Kick ALL the Starters, Part III: Fund ALL the Crowds!

[Mamorien]

I'm happy with the campaign that is unfolding currently.

Question Hound returns to Kickstarter for Maximum Cope!

He's been with you through winking WhatsApp chats, weekend work emails, and Discord dramas. Now it's time for you to accompany Question Hound through an anxiety-tinged adventure of his own in his first video game.

Welcome to the Kickstarter campaign for "This is Fine: Maximum Cope," a charming platformer where our beloved character faces off against the manifestations of his deepest fears and anxieties.

With a little less than 10 days to go, he's over the 70% mark, which usually indicates a campaign will succeed, but they do say every little bit helps. As a backer of two previous KCG campaigns (the Question Hound "This is Fine" plushie and his comic adaptation of Collodi's original Pinocchio), I got a double reminder.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kcg...imum-cope/

[Shepherd]

A Kickstarter for a game by Steve Jackson:

One-Page Bulge 2nd edition

The iconic game by Hall of Fame designer Steve Jackson in a new new solo and 2-player version for the 80th anniversary of the battle.

Steve was already a respected game designer in 1980 when Moves magazine posited the question, "Would it be possible to get all the rules for a wargame ... onto both sides of an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper?" Steve's response was "Sure. Why not?"

The result was a fun, challenging and easy-to-learn regimental-scale game based on solid historical research.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dan...escription

[Mamorien]

The next Exalted expansion is upon us.

There is a world beyond Creation, a world alive with the endless motion of titanic machinery. This is Autochthonia, the Realm of Brass and Shadows, the world that is the living body of the Machine God. No green thing has ever grown here; no sun’s light has ever touched its vast metal expanse. It is haunted by alien machine gods and stalked by monstrous nightmares of flesh and steel. Survival here is all but impossible — and yet, the Eight Nations still stand.

The people of Autochthonia live within the body of their god, toiling to maintain the Great Maker’s industrial organs and world-machinery. It is a harsh existence, ever on the precipice of disaster. It is only by the incalculable effort of millions and the divine power of the Alchemical Exalted that the people of Autochthonia thrive.

ALCHEMICALS
Forged by the Machine God

The Alchemical Exalted are the Chosen of the Machine God, biomechanical demigods forged from divine metal and heroic souls. They do not rule the Eight Nations, but serve as Champions of the people, a sacred duty greater than any ambition. The eldest of Alchemicals transcend their human forms to become metropoli, living cities that offer the Eight Nations a stronghold against Autochthonia’s perils.

The Realm of Brass and Shadows is unforgiving, and the Eight Nations find themselves faced with many challenges: cataclysmic upheavals of Autochthon’s world-machinery, incursions of gruesome techno-organic gremlins, and the ever-present threat to their livelihoods. All the while, the slumbering Autochthon grows ever sicker, his corrupting Blight metastasizing throughout his world-body. Despair not. There is work to be done.

The campaign is just over nine hours in and just over 250% funded. Unlocked stretch goals include a Storyteller's screen, a metropolis that's been flung into Creation, a collection of ST advice and plot hooks, and a section on those who live in the Reaches beyond the Eight Nations (all but the screen incorporated into an Alchemicals Companion along the same lines as Heirs to the Shogunate, Many-Faced Strangers and the upcoming Miracles of Divine Flame). Possible future companion expansions include new panoply (Charms, submodules, and the beamklave-based martial art Light-Sharpening Blade Style) and quick-character stats for Apostate Alchemicals and other creatures of the Blight. Now how much would you pay?

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/ony...ted-3e-rpg

[Mamorien]

Got three several licensed projects for you, two of them about to sound their respective two-day warnings and the third with about four weeks to go. In the order of their disappearance, we begin with the Smurfs Roleplaying Game by Maestro Media. Adventure in the Cursed Lands as a pre-generated Smurf of your choice, including the Smurf-flowers from the long-lost village of Smurfy Grove, or make your own (or remake a canonical Smurf who didn't make the cut, such as Pretentious Smurf from before or after he was King Smurf).

