Death Game – the last gasp
48 hours left, more fun reveals, and a few other projects to have a look at.
Hi all,
So, my Zine Month campaign for Death Game is rattling its final few dying breaths. I’m glad that it’s nearly over, and I’m glad that it has so far done really well! If there are any of you that were interested in backing the project but haven’t already, your time runs short, so check it out here.
To remind you all, Death Game is a TTRPG inspired by ‘battle royale’ media – think Battle Royale, Hunger Games, Squid Game, etc, which is honestly such low hanging fruit that I’m surprised somebody hasn’t done it as a TTRPG yet.
The game ‘solves’ the classic PvP battle royale problem of players being kicked out of the table early by utilising a rotating GM mechanic (when a character dies, that player takes over the GM, and the GM takes over an NPC, until there are only a few competitors left standing). This allows it to privilege story over combat, and is one of several mechanics I’m extremely proud of.
Of course, the game is also designed to comment on why Death Game media has become so popular, and if you’re interested in that, and my wider design viewpoint, I published a long essay on it over on Medium here.
We hit all our stretch goals, after a slow start, and are in discussions about adding a final one in the last 48 hours.
If any of that sounds like it floats your boat, please take a look, share it with someone, or otherwise do something nice today!
Other projects to look at
I have complicated thoughts about Zine Month in general – when everyone is competing for space to this extent, bits of the scene can get very competitive and toxic. Even though I don’t have much of a platform, I do want to push back against this by sharing some other projects – some from friends of mine, others not.
NOTE: immediately after sending this I realised I forgot an AMAZING project called Fealty which has three days left to fund!
You Are A Billionaire And One Day You Will Die
You Are A Billionaire And One Day You Will Die drew the first blood from me in terms of convincing me to open up my wallet and back a project myself. I'd explain it, but the clue's in the name really – have a look! This is one of those zine month projects that really deserves to be doing better than it is.
Blister Critters
Blister Critters is probably going to draw SECOND blood. It's doing very well already, which is why I haven't backed it yet, but I expect I will. Players take on the role of small animals (Critters) in a radiation-blasted, eco-apocalyptic Saturday-morning cartoon.
Blister Critters uses a fast version of the grit system from Stillfleet, including rules for finding and hacking all of the stuff that humanity left behind. I think what's really attracted me to it is the irreverent tone, combined with the fact that it seems a good all-ages game – we need more of these in the TTRPG scene. They also have a quickstart out that you can have a look at (just google it) and I really like their core mechanics. Anyway, check it out!
Ritual Magic for Besties
Kayla Dice, game writer extraordinaire and creator of Transgender Deathmatch Legend, my favourite title in the world, is funding a project at the moment which is slightly languishing in crowdfunding jail for no good reason. Ritual Magic for Besties is a fun group tarot based game where you cast spells using your mutual connections.
Outliers
Sam Leigh is the editor of Death Game, and they have a project I believe is launching today called Outliers. Play a research assistant recruiting participants, collecting data, and performing weird tasks, before the study runs out of funding. Follow the page before it goes live now. (or get in on the ground floor depending on when I actually manage to get this out)
Field Agent Handbooks: Observancy Dept. 1924–28
A project by Death Game’s layout artist, Luke Earl. Kind of a combination between a LARP and a TTRPG, look at the world with new eyes through these handbooks. Sharpen your ESP skills and seek out suspicious activity as a pendulum-dowsing Field Agent. I’ve sold early versions of this product at cons and its such a fun pitch.
Me, the Singularity
The creator of this project approached me asking if I would be up for a promotion trade and I genuinely found myself intrigued by the project. Me, the Singularity has come over from a video game of the same name, and features the crew of a space station being haunted by a mysterious entity.
This is a first time zinequester, and I'd really like to support new people making their way into the game-writing game, so head over to their page and at least give it a read. Maybe help them break £1000?
Thank you so much for your time and your clicks!
And for everyone that has somehow supported my work, thank you for making it to the end.