The Shepherd Interview with Nathan Sage

We recently sat down with Nathan Sage in the plush Dorkland offices to do an interview about his and Ron Joseph's new comic, The Shepherd, that is currently in its final week of Kickstarter.

Dorkland: How did you get started with comics?

Nathan Sage: Perhaps the moment comics pulled me in was this one rainy day I climbed up into the dusty attic and found a tattered box of my dad’s old Superman comics. From the 60s. A whole story arc of them. I remember reading right through to the last one and feeling crushed that it ended with a cliffhanger. CAN SUPERMAN SURVIVE THIS HORRENDOUS ORDEAL?!

But if Superman introduced me to the world of comics, Moebius was my teacher. In the late 70s he did this series of wordless short stories in Heavy Metal Magazine called “Arzach.” They were so cinematic, so beautiful, so simple in their delivery. And as a writer, that sense of visual revelation has been so vital to the way I see comics. I attempt to write comics stories wherein the writing serves to drive visual storytelling—where the reveals are made with pictures, not words. I mean, that’s why we all got into comics, isn’t it? Because of the pictures?

DL: Why use Kickstarter for this project?

NS: Kickstarter allows us to connect with a much larger audience than simply self-publishing would allow. Recently I was running my finger down that long list of people who’ve jumped onboard our project, and the disparity of where people lived was incredible. Australia, France, Italy, Canada, Mexico, Great Britain. This kind of reach would have been much more difficult without a platform like Kickstarter; with just a few clicks anyone from anywhere in the world can get, and have a part in, our comic.

DL: How has the Kickstarter experience been for you? Anything in particular that you have learned during this experience that might help other people considering Kickstarter?

NS: I had knots in my stomach for the week leading up to our launch. It was a constant struggle of “Is the project page clear? Will people get this? Am I out of my mind?” My greatest fear was that the Kickstarter would launch at midnight New Year’s Day and would be met with a collective yawn of nothingness. But we had done a few things right. We had announced the project and its Kickstarter to the world 2 weeks early (I’d do it even earlier next time), and then at ten days out we started a Ten Day Countdown, complete with graphics and little mini-stories and a teaser video, leading right up to the start of the campaign. And it paid off—the first day we hit 25% of our funding goal.

DL: What are some of the influences that went into creating The Shepherd or that helped with its conception?

NS: I think between Ron and I, each of us bring a long list of influences to bear on the comic, and looking at any one page of the comic you can start to see them. We both loved a lot of comics from the 1970s and 1980s; the Moebius comics in Heavy Metal really show through in my sensibilities in the storytelling and some of the design elements (I think you can really see it in Astrid’s gown and the maniac poachers’ armor). Ron has a special place in his heart for the comics John Byrne drew at Marvel in the 70s and 80s, and outside the comics world he draws endless influence from the creative genius of Jim Henson.

DL: It seems you all are using some of the old school non-digital methods for The Shepherd – what are some of the reasons for that? What might it mean for the readers?

NS: I’ve always loved the way traditional pencils and inks look; there’s a distinctness about it that feels very organic. You look at an inked line and it has a certain smoothness, a certain unpredictability to it that I love. If you could see Ron Joseph polish off pages of pencils and Jake Isenberg ink those pages with brushes dipped in India Ink, you would see two artists who are absolute experts in their craft—they come at the pages with such speed and detail that it’s almost impossible to imagine them doing things any other way.

DL: Astrid, the main character, seems like a fairly normal person – why have her as a main character? What qualities does she possess that makes her stand out as a heroine?

NS: It was important to me that Astrid seem ordinary. That she seem like the girl you know as your daughter, your neighbor, your sister. In early versions of the comic book cover we had her wielding weapons in a defensive stance, but that struck us as too war-like, and it made her feel too stereotypical as a comic book “badass” woman. No, we needed someone who could experience joy, curiosity, innocence; in short, we needed someone who could be underestimated. But what’s inside her is what counts, and for that you have to turn the page.

DL: From a glance, Rul, the poacher, seems straightforward. What sets him apart as an antagonist?

NS: Ron likes to talk about how everyone in the story is the opposite of how they appear. Astrid seems small, innocent, even weak. And Rul is built like a classic comic book hero. And perhaps, in some other story he might be that hero—but he’s one who’s lost his way. His obsession for finding this mythical beast, the Thanacht, has clouded his vision and stood his priorities on end. He is a hero lost in a delusion, filled with hate.

DL: What are some of the unique aspects of the setting used for The Shepherd?

NS: Ron and I wanted to create a world breathing with history and texture. I like to describe it as a distant planet much bigger than our own that’s just at the dawn of its age of discovery—you know, that moment in a planet’s existence when you could have two advanced civilizations across the world from each other, that each have no idea the other exists. We created creatures, from the tiny to the magnificently huge, tribal and urban cultures and their technologies, and even the ruins of previous worlds. And what you’ll see in the story is a clash between ways of life—Astrid’s simple, sometimes magical technology (or lack thereof), against the guns and steel of the unscrupulous poachers.

DL: What might draw people who are new to comics or only occasional readers to The Shepherd? What is there for the more avid readers?

NS: The Shepherd offers occasional readers and avid fans alike a different kind of leading character—a strong, young woman possessed of no special powers, just a heart and a sound mind like anybody else—who comes into extraordinary circumstances when a wounded monster thought extinct a thousand years ago stumbles across her path. Astrid is everything to this comic—she is its heart and soul, the human all of us would like to be in our most trying times—an ordinary hero.

DL: Lastly, what is your favorite part of The Shepherd and why?

NS: My favorite moments in this book are the moments Astrid surprises you. The sometimes quiet, sometimes explosive, violent moments when she reveals the stuff she has inside that you didn’t quite know was there. But then, those are my favorite moments in life too.


We here at Dorkland would like to thank Nathan for taking the time to do this interview with us. If you would like to know more about The Shepherd, or get your hands on a copy, be sure to check out its Kickstarter page.

Fall of Man Kickstarter

Feel the need to be a dwarf trudging around a ruined Earth? Got the itch for a post-apocalyptic game (that isn't RIFTS, though we here do love it)? Well, there may be a new Kickstarter for you in Fall of Man.