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mae...f=activity

Then, Beadle and Grimm's Pandemonium Warehouse, aka Matthew Lillard and his D&D group, have done a pair of licensed Star Trek party games: the first Trek murder mystery game-night I can recall since the nineties (Picard: Murder on the Titan-A) and what I think is the franchise's first proper escape room experience (Strange New Worlds: Mary Celeste).

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bea...f=activity

Finally, professional licensees Cryptozoic Entertainment (from whom I backed two Ghostbusters board games) are bringing the classic DC Heroes Role-Playing Game back into print for its 40th anniversary. First or second edition box set, or both with add-ons and higher pledge levels, plus seven bundles of sourcebooks and adventures from both editions that you can add or otherwise include.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cze...f=activity

[Shepherd]

A Kickstarter for some Girl Genius medals.

t's time for more medals! This time, we have the Emperor and Empress of all Cats, Aetheric Machinist, and the Official Animal of the Party!

These die-cast medals are available in a choice of silvery or brassy metal, with two "butterfly" style clasps on the back of the top bar. If you're handy with pliers and jump rings, the Cat Emperor and Empress medals can be reversed to allow a picture of your own cat to be glued into the frame!

If we fund, you'll be able to finalize your choices, add extra medals, and specify colors after the campaign, in our BackerKit pledge manager. There, we'll also have a few of our left-over collectible medals from earlier campaigns available.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gir...escription

[Mamorien]

Two very different good-girl comics projects, ending Tuesday, both of which I backed on Boxing Day.

Hey there, Fabulous Friends! I'm thrilled to announce the return of my **School Bites** &  Celebrate its 20th anniversary with this Exclusive Kickstarter Comicbook Project! :yay:
That's right- This NEW School Bites- won't be found in Stores- It's a Special Exclusive Studio Project!

This fun manga features our beloved Cherri Creeper, a young vampire navigating life at the Shadow Academy—a place where friendship sparkles, fashion is fierce, and learning to drink responsibly is key! In this exciting new chapter titled "Cutting Class," Cherri uses her dream-walking abilities (thanks to her charming boyfriend Christopher!) to explore the dreams of her classmates who have dozed off in an utterly boring history class. Think Harry Potter meets John Hughes' Breakfast Club—filled with laughter, adventure, and those magical moments that make school unforgettable!

A New Story, Variant Covers- THREE by Jim Balent-SQWEE!- Exclusive Merch AND if you missed any of my issues starting from 2004- I have back issues that you can grab to fill you in on all the fun that you've missed!

Join me on this whimsical journey and let’s bring Cherri’s latest escapade to life together  here on Kickstarter! (starburst)✨

xxx

Holly!:cherries::bat:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hol...ting-class

Two women must keep their superpowers and love for one another a secret in this spicy, post-WW2, pulp superhero comic. Mature content.

"During World War II, over six million women took wartime jobs. For Betty Buchanan and Veronica Vale, who volunteered at a manufacturing plant, it was a time of self-discovery, friendship, and...freedom.

As soldiers returned from military service, circumstances changed. Most women left the workforce, and resumed their lives as housewives. It was the end of an era. But it was just the beginning... for Bombshell and Atomica.

Forbidden lovers. Caught in calamity. Then saved by a mysterious atomic energy. And, now, gifted with amazing abilities, Betty and Veronica must come to terms with the tragic outcome of their power...

They must NEVER touch each other again!"

(Well, that last line is a bit of an exaggeration, as we see further down the page. Betty Bombshell and Veronica Atomica can still touch sometimes; they just need to be high enough in the sky that the energy discharge won't damage anything nearby.)

This thrilling limited series reimagines the classic pulp-era superhero story like never before. It tackles bold themes of societal oppression, tension in a post-war world, and the impact of keeping secrets.

...but more importantly...IT'S FUN!

Packed with pulse-pounding action, sharp humor, and sizzling moments, this limited series perfectly embodies the spirit of Bad Bug Media—the powerhouse publisher behind hits like Bobby Jo, Vanya: The Lost Warrior, HyperGeist, XenoGeist, Death Nell, and so many more. Get ready for a wild ride you won’t forget!

Illustrated by Joel Souza, written by Kat Calamia and Phil Falco from Lifeline Comics, and lettered by Aaron Locust.

