Against Time and Death

April update: in the flow
11 months ago – Fri, Apr 25, 2025 at 09:42:10 AM

April is fading away, and London (where I live) is remembering what sunshine is like. This is a good time of year!

I spent part of April relaxing beside a pool on an island (can recommend), but we're not here to talk about that. We're here to talk about Against Time and Death! And the good news is, we're properly in the flow now...

Current status

• Draft progressing. In the past month I've been working to finalise the draft, making tweaks based on playtest feedback, adding some extra advice, drafting the introduction to the playsets, and other quality of life improvements. It's getting close!
• Art progressing. Paul Tomes continues to be brilliant. We've got four of eight illustrations locked in, two more that are very close, a seventh in sketch form, and the final image in the concept stage. This is going to be a gorgeous zine, folks!
• Playsets progressing. I'm expecting the remaining playset drafts to roll in towards the end of the month, and I'm very excited to see what everyone has come up with...

In short, progress!

Late pledges: ending April 30th!

If you know anyone who missed out on the Kickstarter campaign and who would still like to make a late pledge, I'm going to keep them open until April 30th. I wonder if we can scrape over the £6,000 line in the next five days...

Tell your friends!

Inspiration, in table form

Against Time and Death asks players to "frame a scene" (actually, four of them per player, across the course of the game). Sometimes that's easy, and the rulebook tries to make it as easy as possible with specific scene prompts and practical advice. But sometimes you're staring at a blank page - the biggest blank page imaginable! - and you just need a little something to get you rolling.

For this reason, I’m planning to include a few tables of inspiration in the rulebook, to give your imagination a little jolt when you feel you need it. As I'm sure many of you know, writing good tables is tricky. You want them to be generally useful, but not generic, to bring something that a player wouldn't necessarily have brought themselves, while also being re-usable. It's a tricky balance (just ask the OSR - good table design is so often their bread and butter!).

I'm currently planning four tables, with a possible fifth in the wings. The first is an Era table: where in all of time and space is this scene going to take place? The second is a People table: who is the scene about? The third is a Moment table: what is happening in the scene at this moment? And finally, because Against Time and Death is a game about the whole multiverse in all its infinity variety, a Weirdness table with some ways to twist your scene into something a bit stranger.

Let’s take a look at the Era table. (This is very first draft text, folks, so please read it generously.) The idea is not just to give you a list of eras, but also a feel for the types of things that might define each one:

Eras

1. Prehistory (geological processes, megafauna, early humans, myth-making) 
2. Ancient history (empires, gods and heroes, foundations of art and science, monument building)
3. History (holy war, monarchy, trade empires, exploration, colonialism, scientific and artistic flourishing)
4. Now (nation states, world wars, mass protest, pop culture, evolution, computation, cyberspace, capitalism, tourism, terrorism, revolution)
5. The future (catastrophic climate change, corporate states, the solar system, true AI, interplanetary warfare, transhumanity, pushing boundaries, to the stars)
6. The mythic future (infinite panhumanity, planetary engineering, stellar engineering, magictech, dreams made manifest, the darkness between stars, the things that reside there)

There’s probably more work to be done here (and doubtless Melody will have some thoughts when she starts her work), but that’s where I’m at now. Hopefully it looks useful to you - if you've got any thoughts, stick them in the comments!

Next steps

• Finalise the draft. I’m real close now - just need to lock in those inspiration tables.
• Send the draft to Melody. As soon as I can! Along with all my other favourite parts of making a game, I particularly enjoy getting editorial comments back from Melody - she makes everything I write about a million times better.
• Review playsets. And I can't wait for this part either! I'll review them myself, of course, but I'll also bundle them up and send them off to Melody for her expert eye. I'm just itching to find out what our design duos have dreamt up!
• Finalise interior illustrations. I tell you, each one of these illustrations would be an excellent cover for an entirely different game (or novel series?). I wonder if we could turn that into some kind of Against Time and Death-themed game jam...

Yep, definitely feeling it now!

See you all next month,

- Nick

March update: overture
about 1 year ago – Tue, Mar 25, 2025 at 02:34:03 PM

Not even 3 weeks since our last update, but I figured why not get into the rhythm early? Happy anniversary, everyone—we funded one month ago today!

This update will give you a good idea of the basic structure for regular monthly check-ins. I’ll keep it (broadly) consistent so you can easily find the info you’re looking for each month.

Current status

This bit is the tl;dr. If you just want to know where we’re up to, you can read these bullets. Further down I’ll talk in a bit more detail about the game, what we’re working on, or something else that strikes me. At the end I'll summarise next steps over the coming month.

• Commissions are all away. Writing teams have received their detailed briefs, and are now building their multiverses. 
• First playset is in! Already! Brilliant (and lightning fast) work from the Storybrewers. There's a little teaser further down in this update...
• Sketches are rolling in. Paul has shared a couple of near-complete pieces, and exciting sketches for several more. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—commissioning talented artists is one of my favourite parts of this gig!
• Late pledges closing April 25. At some point I’ve got to call it for late pledges, and that point is next month! If you know anyone who is interested but missed out on the original campaign, point them to the Kickstarter page. (There’ll be another late pledge window when the BackerKit goes live, later in the year.)

