Psychic trash animals race to solve a mystery before the city’s trash is collected at dawn. A diceless TTRPG played with trash.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
We have liftoff!
over 1 year ago
– Fri, Sep 22, 2023 at 06:39:34 AM
Our launch weekend was a big success!
We had an awesome release weekend. Nat and Pat came in from New York and Tiffany made the trek from Maine so we could all be together. And not only that, but they brought some incredible friends and volunteers with them. We all sat in our tiny living room, packed boxes and printed labels, made plans for the future, and drank boba tea. Not too shabby. Despite a few hiccups here and there, Nat and Pat commanded our book-packaging army like veteran logisticians.
The graininess of the photo really brings out the hard work, eh?
At this point, all of the physical pre-orders and Kickstarter books are on their way to you! If you don't receive yours by the end of September, reach out to let us know. You can also contact us about any problems with your order. This is our first Kickstarter, so we want to get this right, and we want you to be super happy at the end of fulfillment.
Logistics WIZARDS, I tell ya.
Trashy, digital, and now in technicolor!
The PDF versions of the books and the coloring pages have also been sent out. Backers who use screen readers, please send us your feedback on the PDF.
"Dude, who has the dark red? Stop hogging it!"
By the end of September, we will also be creating a digital, neurodivergent-friendly version of PTD.
Reading and mingling...
Oh, did I forget to mention how many people showed up for the events? We had an incredible crowd for both events.
What a crowd! And we didn't even have to promise there would be cake!
I have to say that every single one of the writers who joined us for the reading was ON FIRE that night. Hearing someone read their work in their own voice and on stage is a level above, for real. Afterwards, we descended on the local food market and put multiple tables end-to-end to make what I can only describe as Franken-table---Franken-table's Monster, maybe?
Tonee Moll is such a doll!
...and gaming, oh my!
And then at dawn... WE GAMED! Okay, maybe it was at dusk. Whatever.
Pat really is fantastic at running games and demos.
The folks at No Land Beyond were super kind and helpful and, well, I'll be honest here, I don't really know HALF of what people did that night because I was too busy having fun facilitating a game of Psychic Trash Detectives for a great group of players.
Why am I clapping? Anyway, here's Psychic Trash Detectives...
Sure, the trash animals of Wurstburg figured out why their source of delicious clove cigarette butts disappeared, but what about Colin? Will he ever recover from his heartbreak? Will the TikTok witches ever break through to make it big? Will the sordid events at the bleu cheese factory continue undetected?
Everyone had a great time and we are super stoked to do events like this again. More pictures of the events can be found on our Instagram!
Facilitator's Guide is coming soon!
I know what they say about offering advice, but you did literally ask for this... We are wrapping up work on our Facilitator's Guide, the collection on anti-oppressive practices and structures for running inclusive, equitable TTRPG tables that we promised you in one of our campaign stretch goals. I can't wait to tell you more about this! Stay tuned!
The mockup for our Facilitator's Guide, coming soon!
And the Gloom draws a little closer...
Development on Against the Gloom continues! Right now I'm working on the dice-rolling mechanics with Pat and building out the lore and world of The Gloom. I'm very excited to bring y'all this game. This is a much more than a game to me: it's a love letter.
Follow the prelaunch page for more details and a chance to receive an exclusive Against the Gloom sticker:
At Bird in Hand, we'll have readings from some of our contributing poets and writers: jason b. crawford, Deidre Delpino Dykes, Nino McQuown, Nat Mesnard, Tonee Moll, Tyler Vile, and yours truly, Dustin Patrick Winter!
No Land Beyond has great food and drinks so it's okay if you come with a hunger for more than trashy times, fun games, and camaraderie! Get your tickets to this event here!
If you need to pick up a copy of Psychic Trash Detectives, you'll be able to purchase it at either event, through the café or game shop, respectively.
What's with all those boxes...?
On top of all this, all of the Scryptids are assembling here in Baltimore to begin... (drumroll please) FULFILLMENT! We'll be packing mailers and getting ready to send books and stickers and such to all of our backers and pre-orderers.
This is really exciting for us and we wouldn't be here without you! We hope you'll join us for one or both of these fun events and raise a glass to Brigitte and her most excellent book. If you've ever met Brigitte, you know that she brings a certain joie de vivre to every project and this book is no different. It's a joy to read. Joie de livre!
