kickstarting rpgs

After managing to keep away from Kickstarter for a while, I caved this summer. Two new games on Kickstarter made me go weak in the knees, capitulate, and throw money at them.

Avatar

The first of these is Avatar Legends RPG, which set records and did very well (you can late pledge here). This is however not the one I’m going to write about today. Because the immensity of it speaks for itself; finally there’s an official RPG letting you play in the Avatar-verse, bend elements, and solve nefarious and mystical plots. If you loved the animated series of Aang or Korra (or both), then this is your chance to tell your own stories in that rich world.

carbon grey

The game I’m going to write about is a game that I knew nothing about before the Kickstarter, except that it was using the good old D6 system from West End Games (WEG), and that it is based on a comic books series of the same name, that I am unfamiliar with, and it looks really cool.

The game and comic books called Carbon Grey is set in a diesel-punk world, in an alternate and dystopian 1915 “Europe”, a great war is raging, axis nation clash with allied powers, and reality shifting powers provide suitably anachronistic aesthetics and mysteries. The setting is an original world introduced in the comic books of the same name, and Magnetic Press Play is producing game, the core book, miniatures and other game accessories are being printed as I write this (afaik). You can still pre-order the game, or the comic book (or both), so get on the bandwagon, this game is going to be incredibly fun! There’s also a subreddit and a Facebook group up and going, ready to be populated by enthusiastic gamers.

Whether you are a connoisseur of original settings, or just love the D6 system, this game has both. The setting is rich with potential for different kinds of stories and campaigns, from episodic mission-based military style games, to intrigue, espionage, to mystical time-wrenching madness, and more. Looking at the art and some of the decisions made with the system, I conclude that it is a brutal and lethal game. The core book contains everything you need, and while we are waiting for the finished version, there are already two free supplements to be found on drivethrurpg; 1) the setting primer is an invaluable PDF with everything you need to know about the world, and 2) the quickstart guide, which contains the rules (somewhat abbreviated) and a starting adventure: Operation Nursemaid.

This version of the D6 system, called D6MV (magnetic variant), is a modernised and streamlined version of the D6 system, perhaps not as streamlined as others, but the changes from the D6 Star Wars days stand out for those of us that didn’t stay deep in the D6 system after Star Wars moved on to greener pastures. Some attribute changes (merging Technology and Mechanical, and adding Willpower) makes sense, and the mystical powers seems to re-use the old force power system from Star Wars, with new names and new powers – and new gloriously potent consequences. The Wild Die remains of course, and is integral to the setting and can have even more drastic consequences than I recall it having in Star Wars. Force Points have been replaced with Hero Points, and they play a more central role both in game-play and character development. It looks to me as a very elegant and streamlined (but not too streamlined) modernisation and update of the D6 system. It is easy, accessible, and the basic logic is quick to learn.

As an unknown setting (to me at least), I believe the game faces a challenge with getting fans and spreading across the gamer nation, where big brand names seem to dominate today. However, that the game is based on an existing IP and comic book, helps. Today popular franchises populate the market (e.g., Star Wars, Star Trek, Conan, Alien, Dune, Fallout, Expanse, etc) and of course D&D. While new and original settings also exist and succeed (e.g., Mutant YZ, Coriolis, Symbaroum), and Carbon Grey could be said to fall closer to this latter group, it has one advantage over these: it comes with a fleshed out setting, a rich world, that not only exists in the core rulebook, but also as a comic book that can be bought with the game. This helps to show GMs and players what kind of stories and character populate the world, serving as an inspiration.

I have yet to test this game, but having read it, I am eagerly awaiting the finished product.