Hey guys!
I'm so sorry, I forgot to subscribe to the post and just turned it up doing a google search.
The good news is there is still the better part of the last week left on the KS campaign if you are interested!
To answer your questions:
Is the vurt feather a recent discovery in this world or has it always been used? Is it a magicalish thingymabob that physically transports you to a dreamworld or does it simply (heh not really simply but meh) alter the users mind state?
Great question! Feather-tech is new, the way that the internet or online PC gaming is new. Vurt is set in an alternate future, in which this new tech has taken hold of society the way computer-tech has taken hold of us now. It's become a necessity the way the internet is to us now- everyone uses it, everyone is glued to it and it's become an addiction. Feathers are not magic, they're high-tech. These feathers, placed in the mouth employ nano-technology to bind to the nervous system of the user and shift the person's mind into a parallel universe called "the Vurt." At a low level, these "dreams" are just the mind projected into the shared dream-space of the Vurt, but as you get into more dangerous territory, the stakes go up and a person can become trapped or killed within a feather, or worse, vanish physically into the Vurt and be exchanged for something from the other side..
As I said by PM, the art is particularly striking/stunning and the setting looks interesting.
A few queries since I don't know the setting (I guess the closest RPG I've played might be Shadowrun)...
- Is pretty much everything human in this? Are there non-human life forms? Some of the figures in the trailer are clearly non-human but I don't know if those are vurt/dream thingies or what things look like in realspace!
- Why Manchester? Does the specific city make a lot of difference?
The people of the Vurt world of Manchester (and the rest of the world) are 5 modes of being (or races if you like). Humans, Dogs, Robos, Shadows and Vurt. There is an explanation which I won't delve into in this answer for exactly how this is possible, but the most common mode in the world is any combination of the two- A robo-dog, a dog-man, a shadow-human, etc. Pure modes are increasingly rare in the world.
Like Glaurung said, Manchester is the setting from Jeff Noon's novels, but the entire world is at your disposal in the RPG. The corebook will focus on Manchester as a sourcebook. Chroma, Italia- The City, San Francisco- Cao Paolo, Brazuka- the entire world has become twisted in the same way. You can expect to see sourcebooks of other locations in the future, now that the game has funded!!
So, we've funded and we're in that critical last week of the Kickstarter. If you're interested, come take a look at the page and back us! Better yet, share us with your gaming people of social media!
There is tons of info about the game, along with interviews and articles if you explore the KS site.
Thanks guys! /subscribed this time.
Lee Pruitt
Project Manager, Ravendesk Games