The Pulse: Nov. 2, 2023

Indie tabletop game developer Mikey Hamm is releasing a revamped edition of Slugblaster: Kickflip Over a Quantum Centipede after it was named the Game of the Year at the 2023 Indie Groundbreaker Awards.

"You put all this into it, and it just feels good to know that other people enjoy it," Hamm said of the award, presented on July 29 by the Indie Game Developer Network. "And it's a smaller game — indie role-playing games are a sub-submarket, so it's very much a David-and-Goliath situation."

A BackerKit campaign that Hamm and Mythworks launched to fund the reprint closed on Oct. 26 with a total of US$41,915 raised, exceeding the US$30,000 goal.

Slugblaster is a story-based role-playing game with a less complicated rule set than classics such as Dungeons and Dragons, which tend to reward strategy. Instead, Hamm built a world that encourages players to do what's "cool," he explained.

"I tried to build all the rules to support this cinematic, fast, wacky action, rather than to simulate realism," Hamm told Taproot.

The narrative places your group in the shoes of portal-hopping teens who record themselves and try to go viral — and not die — while performing sick hoverboard stunts in other dimensions. When they make it home to their small town of Hillview, they have to deal with the consequences of their parents' worries and other teenage trials in a coming-of-age arc.

"The fun of the game is a lot about creating your own movie or TV show with your friends around the table, rather than winning or even beating the monsters or anything like that," Hamm said.

The game-of-the-year reprint will include a hardcover rule book, a colour-coded dice set, and poster-sized maps of four different worlds, designed by rule book cover artist Sex on a Pizza. It will all come together in a pizza-box-like package designed by Hamburger Hands, a Calgary-based artist.

Hamm said the packages will be manufactured this winter and will be sent to project backers and retailers in the spring of 2024.

• City council approved $16.7 million in affordable housing grants as part of the Affordable Housing Investment Program. The money will create 276 affordable and supportive housing units that will be rented at below-market rates to youth, people with disabilities, Indigenous people, and people experiencing homelessness who have recently been discharged from hospital. One of the grants will support the renewal of the former downtown YMCA. The funding comes at the beginning of Housing Month, which is marked each November to raise awareness about strategies to end homelessness in the city. Throughout the month, organizations behind the campaign will host webinars on affordable housing and homelessness.
• A group of downtown organizations launched a "walk and roll" plan to improve accessibility and commuting experiences in the downtown core. The Downtown Pedestrianization Plan was co-created by Urban Development Institute — Edmonton Metro and Paths for People, and has been endorsed by the Edmonton Downtown Business Association, the Downtown Edmonton Community League, and the Downtown Recovery Coalition. The plan comes as the city's urban planning committee prepares to discuss a report in December on opportunities to temporarily close downtown streets. It follows a debate in 2022 about closing 102 Avenue to vehicles, which council ultimately decided against.
• The city announced the completion of the 124 Street Renewal project, which lasted two years and upgraded the street between 111 Avenue and 118 Avenue. The project included a new boulevard design with trees, road renewal including surfaces and curbs, updated lighting and decoration, wider sidewalks and more seating, and accessibility upgrades including tactile walking surface indicators.
• A portion of Fort Road between 125 Avenue and 66 Street has partially reopened with reduced one-lane capacity in both directions. The stretch has been closed to traffic since April as part of a project to widen Fort Road to six lanes, and was originally supposed to reopen on Sept. 29. The city says it plans to gradually reopen more lanes throughout 2023 and 2024 as construction progresses.
• Edmonton Fire Rescue Services says there has been a significant decrease in the number of fires in abandoned buildings in 2023 compared to 2022. Officials attribute the trend to the Community Property Safety Team, a pilot project launched in 2022 to inspect vacant buildings and hold owners accountable for fire risk. Since October 2022, structure fires have dropped 31% in the inner city and residential fires have dropped 12%. Funding for the pilot is expected to end in December, but officials hope it will be extended for another 18 months. Council's community services committee will discuss the project on Dec. 4.
• Council's urban planning committee voted to commission a report on the possibility of using the Downtown Community Revitalization Levy, one of three CRLs in Edmonton, to fund incentives for developers to convert office space to residential units. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said the option could encourage conversions without needing to raise property taxes, but it would also require delaying other downtown revitalization projects slated for funding. Coun. Erin Rutherford told reporters she opposes the idea, noting that council received a lot of criticism during the zoning bylaw renewal debate from residents who see it as too friendly to developers.
• A new home builder, StreetSide Developments, a division of Qualico, is coming to Blatchford and is preparing to start construction on 26 new condo town homes near Littlewood Park. The town homes, when "paired with the architectural and energy performance standards for Blatchford," will be "unlike anything else in the market," said StreetSide vice-president Nicholas Carels.
• CBC News visited the Edmonton Fencing Club, which has been growing steadily each year, to explore the appeal of the sport in the city. Much of the popularity is attributed to head coach Jujie Luan, a former Olympic athlete who competed for both the Chinese and Canadian national teams. The sport also appeals to some for the academic and scholarship opportunities it provides. The club has plans to seek out a new, bigger facility.
• The Oilers Entertainment Group and the Alpine Club of Canada announced that the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation is hosting its ice climbing world championships in Edmonton's ICE District from Feb. 16-19, 2024. The event, which usually happens in Europe, will attract some of the world's best ice climbers for lead climbing and speed climbing contests. The Alpine Club will move its ice wall from the Edmonton Ski Club to the ICE District fan park, and it is expected to be open for the public to climb by mid-December. OEG is also planning an ice festival to accompany the competition. Tickets for the competition and festival go on sale Nov. 28.
• The CFL nominated Edmonton Elks defensive back Kai Gray for a Most Outstanding Rookie award in the West Division. The league will give out the awards on Nov. 16 in Hamilton as part of Grey Cup Week.
• The province announced proposals to reduce auto insurance rate increases for Albertans considered good drivers. The plans would prevent rates from increasing higher than the rate of inflation in September, measured at 3.7%, for people with a clean driving record. The province is also giving Alberta's Automobile Insurance Rate Board the power to direct insurance providers to return a portion of premiums they collect in years with high industry profits. The board will also be able to request a rate filing from insurers at any time to review rates and lower them if needed. The changes are expected to come into effect Jan. 1, 2024. Finance Minister Nate Horner said the measures are a short-term affordability solution while the province awaits the completion of a report examining long-term options used in other jurisdictions.

