Hello There Folks.
A few years ago now, I introduced my group to Old School Hack, and I have to say that all of our lives were changed.
Old School Hack is a 'hack' of a 'hack' of the old Gygax Red Box DnD by Kirin Robinson. Now, OSH is a simple game that you can run with right out of the proverbial box. It's rather rules-light and lets you invoke the wonders of old school fantasy adventures, or in our case pure insanity.
The game itself consists of seven character classes (Fighter, Magic User, Cleric, Their, Elf, Dwarf, and Goblin) and a simple 2d6 dice mechanic with one of the two dice acting as a bonus damage die. Pretty early on I started playing around with making additional classes basses on various DnD classes that have existed through the lines 30 sum odd year (at the time) run. One such class that was created was the Grippli, these awesome little Tree-Frog Men. I got the idea from the illustrious game designer and podcaster Ross Payton and his addition of the Grippli to the player races of DnD 4th Ed.
One of the abilities that I gave to the Grippli class was called "Psycho Sweat." The thought behind this was to mimic some tree frogs natural defense mechanism of secreting a poisonous or bitter coating to themselves.I decided to make it hallucinatory instead of poisonous. It was meant to be something of a utility by working like any other offensive liquid in a fantasy game, s it could be used to coat weapons, armor, etc..
With that info dump out of the way, on to the actual anecdote.
The adventuring party in this instance consisted of a female Fighter, a heavy metal Cleric, a bright eyed Grippli named Skippy, and the worst Mage ever (he modeled his character after Superfluous from Journey Quest).
I set up each adventure using a floating island here heroes and adventurers gathered and used as a hub for compiling parties. If a party took on an adventure, then each member would sign an adventure log. At the time of signing for this adventure the Mage, having been drug along, signed as "FuckingSaveME," instead of his actual name. From that point onward, that's the only way the Cleric would refer to him.
Fast forward to about mid dungeon. The party had just completed an encounter with monsters that escape my memory, The Mage, as per his players portrayal, continuously defamed himself and acted in a cowardly way, even though he killed the last monster with a jet of pressurized milk . I approved, because I knew what he was going for and everyone else was enjoying the interaction. In an effort to cultivate confidence in his comrade the Grippli offer his hand to the Mage for a high-five (in person and in game). As soon as their hands smacked, I heard in a quick yell for the Grippli's player: "PSYCHO SWEAT!"
In that moment we all just stopped. All the side chatter died because everyone was starring at the Grippli with agape mouths, the Mage started to giggle.
From there I let the Mage describe his hallucination. Instead of a terrifying psychedelic trip that we were all expecting, he chose to have the best damn trip ever. The world was no longer big and frightening, the world was now his bitch. At this point he charged ahead of the party taking random doors and shrugging off any ill effects he was encountering.
Then he found the Purple Monkey Knight. That's right, a big purple monkey with a visored knight's helmet and swinging a big damn sword. The Mage and the Monkey Knight traded blows for a good two or three rounds with neither hitting or doing much damage, then the Mage critted.....on everything. He maxed out both die and proceeded to beat the Monkey Knight to death with his staff.
After the combat, his high wore off and he collapsed under his cowardice again.
The entire scene was amazing, there was so much laughing, and I was struggling to actually GM instead of crying due to laughter.
To this day, I'll forever love Old School Hack. I'm a big fan of the absurd and ridiculous a good chunk of the time, as that's part of my fun. When I run OSH for my Krewe, I make it deliver.
Hopefully all you good folks reading this enjoyed that as much as I still do. I'll try and drudge up some more stories from my gaming past to share in the future.
In the mean time, Stay Frosty, Folks.
Old School Hack is a free PDF game by Kirin Robinson that you can download HERE, if your interested. Have fun!
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Working Title: TianXia "Modern"
Hullo again Folks, The Cap'n here.
So on our most recent game night the Cupcake or Death gang started up a game of Tinaxia. You might remember this game from such illustrious posts as: the previous post.
Now, before I get too far into discussing the initial interactions of our Jianghu heroes, I want to mention the liberties that I/We took with the setting. The stock setting is a mythical version of historical China, all we did was move the setting into a more modern age. There's still an Emperor calling the shots and he still has eunuchs and officials / courtesans that want all that glorious power. Jianghu still wander around, and bandits and ruffians still need punching by said Jianghu. All we did was give the world of Shenzhou a different color paint job.
The story begins in Feng-Boa city, the third largest city in the Jiangzhou province. In matching the fictitious cities to the scale of real world cities, I equated the empires capitol as being roughly the size of Tokyo with the emperors palace being a miniature city within, similar to how Vatican City works within Rome. The capitols of the surrounding provinces would vary in sizes depending on the setting future material or personal preference later on. I decided that the capital of Jianzhou, Bao Jiang was roughly the size of Seoul with most all other cities being smaller.
Now we come to my creation for the budding campaign, Feng-Bao City. Roughly the size of Toronto, with a currently undecided number of districts. Two districts were the focus: the Arts district, which was home to artists and many that desire a Bohemian lifestyle with little resistance from those surrounding them, and the southern slum of the Walled city which is modeled after the concept of the Kowloon Walled city.
Beginning the session in the Arts district, we meet the blind swordsman, Princess in Cloud a resident on the top floor of the Wukong's Landing apartment building. We then moved to the Walled city to discover the the transient possessing a near constant state of inebriation, Xisheng and his accomplice/pillow at the time Dasheng. From his closet sized squatters quarters he makes his move to start the day in the only way he would ever consider, in a wine house. For the sake of narrative, the chosen wine house rests across the street from Wukong's Landing.
Due to her extraordinary sense of smell and hearing, mostly smell though, she discovers the drunkard performing for the entertainment of the wine house denizens.
From this chance meeting, Xishen is granted a bath and new clothes, to his disapproval. Following this, a high stakes game of Pinyin (Go in Japan) which results in Xisheng loosing three days worth of his time to Cloud.
We then find out the reasoning for Xisheng's lost time, the Princess in Clouds desires of change of scenery. She has recently detected the signs of her fathers household, and desires to avoid her possible discovery. Thus the move to the Walled City was facilitated.
To culminate the move the Jianghu were the subjects of an attempted accosting at the hands of four degenerate residents seeking to relieve the two of their valuable and/or virtue. The ruffians stood zero chance.
The session drew to a close with Xishing finally finding out that Cloud was blind once a thug had observed it, humorously after Xisheng's repeated attempts to discern this fact throughout the session.
So there you have it folks. a quick summary o the events of what I'm tentatively calling TianXia Modern. I'm still working on the name.
