Opening the Academy
over 10 years ago – Wed, Sep 30, 2015 at 06:54:42 PM

Our second day is coming to a close for me here on the East Coast, and it’s been another very, very good day, thanks to all of you!  

687 backers, $26,548 (at the time of this writing)—nearly 650% funded, with 9 stretch goals unlocked, and still 25 days left to go. Masks is doing better than I could’ve hoped—and we’ve got plenty to offer up to thank you for all your support!

Stretch Goal #9 UNLOCKED: Hiro’s Hot Takes, by Justin Rogers

No city full of superheroes would be complete without its own superhero-criticizing firebrand. (Or two. Or three. Or eight.) And we have our first one for Halcyon City now with Hiro Reckard! I’m excited to read some of Hiro’s rants, any one of which will give plenty of material for NPCs to criticize young heroes over! You can’t have a Spider-Man without a J. Jonah Jameson, and Hiro Reckard might actually be more important to making young heroes than you’d think.

In Our Next Issue…

“Healers of Halcyon City” by Brianna Sheldon and “Monarch Industries and the Chrysalis” by Kyle Simons are both still on deck, fleshing out Halcyon City on still more fronts. And now, we have our next stretch goal to announce…

Stretch Goal #12: The Phoenix Academy Playset, by Rob Wieland

For this stretch goal, Rob Wieland is going to create something a little different—a 10,000 word piece dedicated to playing Masks in a new, focused way. Phoenix Academy is our first Masks playset, a setting for the game that comes with new rules and setting material to run Masks in a high school called the Phoenix Academy.

The Phoenix Academy was founded by the most famous married couple from the Silver Generation, and the school was recently reopened by graduates that survived the Bronze Generation. The collection of faculty consists of retired heroes, guest lecturers, and reformed villains trying to guide the current generation while they struggle with their powers, their lives, and their identities.

The Phoenix Academy playset is going to be all about playing young heroes attending the Academy, learning from teachers, attending classes, and periodically punching villains in the face. Masks, by default, isn’t specifically designed for this kind of classroom setting—it’s a bit more in the vein of a free-wheeling team, like those found in Young Avengers or Young Justice—so this playset will be a great addition to the options for Masks! Rob will write up all the setting information you need to play in the Phoenix Academy, in addition to any custom moves, rules tweaks, and special systems you’ll need to bring Masks into this setting.

If we can reach our next stretch goal of $35,000, we’ll be giving the Phoenix Academy playset as a PDF to everyone who backs at least $10 or more! And if we fund a few more playsets down the line, we might have a whole new book to send to the printers...

Graduating to the Big Leagues

I’m really excited to see what Brianna and Kyle do with their Herald pieces, and to see what Rob can do with this playset! Masks is becoming something much greater than I originally expected, and I can’t wait to see what the next days bring! Thank you all so much for your support, and keep up the heroing—Halcyon City ain’t gonna save itself!

Bringing Halcyon City to Life
over 10 years ago – Wed, Sep 30, 2015 at 11:38:08 AM

Another two stretch goals down! I shouldn’t even be surprised at this point! :)

I’m thrilled with the success we’ve had so far, all thanks to all of you---and we’re going to come out with some cool stuff as this campaign moves forward! I’m excited to share it with you!

Stretch Goal #7 UNLOCKED: Manic Pixie Dream Girl, by John Wick

John Wick’s piece, “Manic Pixie Dream Girl,” will not only introduce the titular character as someone who can show up in your Masks games, either to give them some trouble or to lend a helping hand, but it will also introduce more on Capes Exposed! I’m super excited to have more in the vein of terrible tabloids in Halcyon City. It’s a time-honored tradition for superheroes, young and old, to deal with the madness of sensationalist reporting!

Stretch Goal #8 UNLOCKED: The Reformed, by June Shores

June Shores’s playbook, “The Reformed,” will now join the Innocent as a limited edition playbook for Masks! The Reformed fills a niche that the base playbooks didn’t quite touch on, so I’m very happy to have it included! June is a sharp designer, and I’m really excited to see what she does with this playbook!

