The Series Continues!
over 10 years ago – Sat, Oct 10, 2015 at 09:18:33 AM

Two more stretch goals knocked off, and another right around the corner—and you’ve started making awesome progress already on accomplishing the missions to return the villains to the Deck of Villainy! The Masks community impresses me more and more every day!

Stretch Goal #15 UNLOCKED: The Star, by Brendan Conway

Because we hit $45,000, I’m going to write the playbook for The Star! The ties between celebrity and superheroics have always interested me, and (while there are a few adult heroes who deal with those ties) I think they’re most interesting for younger heroes. In the Internet age, it seems that celebrity is often the goal, not the byproduct, of action. And that celebrity comes with its own costs—the same things that can make you a star can make your life miserable. I’m excited to come up with a playbook that puts a specific emphasis on the relationship between heroes and the public!

Stretch Goal #16 UNLOCKED: The Joined, by Jenn Martin

And because we hit $47,500, Jenn Martin will write the playbook for The Joined! Jenn wrote the Angel for Urban Shadows, and I was excited to hear what ideas she had for a Masks playbook. When she suggested The Joined, a playbook all about multiple, tightly connected characters and the issue of defining yourself as separate from that whole, it was another awesome moment where a stretch goal author suggested an original idea that was perfect for the game. I’m looking forward to seeing what Jenn does with the Joined!

In Our Next Issue…

We’re about $2,500 away from the Harbinger, a playbook from the future by Fred Hicks! And after that...

Stretch Goal #18: Creative Commons, ePub, and .MOBI

If we reach $55,000, Magpie Games will release portions of the Masks text under a Creative Commons CC-BY license (Attribution 4.0 International, in case you were wondering) that will let anyone make use of the Masks text and mechanics in commercial and non-commercial products alike.

Why does this matter? Because it means that once we issue the license, you can add to Halcyon City and Masks and then go right ahead to market and sell those works (just so long as you attribute where Masks comes from).

I’m already seeing a ton of awesome ideas crop up in the Masks G+ Community, and I’d love to see people be able to put up new playbooks, new playsets, rules tweaks, and whatever other awesome things you can think of on places like DriveThruRPG.

And for that to happen, I think it’s important that folks can sell that work commercially without paying license fees. That’s why I’m excited to have this stretch goal—because I think it’s the key to making Masks so much more than an awesome game and an awesome book! I want to see what Masks and Halcyon City can become when your entire collective genius is unleashed upon it!

In addition to putting Masks and Halcyon City under a Creative Commons license, we’ll also create .mobi and ePub formats for both the core Masks text and the Halcyon City Herald Collection. You’ll be able to read both books on any e-reader, including Kindles and the iBook app on iOS. This will make it easier for you to read and hold onto these texts however you’d like, as well as making it easier for you to create your own works under the CC-BY license.

MISSION UPDATE

We’ve still got those villains to catch! AEGIS is counting on us!

Two missions down—the Masks Google+ Community has 413 members, and the KS has 1250 backers! Here are a few more missions we’re just around the corner from completing:  

• 750 Facebook Likes: We currently have 724!
• 10 Masks custom moves: We currently have 4 (with 2 player-made playbooks contributing)!
• 10 Superhero Selfies: We currently have 5!
• 10 Villain Selfies: We currently have 3!
• $50,000 in funding: We’re less than $2,000 away! 

If we can knock out just 3 of those missions, we can add 8 more cards to the Deck of Villainy for free (for all the backers who are already getting a Deck)! Let’s get on it!

Keep it up, Halcyon Dreamers!

(Because it’s like “True Believers,” but not!)

As always, thank you all so much for being amazing and for supporting Masks the way you have. You’re all incredible! Please, keep on being as awesome as you have so far, and talk about Masks, share it out, and hit those missions!

Jailbreak!
over 10 years ago – Wed, Oct 07, 2015 at 05:50:13 PM

Another stretch goal down, and well on our way to our next—you all are (dare I say) super! (Do you see what I did there?)

It’s awesome to check every day and see more and more support from all of you. I’m so thankful, and I can’t say it enough.

Stretch Goal #14 UNLOCKED: The Soldier, by Mark Diaz Truman

Because we reached $42,500, Mark will write up the Soldier as our third limited edition playbook! The Soldier is another one of those lenses through which you could see a number of young superheroes if you look right, and I’m really happy to add it to the overall collection of Masks playbooks—and that’s above and beyond the fact that I’m excited it’s Mark who’ll be writing it up! Mark pushed me to hone and improve the playbooks so much, and I know he’s going to do a kickass job on the Soldier.