Here are some opportunities to offer your input on civic initiatives, including Edmonton's animal bylaw, concept plans for Castle Downs Park, and updates to St. Albert's land use bylaw.

• Animal Licensing and Control Bylaw Renewal: Phase 1 of Public Engagement — The City of Edmonton is working on a renewal of its Animal Licensing and Control Bylaw, which is more than 20 years old. A virtual public engagement event is happening Nov. 2 from 6pm to 8pm. Residents can also submit online feedback about regulations around dogs, cats, bees, chickens, rabbits, and other domesticated animals until Nov. 5.
• Castle Downs Park — Concept Plan — The City of Edmonton is updating its concept plan for Castle Downs Park in northwest Edmonton and is seeking input from residents about how they use the park and what amenities they'd like added. The city will share an online survey on Nov. 7. It has also organized a drop-in event at St. Lucy Catholic School from 6pm to 8pm on Nov. 7.
• Land Use Bylaw Update — The City of St. Albert has been revising its land use bylaw to align with its municipal development plan, known as Flourish. The city recently released a draft land use bylaw as well as a virtual open house to help residents explore the proposed changes. An in-person open house focusing on the draft document is happening at Progress Hall from 5pm to 8pm on Nov. 7, while an online survey will be open until Nov. 19.

More input opportunities

• Nov. 7 and Nov. 16: District Planning (public engagement sessions) in Edmonton
• By Nov. 7: Re-imagined Central Park in Spruce Grove
• By Nov. 7: 2024 Proposed Budget Survey in St. Albert
• By. Nov. 17: Oliver Neighbourhood Renewal (planning) in Edmonton
• By Nov. 20: Glenwood Alley Renewal (pre-engagement survey) in Edmonton
• By Nov. 22: Vibrant Streets Art Contest (voting) in Edmonton
• By Dec. 1: District Planning (online engagement and surveys) in Edmonton
• By Dec. 31: Public Washroom Survey in Edmonton
• By Dec. 31: Public Engagement Feedback Survey in Edmonton

Photo: An outdoor cat rubs up against an apartment building in Oliver. (Kevin Holowack)