Kickstarter: Robotech RPG/Tactics

 

Link to the current released rules

Palladium games has been producing the Robotech RPG for years and now they are moving into the Tactical market with the assistance of Ninja Division in producing Robotech RPG Tactics.  This is a great Kickstarter because it is really hard to judge the marketability of these mature IP's that don't currently penetrate the market.

From what I have seen the game does a fair job of capturing the feel of Robotech with equivalent though wildly different forces.  The pace of gameplay does seem high and the difficulty to understand low, which is one of the goals of the system.

Probably the biggest issue I see for the game is that the entire series is centered on building up the U.N. Spacey forces as the hero you would want to play.  Games without a strong IP influencing them can develop faction that have different levels of attraction to different players.  In Robotech you can either be the Humans protecting the Earth or the Invading Alien Zentradi, and if you play the humans, you get to play with transforming Jets.  Who will want to be the Zentradi?

As for the details on the Kickstarter, it is going very strong with several days to go.  They have operated it quite cannily by offering a base game package and one with "all the goodies."  At this point some of the named characters that took to the battlefield on both the U.N. Spacey and Zentradi side have been unlocked:  Rick, Roy, Khyron, and Miria.  This leaves a glaring exception being Max.  This stands out even more given that they have a "scenario" in which Max is in the title.  My guess is that in the very last days of the campaign, Palladium is going to put Max as an unlockable at a high though achievable goal to generate that final sprint of funding. 

Kickstarter: Name of the Wind Card Deck

One of the more common "games" you find on Kickstarter are decks of cards customized to a specific theme or subject.

In this example we have Name of the Wind Playing Cards.   The art on these cards are based on the book of the same name which is the first of the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss.  Personally I can't recommend the series enough.  The apparently trilogy is currently incomplete at only two books so far, but I have listened to them both (via Audible) many many times. 

As to the matter of the deck, to be sure we are not talking about some new card game, but a standard deck of playing cards. These usually work well with the Kickstarter model as they are a very producible product (effectively 53 images give or take), you can choose themes that appeal strongly to a specific, passionate,  but limited audience, and the price point is usually very accessible.  With this Kickstarter you can get the deck for $11. 

Kickstarter: Teramyyd - SKY PIRATES!

Teramyyd: Earthsphere is a tabletop game that attempts to model the adventure of being a sky-captain.   

In the game you can perform quests, find allies, upgrade your ship, cast spells, perform maneuvers, defeat monsters, and fight other players.  

The game varies each time by changing the core quest, the flagships used, and captains selected.   On top of all that the game comes with an awesome set of airship figures.

Kickstarter Short Order Heroes: Light RPG and Character Generator

 








 
Short Order Heroes can be used as a stand alone Light RPG / Story generator or a gaming aid.
 
The content of this project is simple, it is a deck of cards with an adjective and a number.
To create characters you draw three cards to get a collections of adjectives.  NPC's you encounter while threading your tale get from three to one attributes.  When the conflict arises in the tale, the DM and the Player discuss how the attributes of all the characters affect the conflict.  So if your character is "Cute" and "Foolish" and you are trying to get past a guard who is "Clumsy" and "Romantic" you could try straight diplomacy which no adjective affects ( difficulty 4).  You could try to leap past the guard who is clumsy (difficulty 3), or you could try to charm the romantic guard with your cuteness (difficulty 2).  You determine the result of the conflict by drawing a new card and using the number.  If the number is equal to or greater than the difficulty, the character "wins" the conflict.  The adjective of the card adds flavor to how the action is actually performed.  For instance if the player attempts to charm the guard and draws "Wise" with a 6, the player gets by the guard, perhaps by having a disarming conversation about philosophy or maybe just complimenting the guard on their wisdom.

The game looks like it will be a lot of fun for low key RPG activities.  It can also of course be used with more traditional RPGs to add some quick flavor or to more open ended story telling games (like Tell Tale) to give it more direction.

Kickstarter: Torment: Tides of Numenera

Torment Kickstarter  has less than two days left.  Planescape Torment was a game that played like a novel.  This new game is attempting a similar challenge where all your actions have consequences.  Patrick Rothfuss fans (Name of the Wind) should take note that he is on the design team and will be doing some writing for the game.