We have good news, and we have bad news: which would you like first? Bad news? We may as well get it over with, then. Due to events beyond our control, both personal and professional, among the Kalos Comics staff, Bulletproof Blues Second Edition is about two months behind where we’d hoped to be by the beginning of August. We want to assure you that this is a delay, not a derailment — the book will be released, just later than we had hoped. We are disappointed, and we know you are, too. Thanks for sticking with us.
Now for the good news! We have the completed manuscripts for Ruins Of Atlanta (by Jason Tondro) and Extraterrestrial Villainy (by Steve Long), and we have started working on the layout for Ruins Of Atlanta. These supplements are great fun, and we know you’ll enjoy them. In fact, we were so pleased with Ruins Of Atlanta that we felt it deserved artwork to go with Jason’s delightful text, even though art for the sourcebooks was not part of the Kickstarter. We scoured the world for an artist whose style would match the setting given form by Jason Tondro, and we found one in James Shields, a freelance character artist who loves superheroes, sci-fi, and roleplaying games. We commissioned ten pieces of original art from James for Ruins Of Atlanta. Like all of the art in Bulletproof Blues Second Edition, the finished pieces will be released under a Creative Common Attribution-ShareAlike license, meaning that you will be able to use them in your own projects!
Here are four examples of works in progress from James Shields. What do you think?
We have finished the editing for Ruins Of Atlanta, by Jason Tondro, and are beginning the layout. This is a fantastic sourcebook, and we couldn’t be happier. Here’s a small sample to whet your appetite.
Ruins Of Atlanta by Jason Tondro
The Secret Of The CDC
When Paragon attacked the city of Atlanta, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were his first target. Although the state and federal government, as well as a few other organizations and individuals, have figured this out, it’s not entirely clear why the CDC earned this distinction. Moreover, because Paragon’s attack on Atlanta was the beginning of the nihilistic rampage that ended in his death, it’s possible that the CDC was somehow connected to Paragon’s fall in the first place.
Bulletproof Blues does not offer an official explanation for Paragon’s fall and his decision to target the CDC in Atlanta. Instead, we offer a half dozen potential reasons. As a GM, you can decide which, if any, of these is accurate, and you can use it to inform other aspects of the Kalos Comics setting. Investigating this secret might be a major plotline for players to pursue, or it might be irrelevant to current events, as you choose.
Existential Dread: Paragon learned that he, and possibly many other posthumans, are actually artificial beings grown in tanks housed deep in the CDC. His memories, and the memories of other posthumans who believe they have had normal lives, were constructed by powerful AI and then implanted into the clones. The realization that everything he thought he knew about himself was a lie drove Paragon into a fury, and once he began to massacre people he denied any remorse by insisting, “I’m not a real person, so how can I feel guilty?”
Ex-Terminated: Paragon had a vision of the future in which he saw a psychic alien life form arise out of the CDC and quickly absorb the minds of all it encountered. Atlanta’s million residents were consumed in minutes, and most of the rest of the world followed within days. Convinced that this future was inevitable and that 95% of humanity was certain to die, he went to drastic steps in an effort to destroy the creature and save what remained. Apparently, he was misled and that future wasn’t certain after all, because no trace of the psychic alien has (yet) been found.
“I Couldn’t Save Her!”: While investigating the breakout of a rare virus in central Africa, Paragon’s girlfriend, an investigative journalist, contracted the fever and died in the arms of CDC doctors. Paragon arrived moments later, but it was too late, and he snapped. The CDC was just the first victim of his uncontrollable grief and self-loathing.
Jailbreak Gone Bad: Paragon fell under the mental domination of Professor Petrie, a parasitic worm imbued with vast intelligence and psychic powers, but little common sense or experience in the world. Petrie summoned Paragon from across the country and commanded him to “use your powers to destroy this facility! Destroy! Destroy!” Which Paragon promptly did, obliterating the CDC where Petrie was housed, the rest of Atlanta, and (presumably) Petrie himself. With the mental command still bouncing around his head and no way to turn it off, Paragon continued his rampage until the Justifiers were forced to kill him.
The Last Straw: For decades Paragon had come to hold humanity in contempt, resenting both the pressure of being a hero and the constant criticism that comes with it. In an effort to bribe one of these critics, a scientist, into silence, he gave the man a sample of Isopteran technology. But with this, the scientist accidentally released the Burroughs Plague, a macabre linguistic virus which killed hundreds. CDC researchers called Paragon in to ask him some questions which he interpreted as accusations. He finally snapped, murdering all of them, ruining the city, and beginning his destructive rampage.
The Posthuman Plague: Paragon discovered that the federal government had developed a potential counter-measure to posthumanity, a deadly plague that can be carried and transmitted by, but which has no effect upon, ordinary people. This virus was stored at the CDC against the inevitable day that Paragon, or others like him, turned against mundane authority and decided to rule the world.