In Our Next Issue…

The Halcyon City Herald Collection is really filling out with some awesome pieces showing all kinds of different characters, places, and elements you can throw at players. Every one of these pieces is going to have a custom move attached for use in your game, so the final version of this thing is going to be a great resource for your table! For example, you’ll get some new moves in John’s piece for dealing with tabloids and media reporting on your heroes.

In addition to our $25,000 goal with Justin Rogers's "Hiro's Hot Takes," here are two more fantastic stretch goal pieces, and a cool announcement about the Herald Collection:

Stretch Goal #10: Healers of Halcyon City, by Brianna Sheldon

If we reach $27,500, Brianna Sheldon will write “Healers of Halcyon City,” all about healing powers and healthcare in the city. Does a hero with regenerative powers have a responsibility to donate their blood to science? What does the city promise to do for its superheroes when they get injured? What is the place for a hero whose powers have less to do with hurting, and more to do with healing? Brie’s piece will consist of short blurbs pinpointing major issues facing Halcyon City on these fronts, so that you can bring up these difficult and complicated matters at your table!

Stretch Goal #11: Monarch Industries and the Chrysalis, by Kyle Simons

If we reach $30,000, Kyle Simons (Worlds in Peril) will write “Monarch Industries and the Chrysalis,” an shocking exposé on one of Halcyon City’s major corporations and the scandal around its Fountain of Youth drug. Everybody knows that Monarch Industries came out with their drug to de-age people and return them to the prime of their lives—something that many older heroes couldn’t have been more happy about! But few know the full story of the drug’s side effects, and how it tied into the creation of the deadly villain—the Chrysalis—and his henchman, the Molt Men!

The Halcyon City Herald Collection - Print Edition!

That’s not all! If we reach $30,000 then we’ll produce print copies of the Halcyon City Herald Collection! They’ll be the same 6” x 9” format as the main Masks book, along with custom moves for all the articles and color art throughout the book.

Everyone who is pledging at least $10 will still get a PDF version of the Collection, but if you want a print edition of the Herald Collection, then you’ll just have to add $20 to your pledge, no extra shipping required! At the end of the campaign, you’ll be able to select your add-ons through Backerkit to make sure you get exactly what you wanted. We’ll deliver the Herald Collection a few months after the main book!

Scratching the Surface

Even though we’ve already come so far, we’re still only at the beginning of what Masks can become! We have some great ideas for where to take things going forward, and I can’t wait to show them to you! Stay tuned, keep flying, and knock those villains down!

Continuing the Arc
over 10 years ago – Tue, Sep 29, 2015 at 10:33:39 PM

Holy nano-fungal sorcerous mushroom beasts, Splatman! (Okay, that was the last one, I promise.) It’s late at night for me here on the East Coast, and I’m taking stock before I head to bed. 

In about 13-14 hours, you funded Masks by over 450%. $19,215 (as of this writing), with our initial goal of $4,000. 

That’s amazing. 

In less than a day, Masks already has 524 backers (as of this writing). 524 people who pledged to help make Masks a reality. 

That’s spectacular. 

You’ve unlocked 6 different stretch goals from some awesome authors, including Tara Zuber, Andre La Roche, Ariana Ramos, Seth Harris, Michael Miller, and Liz C. We’re less than $800 away from John Wick’s piece too. All in less than 24 hours. 

That’s incredible. 

Thanks to you, Masks is already a huge success, and it’s on a track towards some awesome places. We’ve still got plenty of time left, and I can’t wait to see where you all take this campaign. 

Thank you, from the deepest parts of my heart, for all support; you’ve made it possible to bring this project to life, and with far more success than I could have ever hoped. We’re already talking about neat stretch goals that would never have been possible without this level of support. 

Alright, enough with the impressed retrospective—let’s talk some more about what’s next! 

Stretch Goal #6 UNLOCKED: Cat and Mouse, by Liz C. 

