[Kickstarter] Castle of Blackwood Moors

[Angst, Ser. (Honorary)]

By Phlpx!

< muffled swearing >

< removes great helm >

Ahem. *cough.* Let's try that again, shall we:

Hi Folks

After a RL imposed absence from the TotS community, which can only be described as sigh-worthily lengthy, I'm quickly dropping in to beg alms for a Kickstarter gamebook/RPG group-play supplement: Castle of Blackwood Moors: A gamebook/RPG adventure! I've been a life-long, (well, since I could read,) unashamed gamebook devotee, and I simply can't (completely against my otherwise cynical nature) stop myself from backing these projects; out of principle and out of a - for lack of a better word - nostalgic adoration of the genre. As such I'm loath to see a KS project fail: Kickstarter allows that most ephemeral of things - wishes - to become tangible, completed, works. If you want something badly enough, and there are other people who feel the same way, share an interest, think something *should* exist - you can make it happen. It's the RL version of right-handed magic in action! Which brings me to this project and the completely unbiased statement that 'We Can Never Have Enough Gamebooks!'  I have no horse[**] in this race, other than being a backer, and as such I'd ask, politely < oh, dear, how *did* my sword become unsheathed?[*] > that if you have a silver to spare, please, make a donation to this project or to pledge for a PDF, if this gamebook concept appeals to you. Or, <gestures with hand> casually work it into conversation on other forums, such as PA, you know...   *cough* Black Cat *cough.*
I should probably see a physician about that cough, get some laumspur...

As The Hero of your town, you have heard stories of the ruined castle your entire life. After defeating some local bandits, you feel your confidence soar and decide to try to tackle the mysteries hidden within the ruins!

The Castle of Blackwood Moors is a gamebook you can delve into, no matter your experience level with this type of entertainment. If you have never played this type of game before, you can jump right in. If you have done tabletop gaming before, you will feel right at home. In fact, if you have a favorite character that used 3D6 system for creation (Labyrinth Lord, Swords and Wizardry, etc.), you can use this book with that character!

Link:

There's some great stylized art on the KS page by Luigi Castellani and the whole project has this classic DnD, light-hearted 1983 'Dragon's Lair' video game, golden-age of gamebooks, 'The Bard's Tale' (the 2004 video game version) tongue-in-cheek feel crossed with Herbie Brennan's Grail Quest "Castle of Darkness" gamebook vibe. True, it's rough 'round the edges at the moment, but that's where we, the vestiges of a bygone era, come in.  





Well, it's back to fighting evil, or windmills, or, you know, *evil* windmills! Or rescuing damsels in distress... you would simply not BELIEVE the number of distressed damsels there are whenever I enter a tavern.

Fondest regards

~Angst~, Sir
Errant knight, see 'White Mountains, of the'
"No matter how far you run, there you are."

[*] Yes, I know this isn't an actual sword. I had to trade that in for provisions, along with my horse[**], and my armor, and my shield... so yes, technically I'm standing before you in rags, holding a full-face helmet and failing my intimidation roll. HOWEVER, you have to admit that a stranger trying to intimidate you with a rather large smoked & spiced wild-boar sausage is, if you think about it, about a hundred times more sinister than a mere sword!  Ain't that right, my liege Simey ?

PS: Admins, please feel free to move this post to the Lore Hall of Solaris if you think it would be better served there.

[Beowuuf]

Yay! Good to see you poking your heard back in, and for something so cool. I moved it to the Solaris forum because it was only luck I scrolled down as far as I did to spot it, so hope it does get more exposure

[Angst, Ser. (Honorary)]

Thank you, Beowuuf. Shame, this project needs as much loving as it can get -- and I really hate to see a gamebook project fail to fund.

To be honest, I really miss the old TotS, it felt like such a community and it was really a great shared experience. Alas, I don't seem to have the time to even be cursorily involved anymore; except for pimping the occasional gamebook KS project.

You can see the current funding level, here:

[Angst, Ser. (Honorary)]

My sincerest thanks to anyone here who contributed. :-)

[Beowuuf]

I didn't mis-read the e-mail, it funded in the end, right?

[Simey]

*Stumbles into the barracks after a month long KotWM outing of drink and debauchery in Ragadorn*

*Stumbles into the barracks after a month long campaign driving Wildland bandits back from the borders of Durenor*

Hmm, a piece of parchment pinned to the table by the sharp end of a stale sausage. What's this? Another demand for the return of confiscated lingerie? Don't the peasants know it's vital evidence? How are we supposed to get inside the minds of the criminals if we don't dress up and.... Right, let's have a look at this.... Oh, a message from Angst. Where's he been all this time? Probably off doing something stupid, like his duty or something equally idiotic. But I suppose I've not been around much myself - too busy leading the Red Lantern Brigade, proudly keeping the citizens of Durenor safe from all the depraved things they might do in the backstreets of Ragadorn by getting there and doing them first. Pity I missed him though - for once in his miserable career he actually seems to have been on a worthwhile mission. I hope it all worked out. I've not heard of this Castle of Blackwood Moors, but it sounds worth a visit - nice isolated place like that, you could set up all sorts of gambling and smuggling operations. Which the Order of the White Mountain would obviously have to investigate. At length.

Well, I need some sleep - that horse nudged me awake far too early this afternoon. I hope Angst drops by again soon. It'd be good to see him. Though if he hasn't finally found me a dealer for some cut-price jala, there'll be trouble....

[Beowuuf]

Just to note that after watching through email updates the journey of actually getting a book to publish, I have it in hand! Yay! An 800 entry monster with a nice hardback cover, a wrap around of the map of the area. Now I just need the time to read it