Epic Kickstarters Deserve Epic Responses
I love being able to bring something new to the attention of others. So much so that I’m diverging from the intended schedule (which called for the next part of the series on Economics on RPGs) to bring news of something exciting to readers.
The subject of today’s article has so many new elements to it that there is literally something that should be of interest to just about everyone.
In fact, there’s so much to get your head around that I’m not entirely sure where to start.
Perhaps, with a disclaimer. Yeah, that’ll work.
Refer footnote for artist credits. Contrast enhanced and background added by Mike.Disclaimer
I am not affiliated in any official way with the project and do not stand to gain or lose financially by its success or failure.
That said, I can’t be said to have my hands completely clear of the project, in at least one sense.
I first became aware of Quantum State when the author, J. C. Kohl, reached out to me through Campaign Mastery with an invitation to look it over as a source of new content for blog posts.
Of course, I was interested. Who wouldn’t be? And I have to admit that the name was intriguing.
Correspondence / Core
That was the beginning of a series of emails back and forth, fourteen of them plus fourteen replies, over a two-month span.
Quantum State is a fresh new take on tabletop roleplaying with a focus on immersive experiences and engaging gameplay inspired by the Western, Cyberpunk, and Dark Fantasy genres. Its a technomagickal romp that focus on complex narratives, boundless discovery, and social emotional development.
Like most TTRPGs, players will create a Character to interact and explore with a world created and maintained by a Docent (GM). These Characters are built by selecting 2 of 9 Base Classes (each themed after a classic adventuring archetype that should be readily familiar to players) that will grow in an advanced Hybrid Class over the course of their adventuring career.
The Core Rulebooks include two texts: the Character’s Handbook(for players to make and maintain characters and the Adventure Guide (for Docents to build their own worlds and run the game).
Both the texts had been drafted and playtested and were in the process of being edited for publication. J C needed a fundraiser to obtain the funds needed to complete that process and guide the project through to publication.
Refer footnote for artist credits. Contrast enhanced and background added by Mike.Clarification
The genre mix was not what the name, Quantum State, had led me to expect. As I explained to J C, I had often thought that Cyberpunk and Fantasy could play together nicely in a shared worldspace, doing things with magic that traditional cyberpunk does with technology. The infusion of “Wild West” threw me for a bit of a conceptual loop, though.
The two-archetype hybrid model, on the other hand, definitely seemed to relate to the quantum concept, in the sense of two sub-particles coming together to create a distinctive combination.
I suggested that focusing on the latter in promotional activities. That led into a conversation on how to market the RPG, which led to an advance copy of the first-draft press release.
I responded to that with detailed advice on how I would revise and edit it, advice that J C was happy to take on-board. So I bear some responsibility for the shape of the campaign and its marketing.
Expanded Clarification
Before we got to that, J C expanded on the fundamental concepts and how they related to the name, “Quantum State”:
Refer footnote for artist credits. Contrast enhanced, and spot color & background added, by Mike.The “Quantum” part of Quantum State is a reference to our default setting (called the Core State)…
Part of the character building process involves the selection of a Birthrite (a replacement for what is traditionally “Race” in most fantasy releases).
Refer footnote for artist credits.Each Birthrite is an entire game setting unto itself, themed on different ideologies taken to their extreme conclusions, working in tandem. A Birthright doesn’t necessarily give a player a set of beliefs to follow, but indicates what type of society they were raised in/dominated their life leading up to the current adventure.
There a 4 “main” ones that have sweeping influence over the world:
A selection of the Birthrite Icons; refer footnote for artist credits. Background and compositing by Mike.
- Axis (Cyberpunk/Hyper Capitalism)
- Kronin (this one is actually hard to define because I’ve never seen it before, but Biopunk/Anarchy)
- Armistice (Imperialist/Space Romans/Stratocracy)
- Requiem (Dark Fantasy/Theocracy)
So how does this relate to Quantum State? Glad you asked.
You see, after the release of the core rule-set, we’d like to release a deep-dive expansion for each of the main four Birthrites… [that would include] pre-written adventures/missions set in that specific setting.
These expansions [would] also include missions set in alternate versions of these setting that are largely the same except [for] one thing that flips the ideology on its head [that] is taking place and causing chaos for civilization.
For example, in a Quantum State of the Axis Birthrite, instead of the normal Cyberpunk working for big corporations/gangs, they may find the mission focused on the rise of a grand workers union that aims to bring down the corporate elites.
Or we could have a different Quantum State of Axis where the players are working for a faceless Bureau interested in controlling rare, reality shifting artifacts. So in a Quantum State, everything is largely the same, but still different.
