[4WFG] Kickstarter for Deus ex Historica - a Super-powered by M&M project

hunter1828 · Mar 24, 2012

4 Winds Fantasy Gaming has started a Kickstarter campaign for Deus ex Historica, our first ever Super-powered by M&M product!

With Deus ex Historica, you take a look into the files of future archaeologist Danni Cipher, and explore the Ages of the Super-Hero: from their Golden Age beginning, straight through to the Modern Age. Follow the way these comic book eras focused on different styles, struggles, attitudes and even powers, for hero and villain alike.

You can step into the role of any one of four dozen ready-made heroes, to take up their struggles against dozens of their most diabolical foes! Golden, Silver, Bronze, Iron, Modern; each age presents its own team of heroes and the criminals and maniacs that they opposed, good to go straight from the book.

Deus ex Historica has been designed and developed by Don Walsh and James Stubbs to be compatible with Green Ronin's 3rd edition of the Mutants & Masterminds RPG. Don has written and developed plot, history, characters, and scenarios, and run several international events for NERO Massachusetts, the founding chapter of NERO, the New England Roleplaying Organization, and James has done work for Deep7 as well as the company he co-owns, Heyoka Studios, primarily in the Deep7 1PG System and in the d20 System.

We have a lot of art already completed, as you can see in the video, but we still need to finish some of the art, complete editing and then layout. We are looking to raise $3500 to help us finish the production of the book so we can send it to our partners at Studio 2 Publishing for printing of the paperback edition. The funds raised will also allow us to produce a limited edition hardcover edition of the book, available no where else but directly from us! Deus ex Historica will have the highest page count by far of any book we have yet produced at somewhere around 300 pages!

SiderisAnon · Mar 25, 2012

I personally love the super hero genre. I own more super hero game system than I could every possibly play, though that won't stop me from buying another one, of course.

In looking at your pitch above and the Kickstarter page, what I seem to be missing is: What makes your super hero setting unique from all the others out there?

M&M already has information about how to play in various comic book eras. Why should I buy your book? What makes it worth 300 pages of my time to read?

Is this a time travel setting? You're looking into the future historian's files and going back to those eras? Is this book expanding on how to create a game in each of the eras? What's it all about?

This is a genuine question, not a bashing of your product. I really am a huge fan of super hero games. I just don't know what this book really is from the ad copy provided.

hunter1828 · Mar 25, 2012

SiderisAnon said:
I personally love the super hero genre. I own more super hero game system than I could every possibly play, though that won't stop me from buying another one, of course.

In looking at your pitch above and the Kickstarter page, what I seem to be missing is: What makes your super hero setting unique from all the others out there?

These are really good questions, and not ones that had been put to us, by anyone else yet - not even the folks that reviewed our ad copy.

SiderisAnon said:
M&M already has information about how to play in various comic book eras. Why should I buy your book? What makes it worth 300 pages of my time to read?

We aren't giving information on how to play in those comic eras - as you say, Green Ronin has done that already, with entire sourcebooks from the 2nd edition of the game. We are instead providing a number of heroes - and villains - from the different eras and making sure each is unique and distinct to their comic era.

SiderisAnon said:
Is this a time travel setting? You're looking into the future historian's files and going back to those eras? Is this book expanding on how to create a game in each of the eras? What's it all about?

It is not specifically a time-travel setting. The future archaeologist Danni Cipher, though, is a time traveler. She is the eyes the rest of the characters in the book are seen through.

It's not actually a setting, which is why we did completely avoid saying anything about it being a setting of any kind. It is a collection of heroes and villains from all eras of comics that can be used as PCs or NPCs. Their stories can be used to flesh out the GM's existing setting (which is stated in the voice over in the video).

SiderisAnon said:
This is a genuine question, not a bashing of your product. I really am a huge fan of super hero games. I just don't know what this book really is from the ad copy provided.

Questions are always welcomed! We don't mind them. And, if you don't mind, I'm going to use a couple of your questions (and my answers) to flesh out the FAQ on the Kickstarter page.

