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Crowdfunding for CLASH! Begins in 3 Days!
To supplement the central crowdfunding effort, I'm also putting my entire library of games on sale at 30% off. In addition to that, there's also a bundle of every game I've released at 50% off!
That's Broke Wizards, Fantasy Heartbreaker, Bring the Stars Home to Me, and more, on sale from April to the end of June. If you've been waiting to check out anything I make, this will be a great opportunity to support me and get your hands on my work.
#indie ttrpg#ttrpg#jump! shonen battle roleplay#clash! shonen battle roleplay#sale#itch.io#bundle#bring the stars home to me#broke wizards#fantasy heartbreaker#game breakers#the tale of yon: a tyrant's throne
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JUMP! Devlog, March 11, 2024 - Name Change | Artist Position Filled | Crowdfunding Announcement
This one's a big update announcement, so let's tl;dr up top, and the details will be below the read more.
JUMP! is officially being renamed to CLASH! Shonen Battle Roleplay. Largely for copyright reasons.
We have an artist! Thank you to Elise @ispybluesky - I'm ecstatic to be working with them.
This is my official announcement of a crowdfunding campaign, due to launch in April! I'll be advertising it and posting links when and where appropriate.
1. Name Change
It was a long time coming, honestly. When I originally made the prototype for the game, the idea of expanding it into a full book was sort of a distant idea - I had other games pressing more fervently at my attention, and I was burnt out from a year of making a lot of games. So I ripped assets from official anime & manga and named the thing after a real shonen manga magazine - classic internet. And besides, I was posting it for free. No harm, no foul.
But as my plans for the year solidified and I decided on this game as the project to focus on in 2024, it became quickly apparent that I simply couldn't get away with toeing the line that enthusiastically. It's a fun idea, branding your game after the most well-known shonen publication out there, both creatively and as a marketing strategy. But of course, that's just asking for trouble. So, better to change it, and give it more of its own identity in the process.
So after a bit of thought, I landed on the obvious and perfect answer: CLASH! Shonen Battle Roleplay. I mean, come on. Who's complaining about that? Certainly not me.
Going forward, I'll be tagging devlogs with the old #JUMP! Shonen Battle Roleplay tag, as well as a new one befitting the change - just to keep things together.
2. Artist Found
I was astounded at how many inquiries I got when I put out that call. I suspect I have @lighthouselio and @monsterfactoryfanfic to thank for that, so thank you both. Really, that was cool as hell to wake up to.
After some deliberation, I've decided to work with Elise @ispybluesky, who has been a delight to talk to so far, and whose style I fell in love with instantly. We're already working on the first couple of pieces, and I'm beyond excited for you all to see what they can do. Give them a follow.
Elise wasn't the only person I talked to though, and wasn't the only person whose work shone. In particular I'd like to give a shoutout to Anh Huynh @acesartscape. While it wasn't as strong a style match, I'm enchanted by their work, and am probably going to commission them for one or two things on my own time. Give them a follow too.
3. Crowdfunding Announcement
I mentioned it in my call for artists post - but I never made an announcement, so here's that: The CLASH! Shonen Battle Roleplay crowdfunding campaign is coming this April!
The Campaign is currently slated to last through June, and my goal i to put together something nice to look at and interesting to read by the time we launch. As you can probably imagine I've been working hard on this game, and it's thrilling and terrifying all at once to be coming up on this milestone. Let's see how it goes, shall we?
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CLASH! Playtest Campaign Diary, April 14, 2024
Preamble 1: CLASH! is currently crowdfunding! If you're interested in supporting my work, check it out here.
Preamble 2: Truth be told, I'm bragging here. I don't usually do campaign diaries; but this session was special. I'd just finished a huge rework of the system, and I was terrified about whether it'd work as intended, or if I'd need to go back to the drawing board and further delay development. I needn't have worried; we played an episode of anime.
It's time for the first official round of the Battle of the Bands. After qualifying against DJ twins Oskaar and Byrna, classic rock & roll band Nail in the Coffin is up for their first real opponent; TOEJAM, noise music duo and technical masters.
