02:37 <+HeroesCove> My name is Josh Wooten. I designed Heroes Cove as a way to play an RPG game but without the set up time and the commitment.
02:37 <+HeroesCove> It is live on Kickstarter now. Here is the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heroescove/heroes-cove-0?ref=4mneq2
02:38 <+Viktyr> So, how does your game get players into the action faster than other games?
02:39 <+HeroesCove> My favorite part is how easy it is to learn. I just taught it to a 10 year old in about 4-5 minutes, but it has a lot of depth too… Ended up the 10 year old’s Mom won because she was picking it up pretty quick
02:39 <+HeroesCove> Setting up a character sheet is two quick steps. You pick a Race and a Class and you are done. Each Race and Class give you different abilities to help you win
02:40 <+HeroesCove> Here is a quick picture of how you would look after you play a round or two: https://www.facebook.com/heroescove/photos/a.1001588849927621.1073741828.997942710292235/1298056930280810/?type=3&theater
02:41 <+Viktyr> So, it is a competitive game?
02:42 <+HeroesCove> Yes, there are Group Quests, so you do have to cooperate, but you are competing for Kaira’s attention. A former Gladiator that is willing to train only the best young adventurers (players)
02:43 <+Viktyr> What is the core mechanic like?
02:43 <+HeroesCove> There is a version that we generally play with younger kids that is 100% co-op. and that can be pretty fun too if you are looking for a more light experience
02:43 <+Viktyr> I mean, how is the game played?
02:43 <+HeroesCove> You look for the items needed to complete quests, this is mostly through shopping
02:44 <+xyphoid> so is this similar to fantasy adventure boardgames like the runebound/descent/talisman? i am confused whether it’s closer to a RPG or a boardgame from teh KS
02:44 <+HeroesCove> but Orcs can steal, and it seems that the Rogue always has sticky fingers
02:44 <+HeroesCove> It is closer to a boardgame, but has a lot of RPG flavor
02:45 <+HeroesCove> There are 6 decks of cards (4 shops and the Loot and Individual quests)
02:45 <+xyphoid> (i think it’s sentence one being ‘In this tabletop role-playing game’ that makes it confusing)
02:45 <+HeroesCove> You go to the different shops in search of needed items
02:48 <+HeroesCove> Makes sense, one quick edit and that shouldn’t be an issue again
02:51 <+Viktyr> Do players take turns?
02:51 <+HeroesCove> Correct, each player has 2 actions per turn
02:52 <+Viktyr> What kinds of actions are available?
02:52 <+HeroesCove> You can add an item that you have, or you can go shopping for an item, you can grab an Individual Quest (or complete one) or you can use any Racial or Class abilities.
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02:53 <+Viktyr> What kinds of abilities do the different races and classes get?
02:53 <+SolipstryAlex> Is there an opportunity to incorperate the storytelling aspects of a roleplaying game?
02:53 <+HeroesCove> The Priest can heal everybody for a Victory Point, the Orc can intimidate the Shop Keep an take an item as examples
02:55 <+HeroesCove> Yes, so each quest has a different person giving the quest, such as Thurmon the Mayor or Grant the Sheriff. Depending on how well you do on the quest that also has some flavor and different rewards (and amounts of damage)
02:56 <+HeroesCove> There are different Styles of play as well, in the game there are 2 different healers, 4 different tanks and 4 “damage” roles, there are also 10 different races. Most of the popular fantasy races are represented.
02:56 <+SolipstryAlex> Oh sure. I assume new quests could appear in expansions down the road?
02:57 <+HeroesCove> Not everybody goes on a quest, and depending on who you are and who you care about you can help them get on the quest.
02:57 <+SolipstryAlex> Interesting. So if I’m not questing, what’s my win condition?
02:57 <+HeroesCove> Exactly! We currently have several expansions in various stages of playtesting. These add new quests, new shops and races/classes. They also add something that is not in the game yet
02:58 <+SolipstryAlex> Or did I misunderstand and you mean “Not everyhone goes on EVERY quest”?
02:59 <+HeroesCove> For the most part, you cannot win without Group Quests, but one Race the Yutu (think anthropomorphic bunny) does really well doing just individual quests
02:59 <+HeroesCove> (Sorry, yes, it is hard to get on EVERY quest and it is very powerful to cut people out of quests)
03:00 <+SolipstryAlex> I am all about anthropomorphic bunny.
03:00 <+HeroesCove> https://www.facebook.com/heroescove/photos/a.1001588849927621.1073741828.997942710292235/1258196894266814/?type=3&theater
03:01 <+SolipstryAlex> You also have good art.
03:01 <+HeroesCove> That is a picture of Jataka, she is one of the townsfolk and she is the resident Kickboxing Champion… at least until she challenges you!
03:01 <+HeroesCove> Thanks!
