Changeling Kickstarter Discussion

[Rose Bailey]

To be clear about this: you can back the project, then if you decide you don't like the text, retract your backing. It's intended that people be able to do that. It's working with the ebb and flow of Kickstarter instead of trying to fight against it.

I think the three chapters we posted today give a very good idea of what the game's going to be. If you're waiting for hardcore systems stuff, that'll be next week, but if you want to know what's going on in the game -- who you are, what you do, why we're all at this table together -- the intro, character, and setting chapters will give you a pretty good idea about that, and whether you'll like the game as a whole.

Personally, I'm very proud of what we've got. Changeling is a game that's impacted me very intimately over the years in a lot of different ways, and I'm excited to be able to present its new edition.

[Neall]

I'm sorry, but given the already shaky faith I have in the project after the delays and reworks - I was quite fond of the "Underhill" version - no preview of what the game's become means no support from me.

Put down $5. Don't like it? Cancel your pledge.

[Second Chances]

Rose, do you think we'll get a chance to see the Signature Settings as part of the previews before the Kickstarter ends?

[Sconce]

The decision feels weird to me too, but... on the other hand, if a preview comes out, and people read it, dislike it, and start retracting pledges en masse, it'd be a pretty clear flag to everyone involved that something needs to be tweaked. Not very comfortable with the choice (and speaking purely as one single customer who's tentatively backing regardless, it's not one I'd personally like to see repeated in future Kickstarters), but it does sort of make sense...

Now to sit down and read through the first preview, to get an idea of the set-up in context...

[DahakUK]

It seems fairly practical. You're not handing over any money before the 14th December, even if you back today. You offer the amount you want to based on if you like the text, and then read the text. Don't like it, cancel pledge. It's not like you're making a Contract.

(Unless you are... and this is how they claim you... pulled into the Hedge and dragged to the shipping warehouse to box copies of the prestige edition!)

[Rose Bailey]

Rose, do you think we'll get a chance to see the Signature Settings as part of the previews before the Kickstarter ends?

The whole book will be in the backer previews. Those will be in the third week. We'll also do one or more settings as public previews. (Caveat on that, though -- I'm gonna want to lead with Tumbledown Market, which people who follow the blog have already seen. I'm just really in love with that one and want to share it with the larger KS update audience.)

I think I mentioned this before, but the settings are:

• Eighty-Nine Dreams of Home, Hong Kong (the Societies of Morning, Day, and Night)
• The Council of Elves, Reykjavik (the four seasons, but not as you know them)
• Hard-a-Lee, Massachusetts (the Courts of High Tide, Ebb Tide, Low Tide, and Flood Tide)
• Tumbledown Market, New Orleans and other linked locations (the Courts of Coin, Barter, Favors, and Shady Deals)

[xiongrey]

Backed! (well I backed it about an hour and a quarter ago but I was in a meeting before I could Gleefully announce it here ^.^).

As I've stated in previous posts, I did greatly enjoy the Underhill version and really the only thing I lamented was the Seemings change.

However the Seemings change wasn't changed enough to dissuade me from being absolutely ecstatic about this (as my fave game tied with DtD) and even though it's different, I still like Seemings as they are now.

Rose, I say good job and to all I say call me Ms. Sentinel ^.^ (not sure what that is so not sure what I signed up for )

[xiongrey]

Stretch Goals:

I really want that Entitlements companion omg!

And the Light Novel 0.0

o.o and the book of Kiths 0.0 0.0

[LokiRavenSpeak]

I am confuse as to how this work? I really hate the Hill version of the game and i wanna make sure before i put money that i wont be buying something i wont ever use.

So how this whole cancel pledge works? I pledge $5, then i will receive the previews (we are talking about the whole texts with mechanics) which will be coming up until the end of the Kickstarter at which time i can either put more money to get the physical copy or cancel it.

Mostly i am interested in how Hedgespun items work, how removable are dreams & Clarity from the whole game, how contracts, courts (contracts) and pledges work?

[Rose Bailey]

Mostly i am interested in how Hedgespun items work, how removable are dreams & Clarity from the whole game, how contracts, courts (contracts) and pledges work?

