PROJECT BIOMODUS: State of the Wasteland
almost 7 years ago – Fri, Jul 14, 2017 at 12:29:05 AM

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Hey Everyone.  

I know it has been a while since you all got an update from me, and I want to begin by apologizing to you all for my lack of contact. 

There is a lot that goes into the game building process, as I am sure you are aware, but that doesn’t mean I get to leave you all in the dark. In an effort to catch up with things, I am going to try and give you all a run-down of the progress made, the things currently in plan and an update as to our release, what we need from you guys as well as any other details I can think of.  

WHAT’S HAPPENED SO FAR?  

This year – I hate to say – has been a bad one. 

At the beginning of the year, my wife and I had several severe family emergencies hit us that we could not ignore or work through. While this did take off a considerable amount of production time that I had hoped would be used for the book, there was still a lot of progress made that was pushed into a new update.  

As a result, we have most of the groundwork laid out for the Get Rekt edition. Because of the delay, we are planning on releasing the Get Rekt Edition of Project Biomodus first, and give a PDF copy of the book to every backer as an apology for making you wait for an update and news. 

You have all been instrumental in the development of this – my baby – and I cannot thank you enough for your patience.  

Secondly, the legal fees for copyright, trademarks and business issues doubled in the space of a couple months – way above what we were originally quoted. This meant that funding for production was cut in half, and as a result, I have had to cash out some of my own savings to meet the cost. 

Taxes are going to be a hard pill to swallow at the end of this year, but frankly we are prepared for the worst. Shipping prices have also taken a considerable hike of late, due to the geo-political landscape that is currently ongoing, but again, we made provisions to rectify this, although shipping may be staggered when it comes to production.  

The system itself is currently with the editing team, and I want to say a huge word of thanks to Melina, Megan and a few other community folks who have volunteered their editing skills for the first pass. As the text and corrections are coming in, changes are being made, ready for the first initial printing. 

If any of you have any feedback or notice any kind of discrepancy in the rules system, please be sure to email me at [email protected] and provide the page, issue and whatnot for correction.  

We have also visited a couple of Conventions so far. Earlier this year we attended KublaCon and got to meet several backers, fans, and new supporters. I have just returned from a trip to Canada where I was answering questions about Project Biomodus to several players, as well as introducing industry professionals to the concept and the pre-edited prints for review and explanation. 

All in all, interest in Project Biomodus is growing and our community is slowly growing with it. A great deal of art has been commissioned and completed by several notable community members, all of them doing amazing work, although I am loathe to give away all the goodies just yet. 

I will be giving a bit more of an art update in a later post.  

SO WHAT NOW?  

Right now, the editing of Project Biomodus is still underway. Once that stage is up, it comes to piecing it all together. For that, my plan is to hire a layout artist. Right now, there is a cost involved in that action, but when I compare the cost vs. the time I can spend on other aspects of the book, then it seems like a no-brainer. 

I want to be able to release this book before the end of the year as promised, and that is what I intend to do. Keeping my promise to you all is worth that.  

There are other side-books required for me to put together too, such as the Art & Lore book, as well as the special entries for the Collector’s Edition of Project Biomodus. Right now, I want to focus on the main book and worry about the extras later. 

Posters for people who purchased the Collectors physical edition will go out with the books too. First concern is the Get Rekt Edition. However – and this is the important part – not everyone has finished their BackerKit survey.  

I SAY THIS AGAIN: FINAL CUT-OFF FOR THE BACKERKIT IS THE END OF JULY. IF YOU HAVE NOT ENTERED YOUR DETAILS BY THIS DATE, YOU MAY NOT GET YOUR DESIGN IN THE FINAL BOOK IF YOU ARE A MEDTEK OR CODEXI BACKER. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS.  

The Lord Hunter / Huntress, Lossitaar and the Biomodus of Legend tiers are all completed and ready to go into the book. Many of these entries you can find in the current playtest (available here: http://bit.ly/Play-PB) and they are a real testament to how creative this community can be!  

