Dice Kapital are on the hunt for £12,300 to Kickstart the printing of Ecopunk: 2044. The plain text version of the game is out and free thanks to the support from the Arts Council England, and I don’t imagine that makes it easier to persuade people to part with their cash.
Ecopunk: 2044 is a project as well as a game. It’ll be printed to order, with trees planted along the way, and the game is overly about saving the planet and tackling the damage capitalism, and the current supply chain is doing. They’re about 25% of the way to target with four weeks to run at the time of writing. You can pledge support or see progress on the Kickstarter page.
Ecopunk is set in 2044. The world is on a Death Spiral as the global ecology has moved beyond the point of no return. The end of the world can be slowed but not stopped.
Curious? The free version is on Itch.io.
Megastructures rise and artificial forests grow. The great beast of politics awakes from its slumber and AIs labour away in the dark. ECOPUNK: 2044 hopes to not just provide a fresh new system and setting, but also inspire environmental action in its players. Will you be passive victims-in-waiting, or emulate the characters you play and join the campaign for a liveable ecology?
The core rules include a Mission Generator, cybersecurity rules, a narrative focus and this version will have art.
Each book that gets published means action for Plant More Trees, and while a game that says it committed socialism might put some gamers off. I’m not a socialist, but I think this RPG is one of the goodies. I may never play it, but it’s going to get my backing to nudge it towards that formidable funding goal.
The game isn’t cheap, though.
A pledge of £17 gets you the PDF of the core and any stretch goals.
Stepping up to £40 gets the hardcover, PDF and stretch goals. That’s excluding shipping.
A limited tier of £75 lets you name a character or action, get the usual copies and a special place in the credits.
There are higher tiers, stretching up to £300 to design a character and add your own art.
The game itself is slated for January 2022, which isn’t that far away and the benefit of the text already ready to go.
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