Neopets - Tabletop Roleplaying Game Official TTRPG
Created by Geekify Inc
Explore the world of Neopia in tabletop RPG form. Go on quests, save those in need, and heed the call of adventure!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
BackerKit Going Live!
24 days ago
– Tue, Sep 24, 2024 at 12:08:58 AM
Hey Neopians!
It's been a busy month since the close of the Kickstarter! We've been finishing out our convention season (and even got to see some of you face to face at DragonCon and PAX West!) We wanted to give you the heads up to keep an eye out in your emails over the next few days for your invitation to join BackerKit, the pledge management platform now that the initial Kickstarter campaign is complete. That email will be your quick-link to your pledge, and gateway to other add-ons or things of interest for the campaign.
Our next update will have some more detailed instructions and some how-tos as we start to hear from the community on some frequently encountered common problems or questions. We've done some testing, but be gentle and let us know if you find issues - we can keep tweaking and fixing things if they crop up.
Discord The Discord will be going live after the initial dust from the BackerKit has settled a bit. We realized in setting up the server that our bandwidth for moderation is pretty limited and want to do it justice (and consequently to have time for it), since Discord by its nature has something of an always-on aspect to it. We are a fairly small team, so bear with us - we've each got only so many clock cycles. We're going to be opening it up for some ideas and mechanics discussions initially to help feedback and workshop some of our more experimental mechanics in the #smashroom, and start to phase into the playtesting coordination in the months to come.
Game Mechanics As the Kickstarter was ongoing, we started getting a lot of ideas and feedback from the submission boxes, and there's been some real gems in there that we're going to try to incorporate. Things like the lore and the worldbuilding had largely been done and written, but the gameplay mechanics are what's going to make or break the game. Since the beginning, we've been taking a close look at things we really want to push in making this game more interesting and more in line with the spirit of Neopets, so it's no surprise that as the last two years have gone on, we've moved further from a standard D&D format and into something more uniquely Neopets-y, and this process has accelerated with more community eyes on the project. Two things we're excited to introduce to you guys as concepts we've been developing:
Level Fluidity Since so much of your character can change through decisions you make throughout the game (with the use of paintbrushes, morphing potions, stat raises from events, etc), we decided to take leveling in a new direction and make it a bit more fluid than many other game systems. The level cap is being raised from 20 , and random events, interactions with characters, debuffs, and other action can impact your level (both positively and negatively). Level fluidity also opens up some new avenues for the Pacifism system, in the form of being able to Wager levels in a betting mini-game as a means of claiming victory, or to make some heavy sacrifices in your casting costs in exchange for great rewards. This will also give your GM a lot of opportunities to reward or humble the party, and maintain their own sense of balance for the particular campaign being run, and gives opportunities to incorporate leveling into the narrative as well.
Stress While we've been simplifying and rolling some stats together to streamline gameplay, we're also exploring a new Stress mechanic for the Neopets TTRPG, with a simple 1-10 sliding scale representing overall stress of your character and its impact on your abilities to accomplish your goals. We all carry stress with us in our day to day lives, and we all react differently to stressors, and Neopians are no exception. Some tech trees or personality types may function well under pressure and use Stress to their advantage and roll a high-risk / high reward approach to the game, while others may try to keep a clear head, but be able to concentrate in the heat of the moment for a burst of motivational power. There will be some skills that will focus on helping to mitigate party or individual stress, allowing your traditional healer and bard-types to have a new take on support roles, while also building a better sense of community for your party. Neopia is also canonically full of places that'll either creep you out (Haunted Woods), or help you fritter your worries away (such as Roo Island and the myriad of hot springs around Neopia), and your Stress levels will be changing constantly. Stress isn't inherently good or bad, and it's made to have both pros and cons to managing stress, with the aim of minimizing punitive aspects, in favor of giving some deeper complexity to the game (and consequently more options in your approaches). We'll touch more on it later, but we're excited to put this one in the hands of the test players!
Keep an eye out throughout the week for your BackerKit invitation emails, and happy Fall! The Pumpkin Spice Must Flow!
Sincerely, John and the Geekify Crew
Congratulations!
