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?

Ready On The Set, People!

I am the Warden!!

Everything is as ready as can be to start filming Killshot: Proposal, the short film for Killshot's Kickstarter drive. Small revisions have been made due to the inevitable events marring any production, particularly the introduction requiring the exterior shots of a car falling on perhaps the coldest, stormiest day of the season thus far yielding nothing more than a whiteout shot of headlights pulling into a driveway and a booming wind canceling out all sound. Nevertheless, the key scene is all indoors and ready to start shooting once night falls.

While my anticipation eagerly wants to spill the beans on what Killshot: Proposal is all about, I'm going to leave all of you in the dark. Suffice it to say, at no point and time do I ever look into the camera and speak to the audience directly. It is truly a short film designed to compliment the Kickstarter drive and invoke a tone fitting with a game like Killshot. That's all I'll say.

Tomorrow will be an in-home playtest of Killshot with the Renfrew Road Crew (hmm, maybe I should tell them that's the name I've given them). A special playtest, I might add, as I'll be recording the game to post on the Broken Ruler website as a demonstration of the game for all those interested parties out there with a little extra cash in their pocket. To add a little infamy to it all, the Renfrew Road Crew consists of Fraser Ronald, designer extraordinaire from the Accidental Survivors podcast, and Kieron O'Gorman, artist extraordinaire. It's not a publicity stunt either, both of them are my two regulars for this monthly session (though I was really hoping Nick Dumais, player extraordinaire, would be here as well, but such as it is).

If everything goes according to plan - or doesn't stray too far as to screw everything up - the Killshot drive should be up and running on Monday. Those of you curiously interested in the project can find details on the Broken Ruler website, such as a 5-step guide to the Optional System and a working copy of the Killshot playtest draft.

Until then... I am the Director!!

A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Smash On Your Dashboard

I am the... um, Warden!! Yeah, that's it.

My lawyer's gonna be pissed if he ever finds out about today's post. To that end, there will be many details I'm not going to get into nor will I enter the blame game on how it all got to this point. As this is my personal blog, what's written here is intended to be more than just Optional System updates, design theories, and other gaming related material. It's about the mental exercise of crafting sentences to form coherent thoughts, something I'd never would be an issue until at least 20 years from now.

2012 is supposed to be a big year for me, the Year of Bouncing Back. No more sitting on the sidelines watching the world go by, it's time to grab hold and hitch a ride again by taking a more active approach to my therapy and my career. The first couple of weeks were productive, yet bogged down by medical appointments and family visits (not that I'm complaining, they all serve a purpose, but made it impossible to set down a solid week of work). This week was to be my first "full week" of work in the retooled office I hope to call Broken Ruler HQ. Yesterday had something else in mind.