Pending any unforeseen changes, this is the cover for the print version of Bulletproof Blues Second Edition. The tablet version will be about 10% narrower, to better accommodate a tablet’s form factor.
Nick Ahlhelm invited Brandon Blackmoor to sit in on the SuperPowerCast. They discussed Bulletproof Blues Second Edition, Brandon’s history with superheroes, and how neither of them has seen Amazing Spider-Man 2 or X-Men: Days of Future Past yet.
After some discussion and feedback, both privately and over on the Kalos Comics Community page on Google+, we have made the following changes to the Order Of Play section for Bulletproof Blues second edition. Knock on wood, this is very close to what will appear in the published book.
Order Of Play
Everything that happens in a round is assumed to occur more or less simultaneously, but the players can’t all speak at once. To keep the game orderly, we need a way to determine the order in which characters act when combat starts.
The most important factor in determining who acts before whom is situational awareness. If a character is not aware of their opponent, then they don’t have the opportunity to attack. For example, if a hero is lurking on a rooftop and observes a gang of hooligans breaking into an electronics store, there is no need to roll to see who goes first. The hooligans are unaware that there is anyone to fight, so they continue carrying boxes of loot out of the store. In the first round of combat, only the hero has the opportunity to act. Depending on what the hero does and how sneaky the hero is, it’s possible that the hero might be the only one with an opportunity to act for several rounds. Only after the hooligans become aware of the hero do they get the opportunity to act. At that point, the order of action in each round is the hero first, and then the hooligans. If the combatants become aware of their adversaries in a set order, then that is the order in which they act in combat — at least, until someone changes it.
Normally, characters take their actions in the same order that they have an opportunity to act. However, if the various combatants become aware of each other more or less simultaneously, or if you would prefer to roll dice to see who goes first, the players and the GM should each make a Perception task roll at the beginning of the scene. Turns proceed each round from the highest roller to lowest. If a character (or one of the non-player characters) has the Super-speed power, the player (or GM) gets a bonus to the Perception task roll equal to the rank in Super-speed (for example, rank 4 Super-speed would provide a +4 bonus to the Perception roll).
The environment always goes last in a round. Any falling objects (including characters) fall, and any free-rolling vehicles move, after all characters have had the opportunity to use their actions. This does not include thrown projectiles or character-controlled vehicles. If any object or vehicle is under direct control by a character, then the object or vehicle will move when that character moves it or at the end of the round, at the character’s option. If a character chooses not to control a vehicle, then the vehicle will move at the end of the round.
If your character starts the scene by going last, either because your character was caught unaware or because you rolled poorly at the beginning of the scene, don’t worry too much about it. The order of play will change almost immediately. Any character may delay their turn in a round, or force their next action to do something defensive. Additionally, characters who achieve an extreme success on a block or dodge roll revise the order of play so that the attacker whose attack was foiled goes after the defender in the following rounds.
Of course, this is all just an abstraction to make task resolution easier. In reality, everything that happens in a round occurs more or less simultaneously. The difference between going first in a round and going last in a round is less a matter of time and more a matter of who has the better awareness of the situation at that moment.
Delaying A Turn
If a player does not wish to use their character’s turn when they have the opportunity, perhaps wanting to wait and see what an opponent does, the character may delay their turn, with the option of using it later in the round or on a successive round. The character may then pre-empt another character’s turn.
Delaying a turn does not alter the order of play. After the character has taken their turn, the order of play resumes its previous sequence.
Example: Combat starts when Blueshift runs around a corner and sees Ganyeka, who is giving commands to his henchmen. The GM declares that the order of play is Blueshift, then Ganyeka, then Ganyeka’s henchmen.
On the second round, Monolith runs around the corner, startling Ganyeka’s henchmen because, wow, that guy is huge. The GM declares that the order of play is Blueshift, then Ganyeka, then Monolith, then Ganyeka’s henchmen.
On the third round, Blueshift delays her turn, waiting to see what Monolith does. When it is Monolith’s turn, he attempts to grapple with Ganyeka. Blueshift uses her delayed turn to assist Monolith by coordinating her attack with his.
Sometimes a character might need to take a desperate action before they have had the opportunity to take their turn in a round or after they have already taken their turn in a round. This is known as forcing the character’s action. Forcing an action allows a character to sacrifice their next turn in order to block, dodge, dive for cover, activate a defensive power, or take another purely defensive action. A forced action can also be used to take a defensive action on someone else’s behalf, such as diving in front of an attack to protect an innocent bystander. The character may not force an action which the GM could construe as an attack, such as blocking a bullet with an opponent’s unconscious body or running into someone. When a character forces their action, they sacrifice their next available turn, whether that action would be in the current round or on the next round. A character may only force an action once per round.
Because a forced action is always defensive, it always takes place at the appropriate time, either before or during the attack which triggered it. The attacker does not have the opportunity to “take back” their attack.
Forcing an action does not alter the order of play. After the character’s next available turn has passed (the turn they sacrificed in order to take a defensive action sooner), the order of play resumes its previous sequence.
