End Games: Kickstarter Campaigns & Chronicle Catharsis
almost 6 years ago
– Fri, Jul 27, 2018 at 08:40:45 AM
Hello Kickstarter Krewe,
Thanks to all of those who have been Underworld Ambassadors, sharing their stories and passion for Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition and this campaign. I've read some awesome (and moving!) Twitter threads, other social media excitement and shares, and an article (check out Egg Embry's weekly Kickstarter roundup for our mention!)
While the entire manuscript is being previewed to all backers in exclusive updates, I'll also be sharing some exerpts of the game as we move through the campaign. These are just small samples - more information and details will be provided in the manuscript previews.
STRETCH GOAL UPDATE
First, though, an update on our current Stretch Goal targets. Thanks to backer Chazz Kellner's help, I can summarize our next three stretch goals in verse:
MORE ART!
A JUMPSTART,
MEMENTO MORI, FIFTH PART!
We're so so close, and down to FIVE DAYS LEFT! Let's unlock these goals and see what else we can liberate from the Underworld before the campaign ends.
At $100,000 in funding - Art Budget Increase – Additional funds will be invested into the art budget to allow for the inclusion of more art into the core book.
At $105,000 - Jumpstart – An introductory scenario designed to launch your Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition chronicle. A PDF version of this Jumpstart will be added to the rewards list for all backers receiving the Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition PDF.
At $111,000 - Memento Mori: Haunted Locations & Story Hooks – A section on haunted locations and story hooks will be written for Memento Mori, the Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition Companion.
And, speaking of endings... (an excerpt from upcoming Manuscript Preview #5)
END GAME
A chronicle can end in any number of ways, but Geist focuses on three: Catharsis, Catabasis, and Cabeiros. Each resolves the tale of a Sin-Eater and her Bound geist in its own way. If your chronicle is going to build toward one of them, you should discuss it with your players before the game starts: It’s much easier to build toward a satisfying conclusion if everyone is on the same page.
Catharsis: Resolve both the character’s Burden and their geist's Remembrance. This can be a personal ending for one character, or the ending of a chronicle (a krewe working together for resolution, for example). Catharsis allows the Sin-Eater and her geist to move on, bypassing the Underworld altogether. Depending on how the chronicle shapes up, this can happen in conjunction with Catabasis.
Catharsis
Every ghost story is, at its core, a tragedy, and tragedy is best resolved through closure. Catharsis comes when a character resolves her own Burden Touchstone and her geist’s Remembrance.
Creating opportunities within stories to improve or slide backward around Touchstones and Remembrances builds a satisfying chronicle. Having occasional stories that focus specifically on one character’s past is a way to create opportunities to progress or demolish progress toward Catharsis. Specifically calling out that a chapter or story will spotlight a specific issue or character before you start can be a great way to resolve issues before they happen. Make sure to spread that spotlight around, though, and give each player their moment to shine.
I See You
When the Touchstone and Remembrance are resolved, this is an opportunity to dramatize how far they have come to create a moment of shared recognition and catharsis.
One option is to create a harmless and temporary situation that would normally be triggering for the geist and burdensome for the Sin-Eater, such as an unfair request from someone who smells exactly like the geist’s trauma. Neither are triggered or burdened, because of the resolutions they have found they are able to face the situation without losing themselves or harming their other half. The moment creates space for emotional catharsis, euphoria, and celebration of invisible chains removed.
Another option for the moment of Catharsis is to run through a series of flashbacks with the Sin-Eater and geist, they share each other’s memories and fragments, only now they can do so with healthy distance and emotional closure.
Moving On
Caught in the power of Catharsis, Sin-Eaters may wish to host the party to end all parties (right now, there is no time to lose), pay the bills and make sure the dog has a good new home, sit quietly with nature, or run from friend to friend as they revel in their Cathartic awakening, as well as the growing sense that their work is done and it is time to move on.
As the euphoria of Catharsis fades, the call to move on grows stronger. It feels right: like coming home after a long journey. The Sin-Eater and geist know that all they need to do is step into each other and they will merge, and vanish in some manner consistent with her krewe’s mythology. They know this is the most blissful thing they could ever do.
Refusing the Call
Some Cathartic Sin-Eaters merge fully with their geist to become essentially one inseparable being, but choose not to move on. This is a painful sacrifice and few deny themselves whatever is beyond, but some chose to stay behind, bodhisattva-like, to guide others along the path to enlightenment, or to help their former krewes reach Catabasis.
It’s strongly recommended that Cathartic Sin-Eaters be retired from play and become Storyteller characters. Their story is over, and it’s time to make room for new protagonists to take the stage. However, if you’re okay with allowing a player to continue playing their character post-Catharsis (or if you just need to roll dice for one as a Storyteller character), the following rules apply:
- The character’s Synergy is 10, and she no longer suffers crisis points.
- The character no longer gains the Doomed Condition for unlocking Haunts with her Keys.
- If the character dies, she and her geist move on to whatever comes after this world. Her geist no longer revives her.
This excerpt comes from Chapter Seven-Ghost Stories: Storyteller advice and information for running a Geist chronicle, including designing Remembrances, how to set theme and mood, story seeds, and various ways to play out the end of a game.
Look for the full manuscript preview to be posted next Monday.
Tomorrow, I'll post about Reward Tiers and Add Ons to make sure that everyone has an understanding of what rewards they'll be receiving. In the meantime, let's keep building on our momentum from the past few days and work through our poem!
MORE ART!
A JUMPSTART,
MEMENTO MORI, FIFTH PART!