Writing for QUEERZ! is mostly done! Get pumped for Tokyo:Otherscape!
about 2 years ago
– Sat, Mar 26, 2022 at 02:11:38 AM
Hey there rainbow-colored magical defenders of love!
It's been about a month since our last update so we wanted to fill you in on the progress that was made during this time.
Writing for QUEERZ! is mostly done!
The writing machine kept on churning and our progress is right where we want it to be.
- Writing is now pretty much complete for all the Core Books -- that is the Player's Guide, the MC Guide, and the Character Creation Guide. All three were pushed to editing and we're now ironing them out to get them ready for sensitivity reading, proofreading, and then layout.
- Writing has also wrapped up for most of the adventures from the Adventure Anthology book and for the two Villain PDFs.
- We are still figuring out a few quirks concerning character creation for the Character Creation Guide before we let our writers create the remaining extra pregen character PDFs.
Q-Factor Dice production is slightly delayed
We were hoping to already have some pretty dice prototypes to share with you by now, but our production partner for the Q-Factor dice has been caught up in a bit of a backlog, which is making the production process for the dice longer than we had anticipated.
This process should pick back up in a couple of weeks, but we have started preparing other alternatives if it does not. We will update you on that very soon regardless of the outcome.
Adventure Anthology Spotlight
As mentioned above, our wonderful team of writers have nearly finished writing for all of the QUEERZ! adventures, so as we did before about Steven, today we'd like to shed some light on another one of our expert wordsmiths:
Hero Support by Robin (Roe) Caulfield
Roe is a transgender TTRPG writer from New York who grew up dreaming of being a super hero. She has been working on TTRPGs for close to four years and has spent the bulk of her adult life trying to make it as an author. She's 24, loves tattoos, pop punk, Final Fantasy, and fantasy novels. Robin is also fond of cooking and specializes in soups, her favorite being a classic Chicken Noodle Soup.
In Hero Support, the Queerz will need to enlist the help of Octavia Arrow -- a brave, if often stubborn and impulsive hero -- to aid in her pursuit of a Justice Knight with a vendetta against Queerz Houses. They’ll then have to venture to the Knight’s hideout, where they’ll learn about the Knight's past with Octavia and attempt to heal their Ignorance from long ago.
We welcome you to discuss this adventure and everything QUEERZ! on the QUEERZ! discord: https://discord.gg/BXnHwZzz
Get pumped for Tokyo:Otherscape!
Our next Kickstarter is right around the corner - launching on Monday April 4th!
FOLLOW THE :OTHERSCAPE KICKSTARTER >>
In Tokyo:Otherscape, the transcendental is harnessed, commodified, and abused. Due to the Noise, Mythoi no longer awaken in human beings (except very rarely). To harness the power of Mythoi, assassins, hackers for hire, and other resourceful misfits need to control Mythoi sources: objects of magic (Relics), legendary places (Enclaves), or hidden esoteric knowledge (Esoterica).
When mixed with the usual greed and power-hunger of humanity, the result is a mythic-cyberpunk setting where slick power mongers, corrupt corporations, and secret government agencies vie for control over mythical Sources and harness them to advance their agenda.
Your crew are the anti-heroes that operate as mercenaries, privateers, or even overworked (and underpaid) employees, who are pit against the powers that be, as they try to survive, find out who they are, or reach a faraway goal -- their characters' self-defined 'horizons'.
FOLLOW THE :OTHERSCAPE KICKSTARTER >>
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Until the next update...
Follow your runway!
Omer and the Son of Oak team
Charity donations by QUEERZ!
about 2 years ago
– Wed, Feb 23, 2022 at 12:39:16 AM
Dear beacons of the Rainbow Empathy,
While we're here playing games and spreading the love with our imagination, there are some very real world issues that the LGBTQ+ community and its members are facing. That's why it's so amazing that you supported QUEERZ! because through that support, you helped us donate more and more charity copies of the game to help the work of some real world superheroes!