03:01 <+HeroesCove> We have been working with several artists, but one couple have done about half of it
03:03 <+HeroesCove> Here is a picture of Grant… I asked the artist to use me as a reference… it was probably best that she did not. https://www.facebook.com/heroescove/photos/a.1001588849927621.1073741828.997942710292235/1069997049753467/?type=3&theater
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03:04 <~Dan> (I’m out for the night. Have a good one, all!)
03:04 <+HeroesCove> Thanks Dan!
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03:05 <+Viktyr> In PM, you mentioned that there’s in-game fiction. Would you like to share it with us?
03:06 <+HeroesCove> Certainly! http://heroescove.com/short-stories/
03:07 <+HeroesCove> I have written most of it, but I have a friend that does Stand Up, and another that does Third Party Support for Pathfinder, and they have been great to add flavor to the world.
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03:08 <+Viktyr> You recently reduced the campaign goal for your Kickstarter. Why is that?
03:10 <+HeroesCove> So we went to GenCon, and we met with quite a few manufacturers… we really liked one of them. unfortunately they don’t do small print runs. It is really just Josh doing most things, with help from a variety of people. We tried a Kickstarter to get the funds needed to use that manufacturer, but as basically a 1-man show we just did not get the hype needed.
03:11 <+Viktyr> And is that what happened to your previous Kickstarter campaign?
03:11 <&Silverlion> Makes sense. I understand.
03:11 <+HeroesCove> We found another manufacturer that would do much smaller print runs, it would cost slightly more per unit, but less over all
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03:11 <&Silverlion> Anyway, I’m off to read and sleep. Later all.
03:11 <+HeroesCove> Pretty much, we got all our friends and family to pledge… and then is basically sat there for another 3 weeks
03:11 <+HeroesCove> G’night Silverlion
03:12 <&Silverlion> You gotta sell sell sell, everywhere you can. For the record. 😀
03:12 <+HeroesCove> Absolutely!
03:12 <&Silverlion> and I’ve not done one but talked to a lot of KS people.
03:12 <&Silverlion> Anyway goodnight, and good fortune on the KS.
03:12 <+Viktyr> What else have you learned from the previous campaign?
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03:13 <+HeroesCove> Yeah, I was a “super backer” before I started the previous KS, but it is a lot different pledging versus running one.
03:14 <+Viktyr> Indeed.
03:14 <+HeroesCove> After the last one crashed and burned I really started focusing on Jamie Stegmaier and read (almost) all of his tips
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03:15 <+HeroesCove> I had thought that having a great idea and a base of about 100 people that were super interested, it would spread like wildfire
03:16 <+HeroesCove> yeah… it did not. It probably also did not help that we did not have a great video. The video we have now is done by Josh with some help from Melody Rose Media, and it is way better (and shorter too!)
03:19 <+Viktyr> The art looks really good, and you mentioned most of it was produced by a couple of artists. What else can you tell us about them?
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03:20 <+HeroesCove> Most of the art is done by Kris and Sarah Cooper, here is a link to his art http://kriscooper.deviantart.com/art/Prymal-Design-383362719
03:22 <+HeroesCove> We also had a few people from Josh’s other job do some of the more common items (Ax, Rope etc.) So we really tried to use local artists (most live within 45 minutes of us) when possible.
03:22 <+Viktyr> Artists local to where?
03:22 <+HeroesCove> Salt Lake City\
03:22 <+Viktyr> Hey, you’re in my neck of the woods.
03:23 <+HeroesCove> Using local artists helped keep costs down, but also I felt they were more flexible
03:23 <+HeroesCove> Nice!
03:23 <+HeroesCove> (Steve Argyle, Josh’s Favorite artist, is also local but was out of our budget)
03:24 <+HeroesCove> (but we got a picture with him anyways https://www.facebook.com/heroescove/photos/a.1001588849927621.1073741828.997942710292235/1065700480183124/?type=3&theater)
03:25 <+Viktyr> Well, we seem to be winding down, here. What else would you like to tell us before you call it a night?
03:26 <+xyphoid> what other games is this one similar to? sounds a bit like a lighter thunderstone?
03:27 <+HeroesCove> Just that I would love for everybody to check it out, I am always willing to listen to suggestions and since nothing has been sent to the printer, it is not too late to change things. We are really proud of this game, but we know that things can be improved
03:27 <+Viktyr> Do you have playtest materials available?
03:27 <+HeroesCove> So I hate to compare it to Munchkin, but when i was working on the alpha testing i would frequently run into an issue and solve it quickly only to see that we had become Munchkin
03:28 <+HeroesCove> We have a Print and Play available on our website. http://heroescove.com/
03:29 <+HeroesCove> We did get 10 games made by Game Crafter, but 8 have been sent to different Youtube channels https://www.thegamecrafter.com/
03:29 <+HeroesCove> I have only played Thunderstone once, and I remember it being fun… and that is about all I remember
03:31 <+xyphoid> what is the standard game length? i see you have player elimination in there
03:32 <+xyphoid> are you generally getting people knocked out of hte game or is it more a rare edge case?
