BackerKit surveys and game previews!
about 3 years ago – Tue, Mar 02, 2021 at 07:44:41 PM

*Phew* 

It's been a couple of weeks since my kickstarter finished so here's my promised monthly update.

The kickstarter funds should reach me in the next few days and the BackerKit surveys will be heading out to all backers this week!

The preorder store is also live for anyone who missed out, or had issues with their pledge.

 A few notes about the survey

• there will be an add-on option to pay a bit more and upgrade to tracked shipping - all standard shipping costs will be calculated as untracked shipping, to keep base costs as low as possible
• please double and triple check that you enter the correct shipping address!
• as it stands, I'm not planning to offer extra physical copies as an add-on...
• ...but you can upgrade from a digital pledge to a physical zine if you like

Digital previews and feedback

I've included one other question in the BackerKit survey - would you like to receive a digital preview version of A Complicated Profession, or wait for the finished product? 

The digital preview does include:

• the full working game, with all written content
• the 'passenger generator' stretch goal
• a link to a Google form so you can provide feedback about the game - whether you've played it or just had a read-through and want to share some thoughts

The digital preview does not include:

• any professional layout work by Vee - this is a draft layout I created, with a few rough edges
• the full set of artwork from Nusa - currently it's using a lot of placeholder stock art
• the Miro board stretch goal, to help facilitate online play
• the soundtrack stretch goal

I understand some backers would rather wait for the finished product and not 'spoil' anything so this digital preview is entirely optional. It's a chance for me to gather some feedback outside of my small play-testing circle and let you start playing sooner if you can't wait!

What next?

This month I'll be: 

• catching up with Vee to discuss the new layout
• starting to order some of the extra bits and pieces like cards, stickers and dice
• taking a look at any feedback I get from the survey and consider design tweaks if needed!

Next month I'm hoping I'll have some new artwork to share and we'll be right on track for a summer release :) Expect an update in late April. 

In the meantime, I hope those of you who opt for the digital preview have a great time!

- Jason

Thanks everyone :)
about 3 years ago – Mon, Feb 15, 2021 at 07:07:42 PM

350% funded!!

Thank you so much for your support!

I've had more backers and shout-outs than I could have expected and it's been the most amazing experience. I can't wait to hear about your adventures as you take on a cruise ship with your pals.

Now the hard work begins of getting the game into everyone's hands. I'll be posting regular (at least) monthly updates to let you know how things are going as we aim for summer delivery of the finished zine.

But before that I'll be offering the option to receive a first edition digital copy of ACP (without the full set of artwork, layout work or stretch goals) so you can play the game sooner and send me some feedback!

Expect more details in the coming days about this and all the usual BackerKit info.

- Jason

ACP explained #3 - Passengers & Contracts
about 3 years ago – Fri, Feb 12, 2021 at 11:43:37 PM

We've hit another stretch goal!

That means I'll be adding some extra content to ACP to provide some quick inspiration when creating your lucky(?) passengers during the game.

Contracts & Passengers

This seems a good time to talk a little bit more about how contracts and passengers work in ACP.

Creating a contract

To generate a contract, the lead player draws 2 cards and gets a choice of 2 contracts: 

• The suits determine the type of contract your passengers have requested - for example, diamonds means your passengers want a sightseeing contract, where they value exploration, novelty and new experiences above other aspects of your cruise. 
• The cards determine your passengers description - for example,  a 2 means the manager of your home spaceport and their large, unruly family have requested the contract. An ace means a royal family are coming aboard, with their entourage. There are 13 different descriptions, as you'd expect. 

The lead player then answers a few questions about the passengers - for example, what is the lead passenger's name and species, why did they request this type of contract and how was it arranged? 

This is where the new stretch goal content will come in, to help you easily come up with suitable names and species if you're stuck.

Using your passengers

You'll aim to impress your passengers and meet their requests during each of your contracts. Sometimes they'll even play an active part in events or join your crew to fill a vacant host role...