SO WHATS COMING UP?  

Again, final cut off for BackerKit is coming up. 

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR ADDRESSES ARE UPDATED, AS WELL AS ANY PAYMENT INFORMATION YOU ENTERED FOR ADDITIONAL EXTRAS AND ADD-ONS. 

Once this is locked down at the end of July, your cards will be charged, and any failing that charge will be marked as uncollectable. In October, we are heading to Harrisburg, PA for a convention called Save Against Fear, run by an awesome charity called the Bodhana group. I am going to go there and enjoy the time spent with people who do something very close to my heart – namely using RPG’s to help children and young adults with social issues and family-related problems that are eased by gaming and constructive social work.  

Other than that, work is continuing in full swing. Our aim is to get the book in your hands by the end of the year, and that is the hard push. I am also planning on getting more regular updates out to you based on developments and get back on track with more information. If you have any suggestions about videos or walkthroughs or any kind of media you would like to see, please let me know so I can get that out to you.  

LASTLY

I would like to thank you all for your infinite patience. I am trying to be as active within our little fledgling community as I can and I will never be too busy to answer your questions or talk to a supporter. 

Please feel free to come to me at any possible opportunity, regardless of if we have spoken a hundred times or never before. You guy make this special for me and I do not want to disappoint you or let you down. 

Thanks again, and keep your eyes out for further developments… 

 AGAIN, FINISH YOUR BACKERKIT SURVEYS… THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT. 

 <3 you all! 

 Joseph ‘Bear’ Thompson
 Creative Director – TAPM Systems 

LAST CALL FOR MEDTEK/CODEXI SUBMISSIONS!
about 7 years ago – Sun, Apr 23, 2017 at 10:59:27 PM

Hey Folks!

Just wanted to remind you all that if you are a MedTek or Codexi Backer and you have not gotten your design ideas to me by the END OF APRIL, then your submissions will not make it into the GET REKT edition of the book!

Let me repeat that: ALL MEDTEK AND CODEXI BACKERS (that is the people who has to design Modifications and Configurations) NEED TO GET YOUR DESIGNS IN TO ME BY APRIL 30TH. THAT IS A WEEK AWAY!

If you need help, or want to send me your ideas, please email me at: [email protected]

Either that or contact me through the TAPM Systems Discord Server, which can be joined by clicking this link: https://discord.gg/Nctn7jr  

Right now, all Monster, NPC and Vehicle Designs are either done or in the process thereof. I want to thank all of you for getting your submissions in, and now all the art is (for the most part) done, I can get to finalizing the content and layout.  

I have been hiring some great artists for the book content, so as a nice little taster, here is some of the work by one of our wonderful folks, RedSkittlez!  

Enjoy, everyone and I hope to talk to you soon!  

-Joseph ‘Bear’ Thompson TAPM Systems

CREATIVE TIER ARTWORK UPDATE!
about 7 years ago – Sat, Mar 18, 2017 at 11:44:50 PM

Hey folks!

So just a quick update this time. As most of you probably know, part of the reward for backing at a creative tier also got to see their design drawn. While this does not apply for the MedTek or Codexi tiers, the backers who got to design an NPC, Monster of Vehicle / Powered Armor also get an image of their design in the book.

As of right now, the NPC's are all done. The Monsters are a good half-way through, and the vehicles and powered armor are somewhat concepted, but not totally finished yet.

If you would like to see the completed items so far, then feel free to check out the Project Biomodus art gallery, by following this link:

http://www.projectbiomodus.com/artwork/

This page will be updated as more art is added, so check regularly!

Thanks all and have a great night!

Joseph 'Bear' Thompson
Creative DirectorTAPM Systems

UPDATE TIME: Art News and State of Production (CREATIVE TIER BACKERS - IMPORTANT TO READ)
about 7 years ago – Thu, Mar 02, 2017 at 09:57:01 PM

Good evening, Hunters!  

So this is going to drone on a little bit, so bear with me a little.  

