BOO! As in ghosts and goblins and scary Halloween things!
Because it is indeed, Halloween as I write this, and not long now the trick or treaters will come knocking. It’s a great time of the year!
For us at Onyx Path, we’re having a great time of the year, too! Our current crowdfunding campaign for Scion: God on the BackerKit platform continues to trample through Stretch Goals (in a very godly way), and last week we passed 300% funding!
Tomorrow is the big pantheon chapter reveal, so back ASAP if you want to get that early access!
At our meeting today, we covered the Scion: God campaign, and more, but the big event, as I’m sure you’d expect, was our seance to contact the spirit of our old intern Bax Masterson. We all virtually clasped hands and concentrated on our favorite memories of Bax, but since nobody had any, we just chanted his name using different stage voices.
Now, as we were concentrating on Bax, some odd and unusual things occurred – I mean, even more odd and unusual than most of our Monday Meetings. Our old AGFA film developing system appeared in my new garage spooling out previously unpublished pages of Vampire: The Masquerade 2nd Edition (I wondered where those pages containing the truths about the Antediluvians went and why we never published them).
We heard the ringing of a silver bell.
A mighty voice rang out that sounded like a really terrible impersonation of Mario claiming to be Bax’s Italian cousin and demanding revenge for Bax’s untimely demise. (We later found out that this spectre was haunting the Onyx Path yacht in its dock in Italy). After we blamed all that on the old WW and gave him an update on all the Exalted books, he was actually cool about the whole thing.
With all that distracting us, is it any wonder that we juuust missed the key words of invocation and instead of communicating with Bax’s spirit, we wound up reanimating him?
Oops!
So now, Bax “Boney” Masterson is catching up on Zoom meetings and how the world has changed in 10 years. So many edition changes! I hear he’s loving TikTok. Also “life” as a skeleton. And we all just leveled up as Necromancers – so we’ve got that going for us.
Typical Monday Meeting, really.
While we’re talking undead servitors, today is also the last day of our month-long celebration of the They Came From! game line. Last chance to take advantage of all the sales, folks!
This coming Friday, the Onyx Pathcast continues their coverage of They Came From! with an actual play of Matthew running Dixie and myself through his sequel to the cult favorite Manos, the Hands of Fate! It’s a year after the events of the movie as we take a wild family road-trip with my FBI-agent father stuck taking his teenage daughter, Dixie, on his secret investigation of a cult in the desert…the cult of Manos!
Check it out because I really think it’s a good story, we had a lot of fun playing it, and because it’s a superb example of how any film can be used as a template for a They Came From! game session (or series of sessions).
I don’t think we’ve really emphasized this enough so far. We often hear that folks would like to run a game, but don’t feel like they can create sessions from whole-cloth. Most of the time, we try and help with that by providing Jumpstarts, story hooks, and whole adventures, but They Came From! is uniquely suited for a gaming group to pick a film that fits into one of the genres featured in the game line. A sequel, like Matthew did with Manos, and the Plan 9 Tasty Bit, or even a straight-up recreation of the events of the film!
You could add your own characters to the existing ones, or play the current cast, or even replace them with your characters. And because They Came From! games are all compatible, any of the character archetypes from any of the games can be used. Once the table agrees, y’all can dive right in!
We’re going to talk about this more in terms of the game line, but I hope just the idea of drawing from a film gives a few groups some fun playing!
Since we’re on the cusp of November, let’s look ahead and mention that Legendlore will be our November celebration game-line! Not only will we be having our celebratory 90% off sales of the PDFs, and IPR will be having their 50% sales on the physical products, but DTRPG is having a ton of huge sales this month including a massive Exalted sale later this week, and their legendary Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales at the end of the month!
One final point about this being the 31st of October: that makes it the very last day of Inktober, and so the last day that I have done a drawing in ink following the strictures of the event. I realize that it might be hard to tell from the outside, but this is a real artist marathon, and knowing I’m just about done is a huge sense of accomplishment – and relief!
Here’s one of the latest ones, although not the final one for today as that gets finished and posted after I finish this blog!
In contrast to the dragon pics I shared last week, this immense insectoid creature can go toe to, uh, pincer, with dragons and win. It’s a terror of the underground world.
