The Reloaded Black Box

I am the Warden!!

Before we get started today, what do you think of the new presentation? Maybe it's the graphic designer in me rising out of the ashes, but I wanted to revise this blog's visual appeal a couple of notches and make it easier to read. There are still a few tweaks to make here and there (I'm not overly satisfied with how this layout adjust to the mobile format), but it's a vast improvement from before in my book.

Now to the actual topic of the day: analyzing the wreckage that was the Killshot Reloaded Kickstarter. Trust me, I've been pondering on this a lot and there are two major issues developed from this project so far.

A Question of Impact?

I'm quite satisfied with the Kickstarter's reach and the numbers collected (other than the lack-of-hitting-a-goal thing). Here's what the stats say.

A Thought on Scale

I am the Warden!!

For those of you paying attention to my struggling Kickstarter, you can imagine I'm feeling disappointed. That's not to explain my lack of Video Updates over the past few days, the majority of those were due to prepping and planning for the LUG Con games run over the weekend. (If you haven't had a chance to check them out yet, you can find them on the BRG YouTube page.) As for this morning, I have to admit that I was sitting at my desk ready to fire off another recording session, but didn't have the want or will to do it. It is a bit frustrating to see something you've planned on for close to two years come to a halt.

And then I remind myself that this is not the only way to publish. Killshot came to be its current inception because of Kickstarter, yes, but that is not the only way it would be possible. The same goes for Reloaded - it does not need a Kickstarter to become a reality, but the current version did depend on it to make the process simpler and less risky. With signs and indications this is not going to happen, barring an incredibly generous benefactor, I've begun to think about a Plan B approach. Then a Plan C.

When I first started to get last year's project ready and posted, I was given an ominous warning. "Not all project make their goal, but that doesn't mean they fail." I've been keeping that sagedom to heart over the past few days as I've begun to stand back and study the black box. What I've been coming up with has grown beyond the mere reach of this particular project, but to the very heart of how I've been conducting business.

Is it possible I'm trying to hard to reach for something that's beyond my grasp at the moment?

By that, I mean the concept of publishing a 250-page volume designed to create a campaign and indulge the gaming pleasures of countless others the world over. Am I asking too much of myself and the few regulars aware of my work? It's a question that goes beyond Killshot and it's something I'm quite seriously considering. Is it possible that I need to try something a bit "smaller?"

In this context, smaller does not mean less. It means slighter in scale. Rather than publish an entire core rulebook for a new system, should I be focussing on single adventures and supplements? Right away, the knee-jerk reaction is to work on open licensed material from other publishers and designers, but that's not why I created BRG, no sir. The Ruler is for completely original material, particularly in game mechanics, so that's forbidden. Now the question becomes "How do I publish 'smaller' products without playing in someone else's puddle?"

That, ladies and gentlemen, is the true question. 

The Waiting Game

I am the Warden!!

Running a Kickstarter is exactly as my friend and fellow game designer, Jason Pitre, once said (and I'm paraphrasing here). "It's like going to a month long convention. You meet lots of great people, talk about games, but when it's all over, you just want to crash." Yep.

The Killshot Reloaded Kickstarter currently teeters precariously on a thin ledge. With the thirteenth day coming to a close, it's currently $58 behind schedule (we need to bring in at least $100 a day to make our minimum goal of $3000) and my nerves are twitching like there's an electrical current running through my body. What started off as a rewarding and encouraging launch (over $600 on the first day), the running total's only climbed by roughly $800 in the twelve days since and that math does not bode well for this project.

Add to that a couple of problems/ego crushers to add more current to the voltage that is my nerves and it's a wonder I haven't started chain smoking again. (In my defence, I have been smoking irregularly, so maybe it's safe to say the pressure's taken a slight toll on my willpower.) On Sunday, during an update to the Kickstarter, I found out that the domain name for BRG was no longer valid and when I started looking into it, my password was no longer working. That lead to a panic and after an hour of scrambling to figure out what was going on, I learned there's a cost to having web problems on a Sunday. No one's around to solve the problem. At this moment, I still have no clue why the renewal didn't go through because I set it up with Google directly. There are no people working at Google, only codes and lines of programming and they don't speak human. With all my advertising spouting the website "brokenrulergames.com" and that very domain name connecting potential backers to a lovely picture of a young, blond student next to a list of alternate possibilities, the timing is the very definition of poor.

And not but an hour ago, I found out my work on another unrelated project has been replaced by someone else's efforts after reading about it on a public announcement on Facebook. Ouch. I haven't heard a peep out of the project lead, even going so far as to check my spam message looking for anything. There was also a link to the new edit and after watching it, my ego has taken quite a kick in the groin.

