Extra Ordinary has launched on Kickstarter!

Guess what, y'all! A new TTRPG, Extra Ordinary, is now up on Kickstarter for funding! If it hits its $20,000 goal by April 9, a physical copy with beautiful artwork will exist in the world within a year or two. Go back it here!

About the Game

Extra Ordinary gives us beat-up canvas backpacks and dirty, duct-taped sneakers, kids holding bloody hands grasped a little too tight, strange and dangerous powers, chasing dark forces, people who can’t or just won’t understand, and an endless journey on the side of a winding highway asking, “What do you do next?”

Extra Ordinary is a tabletop roleplaying game where you play kids with extraordinary powers on the run from danger in the ordinary world. It is a game of belonging outside belonging, a dice-less and GM-full game system that uses tokens and the players’ imagination to create a narrative-focused and roleplay-heavy story. The game is built for 3-6 players and intended for longform play, but alternate rules for GM-ed or one-shot play are included in the book. This game tackles themes of homelessness, child endangerment and abuse, bigotry, young kids with grand destinies, and what it means to be something other than ordinary—in more ways than one.

Extra Ordinary is written and designed by Kodi Gonzaga and illustrated by Stella Langecker. The vibes are very much the Goonies meets the X-Men or Stranger Things where everyone has powers like Eleven. It is heavily inspired by the Maximum Ride series, the Percy Jackson series, the Hanna TV series, the Escape to Witch Mountain movie, and the Another Kind graphic novel. 

What you’ll need to play:

• 3-6 players
• 2-6 hours for a single session
• Tokens of some kind
• A printout of the playset, which can be found for free here (if playing virtually, you can use the Extra Ordinary Virtual Play Sheet)
• Index cards and paper clips (if playing in-person)
• Writing utensils
• The Extra Ordinary PDF or book (download the free quickstart here)

What the game contains:

• Fifteen character playbooks for Kid creation
• Six Aspect sheets for world creation
• A detailed “How To Play” chapter that covers the rules
• Sections for running GM-ed and One-Shot games
• Narrative-forward advancement mechanics
• An extensive “Play Examples” chapter
• At least two pre-generated Backdrops for jump-right-in play

About the Kickstarter

The Kickstarter will run from March 10 to April 9 (or thereabouts, it's a 30-day run), and if it reaches its funding goal of $20,000, I'll be able to finish the artwork for the book and make a physical, hardcover copy that will be shipped to backers of high enough tiers! I'll also be producing a PDF version, of course—if you buy the physical copy, you'll gain access to the PDF as well.

So, why a Kickstarter? Extra Ordinary is a project very near and dear to my heart, and I want to put it out into the world with all the love and care it deserves. For me, "love and care" consists of three main things: beautiful artwork, a hardcover physical print version, and a way to get this project to as many of the people who want it as possible.

A Kickstarter is a great way to accomplish all three of those! Not only does it allow me to raise the funds for a small print run and a proper amount of artwork (all from the wonderful Stella Langecker, more about her below!), but Kickstarter is also a great place for the TTRPG community. I've backed many a TTRPG project on here, and don't plan on stopping. Hopefully, my game can join the ranks of wonderful TTRPG projects funded on Kickstarter!

Tier Levels

There are six different tiers available to back for this project. Additionally, the first three tiers will have EARLY BIRD availability, meaning they'll be slightly cheaper for the first 72 hours of the campaign!

Please note that for all physical rewards, shipping costs will be calculated and charged AFTER the campaign ends through Backerkit!!!