In Our Next Issue…

We’re still in the midst of an awesome string of playbooks! At $45,000, I’ll write up the Star; at $47,500, Jenn Martin will write up the Joined; and at $50,000, Fred Hicks will write up the Harbinger, bringing us to a total of six limited edition playbooks, and 16 total!

But that’s not all! We’ve got more to show you, including—

BZZT

**Z**DK

KRRKKRRT

MISSION ALERT

Come in, heroes of Halcyon City! Come in!

This is Agent Fall of the Advanced Expert Group for Intervention and Security, with an urgent message: there has been a mass breakout from the Spike! I repeat, there has been a mass breakout from the Spike!

We still don’t know who caused it or how, but that’s irrelevant at the moment. Right now we need to focus on capturing these metahuman criminals and bringing them back into custody. And we can’t do it on our own. AEGIS resources are stretched thin—we need your help.

If you can accomplish these missions for us, then it will help us to recapture these villains and add them back to our new experimental holding system—we’re calling it “The Deck of Villainy.”

Some of you may already be receiving a Deck of Villainy for your support of Halcyon City. As we catch more villains, we’ll expand the Deck, adding more cards to it. Anyone who isn’t already getting a Deck of VIllainy containment system can add one to their pledge as a $15 add-on.

Please, help us expand The Deck of Villainy—it’s the only way to make Halcyon City safe!

 When you complete…

...5 Halcyon City missions, we can catch 8 more villains for the Deck of Villainy (28 cards total)  

...10 Halcyon City missions, we can catch 16 more villains for the Deck of Villainy (36 cards total)

...15 Halcyon City missions, we can catch 24 more villains for the Deck of Villainy (44 cards total)

...20 Halcyon City missions, we can catch 34 more villains for the Deck of Villainy (54 cards total)

Missions

• $50,000 in funding  
• $75,000 in funding
• 1250 Backers
• 1500 Backers
• 750 Facebook Likes  
• 1000 Facebook Likes
• 400 members of the Masks G+ Community
• 500 members of the Masks G+ Community
• 10 Superhero Selfies
• 10 Villain Selfies
• 25 Superhero Selfies
• 25 Villain Selfies
• 1 group photo of ten costumed people, each one representing a different base playbook
• 10 Masks actual play reports posted on social media
• 10 individual drawings of a young hero unleashing their powers
• 10 individual drawings of a young hero directly engaging a threat
• 1 video of a Halcyon City press conference (at least 2 minutes long)
• 1 video of a Halcyon City news report (at least 2 minutes long)
• 10 custom Masks moves shared on social media

Mission Protocol (The Rules):

One picture per person per mission! If you’ve already taken a superhero selfie, for instance, you can’t take another superhero selfie, but you can post photos, drawings, or whatever for another mission, even the villain selfies.

New pictures! No reusing old photos—the villains can tell the difference! When you take a picture, hold up a piece of paper that says "#masksrpg" on it to prove its authenticity!

You have to tag Magpie Games! You can find us on G+ (+Magpie Games), Facebook (Magpie Games), or Twitter (@MagpieOfficial). Wherever you post your content, tag us so that we know it’s been posted.

You have to tag your missions! If possible use the tags #masksrpg and #halcyonjailbreak on all your posts, so that we can find them later.

Posts must be public! Please make your posts public so that we can share them out to fans.

The Clock is Ticking

Those villains aren’t going to catch themselves! Get to it! Let’s fill out this Deck of Villainy!

Rounding Out the Roster
over 10 years ago – Tue, Oct 06, 2015 at 06:37:54 AM

Bam! Pow! Zap! That’s it—we’ve reached $40,000, and unlocked our second playset! That’s absolutely awesome! Thank you all so much for this incredible outpouring of pledges and support—thanks to you, Masks continues to transform into something better and better.

In fact, $40,000 marks a major milestone for Magpie Games. We've been running projects on Kickstarter for almost four years now, and Masks is now officially our biggest Kickstarter ever! AND IT'S NOT EVEN CLOSE TO OVER. Thank you all for your support! 

Stretch Goal #13 UNLOCKED: Iron Red Soldiers, by Misha Bushyager

Since we reached $40,000, Misha Bushyager is going to put together an awesome 10,000 word write up of Iron Red Soldiers, giving you all the tools and info you need to play Masks as a young adult rebellion against alien invaders! I thought Misha’s pitch was awesome because it took the game in a new, innovative direction, and I’m really excited to dig into her ideas. Iron Red Soldiers brings some tropes and styles of other types of young adult fiction into Masks, and the blend seems like an awesome peanut butter + chocolate mix. Can’t wait!