With all of that, I wish all of you dear readers a good day.
Stay Frost
So on our most recent game night the Cupcake or Death gang started up a game of Tinaxia. You might remember this game from such illustrious posts as: the previous post.
Now, before I get too far into discussing the initial interactions of our Jianghu heroes, I want to mention the liberties that I/We took with the setting. The stock setting is a mythical version of historical China, all we did was move the setting into a more modern age. There's still an Emperor calling the shots and he still has eunuchs and officials / courtesans that want all that glorious power. Jianghu still wander around, and bandits and ruffians still need punching by said Jianghu. All we did was give the world of Shenzhou a different color paint job.
The story begins in Feng-Boa city, the third largest city in the Jiangzhou province. In matching the fictitious cities to the scale of real world cities, I equated the empires capitol as being roughly the size of Tokyo with the emperors palace being a miniature city within, similar to how Vatican City works within Rome. The capitols of the surrounding provinces would vary in sizes depending on the setting future material or personal preference later on. I decided that the capital of Jianzhou, Bao Jiang was roughly the size of Seoul with most all other cities being smaller.
Now we come to my creation for the budding campaign, Feng-Bao City. Roughly the size of Toronto, with a currently undecided number of districts. Two districts were the focus: the Arts district, which was home to artists and many that desire a Bohemian lifestyle with little resistance from those surrounding them, and the southern slum of the Walled city which is modeled after the concept of the Kowloon Walled city.
Beginning the session in the Arts district, we meet the blind swordsman, Princess in Cloud a resident on the top floor of the Wukong's Landing apartment building. We then moved to the Walled city to discover the the transient possessing a near constant state of inebriation, Xisheng and his accomplice/pillow at the time Dasheng. From his closet sized squatters quarters he makes his move to start the day in the only way he would ever consider, in a wine house. For the sake of narrative, the chosen wine house rests across the street from Wukong's Landing.
Due to her extraordinary sense of smell and hearing, mostly smell though, she discovers the drunkard performing for the entertainment of the wine house denizens.
From this chance meeting, Xishen is granted a bath and new clothes, to his disapproval. Following this, a high stakes game of Pinyin (Go in Japan) which results in Xisheng loosing three days worth of his time to Cloud.
We then find out the reasoning for Xisheng's lost time, the Princess in Clouds desires of change of scenery. She has recently detected the signs of her fathers household, and desires to avoid her possible discovery. Thus the move to the Walled City was facilitated.
To culminate the move the Jianghu were the subjects of an attempted accosting at the hands of four degenerate residents seeking to relieve the two of their valuable and/or virtue. The ruffians stood zero chance.
The session drew to a close with Xishing finally finding out that Cloud was blind once a thug had observed it, humorously after Xisheng's repeated attempts to discern this fact throughout the session.
So there you have it folks. a quick summary o the events of what I'm tentatively calling TianXia Modern. I'm still working on the name.
With all of that, I wish all of you dear readers a good day.
Stay Frost
Thursday, January 29, 2015
I'm Feeling a Bit Wuxia
Hello there Folks it's The Cap'n here.
And I would like to a moment to talk to you (yes, you there with the hair and the face) about your saviors Fong Sai-Yuk, Wong Fei-Hung, and even Pai Mei (if your into that sort of thing).
I know, I know Pai Mei is anything but a savior. He's more the type you need to be saved from, and as Kill Bill taught us "Pai Mei hated Caucasians, Japanese and Americans, in addition to being contemptuous to women."
Kill Bill and Executioners from Shaolin aside, lets get this show on the road.
Today we're gonna be chatting about a little game Called Tianxia: Blood, Silk & Jade, powered by FATE Core.
The world has been introduced to Tianxia: Blood, Silk & Jade thanks to a successful Kickstarter by Jack Norris that wrapped up on 11.18.13.
Per the 'History Of' section of the Kickstarter, Tianxia, or Four Kingdoms as it was originally titled, started out in 2000 with its own system that bore similarity to Robin Laws' Feng Shui. The game was play tested and ready to go. Saddly the funding and time needed to get it released wasn't there, so the property wasn't able to be published. Hop and skip to 2012 the Moon, the Sun and the 108 Stars all aligned to combine Four Kingdoms, FATE Core and Kickstarter together and create TianXia.
If your familiar with the mechanics of FATE Core or any other FATE systems, then the game mechanics are fairly routine with Aspects, Skills, stunts and Refresh. Tianxia does however have its own new qualities, the 'Chi' Skill and mechanics for Kung Fu. The mechanics for Kung fu fighting grant players a 'Form' based on their characters personal style and preference; this 'Form' work similar to an Aspect by granting a +2 to attacks for the low low cost of a FATE Point, however players can gain free invocations when their attack are successful but don't cause any sort of damage (i.e. if the opponent blocks or dodges). Techniques from the Various sub-styles can be activated in different ways, but mostly if you find yourself under specific circumstances, but these circumstances vary from technique to technique. The Chi Skill works in its own way as well. It can be used to create an armor aspect for a character as well as allowing recovery from poison and sensing other with Chi (similar to DBZ). Just a quick disclaimer, if I'm misinterpreting the rules, someone please tell me.
The world for players Wuxia adventures is Shenzhou, a "China that never quite was," as described by the creator Jack Norris. If you've ever watched any of the old Shaw Brothers films, you understand what Jack is saying. Just like most western fantasy setting are merely Britain or France with the name filed off and a hand full of other changes.
While the world for Tianxia is Shenzhou, the setting itself is the province of Jiangzhou, the titular land of Blood, Silk & Jade. Jiangzhou is the western province of the realm, it is also the westernmost border of Shenzhou. Being something of a borderlands Jiangzhou can be a wild and dangerous place due to vagrants, transient, and all other means of travelers traversing the trade routs that run through the province. A perfect place for Jianghu, or warriors of the Wuxia/Kung Fu Genre.
Based on theunlocked stretch goals for future releases, the other provinces will be covered in-depth in due time.
With all of the great material in the book, I have to take a moment to appreciate the presentation.
I love this book, from layout to art and content. It's all wonderful.
My favorite part is the section with the iconic characters portrayed in the numerous pieces of artwork spread throughout the book. Each character gets a page or two detailing their stats, back-story and each has awesome art of the character.
They detail other NPCs throughout the setting section as well, each with the same detail that the pre-gens get, but with a slightly different focus on the artwork. Still amazing though.
All of that thanks to Jack Norris (Content), Daniel Solis (Layout) and Denise Jones (Art) Of course there are other involved, there always are. I thank everyone at Vigilance Press and everyone involved with this game and its production, especially the Kickstarter backers (like myself).
