Kickstarter Fall of Man Kickstarter is Now Live

[Hal G]

When the world was to end, inexplicably, it did not.


The year is 2061, 30 years since the meteor known as Satan’s Maul slammed into the Atlantic Ocean, causing what scientists predicted should have been an extinction level event.


However, Earth had ties beyond those known to man. When all our technology had failed us and our world was being torn asunder, it was magic which stitched and scabbed the world whole again. Today technology and magic fight a silent war for domination; the One God of Earth battles the many gods of Gothos; the magic world merged with earth to sustain it and humans fight for survival in a world now infested with orcs, dragons, elves and even more nightmarish creations.


Welcome to the Fall of Man.

The Fall of Man Kickstarter is LIVE. From the award winning members of Samurai Sheepdog and featuring the writing talent of Ed Greenwood, Richard Lee Byers, Ken Shannon, Doug Herring and many others, the Fall of Man RPG promises to be a great addition to any gaming shelf. What is it and what do you get?


Fall of Man is a post apocalyptic-gothic-horror-fantasy RPG set on ruined Earth. The Fall of Man Corebook with all the knowledge you need to play right at the beginning for Pathfinder and PDF's conversions for 13th Age, Fate and Castles & Crusades (SIEGE).

A Kickstarter Exclusive 32+ page bonus book full of additional "crunch" content for your players.
The Hunt: Rise of Evil original setting and possible PDF bonus books based on the social media campaign.
A large number of stretch goal bonus PDF books from an arms and equipment guide, detailed locales, adventures and even possibly additional setting content from Ed Greenwood.
A Limited Edition book (with glow in the dark cover) with a full color map of the United States post-apocalypse.
The ability to get any of the PDF books printed and shipped right to your door.
Original Art pieces from our Artists.
Even game sessions with the Fall of Man creators.

Stop by and check it out and see all the great gaming goodness you get by becoming a supporter.
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http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2033407677/fall-of-man-a-post-apocalyptic-gothic-horror-fanta?ref=live

 

[Hal G]

We just hit 250 likes on the FB page so now all backers of $5 or more get 2 free PDF's from our Hunt: Rise of Evil archive...
Go check us out!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2033407677/fall-of-man-a-post-apocalyptic-gothic-horror-fanta

 

[Hal G]

Fall of Man Team Update

The Kickstarter is moving along and we are happy with the progress so far. As we teased last night though, we would like to make a special announcement about the Fall of Man team and someone we would like to welcome.

We are elated and excited to announce that JIM BUTLER will be joining us on the Fall of Man setting. He brings many years of game design, editorial, and creative direction experience to the table and will offer a unique perspective to the new ruined Earth.

Jim worked at TSR as editor and game designer, ultimately making the move to Seattle to serve as brand manager for ALTERNITY and the 3rd Edition launch of the Forgotten Realms for Wizards of the Coast. He also founded Bastion Press, where he led the creation of many products under the Open Gaming License. He never lost his love for tabletop gaming—he’s currently running a Pathfinder® game on Roll20—and now joins the Fall of Man team. "I am excited to be working with my old friends Doug and Hal to develop the Fall of Man into the kind of setting where players and GMs alike eagerly await the next game session."

To say we are excited that Jim is joining the Fall of Man team would be an understatement.

Welcome to the team Jim!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2033407677/fall-of-man-a-post-apocalyptic-gothic-horror-fanta

 

[Hal G]

What makes if different?

Grit. Blood. The nightmares of billions of lives lost in an instant made manifest. With so much darkness, so much loss, it’s hard to be the light. Hell it’s hard to even find the light. But it’s worth it. You might not have survived, but somehow you’re still here. It’s the Fall of Man.
**********
A young boy, voice still high with hopes to match, is shivering in the night. It’s cold and he’s about to go to sleep as the man he has always known as grandpa tucks him in with one hand; a shotgun in the other.
“Are ya glad Grandpa? You know, that you survived the Apocalypse?”
“Son, no one survived the Apocalypse. Satan’s Maul done hit this world like a ton of bricks. It shattered it into pieces. It was so hot, then so cold. It…” The man’s white face seemed even more gaunt than normal. His pale, gray cloudy eyes, even his openly decaying one, flashed with emotion, something the youngster had not seen before.
“Sorry, I know Ma said never to ask you but I want to know more. I want to see more.” The youngster was earnest in his yearning and his practiced reply had worked, he was sure. This time…this time they will let me out of the house.
“Boy, now you listen here. You think I enjoy standing over the family while you sleep, keeping the nightmares at bay? You think we’re going to go let you have new stuff to see and then distort?” The man’s voice was cold and gruff now, missing whatever emotion it had before.
“You liked it the other night didn’t you, when you got to see Grandma. Kyle said she looked just like the picture.” Jimmy was not going to let go just yet.
The blank stare did not change, but a short wince and wry smirk appeared, “Yes, the top half was a mighty fine sight to see. Even after we clipped off the bottom.”
“What the bottom look like?” The boy knew he had already lost the conversation again.
“I reckon you already know. And don’t you worry none. We swept your room for blood stirges and them big nasty roaches…aint no fear you’ll be seeing those again.” The man saw Jimmy’s eye go wide with fear. "But…I might.”


