So arriveth the second month of the year. January swept quickly by, but I managed to squeeze in a little game design for myself as a treat. I’m writing this update in my favorite coffee shop while gazing through the window, watching people walk by on a sunny, yet chilly, afternoon. So arriveth the second month of the year.
Fetch My Blade Restock
New copies of Fetch My Blade arrived at IPR earlier this month. If you’ve wanted to get a copy, now is the time. As of writing this, only 145 out of the 200 copies are available, and convention season is not even upon us! I’m stunned by the reception of this game, from the comments on itch.io to the random mentions of the game through my interactions on social media. Thank you to everyone who has played the game or shared the game with others. You can purchase the game here.
Estate of Play in Print
Estate of Play, my solo journaling mystery game, is now available in print at IPR! Play as a probate attorney that specializes in executing the wills of eccentric millionaires. Not only will you host elaborate challenges to determine who will inherit your murdered client’s estate, you must also discover who among the potential heirs is the killer! It uses the Hints & Hijinx system by Pandion Games. Purchase a print copy here.
Chain×Link
I’ve been developing the Chain mechanic described in the January Update into a zine-sized game. I’ve been fortunate to receive early feedback from friends and mentors in the community, and high-level feedback has been generally positive. Creating a minimum viable product for my first multiplayer game has been a challenge, but I’m close! Once I have a few playtests done and more text complete, I’ll be sharing more information about the game. For now, I’ll keep the details a mystery and leave you with this piece of spot art I commissioned from Matthew Willeto as a hint.
Freelance Work
January left me little time for freelance work, but I have a few small projects that I’m working on this month. I’ve received a very exciting opportunity that will be starting this week which I will share once I’m at liberty to do so. I wanted to include an update on my freelance work to remind others (as well as myself) that I also do Freelance writing and game design! If you have any opportunities you think I would be a great fit for this coming year, please feel free to reach out.
Zine Month
February is Zine Quest/Month for the indie TTRPG community. I’m still quite new to the indie scene, so this is the first month that I’ve been actively looking out for Zines. There are plenty of amazing games crowdfunding – and even more games that have yet to start crowdfunding this month! I’ll end this month’s update by sharing a few of the games I’ve backed so far:
Arkyvr by Alewood Games
ARKYVR is a film-documentarian toolkit for Mothership 1E where players try to make a movie in an alien infested kill zone. Equipped with only their camera gear, ARKYVRs will attempt to document life in space and expose corporate atrocities while surviving the void’s unspeakable horrors. Easily hack this setting into existing Mothership modules or use the toolkit’s scenario generator to launch brand new campaigns.
I’ve yet to play a Mothership game before, but that did not stop me from backing this zine. Playing (or re-playing) adventures through the lens of a film-documentary crew is a juicy premise. It combines the best of space horror and found footage horror, mixed with commentary on media production and consumption. The game also comes with a multi-media randomizer which is an amazing exemplification of the themes of the game itself. You can contribute to the Crowdfundr here.
The Details of Our Escape by Possible World Games
The Details of Our Escape is a new tabletop roleplaying game from ENnie Award-winning game designer Tyler Crumrine, two-time Eisner-nominated comics artist Linnea Sterte, and Windham-Campbell Prize winner in fiction Renee Gladman. Played with a standard 28-tile set of dominos instead of dice, players control a caravan of over 2000 people in search of a new home. What they’re leaving and what kinds of strange & wonderful sights they encounter along their journey is up to you. Which party members continue all the way to the caravan’s final destination, however, is up to fate.
I am a sucker for caravan-based games, and this game delivers on the caravan fantasy genre while also including evocative illustrations and a unique domino-based game mechanic. The vibes very much speak to me, and I’m excited to see how this game plays. Back the Kickstarter here.
Fealty by Galen Pejeau and Michael Elliott
Fealty is a game of courtiers who sit at the foot of the throne, who direct the fate of a small fantastical country in the name of a capricious monarch, forced to choose between the whims of the crown and the needs of a nation. It is a roleplaying game for 2-5 players that picks drama and fiction first, using everyday items like playing cards and chess pieces to create stories of compromise, responsibility, and power.
This game combines two of my loves: fantasy political drama and chess (side note: I am very bad at chess). The moment I saw the promotional image below (a perfect encapsulation of the game’s themes), I knew this game was an instant back. By the time this post comes out, the Kickstarter campaign will be ending, but you can find it here.
Jukebox: The Karaoke Musical Tabletop Roleplaying Game by Lyla Fujiwara
Do you like roleplaying games? Do you like karaoke? Do you like musicals? Have you always wanted to play the “musical” episode of your D&D campaign game? Do you want some beautiful, crazy combination of this in one game? If you said yes to any of the above, then Jukebox was made for you!
Technically, the campaign started before Zine Month, and the campaign is already over (find it here), but you can preorder the game here. I’ve been privileged to witness the Kickstarter campaign from front-row seats, and I’ve seen the incredible amount of stellar work my friend Lyla has put into this game and campaign. On top of all that work, she also managed to wrangle up a star-studded cast of writing collaborators! I am absolutely thrilled that the campaign has raised over 650% its funding goal! Be sure to snap this game up if you find it out in the wild after Kickstarter fulfillment! If you don’t know Lyla, her work, or her blog posts on TTRPG project management, check out her website here!
The Magus & The Oracle by Momatoes
In this game, you use dice and pen to write the unique history of your character’s quest for arcane mastery. You will navigate strange encounters and confront complex opportunities for learning spells—or cultivating tenuous bonds.
Fueled by ambition and purpose, you embark on a journey for ultimate power. But sacrifices must be made. Do you relentlessly pursue your goals, or do you cling on to those that you love?
Everything Momatoes makes is golden. I purchased a copy of The Magus from Momatoes at Big Bad Con. I love the concept of creating your own spells and I am always drawn to games that combine mechanical crunch with strong narrative themes. The Kickstarter includes the accompanying Oracle, ”a companion deck of cards that reveal parts of a spell’s true name alongside images and keyphrases that incite layers of meaning for your story. As well as meetings with unlikely creatures that may just leave their mark on the solitary heart of your Magus.” The deck comes with beautifully illustrated cards by Momatoes, and can be integrated with her other games as well! Back the Kickstarter here.
Not Yet by Taylor Navarro and Poorna M.
Not Yet is a romantic duet TTRPG where you roll dice to overcome a series of near-misses and meet The One.
Hearing my friend Taylor gush about this game and the amazing team of creatives behind it has been a joy. Both Taylor and Poorna are such creative forces and I’m excited to see how the game has developed. There’s even an audiobook stretch goal! Not Yet will be Kickstarting at the end of February. Be sure to follow the Kickstarter page to get notified once the campaign goes live!