Fall of Man is a new RPG being created by the folks over at Samurai Sheepdog that will work various systems -- most notably Pathfinder, as well as Fate, 13th Age,  and Castles & Crusades (SIEGE). So, it likely covers a system that you enjoy, right? Great!

The setting of Fall of Man is that of Earth in the near future -- after it has been nearly destroyed by a meteor, but was saved and forces and all the other good things. This has led to the introduction of all the fantasy races and quirks that you know and love, as well as some new ones. The book features eleven races, eleven classes and a setting that seems to pit Earth,and its technology and monotheistic faith, against that of the fantasy world of Gothos, and its magic and pantheon of gods. A definite spin on the usual post-apocalyptic fantasy fare.

Nothing is free in the wasteland, so what might all this cost you? Well, getting the rule book in PDF form -- that includes all of the conversion books for the systems mentioned above -- is $30. The base level for a hardcover edition of the rules (and the digital conversion books) is $50. There are some cheaper and more expensive tiers that also include other goodies -- including limited edition hardcovers -- so there should be something for just about everyone.

Now, one more addition to the Kickstarter pricing and tiers is the inclusion of a few add-ons. Two of these add-ons are pretty typical -- extra books -- but one is a bit different: playtester. For an additional $25 you can become a playtester for the game and gain access to the Fall of Man forums and additional crediting in the corebook. So, if you are interested in seeing a bit "behind the scenes" this could be the option for you.

For more information about the game or the very talented crew behind it be sure to check out the Kickstarter or Samurai Sheepdog's website.

One disclaimer: +Christopher Helton, lead blogger for the Dorkland! blog is involved in this Kickstarter as one of the creators. He will be writing the Fate rules conversion for the game.

The Shepherd: A Fantasy Comic Book Kickstarter

I've done quite a few RPG Kickstarter posts on Dorkland! so far, but this is a first for me -- a comic Kickstarter. And what an excellent comic to start with: The Shepherd by Nathan Sage and Ron Joseph.

The Shepherd is a one-shot comic that focuses on the story of Astrid (the shepherd) and the hard choices she has to make when confronted with a legendary beast that has been wounded and the obsessive hunter that is tracking it.

The art seems to be quite beautiful -- just look at the image below to get a taste of it -- and the world seems to be quite intriguing. A mixture of fantasy, mythology and maybe a dash of post-apocalyptic, is what I am getting from it.

But, you likely want to know the pricing involved, right? Sure you do. Well, for starters, if you're looking to get a digital copy of the comic (as well as a few more goodies) you can hop on for $5. For a physical copy of the comic you'll be starting at $10. Going beyond that is an assortment of various goods -- most notably prints, cards and t-shirts -- that will be added on with the comic. Easy to get in on and the sky is the limit for any extras you might crave.

The Kickstarter page has even more artwork to check out from the comic, as well as information on the talent behind the comic and some of their work, which is well worth checking out.

World of Calidar Kickstarter

It's the Christmas season and if the thoughts of Santa flying through the skies are tickling your flight fancies, there's a Kickstarter for them in the World of Calidar by Bruce Heard, who you may know from his days with TSR and the Mystara setting. The World of Calidar is an original fantasy setting that has a central theme of skyships and the adventures thereof. As mentioned, it is a fantasy setting and thus features various races -- humans, elves and dwarves -- and magic. Each of the races have their own themes and backgrounds that emerge in various ways -- most notably in their skyships. And, if dwarves on dwarven skyships wasn't enough for you, there is a large, deadly setting to explore.

Now then, the Kickstarter -- what is it going to cost you? Quite reasonably, actually. Starting at the US$5 mark you can get a PDF of the Star Phoenix story and other unpublished bits. For US$10 you get all the previous bits and a PDF copy of the fantasy setting -- it should be noted that the setting is not tied to any particular game. And, if you want a physical copy, you can get the cheaper softcover version at US$25 and the higher quality hardcover at US$50.

As of this post, the Kickstarter has already well surpassed its initial funding and is working towards stretch goals. If you would like more information on the Kickstater you can check its page, which has a wealth of information. Additionally, you can check out Bruce Heard's blog to get even more information -- as well as short stories -- or Thorfinn Tait's blog, who is doing the cartography for the World of Calidar and has a ton of information about it up.

Crios RPG Kickstarter

Have an urge to take on a dragon in a Vickers? Want to be a goblin in the trenches of a war-torn countryside? Well, Battlefield Press has the Kickstarter for you with Crios, a new RPG featuring the Renaissance D100 system. From the Kickstarter page, Crios "mashes the fantasy genre with that of Earth's First World War."

"That sounds exciting!" I hear you say. "But what is it going to cost?" You ask. Well, let's cover that.

First off, to get your hands on a PDF copy of the rules, you'll be in it at US$20. To get a physical copy of the rules (in softcover, unless the hardcover stretch goal is met) will cost you a minimum of US$25 (limited to ten (10)), US$30 (limited to fifty (50)) or US$40. The higher priced pledges do have some extra benefits, however, like your name in the book as a backer or some additional PDFs (dependent on stretch goals reached).

Corporia Interview with Mark Plemmons

We here at Dorkland! managed to sit down at the (round) table with Mark Plemmons, author of the upcoming Corporia RPG that is currently being Kickstartered, for a few questions about the project.

Dorkland!: Starting off with a question I often ask people running Kickstarters – how has the experience been for you, so far? Anything good? Anything bad? Any tips for aspiring Kickstarters?

Mark Plemmons: So far, it’s been fun but exhausting! It’s definitely a bit like having a second job, since you have to spend time each day answering emails, working on the product, and handling other types of promotions. My main tip for aspiring Kickstarters is to complete as much as you can before the Kickstarter launches – this includes both getting the product nearly complete, and setting up all your promotional emails and contacts in advance. Gmail has a nice add-on feature called Boomerang that will let you schedule emails in advance, which is really nice for sending out press releases, so you don’t have to spend hours doing that on launch day.

DL: On to Corporia, why bring Arthurian fantasy to a contemporary setting over other types of fantasy?

