GameTyrant partnered with Flyos Games to review the upcoming Vampire: The Masquerade - Chapters prior to its Kickstarter launch. The campaign has since concluded after thousands of backers catapulted the game past its funding goal.
So we sat down with Thomas Filippi, co-founder of Flyos Games, to discuss the end of the Kickstarter campaign and what’s next for the company as they continue development on the tabletop RPG board game.
Here’s the conversation (edited for clarity):
During the Kickstarter campaign, over 6000 backers raised over CA$1.3 million in funding for Vampire: The Masquerade - Chapters. How exciting was that for Flyos Games, as developers and as decades-long fans of Vampire: The Masquerade?
For Gary and me, it was one of the best moments of our lives. It’s something we’ve been working toward with a lot of our time and energy, and so to see our aspirations validated by the outpouring of support from backers was wonderful. It was a big moment for Flyos Games as we took a big leap from where we were after Until Daylight. The scope of this project is massive, and that’s exciting for us and for the new partners we’ve made in the process.
The novel coronavirus has dramatically affected our lives. In what ways has the pandemic proven challenging to Flyos Games and to progress on Chapters?
The two of us have been working from home for two years or more, now, so it hasn’t been too much of an adjustment. And creatively, there are no other distractions, so our focus has been solely on Chapters. We’re dedicated to the game, and we’ve even needed to hire more people to deal with the size and pace of the work.
One of the final updates during the campaign announced Jonathan Gilmour (Dead of Winter) as a new team member for game development. How did this partnership arise and what do you hope to gain from his expertise?
One thing we realized in our earlier projects is the expense of working with amateurs. While you may save money on the front end, you frequently have to go back and redo work due to the lack of expertise and experience. So we recognized what professionals in the industry could bring to Chapters. Jonathan is a very accomplished game designer, and he was able to share a fresh perspective when examining the structures and mechanics of the game. We want the quality of gameplay, illustration, and production to be as high as possible, and that means we need to reach out to veteran members of the industry. With more game designers, the speed and caliber of work increases.
With 30 stretch goals unlocked and four languages, there is a lot of content expected for Vampire: The Masquerade - Chapters. Are there any new ideas or components that you guys have thought of since the Kickstarter campaign ended that you want to talk about?
We are still playtesting and experimenting with ideas to improve the gameplay experience. Tiles, combat, and the investigation system have all been examined for ways to improve the game. The vision for Chapters hasn’t changed, but the mechanics or systems that fulfill the vision are being modified to best bring the dream to life. Designers like Noah Cohen and Brian Neff, who worked on Return to Dark Tower, have partnered with us to revise and elevate the gameplay experience.
In what ways was the process for Chapters different than your experience with Kiwetin and Until Daylight?
Different on so many levels. This is a game with over 6000 backers. That’s a lot of people. No small detail will be missed. There are a lot of eyes watching everything we do, so there is a need to really be transparent and to see how to improve in every aspect of development and in getting the game to the players. With our other games, Gary and I were working with finished products and moving to the next step, using Kickstarter as a way to accomplish that. With Chapters, it’s a proof-of-concept and we’re pushing toward completing the game now that the backers have recognized our vision and supported us. This was a leap of faith. We invested everything into this opportunity, and the validation from the tabletop community and VtM fans means that we want to get this right. It’s also a testament to the friendship and work between Gary and me. Vampire: The Masquerade is a cornerstone of our friendship, and this project has taken that part of our lives and it’s on another level now. The pace of life has changed. The immensity of this project demands our time and attention.
Are there any upcoming partnerships that backers, VtM fans, and tabletop gamers would be interested in?
There is a lot on the horizon. We can’t talk about it too much, though. NDAs and all that. Really, though, it deals with the explosive growth that VtM has experienced recently. Maybe the success of Chapters acted as a lightning rod, but either way, we are excited about what we’ll be bringing the fans and what we’ll be announcing in the future.
Will there be any more Tabletopia prologues or playthroughs coming out for players to try out the gameplay in Chapters?
Yes, there is more coming. Tabletopia is where the game is being playtested and because it’s a free platform, that’s where we want designers and players to work with the game. More prologues or scenarios should be available in the future. We are keeping the players in mind when making these decisions. In our opinion, the more feedback the better. Even when players are upset, it’s an opportunity for us to reflect and see how best to realize the vision that all of us share.
For someone unfamiliar with the Chapters game or the VtM world, how would you describe the game you're working on?
It’s a story-driven board game in which you play a Kindred (a vampire) in the city of Montreal, and you'll embark on a journey to investigate what's going on in the city and how to survive in a world of darkness, deceit, and danger. Three main pillars of the game—dialogue, combat, and investigation—drive every decision you make and your choices will have consequences. It’s a tabletop roleplaying game in a box.
Many thanks to Thomas and Gary at Flyos Games for the exciting conversation. I look forward to hearing more about Vampire: The Masquerade - Chapters in the coming months, and if you want to learn more, check out the links above.
And stay tuned to GameTyrant for more of the latest in gaming news.
