So Tenkar posted an interesting video regarding Gareth-Michael Skarka's kickstarter update that yes, Far west is going to finally be released to his backers and it only took 12 years to happen.
Well, maybe.
Here is the link tot he video. https://youtu.be/Um-tseyAuck?si=ALwnrtZ_PXia5SFw
What are your thoughts?
Quote from: GhostNinja on September 01, 2023, 03:14:00 PM
So Tenkar posted an interesting video regarding Gareth-Michael Skarka's kickstarter update that yes, Far west is going to finally be released to his backers and it only took 12 years to happen.
Well, maybe.
Here is the link tot he video. https://youtu.be/Um-tseyAuck?si=ALwnrtZ_PXia5SFw
What are your thoughts?
Better late than never.
I illustrated Underworld, one of his first RPG's. I was a young illustrator, it was one of the first commissions I got. Let's just say it was...interesting. The RPG was okay, but the graphic design made it virtually unreadable.
Quote from: Thor's Nads on September 01, 2023, 04:20:14 PM
Better late than never.
I illustrated Underworld, one of his first RPG's. I was a young illustrator, it was one of the first commissions I got. Let's just say it was...interesting. The RPG was okay, but the graphic design made it virtually unreadable.
Yep, of course he has been making promises for a while now so, who knows if he will follow through.
I was going to back Far Wets but decided against it because he is a giant jerk. I made the right choice.
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 01, 2023, 10:08:58 AM
I haven't backed a kickstarter in over a decade. I think my last one was Golden Sky Stories. Got burned by a few too many. (Where's my fucking game, Skarka?).
Me, just a couple hours before you posted this.
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 01, 2023, 05:48:27 PM
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 01, 2023, 10:08:58 AM
I haven't backed a kickstarter in over a decade. I think my last one was Golden Sky Stories. Got burned by a few too many. (Where's my fucking game, Skarka?).
Me, just a couple hours before you posted this.
Still waiting for 6 years for The Great Kingdom D&D documentary to show up. Still waiting and because of it I will never back a Kickstarter again.
I'll believe it when I see it. Even then, it may take some convincing.
If it comes out it's a sign of the apocalypse.
From their website:
QuoteImagine: A fantasy world, but not one based on Medieval/Dark Ages European culture and myth, but rather one based on the tropes of the Spaghetti Western and Chinese Wuxia. Add steampunk elements. Mix well.
So Deadlands?
QuoteThe experience of Far West will be unveiled in a series of Movements, echoing the The Five Movements of Chinese cosmology.
Are any of them Bowel Movements?
Quote from: Effete on September 02, 2023, 02:20:00 AM
From their website:
QuoteImagine: A fantasy world, but not one based on Medieval/Dark Ages European culture and myth, but rather one based on the tropes of the Spaghetti Western and Chinese Wuxia. Add steampunk elements. Mix well.
So Deadlands?
Exactly. I think there have been a few games that have come out that fit that niche since people thought at one point Far West was vaporware. Don't know what those games are because I am not interested but I think a few designers rushed to fill the gap.
Could be wrong.
It's been a while since I read Deadlands, but I don't remember it being heavily Wuxia influenced.
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 02, 2023, 10:20:00 AM
It's been a while since I read Deadlands, but I don't remember it being heavily Wuxia influenced.
I think there is a character class where you could have a character that leans that way. It's been awhile for me as well so I could be wrong.
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 02, 2023, 10:20:00 AM
It's been a while since I read Deadlands, but I don't remember it being heavily Wuxia influenced.
Not "heavily" influenced, but the Chinese migrants who came over to build the railroads have since taken over large swaths of the Western seaboard. (San Francisco is called Shan Fan in this alternate world.) One of the magical archetypes you can play is a magic-infused martial artist, a la Wuxia or Shaolin kung fu.
How prominant the Chinese culture crops up in the game depends on what the GM /players focus on, but it's very possible to make it a significant factor during a group of missions.
Quote from: GhostNinja on September 01, 2023, 11:05:56 PM
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 01, 2023, 05:48:27 PM
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 01, 2023, 10:08:58 AM
I haven't backed a kickstarter in over a decade. I think my last one was Golden Sky Stories. Got burned by a few too many. (Where's my fucking game, Skarka?).
