Onward and Upward
over 10 years ago
– Wed, Oct 28, 2015 at 06:55:30 PM
Our final sprint has begun! Except we’re superheroes, so we’re sprinting toward the sun, of course! I can’t wait to see how far into the stratosphere we rise!
Stretch Goal #27 UNLOCKED: Agents of A.E.G.I.S., a playset by Brendan Conway
Because we’ve reached $85,000, I will write up the playset for Agents of A.E.G.I.S.! Masks is a game that often puts PCs specifically outside of authority structures, telling the adults who are part of those structures that they’re wrong and stupid. The more I thought about a playset that inverted that set up, that made the young heroes into young, early participants in an authority structure and gave them some hope to rise up within that structure and maybe even change it for the better. I’m interested in taking Masks in this new direction, not least because I’ve wanted to do more with A.E.G.I.S. ever since I gave them their silly acronym name.
Everyone who pledges at least $10 will get a full-color PDF of Agents of A.E.G.I.S., included as part of the third book—Secrets of A.E.G.I.S.!
The Secrets of A.E.G.I.S.—Unveiled!
Also, because we’ve reached $85,000, we will now publish Secrets of A.E.G.I.S., our fourth book in the Masks line!
Let me just say that again, because it’s crazy and awesome—Secrets of A.E.G.I.S. is our fourth book in the Masks line!
Secrets of A.E.G.I.S. will contain The Newborn and The Brain, all of the A.E.G.I.S. reports, the Agents of A.E.G.I.S. playset, and the A.E.G.I.S. Most-Wanted List if we reach $90,000! It’ll be the same approximate length as the Halcyon City Herald Collection and Masks: Unborn!
You can add a softcover copy of Secrets of A.E.G.I.S. to your pledge for $20, and a hardcover copy for $35.
In our next issue…
We’ve still got the A.E.G.I.S. Most-Wanted List coming up at $90,000, providing detailed information on some of the worst villains in Halcyon City. And then, we’ve got the first issue of Halcyon City Stories coming up at $100,000! There’s a new awesome stretch goal to announce for in between, as well:
Stretch Goal #29: The Lotus Eaters, a playset by Whitney “Strix” Beltrán
If we can reach $95,000, then Strix Beltrán will write up another playset for Masks, to be included in Secrets of A.E.G.I.S.: The Lotus Eaters!
There’s a secret danger in Halcyon City. Those who are at risk from it can’t fight it, and those who could do something about it either don’t know, don’t care, or are helping it happen. This danger? The Lotus Eaters, strange beings who consume dreams and leave behind amnesiacs...and if their victims had superpowers before being fed upon, they lose them in the process.
The Lotus Eaters primarily feed on minorities and disadvantaged populations—people that the rest of the city finds it easy to ignore. And A.E.G.I.S., the agency that should be helping to fight back against this threat, is using the Lotus Eaters intentionally, siccing them upon populations they deem at risk for the rise of supervillains. They can point to several dangerous individuals subdued by the Lotus Eaters as evidence of the efficacy of their program…but that’s never going to be enough for the people left amnesiac by their efforts.
The Lotus Eaters is a playset all about shades of gray, difficult social issues, and a conflict that so many are all too willing to hide or bury. It will come with all the rules tweaks and mechanics you’ll need to play a game in this secret conflict!
Ultimate A.E.G.I.S. Access
We’ve added two new reward levels, to further help make it easier for you to make sure you’re getting exactly what you want!
First off, there’s the High-Level A.E.G.I.S. Access reward level:
$135 - HIGH-LEVEL A.E.G.I.S. ACCESS: You get all the PDFs of all the books and stretch goals; SOFTCOVER full-color 6” x 9” copies of the Masks corebook, the Halcyon City Herald Collection, Masks: Unbound, and Secrets of A.E.G.I.S.; the Hero Deck and the Deck of Villainy; and 6 pairs of customized Masks dice.
And then, there’s the Ultimate A.E.G.I.S. Access reward tier, for those of you who want all the hardcover books!
$200 - ULTIMATE A.E.G.I.S. ACCESS: You get all the PDFs of all the books and stretch goals; HARDCOVER full-color 6” x 9” copies of the Masks corebook, the Halcyon City Herald Collection, Masks: Unbound, and Secrets of A.E.G.I.S.; the Hero Deck and the Deck of Villainy; and 6 pairs of customized Masks dice.
And remember that at any reward tier, you can add-on books, dice, and cards!
