Epic Adventure

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On this episode Rob from Sidequests and Malcolm from Finding Atoria join us to create some villains on the fly. the process is fascinating.

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Welcome to you heard it here last where we talk about news, you’ve already heard. 
https://www.enworld.org/threads/neopets-terminates-geekifys-license-ttrpg-in-jeopardy.718325/
Let’s start with some interesting and maybe concerning news that can Kickstart a deeper discussion. You’ll get that pun in a minute. Neopets, the free virtual-pet website launched in 1999 where users can adopt, customize, and care for virtual creatures has terminated it’s IP license agreement with Geekify for a tabletop roleplaying game. Geekify is a custom marketing, creative design, and manufacturing company out of Colorado that has worked with Neopets in the past bringing out a number of products. In 2024 a Kickstarter was launched for Geekify to bring out a Neopets tabletop roleplaying game and it raised over 427,000 dollars.
Recently a playtest was released that showed the game was a combat focus 5e variant and to say Neopets wasn’t happy was an understatement. The immediately withdrew the licensing from Geekify for the product.
And the big question is, now what.
Let’s start Mike. What does this mean for the people who funded the Kickstarter? Do they get their money back?
[Kick to Mike]
Christina. What ethical responsibility does Neopets have to the people who kickstarted the roleplaying game?
[Kick to Christina]
Mike, where do you think the communication broke down and who’s responsibility is it, Neopets or Geekify?
[Kick to Mike]
Christina, why did Neopets let a company that doesn’t design games, design a game?
[Kick to Christina]
To anyone, what does this mean going forward with game designers wanting to work with IPs. As far as I can tell this might be the first time the IP has been withdrawn after a game was basically “sold” Is this just another hit to the model of big companies using crowdfunding instead of traditional publishing methods?
To anyone, is this going to hurt Kickstarter and Backerkit in the future.
And there you have it, all the news, you’ve already heard.

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On this episode we interview Ben Alexander. Ben is the artist for Parable Games and his new game Ion Heart Multiplayer has just launched on Backerkit. 
https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/parable-games/ion-heart-multiplayer-a-lo-fi-mech-ttrpg
You can contact Ben at Parable Games.
https://www.parablegames.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOorW--NCFUPwIO6kfv6eQ9v2p9oam3Yi1bPb3pKfs97UfZYvXK4V

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Welcome to you heard it here last, where we talk about news, you’ve already heard.
https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/parable-games/ion-heart-multiplayer-a-lo-fi-mech-ttrpg/launch_party
The fantastic Ion Heart a solo roleplaying game from Parable Games where you take on the role of a mech and it’s pilot is making the leap to multiplayer. Christina and I reviewed the Ion Heart Solo game for Pop Geeks last year and we are getting ready to dive in and give this one a review as well so look for that review to drop in the next month or so. I am looking forward to seeing how the quirky and fun game translates into a multiplayer platform and I really love everything that’s coming out of Parable Games right now.
Christina, I know you haven’t seen the game, but any thoughts?
[Kick to Christina]
Mike, while you didn’t review the game you have a lot of history with solo roleplaying games, you wrote one yourself with the Radiance Engine. What are your initial thoughts on taking a solo game and turning it into a multiplayer game.
[Kick to Mike]
Ion Heart dropped to Bakerkit on March 24th, so check it out.
Next up we’ve got an upcoming tabletop roleplaying game covering one of my favorite anima films, Ghost in the Shell. 
https://www.enworld.org/threads/a-second-ghost-in-the-shell-ttrpg-is-on-its-way.718020/
Mantic Games has announced that the new Ghost in the Shell TTRPG will be based solely off of the acclaimed manga. The plan to publish the TTRPG in 2026. The game uses an all-new system created by Alessio Cavatore of Games Workshop fame and Zak Barouh a writer, editor, and game designer. While I am not very familiar with the manga, I was a huge fan of the 1995 film. That film and Akira opened my eyes to Japanese animation. There have been attempts at turning the source material into a game before and this one isn’t the only Ghost in The Shell game planned for 2026. Mana Project Studio has raised over 500,000 dollars on their kickstarter for a Ghost in the Shell project.
I’m not familiar with Mantic Games, but I do own Mana Project Studios Cowboy BeBop game and lets just say I don’t plan on picking up their version in the future so this one might be a great alternative.
Christina, what do you think about Ghost in the Shell and Mantic Games diving into this source material for a ttrpg?

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J.R.R Tolkien famously argued in his landmark essay “The Monsters and the Critics” that the monsters in a story aren't just obstacles; they are the externalization of the impossible odds that make a hero’s victory meaningful.
Christopher Vogler in his book The Writer’s Journey said, "Every villain is the hero of his own story." And George R. R. Martin has said many times that the most compelling villains are those who believe they are doing a heroic act on Tuesday and something horrible on Wednesday.
Villains are arguably the most important part of any story which means, they are an important part of your game. 
In this episode Mike, Christina and I are going to talk about Villains. We are going to share some of our favorite villains from films and books and we are going to talk about some of our favorite villains from roleplaying games.
Christina, kick us off with the first villain that made you realize how important villains were to the story?
[Kick to Christina]
Mike, I know you are going to say Darth Vader at some point in today’s episode, so I decided to say it first. But seriously same question, who was the first villain that made you realize the importance of villains.
[Kick to Mike]