Liz C.’s piece, “Cat and Mouse,” promises to profile one of the most memorable, dangerous, and creepy villain in Halcyon City. Imagine when the Janus finds out that her best friend has been the Chameleon the whole time—or when the Legacy discovers that his father’s been replaced by the Chameleon for a month! The fear of being betrayed by loved ones is something that haunts every young person, and the Chameleon is the perfect villain to tap into that fear. I’m excited to see what Liz can do with her article! 

In Our Next Issue… 

We’ve still got our $20,000 stretch goal with John Wick’s “Manic Pixie Dream Girl,” and our $22,500 stretch goal with June Shores’s playbook, The Reformed—and now, we’re revealing the next one up! 

Stretch Goal #9: Hiro’s Hot Takes, by Justin Rogers 

If we reach $25,000, Justin Rogers will contribute “Hiro’s Hot Takes,” a series of short op-ed pieces collected from the ongoing series by veteran Halcyon City Herald columnist Hiro Reckard. Hiro offers his unfiltered, unironic, moralizing commentary on current issues in Halcyon City. Whether it’s the priorities of young heroes today, the over-reliance on statistics in evaluating heroes’ effectiveness, or the real heroes who keep the city running without superpowers, Hiro has a typewriter and some thoughts, and you need to hear them both. 

Forward to the New Day! 

Today was absolutely astonishing, and I’m going to have dreams of backer messages and unlocked stretch goals. :) 

Thank you all for your support, both from your pledges and from all your encouraging messages throughout the day. You’re all amazing, and we couldn’t do this without you. Masks is going to be amazing, thanks to you, and I can’t wait to get it into your hands!

Forming the League
over 10 years ago – Tue, Sep 29, 2015 at 03:19:40 PM

Holy time-traveling four-dimensional mutant wombats, Hatman! ANOTHER two stretch goals down! If stretch goals were villains, Halcyon City would be safe in no time!

(Of course, it’s when you take down all the known villains that even more rise up… it’s a perpetual problem. Even the Halcyon City Undersecretary for Supervillain Management isn’t sure how to fix the problem...which raises the question, what does he actually do all day? But I digress.)

Stretch Goal #4 UNLOCKED: The Innocent, by Brendan Conway

We’ve unlocked our first new playbook, adding a new limited edition character type to the game. The core book will contain only the ten main playbooks, but we’ll put the new playbooks unlocked during the campaign into the Halcyon City Herald Collection. I (Brendan) am excited to put forward the first new playbook: The Innocent, a paragon of the city pulled to the present from the past when they were still a young adult! This playbook is all about getting a glimpse of who you actually grow up to be, and dealing with the ensuing flood of feelings and uncertainty.

Stretch Goal #5 UNLOCKED: Doctor Foresight and the Avaricean, by Michael Miller

None of Masks would be possible without Mike Miller; not only have he and Kat Miller organized the indie community for years through the Indie Game Explosion, but he also authored one of the best supers RPGs of all time, With Great Power… (with a new edition in playtest now!). We’re so thrilled to have unlocked his Halcyon City Herald piece profiling Doctor Foresight’s long-running struggle against the Lord of Greed. Thank you, Mike!

In Our Next Issue…

Seriously. You all are moving so fast that we can barely keep up with you; you’ve knocked down more stretch goals than we expected to post in our first week. Thank you for spreading the word!

Here are three more goals to keep you busy, caped crusaders:

Stretch Goal #6: Cat and Mouse, by Liz C.

If we reach $17,500, Liz C. will contribute “Cat and Mouse,” an article for the Halcyon City Herald Collection about a particularly discomfiting and intense villain known as the Chameleon. The Chameleon can change shape, and no one knows what she truly looks like. But they do know that she picks heroes to stalk, getting close to them, becoming their friend...and only when she is most trusted does she strike. Her plans sometimes take years to come to fruition, and she uses all available resources...including the Halcyon City Herald itself...

Stretch Goal #7: Manic Pixie Dream Girl, by John Wick

If we reach $20,000, John Wick will write up “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” for inclusion in the Halcyon City Herald Collection. “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” was originally written for one of the Herald’s sleazier subsidiary tabloids—Capes Exposed!—but the Herald couldn’t deny the importance of the article for its collection. This article talks about a new costumed hero who has denied interviews, kept to herself, and stayed off the radar...until one of Capes Exposed!’s reporters managed to sit down with her and get her story.