Kenshin (The Analyst), the protege of the band's missing sponsor Ian Sachs, needs to win big to follow the clues about his missing teacher. Princess Moonbeam (The Specialist), frontwoman and mysterious European weirdo, has just been informed that her favorite glam-rock band, Xenon, will be performing in town in a few days. She needs to look good if she's going to impress her idols. And Kit Tripod (The Vessel), the band's drummer, knows that winning this contest means an official meeting with Beatrice Boxer - the woman she thinks killed her father.
The battle begins without much unusual; two Contests, one win and one loss for an even score of 1-1 against TOEJAM. It's at this point that Kit's player remembers to play with the new rules and activates a Tech: Shadow on the Wall.
Raising her drumsticks above her head, TOEJAM's guitarist momentarily thinks that he sees the image of a fiend - Tom Snare, the Demon of Drums, glimpsed through stage lights. The guitarist gains the Hopeless Condition, hampering his ability to gain Potential.
With this, the floodgates open. Kenshin opens his next turn with Look Out!, giving Moonbeam useful intel on the duo for her next turn.
Meanwhile, his own turn goes to a CLASH!, Insight versus Insight, against TOEJAM's masterful DJ. Everyone at the table stands up and cheers as his four dice come up with two 6's, while the DJ's five dice land with only one.
With one uneventful turn on the part of Kit, it's 2-2. Whoever wins the next Contest goes on to the next round of the Battle of the Bands, and it's Princess Moonbeam's turn.
The Bidding phase begins slowly; tension filling the room. Moonbeam has five Insight, but no other Pool to speak of. If she lets it slip, she's doomed against the Powerhouse DJ. But we know that TOEJAM has almost no Potential left; they don't have much bluffing power.
Moonbeam ups her bid. At the table, the GM looks at her player thoughtfully.
The DJ activates his Super.
We start to get excited; having spent all of his Potential, the DJ is left with four Force dice against Moonbeam's five Insight and 2 Potential, which she turns into 4 more dice.
We all hold our breath as the DJ makes his roll - one 6. There's a breath of relief at the table - we can do this. We just need a single 6 from a pool of nine dice.
Then, Moonbeam rolls.
No 6's. Not a single one from her entire pool.
It is dead silent at the table. We just lost our first fight. We just lost our first fight, and it got us disqualified us from the Battle of the Bands. Everyone is flabbergasted.
How could this happen? How did Nail in the Coffin lose in their second match? How will Kit get to Beatrice Boxer now? Will Princess Moonbeam embarrass herself in front of her favorite band? And where is Ian Sachs?
Find out next time, on Battle of the Bands!
It was honestly perfect. We knew the stakes of the fight;
Every character had a clear goal, and a lot of drive to achieve it;
And at the end of the day? We lost the tournament arc.
Because of course we did! The heroes can never win the tournament - they have to learn from their losses and find a new way to chase their dreams.
#indie ttrpg#ttrpg#jump! shonen battle roleplay#clash! shonen battle roleplay#campaign diary#gamedev#indie game#playtesting
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CLASH! Begins Crowdfunding Tomorrow!
It's finally here - I'm ready to start funding on CLASH!. I've been working all year on this, and it's finally time to start putting everything together.
I already have some really exciting stuff prepared for the launch. Elise @ispybluesky and I have been hard at work with illustrations, and there's some art already set to show you the second we go live. I'm also working on preliminary page layouts that should hopefully be ready soon. Check back tomorrow and thank you in advance for the support, it means the world to me.
#indie ttrpg#ttrpg#jump! shonen battle roleplay#clash! shonen battle roleplay#crowdfunding#self promo
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The Crowdfunding Campaign for CLASH! Begins in 7 Days!
What's the plan?
The campaign, hosted on Crowdfundr, will last from April 1st to June 30th. During this time, I'll be running a number of playtests and implementing features, as well as diving headfirst into the art pipeline with @ispybluesky.
By the end of the campaign, the goal is to have completed a proper first draft, with a pretty good idea for what the finished product will look like. It's going to be a busy 3 months, and I couldn't be more excited.
What else is going on?
For the duration of the campaign, I'm putting all of my games on sale! Any single game will be 30% off, or you can get a bundle of my entire library for 50% off!
I'll also be finally setting up a ko-fi during this time, for anyone who wants to toss in some support
What comes next?
The end of the campaign is still a fuzzy dot on the horizon for me, and a lot can happen between now and then. My hope is that by the time July rolls around, we'll be ready for getting to work on a final draft. I'm also juggling the idea of holding a closed beta around this time to get some feedback from the wider community.
