Wannabe Games are crowdfunding a game set in a world in a crisis, a world in which megacorps are vying for control and extracting enough magick from the earth to kill the planet.
The campaign for the indie RPG is seeking $5,000 to fund. After only a few days, Wannabe is about half there with $2,200 pledged. At the time of writing, there are still three weeks to join in and make a pledge.
It’s not just the megacorps that the PCs will have to face in The Means of Magick. There will be potentially deadly encounters with unusual natural disasters, corrupted flora, and fauna on the dying planet.
There’s a free to download playtest document on Itch.io.
Magick is the world’s greatest and most important natural resource, and although it is abundant, several megacorporations hold a monopoly over it. Mining operations tear holes in the earth to excavate magick; floating rigs drill magick from ocean beds; forests burn to filter the magick in roots and leaves. The magick they steal from the earth runs their machines and allows unfettered growth at the earth’s expense.
But their expansion comes with a price. Extracting magick warps leylines, disturbing their natural order and spreading disaster. Sudden storms, wildfires, floods, and earthquakes–all infused with deadly magick–wreak havoc at frightening intervals. This chaotic magick also affects the wildlife, creating strange and dangerous animals.
The completed game details five factions – which we see in the pitch video – and a classless system.
The game’s modular magic system allows for spells to be created from scratch and uses artifacts that demand characters prove their worth before they work.
Wannabe’s Pace System has stats informed by skills, a reputation system and stress breaks that offer mechanical rewards while narratively inhibiting characters during tense scenes.
A pledge of $20 results in a full PDF copy of the game for backers, although there is a hardship tier before that.
At $40, backers get a hardcover of the 150-page rulebook as well as the PDF. However, the recommendation (Wannabe’s, not mine) is not to take this route if you’re outside the States.
There are higher tiers, including a retail option and the ability to help others. The estimated delivery of the project is in August 2022.
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