Softcover Copy of The Halcyon City Herald Collection, Masks: Unbound, or Secrets of A.E.G.I.S.: $20
Hardcover Copy of The Halcyon City Herald Collection, Masks: Unbound, or Secrets of A.E.G.I.S.: $35
The Deck of Villainy or the Hero Deck: $15
One set of dice: $5
All six sets of dice: $25
Full Rundown
Here’s a full rundown of everything we have in every additional book right now:
The Halcyon City Herald Collection:
Masks: Unbound
Secrets of A.E.G.I.S.
MISSION ALERT
One more mission left! One more, and then all 54 villains are in the Deck of Villainy! We saw multiple awesome pictures of 10 different people representing the playbooks, thanks to Nicole Emsky on G+ and the Halcyon Heroes on Twitter! All we have left are the drawings of young heroes directly engaging threats—and we have 9 of those! Just one more! One more! You can do it! Make sure you tag us (@MagpieGames on Twitter, +MagpieGames on G+) and use the hashtag #masksrpg or #halcyonjailbreak so we can find it!
There’s no stopping us now!
Less than 36 hours left, and you’ve already done amazing things! This Kickstarter has already been so much more successful than we ever dreamed, and it’s all thanks to all of you. And now with your help, we can reach impossible, ridiculous heights! Let’s do it! Talk about Masks in these final hours, let people know your favorite parts and the reasons you backed, and let’s crash through those sky-high goals like a super-powered rocket!
The Final Hours
over 10 years ago
– Wed, Oct 28, 2015 at 06:55:28 PM
YOU ROCK! YOU’RE AMAZING! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
We have under 12 hours left in the Kickstarter. You’ve unlocked another two stretch goals. And we’re well on track to shoot into six digits, unlocking another stretch goal, thanks to this incredible outpouring of support from our backers!
Stretch Goal #28 UNLOCKED: The A.E.G.I.S. Most-Wanted List
Since we reached $90,000, we’ll be adding the A.E.G.I.S. Most-Wanted List to Secrets of A.E.G.I.S.! I’m so excited about this goal—I love heroes, but I love villains too, and I can’t wait to work on fleshing out the worst threats in Halcyon City! I’m especially thrilled at how this piece can interlock with the Deck of Villainy, so that you’ll have both a useful, quick way to get a villain in a hurry with the Deck, and an in-depth write-up of villains to inspire or provide more plot hooks and custom moves!
Stretch Goal #29 UNLOCKED: The Lotus Eaters, a playset by Whitney “Strix” Beltrán
Since we reached $95,000, Whitney “Strix” Beltrán will write up her playset, The Lotus Eaters, to be included in Secrets of A.E.G.I.S.! I’m thrilled to have this playset in the book! It pushes Masks in the direction of new, important, complex issues, as well as providing a great counterpoint view of A.E.G.I.S. to the Agents of A.E.G.I.S. playbook in the same book. It opens up the realm of awesome dream-like Grant Morrison style dream-like monsters, threats, and environments. And it’s written by Strix, whose work is just plain awesome!
Reward Level Update
We added 5 more slots in "The Big Leagues," in case anyone wants their own custom villain!
In our next issue…
The first issue of Halcyon City Stories is coming up at $100,000!!! Everybody who backs at least $10 will get a full PDF copy of this first comic book issue if we reach it, and because you’re awesome, there’s still more!
Update #31: Issue No. 2 of Halcyon City Stories
If we can reach $110,000, then we’ll publish a second issue of Halcyon City Stories! Just like the first, this will contain a story all about one of the young heroes of Halcyon, and everybody who pledges at least $1 will get to vote on which character the issue is about!
We always thought that doing just one issue of Halcyon City Stories would be amazing. Doing two would be downright unbelievable! We’d love to share still more of the stories running around in our heads about these characters!
If we do unlock this goal, then everyone who backs at least $10 will receive a full PDF copy of the issue, and you can add a physical copy to your pledge for $5.
MISSION REPORT
MISSION. ACCOMPLISHED.
You did it! You completed every single mission—every single mission—with grace, aplomb, and awesome costumes! That means that every single villain, all 54, have been recaptured and put into the Deck of Villainy! 54 cards in the Deck of Villainy!
(If I’m repeating myself, it’s because I’m absurdly excited.)
It was amazing to see all the selfies, custom moves, drawings, and videos over the course of this campaign, and I echo A.E.G.I.S. itself when I say, you have impressed us all with your mission-accomplishing abilities and focus. WELL DONE!
