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:
February 2019 Production Update & Gen Con 2019!
about 5 years ago
– Thu, Feb 28, 2019 at 11:43:47 PM
¡Hola, amigos!
It’s the end of Febrero, and it’s time for you all to get an update about Cartel! It’s also time for us to start thinking about Gen Con this Agosto, so read on to hear about our plans to bring Cartel to the biggest convention in the United States!
Production Update: February 2019
The work continues…but slower than I had hoped. While the mechanics are set for the corebook, it’s taken me longer than I hoped to get the final text together in layout. At this point, it looks like we’re going to deliver the PDF to you all in April or May, followed by the print book this summer. ¡Disculpe! Writing is hard, hard work, and I want this book to be the best it can be. Thank you for your patience!
Gen Con 2019: GMs Needed!
While I’m working on finishing the corebook, our convention staff has been planning the awesome games we’re going to run at Gen Con this year. We’ve got a ton of Cartel on the schedule, and we’re looking for a few GMs who want to help out by running games. You get a free book/game if you run 2+ sessions, and if you run at least four slots for us, we’ll even get you a badge to the convention!
I am so excited to see Cartel at Gen Con this year, and it would be wonderful to see some of our Kickstarter backers running sessions of the full game. If you’re going to be at Gen Con this year, please apply to be a GM. It would mean a ton to me to have you fine folks running Cartel!
Next Steps
Along with the Cartel corebook, we’re still working on the dice, cards, candles, etc, all to get them ready to ship alongside the main book. Stay tuned for more monthly updates this year; we’ll release new materials as we finish them over the next few months. Thank you!
Dec 2018 Production Update y Quickstart v3.4
over 5 years ago
– Mon, Dec 10, 2018 at 11:47:03 PM
¡Hola, amigos!
Just a quick update this month to share with you the final Cartel Quickstart and update you on the production timeline. In short, the final quickstart is in your inbox, and we’re on track to get you the full PDF early next year. ¡Gracias!
Production Update: December 2018
I’ve integrated all the feedback I received from backers this past two month into our final Cartel Quickstart (version 3.4). Huge thanks to all of you who gave me feedback; you all are what makes our games great! Please check your Backerkit account for your copy of the Quickstart (if you don't already have it in your inbox):
By far the most significant changes in version 3.4 are in El Cocinero’s playbook. It’s become obvious that the laboratorio was taking up too much room on the playbook for how often it showed up in play. Since El Cocinero was one of the first playbooks I wrote, it’s not surprising that it needed to be refreshed! Now the lab is more compact and focused, and I’ve added a new set of relationships to El Cocinero’s sheet that help drive home the fine balance he needs to strike to keep his secrets.
Playtesting the new El Cocinero at Metatopia
With all of that in order, I’m going to take a sabbatical from the office through January to finalize the final text. We’re a bit behind where I wanted to be for printed books, but I think we’ll be able to get you all the final PDF in the first quarter of 2019. Thank you for your patience!
Closed for Las Fiestas Decembrinas
While I’m hunkering down to write, the rest of the Magpies will be taking a well-deserved break starting December 15th. They’ll return on January 7th, but in the meantime the office will be closed for the holidays. Please email [email protected] if you need anything while we're gone, and some of our staff will get back to you as soon as we can.
Thanks for a wonderful year! I had no idea that Cartel was going to find such an amazing audience, and I can't wait to get you all books next year.
¡No Mames, October 2018 Production Update y Nahual!
over 5 years ago
– Thu, Nov 01, 2018 at 01:46:31 AM
¡Hola, compadres!
It’s been a busy month of research, writing, and playtesting, but octubre is nearly over. It’s time for our October production update, and I’m very excited to also share with you a Kickstarter project from Cartel’s cultural consultant, Miguel Ángel Espinosa… Nahual!
Production Update: October 2018
Last month, we added El Güero to the backer version of the Quickstart, so the mechanics for the game are pretty much final. I’ve playtested the most recent version of the basic moves, and it appears that I’ve finally sanded all the rough edges off of justify yourself and make an offer. In other words, cabrones… we’re done with systems.
