Stretch Goals & The Stories You Can Tell
over 2 years ago
– Sun, Mar 03, 2024 at 04:27:54 AM
Hi Curious Cats,
I've got a two-part update for you today. At the top, I wanna share our latest Stretch Goal success and set up our next targets. After that, I want to share a recent article from the Onyx Path website about the different kinds of stories you can tell with Curious Cats of Mau (and the Realms of Pugmire).
Edit
Once we'd funded, we had announced a trio of Stretch Goals to take us through the first half of this 30-day campaign. Well, we're a little ahead of schedule because we've already unlocked all three!
ACHIEVED! - At $22,000 in Funding – REDBUBBLE BACKER T-SHIRT – A Curious Cats
-themed Crwodfunding Backer shirt will be hosted on Onyx Path’s Redbubble store for a limited time. Only backers will be notified when the shirt becomes available for purchase.
ACHIEVED! - At $25,000 in Funding – DIGITAL WALLPAPER – Cool Curious Cat artwork will be used to create a wallpaper for your computer desktop. This digital wallpaper will be added to the rewards list of all backers supporting this project.
ACHIEVED! - At $28,000 in Funding – REDBUBBLE PET DESIGNS – A Curious Cats design will be hosted on Onyx Path’s Redbubble store and made available on pet merchandise, including pet mats, pet blankets, and pet bandanas. Backers will be notified when these options become available.
So, let's see if we can set up a couple more to get us through the next few weeks!
At $30,000 in Funding - NEW ADD ON: CAT ARTWORK GUIDE SCREEN - A three-panel Guide Reference Screen with charts and information for running a Realms of Pugmire game will be created and offered as an Add On to the hardcover reward tiers for +$25. This screen will have the same interior contents as the Realms of Pugmire screen, but the outside artwork will be changed to be cat-focused!
At $32,000 in Funding - MOBILE WALLPAPER – Curious Cats artwork will be used to create a wallpaper for your mobile device lockscreen. This mobile wallpaper will be added to the rewards list of all backers supporting this project.
As mentioned, if we unlock the new Guide Screen for Curious Cats of Mau, it'll have the same interior charts and references as the dog-themed Realms of Pugmire screen already available as an Add On, just with cat-themed artwork instead. Two reasons - firstly, it's the same game! Curious Cats of Mau is a setting and character expansion for Realms of Pugmire; unlike in earlier editions, it's all the same game (under the Realms of Pugmire umbrella).
Secondly, who wants to have a bunch of pictures of dog characters when you're playing cats all around the table? Right?! So, same inside, different outside. Another option for our Storyguides at the table.
And speaking of Storyguides and running games in the Realms of Pugmire, I wanted to re-post an article that was recently shared on the Onyx Path website, covering the different kinds of stories and chronicles you can run with this game.
CHRONICLE STYLES
There are lots of ways to run just about any tabletop game. Small changes to the rules and setting can have an additive effect on creating a particular mood or style, which either emphasize certain parts of the game’s setting or wildly change it from its original intentions. But sometimes it can be a bit unclear what changes are useful for what styles, or even how those changes might modify things.
Both the original edition of
Pugmire and the upcoming edition
Realms of Pugmire have advice on how to “hack” a game into a different shape. But I thought I’d use
Realms of Pugmire (
which you can still pre-order!) as a good example of what kinds of chronicle styles you can get for the game, and what kinds of changes will help bring those styles around.
Silly
Silly chronicles are more than just light-hearted games. They’re explicitly comedic, and intentionally funny with low-stakes consequences for player actions. Realms of Pugmire starts off as light-hearted, but here are a few ways you can amp things up to be explicitly silly.
-
Shorter Game Sessions: In my experience, players work their way past the gags and jokes about 1 to 2 hours in. So cut the session down to that length. Comedic television shows tend to be shorter as well, so the short, punchy length can reinforce to players that you’re here for a laugh before things get too deep.
-
Funny Fortune: A new rule could be that players will always get a Fortune if the entire table breaks out in laughter at a joke (or groan audibly at a terrible pun). This will encourage players to keep the punchlines rolling, because everyone loves getting a reward for doing something that contributes to the game.
-
No Death: You can even take death off the table entirely. Simply ignore any reference to dying, and assume instead that anyone with zero stamina points is just knocked out. It’s a simple change, but it does have knock-on effects to consider. For example, the shepherd spell “Spare the Dying” isn’t as useful when death isn’t an option, so you might want to rework it to be a simple healing spell that grants 1d4 stamina points, or something similar, to solve the problem.
