Cartel: A Mexican Narcofiction Tabletop Roleplaying Game
Created by Mark Diaz Truman
Cartel is a tabletop RPG in which players portray bold narcos, naive spouses, and dirty cops caught up in Mexico's eternal drug war.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
April Chapters Update
7 days ago
– Tue, Apr 30, 2024 at 04:17:38 PM
Hola, mis amigos!
First, some good news—the first part of 2024 has gone much more smoothly than 2023. Thanks to all of you who took the time to comment or send me notes of support; your kindness means the world to me, and it is a reminder that crowdfunding is still ultimately about a community coming together to support an artistic work. Mil gracias.
There’s still a great deal of work to do until this project is completely wrapped, so let’s jump into our chapter update and talk about what’s gotten done since we last updated you all!
Chapter Update: April 2024
First, here’s a quick summary of the various stages we usually go through as the book moves from outline to final layout:
On hold areas are waiting for the rest of the book to be completed.
Writing involves the writing team creating the chapter’s primary text.
Developmental Editing is the process of an editor working on a written chapter, restructuring and finalizing the text.
Copy Editing is when an editor goes through the text to ensure that all grammatical, spelling, punctuation, and style errors are corrected.
Layout takes the text from the copy editor and puts it into the final form for print.
Art/Proofing means the team is looking over the chapter in layout for any final changes while selecting/commissioning final art.
Amigos y Enemigos
Introduction - On Hold
Los Narcos - Layout
Los Americanos - Copy Editing
La Comunidad - Copy Editing
La Ley - Dev Editing
Backmatter - On Hold
Most of our work this past few months was in reviewing the existing text for Amigos y Enemigos so it could move from dev editing into copy editing and layout. We’re almost finished with one section—Los Narcos—and we’ve made good progress on the others! We’re still on track to have the full PDF by the end of Summer 2024.
As promised, we’ve prepared a new preview of Amigos y Enemigos—a selection of NPCs from Los Narcos! You can download the new NPCs ahora mismo:
Reminder: you’ll only have access to this preview if you’re getting the stretch goal materials!
Sin Fronteras
Introduction - On Hold
Playbooks - Layout/Writing
Berlin ’87 - Dev Editing
Aztlan ’37 - Design Phase
Back Matter - On Hold
Since our focus was on Amigos y Enemigos, we haven’t made much progress on Sin Fronteras. We expect to get back to this book in full in late Summer, once we finish the remainder of Amigos y Enemigos. We’ll get out the preview materials for Aztlan ’37—so folks can playtest it—then finish up the editing/writing for the new playbooks and Berlin ’87.
Next Steps!
Our next goal is to finish the full PDF of Amigos y Enemigos, including purchasing the art and finalizing the introduction and backmatter. We still expect to have that full PDF ready for you all by the end of summer, so look for our next update in July. Thank you again for your patience, and I hope that 2024 is looking up for you too!
Apologies y El Horario
3 months ago
– Wed, Jan 31, 2024 at 01:23:48 PM
Perdóneme, mis amigos—it has been far too long since I’ve updated you all on our progress with Cartel stretch goals. The last few years have been completely overwhelming, but I am deeply sorry that it has been so long. I’ll explain more in a moment, but please know that I do not take your support or interest in this work lightly; nothing brings me such joy as sharing this work with you all.
But to say that 2023 was a challenging year is to imply that I did anything other than survive from month to month. It was a year that opened with me contracting COVID (two times in three months) and ended with the suicide of a family friend. In between, I lost my elderly cat, my grandmother, a car—stolen, then totaled due to drug use, ironically—and months of my life to other assorted catastrophes that ranged from car crashes to Avatar RPG shipping crises. I am not a superstitious person, but there were moments last year in which I literally felt cursed, unable to catch a break long enough to pull my head above the water and make any progress on something that was not an urgent crisis.
And thus, too little work was done this past year on what remains undone in this project, and too little time was put into letting you all know how things were going when they were going poorly. I am truly sorry. One of the great joys of Cartel is that it’s the truest realization of what I hope games can be; one of the tragedies of Cartel is that it requires such attention to detail that the work is always slow and there is almost no one who can handle my portion of the workload.