MP: A common thread in Arthurian fantasy is that the King will return in the time of the people’s greatest need. A near-future ruled by mega-corporations where “might makes right” and the people are oppressed into wage-slavery is perfect for the return of a small group of individuals striving to bring back the knightly virtues of honor and chivalry. Of course, their return also brings back magic and monsters, which puts them in a quandary of fighting a war on two fronts and choosing moral compromises in order to make the best of a bad situation. It’s a natural fit, like peanut butter and jelly!

DL: The first thing I thought about while looking over Corporia was Shadowrun. What elements of Corporia might Shadowrun fans find intriguing? What separates Corporia from Shadowrun and other games or settings like that?

MP: Okay, confession time. I’ve always been more of a Cyberpunk player and, although I have some of the books and am slightly familiar with the setting, I’ve never actually played Shadowrun.  That being said, I’ll answer as best I can.

Both settings have magics and monsters, and as a member of the reincarnated Sir Lancelot’s secret special operations team, the Knightwatch, characters can go on ‘runs’ to retrieve relics, capture monsters, take down supernaturally-powered or mutated humans, do corporate espionage, and so on.

When talking about the differences, there are a few that spring to mind. In Shadowrun, magics and monsters are common knowledge, and the city seems very grim, gray, dark, and rainy. In Corporia, the corporations dismiss the magics, mutations, and monsters as cosmic radiation effects, holograms, or special effects, since they want to keep these arcane things secret until they can control them. The setting, aka “The City”, is mostly clean, white, orderly, and climate-controlled, with criminals and radicals relegated to certain districts, neighborhoods, and ‘slumburbs’ where the citizens can’t afford to pay for police protection. Except for the lack of freedoms imposed on the general population, it looks almost like a utopia.

Also, Corporia focuses on human characters; there are no elves, dwarves, or gnome character types, for instance. Finally, Hackers in Corporia can bring other player characters with them when they dive into virtual worlds, so no one’s left out of the action. There may be other obvious similarities and differences, but it would take someone more familiar with Shadowrun than me to point them out.

DL: A Dorklander wanted to know, did Matt Wagner’s Mage comic have any influence on Corporia? What other comics did have an influence?

MP: I do know that Matt Wagner wrote a comic book called Mage, but I’m afraid that’s the extent of my knowledge. I’ve read some of his other works, but never got around to that one.

The main comic book influence was Camelot 3000, a mini-series from the early 1980s, which features the Knights of the Round Table returning in the year 3000. Other comics that influenced the setting include Global Frequency, Hotwire, Stormwatch, Transmetropolitan, and V for Vendetta.

DL: Using photos for the artwork is an interesting choice. What were some of the design decisions behind that?

MP: I wanted Corporia to have a very modern design aesthetic throughout, and especially in the sections that are designed to look like in-game magazine articles, corporate reports, tourist guides, advertisements, and so on. Photographs fit this style well in a way that illustrations don’t, giving Corporia a very striking appearance that sets it apart from most other gaming products.


DL: The photos also appear to fit in with the book and subject matter very well. How did you go about achieving this? Are any of the photos shot specifically for Corporia?

MP: I spent a lot of time trying to find the websites of the very talented photographers and Photoshoppers whose work appears in Corporia. Many of the pieces were already in their portfolios and could be easily dropped into the layout, while others required some modification, either by modifying and layering two separate pieces or, particularly in the case of the illustrations and logos, often creating them from scratch.

DL: One of the core mechanics of the game is to roll 2d6 and choose the highest die (with more effects based on results). Why this mechanic?

MP: All player characters are powered by the Flux, which the corporations outwardly dismiss as cosmic radiation, but which is actually Chaos magic leaking from another dimension, breached when the old magics brought back the Knights of the Round Table. The player characters subconsciously manipulate this Chaos magic, allowing them an edge that non-supernaturally powered characters (who roll only 1d6) do not have.

DL: The REPP stat measures the celebrity of a character and seems to be a pretty unique element of Corporia. What is it all about? Why include it in the game?

MP: REPP in Corporia is a lot like the real-world Klout, a social media ranking of a person’s influence. In a world dominated by corporations, social standing and power is very important, and the REPP score gives characters a measure of where they fall on that scale. For example, it affects how an NPC corporate executive might respond to a PC’s inquiries (politely to a PC with high REPP, dismissive of a PC with low REPP), and how businesses treat high-REPP characters (such as upgrading their hotel room, giving them free gifts, or inviting them to exclusive events). It’s a particularly relevant statistic for the Lister character type (aka A-, B-, C-, or D-lister); this rock star, actor, or other celebrity can more easily infiltrate normally restricted areas, manipulate his or her fans, and so on.

DL: The spell system seems to be quite open-ended with its more free-form magic. What are the strengths of the system? What should players from more traditional systems know about magic when first experimenting with this system?

MP: Casting a spell is as easy as making any other ability check, and allows for a lot of creativity. The player just has to tell the Director (aka the Game Master) exactly what he wants his spell to do, and the Director sets a Target Number. Meeting or exceeding the TN means that the spell was successful.

Of course, there’s a framework around this to guide players used to a more traditional system. There are four spell disciplines for the Sorcerer character type (Holography, Kinesis, Metamorph, and Technomancy) and another four for the Witcher (Charm, Elemental, Perception, and Spiritism); the more points a character has in a particular discipline, the easier it is to beat those higher TNs. The rules also describe the basics of what you can do within each spell discipline, and provide at least eight sample spells (with TNs) as a basis to start from, along with ways to easily ‘power up’ the sample spells simply by increasing the TN.

DL: Lastly, what is the craziest (or coolest) use of magic in Corporia that you have thought of or seen?

MP: It’s a minor little spell, but I’m really fond of Charge, a Technomancy spell that lets characters increase a battery-powered device’s charge to 100% just by touching it. I’d love to be able to do that!


We here at Dorkland! would like to thank Mark for taking the time to answer our questions and, if you like what you've read here, then you may want to check out the Kickstarter where you can learn more and flip through a preview PDF to get a feel for the product.

Mark Plemmons' Corporia RPG Now On Kickstarter

Have an itch for corporate shenanigans and Arthurian fantasy but don't know how to satisfy it? Mark Plemmons does, with his new project, and recently launched Kickstarter, Corporia.