Gritty
On the other hand, you can go the other direction and make things a bit darker and grittier. The original pitch for the game was called “Fall of Pugmire,” and you can channel that Gothic, elegiac feel if you want.
-
No Rucksack Test: In Realms of Pugmire, players can make a Cunning test to see if characters pack something in their rucksack that isn’t listed on their character sheet. By getting rid of that test, characters have only what they have, which means that every item counts.
-
Tougher Enemies: The enemies in the book are calibrated to be a challenging fight for equivalent character levels, but characters will generally win those fights. Using enemies that are a level or two higher than normal, as well as not using any characters with the Minion tag, can give characters tougher combats that require them to use every resource available.
-
Political Animals: While the upcoming Curious Cats of Mau will have more focus on intrigue, it’s still intentionally shoved a bit into the background, making it something groups can opt into if they like. You can make that more of the focus of the game, putting characters as the focus of several intrigues. Muddy the waters between “good” and “bad” dogs and cats. Push the monarchies closer to all-out war between the city-states or the kingdom of Pugmire. Make it feel like everything can fall apart with a hasty word or an errant punch.
Epic
Epic is all about bigger-than-life storytelling, where everything feels like a legend in the making. Realms of Pugmire already draws on this epic fantasy tradition on some level, but you can really emphasize it with a few simple tweaks.
-
Minions and Legendary Enemies: Emphasize both minions and legendary characters for epic-style play. Mobs of creatures defending a powerful warlord or a conniving necromancer are exactly the kinds of characters players love to hate. Speaking of which…
-
Returning Enemies: Find ways to bring old enemies back. Maybe the characters keep running into Rondo Border-Collie, the Rat King, or Kibu the Red. Then add some more levels to them each time they return. Seeing old enemies come back more powerful than before definitely feels epic. (And remember those legendary rules!)
-
Starting Artifacts: Give each player an artifact they can improve, right out of the gate. Attach a story to each: “This is my mother’s battleaxe” or “I stole this cloak from a noble’s castle the night she died.” Then, allow the character to improve the item every two levels, without spending an improvement. For those curious cats, instead give them a “family secret power” they can improve in the same way.
What are some other ways to make a chronicle feel different?
Tomorrow, I'm going to have a sneak peek at Cat Culture ahead of our next draft manuscript chapter! Let's keep up the good work and see if we can't unlock these next two Stretch Goals before we hit the end!
#CuriousCats
Welcome Home
over 2 years ago
– Fri, Mar 01, 2024 at 07:48:05 AM
Welcome Home
The red-edged carriage clattered through the streets of Heart’s Blood. Rain splattered off the glass windows, and the green-furred horses rattled their heads to get the water out of their manes. Inside, two cats sat on a plush bench, dressed in fine, red-trimmed cloaks. Illiad von Korat, former diplomat to the kingdom of Pugmire, stared out at the rain and sighed.
“Aren’t you happy to be back home?” came the voice next to Illiad.
The black-furred diplomat closed his eyes, trying to remember the cat’s name. Some kind of minor noble shoved into an even more minor position of authority within Korat.
“Of course I am, cousin,” he said, refusing to turn back and look at her.
“Sophia,” she said again.
Illiad ignored her. “I haven’t been home for many years. I’ve missed it.”
“I’m sure you’re excited to be back,” she said with mock sincerity, causing Illiad to roll his eyes at his rain-streaked reflection. “It must have been so disgusting having to live among those dogs for all those years.”
The insult finally caused Illiad to turn to his companion. The intensity of her orange fur against the black cloak seemed somehow even more garish than he remembered upon first meeting her at the start of the trip. She stared at him with wide brown eyes and a huge smile that were too innocent-looking to be truly authentic.
He wasn’t sure what her game was, but he was willing to play along for a while, even if only to pass the time of a tedious trip. “’Disgusting,’ you say? And what led you to this conclusion, cousin?”
Sophia’s smile dimmed, not expecting the question. “I’m sorry?” she asked, clearly trying to buy some time.
“The word you used. ‘Disgusting.’ It is quite strong. I assume you have some reason for using it.” Illiad leaned closer to her. “Perhaps you hold some bit of unique intelligence about our friends across the forest that I somehow missed in my years of cohabitating with them as the diplomat for our beloved monarchies.” His ice-blue eyes stared into hers, challengingly. “I would very much like to know how you came to this insightful conclusion.”