Example: Continuing from the previous example, on the fifth round, the order of play is Blueshift, then Ganyeka, then Monolith, then Ganyeka’s henchmen.
On the sixth round, Blueshift makes short work of two of Ganyeka’s henchmen with a sweep attack. Ganyeka then pulls out a sinister-looking weapon, aims it at Monolith, and fires. Blueshift forces her next action to leap between Ganyeka and Monolith, taking the full brunt of Ganyeka’s attack.
During their turn, or as a forced action, a character may use a task action to attempt to block an attack against them. The defender may continue attempting to block additional attacks until their next action.
A block might entail using brute force to withstand the attack, or it might involve using finesse to harmlessly divert an attack away: the choice is up to the player. To attempt a block, the player attempts a Prowess task roll against the rank of the attacker’s power or weapon. For example, if the attacker had rank a 9 Blast, the task difficulty to block it would be 9 + 8 = 17. If the defender has expertise with blocking, they gain a +3 bonus on their Prowess task roll.
If the defender rolls an extreme success, then the order of play is revised so that on future rounds, the character whose attack was blocked acts after the character who successfully blocked the attack.
Example: Ganyeka attacks Monolith, and Monolith forces his action in order to block. Monolith rolls an extreme success on his block. This revises the order of play so that Ganyeka’s turn comes after Monolith’s turn on successive rounds.
Normally, only attacks which inflict Endurance damage may be blocked. However, if the defender has the same power as the attacker, they may use that power to attempt to block. For example, a defender with Telepathy may use their Telepathy to attempt to block the Telepathy of an attacker. With the GM’s permission, a character may attempt to block with a power that has a similar theme or power source. For example, a GM might permit a character to use their Telepathy to attempt to block an attacker’s Mind Control.
A character chooses to block after determining if the attack will successfully hit: there is no need to block an attack that misses. A successful block completely negates the attack. An unsuccessful block has no effect on the attack.
Dodging
During their turn, or as a forced action, a character may use a task action to attempt to dodge an attack against them. The defender may continue attempting to dodge additional attacks until their next action.
To attempt a dodge, the player attempts an Agility task roll against the rank of the attacker’s power or weapon. For example, if the attacker had rank a 9 Blast, the task difficulty to dodge it would be 9 + 8 = 17. If the defender has expertise with dodging, they gain a +3 bonus on their Agility task roll.
If the defender rolls an extreme success, then the order of play is revised so that on future rounds, the character whose attack was dodged acts after the character who successfully dodged the attack.
Example: Continuing the example above, Blueshift attacks Ganyeka, and Ganyeka forces his action in order to dodge. Ganyeka rolls an extreme success on his dodge. This revises the order of play so that Blueshift’s turn comes after Ganyeka’s turn on successive rounds.
Round 3
Blueshift’s turn Monolith’s turn Ganyeka’s turn (dodges an attack by Blueshift) Ganyeka’s henchmen’s turn
Normally, only attacks which inflict Endurance damage may be dodged. However, if the defender has the same power as the attacker, they may use that power to attempt to dodge. For example, a defender with Telepathy may use their Telepathy to attempt to dodge the Telepathy of an attacker. With the GM’s permission, a character may attempt to dodge with a power that has a similar theme or power source. For example, a GM might permit a character to use their Telepathy to attempt to dodge an attacker’s Mind Control.
A character chooses to dodge after determining if the attack will successfully hit: there is no need to dodge an attack that misses. A successful dodge completely negates the attack. An unsuccessful dodge has no effect on the attack.
We are making some minor changes to blocking and dodging in the second edition of Bulletproof Blues. For one thing, expertise in blocking or dodging gives the player a +3 bonus on those rolls (that’s how expertise will work in second edition). For another, an extreme success on a block or dodge task roll alters the order of play so that the attacker’s turn comes after the defender’s turn on following rounds.
As you know, the difficulty of blocking and dodging are both based on the rank of the attacker’s power or weapon. That seems strange to some players. Wouldn’t it make more sense to make these rolls against the attacker’s Accuracy or Prowess? We base these rolls on the rank of the attacker’s power for two reasons.
First, a character only chooses to block or dodge if the attack has already hit them, which means that there has already been an Accuracy or Prowess roll, and the attacker rolled well enough to hit. There is a good chance that a second roll would have a similar outcome, so we base the block and dodge rolls on the rank of the attacker’s power or weapon in order to give the defender a chance to change the odds, particularly against attackers with very high Accuracy and Prowess.
Second, the rank of a power is more than just how much damage it does. The power’s rank also reflects the character’s skill and finesse in using that power. By basing block and dodge on the rank of the power, we take into account how much control the attacker has over the power in addition to how much sheer force they are using.
