Community Talks: Crash! Talks Blaseball, Their First Crowdfundr Project
A spotlight on one of the members of the Rising Tide community
Our Community Talks series dives into what’s happening with members from our very own Rising Tide community discord.
Today, Adam interviews Crash!, and they chat about their first crowdfunded project, Blaseball: The Forbidden Book.
Adam: Can you introduce yourself, say a little about your history in games, and where people might be able to come follow you if they are interested?
Crash!: Okay! So, online pseudonym is Crash!. I'd mainly stuck to mainstream ttrpg for a good amount of time, 4 years or so before migrating to other more indie systems in the past two. Also been following the indie absurdist horror Blaseball for a while. Its game mechanics were diverse enough to where I thought it'd make a great TTRPG, and absolutely loved its community. Thank the animatics from the for that- I watch them day in and day out because they're amazing and really capture what people can imagine from just some simple text and images.
For TTRPG updates, my Tumblr is the most used. For the crowdfunding, and playtest updates, just hop on over to the Crowdfundr!
Adam: Ironically, most of what I know about Blaseball has been from you talking about it on the Rising Tide discord, but I know it's something of a phenomenon. Can you tell me a little about how you've adapted it into a tabletop game?
Crash!: So, it's complex but I'll try to summarize:
Blaseball is a series of sports teams fighting to win the championship, using the same basic rules as Baseball. This, however, is changed by three ever-present factors:
Weather!
Weather is present in every game, and is anything but mundane. This goes from night, to birds, to blooddrain and solar eclipse in terms of absurdity. Each has their own special effects.
Now in the TTRPG, this is as similar as I could make it. Weather shares these effects- characters still have a chance of being siphoned during blooddrain, and they're still hindered by birds. More than the field- explore cities adapted to the wash of blood, or parks taming the wild and unknowable birds. Each person's time and existence under these storms.
Elections!
Elections are the central part of Blaseball, and have existed just as long as Weather. They feature blessings presented by the seasons deities- improve a batter, provide your team a modifier, etc. Followed by them are decrees! The main part that shakes up the Baseball formula. These typically change how the league, and sometimes even game, functions.
The TTRPG has taken these in a similar way, trying to imitate and improve as much as it can. Instead of buying votes for every blessing, players are instead granted a (usually) static amount. Blessings and plot-less Decrees are listed at the end of the book for emergency use, so don't be afraid of just running a fun, non-plot heavy league with them!
Teams!
Teams are the heart of Blaseball, the players of the game. A simple fourteen split into two parts. Lineup and Rotation. Now this is the most drastic change-
Teams consist of four to six players. This is due to a mysterious and unseen event coming to in the tabletops universe, destroying the world's concepts of typical teams. Pitchers are whoever volunteers themselves during fielding, for example. Have fun with it- these are the people you'll know as you progress.
Adam: That pesky bloodrain.
In terms of mechanics of the game, who would you say your game appeals to?
Or to put it another way, "Fans of ___ might enjoy this game."
Crash!: Fans of high concepts might enjoy this game! It's the main draw I'm applying to it. Experiencing a world where gods are physically present, and their effects are drawn out constantly. Where you can see every moment reflecting on the people who live it.
Adam: All through the lens of baseball.
Crash!: Ayep!
Adam: Here's a question for you as a creator. How much has your concept of the game changed from when you first envisioned it to where you are now?
Were there any big stumbling blocks, points you were stuck on that you had to figure out?
Crash!: It's changed alot in terms of mechanical knowledge! I understand now why things are so difficult- making a sports rpg is difficult. There's a good reason so few exist and that leads to the next point.
Counterplay, Contests and At-Bats are tough. If you have counterplay in contests baked in, you need to do things simultaneously. But that's incredibly difficult through a tabletop medium. I've found my own solution for that, however, and I hope it functions as intended.
Adam: Interesting. It seems like the sports aspect is tougher to implement than the eldritch existential horrors!
I'd also very much like to talk about Crowdfundr. Had you ever used it before this project?
Crash!: Nope! This is a first- and thank David, a crowdfunding coach for helping me through a large part of it. They're guiding me (a generally unknowing person) through it really well! I'm hoping to keep it updated, however. Putting out all playtest material there and I'm hoping to reach my goal so I can know people want my project more. Because that support is what shows me this all can work out well.
Adam: How is your campaign going so far?
Crash!: Admittedly, I haven't received any funding yet on it. It's only been up for 5 days though, so I don't think that's unusual. Especially when it's a small team like mine (and by team I mean just me lol)
Adam: Hopefully this will lead to folks checking it out. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Crash!: Rising Tide is a life-saver, they've helped me learn this program and wrangle basically everything. Full of nice people, check ‘em out here.
Adam: Haha amazing! Thanks so much for taking the time.
Check out Crash!’s project, Blaseball: The Forbidden Book here and help spread the love!