Everything is Dolphins: old homebrew RPG about dolphins to become a kickstartered product

Tim Hutchings, who maintains the most excellent PlaGMaDA (Play Generated Map and Document Archive) has recovered a bizarre but strangely compelling amateur RPG about dolphins and he's producing a published volume (with guest art) on Kickstarter:

Everything is Dolphins occupies a curious place. While it is clearly the work of someone new to the design of role-playing games, it also displays the some of the sophisticated sensibilites one would expect from an old hand. Rather than the excess of complexity that clutters most freshman efforts, Everything is Dolphins offers concision and simplicity. The author gives few examples to illustrate how to use the system and no sample adventure, leaving much to the player’s imagination (and effort). With its bare bones, lacunae, and undeniable beauty, Everything is Dolphins is the role-playing game analogue of outsider art.
Included in the lengthy Appendix of the book you will find scans of the author's original game notes and lots of playtest material. The inclusion reveals to us where the game began, how it was played over time, and what it looks like when it's played. And the game notes and documents are fun to look at.

Everything is Dolphins - an RPG and art book (Thanks, Tim H!)

(Image: Sean McCarthy)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: crowdfunding • Delightful Creatures • Games • kickstarter • rpgs • submitterator

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecco_the_Dolphin
Ravi Mohan

I totally read that as the rpg was about dolphins being kickstartered, as opposed to the rpg being kickstartered.
- http://plagmada.org Tim H
  
  I think I like your idea better. “Dude, all the backer rewards are fish”.
http://plagmada.org Tim H

I want to make it clear that the text of the book is by Ray Weiss, not by me. My role is as a sort of producer/curator working in the interests of PlaGMaDA and my own art goals.
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1613653081 Alejandro Mayo
  
  Hey Tim – some friends of mine have been encouraging me to send this to you, and in light of your kickstarter (which is awesome, btw) I thought you might find it entertaining.
  
  http://story-games.com/forums/comments.php?DiscussionID=15562
http://plagmada.org Tim H

I would fall on my knees and beg you to include the entire original game manuscript in there, that’s what we’ve done with Everything is Dolphins – it’s the whole game TWICE. Once is the nice layout with art, once is manuscript and playtest materials. It shall be the “PlaGMaDA.org way”.

I’ll find you over at storyg ames.