(Confession: this is the fourth Lifeline Comics project I've only gotten around to joining with its second issue, preceded by the sapphic fairy-tale reimaginings of the Ever-After-Verse -- The Beast and Snow, Nightmare in Wonderland, and the timely The Witches of Oz.)

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wil...ero-series

[Mamorien]

They're calling it a tangent, but to me, it looks more like an absorption.

“It sounds like a hundred trains. The quarters are cramped and stink of oil and coal, and if we fall, we’re done.”

The 19th century saw the emergence of a new kind of fighting machine: massive coal-fueled giants known as steam rigs. Crude and cumbersome at first, by the 1890s, they had become the primary weapons of war. Nations competed to develop the biggest and the best, while brilliant inventors like Lucy Tillencrest were sought by the highest bidder. But getting crews to man the rigs was a different story. For only the most reckless and foolhardy would dare to join the Steam Force, or, as it was called at the time… “the most dangerous job on earth.”

In Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars, your player characters are the crewmembers of a war rig, venturing into battles against people from far off countries, aligned to ideals different than their own, and trying to preserve their peace, their way of life, or their rich deposits of a new, bizarre energy source: condensed coal. Your characters — the crewmembers of these war rigs — are as likely to be enlisted crooks as they are commissioned officers; gung-ho patriots as common as conscripted people from the imperial powers’ colonies. They fight because they have to. But in the fear and fog of battle, bonds form, friendships and rivalries grow, and legends are made.

Trinity Continuum: Steam Wars is set in 1897, just as the Second Steam War is moving into its deadliest phase. Prussia and their Die Lanze alliance wage war on Britain, America, and Japan’s Iron Ring alliance. Meanwhile, the Fulcrum of Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Britain, and America combat their enemies in Central Europe as the Confederation of the Sea comprising Spain, Italy, and the Ottoman Empire seize the Mediterranean with their newfound power. Prussia and Korea utilize the Long Handshake alliance to pincer Russia between them, but imperial Russia isn’t without allies, as the Dual Entente with France aims to weaken Prussia’s aggression. The world is at war, but the theaters of conflict are many.

The Trinity Continuum is a roleplaying game line set in a multiverse of danger, from the products of mad science and corporate greed to the perils of lost civilizations. Players create stories of adventure and intrigue in any of several eras and alternate universes within the continuum, each focusing on a different genre of play. From Mythic heroes in Greece's Iron Age to two-fisted pulp action in the Roaring '30s, from modern-day assassins working in a shadow world to super-powered individuals and teams in the near future, and even all the way into the 22nd century as psionic humans travel to the stars. Each era of the Trinity Continuum presents endless possibilities.

Steam Wars takes place outside the Trinity Continuum's "Alpha" timeline -- the worlds explored from Aegis to Æon -- taking place in a parallel reality, setting the stage for new adventures and discoveries.

As well as a roleplaying game, Steam Wars is a successful graphic novel, series of art creations, and idea spawned from the ever-brilliant mind of Larry Blamire. Working with Onyx Path Publishing, Larry has co-authored this game to form a new aspect of the Trinity Continuum while furthering the possibilities within his Steam Wars world. Readers, players, and Storyguides alike are encouraged to look up the Steam Wars graphic novel and get a taste for what this roleplaying game has in store. Many of the characters, rigs, and actions appearing in this pages were introduced in Larry’s comic work, and they’ll undoubtedly serve to inspire you.

Add-ons do not yet include the graphic novel, but they do include all the Alpha Timeline games (including Aegis, whose backer PDF just went out to us Nautikoi last week) and all the games in the meta-cinematic They Came From...! series, for which Blamire has contributed text pieces in the style of his deadpan neo-bulldada cinematic work.

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/ony...steam-wars

[Norgarth]

an upcoming (not yet running) kickstarter to reprint several of the old Fighting Fantasy game books
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sjg...ref=59c0v2

[Shepherd]

The Kickstarter for those Fighting Fantasy adventures mentioned in the previous post is live, and well past their pledge goal.

Five roleplaying adventures by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson. The classic series that's part story, part game - you are the hero!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sjg...k-in-print

[Shepherd]

Lorescape: Revolutionize Your Tabletop Terrain Experience!