SiderisAnon · Mar 25, 2012

hunter1828 said:
And, if you don't mind, I'm going to use a couple of your questions (and my answers) to flesh out the FAQ on the Kickstarter page.

Please feel free.

I also appreciate that you responded to my questions. It gave me a much more clear idea of what's in the book. As a business owner myself, I always appreciate it when another business can take the time to give me a quality response.

Based on that new understanding, I would like to offer some constructive criticism. Take a look at that ad copy/blurb and tweak it a bit. Looking at it, I would consider the two paragraphs from "With Deus ex Historica, you take a look" and "You can step into the role of" to be your blurb. The first paragraph starts to grab you, the second paragraph starts to focus, but there should be a refining of the first two paragraphs or addition of a third to really hone the reader in on what is in the book.

The information you're probably trying to get across (and I do not suggest this awkward wording) is something like: Each writeup covers the history, personality, and personal style of the hero or villain. For the teams, learn how the team was formed and where they focus their heroic efforts. For the villains, we've also covered their modi operandi, some of their greatest crimes, and information to help the GM make them an interesting part of the campaign.

Keep in mind that "good to go straight from the book" in gaming books tends to mean, "We put numbers of everything." It does not mean there are any text or pictures, just that there's a character sheet. You want to make it clear that you're offering all this other stuff, not just a character sheet that I can whip up in a short while myself. If you're selling fluff with that crunch, make sure you're selling the fluff in your ad copy.

If you have pictures for every main character or something, mention that too. If everyone comes with a creation explanation (what made them a super), put that in. Anything that makes your product unique.

To be clear: Your blurb isn't terrible. It's enough that I asked questions here and would have opened the book if I'd seen it at my FLGS. I'm just trying to suggest ways to help it sell. I think the Kickstarter system is fascinating and I always cheer for the gaming products trying to succeed through it.

I also like that you're doing the book from the files of a temporal archeologist. (Though my table would get into at least an hour long debate as to whether they were technically an anthropologist if they can travel back in time and directly observe, but that's just my group for you.) I like gaming books that come with a perspective, rather than just trying to be dry facts like a school history book.

But I've yammered on enough armchair'ing your product. I'll get out of your hair now.

hunter1828 · Mar 26, 2012

SiderisAnon said:
Please feel free.

Thanks!

SiderisAnon said:
But I've yammered on enough armchair'ing your product. I'll get out of your hair now.

I appreciate you taking the time to comment. We'll certainly take your comments into serious consideration, too!

If you want a sneak peek at what will be in the book, we released a free promo preview of one of the characters over at DriveThruRPG.

We also hit 38% of our goal over the weekend - the first 3 days, as a matter of fact - which is a pretty big deal for us! All my research says that 30%/33% (depending on what blog you read) is the sweet spot, so I'm very hopeful we'll be fully funded.

hunter1828 · Apr 2, 2012

We're nearing the halfway point, with just about 4 weeks to go. We've updated several times, with some more artwork and sneak peeks from the book, and added a couple rewards as well, including a whole new tier - of which only 1 is available.
Deus ex Historica by Robert W Thomson — Kickstarter

hunter1828 · Apr 12, 2012

We are now at 57% funded, with 17 days to go! Our goal is $3500 to produce the book - BUT, if we can manage to make it to $5000, we could also produce a version that is compatible with either BASH or ICONS, as there has been interest in both from several folks.

hunter1828 · Apr 17, 2012

62% funded with 12 days to go! Our goal is $3500 to produce the book - BUT, if we can manage to make it to $5000, we could also produce a version that is compatible with either BASH or ICONS, as there has been interest in both from several folks. Also, update #10 has new art & character preview with art by Hugo Solis!
Deus ex Historica by Robert W Thomson We're getting closer! 62% funded with 12 days to go! — Kickstarter

hunter1828 · Apr 21, 2012

We are now at 86% funded, with less than $500 to go to our goal. We have 8 days left, and I think we can do this easily! But! If we can have a big push and get to $5000 total, I can release a version of this book for either BASH or Icons, as well!

Deus ex Historica by Robert W Thomson — Kickstarter