The Goals of
The goal for Xor'Veil can be summed up in a single statement:
I want to make something I am proud of, that people will enjoy the hell out of, and that I can show to people with a smile on my face and say, “Yeah. It was worth it.”
With that said the goal is to have this game crowd-funded; which probably means
However, that may change. While I like Kickstarter, other people have suggested other platforms and I’m keeping my options open. What won't change is my goal, to have a game that is easy to pick up and play, that’s super-fun for a wide range of people, and you can keep coming back to.
The box
More than a line from ‘Hellraiser’, the goal is to release a box. I’m enough of an old-school gamer to remember the joy of tearing open the shrink-wrap so I could open the box and find out what was inside! And I’m keen to share that experience with a new generation.
This box will contain everything you need to play. As more people pledge, and as more incentives are added, I will be able to add more to the box and the books contained within.
Whats in the box?
Whoa, cool your jets guys!
The initial goal is three items:
Conspirator's Handbook
Investigator's Handbook
Guide to the Realm
The Conspirator's handbook is a 'Game Masters' handbook covering how to run games
The Investigator's handbook is a 'Players Guide' covering how to make characters and play the game as well as some game world information.
The Guide to the Realm is designed to be a coffee table-style book. My goal is to produce something that can be left out on a table without visitors thinking you’re a degenerate nerd. The sort of thing that wouldn’t seem out of place in the house of anyone who likes Tolkien, or Harry Potter or Game of Thrones… you know… just a regular nerd.
The idea is that it should be an in-game guidebook with no references to the outside world (beyond artists’/author’s credits) and will provide players with something which will help them get a feel for the world, its people and its cultures.
Goals beyond the box
The first goal, obviously, is to get enough money to fund making the three basic books. After that, my next goal is a Quick-Start Kit, so that people who don’t want to muck about can dive straight in.
Beyond that, there are a number of goals that I would like to reach. Xor’Veil is potentially a massive undertaking, and the Base Box represents the tip of a fairly substantial iceberg.
Additional Art from my fantastically-talented artistic collaborators
Additional pages/content
Adding 6 custom dice to the box
Adding 6 social tokens to the box (two sets of three)
Those are the core things I would like to add, but money is always going to be a major factor. As this is my first project, it may not be easy to add more, but there is are “Such sights to show you!” (Like I say, not just a line from ‘Hellraiser.)
"Stretch Goals"
While most of the Stretch Goals will be focused around getting to those aforementioned goals noted above there are a number of things I want to get to, most notably:
Goodies
There is a variety of goodies I would like to make for the game but, while some may be non-viable cost-wise, I believe all of them would be helpful. All of the following are goodies I would like to have as add-ons and hopefully things that will be included in the box, if things go well.
Talent Tree Cards
Drama Tokens (social combat tokens) colour-coded tokens for sleight of hand.
Customised dice in sets of six
Large Map of the Realm
Grid map
Push out token sheets
The Others
If the campaign gets far enough along I want to introduce you all to 'The Others'. This is a two book set which will have ‘The Exhaustive Guide to the Varrin’, by Xander of House Mountain Hawk and ‘The Others’.
‘The Exhaustive Guide to Varrin’ is an in- game book, much as the ‘Guide to the Realm’ is, authored by Human Noble, Xander from Barzon. As a human noble, he has a low view of the 'Varrin', so instead of seeing the realm through the more objective and positive eyes of a Dothin collective, you see them through his.
‘The Others’ book will cover both the Investigator side, such as new background options, playing as one of the others and the new talents available to them. As well as what a Conspirator may need to know about running a game where the Others are Investigators.
The Dream!
So this is completely unrealistic, but if this 'album' goes triple platinum the dream is to have a starter box which rivaled the days of old, when TSR was king. A box where, when you open it up, has literally everything you could ever want to play.