We recently sold those copies on our BackerKit store (outside of Kickstarter) and used the proceeds to make the following donations to these organizations working to embetter LGBTQ+ lives. The distribution of donations and some of the organizations on the list were voted on by backers (that's you) during the campaign last year.
Thank you all for your part in this!
The Trevor Project is an American nonprofit organization founded in 1998 focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth. Through a toll-free telephone number, it operates The Trevor Lifeline, a confidential service that offers trained counselors.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is the largest LGBTQ advocacy group and LGBTQ political lobbying organization in the United States. Based in Washington DC, the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGBTQ individuals, most notably advocating for same-sex marriage, anti-discrimination and hate crimes legislation, and HIV/AIDS advocacy.
Stonewall (officially Stonewall Equality Limited) is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights charity in the United Kingdom. It is the largest LGBT rights organisation in Europe.
OutRight Action International is a LGBTIQ human rights non-governmental organization that addresses human rights violations and abuses against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people.
The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) is a nonprofit social equality organization that works primarily in the areas of policy advocacy and media activism with the aim of advancing the equality of transgender people in the United States.
The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice is an international charitable foundation based in the United States focused on issues related to LGBT and intersex rights for people of color. The organization provides grants to individuals and organizations, promotes philanthropy, and provides capacity building assistance.
Forbidden Colours empowers organisations to allow all LGBTI+ people to live in freedom with self-respect and dignity in the European Union, fundraising for a more sustainable LGBTI+ movement.
Tabletop Gaymers Inc. is a nonprofit organization whose mission is championing the visibility and inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual, and others) community through tabletop gaming.
Tabeltop Gaymers (aptly) chose to receive their donation in game copies. These copies will be sent to them once the game has been manufactured, estimated September 2022.
Announcing Tokyo:Otherworld and Local Legends!
about 2 years ago
– Mon, Feb 07, 2022 at 07:25:04 PM
Hey there powerhouses of empathy!!
Today we're thrilled to announce our two upcoming projects in the world of City of Mist!
This is just to share with you our plans for later this year; it will have no effect on the production timeline of QUEERZ! which is in full flight and on track. In fact, by the time our next Kickstarter would be launched this April (fingers crossed), we expect you'll already have at least some of the QUEERZ! booklets in PDF and QUEERZ! will be preparing to go to print.
If you are a fan of City of Mist and/or QUEERZ! you might find these upcoming projects interesting.
(Also, recognize the art style? QUEERZ! creator Isago Fukuda will join the team on our next game as both Japanese mythology and culture consultant as well as artist! We're so excited!)
TOKYO:OTHERWORLD
April 2022
FOLLOW THE :OTHERWORLD KICKSTARTER >>
The City of Mist metaverse will soon expand with our upcoming cyberpunk-fantasy game :Otherworld and its first setting book Tokyo:Otherworld set in dystopian future Japan.
In a future, alternate version of the City of Mist universe, myths and legends manifest in a grim version of the real world. However, instead of the eponymous Mist, :Otherworld is plagued by the Noise, the sum of all stimuli in the accelerated information age. Humanity no longer awakens as Rifts; instead, corporations, crime syndicates, and governments struggle to control relics, temples, and rituals that will boon them with a fraction of a Mythos’ power and keep them relevant in a rapidly deteriorating political ecosystem. Your crew are the privateers, ronins, or hired guns that — for profit, honor, or revenge — seek out and take control over these coveted sources of magic, in an action-packed, cinematic cyberpunk story.
:Otherworld will run on COM:Reloaded, a streamlined version of the innovative tag-based City of Mist system that is fully compatible with the original and is adapted to best serve an adventuring game. Among the features of this upgraded system are:
- Statless, classless, tag-based characters and system (as in City of Mist)
- Dramatic powerset (theme) changes based on story developments (as in City of Mist) Streamlined player moves with less overlap
- 14 new themebooks for Mythos, Meat, and Noise
- A new universal Loadout theme that describes your character’s gear and is reloaded at the end of each downtime
- Rapid and full custom character creation
- Improved MC moves guidelines and instructions
- Support for action, stealth, investigation and added support for exploration
- Specific instructions on how to use the moves for every setting-appropriate activity such as gunfights, hacking, drone control, summoning, spellcraft, medical attention, and more.
