Really Knowing Each Other
Ritual Magic for Besties latest, Zine Month recommendations, printing
Hello and welcome back to the regularly scheduled Rat Wave Newsletter. This is the latest in the day it's ever come I believe. I'm writing this on the train back from Newcastle.
The Ritual Magic for Besties Crowdfundr is my big focus for the month. It's a GMless tarot-based game about spellcasting and being known. I described it once as Charmed meets The L Word, in spite of not having seen Charmed and having an uneasy relationship with the L Word. But hey if I swing you on the game please go back it?
I've said before but word of mouth or sharing on your socials would go a long way (reposting stuff is great, writing a post yourself is even better). Even if you're not in a position to back spreading the world could make all the difference.
How are things going? Hmm. We passed our initial funding goal, so I won't be out of pocket on printing or the editing costs. But it's been slow. I'm hopeful now we're passed the first line stuff picks up for the rest of the month. But if it doesn't we still have a game we can keep selling. A marathon rather a sprint.
But yeah I'll have more of a post mortem after everything next month. In the mean time I'll be appearing on The Weekly Scroll this Friday to talk about the game.
Also I am not the centre of the universe when it comes to Zine Month. Here are some other games I'd like to recommended.
Death Game
Inspired by death game media like Battle Royale, fight for your life for the entertainment of the rich and powerful in this narrative-driven RPG
Death Game looks gorgeous and is written by Laurie O'Connel, the creator of Hieronymus and Lichcraft. Full disclosure I am on board as a stretch goal writers for Death Game (gonna do a fucked up private hospital) but I swear down I'd be recommending it anyway.
CONVICT-ION
Inspired by Life is Strange, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Persona, as well as the philosophy of Butler and Foucault, CONVICT-ION is a tabletop role-playing game that uses a modified version of the Belonging Outside Belonging system. It's by WH Arthur whose prior work I've found really enjoyable.
Me, the Singularity
A haunted-house-in-space game, about the crew of a space station being haunted by an extradimensional "ghost". Players attempt to interpret the entity's cryptic warnings, the only thing that can save them from a looming catastrophe.
The game reimagines the Me, the Singularity visual novel by Supercircuit, adapting the art, themes, and plot of that game to a tabletop roleplaying game.
From Midgard to Eternity
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. Created by Armanda (Paranoid Android, Grandmothership, Once and Again) and Hipólita (Cantrip, RAD, Baka Mitai) it looks like an exciting collaboration between two really brilliant designers.
What's next for Terminal?
Recommendations have taken up a lot of the space here which is understandable. I'll give a quick latest on Terminal; we've gone to print! Soon the books should be arriving at the warehouse of SoulMuppet Publishing (the physical fulfilment partner for the project) and then I'll have more with next steps for backers as well as general availability.
What's next for me, Kayla?
I did say I'd talk about how my latest experiment as a marketeer went last month but being honest it didn't go great and I don't want this newsletter to turn into a marathon (remember I'm on a train on my phone). Next month I'll revisit it though; I'll have a post-mortem on crowdfunding, on going to markets, as well as future plans. I think March will be a bit of a taking-stock month so I guess expect the newsletter to be an extended autopsy report.
The Rat Wave Self-Employment Experiment Continues Apace, Tune In Next Month to See How We're Doing