First of all, I wanted to say thank you all for bearing with me these last few months. While some of the things which happened this year ground our development to almost a standstill, much of it has been resolved and we are now back into production at full steam.  

There have been a couple of really awesome things happening for Project Biomodus in the last couple of months too. In January, we had an excellent run at RyanCon in the North Bay. It was a small gathering of a few different play groups, but the crowd were awesome, many laughs were had, and in all, I am really glad I had the opportunity to meet new folks and play some awesome games.  

DunDraCon happened a few weekends back and we had an absolute riot. Several of our backers (old and new) were present and I even had the joy of meeting a backer or two I had not had the pleasure of meeting yet. The atmosphere of the Con was phenomenal and it will definitely be on the ticket for next year.  

Perhaps one of the best highlights of the year so far came in the form of a PM from a person I have a great amount of respect for. It caught me completely by surprise, but this person asked if he could do some art for Project Biomodus as he had recently gone into business for himself.  

The man I am talking about is none other than the wonderful Michael ‘Mynki’ Brennan, the (until recently) Art Director of Warframe!  

For those of you who know me, you will know that Mynki is one of my favorite artists. His art style and designs is what attracted me to Warframe in the first place, so naturally I was honored to be the first client of his freelancing business.  

I showed off the picture he drew of the Melancorth in my last update (that was the clue), but I wanted to show off his image of an Oculari Overseer, one of the more deadly incarnations of the powerful AI overlords in a proxy platform:  

Mynki has also created some amazing environmental art for the setting, and I am honored and proud to have his amazing work in our book. 

STATE OF PRODUCTION 

So here is the part where I talk a little bit about our progress. 

These last few months have dampened our stride a little, and even as we are going back into the fray with renewed vigor, the setback to the timeline is noticeable. By now I was hoping to have the 6th Edition of our playtest ready for distribution, but at this point it is looking like it may take a while longer. Creative tiers of our backers have also fallen back a little, however I have managed to finalize some of them for the Biomodus of Legend, as well as some of our Monster art. 

There are several more images that have made it to the final inking stages, and so I am now on the stage where they need to be colored. I am hoping that most of the submissions that require art will be finished fairly shortly, but we are still a little more behind than I feel comfortable with. 

So how does this affect our timeline? 

Right now, the book is still slated to be released by the end of this year. I gave myself some leeway to allow for delays when I put the Kickstarter together, and so if there are no other delays, the idea is to get the full, completed versions of the book in your hands by Christmas. 

This does mean that I need to re-evaluate the state of producing playtests. Right now, most of the crunch is done, and is ready for deployment. I am getting some more fluff and setting information together, and that is compiling nicely into what should still be around 300 pages of fully colored glory for you to all get your hands on. 

What we have decided to do is accelerate the production of the Get Rekt edition of the book. 

The fundamental idea is that the Get Rekt version will be smaller, contain mostly rules, some basic setting and less art than the full version, but it’s purpose is to be an affordable option for a gaming troupe, so that not every person needs to spend a lot of money to have their own rules, but still have a book they can feel no guilt making notes in, or doodling over or whatever they want. 

To use a current analog of an existing game, it will be the Champions Complete version of Project Biomodus, whereas the Standard and Collector’s edition of the book will be much more like the full Hero System rulebook. It will have everything a person needs to make a character or run a game, but it will be simple, affordable and less painful to damage at conventions or gaming parties.

If things go as planned, the Get Rekt version of the book will be available for some time before the full version of the book releases. With this in mind, every backer (either through Kickstarter or BackerKit) will get a PDF of the book for free, as our way of saying thank you for your patience and support. Those of you who have purchased a physical copy of the book will also have that delivered before the release of the full game, meaning you will have something to play with while you wait for the full game to come out. 

This brings me to how you can help make this happen. 

For those of you who backed at a tier with a creation, I need you to get in touch with me ASAP. The Get Rekt Edition of the book is already expected to be a cut-down version of the main book, but if possible I would like to include all of the backer-created items (including Modifications and Configurations.) The official cut-off date for the BackerKit surveys is dated at the end of July, however if you wish to have your backer-created item in the book, you need to get the designs to me by the end of April.