Perhaps the best way to describe the Corporia setting, from what I have seen so far, is to take Shadowrun, make it a bit less grimy, add more Arthurian fantasy inspiration, and update its near future setting to be more in-line with current projections and expectations of the future. To get a better feel for it, though, you can head over to the Kickstarter page and download a preview PDF to get a taste (it's the link right above the pledge levels image).

The rulebook is nearly complete (as the Kickstarter mentions) and I can definitely confirm this to be the case. Which, as I have mentioned before, is something I really, really love. But, the most important question, what will it cost you?

You can snag a PDF copy of the rules for as low as $15USD, however, that lower pledge level will not grant you access to the testing phase. To get access to the testing phase, and the rules soon after the Kickstarter ends, requires the next pledge level at $25USD. That level also gets you an additional PDF and any digital stretch goals that may be reached. To get a hardcover copy of the rules will cost you $50USD and also covers rewards from all the previous tiers.

We will have an interview with Mark Plemmons in the near future, so if you are interested in Corporia, its Kickstarter, or other knight-hacker-wizard-accountant related topics, be sure to tune in next time on Dorkland!.

Dragon Kings Interview

This past weekend we here at the Dorkland offices sat down with Timothy Brown, creator of the Dragon Kings setting, to ask him a few questions about the setting and project, in general.


Dorkland: First off, congratulations on surpassing your pledge goal! How has the Kickstarter experience been for you so far? Any tips for those thinking of running one in the future?

Timothy Brown: Thank you! Kickstarter is a strange animal. Of course, it’s uplifting that all these people share your vision and would like to make it all happen. Anyone thinking of starting one should be prepared to answer a whole lot of questions.

DL: Why this particular setting? Why not a spiritual successor to 2300AD? Might that happen in the future?

TB: I’ve had the Dragon Kings environment swimming around in the back of my mind for quite awhile now. As I talked about it with other collaborators they encouraged me to move forward. That’s the main thing, I suppose, knowing I had an eager group of collaborators. As for science fiction, in many ways that’s my first love, and I’ve got quite a bit of material already written for that, too, in both game material and music, so, as they say, ‘watch this space.’

DL: What, if anything, are you bringing over from Dark Sun? Anything whole or in part? Any concepts in particular?

TB: There are definitely themes common to all my work that appear in both Dark Sun and Dragon Kings. The notion of a world in flux, especially one in decline for mysterious reasons that present the characters with unique, often difficult choices for survival. Also, the idea that applications of power have consequences, especially role-playing consequences (not just a bad die mod). Want to dabble in sorcery? Be prepared to meet its demands. You can throw unique character races into the mix, as well, exotic creatures that bring truly alien thinking into play.

DL: Having a focus on music, art and the setting is very different from the norm – what unique challenge has this presented for you?

TB: The main challenge has been narrowing the wide focus lens of a complete role-playing setting into a single epic tale to tell musically. Just about every aspect of the game world deserves its own song. Making one tale that holds together as a single musical expression while covering as many diverse pieces of the world has been difficult, but the final work will paint a vivid picture of the Dragon Kings experience.

DL: What is your favorite part of Khitus and why?

TB: I’m an alien race fan. I like envisioning different creatures, where they came from, why they think the way that they do. On Khitus, I’ve developed the elephant centaur Pachyaur, the hive-minded Krikis empries, and the arboreal Penmai, and I’d be excited to play any one of them in a game, myself.

DL: The Krikis are an interesting, hive-based race – what sets them apart as potential PCs?

TB: The Krikis are conflicted by evolutionary progress. Their genetically rigid society gave them the strength to thrive in their pre-intelligent state. But with greater cognizance has come individuality and innovation, valuable assets to an expanding culture, but anathema to the their castes and set roles. Heroes can be at once admired and reviled. Visceral guilt causes them enormous pain and inner conflict.

DL: Most of the places seem quite grim-dark – are there any areas of Khitus left that are still “good”, or will the players have to forge those areas themselves? If so, what was the design decision behind that and why?

TB: The southern hemisphere is the most ravaged by wanton plunder, and this is where the setting ‘begins,’ but there are equatorial regions that are as-yet unmolested. Characters have choices to make: defend and maintain what’s left of their homelands, seek to stop or even reverse the desolation, or flee to better places, either permanently or at least to gain respite.

DL: Magic seems to reflect the darkness of the world – how might this affect game play? Is there a “good” form of magic that PCs would use, or will they use this destructive magic, as well? If it is destructive, why would they want to use it?

TB: Sorcery demands an emotional toll on the caster. How the wizard mitigates that toll is key. An evil wizard deflects it onto unwitting victims. The good wizard either takes it upon himself or somehow tricks sorcery into thinking it has been ‘paid,’ but this is difficult. Perhaps the best answer is to match magic’s power with something that is not exactly magic.

DL: Lastly, what is the story behind the art of the worm with the tied-on wings and mask? Did it affix those itself? (Personal curiosity!)

TB: The Dragon Kings who once held sway over the world have, over the centuries, vanished. Exactly where they have gone and why is open to debate, steeped in legend and rumor … The denizens of the Black Fortress know that the simple races – Cold Skins and Krikis – are easily fooled, and contort themselves awkwardly to further their ends – the Dragon King Pretenders.

We here at Dorkland would like to thank Timothy Brown for taking the time to answer our questions, and we would also like to remind you that Dragon Kings' Kickstarter is still going on and if you want to learn more about the Dragon Kings setting and project you can check it out on their website.

Dragon Kings Kickstarter

Want to wander a desert fantasy landscape using your favorite rules system? Loved the Dark Sun setting and want something like it? Well, good news because the Dragon Kings kickstarter is going on right now and you still have time to get in on it.


Dragon Kings is the creation of Timothy Brown, who you may know as the co-creator of Dark Sun and 2300AD. The setting takes place on the world of Khitus, a world on the brink of destruction, where monsters ravage the land and once great nations struggle to survive. It is up to the players to save Khitus and uncover its mysteries.

And, if defeating baddies and saving worlds isn't enough for you, this setting -- and kickstarter -- has something a bit different to what you may be used to: music. One of the big features that is setting this product apart from other system-less settings is how it is being created and presented, from the kickstarter page: "in fiction, art, and music simultaneously." This isn't something that I've seen done before, so I can't really comment much on it, but I am very interested in seeing where this concept goes.