Okay, Parallel Worlds – I always have a soft-spot for alternate worlds, and this implied the possibility of substituting one of the alternate versions for the “core” version. This wasn’t one game setting, it was a collection of 16 or more variations on a game setting with fixed focal points of difference, and the promise of potential collisions between the resulting ideologies.
That’s a much richer and more diverse game setting than is usual.
The Problem
J C then described the problem he was experiencing. First, he lives in Florida (An economic and social bonfire, as most reasonably well-informed readers would be aware).
Second, the US economy in general, like that of the rest of the world, was in a slow economic meltdown caused by interest rates In Australia, it’s being called the “Cost of Living Crisis” – I don’t know what terminology other regions are using. But it’s real, and it’s everywhere, and it’s sharpest impact is on financial discretion and discretionary spending.
Fundraising, of all sorts, becomes a lot harder under such economic circumstances, and existing cash reserves shrink faster than they otherwise would, increasing the need for more fundraising. Starting to see a catch-22 here?
J C had his team together – editor, digital designer, art team, etc, and the raw text was finished and tested. The machinery to take that raw text and turn it into salable product was all ready to go – as soon as he had the funds to pay these people for their services.
Refer footnote for artist credits. Mirrored, contrast-enhanced, and background added, by Mike.Size and Scope
Exacerbating these problems is the size of the project – over 950 pages of content without artwork which created a price tag of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The size of the problem left J C unsure of how to progress the project; no reasonable course of action seemed open to him.
He mentioned that he did have a reasonable amount of Concept Art available as a starting point, and a Quickstart Guide that was ready to go.
That led to a discussion over digital-only vs print, and subdivision into smaller volumes, and how these would impact marketing and expenses.
The key takeaway from this conversation was J C convincing me that subdivision beyond the two 475-page volumes already discussed was not practical, but that the basic principle of a smaller release to bootstrap through the problem was the only viable solution.
This was not news to J C, his logic had already led him to the same conclusion; I think he just needed to hear reassurance from an outside source. In particular, if the bare-bones first release doesn’t hit its targets, the whole project could fall apart.
There was some discussion of finessing the publication road-map and the different mileposts, and the inclusion and treatment of art.
Refer footnote for artist credits. Individuals moved closer together for more efficient use of available screen space by Mike.Content by the Numbers
J C broke the content down for me like this (paraphrasing mine):
Nine base classes, each with 4 class features, which are combined in pairs…
…to yield 36 hybrid classes, each with 6 additional class features, which can alter or improve base class features.
32 options for equipment training packages built around a modular equipment system, with options for customizing equipment as well as hybridizing it with mods.
550 perks that “passively tweak the way a Character plays”, with new perks available every second character level, plus a couple of extras along the way.
Refer footnote for artist credits. Contrast enhanced and background added by Mike.Character progression is designed to encompass a 40-level career.
1330 ‘heroic action’ entries that are the analogue of spells (and which may literally be spells with some classes), but which include things like advanced melee techniques.
It was this listing that convinced me that there was no reasonable way of subdividing the content into smaller volumes. But I think my response to this breakdown is relevant:
Well, when you can’t eliminate a liability, the only thing to do is to repackage it as a marketing point. Emphasize the ability to customize characters, the diversity of characters, the resulting diversity of possible adventures, the richness of detail, the scope of vision that makes it all possible, and the value for money that will be received by backers.
That was the final stimulus J C needed to break his decision paralysis, which led to the draft press release I mentioned earlier..
Anatomy Of A Press Release
After sending my suggestions through to J C regarding the press release, I summarized what I had suggested with some advice that is worth passing on to every other writer / GM that has to deal with the issue.
Refer footnote for artist credits. Cropped, contrast-enhanced & darkened, and background added, by MikeThink of it as being like fishing: The first 2 paragraphs are the bait. The next paragraphs are the hook, line, and rod, and the last paragraphs contain a call to action.
In order, you answer the questions, “What’s this message about? Why should I care about its content? Does it have any credibility? What do I have to do about it, now that I’m interested?”
Another perspective: if you replace the call to action, the press release reads like a brief but valid Kickstarter promotion. It works for customers / backers as well as the media. That gets it a big tick :)
The Kickstarter
The fundraising program launched last week, not quite in time to bump aside the article on Guesstimating. As I write this, it has 24 days to go, and 19 backers have pledged $2,041 of a $15,000 target.
Tiers of special interest are:
- The Bulleteater Tier which gives you the illustrated Quickstart rules and adventure and the Light (text only) Character’s Handbook for a mere $5, designed for those without the available funds for a more substantial investment.
- The Mercan Tier which is the full-price version of the above. Unfortunately, it doesn’t give you anything more, so I don’t think there will be many subscribers to this tier. $20.