Everybody who pledges at least $10 will get a full PDF copy of this playset, along with the rest of your pledge and all the other stretch goals.

In Our Next Issue…

We’re headed towards The Soldier playbook from Mark Diaz Truman at $42,500, and then the Star from me (Brendan Conway) at $45,000—full steam ahead! And now, it’s time to unveil our next two stretch goals…

Stretch Goal #16: The Joined, by Jenn Martin

If we can reach $47,500, then Jenn Martin will write up a new limited edition playbook (our fifth!): The Joined!  

You’re a group of people, connected on some deep level, stronger together than you are apart and capable of incredible things. Or so it would seem at first glance. Will you stick together as a single, strong whole? Or will you splinter into new people, each of whom has their own unique strength?

The Joined is a character defined by being part of a larger unit (twins, triplets, multiple bodies, etc.). You’re powerful together, but each individual person’s identity is subsumed by the whole. The Joined is all about the tension between the power of being part of this group, and breaking off to find your own identity. The Joined is heavily inspired by the Stepford Cuckoos from the X-Men.

Everybody who pledges at least $10 will get a full PDF copy of The Joined playbook if we reach this stretch goal.

Stretch Goal #17: The Harbinger, by Fred Hicks

If we can reach $50,000, then Fred Hicks will write up our sixth limited edition playbook: The Harbinger!

You're from the future! And you've seen how these things turn out. You know who rises to become a legend—and who breaks bad along the way. Will you strive to bring your future about, or fight to change its path?

The Harbinger is a time traveler or a prophet, someone who knows exactly what’s going to happen and can work to either stop it, or to make sure that future comes to fruition...but how can they be sure their actions are the right ones? Will they destroy the future they want with one false move? The Harbinger is inspired by characters such as Impulse (Young Justice), Iron Lad (Young Avengers), Bishop (X-Men), and Rachel Summers (X-Men), among others.

Forging the Future

We’ve already come so far, and unlocked so many awesome stretch goals. Just as a quick recap, we’ve unlocked:

• 2 limited edition playbooks (The Reformed and The Innocent)
• 2 playsets taking Masks in awesome new directions (Phoenix Academy and Iron Red Soldiers)
• 12 articles (3 from Magpie and 9 new stretch goals) for the Halcyon City Herald Collection
• A print version of the Halcyon City Herald Collection

And that’s all above and beyond kicking the crud out of our original goal of just creating the book! I can barely believe it. You all rock!

It’s been a fantastic ride so far, and we’re not even close to done yet. I can’t wait to see what else we unlock, and what other cool things get added to Masks. Thank you for all your support so far, and keep sharing and talking about the game!

Entering the Fray!
over 10 years ago – Sun, Oct 04, 2015 at 09:58:38 AM

It’s been a couple days since our last update, and we’ve made some incredibly progress! We broke through our $35,000 stretch goal, and we’re well on our way to $40,000! Between your support here and your discussions on our community and all across the Internet, Masks is taking off, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Thank you all so much!

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

Our first playset is unlocked! Rob Wieland is going to put together a 10,000 mad piece all about the Phoenix Academy and setting Masks in this school for young supers. Between the rules tweaks and systems to best simulate the academy environment and the details on this place full of once-greats and has-beens, I couldn’t be more excited to see what Rob is going to do with this playset! From X-Men to Avengers Academy, there’s a great tradition of young superhero stories set in schools, and I’m glad to have that arena added to Masks.

Everybody who pledged at least $10 is going to get a full PDF copy of this playset along with everything else---so you can look forward to setting your own adventures in The Phoenix Academy.

In Our Next Issue…

We’re still blasting toward our second playset, Misha Bushyager’s Iron Red Soldiers, all about young heroes acting against an alien invasion while their mentors are held captive. If we reach $40,000, then we’ll unlock that playset so you can take Masks in an awesome new direction! And today, we’re going to reveal our next two stretch goals…

Stretch Goal #14: The Soldier, by Mark Diaz Truman

If we can reach $42,500, Mark Diaz Truman will contribute a new limited edition playbook to Masks: The Soldier!

No one else really understands what it’s like to serve, to do whatever it takes to see a cause through to the end. But are you more than your cause? Or are you just a soldier who acts on orders they don’t even understand?

The Soldier has been shaped by someone and their cause, but now that person is gone, and the Soldier is left to carry on. They’re all about driving forward, doing what is necessary no matter the cost, and fighting for their cause...until they realize that perhaps the costs are too high, or this cause isn’t what they thought it was. The Soldier is primarily inspired by Hope Summers from Generation Hope.