“I… uh… that is… I assumed….”
“Ah,” Illiad said, leaning back. “You assumed. Well, that makes it all right, then.”
He started to turn back to the window, but Sophia’s voice stopped him. “Well, it was disgusting the way they removed you from your position and kicked you out of their city. They’re… they’re no better than beasts.”
Illiad stifled a hiss. “You do not know what you speak of, cousin,” he said, stressing his continued refusal to use her name.
“How am I wrong?” Sophia asked, indignant.
Illiad blinked. “Do you truly not know?” Sophia started to answer, but he put a finger up. “The question was rhetorical. You are obviously an idiot.”
“How dare—”
“First,” Illiad hissed, cutting her off, “I was not ‘kicked out.’ The correct term is ‘deported.’ I was asked to leave, not dragged out of the city in chains like a commoner. Second,” he continued, counting off each point on the fingers of his paw, “while the kingdom of Pugmire is naturally inferior to our beloved monarchy of Korat, they are a civilized people and you would do well to remember that.
“And third,” he said, flexing his claws just enough so that Sophia could see them, “the dogs have acted honorably toward our nation and House Korat, even after our negotiations with them broke down. They may not look upon us fondly now, but we will not disrespect them.”
Sophia’s eyes narrowed. “Honorably, you say? Regardless of what words you use, it doesn’t change the fact that you were forced out of their capital in disgrace. And what use does Korat have for a deported diplomat?” Her smile returned, but this time there were teeth in it.
Illiad sighed. “But you were the one saying I should be happy to be here, did you not? Why would there be any shame in coming back to my home monarchy and seeing my family again?”
Sophia shook her head. “Admit it, Illiad. You’ve failed.”
The ex-diplomat turned back to watch the rain. “And it is because of people like you that I have failed.”
He could hear the sigh behind him. “Still, welcome home, Illiad von Korat. May the purring of Korat bring you peace as you find your new role in this life.”
Illiad ignored her and plotted his next several moves.
Curious Cats Draft Manuscript Part 3
over 2 years ago
– Tue, Feb 27, 2024 at 05:16:48 AM
Hello Curious Cats,
Magic! It's not just a card game that drains my bank account! It's also a powerful tool within the Monarchies, though not without it's own price.
Where dogs call upon magic to defend themselves or to aid their kin, cats take a more pragmatic approach to the arcane. Magic is a tool to be used and, as such, spellcasters within the Monarchies are less concerned with the limits that dogs place upon their magic and more concerned with discovering just how far they can delve before they pay the price for their knowledge.
I've got the next section of our Curious Cats of Mau draft manuscript today, and we're about to really dig into Cat Magic. We had a brief preview on Sunday, but it's time for the full chapter!
-
Chapter Three (Magic and Masterworks): This chapter covers the spells magic users know, plus rules for how cats use (or break!) masterworks, with some relics to use in your game.
International Shipping – Collected in the Pledge Manager
One quick note about Shipping before we get into the manuscript previews.
First up, it's amazingly expensive to ship, especially from Onyx Path's home base in the US. We get that, but there's not much we can do at this time. Onyx Path is in a difficult space where the company is big enough that they're not saving money by fulfilling out of Rich's garage, but small enough that they can't really set up international partners to handle portions of the fulfillment. So we are where we are - for now.
The best we can do at this point is to plan carefully, advise everyone up front that international shipping will likely be expensive (see our projections on the main page) and only charge what it costs us when the time comes. We’ll be charging for shipping in the Pledge Manager once the books are being printed and we can deal with the actual shipping charges rather than using our best-guesses this far out. If you live outside the US and aren't sure you want the hardcover or other physical items, you can pledge to the PDF tier now and upgrade your pledge in the Pledge Manager once we know the final shipping costs.
DRAFT MANUSCRIPT PREVIEWS - BACKERS ONLY
Remember, thanks to BackerKit magic, these download links are visible to Backers only - you must be logged in and reading this on the website to have access to the manuscript preview links. So, if you're reading this via e-mail, click that "Reply to The Update" link on the bottom and I'll see you below the title treatment.
WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK
I'm going to be sharing the manuscript in sections over the next 30 days, Part of the reason for that is to keep focus on one section at a time so the developers, Eddy and Lauren, can gather feedback to help guide the manuscript through the next steps of editing and development. To that end, they've created a special Feedback Form for you to submit your comments after reading each section!
