Upcoming Homebrew: So Many Ideas, So Little Time (Patreon)

Folks, I am at a bit of a crossroads. I want to do a bunch of things during this design week, but I realistically only have enough time to commit to ONE thing.

I want to do Momo from Dandadan, I've got ideas to update Kafka from Kaiju No. 8, I intend to get started on Kamen Rider Gavv, but I also want to represent the GARO fans. In fact, I wanna introduce something called Karas to a lot of people, 'cos that's an amazing 2007 Toku-adjacent series that more folks need to watch.

All this on top of doing research and design work for the big Ex-Aid project while still finishing up a few commissions. 

I know it sounds like I'm complaining, but this is actually a good problem to have. 

It means there's quite a well of content I can draw from! But at the same time, the channel is still on its growing legs, and I don't exactly have a lot of space to take big risks. 

So here's where I'm at:

Momo from Dandadan

It should be an easy slam dunk considering my previous video, but... It's not that simple. Or at least I'm likely overthinking and overcomplicating things. 

The last video did pretty well in the short time since I released it. It's sitting at number 3/10 right now in my YT stats (which is good), but it has a few issues. First, its retention is kinda horrendous. 

I try to switch up my scripts to be more engaging and even moved up the Action Cam to hit earlier, but it seems like I still haven't hit that sweet spot of getting people to stick around. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming anybody for this! 

Video stats aside, the bigger metric for success is the sales, and that's... not so good. Maybe it's too early to tell, but after a thousand views, the homebrew has only had 3 purchases as of the time of writing. 

Admittedly, even I can tell that I'm sounding very "boohoo woe is me" right now, it's just not particularly encouraging to continue a series when it didn't hit the ground running as well as I expected. But there IS that saying, "Expectation is the thief of joy." Or was it comparison? I digress.

But still, I think there's a lot of potential for a Momo-inspired subclass. I'll probably get a lot of "why not just flavor Astral Self?" And to that I say, "You're right, but also, I refuse. Have a good day." 

I think there's space for an esper/telekinetic monk with an occult angle, especially since she can grasp ethereal concepts like curses. In fact, Momo kinda reminds me of the old Mystic class back in 2017. Granted, that one was pretty broken in places, but it was pretty cool!

Updating Kafka/Kaiju No. 8

I swear these succeeding points won't be as lengthy (probably). So Kaiju No. 8 has been great recently, especially after the story finally stopped narratively edging the audience. Seriously, we can only have so many moments of "I want to get it up, but I can't." It's ok, Kafka. It happens to most men in their 30s.

It's been almost a year since I released my original Kaiju No. 8 homebrew. I consider it to be one of my most inspired works, and I think a lot of what I learned from designing that subclass can still be felt in my current work. 

Unfortunately, I released that video with a lot of hubris. I still think it's good, but I thought it would do really well, especially considering the timing of that release. I even made a sales challenge, which ultimately fizzled out. 

But a part of me still thinks there's potential in that series. I'd love to take another shot at it with an updated design, as well as a small "remaster" for 5e 2024 (I didn't do 5.5e stuff until recently). 

Of course, if I do end up updating Kafka, everyone who already purchased it will get the update for free.

Kamen Rider Gavv

This one's kind of a no-brainer. Kamen Rider Gavv is so (deservedly) hype that even Super Eyepatch Wolf loves it. And anybody who watches Kamen Rider probably has this entry as one of their top 5 Riders of all time. 

Unfortunately, this has the trouble of being too big to design in 5 days. Whenever I do Kamen Rider content, I feel compelled to go the extra mile by making an entire campaign setting guide, as well as non-subclass options to mechanically express the characters. Of course, I still do individual subclasses, but I feel like not doing the big guide feels like I'm not giving it the respect it deserves, especially since Kamen Rider is one of the biggest pillars of my channel. 

I'll probably do a second workstream to get this ready for a big video. 

Of course, this doesn't mean I've forgotten all about Ex-Aid. That one won the last Kamen Rider poll, after all, and I'm still committed to getting that out before the end of the year!

GARO

If there was ever a niche series within the already-niche genre of Japanese Tokusatsu shows, it would be GARO. 

The reason why I want to do this next is because I want to help represent GARO fans through D&D. I know, I know, the Venn Diagram of a GARO fan playing D&D looks like two barely-eaten pizzas, but still.

If you're not familiar (and you probably aren't), GARO is set in modern times, centered around a secret shamanistic order of knights and priests who protect humanity from soul-eating creatures called Horrors. 

It offers quite an exploration into humanity as a whole, from their many depravities that make them prime Horror food, to their equally powerful virtues that make them worth saving.

And of course, it has a lot of action-packed martial arts and practical effects!

There's actually an official ongoing effort by the GARO Project to bring the series to more fans. I can't say it's doing Tsuburaya numbers, but I do appreciate that it's there. In fact, their most recent series came with English subtitles! 

And if anything, doing GARO finally represents the last trinket on my virtual D&D table (it's between the Rider belt and the Gundam head).

Karas

I know I said GARO is pretty niche, but have you even heard of Karas? It's a 2007 OVA series, and... man, you gotta watch it.

Karas is an action-packed Tokusatsu-adjacent series made by Tatsunoko Production. The same folks who made Speed Racer, Casshan (or Casshern), and Gatchaman, to name a few.

The series shows "the city" as its own character, where its guardian crows (the Karas) protect the citizens from rogue mechanical yokai.   

It shows themes of progress vs tradition, featuring yokai being edged out by the march of civilization, as humans fall deeper into the trappings of modernization.

ADHD

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this, but I was recently diagnosed with ADHD. Just knowing that helps me contextualize having all these ideas trying to get in through the front door without an appointment.

But hey, I appreciate you for making it this far. I try to write stuff like this every two weeks or so just to get me in a good working headspace, and to keep fine folks like you updated.

If you want to see my current progress or just look at my potential pipeline of work, check out my Trello board! You can even vote on the cards and tell me which ones you're most interested in.

And hey, if you're a fan of our work and want to support us, consider becoming a member and potentially get early access to alpha and beta versions of upcoming homebrew!