October's PDF Paypal deal about to end.

/

If you ordered a copy of the Strands of Fate PDF from me directly back in October, and paid via Paypal, you can get your Paypal payment reimbursed by ordering a hardcover copy of Strands and emailing me your Lulu receipt.

However, this deal will be coming to an end as of Friday, January 7th.

Note that this is only for those who ordered in October last year, and paid me directly with Paypal before Strands went up on DrivethruRPG/RPGNow or IPR.

2010

/

2010 was an amazing year. 

Strands of Fate went from a cool little personal project to a published product that has sold a little over 1,000 PDF and print units in the 3 months it has been out. By indie standards, from a design studio that didn't even exist just a few months ago, this is an amazing success.

My heartfelt thanks to everyone!

And stay tuned. There is more to come in 2011!

FYI: 25% off at Lulu

/

For those of you waiting for a good sale before picking up a printed copy of Strands of Fate, you might like to know that you can enter coupon code CYBER305 at checkout and receive 25% off any order.

The offer expires tonight at midnight (PST), so you better hurry!

UPDATE! Rumor has it that "HOLIDAYREADS" results in a whopping 40% off!!

Playtesters Wanted!

/

We are currently looking for playtesters for upcoming releases. We are looking for volunteers with gaming groups who are willing and able to play Strands of Fate games using the new material, and are willing to report back any errors or issues.

To volunteer, please send me an email via the "Email Mechalus" link on the right side of this page. I need at least a paragraph describing your group and how often you believe you will be able to play.

Please note that if you do not intend to contribute, do not bother volunteering. This is not an offer to get new stuff free, but to make the Strands of Fate line the best it can be. If you are not providing feedback, you will be removed from the group.

Playtesters will be granted access to a hidden forum on our messageboard. You will be able to download the playtest material on this board and discuss it with other playtesters. 

UPDATE: When you send me your request email, please include your forum username. Thanks!

UPDATE [7-13-11] - Playtesting for Strands of Power is now closed.

Big News: Void Star teams with Wandering Men Studios!

/

"Best-selling FATE Developer Joins Revolutionary Game Designers To Forge A Whole New Line Of Products

Huntsville, Alabama, USA (November 8, 2010) — Revolutionary game designers and creators of the new card-based role-playing game (CBRPG ™), Untold, announced today that Mike McConnell, crafter of the best-selling Strands of Fate rulebook would be joining their ranks as the Line Developer for a whole series of new FATE-based products. These new products will build on McConnell’s phenomenal and ground-breaking work in Strands and take the line to another level entirely.

"We're delighted to be working with Mike to forge ahead into the future of FATE and WMS”, exclaimed Wandering Men Studios Co-founder, Brannon Hollingsworth. “The moment we read Strands, we knew two things distinctly: first, that it was destined to become *THE* Standard for FATE-based games to come and second, that in Mike, we had a kindred spirit. We’ve since been exceedingly blessed to meet and get to know Mike and we can safely say that both of our initial impressions where dead on. We thank God for his providence and will in bringing us together and look forward to the months and years ahead!"

“This is an exciting opportunity for Void Star and Strands of Fate!”, said Mike McConnell, lead designer and owner of Void Star Games. “Strands has been a huge success for us and this partnership with Wandering Men Studios will provide a strong foundation for an entire Strands of Fate game line. We’re all very exited about the road ahead!”

The new Strands of Fate line will be available online, at http://www.untoldthegame.com, via RPGNOW.com, as well as select card shops, book and comic retailers starting in the new year . The first release will be Strands of Power: Heroic Advantages, the first in the Strands of Power series. Wandering Men Studios plans to release several new genre-specific products, building on the almost implied synergy between Strands of Fate and their own ground-breaking game, Untold. Each of these products is focused on expanding the already massive options that both Strands of Fate and Untold offer RPG fans."

You can see the full press release here.

