Good Society: A Jane Austen RPG – 2nd Edition

❈ Good Society 2E

It appears there is quite a stir in the air, for a new arrival is set to grace society with its presence. That's right, a new edition of Good Society, the multi-award-winning Jane Austen RPG, is here! With revised rules, additional sumptuous art, and a carriage-load of new modes for play, it is sure to be the talk of the ton. Oh, and did I mention it is making its debut as a fashionable box set? *swoons upon my fainting couch* 

***

Good Society is a collaborative roleplaying game that seeks to capture the heart, and the countenance, of Jane Austen's work. It is a game of balls, estates, sly glances, and turns about the garden. At least on the surface. Underneath this, just as in Austen's own novels, it is a game of social ambition, family obligation, and breath-taking, heart-stopping longing.

Those who love Austen, Bridgerton, or even Oscar Wilde will be delighted to hear that in Good Society you can: host balls, dinner parties, or tense visitations; contend with changes to your reputation; create the rumour and scandal going about town; and, most importantly, write lengthy and dramatic letters!

—Quickstart

In this game, you play the type of characters that captured your imagination in Austen's books; from a wealthy heir who falls in love with the aloof new arrival, to a charming socialite who dreams of making the perfect match. Exploit your position, connections, and family name to pursue your desire—all while contending with society's unending expectations.

Not only that, players in Good Society hold the power to control the story itself. Take on the role of influential connections, turn mere whispers into the talk of the ton, and spend tokens to orchestrate balls, carriage accidents, and even marriages.

—Watch it in Action

❈ What's New?

We've been honoured to have incredible feedback on Good Society over the years, from Game of the Year awards, to dozens of actual plays, and even forming the basis of Dimension 20's Court of Fey and Flowers. But the most important feedback has come from players like you! 

We surveyed hundreds of people on top of the thousands of hours of play we experienced over eight years to create this new edition. Here is what you can expect:

• A beautiful box set edition worthy to grace the halls of Pemberley (and finally, complete with resolve tokens and monologue tokens!)
• Substantially reworked rules for reputation, and rumour & scandal, with intriguing new options
• Streamlined and stress-tested revisions to other rules to reflect how you actually play, and provide a delightful time
• Reams of new advice, inspirational material, and yes, usable tables for when you need an idea at the drop of a top hat
• A fun twist on the desires you know and love, as well as new playsets and possibilities
• Brand new layout of the book, character sheets, and play materials to make for a streamlined experience at the table and online

❈ Backstory

In Good Society, you collaboratively tell a Jane Austen-style story with your friends. You play characters like those you'd see in an Austen novel, such as the pining cornerstone, the indulgent hedonist, or even the meddling dowager (Lady Catherine de Bourgh, we love you).

—Make a Character

❈ How to Play

Good Society thrives on collaborative play and open hearts. You and your friends play regency protagonists, but you also have a hand in playing the forces that complicate their lives. One person takes on the role of the facilitator, who helps the players to work together—but fear not, unlike their distant cousin the GM, the facilitator can also choose to play a major character so they don't miss out on the drama.

Good Society is driven by your character's motivations and interactions. Games take place in a series of phases that help you build the world and story together:

• Novel Chapters: Play your character as they attend balls, town events, visitations, and much more. Pursue your desire, explore relationships, and add to the unfolding drama.
• Reputation:  Adjust your reputation as you contend with society's new opinion of you. As your reputation escalates, it is sure to cause consequences.
• Rumour & Scandal: Create and spread the rumours that are swirling around society. Some will be merely whispers, while others will spread to every drawing room in town.
• Epistolary: For the writing of letters! Capture inner thoughts and feelings, or put your machinations in place.

That is Good Society in a nutshell, but why not watch an actual play to see what else you can look forward to (we didn't even have a chance to tell you about monologue tokens).

❈ Rewards | Box Set

• Ostentatiously adorned box: This box is made to be seen, with original art by Marlowe Lune adorned with opulent gold foil. Put it in the gallery wing immediately.
• Hardcover rulebook: A stunning 6x9in rulebook with over 200 pages of revised rules, brand new ways to play, thematic playsets, facilitator advice, inspirational material and evocative tables. Truly a boon to any manor library.
• Base deck: Over 65 tarot-sized cards to keep Good Society replayable and customizable. This includes desire and relationship cards to create your messy web of regency drama, and connection cards with vivid personalities to add to your game.
• Solo tutorial booklet: A solo learn to play booklet where you can learn the rules of Good Society on one's own—perfect as an introduction to the game, or to share with players new to Good Society.
• Rumour board: One's rumour and scandal deserves a worthy display piece don't you think? Tuck whisper slips into the board to turn them into rumours, and use the actions underneath as a quick reference.
• Tokens, tokens, tokens: A highly requested accoutrement, the box set shall be accompanied by punchboard tokens, specifically: 30 resolve tokens, 5 monologue tokens, and one talk of the ton token which looks like a cute teapot, just so.

