Turn is a slice-of-life supernatural roleplaying game with quiet drama about shapeshifters in small, rural towns. Our Kickstarter funded at 207%, and we're on track to fulfill the core PDF content by March 2019 and the print content by May 2019. Find more details in our Kickstarter updates! Print orders are on hold while we complete our print run, after which we'll be available for print order on Indie Press Revolution!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Status Update for May
almost 5 years ago
– Wed, May 22, 2019 at 01:52:59 AM
Hi all!
Just a quick update!
The layout is still in progress, but it's not far from complete. I'm not giving an exact date because we've run aground on issues a couple of times now and I don't want to be inaccurate - just know that we are dedicated to it, working on it, and will get it done as soon as we can.
Stretch goals go into layout as soon as the core book is done - they're already finished and edited.
The border towns stretch goal is going to probably take a little bit longer - I want to contact the indigenous people near the northern border to ask them a few questions, and similarly for the southern border. Finding out who to contact is harder than it sounds! Thomas is helping with the northern border, and Paul Beakley has pitched in to help me with the southern borders, but we all agree that we want the perspectives of people of color and indigenous people. That means it takes more time! If you happen to know someone who could offer this perspective, please contact me! contact at briebeau dot com is my email and I'm happy to chat with people to find the right consultants.
Everything else is done! The core text is still complete at tinyurl.com/turn-rpg-beta-2018, which will go away after the game is released.
I wish I could speed up the process, but I do think now that John is mostly recovered from his surgery, the layout process will go much more rapidly. When games are your second or third job in the first place and then you're sick on top, it's really hard. But we're getting it done! I don't expect it will be much longer.
Thank you all for sticking with us! Here's a piece by John for the Human art in Turn!
A local interrupts a shifter in the store, causing a stressful interaction. By John W. Sheldon (c) 2019.
The Organizer Art, Stretch Goals, Reminders!
about 5 years ago
– Thu, Apr 18, 2019 at 12:28:13 AM
I also have some news about the stretch goals. I’m currently finalizing edits on the Italian stretch goal and Gerrit’s Halver town! All of the stretch goals so far have turned out uniquely great and I’m looking forward to sharing some with you. I have a little bit of unfortunate news, though.
Anders, our designer for the Mormon communities stretch goal, unfortunately has to step out of the project. Due to some scheduling issues that have come up, he’s determined that rather than delay the release of the stretch goals, he’ll step out. I’m very sad to see him go, but I have tried to ensure working on the stretch goals hasn’t been a hardship for anyone. That applies here!
While there is not enough time to fully replace the stretch goal, what I want to do to make this up to everyone is do something I had as a backup plan – design a border town as a town type with a brief essay and include the Coyote archetype Anders had initially been working on for his stretch goal. I’m going to consult with Thomas Novosel, who lives in a northern US border town, and seek out someone who lives on the southern border of the US (inside or outside of it) to get their perspective as well. This is what I can do with the remaining allotted funds and the time we have, and I hope that it will make it up to you backers!
We genuinely appreciate your support every day, and want to ensure that you get what you paid for. I can’t promise more than what I’ve listed here, but you know I will always make an effort to go above and beyond!
Here are some clips from Meguey’s work and Jaye’s work for you to read in the meantime!
The Traveller by Jaye Foster
This is the text for the human role in the Harmouth stretch goal by Jaye.
Your life is spent in transit, moving from one location to the next. This is not a true wanderlust as you always return to home to sleep. Need or boredom keep you from staying in one place for too long, limiting how well you connect with others. For you, movement is your natural state of being, making it easy to be a guide.
On history and loss by Meguey Baker
This is an excerpt from the essay for the Smeed Hill stretch goal by Meguey.