• $20 Tier — Pocket Goods (EARLY BIRD $15)
  • The Pocket Goods tier is the “digital only” tier. Back at this level, and you’ll receive the full Extra Ordinary PDF!
• $40 Tier — Backpack Stash (EARLY BIRD $35)
  • At the Backpack Stash tier, you’ll receive both the Extra Ordinary PDF and the Extra Ordinary physical print book!
• $75 Tier — Wagon Hoard (EARLY BIRD $70)
  • Backing at the Wagon Hoard tier gets you the Extra Ordinary PDF, the Extra Ordinary print book, special thanks in the form of your name listed in the book’s Acknowledgements section, and (if the stretch goal is met) the Extra Ordinary tokens!
• $100 Tier — Bedazzled Wagon Hoard
  • Backing at the Bedazzled Wagon Hoard tier gets you everything from the Wagon Hoard tier, but the physical print copy you receive will be signed by the author! There will only be 50 of this tier available, so grab it while you can!
• $200 Tier — Minivan Haul
  • Backing at the Minivan Haul tier gets you 5 Extra Ordinary print books and 5 Extra Ordinary PDFs, plus you'll be given special thanks in the book's Acknowledgements!
• $300 Tier — An Entire School Bus
  • Backing at the An Entire School Bus tier gets you 5 SIGNED Extra Ordinary print books, 5 Extra Ordinary PDFs, special thanks in the Acknowledgements section, and (if we hit the stretch goal) 5 sets of Extra Ordinary tokens! There will only be 10 of this tier available, so grab it while you can!

Stretch Goals

This wouldn't be a proper Kickstarter without some stretch goals, right? Here are the ones I have planned:

• $20,000 — FULLY FUNDED!
• $25,000 — Bonus Backdrop by Jason Mills!
• $30,000 — Bonus Backdrop by Sasha Reneau!
• $35,000 — Bonus Backdrop by Sam Dunnewold!
• $40,000 — Full color interior and artwork!
• $45,000 — Bonus Backdrop by Kimi Hughes!
• $50,000 — Bonus Backdrop by Takuma Okada!
• $55,000 — Bonus Backdrop by Doug Levandowski!
• $60,000 — Custom game tokens!

What People are Saying

“So, no surprise, this was my favorite session of the con. We spent two hours on chargen + collaborative worldbuilding, then two hours actually playing [...] Typically I'm not drawn to any games where you play kids, but I think this idea is just not as interesting with adults. Kids on the run and trying to make do is inherently a little more fraught and heavy than adults doing the same, and it also tugs on your heartstrings a little more too. Overall I had a blast with this one and I plan on backing the Kickstarter when it eventually launches.” — a playtester from GenCon 2024 (see their full GenCon review post here)

“Extra Ordinary is something special. It's the peak of collaborative storytelling, trusting the players to manage plot and tension more than maybe any ttrpg I've ever seen -- and it pays off. In my first ever session, we built the world, and got to watch our kids go from shoplifting from a bodega to fleeing a conspiratorial paramilitary. Every move mattered, and the story we told was surprising without feeling contrived. With only a very light touch from our facilitator, we fell into a natural rhythm of escalation and deescalation, building the dramatic reveals and delicious misfortunes that had us cheering for our little heroes.” — Brian Lagoda, a playtester from GenCon 2024

When asked why they would recommend this game over others in the genre, like Kids on Bikes: “The reason I would choose to play Extra Ordinary is that you get more bang for your buck. When you read the prompts on the Playbooks, you'll see the snappy writing evokes intense feelings of immersion, like when you first meet the child experiment in Stranger Things. It's an explosion of mystery, burgeoning power, ancient traditions and a quaint circle of friends. The players have to define their relationships with sharp questions that sometimes punch you in the gut, so much it forces you to feel for this troubled shared childhood! Tender moments juxtaposed with adrenaline scenes. Players are really brought to establish a chemistry, which as when they define together the nature of the antagonistic yet believable controlling organization, and why it wants to use the kids. The mechanics are really nifty. Players earn and spent narrative points, getting themselves in trouble on purpose so that they have enough game credit to take the story in their intended direction. It's actually often harsh self-punishment, but the kids in the story pull through together.” — Discord user rcdanio, a late 2024 playtester

Thanks for reading, all this! Now go back the Kickstarter 😉❤️