CODENAME: MORNINGSTAR Kickstarter Launched - and it's for PATHFINDER!

Trapdoor Technologies has launched its Kickstarter for Codename: Morningstar. As expected, the software is for the Pathfinder RPG, with other systems being supported later. It has a number of modules - home, character, adventure, campaign, party, library, and forge - and is designed for mobile devices and laptops. They're looking for a whopping $425,000 - one of the largest RPG Kickstarters I've ever seen! - and are looking at an April 2015 release date. Of course, this software was originally designed for D&D 5th Edition before the relationship between Trapdoor and WotC came to an end, so many folks will have seen beta versions of the software when it was configured for that game. It's more than a character generator, though -- "Players will be able to quickly create and manage characters, track the progress of their adventures, send secret messages, roll virtual dice and more. GM’s will be able to manage adventures, track encounters, share maps and notes as well as organize large scale campaigns all through a cleverly designed mobile interface." And later comes the "sharing" part -- "Through the Forge, Game Designers can create adventures and campaigns, share them with their friends or publish them in our Library for the entire world to enjoy." You can already sort of see how some of that sharing will work, as some pledge levels for the Kickstarter include additional content (in this case an adventure). Click here for the Kickstarter!

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[turkeygiant]

The GM tools will offer a bit more of a comprehensive set of features centered around a digital book paradigm. This will be shown in more detail in the coming weeks. If we had to do a feature to feature comparison between CN:MS and Lone Wolf's products, CN:MS would actually have features similar to both Realm Works and Hero Lab, but with digital books added to the mix. For what you're getting at $50...it's extremely cheap. Especially considering that to buy into the core books for D&D 5e, you're spending $180.

Except that you aren't using $180 dollars of D&D book content, you are using the FREE core pathfinder resources. You don't get to use D&D as your price point anymore...sorry.

 

[Hollow Man]

I simply think that Trapdoor is grossly overestimating the amount of money the community is willing to spend on a project like this. After all, tabletop RPGs are not as popular as video games, and it's those projects, done by AAA studios, that are the most likely to see this kind of cash donated.

Trapdoor: why did you not make the iOS version version your goal, and add web and Android versions as stretch goals? That version is clearly where your expertise is, and the money needed to develop it would be so much less than what the community is willing to spend to fund everything.

I also think it would've been prudent to have stretch goals for each of the modules. This way it would be much more likely to have some small success, and perhaps revisit the Kickstarter if all goals weren't met the first time.

It's unfortunate that all your initial money has been spent on a deal that fell apart, but to expect that the community is willing to take on all of the burden, funding for a rule set that they can use for free, is a goal that's most likely unattainable. Please consider this, because I think you're more likely to have a successful campaign if you relaunch with much a much smaller scope.

-HM

 

[Nikosandros]

I have a few questions.

1) Will it be possible to implement house rules both in character building and running encounters?

2) What about the possibility for users to add a different rule system not officially supported?

3) If you compare this product with Hero Lab combined with Realmworks, what do you feel are your selling points?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Newtonian]

Except that you aren't using $180 dollars of D&D book content, you are using the FREE core pathfinder resources. You don't get to use D&D as your price point anymore...sorry.

I'm saying cost is relative to value. We're not selling a rules system. We're selling a complete digital solution to immediately jump in and play TRPG's easily and with flexibility. Most of your preparation is already done for you. You could download the app and be running a game with your friends within 20 minutes.

 

[Newtonian]

I simply think that Trapdoor is grossly overestimating the amount of money the community is willing to spend on a project like this. After all, tabletop RPGs are not as popular as video games, and it's those projects, done by AAA studios, that are the most likely to see this kind of cash donated.

Trapdoor: why did you not make the iOS version version your goal, and add web and Android versions as stretch goals? That version is clearly where your expertise is, and the money needed to develop it would be so much less than what the community is willing to spend to fund everything.

I also think it would've been prudent to have stretch goals for each of the modules. This way it would be much more likely to have some small success, and perhaps revisit the Kickstarter if all goals weren't met the first time.

It's unfortunate that all your initial money has been spent on a deal that fell apart, but to expect that the community is willing to take on all of the burden, funding for a rule set that they can use for free, is a goal that's most likely unattainable. Please consider this, because I think you're more likely to have a successful campaign if you relaunch with much a much smaller scope.

-HM

As in the D&D side... here's my answer:

We have about 28 days to see if this is something the Tabletop community will invest in. It's a grand experiment, and we're swinging for the fences. I think everybody wants this. We demoed the app to over 500 people at Gen Con, and the reception we got convinced us that this is something the genre needs. Do you have kids? This is the app that will get them into tabletop gaming. We've already seen it happen with our playtests.