So now we have 31 drawings representing the sorts of creatures and species that live in The World Below, our newest game line! These pieces are intended to function as concept art for our freelance artists and writers to use as reference. Some of them might find their way into our World Below projects, too, but that still remains to be seen.
If that intrigues you now that you know what they’re for, you can find all 31 of them posted one a day all through this past month on my social media – FB and Twitter. It was great knowing that each day I was adding to the game – and Matthew and I have had some great discussions based on the art – and that gave me the extra wind to get through doing a piece of art a day.
Which is one way to stay engaged and excited creatively after:
TEN YEARS, MANY WORLDS, ONE PATH!
BLURBS!
KICKSTARTER/CROWDFUNDING!
Over 300% funded on BackerKit crowdfunding… Scion: God!
Join over 1770 other folks who have already backed the Scion: God Backer Kit crowdfunding campaign! Can we make it to over 2000?
https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/a0c8d51d-83cd-4f6c-8577-f80482b2c1f8/landing
Onyx Path Media!
This week:
Matthew runs a They Came From game for Rich and Dixie. They Came from the Hands of Manos!
As always, this Friday’s Onyx Pathcast will be on Podbean or your favorite podcast venue! https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/
Onyx Path Media now has its own blog on Tuesdays! We’ll continue posting our highlight of the week here, but Tuesday will be the day to visit if you want to catch up on actual plays, interviews, deep dives, and other assorted Onyx Path media!
Please check out our attached media schedule for the impressive number of videos on our Twitch channel this week! In particular, keep those eyes open for our Storypath Showcase, where we give an excellent profile of our various Storypath games and how to play them!
MEDIA HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK:
Devil’s Luck Gaming are back with another Scarred Lands series, this time playing the epic campaign Dead Man’s Rust, all in magnificent costumes. Check out their website here and give them a follow (and subscribe!) on Twitch: https://devilsluckgaming.com/shows
The Onyx Path News discusses recent and upcoming releases! You can find it on our YouTube channel (click the bell to be informed when we go live!) but if you missed the last episode, here it is: https://youtu.be/8HbqbT6SBxw
Virtual Tabletop!
The Scion: Origin and Scion Hero Compendiums are now available on Roll20!
https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/publisher/1716/onyx-path-publishing
Scion is just the start! They Came From Beneath the Sea! and other
Onyx Path RPGs are in development for Roll20 virtual tabletop!
The first of our official Scion sheets designed for Foundry VTT are
now available!
Direct Link: https://foundryvtt.co
Looking for more virtual tabletop resources? We have a selection of
Tokens, Encounters, and more available now at DriveThruRPG!
Get ’em here: https://bit.ly/3SnrNJ7
Our Sales Partners!
We’re working with Studio2 to provide our traditionally printed books out into your local game stores. Game stores can order via their usual distributors, and can also contact Studio2 directly. And individuals can check out our projects via the links below!
Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books, dice, and screens? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/
HALLOWEEN IS THE LAST DAY FOR THIS SALE:
They Came From Beneath the Sea! book and screen 50% off for OPP 10 Year Anniversary at IPR.
As well as the annual Halfoween Sale (50% Off select books and screens) at IPR.
https://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Deals-and-Specials/
Starting in November: Legendlore Hardcover and Screen will be 50% on IPR.
As always, you can find Onyx Path’s titles in PDF and PoD versions at DriveThruRPG.com!
HALLOWEEN IS THE LAST DAY FOR THESE:
TCFBtG! PDFs 90% off!
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/saleguide.php
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/4261/Onyx-Path-Publishing/subcategory/8329_36480/They-Came-From-Beneath-the-Sea
Here is the massive Halloween Sale at DTRPG:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/halloween.php?manufacturers_id=4261
Starting in November: Legendlore PDF and PDF screen will be 90% on DTRPG.
Amazon and Barnes & Noble!
You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).
Check out the Trinity Continuum: Aeon novellas Dawn and Meridian in the Kindle store!
On Sale This Week!
From out of time and the tomb: they come! The Book of Lasting Death for Mummy: The Curse 2e will be available in PDF and physical book PoD formats this Weds on DTRPG!
