KNIGHT deserves its GLORY

 

When I first heard about Mark Beren's upcoming game, KNIGHT, I was definitely intrigued.  As someone who has been a fan of Greg Stafford's King Arthur Pendragon and is currently still running The Great Pendragon Campaign for his gaming circle (the campaign started back in 2017!) I've always been fascinated with games that tried to capture the glory and tragedy of Arthurian tales in one form or another.  

In KNIGHT, you play a heroic, glory-seeking knight in service to your Queen. The game drew inspiration from Pendragon, Into the Odd, Forged in the Dark, and Powered by the Apocalypse games, and offers a tight game experience with collaborative storytelling is supported with a solid system.  Each game has three phases; the Quest phase which is goal-oriented, the Fief phase which explores advancement and decision-making, and the Free play phase which grants even more flexibility on your play options.   Dice rolls are resolved with the use of a standard twenty-sided die, with complications arising if the roll is higher than the attribute being used that moment. Adding to the fun is the Effect Die which measures the effectiveness of one's action and determines when a situation or activity has been successfully overcome. Luck plays a part in the game too, especially during the Fief phase of the game, offering favorable results even in scenes where the character has no direct control over the events. Endurance tracks one's ability to stay active, which nicely allows the story to carry on and not focus solely or character mortality. 

The game also has Glory, which represents power, wealth, and influence with the populace.  Even the passage of time is part of the experience, with players creating their own Avalon by drawing a map, then later showing its development and change with later updates.  This adds for a cool cooperative extra experience which reminds me of games like The Quiet Year.   Generational play is also built into the system with the player having to retire their Knight once certain conditions are met. 

The author was very generous in working on this game too, with practically fifth pages of world-creation thoughts, role-playing tips, and game atmosphere considerations offered to help new players embrace the intricacies of a knight's life.  Lots of alternative rules are also provided to help groups tailor fit the experience to what works better for them.  Given the setting is not your standard Arthurian fare, there are lots of new names and places offered for the game's "baseline" setting. This is where, I feel, I struggled a bit as I have always had trouble with names. While some names are probably common or accurate to the setting, I will confess finding myself unsure how to pronounce some of them. And it was curious to see how the game tried to mix enough influences and imagination -based material to form something familiar but new.  Especially with the game offering a campaign framework (called the Three Ages) to give groups a nice jumping off point for a long term campaign session. 

The game has a sleek character sheet design, and even a section to track your family tree (something with I think King Arthur Pendragon could have benefited from having as part of their main sheet).

All in all, I'm extremely excited to find a chance to try this system out.  Mark was kind enough to offer me a chance to see the book (and in return I sent him a copy of my other game, The Cat's Dream) and I definitely look forward to supporting this game once it is formally available. But even this early, I am already seeing this game finding a spot on my virtual shelf for awesome games that offer Arthurian /Arthur-inspired experiences.  

Learn more the game today at
https://armouredgames.pixpa.com/
https://armouredgames.pixpa.com/knight1

Once Upon a Time in Jianghu Kickstarter cancelled.

Once Upon a Time in Jiangu Kickstarter cancelled.

Please find the full statement here:
http://www.gallantknightgames.com/gallant-knight-games-wunderwerks-statement-regarding-once-upon-a-time-in-jianghu/

Once Upon a Time in Jianghu Teaser: Burning Mountain Ring

The game features over fifteen different factions that players and Villains can be part of. Each grants the Honorable Hero a Secret Move that they can use.

But more interestingly is how the Grand Master is given access to additional information on how they can use that Faction in their games. When I was working on the book, I wanted to make sure gaming groups were empowered to find ways to make the game and its setting their own.

For instance, for the players, they get this information on the Burning Mountain Ring. 

Only the greatest and the strongest can claim to be part of the Burning Mountain Ring, the one true Martial Brotherhood in Sihai. While not everyone is part of this Society, those who do gain their favor find themselves gaining respect and reputation typically reserved for legendary heroes. It is said that its founder, Ubiquitous Dan, once watched his dear friend Relentless Fus who fought against the natural order of things and sought to conquer even Heaven itself at the peak of the Burning Mountain. 

