|
Hey all, Despite having not been an active, participating, goon for a long while a buddy of mine has asked me to promote/shill his project on the forums. Undoubtedly a labour of love, he's put the hours (years) in on this one and, to say the least, has a great deal of skin in the game. The rent is due, after all. The response so far seems to have been universally positive! I wouldn't identify as an indie connoisseur, but the world he has created is genuinely fresh, the mechanics have been praised and the community that's building around the project is welcoming and super positive. With mod blessings, banner ads made and dues paid, I'm genuinely pleased and honoured to present - The Wildsea: Cutting through the rustling waves, an unending tree-top sea! An innovative TTRPG from Felix Issacs TL;DR TL;DR TL;DR UPDATE The Kickstarter has been very successful so far, meaning that the following extras can be bundled in -
The Wildsea home page, also featuring Felix's blog, offering a candid insight into the process. Mythopoeia who have picked up the Wildsea for publishing! A chill, friendly and inclusive Discord full of cool peeps. Those who are interested in providing feedback are very welcome, as are those who are interested in participating in playtests, which run frequently! The Wildsea's Kickstarter page. The latest and most up to date Playtest PDF See below, gentle goon! TL;DR TL;DR TL;DR There must be a teaser trailer? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjaOshV9Ym8&hd=1 Well, now I'm interested! Check out The Rattling Roar, an actual one-shot of 'egg-carrying, plant-evading, crane-swinging madness', starring Felix himself, Ray Chou, Mistletoe_kiss and Ric Heise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FccSksxTs4o&hd=1 I still have to take a two and a half hour bus ride into work despite COVID, is there anything I could listen to? Check this podcast from Don't Forget Your Towel, which is a pretty clear introduction to the game. A virus took my job, so I have plenty of time to read... This is a quick re-hash from the playtest document, but it should whet your appetite. So, what's the setting? Basically, nature won. Felix Isaacs posted:
Felix Issacs posted:
Felix Issacs posted:
Felix Isaacs posted:
Felix Isaacs posted:
Tell me I can play a world-weary, heartbroken, warrior-poet cactus-man! You can, and should! Felix Isaacs posted:
What about character classes? Felix Isaacs posted:
I'll avoid cluttering things up with the crunchy bits here, but here's a preview of the origins and posts detailed in the playtest document! Felix Isaacs posted:
Felix Isaacs posted:
Heck yes, give me chainsaw-ship-adventure or give me death! Felix Isaacs posted:
Yes! Yes! More shipbuilding goodness! Felix Isaacs posted:
What about my mechanics? Tell me I can roll some dice. The core mechanic revolves around six-sided dice. Depending on how they falls, and which of your best rolls are cruelly Cut from you to represent adversity, the result could be Triumph, Conflict or Disaster, and Double rolls do strange things indeed. Felix Issacs posted:
What about the beasts of the air and birds of the sea? Here is a preview of some from the hand of Katy Schmeckerel. Due to the success of the Kickstarter, there are going to be many, many more in the book! Felix Isaacs posted:The Pinwolf Felix Isaacs posted:The Lion's Mane Felix Isaacs posted:A Pangoska variant living in symbiotic harmony with its environment, the Pangoska's precious scales are covered with a thick layer of moss and flower-bloom. Though placid by nature and subject to environmental preservation by several forward-thinking Wildsea communities (partly due to their genial moods and supposed ability to bring good luck), a Pangoska can deliver a bevy of powerful punches when threatened, their highly muscled arms as useful for brawling as they are for brachiation. And who would dare mention Old Ornail, dread leviathan, squirrel? Felix Isaacs posted:All leviathaneers know the tales of Old Ornail, the squirrel to end all squirrels. e: Grammar, more consistent marking of concept words, de-goonification. e2: Additional beasts! e3: News regarding Kickstarter progress and play-testing! Tawd fucked around with this message at 20:32 on Nov 1, 2020 |
# ? Oct 28, 2020 15:47 |
|
|
# ? May 27, 2024 02:54 |
|
Good luck with this cool, goon-adjacent project, Tawd and Tawd's buddy! An ad has been purchased on SA, so this is not unpaid shilling: the forces behind this game have done the Right Thing and worked with TG administration to plan this Officially Sanctioned Thread about this game. Also congrats on that kickstarter funding more or less instantly!
|
# ? Oct 28, 2020 19:02 |
|
This looks rad as hell. I did a "big infinite forest" setting ages ago but this seems like it's way more and bigger and better. Backing when I get a mo, nice work!
|
# ? Oct 28, 2020 19:14 |
Oooh, cool, I think I saw the RPGNet thread for this! Kinda reminds me of that MMO thing Last Oasis, only with infinite forest canopy being traversed by weird walking machines instead of desert.