Modular customisable hex-terrain for epic tabletop RPGs, battles & immersive worldbuilding. High quality, beautiful, easy to use.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lor...escription

This Kickstarter is already at 10x the funding goal, with four weeks left to go.

[Mamorien]

Not such a long time ago at all, at a resort only somewhat far away...

Halcyon Daze is a feature-length documentary that traces the ambitious launch, spectacular run, and crushing closure of Disney World's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. From the fan's eye view of director Carrie Coaplen's own journey aboard the "luxury space liner", viewers will experience the unique attraction, meet its intensely passionate fan community, and the incredible artists, cast and crew that brought it to life.

Humans need fantasy to be human.

The Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser was a high-profile, immersive theme park attraction at Walt Disney World Florida. The all-inclusive experience provoked strong reactions from both fans and critics and ultimately shuttered after less than two years—a shockingly brief lifecycle for a project that cost an alleged $400 million USD to develop and build. Combining elements of live-action role playing games, escape rooms, immersive theater, virtual travel, and themed entertainment, Galactic Starcruiser invited participants to board the Halcyon, a passenger spaceship in the fleet of Chandrila Starlines, where they would spend two nights aboard a luxury ship voyaging across the galaxy and participating in events in the Star Wars timeline. Viewed from the outside, the Starcruiser was a brick of a hotel plunked near the back lot for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but from the inside, it was something else entirely.



Through such audacious acts of make-believe, the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser contributed to the now centuries long effort to achieve fully immersive narrative experiences. Further, while short lived, the Starcruiser amassed a fervent and dedicated fanbase among guests, many of whom were repeat voyagers.

But the appeal was far from universal, and critics found aspects of the project off putting. The price tag of up to $7,000 for a standard package for 2 nights proved steep. At least one preview video intended to spark interest had such an icy reception that the company later removed it from official channels. But attendees at a beta test in November 2021 were relatively enthusiastic despite experiencing what was an only mostly finished product. For example, Joshua Yehl, Senior Editor at IGN said, “Walking into the main room at the heart of the Halcyon, the atrium, feels like walking onto a genuine starship right out of the movies." Ultimately, despite the mixed reception, initial bookings for the experience showed promise, selling out for the first four months well before the March 2022 launch date.

Bro this isn't Star Wars, this is Space Conflicts.

When the attraction finally opened, it presented guests with a carefully orchestrated experience facilitated both by the physical environments of the ship and Galaxy’s Edge and the efforts of hundreds of staff, including a number of actors who portrayed characters like the ship’s captain and cruise director, all of whom strove to maintain immersion. If passengers asked a member of waitstaff where they were from, they’d answer with Naboo or another planet from the Star Wars universe. The dining room had blue and green milk on tap. Rooms didn’t have windows, but portals that showed views from space. Aliens and droids mingled with passengers in the atrium.

It's the place where I found my true self.

But bookings dropped off over time, and on May 18, 2023, Disney announced that the Starcruiser would be shuttered in September, just 19 months after its opening. After a pause in bookings to reschedule or refund those who had reserved dates after the impending closure, the remaining voyages sold out within a few hours in a mad scramble that seasoned Disney travel agents called unprecedented. Those who had missed a booking before the sell out called hourly for days or even weeks, hoping to get back on board; passengers offered up empty spaces in their cabins to share with strangers from online Facebook groups and Discord channels hastily organized to let Starcruiser fans find "crewmates" for their voyages.

We're all canon Star Wars characters now.

We began documenting the closure during this period, and four members of our team managed to find spots on the third-to-last "voyage," collecting hours of professional footage of the experience. Since then, we have interviewed numerous former passengers and current fans, experts in areas from game design to role-playing to business, and cast and crew from the experience; attended fan meetups and conventions; and captured more than 100 hours of original footage.

There is a stark contrast between the Starcruiser as a ridiculous and ridiculously expensive failure and the Starcruiser as a beloved and transformative community. Halcyon Daze is an effort to document and understand that tension.