After each contract, one player also plays a special event as a passenger. They'll give a short highlight reel of your contract from the passenger's perspective and answer some questions.

The passenger's opinion will affect your potential rewards but it's also a fun way to look back on each contract as you play.

In playtesting, we've often found that passengers can become the stars of the show. 

There's only a few days left

We're already pushing on towards the final stretch goal!

I'm hard at work preparing the first digital edition of ACP that will be sent to all backers as soon as possible after the campaign finishes. 

This initial version won't contain: 

• the full set of artwork
• any professional layout work
• any of the stretch goal content

That's something to look forward to and hopefully you can feedback on your adventures in the meantime. I'll be posting regular monthly updates to ensure you're not left in the dark about how it's progressing.

Thanks again for your support

- Jason

Final stretch goals revealed
about 3 years ago – Wed, Feb 10, 2021 at 07:22:56 AM

There's 5 days left 

Time to reveal some final stretch goals and give a few shout-outs to other projects I've backed.

The ACP soundtrack is unlocked!

As always, thank you to everyone who's backed the campaign so far. I can't wait to see what Christopher creates for the lo-fi beats soundtrack. 

The aim is for it to be ready around the time I start sending out physical copies of ACP later in the year!

New stretch goals

I've spent some time thinking about what would improve the experience of playing ACP. 

I didn't want to add stretch goals for the sake of it, and I definitely wanted all backers to benefit from them. So here goes:

• If we hit £3500 I'll create a passenger name and species generator. 

In every game of ACP, you generate three sets of passengers to take on your intergalactic adventures. I've found in playtesting that the passenger's names and species play a big part in how players imagine them and develop their stories. This generator will give you a quick reference sheet when creating a contract, to help you come up with something suitable, or funny. 

If you backed the digital version, this will be included in the files. If you backed the physical version this will be a separate printed reference sheet (probably postcard-sized).

• If we hit £4000 I'll create a custom Miro board template to help you play ACP together online.

Miro is a free online collaborative tool that is super user-friendly. You can sign up for free, add the template that I create and then invite your friends to join the board. 

It will include all the player sheets that need to be filled in as you play, including character roles. So everyone will be able to see each others characters, your shared world, your ship assets, and contribute to filling in the contract notes.

£4000 is a big goal but I think this will be a really useful aid in these endless COVID-times.

A few shout-outs

There are tons of great projects out there for ZineQuest and I'm so grateful you've chosen to back ACP when there's so much choice. 

If you're like me, you've probably backed several other projects too so here's a very small selection of some of the ZineQuest games I'm excited to receive:

Apothecaria

Solo games. Why didn't I make a solo game again? Apothecaria looks like it's going to be an amazing experience, with a ton of content to play through and some familiar collaborators announced.

You'll take on the role of a village witch creating potions for the unfortunate villagers, adventurers, and monsters that come to you for help. It includes some drawing and some writing, plus a soundtrack is on the way, which I'm a sucker for. Its creator Anna Blackwell says:

"Apothecaria aims to capture the humour and feel of games like Theme Hospital and Stardew Valley with the cosiness and wonder of Studio Ghibli films."

You had me at Theme Hospital.

Journeylands #1

I mean, just look at that art. Before I even read about this game I knew I wanted to play it. Then I read the following:

"J’lands is a travel-based adventuresystem in which one or more players create and customise vehicles called rigs to wander a psychedelic solarpunk world. It’s like One Piece meets that episode of The Simpsons with the space coyote."

Sold. You can play this game solo or with a GM and the player-driven exploration and procedural overland mechanics sound great. It's an e-zine onle and it's the first of a series of instalments but frankly I can't wait to play.

Stealing the Throne

If you're here, you probably like 3-5 player GM-less RPGs that require little-to-no prep right?

