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Survival of the Able Now Infecting Kickstarter

  By Jacob Wood • October 19, 2019
This entry is part of 7 in the seriesSurvival of the Able Updates

This entry is part of 7 in the series Survival of the Able Updates

Four characters sit by a campfire, unaware of the zombies lurking behind them. A title reads "Survival of the Able."

The Black Death has come to your village. Everywhere around you people are succumbing to the plague. Quarantines are doing little to stem the tide of decay that is coming your way. Worst of all, you and the others in your almshouse have been left to fend for yourselves.

Oh, and did we mention plague victims are rising as zombies?

In Survival of the Able you’re a person with a disability living in a European almshouse when the Black Death arrives. Little is known about where the … Continue reading →

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Survival of the Able Update

  By Jacob Wood • February 13, 2016
This entry is part 1 of 7 in the seriesSurvival of the Able Updates

This entry is part 1 of 7 in the series Survival of the Able Updates

Last month I launched a contest for Survival of the Able, and upcoming game I’ve been working on. Unfortunately the contest didn’t have any entries, but the character sheet was downloaded nearly two dozen times and I did receive a few pieces of feedback at least.

In the coming months I’ll talk more about the game and its design decisions. For now, here’s a brief overview.

Background and Goals

My primary goal for Survival of the Able is to give players an experience of what it’s like to have a disability. Most RPGs treat disabilities and drawbacks, hindrances, faults, etc. and assign them numerical penalties to ability checks–and that’s exactly what I wanted to avoid with this game. Being blind shouldn’t just be a -4 penalty to ranged attacks. Being … Continue reading →

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Survival of the Able Update 2

  By Jacob Wood • February 7, 2019
This entry is part 2 of 7 in the seriesSurvival of the Able Updates

This entry is part 2 of 7 in the series Survival of the Able Updates

Introduction

Has it really been three years since the first (and only) Survival of the Able update?

A lot has happened in my personal life since then and progress on the game’s development slowed, but it hasn’t halted. In fact, the current draft of the manuscript has about 30,000 words and is nearing completion.

I plan on bringing a demo version of SotA to GenCon Indie this year, so I recently whipped up a spreadsheet to help me track my milestones and stay on top of how much time I have left to get everything completed. By my estimates, I have about two months to finish the manuscript so I can have something to share by August.

By setting a goal for myself, I finally took SotA off … Continue reading →

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Survival of the Able First Draft Complete

  By Jacob Wood • March 14, 2019
This entry is part 3 of 7 in the seriesSurvival of the Able Updates

This entry is part 3 of 7 in the series Survival of the Able Updates

I first started thinking about Survival of the Able about four years ago. Since then, progress on the project has been slow going thanks to some major life events, but I finally set a goal to have a preview out by GenCon so I have been focused lately on delivering that.

Now I am proud to say that the first draft of the game’s manuscript is complete. From here, I’ll read through it a couple times and make sure there isn’t anything else that must be included in the GenCon preview, then it’ll be on to layout so I can prep an ashcan edition.

What’s an ashcan, you ask?

An ashcan is a beta copy of sorts. A simple book without all the artistry and pagentry of a complete release. … Continue reading →

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Survival of the Able Glossary

  By Jacob Wood • March 29, 2019
This entry is part 4 of 7 in the seriesSurvival of the Able Updates

This entry is part 4 of 7 in the series Survival of the Able Updates

Introduction

I recently added a glossary to the Survival of the Able manuscript. This wasn’t included in the first draft, but I feel it adds a lot to the overall readability of a book so I decided to include it even for the ashcan.

This glossary offers a broad overview of what you can expect to find in terms of game mechanics, so it makes a great overview. It is posted here so you can take a quick peak for yourself.

One thing to note: This game shares a lot of terms with Fudge and Fate Core, but it doesn’t use those systems directly. You may be familiar with Fate Points, for example, but they dont’ work identically to the same … Continue reading →

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Survival of the Able Beta

  By Jacob Wood • May 25, 2019
This entry is part 5 of 7 in the seriesSurvival of the Able Updates

This entry is part 5 of 7 in the series Survival of the Able Updates

I recently finished the layout on the Survival of the Able beta. The content is almost identical to the First Draft I posted about previously, but this time it is in an easier-to-read, easier-to-navigate PDF.

Currently I am looking for beta readers and playtesters to give it a look and provide feedback. For anyone who can offer their time, I am offering:

  • Your name in the Special Thanks section of the final book
  • A complimentary PDF copy of the final book
  • $10 credit toward Accessible Games products on DTRPG if you read and provide feedback
  • $20 credit instead if you are able to playtest the game and provide feedback

I need to capture email addresses so I know who to send appropriate coupon codes to, so I’m … Continue reading →

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Survival of the Able Interview Round-Up

  By Jacob Wood • October 26, 2019
This entry is part 7 of 7 in the seriesSurvival of the Able Updates

This entry is part 7 of 7 in the series Survival of the Able Updates

The Survival of the Able Kickstarter campaign is in full swing, and we appreciate everyone who has shown support so far.

In support of the game and the campaign, I have appeared on several podcasts and written a Designer’s Diary. Here’s a list of all my appearances and interviews, and I’ll update it as there are more.

Stay tuned for more!