I’ll be honest: if it was just a matter of the aforementioned video, I’d have been tempted to give the computer monitor the finger and keep on moving. But I’ve had enough people whose opinion matters to me say that the Red Markets zombie apocalypse-meets-the-free-market RPG is worth a look anyway to make me… not so much forgive the game, as to not hold that video against it. Helps that the folks who wrote the actual game (Caleb Stokes and Ross Payton) have good, solid reps in the business, too. That helps. A lot.
I would possibly suggest that they do a new pitch video, though. I mean, the Kickstarter has already funded, so maybe they won’t care – but I don’t imagine that I’m the only person in the universe who got their back up at the way this game was presented. It’s not like I can just fling cash around with nary a care any more. These days, I need to call my shots when it comes to discretionary spending.
Moe, on an unrelated note, check your email.
“Hey guys, for the promo video, do you think we should talk about the negotiation rules that get the whole team involved instead of just the face? Maybe the vignettes where you interact with your dependents back home to keep you sane? Maybe something to make the game attractive to GMs, like the world-building rules or how you can randomly create encounters?”
“No, let’s go with a political tirade that doesn’t talk about the actual game at all. I think that will really move copy. “
So Cyberpunk meets Zombie Apocalypse. Problem is most people are zombied out and the actual collapse would be a far more interesting setting than dealing with the aftermath. I notice they didn’t say anything about a time line of events so you can start the group in the past when the rewards are greater but so is the threat level- “Fast tool using zombies” versus a truckload of food or medical gear and drugs, etc.
Needless to say I really hate games that drop your character in the middle of an SHTF event with no background on why you’re there, was he sitting at home watching the game while the zombie apocalypse rolled by his front door? When a collapse comes people will not be standing still, they may run around like chickens with their heads cut off, but they’ll be doing something.