03:32 * xyphoid has been skimming the rulebook
03:32 <+HeroesCove> 20-30 minutes with the suggested 7 quest game (three level 1 quests, two level 2 quests, and 3 level 3 quests0
03:32 <+HeroesCove> People usually only die 1 in 8 games
03:33 <+HeroesCove> It frequently happens because they don’t buy armor before the level 2 quests hit
03:33 <+HeroesCove> (although if there are no healers people do tend to die more often)
03:35 <+xyphoid> what incentive do you have to heal other players?
03:36 <+HeroesCove> The Priest gets Victory Points, and the Bard gets money
03:36 <+HeroesCove> That is not always enough to get the healers to heal, so you can eat and drink to restore damage, but usually the healers heal… unless you are creaming them
03:38 <+xyphoid> the rulebook doesn’t mention what you do with individual quests anywhere
03:38 <+xyphoid> are they the same deal where you put in items and get vps/items/damage out?
03:38 <+HeroesCove> Yeah, we are doing a major update… it was in there but I guess it got saved over
03:39 <+HeroesCove> Pretty much, it takes an action to get one and most will require you to use another action. Some also require specific items, like there is one to go mining, and you need a Pick. Others just take some of your time to complete
03:40 <+xyphoid> so it looks like to get items to progress you need money, which you get from quests
03:40 <+HeroesCove> Most award at least 1 Victory Point and some amount of money, but there are a few that let you take Loot, and others where you only get Victory Points or money
03:40 <+xyphoid> can you end up locked because you’ve all bought a bunch of items but nobody has the torch or whatever?
03:40 <+HeroesCove> That has happened, but typically it doesn’t last for long
03:41 <+xyphoid> so the individual quests are for getting out of that?
03:41 <+HeroesCove> I had one guy spend all his money on really nice armor… but then he couldn’t get any items for group quests. luckily he pulled an Individual Quest that didn’t require any other times (more than half don’t require additional items0
03:42 <+HeroesCove> Or you could sell items to other players
03:42 <+xyphoid> i’m just thinking about the case where the whole table spends their money on gear and consumables which they use up
03:42 <+xyphoid> since i see you can get 0 coins from the quest for example
03:43 <+HeroesCove> That has not happened yet without a full party wipe, but yeah bad things can happen
03:44 <+HeroesCove> In Heroes Cove, rolling High is bad, one game we rolled a 6, then a 5, then a 6… that meant that 3 out of the 4 people died. Instant win for the Ranger.
03:45 <+xyphoid> do you take damage if you don’t have any shares?
03:45 <+HeroesCove> There are several ways to change the die roll, like the Minotaur automatically reduces the roll by 1, the Time Wizard can pay to change it either up or down. There are also several promotional cards that can affect the die roll as well (and more coming with the next expansion)
03:46 <+HeroesCove> No, if you are not on the quest, you do not take any damage or get any rewards
03:46 <+HeroesCove> you are just hanging out at Motto’s Pub or where ever while the other people go off to fight the Pirates or complete whatever the quest is
03:48 <+HeroesCove> Here is a link to the Rulebook: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1EEJadH6YvqWkdQVkpWcnRmVVE/view?usp=sharing
03:48 <+HeroesCove> we are waiting to finalize everything until after the Kickstarter, we would love to get feedback on it
03:50 <+xyphoid> i think for the board game market people really want a finalised ruleset before deciding whether to back
03:50 <+xyphoid> the rpg site is more forgiving there but when i’m assessing boardgames i’m much pickier about the rules, heh
03:51 <+HeroesCove> Yeah, Kickstarter has really changed from a “This is mostly finished and we want to get it going” to a pre-order site, or at least that has been my impression. Not saying it is a bad thing, but just a shift
03:52 <+HeroesCove> We had a professional review the rules and he gave great feedback, we have incorporated most of his ideas, but we just have not had the time to finalize the formatting
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03:57 <+xyphoid> i guess that’s your target market – RPG people you can sell on a cool concept, board games like this are about execution
03:57 <+xyphoid> ‘adventurers go on quests’ is a rough genre to break into
03:58 <+HeroesCove> True, it has been done at least once or twice
03:59 <+HeroesCove> Are there any other questions that you would like answered? I know it is late for many people and I really appreciate the opportunity
03:59 <+xyphoid> All good for me! time to go to the dentist
03:59 <+HeroesCove> That sounds like a lot of fun
04:00 <+Viktyr> Does anyone have the ability to get the logs to Dan?
04:00 <+HeroesCove> Thanks again! Here is the link to our Kickstarter, it would really be great even if you just back for a buck, we would appreciate the support! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heroescove/heroes-cove-0?ref=4mneq2
04:01 <+xyphoid> Yeah I can extract logs
04:01 <+HeroesCove> Awesome, thanks all!
04:04 <+HeroesCove> Good night all
The Hardboiled GMshoe's Office 