Ubiquitous Dan was forced to learn all the Secret Arts necessary to challenge his dear friend and bring peace back upon the land. The Burning Mountain Ring now stands as a structured system of Ranking, allowing those who reject the natural order to channel their desire and passion towards improving themselves, rather than destroying the world. They send out invitations to those deemed worthy to join their tournaments and train others in expanding their understanding of the martial arts. Many warriors of the Ring have come face-to-face with agents of the Door and the Cult, earning their ire. The general consensus also sees the Triangle as laughable in their lack of actual strength.

Secret Move: Awareness of Deadly Intent
Cost: Free
Ambushes and murder attempts are like screaming children in a library for members of this faction. When anyone seeks to do commit violence upon a Burning Mountain Ring warrior, their intent is unconsciously sensed as the warrior’s fighting spirit senses a kindred soul. At any point someone seeks to do you violence, you sense it. It does not matter if you were asleep or intoxicated, the very aura of deadly intent is a palpable presence you cannot ignore.

Whereas for the Grand Master, information on the Burning Mountain Ring is given in this manner.

Burning Mountain RingReputation: Chaotic Fighting Ring Type: Directionless Sect Alignment: Heroic Conflicting Factions: The Obsidian Door, Inquisitive Dog Triangle, Invincible Ghost Gang, Cult of the Conqueror Worm
Said to have once been called the Wulin, the Burning Mountain Ring is a fractured echo of what was once an incredible gathering of the world’s greatest warriors. Now, it stands more like a fighting ring where many prove their mettle as they beat on their rivals. Ubiquitous Dan stands at the peak of the mountain blinded by the clouds and distance from the world. He still mourns the loss of Relentless Fus and has left the lower ranking warriors to run the sect. The Invincible Ghost Gang is poised to challenge them and might have what it takes to bring true change to the organization.
Secrets or Story Hooks: The GM can use any of these secrets as true in their game:

• Relentless Fus still lives. Despite his hubris and punishment, Fus now survives as an amnesiac man living alone at the edge of a city’s limits. When endangered, he instinctively fights with martial skills he has no remembrance learning.

• Ubiquitous Dan is no more. The Dan that remains is a shadow double, created by the Crying Prince who has infiltrated the sect and conquered it from within. It uses the sect as secret font to recruit his agents.

• Heroic Secret Move: The Palm of Peace

• Said to be the penultimate expression of mastery of all the possible secret Martial Arts, the Palm of Peace causes all within an entire region to lose any aggressive or destructive intentions or motivations for an entire day. Performed last by Ubiquitous Dan after he realized Relentless Fus had died, he brought twenty-four hours of peace by simply completing the strike upon the very strands of destiny.

Key NPC: Ubiquitous Dan Heavy set and powerful, most mistake Dan at first glance as some loitering untrained worker who made a wrong turn and slipped into the arena by mistake. But a single punch is usually enough to knock anyone onto their senses in seeing how Dan is one of the few high-Ranking warriors that are still active. He has a soft spot for goats and has been known to stop and make an effort to pet any he sees, once going as far as leaving the honored seat during the opening ceremonies of a festival to greet a kid carried by one of the guests.
Views: Dan once respected the Golden Emperor and his goals to unify the world. The Fighting Ring was meant as a means for aggression and disagreements to find an organized and controlled means of release. He truly believes in honorable combat, choosing to fight with his eyes closed, and using only one hand while balanced on one foot when he was challenged by a weaker opponent.

 Traits: Artisan (Mysteries of Yin and Yang, Formless Arts of the Face), Scholar (Qi Cultivation), Warrior (Lightfoot)
 Weakness: Priest (The Birth of Seals)

 Roleplaying Notes: Laugh openly. Praise others for their physical and martial prowess. Decline any challenges unless the other deserves to be treated a lesson. Waive away complex philosophical arguments and always flex your fingers and arm muscles before you fight.

 As an ally: Express your disdain for violence beyond fights within the Ring. Offer to teach those who are untrained in martial combat. Openly praise those who are fearless in celebrating their attachments to each other.