But you know what? That's the game, kids. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. If you can't handle third degree burns, stop putting your hand in the BBQ. For every major defeat, there is a minor victory to improve the odds and make it appear that you're on the right path. For me, it was this link.

You hear me, Kickstarter? There's still 17 days remaining to meet my goal and this project's not dead yet.

The Eh-Team: How One Playtester Played Killshot With His Kids

I am the Warden and this is the Eh-Team!

The who? You know, the Canadian edition of that popular and cheesy action TV series from the 1980s.

I received this email from Brandon Neff, my longtime friend and playtester, who was looking for a way to play Killshot Reloaded... with his kids. What resulted became an homage to the kids' favourite show on Netflix and I couldn't help but share them with everyone. With stats provided by Brandon, I've taken the liberty of transplanting them onto official Killshot Reloaded character records for your group to try out in their next playtest. You can read Brandon's account of how they played the newly provided Dealing Justice job (available to all backers of Killshot Reloaded) with a twist.

The Next Step Begins! The Reloaded Kickstarter Is Live!!

I am the Warden and this is my Kickstarter!!

That's right, Killshot Reloaded is up and running and already sits at 20% of its goal ($3000). The past eighteen hours have been a whirlwind of relief and reward and there's still 29 days remaining on this bad boy. According to Kicktraq, the project is due to hit 318% of its goal (just over $9500), which would allow me to not only publish Killshot Reloaded, but include a special appendix for ninja magic in the Way of the Killshot theme, support Killshot Files for another year, publish a 64-page supplement for one of the themes, provide a job for each of the five themes, yet fall just short of the Savage Worlds edition of Killshot.

Add to that this absolutely glowing review of Killshot: The Director's Cut from Megan Robertson at DriveThruRPG and it may be safe to say this project is going to meet, exceed, and obliterate expectations.

Wow.

Wow.

So the pressure is on, folks. Check out the Kickstarter video below and feel free to start clicking away. Make your vote for the Stand Alone Theme stretch goal (see Bonus Objectives for details) and let's reloaded this game.

Name Recognition and Kickstarter

I am the Warden!!

After reading fellow OTGD Fraser Ronald post about his Kickstarter endeavor on the Black Gate site yesterday, this particular paragraph caught my eye, travelled along its corneal pathway and began feasting on the cognitive processes of my brain. In this post, Fraser's comparing his success to the success of another OTGD member, Jason Pitre, and his Spark RPG Kickstarter.

Compare the success of Centurion with the success of Spark. The difference? Jason Pitre has spent four years not only perfecting his game (puts my year to shame . . . head hanging over here) but also being heavily involved in the RPG community. That pays off when it comes time to release. He knows lots of people, and those people know his game, and they will proselytize for him. Now, I doubt Jason was only involved in the RPG community with the expectation of drawing on the community to help pimp his game, and I further doubt that his community ties were the only differences between our campaigns – Spark is a very different game than Centurion– but it helped to get the word out to people to whom his game would interest.

Publicity is a bitch. Or an asshole, depending on your preference. It's all fine and dandy to have created something, but it needs to latch on to the public's attention to grow, fester, and mature to become noticed, then appreciated, and finally applauded. It's a concentrated game of chance unless you have any combination of natural charisma, connections, money, and more importantly, time. This is something Jason Pitre had plenty of for his Spark RPG Kickstarter and kudos to him for it.

Of those four lucky charms, I have one. Time. And even then, I don't. It's the curse of hindsight to look at someone else's achievements and kick yourself for not aiming in the same direction and I try not to get caught up in doing things exactly like others. However, there are great lessons to learn from others and I'd offer no service to myself and my work if I didn't look at what these two have done (yes, Fraser, even you) and make notes.

Talkin' Kickstartin'

I am the Warden!!

An impromptu Hangout with fellow Ottawa designers Fraser Ronald (Centurion) and Jason Pitre (Spark RPG) turned into the latest episode of Collateral in the Accident Survivors network. It was a great opportunity for me to get an impression, answers, and suggestions for the Killshot Reloaded Kickstarter currently set to launch next month.

Listen and enjoy. And share.

I'm Seeing Stars: Kickstarters On My Watch List

I am the Warden!!

If you've been following me Twitter feed, I've been sharing links for 4 different Kickstarters underway as we speak. Or read. Wait, I'm writing. Never mind! All four of them are on my watch list and waiting for that next cheque to make it possible to pony up just a little bit to become part of the action and help make them a reality. I'd like to take this moment to share them in a little more detail for various reasons.

