Successfully itchfunded the digital zine for ZiMo!

Abstract

Out a ways from the big city lies the town of Coldwater, named after the body of water it borders. Coldwater is a complacent place and its residents prefer it that way, thank you very much. Most townsfolk will greet you with a smile, but asking about the Incident from about a year back will get you met with cold stares and abruptly shut doors. But here’s the thing, folks have started disappearing again, and this time it was out-of-towners.

The Bloom is a sandbox adventure for Liminal Horror. Something sinister is creeping beneath the town of Coldwater. Campers have gone missing, but the townsfolk won’t say a word and the authorities are less than helpful. Can your team of Investigators find out the truth and save the town before it’s too late?

Touchstones

• Alan Wake (2010) - Remedy Entertainment
• What Moves the Dead (2022) - T. Kingfisher
• Twin Peaks (1990-1991, 2017) - Mark Frost & David Lynch
• The Last of Us (2013) - Naughty Dog
• Stranger Things (2016 -; present) - The Duffer Brothers
• Ben 10, Camp Fear (2006) - Man of Action
• Dark (2017-2020) - Baran bo Odar & Jantje Friese
• Wolverine: The Long Night (2018) - Marvel New Media
• Desert Moon of Karth (2021) - Joel Hines
• Feast (2021) - Chris Bissette
• Dying Light (2015) - Techland

What's in THE BLOOM:

• Includes multiple formats for play (starting fresh, integrating into a campaign, one-shots).
• A DOOM clock that tracks the escalating threat descending on Coldwater. Tied to investigation phases (6  hour increments).
• Custom Character Creation designed to be used specifically with this adventure.
• 20 custom backgrounds including equipment and motivations..
• 10 key NPCs, each with stats, description, desires, secrets, and how they connect socially..
• Enemies: there is a section on Hosts (including four main iterations) as well as the main threat in the module (the Hyrdra) as well as statted NPCs and some location specific enemies.. 
• Locations: The town of Coldwater Lake and its surroundings offers a major sandbox for players to explore (that changes as the DOOM clock progresses).
  • Coldwater Proper (which includes 12 keyed locations within).
  • Coldwater Camp (which includes 8 locations to investigate the disappearances)
  • Haru’s Cabin (a small cabin deep in the woods that is home to something much older that Coldwater).
  • The Gas Station (a waypoint filled with supplies).
  • Hines Farm (location of the Coldwater Lake Incident)
  • The Lodge (an old hunting lodge purchased by two suspicious newcomers).
  • Coldwater Surrounds (10-12 additional locations in the surrounding area).
  • The Forest (a dense voidcrawl encasing Coldwater)
  • The Caverns (below Coldwater).
• Appendix A: CONSEQUENCES - different potential outcomes for The Bloom.
• Appendix B: CONVERSIONS - systems to be announced.
• Appendix C: FALLOUT - d12 custom Fallouts for this module.
• Appendix D: RESIDENTS AND RUMORS - 20 additional NPCs to populate Coldwater along with rumors about town..
• Appendix E: RANDOM SEARCH TABLE
• Appendix F: Artifacts.

LIMINAL HORROR (TTRPG )

The Bloom is an official adventure module for Liminal Horror (a modern hack of Cairn), it is a rules-lite, fail forward TTRPG system.  The core rules can be accessed a few different ways:

• PDF version can be purchased on it's itch.io page.
• A free web-based version can be found here.
• A physical + pdf can be purchased at Exalted Funeral.

The Bureau (is a related module to The Bloom)

• Digital: The Bureau by Goblin Archives, Unenthuser (itch.io)
• In Print: The Bureau (exaltedfuneral.com)

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ITCHFUNDING & THE BLOOM

What is itchfunding?

Itchfunding is when a game designer uses the sale feature of itch to crowdfund an unfinished project. This acts as an alternative to other platforms (such as  Kickstarter). All funds collected can be used even if the goal it not achieved, creating flexibility for the creator. and the project I have compiled more info and resources on itchfunding in The Annotated Archive of Game Design Resources: Funding

What do you get when you back?

You will receive a draft of The BLOOM. In its current form it is a google doc (I will export it as a PDF as well).  As edits come back we will be releasing updates so you can track development.

What did funding do?

Funding will allow us to hire some of the best TTRPG professionals we know to help bring The Bloom to life. You are helping us create the best digital product on the market.

• Gabriel Reich (Dev & Copy Editing)
  • Projects include The Bureau, Tangled, and Zed & Two Noughts
• Christian Sorrell/Meatcastle Gameware (proof reading)
  • Projects include Tunnels in White, THE BLOODFIELDS AT BLACKSTAR STATION, TACTICIANS OF AHM, THERE IS A GOBLIN ON THE LOOSE IN ICARUS STATION, The Mole on PIRAD ONE.
• Zach Hazard (art for the hosts & the hydra)
  • Projects include Liminal Horror, The Mall, The Bureau, Mothership boxset, Fallen, 'The Bloodfields at Blackstar Station,
• Josh Clark (NPC art)
  • Projects include Orbital Blues, Wayward Stars, Hull Breach, PNW Nils and more

What about a physical version?

The goal of this campaign is to create a beautiful finished digital product. We are in discussion to eventually do a print run for The Bloom. 

THE GOAL

The goal of itchfunding THE BLOOM is to come up with funds to help accelerate the final product. Goblin Archives and Josh Domanski have saved our own money to put towards the dev costs for The Bloom (through physical + digital sales of Liminal Horror/The Mall/The Bureau). 

The goal of $1200 will help us compile the other half of the budget required complete THE BLOOM (total budget $2400)

A draft of the manuscript is written, and we will be completing design and layout (this labor has not gone into THE total budget for The Bloom).  That labor, our savings, and the ichfunding will allow for The Bloom to take on its final form.

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LOGISTICS

FUNDING GOAL =  $1200

Funds over the goal:

• Funding the other portion of dev-costs.
• Paying ourselves for writing, design, layout
• More detailed map and designs within the text

Timeline if project funds: 

• Feb (itchfunding begins, manuscript gets sent to editor)
• March (art comes in, edits get implemented, layout and design start).
• April (layout/design continues)
• May (pdf version released with internal linking)

What happens if it doesn't fund?

In the short term: art, layout and the final vision for THE BLOOM will take a longer amount of time. Editing will be completed on schedule and backers will have a completed, edited, finished text..

In the long term: backers will still have fully playable documents. We will continue to save for art and work on layout/design, the timeline will simply be longer.

The Bottom Line: While you are funding an in development work, the text is fully able to be brought to the table and backers will get a finished digital product regardless of meeting the itchfunding. Our goal was to bring THE BLOOM to itchfunding once the train had already left the station..

Final itchfunded version will include:

• Full digital adventure module written for Liminal Horror
• Writing by Josh Domanski & Goblin Archives
• Design & Layout by Josh Domanski
• Editing by Gabriel Reich (made possible through itchfunding)
• Proofreading by Christian Sorrell/Meatcastle Gameware (made possible through itchfunding)
• Internal art by Zach Hazard (made possible through itchfunding)
• NPC art by Josh Clark (made possible through itchfunding)

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Content Warning

This module includes elements of Body Horror, Graphic Violence, Harm to Animals, Fungi, and Religion, and the major theme throughout is Complacency.