Exploring Histories: Homesteader
almost 4 years ago – Wed, Jun 17, 2020 at 09:41:41 AM

Time for a Waypoint Wednesday update! This time we're diving into one of the Histories you can choose when making your character. Every drifter is made from where they came from (their History) and where they are choosing to go (their Path). 

Histories defines where a drifter's story began and shapes the way that drifter sees the world. Some drifters embrace their history, relying on the lessons learned in those formative years. Other drifters rebel against their history, trying to escape the difficult memories of their past by becoming someone or something else. Regardless of how they feel about where they came from, a drifter's history will always inevitably be a part of them one way or another.

Many people came to Manifest in search of a better life. However, if you asked one hundred travelers what that life would look like, you’d get one hundred different answers.

Manifest was an unclaimed world full of potential for anyone brave enough to come and take it. Even more so than most is this true for the homesteader, the steadfast soul who left the relative safety of the factory towns and settlements for the open range and a patch of soil they could call their own. 

The life of the homesteader is supposed to be a simpler one than found in the cities of Manifest. A person could find a place, claim it as their own then work the land. Perhaps they’d sell goods to the nearby settlement every once in a while or even go on to raise a family to inherent their land.

Ranch, farm, build, grow, make, create, repeat, there’s a joy in the simplicity of it. Make and grow the things you can, trade for the things you can’t, or simply go without the things you don't need. This solitary lifestyle is sometimes considered the epitome of Manifest’s freedom, which many sought when they left the homeworld. 

Many a homesteader probably does manage to live the picturesque life of days full of hard work and evenings full of close comfort and family. The vision of sipping on tea at the end of a long day as the sun sets and the moons rise, giving way to the Estrellan constellations. However, oftentimes those who live on a homestead don’t have the time for tea or stargazing. Instead, they are fatigued by the back-breaking work and are often surrounded by quite a bit of danger. 

This danger comes in all forms. A bad crop yield, bandit raid, or an aatxe stampede can ruin a homestead and force a homesteader off their land in order to survive. A failed exercise in freedom destroyed by the whims of fate and other measures far beyond the homesteader’s control. 

On the other side of the spur, if a homestead is too successful if the yield is too good or the family grows too large, a single homestead could become two or ten. Then suddenly, after a season or two, the homesteader who has sought out and endeavored for that solitary life, finds themselves the founder of a new settlement. 

A homesteader who strikes the balance is the one who can avoid the danger and bring to bear just enough for their own comfort, all while staving off the growth and greed of human nature. The most content homesteader finds the joy in the work, thriving in the subsistence with their closest kin.

Critter Sightings: Hodag and Gumberoo
almost 4 years ago – Mon, Jun 15, 2020 at 01:41:58 PM

With the production of Manifest on hold due to the continuing effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, we know y'all are dying to see more. So today we're starting a series of weekly updates designed to show you more  of the world and lore of Manifest! These updates will include profiles of some of the fearsome critters found on Manifest as well as explorations into the various Histories and Paths that help make a drifter who they are. We'll be rolling out these updates a few times a week, so get ready!

And without further ado, let's get started with a our first Manifest Monday update! We're starting the week off with the art and lore behind two Manifest Creatures. Shout out to our brilliant creature artist, Crystal Sully!

The Gumberoo

 A natural lover of wet and watery places, the gumberoo is most often found around the lakes and streams of The Garden. An animal three times the size of a person and ten times as heavy, it resembles a swollen, grey, naked, bee-stung hodag pup. And like the hodags, they might have been considered one of Manifest’s few gentle giants, if tangling with them wasn’t akin to taking your own life into your hands. 

Any sane drifter will tell you to give the gumberoo a wide berth because taking them on is no easy task. Their rough and rubbery skin is stretched tight enough over their rotund body to bounce a spur off of. Traveler reports claim that a bullet fired at a gumberoo is as likely to hit the shooter as it is to hurt the gumberoo. Reputable trappers say the only reliable way to hunt the gumberoo is to set it aflame, due to the highly flammable, oily secretion they use to stretch and protect their skin. However, the ensuing explosion leaves very little to salvage. 

In reality, the gumberoo is happy to leave a passerby alone, as long as the passerby is content to do the same. Gumberoo live in tightly knit communities and take only a few mates throughout their lives. The only time these herds are known to become aggressive is nearing the birth of a rooey, as gumberoo calves are often called. During the time leading up to the delivery, herds have been known to disturb communities as they attempt to clear the area of any potential predators.

The Hodag

 At first glance, the hodag is a terrifying monstrosity. A hodag's dark eyes glinting through their shaggy visages, their massive size, and their spined back could strike fear into the hearts of the uninitiated. 

But in reality, they are, in general, mild-mannered, gentle, and slow-moving mountainous animals. Hodags have no natural enemies, and they can live for over eighty years. However, much of hodag mortality is attributed to human-related causes, as well as gastrointestinal distress. 

Hodags may graze alone, in pairs, or in groups as large as twenty, which are referred to as obstinances. They are one of the few creatures that can be commonly found across all the biomes on Manifest. They are characteristically non-territorial and seem to exhibit no social structure. Most often, when hodags congregate in the wild, it is usually due to a geological or meteorological anomaly, someplace where the hodags simply happen to find each other. 

With their large size, well over twice the height of an adult human, their low maintenance demeanor, and their penchant for subsisting on virtually anything, hodags are mostly used for affordable domestic transport and as pack animals. A well-trained hodag will often be passed down from one generation to the next. Many a homesteader has kept a hodag as transport into town for the whole family.