Word on the Street

/
I gotta say Strands of Fate is one of the most well written, clear, concise, & edited rule books I have read. Very impressed.
- @Grimmshade (Twitter)
*sigh* Okay, I really don't want to like Fate. I want to be perfectly happy in my rules-light simple systems and stay away from all the crunchy complex stuff...But, I  really like this book! I think I am finally getting this Fate stuff and I really like all the options and accessories in the book. Very well done!
- Malistyr (RPGNet)
I've been moving to Fudge as the rule system of choice, but found I had to retain things like Starmada and Budget Battlefield to cover the spectrum of gaming I like. The Fate variant seemed almost perfect. Then came Strands of Fate. It _is_ perfect for me. ...I've unsubscribed to many of my Yahoo groups and am now focused on Strands of Fate, converting/creating favorite characters, beasts, races, wizards, interstellar scout ships, and SteamPunk dirigibles to SoF.
- Michael Tassano (RPGNow)
Vehicles. Oh man! F@#$ing Amazing! I love it. Simple, elegant, gets the job done. Can SoF be nominated for an Ennie? 
- Incomitatum (RPGnet)
I've advertised the fact in a few previous threads, but I've played FUDGE for several years now and really hate it on multiple levels. Fate has one or two good ideas added in, but they're still attached to one of my least favorite core systems of all time. I'm only saying this to emphasize the next statement: I really love Strands. It's just fantastic. I love almost everything about it. I love the short, sweet, symmetrical list of attributes. I love the character and specialty aspects. I love the multi-tiered 
advantage system. I love the physical, mental, and social conflicts. I love the rules for vehicles and organizations. So yeah. You've managed to make a Fate game that this die-hard Fate-hater has nothing but praise for. Consider this my endorsement. 
- ShanG (RPGnet)
Reading "Strands of Fate" is energising my imagination, it's really doing a number on me, sign of an excellent book.
- @CaptCalamitous (Twitter)
Basically, for me BESM can now be put to permanent rest. Fate in the Strands flavor is an upgrade in every way.
- Denys (RPGnet)
This is good stuff. I was a tad bit sceptical at first (it's a rather hefty page count and a lot of things had been changed from "vanilla" fate, so actually, yeah, I feared for the worst). You managed to keep the core mechanics that make fate interesting, and then threw out a lot of the baggage associated with the system - in fact, it's only in hindsight that I realize that Fate dragged around so much ballast. The book is truly generic - you cover pretty much all possible contemporary setting styles (including CP/Transhumanism, which usually requires a sourcebook or two to really work with a "generic" game system). Characters have a decent all-around core competency by virtue of the abilities system (which I find highly preferrable over the skilly column/pyramid, which IMHO tends to promote overspecialisation at lower power levels, which in turn can become a problem with low player counts). I'm a bit reluctant to call it the best iteration of fate available, since it's quite different to "vanilla" Fate 3.0; but it's definitely a good rules system, nicely packaged and covering all the options. This one's a keeper, and I can't wait until I hold the hardcover in my hands.
- Inamoena Tempora (RPGnet)
Strands has actually ruined me on alot of other games. I tried GURPS, D&D4e, Savage Worlds and others and kept coming back to Strands.
- FRWS25 (RPGnet)
If this game had aspects they would be “scalable”, “multi-genre support”, “well-written”, “mulitfaceted”, “extensible” and most of all “comprehensive”... I would give this my strongest possible recommendation for someone that wanted to get into the FATE system with the ability to play any genre. This is likely the only book you would need to run a long-lasting and varied game.
- Tom Morris (RPGNow)
If I had to take one and only one tabletop RPG with me to a desert island, Strands would be it, hands-down.
- Andrew McMenemy

The Reviews are In!

/

You can find three reviews on RPGNow/DrivethruRPG, and all three give Strands 5/5. You'll also notice that Strands has been the "#1 Hottest" item there since it released a few weeks ago.

The feedback on Twitter and various message boards has been overwhelmingly positive as well.

I just want to say thanks again for everyone who helped me make Strands a reality, and I'm ecstatic that it has been so well received.

Lulu's Improved Shipping

/

I mentioned it on Twitter but I thought I should mention it here as well. Lulu used to have a bad rep for high shipping cost on orders from outside the USA. But it seems like they got their act together.

I've seen orders from South America, France and Germany today and shipping was less than $10 on all of them.

So if you were avoiding Lulu due to fears of a high shipping cost, you may want to check them out.

And drop me a line if it's more than $10; I'd be curious to hear where you live.

Strands of Fate Hardcover and Softcover now Available!

/

You may purchase the hardcover here, or the softcover here.

Be sure to check out this blog entry to learn more about how to get your free PDF for ordering the hardcover or get reimbursed if you already ordered your PDF via Paypal earlier this month.

I'll try to be as prompt as possible, but please be patient as this is a manual process performed by a single person.

Free PDF Promotion Details

/

When you place an order from Lulu, they will email you a receipt.

If you order the hardcover of Strands of Fate you can forward me a copy of the receipt (strandspdf@gmail.com) and I'll send you a link to download the PDF for free.

If you ordered the PDF directly from us via Paypal earlier this month, and you order the hardcover from Lulu, you can forward me your receipt and I'll issue you a refund via Paypal for your purchase of the PDF.

Please be clear in your email whether you have purchased the hardcover and want a PDF, or if you have purchased the PDF and want a refund.

I'll try to be as prompt as possible, but please be patient as this is a manual process performed by a single person.

Note that neither of the deals apply to softcover orders via Lulu or PDFs purchased via RPGNow/DrivethruRPG. You must either order the hardcover from Lulu or have purchased the PDF directly from us via Paypal earlier this month. Also note that we are no longer accepting orders via Paypal.

Strands of Fate: A 3rd party FATE supplement?

/

While marketing Strands of Fate, there is one selling point that I feel hasn't gotten the attention it deserves.

For one, Strands was designed from the beginning to be able to stand on its own two feet. It is a complete game in and of itself, using the FATE game system to allow you to play any sort of campaign you can imagine.

That said, it also fills a secondary role as a 3rd party supplement for other FATE games. Because they share the same core system, and because of Strand's "toolbox" design, it's very easy to mix and match optional or alternate rules found in Strands of Fate with other FATE games.

Strands offers a vast array of options, including three separate Stress and Consequence systems, two equipment and wealth systems, vehicle creation and conflict, large scale conflcit, the Powers system, called shot rules, persistent Aspect rules, and a lot more. All of these things can be dropped into other FATE games like the Dresden Files RPG, Diaspora, Starblazer Adventures or Legends of Anglerre with little or no fuss.

New Proofs Ordered

/

I just placed an order for hardcover and softcover proofs. Once they come in, assuming there aren't any problems, I'll flip the switch to allow you to start placing orders at Lulu.

Last time it took Lulu a week to get me a proof. I hope it only takes a week this time, but according to Lulu's projections it could take up to two weeks.

I'll keep you guys updated.