There’s a braid of hidden threads that run steady in many of these towns, of pride, determination, and resentment. Some people hold only one or two, some hold all three. Pride because it’s a breathtakingly beautiful valley, with families that have been here for 300 years with the names in the cemetery on the hill, marching through the years and down onto the street signs, and then to the mailboxes and the voices around the table in the corner cafe. Determination because whatever the world has thrown at these sturdy people who’ve been here forever, or at these new seekers hoping to carve a bit of a life far from the big city, it takes grit and resourcefulness to do anything worthwhile. Resentment because it’s so easy to see the things that have passed this place by, the missed opportunities, the bright dreams that diminished from castles in the sky and the few mansions on the hills to the sensible mid-century farmhouses and practical sheet-metal outbuildings.
Backers Only: PDF Draft Preview!
about 5 years ago
– Wed, Apr 17, 2019 at 10:17:53 PM
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
PDF Release Delayed, Moose, Confidante, & Possum Finished!
about 5 years ago
– Sun, Mar 31, 2019 at 03:18:05 AM
Hello all!
Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm for Turn! We are super excited to get the game into your hands, and doing our best to make that happen. With that in mind, some updates!
PDF Layout In Progress
The PDF layout is in process, but will not be completed by the planned release date. I assure you that no matter how disappointed you are in this situation, I'm far more disappointed in myself for not adequately supporting John while he's been ill. The only thing we can do is keep working and get it done as soon as we can! We'll try to get some review images up for you soon, and we'll release the draft PDF as soon as it's ready for you to see, then get it out the door to be a final file shortly thereafter. We don't think it will take much longer, but I'm trying to give John some space to just work and make progress. Please be patient - we are doing our best.
What does this mean for printing?
Printing will happen basically as soon as we can make it happen when the PDFs are ready. Basically, we'll be requesting an updated quote as the page length has grown and we have a larger quantity of books to order, and as soon as we get it, it'll involve getting proofs and proceeding as appropriate. Once we can print, we'll get the process rolling on international shipping and domestic shipping alike.
What about the stretch goals?
The stretch goals are unaffected by the PDF and printing progress! I'll be doing layout based on John's templates for the stretch goals to help ease his workload. I'm finished editing Meguey's and Jaye's, working on Ezio & Lavinia's & Gerrit's now, and soon Anders'. Ezio & Lavinia and Gerrit's take a little more time because editing writing from people who have different primary languages than English or who have a huge cultural difference from me is, as you can imagine, more challenging!
But we're making great progress, actually, in spite of everyone having life stuff happening - we have had health issues, job difficulties, and even some losses in family and friends, but we're getting the work done. We're just doing it with accommodation of those things, so it takes some time. I'll share some clips from the texts soon, maybe with the PDF previews!
The Confidante, a Moose, and an Opossum are finished!
Three of the secret stretch goals of the Kickstarter were The Confidante, a Moose, and an Opossum, and these are now completed and available here along with the other character sheets! These do not have art at this time, but they're complete character sheets. (These character sheets will be updated with the final PDF & print release, but not yet.) The play guidance for them is as follows (not sure where this will be hosted, as we aren't putting it in the main book - will update when we have decided!):
How to Play the Confidante
The Confidante knows everybody’s business, and people just speak to them with ease, revealing secrets, confessing truths, and sometimes overwhelming them with the information they only sometimes ask for. They are typically well-trusted, though that doesn’t mean well-respected. They know so much about people’s mistakes that they often have good suggestions for how to make things right, or how to do things right in the first place.
When playing the Confidante, keep in mind that they aren’t just constantly jonesing for gossip - gossip finds them. They are typically open-hearted, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t cynical. A heartfelt Confidante is one of the best kinds to play, because they do truly wish for the best for those they open their hearts to. Though, basically every one of them wishes that they could speak freely for once - and be heard.
How to Play a Moose
Moose are huge, lumbering beasts that come across as majestic, even wise, and dangerous because of their sheer size. But, they mostly just want to go about their day, living their lives, and keeping steward over the wilderness while bumping into human spaces that constantly encroach them. Remember that they aren’t aggressive, but they also won’t brook with invasive guests.
