Summer Playtesting: Signups`
almost 4 years ago – Tue, Jun 09, 2020 at 12:16:32 PM

Good afternoon, future space adventurers! Let's talk about summer. Summer's where we usually are in frantic convention mode, shuffling PAXes, Gen Cons, Origins, and the like - but this is a unique year and things are different. One of the most important parts of these visits is direct interactions with you: the fans and players! We'll miss it (and you), dearly. In addition to fun, seeing direct reactions from people is a big part of our game design process. The game has evolved tremendously from our first crack at it at Gen Con years ago, and helped us polish the engine to where it is now. 

With the engine done, and as the stories begin to pile up, we'll need to test *those* as well. And without conventions to host you all at, we turn to the realms of the Internet. If you'd like to help us out, we've created a google sign-up form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeHi5EqgFArbXw2hQb59m4vL1KRvsE4K3ux6bC-zdVj4_CrOQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

If you'd prefer to experience it all fresh out of the box later this year, that's totally fine! We've got friends and playtesters lined up as well.

Gen Con Online

Gen Con will be online-only this year. We're looking through their plans for events, and we'll likely be hosting a number of them on Tabletop Simulator and BoardGameArena for our games, including Odysseys. The schedule goes up in early July, and when that happens, we'll post a list here for your perusal. And we hope to see many of you there in 2021!

Next Update

Our next update will be about the Odyssey itself. I'm looking at a very snazzy partially-done piece of artwork that we're not quite ready to show yet, but it's full of color and adventure. Expect it in the next couple weeks.

The Write Stuff
almost 4 years ago – Fri, May 29, 2020 at 02:52:26 AM

Hello to our dear games-friends! It is our sincere and earnest hope that this update finds you well, and that you are able to find comfort in your surroundings/family/friends/nature/small acts of kindness from people you didn't know well before. We have found comfort in each other and in writing about new worlds and characters together for you to experience in your upcoming adventures.

We're still writing!

At the start of every writers’ room meeting, we dig deep into the individual backgrounds (early years, family, relationships, views and beliefs, musical taste, allergies, etc) of the varied populace of our universe. Understanding each character thoroughly means that we know exactly what they’d say or do in each scene and challenge presented to the Odyssey crew. Everyone says things and makes choices that fit their unique personality and set of quirks, pulls from their experiences, and relies on their friends.

Most recently, we've been detailing the life of our favorite big blue friend since Grover and Cookie Monster, our Lackerdood guide, Amele. She has a huge impact on how you will journey through Insula. We gave her a life before she met the Odyssey, a last name, and a (gigantic, close, and rather loud) family to go with it.

To give you a taste of what we’ve been working on, we proffer a delectable little nugget of story to you in our open palm. Please enjoy:

Blue light filters through the curtains of a cozy bedroom, bringing with it the briney scent of the sea. A willowy Lackerdood folds one last flowery dress and tucks it carefully into a knapsack between an electronics tool kit and Fluffenwutter’s Surfluff-Enfluffening treats, Now even FLUFFIER! printed in bold on the bag. She latches it closed with a sigh.

"All packed then, Amele, dear?" another Lackedood taps on the door gently as she enters, "Are you sure you have to go? The probe will still be there after the ceremony, won't it? It might not fly off on its own? What if I write it a note and tell it to wait its turn?" She smiles innocently.

"Yes, mama-Rysea. They asked for me specifically. The strange device is obviously trying to communicate, and I know I can figure it out. This could be the breakthrough that lets our scientists understand the Portal."

"I know, sweetheart, and we're all very proud of you. You know we are. I just wish you didn't have to miss the storms. You were so looking forward to the ceremony, and it would be great to have the whole family together. Your cousins are coming in all the way from Gemengi!"

"Dibs on your room when you're gone!" A voice shouts from the hallway.

"Estopher!” Rysea shouts back. “Stop making a mess and come say goodbye to your sister. And be nice about it!"

"Don't worry," says Amele. "I'll be back for the auroras at the very latest. And if I miss the storms, you can put this bit of eastern fountain water into the sea on my behalf. But I'll be here anyway!"

Rysea sighs and wraps Amele into a big hug. “And we’re so proud of you, and we are so glad you get to do this! But I’ll still miss my Mellie-mellie. Just try to get home in time for the ceremony if you can,” she says. “But if you can’t, I promise that I won’t be mad at you. Just quietly weeping over your absence.”

“Mother! That’s much worse!”

“Well, that’s family. And you have a whole lot of it.” Rysea taps her daughter gently on the forehead.

From the hallway, a low, rolling rumble sounds. Followed by a shattering of glass, further followed by the sound of hundreds of tiny ball bearings scattering onto concrete. For a moment, there is silence.

“...THAT WAS NOT ME, AND IT ALSO WAS NOT WHAT YOU THINK IT WAS.”

Rysea’s eye twitches. “Before you leave, please go help your brother with whatever he didn’t do just now.”

Attending NarraScope

In addition to writing, we're also honing our craft by virtually attending Narrascope as a team. They've put together an exciting array of programming to tickle our brain goo, and we can’t wait to go get inspired. We know a bunch of you are narrative nerds like us, so we wanted to make sure you knew that you can check out the conference for free May 28 - June 4 at https://www.twitch.tv/narrascope.

