I back Kickstarter projects not infrequently, but I don’t talk about them much here. And the project I backed most recently, Bhaloidam, was going to be no exception: surely you’re all quite familiar with Corvus Elrod, have been hearing about this project for years now, and have already signed up to back it?
It’s about halfway through the funding period now, however, and the project is halfway funded; so, while I’m optimistic it will reach its goal, it’s by no means a slam dunk. So: if you haven’t gotten around to supporting it, please do so; if Corvus has had a positive impact on your life and your budget allows it, please do so; and, if this is the first you’ve heard of Corvus, then please watch the video above, read through the Bhaloidam blog, and chip in!
Because I think his system is rather important. I love games, including (increasingly often over the last year and a half) board games; but I’m also getting tired of a lot of traditional gaming conventions, and in particular of the way role-playing games try to fit storytelling into a procrustean bed of limited, combat-focused interaction options. So I’d like to see a game that supports storytelling by providing enough structure to guide players’ interactions and supports those of us who aren’t as gifted storytellers as Corvus is while giving as much free rein as possible within those constraints. (In particular, allowing us to tell as many different kinds of stories as possible!) Corvus has been thinking about this for years, the reports I’ve heard of early playtests have been uniformly positive, and I don’t know of anything else out there like this project.
So: read about it a bit more if you’d like, but please do chip in. There are only 14 days left, and I’d really like to see this project reach its goal.
Post Revisions:
This post has not been revised since publication.
[…] Over the last 36 days, I’ve had a lot to say about Bhaloidam and what makes it a great platform. During that time there have been a few posts elsewhere from friends who’ve played Bhaloidam extensively, peers who are intrigued by Bhaloidam’s potential, and peer-friend hybrids who want to see me succeed. […]
10/23/2011 @ 6:13 am