 As a Villain: Call those who know are powerless to best you, “little goat,” as a double-edged form of endearment. Never threaten. Just state the facts on how you will defeat the other. Then do it if they persist. You would rule Sihai if you wanted to, but for now the

 Traits: Artisan (Mysteries of Yin and Yang, Formless Arts of the Face), Scholar (Qi Cultivation), Warrior (Lightfoot) Weakness: Priest (The Birth of Seals)

Roleplaying Notes: Laugh openly. Praise others for their physical and martial prowess. Decline any challenges unless the other deserves to be treated a lesson. Waive away complex philosophical arguments and always flex your fingers and arm muscles before you fight.

As an ally: Express your disdain for violence beyond fights within the Ring. Offer to teach those who are untrained in martial combat. Openly praise those who are fearless in celebrating their attachments to each other.

As a Villain: Call those who know are powerless to best you, “little goat,” as a double-edged form of endearment. Never threaten. Just state the facts on how you will defeat the other. Then do it if they persist. You would rule Sihai if you wanted to, but for now the Golden Emperor can worry about that. You’ll be there when someone finally defeats him to take it from the victor.

Support the Kickstarter today and help us hit our stretch goals!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/381911690/once-upon-a-time-in-jianghu

Once Upon a Time in Jianghu Excerpt: Embrace the Moments of Silence

As the game is Powered by the Apocalypse, a common practice is for the game to advise the GM and the players on The Agenda, which guides them on how to explore the game.

For Once Upon a Time in Jianghu, this is the Agenda:


THE AGENDA

Everyone playing the game shares a five-part Agenda:

• Make the world feel epic and dramatic
• Play out what virtue and heroism demands
• Struggle against personal want and duty
• Define heroism and display it
• Embrace moments of silence

Let's get a peek on the last one:

Embrace Moments Of Silence

There must be balance in the stories you tell. As a powerful contrast to moments of amazing combat and flashy moves, seek moments of nostalgia and peace. A silent moment walking in the flower fields. A peaceful scene of gazing out of the window to watch the frogs swallow dragonflies. If the players show interest in certain characters or locations, be sure to utilize them more often in later sessions. Pay attention to reflecting the passage of time in the game, as well. Children eventually grow older. Older characters eventually pass away. Let their choices shape the world and change it.

It is “huai jiu” or “nostalgia for the past” which you want to invoke in your games. It is this unbearable yearning that comes from the understanding one possess an unrealized heart.  And this, in a way, is the essence of a true wuxia hero.  On a related note, consider this a reminder also to embrace moments of silence as an opportunity to give other players a chance to have the spotlight. Narrative games can be daunting for some players, who might find the freedom to direct the story a bit intimidating at first. Know when to step back into the background to give those players enough time to adapt to the game and have moments where their characters become prominent of a scene. Help each other out in making sure everyone has a great time playing the game.

Support the Kickstarter for the game today!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/381911690/once-upon-a-time-in-jianghu

Once Upon a Time in Jiangu - Kickstarter is Live!

Once Upon a Time in Jianghu
A wuxia-inspired game that is Powered by the Apocalypse by Tobie Abad

The Kickstarter is live!
Hoping for your support!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/381911690/once-upon-a-time-in-jianghu

Gallant Knight Games: Announcing ONCE UPON A TIME IN JIANGHU

Gallant Knight Games is excited to announce that Tobie Abad’s Once Upon a Time in Jianghu will be seeking funding on Kickstarter next Tuesday, April 23rd. 

Created by Tobie Abad, project managed on Kickstarter by Ben Woerner of Woerner WunderWerks, and published and distributed by Gallant Knight Games, Once Upon a Time in Jianghu is a wuxia-inspired storytelling tabletop roleplaying game that utilizes a heavily modified version of Powered by the Apocalypse.

Set in a mythical and new, yet familiar world, Once Upon a Time in Jianghu is lovingly crafted by Tobie Abad, and features a talented roster of contributors who will be providing stretch goals as well as additional content:

• Sen-Foong Lim
• Banana Chan
• Rob Abrazado
• Elizabeth Chaipraditkul
• Andrew Peregrine
• with art by renowned Spanish artist Daniel Jimbert

Gallant Knight Games, Woerner WunderWerks and Tobie Abad are excited to put this game in your hands!