===============================================================
Xisheng - Serving as the sacrificial lamb for his parents prosperity, he was given over to the Cult of Bian Fu, Lord of the Black Flame. Xisheng was raised in torture by the cult, with the intention of eventually sacrificing him (like basting a turkey but with fear and pain). Finally finding the oportune moment, he escaped and ultimately found a home with a Drunken Master of Ghost Monkey Kung Fu.
Since that time he has been doing everything he can to live life to its fullest, because all the while the cult is hunting him and he will be given to Bian Fu. Drunken Master meets Dororo.
Iron Gui - Cooking runs deep in Gui's blood. One of the children of a prolific family Noodle restaurant, his life has given him a strong body and an even stronger sense of right and wrong. when ruffians come calling, Gui is always there to show them the door. While not in his blood, he has taken up the endeavor of learning Iron Crane Kung Fu to better protect those around him. Kung Fu Panda meets Tetsu Shib from the manga Pastel.
Tianxia mean "All Under Heaven." Quite a lofty title I know, but based on not only what has been provided but whats coming down the Silk Road, I think its appropriate.
That's been my rant about this wonderful book and such from Vigilance press. so go check 'em out.
Currently Vigilance Press has three products out for Tianxia: Blood, Silk & Jade, all of which you can find at Drive Thru RPG.
Good Gaming Folks.
And as always,
Stay Frosty
And I would like to a moment to talk to you (yes, you there with the hair and the face) about your saviors Fong Sai-Yuk, Wong Fei-Hung, and even Pai Mei (if your into that sort of thing).
I know, I know Pai Mei is anything but a savior. He's more the type you need to be saved from, and as Kill Bill taught us "Pai Mei hated Caucasians, Japanese and Americans, in addition to being contemptuous to women."
Kill Bill and Executioners from Shaolin aside, lets get this show on the road.
Today we're gonna be chatting about a little game Called Tianxia: Blood, Silk & Jade, powered by FATE Core.
The world has been introduced to Tianxia: Blood, Silk & Jade thanks to a successful Kickstarter by Jack Norris that wrapped up on 11.18.13.
Per the 'History Of' section of the Kickstarter, Tianxia, or Four Kingdoms as it was originally titled, started out in 2000 with its own system that bore similarity to Robin Laws' Feng Shui. The game was play tested and ready to go. Saddly the funding and time needed to get it released wasn't there, so the property wasn't able to be published. Hop and skip to 2012 the Moon, the Sun and the 108 Stars all aligned to combine Four Kingdoms, FATE Core and Kickstarter together and create TianXia.
If your familiar with the mechanics of FATE Core or any other FATE systems, then the game mechanics are fairly routine with Aspects, Skills, stunts and Refresh. Tianxia does however have its own new qualities, the 'Chi' Skill and mechanics for Kung Fu. The mechanics for Kung fu fighting grant players a 'Form' based on their characters personal style and preference; this 'Form' work similar to an Aspect by granting a +2 to attacks for the low low cost of a FATE Point, however players can gain free invocations when their attack are successful but don't cause any sort of damage (i.e. if the opponent blocks or dodges). Techniques from the Various sub-styles can be activated in different ways, but mostly if you find yourself under specific circumstances, but these circumstances vary from technique to technique. The Chi Skill works in its own way as well. It can be used to create an armor aspect for a character as well as allowing recovery from poison and sensing other with Chi (similar to DBZ). Just a quick disclaimer, if I'm misinterpreting the rules, someone please tell me.
The world for players Wuxia adventures is Shenzhou, a "China that never quite was," as described by the creator Jack Norris. If you've ever watched any of the old Shaw Brothers films, you understand what Jack is saying. Just like most western fantasy setting are merely Britain or France with the name filed off and a hand full of other changes.
While the world for Tianxia is Shenzhou, the setting itself is the province of Jiangzhou, the titular land of Blood, Silk & Jade. Jiangzhou is the western province of the realm, it is also the westernmost border of Shenzhou. Being something of a borderlands Jiangzhou can be a wild and dangerous place due to vagrants, transient, and all other means of travelers traversing the trade routs that run through the province. A perfect place for Jianghu, or warriors of the Wuxia/Kung Fu Genre.
Based on theunlocked stretch goals for future releases, the other provinces will be covered in-depth in due time.
With all of the great material in the book, I have to take a moment to appreciate the presentation.
My favorite part is the section with the iconic characters portrayed in the numerous pieces of artwork spread throughout the book. Each character gets a page or two detailing their stats, back-story and each has awesome art of the character.
They detail other NPCs throughout the setting section as well, each with the same detail that the pre-gens get, but with a slightly different focus on the artwork. Still amazing though.
All of that thanks to Jack Norris (Content), Daniel Solis (Layout) and Denise Jones (Art) Of course there are other involved, there always are. I thank everyone at Vigilance Press and everyone involved with this game and its production, especially the Kickstarter backers (like myself).
===============================================================
Recently the Cupcake of Death Krewe decide to try out Tianxia. So, our last session consisted of creating Jianghu heroes for the players. We used a recently released tool for character creation called the Path of Destiny which, if your familiar with the idea, is a life path generator. For those not in the know, A Life-Path Generator is essential a random roll table that makes creating a character truly unique. Using the Path of Destiny, did go the random roll rout for most of the way, but chose to pick from the available options for some of the stages.
Currently the group consists of (names may change before first session):
Princess in Cloud - A blind swordsman from a noble house. While thought to be an invalid by her father, who planned to marry her off as quickly as possible for a business alliance, she has made her "disability" her strength by sneaking out on numerous occasions to learn her art of Storm Dragon Kung Fu. Currently she is traveling the world, having run away due to the repulsion that she feels toward her future husband and by extension her father. Think Zatoichi (from Samurai film fame) combined with Toph Bei Fong (from Avatar: TLA).
Xisheng - Serving as the sacrificial lamb for his parents prosperity, he was given over to the Cult of Bian Fu, Lord of the Black Flame. Xisheng was raised in torture by the cult, with the intention of eventually sacrificing him (like basting a turkey but with fear and pain). Finally finding the oportune moment, he escaped and ultimately found a home with a Drunken Master of Ghost Monkey Kung Fu.
Since that time he has been doing everything he can to live life to its fullest, because all the while the cult is hunting him and he will be given to Bian Fu. Drunken Master meets Dororo.