That said, if you have gotten a chance to playtest Cartel and want to give me any feedback, please email me at [email protected] by November 15th, 2018. I’m going to be locking down text in layout at that time, and I’ll need to know about any issues you spot with the current materials before that date!
In addition to playtesting, I’ve been finalizing my a lot of research for the setting chapter. While our previous projects like Urban Shadows or Masks have had strongly implied settings, Cartel has a lot of elements that are tied to a specific moment in time in a specific place. I’m hoping to distill the drug war (circa 2007) down to just a few, easily digestible pages, but I also don’t want to miss anything! And I’m keeping my eye on Narcos: Mexico, which debuts on November 16th!
(Speaking of missing things, can you believe that I haven’t seen Traffic?!)
As of now, we’re on track to deliver the PDF of Cartel in early 2019, followed by print copies a few months later. We’ll have more updates on exact dates when we submit the files to printer, but I’m excited to get you the full book next year!
Nahual Kickstarter
But Cartel isn’t the only PbtA Kickstarter project featuring Mexico this year. I’m really excited to see Miguel’s Nahual blowing up this week, raising more than $35,000 since it was launched last Tuesday!
Nahual is a tabletop roleplaying game of Mexican urban fantasy. In Nahual you play as shapeshifting nahuales that hunt angels to make a living. You run a changarro—a business—together and sell the angels you hunt as different types of products. Caught in the middle of an ancient feud, you struggle to find your place in a world of fantastical and overwhelming forces.
It’s hard to explain everything I love about Nahual in just a few sentences, but I will say that the game is a really unique experience. You play a pack of shapeshifting nahuales who have banded together to try to survive, hunting down angels—the very colonial monsters who accompanied the Spanish when they came to the New World. Together with your pack, you try to make a living in a world in which everyone (the corps, the politicos, the angels) are out to get you.
I love it. And more importantly, it’s a second answer to my question: what does a Mexican/Latino RPG look like? Miguel’s answer, steeped in religion, culture, and urban fantasy is totally different than my own, and I think it’s another game that’s going to help bring our culture to roleplaying games. Check it out!
Day of the Dead Starts Today!
I would be remiss if I didn't remind all you gringos that Dia de Los Muertos starts today! I already watched Coco this weekend to get ready, but I'm on a plane to Metatopia... so probably no face paint for me this year. (Last year was the first release of the Cartel quickstart; I can't believe it's been a year already!)
How are you celebrating Dia? Got your ofrenda ready? Going to a parade? Tell me in the comments!
¡Híjole! El Güero Arrives y Deck of Locations Preview!
over 5 years ago
– Mon, Oct 01, 2018 at 12:31:57 AM
¡Hola, amigos!
I’ve spent the weekend at RinCon in Tucson, but Septiembre is coming to a close, and it’s time to update you all on the progress of Cartel, including the release of El Güero, the CIA agent!
Production Update: September 2018
We’re continuing to work on the final mechanics of the game, and it’s time for us to start finalizing the text and getting it into layout. Please check your Backerkit for an updated Quickstart with a few tweaks to the llaves, enclaces, and basic moves… and read on for more info on El Güero and the Deck of Locations!
Deck of Locations Preview
One of the things I’m excited about this month is the Deck of Locations. Miguel has been working on the moves, and I’m excited about the potential for the Deck of Locations to help people bring custom moves to their table in force.
I love using custom moves in my games, and I want to give people tools to use them more. But writing good moves is hard, so Miguel and I want to give you a whole deck of moves that will spice up your game and give you new models for your own moves.
Here’s a preview of La Catedral:
La Catedral Mockup
We’ll be sharing a few more of these previews as we go, but look for the full release of these cards on PDF before the end of the year!
El Güero Playbook
It’s time for the newest version of the Quickstart (version 3.3) and… El Güero, the CIA Agent who is assigned to disrupt and/or manipulate the drug trade in Durango.