Me, just a couple hours before you posted this.
Still waiting for 6 years for The Great Kingdom D&D documentary to show up. Still waiting and because of it I will never back a Kickstarter again.
Wasnt there some post on the kickstarter that Great Kingdom was dead?
Quote from: Omega on September 02, 2023, 04:58:56 PM
Wasnt there some post on the kickstarter that Great Kingdom was dead?
NO. the last update was about 3 months ago. They ran into legal issues which slowed things down.
Quote from: GhostNinja on September 01, 2023, 11:05:56 PM
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 01, 2023, 05:48:27 PM
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 01, 2023, 10:08:58 AM
I haven't backed a kickstarter in over a decade. I think my last one was Golden Sky Stories. Got burned by a few too many. (Where's my fucking game, Skarka?).
Me, just a couple hours before you posted this.
Still waiting for 6 years for The Great Kingdom D&D documentary to show up. Still waiting and because of it I will never back a Kickstarter again.
Why not judge each Kickstarter on the merits and track record of its creator? I've backed a couple of dozen, and apart from a few mild delays I've never had a problem.
Quote from: TheShadow on September 02, 2023, 09:02:57 PM
Why not judge each Kickstarter on the merits and track record of its creator? I've backed a couple of dozen, and apart from a few mild delays I've never had a problem.
Nah, that's ok. I have all I really need and I don't need to buy any more. I have my game collection paired down to (almost) 1 small shelf. Just games I play and get my money's worth from. If a game doesn't get used and won't it's sold.
I have no need to impulse buy and I can wait for whatever the item is to hit the market.
If someone cannot produce an RPG in digital format without outside funding they are idiots or scamming.
(https://usagif.com/wp-content/uploads/gif-eating-popcorn-61.gif)
Gentlemen ...
It exists. (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/452473/Far-West)
Quote from: Armchair Gamer on September 08, 2023, 01:07:31 PM
Gentlemen ...
It exists. (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/452473/Far-West)
Miracles do happen. Anyone have it? Is it any good?
Wow.
I checked my Kickstarter backing list. I have an actual redemption link to download a PDF.
I clicked it.
It downloaded.
I opened the download, and it wasn't an April fool's joke. It seems to be legit.
*edit*
Well, so far... The three page (!) forward by GMS is the most GMS thing I ever read, waxing still about "transmedia", and claiming that Far West was the hardest "seven" years of his life.
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 08, 2023, 01:16:58 PM
*edit*
Well, so far... The three page (!) forward by GMS is the most GMS thing I ever read, waxing still about "transmedia", and claiming that Far West was the hardest "seven" years of his life.
Maybe the other five years wasn't hard. ;D
I would love to hear a review of it when you are done reading it.
Is incredible time we live in. Far West exists in finished form.
Interested how the story continues to develop.
Quote from: GhostNinja on September 01, 2023, 11:05:56 PM
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 01, 2023, 05:48:27 PM
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 01, 2023, 10:08:58 AM
I haven't backed a kickstarter in over a decade. I think my last one was Golden Sky Stories. Got burned by a few too many. (Where's my fucking game, Skarka?).
Me, just a couple hours before you posted this.
Still waiting for 6 years for The Great Kingdom D&D documentary to show up. Still waiting and because of it I will never back a Kickstarter again.
Still waiting five years on for
Chronicles of Future Earth. Far West is out (saw a link on Reddit and checked) so maybe there is hope before 2030, although at this point I'm not sure I'll care when it gets here and has turned me off from the company as a whole. They announced and produced a whole new and separate game already this year (in a year) as a way to get back to writing.
Quote from: Effete on September 02, 2023, 02:20:00 AM
From their website:
QuoteImagine: A fantasy world, but not one based on Medieval/Dark Ages European culture and myth, but rather one based on the tropes of the Spaghetti Western and Chinese Wuxia. Add steampunk elements. Mix well.
So Deadlands?
Except Deadlands predated this by decades. By at least a decade and a half if not two before the KickStarter.
Quote from: TheShadow on September 02, 2023, 09:02:57 PM
Quote from: GhostNinja on September 01, 2023, 11:05:56 PM
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 01, 2023, 05:48:27 PM
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 01, 2023, 10:08:58 AM
I haven't backed a kickstarter in over a decade. I think my last one was Golden Sky Stories. Got burned by a few too many. (Where's my fucking game, Skarka?).