Iron Gui - Cooking runs deep in Gui's blood. One of the children of a prolific family Noodle restaurant, his life has given him a strong body and an even stronger sense of right and wrong. when ruffians come calling, Gui is always there to show them the door. While not in his blood, he has taken up the endeavor of learning Iron Crane Kung Fu to better protect those around him. Kung Fu Panda meets Tetsu Shib from the manga Pastel.
Tianxia mean "All Under Heaven." Quite a lofty title I know, but based on not only what has been provided but whats coming down the Silk Road, I think its appropriate.
That's been my rant about this wonderful book and such from Vigilance press. so go check 'em out.
Currently Vigilance Press has three products out for Tianxia: Blood, Silk & Jade, all of which you can find at Drive Thru RPG.
Good Gaming Folks.
And as always,
Stay Frosty
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
We're Not Dead..... Yet
Ahoy there Folks,
Sorry to have taken such a long .... break, yeah we'll go with break.
I'm here to take a moment to let anyone and everyone that we're still kicking and as alive as we can be. I would say we have some awesome content coming down the pipe for you, but that'd be a damn lie. We here at Cupcake or Death Gaming prefer to fly by the seats of our respective and collective pants and throw caution and reason to the wind.
Or something like that.
I / we will do our best to be more present in the future, and provide you with creamy table-top gaming goodness.
Now please enjoy the following video that has not been pre-selected before this entry was typed up.
Sorry to have taken such a long .... break, yeah we'll go with break.
I'm here to take a moment to let anyone and everyone that we're still kicking and as alive as we can be. I would say we have some awesome content coming down the pipe for you, but that'd be a damn lie. We here at Cupcake or Death Gaming prefer to fly by the seats of our respective and collective pants and throw caution and reason to the wind.
Or something like that.
I / we will do our best to be more present in the future, and provide you with creamy table-top gaming goodness.
Now please enjoy the following video that has not been pre-selected before this entry was typed up.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Lets Talk about Genre: Cyberpunk
Good Morning Good Readers,
Before I get this whole shibaaz started, I want to take a moment to remember the now past Robin Williams. He was damn funny and has had an influence on me since my childhood, which is something I believe I share with numerous others from my generation. Regardless of the way or reasons for his passing, he will be missed.
Okay, now that respects have been paid, lets move to the topic at hand: Cyberpunk as a gaming genre.
To start we'll take a gander at the general "definition" of the Term: Cyberpunk is a sub-genre of science fiction in a near-future setting. Noted for its focus on "high tech and low life."
In fiction this genre, or sub-genre if you prefer, often uses tropes from detective novels and noir films. This, in my mind, seems to make Cyberpunk not only an extension of science fiction, but also an evolution of Detective/Crime fiction. The subject matter of most stories often involve illegal gain and use of controlled paraphernalia, be it drugs, cybernetics, or even people, as well as the struggle against or within massive Mega-Corporations. If you put all of these characteristics in a pot and stir, on average you get the following: A lone wolf type individual (often a Merc, hacker, ex-cop or even a disillusioned gang member) wading through waves of Neon monitor glow and seedy individuals while investigating either a misuse of advanced tech (drugs or actual tech) or searching for a missing person (usually a victim of misused tech), which then turns out to be the fault of a Mega-Corp.
While Cyberpunk literature and film can be as predictable as its ancestral Noir relatives, Cyberpunk gaming can take an entirely different approach or just fall in line.
People that play in the Cyberpunk sandbox do so for various reasons, and they each have a different take on the genre. Some play up the advanced technology angle, looking at ingenious ways of re-purposing technology that is just a day away from the modern world or by exploring the consequences abusing the very same tech. Other focus on the interaction between humans in a land of Neon glow and ubiquitous WiFi (in the 80's it would be invasive wires), how do you look a people when you can know all about them in a manner or seconds, what do you do when you can't.
Personally, I dig the idea of just surviving in the strange land of insanely tall building, advanced tech and dark skies. What do you / will you do to survive in the futuristic yet familiar urban jungle. As was aptly said by Mike Pondsmith of R. Talsorian, "The streets find a use for everything."
Now for some games!
Cyberpunk 2020:
This is the granddaddy of Cyberpunk role-playing games. It's in the name after all. The first edition was originally published in 1988 as Cyberpunk 2013, two years following, the second edition Cyberpunk 2020 was released. While both games have respective year tags as part of their names, both are generally referred to as simply "Cyberpunk." The second edition not only sported a seven year hop forward, but also involved a retcon in the games timeline to accommodate real world events that took place between the two editions.
As was the mentality of the time, both editions used 80's elements such as the Glam-rock scene (Bowie), Bosozoku styled biker gangs (Akira), and a general sense of "style over substance."
Mechanically, Cyberpunk had a focus on combat over the other aspects of the game (much like most games from the 80's). But I mean, come on, bad ass future guns and cybernetics were all the theoretical rage some 20+ years ago..... well, they kinda still are.
The primary setting (at least for 2020) is Night City, CA. located on the west coast between San Francisco and L.A. Night City is the prototypical Cyberpunk city, towering buildings so tall that the streets see no light from the son with neon signs illuminating these same streets. Oh yeah, and all the Mega-Corp denizens you could want in said ridiculously tall buildings.
Recently an new edition was announced along with a video game, both with no discernible release date. Hello Cyberpunk 2077.
Moving on.
Shadowrun:
Okay, so follow me on this one. Take the crunchy metallic chocolate bar that is cyberpunk, now dip it in the creamy peanut butter that is D&D. BOOM you've got Shadowrun, two great tastes that taste great together. That's right fantasy races and magic AND cyberpunk all in one special special place.
The world of Shadowrun is somewhat similar to our own, borders have changed and so has some of the topography, but ultimately cities and countries are located where they are now abut now there are giant building and advanced tech glued onto everything. Despite the similarity in the "world" magic, elves & such, and dragons have reemerged onto the planet. So yeah, you can be an Orc Street Mage with cybernetic prosthesis, totally wicked.
Currently Shadowrun is in it's Fifth Edition
Personally, I love Shadowrun. It has a propensity for true insanity and as of the fourth edition, the most effective weapon in the game is a Van... That's right a van. Run some imaginary assholes over.
GURPS Cyberpunk:
Originally published in 1990, This one isn't so much a full game as it is just a tool kit rules set for doing cyberpunk in GURPS.
An interesting tidbit about this one, the original manuscript was seized by the secret service as part of Operation Sundevil, stating that the book was a "handbook for computer crime."
There are a few other cyberpunk games out there in the ether, but most all other that Shadowrun have gone by the wayside and are either hard to find or straight up unavailable, although R. Talsorian has popped back up, as I mentioned before, with Cyberpunk 2077. Too bad we have no idea when that till be released.
