Kickstarters Thread

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They are a fair bit off their 15k mark...

And their stretch goals are prrrrreeeeetty ambitious!
 
Hey, everyone! Thanks for all the conversation about the game here. The Kickstarter campaign is in its last 48 hours and we're still confident we can reach Stretch Goals. If you want to be a part of this, come check out the project page here. Thanks!
 
Not many people who want a western game without, you know, actual western stuff in it.
It's actually kinda worse than that.

I read through the starter pdf a little more thoroughly and I'm reminded of some gamers, particularly on forums, who use the wrong word for something but, when it's pointed out to them, double-down on the usage, insisting that all language is fungible, rather than just saying, oh, I didn't know that. Some of the odd language is used to cover the fact that this is a d20 heartbreaker: Draw is Initiative, Target is Armor Class, and so on. Some is just an odd usage given the subject matter: the animal you ride is a Steed, which makes me think of Eddie Mutphy - 'You hear that? She called me a noble steed! I'm a steed!' - not Louis L'Amour. And there are all sorts of weird choices: you can by a Firestarter - another made-up term for tinder box - and you get bonuses for giving your character a first and last name, in a genre filled with characters with one name - 'Shane! Shane!' - or a nickname - or maybe 'The' is The Virginian's first name? Just so many places the rules go 'CLANK!' for me.

[Addendum: And it's cavalry saber, not 'cavalry sword.] And there's no such thing as a 'bighorn rifle.' And antivenin wasn't invented until 1895. And what the hell is a 'range carbine'? Okay, I'll stop now.]

And how do you have a Western RPG without rules for fast draw, hipshooting, firing with two guns? Maybe these are in the 'advanced rules,' but since the rules are so sketchy in the basic pdf, I'm not sure I'd be willing to put down the money without seeing those first.

I'm someone who'll pony up for a game if it looks like it has some good ideas I can swipe for other games; about the only kind thing I can say about this one is, I like the artwork.
 
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I would expect no less a butchering of the American Old West by European authors than that perpetrated by American authors on the European Middle Ages. :devil::gunslinger:

That being said, @Black Vulmea’s notes are pretty damning, game-design-wise. Hard pass for me (which is what I was inclined to do anyway; I’m wary of Euro games with lush color art and giant rulebooks and super crunchy rulesets).
 
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Maybe it's based more on Red Dead Redemption than historical evidence.
 
Where does it say that the creators are European? The kickstarter info seems to indicate that they're located in California, and the guy in the interview did not sound European at all. I hope people aren't confusing this with the kickstarter for an English translation of the Swedish game Western, which is an entirely different game by an entirely different company.
 
Where does it say that the creators are European? The kickstarter info seems to indicate that they're located in California, and the guy in the interview did not sound European at all. I hope people aren't confusing this with the kickstarter for an English translation of the Swedish game Western, which is an entirely different game by an entirely different company.
Right, because the Swedish, Western, looks incredible.
 
Maybe it's based more on Red Dead Redemption than historical evidence.

The writers of Red Dead Redemption have a significantly better grasp of the western genre. That game takes some historical liberties, but you can tell they have seen their fair share of westerns. It appears to be set in "not Texas" very late in the old west era, most likely early 20th century 1910-1920.

The main character in RDR is an ex-outlaw but that is the only similarity that I can see. I'm pretty sure John Marston does not drink Sarsaparilla.
 
Where does it say that the creators are European? The kickstarter info seems to indicate that they're located in California, and the guy in the interview did not sound European at all. I hope people aren't confusing this with the kickstarter for an English translation of the Swedish game Western, which is an entirely different game by an entirely different company.
Right, because the Swedish, Western, looks incredible.
Exactly. And even if, depending on your standards, perhaps not 100% flawless in historical minutiae, you cannot mistake it for anything other than a western game with actual western stuff in it, made by people with a passion for the genre. Where a posse is a posse and a gang is not.
 
See, I can understand playing outlaws with "Hearts of Gold". Look at the protagonists of many Western films. HOWEVER...

Some of the greatest stories show redemption arcs or subverting expectations*. A character who appeared to be selfish, cruel and greedy showed compassion at key moments.

If every Outlaw in this game is encouraged to be a modern person with a high degree of social awareness gone back in a time machine... where is the drama? The tension as the other players wonder if Tuco is just 1-dimensional, or has depth? Will he make the right decision, or will he succumb to his greed? Naw he's a college-aged Starbucks-drinking political science major from Toronto.

Okay, I kid, I kid. But part of the appeal of the genre is the grittyness and uncertainty about the protagonists. WILL they be good guys when it counts? How long will they bide their time for revenge? How brutal will they be? etc...

* not in TLJ sense
 
See, I can understand playing outlaws with "Hearts of Gold". Look at the protagonists of many Western films. HOWEVER...

Some of the greatest stories show redemption arcs or subverting expectations*. A character who appeared to be selfish, cruel and greedy showed compassion at key moments.