Hours Left!
We only have a few hours left, but we’re still going so strong! You’ve all been absolutely incredible this entire ride, and I couldn’t be happier with how far we’ve come. Thank you all, forever and always, for your support! Please tweet, share, and talk about your reasons for pledging in these final hours—spread the word so we can finish our superheroic adventure!
Halcyon City Stories Are Here!
over 10 years ago
– Wed, Oct 28, 2015 at 06:55:24 PM
Holy Batman jokes, Batman! We’ve reached $100,000, and we’re still sailing upward toward our second issue of Halcyon City Stories!
You, and all your support, have been amazing, from the very beginning of this campaign, all the way up to this moment. I cannot state how awesome it has been this whole time just to read your comments and ideas. You’ve made this campaign incredible, and I’m over the moon with how much support you’ve given us.
We’ve unlocked the first issue of Halcyon City Stories! Every one of you who pledges at least $10 will get a full-color PDF copy of this 22 page comic book, and everyone who pledges at least $1 will get to vote on the character the issue is about! (If you want to order a physical copy of the comic, add $5 to your pledge!)
And we’re still going, because you’re all absolutely incredibly! From the bottom of my heart—thank all of you for your support, so, so much. I've been walking around in a daze for the past few days as these numbers keep climbing. THANK YOU!
All of us at Magpie HQ are going to buckle down for the ending of the campaign. We’ll see you on the other side!
Halcyon City Stories
over 10 years ago
– Sun, Oct 25, 2015 at 09:55:52 AM
Folks, you’re making me run out of superlative words for how awesome you are! Wait. Superlative! I haven’t used that one yet! You’re all superlative!
You’ve ripped through Vanquish’s code like gangbusters—and that’s not to mention the other missions you’ve accomplished, and the sheer incredible support you’ve all poured out for the Kickstarter! Masks has succeeded so much more than I’d ever hoped, and it’s all thanks to awesome, awesome people like you!
Stretch Goal #25 UNLOCKED: [EXPLETIVES DELETED], an A.E.G.I.S. Report by Eric Mersmann
Because we’ve reached $77,500, Eric Mersmann will unredact his A.E.G.I.S. report on the “superhero” team, [EXPLETIVES DELETED].
Okay, so he won’t totally unredact his report.
The idea of a rabble-rousing, trouble-making team that defends its own neighborhood is one that already grabbed me when Eric first proposed it. I love the idea of a set of possible role models who show a totally different side of what it could mean to be a hero than most of Halcyon City’s stars. But then, Eric had the absolutely brilliant idea to refer to the team as [EXPLETIVES DELETED], and then this team had to exist! I’ve worked with Eric on The Cold Ruins of Lastlife, and he’s a good designer and a great addition to any team—I’m glad to have him aboard for Secrets of A.E.G.I.S.!
Stretch Goal #26 UNLOCKED: The Dragon, an A.E.G.I.S. Report by Travis Scott
Because we’ve reached $80,000, Travis Scott will provide access to his A.E.G.I.S. report on that dastardly villain—The Dragon!
Travis had some awesome ideas for A.E.G.I.S. reports, but when I read what he wanted to write about for The Dragon, I knew that I had to read that report! The Dragon sounds like an awesome and terrifying addition to Halcyon City’s rogues gallery, and one whom A.E.G.I.S. would be the perfect opposition for. I can’t wait to read about the dangers that the Dragon poses to Halcyon!
In our next issue…
We’re still on for the Agents of A.E.G.I.S. playset if we can reach $85,000, and the A.E.G.I.S. Most-Wanted List if we can reach $90,000! What’s more, if we reach $85,000, then the Secrets of A.E.G.I.S. book will become a reality! And here's a new stretch goal, taking us all the way up to $100,000!
Stretch Goal #29: Issue No. 1 of Halcyon City Stories
This is it. Less than 48 hours to go. It’s time to reach for the stars.
If we can reach an incredible $100,000, we will write and release the first full-color 22-page issue of Halcyon City Stories, a comic all about the young heroes of Halcyon City! The comic will be entirely illustrated by Michael Lee Lunsford and written by the Magpie Games team. The stars? The characters you see featured on the Masks playbooks. And what’s more, everybody who pledges at least $1 will get to vote on which character stars in the first issue of this brand new comic!
