Occasionally, a campaign for tabletop RPG software (rarely hardware) comes along that wins the sceptical and often burned community over.
Ollam Technologies, with their first Kickstarter, has done that with Amsel Suite. Targets have been met; in fact, the French company asked for €30,000 and with three weeks left, it is close to €90,000. You can see how many more backers they win over from the pitch page.
Amel Suite, as the name suggests, is more than one thing; there will be two apps: Lore and Tome.
Tome is about keeping track of the story. It is where GMs put their notes, record player decisions, and, we’re told, note places. The Tome App for GMs is about atmosphere and story.
Lore is about worldbuilding. In Lore, DMs build their world encyclopedia with landmarks, flora and languages.
I think there’s an overlap. I might put locations in worldbuilding, and some flora references might be ad hoc from scenes. However, Amsel lets organised GMs switch from Lore to Tome in a clip.
Also worth noting is that while Ollam Technologies has a section in the Kickstarter called “The Apps”, we’re (probably not yet) talking about mobile apps. Lore and Tome are web apps.
As perfectionist GMs, we have often been dissatisfied with having to spend more time preparing our stories than narrating them, or with the lack of fluidity in our sessions due to juggling between dozens of documents…
Our dream is to develop a complete software suite that will allow us to better respond to the different needs of GMs, authors and creators in storytelling and worldbuilding, but also, in the long run, in all aspects of roleplaying.
The jewel in Ollam Technologies’ offer comes early. The first reward tier unlocks at €35, about £31, including a lifetime license for both Tome and Lore. It also has all stretch goals.
Honestly, 30 minutes ago, as my second wave of Black Friday purchases began to be dispatched to me, I was saying, ‘I must stop spending money. ‘ Now I’m tempted to spend £31 more.
Backers who find €50 to pledge will also get early access, a pack of unique icons and a premium theme. These perks hint at the commercial model Ollam is likely to use.
At €85, there are three themes and premium user status, but €250 gets you prestige user status, your name in the credits and a prestige-only theme.
Many tiers have sold out, and the estimated delivery is October 2024, with the early access coming in August. The campaign closes on the 7th of December.
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