Let’s talk art

As I was (gleefully) reviewing Paul Tomes’ latest concepts and sketches, it suddenly hit me why they’re so perfect for Against Time and Death (I mean, apart from being so incredibly stylish). Let’s take a look at the two illustrations we’ve already seen—I wonder if you can guess what I was thinking?

They look like they could be covers for their own games! The left might be some sort of cyberpunk thriller, or maybe a game about a popular revolution against oppressive corporate overlords. On the right, I can see a weird science game, maybe an alternate Cold War? Or, heck, maybe something about bizarre and inexplicable experiments conducted by a strange and ominous corporation!

I’m sure you can see why this is perfect for Against Time and Death. Each scene is an opportunity for you to take your game in new thematic directions—introduce tropes and trappings from your favourite genres, mash them together in new ways to create fun little playgrounds for you and your rival to play (fight? kiss?) in.

What do you think of when you look at these two illustrations? What scenes or settings do they inspire for you?

Storybrewers playset teaser

We’ve got the first playset in from the super speedy Storybrewers, Vee Hendro and Hayley Gordon, and it’s extremely good. Extremely good! I thought you might like a little teaser, and so here it is, the names of the two rival operatives...

And you can now speculate!

Next steps

So what’s ahead over the next month?

• More words! From the playset writers, but also from me. I’ll be focussing on a final sweep through the rules text before it goes to Melody, plus adding some support to help you frame your scenes out there in the multiverse. That will likely be in the form of some useful tables. Is there anything you would particularly like to see to help you get your games moving?
• More art! You know Paul is going to keep working his magic, and you know I’m going to squeal with delight every time I see a new illustration!
• Have you played the game? If so, I’d love to hear about it! You can catch me here in the comments, on Bluesky, or at the ickbat games discord. Over at the discord, TheLoneAmigo recently shared a brilliant (solo!) playthrough, with a really stunning ending. Well worth checking out!

Right, let's get to it!

(Why yes, I have been watching lots of Severance. Why do you ask?)

- Nick

Playtest beta access
about 1 year ago – Fri, Mar 07, 2025 at 03:45:43 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Did I mention we successfully funded?
about 1 year ago – Fri, Mar 07, 2025 at 03:43:31 AM

Hello everyone! Can you believe it's already been 10 days since Against Time and Death successfully funded? Forgive me for taking a few days to prepare this update - I celebrated the campaign's success by taking a long weekend's break in Berlin. Good times!

This update

• Thank you and what's next. A proper thank you for your kind support, and a few words about what happens next.
• Playtest beta access. Are you keen to start playing now? Scroll down to find out how!
• Late pledges are still open. If by some chance you missed the campaign (or know someone who did), late pledges for the pdf and print editions are still open! They'll remain so for a little while longer, so get in while you can.

My sincerest thanks

Firstly and most importantly, I want to thank you all for your support. When the clock ticked down to zero, we had 361 generous backers pledging a total of £5,781. That's an amazing result - my biggest Kickstarter to date, and for a high-concept two-player game like Against Time and Death.

I'm really excited about this one, folks. As I said on the intro page, this game has produced some of the most intensely dramatic, emotion-filled, and narratively satisfying roleplaying experiences of my life. I think it's a real good one, beautifully capturing the feel of its award-winning inspiration, giving you the tools to tell tight character-focussed stories as your imaginations soar throughout the multiverse. I'm so glad to have you all along for the ride, and so pleased that with your support I'll be able to pay some of the best folks in the business to work their magic.

Thank you all!

What happens next?

Now that we're funded, what's next?

• As always, it takes a couple of weeks for the Kickstarter funds to clear and land in my account. Please do make sure your pledge has gone through fine - if there's any difficulty, Kickstarter will let you know!
• Commissioning the team. Some of them have already begun, but once the funds are in place I'll be able to formally commission everyone to work their magic. Always one of my favourite parts of any project!
• Finalising the text. While Paul is creating more of his brilliant art, and our game design duos are drafting their playsets, I'll be putting the finishing touches on the text so I can send it off to Melody for editing.
• Monthly updates. You can expect monthly updates from me, unless I have specific news to share. I usually aim to publish these on the anniversary of funding, so roughly the 25th of each month.

Start playing now!

Some of you have expressed an interest in launching your time wars already, and I am here for that enthusiasm! As such, I'm making the playtest beta available to all of you generous supporters. 

Shortly after this update goes live, I will publish a second backer-only update with details of how you can access the playtest beta. It's pretty straightforward - just follow the instructions in that update to access your files.

