Kaidan campaign setting (PFRPG) Kickstarter Project

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Thank you, pledgers, the Kaidan Campaign Setting Kickstarter has reached goal, so you're guaranteed to get a publication released from this project!

We've added some new payment tier bonuses:

1. All pledgers of $40 or more will receive free one-shot adventures, as we cross each goal in funding - since we've achieved the Tier 1 goal, everyone that qualifies will be getting one for sure. Other one-shot adventures will be made available if we hit the subsequent tier goals.

2. All pledgers of $200 will get access to hard cover of the printed products from this Kickstarter.

Patron Participation:

1. At the end of the Kickstarter funding process, all patrons of any payment level for this project will be able to join in the Kaidan portion of the Rite Forums to participate in discussion, see art and maps as they are completed, updates as they are being worked on and participation in poll voting to make design decisions in the project.

2. All patrons at $100+ (signed book levels) get more in-depth discussions during the design process, get access to rough draft material as it's completed, and the opportunity to submit ideas and material and (if accepted by patron voters) get the opportunity to design the material yourself and gain design credits in the final products.

Read the Kickstarter page Updates Tab to see these bonuses described above.

Again we are immensely grateful for all patron sign ups so far, and we have a ways to go before the Kickstarter deadline in 40+ days!

And without spoiling anything, that first free one-shot is a dark, dark adventure (perhaps the darkest you've seen.)

Edit: since we are at the top of a new page - link to the Kaidan Campaign Setting Kickstarter.

Become a patron, or "Like" our video into your social networks, so we can get more eyes on this!

 

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The first free adventure, available to our patrons who contribute $40, or more, is entitled, "Up from Darkness," and begins with the line, "You awaken in darkness..." It is somewhat a homage to A4: In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords, but is also fully its own scenario.

"Up from Darkness" features some fun, non-standard PC mechanics and showcases what I think is one of the truly unique aspects of the Kaidan experience. It is, in my opinion, the best one-shot I have written, and those that played through it all enjoyed it immensely. Some of the quotes from those that completed the scenario include, "That's just disturbing!" (my wife said this after playtesting), "Ow, My Brain! My Brain! It hurts!" and "Well worth the price of admission!"

If we reach the $7000 mark, the scenario we release is entitled, "The Tolling of Tears," and is a mystery adventure featuring ghosts, ghouls, and a cursed temple-bell.

 

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We're sitting a 76% towards our Tier 2 goal, or 43% to Tier 3.

We'll be running a banner ad campaign through Gamerati, starting on Monday, after Gencon. Hopefully we'll get more eyes on the project.

Here's one of the ad designs:

 

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We received a question from a 'would be backer' to the Kaidan project...

I'm really not a big fan of D&D and Pathfinder, and I'm really worried that a ruleset that fosters minmaxing and features a huge power difference between low and high levels might not be a good fit for an horror game, which supposedly is all about roleplay and atmosphere. If a low level monster (a good match for a low level character) becomes a laughable nuisance to the same character at high level, it destroys a lot of the horror feel to me. How was this addressed in your campaign setting? Or do we have a different definition of "horror"? (When I see horror campaign setting, I'm thinking something more along the lines of Cthulhu).

My response is kind of long, but it's posted as Update 5 on the Kickstarter page - link here to full answer.

 

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F. Wesley Schneider, Editor in Chief at Paizo Publishing just became a pledger and has officially endorsed Kaidan on my Facebook Page - that's always a plus!

If you haven't become a contributor, check us out, if you don't then please help spread the word, there's about 20 days left in this Kickstarter!

 

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HAH! I just got Wes Schneider to agree on writing the forward/introduction to the Kaidan GM's Guide, when we are complete! Looking forward to these releases - keep pledging please, we've got a ways to go yet to meet all our goals.

 

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Questions of PFRPG horror games and high level characters was discussed by Jonathan McAnulty, author of the Kaidan books on the comments page of the Kickstarter (I thought it worth reposting here):

While most Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder games are not horror games, I do not believe that the rules themselves preclude horror. Nor do I think that high-level play precludes horror (though it does make it trickier). The reason I believe this is because I have used the rules to run horror games and have even written and run a high-level horror adventure (it was called Points of Possession and was available at one time free through ENWorld, but I think the file got lost in one of the transitions on that site).

Successful role-playing horror games, in my opinion, depend on a combination of things. You need to be able to induce a subtle frustration, accompanied by a sense of helplessness, in the players. You also need to be able to impart a sense of wrongness or displacement through the storyline as well as the tone and mood of the game. The first of these is harder as the characters advance in power, but so long as the GM remembers the PCs are limited and does not allow them to become gods unto themselves in the game, you can always manipulate things so that the PCs do find themselves thwarted, frustrated and helpless to prevent this or that tragedy. This must be done carefully, so that the game remains fun, and the players themselves should always have the hope of success, but somethings should just be impossible to prevent, either because they are tragedies already past (such as in a haunting), or because there are forces at work that are nigh-unstoppable (the unfolding of a curse). The best horror games are going to manipulate events so that the PCs bring their own tragedy down upon them or those they love (sidenote: there are certain seeming-sociopathic players who seem to lack all empathy for the game-world or NPCs - such players are nearly impossible to do horror games with - you should know your group before attempting horror).