2 months ago
– Sun, Aug 11, 2024 at 12:46:10 PM
Dearest Neopians,
Congratulations on reaching the end of the main 30 days of the Kickstarter campaign! WE DID IT! Almost 1,000% funded, and with 13 of the 14 physical stretch goals unlocked. This is an epic win for the Neopets community and we're thrilled you guys are so psyched for the project.
Just to recap, you've unlocked:
-PDF Versions (all physical books get these) -Character Sheet Pack (all physical books get these) -Premium Book Covers (all physical books get these) -Art Print Postcards (all physical books get these) -Roo Island Mini-Game Funland (content, physical and PDF get this) -Event Card Decks (add-on) -Hardcover Slipcases (add-on) -Expanded Map Packs (add-on) -Expanded Journal Pack (add-on) -Dice Tray (add-on) -Token Pack (add-on) -New Dice Pouch varieties (add-on)
As a bonus since ya'll have been so good, we are unlocking the Illustrated Standees as well!
Illustrated Card Standees (add-on)
The All-In bundles will get all of the goodies from each of the tiers, and the lower pledges can get any desired accessories a la carte.
Late Pledges:
The campaign isn't over! The fun will continue up until shipping of the reward tiers. The accumulation towards stretch goals is over, but all of the items can still be signed up for and acquired. Kickstarter has a new way to do this with Late Pledges (which are currently open), but most of it will be conducted through BackerKit.
Pledge Collection:
Over the next 10 days, Kickstarter will collect pledges from the card you provided. You've got until the end of that period to make sure the funds are available to be collected, after which Kickstarter thinks you're a no-show and drops you from the backers. You'll get email alerts about this if there are any issues and you've got that 10 days of grace period to get it resolved.
If anything goes horribly wrong, don't panic! Contact us directly and we'll make sure you keep your status.
Codes and Avatars:
The ability to earn the Avatar will remain accessible through Late Pledges, and for any tier, and new joiners can still get it up until items ship next year. We're not quite sure of the timeline of when the Avatar will be released, so we'll keep you posted.
The codes for your item tiers will be released (likely by email) when the items physically ship.
Refunds:
We know that it'll be a long while until the project is complete - life happens, and sometimes even waiting for a thing can be stressful, and you want to back out. We have a pretty flexible refund policy if you decide you truly need to withdraw from the project.
These items will become permanent additions to our store once the Kickstarter is complete, so you'll forfeit stretch goal bonuses, but can still get the items themselves (and codes). Contact us directly if you need to do this.
BackerKit Phase:
The next phase of this will be the BackerKit phase, which will make everything a little more intuitive for getting your a la carte items. It's essentially a "storefront" where your pledge money here becomes store credit there, in a direct 1:1 of what you bought. You'll go through the checkout process and add any additional items to your pledge (extras of things, specific accessories you want, etc). This is also the phase when shipping will be charged.
If you pledged at a lower tier, this will also give you the opportunity to upgrade. With so many stretch goals unlocked, the All-In bundles become progressively more bang for your buck.
For a la carte items - some people pledged at $1 and just want the dice, for instance. You can do any specific item(s) you want. You're not required to buy the books or the PDFs.
We'll have a separate post specifically for BackerKit instructions and next steps.
Discord: Mostly setup, and we'll open this up in the weeks ahead.
Thank you all so much for supporting and believing in this project. It's truly blown our minds at the outpouring of enthusiasm and interest. We knew when we started that we really wanted this to exist, and it's touching to see so many people wanting to help share in that vision. We look forward to serving you faithfully in bringing this project to life. Congrats on the successful Kickstarter guys!
Love, The Geekify Crew
Mechanics!
2 months ago
– Sat, Aug 10, 2024 at 12:06:18 AM
Hey Neopians!
Pardon the dust, this campaign has been a whirlwind and we're trying to compress a lot into a very short time window. In this update, we've got a bit of a look into some visual styles we're playing with for page layouts, and some glimpses into the mechanics and presentation style of materials.
The Game System:
This system originally started as a D&D 5e system. We decided about a year and a half ago to ultimately make its own system and have used 5e and Pathfinder as a basis for many of the core, tried and true mechanics of a dice-driven TTRPG system. A d20 is used to resolve many dice rolls, many checks refer to your specific stats, etc. A lot of it is going to feel very familiar to a D&D player.
