KickStarter Wesley Snipes & Sean Austin Kickstarting a Starfinder setting

Andhaira · Dec 22, 2017

Hollywood actors Wesley Snipes and Sean Astin – yes, that’s Blade and The Lord of the Rings’ Samwise Gamgee – are helping write a new setting for sci-fi RPG Starfinder.

Grimmerspace is an upcoming sci-fi horror book designed to be used with the Pathfinder sequel’s ruleset, and due to launch on Kickstarter early next February.

The setting takes place in a universe known as the Gliding Rim, which is also referred to as the G-Rim. Narrative tension comes from the arrival of powerful mages into the galaxy previously devoid of magic, resulting in a conflict of technology and magic.

The Grimmerspace book will consist of around a dozen adventures, with a greater focus on detailing the alternate environment and its inhabitants than drastically altering Starfinder’s core rules for planet-based adventure or spaceship dogfighting. However, there will be new character races and playable monsters included in the set.

Snipes and Astin will apparently be serving as creative directors on the project, overseeing the general content and direction of the book. They’ll also be directly writing some parts of the upcoming setting, including adventure content and ‘possibly’ new character concepts, according to publisher Iron GM Games.

Although best known for his acting career, Snipes is no stranger to writing, having previously authored a fantasy novel called Talon of God, which was released earlier this year.

Astin, meanwhile, co-wrote a memoir partially about his time working on the Lord of the Rings trilogy called There and Back Again.

They’ll be working with a number of other writers and artists on Grimmerspace, including Starfinder co-creators Jason Bulmahn and Erik Mona, plus veteran Dungeons & Dragons artist Larry Elmore.

https://www.tabletopgaming.co.uk/bo...lord-of-the-rings-sean-astin-are-working-on-a

2017s final strike, or moar da fuqs to come??

But anyway, though I never thought of Snipes as a nerd in hindsight it does make quite a bit of sense.

Hope it's good and sells buckets, though I do wish they had gone with something other than Starfinder, or better yet a custom system.

Humanity has risen! · Dec 22, 2017

Snipes is a multi-millionaire and he wants to beg for money, when there are thousands of earnest indie developpers working below poverty levels trying to make their mark? All to write a manual? Fuck you.

udm · Dec 23, 2017

Interview with Rone Barton of Iron GM Games: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...stin-Join-Grimmerspace-as-Creative-Developers

MT: What's your involvement with the Kickstarter?

RB: We're writing, developing, and editing on all of the products. We're going to be 100% hands on. This could be our one shot at game publishing, right? Who knows? So we’re giving it everything we have. Everything. Yes, even spleen. Especially spleen.

MT: Any stretch goals?

RB: We have stretch goals for days: growing the core book, adding adventures, adding authors, adding monsters, adding new gear, adding minis, unlocking add-ons, splitting out additional books...

MT: You've got quite a few industry names signed up to participate in the Grimmerspace Kickstarter. Who is involved?

RB: I already mentioned Richard Pett and Greg Vaughan, but Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Ben McFarland, BJ Hensley, Hal Maclean, and Larry Elmore (whose art is both iconic and timeless, but who is also a deft sci-fi author) are writing for us. Perhaps more along the way. And Erik Mona, Paizo's publisher, is writing our foreword. And of course Sean Astin and Dr. Wesley Snipes.

MT: That's a long list of luminaries in the RPG field -- wait a minute! Did you say, Dr. Wesley Snipes? As in "Blade"?!

RB: It’d be weird if we touted having landed Wesley Snipes the locally famous cheesecake baker on our project, wouldn’t it? But no, you’re right, Blade himself! He’s in for creative development. writing, and kung-fu application whenever and wherever kung-fu is most needed (we do find it helps to overcome many temporary obstacles in business meetings).

MT: What's Dr. Snipes' gaming experience?

RB: Dr. Snipes is a tabletop gamer. He's also recently published an excellent urban fantasy novel Talon of God. He came to us by way of our mutual friend BJ Hensley, Founder of Playground Adventures and the Business and Marketing Director of Lone Wolf Development. BJ is someone who helps out so many others with their own projects that I don’t know how she ever gets her own stuff done. I role model her in that if I get half the work completed in a day that she does I know I should see a doctor about the possibility that I may be suffering from workaholism.

MT: And you've got Samwise -- I mean Sean Astin?! I'm trying to keep my head from exploding. How did Sean get involved?

RB: Lou and I have been friends with Sean for a while. We're involved with him on a television deal and have shared a number of real-life adventures in LA and elsewhere, so when we decided to do Grimmerspace we called him and asked if he'd be interested. We had this big long pitch planned but he cut us off and said, “Stop… stop. Storytelling is worthy. Gaming is worthy. You don't have to convince me. Of course, I'd love to help.” You mention his character Samwise, bravest and most loyal of hobbits. And that was likely an easy role for Sean to play because a kinder, more loyal and giving friend you’ll not find between Riverdale, The Bronx and Rivendell.

MT: Maybe it's a foolish assumption that anyone who participated in the Lord of the Rings franchise AND the Stranger Things franchise is a gamer, but what's Sean's gaming experience?

RB: Actually, Lou and I are Sean's gaming experience. We pull him in deeper every time we work together. Sean is new to gaming, but as an Oscar-nominated director his eye for story and, especially, for what makes a story worthy of going cross-platform (movie, TV, games, etc.) is unparalleled.

MT: How are Dr. Snipes and Mr. Astin contributing to the Kickstarter?

RB: They're certainly not doing it for the doubloon-spilling treasure chests RPG publishing is known to earn so reliably. HARD WINK! As Creative Developers, they'll be reviewing the written work and critiquing it: here's where it could be stronger; here’s where it needs more originality, here's what would really drive this home; how about we add something like this? In addition, both Sean and especially Dr. Snipes have expressed an interest in writing specific parts of the setting that most appeal to them. We're going to keep those particulars under wraps for now because they're exceedingly cool and we don't want to get scooped.