Full Announcement here:
http://www.gallantknightgames.com/announcing-once-upon-a-time-in-jianghu

Once Upon a Time in Jianghu - Coming Soon

*Not The Final Design

The North Sea Epilogues RPG on Kickstarer

Very happy to be part of this new project.

Garphill Games and Dice Up Games are proud to bring you The North Sea Epilogues. This is a new roleplaying game, designed by Tim and Kristin Devine and set in the North Sea universe of games, including the award-winning Raiders of the North Sea.

I am honored to be listed among amazing creators and writers here.
I do hope you all check out the Kickstarter and support it!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shem/the-north-sea-epilogues-rpg-raiders-play-mat

Now Live on Kickstarter: Tiny Supers!

Gallant Knight Games is happy to present the latest genre-book for our TinyD6 minimalist roleplaying system: Tiny Supers!

Using the rules in this book, you'll be able to play superheroes of all types, from paragons and exemplars, to super-science heroes of the future or past, to cosmic guardians defending the far-reaches of the galactic civilizations from untold threats!

And even more awesome:
For the first time ever, a TinyD6 game will have its own detailed setting, as we bring the GallantVerse to you!

You can read more about the GallantVerse below!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gallantknightgames/tiny-supers-minimalist-superhero-roleplaying

Now Live on Kickstarter: John Silence

John Silence

The John Silence universe is about black, indigenous, and/or people of color (BIPOC) psychic detectives. It is set in the United States at some time between 1938 and 1998. TV shows like The Dead Zone and Heartless fit the tone of this game, but we want a more diverse cast of characters.

A complete rpg plus a shared-universe story/poetry anthology about psychic people of color saving the Earth from invisible monsters

Kickstarter us now live!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1080999837/john-silence#

Victory Condition Gaming: Tiny Dungeon 2e + an announcement

From the Victory Condition Gaming site:
Join me as I talk with Alan Bahr, Gallant Knight Games founder and designer of Tiny Dungeon 2nd Edition currently on Kickstarter. Also joining us Tobie Abad, Ben Woerner and John Kennedy who are writing micro settings for Tiny Dungeon 2e.

---------

Yup, we talked about Tiny Dungeon 2e and the microsettings we are working on, as well as shared some stories on our experiences working with Alan.  As a bonus, an unexpected announcement regarding TAG Sessions and A Single Moment!

Come support the Kickstarter today!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gallantknightgames/tiny-dungeon-2e-minimalist-fantasy-roleplaying-is

Ongoing Kickstarter: Tiny Dungeon 2nd edition

You might want to back this awesome game, Tiny Dungeon 2e before the Kickstarter campaign ends.  With currently more than 10 micro-settings already unlocked, this game is getting more and more awesome... which is amazing cause it already started out pretty awesome!

Tiny Dungeon 2e is Alan Bahr's new baby, and is the 5th kickstarter campaign launched by Gallant Knight Games.  The game uses the Tiny D6 engine, which is a robust system for something that seems to be quite simple.  The campaign completely funded and hit all 10 stretch goals within the first 24-hours and is already part of the @Kicktraq's Top 25 RPGs.

For this game, I'm writing a micro-setting called Legacy.
Alan lists it down as:

Tobie Abad brings us a fantastic micro-setting about choice, history and the future, with Legacy. The War of the Widows has raged for nearly 300 years. With your grandfather's blade, and your father's ring, your time to join the war has come.

So head on to the Kickstarter page and back it before it is too late!
You don't wanna miss this!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gallantknightgames/tiny-dungeon-2e-minimalist-fantasy-roleplaying-is

Sneak Peeks at Things Coming Soon

Yep, it has been a very busy creative journey.
Bonus points for those who can name each one.
:-)

Cold Shadows on Kickstarter has just launched! Whooo hoo!

Cold Shadows is a tabletop roleplaying game built on the ruleset developed in Blood & Honor by John Wick Presents and World of Dew by Woerner Wunderwerks. Cold Shadows is a narrative tabletop role-playing game where the rules are focused on telling a dynamic, personal and compelling story. The game is set in a taut world of espionage, betrayal, and drama inspired by the great spy stories of authors such as John Le Carre and Robert Ludlum.

