We have a new website!

So...  We're not great at keeping this thing updated.  You all know that.  But we always want our fans to have the access to information about what we're producing and how our games can be played.  So, without further ado, we finally have a new website!

We'll still use this blog to announce events and things, but the site will have all of the information you need to play our games and download our 3D designs.  Oh, and we have the ability to take orders for our products, like Wayfarer: Things Beyond Wonder and Pocket-Tactics.

As always, happy gaming!

Pocket-Tactics LIVE in Bellingham Saturday at The Foundry

So, Pocket-Tactics has been on the front page of the most popular games on Tabletop Simulator since we started loading sets up there, so people really seem to love this game.  Meanwhile, we've been creating new factions for everyone to try.

Do you love the game?  Have you been meaning to try it?  Do you live in NW Washington state?? Come see us this Saturday afternoon at The Foundry in Bellingham.

What should you expect?  Well, first of all, you get to check out our local makerspace and it is awesome.  Second, you'll get to see the Ill Gotten Games team demo-ing PT and see ALL the factions.  Faction action!  Right here at home!  We'll see you there - 3:00 to 6:00 on Saturday, February 21.

Massive Pocket-Tactics Updates + Instructional Video

How massive can the update be for a game that fits into your pocket?  Well, pretty damn big if we do say so ourselves.  First of all, we've revamped the Pocket-Tactics page here on our site, so now it's easy to find the core rules and all the factions in one easy to navigate location.  Cool, right?

Wait...  All the factions?  Yes, there are TONS of them now.  The team has been designing and printing and we'll be posting the new ones as they're introduced.  Remember that new factions likely haven't been played much when they're posted, so if you play 'em, send us an email to let us know how it went.  Then you can consider yourself an official Ill Gotten Game playtester.  Sorry - no tee shirts... yet.



Been playing Pocket-Tactics and still have questions?  Or are you new to 3D printing and the very first thing you downloaded and printed was a set of PT (as it should be) and you have no idea how to play the game?  Well, per fan request, we've created our first in what we hope will be a series of instructional videos to help with some of the questions that have come up.  Board set up, dice mechanic, stat sheets - it's all explained right here.

We're working on a big Pocket-Tactics campaign, one that our team will be playing over the course of the next few weeks.  We'd love to hear how all of you players are tackling unusual PT play - four player games?  Campaigns?  Tournaments?  (Congrats to Ben Toomey for winning our 2014 tournament last month.)

We'd also love to hear what you think our next video should include.  Drop us an email or post a comment.  Happy gaming!

Big Apple and BIGGER NEWS!

 

Last year, Arian was able to visit MakerBot headquarters, meet the amazing staff, and participate in their first annual Make-a-Thon.  He wasn't sure what to expect - he's an artist, not a programmer - but damn if he didn't fit right in and have a blast. 

 

So this weekend Arian and Jeremy are both attending the second Make-a-Thon, ready to learn some new tricks from other makers and certainly spend some time gawking at the beauty that is banks and banks of 3D printers. 

 

 

As if that wasn't excitement enough for this week, we're also insanely excited (as evidenced by the video) to announce our newest Kickstarter - Drakendar!

Drakendar, much like Wayfarer before it, is an RPG setting codex, but this is a classic sword and sorcery adventure game with a unique dice mechanic.  Random character creation keeps us close to our Continuum roots, while the story brings us back to our early days of gaming. 

We can't thank everyone enough for supporting our last venture.  If you liked what you received, be sure to pledge to this one too.   Please. 

PAX Reminder + Awesome Dragon Thing

Just a reminder to all you locals that Arian will be an panelist at PAX tomorrow evening, August 29th at 6:00 in the Wombat Room.  He'd love to see some friendly faces, but you'll also get to see the awesomeness that is the Pit Beast:

He's HUGE, one of the biggest pieces Fred the Makerbot has ever produced.  And you can bet he'll be featured in an upcoming episode of the Lost Agency Archives...

If this guy doesn't scare you away, we hope to see y'all there!

Summertime and the Livin' is BUSY!

It's nearly Labor Day weekend and here we are after another long posting delay.  Here's a rundown of what's been going on in our world:

• Wayfarer has been published, sent, and well received thus far.  Look for an Errata page here on our site soon (yes, even IGG makes mistakes sometimes...) 
• Did you miss the Kickstarter and still want to play the most comprehensive Multiverse RPG ever?  We'll have hard copies and PDF copies posted to our Etsy site shortly.
• We're revamping Pocket-Tactics. 
• The whole concept of PT has been to have a user-friendly, printer-friendly, pocket-friendly game.  We've simplified the pieces a bit and altered some of the game play, without losing any of the charm.  All the new versions will be posted here soon.
• Arian is speaking at PAX! 
• Such an honor - he'll be talking about his 3D printing adventures and showing off some of his newest creations, including a "weird dragon thing" that he's been printing in parts for the last week or two.  (It's at 6:00 on Friday, so the perfect excuse to start your holiday weekend early.)
• We're joining this decade!
• We've enlisted the help of a friend of IGG to get this blog updated more regularly and also keep up with Facebook.
• We tweet now!  Follow Ill Gotten Games on Twitter please!