I understand if you are angry and disappointed at how things have gone to this point. Believe me when I say that no one is more frustrated than me. Cartel is a labor of love, a project that originated in my desire to connect my Latinx cultural heritage to the roleplaying games I’ve loved since I was in middle school. It is torturous to struggle to finish a work of such personal importance, no matter the circumstances that brought on the delays; it is hellish to have to admit that I couldn’t make any progress that week or that month because I was drowning.
And yet… hope springs eternal, even in the narcofiction word mines. I have not given up. We are moving forward with the project, and we hope to deliver the remaining books this year. Things will move slowly, but they are moving again. Please read on to learn more about where we stand with the project, and what’s happening next.
That said, there are backers to whom we owe physical books. If you have decided that you cannot wait any longer and wish to get a refund, please email [email protected] and let us know; we’ll get you a refund for one or both of the delayed books right away. I understand that you have waited years, and I completely understand if you would prefer not to wait any longer. Everyone, including anyone who gets a refund at this point, will receive the PDF of the books when they are complete.
Thank you again for your support and your patience. This work is hard, but it is deeply worthwhile, and I will do my best to make the delay worth it.
Progress y Schedules
While this last year has been challenging, we have made progress on the remaining pieces, and we’re excited to finish these remaining stretch goals and deliver them to you this year! Before I go into the specifics, here’s a quick summary of the various stages we usually go through as the book moves from outline to final layout:
On Hold areas are waiting for the rest of the book to be completed.
Writing involves the writing team creating the chapter’s primary text.
Developmental Editing is the process of an editor working on a written chapter, restructuring and finalizing the text.
Copy Editing is when an editor goes through the text to ensure that all grammatical, spelling, punctuation, and style errors are corrected.
Layout takes the text from the copy editor and puts it into the final form for print.
Art/Proofing means the team is looking over the chapter in layout for any final changes while selecting/commissioning final art.
Here’s a full project update on the outstanding sections for both books:
Amigos y Enemigos
Introduction - On Hold
Los Narcos - Dev Editing
Los Americanos - Dev Editing
La Comunidad - Dev Editing
La Ley - Dev Editing
Backmatter - On Hold
Over the last year, we’ve gone through the full writing process for all of the NPCs in this book from all four arenas—the narcos, the gringos, the community members, and law enforcement. We’ve worked with a bunch of different writers for these pieces, drawing on a wealth of diverse experiences and perspectives, and now all those NPCs are in dev edits. Once we get them processed, they will move on next to copy editing and then layout!
Because we’ve made so much progress with Amigos y Enemigos, it’s going to be the focus for the start of this year. We expect to have preview materials for you all by April, and the full PDF by Summer 2024. Some of this will depend on how long the art takes, but I will keep you regularly updated.
Sin Fronteras
Introduction - On Hold
Playbooks - Layout/Writing
Berlin ’87 - Dev Editing
Aztlán 2033 - Design Phase
Back Matter - On Hold
Sin Fronteras is a much more mechanics-driven book, and the process is a little bit less straightforward. The playbooks we have already released have been through a great deal of playtesting (and are already in layout), but they require me to now write the advice for both the players and the MC. Similarly, we’ve finished the design on the Berlin ’87 playset, but we need to finish writing and dev editing the explanatory text. Aztlán 2033 is in the design phase, but will largely be on hold until both those other sections make progress.
We’ll have an update on the timeline for Sin Fronteras when we start to release preview materials for Amigos y Enemigos; we’re going to focus on the first book first, and we’ll know more how long the second book will take as we move forward.
Final Thoughts
As we move forward, I’m going to prioritize doing a better job of keeping you all informed. Our next update will be in April, focusing on the previews of the Amigos y Enemigos material. If we finish things earlier, we’ll release them earlier and update the schedule then. I know it has been frustrating to go so long without updates, and I'm going to ensure it doesn't happen again.
