Beyond the Core

I am the Warden!!

A thought occurred to me while brushing my teeth last night. What happens next with Killshot? Let me clarify, work still continues on the initial rule book, Kickstarter fund, playtesting, all that, but when all of that is done and ready, what's in store for assassins everywhere? Aside from writing more jobs (AKA published adventures).

Presumptuous though it may be, a good publisher needs to consider the future long before it ever happens and I'm not a fan of one-shot products with little to no support. So long as there are enough people warranting the work and money required to produce quality products, I want to keep popping out Killshot goodness. And I'd like to make sure those fans aren't waiting a year to get them. And I need to do so within the confines of being a one-man operation.

Publishing additional jobs of increasing complexity is all fine and good, but I'm a rules guy. I have more fun developing new material within the original concept - expansions - than adventures. So assuming Killshot does well enough to make a "sequel" possible and affordable, what should I work on?

The first thought was an alternate genre of Killshot: sci-fi, fantasy, something like that. Perhaps, but it seems too much of a surrender than an expansion. I could see a product like that if Killshot had been in circulation for five years or so and needed a little new life breathed into it, but not as the second or third expansion. Don't worry, I do have a note on the board for that.

Then there was the standard ideas: a book of supporting characters (marks and thugs), a city setting, compilation adventures, all that. Any of them would be a welcome idea and there's absolutely no reason not to consider them, but none of them make me explode with excitement. (Eww, that sounds gross.) While all of these possibilities are perfectly reasonable and acceptable, all my plans for Killshot involve a core value: this game is designed to run as the occasional one-shot with a few actual regular campaigns scattered here and there. At my level of publishing, I have to be realistic and work on this material with the understanding that the majority of groups will try this out as a larf (not LARP) before delving into a full-blown career. Particularly with a new D&D coming out next year.

So I turn to the blog for guidance, not just for the possible suggestions I might receive, but for the opportunity to think out loud and see what happens. What are the assets of Killshot screaming for enhancement? Is there a gap within the roleplaying genre this game can fill? And more importantly, is there a product capable of bridging the gap from the one-shot players to the dedicated career?

OK, brain, it's just you and me now. Think. Think, think, think...