[Ultra-power], which permits the character to use a wide range of powers for 3 character points per rank, is open to abuse by players who care less about having fun than they do about “winning”. It’s important to stress that the powers in an [Ultra-power] should have a tightly unifying theme and should all derive from the same power source. If the [Ultra-power] is relatively low-powered, like Grimknight’s “investigator’s tools”, then the GM may want to turn a blind eye if the player plays a bit fast and loose with the “tightly unifying theme”. After all, there’s not much harm in allowing the player some latitude when the rank of the [Ultra-power] is only 1 or 2.
For a character whose main power is the [Ultra-power], enforcing the theme becomes more important. A character who can accomplish anything the player can think of can easily spoil a game and ruin everyone’s fun.
It’s also important to recognize that just because the [Ultra-power] is rank 6, for example, that doesn’t mean that every power in the [Ultra-power] necessarily has rank 6. For example, Miasma’s “grenade launcher” [Ultra-power] is truly formidable at rank 11, yet she has several grenades which are of far less rank than that. Her smoke grenade, for example, is only rank 2. The most important thing to consider when choosing the rank of a power in an [Ultra-power] is what makes sense for the character.
The theme and the rank of the [Ultra-power] are important limits on the character, but the most important limit should be what makes sense for the character’s background and abilities. A character should never have a power simply because the rules permit it. You control the game, not the rulebook.
I have some questions about the Bullet Proof character sheet helper spreadsheet. I am in the middle of creating a gadgeteer for a pulp hero game and was wondering about the Ultra Power on the sheet. How do group my gadgets under Ultra Power or do I not and just do them individually?
Logan
Hi, Logan!
The way [Ultra-power] works, it allows you to have any power that a) fits in the theme of the [Ultra-power], and b) has the rank of the [Ultra-power] (or less).
In the Character Sheet Helper, you buy the [Ultra-power] in the top powers section, and then, if you want, you can write up some frequently-used powers in the [Ultra-power] section in the bottom part of that screen. The powers listed in the [Ultra-power] section do not cost the character any points, and you are not limited to the powers you write up in the [Ultra-power] section — that list is just to make it easier for you and the GM during play. If you take a look at the Character Sheet Helper file for Miasma, she’s a pretty good example of how to write up a character with an [Ultra-power].
One of the rules we would like to simplify in Bulletproof Blues 2e concerns expertise and extreme success.
Right now, expertise with a skill (including a combat skill) costs 1 point. Expertise does not provide a bonus to the task roll; the benefit of expertise is that it allows a character to achieve “extreme success” if they roll particularly well (3 or more over what they need):
If the character has expertise in the power or skill, and the player rolls three or more over the task difficulty, the character achieves an “extreme success”. So if a character attempted a challenging task (task difficulty 12), and the player rolled 15 or more, and the character had expertise, this would be an extreme success. (from Actions, “Extreme Success”)
We are considering separating these game mechanics, in the following fashion. First, expertise would provide a +3 bonus to the player’s task roll. A character with expertise in Searching, for example, would have a +3 bonus on a Perception task rolls to find a clue in among a suspect’s belongings. Similarly, a character with Expertise with Archery would have a +3 bonus when using a bow in combat. We would keep the admonition that only *very* unusual villains have expertise:
Only very unusual villains have expertise. Expertise can have a powerful effect in combat, and it tends to be more powerful in the hands of the GM than in the hands of the players because the GM rolls more dice over the course of the game than any of the players do. For this reason, it is best to restrict villainous expertise to only those villains that truly do have an exceptional amount of control over their powers and abilities. (from Skills, “Villainous Expertise”)
How would this affect extreme success?
First, expertise would no longer be required in order to achieve extreme success: anyone who rolled exceptionally well would be able to choose from one of the extreme success bonus effects (overwhelming the target, smashing the target, or staggering the target).
Second, because these bonus effects would occur more frequently, we would reduce the damage bonus of an overwhelming attack from +3 down to +1.
With these revisions, one repercussion of extreme success is that characters with very high Prowess or Accuracy can often rely on doing extra damage with their attacks. Conversely, characters with very low Prowess or Accuracy will often take extra damage from attacks.
Why should you support this Kickstarter? New interior art! New cover art! A whole new GM Resources section, with more information about the Kalos Universe setting! A new, more attractive layout! More sample characters! Stories, sourcebooks, and adventures from Steve Long, Chris Helton, Jason Tondro, and Sean Patrick Fannon! And so much more, all dual-licensed under the OGL and Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike licenses!
What can you do to help? Well, obviously we’d like you to back the project. Every little bit helps! But even more important than your direct financial support is your spreading the word. This campaign will only be successful if it reaches a wider audience than the existing Kalos Comics fan base. Please help! Share news of this Kickstarter campaign, “like” and/or “circle” the Kalos Comics pages on Facebook and Google+, and if we post any campaign updates you like, please share them!
We would love for this campaign to be successful, but it can only happen with your help.
The campaign is off to a great start. We are only on day 2, and our first goal is 60% funded. Let’s keep the momentum going! Share the link for the campaign, and ask your friends to share it. Encourage them to support the project. If you have questions or suggestions, let us know! Together, we can make this happen, and fund all of our fantastic stretch goals.
