Tod Foley’s As If Productions is in the RPG Publisher Spotlight this month.
Geek Native’s patrons get to vote on a publisher, creator, or other contributors to the roleplaying hobby for a feature article once a month and generally, we’re able to do an interview as part of that focus. This month, Tod’s not been able to. We tried, we swapped initial questions and emails, but we’re out of time.
And that’s a signal as to just how busy Tod Foley must be.
A look at As If’s website will reveal some clues as to why that might be the case. As If’s web presence is different from other publishers. It’s not alien, though, there are overlaps with there are sections for game design, roleplaying and even interactive fiction and art.
It is distinct, though, as there are also sections on building websites, visual basic, content management systems, including but not restricted to WordPress and recent projects are web builds rather than games.
As If Productions produces many different projects and the silver thread that runs through them is interactive systems. Clients include Comedy Central, 20th Century Fox Films, Sony, Walt Disney Records, and iconic games from the tabletop hobby like Ice Crown Enterprises.
As If Patreon
The publisher’s Patreon is focused on games, unlike the main site. The $10 tier is sold out, but the dozen or so patrons (pretty much the same as Geek Native manages) are spread between $1 and $5.
As If supporters get free PDFs from the publisher, access to online playtests and experiments, and the usual Patron blog posts.
It might be tempting to think, “Oh, another Patreon, how original”, but As If’s first post on the platform that I can find is dated 4th December 2014.
That’s right; 2014.
Patreon was founded in May 2013. Tod was an early mover, faster than most other RPG publishers.
Recent posts have included tables on NPCs’ emotional states, an essay on Hybrid Games, Expectations and Plot and Sources of Conflict in the Fractopian Future.
The Factopian Future is from UbiquiCity. Tod Foley is the series curator of stories about the coming century and is one of many authors involved.
UbiquiCity
Niko Carcosa, Antony Copeland, Tod Davies, Tod Foley, DeAnna Knippling, SL Koch, Shariann Lewitt, Adrian McCauley and T Reynolds are all involved in the project. There’s an anthology of stories and a Gamemaster’s soucebook.
Published in 2017, UbiquiCity: Tales of the Fractopian Future is available on Amazon and DriveThruFIction.
Nine authors collaborate to build a “Smart City” of the first world 100 years in the future, examining the results of projected modern trends such as ubiquitous computing, artificial intelligence, biotech, nanotech, anti-aging and green technologies – alongside corporate governance and social upheaval.
There’s a book two, too, which was published in 2019. UbiquiCity 2: Undercurrents features stories from Irene Bassett, Brad Cole, D.M. Dore, Jens Durke, S.L. Koch, G. Dean Manuel, Adrian McCauley and Rick Rosenkranz, as well as Foley.
Beneath the smartglass towers, hovering drones and digital advertisements of the corporate elite, life on the streets of Union City follows its own cyber-organic rhythms.
DayTrippers
While UbiquiCity is clearly an important project for Tod and As Is Productions, DayTrippers looks to be the big RPG project.
The hottest “As If” titles listed by DriveThruRPG are DayTrippers GameMasters Guide and DayTrippers Core Rules are the top two.
The RPG is inspired by sci-fi with a surreal bent. Authors and artists such as Moebius, Moorcock, Rucker, Weinbaum, Heinlein and Vance.
The GM-lite book is an easy read, only 44-pages long and was published in 2015. It uses the CORE system, which means d6 only.
A DayTrippers campaign is like a series of one-shots: each adventure is designed to last a single session and return the PCs back to Earth. An infinite variety of bizarre experiences can be explored, from “Dream Worlds” and “Alternate Earths” to distant planets in our universe and others. Players will visit new and wildly divergent realities every session, blurring the line between subjective and objective reality, and cranking up the weirdness to eleven.
A DayTrippers interview with Tod Foley
If you’re curious about DayTrippers, the Core Rules are a Pay What You Want.
As If Productions
- As If Productions’ website.
- Tod Foley’s website.
- As If Productions on Patreon.
- As If Productions on Twitter.
- UbiquiCity on Facebook.
- DayTrippers on Facebook.
Latest As If Productions Games Productions
As we’ve seen, Tod and As If Productions are available on various platforms. Since there is a presence on DriveThruRPG, it means we can sort by most recent modifications and that gives us;
- 4th December 2021: CORE PC Sheet.
- 1st December 2021: CORE Action Table.
- 15th October 2021: CORE Feats.
- 29th August 2020: UnNatural.
- 17th August 2020: CORE Micro.
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