Kickstarter Updates: 15%, Baby!!

I am the Warden!!

It's been two days since the Kickstarter project started and already Killshot: An Assassin's Journal sits at 15% of its goal with just two backers to date. At this rate, it's possible to hit $800 within the next 10 days, though I'm not inclined to actually believe that'll happen - I'm a pessimist through and through. Still, it's off to a very good start and I'd like to thank those who have taken the leap of faith so far.

There's a lot more work to be done on my end to keep the word alive. This is the real challenge and one I'll have to repeat throughout my career: to keep plugging a product long after it's been released. For now, aside from the usual blog posts, Facebook, G+, and Twitter, I've placed the video for Killshot: Proposal on YouTube with links to the Kickstarter page in the hopes of gaining attention from the video alone. Next week, I'll be hunting the forums of sites like EN World, RPG Net, and more to get as many eyes on that page as possible.

Without a finished product to distribute or an existing reputation (something I've noticed quite a few projects have), the video is truly the selling point for Killshot. It shows a level of commitment and dedication to the idea, or at least enough to make someone say "Hmm, this looks serious." On that note, I've posted a copy of the final cut for Killshot: Proposal below... because you're all beautiful and deserve it.

Firing the First Shot: Kickstarter Begins

I am the Warden and THIS is my Kickstarter drive!!

Just a few minutes ago, the Kickstarter drive to raise $800 for Killshot: An Assassin's Journal began. After busting my hump until my fingers bled on the promo video and pages upon pages of material written for Killshot, plus the countless hours of development in the Optional System from its original genesis to its current form, it's been a long road to today... and it couldn't have come on a better day. But I won't get into that here.

At the moment, I'm working on an alternate funding source to work alongside Kickstarter for those outside of the US who want to contribute but don't have the means or citizenship to kick in a little. When those details are worked out, I'll post them here. Meantime, feel free to ask any questions here, on the Broken Ruler site, or on the Kickstarter page and I'll answer them promptly. To those who have already taken the time to contribute, thank you and I shan't let you down.

Playing in Stages

I am the Warden!!

With all the Kickstarter prep out of the way, it's time to get back to the real work and make playtest revisions to Killshot. Last Friday's run-through of the Drug Dealer Job went very well and resulted in a crack pusher lying on the front steps of his apartment building with his brains for a pillow. Suggestions were made to fix a couple of glitches/discrepancies and after a review of all my notes, I'm looking forward to getting my hands dirty again.

(On that note, I've started up an advice column on the Broken Ruler site called The Director's Chair suggesting how to read the dice for descriptions on successful or failed dice rolls. Highly recommended for those running playtests at the moment.)

As I write this, I'm sitting in a hospital waiting room for a follow-up appointment regarding my accident thinking about how players have learned about the game. Simply put, do new players really need to learn the entire game in one fell swoop?

Killshot: Proposal (First Cut)

I am the Warden!!

This past weekend was incredibly busy, stressful, time-consuming, repetitive, and finally, rewarding. With so many other factors, rewrites, and difficulties dealt with and factored, production finally began on Killshot: Proposal, the opening video for the upcoming Kickstarter drive for Killshot. On Saturday, we started and wrapped up principal filming. Saturday evening into Sunday night saw countless hours of editing and rendering to create this initial cut.

There are still a few tweaks to make, particularly with the first 10 seconds and whatever that crap is about, plus the sound issues in the initial dialogue, but I'm incredibly happy with how it's turned out. Oh, and I have some updated rough sketches made by Kieron O'Gorman, the artist who will take on the task of bringing Killshot to black-and-white life if the funding goes through.

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.