Under 12 hours left + one more sample PC preview!
almost 7 years ago – Fri, Jun 14, 2019 at 12:53:34 AM

Hey! I finally made it home as we passed the 12 hour mark, and it looks like adding a couple more stretch goals worked out. We've passed the $42,000 mark, which means we'll increase the art budget. That means more cool pieces like this portrait of Soyeong, one of the sample PCs from the preview doc:

The final stretch goal, More Words: 2nd Gig, will let us recruit more freelancers and consultants!

And since we're getting to work on Hard Wired Island, here's one more preview: an extra sample character written by Freyja.

New Sample PC: Xander Zander

handle: @Sk8rboi69420

he/him

In his old life, Xander was a corporate drone working his way up the ladder at Omnidyne Systems. That came to an end when he discovered their medical plan didn't cover HRT because it "didn't benefit the company". He decided to take his expertise, his personal projects, and his pride with him out the door and onto the streets, where he indulges his old skating passion and does odd jobs as his own free man.

Cool +1 Clever +3 Tough +0 Quick +2

Burden: 2

Origin: Corporate Drone

Traits: Cybercare (see below), Student Loans

Occupation: Operator

Specialties: Defense: Quick +1, Defense: Tough +1 (Cybernetic), Bureaucracy +1, Grenades +1, Omnidyne Systems +1, Drones and Robotics +2, Skateboarding +1, Studied the Blade +1

Operator Abilities:

Personal Drone

You have a custom drone. For each rank of the Drone Specialty you have, the drone has an additional property chosen by you. (Xander has a skateboard drone.)

By default, the drone has a hardpoint that can mount and use one Asset. You may refit the hardpoint at any time during free play, or during a mission by spending Prep. The drone can store (but not use) extra items. (Zander usually mounts his flashbangs because he doesn't live in a nice neighbourhood, and straps his katana on its underside.)

Augments:

Endocrine System Monitor

This second-hand hormone regulator also monitors his life signs and blood pressure. Xander has jailbroken the HRT function to increase his adrenaline in stressful situations, granting +1 Tough Defense. As a jailbroken second-hand Augment, it's Restricted as hell and he does not have a license.

Other Assets:

Drone: Zander’s personal drone is his skateboard, a prototype for a future line of personalized smart skateboards. (A drone is a partly autonomous robot; Zander can control it with a personalized glove and smart sunglasses). It has the following properties:

Flying: Can fly and hover using a quad rotor system. It can lift its own weight, hardpoints included, plus a few additional kilos of weight. (It can't lift a person yet, sadly.)

Smart: An onboard limited AI can make simple decisions without direct input. Whenever Zander takes an action, the drone can also take an action. Without input, all its Actions are made at +0. It can also talk and take verbal commands.

Skateboard: Advantage to all rolls related to maneuvering, movement, and looking rad if you have at least one skateboard-related Specialty (even if you don't apply it). Zander's skateboard is also his Drone, so this benefit only applies when he is specifically using it as a skateboard.

Flashbang Grenades

Tags: Ranged, Area, Prep, Critical, Special

Prep: Every use of this weapon costs Prep.

Critical: On a Critical attack roll, saving throws made against this weapon are made with Disadvantage.

Special: Instead of dealing damage, everyone in the area must save VS your attack roll or become Disoriented: they take Disadvantage on all actions until they save VS 10 at the end of their turn, and they can't see well enough to use ranged attacks. If they have applicable flash or sound protection, these saves are Boosted.

Katana

Tags: Melee, Critical, Restricted

Critical: On a critical attack roll, the target must mark one higher damage box than normal.

Also: it has a cat-dragon painted on the blade.

Cybercare (Trait): Public health care on Grand Cross can cover cybernetics. (The government is working on that, though not in the way you'd like.) Choose one Augment you got for medical purposes. It does not increase your Burden. However, when you suffer Economic Shock, on top of the consequence(s) you choose this Augment also becomes inoperable for the rest of the session.

What's Next

We're getting started on further Hard Wired Island work, so once the campaign ends I'll post regular updates with more previews. Until then, let's see if we can reach that final stretch goal! See you soon.

Dawn of the final day, stretch goals 3 and 4 funded!
almost 7 years ago – Thu, Jun 13, 2019 at 06:55:51 PM

Hello there! (If you're just joining us, here's a recap of everything so far.) And here's a new surprise: With one day to go, the last two stretch goals were smashed right through. Not only will the soundtrack be bigger, but everybody who works on this project will get some bonus pay. Nice.