If all of this seems very interesting to you and you're wondering what it's going to cost you, well, let's take a quick look.

The lower pledge levels are split between the music and the setting material. If all you care about is getting an MP3 copy of the album, you can get that for US$12 (also includes the additional tracks from the stretch goal, should that be reached). If all you want is a PDF of the setting, that starts at US$25. To note on the setting book -- any tier that includes it (in PDF or physical) also includes the free PDF rules supplements for Savage Worlds and Pathfinder (as well as 13th Age and Fate, should their stretch goals be met). Print version of the setting rules (which also includes the PDF) comes in at US$45. And there are more combinations and additions higher up.

As of the writing of this post, the Kickstarter has reached its pledge goal and is working on the first stretch goal, with 24 days still to go. Stay tuned to Dorkland! as we will be bringing you an interview with Timothy Brown about Dragon Kings in the near future.

For more information on the kickstarter and Dragon Kings, you can check out their kickstarter video below, or visit their website.

Dorkland Interview: The Melior Via Crew Talk About The Accursed RPG

Melior Via's Accursed is a dark fantasy RPG for Savage Worlds that is currently being Kickstarted. The kickstarter is working its way through stretch goals as of this post, so if you're interested in joining the monster mash -- now is a good time.

For the real bloody meat of this post, though, we sat down in Dorkland's plush offices for an interview with the guys behind Accursed:

DL: First off, congratulations on surpassing your initial goal and breaking through some stretch goals! How has the Kickstarter experience been for you so far? Any problems? Anything awesome?

MV: Thank you very much! We’ve been very pleased with the response to the Kickstarter so far, and we’re extremely grateful for the outpouring of support and enthusiasm from the gaming community. So far, the Kickstarter experience has been a wild ride! We’ve all been watching the progress of the Kickstarter closely, and one of the best things so far has been interacting with the backers through the comments section. We’re gathering quite a bit of playtest information from the 100-page playtest player’s guide that all backers (regardless of level) get immediate access to, and the feedback from the fans is helping us make some improvements for the final product.

DL: When planning for Accursed, did you look into using any other systems? Have any future plans for porting the setting over to a different system? What made you decide on Savage Worlds?

MV: The three of us (Ross Watson, John Dunn, and Jason Marker) discussed what game system would be best for Accursed in the early stages of development. We checked out many of the existing systems in the RPG industry, and we found that Savage Worlds provided the best fit. The Fast, Furious, Fun approach of Savage Worlds is a good match for the heroic actions we wanted to portray for the Accursed’s struggle against the Witches. There are some stretch goals we’ve got lined up for the Kickstarter that involve translating Accursed into some other, very well known and popular RPG systems as well, but we’re going to keep those details under wraps until we get a bit closer to those stretch goals.

DL: How did Accursed come about? What started it all?

MV: I was trying to think of a new twist on the “dark fantasy” genre of RPGs, when I started considering some of my favorite touchstones of that concept were actually films like Hellboy and the Monster Squad, comic books like the Creature Commandos, or literature like Solomon Kane. I thought that having a setting where the heroes are monsters teaming up together to fight evil would be a really cool twist on a fantasy RPG, and combining it with some of the tropes I loved from Castlevania and Ravenloft helped firmly cement the idea in my mind.

DL: What are some of the influences behind the Accursed setting?

MV: Well, as I mentioned above, some of the biggest and most prominent influences are Hellboy and Solomon Kane. Castlevania and Ravenloft also have their part in the genesis of Accursed, and the three creators all found some excellent real-world mythology and faerie tales to draw upon as well. Accursed is a setting where all the faerie tales went horribly wrong, so the Brothers Grimm helped us flesh out several pieces of the setting as well.

DL: What were your design philosophies (personal and/or as a company) when planning and working on Accursed?

MV: One thing that was very important to us during the design of the Accursed setting was to take the main theme of the setting—dealing with the curse afflicting your character—and make sure to weave that theme throughout every part of the book. The mechanics, the character options, the sidebars, the GM advice, everything. Another really important element was to ground Accursed in tropes and ideas that people can relate to. For example, all of the Witchbreeds resemble classic monsters from movies and legends, and all the nations of Morden have a link to nations that are in the real world. I think we really brought out the key things that make Accursed unique, especially with how each player’s personal choices of how to deal with his character’s curse affect the story he can tell in Accursed.

DL: What do you have planned for the future of Accursed?

MV: Honestly, a lot of that depends on how well the Kickstarter ends up! We have tons of ideas for areas of Accursed to further develop, from producing more books about the setting (from the Discordian Sea to the forbidding Darkwall Mountains), more books about the Witches and their Banes, books focusing on the individual Witchbreeds, adventures and campaign books, and more. If the gaming community wants more Accursed, we can absolutely provide it!

DL: Our group had a chance to check out a creature from Accursed (the Leech-man). It seemed to be pretty Hardy for a minion. Is this a theme with Accursed creatures? What other differences might players find from their “average” horror/dark fantasy campaigns and settings?

MV: One thing we wanted to give people in the Accursed setting are some truly horrific monsters, creatures that are just disturbing in their very nature. One of the best examples of that are the bloated, slimy leech-men! That being said, there are a lot of nasty creatures in Accursed – these are the Banes, monsters crafted by the Witches to act as soldiers, servants, and slaves. Some of them are quite potent in battle whilst others (such as the murder-doll Manikins) are more frightening than tough.

DL: What is Melior Via going to do next? More Accursed? Have other projects?

MV: Well, as we’ve mentioned before, that has a lot to do with how well the Kickstarter does in the end! If Accursed does really well, we’ve got a lot of plans for more Accursed products down the line. Of course, Melior Via has other projects as well (such as the Hope Preparatory School series for Icons/Mutants and Masterminds), so it is fair to say that you’ll be seeing more from Melior Via in the future!

DL: What is your favorite part of Accursed and why?