If every Outlaw in this game is encouraged to be a modern person with a high degree of social awareness gone back in a time machine... where is the drama? The tension as the other players wonder if Tuco is just 1-dimensional, or has depth? Will he make the right decision, or will he succumb to his greed? Naw he's a college-aged Starbucks-drinking political science major from Toronto.

Okay, I kid, I kid. But part of the appeal of the genre is the grittyness and uncertainty about the protagonists. WILL they be good guys when it counts? How long will they bide their time for revenge? How brutal will they be? etc...

* not in TLJ sense

I didn’t want bring this up, but after doing my own research, Necro’s “I kid, I kid” example isn’t too far off actually.
 
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If you've ever played FASA Trek, you'll like this modern, streamlined tribute.

Vintage Space brings Disco-Era optimistic sci-fi back to the tabletop. This game combines the sensibilities of both the narrative and OSR RPG scenes into a game that's easy to learn, simple to run and fun to play.
This game craws inspiration from classic shows and movies from the late 60's to the early 80's. When you play Vintage Space you and your friends escape to a future where mankind's potential is unbound. There's danger along the way, but if you're heroic enough to face it, you can use your courage, intellect, and capability as a Star Corps officer to save the day.


What makes the game rules in Vintage Space right for your group? Check it out:
  • Fast Character Creation: Choose your species, roll your stats, select a role and rank and fill in a few skill specialties.
  • Starship Creation: The rules support making your own ship from scratch, but about as quickly as it takes to roll up a human character. Sit the group down, roll up a crew and ship and get flying in 15 minutes
  • Easily Memorable Rules: If you can remember to roll 1d20, hoping for a result that's lower than your attributes, then you can play Vintage Space.
  • Customizable Story: While the look and feel of the setting might seem familiar, Vintage Space intentionally has a very broadly defined backstory. This allows you to add or remove elements to the setting at will.
  • GM Tools: As fast as it is to make PCs and hero ships, it's just as easy or even simpler to make NPCs up on the fly.
Get in on the action here.
 
Strike One: Calling itself a “tribute” (Love Letter would be an automatic Out).
Strike Two: Taking a successful older game and making it “modern” and “streamlining” it.
Strike Three: Adding in sensibilities of the “Narrative Scene”.
 
So...is this a rewrite of FASA Star Trek then? I couldn't actually tell as the post just copies and pastes the Kickstarter description and the link doesn't give any real details.

The bullet points like "Customizable Story" are without meaning. How about some examples of the system? What makes it good? What makes it better than the many other options?

And how is Star Trek "Disco-Era"? "Disco Era" sci fi brings to mind stuff like Space: 1999 and the Gil Gerard Buck Rogers TV series. Are you emulating Star Trek or is this meant to be generic '70s sci fi? It's all so fuzzy.
 
It's not a rewrite. Uses 1d20, but with the same probabilities for success (dividing stats by 5). Character generation follows basic steps of FASATrek without taking an hour to do. You choose a species and roll up stats, then pick a rank and service division. This gives you a number of skill specialties. Write them down and you're ready to go.

If you've played either OSR games or FASA Trek you can get your bearings quickly. Same deal, roll under stat. Characters are generally competent and should succeed most of the time.

Disco-era referencing the films rather than the show. And yes, other inspiration includes Buck Rogers and BSG. The setting is a bit different than Star Trek as there is no teleportation, no replicators, the Space Corps is still a nascent organization that doesn't have the ability to throw its weight around like Star Trek's Starfleet can. Also, psionics are more prominent in this setting.

There's a link to the free rules beta document on the KS page.

Space combat is your choice of "narrative", easy resolution, probably done in a few rolls and allows you to get back to the mission. There's also another set of more "simulationist" rules that are not in the beta document. If you've ever played FASA Starship Simulator it is very, very close to that, but integrates PC abilities into the mix. Or you can go without the PC crew abilities and play it as a competitive wargame. I've had that one playtested by wargame grognards.

All of the games I make are designed for low- or zero-prep play by the GM. So this means a fast NPC creation system. PCs are simple to make, NPCs have even simpler stats. You don't need to know how many ranks an NPC has in some skill that they're never going to use, but how hard they make things on the players. The full game is going to include an episode generator and other handy GM tools.
 
So...is this a rewrite of FASA Star Trek then? I couldn't actually tell as the post just copies and pastes the Kickstarter description and the link doesn't give any real details.

Not sure...

The mechanics are described as 1d20 roll under attribute. I suppose you could streamline FASA Trek's percentile system down to that level. I think skill rolls are supposed to be made against an average of attribute and skill in the old FASA system.

The image of the sample "Nemesis" looks like a cross between a TOS Klingon and Ardala from Buck Rogers. Her stat block bears no similarity to a FASA stat block, featuring level, HP, and looking like a D&D monster listing.