Please remember that this is a draft version of the game. The rules are playtested and essentially complete, however there is always a chance that they will change slightly as they progress through final drafting, editing, and layout. The final zine will of course contain additional material: much more of Paul's stylish art, the four quickstart playsets, additional guidance and advice, and new layout. Lots to look forward to!

Finally, if you do play a game, I'd love to hear about it! Let me know in all the usual places: Bluesky, discord, or via email. Comments on the itch.io page are also great!

Until next time...

We're right at the start of this thread in the multiverse, but events are already in motion that will bring us to our glorious and inevitable conclusion. Enjoy the playtest beta, let me know about your thoughts and your games, and I'll see you in the next update!

Good luck, time warriors.

- Nick

The final countdown
about 1 year ago – Mon, Feb 24, 2025 at 01:34:38 PM

We're inside the last 24 hours now! I wonder where we'll land...

Quick vibe check: thanks to you generous folks, Against Time and Death is my most successful Kickstarter (in terms of pledge amount)!That's a huge result for a high-concept duet game like this and I'm incredibly grateful for all of your support. Thank you!

Here's the tl;dr for this update:

• A final call to action. You've already done more than enough. But if you felt like doing a little bit more, here are some ideas!
• Tracking the time war. Rounding out our description of how to play Against Time and Death, I talk a little bit about how you know who won the time war, and what that might mean.

A few words before the multiverse ends

As we head into the final countdown, there's a couple of last things I wanted to ask of you.

Spread the word!

Let's be honest: you've already done enough, you absolute legends. Nevertheless, if you did feel like giving things one last push, here are some bits and pieces you might find useful:

• This Rascal News community post. It's my attempt to briefly summarise some of the reasons to back this campaign. Maybe share it with a friend? Or a stranger?
• The Duet tier. Have you considered upgrading your pledge to grab a copy of the zine for a friend or nemesis? It's a great way to let someone know that a) you're thinking of them, b) you'd like to play a game with them, and c) there's a time war happening!
• A handy little poster showing off some of Paul's brilliant artwork. Looks pretty social-media friendly to me...

Consider that Time War pledge tier...

I don't honestly expect anyone to claim the Time War tier, but if you're feeling flush (and incredibly generous), let me make a pitch.

For one lucky, big-hearted backer, this is an opportunity to play Against Time and Death with me. We'll play a full game - I'll introduce it to you in a video call, we'll build a multiverse together, and then we'll play out the game's eight exchanges at a pace that suits us both. We'll wrap up in another video call, where we decide the fate of our operatives. Finally, I'll make you a special Against Time and Death playset based on our game, to commemorate the experience.

If you've listened to either of the Black Armada Tales recordings (here and here), you've probably got a good idea how much fun this will be. Four times across our game I'll frame scenes to spark your imagination, four times I'll write letters to your character, and four times I'll take action in whatever multiversal playground you give me - I promise to make it as memorable as I can. And even if you never have a chance to play it again (though I hope you will!), you'll always have one epic time war to look back on.

There's the pitch. You in?

Playing Against Time and Death: Endgame

So the end of a game of Against Time and Death arrives, and you're both asking yourselves the same question: did I win?

Across the course of a game of Against Time and Death, you keep track of four things: the time war, the chaos level, confluence, and scrutiny. They're easy to track, particularly if you're using the included playingcards.io template. At the end of the game, these things taken together will decide your operative's fate. (They'll also unlock new scene prompts during the game, but we won't talk about that little detail here.)

• Time War. This is the big one. Whichever side claims the most victories in the time war is winning, but the margin of victory matters. If it's close, the war ranges on. If one side has a decisive lead, they win the multiverse, and in doing so make it impossible for their rivals to survive.
• Chaos level. All of this time warfare puts strain on the fabric of the multiverse. Although there are treaties in place designed to prevent catastrophic damage, sometimes those treaties are broken. If the chaos level gets too high, that's it: the multiverse and everything in it ends.
• Confluence. On rare occasions, an operative may decide not to fight the war and instead choose a different path. If their rival also rejects the war, then we have a moment of confluence. Build up enough of these, and the operatives may be able to write a future for themselves independent of the war!
• Scrutiny. But your masters are always watching. Whenever an operative turns away from the war, they draw more attention to themselves, until eventually they may be called in to explain themselves. Or worse...

These four things taken together decide your operative's fate. What's more, they're interconnected - your actions in the time war, or your attempts at confluence, risk increasing chaos and may drive up scrutiny. In turn, your scrutiny or the chaos level may influence your choices in the time war or when seeking confluence. And all the time, you're having to guess what your rival is thinking based on your scant opportunities to communicate.

It's delicious, dramatic prisoner's dilemmas all the way down!

See you at the end!

All that's left is one last thank you from me before the end: thank you! I can't wait to get this game into your hands - let's see how far we can push this Kickstarter before the bell rings out across the multiverse.

(Did I say Dr Strange had a lock on multiverse gifs? Maybe I should've said Loki...)

- Nick