And because we believe that what comes around goes around, from time to time during this campaign we will point you to other Kickstarter campaigns that we think are fun or interesting. Even if you aren’t able to support our campaign, take a look at these other campaigns and see if you’d like to support them. Today’s shout-out goes to Iron Edda: War of Metal and Bone for Fate Core. Their campaign has already met its initial goal, but they have some really fun stretch goals. Check it out!
Day 4: Two-thirds of the way to our base goal! (2014-02-04)
It’s day 4 of our Kickstarter, and the campaign has broken $1000! We are 2/3 of the way to our base goal. Of course, we want to go much further than that. To fund the cover and the new character art, we’ll need to hit $5000. To fund the fabulous stories, sourcebooks, and adventures of our stretch goal authors, we will need to reach almost $11,000. And to have the brilliant Dan Houser provide new illustrations for each of the chapters, we will need to reach a little over $13,000.
But we can do it! All it takes is just a handful of backers (say, a thousand or so) to back us at the $10 or $25 level. It’s possible: we just need to get the word out. So please share the Kickstarter link among your friends and circles (as appropriate — please don’t spam), and ask them to do the same. A fantastic second edition of Bulletproof Blues is within our reach.
As part of “what comes around goes around”, today I’d like to direct your attention to Medusa’s Guide for Gamer Girls, a book for women gamers and those of us who love them. Some of the book will look at problems we face in a male-dominated hobby, but it’s a constructive book too. Medusa’s Guide for Gamer Girls is the brainchild of Christina Stiles, a respected and prolific game author, but if the IndieGogo campaign is successful, it will also include contributions from a number of other women in the gaming industry. Check it out.
Day 5: Miamsa inks, BAMF! podcast, and Something Terrible! (2014-02-05)
Miasma inks by Sean Izaakse
Welcome to day 5! We have four entries in our update for you today. First, here is the inked version of Miasma, by Sean Izaakse! A few minutes ago, I sent the high-resolution version of this image to our backers, but this lower-resolution version is for everyone to enjoy.
Second, the campaign has surpassed $1100, and is still growing! That’s entirely due to everyone who has supported or shared our campaign. We would not have come this far without you. Thanks!
If you have suggestions for how we can attract even more supporters, please let us know. We are open to your ideas!
Third, here is a fun podcast that Sean Izaakse and I were invited to sit in on recently: the BAMF! Podcast from Mike Lafferty. We talked about Elseworlds, alternate continuities, and just generally waxed geeky about superhero comics. Check it out!
Finally, as our “what comes around goes around” entry for this update, here is a touching autobiographical drawing by Dean Trippe on a sensitive topic: sexual violence toward children. It’s worth reading, and if you have 99 cents to spare, please consider buying a copy of Something Terrible, the artist’s book.
Day 6: $100 to go, The Fall Of Man, and Perils Of The Lady Gamer! (2014-02-06)
It’s Day 6 of the campaign, and we are just a smidge away from reaching our base goal. Thank you! When the campaign hits $1500, we’ll post the full color illustration of Miasma (and our backers will get a high-resolution version). Look for it soon!
In the “what comes around goes around” department, we’d like to direct your attention to The Fall Of Man, a post apocalyptic-gothic-horror-fantasy RPG set on ruined Earth and compatible with Pathfinder and other game systems. Their Kickstarter is ten days and about $15,000 away from their goal. Check it out! Your support may make the crucial difference. (You may also want to check out this Dorkland! interview of the game’s designers.)
Finally, take a look at this comic: “Perils Of The Lady Gamer” (a new Graphical Diversion by Shaenon K. Garrity). It would be funny if it weren’t true (although it’s still kind of funny, in a black humour sort of way).
Meeting our base goal is a milestone (thanks!), but we have so much further to go. We need to reach:
$6100 in pledges to pay for the new cover and all of the new character art,
$10,700 to pay for the wonderful sourcebooks and adventures from our stretch goal authors, and
$13,100 to pay for the new chapter art.
We can do it, if we can get the word out to the many gamers and superhero fans out there that have never heard of Bulletproof Blues. So please share the Kickstarter link with your friends, and if you have any suggestions for how we can attract more backers for the campaign, please let us know.
Character sheet contest
Don’t forget about the character sheet contest! Take one of the characters from Bulletproof Blues, and write, draw, or design a new format for the character’s write-up at the back of Bulletproof Blues Second Edition. The winner will receive credit in the second edition credits and a free print copy of the game (either the current edition, or, if they are willing to wait for it, the second edition).
The contest will run through the end of the Kickstarter, but don’t wait until the last minute. Send your contest entries to bblackmoor@kaloscomics.com .