|
|
# ? Oct 28, 2020 19:41 |
This seems pretty cool, but I'll throw two cents your way and say that the OP is written in a pretty obnoxious way and doesn't really do the sales pitch any favors. Try to like, tone down the "gooniness" of it all.
|
|
# ? Oct 28, 2020 19:47 |
|
I realise you folks are excited, but... what GrandpaPants said. I like the idea though. I'll peek in on the KS.
|
# ? Oct 28, 2020 20:02 |
|
cool art: you had my curiosity chainsaw ships: you have my attention there's a lot of other neat stuff here too. i'll toss in some cash
|
# ? Oct 28, 2020 20:07 |
|
Leperflesh posted:...congrats on that kickstarter funding more or less instantly! That's been today's shocker. At time of posting, we're nearly double the original funding goal and sailing past several of the stretch goals, meaning that there's already more Origins, improved artwork and a commissioned soundtrack in the bag. Cool tunes a la Bastion style are on the way! On a personal note, I'm really hoping goons and others alike dig deep because we are currently at $24,362 of a $25,000 stretch goal which would mean that a professional layout artist could be employed (to correct the lack of fully justified text in the book, which is, frankly, an unforgivable crime). GrandpaPants posted:...I'll throw two cents your way and say that the OP is written in a pretty obnoxious way and doesn't really do the sales pitch any favors. Try to like, tone down the "gooniness" of it all. Bieeanshee posted:I realise you folks are excited, but... what GrandpaPants said. Yeah, I've been thinking about what's been said. It's maybe not so much excitement as Felix and I feel very weird about self-promotion, so it might have been a bit of a reflex when I was writing it, but I've toned it down a bit now. Only good vibes now. Thanks for giving it a look despite that. Serf posted:cool art: you had my curiosity Frankly, the chainsaw-ships have been the number one draw. Much of the art Felix commissioned out of his own pocket in the early stages of the idea-development, long before thoughts of a Kickstarter or publishing, so art and world have evolved together. If you'd all like, I can get permission to do some higher(ish) resolution images and post them up so you can see these little banners in their full glory instead.
|
# ? Oct 29, 2020 01:53 |
|
My biggest turn off is landscape format for a rulebook. That's great for art, terrible for a rules reference.
|
# ? Oct 29, 2020 04:37 |
|
Gorefiend posted:My biggest turn off is landscape format for a rulebook. That's great for art, terrible for a rules reference. It's been a controversial decision and not one that I'm one hundred percent sure on myself, I'd probably prefer portrait over landscape too. Of course, as you say, the layout allows appreciation of the art which is an integral part of the project. Moreover, having spoken to Felix about it this morning, the reasoning is thus - As the Wildsea is a low-crunch, low-prep game with simple mechanics, you'll find that reference to the book in play (especially flicking to-and-fro) is minimal after a few sessions. There is also a determination to avoid the the pattern of having multiple books in play - it's just one volume, no player's guide, monster manual, GM's guide, setting sourcebook The landscape format also lends itself to viewing on most computer monitors and tablets, too, which is a Big Thing more recently.
|
# ? Oct 29, 2020 12:41 |
|
Tawd posted:
That's not exactly a selling point for a physical book.
|
# ? Oct 29, 2020 22:14 |
|
Yeah what I would have liked would be a normal-shaped book so it could go on my bookshelf in a convenient way, and then PDF could be available in either portrait or landscape; or perhaps an landscape-mode artbook could be a stretch goal. If I do get a hardback book, it'll have to sit spine-up on my shelf, which means I can't see the spine/label. It's not a dealbreaker for me, especially since I'm probably just gonna back at the PDF-only level anyway, but a common pitfall of micro-press/small-production/indie products is special-snowflake decisions by the auteur project lead that, while justified in their minds by artistic considerations, actively make the product less convenient for customers.
|
# ? Oct 29, 2020 22:23 |
|
I'm personally a huge fan of the landscape book. I'm backing the small production micro press thing specifically so I can have a bunch of special-snowflake decisions by the auteur project lead rather than the most optimal consumer thing, but I acknowledge that's not a universal thing.
