I took the failure of this BackerKit project hard. It was mine/GKG's first failed project and that caused me to reconsider a lot about the game and how I approached running GKG/...
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Gallant Knight Games
over 1 year ago
Carrion Lands - Next Steps
Hey everyone!
Alan from GKG here. This is a bit of an unusual update for me to have to write. In nearly 8 years of doing this (whew, that's a weird number to have to type), Car...
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Gallant Knight Games
over 1 year ago
Link for live Q&A!
In a little under an hour, Alan from GKG will be answering Carrion Lands questions live, on YouTube. You can use the link below to join in!
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Gallant Knight Games
over 1 year ago
Happy Weekend!
Hi everyone!
The team at GKG is dealing with a bout of illness (hence our silence, when combined with fulfilling our previous Kickstarter!)
However, Carrion Lands, the omnipre...
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Gallant Knight Games
over 1 year ago
Second Community Goal! - Actual Play!
Hi everyone! Hope you're having a great weekend!
Carrion Lands moves along! We have our second backer achievement goal ready to tell you about!
At 325 backers, Gallant Knight ...
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Gallant Knight Games
over 1 year ago
First Community Goal - Solo Roleplaying Unlocked!
Hi everyone!
We had a great little surge this weekend, and we've since unlocked our first community achievement: solo roleplaying! We're excited to include this digital downlo...
I took the failure of this BackerKit project hard. It was mine/GKG's first failed project and that caused me to reconsider a lot about the game and how I approached running GKG/business.
Some time went by, I revisited my ideas and my plans for the game. It's been over a year (and then some).
But also, I'm a stubborn (now older) game designer. Come hell or high water, I'm gonna be making Carrion Lands. And I'm gonna be making it soon.
We'll be doing it on Kickstarter. You can sign up to know when HERE on Kickstarter.
Alan from GKG here. This is a bit of an unusual update for me to have to write. In nearly 8 years of doing this (whew, that's a weird number to have to type), Carrion Lands marks GKG's first failed crowdfunding attempt.
I want to thank you all for the support, for chatting, talking, and sharing Carrion Lands and being part of our community. We couldn't do GKG without our backers and supporters and we appreciate it, very much. I personally appreciate it, as Carrion Lands comes from a deeply personal place.
At this time, Carrion Lands has not hit its goal to be produced or printed. As per BackerKit's setup, none of you will be charged for your pledges.
Even though funding failed, that's not to say Carrion Lands won't come out, won't be made, or won't see a full release. We're committed to the game, but it appears we've got to refine, streamline, and improve how we communicate and market the game, as well as improve how we try to bring it to life. What that will entail and what it will look like when we do (and any timeline) is still under consideration, but we will do our best to keep you informed and up to date on what that looks like and how/when/where it might unfold.
Thank you so much, again, from the bottom of our hearts.
The team at GKG is dealing with a bout of illness (hence our silence, when combined with fulfilling our previous Kickstarter!)
However, Carrion Lands, the omnipresent and oppressive force that it is, lumbers forward, crushing all beneath its wake. (A labored metaphor, but you understand!. We are down to one week, as we move forward, so we're putting our best town crier impression on and trying to spread the word!
As we go into the weekend, Alan is planning to do a YouTube Q&A for Carrion Lands on Sunday evening. This will be live, and as such, having questions in advance makes this go easier, as well as being able to answer live questions and talk about the development of the game. We want you to participate, so please, post any Carrion Lands related questions you have and we'll prepare our answers!
We'll post a link before we go live, but we're anticipating 7:00 PM CST in order to allow for the most folks to attend as well as the best time for everyone!
Carrion Lands moves along! We have our second backer achievement goal ready to tell you about!
At 325 backers, Gallant Knight Games will produce a six-session actual play, showcasing CARRION LANDS, as well as hosting a Q&A about the game for backers!
We see this as a great (and essential) goal for the health of the game in the long term, because actual plays serve as excellent tutorials for games that feature new or modified rules, as well as making it easier for folks to find a resource that allows them to have a decision to make about getting the game!
Actual Plays take a lot of work and time, so we have to make sure we time it right, but we're excited to unveil this!
We had a great little surge this weekend, and we've since unlocked our first community achievement: solo roleplaying! We're excited to include this digital download as part of the campaign and we want to thank you for your support!
Tomorrow we'll be posting an update for everyone revealing the next community goal, and some more about Carrion Lands!
In the meantime, if you have any questions about Carrion Lands, post them and Alan will try to answer a few in tomorrow's post!
We're 50% funded! We're moving along and we're only 5 backers away from our first community goal: Solo Rules from Alex of Blackoath Entertainment!
