Hillfolk - Ennies voting

I've been lucky this year to be involved with a lot of cool projects that are seeing some award love. Hillfolk was a chance to work with one of the living legends of RPG design and I got to do it twice with Mafia Century and Encore. Hillfolk is up for both a Diana Jones Award and an Ennie. The decision Diana Jones Award is up to the mysterious council of elders, but the Ennie is up to you, the fashionable gamer. Please consider voting for Hillfolk when you see it as one of the nominees in the voting booth.

Hillfolk - Encore

Thanks to the generous backers of Hillfolk, there are two books full of pitches from some of the biggest and best names in tabletop game design. Pelgrane went farther than that in the Kickstarter. They're releasing a new pitch each month this year. My first pitch, Mafia Century, is part of the main Hillfolk book, which just released as a PDF. My second pitch, Encore, is up this month.

This is a series centered around the jukebox musical. These are musicals that center around an artist's songs, like Mama Mia, or around a specific genre of music, like Rock of Ages. The series follows a cast that criss-crosses the country made up of the dreamers, the has-beens and the never-will-bes. It includes rules for incorporating musical numbers into your game, with suggestions for tables full of karaoke sharks and others who couldn't carry a tune with a Girdle of Giant Strength.

Encore is near and dear to me because I did a lot of theater in high school and college. I made a lot of friends backstage, during rehearsals, at cast parties and beyond. Many of those talented people gave up those dreams when real life called, and a lucky few are on the road or making it work alongside a day job. Many of those folks ended up in the Random Names list as a tip of the hat. Running games allow me to get a small taste of that thrill again, while writing remains my true love.

Hillfolk - Mafia Century

Hillfolk, the Dramasystem RPG by living legend +Robin Laws , is now available for pre-order. Robin generously allowed dozens of designers to pitch additional series for inclusion in the core book as well as the Kickstarter dictated companion, Blood on the Snow. My first contribution, Mafia Century, allows your table to play the rise and fall of an organized crime family throughout the 20th century. My upcoming series pitch, Encore, lets your table tell the stories of a touring musical company, complete with rules for using music at the table. If you missed out on the Kickstarter, now is your chance to pick up two books full of settings, advice and a system built to run TV shows like The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and Boardwalk Empire.

Hillfolk - Encore

In addition to Mafia Century, I have another setting pitch as part of the newly-christened Pitch of the Month club. Encore is a musical drama best described as Glee: The Reality. It centers around a jukebox musical touring around the country. The leads are the dreamers, has-beens and never-will-bes. It's drawn from my experiences as a theater kid in high school and college as well as the experiences of my friends who continued on and tried to make it as performers. I am most excited about the ideas I have for using actual music in the game. but they've got to get $90,000 to get there. Ten bucks gets you two PDFs full of nearly 60 additional settings plus advice from one of the best living game designers out there.

It's a mad rush to the end.

Kickstarter - Hillfolk/Mafia Century

Robin Laws is one of the most influential voices in game design. He recently launched a Kickstarter for his new game Hillfolk, which focuses on drama and intrigue over encumbrance and tactical fighting.
In addition to his titular setting of feuding Iron Age tribes, he is adding Setting Pitches from several amazing game designers as stretch goals for the Kickstarter.

I am excited to announce that my Setting Pitch is the stretch goal for $18,500. The series is called Mafia Century. It details the rise and fall of your character's mob family throughout the last century. Imagine a mob series that begins in the era of Boardwalk Empire and ends in the drug-addled 80's of Goodfellas. It's dynastic, dramatic and I'm itching to work on it.

Click here to go to the Kickstarter and contribute. The higher the Kickstarter goes, the more settings that will be available on launch. And that's not counting another series I may release for the open content license that's already been unlocked.