AGAIN, THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT: IF YOU WANT YOUR BACKER-DESIGNED ITEMS TO APPEAR IN THE GET REKT VERSION OF THE BOOK, YOU NEED TO GET YOUR SUBMISSIONS TO ME BY APRIL 30TH 2017. 

If you need to have your BackerKit survey sent again, then please contact me through Kickstarter, our Discord channel or by email: [email protected] 

If you are having a hard time figuring out a creation, then please, please, please contact me and we can discuss it at length. I want all of you to be able to be in each version of the book, so please, please, please make sure you get your submissions to me by the April 30th Deadline. 

For those of you who have already submitted a design, don’t worry, work has begun! If I have not contacted you about your submission and you want an update on how it is going, please contact me via PM or though Discord. I am always able to talk to my backers and I want to be sure you are getting what you paid for. 

I want to take another opportunity to thank you all for your support and love over the development of Project Biomodus. 

Without you all, there would be no community for me to be proud of, and every single one of you are just as much a part of this game as we are. Thank you all for your faith, and I hope that the Get Rekt Edition of the book will blow your socks off! 

With love and gratitude, 

Joseph ‘Bear’ Thompson
Creative Director – TAPM Systems

DUNDRACON DEBREIF - A Quick Update!
about 7 years ago – Tue, Feb 21, 2017 at 07:46:23 PM

Good morning everyone! I know it has been a while since I last posted an update, so first off, I would like to thank you all for your patience and your faith as we go into a difficult 2017.

As some of you already know, this year did not start off so great for the team, least of all for myself. In January, my Mother-in-Law has a bad case of sepsis that pushed her into a coma for a few weeks, (although thankfully she is better and recovering well now) and then during that time, my Father-in-Law had to be admitted because his Alzheimer’s had sadly progressed to the point where we are no longer capable of taking care of him without medical assistance.

On top of the things happening in my stateside family here, my own family back in the UK is having some issues that will require me to head home for an – as yet unknown – amount of time while I deal with that.

What started off as a difficult year though has really turned around with this last weekend. Sadly I was not able to get the 6th Edition of our Playtest out to the people there, but we did have an excellent time with the new ruleset, we got some amazing feedback and met a ton of really awesome folks there – including one of my backers who I had not met before, who also managed to jump into the game at the last minute.

THE GAME!

I set the game session in what is the ruins of Las Vegas, with the party coming from a well-to-do trading post, serving one of the city’s many ‘Corpse Ladder’ buildings – a skyscraper so massive that it touches the underside of the sky. Hunters who want to gain a name for themselves travel up these city-sized buildings to hunt some of the more dangerous creatures who nest there, and in doing so, fight to beat the record of the last hunter by reaching as high as they can before being forced to retreat.

Whoever gets to the highest floor (and can prove it) gains celebrity status, and the accolades that come with that.

The Pregens from Top Left: Medium Sentinel Minion Masterbot (Drone Lord), the Heavy Chimeric, Patient Blender (Slow-Moving, Impregnable Bladewall of Death), Murder-Hobo Gandalf (Wizard with a Shotgun), Captain Smash-and-Slash (in-and-out Skirmisher) and General Shooty-Shooty-Bang-Bang (the Combat Generalist with a Large Gun).

The party was summoned by their Enclave leader to let them know that one notable celebrity – The Lord Huntress Selena – had gone up and not come back down. Since she was such a well-known hunter, the Enclave Overseer felt that if they could discover her fate, the Corpse Ladder would be known as the one who potentially killed such a notable hunter and draw even more attention with hunters vying to do better than her. If she could be brought back, then that was just gravy too.

So the team set off. Naturally, climbing a full Corpse Ladder could be a high-threat campaign in and of itself, but luckily, they came across an old man, standing over the fallen body of one of the Lord Huntress’ aides. Obviously the aide had fallen from one of the higher levels, as noted by the crater and the damage.