Aside from Torment: Tides of Numenera, there's a personal connection to the remaining three. Twilight Continuum you've heard about here before (I'm writing Books 2 and 5) and Centurion and Spark are projects from a local of local boys and good friends. 

Centurion is inches away from hitting its mark as I write this. It's the brainchild of Fraser Ronald (Sword Noir and Kiss My Axe, Sword's Edge Publishing, and the Accidental Survivors podcast) where players take on the role of Roman Legionnaires. Fraser's a huge history nut, particularly when it comes to the Legion and it shows through in gameplay. Along with a few others, I've been helping as a playtester and watched it grow over these past few months. No existing knowledge is required as a player and if you're an interested GM but unsure of your own, there's going to be plenty of history provided to help you build a campaign. 

Twilight Continuum is the ambitious 6-part adventure serial put together by Aaron Huss at Mystical Throne Entertainment. I've been part of this one for the past couple of months and put the intro video together, but she's struggling to get past 10%, let alone reach the true goal of $35,000. If you're a big space opera nut, love the sic-fi games, and want to have a complete adventure path without getting bogged down by rules expansions and third-part supplements, this project is for you.

Torment: Tides of Numenera... You know what? It's past $2.5 million. I don't think I need to share too much with you at this point. You've heard of it. And yeah, I wants to get the download edition for $20. 

Spark RPG is the creation of Jason Pitre (Genesis of Legend Publishing) and will finally see the light of day after nearly four years of development. This one is also a hop, skip, and a jump away from hitting its goal and will likely rise up into something truly special. Never had a chance to play it, but the concept of creating the world around you before you create your characters sounds massively intriguing and was the basis for starting up my recent High Plains Samurai mini-campaign. Plus the artwork looks gorgeous and expensive. 

That's my wish list, projects that will see my money as soon as I can do it guilt-free. Ok, maybe guilt-less. What's on your list? 

Relaunching The Continuum

I am the Warden and this is the new video signalling the relaunch of Mystical Throne Entertainment's Kickstarter project, Twilight Continuum.


Some of it may seem familiar, but a massive chunk of this puppy is brand new and expanded from our last effort. Instead of aiming for funding a single book and reach for the remaining five volumes as stretch goals, this edition is shooting for the entire series - all 6 volumes - in one fell swoop. Our goal? $35,000.

At the time of writing, it's only been a couple of hours and we're already over $1,000 with only 15 backers. That's nearly $350 better than an entire day's results from our previous attempt, making it clear that the extra work invested into this second effort is already starting to pay off. If things keep going at this rate (long-term speaking that is, seeing as most Kickstarters go through an opening peak, followed by a middle point lull, and caps off with a final high point), we should easily hit our final goal and bring this 6-part Savage Worlds adventure serial to life.

What exactly are you waiting for? If you like Savage Worlds and space operas, this project is the very thing you're looking for. Check out the complete project to find your perfect reward level. 

The Editing Booth [Twilight Continuum]

I am the Warden!!

Look to your right and check out the Twilight Continuum Kickstarter launched by Mystical Throne. If you've checked it out before, take a look at the new video and look at this project with new eyes. There's also a pound of new info and previews of what's to come.

In between two days of meetings and commuting, I whipped up the intro for what will become the Video Continuum promoting Twilight Continuum. After some feedback regarding the original video, I offered to put something together as a teaser trailer for the project and an open for regular video/audio updates by everyone involved in the project.

With my own upcoming Kickstarter plans (currently on temporary hold while I sort out a few other issues and clear my slate), having an opportunity to test out this laptop's editing capabilities is exactly the kind of practise I need to prep the half-dozen videos I plan to release, including a how-to-play Killshot video. (Unfortunately, I can't make a simple video. The old film school student in me simply has to try and push that tiny envelope.) As the month continues, keep your eyes peeled for updates on the Continuum and there'll be some posts discussing my plans and dreams for Books 2 and 5 right here on this blog.

Kickstart the Continuum

I am the Warden and holy crap am I involved in a lot of Kickstarter this year.

I have a little confession to make, dear readers. I've been keeping a secret from you, but before you start throwing emoticons of disappointment, there is a valid reason. It's a professional secret, one I could not talk about because it wasn't my secret to keep.

Last month, I was approached by Senior Aaron Huss from Mystical Throne Entertainment, publisher of Savage Insider (and my latest article set to release in April of this year) and webmaster for Roleplayers Chronicle (and home to my pride and joy, Under the Hood). He was putting together an adventure path for Savage Worlds called Perilous Journeys and wanted to know if I would be open and available as a campaign/adventure writer for two of the six-part series. Attached was an amazingly detailed plan of attack to get this project kickstarted and launched for release in the middle to late months of this year.