Cold Shadows is written to evoke the feeling of the Cold War era of spies both in modern and historical context. The game can easily be used to tell espionage stories in any 20th and 21st century time-frame. 

Cold Shadows will have the following in the core game:

• Rules for playing as high-level operatives in an Agency
• Rules for one player and one Narrator
• Rules for Narrator-less play
• A chapter on generating your Field of Operations with rules that impact your Agents
• Chapters on fighting styles
• Information about historical and modern espionage organizations
• A chapter on women in the Cold War and espionage cinema
• And much more! Expansions and stretch goals will include rules systems that allow you to tell stories like Bond, Mission Impossible, and even xXx or Get Smart.

This game is being written by Alan Bahr and Ben Woerner, with a talented team of freelancers aiding the primary writers. At the onset, we have Tobie Abad and Elizabeth Chaipraditkul writing on the project with us. As we unlock stretch goals, we'll be adding more talent and authors to this game! 

The Publisher of this game is Nocturnal Media, which recently bought out Gallant Knight Games, and will be distributing and publishing Cold Shadows! The Kickstarter was already prepped and built on the Gallant Knight Games account, so we decided to launch it from here. Nocturnal Media does own Gallant Knight Games, so this imprint will bear the Nocturnal logo and have access to all those resources!

The Kickstarter, as of this writing, has reached $3,620 within the first two hours.  Hope you opt to back the game and support it!    Check out the Kickstarter today!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gallantknightgames/cold-shadows-narrative-espionage-roleplaying

Dreamchasers Kickstarter is live!

And already fully funded!  Dreamchaser: A Game of Destiny is a tabletop roleplaying game that rewards imagination—rewards creativity. A game that empowers players to immerse themselves into their own desires, their own fantasies. A game that doesn't tell you what you are playing, you tell it what you want to play. Dreamchaser adapts to you.

The game has funded and continues to get more backers!  You might wanna back the game to help nudge it towards unlocking a stretch goal...

Yep yep!  I'm a stretch goal for this Kickstarter and if we break 18k, I'll be writing up a Romantic Comedy supplement for this game.  I'm excited to contribute to this creative project and I do hope you all choose to support the game too!

You can find the Kickstarter page here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/500559789/dreamchaser-a-game-of-destiny-rpg

Victory Condition Gaming talks about Cold Shadows

The Kickstarter for Cold Shadows is launching at the end of this month, and I'm extremely grateful to be part of that project.  Alan Bahr, the brains behind the game, was interviewed on Victory Condition Gaming and even mentioned me, which is super awesome.

Hope you all support Cold Shadows when it launches this January!

Changes, Adjustments, and Learnings

This year is a year born from having survived a tumultuous year filled with numerous challenges.  But from dreaming of leaving a mark on the tabletop gaming industry, I begin 2017 with high hopes of new experiences, new friends, and more games.

There's a few upcoming Kickstarter projects that I'll be part of this year, with one touching on spies and rivalries, while the other explores the romantic side of dreams.  There are a bunch of supplemental projects as well, for people bound to demons, for high action and dramatic epic heroes, and for a few more fiction nods to tuck under my belt.  And there are the talks.

This year opened with me being invited to give a talk for the 2017 Global Game Jam, which I must admit was an unexpected moment of awesome.  A few more opportunities are coming into focus down the line and while I kinda shied away from a possible one set all the way at Cebu, I know more options are bound to show up in time.  Then there's a few more projects both independently, work-relatedly, and completely selflessly being developed in the pipeline for table top releases (a few card games, and a possible board game or two).  And my own projects for TAG Sessions plus the ever awesome dayjob.

I need to update my Patreon account though.  I realize now the previous layout of the tiers isn't engaging people the way I thought, and in hopes of properly thanking people for their support, I've decided to make some changes on what they entail. I'll probably engage the shift come February, depending on the feedback I get.

