2023 Summer Games Update

 Hi folks, quick updates on the status of games.

I was able to show off Skrap Packs at Break My Game recently and was able to figure out some aspects I wasn’t sure how to codify.

The rules are written, and now I’m trying to cut them down from 17 pages to something more manageable. I’m looking to post the game on sale online sometime before the end of the year.

For Alter Arms, I’m tweaking some special abilities still but otherwise on track. I want to get the setting stuff fleshed out more.

Regarding upcoming public games: I’m running at AwesomecCon in Washington, DC at as part of Games on Demand June 16 - 18. I hope to see you there!

KatsuCon 2023

 

I had a great set of demos at KatsuCon this past weekend with some awesome players! Highlights include the Alter Arms player who played a hero with a Stage Magician gimmick, allowing them to tie up opponents with escapology chains and use balloons to gather intel. There was also the Skrap Packs player who combined their metal gauntlet with a potato peeler to make a clawed glove they named “Can I Borrow a Peeling.”

Regarding testing feedback, notable findings include:

The major takeaway from this session was codifying consequences for losing health.

The game has PCs hold three items as on-hand (face up, ready for use) at a time. When they lose health from enemy attacks or traps, I want a consequence to be focused on the status of their items. I’ve decided on the following.

PCs have 20 total health.

If they lose 5 health in a single round of combat, they drop one of their items on-hand at random. It falls to the field of combat but can still be recovered on their turn for a penalty.

If they lose 10 health in a single round of combat, one of their items on-hand is destroyed at random. They lose it and it is given to the GM to put back into the deck of items that can be found in the game world.

If they lose all of their health, all of the items they have on-hand are destroyed. The character then returns to 10 health, but must now scrounge for new tools.

Sentimental items (which have personal value to the PC and special mechanics in different circumstances) can be destroyed in the previously mentioned methods. If at any time a personal item is destroyed in the above situations, then the character returns to full health and the opponent who caused the item to be destroyed falls to half of their current health.

 

Be sure to check back for updates on upcoming events and release info!

2023 Games Updates and Next Live Demos

PAX Unplugged and MAGFest were both delightful experiences where I got some great feedback from folks about the status of both of my games.

For Alter Arms, I had some minor updates for special abilities, and have introduced tokens into physical play to keep track of turns.

For Skrap Packs, I’ve updated some cards and included mechanics for restricting inventory. This has encouraged players to be more considerate of the items their characters keep, use and combine.

My current upcoming goal is to work on additional theme cards for Skrap Packs—this time based on medieval fantasy adventures—and setup Skrap Packs for sale on Itch.io by the end of the year.

The current plan is to demo both games during KatsuCon 2023 on both Friday and Saturday. 

2022 Fall Update (PAX Unplugged, MAGFest)

 

I have two conventions coming up where I’ll be running both Alter Arms and Skrap Packs.

The first is PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Dec. 2 & 3 as part of Games on Demand.

The next will be at Super MAGFest in National Harbor, MD at the Gaylord Convention Center, Jan 5-7, 2023 as part of the MAGFest Indie Tabletop Showcase (MITS).

Some changes I am implementing for playtests the playtests include:

Skrap Packs Updates:

• Introduced the concept of back size limits. Can upgrade packs to hold additional cards by finding cards with the Material suite. These items can be discarded in order to expand pack size.

• Introduced the concept of Advantage (ADV) where a character’s proficiency in using the items for the task will allow them to reroll any number of the 4 dice once per move.

• More special items have been given unique effects, such as providing ADV once per encounter, or allowing you to gain double your normal bonus.

I hope to see you at these event! If not, feel free to either reach out to me or join my discord for more frequent updates.

Coming Up: BlerdCon 2022

 

I'll be in the tabletop room at BlerdCon 2022 on Saturday, July 9 from 2PM - 8PM Eastern time. Be sure to stop by for a demo at one of my favorite conventions!

Learn more here about the event here!

Coming Up: AwesomeCon 2022

I'll be running Skrap Packs at AwesomeCon 2022 in the tabletop gaming room on Saturday, June 4 during two, 2-hour sessions.

Find the listings and sign-up here. Hope to see you there!

Welcome to the Skrap Packs Production Blog!

This is the production blog for the crafting tabletop roleplaying game Skrap Packs. Here, I will be posting updates on the status of the game and general information for those who want to find out more about it. 

How Do You Play Skrap Packs?

In Skrap Packs, players create characters that explore settings, scavenge items and assemble new ones that they can use to solve problems. Each item is in the form of a card, which are also used to help the game master (GM) in generating the world.

Each item is represented by a card that the GM pulls from one of the game decks, different decks representing a different kind of item.

Mundane Item

• Mundane Items: Cards representing normal, everyday things that the player characters can find in the world. These are drawn to give player characters a reward for defeating enemies, searching the area, or building flavor for a new place or non-player character they're first encountering.
  

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  Plot Item

  Plot Items: Unique items to the overall genre or setting of the story that the GM is presenting. These can be things like sci-fi weaponry, cursed objects, or even living creatures that act as tools.
  

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  Sentimental Item

  Sentimental Items: Unique items with personal value to the player character. These are things that help them recover when in a tight spot, and can be sacrificed in order to resolve a problem as well as develop the character's identity.

When presented with a challenge, players will look at the items they have and propose to the GM how they can use them to resolve the issue. The GM and player go over a checklist to calculate a bonus that they'll apply to a roll to see if the move is successful or not. 

What's This About Crafting?

There might be times when players realize their characters have items to put together a more useful tool than what they already have. When they do so, they present to the GM what they want to make, and the items they want to use to make it. The GM and player then go over a checklist to calculate a bonus that they'll apply to a roll to see how many uses this new crafted item will have.

Creating a Character

The current Skrap Packs character sheet

Both when calculating the bonus for using items, and when calculating the bonus for how many uses an item could have, a major factor is what the character's title, or background is. There are no real stats in Skrap Packs, instead, characters effectiveness at performing actions is focused around the items they use to perform a task, and their character's effectiveness at using those tools for that task.

Players create their characters' title by interpreting two things: 

1. The scenario that their characters exist in, such as they are teens the night before graduation, partying at a cabin in the woods, or passengers on a cruise ship that has run ashore of a desert island. In campaigns, players take the role of interdimensional scavengers, going to different universes and getting caught-up in adventures as they attempt to steal everything that's not nailed down.
2. The items their character starts with. Players are given a set of mundane items and a sentimental item that they compare with their scenario and decide who they're playing as.

Players write their character's title at the top of the page, and reference it as they play the game to calculate their bonuses. 

Gameplay has players come up with interesting ways to use the items they start with, scavenge, or create, based on who their character is and how they develop over the course of the game.

Marketing Plan

The marketing plan for Skrap Packs is to produce individual packs based around themes. Each pack would contain a deck of mundane, plot and sentimental cards. There would be one deck of mundane cards that revolve around things you could randomly find in the setting proposed by the pack. There would be at least two different decks of plot cards, each for different paths that the plot could go down based on the pack's setting. Lastly, the single sentimental items deck would provide new fodder for character creation, both for players and non-players.

This ties into campaign play; players take the role of interdimensional scavengers, with each pack offering new locations to visit, plots to experience, and items to collect.