- The Malowari Tier gives you the Quickstart rulebook and the Light (text only) equivalent of the DMG. This obviously lacks the character construction elements that make Quantum State unique, but gives you the world-building & adventuring resources and a pregenerated set of characters with which to explore it. $20.
- The Homestead Tier – gets you the light (text only) versions of both the Character’s Handbook and Adventure Guide, plus the illustrated Quickstart rulebook. $35. For those on a budget, but who can’t say no to 950+ pages of innovation, this is the best option.
- Remnant Tier adding another $15 gets you to the Remnant tier, which includes both the light (text only editions and the fully-illustrated PDFs when (and if) they become available, while helping to ensure that they do become a reality. This is the price point that I would personally zone into. So far, three people agree with me.
- Kronin Tier – finally, there’s the option at $200 for hardcover copies of both fully-illustrated books (and all the lesser versions to keep you productively occupied in the meantime). Yes, this is a lot – more than most RPGs – but the page-count is also a lot more than most RPGs.
There are others – you can opt for the PDF version of one of the books and hardcover of the other, for example – but those are the comprehensive ‘step up’ stages.
Stretch Goals
This is the biggest weakness of the campaign. Because the goal here is to get the core out, the only real stretch goals are to bring the ‘better editions’ closer to becoming reality. Unless, of course, J C throws in a few surprises along the way – additional adventures, for example, or previews, or a PDF of just the concept art. Who knows?
Certainly, the campaign needs something to give it a boost. Right now, Kicktraq is projecting a final result of $9039 – not enough to reach the $15K target, by some thousands, and progress appears to have stalled after the usual initial flurry.
Refer footnote for artist credits.Verdict
I think that a project of this size and scope deserves more than that.
There’s more than enough material that its potential as a game system extends well beyond the current setting, and the setting itself promises a unique integration of strange bedfellows that can provide solution foundations for many GMs wanting to implement a more innovative concept in their own campaigns.
This isn’t just a game setting, it offers a new “how-to” for construction of your own game settings.
I have often said that I love to promote Kickstarters that have already achieved their funding goals and are reaching for the stars. I get ample opportunities to do so because I’m often not informed of fundraising projects until they have already achieved their initial targets.
The big benefit of doing so is that you are guaranteed something in return for your backing, at least as strongly as it’s possible to do in our chaotic world.
But I also love to promote Kickstarters that are worthy of success even if they are not currently on track to achieve that success. The big advantage to doing so is that if the project fails, it doesn’t cost you anything.
Quantum State Train Banner, excerpt cropped and enhanced by Mike. Refer footnote for artist credits.An Epic Kickstarter Deserves An Epic Response
I chose the title for this review with some care and deliberation – then had to abbreviate it for SEO reasons. This section’s title is what it should have read.
The size and scope of Quantum State are sufficient to amply deserve the appellation, “Epic”, and the combination of elements in the game setting also earn that adjective quite handily a second time over. And yet, the premise also opens up gameplay to small-scale adventures set against this vast backdrop – the best of all worlds, some people would say.
The innovative game mechanics alone are worth pushing a modest sum toward the $15K target.
With the many reasons to back it, I can only presume that lack of public awareness is the major hurdle that Quantum State has to overcome. So I can only hope that this review helps overcome that hurdle.
If the project interests you, don’t just back it, tell other people about it – that will only help you get what you want! If you aren’t personally interested, but know someone else who might be, tell others about it, too, because that’s what friends do.
A project this big deserves big support from the RPG community, if only to encourage innovation and taking a risk. It’s clear from his emails that J. C. has put his heart and soul into this project for some years now – so let’s see if we can make it happen.
You can join in the fun, or find out more about the project, by clicking any of the illustrations used to decorate this article, or by clicking this link: .
Artist credits:
- Art Director: Alba Palacio – https://www.artstation.com/albapalacio
- Environment Concepts (Desert, Forest, Mountain, Train Banner):
- Benjamin Reinsch – https://www.artstation.com/benjaminreinsch
- Juho Huttunen – https://www.artstation.com/northernhermit
- Diogo Yoti Yoshikawa – https://www.artstation.com/diogoyoshikawa (Also did the Gigaheart Logo)
- Character Concepts (Adept, Apothic, Brawler, Delinquent, Marine, Warden, and Light Armor variation examples):
- Arnaud Carrasco – https://www.artstation.com/arnaudcarrascotexier
- Lua Marquez – https://www.artstation.com/luamarques
- Emblems / Icons: Kerem Karadumon – https://www.artstation.com/fumonero-art
- Quantum State Logo: Raule Napier – https://maisonnapier.com/
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June 13th, 2023 at 5:00 am
I have loved games since childhood, and still no exception. I love games.
June 13th, 2023 at 7:56 pm
I think most people secretly do, even if they don’t admit it publicly – though some people sublimate that love into an obsession with sports.