What comes around goes around
Today’s “What comes around goes around” feature is AMP: Year One, A Modern Supers RPG by Eloy Lasanta (from Third Eye Games). Players become the first of their kind in a modern world of conspiracy and danger. Why would I point you to another superhero RPG Kickstarter? Because, as we say in the introduction to Bulletproof Blues, different people like different things, and that’s okay! Maybe Bulletproof Blues isn’t your bag, or maybe you’ll like both games: who knows? The most important thing is that you find the games you like. If that’s Bulletproof Blues, great. If that’s AMP, or some other game, that’s great, too. So check it out!
Great news! Over the weekend, we conducted a survey of our current backers to see how they would like us to prioritize our stretch goals. As a result, we have re-organized our stretch goals. Check them out! As a result of this re-organization, we are only $44 away from our first stretch goal, The Ruins of Atlanta from Jason Tondro. That’s just one backer at the National Icon level!
To celebrate, here is the inked version of Chthyra by Sean Izaakse. As always, our backers will be receiving the high resolution version of this image in a separate update, licensed to them under the Creative Common Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 US license.
While you are are admiring that, pop over to the GagMen Podcast. They invited Brandon Blackmoor to sit in with them and help concoct a one-shot adventure for Bulletproof Blues. Brandon had a lot of fun doing it, and we hope you enjoy listening to it.
Day 11: Atlanta in ruins, Chthyra in colour, and Dorkland! (2014-02-11)
Ruins of Atlanta is funded!
We have reached our first stretch goal: Ruins of Atlanta by Jason Tondro!
Ruins of Atlanta by Jason Tondro
Everyone who supports the campaign at the City Defender ($25) level or above will receive this PDF supplement and all other supplements unlocked throughout the Kickstarter campaign.
Chthyra in colour
As part of our regular updates, here is the full colour version of Chthyra, the Crawling Chaos! Our backers will be receiving a high-resolution version of this image, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 US license.
Dorkland!
The Dorkland! blog regularly features fun and interesting content related to comics and roleplaying games. Recently they had some very nice things to say about Bulletproof Blues.
Day 12: Manticore in black and white, and Nimona! (2014-02-12)
Manticore by Sean Izaakse
A quick update today. First, we have updated the Kickstarter site to reveal the inks for one of our favorite sample characters, Manticore. Fun facts! In China, Manticore is known as “Dragon’s Lovely Daughter”, while in Japan she is known as “Super Demon Rider Girl”.
Second, we recently encountered a fun and different take on the the superhero genre: Nimona, an ongoing comic by Noelle Stevenson! Nimona is the spunky sidekick to supervillain Balister Blackheart, but don’t sell her short! She grows on you. 🙂 Nimona updates Tuesdays and Thursdays. Check it out!
Day 13: Manticore in colour and superheroic academia! (2014-02-13)
We are fast approaching our second stretch goal: more characters, and more art! So keep spreading the word!
Manticore in full colour
Here is the full colour version of Manticore. Our backers can find the high-resolution version of this image in the super-secret Backer Rewards Vault.
Superheroes in academia
Do you like superheroes? Sure, we all do! We’d like to take this opportunity to share links to a couple of book on the subject that you might find interesting.
In the less than eight decades since Superman’s debut in 1938, comic book superheroes have become an indispensable part of American society and the nation’s dominant mythology. They represent America’s hopes, dreams, fears, and needs. As a form of popular literature, superhero narratives have closely mirrored trends and events in the nation.
This study views American history from 1938 to 2010 through the lens of superhero comics, revealing the spandex-clad guardians to be not only fictional characters but barometers of the place and time in which they reside.
These essays consider the way that heroes and the domestic spaces they defend have been represented in 20th and early 21st century popular forms, especially film, comic books and material culture. The authors work in various academic disciplines such as English, film studies, history and human geography, thus bringing a rich variety of theoretical vantage points to the reader in a single collection.
Topics covered include Tales of Suspense, Captain America, gender and popular culture during World War II, Iron Man and the military-industrial complex, Batman, Xena: Warrior Princess, The Ring, Ridley Scott, and many others.
Day 14: We love games (and Thornmallow inks)! (2014-02-14)
Thornmallow by Sean Izaakse
We’ll keep it short today. DriveThruRPG is having a “We Love Games” sale this week. In honor of St. Valentine’s Day, they are marking a whole pile of stuff down to 14% off this week, February 14-20. Check it out!
Day 15: Thornmallow in “undead colour” and Blambot fonts! (2014-02-15)
We are officially halfway through the campaign, and over halfway to our second stretch goal — more characters, more art! We are trying to find ways to reach new people who haven’t heard of our Kickstarter campaign yet. If you have a suggestion, send it to bblackmoor@kaloscomics.com
Thornmallow in colour
Here is Thornmallow, the Iron Lich, in full “undead colour”. Backers can get the high-resolution version of this and all of our previous high-resolution updates from our Backer Rewards Vault.
Blambot fonts
Did you know that the Bulletproof Blues logo uses the Revenger BB font by Nate Piekos? The Blambot site has tons of free and pay fonts suitable for comicbooks and roleplaying games. Check it out!