As with City of Mist, :Otherworld will include a proto-setting — the Megacity — that you can tweak and adjust to fit your story. The core book will include global setting information as well as generic theme kits (powers, training, gear, vehicles, etc.), adversaries, and a starting adventure (“Job”).
Tokyo:Otherworld will be the first setting book in the :Otherworld setting and will explore local Japanese crime syndicates, megacorps, and government organizations — as well as the shadow world of ronin mercenaries — who are powered by Yokai, Kami, and other Japanese mythological beings. The book will contain dozens of Japan-inspired theme kits, like weapons, augmentations, spirits, and esoteric arts for players to pick from; dozens of Dangers representing cyberpunk adversaries to Yokai monstrosities; organizations; locations with Danger information; and two additional adventures (Jobs) set in the Japanese Megacity.
FOLLOW THE :OTHERWORLD KICKSTARTER >>
LOCAL LEGENDS (CITY OF MIST SUPPLEMENT)
September 2022
Our second planned addition to the City of Mist metaverse will follow later this year. City of Mist Local Legends, which was hinted at during our Kickstarter campaign for the Starter Box, will be a hybrid between a districts expansion book and an adventure book focused on “One-Shot” cases.
In Local Legends, MCs will find districts packed with engaging urban locations — typical eateries, like taco stands and noodle shops, hip entertainment venues that range from hedonistic nightclubs to popping neighborhood jazz clubs, but also ancient underground passageways, haunted forts, secure government facilities, wondrous thin-places, dangerous killer factories, and even monstrous hell-worm infested high school swimming pools — with a veneer of mundanity that hides a mythical undertone. Local Legends’ districts will further house complicated and layered NPCs, who will be your PC’s allies and adversaries — though likely both at the same time, as you’ve come to expect from a City of lies and deceit — but also a trove of Danger profiles, theme kits, custom moves, and new rules for heists, martial arts, and more.
Local Legends will feature eight expanded City districts that will each contain a thematic one-shot case set there and involving the district’s locations and locals.
In writing Local Legends, the City of Mist team will be joined by Tony Pi and Colin Wilson, creators of popular City of Mist supplements on the City of Mist Garage, our community content marketplace on DriveThruRPG.
The book will include:
- Six of the previously explored districts —
- Independence by Chris Spivey (of Darker Hue Studios, creator of Harlem Unbound and Haunted West)
- Fortune Row and The Sunken City by Eran Aviram (chief editor for City of Mist and creator of Crystal Heart RPG)
- La Colonia de Sombras by Mark Diaz Truman (of Magpie Games, creators of Masks: A New Generation, Urban Shadows, and Avatar RPG)
- Tourist Trap by James Introcaso (co-designer of multiple Dungeons & Dragons books including Dragon Heist and Ghosts of Saltmarsh)
- The Undertrash by Chris Gunning (of Weaponized Ink, co-writer of Delta Green)
- And two previously unexplored districts —
- The coveted Chinatown district which was just shy from unlocking during the Nights of Payne Town KS campaign
- And a new, yet unnamed district, that will be chosen by backers of this new project
Other items that will be crowdfunded during the Local Legends campaign will include:
- A pack of Character Folios of the districts’ most exciting and prominent NPCs, now in playable character form
- A new Deck of Legends, City of Mist’s Danger card set, featuring Danger profiles from the Local Legends book, as well as updated Dangers from the MC Toolkit.
- An additional pack of Character Folios of the City's most beloved and hated Avatars in playable character form.
- A new set of City of Mist dice
- And more…
EXCITED ABOUT THIS? WE ARE!
Chat about these upcoming games with the team, other backers, and fans of City of Mist on:
And don't forget to FOLLOW THE :OTHERWORLD KICKSTARTER >>
More on this and QUEERZ! updates coming soon!
