True Messiah, a game of surreal religious horror

[Craig Stern]

Hi! I'm Craig Stern; you might know me as the developer of RPGs like Telepath Tactics and Telepath RPG: Servants of God. Well, I've decided to take a short break from video games and produce a crazy strategy board game, for which I've just launched a Kickstarter campaign. The game? True Messiah, a strategy board game and deck-builder of surreal religious horror.

It is the near future; Earth. Years ago, scientists successfully constructed the Belief Engine, a machine that warps reality based on peoples’ strongly held beliefs. The machine was turned on for testing, but it proved too sensitive: widespread belief in the depravity of man and imminent social collapse suddenly took on the full force of objective fact, and science skepticism rendered the Engine’s creators helpless to intervene. Without resort to a shared external reality, civilization crumbled like a sand castle in the tide.

From the ruins have now arisen cults led by charismatic, messianic figures possessed of seemingly divine powers derived from the still-functioning Engine. You are one such a figure—the true one, the Messiah. It is God’s will that you build temples and marshal followers, then mold their beliefs to perform miracles and destroy your rivals. They’ll be doing the same, but don’t worry–God is on your side…

True Messiah features loads of gorgeous surreal art; think "Dali meets Dune." Build temples, marshal followers, then mold their beliefs to perform miracles and destroy your rivals.

2-4 players, 60-120 minutes. Click here to check out the Kickstarter page, which has lots more info!

 

[Leechmonger]

The art style looks amazing.

Have you considered replacing recurring text with symbols? Things like "choose a target player/space", "draw x cards from the top of your deck", etc. Nothing as extreme as Race for the Galaxy, mind you.

I can't watch the video at the moment, so I'm not sure if this is addressed: what is the motivation for attacking other players in 3+ players games? Specifically, what would lead me to attack one player as opposed to another? I've found that in Evolution, a game with no tactical positioning between players, targets are often chosen on a whim and king-making is rampant. Have you taken steps to prevent this? Will I be attacking players due to a specific resource they're sitting on, for example?

 

[Craig Stern]

The art style looks amazing.

Have you considered replacing recurring text with symbols? Things like "choose a target player/space", "draw x cards from the top of your deck", etc. Nothing as extreme as Race for the Galaxy, mind you.

I can't watch the video at the moment, so I'm not sure if this is addressed: what is the motivation for attacking other players in 3+ players games? Specifically, what would lead me to attack one player as opposed to another? I've found that in Evolution, a game with no tactical positioning between players, targets are often chosen on a whim and king-making is rampant. Have you taken steps to prevent this? Will I be attacking players due to a specific resource they're sitting on, for example?

Thanks Leechmonger!

I'd considered using symbols, but ultimately decided to opt for specific, consistent terminology instead, as relatively few of the effects on the game's various cards really lend themselves to that sort of representation.

The motivation for attacking other players in 3-player is that the game is not won by being the last man standing; rather, the first player to eliminate another player wins the game. So if you sit around and turtle, you're not necessarily doing yourself any favors.

In 4-player, kingmaking is taken out of the equation entirely by forcing the players into permanent alliances for the duration of the game (with the unspoken assumption that the winners will immediately turn on one another the second they secure victory).

 

[Leechmonger]

Oh that's right, the game ends on elimination not after a set number of rounds.

So if I understand correctly, 4-player games are 2v2 rather than FFA? Also, can combat in 3-player games involve all three players?

 

[Craig Stern]

Correct on both counts!

 

[Jaesun]

Will back this immediately, just for the art.

SO hoping this does well, and you might consider an electronic version.

 

[Craig Stern]

Thanks Jaesun!

 

[Mustawd]

Or at least a game with this same type of art style. Looks gorgeous.

 

[Craig Stern]

All right, we're now up to Update #2!

I stayed up late last night producing two new videos explaining the game's rules in greater depth, including the combat rules: https://www.kickstarter.com/project...gy-game-of-surreal-religious-ho/posts/1694354
https://www.kickstarter.com/project...gy-game-of-surreal-religious-ho/posts/1694354
On the financial front, things have begun to slow down, but we're still doing pretty well. By my count, we'll hit 25% funding if we get just 12 more backers. If you're on the fence, why not take a moment to check out the videos and see if you want in?

 

[Jaesun]

Backed! <3

 

[Xathrodox86]

It looks great. I love the art style.

 

[Craig Stern]

Thanks guys! :D

 

[Craig Stern]

New update: I had a blast showing True Messiah at ValorCon this weekend, and I'm pleased to announce that we're now 30% funded at the end of our first week! Here's the latest: https://www.kickstarter.com/project...gy-game-of-surreal-religious-ho/posts/1696334

 

[Craig Stern]

New update! I've added a new stretch goal, and created a new how-to-play video with strategies for using your starting miracle cards in True Messiah! Clicky for the deets.

(For reference, the entire how-to-play series is being collected right here, in this Youtube playlist.)

 

[Craig Stern]

Hey guys! We've now entered the final week of the campaign; if you want in, now's the time! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1426761469/true-messiah-strategy-game-of-surreal-religious-ho

In other news, we're now up to update #8, this one talking about the interplay between turtling and board control, complete with a swanky new video. Check it out!

 

[Craig Stern]

Hey all! I'm doing a Reddit AMA--any questions you may have about True Messiah, that's a good place for 'em.

I'll be answering all questions beginning at 1 PM Central Daylight Time today!

 

[Craig Stern]

The final 20 hours have begun--truly, we are in the end times!

Fetch may not be happening this time around, but I can at least ensure that we're in a good position to make it happen in a few months. To this end, I'm looking to wrap today up with 230 backers and $16,000 pledged. Go here to help! http://truemessiahgame.com/

 

[Craig Stern]

For those curious: True Messiah is still a thing!

Yesterday, however, I finally got word that Blackbox is once again available and willing to handle shipping and fulfillment for True Messiah, which means that I can finally go ahead and schedule the second Kickstarter campaign! This will be happening in 2018, so I’ll most likely be scheduling the second Kickstarter attempt for early that year–keep an ear to the ground for a future announcement of the official date!

More info: http://sinisterdesign.net/true-messiah-july-2017-update/

 

[Craig Stern]

Update: the Kickstarter is returning next month! #GirdYourLoins

 

[Craig Stern]

It's up--come back True Messiah!

 

[Craig Stern]

We're up to Update #8 now, but I specifically wanted to pop in to mention Update #7, which contains video of a start-to-finish 3-player game of True Messiah (plus my own commentary and strategic analysis in the comments below). Worth the time investment, IMO! Click here for the goods.

 

[pakoito]

That's some good art. Shame about the font.

How's the KS going? It's too big a game for my playgroup, still, it looked nice.

 

[Craig Stern]

The KS is going well enough--last I checked, we were 37% funded and 36.7% of the way through the campaign. Personally, I would have liked to be past this point by midway through day 2, but for some reason backers from the first campaign have been real lethargic about re-upping (despite the fact that I'm offering a way better deal on the game this time around).

 

[Craig Stern]

Heads-up: I've relaunched the campaign with a new, lower funding goal and a discount on the basic "get the game" tier! It's online for only 15 days, so get it while the getting's good possible!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1426761469/true-messiah-a-game-of-post-apocalyptic-cult-warfa/

 

[vonAchdorf]

It's strange that this game which has gorgeous art and a dedicated creator with a proven track record (albeit in computer games) faces such difficulties while other simple board / card games make much more. Do they have a better rolodex? Good luck with the relaunched campaign.