Have you ever watched something on a screen and thought, “That would be great for roleplaying?”
I did with Minecraft. Not with the exploding monsters that snuck up and killed me on the first night, but in the world-building side of things. On Minecraft servers, people build worlds together, explore them together, and have fun together.
Is it any wonder that VoxStory caught my eye when it opened in beta recently? VoxStory is a roleplaying game. It’s one designed with digital in mind but not for virtual tabletops as you know them. VoxStory is designed with the TV screen in mind.
Bold claims? I got in touch with Ashley Mason, part of the VoxStory project, who helped facilitate some answers for me. As we’ll see, I started with the basics!
What is VoxStory?
VoxStory is a traditional TTRPG made cinematic. Played in a similar way to traditional TTRPGs, VoxStory modernises by allowing players to see their actions play out on a big screen. For those that struggle to imagine the scene set by the Game Master, you’ll now be able to see it and bring your imagination to life, whilst delving into a huge world filled with endless possibilities for you and your friends to explore!
Why make your own RPG? Why not a system-neutral system?
There are other systems already available to do this and while we think they’re a great idea we wanted to make something more accessible to everyone. Through our research we found a large number of gamers wanted to get into TTRPGs but found the huge books overwhelming. Traditional games can be intimidating for new players and those less confident. Our system guides it’s users through the process of map building, story setting and character creation. We believe it will help allow more people to break into being a Game Master.
Could people just use VoxStory as a map building tool if they wanted?
If people wanted to use VoxStory simply as a map building tool they can. While it’s not our intention people can use it how they choose.
What’s the main way you imagine people playing VoxStory? People sat around together with a large screen or behind their computer?
We imagine getting everyone together again in the same room and watching their adventure play out on a TV for example. The whole world has been affected by the pandemic and people have taken to playing TTRPGs over video calls, we want to bring people back together. However, we are aware that there are people who play together while in different countries so there will still be the ability to remote play.
Are RPGs diminished at all by the traditional VTT approach?
As we are aiming to keep as true to traditional TTRPGs as possible we don’t believe anything will be diminished by the cinematic factor, we believe this will enhance things, particularly for those not as confident with roleplaying.
You charge the GM for an account but players can join for free, what’s the rationale behind that?
Current RPGs are often very expensive to get into and as mentioned in a previous answer we want to make it accessible to as many people as possible.
What does the roadmap for VoxStory look like? What’s nearly done, what could happen this year and what could the future hold?
The base mechanics are all in place, we are currently fine tuning them and making sure they all work as they should. We’re also at the point of putting our graphics team’s designs into the game. Once the Game is launched we plan to do some additional DLC.
Can you share any timeline details?
We are currently working towards a kickstarter to be launched in July. This is just to help with the development costs. Shortly after the Kickstarter, assuming it is successful, we’ll be launching the Beta test phase. Our current aim is to release the full game this year, however with the ongoing pandemic we realise we may have to be flexible with these dates.
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