MV: I think that all three of us have our own personal favorite piece of the setting, but for me (Ross Watson), I’d have to say that my favorite bit are the guidelines for how a character can develop and grow down the “fate track.” This section of the book discusses what happens when one of the Accursed begins to either embrace his curse and grow more monstrous (but also gaining more vulnerabilities associated with that monstrous form), or deny his curse and attempt to break it (possibly restoring his lost humanity, but also weakening some of his existing monstrous abilities). There are solid reasons, both role-playing and mechanical, for going down either path.

DL: Finally, the most important question: Have you created any strong min/max’d Accursed characters and, if so, what were they? (Need some tips!)

MV: I’ve made quite a few characters for the setting, both for demos of the game in my local area and also for my at-home game of Accursed that I run on a weekly schedule. So far one combination that I’ve found to be quite effective is a melee-focused Vargr with the Strength of the Motherland Edge. In bestial form, the Vargr can be quite a warrior!

We'd like to thank Melior Via for the time and wish them the best with their ongoing Kickstarter!

Melior Via's Accursed RPG Kickstarter

This past Friday saw a great evil descend upon our land… That evil being Melior Via’s Accursed Kickstarter, here to spread monsters and mayhem throughout our tabletops! And for those who are unfamiliar with this game: it’s a dark fantasy setting for Savage Worlds where the players play as humans who have been transformed into monsters via a witch’s curse. There are quite a few different comparisons out there for the setting and here’s mine: Rippers meets Warhammer Fantasy. But enough of the vague descriptions, what about the details?

Instead of dropping straight into the game mechanics/details for this article, let’s touch on the Kickstarter, the ‘playtest’ Player’s Guide, and what you can get for your money.

The Kickstarter, as of this writing in the middle of Sunday night, is sitting just shy of $8,800 – just $1,200 off of their primary goal. So, it’s pretty much certain that it’ll complete and get to working on the stretch goals. Speaking of stretch goals, if you are worried that they may only be for backers of certain levels or for people who toss in additional money – fear not, they have a mixture of goals that add additional improvements to the rule books, in addition to extra works that can be added separately (or come with certain tiers).

The "playtest" Player’s Guide is something I feel needs talking about not just  for potential backers but for people thinking about running a Kickstarter, as this is one of the better playtest materials I have gotten from an ongoing Kickstarter. The layout appears to be done, the backgrounds are in, there is some hyperlinking, the PDF is multi-layered (so you can turn off what you don’t want), and it is playable. Sound complete? It feels pretty darn close to it. The major element missing, of course, is the bulk of the artwork – which is what the Kickstarter here is for. Having a Player’s Guide that is this far along should be a confidence builder for backers. Potential kickstarter creators – please take note of that.

For the last bit here we’ve got the "bang for the buck" – what’ll it cost you to get the books? The PDF portion is simple enough -- $10 gets you the Player’s Guide and $20 gets you the full PDF with all the GM spoilery bits. From there it’s slightly more complicated -- $30 is the base tier for the print copy, but how this Kickstarter does it is a bit different from what you may be used to. Essentially, the print copies will be done as Print on Demand through DriveThruRPG and the $30 covers the base costs of that, but there are two more additional fees on top of that – binding/production and shipping. What this means is that a backer will get to choose the type and quality of the binding/printing they want, and then the shipping. I’m not certain how well this will work but it will be interesting to see.

[Editor's Note: It looks like Kickstarters for vouchers for final products, rather than the books themselves, are becoming a thing for tabletop gaming Kickstarters. Mostly, this is a good enough method for battling the always increasing costs of shipping (which of late have increased once or twice on a lot of Kickstarter projects before they could get to fulfillment. Will this catch on with the audience of Kickstarter projects? It looks like only time will tell. At the moment it looks like a good method for publishers to fulfill their projects without losing what little money is made on the projects.]

Dear RPG Publisher On Kickstarter

Dear RPG Publisher on Kickstarter,

You've sent me a direct message on Twitter, or Google+ or an email, and you want me to talk about your project. Many people might not think of it this way, but you treat gaming bloggers like you would the media: you give them the tools that they need to talk about your project. Otherwise, we are going to assume that you don't know what you are talking about, or worse that you won't be able to manage your project.

You want buzz for your project, and that is great, but being prepared is the way to go about it. If you send me a link to your KS page, or to your website, and ask me to talk about your game, you aren't giving me the tools with which to do your project justice. Yes, a blog post with a link and "content" that consists of "Wow, this is cool...go spend your money!" may be what you want, but it isn't really helpful. See, we've worked hard to get the traffic that you want to be pointed at you, and we want that work to be respected. Enthusiasm is great, but it takes a lot more than just enthusiasm to get a Kickstarter funded and get your game finished and out to market. There are long time professionals who can't seem to get their games finished after a successful Kickstarter, so it isn't as easy as it looks.

We want to talk about the cool new stuff, and we want to be excited about what you have to offer...so show us what makes you so excited. I strongly suggest having a press kit ready (preferably before your Kickstarter starts) with some images (or concept art is you are using the Kickstarter to fund art) and either a preview of the game or a beta version of your game's rules. Even just a PDF of your Word file is good enough for this. This way, it gives us as bloggers something meaty to talk about, and the more excited that we are about your project the more likely we are to blog about it and spread it around on our social networks. Also, make yourself available for interviews. Interviews are good because they show 1) your enthusiasm and 2) your plan for getting things done.

I am not trying to berate anyone with this post, I am just trying to share some successful methods from others that will help to get you the publicity that you want (and the traffic that we all want as well).

Yes, I know that I don't put an email address here on the blog. There are reasons for that. :) However, I am on Twitter as @dorkland and on Google+ as +Christopher Helton. It isn't hard to find me if you want to talk, and if you want one of the Dorkland! bloggers to talk about your project, or just offer help or suggestions about getting publicity those are your first ports of call.

Dorkland! Roundtable with John Wick

I spoke to John Wick about his background in gaming on the Dorkland! Roundtable. As many of these have ended up, he and I talked more than a bit about the impact of Kickstarter on tabletop RPGs and how publishers and designers who wish to remain successful at crowdfunding need to establish an economy of trust with their customers. More and more, I think, those publishers and designers who misspend the money raised through Kickstarter as well as their time with chronically late projects will find it harder and harder to raise money through this method.

Check out our conversation, and see us talk about all of this and more.