The second ingredient: the sense of wrongness, is, I think, easily induced at any level. There are some things that just cause a reaction in most people (snakes, darkness, disease, tentacles, ghosts, dead children, etc.). Such things should not be overused so that the imagination does not become desensitized, but these ingredients, when mixed in with the overmentioned sense of helplessness, induce horror.

I have tried to incorporate horror into Kaidan (following the guidelines of Michael's original ideas) in a number of ways. Each adventure in our trilogy followed a different path for horror. The first adventure relied upon a sense of displacement and helplessness from the combination of being strangers in the land and the unfolding of hidden monsters. The second adventure relied upon the theme of corruption as the PCs found themselves slowly dying as they also faced the corruptions inherit in Kaidan. The third adventure relied upon those things which induce fear in people: darkness, spiders, and dead things, so to speak.

Kaidan at large is a corrupt land. The monsters tend to share the common ability of hiding themselves in plain sight so that you never know who you can trust. Families find their loved ones suddenly possessed of a new personality and can do little to prevent this. There is no hope of heaven (or hell), just a constant rebirth into a life of suffering, ghosts and toil. Adventurers might seem to rise above this, but those of a good heart must face the fact that they can do little more but hold back the darkness here and there. Even if they obtain great power, they still must contend with the many curses of the archipelago and there are always creatures of great darkness and power ready to feast upon the more powerful souls. (Alternatively, the more powerful the PC, the more powerful their ghost when they die violently and tragically and return to haunt their comrades.)

 

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Update number 6 to the Kaidan Campaign Setting Kickstarter, officially announcing F. Wesley Schneider as supporting the Kaidan project and writing the foreward to the Campaign Setting Guide.

We have 10 days left in this Kickstarter, and still $1005 to reach Tier 2 goal of a 200 page campaign guide.

Thilo Graf has uploaded to Nerd Trek.com his reviews of The Gift, the first module of the Curse of the Golden Spear trilogy, as well as a review of our free one-shot module, Frozen Wind to help spread the word about the Kickstarter - check it out!

 

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Please folks, we have only FIVE days to complete this Kickstarter, and only $670 to reach our next goal of a 200 page printed softcover GM's guide filled with maps. Now is the best time to help us reach that goal.

Jonathan McAnulty, author has posted his tentative outline for that product:

Kaidan Game Master's Guide

A suggested Outline

note: The following is subject to change without notice to the general public.


Table of Contents
Foreword Primus (Schneider)
Foreword Secondus (Tumey)
Introduction: Welcome to Kaidan
In which we peruse and overview the setting.
Interlude the First, providing a brief bit of colorful fiction
Chapter 1: A Brief History of Kaidan
Being a discussion of the coming of the Kami in the time before time; of the coming of the Yokai, the Anu and the Korobokuru; of the rise of the children of the Sun; of the the Colonization of Wa; also and account of the Oni Wars, the rise of the Samurai and the Shogun, the Curse, and a summary of Kaidan today
Interlude the Second, providing another bit of fictional entertainment
Chapter 2: The Races of Kaidan
Containing a description of the prominent race of the islands, humans, as well as descriptions of the yokai, korobokuru, and other races such as the Kami and the Oni
Interlude the Third, in which we read yet another piece of fiction, this time with a more spiritual bent
Chapter 3: The Religions of Kaidan
Being a scholarly account of Yokinto, Zaoism, the Yamabushi and other cults and sects of interest.
Interlude the Fourth, in which we again retreat into fiction
Chapter 4: The Politics of Kaidan
A discussion of the six realms of Kaidan and how they interact with themselves and with one another. These realms being the Nobles, the Asuras, the Realm of Humanity, the Hinin-Eta, the Animal realm, and the realm of the Oni.
Interlude the fifth. Another short piece of colorful fiction describing a scene of breathtaking beauty
Chapter 5: The Geography of Kaidan
Being a lengthy accounting of the regions of the archipelago, including towns, villages, customs therein and flora and fauna surrounding the same.
Interlude the sixth, still yet more descriptive verbiage to set the mood.
Chapter 6: Life in Kaidan
In which we provide information concerning the meaning of being Kaidanese, including the attitudes, customs, and experiences of its people.
Interlude the seventh, in which the fiction becomes rather creepy
Chapter 7: Death in Kaidan
Being an account of the truth and nature of the cycle of death in Kaidan so that the GM may best handle the necessary and frequent demise of would be heroes and villains.
Interlude the eighth, in which our fiction aided escapism contemplates a deed of daring-do
Chapter 8: Adventuring in Kaidan
Containing all the necessary ingredients for a dutiful GM to provide motivation, equipment and challenges for his players.
Interlude the ninth, our penultimate offering of mood shaping fiction
Chapter 9: The Magic of Kaidan
Being an esoteric and meandering contemplation of the arcane and divine energies of the islands and of the beings that utilize these energies; also containing a sample of spells unique to the lands of the noble dead.
Interlude the tenth, containing a final bit of fictional flavor
Chapter 10: GMing in Kaidan
Being scholarly essays on the oriental mindset, horror, honor and the proper tone for a foray into Kaidan.
Appendix I: The Calendar of Kaidan
Appendix II: Glossary
Appendix III: Patron Page

 

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Another pledge or three and we'll have reached our next Tier goal of $7K - only $92 to go!

Thanks for all the pledgers for making this possible - if a few of you bump up your pledges, we reach our next goal!