There’s many interesting items to be found on Kickstarter, but these are the coolest ones this week.
Follow
This new game from the creator of Microscope is a quickstart system, requires no GM and no prep. It has basic quests that can be adapted to any environment you want, and you can play each quest over and over by facing different challenges each times. I love the flexibility of games like this, and they’re great for unexpected changes to your gaming schedule.
“Follow is a game where you sit down with your friends and play characters working together to achieve a common goal: your quest. The quest you pick decides the kind of game you’ll play. You could start a rebellion, cure a disease, slay a dragon (or a cat), or get your candidate elected. If it’s something people can work together to accomplish, it could be a quest. Will your characters stay united or will their differences tear them apart? Will they triumph or will their hopes go up in flames?
To complete your quest, you confront a series of challenges. Each success makes you more likely to win the quest and each failure makes it harder… but not impossible. The challenges you choose determine what kind of story you’re telling, so you can play the same quest over and over again and have a completely different experience each time. You could play a Heist that was all about casing the joint and crafting a cunning plan, another that was all car chases and gun fights, or one that was all about lying low until the heat blows over and you figure out who ratted you out to the cops. They’re all heists, but even though they’re totally different flavors of heists, one quest template can do them all.”
Spacetime Coordinates Memento
There are moments in time that are to be treasured forever. You can memorialize these moments with tokens that show the position of the planets at that point in time. They come in a variety of materials, and you can even get temporary tattoos. These pendants are a really cool idea, and nice and simple.
“Thanks to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, we have access to incredibly accurate data that we can use to calculate the most precise positioning of each planet on its orbital path, given any particular date in time. A 3D custom model is then generated and printed with the latest 3D printing technology thanks to Shapeways and i.materialise. It can be printed in a variety of material, including Plastic, Brass (with optional 14K, 18K Gold and Rhodium plating), Bronze, Aluminium, Steel, Silver, Titanium, Solid 14K or 18K Gold and even Platinum.”
Dialect: A Game about Language and How it Dies
Linguistics isn’t something I’m very good at. But I like the idea of this game a lot, and the concept is completely new. You play for a few hours, building a world, and the language that world uses, like a colony on Mars. Once you’ve built your language, you move through the ages to see how things change. It’s something I haven’t seen before, and definitely worth checking out.
“Dialect is a tabletop roleplaying game about an isolated community, their language, and what it means for that language to be lost. It’s a GM-less game for 3-5 people that runs in 3-4 hours. The game’s core spark comes from gradually building up elements of language among players, who gain fluency in their own dialect over the course of play. Words are built off of the fundamental traits of the community, the pivotal events that have defined their lives, and how they respond to a changing world. Players use the language and explore both their characters and the world by asking what this new language really means to them. A new word is made, the language grows, and the community is tightened.
From age to age, the Isolation changes and we see those changes reflected in the language. In the end, you’ll define how the language dies and what happens to the Isolation. Players take away both the story they’ve told together and this new language.”
Isometric Gaming Paper Rolls
I love love love how these rolls allow you to make your drawings of dungeons 3D. If only I could draw to take advantage of them! I think this would be invaluable anytime you’re trying to portray multiple levels for your dungeon or landscape, plus it works just as well as a 2D grid.
“Before we talk about isometric paper it is important to mention that Gaming Paper did not invent isometric paper any more than we invented one inch squares. We are just putting them on huge rolls of paper and sizing them for gaming. Wikipedia Definition: Isometric graph paper or 3D graph paper — This type is a triangular graph paper which uses a series of three guidelines forming a 60° grid of small triangles. The triangles are arranged in groups of six to make hexagons.
Erik’s Definition: Isometric paper allows you to draw 3D looking maps in 2D. By repeating a pattern of diamonds the eye is fooled into seeing a 3D representation great for a more immersive gaming experience (similar to the old 3/4 view used in RPG video games)”
Bears vs. Babies
Exploding Kittens was ridiculously successful, so a lot of people have been waiting to see what comes next. And the answer is Bears vs. Babies. Players work to build their defender, starting from a bear (or shark or sloth or…) head, adding the limbs and torso before the babies attack. I think if you’re a fan of Exploding Kittens, this game should be a no-brainer to add to your collection.
“Bears vs Babies is a card game where you build handsome, incredible monsters who go to war with horrible, awful babies. It was created by the same people who made Exploding Kittens: Elan Lee (Xbox, ARGs) and Matthew Inman (The Oatmeal). The game takes a few minutes to learn, it’s kid-friendly, and each round takes about 20 minutes to play.”
Still active!
Upwind RPG
Ghost Court
Loot: A Magic Item Deck
Q’Thulu
Bluebeard’s Bride
King in Yellow Christmas Cards
Clades: The Evolutionary Card Game
No Thank You, Evil! The Adventures Continue
Monsterhearts 2
Pies are Awesome
Cthulhu Crusades