You can submit your comments here:
CURIOUS CATS OF MAU FEEDBACK FORM <link>
Preview: Mancers, Ministers, and Mystics
over 2 years ago
– Sun, Feb 25, 2024 at 08:32:49 AM
Hi Cool Cats!
We've had a few chapters from this book made available to backers already, and we'll have our next coming this Tuesday. It's going to be all about Cat Magic, and I've got a sneak peek preview for you today.
Mancers, Ministers, and Mystics
Among the Monarchies, the three main spellcasting approaches are those practiced by mancers, ministers, and mystics. A handful of others do exist, most notably dabblers, but their numbers are very small. The only thing tying all the disparate types of spellcasters together is their command of magic. Their means of accessing it and working their will on the world are all very different.
Mancers
Mancers rely on a focus to bring about the abrupt, chaotic changes in the natural order that their magic produces. Always made of bone, these foci are both a means of refining the energies the mancer calls upon and the source of the spell. A mancer must be touching their focus when they cast a spell, in addition to any incantations or ritual gestures the spell calls for. The spell’s effects emanate from the focus. For example, strands of sticky web burst from the empty eye sockets of a rodent skull and lighting bolts flash from the runes carved into a femur used as a walking stick.
The focus need not be the entire item — skulls are often mounted on staffs or necklaces, for example — but they are always made of bone.
Each house initiates its mancers differently, and some have more demanding requirements surrounding the freshness of the bone used as a focus than others, but all involve the destruction of a masterwork, whose energies awaken the latent magical talent of the mancer-initiate.
A mancer gains a focus when they take the Mancy trick. Although they’re extremely resilient to damage, if a focus is lost or destroyed, the mancer may find or create a new one by the start of the next story.
Starting mancers know the three basic spells listed here:
-
Chill Touch: Your magic hurts your enemy and stops them healing.
-
Eldritch Blast: Pure magical force strikes your enemy.
-
Prestidigitation: Minor magical tricks are yours to command.
Ministers
Ministers compel the chaotic magic around them to change the world with the power of their voice. Some sing bawdy songs, others recite a soliloquy, or simply command the magic to manifest, but ministers’ magic comes from them, pouring from their mouths and hands in a barely restrained display of power. A minister must vocalize their spells. If they are unable to speak, they cannot work their will upon the world around them.
The details of the secret rituals surrounding a minister’s creation vary, but all involve a convocation of cats surrounding the minister-elect and reciting a ritual chant that infuses the new minister with magic.
Starting ministers know the three basic spells listed here:
-
Friends: You magically compel another character to trust you for a short time.
-
Thaumaturgy: Minor wonders spring into being.
-
Vicious Mockery: Your insults damage your enemy’s psyche, momentarily distracting them.
Mystics
Mystics are spellcasters, often cats, who roam the wilds and journey across the Acid Sea. Their magic relies on using materials found in the natural world to fuel the spells they wish to cast.
Mystics share many spells with both mancers and ministers, but their ability to cast them comes from intuition and the world itself, rather than what are now seen as traditional methods of study: the consultation of arcane tomes or repositories of songs. As such, classically trained spellcasters often look down on them, but none can deny the effectiveness of a mystic’s ability to summon a fireball with a bright red leaf or call forth a giant worm with nothing but a piece of string.
Traveling mystics keep an eye out for promising apprentices and, when one is found, tutor them in the mystic’s arts. This process is dangerous for both apprentice and teacher, and can take a long time, but the apprentice gradually learns how to use whatever they can lay their paws on to enact their will. Because of the danger, most mystics live in the wild places of the world — leading some to call them feral — and make their own clothing and jewelry from natural fibers, bones, and shells.
Starting mystics know the three basic spells listed here:
-
Animal Friendship: You compel an animal to trust you.
-
Mystic Power: You manifest small, nature-themed wonders.
-
Nature’s Might: Your magic strengthens a weapon you are holding.
Eager to learn more about the unpredictable and sometimes volatile nature of Cat Magic? Backers will have access to the current draft of Curious Cats of Mau chapter 3 on Tuesday! All backers of this project will be able to download the entire manuscript before the end of this campaign - before any pledges are processed or payments collected. So join in if you haven't and check it out and see if this game is for you before you commit!
If you're a Curious Cat, I know you've likely already signed up! But let's keep recruiting new backers and see if we can't unlock another Stretch Goal in the upcoming days!
#CuriousCats
#CatMagic
