Josh Fox @rabalias@dice.camp
Roleplayer, game designer, human. Co-designer of Lovecraftesque, one half of Black Armada games. He/him.
I'll be launching the kickstarter for Flotsam, my GMless game of outcasts, renegades and misfits living in the belly of a space station, in the shadow of a more prosperous society. Here's a WIP sketch of the cover art - looking great already! You can follow the Black Armada kickstarter account and get a notification when it launches, here: https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/blackarmada/
Hey so I just discovered the existence of dice.camp. Who should I follow if I want to hear endless indie RPG talk?
I finally got around to finishing my series talking about what we learned from the Lovecraftesque kickstarter. This is the fourth and final entry.
http://blackarmada.com/lovecraftesque-a-kickstarter-retrospective-part-4/
Hey US folks, bit of advice plz. You might have seen I'm planning to launch the Flotsam kickstarter in July. How big a problem do you think it would be to have the campaign begin on or immediately after DexCon? What about ending on or immediately after Gen Con? Is that likely to massively hit my numbers, if everyone's either (a) away or (b) broke from buying games at a convention? Or am I worrying unnecessarily?
I'll be launching the kickstarter for Flotsam, my GMless game of outcasts, renegades and misfits living in the belly of a space station, in the shadow of a more prosperous society. Here's a WIP sketch of the cover art - looking great already! You can follow the Black Armada kickstarter account and get a notification when it launches, here: https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/blackarmada/
Scenes end when both questions are answered.
Summarise the scene on an index card. Keep them in chronological order.
When everyone has answered a question, consider where the object goes next.
Repeat (2).
(2) Take turns to ask someone a question about something that happened to, or around, the object.
After the question, choose scene attributes from these tables:
EMOTION
Love
Anger
Sadness
Joy
Hope
Worry
LOCATION
Busy
Natural
Lofty
Formal
Isolated
Cosy
PEOPLE
Authority
Rivalry
Play
Threat
Trust
Kindred
The answering player frames a scene to answer the question (location, time, cast, circumstances), assigns characters, and asks a question for the players to answer through the scene.
(3/4)
(1) Choose object attributes from these tables:
ROLE
Heirloom
Masterpiece
Treasure
Hallowed
Taboo
Political
TYPE
Weapon
Text
Art
Wearable
Alive
Tool
QUALITY
Modest
Elegant
Subtle
Dangerous
Tainted
Enchanting
Consider what the object is. Describe it on an index card. (2/3)
I've finished my #200wordrpg entry "Things Speak": 1-5 players. 2+ hours.
Follow a unique object as it's passed from person to person and discover what it sees on its journey.
When the rules say...
CHOOSE FROM TABLES: each secretly pick one item from one table, then all reveal. Roll d6 on any unselected table.
CONSIDER: discuss together then decide. (1/3 I guess?)
I wrote a 200 word RPG! It's inspired by the Apocalypse World move "things speak". You create an interesting object and then follow it as it's passed from person to person, playing out little vignettes. You end up creating a little timeline of its existence.
I guess it's more specifically inspired by the questions "what emotions have been felt near this" and "what words have been spoken near this".
If you've been paying attention, you know that Dream Askew is one of my favourite games, and you can now back it on Kickstarter. Also excited to see it joined by Dream Apart by Benjamin Rosenbaum, which looks like a fantastic addition.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/averyalder/dream-askew-dream-apart/
Fourth: share your thoughts. Even if nobody responds at first. It does eventually help build connections, and helps clarify your thinking. Fifth: no top tip is more important than getting on and having fun designing games. Do what works for you. (2/2)
Top tips for a game designer? First: write and finish stuff. That game you've been polishing forever could be out there being enjoyed! Second: play stuff. We learn what works by trying it. Third: nobody's perfect. Don't let imposter syndrome shut you down.
(1/2) #AprilTTRPGMaker
My favourite interview with me is probably the Gauntlet one that @BeckyA and I did around the Lovecraftesque kickstarter.
My community: I'm part of a local gaming community in Chesterfield (Derbyshire) called Refugees from Reality. I love the gaming community on G+ (bits of it - what's good about G+ is I only see the bits I like). I'm trying to foster a UK game design community.
Just realised Lovecraftesque is Deal of the Day on International Tabletop day! That is rather gratifying. To celebrate, I'm doing an AMA over on Twitter.
Lovecraftesque is Deal of the Day on @DriveThruRPG! You can get it for a frankly ludicrous $5.60 RIGHT NOW.
Pls re-toot!
Allow me to feature Elizabeth Lovegrove. She's the designer of dystopian story game "Rise and Fall" in the Seven Wonders RPG anthology, and "Bluestockings", about the first women to study at the University of Oxford. Also an awesome feminist academic. #aprilttrpgmaker
Most of the blogs I follow have died, sadly. I'd probably better search this hashtag for tips. Podcasts-wise I'm currently enjoying Plus One Forward's PBTA theory episodes, over a spot of washing up. Oh, also I have a blog where I talk about games, game theory, and the games I'm designing and playtesting - blackarmada.com #aprilttrpgmaker
Being a TTRPG Designer means giving other people cool experiences that they would never have had otherwise. That's the best. #aprilttrpgmaker
Most notable achievement? Lovecraftesque, I guess? It's sold well, been nominated for awards, people say nice things about it. I'm proud of it. I'm not sure what "notable" means, but I think it's been noted by a fair few people. #aprilttrpgmaker
People who have given generously of their time to share their knowledge and experience include Anna Kreider, Steve Segedy, Jason Morningstar and Fred Hicks, as has Graham W who also helped introduce me to the wonderful world of convention sales booths. Finally, I'd also like to thank everyone who has ever done a kickstarter - it is genuinely inspiring and galvanising to see. #aprilttrpgmaker
People who've helped me, there are a lot. Everyone who has playtested my games, posted an actual play video or writeup, shared your thoughts and enthusiasm about a project, reshared my stuff. The community on G+ (that's you) has been invaluable for all of this. (1/2) #aprilttrpgmaker