Hello!
Things have been a little quiet over here at Technical Grimoire. But that's about to change! This newsletter is all about our next game: Overpowered. I'm going to talk about its origins, goals, obstacles, and finally, ask for your help! I hope you enjoy this behind-the-scenes peek.
Two years ago I released Overpowered as a fun little 1-page solo RPG to celebrate my birthday. It was janky but interesting in its own way. I put it away and focused on Bones Deep for the rest of 2022.
Last year, Hannah Strang came on board and helped me transform Overpowered from a weird solo RPG into a brilliant strategy game. We worked on it for months, and even hosted some monthly competitions to try and build a community around it. Not much luck. The project broke even, and we were proud of it. But it never quite took off. So we turned our attention to Bridgetown for most of 2023.
Now, this year, we are going to try and launch Overpowered a THIRD time. It's kind of crazy. I believe in this game a LOT. I think it has the potential to be huge if we hit the market at the right angle. But it's a very weird game, and doesn't quite fit into normal labels.
- It is compatible with role playing games, but Overpowered itself is a strategy game.
- It is played solo, but has a competitive online leaderboard.
- It's a tabletop style game that uses a digital web app.
Here's the current pitch:
- "Overpowered transforms any RPG module into a solo strategy game. Play as a brave explorer bot charged with mapping, scanning, and pacifying a dangerous location. Compatible with any adventure that uses math and maps. Doubles as a GM prep tool to learn adventures."
A few other marketing jingles:
- "It's like a video game console that you plug TTRPG modules into!"
- "A mini-game you can play as you read through RPG books."
- "Speedrun any rpg adventure, especially the ones you never quite found the time for."
We Need Your Help
This is where you come in. The game has been complete for months. It's been playtested by dozens of folks. But it's still missing something.
We are planning to publish a print version of the rules manual. It will be a beautiful coil-bound book inspired by retro computer manuals. The book will have a bunch of great examples, diagrams, strategy tips, and will also include 5 adventures ready to play with Overpowered.
- Contains the first 30 pages, full rules, and a tutorial adventure
- Looking for feedback on layout, rules explanations, and the tutorial adventure.
- Ignore typos and small errors; we'll get them later.
Give it a read, play through the tutorial adventure, and please let me know what you think! I know this game is missing SOMETHING, I just can't pin it down.
Now that you've seen the PDF and heard the history of this project we have one big question:
To Kickstarter or not to Kickstarter?
Months ago we had decided to just publish the game directly and avoid all the headache a Kickstarter can bring. But now that the book is almost done...we're reconsidering.
A Kickstarter would be a huge marketing boost. It would encourage more players to try out the game and submit to the online leaderboard. I would love to see this game get regular competition events and challenges. And it could be a neat opportunity for stretch goals like extra adventures.
What do you think? Would you rather see this game get a big Kickstarter campaign with stretch goals and upgrades? Or would you rather see it get released sooner directly to online stores?
Thanks for Reading!
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. You can email us your feedback at [email protected] or join the discord server for more conversations and previews.
Either way, Overpowered will come out later this year. We know you'll love it!
- David
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