What I’m working on: Downfall 2nd Edition

Posted by Caroline

This is probably going to jinx it, but over the past few months I’ve been hammering away at a second edition of Downfall.  *Cue thunder and lightning*

I’ve had ideas for a second edition now for several years, but have finally found the time and willpower to start actually playtesting them, in no small part due to Ben’s encouragement and the fun notes I’ve gotten about his Empire of Light Downfall game

We just started our own game and are having a fantastic time so far. We’re an insular Hobbity society, just beginning to have our Loyalty turn against us. We set it up so that we are one society among a whole world of fantasy societies, and our plan is to jump between places as each one falls in its own way. 

Things are still pretty fluid, but for the second edition here are some things I’m working on:

  • Rules for 2-5 players
  • Slightly different Elements set up to calibrate settings to be more or less weird
  • No more character non-monogamy and space for more subplots within the society

Revolutions

The most fundamental change is an option for long-term legacy style play – Revolutions – where we see the society changing over a longer period of time with different Heroes emerging and falling. Instead of playing until the society collapses, and that’s it, we get to keep going and explore what comes next.

There’s a few more changes that I’m still testing out, and it’s going to be a long development road. I like to take my time, so there’s really no telling when it’ll be ready. But at least for now things are looking bright for a Downfall 2 *eventually*!

<3

Curiosity killed the dog and other games: Downfall at PAX 2016

Posted by Caroline

One of my favorite things about story games is sharing them with strangers. It’s the main reason I look forward to playing Games on Demand at PAX. It’s amazing how creative and friendly people are during con play, and how quickly we go from feeling like strangers to feeling like co-conspirators, making something awesome together.

Oh and the added bonus was that Downfall was super popular–14 games played in total!

I ran three sessions of Downfall during the con, and had a fantastic time with each of them. Here’s a brief run-down of my games.

Continue reading Curiosity killed the dog and other games: Downfall at PAX 2016

Downfall Wins Award for Best Setting

I’m so excited to announce that Downfall received the Indie Groundbreaker Award for Best Setting this week at GenCon! Wahoo!

To me, the award being given to Downfall highlights that it’s players that bring worlds to life. After all, I didn’t make the setting, you do that every time you play. Because, really, Downfall’s setting is created each game—by the players at the table. So this award goes out to all you gamers! Keep making those awesome worlds. <3

Head over to IGDN to see the complete list of winners! And congratulations one and all!

-Caroline

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Downfall nominated for Golden Geek award

Downfall has created quite a splash since its release earlier this year!

First off, the game was nominated to be 2015 Golden Geek RPG of the Year! This award, bestowed by the well-known gaming website RPG Geek, is part of their 10th Annual Golden Geek Awards. We’re honored to be nominated alongside so many other great titles from the past year.

In other news:

If you don’t have a copy of Downfall yet, you can buy a PDF or print copy right here on our website!

Downfall around the web

Caroline’s game Downfall has received a lot of buzz. Check it out!

Downfall is available now in PDF and print!