Today, we wanted to post about resources and challenges. Resources are a mechanic in the Carrion Lands that you'll likely recognize from other old-school games. Challenges are a specific sort of Test that resolve around a Resource. resources are elements of your character that flow up and down over time. Whenever something instructs you to Challenge a Resource, you roll the appropriate die type (d4-d12). If the result is a 1 or 2 on the dice, you will lower the Resource Die type by a step (moving down the size charge, so a d12 becomes d10, etc.)
This is called a failure. Any other result is a success. If a Resource Dice drops to 0, bad things happen. This depends on the Resource.
Challenges are used when the result of an action would impact a Resource the character has. Spending coin, eating, all of those items are impact resources. You can increase your resources with specific actions.
Food
Food, quite literally, represents much food you have access to. If your Food Resource Dice drops to 0, you begin to starve. If you can’t increase your Food Dice back to at least d4 within 2d3 days, your Exile dies. You can increase your Food with the Scavenge/Hunt action or Consume Food to decrease it and heal.
Water
Arguably the most essential resource in the Carrion Lands, Water represents (like Food) how much water you have access to. If your Water Resource Dice drops to 0, you begin to starve. If you can’t increase your Water Dice back to at least d4 within d3 days, your Exile dies. You can increase your Water by taking the Scavenge Action
Food & WaterFood and Water have a special rule. Every day, when your Exile wakes up, they automatically decrease their Food and Water by one step. The only exception is when they are safely ensconced in a town or settlement with ready access to those resources (very unlikely in the Carrion Lands.)
Blood
Blood represents an Exile’s ability to carry on in spite of physical trauma, their ability to withstand damage, pain and conflict. If your Blood ever drops to 0 your Exile dies. Blood does not increase on its own and there are no special actions you can take around Blood
Silver
Silver is a catchall resource to measure much coin and bartering material the Exile has. If your Silver ever drops to 0, your Exile can no longer trade, barter or purchase goods. Barter/Purchase and Liquidate Resources are two special Silver actions.
Doom
All Exiles are doomed. They will all die in the Carrion Lands. If your Doom ever reaches 0, all Resource Challenges automatically fail. A character will not live long once their Doom is upon them. You may take the Doomed and Petition actions, which are two special Doom actions.
The Iron Rule These are just a few of the possible actions that the Overlord might take related to your Resources. Your Overlord might come up with new ones, modify these or simply use Resource Challenges as ad-hoc measurements and result generators. That’s all acceptable. Resources are meant to abstract things away.
We hope you've been having a great week, and we're thrilled to be creeping up on 50% funding for Carrion Lands. Please remember to share the campaign with your groups!
Now, let's talk about who you'll be in the Carrion Lands. We'll talk about mechanics later, and instead focus on Classes today.
Classes
There are three Classes in the Carrion Lands, and there's a unique rule (called "class rarity" in my head) that defines how classes interact with the setting. Class Rarity helps the Overlord (Game Master) define how the setting works, and allows them to (roughly) gauge the impact of each class on the setting and game group around them.
Class Rarity is a recommended but optional rule, as having fun matters more than saying "you can't play a class" that a player might want to. It's designed to be a flavorful enhancement, not a penalty, and as such, we worked hard to make sure it is, but also to ensure it can be discarded if its not right for your group.
Survivors
Called Heroes in the ashcan, Survivors are the default and most common class in the Carrion Lands. They have no restrictions, and focus on accomplishing their goals through violence, trickery, discussion or similar means. They can have mighty thews, clever and deft fingers, sharp minds and much more. At their core, they are "the common individual" writ large in the Carrion Lands. Survivors might be hunters, assassins, warriors, generals, merchants, or thieves.
There is no class rarity or restrictions around Survivors. Indeed, they are the "default" class in the Carrion Lands.
Magicians
Having access to dark and corrupting esoteric magicks, Magicians are feared and reviled throughout the Carrion Lands. However, some exiles will find themselves allied (or working under) a Magician, as they must when survival comes first. Magicians can cast spells, create magick items, summon otherworldly allies (or enemies!), and alter the very fabric of the Carrion Lands.
Magicians are rare, meaning that including a Magician in your group carries some risks to it, and certain requirements must be met. Constant exposure to the dark magicks of the Carrion Lands can be corrupting, defining the souls and doom of those around you. (Obviously these rules are recommended but optional: having fun with your friends is the priority, not penalizing someone who wishes to use magick!)
Priests
Priests are the moral and ethical compasses that try to survive the Carrion Lands (for varying interpretations of moral and ethical.) Priests can represent the divine will of the Gods of the Carrion Lands, the manifestation of a non-deific philosophy, or the empowerment of a moral code. Religion is a complex thing in the Carrion Lands (for reasons you'll learn), and as such Priests are exceptionally rare and introduce a new level of complications to the game.