Day 16: Widow inks and Warren Ellis’ birthday! (2014-02-16)
A quick update today: inks for Widow, and a nod to Warren Ellis, creator of Planetary, one of the inspirations for Bulletproof Blues.
Widow inks!
Widow by Sean Izaakse
First, we have updated the Kickstarter site to reveal the inks for another of our favorite sample characters, Charlotte McCoy, known to the fine people of Chicago as the wild and wonderful Widow. Fun fact! The nanotechnological goo that enhances Charlotte McCoy’s strength and speed was originally bonded with the late photojournalist Carson Cross, who secretly led a double life as the notorious Scarlet Spider.
Happy birthday Warren Ellis!
Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes (most notably nanotechnology, cryonics, mind transfer, and human enhancement).
In 1997 Ellis started Transmetropolitan, a creator-owned series about an acerbic “gonzo” journalist in a dystopian future America, co-created with artist Darick Robertson and published by DC’s Helix imprint. When Helix was discontinued the following year, Transmetropolitan was shifted to the Vertigo imprint, and remained one of the most successful non-superhero comics DC was then publishing. Transmetropolitan ran for 60 issues (plus a few specials), ending in 2002, and the entire run was later collected in a series of trade paperbacks. It remains Ellis’s largest work to date.
1999 saw the launch of Planetary, another Wildstorm series by Ellis and John Cassaday. Planetary concluded in October 2009 with the release of issue 27.
Day 17: Widow in colour and the Lion Whisperer! (2014-02-17)
Here is Widow in full vibrant colour, courtesy of brilliant artist Sean Izaakse. As always, our backers get a high-resolution version of this image, released under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 US license.
Did you know that Sean Izaakse hails from South Africa? He does! We don’t know if Sean has ever hugged a lion or snuggled with a hyena, but here is a video of one of his countrymen doing just that!
Day 18: Noble Glaucus inks, and the life of a struggling superhero artist! (2014-02-18)
Noble Glaucus inks by Sean Izaakse
Here are the inks for Noble Glaucus, Warlord of Lemuria.
Have you heard of Minimum Wage? In Minimum Wage, writer/artist Bob Fingerman documents the life of an up-and-coming comic creator who is transitioning from a life as a starving indie cartoonist into the bright lights and big dreams of work in the superhero mainstream. Fingerman himself has lived the life of a comics creator and worked with virtually all of the publishers (both superhero and independent), and the stories in this recently relaunched Image series are filled with true stories, backstage gossip and Fingerman’s imagination to create a fictional view of being a working comics creator that is brutal, heartening and humorous. Check it out!
Day 19: Stretch goal 2 and Noble Glaucus colors! (2014-02-19)
As I write this, the Kickstarter has blown past our second stretch goal (more art! more characters!) and is heading toward our third stretch goal (Extraterrestrial Villainy, from Steve Long)! That’s exciting!
We also have the last of our scheduled art update to share with you: the colours for the aquatic antihero, Noble Glaucus, Warlord of Lemuria!
Day 20: Contests and podcasts! (2014-02-20)
Did you know that there are two different contests related to Bulletproof Blues? There are! And they are awesome!
Character sheet contest
First, we have a contest to redesign the character sheet we use for sample characters in the book itself and in the character art packs we release on DriveThruRPG. Entering is easy! Just take one of the sample characters in Bulletproof Blues, and write, draw, or design a new format for the character’s write-up. The winner will receive credit in the second edition credits and a free print copy of the game (either the current edition, or, if they are willing to wait for it, the second edition).
We have decided to extend the contest until March 31, to coincide with the GagMen contest, below. Send your contest entries to bblackmoor@kaloscomics.com.
GagMen contest
The GagMen are a group of friends that get together periodically, brainstorm a one-shot adventure, and then publish it! Once in a while they invite a guest along to join the fun.
Right now the GagMen are having a character contest, and the winner gets everything at the Kalos Team-Up reward level from the Bulletproof Blues Second Edition Kickstarter. That’s all the PDFs, a print version of the game, plus comicbook artist Sean Izaakse will draw your character, and your character will be featured in Bulletproof Blues Second Edition! You will also receive a high-resolution digital copy of your character, released to you under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 US license. Here is a short version of the rules:
The character can be any hero, villain, or even regular person that anyone could find in the Bulletproof Blues universe.
Submission should include your name, email contact, and be no more than 1000 words, but could be as simple as a name. Pictures or photographs (for cosplayers) would also be acceptable, but please do not use a name or picture you don’t have the rights to use.
The character should be based in the contemporary world of Bulletproof Blues, or be capable of being used in the contemporary setting.
All character entries do not need to have statistics, though it would be helpful.
Four characters will be selected by the hosts of GagMen and those four finalists will be sent to Kalos Comics, who will select the winner.