After this weekend, we'll start sending books out and Psychic Trash Detectives will be in your hands before you know it! And the PDF will follow soon after!
Cheers,
~Dustin
Come be a party animal with us!
over 1 year ago
– Sat, Aug 05, 2023 at 09:36:02 AM
We just sent the book off to the printers! Huzzaaargh! We have a book! A real thing! You can hold it in your hands!
Proof we have a proof.
To celebrate, we are throwing two awesome in-person events.
Upcoming Baltimore events
Because scryptids love parties, we're throwing TWO free off-site events to celebrate our first book release during Baltimore Comic Con, September 8-10! So get your trash to Mars! I mean Baltimore!
Reading at Bird in Hand, Baltimore, MD, September 9th @ 6:00pm
A reading of poetry and fiction inspired by Psychic Trash Detectives. Featuring jason. b crawford, Deidre Delpino Dykes, Nino McQuown, Nat Mesnard, Tonee Moll, Tyler Vile and meeeee, Dustin Patrick Winter!
Gaming at No Land Beyond, Baltimore, MD, September 10th @ 6:00pm
Join us at Baltimore's first board game bar, game shop, and event venue for a full game of Psychic Trash Detectives! Bring your book or buy one there, and enjoy roleplaying, pizza, and cocktails with old friends and new.
We are also in the process of squishing some other plans together for events this fall and winter. Hmmm… PAX Unplugged, you say? Stay tuned!
Last call for pre-orders...
This is your last chance to pre-order the book, to upgrade your pledge, or to add some of those spiffy add-ons (like stickers or a copy of Ball of the Wild) to your pledge. So if you have been procrastinating, just, you know, don't. You can pre-order here or using the preorders button on the project landing page.
...and surveys!
Also, if you haven't responded to your Backerkit survey, this is your chance! We want to be sure we have the right address for you so you get your stuff!
Vote for the new t-shirt design
You have until TOMORROW, Sunday, August 6 to vote which detective character will be featured on our next t-shirt for sale through our web store. So go ahead and follow us on Instagram and make your excited screeches heard.
Now I pass the metaphorical mic to Tiffany who will fill you in on the update on how production of the book is going…
~Dustin
Tiffany's production update
Hi from Layout Land! I have been working hard to bring you a book that’s easy to navigate and looks good.
Brigitte and I are super excited about the way everything has come together. This is definitely the biggest project of its kind that I have ever worked on – 80 pages of book is headed your way! We have great art from A.V. Eerie, including a few characters created since the Kickstarter wrapped, so they will be new to you! Plus, Dustin created some additional art for us: four delightful sketches for characters contributed by social media contest winners AND a fun, gorgeous map for Hillsville, a town we created in our actual play on Sarah’s Table.
We know that many publishers release their PDFs as soon as the book is finalized and off to the printer, but we want to make sure that the PDFs we release are accessible. We will need to use a few different fonts because what looks good printed on paper doesn’t always interact with tech like screen readers very well. And we’ll be releasing an additional version that has fewer items crowding the pages for people for whom visual clutter is a challenge. In short, bear with us as we finalize our PDFs so everyone can enjoy them to the fullest. I am excited to share all of the versions of the book with you soon!
~Tiffany
Vogueing and nudging
over 1 year ago
– Mon, Jun 19, 2023 at 07:39:53 AM
Whoa! It’s been a heck of a spring! Hard to believe summer is already soundly upon us. Well, I’ve got an update for ya, buckaroos!
Work on Psychic Trash Detectives continues…
We’re still at it, working hard to make the game supremely awesome:
All of the amazing art from A.V.Eerie is here! Here’s a little sneaky peeky:
Whatcha think he's starin' at, huh?
Brigitte and Nat finished their editorial process and we have a final draft.
We have all the poems and fiction from the folks we collaborated with and we added them to the draft.
Tiffany is working on the book layout now, creating a smooth and appealing reading and gaming experience for you as you flip these trashy pages.
I’m working on some additional artistic contributions to the book, namely the character designs for the original characters you all created for us! Those characters really did not disappoint, by the way.
We’re talking with venues to line up some fun events for the book’s release.
After layout, we’ll send the files off and get proofs from our printers!
Our release date had to be nudged juuuuuust a little bit to give everyone the space they needed to get things done the right way. The success of the Kickstarter gave us the ability to make Psychic Trash Detectives so much more than a zine, but we also have more things to do in the same amount of time as we originally planned for.