❈ Rewards | Deluxe

❈ Rewards | Expansions

Ready yourself for drama untold with Expanded Acquaintance, which contains an astonishing six expansions for Good Society. This set includes a 320+ page hardcover book and two decks containing over 130 cards. There are only limited copies remaining before this expansion set sells out. Here's what's inside:

• Pride, Prejudice and Practical Magics: Enter a world where magic is integral to regency society. This expansion provides characters with both the power and the burden of arcane arts and otherworldly politics. Magical factions clash, and spells have lasting consequences.
• Sense, Sensibility and Swordsmanship: A Zorro-esque expansion of masked identities, evil plots, and daring deeds. Expect to be caught up in schemes, machinations, and outrageous action sequences—while still maintaining a respectable civilian life.
• Downstairs at the Abbey: Dive below stairs to explore the lives of servants. In this expansion you will weave upstairs-downstairs stories of position, scandal, and heartbreak, which cross and entangle in unexpected ways.
• Emma, Forget Me Not: Tell sprawling stories about the rise and fall of fortunes, and the bittersweet taste of longing. As the years pass by, you will also explore changing relationships, from lost loves, to broken friendships and lasting feuds.
• The Fae Courts: Transport your game of Good Society to the Faerie Kingdom. The Fae Courts fight in an endless struggle for power, as secrets, oaths, and powerful magics seethe below the surface.
• Lady Susan P.I.: Prepare to hide the evidence in this single-session murder mystery expansion. Lord Walnut is found dead in his own manor, and every major character is a suspect. 
• Guide to hacking Good Society: A step-by-step guide to making your own content for Good Society, from desires and character roles all the way to full hacks.

Please note that while some expansions are already compatible with Good Society 2nd edition, others will require adjustments. Your Expanded Acquaintance set will come with a PDF compatibility guide that explains how to make any required modifications.

❈ Pledge Levels

Pledge Levels:

Curious Flirtation

Respectfully flirt with your feelings with everything you need to jump into Good Society 2nd edition in PDF format. 

A financial hardship version of this pledge level is also available if you need it.

Already own the 1E PDF? Get yourself the 2E PDF with our ∼$10 USD PDF Upgrade tier instead. Why are we doing this? Because we are eternally grateful for your enduring support ♡

Extended Yearning

Pine for years upon years with the Good Society 2nd edition PDFs, along with the PDFs of its expansion book Expanded Acquaintance, the Love & Longing Deck 2E PDF,  Foxden Cross Zine & Map Pack PDFs, and all digital stretch goals we reach forthwith.

Ardent Affection

Further your feelings most adamantly with the Good Society 2E Box Set and PDFs.

Ardent Affection - Deluxe

Entertain deepest affections with the beautiful Good Society 2E Box Set, along with the limited edition deluxe extras and PDFs — all at over 10% off RRP. This includes the 2E Box Set, Deluxe Token Set, Facilitator Fan, Love & Longing Deck 2E, Foxden Cross Zine & Map Pack, and PDFs of all mentioned hitherto, along with all digital stretch goals.

You Pierce My Soul

Indulge in heart-stopping longing with the beautiful Good Society 2E Box Set along with all the expansions and their PDFs  — at over 7% off RRP. This includes the 2E Box Set, Expanded Acquaintance Hardcover, Love & Longing Deck 2E, Swords & Magic Deck, Service & Ambition Deck, and PDFs of all mentioned hitherto.

You Pierce My Soul - Deluxe

Experience soul-shattering sentiments with the beautiful Good Society 2E Box Set along with all the expansions, limited edition deluxe extras and their PDFs — all at over 10% off RRP. 

This includes the 2E Box Set, Expanded Acquaintance Hardcover, Deluxe Token Set, Facilitator Fan, Love & Longing Deck 2E, Swords & Magic Deck, Service & Ambition Deck, Foxden Cross Zine & Map Pack, and PDFs of all mentioned hitherto, along with all digital stretch goals.

Ultimate Literature Lovers

Your affections contain multitudes! Court a library of romance with the beautiful Good Society 2E Box Set, the expansions, limited edition deluxe extras, and our two other literary games, Castles in the Air and My Late Father's Correspondence. All at over 10% off RRP. 

This includes the 2E Box Set, Expanded Acquaintance Hardcover, Deluxe Token Set, Facilitator Fan, Love & Longing Deck 2E, Swords & Magic Deck, Service & Ambition Deck, Foxden Cross Zine & Map Pack, My Late Father's Correspondence book, Castles in the Air Hardcover, Castles in the Air Base Deck, Castles in the Air Family & Passion Deck, and PDFs of all mentioned hitherto, along with all digital stretch goals.