As far as carving the project into smaller chunks...we thought seriously about that but decided against it. Morningstar is designed to make each of these modules work together, making each more valuable as a whole. You don't build a car by asking for funds to build a chassis with wheels and ask people to drive it while we work on the doors.

As far as platforms, we already have the infrastructure in place to do all 3 platforms (iOS, Android, and Web). Only supporting iOS would be disingenuous about the scope of the project we're shooting for. And besides, we'd lose about 3/4 of our potential audience by doing that.

Read more: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?379669-Dungeonscape-Lives!/page21#ixzz3LE4jybeD

 

[Newtonian]

1) Will it be possible to implement house rules both in character building and running encounters?

Yep! To be clear, Morningstar is designed as an "enabler" not a "facilitator". In other words, it will provide the information and materials you need to easily do what you want, but it won't tell you what to do. It doesn't restrict you to roll initiative any particular way or limit you to cast spells a certain amount of times, that's all up to you.

2) What about the possibility for users to add a different rule system not officially supported?

Well, this is a more complicated answer. We thought about adding an open system that would allow people to put in their own rulesets...but this quickly became a rabbithole of complication. Rules are extremely complex. For us, Tabletop gaming isn't about rules. It's about the story and adventures. Whatever rules we use should compliment the game (instead of the other way around). So, the app has a number of features that will work system agnostically (like campaign/adventure management, party tracking, logs, messaging, etc.)

I'm not saying we won't be supporting different rulesets, but it's not something we can say "yes!" without truly being aware of the implications.

3) If you compare this product with Hero Lab combined with Realmworks, what do you feel are your selling points?

One is ease-of-use. Morningstar is designed to work so that you can download the app, set up your party, prep and start your adventure within 20 minutes.

Two is look/feel. Morningstar looks and feels great to use. It's designed to keep people in the game.

Three is the digital book experience. We've built the toolset around an enhanced digital book paradigm that is very familiar already to anyone who uses physical books. This is why Morningstar is intuitive. We'll have more details for people on this next week.

Does that help?

 

[Nikosandros]

Does that help?

Yes, it does. Thanks. I understand the issue involved with adding new systems, unfortunately.

One of the system I'm running the most is my house-ruled version of AD&D 1e, so I'm positive that it will never be officially supported by any program.

Still, I'll be keeping my eyes on your project.

 

[Nikosandros]

One more question, if I may.

Some GM levels include 5 player licenses. Are those licenses "floating", so that the original owner can transfer them to different players, or are those for a single specific user forever once assigned?

 

[Adammar]

Yep! To be clear, Morningstar is designed as an "enabler" not a "facilitator". In other words, it will provide the information and materials you need to easily do what you want, but it won't tell you what to do. It doesn't restrict you to roll initiative any particular way or limit you to cast spells a certain amount of times, that's all up to you.



Well, this is a more complicated answer. We thought about adding an open system that would allow people to put in their own rulesets...but this quickly became a rabbithole of complication. Rules are extremely complex. For us, Tabletop gaming isn't about rules. It's about the story and adventures. Whatever rules we use should compliment the game (instead of the other way around). So, the app has a number of features that will work system agnostically (like campaign/adventure management, party tracking, logs, messaging, etc.)

I'm not saying we won't be supporting different rulesets, but it's not something we can say "yes!" without truly being aware of the implications.



One is ease-of-use. Morningstar is designed to work so that you can download the app, set up your party, prep and start your adventure within 20 minutes.

Two is look/feel. Morningstar looks and feels great to use. It's designed to keep people in the game.

Three is the digital book experience. We've built the toolset around an enhanced digital book paradigm that is very familiar already to anyone who uses physical books. This is why Morningstar is intuitive. We'll have more details for people on this next week.

Does that help?

Actually it leaves me a bit more confused.

You say that Morningstar was designed to be open in its implementation of rules but only to one particular rules system and that some of the modules were designed to work irrespective of system but that they won't be open either and the Kickstarter is to retool the system from a comparatively simple rule set to a exponentially more complex rule set.

It seems like a grand vision but one that is vague in its execution. Add to that an unrealistic deadline - Honestly, you weren't able to get a working character creator for 3 systems in the time that worked with 5e, how are you going to implement a pathfinder character creator and other modules that interconnect properly. Maybe I just can't see it because I'm not as close as you are but it seems from a gamers experience that you have bitten off more then you can chew and the "swinging for the fences" attitude seems overly optimistic especially after the failed arrangement (for whatever reason) the company just experienced.

 

[fjw70]

Will the functionality to create your own adventures be part of the Forge subscription? I would love the functionality to create adventures on my iPad and stock them with monster stats from my edition of choice (even if I have to manually input my own monsters stats) but I am not interested in a subscription model.