Another thing to note - we here at IGG love to hear from you.  Post comments, send us emails, give us a shout through social media.  We want our games to form community, virtual and otherwise. 

Our supporters kick ass by supporting us on Kickstarter

Well, we did it, and we couldn't have done it without all of you! A gigantic thank you to everyone who pledged to our Wayfarer Kickstarter campaign. This game has been in the oven for ten years, and we couldn't be happier that it's finally going to be played by gaming groups other than our own (not that we haven't had a blast keeping it all to ourselves).

Work continues and, as of now, we're ahead of schedule, so it won't be long before the books and PDFs are in the (e)mail. Also, we have for your listening enjoyment (if you're the kind of person who enjoys listening to a bunch of nerds do nerd things) a new episode of the Lost Agency Archives. Episode Two: Return to Nexus City.  Better still, the podcast is now available on iTunes, so accessible AND awesome. 

Meanwhile, more art is being created (we'll be contacting anyone who pledged for custom character art shortly). Speaking of art, check out these awesome 3D models by fellow 3D printer and friend of IGG, Andy de Bruin. They're renditions of art by the amazing Austen Zaleski which will be featured in the book.

On the home front, Dutchmogul been cooking up some models of his own. These 3D printable characters are found throughout the Wayfarer codex and are designed at a small scale (close to standard 15mm) so you can use miniatures without taking up too much table space. If you have a 3D printer (or just want to check them out) all of the models in the range can be viewed and downloaded here in this Thingiverse collection.  (If you don't have a 3D printer, email us about custom prints available through our Etsy store.)

Thanks again to all who pledged and/or supported us.  We'll be posting updates here and on Kickstarter every step of the way, including when we decide what our next Kickstarter might be...  Hmm...  Real life is almost as suspenseful as the Wayfarer setting!

New episode of Lost Agency Archives

We've launched episode one of our Lost Agency Archives podcast. We're on iTunes, so be sure and subscribe there and drop us a stellar rating!



In other news, the Wayfarer Kickstarter campaign is trucking past its goal, and we're all extremely grateful for your continued support. There's a full week left to go, so if you know other tabletop gamers, spread the word!

We'll be at Seattle Mini Maker Faire!

Oh, there's so much to tell! We're prepping to launch our very first Kickstarter. No, not Pocket-Tactics - we're still figuring out the best way deal with the manufacturing headache. We're launching Wayfarer, our tabletop RPG system, powered by our Continuum Narrative Engine.

Oh. My. Gods. This has been in the works for years!

Wanna come talk to us about our creations? We've got a booth at Seattle Mini Maker Faire on March 22 and 23. We'll be chatting incessantly, showing off (and playing) Pocket-Tactics, talking up Wayfarer, displaying our 3d printed creations, and surrounding ourselves with crazy Maker creativity. The event is at the EMP, 10am to 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

We'll be raffling off some cool prizes, so come say hello and see what we do and see why you should pledge support to all things Ill Gotten Games. (Shameless plug for the Kickstarter campaign. Sorry.)

Hey Turkeys! We Won the Black Dynamite Design Contest!

So, Arian happened upon something epic on the Thingiverse.  One of our favorite things to do at Ill Gotten Games, when we're not playing or designing games, is to watch movies or TV shows - the more independent, obscure, or cult-y the better.  So yes, we'd seen and enjoyed Black Dynamite before.  We recite quotes from it frequently.  For the Thingiverse to announce a contest to create the a 3D model that represented the cult classic was uncanny.

As many of you know, Arian has been designing like crazy, specifically working on Pocket-Tactics.  So what better way for him to enter the contest than to create a few larger than life versions of Black Dynamite, some of his enemies, and New York themed tiles and turn Black Dynamite into Pocket-Tactics.  In 2 days. And so Black Dynamite: Throwdown Showdown was born.

He didn't do it alone, mind you.  Jeremy has been busy working on the models for another Pocket-Tactics faction for future release and Laurel has been coordinating schedules for our Kickstarter video, which we recorded this weekend.  But Black Dynamite was Arian's focus, so he enlisted the brilliant help of his little brother, Cameron, to create some 2D art (in MS Paint!!) to accompany his contest submission.
    

Talented family, right??

So, all those long, manic hours of designing, printing, and painting paid off yesterday when the MakerBot blog announced their big winner, complete with a footnoted disclaimer that they're really and truly not in cahoots with Arian somehow - their last two posts have been about his work on Pocket-Tactics.

We're looking forward to some swag, but really just more recognition about our little game is the best part of the win.  Stay tuned for more news soon - about our Pocket-Tactics contest winner and the upcoming Kickstarter campaign.

Extra Extra!

