Wednesday 29 August 2012

The 1KM1KT store - in the name of philanthropy!



"What is this gallivanting arsehattery?" I hear you cry!

"Has the shaven fool lost his faculties along with his follicles?"

"Has he forgotten what philanthropy means, the bald face fool?"

Your angst is understandable. Afford me a few paragraphs to allay your fears...

1KM1KT now has a store

The premier* free RPG community now has a merchandising store where you can buy sweaters (jumpers in the UK), Baby Bodysuit (baby vests in the UK), T-Shirts (T-shirts in the UK) and just about any product you can emblazon a logo onto. You want a tote bag, you got it. You want a hoody? You got it. You want a giraffe with 1KM1KT tattooed onto its hind quarters? YOU GOT IT**.

There are three designs: a simple 1KM1KT logo on the front; the 1KM1KT logo on the front and "PLAY not Pay" on the back; the In Philanthropy We Trust logo. They come in a variety of colours and shapes, sizes and products. There is stuff for the ladies or the small child you keep locked in the basement. Oh, that's just me?

Why in the name of all things clean and good have you done this, Lang?

I want to run more competitions. I want to run better competitions. I want to run competitions where the authors are bowled over. To do that, the Monkeys over at 1KM1KT need some funding. I could fund more but Mrs Lang would have to give up her sushi habit and Master Lang might have to jump school and head straight for the diamond mines. We're calling that Plan B.

All profits go towards prizes for free-to-enter 1KM1KT competitions.

You know the ones, unless you've not been paying attention. Well, there was 2012 24 Hour Little Spaces, 2011 24 Hour Movie Mashup Competition, 2010 Cyberpunk Revival Project and 2009 24 Hour Competition. The more we raise, the better the prizes!

Vapourware! Poppycock!

There are many hundreds of online stores with designs never sold. Not this one. Click these delightful images - if you dare - for bigger images of the same.

Here's a dashing gent sporting the 1KM1KT logo on the front. No photoshop here, he really is that shape.


Here's the back of the same shirt. Play not Pay. It's a bold message but one we can all get behind.


Here's a smooth faced cheeky chap - how young he looks in his In Philanthropy We Trust shield T-Shirt.

I am cheap poor, I want to help

Of course you do! If I had a hat on, I'd doff it to you. If the simplest shirts are out of budget then you can help by sharing this good news on your website, blog or scrawled across the front of your home in 10 foot text. Let those whose fireplaces are already stuffed to the mantelpiece with $100 bill fire-lighters buy the merch, for the rest there's solidarity.

Tweet it, G+ it, Facebook it, for the retro-trendy-hipster-philanthropists MySpace it***.

I have an idea for a design!

Of course you do, you're a creative type - I can see that. Perhaps there's a free RPG design hanging about you would like pasted across your chest. Pop your idea in the comments or come over to the forum with your idea held high. I can't pay for your idea but good ones do get accepted! Catty_big on 1KM1KT came up with the inspired PLAY not Play slogan.

Trust Lang with my money, NEVER!

Quite right too, I'm an utter buffoon! Cafepress.com handle all the customer service side of the shirts, I ensure that the shop is up to date and that the designs I upload look OK. After that, any beef (or pork you might have is best solved by Cafe Press!


* Well, my favourite. I can't really say premier because that would suggest that someone has done some sort of objective review of all the free RPG communities and awarded it some sort of standard.

** You don't got it really. Having said that, give CafePress 6 months and they'll be able to put your logo on a T-Rex.

*** It's hip and ironic to be in a social network by yourself.

Wednesday 15 August 2012

Winner 24 hour Little Spaces competition is...

SMAF-17 by Edwin Moriarty, winner of the 2012 1KM1KT 24 Hour RPG competition

SMAF-17 By Edwin Moriarty. Congratulations Edwin!

What's it about

SMAF-17 is set in a submarine prison after the apocalypse. Filled will ex-inmates, prison guards, politicians and military personnel, you are a member of gang fighting for the last resources. The system is brave, has a tasty fudge-like core but also includes some wonderful insanity mechanics and a bidding process for initiative.

The setting does a lot to fill your mind with plot possibilities and the whole game is written with a light and entertaining lilt. It could do with some more artwork and the layout is hard on the eyes in places but you have to keep reminding yourself that it was written in 24 hours.

The Little Spaces competition was difficult. The aim of creating a whole game that entirely exists in a small space is very difficult. Edwin, the £30 Amazon gift voucher is yours. I'll be in touch via the 1KM1KT forum.

And the others!

Gosh, too many great ones to mention. With so many great games, you are forced to start being really tight about the requirements of the competition. You need to do that else you would never be able to choose between them. You pour over the judging criteria and discuss the merits of each. There were some of the games that would have won if it hadn't been about the confines of a Little Space.

I'll cherry pick a few others and review them. And do a proper review of SMAF 17.

Thank you to everyone who entered and all the kind words of support across the communities.