Timeline Update and Other News
almost 4 years ago – Sun, May 31, 2020 at 08:45:27 PM

Greetings, backers. I want to keep you updated on The Great Soul Train Robbery.

Timeline

As is the case for many of us, some of my plans have been thrown for a loop by the global pandemic. Thankfully, my family and I are well, but I've ended up with less time for game design work over the past months than I'd anticipated.

I am pleased to be making progress on the game, but delivering the zine will be delayed past the initial estimate of June. I will keep you informed as I pin down the new timeline. Thank you for your understanding.

Guest Author Train cars

In happier news, I can report that all the guest authors have submitted their train cars to me, and you are all in for a treat. Here are a few small samples of what they have in store for you:

From Jesse Ross's Post Office Car:

A large gilded cage rattles with the movement of the train’s wheels. Inside is a magnificent eagle which cries if a piece of mail is opened by someone other than the addressee.

One possible inhabitant of Rosamund Hodge's Private Car:

Helen of Troy: the one, the only, the face that launched a thousand ships. Her beauty isn't her only attraction; she's ridden this line a hundred times, and she has some stories to tell . . . for a price.

From Leah Libresco Sargeant's Boxcar:

The furies, with no use for them, have tossed former travelers’ last hopes in here in a jumbled sack, wriggling like blind kittens.

From Linda Codega's Observation Car:

The people in this car aren’t watching you at all—they’re ripe for the picking...but anything you take will hang above your head, just out of reach, and in view of anyone who looks towards you.

Actual Play

If these whet your appetite for the game, I have two more Actual Plays to tide you over till the full zine can be served on a silver platter. I ran the game for Gauntlet Community Open Gaming, and the video from that session is up on Youtube for your enjoyment:

And here is a written account of Actual Play from the blog Technoskald's Forge. I loved reading this recap, and I hope you do too. Kyle and his players really get the game's magical realist take on the Wild West, right down to a very on-point Johnny Cash soundtrack. I especially like the high-stakes leap to the decoupled engine!

Finally, a parting shot for you Desperados. I've been working on character portraits for backers at the $100 level. One of those backers has allowed me to share the piece I did for them with you all. Please meet Delilah Cunningham, snake-charmer, conwoman, and all-around tricky customer.

Cover Reveal, and a Chance to Play
about 4 years ago – Thu, Apr 02, 2020 at 02:23:27 PM

Howdy, Desperados. I've got two exciting things to share.

Cover Art

I am happy to present the cover art for Great Soul Train Robbery, created by the great Emily Cheeseman! I'll be adding the title and other text to it for the zine, but here behold the art in full:

A Chance to Play

I will be running a session of Great Soul Train Robbery online on Saturday, April 18th, from 2pm to 5:30pm Eastern time. This is part of the Gauntlet gaming community's new free event, Gauntlet Community Open Gaming.

The game is open to all, and registration will open up next Monday, April 6th, at 10am Eastern time. More details about the event are here, and the listing for Great Soul Train Robbery on the calendar is here.

If you'd like to play the game with me, I'd love to have you join! And if this open gaming day is successful, the Gauntlet may organize more.

Stay safe out there, pardners!

Online Play, Loot Table, Art Updates
about 4 years ago – Thu, Mar 26, 2020 at 08:29:27 AM

Greetings, Desperados! I wanted to reach out and wish you all the best. Know that, despite the turmoil in the world, we're chugging away on The Great Soul Train Robbery here at Cloven Pine Games. Read on for updates about online play, a peek at in-progress art, and a first stretch goal delivered.

Online Play

These days, many gaming groups are moving from face-to-face gatherings to playing online. I've had the chance to run several online sessions of Great Soul Train Robbery recently, and I'm happy to report the game works well for play over video chat. Plus, as a one-shot game, it's a great low-commitment first experience for folks who may never have played a roleplaying game before.

Remember, you can get the two-page version of the game for free (or pay-what-you-will) at itch.io right now. If you'd like to play the game with friends online, I've created a character keeper in Google Sheets to help facilitate that. Copy the sheet to your own Google Drive to be able to edit it.

And stay tuned for news soon about a free online game day where I'll be offering sessions of the game!

In-Progress Art

Two updates regarding art. First, I have reached out to everyone who backed a level where they will get an original character illustration from me. Some folks have gotten back to me already and we're planning fun characters together. If you backed at an original art level and don't think you've received an email, get in touch with me and we'll work it out.

Second, our cover artist Emily Cheeseman is working on the zine's cover. I got her permission to share these two studies she did, so you can see some of the directions we're experimenting with for the cover illustration. I love the sense of suspense in these compositions!

Loot Table Stretch Goal!

A last item for today. I'm proud to be able to deliver the first stretch goal of the campaign, three dozen trinkets and trifles aboard the train to Hell. As a bonus, this PDF will also serve as a preview of what I'm working on for the interior design of the zine.

