Handiwork Games, the brainchild and home of talented genius (industry veteran) game designer, Jon Hodgson has under 20 hours to go on their latest and greatest Kickstarter. Clocking in at over £48,000 of a £8,000 goal this RPG caught our eye today due to the art of a certain character on the Kickstarter page.
Stringer, a badass looking woman in a wheelchair.

[Check out the Kickstarter here]

Hello a|state what are you all about then?

A mash-up of the visual wine-dark vibes of City of Lost Children, Dark City, and other media of that ilk – a dash of Cyberpunk, and a smattering of Dishonored – a|state is a Dickensian anti-Thatcher sparks and knives sci-fi, and looks absolutely fantastic!

Talented team!

Jon knows art, he knows representation and he knows diversity. Jon is a tireless campaigner of telling ableist, racist, and bigoted people to shut up and back off.

Jon has brought his talent to this one, and along with a team of designers such as Gregor Hutton, author of famed indie RPG 3:16, and co-originator of a|state Paul Bourne, Malcom Craig co-originator of a|state and prolific designer of the 2000s wave of British indie games such as Cold City, and Hot War as well as a|state, Danie Ware, she’s a sales genius, novelist, and more who has worked for the Black Library writing the most epic books about the Sisters of Battle, Children of Artifice for Fox Spirit Books, and Judge Anderson Bigger than Biggs for Rebellion (and many many more)

Plus, others, seriously, this is a talented and passionate team here!

Forged in the Dark

If you’ve played Band of Blades, Blades in the Dark, or any of the Forged in the Dark games then you’re going to be really at home with this one.
If you are into the idea that players have agency, and want rules that are supportive of actions that spark reactions, player-facing rules which support a GM rather than hinder their job, and a game which elevates detail? Then Forged in the Dark games, like a|state is 100% in your wheelhouse!

Direct from the KSer, “Forged in the Dark elevates details. Whenever there’s an action roll, the player and GM both have a say in how the rules apply, and everyone can show their work and talk through the reasons for their decisions. You don’t roll any dice until everyone’s on the same page. This means you get an intense focus on the details of the fictional situation, which plugs right into one of a|state’s big drawcards, its vividly imagined setting. Every time you make an action roll, you also work together to bring The City to life. It works great!”

What is the basic pledge?

For £15 you get: the pdf of the game, access to the game’s backer channel at the Handiwork Games Discord, and the game’s digital pack.
Pledges go up from there and the top pledge is pretty impressive, drop by the KSer page to see that one though.
There’s also a nice bunch of add-ons if you want to push your pledge or feel the need for more goodies!
The Three Coins Zine, a set of a|state coins, signed book plate, a|state cards, the City Compass rose, play mat, table tower, and a punchboard clock set.

Handiwork Games previous Kickstarter: Beowulf: Age of Heroes shows you just how much care and attention you get from their products, and just how good they are on Kickstarter.
We’re really excited to see this one and how it all turns out, with an estimated delivery of June 2022.
It’s down to the wire, with under 20 hours to go.

Drop by the Kickstarter and give it some more love if you dig Forged in the Dark and this game setting!