So there we are. It's not the most in-depth look into Cyberpunk as genre of gaming, but I was a loo into it. Cyberpunk is one of my favorite genres, but sadly my only experience has been Shadowrun. So I can't really tell you how amazing this game is or how much fun I had playing that one.
If nothing else, this entry will serve to expand your horizons and/or pique your interest about Cyberpunk.
If you dear reader(s) are interested here are short lists of books and movies to check out.
Film
Blade Runner (1982)
Escape from New York (1981)
Robocop 1 & 2 (1987, 1990)
Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
Total Recall (Both, 1990 & 2012)
The Fifth Element (1997)
Dredd (2012)
Judge Dredd (1995)
The Island (2005)
The Matrix Trilogy
Ghost in the Shell (all)
Akira (1988)
Books & Graphic Novels
The Sprawl Trilogy by William Gibson
Akira (GN) by Katsuhiro Otomo
Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shiro
Here we are again, at the end of another post.
Take it easy folks.
Stay Frosty
Before I get this whole shibaaz started, I want to take a moment to remember the now past Robin Williams. He was damn funny and has had an influence on me since my childhood, which is something I believe I share with numerous others from my generation. Regardless of the way or reasons for his passing, he will be missed.
Okay, now that respects have been paid, lets move to the topic at hand: Cyberpunk as a gaming genre.
To start we'll take a gander at the general "definition" of the Term: Cyberpunk is a sub-genre of science fiction in a near-future setting. Noted for its focus on "high tech and low life."
In fiction this genre, or sub-genre if you prefer, often uses tropes from detective novels and noir films. This, in my mind, seems to make Cyberpunk not only an extension of science fiction, but also an evolution of Detective/Crime fiction. The subject matter of most stories often involve illegal gain and use of controlled paraphernalia, be it drugs, cybernetics, or even people, as well as the struggle against or within massive Mega-Corporations. If you put all of these characteristics in a pot and stir, on average you get the following: A lone wolf type individual (often a Merc, hacker, ex-cop or even a disillusioned gang member) wading through waves of Neon monitor glow and seedy individuals while investigating either a misuse of advanced tech (drugs or actual tech) or searching for a missing person (usually a victim of misused tech), which then turns out to be the fault of a Mega-Corp.
While Cyberpunk literature and film can be as predictable as its ancestral Noir relatives, Cyberpunk gaming can take an entirely different approach or just fall in line.
People that play in the Cyberpunk sandbox do so for various reasons, and they each have a different take on the genre. Some play up the advanced technology angle, looking at ingenious ways of re-purposing technology that is just a day away from the modern world or by exploring the consequences abusing the very same tech. Other focus on the interaction between humans in a land of Neon glow and ubiquitous WiFi (in the 80's it would be invasive wires), how do you look a people when you can know all about them in a manner or seconds, what do you do when you can't.
Personally, I dig the idea of just surviving in the strange land of insanely tall building, advanced tech and dark skies. What do you / will you do to survive in the futuristic yet familiar urban jungle. As was aptly said by Mike Pondsmith of R. Talsorian, "The streets find a use for everything."
Now for some games!
This is the granddaddy of Cyberpunk role-playing games. It's in the name after all. The first edition was originally published in 1988 as Cyberpunk 2013, two years following, the second edition Cyberpunk 2020 was released. While both games have respective year tags as part of their names, both are generally referred to as simply "Cyberpunk." The second edition not only sported a seven year hop forward, but also involved a retcon in the games timeline to accommodate real world events that took place between the two editions.
As was the mentality of the time, both editions used 80's elements such as the Glam-rock scene (Bowie), Bosozoku styled biker gangs (Akira), and a general sense of "style over substance."
Mechanically, Cyberpunk had a focus on combat over the other aspects of the game (much like most games from the 80's). But I mean, come on, bad ass future guns and cybernetics were all the theoretical rage some 20+ years ago..... well, they kinda still are.
The primary setting (at least for 2020) is Night City, CA. located on the west coast between San Francisco and L.A. Night City is the prototypical Cyberpunk city, towering buildings so tall that the streets see no light from the son with neon signs illuminating these same streets. Oh yeah, and all the Mega-Corp denizens you could want in said ridiculously tall buildings.
Recently an new edition was announced along with a video game, both with no discernible release date. Hello Cyberpunk 2077.
Moving on.
Shadowrun:
Okay, so follow me on this one. Take the crunchy metallic chocolate bar that is cyberpunk, now dip it in the creamy peanut butter that is D&D. BOOM you've got Shadowrun, two great tastes that taste great together. That's right fantasy races and magic AND cyberpunk all in one special special place.The world of Shadowrun is somewhat similar to our own, borders have changed and so has some of the topography, but ultimately cities and countries are located where they are now abut now there are giant building and advanced tech glued onto everything. Despite the similarity in the "world" magic, elves & such, and dragons have reemerged onto the planet. So yeah, you can be an Orc Street Mage with cybernetic prosthesis, totally wicked.
Currently Shadowrun is in it's Fifth Edition
Personally, I love Shadowrun. It has a propensity for true insanity and as of the fourth edition, the most effective weapon in the game is a Van... That's right a van. Run some imaginary assholes over.
GURPS Cyberpunk:
Originally published in 1990, This one isn't so much a full game as it is just a tool kit rules set for doing cyberpunk in GURPS.
An interesting tidbit about this one, the original manuscript was seized by the secret service as part of Operation Sundevil, stating that the book was a "handbook for computer crime."
There are a few other cyberpunk games out there in the ether, but most all other that Shadowrun have gone by the wayside and are either hard to find or straight up unavailable, although R. Talsorian has popped back up, as I mentioned before, with Cyberpunk 2077. Too bad we have no idea when that till be released.
So there we are. It's not the most in-depth look into Cyberpunk as genre of gaming, but I was a loo into it. Cyberpunk is one of my favorite genres, but sadly my only experience has been Shadowrun. So I can't really tell you how amazing this game is or how much fun I had playing that one.
If nothing else, this entry will serve to expand your horizons and/or pique your interest about Cyberpunk.
If you dear reader(s) are interested here are short lists of books and movies to check out.
Film
Blade Runner (1982)
Escape from New York (1981)
Robocop 1 & 2 (1987, 1990)
Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
Total Recall (Both, 1990 & 2012)
The Fifth Element (1997)
Dredd (2012)
Judge Dredd (1995)
The Island (2005)
The Matrix Trilogy
Ghost in the Shell (all)
Akira (1988)
Books & Graphic Novels
The Sprawl Trilogy by William Gibson
Akira (GN) by Katsuhiro Otomo
Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shiro
Here we are again, at the end of another post.