As reported in the Nexus Gazette: 

Entropy! The Nexus City Sports Authority reports that in mixed 400 D-league, the Lost Agency Liberators defeated the Mercer Maulers 10-4 in the Liberators' first ever match. This achievement qualifies the Liberators to participate in the upcoming mixed 400 C-league round-robbin tournament. After their contest the Liberators and the Maulers whooped it up all night at one Jaana Hynninen's clinic turned temporary speak-easy. A good time was had by all. 

 Our first Entropy test was a success! 

The game ran smoothly and seemed to capture the essence of combat within Continuum without killing characters or npc's. A game within a game... pretty fun!

The Current Game

Our current incarnation of Continuum has been epic.  We've been playing with these characters since January 2011, and they've become like family to us.  Because we choose to play in the Multiverse, our characters can vary widely - species and personalities and characteristics aren't limited to a specific planet or other geographic location.  

The Lost Agency:

Operating from the Vagabond, a safe haven for trans-universal adventurers, the Lost Agency may be hired to handle a wide variety of tasks. With an ever-growing roster, the agents of the Lost Agency possess a wide array of skills and no job is beyond their combined expertise.

Mr. Jackson

Species: Human

Home World: Earth

A man with a thousand names, the trans-universal adventurer known throughout many worlds as Mr. Jackson is considered to be the first member of the Lost Agency. The agency carries on his legacy, as it was founded in his honor by his surviving allies after he sacrificed himself to destroy the god-world, Tartarus.

The Professor

Species: Phyto-Processor

Home World: The Observatory

Created and abandoned by an advanced culture, the Professor is a hyper-intelligent, sentient plant dedicated to learning and exploring the Multiverse and ambulating by means of a highly sophisticated robotic suit. Before helping to found and run the Lost Agency, the Professor was a renowned Doorman, a specialized technician able to operate the mysterious Omnispheres, devices capable of transporting their users throughout a network of universes.

Baldev

Species: Jotun

Home World: Jotunheim

Displaced from the Nine Worlds after an invasion at the hands of the then-aligned Tartaran Empire and Techno-Sovereignty, Baldev, prince of Jotunheim, found his way into the company of Mr. Jackson and the Professor. With his great strength, magical prowess and skilled swordsmanship, Baldev has been an invaluable asset to the Lost Agency.

Rayston Berkely

Species: Human

Home World: Earth

Drawn into the Multiverse by a magical talisman left to him by his grandfather, Rayston searches for a way home for himself and his girlfriend, Olive. Armed with a weaponized guitar and aided by Starfall, a magical horse able to transport its rider between realities, Rayston and Olive travel the Multiverse, searching for Earth and adventuring in the name of the Lost Agency.

Rocky Donovan

Species: Tentri

Home World: Tentrus

An alien reporter in human guise, Rocky Donovan was working a diplomatic mission with the Dominion when his brane ship was stolen. Joining up with what would become the foundation of the Lost Agency, Rocky went on many adventures before his life was taken at the hands of the notorious Tartaran assassin, Quilloitis.

Alexandra

Species: Human

Home World: Eden Prime

Freed from a stasis pod after a thousand years of temporal displacement, Alexandra awoke to a world ravaged by war and famine. An expert technician and innovator, Alexandra has been an invaluable addition to the Lost Agency, designing and maintaining field gear and providing leadership in the absence of The Professor and Baldev.

Pigdexter

Species: Pig-Man

Home World: Pig-Earth

Rescued from enslavement at the hands of a Teledrome Quiz Show, the brilliant pig-man outcast, Pigdexter, has made up for his inexperience with raw enthusiasm and bravery.

Henry Cobb

Species: Human

Home World: Earth (Variant)

Leader of a slave-rebellion in a version of Earth where the South won the Civil War, Henry found his way to Nexus City after 150 years of enslavement at the hands of the Observer known as the "Faceless One." Joining forces with the Lost Agency, Henry aids them in their missions, searching when he can for the whereabouts of him wife and children.

Upsillon

Species: Basilisk-Kin

Home World: Bastion (Earth-Variant)

Champion tunnel-delver and unarmed combatant, Upsillon comes from a community of creatures spliced from Basilisk DNA by the last survivors of humanity in an Earth assailed by mythological creatures. Indebted to the Lost Agency for his people's liberation, Upsillon has served them ever since.

Metis

Species: Wood Sprite

Home World: Bastion (Earth-Variant)

Spawned from a powerful book capable of realizing its reader's whims, the wood sprite, Metis, was born attuned to the Professor and is devoted to him and his allies within the Lost Agency.

Mister Mistook

Species: Gnome

Home World: Duskmoor

An unparalleled tinkerer, Mister Mistook's combined scientific expertise and magical prowess make him one of the most sought-after personalities in the Multiverse. Scarred from seeing his work used for destruction by the unscrupulous Circle-Tech corporation, Mister Mistook has since fought to undo their damage and make reparations for the harm his creations have done.