It's easy for many to assume the hodag is a stupid animal. Still, hundreds of years of interacting with these creatures have indicated otherwise. While hodags have no ambition or competitive drive, they are happy just to remain happy. They will work to achieve this contentment in the easiest way possible. Due to their size, and their low stress lives, hodags have evolved to eschew the fight or flight response entirely. They are, as far as anyone can tell, virtually unflappable.

They are so unresponsive to peril and many external stimuli that their calm demeanor has entered the common vernacular. If someone dies in an unexpected or unusual way, they are often referred to as having 'flapped a hodag.'

Manifest the RPG and COVID-19
about 4 years ago – Fri, Apr 03, 2020 at 06:08:18 PM

As you all know, in early January of this year we were alerted by our publisher that there were going to be some delays. We were informed that these delays due to what had become known as the Corona Virus (COVID-19) while significant would, according to all the information available at the time, be short, allowing us to go to print for a late March release. However, the estimates were egregiously optimistic. As you know, COVID-19 has interrupted almost all non-essential business functions, including publishers across the US.

We are broken-hearted to tell you that the current COVID-19 pandemic continues to delay the release of Manifest. We remain in constant communication with our publisher brainstorming ways to bring BOTH the physical and digital copies of Manifest to our backers as soon as possible. It pains us to be at a standstill so close to the finish line, but for the time being, it's impossible for our publishers (and by extension us) to give a solid, reliable timetable on when production will resume. As soon as we have more information on that front, we will be posting an update to let y'all know.

While the rules of the game are laid out in a rough format, we lack the tools as independent game designers to organize, polish, and optimize the files for public consumption. We rely on our vendors to helps us carry Manifest across the finish line, we are waiting just like the rest of you, for any news of respite and a return to something resembling normalcy.

Meanwhile, we are continuing to scratch the Manifest itch via our weekly Twitch Streams, and we are going to prioritize getting old stream episode uploaded to our YouTube channel for people to catch up! We're also looking into creating some supplemental content to go with the Quick-Start-Guide provided to all backers, potentially in the form of mini-adventures, adventure hooks, or extra pre-made characters. Hopefully we can produce these kinds of supplements quickly so y'all can play a little bit more Manifest as you wait for the full ruleset to release.

We appreciate the patience and understanding of you, our wonderful community, at this time. We embarked on this journey with all of you a little over a year ago, and we've been so touched by the excitement, anticipation, and support y'all have shared with us. With any luck, and a lot of hand washing and social distancing, the global situation will stabilize soon and we can get back to work on making Manifest a reality!

Art Giveaway & Pre-Orders Temporarily Reopened!
about 4 years ago – Sat, Mar 07, 2020 at 01:09:03 PM

Firstly, we want to thank everyone who we got to meet during C2E2 weekend! We had such a blast chatting with all of you. Due to popular demand, we've reopened the Pre-Order store for Manifest! So spread the word to your friends who may have missed out on getting their own copy of the book. The Link to the Pre-Order Store can be found on the front page of the campaign right next to the video.

Also, we had the privilege of sharing a C2E2 booth with the artist behind our bestiary: Crystal Sully. While hanging out with her for the weekend, we got our hands on several signed prints of creatures she created for Manifest, and we are thrilled to offer them up in a giveaway on our next Twitch stream! 

That's right! Tuesday, March 10th we'll pause our usual actual play programming to raffle off a bundle of all the amazing creatures you see above. From left to right we have a Gowrow, Axehandle Hound, Roperite, Wampus, Copper Bird, Hidebehind, Splinter Cat, and Snoligoster! Every print is signed by the artist, and all of them can be yours! 

All you have to do is Tune into this Tuesday's Twitch Stream and subscribe to the channel! Around 9pm, we'll announce the codeword needed to enter the raffle. Subscribers can post the codeword in the chat for a chance to win!

Thank you all for being so patient as COVID-19 has continued to effect our supply chains. We'll post here with any updates as we get them, and until then we hope you enjoy the Twitch stream and take advantage of the chance to win some cool art!

Production Delays & C2E2 Booth #150!
about 4 years ago – Wed, Feb 19, 2020 at 01:29:07 PM

We have, unfortunately, hit a minor snag in the production of Manifest. While our publisher is located in the US, their resupply comes from an area affected by the Coronavirus outbreaks. This has caused a delay in their production schedule which has pushed Manifest's release window back by roughly a few weeks. 

What does this mean for you? Well, the first thing is that you'll have to wait just a bit longer for your PDF copy of the rulebook as we are relying on our publishers to optimize and polish the PDF files for release. Likewise, physical copies of the book should hopefully start heading your way in mid/late March.

It's heartbreaking for us to have to push back the release yet again, we're dying to share the final product with all of you. We will be sharing any new information with all of you as soon as we get it, until then you can keep getting your Manifest fix through our Weekly Twitch Streams on Tuesdays.

On a more exciting note: We're going to be at C2E2 next week! C2E2 is a comic and entertainment convention in Chicago's McCormick Place that takes place from the 28th of February to the 1st of March. We're happy to announce we're going to be sharing a booth with none other than Crystal Sully! Y'all may recall Crystal's name from our previous update showcasing some of her work. She has a talent for bringing beasts and critters to life via illustration, and she'll be selling all sorts of prints (including many of the fearsome monsters of Manifest) during C2E2 weekend! Meanwhile, Tommy will be there to chat with anyone and everyone about Manifest!

So if you find yourself in Chicago, swing on by booth #150 at C2E2 to check out some stunning art and chat with the creator of Manifest himself!