It’s no secret that we love comic books. When we look at the playbook images, we see a million stories that could be told about these heroes (and heroes we haven’t even introduced yet!). Halcyon City Stories is our chance to bring these heroes to life in a full-color comic that explores the adventures of these characters, expanding the Masks mythos in fun and new ways! We’re even more excited to bring Michael Lee Lunsford on board to illustrate this new comic and carry forward this amazing art!
We’re also super excited to let you all pick which hero stars in Issue #1. We’ll hold the vote after the Kickstarter closes, and you’ll get a chance to pick your favorite hero for the job. Want to see The Janus balance her hero work against her work at the coffeeshop? Want to see The Legacy struggle with the burden of his father’s reputation? Want to see The Protege prove that she’s different from her mentor?
At $100,000… one of these stories will be a real live comic. Thanks to you!
Everybody who backs at least $10 will get a full color PDF copy of the 22-page comic, and you can have a physical copy of the comic added on to your order as a $5 add-on, with no additional charge for shipping.
MISSION ALERT
Incredible progress! Only two missions left! You went after those missions like crazy, and the villains of Halcyon City are running in fear! You cracked Vanquish’s cipher and tricked him into prematurely invading—now he’s recaptured, too, along with his accomplice Nano!
You have only two missions left! Two! TWO! And then you will have recaptured ALL THE VILLAINS who escaped from the Spike! That will mean a 54 card Deck of Villainy! That’s incredible!
Here are the two remaining goals:
- 10 individual drawings of a young hero directly engaging a threat: We have 6! We just need 4 more!
- 1 group photo of 10 costumed people, each one representing a different base playbook: We just need the one photo!
There isn’t much time left in the Kickstarter, but there’s plenty of time for you all to finish those last two missions like the heroes you are!
Here are a few more of the villains you’ve caught:
First up is Cold Snap, a former hero out for revenge on the people who betrayed her team!
Next is Nano! You may have heard of him before. He's the son of a great hero—Mantank—and he tried to prove himself as being the same caliber as his father by filling his body with nanites, only to grow enraged when his father still denied him respect!
And finally, here's Panthalassa, a water elemental and guardian of the oceans, old and powerful and regal, with no patience for humans and their idiocies!
Heroes of Halcyon City
When I and the Magpie Team were talking about the Kickstarter in early days, we proposed some crazy, pie-in-the-sky, “it’s fun to dream” stretch goals. One of those was the idea of doing a comic book, and we joked about setting it at $100,000.
And thanks to you, our crazy, “fun to dream” stretch goal is now a real possibility. You’re all absolutely beyond incredible. You’re superheroes!
Thank you all, forever and always, for all your incredible support. As always, please, share about Masks, talk about Masks, and let everybody know about how incredible you’ve made this project!
Infinite Wars of Crisis-Based Civil Convergence
over 10 years ago
– Sun, Oct 25, 2015 at 09:52:35 AM
This is amazing. You’re just RIPPING up stretch goals left and right! Thank you all, each and every last one of you, for your support! We’re into our last couple days here, and we’ve come so far, all thanks to you amazing, rock-awesome people. And we still have more to unveil to you!
Stretch Goal #23 UNLOCKED: Old Dogs and New Tricks, an A.E.G.I.S. Report by Shoshana Kessock
We barely got this one up before you ripped through it! Because we’ve reached $72,500, Shoshana Kessock will write up Old Dogs and New Tricks, her A.E.G.I.S. report on an older superhero team attempting to reinvigorate their careers through social media. I loved the angle Shoshana suggested from the very beginning, since it perfectly points to the generational conflicts at the heart of Masks, and I’m really interested to see A.E.G.I.S.’s take on this phenomenon—whether they deem there to be any danger to old teams such as this one trying to get back into the spotlight. Shoshana does great work, and having played in one of her own superhero centric games, I’m excited to see what she does with this report!
Everybody who backed at least $10 will get a full color PDF copy of this A.E.G.I.S. report.
Stretch Goal #24 UNLOCKED: The Halcyon Plaza Disaster, an A.E.G.I.S. Report by Julia Ellingboe
Because we’ve reached $75,000, Julia Ellingboe will write up her A.E.G.I.S. incident report on the Halcyon Plaza Disaster! Julia’s original pitch specifically pointed at an incident with characters based on three of the base playbooks—the Doomed, Delinquent, and Transformed—and I love the idea of an A.E.G.I.S. file on a disaster caused by heroes, and hushed up by the agency. Julia’s work is sharp and fun, and I can’t wait to read what secrets her report unveils!