When I started work on CLASH!, I put release day at November 1st. I knew even then that that was an ambitious goal, and in all likelihood release will actually end up somewhere early in 2025. But honestly, things are moving at a good pace, and assuming my design chops can hold up to snuff, we might just get this thing out before Hannukah.
#jump! shonen battle roleplay#clash! shonen battle roleplay#devlog#indie ttrpg#ttrpg#crowdfunding#updates & info
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In addition to the crowdfunding campaign, I'm also holding a sale on my entire library of games! Titles like Bring the Stars Home to Me, Fantasy Heartbreaker, and The Tale of Yon: A Tyrant's Throne are all 30% off. Or, if you'd like to buy every game I've ever released, you can get them all in a bundle for half price. That's six games for $32, and you'll be supporting CLASH!.
#indie ttrpg#ttrpg#jump! shonen battle roleplay#clash! shonen battle roleplay#fantasy heartbreaker#broke wizards#the tale of yon: a tyrant's throne#bring the stars home to me#duel#game breakers#itch sale#sale
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The Hanged Man and the Star
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The Hanged Man - What other creative pursuits do you have?
While I struggle with narrative prose a lot more than with game design, I'm also a novelist - or at least I'm trying to be. Once CLASH! is out, I'll be dedicating serious time to my first book.
On my own time, I sew a little. It's nothing much, and I can't make clothing currently, but I patch the clothes I do have, and I make various bits and bobs like drawstring bags and decorative patches.
The Star - Talk about a game you're working on and what excites you about it.
As my long-time followers know, I'm deep in production on CLASH! Shonen Battle Roleplay, which you can support here, here, or here if you've the inclination and funds.
In the same way that Fantasy Heartbreaker was my love letter to fantasy trad-games, CLASH! is my love letter to shonen anime. In particular, the early/mid-2000's kind; Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, and their ilk.
Its central mechanic is a system of bidding and bluffing, playing mind games with the bad guys to try to slip past their guard. This back-and-forth is interrupted by the use of Techs, which let you pull off all sorts of cool anime fight magic, and CLASHES! which bring the tension exploding inward towards the rolling of dice pools in a contest of strength and will.
CLASH! is being illustrated by the marvelous Elise, who you can follow here, and who I can't praise enough. They've been endlessly patient with me as I fiddle and tweak with their excellent design work. Every time I see their name in my email, I get a fresh wave of excitement about the color and life they're bringing to this game. You'll be seeing some of their work soon, and I couldn't be more thrilled.
The thing that excites me about CLASH! is that I'm learning how to work with a team. The playtesting my home table has been indulging me with has so far been a absolute blast, and even in preliminary drafts, Elise's work adds such a clear energy to the whole thing. Working on this game means working not only with close friends, but also making new ones along the way, and learning so much about every aspect of this job. I hope it's obvious; I'm thrilled that I have the opportunity to take this step in my career, and I'm unfathomably grateful for everyone who has supported me or the game itself. I love doing this, and I hope you like what comes of my work.
#ask meme#ask game#ask#clash! shonen battle roleplay#jump! shonen battle roleplay#fantasy heartbreaker#sale
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CLASH! Devlog, April 6, 2024 - Character Progression
It's been a while. I've had a busy couple of weeks, and I had to take a small break. But I'm back at it, so let's cover a bit of what I've been working on. Oh, and support the game here.
Character Progression
This has been one of those endlessly interesting problems when it comes to designing games. There are a lot of existing paradigms for it, but how you handle it changes a lot about how your game plays. What exactly progresses? How is that progression measured? These are especially important questions to answer in any game that emulates specific genres of fiction.
I knew that for CLASH!, character progression meant two things: empowerment and customization. Shonen heroes unlock incredible new powers and master new and impressive techniques. And while certain tropes and character types emerge across stories, one of the central pillars of "Shonen Battle" as a genre is its creativity. No two powersets are alike, and stories are built to let their authors invent any kind of colorful character or superpower they might want.
These goals meant that I could never use a level-up system for CLASH!. Class levels are handy for rpg design; they lend a framework to designers and players. No matter what other features a player chooses, the table can always count on some set of abilities and a general path of progression. This simply won't work in our case. I need to give players the ability to customize their Fighters how they like; to use the lens of Techs and Pools to give their character their own colorful superpowers. The solution I came up with is twofold.