Take it easy folks.
Stay Frosty
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Review Time: Accursed
Good Day once again.
So last time we took a look at a game that was still in its funding stages. Today we're gonna pay attention to a very wonderful game that is.
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I first became aware of Accursed through the fine fellows of Role Playing Public Radio, and once I sunk my proverbial fangs into the project I was hooked. Sadly, I missed the Kickstarter for this project, but I have been keeping up with each and every release to date. All of which can be found HERE.
So, what is Accursed? And why in the hell should we care... at all?
I'm glad you asked.
Accursed is a setting for the wonderful Savage Worlds role playing rules system, which you should totally check out if you haven't already. I mean come on, you used playing cards for initiative... how awesome is that! Now, on to the fluff and excitement!
Players take the role of the Accursed or Witchmarked, denizens of the Lands of Morden that have been turned into monstrous being through some means or another, but generally the Witches did it. These Witchmarked stand as the primary opposition to the Witches of the Grand Coven and their armies of monsters as well as some assholes that are just prejudice against the Accursed.
Here is the "Cliffsnotes" version of the setting history:
Each of the Witchbreeds parallels on of the traditional "monsters" that we have come to know and love over the years. Lets get a gander.
The Dhampir: These are you Vampire types, and the type to most easily pass for a "normal" human. They're charming and fast... oh yeah and they crave blood, but that's to be expected.
The Golem: Here we have the Frankenstein's Monster type. Composite creatures of flesh, bone, wood, etc and brought back to life through arcane formula. Physically these guys are slow, but rather powerful. And they're extremely flammable. One of my favorites.
The Mongrels: To make it simple, they're people with animal parts grafted on. Their abilities are the most physically varied, as the grafted parts can grant a number of different benefits from Gorilla arms granting tremendous strength to Owl's eyes for seeing at night.They also live in a constant state of pain due to their non-standard replacement parts.
The Mummies: They're Mummies, I don't know what else you really need to know as far a a type is concerned. Mummies require rest "in" their sarcophagi daily; to get around that they mad their sarcophagi into armor capable of incredible offense and deference. they're also pretty good at Alchemy.
The Ophidians: Snake People!! They're poisonous and slippery, perfect for assassins. Too bad they're being eaten from inside by their own venom.
The Revenants: ZOMBIES! They feel no pain, and all their obsession is the deaths of the Witches. I thought it was interesting that the creators took the Black Cauldron approach in the genesis of the Revenants.
The Shades: These are Ghost people. They're half in and half out. They can pass through wall but damn are they creepy. And they can't pass salt lines. As they're rather "spirited" Shades are naturals with Witchcraft.
The Vargr: Lastly we have the Werewolf-ish sorts. A pretty standard package including a bestial form, enhanced senses and natural weapons. Their downside being the amount of food they must eat to keep up their strength.
The book itself gives a much more effective run-down of the eight breeds, but I will say that the Ophidians and The Shades feel a little tacked on. But that's to be expected as I believe they were the last two breed to be created and put into the game. They're still cool, though.
Aside from the variety of "creature" that can be played, my favorite aspect of the game is the Acceptance / Rejection mechanic. Player can either accept their monstrous nature or reject it. This mechanic is actually out of the hands of the players as far a any stat change is concerned, leaving it up to the GM to pay attention to their players and their actions and motivations.
The world itself is rather interesting. The Lands/Countries that make up Morden are mostly parallels of real world countries where the original tales came from, you just have to read into things a bit. The write ups for each country don't always feel like they're giving you every detail, thus leaving players and GMs to fill in the blanks. Seriously, the map only has a handful of cities and the capital cities of each country. In the two sessions that I've run so far, every location (town or otherwise) has been original to my version of Morden. To be honest I really like that.
For those familiar with Savage World already, the skill listing has been cut down but combining some skills into one i.e. Climbing and Swimming are now Athletics. I can't think of any issue this would cause, it's just less skills to remember.
Again, other than a change here and there the system runs pretty standard to the stock Savage Worlds rules.
I will throw in this little tidbit: although the setting book says you need the SW Horror Companion, you don't really need it. There are four total hinderances and edges from the Horror Companion that are included i. Accursed lists as well as spell, but that's about it.
To be frank and very honest, the one aspect I love about Accursed is that it feels almost like Castlevania the Role Playing Game. I don't even care if that causes you to loose any interest interest. Accursed is an awesome Dark Fantasy setting.
So far the Cupcake or Death Krewe have played two sessions. So I can't speak much on the long game at present.
So here's the score:
If you like Dark Fantasy, the traditional Universal monster + a few more, and the feel of the Castlevaia franchise then you'll probably dig Accursed from Melior Via.
That's all I got for yo fine folks for now.
As always,
Stay Frosty
So last time we took a look at a game that was still in its funding stages. Today we're gonna pay attention to a very wonderful game that is.
I first became aware of Accursed through the fine fellows of Role Playing Public Radio, and once I sunk my proverbial fangs into the project I was hooked. Sadly, I missed the Kickstarter for this project, but I have been keeping up with each and every release to date. All of which can be found HERE.
So, what is Accursed? And why in the hell should we care... at all?
I'm glad you asked.
Accursed is a setting for the wonderful Savage Worlds role playing rules system, which you should totally check out if you haven't already. I mean come on, you used playing cards for initiative... how awesome is that! Now, on to the fluff and excitement!
Players take the role of the Accursed or Witchmarked, denizens of the Lands of Morden that have been turned into monstrous being through some means or another, but generally the Witches did it. These Witchmarked stand as the primary opposition to the Witches of the Grand Coven and their armies of monsters as well as some assholes that are just prejudice against the Accursed.
Here is the "Cliffsnotes" version of the setting history:
- 50 years prior to the current time line The Grand Coven invaded the lands of Morden, bringing with them the hoards of mercenaries and monsters that comprised their respective armies.
- The denizens of the various kingdoms/countries of Morden put aside most of the prejudice and quarrels they might have had in order to combat the Witches and their armies. This became know as the Grand coven War, and the alliance was known as the Army of Light.
- The Witches began turning the citizenry of Morden into monstrous Shock Troops to assist in their eventual conquer of the Lands. These are the Witchmarked.
- It wasn't a typo or grammatical error, it really was eventual.
- Despite their best efforts, the Army of Light was crushed. But they put up a good fight.... just not good enough.