Chaosium Q&A For The Call of Cthulhu 7e Kickstarter

In light of the Kickstarter campaign for the new edition of Call of Cthulhu from Chaosium Games, I sent the company an email with some questions about the campaign and the changes to the game. These are the answers that I received from Chaosium's Charlie Krank:

Chaosium seems to have jumped into the Kickstarter paradigm pretty wholeheartedly. For an established company like Chaosium, does that come with any risks to the established distribution channels and do the benefits outnumber the risks?
We have not jumped in wholeheartedly at all. Our current Kickstarter is only our second campaign and we have a third planned for the future, but Kickstarter is another way for us to publish our books. Usually we must print a book, convince a distributor to carry it, who then convinces a retail store to buy it, who sells it to our fans. With Kickstarter we reverse the flow of interest; we directly interact with our customers who end up with a book they want. Their energy and excitement then flows to the store owner and up to the distributor.

Do you worry that you might be taking some of the audience from gaming stores with a successful Kickstarter? If enough of your existing audience is buying the game directly from Chaosium, where does that leave the stores?
Of course. There have been similar worries throughout the history of roleplaying and in many other industries. After MAGIC was released, many distributors worried that WOTC would go direct to the retailers. Similar worries accompany the proliferation of downloadable books vs. print books. Wise stores do what successful stores have always done: focus on customer service and product knowledge.

Also, the potential market for a product is not defined by the whole of the Kickstarter audience. In the end, both we and the customers build a better product that will eventually hit the "normal" distribution chain, and should be more attractive to all customers.

What sorts of changes to their approaches to publishing does a company like Chaosium face when dealing with something like Kickstarter? Have there been speedbumps in the process for you guys, and if so what have they been?

Kickstarter result in changes and improvements to a project. Having published roleplaying games and supplements for many years, we understand that these are complex projects. For example, our BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS campaign was the result of ten years of effort.

There always are speed bumps, and I think that is where your skill comes into play--mitigating the delaying effects of such bumps.

Call of Cthulhu is one of the oldest tabletop RPGs that have been in continuous publication. Most of the contemporaries in RPG publishing for Chaosium have either faded away, changed hands or disappeared completely. A lot of people are asking why a game like this has to change. What do you say to those questions?
For a product such as a roleplaying game to survive for more than 30 years in this marketplace it needs to be refreshed occasionally. It has been almost 12 years since the last edition of Call of Cthulhu was published. The new edition streamlines some of the combat rules and opposition rolls.

What are some of the changes that have been made to the game for this new edition? Can you also explain some of the reasons behind why these changes have been made?

As always, our primary consideration is telling a good story and having fun. We try to keep our rules intuitive and out-of-the-way of the Keeper's narrative. We noticed that the system occasionally results in "no-effect" combat rounds; so we tried to smooth combat just a bit. We extended the use of some mechanics already used in the game, making them more consistently-applied.

Besides a successful Kickstarer, what would make a game like Call of Cthulhu of interest to newer gamers? When the game first came out, there wasn't much in the way of horror gaming but now there is a lot more competition in the market. What sets this new edition apart from other games out there?

Call of Cthulhu is, first and foremost, a game in which ordinary people are thrust into extraordinary, and sanity-threatening, situations. The thrill comes from seeing if your character, lacking the powers, magic, and armor of (essentially) super-hero knights and wizards, can prevail against superhuman enemies. Lacking the accoutrements of the high-powered roleplaying systems, your sense of achievement is the greater should your characters prevail. I think this results in a more memorable, and satisfying, roleplaying experience.

You have set a tight window for publishing the new edition. Do you have any worries that you will be late?

Yeah, it is tight. I had hoped to begin it a month or two ago but life events intervened. I always worry that books will be late, but the rules have been written and in revision for more than a year, so we have been working up to this point. What we need to know is the final shape of the books. It is fun to work with the fans, to learn what is important and fun for them, and to try to surprise them in the end.

Besides, what would be a better release day than Halloween?

Dorkland! Roundtable with Mark Truman

Once again I find myself falling behind with posting my Dorkland! Roundtables here to my blog. Things have been busy the last couple of week, with the build up to the Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day, and all that sort of fun stuff, so other things have lagged. Fear not! That doesn't mean that I am ignoring my Dorkland! Roundtables (I do prefer to let them percolate over on G+ and my YouTube channel for a while anyway).

I spoke with +Mark Diaz Truman of Magpie Games, creator of such fine games as The Play's The Thing and Last Best Hope.

We spent a lot of time talking about the impact of Kickstarter on tabletop RPG publishing, and I think that Mark brought up a lot of good points on how to engage a community before, during and after your Kickstarter to help maximize the appeal of attention grabbingness (yes, I just made up that word) of a game. For better or worse, depending on the project, Kickstarter has changed how role-playing games are taken to market, or sold to people in general.

Why I Hate Stealth Kickstarters

Again this comes up, so again I find myself thinking about it and this time I think that I have to work out my thoughts in a post. I know that people are going to argue about this, fair enough. Everyone is entitled to their opinions on these matters, even when they disagree with me.

You're probably wondering what this "stealth Kickstarter" that I'm so upset about actually is. As a matter of fact I've already had my wording "attacked" by having someone say that these things aren't being hidden, so they can't be stealth. I use the term stealth in this regard to describe introducing a secondary project (whether as a stretch goal or as a pledge level) into a primary project (the project that is being Kickstarted). The first time this happened (and caused me to not back a project) was with Frog God Games and their Kickstarter for a new edition of their Swords & Wizardry Complete rules. They had a pledge level that allowed backers to purchase a monster book unrelated to actual project. The second time that I noticed this was with Robin Laws' Kickstarter for Hillfolk added a stretch goal that when reached would release the Gumshoe system under and open license of some sort. Just as a note, Hillfolk isn't a Gumshoe game.

I get that this is a marketing ploy to pull another demographic into paying for a project. Is it legal, by the standards of Kickstarter's guidelines? I'm not entirely sure, but I'm not a lawyer or a legal expert. I just know what I know from reading the guidelines on the Kickstarter site. I have decided to send a request for clarification on this point to Kickstarter, so hopefully I will hear something back. If that happens, I will update this post accordingly.

