The first full week of promoting Streets of Bedlam has come to a close and the response has been amazing. Thank you all! Here’s a summary of what’s happened the past seven days.

Kickstarter
As of this posting, we are just three backers away from hitting ONE HUNDRED!

As I noted earlier, I have set new milestones with new rewards. Unlock new archetypes and a new episode for the upcoming first supplement.

Reveals
This past week, we met the MONSTER and the VALKYRIE. Next week, I’ll show two new Character Types/Archetypes and talk about some of the new rules options that Streets of Bedlam introduces to the Savage Worlds system.

Interview/Press
Josh and Joe from the Gamestarter podcast had me on their show to discuss Streets of Bedlam along with a lot of other great titles on Kickstarter.

I recently sat down with Matt McElroy at Flames Rising to discuss Streets of Bedlam.

Jenn from the Jennisodes has a blog post up helping spread the word about the game!

Pinnacle did me the honor of putting Streets of Bedlam on their front page!

The folks at Going Last podcast had some very nice things to say about the game!

Cain over at RPG.org nails the game’s potential on the head. “In my opinion, the setting sounds something like a Gotham City without Batman, or a place where Rorschach could have his hands full with work.”

Lots of streets in Bedlam are unsafe but the cracked red veins of Bricktown doubly so. When the cops stopped patrolling the area, the crooks moved in, and the boys and girls who made their trade on the district’s corners were at the mercy of unkind and unscrupulous men who doped their “workers” to keep them complacent, treated them like unwanted pets, and traded them on whims for whatever the highest bidder was willing to pay. A decade went by and Bricktown descended further. That’s when Queenie and her girls took it upon themselves to rid the area of the pushers and pimps who had taken over their town.

The Valkyries began as a response to a bad situation but soon became so much more. Once the dealers and slappers were pushed out, the Valkyries went about clearing out the rest of the unwanteds, turning Bricktown into a place professionals could entice clients without fear. As long as the workers pay into the protection pool, that is.

Bricktown was the root but the Valkyries have expanded well beyond, becoming vigilantes dedicated to keeping all the streets free of rapists, muggers, murderers, junkies, and all manner of eternal loser. Hail, hail your guardian angels, Bedlam.

I originally set the Kickstarter goal at $3k and you all blew right past that in less than three days! Your support opens up a lot of opportunities for me and your continued support means I can dedicate even more time to the game. So, with that in mind, I’ve set a couple new milestones for the Streets of Bedlam Kickstarter:

If we reach $5k: Every backer who pledges $10 or more gets a free PDF with two Kickstarter-exclusive archetypes (to the $60+ backers: these are different than the ones you’re getting so you get four exclusive archetypes total). Patch up the dead and dying while some mob heavy presses a muzzle to your head as a Sawbones or cling to your small-town ideals while you reach for your big city dreams as an Ingenue.

If we reach $8k: Four-Story Drop, the first supplement featuring four standalone episodes, becomes Five-Story Drop with the addition of the 6k-word scenario “Eli Mendoza is a Dead Man” wherein the cast members are pulled into a missing person case when a gambler carrying a load of bad debts pulls a vanishing act. That act is common enough in this town; what makes this special is the fact the man in question was supposedly put in the earth three years ago.

Thank you all for your support!

Some folks have asked me about Archetypes: What they are and if they’re necessary. So I figured I’d take a moment to explain more about Archetypes to give you a better idea of what is we are previewing here.

Are they the same as the Archetypes in the Savage Worlds Deluxe corebook?
No, they’re not. I chose the term because it was fitting for what they are in Streets of Bedlam. In order to avoid confusion though, I’ll likely change the term to “Character Type” or something similar.

So then, what are Archetypes?
Archetypes are character foundations, not skill packages like classes are. Much like races function in other Savage Worlds games, Archetypes provide you with a basic idea, a special ability, edges and hindrances either specific to the Archetype or that would be good fits for it, and some suggestions as to where to go from there. (What I’m showing here on the site is just the tip of the iceberg. Archetype write-ups in the book will include a lot more information.)

Beyond those guidelines, you’re not restricted. For example, the Monster archetype put up yesterday could be used to create Marv from Sin City or Batman from The Dark Knight. All Monsters have a few things in common, the way the Kehana from 50 Fathoms all have sharp teeth and claws. Monsters are tough, a bit slow, and have a high resistance to bullets. Valkyries, whom we will meet tomorrow, are all charming, especially to those they intend to take down. Badges, Pilgrims, and others all have things in common, base traits, edges, and hindrances that make them, well, Archetypes.