Everybody who pledged at least $10 will get a full PDF copy of the Soldier playbook if we unlock this stretch goal.

Stretch Goal #15: The Star, by Brendan Conway

If we can reach $45,000, Brendan Conway will contribute the fourth limited edition playbook to Masks: The Star!

It’s all about the image, right? You’re not a hero unless they think you are, no matter what those martyrs say. It’s all about doing the interviews, and smiling for the cameras, and seeing your face on billboards. That’s why you got into this game. That’s why you do what you do. It’s what you really want out of life...right?

The Star is devoted to the idea of celebrity. They’re a hero because they want to be in the limelight. Their celebrity comes with some advantages, including champions who will help spread their words and their cause, be they TV show producers or Internet fans...but should the Star falter even a little, their champions may be the ones to devour them alive. The Star is inspired by Striker from Avengers Academy, as well as Booster Gold from the Justice League.

Everybody who pledged at least $10 will get a full PDF copy of the Star playbook if we unlock this stretch goal.

Spread the headlines

We’ve come so far, so fast, and it’s all thanks to you! We’ve unlocked a huge number of stretch goals and added some awesome new things to the game. And what’s more, we’ve still got plenty left to go!

The more you talk about, share, and play Masks, the further we’ll go, and the more cool stuff we’ll unlock. So please, keep on talking, keep on sharing, and keep on playing! Join our Google+ community if you haven’t already, and talk about your experiences! We’d love to hear your own stories of Halcyon City!

Preparing for Invasion
over 10 years ago – Thu, Oct 01, 2015 at 06:25:37 PM

Another two stretch goals unlocked, another good day for Masks! Your support continues to be amazing, and it’s really taking Masks to awesome places. New books, new playbooks, new playsets, and more are all in the pipeline.

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

Brianna Sheldon is going to write “Healers of Halcyon City,” all about healing powers and healthcare in the city. This is one of those pieces that immediately called out a subject I hadn’t really thought about, and that’s why I’m so happy to have it in the Halcyon City Herald Collection! Brie is going to shine the light on some interesting new angles for stories in Halcyon City, making the entire city deeper and more complex---can’t wait to see what she does with it!

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

Kyle Simons (Worlds in Peril) is going to write “Monarch Industries and the Chrysalis,” all about an evil corporation and the origin of a dangerous villain. I love weird but relatable supervillains, and the Chrysalis falls right into that bucket. And that’s not even to mention the effects that a Fountain of Youth drug would have on a city full of older superheroes---I love where that story could go. Kyle has a lot of experience working in superhero fiction, and I can’t wait to get his villain to the table!

The Halcyon City Herald Collection, Now In Print!

And because we’ve reached $30,000, we’ll be printing the Halcyon City Herald Collection as a 6” x 9”, full-color companion volume to Masks! It will feature all the articles from our currently unlocked stretch goals, along with the custom moves and rules to make them come to life at your table, and maybe some extra pieces to fill it out!

If you’d like to get a copy of the Halcyon City Herald Collection, just add $20 to your pledge, and then when the campaign ends, you'll be able to select it as an add-on through Backerkit. We’ll ship it to you as soon as it’s ready. No extra shipping costs required!

In Our Next Issue…

Our first playbook, Rob Wieland’s Phoenix Academy, is still coming up at $35,000. And now, we can announce our second playset: Misha Bushyager’s Iron Red Soldiers!

Stretch Goal #13: Iron Red Soldiers, by Misha Bushyager

In this playset written by Misha Bushyager, an invading force of aliens determined to prevent the spread of superheroes from infecting the universe has managed to corral or kill the world's premier heroes. It's up to your intrepid heroes to rescue your remaining mentors and take back your city before it's too late.

Iron Red Soldiers is inspired by such films as V, Toy Soldiers, Iron Eagle, and Red Dawn. This playset will set the young masks up to be the saviors the world needs to get through the attack of the Tangee, an avian race from the planet Arrys. This playset, just like Phoenix Academy, will be 10,000 words of awesome, including setting information, rules tweaks, custom moves, and more to make sure that you can play your own superheroic version of Wolverines versus aliens!

If we reach $40,000, we’ll send a full PDF copy of Iron Red Soldiers to everyone who pledges at least $10!

Barreling Ahead

We still have many more stretch goals to go, including playbooks, playsets, articles, and some other awesome stuff along the way. Your support has already taken us this far, and it can help us get to even more cool stretch goals! Please share this Kickstarter out---let other people know about Masks and how far we’ve come. Halcyon City’s future is in your hands!