John Baltisberger is the owner of Aggadah Try It, a Jewish speculative fiction press. He's crowdfunding Morkkabeans 1:1, a 'zine written for Mork Borg incorporating Jewish folklore and legends.
Question: Easy question first: Give us the elevator pitch of your project. Tell us about it in two sentences or less.
Answer: Jewish mythology and history merge with the brutal fantasy of Mork Borg to explore the Maccabean Revolt in gristly glory.
Q: Is this your first ZQ project or have you done it before? If it's your first, talk a bit about what inspired you to give it a shot this year. If you've done it before, what's something you've learned from previous ZineQuests that you may be doing differently this time, or, if you're not doing anything differently, talk a bit about your previous projects.
A: My first! I've been wanting to put a Kickstarter together for years, since about 2012 when I became aware of the platform. But it always felt daunting, like I needed to have a 350-page rule book filled with original art. I always assumed I had to have something that was beyond professional. Once Mork Borg exploded onto the scene, and once I had run a publishing company for a few years. I realized that I could do this too, Mork Borg made 3rd Party content digestible in a way I hadn't seen before. ZineQuest seems to be the perfect opportunity to finally get in on making TTRPG content. Q: Finally, tell us something about your current project that really excites you but the average backer may not be aware of.
A: I've got a LOT of experience writing Jewish horror, I've won awards for it, the challenge here is marrying Jewish history with a world that already exists in a way that won't be jarring or annoying. Recreating the Maccabean Revolt inside the dying lands means taking a bit of reverence out of Jewish history, but allows for some super interesting interplay with how Mork Borg plays with gods and faiths. I think people will really dig it.
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