Defy the Gods Quick Start Release
And other games to checkout!
TL;DR Today I'm featuring three friends and colleagues making games (including one that I'm involved in): Defy the Gods (I'm developmental editing this queer sword and sorcery game), From Midgard to Eternity (A new solo TTRPG from Armanda, one of the Jukebox stretch goal writers), and Not Yet (Rom-Com will they won't they from Taylor Navarro).
Having just gone through crowdfunding, I have some first-hand experience with how stressful and all-consuming the process is. It's also the tail end of Zine Month so I'm doing my part to shout out a few collaborators.
But before we dive in…
Next on my docket is to finish up the last few articles for the Project Management series. Beyond that, I'm curious what, if anything, y'all are most interested in me writing about:
Defy the Gods (Quick Start)
Queer Sword & Sorcery
The Pitch
Defy the Gods is a queer sword & sorcery game about daring adventurers struggling against titanic forces who want to destroy them. Inspired by stories as diverse as Conan, Clash of the Titans, and Princess Mononoke, the game pits you against jealous gods, ambitious tyrants, wild creatures, and the lingering shadow of lost Atlantis. Play as a fierce warrior, scholarly sorcerer, flirtatious trickster, wild child, or fugitive shade as you explore this ancient, Mediterranean-like world and your emotional entanglements with each other. Burn brightly and hold fast to each other's hearts as you spiral upward toward your most glorious, monstrous self.
Why I'm Excited
I'm working with Chris as the developmental editor for Defy the Gods. This is a game where the mortal characters you play are not the highest thing on the food chain. One of the core game questions is whether, by defying authority, you'll break and become what you fight against. From the theme to Chris's evocative descriptions of the world to the core tension of the different playbooks — it's all very JUICY!
The mechanic I'm most excited about is called the World Scene. In fantasy movies or TV shows, occasionally, you'll switch scenes to see what the villains are up to. This is what the World Scene is. In between adventures, the GM turns narrative control over to the players, where they spend a scene roleplaying the forces they fight against: Gods, the underworld, the unfathomable beasts of the wilds, and so on. In a game that explores the character’s relationship with authority, I think it is so cool to have the players embody the bad guys. It reminds me a little bit of the dual characters you play in Durance. The players get to create drama for themselves, which the GM can then flesh out in the next adventure.
Speaking of characters’ relationship with authority, this game is relationship-focused, highlighting the relationships between both the main characters and the forces they fight against. It's very much on theme for the characters to be in a messy relationship with a god for example. Thinking about how these relationships play out when the players get to roleplay a World Scene is very fun.
One other mechanic I find exciting are Epithets. In Defy the Gods characters don't have set attributes, instead they have Epithets (similar to Aspects in Fate) that define core parts of their characters. In particular, I find the "Name Me" move such an exciting scene option:
When someone else gets 4 of your Hearts, they get a special insight into your adventurer. As part of an intimate scene, ask them to give you a new Epithet based on what they see in you. You may accept the Epithet as proposed or reject it.
Play the Quick Start
The Defy the Gods Quick Start was released over the weekend. We are actively looking for folks to play 1-3 sessions and give feedback on the game! I'm excited about the World Scene and Epithets, but what we really want to know is what you're excited about and how these rules play at your home table.
Play the Quick Start and give Feedback
From Midgard to Eternity (6 Days Left!)
A Death-seeking solo TTRPG
The Pitch
Through fjords and mountains, through wondrous realms and rainbow bridges, between the mundane, the fantastical and the divine, From Midgard To Eternity is a solo roleplaying game about seeking glorious death after a life full of deeds that defy belief. This apocryphally biographical game will task you with journaling the life of a Norse adventurer throughout their remarkable life, challenged by the gods themselves to fulfill tasks and quests ranging from the intimate to the epic.
Why I'm Excited
Both Armanda and Hipólita are well-known Argentinian creators. Armanda is working on the absolutely killer playset for Jukebox, Punk Not Dead, and I'm excited to see more of her work. From Midgard to Eternity was profiled by Dicebreaker, the neon Viking art looks absolutely amazing, and there's a playable demo available. It's also being printed and fulfilled by Plus One Exp (the same folks I'm using for Jukebox fulfillment). I'm excited to have my own copy in a few months!
A small aside: One of the messed up dynamics of crowdfunding (which I learned through watching a Crowdfundr panel Armanda was on at Big Bad Con) is that Kickstarter is not available in a number of countries. This means, for example, folks funding from Argentina have limited options for where to crowdfund their work. Crowdfundr is committed to providing a platform for folks, but they don't (yet) have the same audience size as Kickstarter. This game would have absolutely raised thousands of dollars with a larger audience. The fact they funded regardless speaks to the quality of their work. But I'd love more people to know about it!
How to Get It (Funding ends March 4th)
The Kickstarter ends in six days. The game is already fully funded so by backing you're sure to get a copy.
Back on Crowdfundr or checkout the playable demo
Not Yet
A Romantic TTRPG Duet
By Taylor Navarro and Poorna M.
The Pitch
Need a game for Date Night? Do you enjoy romancing your friends? Perhaps you want to test the waters with a potential future partner...? If the answer to any of these is yes, Not Yet is the game for you! Inspired by the "just missed them" and "right person, wrong time" tropes from How I Met Your Mother [TV] and the tense romantic plot generation of Star Crossed [TTRPG], as well as a real-life love story; tell a tale of two people battling destiny to meet and fall in love over the span of months, years, or even an entire lifetime by trying to match each other’s numbers on your dice rolls.
Why I'm Excited
Taylor's one of my closest collaborators and friends in the space, so I'm absolutely smashing that pledge button on the 29th. She's a talented D&D writer/producer (Ghostfire Gaming, Adventure's League, Tales of Sina Una). Over the past year, she wrote a number of indie games, touching on subjects outside of the normal hack-and-slash of TTRPGS, like parenthood and cooking. Her co-conspirator Poorna recently released Love is on the Cards, a holiday rom-com TTRPG. I'm excited to see this game come to life!
How to Get It (Launching Thursday)
Not Yet is coming to Kickstarter on Thursday, February 29th. You can sign up to be notified (a great way to signal that you're planning on buying a copy), or come Thursday, when you click the link below, it'll go to the Kickstarter.
That's all for today!
Over and out,
🫙 👁️ 👁️