You know what, let's get you a link to check it out first. Behold the Kickstarter that is Twilight Continuum!! 

The initial goal is to raise funds to complete the first adventure in the series, Vanguard. Once it passes the initial $11,000 goal, every additional stretch goal brings the next step closer to reality. To make the entire series a reality, we're looking at $66,000 for the complete 6-part series in PDF and print with additional goals to produce sweet features, including a hardcover compilation of Twilight Continuum.

Should everything work out and this project becomes a reality, I'll be handling Book Two: Enemy At The Gates and Book 5: Final Destination. What are they all about? Uh-uh, that's what the link is for. As time goes on and this project climbs higher and higher up the ladder, I'll be sure to tease up what's in store for our intrepid band of future warriors. Until then, check out Twilight Continuum and offer up your support for independent game publishers. 

Killshot... Advanced?

I am the Warden!!

On Thursday, I finally sat down and used a series of words to form sentences, which collected into paragraphs to create an introduction for Killshot: Reloaded. The next supplement has begun.

What was nice about nailing down the intro's first draft was settling on the key aspects for each theme. I had been tossing around a few ideas, collecting notes, yet never truly agreeing on anything save for the general idea and it's name. Having forced myself to make a decision, I can honestly say I'm really looking forward to the challenge this supplement will offer.

Having a basis to work from, I can now sit back and assess what this book is truly about. It's not just about new themes; it's about stepping this game up a notch. An advanced version of Killshot, if you will. I'm going with the assumption many characters (now that "assassin" will not always apply) will be close to 50 training points in total or simply looking to mix it up a little from their previous exploits. I realize now this book has to meet and exceed that challenge in many ways, including handling "higher level" characters.

Let's go through each one by one, shall we?

Phase 2: Planning for Reloaded

I am the Warden!!

The Killshot core release is complete. By that, I mean there's no more game design, editing, or layout remaining. All that's left is press production, sales, and the ongoing marketing that remains eternal for all core rulebooks. It's time to start a new project and, in typical fashion, I'm looking at more than one.

Those of you familiar with this blog, BRG, and Killshot in general know the next supplement will be Killshot: Reloaded (and the ongoing Killshot Files, of course). Four alternate themes/setting applying the Killshot RPG: Hong Kong gun-fu, Wild West bounty hunters, CIA operatives, and ninjas. It's a project conceived during Killshot's early days (there's even mention of it in the original Kickstarter project) and has been on the back burner for months waiting for the opportunity to start investing time and energy. Before I can type the first word, I need to know what I want from this book and how to make it all happen through Kickstarter.

What I Learned And Should Have Remembered About Kickstarter, Part 2

I am the Warden!!

With the demo copy arrived and a list of minor corrections/revisions noted and costs for production written in stone, I was finally able to make a complete tally of all costs involved for the production of Killshot's initial release. Remember when I talked about lessons learned from my Kickstarter experience? Now it all comes into play.

As promised, all relevant costs involved in this Kickstarter project will be posted and I'm hoping to provide a bit more information to match. Not just for the sake of updating my backers, but to pay it forward in a way. Learning as much as you can from as many people as you can before setting out on a first project is huge and my intention is to share my experience with others looking to do the same. It's also by sheer coincidence that I was invited to an impromptu podcast interview specifically to talk about this topic and the timing to post these numbers is too perfect to pass up.

Here we go.

What I Learned And Should Have Remembered About Kickstarter

I am the Warden!!

As I write this, it is the Wednesday before Killshot: The Director's Cut PDF goes on sale to a murderous public and I'm just waiting to hear back from my editor for review notes and last minute changes and corrections to the book's final layout. Once they're made and the final export sitting on my desktop, the culmination of six months of blood, sweat, and tears comes to a head. OK, so there's still completing the upload to OBS, sending out backers' copies, review copies, and some other stuff, but my point still stands.

Perhaps you're dying to know how everything went as I've been very quiet this past few months, especially compared to before. In a word: outstanding. I'm so ecstatically happy with how this book has turned out so far (and there's still the print copy to look forward to, which may be my favourite part of this entire experience). Did it all go according to plan? Hell no. Did I learn something from the process? Oh yes. Will I share it with you? Guess I better, seeing as I went to all this trouble leading up to it.

Presenting a list of the 5 things I've learned - for better or for worse - about the Kickstarter experience.

Geeking Out on Marvel RPG

I am the Warden!!