Finally… thank you again for your support. I often say that Cartel is the “very best thing I will ever make in my life.” I don’t say that as hyperbole—I genuinely believe that this project is something special I am unlikely to ever match. You all are the people who made that possible, and it meant (and means) the world to me to have that support. Thank you, and I hope that this year I’m able to close this project out in a way that makes you all proud.
La Mariachi!
over 1 year ago
– Sat, Sep 03, 2022 at 12:54:30 PM
Hola, cabrones!
Another mes, another update for Cartel! While we’re still working on finalizing the materials for Berlin ’87, we have finished our final playbook: La Mariachi!
New Playbook: La Mariachi
The final Cartel expansion playbook, La Mariachi, is both a love letter to the Robert Rodriguez’s Mexico trilogy and a chance to introduce the perspectives of the true victims of the drug war—the ordinary Mexicans caught in the wake of US drug policy and cartel profits:
Innocent, passionate, doomed. La Mariachi is a local musician who suddenly finds herself in grave danger, caught up in the chaos and violence of the drug war in Durango.
But unlike El Tahur or La Abogánsta, La Mariachi is not dragged into the drug war by greed or profits; instead she seeks revenge against someone—probably a narco—who murdered one of her loved ones, a quest for vengeance that can only end in tragedy. But she is not alone! La Mariachi is accompanied on this journey into darkness by members of her banda, the mariachi band she plays with that often performs for los narcos.
Thanks again to my co-designer, Claudia Sánchez (CyMorgan), for helping me bring La Mariachi to the game. She brought some incredible ideas to the playbook that make La Mariachi a lot of fun to play while still retaining the innocence and rage inherent to her story. I’m extremely excited about this playbook; I can’t wait for you all to try on the boots of a mariachi seeking revenge!
Reminder: you’ll only have access to this playset if you’re getting the stretch goal materials.
If you have any feedback, especially playtest feedback, please drop us a line at [email protected]. We can’t wait to hear what you think of La Mariachi!
Production Update: August 2022
The completion of La Mariachi means we’re done with the expansion playbooks for Sin Fronteras! We’ll continue to make changes and edits, but these playbooks are in good shape and ready to move into writing/layout in full. We’re also close to done on the Berlin ’87 full materials; those should be ready as soon as Miguel has time to update the layout for the new setting.
Next up is fully transitioning over to work on the completed text for the NPCs featured in Amigos y Enemigos. The initial drafts of those characters have all been submitted, so we should see a good number of them ready for you all to preview in the next month or two! Stay tuned this fall for more Cartel, and we’ll have an update on the final print schedule as soon as these major portions are complete.
Berlin Revisions, El Tahúr, El Abogansta
almost 2 years ago
– Mon, Aug 01, 2022 at 01:04:56 AM
Hola, amigos!
The progress for Cartel keeps coming: this month we’ve got an updated set of materials for Berlin ’87 and two new playbooks: El Tahúr and El Abogánsta! ¡Vamanos, cabrones!
New Playbook: El Tahúr
First up, we’ve got one of two new supplemental playbooks: El Tahúr!
Charming, reckless, drowning. El Tahur is a gambler who has gotten himself mixed up with los narcos in the worst way: he owes them money. Lots of money. What will it take to free himself from their clutches?
El Tahúr is unique among the playbooks we’ve released so far: he’s probably the closest thing to innocent in la guerra antidrogas! That said, he’s still in way over his head and he swims in the same circles as the narcos who hold his debts. He’s inspired by characters like Howie from Uncut Gems and Axel Freed from The Gambler, but he’s also a nod to the original Westerns set in Mexico and the Southwestern US.
Huge thanks to my long time collaborator Brendan Conway for his help on this playbook. We’re both excited to see what you all think of the way El Tahúr plays with the lifestyle mechanic!
New Playbook: El Abogánsta
But that’s not all! We’ve also got a second new playbook: El Abogánsta!
Astute, connected, flexible. El Abogángsta is the corrupt lawyer, the legal agent for the cartel that keeps the money flowing and los federales away from everyone important.