- During and after the Grand Coven War those Witchmarked that retained a Will of their own decided that (in my words) "this bitch made me a monster, fuck that shit and fuck her and her stupid face." These Witchmarked are the titular Accursed that players portray.
Each of the Witchbreeds parallels on of the traditional "monsters" that we have come to know and love over the years. Lets get a gander.
The Dhampir: These are you Vampire types, and the type to most easily pass for a "normal" human. They're charming and fast... oh yeah and they crave blood, but that's to be expected.
The Golem: Here we have the Frankenstein's Monster type. Composite creatures of flesh, bone, wood, etc and brought back to life through arcane formula. Physically these guys are slow, but rather powerful. And they're extremely flammable. One of my favorites.
The Mongrels: To make it simple, they're people with animal parts grafted on. Their abilities are the most physically varied, as the grafted parts can grant a number of different benefits from Gorilla arms granting tremendous strength to Owl's eyes for seeing at night.They also live in a constant state of pain due to their non-standard replacement parts.
The Mummies: They're Mummies, I don't know what else you really need to know as far a a type is concerned. Mummies require rest "in" their sarcophagi daily; to get around that they mad their sarcophagi into armor capable of incredible offense and deference. they're also pretty good at Alchemy.
The Ophidians: Snake People!! They're poisonous and slippery, perfect for assassins. Too bad they're being eaten from inside by their own venom.
The Revenants: ZOMBIES! They feel no pain, and all their obsession is the deaths of the Witches. I thought it was interesting that the creators took the Black Cauldron approach in the genesis of the Revenants.
The Shades: These are Ghost people. They're half in and half out. They can pass through wall but damn are they creepy. And they can't pass salt lines. As they're rather "spirited" Shades are naturals with Witchcraft.
The Vargr: Lastly we have the Werewolf-ish sorts. A pretty standard package including a bestial form, enhanced senses and natural weapons. Their downside being the amount of food they must eat to keep up their strength.
The book itself gives a much more effective run-down of the eight breeds, but I will say that the Ophidians and The Shades feel a little tacked on. But that's to be expected as I believe they were the last two breed to be created and put into the game. They're still cool, though.
Aside from the variety of "creature" that can be played, my favorite aspect of the game is the Acceptance / Rejection mechanic. Player can either accept their monstrous nature or reject it. This mechanic is actually out of the hands of the players as far a any stat change is concerned, leaving it up to the GM to pay attention to their players and their actions and motivations.
The world itself is rather interesting. The Lands/Countries that make up Morden are mostly parallels of real world countries where the original tales came from, you just have to read into things a bit. The write ups for each country don't always feel like they're giving you every detail, thus leaving players and GMs to fill in the blanks. Seriously, the map only has a handful of cities and the capital cities of each country. In the two sessions that I've run so far, every location (town or otherwise) has been original to my version of Morden. To be honest I really like that.
For those familiar with Savage World already, the skill listing has been cut down but combining some skills into one i.e. Climbing and Swimming are now Athletics. I can't think of any issue this would cause, it's just less skills to remember.
Again, other than a change here and there the system runs pretty standard to the stock Savage Worlds rules.
I will throw in this little tidbit: although the setting book says you need the SW Horror Companion, you don't really need it. There are four total hinderances and edges from the Horror Companion that are included i. Accursed lists as well as spell, but that's about it.
To be frank and very honest, the one aspect I love about Accursed is that it feels almost like Castlevania the Role Playing Game. I don't even care if that causes you to loose any interest interest. Accursed is an awesome Dark Fantasy setting.
So far the Cupcake or Death Krewe have played two sessions. So I can't speak much on the long game at present.
So here's the score:
If you like Dark Fantasy, the traditional Universal monster + a few more, and the feel of the Castlevaia franchise then you'll probably dig Accursed from Melior Via.
That's all I got for yo fine folks for now.
As always,
Stay Frosty
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Kickstarter Gaming Spotlight: Fragged Empire
G'day dear readers.
Let me begin by asking, have you heard the good news about our true and gracious overlord, Kickstarter?
Okay, so for those that came in late, Kickstarter is an Amazon operated website that allows artisans of varying crafts to get funding from the crowds out there on the INTERNET that dig what the artisan is doing..... some sort of Crowdfunding. If you want something nittier and grittier, then check this LINK, it'll take you to one of the FAQ pages.
Now that that's out of the way, on to the point of this post.
I recently discovered the KS for a game by an Australian Graphic Designer named Wade Dyer, this game is known as .... wait for it.... Fragged Empire. I know, you already new that from the title of the post, but I digress.
Here have some fresh and tasty box text:
Okay, so most of the fanfare aside. Lets take a look at the game itself.
Races:
I'll go ahead and apologize for using the box text for the races. It's just that at this point in the game that I think it's best to use the creator's words to describe them.
The Corporation
Rejected by their creators (the Archons) as inferior, the Corporation (formerly known as Vargarti) have grown to love the Great Xion War as it freed them from an existence of insignificance & irrelevance. They are now eager to prove themselves. Not a nation in the classical sense, the Corporation is a massive corporate entity comprised of millions of smaller, affiliated business enterprises; a purely capitalistic society.
The second tomb is known as the Antagonist Archive (alliteration how I lovvve you), and its essentially akin to the Monster Manual for my DnD hombre's out there.... well, sorta anyway. We are now at the point were the stretch goal are enhancing the AA, so far it has gained additional content for locations and Factions. Currently the project is about $800 (give or take) away from reaching the $55K mark, which unlocks short stories in the book.
The stretch goal after the 55k mark and currently last goal (at an unknown amount) is that the book becomes "Alive." I'm not gonna lie, I have no idea what this means, but with 22 days left, I sure as hell hope it gets there so i can find out.
Now sadly, The Antagonist Archives doesn't come free to backers. You have to pitch in an additional $15 for the PDF and $25 off of the POD version that you can order from Drive Thru RPG once the books are release. Personally, I don't have too much of a problem with this and it makes me happy to know that both books will be available for POD since I can only opt for the PDF versions currently.
Oh yeah, have this finely crafted LINK to the FREE sample book on DTRPG.
That's all for now,
Later
Let me begin by asking, have you heard the good news about our true and gracious overlord, Kickstarter?
Okay, so for those that came in late, Kickstarter is an Amazon operated website that allows artisans of varying crafts to get funding from the crowds out there on the INTERNET that dig what the artisan is doing..... some sort of Crowdfunding. If you want something nittier and grittier, then check this LINK, it'll take you to one of the FAQ pages.
Now that that's out of the way, on to the point of this post.