Right now we are looking at a release in mid-September instead of late August, so not a huge shift. We want to always be transparent with you about our timelines and what we’re up to, though.
Tabletopped Superstars!
We did cut some time out of our schedules to form game designer Voltron for another episode of the Tabletopped podcast. This time around, it was all five of us talking with Nick Perron about what it’s been like to start a game company, launch a Kickstarter, and then do the thing. We talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly, although to be honest, it’s been mostly dang good! Also you can get a sneak preview of our plans for the future, including our next big project…
Vogueing on Sarah’s Table
A while back, we had made plans to bring another of our games to Sarah’s Table, and in May Sarah came through! This time, we played Nat Mesnard’s beloved Ball of the Wildand got super duper fabulous, darling! Watch out for the cameo from a certain filthy friend you’ll remember fondly from our Psychic Trash Detectives stream with Sarah back in March.
Chillin’ with Avery Alder (NBD...)
Nat, Brigitte, Tiffany, and I made our way into the wilds of Canada to take the Designing Games that Matter workshop with Avery Alder! I can’t recommend this workshop highly enough. Publishing as Buried Without Ceremony, Avery is the genius mind behind games like The Quiet Year,Monsterhearts 2, and Dream Askew. At the workshop, held at the Tatamagouche Center in Nova Scotia, we studied and collaborated with Avery and other brilliant game designers. We made games, made friends, made s’mores, and made it back home in one piece. Errr, four pieces! Wait, bad analogy. Uhhh, we got home safe!
That’s all for now, you filthy animals. As always, thanks for your support!
~Dustin
Hard at work!
over 1 year ago
– Sat, Apr 29, 2023 at 10:44:58 AM
We're announcing a contest...
We all know that Twitter is a hot mess right now, but we really want to connect with you on our social media! And there's good reason to follow us on the socials: you could have your very own Psychic Trash Detectives character featured in the book! The only way to find out more about this and to throw your hat in the ring is to follow us on social media. So, uh, smash that subscribe button? We are @ScryptidGames on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. And you can subscribe to our mailing list (extra goodness!) on our website.
You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and our website.
Brigitte was on Tabletopped...
In the newest episode of the Tabletopped podcast (just released Sunday!) our very own Brigitte Winter, creator of Psychic Trash Detectives, talked about coming to gaming in her thirties, creating immersive experiences, and our favorite new word: ludonarrative harmony. For more on that, check out the episode!
Dawwww, ain't they cute?
Dustin and Tiffany were on Sarah's Table...
In the two-part one-shot (yeah, you heard me) streamed on Sarah's Table, we played a narsty squirrel and a stinky bear who needed to figure out why all the trash was disappearing from our little town of Hillsville! Check out the streams here and here.
Dustin as Jim the bear on Sarah's Table.
Pat and Dustin ran playtests for the game at Unpub!...
Unpub! was held last month at the Delta Hotels Marriott in Hunt Valley, Maryland. Its a small gaming con held yearly for creators who want to get their game in front of people who will test it. So that's what we did! And we got a lot of great feedback that will help us make the best game possible.
Pat runs a game of Psychic Trash Detectives at Unpub
Nat has been working with Brigitte on the text and rules...
Nat and Brigitte are working on a new round of revisions to the book, plus we've started reaching out to some fellow creators we know to get the ball rolling on some collaborations that will be featured in the book.
We have new artwork from A.V.Eerie...
Because you supported the Kickstarter, we raised enough money to get another round of illustrations from A.V.Eerie. I have been working with her to sketch out my vision for the new pieces and the coloring pages you'll be getting. For sure I'm going to livestream a coloring night or something!
Pee-Jon coloring page coming soon!
We made time to play...
Last weekend we all met up in NYC to touch base with some of our old pals.
Nat holds court.
Tiffany came down from the frozen north and Brigitte and I made the trek across the sunny plains so all the Scryptids could assemble in Manhattan for a couple of days. We mixed it up, we talked big dreams and plans, and for sure we touched some trash.
NYC with our friend, A.E. Osworth.
...and we'll be streaming Ball of the Wild soon!
We have an actual play set up with Sarah's Table for Nat's game Ball of the Wild. We'll be playing as animals dressing up as other animals for a drag show to impress Mother Nature. Who knows? Jim the bear may even make an appearance! Sounds like the stream will premiere on May 5th. Yet another reason to give us a follow.