And Animal Crossing

In our off hours, we're all hooked hard on Animal Crossing where we help each other grow flowers and build moons. There’s so much that’s lovable about Animal Crossing, and it has been a source of inspiration for our own writing in 1001 Odysseys. We like to go out of our way to spend time with media that is whimsical, safe, and friendly to all ages while respecting the intelligence of the audience. That’s what we aim to deliver in our own game, and we can’t wait to share it with you.

Demo Update

We're working on the signup system for Summer Testing / Demos. We'll be making a separate update with the sign-up form next week! 

TTS Demo, Summer Playtesting, Plushies and Factories!
almost 4 years ago – Fri, Apr 24, 2020 at 11:18:16 PM

Hello friends and backers! I hope you all are enjoying Spring in whatever fashion you are able to. The situation at hand has had an effect on just about everything, and we're no exception. 

Convention Playtesting -> TTS Playtesting

We'd planned on testing out our stories this summer both at conventions and with friends, but that does not seem super feasible right now! We've tried out playing through the demo on Tabletop Simulator, and it was pretty fun - we still get to do silly voices, move cards around, and all that fun gamey business, but without the threat of spreading plague across the table. So we're going to be aiming to do a lot of our testing there, both internally and with outside playtesters.  

We're planning to do playtests of individual chapters with outsiders starting in June (around when Origins would've been held). Our May update will include information on how to sign up, our schedule, and tech requirements. This isn't going to be some 30-page NDA to sign, but...please don't spoil the stories for everyone, you know? 

As things return to normal this summer, hopefully, we'll try and do some live testing as well. That all depends on how things go out there in the world, though. We'll keep you posted if and when there're any live playtest events which need volunteers. Given the lack of conventions, those are likely to be in the Boston area. 

How are we? How are you? 

We're doing OK! It's been a rough couple months, not gonna lie. We definitely are excited to bring you some fun stories and space adventures, and hope everyone's getting through this as best you can. Plumplim Ambassador Thonis Falokin delivers an important message of wisdom: 

"It is not the hug outside, but the hug inside your heart that matters most. Unless you are an artichoke."

Thank you, Ambassador.

Factories, Plushies, Distribution?

We don't have a date yet on Plushies, but things are starting to return to normal for our factories and production partners. We're hopeful that the supply chain will be reasonably intact this summer and fall. For all of our paper goods, there's likely to be little impact. We'll keep you posted if anything changes! 

Meow

Ivy was napping, thank you very much. But also, please pet-pets?

Demo on Tabletop Simulator, and also Puppers!
about 4 years ago – Sat, Apr 11, 2020 at 06:43:00 PM

Last week we released the Print & Play demo that we've been running at conventions to you all, and we're excited to announce that it's even easier to check it out now! One of our fantastic backers went to the effort of importing the files into Tabletop Simulator, and the module is available for free here. If you're not familiar with TTS, it's a program on Steam that allows you to play games on a virtual 3-D table, moving around cards and objects like you would in person. Pretty useful in this era of social-distancing! 

 Some tips for using the TTS Mod:

• "Subscribing" to the Module means it'll download to your computer, and be available inside TTS. It'll also update automatically if needed.
• If you click the white box on the top-left of any of the booklets in-game, it'll pop up a larger view of the book where you can turn pages easily.
• If you right click on a deck and select "Search", you'll be able to see all the numbered card-backs, so you can select which card you want to draw, as instructed by the Updates section in the book.
• Location cards will snap into place on the grid. While it's fun in person to get the edges to line up perfectly, that's a little cumbersome in TTS :) Maybe if we embed magnets in all the real cards...
• Have fun! Do silly voices (in your head if you're playing alone). 

All the Goodest Puppers

In non-Odysseys news, we've launched a campaign for a cute little card game called All the Goodest Puppers, featuring art from Cari & Amanda in similar watercolor style to our Odysseys maps. It's easy to learn and family friendly, and we hope to put it out this summer. It was a brain-break project for myself and the artists back in the Fall. Sometimes, you just need to take a few days and make a cute game about doggos!

Print and Play Demo Available!
about 4 years ago – Fri, Apr 03, 2020 at 11:58:05 PM

Hello explorers, adventurers, and friends! We are delighted to present to you a demo version of 1001 Odysseys that you can print and play at home. This special short adventure will let you experience our gameplay and storytelling firsthand. The crew of the Odyssey (that's you!) is visiting Avallonis, the central hub of the Federation government, and an important location in the sector of Insula. The choices you make will bring you through dozens of potential blurbs, and you'll be able to replay the whole story a few times to discover different endings.

To launch this adventure, you will need to download all of the files for the Print and Play. The pages are formatted to fit on letter-sized (8.5x11 inch) paper and a complete list of all of the things that you'll need to print is included on the first page of the Rulebook. You'll need a pen, four game markers, and a crew of 1 to 4 (or more) to play along with you. A small amount of cutting is also required for the included cards.

So gather your crew and set a course!

The print and play is available for download as a ZIP at http://www.plumplim.com/game.php