Nemesis Of Moles fucked around with this message at 22:48 on Oct 29, 2020 |
# ? Oct 29, 2020 22:44 |
|
Wow, I'll have to feed back just how strongly people feel about book layout. These are all totally valid points - for some people it's purely practical, for some people it's aesthetic, for most it's a very potent blend. I've had a silly idea that might solve the bookshelf problem, and I'll put it to the team, even if it's just something to be considered for the future. In other news, the Kickstarter is staying strong - stretch goals keep falling! So, there's going to be a full soundtrack by Liam P. Vaughn and thank God, there's going to be a professional layout bod that I can harass about full-justified text; an expanded bestiary; art upgrades including full colour for all illustrations and the production of an SRD are in the bag; we're heading steadily toward a book quality upgrade too. Tawd fucked around with this message at 00:59 on Oct 30, 2020 |
# ? Oct 29, 2020 23:06 |
|
Leperflesh posted:If I do get a hardback book, it'll have to sit spine-up on my shelf, which means I can't see the spine/label. Nemesis Of Moles posted:I'm personally a huge fan of the landscape book. I'm backing the small production micro press thing specifically so I can have a bunch of special-snowflake decisions by the auteur project lead rather than the most optimal consumer thing... So, I have mooted the idea of some kind of hefty card outer sleeve that would a) look beautiful and b) allow the book to sit in the Correct Orientation on a shelf. It's not going to solve anyone's practical reading concerns but it seems a good concession to shelf issues. Apparently I'm not the only one, so who knows? Tawd fucked around with this message at 01:31 on Oct 30, 2020 |
# ? Oct 30, 2020 00:58 |
|
Well, this thread has like two or three points of feedback, while the KS has 661 backers, so really they should go with what the majority seem to want. I don't mind the idea of a sleeve, I guess a bit like a dust jacket but oriented the other way, though. Might make a nice little stretch goal.
|
# ? Oct 30, 2020 03:21 |
|
Leperflesh posted:Well, this thread has like two or three points of feedback, while the KS has 661 backers, so really they should go with what the majority seem to want. Apparently the sleeve idea was already discussed and hasn't been ruled out yet. While there seems to be no shortage of backers, you never know what turned those who didn't back away; why not accommodate? If things continue as they are there might be funds for such a thing. Speaking of which, overnight the Kickstarter has rattled to $38k / £29k, so book quality upgrades are a go, along with more content on Arconautics, Felix Isaacs posted:"...the study of the weird and strange. Arconautics presents an array of additional options for both players and Fireflies that want to embrace the extraordinary - alchemists, augurs, ironbound automatons, manipulators of plantlife and metals. Includes new bloodlines, origins, posts, skills, and hazards!" I'll update the OP with a couple of the spiffy full colour images of beasts, many more of which are to come from the pen of the Wildsea's beastiary artist, Katy Shmeckerel, as it occurs to me that I failed to post much about them before, and they're very cool.
|
# ? Oct 30, 2020 12:28 |
|
This gives me real numenera vibes, definitely going to be trying a playtest of this with some friends.
|
# ? Oct 30, 2020 12:50 |
|
Snail Information posted:This gives me real numenera vibes, definitely going to be trying a playtest of this with some friends. The creators very much value feedback - drop into the Discord, or if anyone wants to post their observations and comments here, I'll feed them back.
|
# ? Oct 30, 2020 13:45 |
|
Tawd posted:The creators very much value feedback - drop into the Discord, or if anyone wants to post their observations and comments here, I'll feed them back. Just that this looks really good and wish your buddy every success with it, would definitely try a game!
|
# ? Nov 1, 2020 06:54 |
|
Stoner Sloth posted:Just that this looks really good and wish your buddy every success with it, would definitely try a game! If anyone wishes to try a game, they are running most evenings on the Wildsea playtest channel, and it's a friendly and inclusive crew. The Kickstarter appears to have blown things out of the water, more than tripling the initial funding target within six days, so further stretch goals are being devised; it'll be a relief for some to hear that Felix has already stated that they don't want to make promises they can't keep, however. Personally, I have pushed the idea of the core creators rewarding themselves with some kind of pay equal to time and efforts, based with at least a passing nod to the concept of fair wages but that is dangerous talk.
|
# ? Nov 1, 2020 20:03 |
|
If they're looking for feedback on stretch goals and extras I'd like to toss my hat in the "split 100% of excess funds amoungst yourselves" ring
|
# ? Nov 1, 2020 21:51 |
|
I would suggest retaining extra funding for a post-kickstarter marketing campaign to try to get more copies of the game into game stores. Maybe post-covid or something. Or the company could use extra money to help fund its next project.
|
# ? Nov 3, 2020 06:46 |
|
My understanding is that Ray Chou of Mythopoeia, the other half of the project and publisher, was going to be doing a lot of in-person promotion for the Wildsea at conventions in the North America, which could occur post-COVID. No idea regarding Europe or Oceania at the moment...
|
# ? Nov 3, 2020 08:52 |
|
I managed to convince my FLGS to get a retailer package for the Kickstarter, so I'll be getting a collector's edition through them. Lookin' forward to it!
