Summer 2021 Games Update

I had a great time showing off my games at BlerdCon 2021 this past weekend and was delighted to get a lot of positive feedback.

I showed off both Alter Arms (which is currently wrapping up its rules as I run playtests for campaigns through its discord) and a newer, card-based, crafting tabletop roleplaying game I mentioned in a previous post called Skrap Packs.

It had been a while since I last ran Skrap Packs, but players were enthusiastic about their time with it, so I think I will be putting more time into it going forward alongside Alter Arms.

Based on feedback from these play tests, I've updated Skrap Packs' description:

Characters are defined by the things they carry. Player characters (PCs) start with cards representing 1 personal item and 3 random mundane items appropriate to the environment they are in. These cards are the characters' starting items and help the players determine who they are based on the setting they’re in. The players then give their PCs a name and a title based on their items (Jenny the Jock, Sam the Artist, Alex the Scientist, etc.). This is the extent of character creation.

PCs can to search the environment to find more items, loot them from enemies, or construct new ones using what they have already collected, and the amount of skrap (the game’s currency) that the game master (GM) says it will cost.

How effectively they wield tools and make new ones depends on the title they gave themselves at character creation. Who they are, the item they’re using, and how well they can wield it will determine the bonus they have to add to their dice roll to overcome challenges.

PCs will need to work together as a team so that the PC with the title to assemble the tools they need, can make them for those with the best titles to wield them, and prepare the whole group for what they’ll face ahead.

What they face can vary wildly: the GM guides the story based on the items they draw from the world pool, leading a story that starts in a cabin in the woods to the deepest reaches of space, or an office party to a land where prehistoric monsters roamed the Earth.

I luckily have most of the cards created at this point, with the next step being to figure out card art, packaging, manufacturing, and distribution. Crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter are one option I'm considering for funds.

I have been encouraged to also look into Tabletop Simulator for Skrap Packs.

I'll be sure to update this blog with updates in the future as I reach different milestones.

If you're interested in online playtests of Alter Arms, be sure to join the discord and let me know you're interested!