Me, just a couple hours before you posted this.
Still waiting for 6 years for The Great Kingdom D&D documentary to show up. Still waiting and because of it I will never back a Kickstarter again.
Why not judge each Kickstarter on the merits and track record of its creator? I've backed a couple of dozen, and apart from a few mild delays I've never had a problem.
I have two people I pretty much always back if I can: Kevin at Sine Nomine Games and Greyhawk Grognard to BRW games.
Both have done one thing consistently now. At least a first draft or more of the writing is done (minus any KS specific writing...several times for SNG that has been things I requested). They are coming to KS for art money (and maybe editing...usually SNG has layout done and you get the no art version once funded).
SJG or Ballistic does something for Fantasy Trip and I'm on it and either for GURPS gets a look.
Others it is case by case. Several have been late but I've been okay (Deluxe T&T and The Guide to Glorantha come to mind).
The Gossamer Worlds book was late, but the author died two months in and his wife got it finished. Since then I figured if you're over 18 months late you'd better be dead because that was roughly the timeline there.
Only Chronicles of Future Earth has been late enough to make me angry.
Quote from: PulpHerb on September 08, 2023, 03:10:52 PM
Both have done one thing consistently now. At least a first draft or more of the writing is done (minus any KS specific writing...several times for SNG that has been things I requested). They are coming to KS for art money (and maybe editing...usually SNG has layout done and you get the no art version once funded).
This is what I am talking about. If you cannot pull this much together without outside funds you should get to work before asking for money.
Quote from: Scooter on September 08, 2023, 03:25:33 PM
Quote from: PulpHerb on September 08, 2023, 03:10:52 PM
Both have done one thing consistently now. At least a first draft or more of the writing is done (minus any KS specific writing...several times for SNG that has been things I requested). They are coming to KS for art money (and maybe editing...usually SNG has layout done and you get the no art version once funded).
This is what I am talking about. If you cannot pull this much together without outside funds you should get to work before asking for money.
SNG also puts the no art finished version free to download AFTER delivering the goods to it's funders.
I agree, if you don't have a finished game (minus art and maybe editing) you have no shame if you're asking for funds and I'll say nothing about those who fund projects that don't.
I'm going to start this with a bit of math. 278-2-1-3-5-1-2-8-9-1=246
278 pages
- 2 cover pages
- 1 advertisement page
- 3 forward pages
- 5 index pages
- 1 page with two random character portraits
- 2 pages OGL licence
- 8 pages of kickstarter backers
- 9 pages of character templates
- 1 page explaining what a character template is
246 actual pages of "content". And that's before I get bitchy about the amount of art and random tables and stuff taking up more space. Buckle up.
*
There are a /lot/ of random tables. They're all 2-axis D6 tables - roll one D6 for each axis. I've seen it before, but it's still a neat way of doing it, but... there's a lot of them. Anything that they could think of to make a random table for, they did, it feels like. It really starts to feel like filler after a while.
I'll include a sample of what I'm talking about:
(https://i.ibb.co/XXpL8Dd/Untitled.png)
Similarly, the index. It's a personal preference, but the index is double spaced, yet has no lines or anything of the sort. It actually makes it more obnoxious to read than it has to be, and between the double spacing and the fact that there are no less than four pieces of art /within/ the index, and it feels like they stretched a 1 page index out into 3 pages. The index is meant to be functional. Art doesn't belong in the index.
The system is... fine. It's a fairly basic D6 dice pool system, rolls are expressed in terms of number of dice + bonus, so 5d6+3, etc. There's a tagging/compelling aspects system lifted almost whole cloth from Other Games. There's a sort of narrative "this, but also this" mechanic called Joss (Get it, get it? Joss, get it?) where if you roll doubles the GM (called the Narrator) is supposed to introduce additional twists - high joss rolls (Double fives and sixes) are supposed to be good, low joss rolls are supposed to be bad. There's also the wild dice - one die out of every roll has to be visually distinct (different color, for example). This die, and only this die, explodes - you re-roll it on a six and add that result as well. But also, if this die, and only this die, rolls a 1, the GM either cancels out the highest roll, or does a "succeeds, but complication" result. Narrator's choice. It's not immediately clear how this intersects with a joss result.