Priests are restricted, meaning you can only play one if the Overlord agrees, as their very lore contains game setting altering information. They are powerful, having access to abilities that exist beyond the very reality and ken of the Carrion Lands. While several classes were left on the cutting room floor during development, it is this three (the original classes from our combination of OGL sources that include the BoL Hack) that remain present in the Carrion Lands.
You might see others crop up as stretch goals or incentives, but no promises....
What other details might you want to know or see about the classes and characters in the Carrion Lands?
As we move towards our funding goal and the first weekend of this campaign, I wanted to post a small update talking about the origin of the Carrion Lands and how they came to be. This will be a relatively personal segment from myself (Alan), and deal with some personal details regarding my mental health, that I hope will shed some light on how I came to make this game, and why it is the way it is.
So first, I'm bipolar and have lived with the effects of that mental illness for closing in on two decades at this point. The constant highs and lows of bipolar disorder are the most obvious influence on the harsh setting the game posits. In the introduction to the ashcan I wrote:
"Carrion Lands is a metaphor for the mania and depression in my bipolar. The sunbaked hellscape of blood, mighty thews, and iron is my mania, and the nihilistic futility, cruel gods, and amnesia reflect my depression.
The depression bit is the one that drives this book. Depression often feels like the amnesia that greets the Exiles in the Carrion Lands. No matter what the day before held, depression is often a reset, immutable and inevitable factor that renders the previous day irrelevant and its memories circumspect at best.
Depression is lies, much like the Carrion Lands, and it is futility, both from it’s own standpoint in affecting my day to day, and the way the struggle feels against it when it appears to be winning."
In Carrion Lands, the Exiles struggle against the weight of an unknown past, something out of their control that influences their day to day, and forces them to survive in a harsh landscape. The game mechanics reflect that weight, driving a survival horror feel to the world around the Exiles, forcing them to compromise in hard ways to maintain their survival.
While this might feel bleak and a bit misery focused, in the back half of the book, in a section containing secret lore and magicks of the Carrion Lands (away from the eyes of Exiles), the hidden truth of the Carrion Lands exists. In that truth, there's a certain hidden hope, a secret to unlock that will cast the Carrion Lands in a new light, one where struggle and sacrifice, made in futility against an inexorable enemy inside oneself become something different, something that transcends the Carrion Lands.
Of course, it's also a pulpy sword & sorcery game, so maybe I'm waxing poetical and assigning too much meaning to my own intent! In the end, even if my games come from personal places, I still want them to evoke fun, and folks to walk away wanting to play more. To that end, Carrion Lands is designed to be easily playable, with smooth and streamlined rules to handle all the parts of this game in a cohesive format.
It was a bit of a challenge, but tomorrow as we start talking about the various elements of the game (starting with Character Creation), I think you'll be excited to see what we've come up with and where we've landed.
Please remember to share, talk about this game, and make sure folks can back! We want to ensure we fund and give Carrion Lands the deluxe treatment it deserves, so while we're doing the podcast/stream circuit and running our ads, having you talk to your local groups and friends always helps!
We appreciate you joining us on this journey, and we're excited to see where we go from here!
I'm pleased to announce our first community achievment!
If we reach 250 backers, Alex from Blackoath Entertainment (creator of such amazing games as Sacrifice and Across a Thousand Dead Worlds) will be working alongside GKG to adapt his excellent solo roleplaying system to Carrion Lands!
Alan is a big fan of Alex's work, and was thrilled to be able to bring solo roleplaying to the Carrion Lands under Alex's expert guidance!
This will be a free digital download for all backers, consisting of the tools needed to adapt Carrion Lands to solo play!
Alan from Gallant Knight Games here! Thank you all for joining us and sharing this exciting adventure with us! We had a great first day (being over 33% funded), and we're excited for the rest of the journey!
Carrion Lands represents a lot on a personal level to me, being a game I've sent several years working on, one that comes from a deeply personal place, and I'm thrilled to be sharing it with you, especially in the extravagant format we have planned!
We've got lots of previews starting later tonight for you, but we wanted to tell you how much we appreciate everyone here joining in!
We'll be answering questions throughout the day, so if you have them, feel free to ask! Later tonight, we'll be previewing the overview of Richard August's early bird adventure, so you've got 24 hours to get your friends and gaming groups on board so they can share in it too!
Please share the campaign around with folks you might think are excited to know! Small presses like ours do our best, but there's always folks who miss out and we can't reach them all without your help.