Are Archetypes necessary?
Not in the strictest sense, no. Streets of Bedlam doesn’t depart greatly from the rules presented in Savage World Deluxe. One of the benefits of that is, if you’re already familiar with Deadlands Reloaded!, Rippers, Realms of Cthulhu, and such, you don’t have to learn a new ruleset. Another benefit is you can bring any other character your group allows into a Streets of Bedlam campaign.

Archetypes provide a lot of flavor, speak to the core of both the world and neo-noir point-of-view of the setting, but you are not required to use them. Most of the folks in the game world are average citizens living everyday lives. If telling their stories interests you, by all means, tell them!

What else would you like to know?
What questions do you have about Archetypes? Or about Streets of Bedlam in general? I’d love to know what you’d like to know about the game. Leave a comment below!

—Jason L Blair, Writer & Game Designer

Violence is your stock in trade. It’s how you get by and how you settle scores. You don’t make friends easily but you’re dog-loyal to those few you have. Those that cross them will have to answer to you. You’re a protector of the weak but you’re no hero. Hell, sometimes you’re just the biggest thing in the room. When you do have to tussle, you get the job done—the quicker, the better. It’s the big enemies, the rare trophies, the ones that make it personal, that you take your time with—make the pain last nice and long. Teach them sons of bitches the true meaning of retribution.

Some folks call you a monster—and maybe that’s just what you are—but you’re the closest thing to a savior these streets’ll ever see. Because you know the truth. You can smell the stench of bullshit under all the flowery talk, and you know the system is just as crooked as that busted nose on your mug. You don’t buy into the spin or hollow promises—you know what makes Bedlam tick. And you know that one day, that tick is gonna go boom.

I am very pleased to announce that long-time Savage Worlds fan and webcartoonist Shawn Gaston (Clockworks, Doors and Windows) has joined the Streets of Bedlam team as an illustrator on the corebook.

Shawn got the vision for Streets of Bedlam immediately and had the same ideas as to the feel, style, and mood as I did. Everything clicked right away.

Shawn has already turned in some amazing artwork. The first of those will be revealed on Monday as the previews start rolling out. I think you’re really going to like what he’s done.

You can catch up with @SAGaston on Twitter along with me (@JasonLBlair) and @StreetsOfBedlam.

Streets of Bedlam is fully funded!
Wow! Less than three days since the Kickstarter launched and Streets of Bedlam is fully funded! I am humbled and amazed. But there are still six weeks to go and plenty of reasons to jump on-board.

First: Kickstarter exclusives. Every backer gets credit in the book and folks who pledge $5 or more get turned into NPCs. Backers at higher levels get to influence future supplements, get immortalized as a major character in the Streets of Bedlam corebook, get archetypes only available through this Kickstarter, and more!

Second: New goals unlock new perks. I’m in talks with folks to bring even more freebies and exclusives to Kickstarter pledges. I’ll have more details as we get closer but I’m looking at unlocking new content at $5k, $8k, and beyond. Your support could benefit everybody!

Third: More money means more products. I would love to launch the Streets of Bedlam line in style and the more capital behind it, the quicker I can move on it. I’m looking to release district books, character packs, more scenarios for your group, fiction anthologies, and a graphic novel.

THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY WHO HAS SUPPORTED STREETS OF BEDLAM SO FAR AND TO EVERYONE WHO DOES SO IN THE FUTURE.

You are all awesome.

With the Kickstarter off and running at a truly impressive (and humbling) rate, I’m going to start doing biweekly reveals of the Streets of Bedlam corebook including art previews, fiction excerpts, looks at the new rules, and more.

Updates will run on Monday and Wednesday with the first one, a look at the Monster archetype, hitting next Monday, December 5th.

I hope you all enjoy the previews and that they get you excited for what Streets of Bedlam has to offer. And keep spreading the word! The response has been great so far but we have over a month for it to get even better. The more people who back the project, the more I’ll be able to offer in return.

If you’re on Twitter, be sure to follow @StreetsOfBedlam for more updates, news, and Twitter-exclusive info.