That being said, some of the original rules were a little clunky, not streamlined to facilitate a more story-driven approach (or a wackier kind of world), or not quite befitting a Neopets-themed experience, so they've undergone some extensive modifications, reworks, and reimaginings, and half the fun has been finding ways that marry the lore and worldbuilding of Neopia with actual game mechanics and metaphysical explanations for certain things. Ever wonder why Paintbrushes hum, or got a sneaking suspicion that Pet Rock is actually sentient? We've gotten to dive into some of those things.
Some things that we're particularly excited about that we've been building mechanics for:
Pacifism Negg Care & Consumption Multi-turn (and multi-character) spells and abilities Stress dynamics Crafting Constant morphing of physical form Random Events Skill Trees
Crafting:
One of the things we've been playing with is how to make crafting a fundamentally more interesting game component, and Neopia has a world absolutely packed with items and variations. We've chosen Motes and Novas as crafting materials that help imbue or empower items, and a Cauldron is a mechanism for deconstructing and reconstructing things. Items can be combined or rendered down for parts to assist with other crafting.
Character Creation:
With 55 species, this could really be an entire book of its own (and will probably be part of some later supplemental materials). The decision to make a skill-tree based game means that you're free to build a character that's not locked into a very specific role in a party and will have some very versatile ways of approaching situations.
To help make it more familiar, we'll have suggestions on what a Paladin or Rogue skill tree might look like, if you want a more traditional hack-n-slash TTRPG approach. But you can also go completely off the rails with your professions and skill sets. Be a stock broker who can levitate, a reporter that's good at picking locks, or a Dungmancer that is a particularly skilled orator. Does this mean balance is tricky? Absolutely. But Neopets is also all about weird approaches to things, and understanding what makes your character unique can be a lot of fun. This was an example of what some background for character creation could look like, and ways to make it diverse.
Combat
A big part of TTRPGs is going to be the enemies you'll face along the way, and how to subdue them. For traditional combat, you've got a standard turn-based, hit point and mana point system, with checks being made against your defense, and beating your enemy into submission.
Enemies range from nefarious and hyper-intelligent Big Bads, all the way down to more mundane Kobold-like Back Alley Bruisers.
However, you might encounter...SWARMS!
Playing with mechanics for what happens when certain creatures start rioting can make for some peculiar situations. How does a sword fare against a bee? What approach should you take to actually catch a swarming Scamander?
Ongoing Revisions
So, it is important to note that while we have done a lot of work in mechanics, most of it is in draft phase and being continuously revised. We've been working really hard on creating a game system that appeals to new players and old, people playing for mechanics and people who play for storytime hangouts with friends, and making it versatile enough for everyone.
One of the reasons we were so excited to offer the Idea Box for community submissions was to get a much broader sense of what people loved about their experiences playing TTRPGs, what they didn't, and what about Neopets they particularly want to see, and so far there have been some excellent suggestions that have gotten the wheels turning internally of improvements we can make.
A key takeaway - we are committed to making this the best product and experience possible, and sometimes that means significant reworkings may happen even when something has been considered completed. The goal is to capture the spirit of a Neopets experience and the rules and game mechanics are one of the key ways of doing that. We have already gone back to things that we considered zipped up that we revisited to modify based on new ideas and concepts we wanted to explore.
Sample Gameplay:
We put together (we want to stress, very hastily) a quick example of playthrough of an escape from a dungeon, attempting to break out Valrigard (AGAIN)- this is probably a better notion of what the game might play like for new players who have never seen a TTRPG in action, rather than a Critical Role entertainment segment. The visuals are a map overlay, something you might use if you're playing online remotely with friends, and we don't really have a chance to explore more than just basic interactions and some minor combat, not the more interesting mechanics listed above. For your viewing and listening pleasure:
This is a brief look into things, and we're happy to discuss anything you want to know about (though we might save answering certain things for content updates later down the road). We know some of you want to see MOAR MECHANICS, and we're thrilled you're that interested in the rule set. We do like a certain level of polish on what we talk about, and we do want to remind people that it's easy to be critical, but being constructive in your approach is worth its weight in gold (and gives us something to work with, instead of making us cry). This is, in part, a community project, and we ourselves are a fairly small team. Be patient with us (and always tip your waiter) - we're working hard with you, and for you.