- Amit and the Son of Oak team
Last days for Pledge Manager Surveys and Late Pledges!
over 2 years ago
– Fri, Jan 28, 2022 at 10:20:10 PM
Hello there glorious cosmic love-mongers!
It's almost time to wrap up the pledge manager, so here are a few reminders for you:
Late Pledges are closing!
There are only 3 days remaining for late pledges on BackerKit! Late backing of the Kickstarter campaign will remain open until Monday, January 31st.
That also means there are only 3 days left for your friends and family to back the QUEERZ! TTRPG, so please join us in blasting the prismatic colors of the Rainbow Empathy all over social media one last time! Copy this link and share it around!
https://queerz-rpg.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
Pledge Manager Locking and Credit Cards Charged on February 1st
After closing late pledges, we will proceed to lock all orders and charge credit cards on Tuesday, February 1st. So, if you haven't done so yet, please make sure you fill your surveys before February 1st.
You will have a chance to update your address again when we ship the game. Remember, shipping for this project will not be charged now; it will be collected just before the game ships, estimated September 2022.
If you have any questions, or if you stumble upon technical difficulties, don't hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].
Until next time,
Omer
Happy 2022!! A few updates for the new year
over 2 years ago
– Fri, Jan 14, 2022 at 01:04:33 AM
Hey there fantabulous heroes in matching outfits!
The holiday season is over and the new year is here, so it's time for some updates.
Core books are on schedule, dice prototypes coming soon!
The QUEERZ! writing machine - that is lead writer Steven Pope - is going full steam ahead! Most of Steven's attention these past few months has been dedicated to completing and compiling the core rulebooks - the Player's Guide, MC Guide, and the Character Creation Guide.
- The Player's Guide is 98% done and has already gone through a first round of editing.
- Writing for the Character Creation Guide is a short couple weeks from wrapping up. All the Rainbow and Realness themebooks - the building blocks of all Queerz characters - are done, and now all that's left is creating theme kits for rapid character building.
- After that, the last Core Book to be written will be the MC Guide and the starter adventure, Gyroscopes and Garlands. The bulk of the MC Guide is already finished, so most of the work here will be fitting the starter adventure inside it.
Also, in the next few weeks we'll be finalizing our QUEERZ! Dice prototypes. First pictures should be in by next month!
Charity donations are finalized!
We've tallied the final monetary value distribution for the charities as selected by you, our backers. Here is the official breakdown of the charity copies values that were funded during the QUEERZ! Kickstarter:
- The Trevor Project (24.50%) - $1,588
- Tabletop Gaymers (9.80%) - $635
- National Center for Transgender Equality (12.20%) - $790
- Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice (2.40%) - $155
- The Human Rights Campaign (19.50%) - $1,263
- Stonewall (14.60%) - $946
- Outright Action International (14.60%) - $946
- Forbidden Colors (2.40%) - $155
A total of $6,478 USD was raised for charity during the campaign. These will be made out as cash donations from late pledge sales in February 2022, or in game copies when the game is out (est. September 2022), based on what each organization has requested.
Adventure Anthology Spotlight
We're very proud of the wonderful team of writers that have gathered to write our QUEERZ! adventures, so we thought you might want to get to know a bit about them too! Let's start at the top:
Space Odyssey by Steven Pope
Steven is a writer who lives in Los Angeles with his partner. He has been into tabletop games since 2008, and his writing has been published by Geek & Sundry among others. He aspires to make games that inspire and let people see themselves as heroes, along with creating empathy and creativity.
In Steven Pope’s adventure Space Odyssey, you will help time-traveling space musicians as they attempt to stop the Ignorance Wave from turning the world into a gray slog of nothing and bring the music to the world and beyond!
Chat to Steven and other creators on the QUEERZ! discord: https://discord.gg/BXnHwZzz
Only two weeks remain for late pledges!
Before we wrap things up for this update, we'd like to remind you that late pledges are still available but time is running short - our late pledges over on BackerKit will only remain open until February 1st!
So keep spreading the word about the Rainbow Empathy with your friends and family on social media: https://queerz-rpg.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
Until next time,
Be true to your Runway!
Omer