**********
Fall of Man is not elves, dwarves and trolls in suits convening on who is going to do some virtual cosplay tonight. Fall of Man pulls in the world of Gothos. A world LITERALLY made from and created by man’s dreams, fantasies and nightmares. The old man in the story above is a Risen. A human who was alive before the world was torn asunder but who one day, just woke up as some form of undead, in the new world. The Earth is ruined. Not by radiation, but by a physical sundering which wiped out most life and large amount of the seas just for good measure. It survives because it was literally stitched back together by an Ancient God who once had formed a world from his power and the hopes, dreams and nightmares of Man. Parts of that world, Gothos, were literally jammed in, replacing the chucks of Earth that were gone. Seattle? It’s still there, decimated by the sundering. Portland? It’s now a forest full of elves…or something resembling them.


The goal of Fall of Man is a game world where the GM and players have the opportunity to adventure in a setting which is dark and full of all the horrors we can imagine. Searching to find that little bit of hope and faith (and perhaps a semi-automatic or a bloodripper sword) just to survive.


We have devised the world so you can go very adult if you want. Explore what it means to have faith and how that works (even crunch wise!). Play with and tweak to find the perfect blend of technology and magic for yourself and your group. Is this a real world? Is it a representation of the afterlife? Was the Maul the Rapture??? (Note we the game designers feel real world faiths should be treated with respect. The story is presented so the GM can choose what the force behind the one God is.)


Blood Magic and Blight Magic fight and exist alongside the power of the one God (an abstract presentation of the Jewish/Christian/Islamic influences) and technology. People’s nightmares and even their very thoughts can manifest physically. There is a class at higher levels that as they get closer to death, start to conjure their pain as monstrous horrors around them (let’s hope closer to their foes than their friends).
And then there are those who are wholly fantastical. The elves, gnomes, dwarves and other races of Gothos or other realms have all suffered through the transition. The anger of losing their own home and the new physical deterioration and mutations of their own bodies consumes many of these new Earth inhabitants and dealing with these harsh new realities influences and guides much of their thinking.


We wanted a world where as adult role-players you could experience something a bit harsher and dark mixed with our real world in the very near future. A new ruined Earth. But we also realize that most GM’s want to be able to pull in content they are already doing. Thus, the game is designed to be compatible with Pathfinder, 13th Age, Castles and Crusades, and Fate. It has easy plot and story mechanisms to bring players in…and out of the world. After all, was it truly only Gothos that helped caulk up Earth and save it in the end? The crunch is also easy to overlay for existing characters of the various systems, to minimize the transition pain.


Most modern games with grit tend to injure their players on a long term basis. It’s a short life for a reason. Real life is short. But with the infusion of magic this no longer needs to be the case. Our combat system is designed to make injuries affect the character over the “midterm,” perhaps 2-5 encounters. Healing tends to not be instant usually but eventually it gets the job done. So that wound matters for a while, but at 9th level you’re still a hero who can have fun exploring with a great story about the scar you have.


This is a world full of dreamwalkers able to manifest and twist reality (at first only subtly). Of Asphalt Samurai whose code allows for a mix of magic and technology that keeps them alive. Of undead player races who are actually undead, gripped with sorrow and pain and the knowledge of their death. Sparkling vampires have no place here. This is a world where a man with faith in his God might save some of his friends by beating a million to one odds of escaping a building just ignited on fire by a rival Arcanist. This is a world where bullets are treasure and a good meal is worth its weight in gas.


Grit. Blood. The nightmares of billions of lives lost in an instant made manifest. With so much darkness, so much loss, it’s hard to be the light. Hell it’s hard to even find the light. But it’s worth it. You might not have survived, but somehow you’re still here. It’s the Fall of Man.