There's a rank system (Novice, Initiate, Master, Legend) which is sort of a power setting for the game, which has different attribute starting points and so forth. There's backgrounds and occupations for character creation. A good bucket of skills. An edges-and-flaws system. Nothing here you haven't seen a lot of times before.
The art. Hooboy. What can I say about the art. It's no surprise. We've known virtually since the beginning that he art was... unique. It's no better or worse than we've been expecting. But there's a lot of it. I think this is because he sold so many "we'll include your character portrait" packages. Because he shoves character portraits everywhere (Including the aformentioned 4 in the index).
There's a (VERY) few pages with some monsters and generic NPC templates.
I don't have time to really delve into the more setting-specific mechanics like kung-fu. Maybe at another point.
The setting occupies a good chunk of the book. It's poorly organized, and the map is a nearly useless mess. The setting itself seems interesting enough. Despite the comments earlier in this thread: This isn't Deadlands, western with a bit of wuxia. It's very much wuxia, with western trappings like six shooters & cowboys. It takes place in a very Chinese-inspired setting that just randomly has western frontier towns with saloons, sometimes. And lots of white people in this wuxia story, from... somewhere. Be interesting to see what some of the usual suspects have to say 'bout that now. Also, they took the Firefly (natch) route of having a stand in for the US civil war, but just like Firefly, the stand in for the union was the "bad guys" and the confederacy stand in were the "good guys".
I mean, let's be honest. There was no way it could live up to the wait. In that sense, this game was doomed 10 years ago. But it's "fine".
I may or may not post more at a later date.
Thank you for the review.
This is literally the Duke Nukem II of the RPG world...
EDIT: Duke Nukem Forever! Sorry
Quote from: Brad on September 08, 2023, 06:04:11 PM
This is literally the Duke Nukem II of the RPG world...
Hey, that's not fair.
Duke Nukem 2 was a fine game, released to no real fanfair. It was just another shareware game of no major pedigree.
Duke Nukem Forever, on the other hand... :D
Quibbling about the name aside, yeah, pretty much. Like I said, the game was doomed 10 years ago - there was no way it could ever live up to a production delay of over a decade. If it had been any random indie game that released to no major acclaim on DTRPG, it might get some praise, but as it is... It could never be as good as it would have had to be.
Quote from: Armchair Gamer on September 08, 2023, 01:07:31 PM
Gentlemen ...
It exists. (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/452473/Far-West)
Well, darn...
I guess we need to find someone else to make fun of
Holy shit. It came out.
Quote from: PulpHerb on September 08, 2023, 03:03:39 PM
Quote from: GhostNinja on September 01, 2023, 11:05:56 PM
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 01, 2023, 05:48:27 PM
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 01, 2023, 10:08:58 AM
I haven't backed a kickstarter in over a decade. I think my last one was Golden Sky Stories. Got burned by a few too many. (Where's my fucking game, Skarka?).
Me, just a couple hours before you posted this.
Still waiting for 6 years for The Great Kingdom D&D documentary to show up. Still waiting and because of it I will never back a Kickstarter again.
Still waiting five years on for Chronicles of Future Earth. Far West is out (saw a link on Reddit and checked) so maybe there is hope before 2030, although at this point I'm not sure I'll care when it gets here and has turned me off from the company as a whole. They announced and produced a whole new and separate game already this year (in a year) as a way to get back to writing.
Chronicles of Future Earth has more legitimate reason to be delayed than Far West has been. At least with CoFE we were given explanations as to why it got delayed and how the final book went from 400 expected pages to close to a thousand so the game is being split into three books and backers won't have to pay any extra for the additional quantity of books.
Okay, so it's here. I'm going to do my level best to set my opinions of the author aside.
Just looking at the pdf, I can't find any reason this took this long. The d20+Fate version had a good draft a looooong time ago and the D6 version did just a year (or two or three?) back. Now, I've never done layout on a full book, but I don't see anything remarkable here. If it was something like GURPS, HERO, or a Cypher System book with lots of sidebars and insets, I'd understand that. This just looks like your typical "two columns and art" offering. It's not bad. But it's not a decade-plus good.