The finished film, on digital and physical media, and associated swag pack drop in October of next year, but if you back at the $1,000+ levels, you get a seat at the Director Dinner happening this October in Orlando at GSC fan meet-up HalcyCon.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/car...tarcruiser

[Mamorien]

Boom goes the firedust.

Chosen by the gods, their power tempered only by human hearts, the Exalted are all that stand between Creation and the forces that would ruin the world. Set in a rich and intriguing setting that draws from real-world histories and fantasy archetypes, Exalted: Essence features streamlined rules for a new way of playing a classic game, incorporating story-focused action and a presentation designed to appeal to new players and longtime fans alike.

The Exalted: Essence Player’s Guide is a book chock full of player-facing content. Within, we’ll walk you through how to think about playing your character, what kind of person they might shape up to be, and how to consider their strengths and weaknesses as well as Intimacies and Virtues. Beyond advice for roleplaying, each chapter also contains dozens of new Charms for characters to take, shaping the outcome of your campaigns.

Unlike other Exalted books, this does not contain any new setting material. It’s all about your character and your campaigns. Most books also speak directly to the Storyteller, assuming they’re the person who does most of the reading. Not so here! If you’re a player in a game of Exalted, this book is for you. You don’t have to read the whole thing cover to cover, but the section that applies to your character has so much there for you.

Learn what it means to be Exalted.

The Book

THE BOOK

The Exalted: Essence Player's Guide is an expansion for Exalted: Essence. Players of all experience levels will find detailed guidance on how to play each Exalt type and how to get in the mindset of their characters. Each of the ten playable Exalt types has a rich chapter full of roleplaying advice and new mechanical content for players to enjoy.

Jump in and learn what it means to be Exalted.

• Ten chapters each dedicated entirely to one Exalt type, packed with roleplaying advice, all-new Exalt milestones and dozens of new Charms.
  
• Two brand-new Exigents, each with a complete Charm set.
  
• Expanded Exalt-specific rules for unique features such as Sidereal destinies and Lunar shapeshifting.
  

This Book at a Glance

Exalted of Creation

• Chapter 1: Dragon-Blooded covers everything to play one of the Ten Thousand Dragons including non-Dynastic characters. Delve into their themes of hierarchy, family, and empire to better bring a character to life.
  
• Chapter 2: Lunars contains expanded shapeshifting rules and deep dives into their themes of liminality, monstrosity, and identity. Find new ways to steal forms and beguile enemies with their new Charms.
  
• Chapter 3: Sidereals contains a full suite of expanded rules for shaping destiny as well as a summary of the Constellations. Alongside exploring their themes of arcane fate, destiny, and duty, it introduces all-new Constellation modes for their Charms.
  
• Chapter 4: Solars covers their themes of virtue, excellence, and legacy. It introduces new Caste modes to reinforce the peerless mastery of the Sun’s Chosen.
  
• Chapter 5: Exigents includes four Exigent types: the Architects, chosen of cities; God Admirals, immortal mariners whose power comes from slaying each other; March Lords, protectors of Creation’s boundaries; and the Sovereigns of Uluiru, a complex dynasty with gemstone themes.
  

Exalted of Other Realms

• Chapter 6: Abyssals discusses their themes of deathly chivalry, rulership over the dead, and dark emotions. It contains an expanded discussion of the Chivalry of Death along with an overview of the Deathlords and who they are.
  
• Chapter 7: Alchemicals explores their themes of artificial life, building a better future, and community. In addition to new Charms, this chapter includes an expanded discussion on the world of Autochthonia.
  
• Chapter 8: Getimians covers their themes of memory, reality, and things that never were. It includes a process for creating a character’s Origin in addition to new Charms.
  
• Chapter 9: Infernals discusses their themes of vengeance, duality, and their unpeaceful livelihoods. It guides players towards thinking about a life in Malfeas as well as Creation in addition to all the other expansions.
  
• Chapter 10: Liminals covers their themes of undeath, liminality, and the thread of life. This chapter assists in creating the Thread of Life as well as all-new content.
  

Two days in and already 305% funded, unlocking via stretch goals a companion, Essence Extended, which will add even more options for every type of Exalt besides Exigents (and a further stretch goal will close that gap).

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/ony...yers-guide