The old man, having obviously looted the body was in turn rough-housed by the team to hand over his TD$ and ARM Pellets – which he did – but said he would lead them to a little-known shortcut if they gave him back his money. Agreeing, the old man led them to a secret Executive elevator that was still running on independent power, and ascending the building quickly, the team rushed past the first few levels of the tower to find the wayward Lord Huntress.

Things did not go as planned. The elevator was sabotaged and came to a crashing halt just above the floor they had planned on exiting. Leaving the elevator and ascending up the shaft, they also discovered that the shaft below had trapped them in the upper reaches of the tower. Regardless, they pressed on.

After an encounter with a pair of giant, mantis-like creatures with wicked scything blades, the team managed to find their way through the building security systems to reach an executive lounge on the upper floors. Having disabled the traps left by the creature inhabiting the floor, they discovered the old man at the bottom stringing up the destroyed but still alive form of the Lord Huntress to the ceiling – her core still visibly alive and active.

Behind them, the room had opened up into the sky outside, with dark clouds and green lightning seeping into the room itself. Quickly the party formulated a plan to use the fastest of the team to run in and grab the core before the old man could react and retreat with it.

Things did not go as planned, when grabbing the core, the skirmisher failed to notice the trap that had been set. With the clink of several grenade pins, the rigged body exploded and sent the Skirmisher flying back, much to the annoyance of the old man – now revealing himself to be the famous Biomodus of Legend NPC, Karcharias.

Turns out the infamous mercenary was here on two accounts. One – to fulfil a contract on the Lady Huntress, second to nab him some bragging materials by using the Lord Huntress’ Core as bait for some big game. Sadly, the players were not just a tasty snack to divert the rest of the creatures as he had hoped and had now ruined his trap… and not only that, it had drawn the attention of the game he was hunting.

Behind him, a Class 5 Melancorth emerged from the mists… and if you don’t know what that is, allow me to show you what one of our very talented artists came up with, as an illustration of one:

The Melancorth opened fire with a plasma beam that melted a lot of the floor and enveloped the mercenary, forcing him to drop the real core (still being held in his severed, melting arm) and then to retreat. The party – knowing that they would not be able to survive the fury of one of The Wastes toughest enemies decided to distract it long enough to recover the core and then leave in haste… the only applicable way being through the window and risking the fall.

It should be noted here that falling damage in Project Biomodus doesn’t really exist (given its anime influences) but an uncontrolled fall through high winds and no visibility would still be perilous. The Skirmisher was out first, using his insane speed to grab the core, run for the exit and leap at a dizzying speed out of the window. Although he expertly managed to land well through the first building he encountered, his final resting point was hard, but survivable. They had rescued the Lord Huntress!

The soldier dropped straight down, but fumbled their roll, ending up impacting on a jutting weather tower on the side of the building, spiraling down and landing near the body of the fallen Aide at the ground floor – damaged, but alive.

The Pirate brawler (one of my most awesome backers decided she wanted to make her own character and a pirate sounded good,) wanted to try for the Melancorth and ended up getting swallowed and chewed up, but not before giving the Melancorth some devastating indigestion!

The Minion Master and the Murder-Hobo Gandalf characters made their escapes, while the huge, Chimeric tank (the Patient Blender) decided to also try for a high-velocity leap but burning all of its forge points in a final launch. Sadly, a fumble and a lot of damage later, the tank ended up impacting on two buildings before a lopsided radio tower impaled the 3-ton Biomodus, leaving his failing core drained and dead on the tip of the tower – a final gravestone to mark their adventure.

All in all a successful adventure (minus two deaths), but that’s the way life goes in The Wastes!

Thanks again to all my backers and players, and I hope to see you all at KublaCon in May!

I will have more announcements later, but a clue has already been given! It's very exciting news, trust me!

Later folks!

Joseph 'Bear' Thompson
Creative Director - TAPM Systems