Part of my work with Roleplayer's Chronicle involves writing reviews on various RPG markets, old and new, a task I've been skeptically honoring. There's a large part of me viewing the idea of a game designer working on his own RPG publicly judging other games as a bit hypocritical, though a couple others have convinced me that's exactly why I'm qualified to do so. Regardless, I am engaging in the practice and find a fun perk: forcing myself to pick up games with a "valid excuse."

Yesterday, I finally got my hands on the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying game from Margaret Weis Productions and started reading through the opening pages. First thing I'm in love with is the price. Cost me $26 and some change for a full-colour softcover print - and that's Canadian dollars. It's a gorgeous book and as a former printer, I'm in love with the smell of the pages as they crack open for the first time. Like I said, it's a printer thing.

After tearing through the first 20 pages or so before falling asleep, I'm very eager to learn the ins and outs of the game for one solid reason: it's remarkably different from many other major RPGs on the market right now. Pieces of it strike similar to some independent games - much like ones that Fraser Ronald has been playtesting with us - and the essential components of the game are far outside the norm from most games I've played and reviewed, including the Cortex System's Supernatural RPG. This isn't a review and I still have a lot more reading to complete before I can build a final opinion on the game, but things are looking positive so far. Positive enough that I'm keen to run a couple of games with some of Renfrew's newest gamers.

Hmm, What To Talk About...

I am the Warden!!

Geez, talk about a boring day. Absolutely nothing happened, there's nothing to write about, no reason for me to be excited or proud, to give thanks for or feel great humility.

Oh, wait...

(See the official announcement on Broken Ruler Games for more details. For now, I'm just too giddy to stay in my seat much longer.)

The Trials and Tribulations of Being the New Guy

I am the Warden!!

What's that? Who is the Warden? Hmm, that's a good question, isn't it? In the big scheme of things, I'm nobody. My name only means something to those few who know me and this blog will only be read by a fraction of those friends and backers of Killshot. Aside from one particular post on the old Matrix RPG I was pondering, my best post has garnered 60 views. In the ocean that is the Internet, my ripples are dwarfed by the tidal waves of giants.

That's how it feels sometimes in the struggle to get started and it can be daunting. During the past month as I push and push and push to get as much funding for Killshot as I can, three projects have raised over $1 million and numerous others started by recognized names in the industry and made their goal in 24-48 hours. And we're talking goals in the thousands of dollars. Like I said, tiny ripples.

All that anxiety and disassociation is gone once that glorious email arrives proclaiming the inclusion of yet another backer to the project. Regardless of the amount, it's a herald of victory against all odds because it's a complete stranger taking up the cause. Out of the 26 backers currently slated for contribution, only one of them is a friend or former associate of mine; the remaining 25 are total strangers I could ignorantly pass by on the street.

Success!!

I am the Warden and this has been a beautiful day!!

Actually, it's quite crappy outside, but shining like the sun indoors. Killshot's bid for funding through Kickstarter has reached 100% with just two weeks remaining and with 3 slots available for the $100 Directors reward level, there's still lots of potential for a hefty pile of cash going towards artwork on Killshot's initial release. More importantly, the backer driving this project over the finish line is none other than Rone Barton from numerous podcasts. It's kind of hard to remain humble right about now.

I'd like to take this moment to give massive thanks to everyone who's contributed so far and those yet to come. Now that Killshot has nowhere else to go but up, it's up to me to ensure it becomes everything you hope and then some.

Keep Your Assassin Organised: The Killshot Character Sheet

I am the Warden!!

The Kickstarter project for Killshot has been going phenomenally well, more than I had hoped. When I made the decision to use Kickstarter, it was done with what I believe to be realistic expectations, meaning I expected it to fail. Not horribly, exploding in a ball of fire, but that I wouldn't quite hit the mark. Today is only the 9th day and it's already at 43% of its goal. Not only could Killshot goal of obtaining original artwork come to life, but could exceed expectations on my very first time out.

Today's post is in response to a request by a backer calling himself a "sucker for character sheets." Far be it from me to show off something I'm rather proud of because I like to consider myself a character sheet junkie. I make a point of downloading multiple versions of character sheets, including official releases to homemade fillable forms to building my own to suit my own playing style.

A good character sheet can not only enhance a game for players, it can define it. Particularly in a game with some level of complexity and variable character builds. What you'll see here is still a work-in-progress (much like Killshot itself) but the changes currently slated for this sheet are repositioning only. And whatever else needs changing due to rule revisions. And considering how well things are going, I'll likely bump up the graphics on the sheet.