|
# ? Nov 6, 2020 06:17 |
|
aldantefax posted:I managed to convince my FLGS to get a retailer package for the Kickstarter, so I'll be getting a collector's edition through them. Lookin' forward to it! Nice! I hadn't seen any movement on the FLGS direct promotion, I'll mention it to Felix and company. In other news, the Kickstarter continues to climb steadily so new stretch goals and teirs are being made available, away with work at the moment but will update soon. There's definitely some new podcasts/let's plays to be added to the OP at least 🥳
|
# ? Nov 6, 2020 08:19 |
|
Joined the discord and eyeballing a physical book tier. Are there any playtest scenarios knocking around or is playtesting purely roll your own?
|
# ? Nov 7, 2020 18:15 |
|
Splicer posted:Joined the discord and eyeballing a physical book tier. Are there any playtest scenarios knocking around or is playtesting purely roll your own? The playtest document doesn't have a pre-done scenario as such, but it does have a 'starter setting', the Foxloft, that you can riff upon; it has a geographical overview, details the primary groups and their cultures, provides example NPCs and ships plus story hooks and a bestiary to get you started. There's lots going on with the Kickstarter and the ongoing progress thereof, so I'll do a meatier post soon - been away with work for a few days.
|
# ? Nov 8, 2020 09:59 |
|
Well, surprise me with a big stick. $68,819 of $15,000 £52,304 of £11,400 That's quite something! New stretch goals and backing options have been rolled out in lieu of the trundling onward success of the project so far - at $60k, some money has been put aside to subsidise shipping fees. And at $70k, after much encouragement, some money has been allocated so Felix can receive a lump sum and pay the rent for a while at least. The following goals are new... At $70k, a raise on the per-word rate for all writers involved in the project. At $75k, sets of custom, wooden Wildsea dice will be available to purchase as an add-on. At $85k, another module of content will be released, namely 'the Farthest Reaches'. At $100k, there will be further reductions in shipping costs and more payola for the project authors. And there are also exciting new ways to sponsor the project! More 'Bestiary' and 'Cameo' slots will be made available, plus three slots will be created to allow the sponsor to create a Leviathan within the game!
|
# ? Nov 8, 2020 16:33 |
|
A neat and bizarre setting, from what I can see. I only had a limited time to scan the pdf, so I may have missed this; are there any major ideologies or religions or whatever left over from the old world, or was it all consumed and shifted around?
|
# ? Nov 9, 2020 01:53 |
|
Falconier111 posted:A neat and bizarre setting, from what I can see. I only had a limited time to scan the pdf, so I may have missed this; are there any major ideologies or religions or whatever left over from the old world, or was it all consumed and shifted around? When I asked the author on rpg.net he said it was ambiguous on if this was supposed to be on our earth, but probably not. If I get a chance to GM it I'll probably include some random ephemera from our world/time though.
|
# ? Nov 9, 2020 14:53 |
|
Falconier111 posted:A neat and bizarre setting, from what I can see. I only had a limited time to scan the pdf, so I may have missed this; are there any major ideologies or religions or whatever left over from the old world, or was it all consumed and shifted around? Within the narrative, the cataclysm occurred extremely quickly and fractured the existing societies soundly. Cultures and groups tend to be focused around one Reach (geographical area) and are highly varied, likely arising from the period of long isolation before ships began making their way across the treetops. Out of the narrative, it's this way to avoid dominant culture narratives stifling flexibility of play. Each documented Reach in the game will feature an overview of the cultures and groups therein, much like the example one in the playtest PDF, but more substantial and detailed. e: grammar Tawd fucked around with this message at 07:38 on Nov 10, 2020 |
# ? Nov 9, 2020 15:59 |
|
Just kicked. You had me at "giant demon squirrel"
|
# ? Nov 24, 2020 01:28 |
|
Gonna back this at the 88 dollar tier, even if I don't have a group to play games with right now. Looks pretty cool, OP. E: And backed orange juche fucked around with this message at 10:33 on Nov 24, 2020 |
# ? Nov 24, 2020 03:20 |
|
Less than a day left now. Once the KS is over they will be releasing an updated playtest. Any interest in a PbP game once.that happens?
|
# ? Nov 24, 2020 21:12 |
|
neaden posted:Less than a day left now. I'm in for a book, if I get a character inspiration I'll throw it into the recruit thread. Sensei always said timing is everything, I almost missed this !
|
# ? Nov 25, 2020 04:27 |
|
I nearly forgot but snuck in just under the line neaden posted:Less than a day left now. Yep
|
# ? Nov 25, 2020 19:42 |
|
neaden posted:Less than a day left now. I'd be interested.
|
# ? Nov 25, 2020 21:38 |
|
neaden posted:Less than a day left now. Yeah, I'd be up for a game.
|
# ? Nov 26, 2020 03:48 |
|
|
# ? May 27, 2024 02:54 |
|
Hollidays took up some time but I'm free now, so the Recruitment thread is up. If you are still interested.
|
# ? Jan 7, 2021 01:57 |