The winning character will be drawn by comic book artist Sean Izaakse and the character will be featured in Bulletproof Blues Second Edition. The winner will also receive a digital copy of the image, released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 US license.
Entries accepted until March 31, 2014 at midnight east coast time.
Bulletproof Blues head writer Brandon Blackmoor has been making the rounds on gaming podcasts over the past couple of weeks. In addition to the GagMen podcast, he sat in with Steve Russell (of Rite Publishing) and Owen Stephens (of Rogue Genius Games and Green Ronin) on their Demiplane of Gaming podcast. Last but not least, Nicholas Ahlhelm invited Brandon to join him tonight on the SuperPowerCast. Keep an eye on the SuperPowerCast site for that podcast!
Day 23: The final week! (2014-02-23)
With only seven days to go, we are swiftly approaching the third stretch goal, an adventure written by Steve Long. We are confident that we will blow past that goal and continue racking up more! If you’d like to get as much as possible for your generous support, spread the news about the Kickstarter, and ask your friends to spread the news, as well. More eyes on the campaign means more support, and the more support we have, the more you will get for your contribution.
In the “what comes around goes around” department, we’d like to share with you a game reviewer that we only discovered today: The Gentleman Gamer. We’ve only watched a few of his videos so far, but we like his take on things. Check it out! For example, here is an excellent commentary on “Sexuality, Gender, and Race in RPGs”.
Day 24: A quiz for Monday! (2014-02-24)
It’s day 24, and we are $250 away from stretch goal $6 #3: Steve Long’s adventure. How did your Monday go? Need some distraction? Try out this 20-question quiz from PlayBuzz:
If you read closely, you probably thought that the previous update was supposed to say, “It’s day 24, and we are $250 away from stretch goal #3: Steve Long’s adventure.” You MIGHT think that, but in fact it SHOULD say,
“It’s day 26, and we are only $100 away from stretch goal #3: Steve Long’s adventure!”
We are excited, and we hope you are, too. Maybe even excited enough to write your own roleplaying game! If so, here are some helpful links:
Day 27: 3 days left, and Extraterrestrial Villainy by Steven S. Long is funded! (2014-02-27)
Stretch goal three has been funded!
Gaming industry veteran Steven S. Long will provide a short adventure involving extraterrestrials.
Day 28: 2 days left! Cosmic Adventures funded! (2014-02-28)
Two days left, and the stretch goals are falling like dominoes!
Christopher Helton will develop a larger than life space setting featuring (but not limited to) powerful alien cultures, space-faring law-enforcement agencies, and big, cinematic dangers that need the power of fearless super-beings.
Christopher Helton will develop a larger than life space setting featuring (but not limited to) powerful alien cultures, space-faring law-enforcement agencies, and big, cinematic dangers that need the power of fearless super-beings.
And we are only a few hundred dollars from stretch goal five, which will give you even more great character art from Sean Izaakse! If you have friends who were hesitating to support the kickstarter, don’t let them miss out! Share the news!
Day 29: Final day! Stretch goal 5 funded and then some! (2014-03-01)
Tomorrow, March 2, is the final day of the campaign. Stretch goal 5, “More characters, more art!” has been funded and left in the dust!
A total of nineteen character illustrations by brilliant artist Sean Izaakse!
A total of nineteen character illustrations by brilliant artist Sean Izaakse!
Our next stretch goal is new chapter art by Icons line artist Dan Houser. Will we make it? Let’s find out!
Success! (2014-03-03)
The Kickstarter campaign has ended. The final total is $5,277. We didn’t fund all of our stretch goals, but we funded most of them, and that’s fantastic! Huge thanks to everyone who backed the project or spread the word about it. Doubly huge thanks to the authors and artists who offered to contribute to the project: Sean Patrick Fannon, Christopher Helton, Dan Houser, Sean Izaakse, Steven S. Long, Jason Tondro, and John Zeleznik. I am certain that it would not have been anywhere near as successful without their encouragement and support.
Distraction can be used by a character to mislead an enemy into dropping their guard. Distracting an opponent requires a Willpower task roll against the Willpower of the opponent. If the distraction is successful, the next attack against the distracted opponent on the following round receives a +3 attack bonus.
Using Willpower for distracting an opponent may seem counterintuitive. Wouldn’t Prowess or Perception seem more appropriate? Not at all. Distracting an opponent — whether in physical combat (such as a gunfight), psychic combat (such as a battle of wills), or in a social conflict (such as a marital dispute) — isn’t about how good you are in a fight or how good you are at noticing things. Anyone who has ever seen a talented stage magician at work knows that the real “trick” to most illusions is getting the audience to look where the magician wants them to look. In game system terms, that’s a classic Willpower vs. Willpower task roll.
Additionally, one of the main reasons we added the distraction maneuver to Bulletproof Blues was to help characters with low physical attributes cope with combat. Characters with high physical attributes don’t usually need to resort to distraction. Characters with high Willpower, on the other hand, are exactly the type of characters that need to use tactics like distraction.