We're also down to the last 36 hours and have unlocked even more stretch goals. Get ready for the last day and a half, it's gonna be nuts!
Sincerely, The Geekify Crew
Stretch goals #5 and #6, Shipping Updates, Avatars / Codes, and more!
2 months ago
– Wed, Aug 07, 2024 at 12:19:34 PM
Hey Neopians!
Holy cow, we're down to the final few days of the campaign and things are really picking up speed! Glad to have all the new faces on the bandwagon and super excited that the next stretch goals have been unlocked!
Event Card Decks
These will also be available as charts, but we'll have a deck of fun playing cards to augment the experience with random events. Perhaps a kindly discarded magical blue grundo plushie will grant you some goodies, or a Pant Devil swoops by to take some of your loot.
Slipcases
Unlocking this tier means there's now going to be some spiffy hardcover slipcases available for putting your books in to store them! We'll have a render for this further down the line (poor Aimee is overworked as it is), but the slipcases will feature the book art in glossy hardcover form.
Campaign End
The campaign ends on Sunday, August 11! The campaign will be "over", but the fun will continue in the BackerKit phase.
1pm EST 12pm CST 11am MST 10am PST
As a reminder, if you are in at the $1 level, you can upgrade your pledge at any point in the future and still get "original backer" status, which entitles you to the stretch goals. When we enter the BackerKit phase next, you will more easily be able to add any add-ons and adjust your order to get a la carte items. New items will, over the next year, get added to the campaign as well.
**If you miss the campaign during the original 30 days, you can still get items and be part of the campaign in the BackerKit phase!**
Looking forward to seeing just how many stretch goals get unlocked by the end!
Shipping Adjustments
We updated the shipping table for North America - someone commented (thank you!) that the prices seemed way off, and they're right. That chart is for estimating and subject to a little bit of change, but now are far more sane in the shipping for the USA and Canada.
Avatars and Codes
Because this is the first of its kind official Neopets Kickstarter, the Neopets team has generously agreed to provide an Avatar as an "event", since this is a fun online-only event for offline play. This will be an in-game item that grants you the Avatar when you interact with it.
All tiers get the Avatar! Contributions start at $1, so if you're only after the Avatar, just joining the campaign at the $1 level will grant it.
The reward tiers for items will get rare item codes when items start shipping out. The physical books themselves will get unique items, as will the higher bundles. The add-ons will give codes for a pool of random items.
This is subject to possible change, but this is the information we're working with and what seems likely.
For all the new faces, the usual house-keeping details for our updates:
We're down to the last final days, and the last chance to unlock new stretch goals! Spread the word, whether that's to blogs, news organizations, social media, telling your friends - everything helps! If you want to tag us, here are each of our main social media. Tag influencers, let the other big names on the TTRPG scene know about the project!
Thanks for all your support! This is an incredible roller coaster, and we've still got a few days left - they're going to be absolutely nuts!
Sincerely, The Geekify Crew
Stretch Goals Four and Five!
2 months ago
– Sun, Aug 04, 2024 at 08:53:04 PM
Hey Neopians!
Well, well, another stretch goal unlocked - mwuhahaha! These are more fun gimmes for the collection.
The physical shipments will now get postcards of art prints. Our main artist on the team is none other than the legendary Neopets artist Aimee Scholz, one of the illustrators and creative director of the Neopets Tarot Deck and most of the Neopets blankets, posters, and pins on the Geekify website (and she does take commissions)! We'll do up a series of postcards for your books of some of the far off lands of Neopia.
The other stretch goal (#5) is a little mini-section on Roo Island that we've been playing with internally, as a kind of Pleasure Island / Las Vegas, Blumaroo fun-stravaganza, laced with games of chance and skill. This will make for a neat zone with some mini-games that we've been exploring, which leads to some audience participation!
What mini-games have you seen or played in your other TTRPGs that you thought were cool?
The next two stretch goals (which are swiftly approaching) should be a lot of fun, one to expand your playing experience, and the other to augment your book(s).
Spreading the Word:
As always, we need your help sharing it out to make it as big as it can get - whether that's to blogs, news organizations, social media, telling your friends - everything helps! If you want to tag us, here are each of our main social media. Tag influencers, let the other big names on the TTRPG scene know about the project!