El Güero has been a major design challenge for me, especially because I want to make sure that folks don’t have to read a bunch on the CIA before using the playbook. While I initially thought that I wanted to have some supplementary materials, I think I’ve found a way to build a misión for El Güero that makes the playbook work without requiring a ton of additional reading! I look forward to any feedback you all have.
You can get your copy of the new Cartel Quickstart and El Güero playbook via Backerkit’s digital download system. We’ve already pushed out the files to your account, and you should have received an email letting you know that the files are ready for download. If you didn’t, you can access them directly from Backerkit here:
Note that we’re not updating the DriveThruRPG version of the Quickstart or El Güero: these versions are only for backers. Feel free to share them with your own group or run them at events, but please don’t post them publicly. Updates to the quickstart and new files are for backers only until we get the final book done!
Closing the Backerkit
One last item of business, cabrones! As we get closer to our release in early 2019, it’s time for us to close the Backerkit and charge your credit cards for add-ons and upgrade. We’re a bit behind schedule on the closure/charge, but we’ll be doing both on October 15th, 2019. Thanks for your patience!
¡Oigan Muchachos! July 2018 Update!
almost 6 years ago
– Wed, Aug 01, 2018 at 12:21:40 AM
¡Hola, compadres!
Julio is almost over, but I’ve got enough time to sneak in an update before we roll over to Agosto! Gen Con 2018 starts in just two days, so I’m going to keep this update corto y bueno!
Production Update: July 2018
The Cartel corebook text and design continues to chug along, and we’re hard at work on getting the book ready for you all this year. I’m still developing a few tools to make MCing the game easier (including full writeups on designing amigos y enemigos), and I’m doing the research on the CIA’s role for the Aguila supplement/LE section. This part of completing a book is slow, but I’ve got a lot of help from the Magpie team to get across the finish line.
Stay tuned next month for more info on Deck/map, previews of CIA info and more. Looking forward to sharing more with you all as soon as it’s ready!
Cartel @ Gen Con 2018
The largest industry convention of the year is upon us, a bit earlier this year than in previous years. Usually we have until the middle of August… but Gen Con, like Santa Muerte, comes upon us when we least expect it. We’ve already flown out to Indianapolis, and we’ll be setting up the Magpie Games booth tomorrow!
I’ve got a ton of meetings scheduled for the next week, but if you’re looking to catch me at the convention, I’ll most likely be at our booth (#2459) or at our game room (#2359). I’d love to meet any Cartel backers, so please don’t be shy about introducing yourselves. Your support has made so much possible!
If you didn’t get into a game of Cartel in our game room, the hosts at the Magpie game room (#245) will do their best to get you into a game if there’s a seat available. Here’s a list of the sold out slots if you want to show up and see if a spot opens up:
Thursday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Friday, 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Saturday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Saturday, 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Saturday, 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
In addition to Cartel, we’ve also got over 100 other Magpie Games’ sessions running in room #245. Please come by and play something with us if you’re looking for Masks, Epyllion, Bluebeard’s Bride, Chaos Worlds, or any other game we publish!
Zombie World on Kickstarter
Speaking of other games we publish, we’ve launched a Kickstarter this month for Zombie World, a card-based PbtA tabletop roleplaying game in which you play survivors of a zombie apocalypse, struggling to make a new life in the face of obstacles both living and dead.
Brendan and I have been working on Zombie World for the last few years, inspired by games like Dead of Winter and movies/tv like The Walking Dead, Day of the Dead, and Zombieland. Zombie World takes the Powered by the Apocalypse system in new directions, using special cards to generate characters, create situations, and resolve conflicts. Making a new character takes minutes: you draw a few cards, and you’re ready to go. Every time you take an interesting action in the game, you draw a few cards that will tell you what happens to your survivor.
Zombie World comes with all the cards, the playmats, the rules, and even a dry erase marker—everything you need in a small box you can easily fit into your bag and play on the fly. Check it out on Kickstarter today!
