Journey

Our Brand. Our Voice

Journey was started, somewhat ironically, by a would-be Duelist of the same name. Rather than "sell out" and join one of the plethora of Brands offering sponsorships, she gathered together with other like-minded independent friends to create her own. The brand was originally called Journey and Co. Until the name got miraculously cut on the way to the trademark office (she still to this day hasn't figured out who did that).

As a Brand, Journey stands as a bastion of self-expression and entrepreneurship. In a lot of ways, Journey is the most straightforward brand to join, but also takes the most work. Self-discipline and self-improvement are both hallmarks of the Journey Brand, as being yourself in the face of easier paths is the whole point of their existence.

As a sponsor, Journey is a bit unique. As a Collective of independent creators, it does not have one identity but several. Each Duelist who joins Journey brings with them Their Own Brand, but they are also expected to maintain it. You would think this would make them a cut-throat bunch - and some of them are - But by and large, most Journey creators are happy to see others succeed even while they are struggling to succeed themselves. The Duelists of Journey take care of each other, but they expect each other to put in the effort. A Duelist is more likely to help teach you a new skill or concept before they'll offer you money or resources. They prefer to give a hand up rather than a hand-out.

Brand Deal

You can Pursue a Brand Deal with Journey by meeting one of these two criteria:

• Have an existing indie brand in your name, with a decent following
• Reveal your talent to one or more of the Journey creators.

The Journey Brand Deal is very simple. In order to be given a place at Journey, you have to convince a certain number of Journey Duelists that you should be allowed in. This generally involves showing off your talents and providing some other kind of indication that your ideas are profitable and/or interesting (they don't always share the same level of pragmatism). Journey sinks or swims based on the income of its individual brands. While few micromanage the scales as far as who brings in more than someone else, they are all ambiently aware that too many dead fish in the water bring the piranhas. Once you've gotten enough Duelists to vouch for you, you'll be admitted into Journey, and you'll be given your own special work space in the Journey Studio.

The expulsion process in Journey is as straightforward as the entry process. You merely need to keep your brand afloat. There is a number that is calculated using Journey's operating costs, the amount of money is reserve, recurring costs, and various other factors. The threshold for removal from Journey is about half of this number. The popularity of a number of long standing and highly gifted members allows newer creators some time to grow and test the waters, but there is a limit to how far others are willing to carry you.

Brand Move: I've got just the thing!

When you try to make up for something you don't have, describe what you need and roll + Skill.
On a 10+, you have one or more items that you can combine to get the job done! Describe how you McGuyver some them into a passable solution.
on a 7-9, you've got something, but it's not quite the best fit. Choose a complication:

• You have what you need, but you fumble the supplies, causing the job to take a little too long. The judge describes how the situation complicates in the process.
• Your fix almost works, but breaks halfway through. The judge describes how this complicates things.
• You manage to solve the problem, but you have to use up something important to you in the process. Describe what you sacrificed for success.

On a 6 or lower, your solution falls apart. Gain baggage.

Rivalry

You could say that Journey is in a rivalry with every other brand and with none of them. The influence of these smaller creators is not a reasonable threat, and thus there are rarely any dramatic encounters or vying for power. But at the same time, Individuality is always inspiring and sometimes the Brands that care about reach and exposure will actively put pressure on or find ways undercut independent creators. Clover in particular is known for sending spies down into Journey's studios, looking for niche items they can reasonably re-package, mass produce, and sell cheaper. This has led a few of the Journey Duelists to seek restitution in the form of Exhibition Duel matches, and other legal avenues. Many veterans within the space are wary of any Duelist that comes from the top Brands like Clover, Citizen Savant, and Stratus.