Based in part on characters like Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul and Dave Kleinfeld from Carlito’s Way, El Abogánsta draws more heavily from the realities of the Mexican drug trade than many other playbooks. Dirty lawyers, working to cover up los narcos dealings while making them politically palatable, are a common ally to los carteles. After all, sometimes you need a truly criminal lawyer!
Thank you also to Claudia Sánchez (CyMorgan) for the work she has done to help bring El Abogansta to life! It’s been a pleasure to work with her, and I’m excited to showcase both her design work here and some of her fiction work later this year in Amigos y Enemigos!
Claudia Sánchez, co-designer of El Abogansta
From a young age, Claudia has been interested in literature and creative writing; she graduated in 2013 with a BA in Literature and Spanish. In 2017, she played TTRPGs for the first time and started writing for TTRPGs just a few years later. Claudia has been doing the rounds on the US convention circuit—often participating as a panelist for topics on accessibility and representation—and opening a space for the neurodivergent and the Spanish speaking members of the community through D&D in Spanish.
Berlin ’87 Revision
The full text of Berlin ’87 is still in editing and layout, but we have collected all the feedback we received from playtesting and revised the original Berlin ’87 play materials. The changes are many, but the main areas include:
revising the Cover moves to better reflect the setting
completely rewriting The Chief playbook
adding features and choices to The Spycatcher and The Mole
revising moves and options throughout
We’ve still got a bit of time before the editing on Berlin ’87 is complete, so please let me know if you have any feedback on the new materials!
Downloading Materials
You can get all of these new materials via Backerkit ahora mismo:
Reminder: you’ll only have access to these materials if you’re getting the stretch goal materials.
If you have any feedback, especially playtest feedback, please drop us a line at [email protected]. We can’t wait to hear what you think of everything!
La Esperanzada y Berlin ‘87 Update
almost 2 years ago
– Fri, Jul 01, 2022 at 06:12:27 AM
Hola, amigos!
We’ve got grandes noticias for this month! Let’s jump in and see the latest progress for Cartel!
New Playbook: La Esperanzada
After a long wait, we’re finally ready to release the first supplement playbook: La Esperanzada!
Dogged, oblivious, brave. La Esperanzada is a flicker of hope in the darkness, a cop who hopes to bring the villains of the drug war to justice. A would-be savior, in a war that turns heroes into martyrs.
La Esperanzada is a DEA agent who has dedicated herself to bringing el narco to justice, even if it means breaking all the rules to do what’s right. She’s a cop on the edge, inspired by characters like Special Agent Jorge Ramirez from Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Kate Macer from Sicario. In many ways, La Esperanzada is one of the darkest playbooks in Cartel; there’s nothing quite as tragic as watching the only light in the darkness start to flicker.
Reminder: you’ll only have access to this playset if you’re getting the stretch goal materials.
If you have any feedback, especially playtest feedback, please drop us a line at [email protected]. We can’t wait to hear what you think of this new playbook!
Berlin ‘87 Update
Thanks to the amazing work of Lari Assmuth, the main text of the Berlin playset is complete and ready for dev/copy editing. He’s put together an amazing guide to the Cold War and 1980s Germany, and I can’t wait to share it with you soon. I’m really excited!
One quick note: we’ve decided to move the timeline up on the playset from 1981 to 1987, mostly to capture the chaotic energy of the end of the Cold War. For example, the Chernobyl disaster occurred in late 1986, an event that shapes the fiction in the Berlin playset away from a conflict between two stable world powers into an asymmetric engagement between a nearly triumphant United States and a failing USSR.
Look for a full look at the Berlin materials in our update el próximo mes!
Production Update: June 2022
As we noted in our April update, we’ve been working on finalizing the materials for both supplements. Progress is solid, and we expect to share a lot of finished material in July and August, starting with the remaining stretch goal playbooks, the full Berlin ‘87 text, and the first batch of finished NPCs from Amigos y Enemigos.
Thanks again for your patience! We’re excited to wrap up Cartelpronto!