Some would say that I am using this as a justification as a reason to not back projects that I wasn't planning on backing already. That's not the case. I get that a lot of people aren't interested in the principals of how they spend their money. I'm not one of those people.

This quote comes directly from Kickstarter's guidelines page. After the quote I am going to use, what may seem to some to be tortured logic to get to a point.

A project has a clear goal, like making an album, a book, or a work of art. A project will eventually be completed, and something will be produced by it. A project is not open-ended. Starting a business, for example, does not qualify as a project.

One of the problems that I have with stretch goals (and I have more than one problem, but that is likely for another blog post) is that I think they turn a discrete project into something open ended. I know, tortuous logic, but it is part of the problem that I have with the process. Also, stretch goals tend to turn more into swag than what I think they should be...making the project stronger/faster/better. If a project makes more money than what the project manager needs then that additional money should go into making the project better, whether that is via more/better art, high page count, additional material from other creators. I do not think that it should go to doing things that are unrelated (like releasing other systems under an open license). Yes, I know that people are going to disagree with me, but I don't care.

An Early Look At Nova Praxis

I was able to get an early look at the playtest documents for the upcoming Nova Praxis game from Void Star Games. They have a Kickstarter in the works (and if you are reading this blog post from the future it could be already happening or finished).

Nova Praxis is a transhumanistic science fiction game that uses Void Games Stands of Fate variant of the Fate rules as its underlying game engine. Transhumanism is a burgeoning genre in tabletop role-playing. Steve Jackson Games tilled the soil years ago with their Transhuman Space game, a game that featured collaboration between game designers and futurists to make a transhuman setting that seemed a probable extrapolation of the current world into a future one. Eclipse Phase by Posthuman Studios also goes over this ground, but adds an element of horror to the transhumanist SF. Both of these are strong games, with strong followings, that would be difficult for a new game to surpass and set its own ground.

Some would say: Do we really need another transhumanist role-playing game? I think that's a dumb question because, at it's heart, transhumanism should be an extrapolation of today into a probably and plausible tomorrow. As today changes, so should the tomorrows keep pace.

Kickstarter Crack: Are RPG Publishers Going Down A Rabbit Hole?

Every day we all see announcements of new Kickstarters, or publishers/designers saying that they've submitted Kickstarters, or that they are planning one. It is a goldrush as publishers, and wannabe publishers, see the dollar signs that some are getting and want a piece of the pie. I had figured originally that in a couple of years we would reach the saturation point and Kickstarter would lose its luster, now I'm not so sure that the tipping point is all that far away.

We have had a couple of high profile RPG Kickstarters fail to materialize after a couple of years: Gary Sarli's e20 has been plagued with alleged behind the scenes issues, nearly from the beginning, and Phil Brucato's Powerchords is apparently in a limbo-like state since achieving funding in 2010. Yes, I know, there will be defenders of both of these Kickstarters that will likely come out of the woodwork, but I still say that a 2-year gap after reaching funding with no product in sight is inexcusable. With the rush for money that is going on with Kickstarter and people wanting to publish, I think that this is really only the tip of the iceberg. When you have people who do not have any sort of business background, working off of the basis of their "awesome" ideas, who are suddenly hit with the fees and taxes that come with having a real business it is going to be easy for them to get overwhelmed and burn out as well. Considering the history of a lack of business training that we have in the RPG business, there could be a lot of these coming up in the future. Like I said in a recent post here, there are too many (both fans and publishers) who value enthusiasm over professionalism, and this is going to bite Kickstarter backers on the ass.

True, I want creators and designers who are excited about their upcoming and current projects, but enthusiasm without professionalism, or even some sort of track record, doesn't mean that things are going to get done. This also leads to Kickstarter overload, with publishers announcing one Kickstarter after another, sometimes launching a new project before the previous one reaches its final stages of coming to market. Enthusiastic, yes...but is it practical? I don't really think so, plus it starts to lead to a fatigue and the fans start to believe that publishers see them as nothing more than a piggy bank. This attitude is already surfacing around the various social media outlets as gamers are saying "Enough!" to the grind of Kickstarter projects.

The enthusiasm angle also has the added danger of self-selecting for your existing audience. If you know who your audience is, and you know what they want, you end up selling the same things to them over and over again, at the exclusion of a broader market. This ends up creating a look of success to your Kickstarters, but there's no further buzz or market share gained, which is one of the strengths of Kickstarter if you plan on getting your product into distribution.

A year ago I would have said that Kickstarter was the savior of RPGs, allowing projects that would never have seen the light of day to have a chance at getting published. Now, I'm not as certain about that as I used to be. Publishers need to start pacing themselves, particularly in this economy, and realize that every Kickstarter isn't going to be like Traveller5 or Ogre. Yes, there's money to be made to get projects off of the ground, but now we are even seeing projects that announce their stretch goals out of the gate. The assumption being that gamers are going to kiddy up the money. A couple of these projects have had to revise their pre-announced stretch goals, or offer up further bribes to get people interested.

Sloppiness also plagues Kickstarter projects. The reason why I made my Enthusiasm post (linked about) was because I encountered a poorly written Kickstarter project from them, not to mention poorly thought out. A "stealth" Kickstarter like theirs, they are Kickstarting a new printing of their Swords & Wizardry Complete book and yet one of the pledge levels is for a new version of their Monsters book) leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Subsequent communication with whomever answers the mail on their Kickstarter account didn't do much to help that feeling. Ultimately, I chose to not support their Kickstarter, even though I would have liked the books that they were offering. I'm sure that some people will think that there's nothing wrong with adding a stealth Kickstarter to a publisher's existing project but I think that is just another example of the money-grab mentality that is surfacing. I will admit that this mentality isn't unique to those with RPG-related project, it is just that those are the ones that I am watching.

I do not think that Kickstarter is a bad thing. I still think that it will be able to help a lot of publishers get their projects into the hands of gamers that would not have otherwise seen them. I do think that publishers need to exercise more caution and forethought, and a little less enthusiasm on the part of their projects. I'm sure that this isn't going to be a popular or widely-held opinion within gaming circles, but it has been percolating in my head for a while and I think that it finally needed to be released into the wild. Hopefully this spawns some debate and thought on the subject before more gamers get burned on overly enthusiastic projects that never see the light of day.