It's gonna take me a while to grok the rules. I was *not* happy when he decided to go to D6 with it. Maybe I just don't like the way my friend runs his WEG Star Wars game, but I've never really liked the system. I realize that may make me a bit of a heretic around here.
I really wondered if Tenkar's picture would make it in to the book. Looks like he's there.
I hope it's at least an OK game. I still like the Wild West Wuxia idea. I still want to try to get this to the table.
Quote from: RebelSky on September 08, 2023, 09:09:06 PM
Quote from: PulpHerb on September 08, 2023, 03:03:39 PM
Quote from: GhostNinja on September 01, 2023, 11:05:56 PM
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 01, 2023, 05:48:27 PM
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 01, 2023, 10:08:58 AM
I haven't backed a kickstarter in over a decade. I think my last one was Golden Sky Stories. Got burned by a few too many. (Where's my fucking game, Skarka?).
Me, just a couple hours before you posted this.
Still waiting for 6 years for The Great Kingdom D&D documentary to show up. Still waiting and because of it I will never back a Kickstarter again.
Still waiting five years on for Chronicles of Future Earth. Far West is out (saw a link on Reddit and checked) so maybe there is hope before 2030, although at this point I'm not sure I'll care when it gets here and has turned me off from the company as a whole. They announced and produced a whole new and separate game already this year (in a year) as a way to get back to writing.
Chronicles of Future Earth has more legitimate reason to be delayed than Far West has been. At least with CoFE we were given explanations as to why it got delayed and how the final book went from 400 expected pages to close to a thousand so the game is being split into three books and backers won't have to pay any extra for the additional quantity of books.
Maybe.
Gossamar Worlds Compendium for Gossamar & Shadow funded on March 4, 2016. The principal author and editor died in a car accident in early July of that year.
His widow delivered the book with fulfillment done in November 2018. The original goal date was December 2016. So, the death of the person behind the KS caused it to be two years late.
Chronicles of Future Earth funded in October 2018 with an anticipated release date of April 2019. The principal author's husband died in August 2019 when the project was already four months late.
It is now over four years late and we're be lucky to get it before we hit 5 years at this rate. In that time the principal author has found time to get remarried and start and complete an entirely separate game.
Also, there has been virtual silence. The total updates on GWC were 48 over two and a half years. There have only been 55 for CoFE in twice that time. It wasn't until several of us (me included) pushed in the comments that we got a promise of monthly updates. We've gotten 4, although they damned near missed August and half of the updates are about other products being worked on.
I believe MindJammer Games is neutral on finishing the book and would not be suprised to see it back seated to even more new projects before it is finished, assuming it ever is.
Sarah lost the "my husband died" excuse the day she got married a year ago. If she had time for courtship and married she had time since then to work on the project she's already paid for, not something else.
pdf is 29euro.
NOPE!
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 08, 2023, 06:38:25 PM
Duke Nukem Forever, on the other hand... :D
Yeah that's the one...FIXED
Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on September 09, 2023, 08:11:04 AM
pdf is 29euro.
NOPE!
If only he'd run a KS to defer the costs instead of having to recoup it all with the PDF price.
As a "character portrait" backer (check my pic), was mildly surprised to see the email, and remained mildly suspicious until I could actually download it.
No time yet to read, but... huh. There it is.
The Winds of Winter of RPG's finally shipped.
Meanwhile HeroQuest 25th Anniversary is still pending and no word of how things were going with the Saville court case ves Game Zone and Dionsio.
And of course Golden Bell and other Kickstarter predators continue to rip of designers on KS. The list for Game Salute rip-offs continues to grow as they create puppet publisher fronts left and right to add to their pyramid scam.
Quote from: Bruwulf on September 08, 2023, 04:00:40 PM
...
There are a /lot/ of random tables. They're all 2-axis D6 tables - roll one D6 for each axis. I've seen it before, but it's still a neat way of doing it, but... there's a lot of them. Anything that they could think of to make a random table for, they did, it feels like. It really starts to feel like filler after a while.
...
I may or may not post more at a later date.
Thanks for the info. Damn funny thing, my taste for gaming genres have changed. I originally backed this when I wanted to get it in front of my gaming group (that I am no longer playing with.) But in the 12 years since this started, I have become more invested in solo gaming. So, maybe all those d36 tables might actually come in handy for a future game.