Firstly - the Mastery system. Once per Arc, a Fighter can choose a single Tech of their choice, from the masterlist of Techs that will be found in the final book.* That Tech has a specific Mastery value, based on its tier. Normal Techs have a value of 2; Specials of 4; and Supers of 6. Whenever they like, the Fighter can use this Tech - at a price. For one, it costs one additional Potential. In addition, doing so imposes a Condition on them. However, in return for this increased cost, they can invest a single Mastery into that Tech. Once they've invested the Tech's full Mastery value into it, the Tech is theirs, and they can use it as normal.
Secondly - a Playbook-based progression system. In addition to Mastery, each Playbook will have a bespoke avenue for learning new Techs that reflects their general playstyle. These are in early stages, but I can give one example that I'm particularly proud of. This is the Cowboy's On Your Toes:
The Cowboy Playbook is about always having another trick up your sleeve, never letting the other guy know what tools you have at your disposal. But it's not about having a huge arsenal at your fingertips - rather, it's about always having an interesting and unique set of tools to help you solve the problem at hand. So the Cowboy doesn't gain Techs - they swap them out. They have a different toolbox for every fight, and approach every challenge differently.
The goal is to give each Playbook something of this caliber, that will lend to their specific trope-space while still allowing for that ever-important customization. Just wait till you see what I have planned for the Specialist.
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CLASH! Devlog, March 18, 2024 - Reworks
It was bound to happen eventually. I've hit a roadblock in development, and I think it's about time to rethink some fairly fundamental design choices.
In essence, I've designed myself into a corner. The core structure of Beats, Contests, Bursts, and Final Forms is feeling really shallow, and I quite simply can't figure out a way to built it into something that will stay fun for more than a handful of sessions at most. There's no room for meaningful or interesting character development without adding additional systems that would only bloat the game as it stands.
So I'm going back to the drawing board. Specifically, I'm gonna take a hard look at the core of the game: Contests. I'm going to experiment with some possible ways to flesh out Bidding and Counter-bidding and giving it more dimension by itself, without having to add new mechanics on top until I have to.
Don't say goodbye to the system you know just yet - there's every chance they'll find much happier new homes amidst a more interesting system down the line.
Remember, I begin crowdfunding for CLASH! April 1st! The campaign lasts until the end of June, and there'll be regular updates along the way.
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CLASH! Devlog, April 15, 2024 - Fighter Techniques (or, Progress at Last!)
Before I begin, a reminder - CLASH! is currently funding on Crowdfundr! I also have a ko-fi, and I'm holding a sale on all my work on itch.io.
Fighter Techniques
I'll spare you the long and arduous tale of last month's block, and the breakthrough that finally got me writing again. Instead, let's check out how Techs work, shall we?
Techniques, or Techs, come in three tiers: Normal, Special, and Super. Normal Techs cost 1 Potential to activate;
Special Techs cost 2 Potential;
and Super Techs cots 3.
Each Fighter Playbook comes with three standard, as well as access to the universal Focus Normal Tech.
In the end, it was so simple. I spent the entire month of March stuck on this; how do I implement kickass anime powers in a way that actually feel kickass to use? I twisted myself in knots trying to figure it out, but Occam's Razor wins out once again - I already had to Potential resource; all I needed was to give it more to do.
Techs have also helped me better implement Relationships, and have in fact incentivized me to create a new Relationship type entirely: Duels.
This is a huge piece of forward momentum, and I'm so excited to get to work again.
So What Comes Next?
With the core feeling much more stable, I feel a lot better getting to work on the periphery stuff - character progression and modes of play. I can finally come up with a resolution mechanic!
And, now that I've got a functioning engine, I can really dig down into the GM's side of the screen and focus on making it as fun to run as it is to play.
I'm also hard at work making the game look good. Elise and I have just about finalized the central Playbook character designs and are planning to start work on the final illustrations by next month.
#indie ttrpg#ttrpg#jump! shonen battle roleplay#clash! shonen battle roleplay#crowdfunding#devlog#self promo
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Crowdfunding for CLASH! Begins in Two Days!
To accompany the launch, I've finally set up a ko-fi! Donations are open at just $2, if you want to toss me a tip now and then.
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