Stretch Goal #8: The Reformed, by June Shores

If we reach $22,500, June Shores will write up another new playbook: The Reformed! June has been working on her own teen/young adult supers game for a while (Freaks) and we’re thrilled to bring her onto the project to design a new playbook. The Reformed is a former young villain turned hero. They’re trying to make a new go of it, but second chances aren’t easy...especially when so many of the resources they can call on are associated with their villainous past. The Reformed is all about dark impulses, empathy, and forgiveness.

Read to the next panel!

This first day has been a whirlwind of amazing support and awesome unlocked stretch goals, and I’m thankful for every minute of it. But we’ve only just begun! We still have plenty more to unlock, and we think you’re really going to like some of the awesome additions we have to this Kickstarter! Stay tuned, and keep talking about Masks and sharing it around! 

If you want to talk more about Masks, please come join our G+ community: https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/110704683035976001273 

We’d love to have all your voices there! There’s already roughly 250 people ready to gush about young adult superheroes, old comics, and fan art about your awesome Masks characters. Come hang out!

Assembling the Team!
over 10 years ago – Tue, Sep 29, 2015 at 11:12:00 AM

Holy space alien carp-hybrid cyborgs, Flatman! We’ve ripped past another two stretch goals! This is incredible, and awesome, and amazing! 

This is me. FOREVER. 

Stretch Goal #2 UNLOCKED: Those You May Not Know, by André La Roche 

André La Roche’s contribution to the Halcyon City Herald Collection is funded! “Those You May Not Know” includes profiles of two of Halcyon City’s more unknown or misunderstood heroes who still do the work and save the day. Echidna is a misunderstood, transformed monster, and Mr. Krowley is a strange, isolated master of the mystic arts...but both are still heroes. With this write-up, they’ll be ready for you to add into your game, as role models...odd authority figures...or even antagonists. 

Stretch Goal #3 UNLOCKED: Dupes and Reboots, by Ariana Ramos and Seth Harris 

And what’s more, “Dupes and Reboots” by Ariana Ramos and Seth Harris is going into the Halcyon City Herald Collection, too! They’re going to delve into the after effects of Halcyon City’s most recent multiversal retcon, even on down to the level of regular citizens of the city. If you’ve ever wanted to play around in the aftereffects of a crazy cosmic comic book event, then this article is going to give you just what you wanted. 

In Our Next Issue… 

And we continue to reveal more awesome stretch goals for down the line! Whew! We’re barely getting these out to you all before they are funded... 

Stretch Goal #4: The Innocent, by Brendan Conway 

If we reach $12,500, I (Brendan) will write up a brand new extra playbook for the game! Halcyon City is full of important heroes and villains...and the Innocent is a version of one of them from the past, pulled to the present. The Innocent gets to see first hand what they will one day become, and gets to decide if that’s what they really want to be...and maybe start all over in the present day. The Innocent is inspired primarily by Cyclops from Brian Michael Bendis’s run of All New X-Men. 

Stretch Goal #5: Doctor Foresight and the Avaricean, by Michael Miller 

If we reach $15,000, Michael Miller (indie gaming hero and writer of With Great Power...) will add a new piece to the Halcyon City Herald: “Doctor Foresight and the Avaricean.” There’s no hero quite like Doctor Foresight, a multi-generational hero struggling all throughout the history of Halcyon City against the forces of the Lord of Greed, from crime boss Jake Avarice in the Golden Generation, to the immortal Lord Avarice in the Silver Generation, to the dangerous corporation Avarex Industries. Through this piece you’ll learn all about this unending struggle and get a few new moves to add it into your own game of Masks. 

Flip the Page! 

And we’re still going! Halcyon City still has plenty more to discover and explore. Keep sharing and talking about Masks, and we’ll keep adding more and more to this game! Thank you all for your support, and we can’t wait to reveal what other cool things we have in store!