I'm still planning to put all extra funding back into improving the base game, but I thought I'd create two last stretch goals just to be really clear where the money is going. So:

AU$42,000 (approx. US$29,000) — More Art

We haven't increased the art budget yet, so why not do that? At this stretch goal, we'll be able to afford more artwork. That means more city scenes, more character artwork, and more cool stuff that'll bring Hard Wired Island to life.

AU$45,000 (approx. US$31,100) — More Words: 2nd Gig

The book still has a little room to grow, so at this stretch goal we'll get a few more writers and consultants in here. Everything I said about More Words applies to this one. (Again, we'll be posting a writing call after the KS once more of the setting is locked down.)

If you'd like to see those, you know what to do: spread the word!

But whatever happens, we're almost done. Thank you so much for making Hard Wired Island happen! I'll try to post another update before the 12-hour mark, so if there's anything you'd like me to mention (or any questions you'd like answered) please let us know. I'll see you soon!

48 hours left, second stretch goal funded!
almost 7 years ago – Thu, Jun 13, 2019 at 12:17:25 AM

Hey there! With 48 hours to go, we've hit the second stretch goal. That's fantastic! Time to bring it home.

If you just joined us, here's a recap of everything so far:

• If you want to see the preview document, you can find it on itch.io and DriveThruRPG.
• If you saved this project around launch, we've since added a couple tiers: a PDF tier for those experiencing financial hardship, and a behind-the-scenes tier for those who only want PDFs.
• We funded a Print Run stretch goal, so we'll do an offset print run. All print backers will receive Hard Wired Island in hardcover format.
• We funded a More Words stretch goal, which will add even more freelancers and consultants to the project. (Hit the link to find out more!)
• We have a Discord that's doing well, if you're into that!
• We've done an IRC interview, and two interviews with the [insert quest here] podcast.
• Two Actual Play podcasts, Dice Fiends and The Talent Agency have started two-part APs of the preview scenario.

(I'd also like to give a huge thanks to Waypoint's Austin Walker, who gave us a shoutout in Waypoint's E3 podcast!)

What's Next

We've got two more stretch goals lined up:

At AU$32,600, we'll commission more tracks for the Hard Wired Island soundtrack from neonshudder.

At AU$36,000, we'll increase the pay of everybody working on this project!

If we somehow pass both goals, we're sticking to our original plan: all extra money goes into improving the game, no expansions or peripherals. More art will probably be on the cards. I'll worry about that once we get closer.

For now, it's time for the final countdown! If there's anything else you can do to spread the word, now is the time. We're doing everything we can, but whatever happens we're amazed we got this far. Thanks again, and I'll see you soon!

Print run funded!
almost 7 years ago – Mon, Jun 10, 2019 at 09:04:40 PM

A great thing about being Australian is that Kickstarters tend to get busy while I am asleep. This morning I woke up to find that we funded the Print Run stretch goal! Print tier backers will now be upgraded from a DriveThruRPG print-on-demand copy to an even better hardcover print copy. Printing is being handled by Jay Iles (who did Legacy: Life Among the Ruins), so you're in good hands!

The next stretch goal is for hiring more freelancers, and you can already read about my plans for consultants and writers here. After that is more music, and if you'd like to know more about that you can check out neonshudder's work here.

We're approaching the home stretch now, so I'll see you real soon!

HWI games by Dice Fiends and The Talent Agency
almost 7 years ago – Mon, Jun 10, 2019 at 08:34:57 PM

Hey there! Do you like Actual Play podcasts? Well check these Hard Wired Island games out:

Dice Fiends

Dice Fiends is an AP show about a group of chuckle-friends who play D&D together. They're running a HWI side-game with a heist, which is one of the best kinds of scenario if you ask me. All good RPGs should have heists.

You can check out Part 1 here!

The Talent Agency

The Talent Agency is a queer and absurd AP show about the entertainment industry in 2070s England. They've adapted HWI to their own cyberpunk setting so Grand Cross is a space elevator now, and it works really well!

You can check out Part 1 here!

Naturally, I love that people are getting this excited about Hard Wired Island. But what I really love is that people seem to be picking it up and playing it fairly quickly. Freyja's mechanics are working out great, and the full version should be even better.

That's all for now, so I'll see you soon!