Happy pillaging, Desperados!

Success! Thank Ye Kindly
about 4 years ago – Wed, Feb 19, 2020 at 09:18:41 AM

Give yourselves a well-deserved pat on the back, Desperados! Together, we pulled off an infernal train heist and made away with $2950 in funding for this exciting game.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement throughout this process. I'm thrilled that we unlocked every single stretch goal, including several in the last 24 hours: The Trophy Dark Incursion conversion, and the table of 6 new Conductors for the train!

I'll continue to update you on the game's progress between now and the estimated delivery date in June. Art and writing for the zine and stretch goals is coming together right now, and I'm very excited to get this game into all your hands.

If you can't wait to try robbing the train to Hell (and who can blame you?) the two-page version of the game is available now on itch.io for pay-what-you-will download. And here is a Google sheet character keeper I made for playing the game online—copy the sheet to your own Google Drive to be able to edit it. If you do play this version of the game, I'm happy to hear play reports if you tweet them to me @ClovenPineGames!

You can also preview some of the new classes unlocked as stretch goals by checking out this Twitter thread. Click through for glimpses of the Gambler, Revivalist, Sawbones, Cattle Rustler, Blind Drifter, and Runaway Bride!

The Kickstarter may be over, but the journey is just beginning. Giddy-up, Desperados!

Last 24 Hours! More Goals Reached, Final Stretch Revealed!
about 4 years ago – Mon, Feb 17, 2020 at 05:10:52 PM

Howdy, Desperados! (And Ahoy, Freebooters!) We're approaching the end of the line. But before the Kickstarter wraps up tomorrow night at 10pm EST, there's a last goal or two to make this train the very best it can be. All this, plus a podcast and the winner of the art lottery! On to the updates:

$2300 Goal Unlocked! Piratical Re-skin of the Game Sailing In

We cleared $2300, so Leah Sargeant and I will together create Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea, a pirate-themed take on the base game of The Great Soul Train Robbery. Set sail to raid the Armada of the Damned, playing as Freebooters like these:

1. Duelist (specialty: fair fights)
   
2. Smuggler (specialty: skullduggery)
   
3. Blacksmith (specialty: armament)
   
4. Stowaway (specialty: close quarters)
   
5. Scullery Wench (specialty: being underestimated)
   
6. Penitent Siren (specialty: luring)
   

We'll release this reimagining of the game as a PDF free for all Kickstarter backers. Yo ho, me hearties! The Devil's bounty is ours for the taking!

Art Lottery Winner!

We reached 100 print backers and did a random drawing to choose one of those backers to receive an original character illustration! I'm excited to announce that the winner is... (drumroll please)

Keith Nelson! Congratulations, Keith. We'll be in touch with you (along with the $100 and $150 backers) about your character illustration after the campaign wraps up.

New Stretch Goal: Trophy Dark Incursion!

When we hit $2750, we will create a Trophy Dark Incursion based on The Great Soul Train Robbery and publish it as a PDF free for all Kickstarter backers. Trophy Dark is a game of dark fantasy by Jesse Ross about doomed treasure hunters entering a forest that doesn't want them there. Trophy is currently a major sensation on Kickstarter. Trophy Dark scenarios—called Incursions—explore different hostile metaphysical landscapes. The game already has a strong connection to The Great Soul Train Robbery: Alexi is contributing to the Trophy base game and to stretch goals for the campaign. The Great Soul Train Robbery Incursion would allow players to experience this Hellish train heist in the Trophy Dark system!

Blog Post on GMing for Theme and Imagery

Alexi has written a blog post for The Gauntlet about bringing your gamemaster technique to the next level by developing an ear for the themes and imagery your players bring to table, and finding ways to reincorporate that material into your game. He discusses The Great Soul Train Robbery in the piece:

My game The Great Soul Train Robbery opens up even more opportunities for this GM style. The game is set aboard the train to Hell, and so the whole environment can have a heightened, allegorical cast. The PCs are Desperados aiming to rob the train, and a mechanic incentivizes them to narrate flashbacks showing how their past sins have led them to this point. This makes it easy to reincorporate character backstory elements, often expanding and solidifying a vice or struggle into a very real obstacle aboard the train. Did you harden your heart to work your confidence games on people? On this train, hearts can literally turn to stone and burst from your chest. Were you always motivated by a greedy desire to grasp at more and more? The Conductor here is Avarice himself, and boy does he have a deal to offer.

Check out the whole piece here!

Actual Play Podcast Part 2!

Last but not least, we have the thrilling conclusion to the Bored Ghost actual play podcast. Slapdown Jack and Lemmy Hogan are going through the wringer aboard the train to Hell. Who will live? Who'll be damned? What will happen when they reach the snake-handling grifter Delilah Cunningham?

Clickety-clack, clickety-clack. It's the final countdown, Desperados! Who else can we tempt aboard before the day is done?