Well I think Stealing the Throne might also be for you. Like me, Nick was a guest on the Yes Indie'd podcast ZineQuest series where you can hear both of us talk about our games (and LOADS of other creators). Here's the pitch:

"In just a few hours you’ll build a Throne, a titanic mech with a thousand years of drama-filled history. You’ll devise the elaborate security systems that protect it, and then play to find out how your crew of thieves take them apart."

Who doesn't love a heist? Plus there are some awesome artists involved in the project, each with their own take on one of the Thrones you can steal. Let's be real - we're all here for the art right?

Bucket of Bolts

Unless you're living under a kickstarter-less rock, you've probably already seen or backed this year's ZineQuest smash hit Bucket of Bolts. 

But I want to talk about it anyway. Jack is a good friend of mine and an amazing game designer, who gave me a lot of confidence to bring ACP to kickstarter.

He always puts a ton of work into making his games something really special, from the packaging to the stretch goals and little extras you can add on. Plus of course, the base game is built on his critically-acclaimed Artefact framework, with a twist:

"Instead of creating a magical item, this time you'll be telling the story of a single spaceship. You’ll create a brand new freighter, fresh off the manufacturing line, and explore its history through each of the people who captain it. Your ship will change as the decades pass - new names, new parts, fresh paint, fresh starts - until your story draws to a close."

If you like solo games, or just Han Solo, you really should check this out.

As always, thanks for reading

- Jason

ACP explained #2 - Event Horizon
about 3 years ago – Wed, Feb 10, 2021 at 05:17:11 AM

We're nearly at a stretch goal!

That means it's time for another update, going into more detail about how ACP works. 

It's another long one so settle in...

What are events in ACP?

I call them events, but you could also call them mini-games, scenes or highlights. Events are split into two categories:

• special events that happen on a cycle (during setup and before and after each contract)
• main events that are chosen by players (you choose 3 during each contract from a menu of 9)

Examples of special events include meeting your crew, acquiring a few useful items from your home spaceport to fill your ship and a post-contract assessment by one of the passengers.

Main events range from organising an excursion, dinner dance or birthday party, to dealing with a brawl on the ship or some unexpected romance. Whoever chooses the main event takes a leading role in dealing with the situation.

The other players will all be involved in each main event somehow - they may even play as a passenger! Your crew are often split up to deal with a separate problem that has nothing to do with the main event.

It would be a missed opportunity if there weren't complications in ACP, right?

An example...

Here's an example of how a main event played out during a recent playtest with 5 players:

• The lead player, Quill, had to plan an excursion that satisfied the contract, with only a few bits of information about a local planet. It was a desert planet with a live warzone.
• Quill also hand-picked another crew member, Badger, to accompany them and decided to take the passengers (a thrill-seeking sports team) on a night-time adventure tour between desert outposts.
• Their tour vehicles broke down en route, but Badger used their 'wildlife whisperer' experience to hitch a ride home on some giant desert worms.

Back on the ship:

• The complication: A dangerous animal (some rapidly multiplying weebles) had escaped from the cargo hold and the rest of the crew needed to hunt them down quickly.
• Grassk came up with the idea of luring the weebles to one spot using a useful item in the ship's inventory - a crate of expired ready meals. 
• Baron built on this story by setting up a trap to ensure they could not grab the food and run.
• Vole then used 'right place, right time' to appear in the security room just as the creatures began congregating around the food, and pushed the airlock button to eject them all into space.

As the players used both a useful item and an experience, they rolled a pool of 3 dice to resolve the event. It turns out that passengers are fickle, and this was still only enough to earn them a decoration for their ship - a giant souvenir rug made from worm-hide.

It's your story

Your group is likely to play each game of ACP completely differently as there's a huge amount of freedom to come up with useful items and build on each other's stories.

The main aim is really to make each other laugh at the convoluted ideas you come up with to deal with (often ridiculous) situations. But there are prompts, a rhythm to the game and an overarching storyline to ensure you stay on track.

Thanks for reading 

- Jason