I recently discovered the KS for a game by an Australian Graphic Designer named Wade Dyer, this game is known as .... wait for it.... Fragged Empire. I know, you already new that from the title of the post, but I digress.
Here have some fresh and tasty box text:
Fragged Empire is a tabletop RPG setting & rules, set in a far future 'post, post-apocalyptic' setting. Your people have survived 100 years of brutal tribalism & savagery & are just now emerging back into space.
Set in the style of Ridley Scott’s 1979 film Alien, television series Firefly, Farscape & Blake's 7 & computer-based role-playing games Mass Effect & Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic.
Now, I don't know about you folks, but I enjoyed all of those words in green and their collective meaning.
As non of you probably know at this point, I do love me a heaping helping of Sci-Fi gaming, From Eclipse Phase to Bulldogs!, I just love it. And Fragged Empire seems to have me covered rather well.
Okay, so most of the fanfare aside. Lets take a look at the game itself.
History:
In the future, Humanity is Badass. So badass that it has "terraformed millions of planets and creatied electronic wonders beyond our imagination." Now, as any good gamer out there knows, once you've maxed out all your skills and shit, you get kinda lethargic and apathetic and such. Well, humanity hit that point and just kept rolling down that hill, hitting the point of genetic degradation.
Once they hit terminal velocity FUCKED, Humanity created a new race to "inherit" their empire (you know, like Simba was supposed to before Scar went all sly manipulator). The new race was know as The Archons.
From there, The Archons took the proverbial ball and ran in a different direction. They didn't worry about expanding their empire too much or creating new technological wonders, nope, they started playing with genetics. Their only goal: to create the "perfect" race. After a thousand years, enumerable races had been created, some were neglected and others quite the opposite.
So, The Archons finally think the have the formula right when they unveil the Xion. Then they change their minds, like within the next space-day or two. Understandably, the Xion weren't too keen on giving up the title, so they fought back and lost..... hard. Only one little Xion survived and fled into uncharted space, and like any good vengeance tale the lone Xion came back two (count 'em one, two) hundred years later with his/her own army of genetically engineer being called The Nephilim.
After a six year war (wait, seriously... just six years? Eh, alright I'll go along) The Archons were tiny bits on Nephilim boots. Now that one Xion from before, he/she was pleased, vindicated, whatever and just decided to bounce (as they said in my youth).
Now we get to the present portion of the time line. 100 years after the war, The Nephilim and three other races of Humanity's Great-Grand "children" have started to get out into space and check out all the shit that was left behind by the Archons and who knows what else.
Races:I'll go ahead and apologize for using the box text for the races. It's just that at this point in the game that I think it's best to use the creator's words to describe them.
The Corporation
Rejected by their creators (the Archons) as inferior, the Corporation (formerly known as Vargarti) have grown to love the Great Xion War as it freed them from an existence of insignificance & irrelevance. They are now eager to prove themselves. Not a nation in the classical sense, the Corporation is a massive corporate entity comprised of millions of smaller, affiliated business enterprises; a purely capitalistic society.
The Kaltoran
Born with the genetic memories of their ancestors, Kaltorans are an innately gifted & flexible race. They are eager to make a new future for themselves, though they struggle with the ‘genetic memories’ of not only the Great Xion War but the extreme measures taken by their ancestors to survive it.
(Yes, they have four ears.)
The Legion
A physically imposing race, hastily created by the Archons to fight their losing war against Xion. The Legion now struggle to create a stable society & to find meaning with no war to fight. In recent times the Legion have formed a close economic relationship with the Corporation, acting as enforcers for hire.
A physically imposing race, hastily created by the Archons to fight their losing war against Xion. The Legion now struggle to create a stable society & to find meaning with no war to fight. In recent times the Legion have formed a close economic relationship with the Corporation, acting as enforcers for hire.
(Damn, he just looks so badass.)
The Nephilim
A junk-word term used to describe the diverse descendants of Xion’s genetically engineered army. Created to wage war on the Archons & their creations, before being abandoned by their creator, Xion once the war was won.
A junk-word term used to describe the diverse descendants of Xion’s genetically engineered army. Created to wage war on the Archons & their creations, before being abandoned by their creator, Xion once the war was won.
The Nephilim have an eclectic, primal & often violent society that is supported by advanced biological technology. While publicly no longer loyal to Xion, their pursuit of genetic perfection at any cost is pervasive.
Currently, I only have bullet point descriptions of the actually game mechanics. The only mechanics that have been expanded upon are how skills work and some of the combat rules, these are featured in a preview of the books layout that you can find HERE.
From everything available to me at the current moment, Fragged Empire looks awesome. I know that I plan to back it as soon as I can, and if your into Sci-Fi gaming I recommend you check out the Kickstarter and the website for more details.
At the present time there are 31 days left, and the project has already been more than funded (it reached the goal of $15K in twelve hours.)
Now do be aware, that all of the pricing on the Kickstarter is in Australian dollars. So if your an American, such as myself, the pricing is actually a couple dollars less that what you see at first (but they have the conversion in the tier descriptions).
TLDR:
- Fragged Empire is a Sci-Fi RPG were you play as one of four races that are essentially the "great-grandchildren" of humanity.
- Not enough info currently to talk about much more than the races and the skill mechanics.
- The Kisckstrater has 31 days left at the time of this post.
Thats it for the very first Cupcake or Death Gaming Kickstarter Spotlight. Let me know what you think, did I put too much info out there, too little, just right? And be sure to let us know about any Kickstarter projects you think are awesome, we'd prefer gaming related projects but we'll at least take a look at the projects that are posted.
Thanks Guys,
STAY FROSTY
Update time:
Here we are with 22 days left till the KS ends, and the project is 361% funded, how awesome is that.
Now as any good Kickstarter, getting to this level of coin has unlocked a few stretch goals. The majority were to enhance the book: +24 pages, higher quality pages, and a hard back cover (as opposed to the paperback originally planned). But we have reached the point where there is officially a second book.
The stretch goal after the 55k mark and currently last goal (at an unknown amount) is that the book becomes "Alive." I'm not gonna lie, I have no idea what this means, but with 22 days left, I sure as hell hope it gets there so i can find out.
Now sadly, The Antagonist Archives doesn't come free to backers. You have to pitch in an additional $15 for the PDF and $25 off of the POD version that you can order from Drive Thru RPG once the books are release. Personally, I don't have too much of a problem with this and it makes me happy to know that both books will be available for POD since I can only opt for the PDF versions currently.
Oh yeah, have this finely crafted LINK to the FREE sample book on DTRPG.
That's all for now,
Later
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