About
Verona is a tabletop game of revenge and card-play, where each player controls a small family of Archetypal characters who are not long for this world. With no leveling or stats, players rely on the 4 Cunning Influences and their Archetypes assorted abilities to harm and manipulate each other, expending playing cards as demanded by each ability- whether they require numbered pairs, matched suits, or otherwise.
Themed after stage theater and Shakespearean melodrama, Verona is a GM-less RPG where every player has equal control (and lack of control) over the narrative through the rotating position of the Playwright. The theme extends to the aesthetic as well, with each of the 22 Major Arcana-based Archetypes richly illustrated in a mixed Noir & Art Nouveaux style featuring Venetian masks and an air of menace, in addition to group portraits of example Families.
What's in the Zine?
- Main Rules
- 22 illustrated Archetypes
- 3+ pre-made Family Portraits
How will my pledge be spent?
- Paying the Artists
- Paying the printing company
- Supporting the Creators work on future projects
Verona's pacing revolves around a cycle of Scenes, cast and loosely directed by the Playwright, a role which passes around the table after each scene and is responsible for calling characters into the scene. Most actions are performed by the player's Families, each one a small group of characters, each of a different Archetype.
As time goes on, players can expend cards from their hand to use the Influences (available to everyone), and the specific abilities of their Archetypes. Importantly, there are several ways a character can be killed, and a player's Family must swear revenge when one of their own is killed- with a random event forcing a death if the Playwrights first circle around the table ends without any character deaths!
As a result, the game is guaranteed to collapse into a web of feuds, lies, and backstabbing, whether the group plays it for drama or humor.
(Video demonstration of gameplay currently in development. We will update and embed it here once it's finished.)
About Farthest Star Media
Farthest Star Media is a small independent publishing group based out of Burlington, VT, with members spread around New England who share a passion for fantasy, science fiction, and tabletop gaming. We are looking to develop our reputation with zines and other small products to prepare for larger projects. Our team is still growing and we hope that Verona will provide the spark necessary to expand our efforts.
Terrance Consaul, Designer & Writer
A detail-oriented reader and writer well-versed in the philosophy behind tabletop game design, Terrance is responsible for the off-the-wall mechanics of Verona and maintaining a consistent writing style.
Darian Jay, Artist & Researcher
The artist and main resource behind the early concepts of the Archetypes, Darian is responsible for Verona's thematic connection to the Tarot and the development of the Dark Nouveau style.
Star Murmur, Development Artist
A graphic designer, Star works with Darian arranging layouts and formatting for the zine and it's promotional materials, as well as inking Darian's sketches to solidify and finalize the art style.
Tori Hastings, Artist
The actual Italian of the group, Tori is the other team illustrator- lightening the load, providing another set of artist's eyes, and ensuring that the zine's art is of good quality and on schedule.
Risks and challenges
This is our second Kickstarter, following a previous cancelled drive for a much bigger (but not abandoned) project. We have learned from the experience, and Verona is written with these lessons in mind. The project is smaller in scope, with printing done through a reliable company, and other rewards done in-house.
We have no reason to expect any delays, and are well prepared for release.
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