The biggest change though, this year, is us moving.  Rocky and I have decided to move to a location closer to our respective workplaces.  This means finding a way to reduce the usual two-hour travel time each way to and from work that we lose each day.  The move meant having to make some hard decisions, which includes me having to accept that I'll be giving up some stuff, and make some lifestyle changes, but in the end, reducing the four hours lost each day to traffic will be worth the sacrifices.  When we first moved together way back in May, 2009 to what became our home at Cubao, we named the place Sietch Creare.  It was a funny time, with me breaking a mirror within the first day, but in the end we realized we created a sanctuary where we could create. The term Sietch was borrowed from Rocky's favorite book series of all time, The Dune Chronicles by Frank Herbert. Creare is the Latin word for create.  This new Sietch we have moved to has yet to be officially named.  There's temptation to name it after the Latin word for game, but that kinda just conjures up traumatic visions for me.  I'm tempted to try "Igrat" which is the Russian word for "play" given the roots of the word sietch can also be traced to the Russian word "sech" which was a chief fortress refuge.  Then there's "Qiss" which is Arabic for story, since it can also be traced to "Seeq", which is one of the Arabic names of a desert town that was hard to access.

In the end, I think the name will come to us naturally and we will find what works best in time.  We had our first game session at the new place already, and it seemed appropriate the game would be Houses of the Blooded, with Flip and Carlo.  New beginnings.  New wagers.   Style.

Reflections has Kenneth Hite!

With still 20 days to go, Reflections has broken the 10k mark which means Kenneth Hite, the mastermind behind the Gumshoe System, the author of the Suppressed Transmissions column, and the of lovely World of Darkness books such as the Cainite Heresy and the fantastic Mage: The Sorceror's Crusade, has been unlocked as one of the guest writers for the game.  Up next, at 12.5k is John Wick. Man, to have John Wick write for something I inspired.   That would be super multiple shades of awesome.

While Reflections is not my baby, I still feel tremendously happy to see the success the game has gotten.  While it moves towards narrative gaming more than A Single Moment, it still shares much of the structure and idea behind the game (with the starting scene framing the final fight, then working back towards it with multiple smaller scenes).  I've seen some comments about getting inspired to play the game using Avatar the last Airbender and the like and I will admit I feel a bit sad these same people never discovered ASM earlier, I do still feel happy that they will nonetheless have a free copy of my game as a reward and have the option to play either version of the rules they desire.

I feel sad though that locally, no one has really taken notice as far as local bloggers are concerned of this success.  One would think there would be some joy in seeing a local game designer being part of a game that's gaining some notice, but I guess everyone's just focused on other geek stuff - there are a lot of news coming out after all with the San Diego Comic Con and all that jazz.   I wouldn't like to think no one thought to celebrate it.  I first noticed the silence after landing a gig writing for 7th Sea, 2nd edition.  But I took it as merely a matter of the word not spreading out as much yet.  Now, I'm not quite sure anymore.  Maybe there are other elements involved.  Or maybe people just don't like me.

Anyway, I guess things will just be clearer upon reflection.   As far as I'm concerned, I'm celebrating.  My friend Meloy put it nicely when she reminded me to just celebrate and be proud of what I've achieved.  In the end, I'm celebrating facts.

Reflections has Funded!

Congratulations to Third Act Publishing for the successful Kickstarter launch.  The game has now funded and it can only get more awesome!  Here's hoping more people support the project to unlock the bonus stuff to be done by Kenneth Hite, John Wick and Ben Woerner!

WOOT!
For those interested in further supporting this game, do head on to the Kickstarter page:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/496783700/reflections-a-game-of-dueling-samurai

REFLECTIONS is live!

Third Act Publishing has launched the Kickstarter for Reflections, a two-player RPG about samurai that will duel to the death.    If that sounds familiar, that's because Jim McClure's passion for samurai games is taking my tiny work called A Single Moment to a whole new direction and evolution.

The project has already hit 40% in barely a few hours since the launch.  And I'm excited to see if it hits the higher tiers where gaming idols of mine such as John Wick, Kenneth Hite, and Ben Woerner take a stab and write for the game too.  Who would have thought people I looked up to in the gaming industry would someday be possibly writing for something that got inspired by my own work?

So yeah, if you want to support the project please head on down to Kickstarter and do so today!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/496783700/reflections-a-game-of-dueling-samurai