Seven years from now, humanity is in ruins, devastated by a ferocious alien occupier from the edges of our understanding.  The adults of the world have been undone by the aliens' seduction, and the future of humanity is now a slowly dwindling population of child survivors.

Bliss Stage is a role-playing game about love and war and hope and coming of age, to be published by the award-winning These Are Our Games this year.  Starting now, it is available for pre-order.

But there is still hope for humanity's future.  A small group of survivors, led by a still-waking adult, have managed to reverse engineer the alien remotes, and have used this technology to make a new generation of weapons that can be used to strike at humanity's enemies in their world of dreams.  This weapon is called an Alien Numina Inversion Machine -- or ANIMa -- and it allows a teenaged pilot to enter the dream world and form a mechanized battle-suit out of the spirits of her friends, lovers, and enemies.  With this weapon, she can fight the aliens on their own terms, striking at the very heart of their occupation.  Now, after seven years of despair, this brave group of soldiers are is striking the first blows of a war that will determine the fate of the earth, humanity, earth, and their own hearts.

In the game of Bliss Stage, you will tell their story.

The cost of the pre-order is $36.  Included in that is:
1) Ignition Stage: A limited edition book which will be available only through this pre-order and at GenCon 2007.  This is a spartan version of the game with little-to-no art.  It, and no future version, will include a unique short-play scenario, FINAL ACT, to get you playing from the moment you receive your book.  I estimate that it will be about 130 pages long, perfect bound, about the size of a manga volume.  This will be sent before or during August 2007.
2) Acceleration Stage: An unlimited edition book with color cover, lavish interior illustrations by Jake Richmond and Shizero Nezze, and design by Joshua AC Newman.  This full version of the game will also feature an expanded text.  It will be about 200 pages long, and also about the size of a manga volume.  This will be sent before or during December 2007.
3) Personal messages in the Ignition Stage book, if you want one.
4) Special thanks in the Acceleration Stage book, if you want it.
5) Future versions of the game, as well as any game-related merchandise, will be available to pre-order customers only at considerably lower prices.
6) Free shipping anywhere in the world.

There have never been battles more terrible than these battles.  There has never been a war more important than this war.  No one deserves to see the things you have seen.  No one deserves to do the things you've had to do.  But if you can do it, if you can win, then no one will ever have to fight a war again.

And if you lose, it doesn't matter anyway.

Secure your pre-order now by sending $36 via paypal to taogames@gmail.com .  Remember to include your shipping information, and if you want have an inscription or special thanks.

Please do spread this to websites, blogs, forums, and so on.  I will be updating <a href="http://swingpad.com/dustyboots/wordpress/?p=214">this post throughout the weeks to come with more teasers and game information.

The fate of the earth, humanity, earth, and their own hearts.

Sounds good to me, an appealing offer. It's always good to have two copies of a game, reduces logistical bother of play. You can scribble all over my book if you want to. I'll be sending money when I find my credit card guy.

Any insight as to what brings this arrangement on? Is it just market penetration strategy, or a premium ashcan? Do you need the cash for printing the game? How's the game doing, anyway, I haven't heard anything much lately? We're gearing to play the final or semifinal session of our campaign next week, so if you have any rules changes, let me know.

Tons of small, tweaky rules changes, but you should just finish your game.

The ignition-stage kinda like a super-ashcan, although I don't anticipate any rules changes between the initial and the final.  It'll be an attractive book in its own right, though, that I won't feel any particular guilt about charging money for.  The "two copies, one of reference at the table and one for reading" is another plus.

What brought this one was:
1) I wonder if I'll get more pre-orders if I include special perks?
2) Cash flow = ability to pay artists well, which is important to me.  I could get art for less money, but I feel like that's unfair to everyone involved.

yrs--
--Ben

A resounding yes from this quarter, as far as affordable premium-package ashcans go. I'd probably skip the ashcan if you asked just $10 for it, but I'm a sucker for perks. I guess it's because I like going full-bore on everything; if you just wanted a bunch of people to buy a normal ashcan I'd skip it simply because anybody can do that, and I'm already playtesting your game. It takes a REAL MAN to buy the premium package.

(So that's my brain. Nice place, I see. No idea if others react likewise.)

Anyway, I hear that money is moving. Make a nice-looking book for me.

Preorder made. This has been a longtime coming and the perks got me hook, line and sinker.

I've ordered too, and Skywalker and I live within 60 klicks of each other, so we should be able to get some giant robot tragedy action happening soon!

hix wrote:
I've ordered too, and Skywalker and I live within 60 klicks of each other, so we should be able to get some giant robot tragedy action happening soon!

Skywalker wrote:
Does that mean you are up for a Evangelion marathon too? :)