How to Play an Opossum
Opossum are much cuter than people think, and they’re very family-oriented if they have family to care for. They are pest-eliminators to an epic degree, clearing out ticks and similar creatures from human-habitated areas by the tens of thousands each month. They’re underappreciated, truly unique, and shockingly humble about it. Play them as very genuine, and as useful.
Some Art Pieces
To leave you with something pretty to look at, here's two of the final pieces by John and Cecilia.
The Lover, by John W. Sheldon. What a sweetie <3
A Bear by Cecilia Ferri.
Reminder: Share the Community Copies Form!
Make sure to share the community copies form (https://forms.gle/Z3TemVPB7b92yGSe8) to help me reach a broader audience of individuals, community centers, and libraries to send copies of the books to when they are printed. My reach only goes so far! If you're a Bison backer, send it to anyone in particular you want your copy to go to, and if you're any other kind of backer or did an add-on, do the same! Right now we have few responses, so there's still plenty of room for more requests.
Thank you again <3
Thank you all again for your support and understanding, and your continued enthusiasm for the game. Remember that in the meantime the final beta is still at this link and you're welcome to play it if you'd like! I want to start doing the special backer level fulfillment as soon as the PDF is ready (for the Cougars, Snakes, and Otters!), so make sure your surveys are complete. I'll be sending out emails starting Tuesday, April 2nd, 2019 for scheduling. I have been taking time to send these out to match them with the PDF, so that the backers could see the final product before we finalize anything, but I want to fulfill what I can now. I appreciate you understanding my methods, and your patience with us while we deal with illness and disability at home!
All the best,
Brie Beau & John & the team
Update: Some Art, Layout, SURVEYS!
about 5 years ago
– Mon, Mar 25, 2019 at 12:56:44 AM
Hey all,
First thing's first: We're down to less than 10% of people missing for surveys, which is great, but we need those surveys! Especially for custom level (Cougar, Snake, etc.) backers and Bison backers! I've sent out reminders for these. Please do them as soon as you can - doing fulfillment piecemeal is a sketchy process and I'd like to have this go smoother.
Second thing, I wanted to share some of the lovely art with you!
A Raccoon by Cecilia Ferri.
The Showoff by John W. Sheldon
We're still super happy with the work that Cecilia Ferri did for us with the beasts, and John has made some amazing art for the humans! Speaking of John, he's working on layout right now for the main text! We want to start doing the custom backer level fulfillment as soon as the PDF is ready (so our backers can have a copy of the book to look at for building towns and to play their new Archetypes or Roles!), which we hope will be the end of this month still.
We're working on the stretch goals - all but one stretch goal is in my hands, and we're doing edits and stuff as necessary to make sure the rules work and that the content is all clear and flavorful! The stretch goal designers have done a great job, and while we've had some delays for various life stuff for literally everyone, we're working through it!
I've made a big point to prioritize the health and wellbeing of my creators first, and to prioritize my own, too. This sounds counter-intuitive in our capitalistic world and on a funded project, but let me tell you, asking sick people to work on projects is not the right thing to do. Everyone who has taken advantage of a rest period, extended deadline, or day off from me has come back to me with stronger work and more enthusiasm! We set the stretch goal due dates way far out to allow for this, and I think its paying off.
John, as some may know, has also been dealing with some health struggles (rare for him). He's finally found out what's going on and will have some minor outpatient surgery sometime soon, but it shouldn't impact the project - the treatment he's been given in advance of the surgery has already increased his productivity dramatically, so I think we're doing alright.
Thank you all for your continued support! Even if it's just backing and filling out a survey, you helped make Turn happen! We'll move into printing once the PDF is in good shape, and I'll keep you updated as it goes. Again, thank you so much - we appreciate your patience, your enthusiasm, and your support more than we can measure!
