
Fair (+2): Investigate, Empathy
Average (+1): Notice, Rapport, Stealth

Stunts:
Daniel Tells Me: Gain a (+2) bonus on create advantage rolls using Information to search the Internet
Ugh, No Back Door Jokes Please: Once per session, may gain access to a secure system while using Daniel
I'm A Lover not a Fighter: Gain a (+2) bonus to create advantages such as Hidden and Diving for Cover.

Tina gets the information for the targets. She has a bit of a Robin Hood bent that brings her into conflict with Dawn and even sometimes Julia. If things get violent, she's more likely to create advantage rather than attach directly.

And finally, the face:

Century Cho
High Concept: Mysterious Grifter
Trouble: Untrustworthy

Aspects
One Hundred Aliases
Stoic
Friends In High And Low Places

Skills:
Good (+3): Deceive
Fair (+2): Contacts, Rapport
Average (+1): Burglary, Will, Empathy

Stunts:
Of Course I'm a Doctor: When Century succeeds with style on a Decieve roll, she may create a Totally Convinced aspect with one free invoke
I'm Sorry, Lover: Century may use Deceive as an attack in the first exchange if the target does not expect it.
Never Flinches: Gain a (+2) bonus to defend fight attack actions

Century slips into a variety of disguises, so nobody really knows her true self. She disappears into identities.

Feel free to use these characters as examples or in one of the many suitable fate worlds. +John Rogers CRIMEWORLD, for example, would be an excellent place for them to live.

Also, if you've ever wanted a chance to play Fate with me (or any of the other games that bear my name) I'm offering Skype games as an add-on to the Kickstarter!

Girls' Heist Out - 40% Funded

After two days, the Kickstarter just hit 40%. That's a great start, but we need to keep moving forward as we enter the slow-but-steady part of the Kickstarter.

We've already had some big names chime in with their support:

We are a Kickstarter Project We Love! Someone on their team loves us.

And we've had some coverage from Milwaukee Record, Comics for Sinners and Comic Bastards.

There is more to come, but we are already closing out the big backer rewards. Click below to get on board.

Girls' Heist Out - Kicktraq

I know Kicktraq is something of a siren song that doesn't really match up well with how a Kickstarter goes. But, for the first day, that song is sure dang catchy.

Girls' Heist Out - Kickstarter Launch

I've been a part of several Kickstarters over the past few years. It is a roller coaster ride to be part of one as a stretch goal or as a team member. But, ultimately, if things don't work out, it's okay because you weren't the maniac who thought it was a good idea to ask the internet for money. Now it's my turn to be the maniac. Girls' Heist Out is a comic project featuring my words and Manuela Soriani's art. It's a crime caper comic inspired by a lot of the research and work I did for this game. Girls' Heist Out features witty banter, exotic locales and four kickass leads looking to get their revenge the best way they know how - by stealing it.

I've gotten great feedback on my script and Manuela's art. I've got coverage lined up from other websites. I have some awesome stretch goal artists lined up. But this is completely out of my comfort zone. I've built my career as a writer carefully picking out handholds and footholds as I climb. Girls' Heist Out is me taking a running jump to land on an entirely different mountain.

If you enjoy reading this blog, please check out Girls' Heist Out, You already know how much I enjoy telling stories. I hope you will help me take the first step into telling them in a different medium.

Girls' Heist Out - Kickstarter Video

All throughout March, I'll be running a Kickstarter for my first creator-owned comic book project. I need funding to pay the artist and print the books. I've uploaded the video here as a preview. The Kickstarter is live right now!

Kickstarter - Codex Infernus

The Kickstarter to my next big project went live today. Codex Infernus adds demons, devils and elements of Hell to your Savage Worlds setting. The bigger the game blows up, the more devilish settings we'll add.

Vampire - Lore of the Clans

Tabletop RPGs have had a long reputation as gatherings of anti-social nerds pretending to be cool in their parent's basement. While I can't exactly refute that claim, I can say that Vampire is the root of several long friendships, important relationships and profession ambitions that shaped who I am today. I got a chance to write the Malkavian segment for Lore of the Clans and I'm so stoked  Vampire helped me realize We're All A Little Mad, and you can see some of my most divine madness here.

Kickstarter - Blades in the Dark

John Harper's design work catches the eye and crams more game in a few pages than some books do in hundreds. His current Kickstarter, Blades in the Dark, expands the industrial fantasy setting first revealed in Ghost Lines to a game featuring crews of scoundrels and miscreants carving out a bloody chunk of turf in the ghost and fog shrouded city of Duskwall.

Not only do you create a character for the game but you also create a sheet for your Crew to track their rise through the underworld. I'm contributing a Crew sheet for Grifters, con artists hustling their way in the shadows through a mix of well-told lies and well-played greed.

I'm excited to work with John on the project. Back today to get in on the rapidly expanding content!

Actual Play - Don't Turn Your Back

Every couple of weeks, the good folks at MKE RPG host an event at +42 Lounge where local geeks get to play some games and drink some drinks. I enjoy the event because it offers an opportunity for me to bust out games from my library. Thanks to the good folks at +Evil Hat Productions , I was able to get my hands on a prototype of their newest board game. Don't Turn Your Back puts players in a war for control of a strange city by pulling Nightmares under their influence. It uses the setting of their classic Don't Rest Your Head RPG.

The game is currently funding on Kickstarter. A short rundown of the game and my thoughts on the game are below the jump. Thanks to +Caleb Andersen , +Mike Holmes  and +Nihar Nilekani for playing the game with me!

Kickstarter - CHILL

Today marks the launch of the CHILL 3rd Edition Kickstarter. Matt McFarland asked me to join the project along with several other very talented writers. CHILL is a modern horror RPG where you play a member of SAVE, a secretive organization dedicated to fighting monsters all over the world. CHILL is beloved by gamers throughout the world and I'm excited to be contributing to its legacy.

Matt McFarland, the evil mastermind behind the CHILL Kickstarter, opened up a new set of reward levels to celebrate the Kickstarter hitting the 50% mark. Back at the Site Surveyor level and we'll work together to select a site for one of the SAVE offices mentioned in the corebook. Want your hometown to play a pivotal role in the battle against the darkness? Think your ex's new city should be riddled with supernatural evil? Back as a Site Surveyor and make it happen.

If you want more information, the Kickstarter is here. Always remember: SAVE Is On Your Side.