My Late Father's Correspondence  is an epistolary roleplaying game of bittersweet family drama. Set in 1832, Habershire, England, this game is a solo or duet roleplaying experience played entirely through letters. You play the youngest child of the deceased Col. Thomas Lockley, answering letters he can no longer reply to, and learning about the father who played a difficult role in your life. The game is simple—you will open, read, and reply to the letters you receive at Eadly Hall. However, family, duty, and grief are not simple at all, and you will make hard decisions about the future to come. Read more about it here.

Castles in the Air is a collaborative rpg designed to tell stories like Little Women and Anne of Green Gables. Set in the late 19th century, it follows a group of children who grow up together and remain connected even as they head their separate ways. It’s a game about their dreams, cares and struggles, their personal growth and failings, and above all else, what they mean to each other as years pass. How will the world change you? How will you change the world? Read more about it here.

❈ Add-ons

Should you be desirous to add any further items or extra copies to your pledge you can do so most easily by choosing those items from the add-ons section. You can do this when you pledge, or at any time you can modify your pledge to add extra items. 

Any item hitherto mentioned as part of any pledge tier can be added to your pledge, with the caveat that only physical pledge tiers can add-on physical items. The one exception to this is the physical Expanded Acquaintance set - as copies are limited this is only available as part of a pledge tier.

❈ Stretch Goals

Media

Circulars, articles, &c.

• Bustle: "A Jane Austen Roleplaying Game Means You Can Actually Live Out Your Mrs. Darcy Fantasies"
• Bell of Lost Souls: "Tabletop Spotlight: Good Society - The Jane Austen RPG"
• Gameindustry: "I played Jane Austen RPG A Good Society, and It's Great"
• Polygon: "8 Tabletop RPGs for Bridgerton and Our Flag Means Death Fans" 
• Screenrant: "Tabletop RPGs That Recreate Real History, High Society, & War"

Actual plays of 1st edition

• Tales from Salt Bay: Watch Havana Mahoney, Aabria Iyengar, Negaoryx, Teri Gamble, and Eric Reichert doing the best regency drama on Saving Throw.
• Eaton Grange Estate: Storybrewer Hayley facilitates a 12 episode campaign for a wonderful cast, using the Downstairs at the Abbey expansion.
• A Manor of Speaking: The very first actual play of Good Society, heartfelt and hilarious.
• Estate of Affairs: A most particular group of gentry with a lot of history have many a drama and a little dose of mystery.
• Young, Rich, and Probably Hot: Good Society features on the podcast My First Dungeon, where it is run by the excellent Carolyn Page from Dropout.
• Secret Ways of Love & Magic: What if Good Society took place in a city of magic? Watch this series from Pocket Dragon Pub and find out.
• Rainbow Die Studios: Welcome to Larkwell 1816, where regency drama gets just so...dramatic.

Shipping & Taxes

Shipping will be charged after the campaign through our pledge manager. The following table contains an estimated range and is subject to change depending on global shipping rates and regional taxes. The final total will be calculated by the weight of all items, so further add-ons may increase the shipping cost.

Unfortunately we are unable to ship to Africa, Central America, South America, Middle East, Central Asia, Russia, Ukraine or Belarus.

Import taxes and VAT

If you are in Australia, US or UK, you won't have to pay any import taxes or VAT. Outside of that, each backer is responsible for any import costs charged by their country.

For those in the EU, we will be collecting VAT via pledge manager after the campaign is over. This is not included in the shipping estimates above and will depend on your country. There will be no extra VAT to pay on delivery.

The Team

Game design and writing Hayley Gordon | Game design, art direction, graphics and layout Vee Hendro | Cover illustration Marlowe Lune | Interior and deck cover illustrations Raven Warner | Connection card illustrations Aviv Or | Map illustrations Hari Conner | Editing Melody Watson | Further editing Misha Grifka Wander | Community Fosterer Kimberly Loftus

Good Society: A Jane Austen RPG is published by Storybrewers Roleplaying, made up of Aussie game designers and married duo, Vee Hendro and Hayley Gordon. We make emotionally rich, character-driven games that explore history, literature, and queer narratives, bringing players together for heartfelt, collaborative storytelling. This is our 10th Kickstarter. 

100% human made, women-owned and queer as can be.

We are as now, and shall continue to be, two queer women working on Gadigal-Wangal country, making their way in an industry that often doesn't centre people like us. That is why this game of vulnerable emotions, changing relationships, and genuine collaboration is so important to us. We truly believe that we have to make and share the things that are important to us, and if we do, we can inspire people like us to feel they can make those things too. So thank you for taking your time to read this, and for supporting our little efforts. Proudly human made every step of the way.

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