Psi-punk Officially Released

You read that right.

Psi-punk: a Fudge Cyberpunk RPG is available now!

If you were a backer, you received an e-mail earlier today with a link to download the files. If not, don't worry -- you can buy it now from OneBookShelf for just $19.99.

I expounded a bit more on this announcement at the Accessible Games website.

Thanks to everyone who helped support Psi-punk up to this point, and to all of the new fans who are just coming on board!

Wow, that was fast!

Ruben not only delivered the first draft of Psi-punk by Thursday (sooner than his Friday estimate), he delivered the follow-up draft, cover draft, character sheet draft, and new logo by Friday as well.

I sent Backers-only e-mails with previews of everything we have so far. Unfortunately I won't be sharing those to the general public, but rest assured they all look great. The final product is within reach and I can't wait to share it with the rest of the world.

If you've been waiting for Psi-punk, fear not. The wait is almost over!

First Layout Pass Complete

Good news! I am told the first layout pass for Psi-punk is complete.

What does that mean? The core design of the document is intact now. Headers, fonts, general placement, space for art, etc. None of the art is placed yet, but Ruben tells me he hopes to have a draft revision by the weekend.

How would you like a sneak peak? This is just the first 3 pages, including the credits and introduction pages. There's no art yet, but the headers, footers, fonts, and so forth are in place. Remember, some things are still subject to change (like that blank spot where I'm missing the name for my new logo artist -- whoops!) but it's an indication of where we're going.

Also, I'm talking with Ruben about increasing the font size. Currently the font for the main body copy is 11 point and the book, at that size, will have an estimated 176 pages after art is placed. If we increase it to 12 pt. he thinks that will push the page count up to 200-ish, which is what I budgeted for to begin with. I'm not too concerned about the actual page count, but I want a font that is readable for most people -- too many game books have tiny fonts, and I want to change that.

So, what do you think?

Download the sneak peak, then comment below.

P.S. I am disabling the "Support Psi-punk" page for now. It has been great -- since the end of the Kickstarter, we've received 4 additional new backers and one pledge upgrade through that link. I'm really thrilled by the enthusiasm, but we literally just received one additional pledge this morning and, from here out, I'm not going to be able to promise that we can put additional backer names in the book before launch. Thanks to everyone who has supported us so far, and I really look forward to being able to show you all the final product soon!

Psi-punk Cover - Revealed!

I know it's been quiet around here for a while. I have been working hard on a few new projects while awaiting the final touches on Psi-punk. My layout guy tells me he should be able to devote more time to the project soon, but he had a few other projects that had come up while we had been waiting on art.

Speaking of art, we finally have the cover for Psi-punk and it looks spectacular! Check it out!

Also, behold Psi-truvian Man! (We're thinking about using this on the back cover.)

Finally, we should have a new Psi-punk logo soon, and I'll display that as soon as it comes in.

Let me know what you think, and why not comment on whether or not you think Psi-truvian Man should go on the back cover.

Additional Cyberpunk Character Archetypes

I've been talking a lot about the progress of the final book around here lately, so today I thought I'd spend some time to highlight a few additional archetypes that were added since the last time we talked about archetypes.

Pet Pusher

One of the biggest complaints I received about Psi-punk is that it didn't have any "pet classes." This was certainly an oversight on my part -- I know pet classes are a staple of many an RPG, so I thought I'd make it up to everyone by including the Pet Pusher. There still aren't any actual classes in the game, but this archetype should give people a nudge in the right direction when it comes time to think about how they want to design their character.

Pet Pusher: By using the mind control and empathy psionic powers or magic devices, pet pushers are able to get a feel for what their animal friends are experiencing and then "push" their thoughts and actions to make them do their bidding. Characters who choose to become pet pushers need to beware of PETA -- Psionic Empaths Training Animals -- because the organization doesn't like rogue animal handlers wandering about.

Half-Giant

Half-giants were a common psionic race in the Dungeons and Dragons Psionics Handbook. Psi-punk doesn't use races other than humans, but with a few tweaks to your own power usage you can still play one if you wish.

Half-Giant: Sometimes bigger is just better. Other times, it's hard to find clothes that fit. Either way, half-giants use the control animate power to increase their size to around 9 feet and spend most of their time in that form. Having a half-giant on the team is useful when you need to intimidate someone or smash down a door, but it makes it difficult to observe the clearance at a drive-through window.

 Mecha Pilot

After reading through the Mecha Role-Playing Game by Heroic Journey Publishing, I thought to myself: "Hey, why doesn't Psi-punk have giant robots that people can stomp around in? It's future-y enough." For now there aren't any game mechanics for riding in a mech (though you can treat it just like piloting a vehicle) but stay tuned for Psi-punk: Deus Ex Mecha, our upcoming cyberpunk/giant robot mashup.

Mecha Pilot: Giant robots used to be the domain of anime and science fiction, but in 2037 the Japanese brought us the first mecha that fit all of the expectations we'd given them over the years. Now we have Mecha Pilots, skilled drivers with the cyberpsi Gift (or a suitable magic replacement) that can talk to their 'bots on a binary level. These deadly mecha warriors are not to be trifled with.

  Console Cowboy

"Hacker" was such an old-fashioned and boring name for computer jocks, so we updated the name to pay homage to our roots.

Console Cowboy: These computer hackers are great at getting into any system they can get a ping on. They look a bit out-dated in their snakeskin boots and wide-brimmed hats, but that's just part of their culture that you don't understand because you're not part of it.

Hopefully you enjoyed these updates to our Character Archetypes section. Do you have any other great cyberpunk character archetypes that I should consider adding in an expansion? Let me know in the comments!

Backer Surveys Sent

One step closer to release.

I've spoken with my layout artist and he's going to be available to start work on Psi-punk later in April. He believes we can have the book finished by May, so we're in good shape!

I have sent out backer surveys via Kickstarter for all of the wonderful people who've backed the game. A few of you have used the Support Psi-punk link on this blog to pledge after the Kickstarter, and I am still working out the best way to gather information from you fine folks.

If you're one of the more than 100 people who backed Psi-punk, thank you so much and please make sure you fill out your surveys as soon as possible. Most importantly I need everyone's name as they would like it to appear in the SPecial Thanks section before I can send the final copy off to layout.

Progress!

You've been waiting for me to be able to tell you this for as long as I've been waiting to say it:

Art is done!

Over the last week, Melissa has delivered the last of the art. I'm still waiting on a cover, but I don't need that to send everything off to Ruben for layout.

I am awaiting a response from Ruben about a timeframe for when we may be able to get started on that. I have diligently been working on our second-pass edits and the book has improved a lot overall for the extra time I've had to give to it. Everything's ready to go now, just as soon as I hear back about layout.

When I know more about that timeframe, I'll post another update to let you know. In the meantime, feast your eyes on a couple of more pieces of art.

Man inserting a skill chip.

Mad scientist with robot arms

Woman creating a fireball with a magic device.