Everyone who backed at least $10 will get a full color PDF copy of this A.E.G.I.S. report.
In Our Next Issue…
We’re well on our way to making the Secrets of A.E.G.I.S. book a reality! If we can reach $77,500, we’ll get Eric Mersmann’s piece on the team of misfits, [Expletives Deleted], and if we can reach $80,000, we’ll get Travis Scott’s report on the criminal mastermind known only as The Dragon. Then, at $85,000, not only will I (Brendan) get to write my playset on the Agents of A.E.G.I.S., but we’ll print the Secrets of A.E.G.I.S. book with all these mission reports, the playset, the two limited edition playbooks, and more! And now a new stretch goal:
Stretch Goal #28: The A.E.G.I.S. Most-Wanted List
If we can reach $90,000, then we’ll add the A.E.G.I.S. Most-Wanted List to Secrets of A.E.G.I.S.! A.E.G.I.S. keeps files on all the most dangerous villains of Halcyon City and the world, and the list is a compilation of the worst, deadliest, and most dangerous of them all. The list provides detailed information on each, giving hero teams everything they need to be prepared for these rogues...and maybe even take them on.
In the A.E.G.I.S. Most-Wanted List, we’ll include detailed information on a slew of villains, including their drives, conditions, moves, plot hooks for incorporating them into your game, and custom moves and locations to consider when using them. The list will flesh out many of the villains in the Deck of Villainy, providing even more information on these important and dangerous metahumans.
If we reach this stretch goal, everybody who pledges at least $10 will get a PDF copy of the A.E.G.I.S. Most-Wanted List, inside the full book of the Secrets of A.E.G.I.S.
Add-ons and Reward Levels
A few of you, especially those who backed at high levels, have asked about getting copies of the hardcover books while still keeping the other rewards you’re getting. To help make this easier, we’ve decided to start offering hardcover copies of the Halcyon City Herald Collection and Masks: Unbound as add-ons for any reward level.
Just add $35 to your pledge for each hardcover book you want, and then at the end of the campaign, when you get your Backerkit survey, you’ll be able to select all the rewards you purchased during the campaign.
MISSION REPORT
Woo! 15 missions accomplished! 15 missions accomplished! That means every Deck of Villainy will have 44 cards in it!
This is amazing! You're all amazing!
Here are the remaining missions we have to accomplish:
- 1000 Facebook Likes: We have 953! Go here (https://www.facebook.com/MagpieGames) to like the page and push us over 1000!
- 25 Villain Selfies: We have 22! 22! Just 3 more! Put them up on G+, Facebook, or Twitter, and make sure you tag Magpie Games (+Magpie Games, @MagpieGames) and use the #masksrpg and #halcyonjailbreak hashtags!
- 1 group photo of 10 different people, each representing a different playbook! You can do it! Grab some friends and a few random strangers, throw costumes on them, and snap the photo! (Note: do not actually throw costumes on random strangers, that would be bad.)
- 10 drawings of a young hero directly engaging a threat: We need 7 more of these, but with the sheer number of awesome pictures I’ve already seen, I know you can do it! Just make sure your picture includes a young hero and a threat they’re fighting, and you’ve got it! Post it up, tag Magpie Games, and use the #masksrpg and #halcyonjailbreak hashtags!
You may have noticed that A.E.G.I.S. only supplied you with 19 missions so far, leaving you just shy of the 20 missions you need to unlock all 54 cards in the Deck of Villainy. Rumor has it that A.E.G.I.S. has intercepted a critical communique between two villains who escaped...and they are preparing the final mission as we speak. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, here are more awesome community pieces! Check out this Halcyon City news report (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1bCreNdmiU) and this press conference (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77w7pYyXmBk)! Stomped Villain Studios—we salute you!
Also, a couple of you asked about seeing the custom moves from members of the community. I highly recommend that you check out our Masks Google+ Community (https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/110704683035976001273)—there’s a lot of conversation and activity going on there, and you can read a ton of custom moves and actual play and more. But here are a whole bunch of custom moves collected for the mission:
“A Thrilling and Epic Conclusion! Don’t miss it!”
...is what it would say if we were putting a headline on the comic book issue for the Masks Kickstarter as it stands now. You have all been absolutely amazing, between your support, your work on accomplishing missions, and just your enthusiasm for the project. Sincerely, so much—thank you, all of you!
Let’s all of us bring the Masks Kickstarter home with an epic conclusion! Make sure everybody knows about it as we finish out these last two days!