The sample ship provided seems to draw inspiration from a Klingon Bird of Prey crossed with something from an Italian sci-fi film. The stat block for it looks just like that for a character. I never played the original FASA Trek narrative starship combat system, but the statblock doesn't look like anything from the ST3: Starship Combat Game or Star Trek: Tactical Starship Combat Simulator.

The description of the game as a "tactile" rpg where pilots control ships with flight yokes and feel every turn in their guts makes me think more about Buck Rogers or Battlestar Galactica than Star Trek.

Edit: Written before I saw the reply above.
 
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I didn’t want bring this up, but after doing my own research, Necro’s “I kid, I kid” example isn’t too far off actually.

No they explicitly state an expected player / PC behavior that is about spot on for the example above. Honestly I'm rather surprised this game hasn't generated a thread over at "the Site" as proof that the end times are here. :hehe:
 
We've really enjoyed this. The agent phase works really well for a coop game. The turn structure is excellent.

But the game is too easy. Either we're doing it wrong but the enemies aren't a threat at all. Liz can burn her way through almost everything singlehandedly. Even the Conqueror Worm is no threat for her, not really. We've had a couple of KO'd characters, and used the rest phase, but ultimately we haven't lost nor really been challenged from the enemies.
 
This is one of those "I don't even get the appeal" type of releases, but more power to them.

Well it is free.

I could see this as a one shot kind of thing, kind of like that vikings and indians movie a few years back, although that had some historical basis with some evidence that vikings made it to the US/Canadian East Coast.

Lost Worlds / Western mashups are an actual thing in fiction, so I guess if you can squeeze in dinosaurs then a lost valley of Vikings could be a thing too.

 
The Jumpstart is free. The Kickstarter for the full game is ongoing right now as well.
 
The Jumpstart is free. The Kickstarter for the full game is ongoing right now as well.

Oh, yeah, I'm not seeing the appeal as a full on game or even extended campaign. I've been in games with "outsiders" that were fun, but those were people out of place, not out of time. British big game hunters, foreign royalty out for adventure, city slickers looking to tame the west with science etc.
 
We've really enjoyed this. The agent phase works really well for a coop game. The turn structure is excellent.

But the game is too easy. Either we're doing it wrong but the enemies aren't a threat at all. Liz can burn her way through almost everything singlehandedly. Even the Conqueror Worm is no threat for her, not really. We've had a couple of KO'd characters, and used the rest phase, but ultimately we haven't lost nor really been challenged from the enemies.

While I haven't used them yet myself, there are Hardcore Mode cards for the Deck of Doom that are designed to increase the difficulty level (and Rookie cards that do the reverse). There's a "New Rules" card in the KS that sets out a suggested blend of Rookie, Normal, and Hardcore Deck of Doom cards. Those might help?

I've played the intro scenario thus far, and it was quite entertaining. I like the way it plays, and the upgrade/downgrade system went really smoothly once we got into the swing of things. I do wonder about replayability (though the BPRD Archives set gives some decent options for switching things up) and the structure getting a bit old (always ending in a Confrontation) but it does at least look like the various different bosses play differently, so that should be fun.

I wish I was a more skilled painter. I actually find the clues and the Insight and tracking tokens being plastic makes the game look pretty drab; a whole lot of grey. Or, alternatively, I wish that Mantic had done what CMON did with Rising Sun - provide the base set components along with the enhanced ones.
 
If you don't have the talent, time, or inclination to paint, you could still spruce up the game components just with some washes. Say a chestnut wash for the clue tokens, crimson for Hellboy, a green wash for the frog people, etc. Washes are easy as pie, you just brush them on and let them dry, and they will seep into the recess with bold lines and lightly tint the rest of the mini.
 
That's an excellent idea! I was planning on doing so with my Zombicide figures. There's a charming, elegant simplicity to keeping miniatures looking somewhat statuesque, I think.
 
What do you make of this? The video is not very informative but at first glance this looks fun. OSR-ish. I see mention of player-facing mechanics...

MÖRK BORG by Johan Nohr — Kickstarter

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Doesn't look like my thing. The OSR part is fine but the whole doom aesthetic is not for me. Also, it's Mörk Borg (which translates roughly to Dark Castle or Dark Fortress) not Mork Börg (which means nothing, neither of those are Swedish words).
 
Doesn't look like my thing. The OSR part is fine but the whole doom aesthetic is not for me. Also, it's Mörk Borg (which translates roughly to Dark Castle or Dark Fortress) not Mork Börg (which means nothing, neither of those are Swedish words).
I fixed the thread title.
 
Looks like another decadent and beautiful coffee table book that I'll flip through occasionally for inspiration. Right on my shelf with a few other gorgeous books (that I shall not name here lest we spark a debate about problematic authors).

Not sure I can afford it at this time, sadly.
 
That KS page is hilarious. Not interested in the RPG but tempted to back for its entertainment value alone.
 
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