If you want to remove dreams and Clarity, that's pretty easy. Just don't go to the Dreaming Roads, and use core book Integrity instead. Now, be warned -- the idea of owning your truth is pretty central to the game, and so things tie into Clarity, but you can use Integrity for them instead with some tweaking.

Hedge-enchanted items, or tokens, have powers based on how long they were in the Hedge. Here's an example:

The Soul-Compass (•••)

This compass might have been a Boy Scout must-have, or an antique, or a prized gift from the local nature center's summer program. It appears to be a cheap, nonoperational toy until infused with Glamour. In its true form, it is a bright silver compass with an iridescent face and a needle that looks like a single, wickedly sharp thorn. The face of the compass is blank, except for discolorations that suggest old blood. The needle points toward the bearer’s closest Icon, or toward the Icon of any changeling who drips one lethal damage’s worth of blood onto the face. The Soul-Compass will not tell distance, nor altitude, nor danger; merely the direction in which the bearer must go to find it.

Catch: The user must prick her hand with the needle of the compass, taking one point of lethal damage (in addition to any blood used to calibrate it to find another changeling’s Icon).

Drawback: Once the user finds an Icon, she gains the Lost Condition (p. XX).

You can also make tokens by swearing oaths on them.

To become a token, the item must have (desired dots x 3) oaths sworn upon it. For example, a five-dot token must have 15 oaths sworn upon it, a four-dot token must have 12, and so on. These oaths need not necessarily involve the same participants each time.

Oaths sworn upon such a token reward their participants for abiding by their terms. Once per chapter, whenever a character takes a dangerous or risky action in service to fulfilling the spirit of the oath, she recovers Glamour points equal to the dot rating of the token. An oath-forged token adds its dot rating to its Structure.

Anyone holding an oath-forged token can spend a Glamour to learn the terms and participants’ identities of the last oath sworn upon it that she didn’t already know about. A fae creature holding the token can spend a Glamour to add dice equal to its dot rating to one roll they make to track or find any of the oathsworn involved in its creation, or to affect them with Contracts and other magic.

An oath-forged token purchased as a Merit costs one dot more than its rating.

[MCN]

I put down for the $25 dollar level. I have all the old 1e PDFs, no desire for a hard cover or PoD, so I guess I don't have a reason to bid higher.

Anyways. Looking over the preview, and wow. Things look pretty different. We have about 12 kiths and the seemings, if you want to try playing a game using this. A lot of background information is floating around.


@Charlaquin There's a couple mechanics that references Clarity. There's a couple that say "you risk Clarity damage," which I originally presumed to mean "roll for a breaking point" in different language. Then, I saw a bit that talked about taking mild Clarity damage and severe Clarity damage. Don't know if that perks your interest or not.

[Omegaphallic]

They'll be in a backer preview next week, and probably will get some attention in one of the regular updates.

The short version is that Clarity is your ability to assert your own truth after your traumatic experiences. So it's about being able to say with confidence "yes, I really was abducted by faeries" to the mundane world and "my pal, that is some Grade A True Fae bullshit" to stuff coming from the fae realm. Clarity is knowing there's someone in the attic even when Mr. Rochester insists there isn't.

It uses breaking points and Touchstones, but instead of a pile of points, it's more like your Health track, meaning that there are both fast-recovery and slow-recovery challenges to Clarity, and hitting a breaking point resolves a lot like an attack, because that's what it is -- an attack on your ownership of your perceptions.

That actually sounds interesting.

I curious if one is a Darkling and becomes insubstancial, like becoming sunlight, can one still do stuff, like move?

[Daigotsu Max]

Seeing Jessica Jones in the Inspirational Media made me feel both validated (I've been telling all my friend it's pure C:tL) and enthused.

Also thank you Rose for communicating all the info here.

[Meghan Fitzgerald]

I curious if one is a Darkling and becomes insubstancial, like becoming sunlight, can one still do stuff, like move?

Sure--for instance, if you become shadow, you could slide along the floor under a locked door. Or if you became smoke, you could float up through a grill into a ventilation shaft.

[Leliel]

Why must the Seemings all be flexible and awesome!?

I have to wait for contracts to decide!

Seriously, though, Ogres are now metal. I felt like I was in the Middle of a shonen OP reading their entry.