The Book of Lasting Death includes:
• New guilds to play in your chronicles of Mummy: The Curse, from the tragic Deceived and stoic Kher-Minu to the blighted Maar-Kherit and oracular Wadjet-Itja.
• New antagonists among the Judges and Amkhata and playable options such as Patchwork People, Purified, and ephemeral cultists, as well as many more.
• New cosmic powers, some specific to the guilds in this book and others usable by Deathless created from the Mummy: The Curse core book.
Conventions!
Because dates for physical conventions are subject to change due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, we don’t yet have a list of upcoming physical conventions. Instead, keep an eye out here for more virtual conventions we’re going to be involved with!
Game Night With Onyx Path Publishing at Start.Playing is the last Friday every month! Our special focus this month will be Legendlore! (But any of our game lines are welcome!)
Please spread the word about GMing games as much as
possible. Details on how list a game are at the bottom of the page in
the FAQ:
https://startplaying.games/event/game-night-onyx-path
And now, the new project status updates!
Our full list of projects will be available monthly on our blog! Check out September’s full list report here:
DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM EDDY
Here are the projects that moved to the next stage of production:
First Draft
Scion – Tasty Bit – Animal Companions
- Eddy: Our latest Tasty Bit, we cover all sorts of animal companions for Scion.
Manuscript Approval
Trinity Continuum – Brave New Worlds
- Eddy: Lots of Trinity Continuum manuscripts coming in for approval lately! This one covers a wide variety of unusual locations for Talents to explain and adventure in.
TC: Aberrant – Best at What I Do
- Eddy: Also coming in for approval, this TC: Aberrant book covers Elites, solo heroes, and vigilantes.
Post-Editing Development
Mage: The Awakening – Tome of the Pentacle
- Matthew: Meghan and Lauren are working their post editing magic on this big book of Mage! Not long now!
ART DIRECTION FROM MIKE CHANEY!
In Art Direction
- Ex3 Crucible of Legends – Contracting. Maria has this one.
- Ex3 Sidereals KS – getting KS art over for paradox approval.
- TCF Cyclops Cave and Classified Jumpstarts – Art buys broke down.
- M20 Victorian Jumpstart – Art buy broke down.
- W20 Howls of the Apocalypse – With Maria for ADing.
- SCION Wild Hunt – Art buy broke down.
- TC Anima – Getting the MMO notes and pt2 of the splats done. It’s the biggest chunk of what we got left.
- TC Aether JS – Art buy broke down.
- TC Adventure Jumpstart – Denmark, Riley, KMJ, and John Wilson are working on it. Art due end of November.
- DTR Devoted Companion – Gaydos and Sheikman.
- Contagion Chornicles Global Outbreaks – Contracted – Just got Leblanc.
- Squeaks in the Deep Companion – Getting first sketches in.
In Layout
- SCION Realms of Magic and Mystery– Art due end of November.
Proofing
- TC Adventure! – Adding in additional text from Danielle on this. Maria rattling artist cages.
- Ex3 Adversaries – Inputting errata and prepping to send off to Paradox.
- CtL Hollow Courts Novella – At Paradox for approval.
Indexing
At Press
- Scion Dragon – Files sent to traditional printer. PoD proofs on the way.
- Scion Dragon Screen – Working on getting printing started.
- Scion Masks of the Mythos – Files at traditional printer.
- Scion Masks of the Mythos Screen – Working on getting printing started.
- CtL 2e Kith and Kin – PoD proofs on the way.
- TC: Mission Statements – PoD proofs ordered.
- Victorian Mage – M20 Victorian Mage – Going into Indexing.
- Squeaks in the Deep Jumpstart – Out to backers this week.
- TC: Aberrant – Proteus Nova Compendium – Out to backers this week.
- MTC Book of Lasting Death – PDF and PoD versions on sale this Weds on DTRPG!
Today’s Reason to Celebrate!
Of course, today is Halloween – so all must revel! Later in the week, we can celebrate the ten year anniversary of successfully closing the Kickstarter for the Deluxe Werewolf: The Apocalypse: 20th Anniversary Edition! This was BY FAR our biggest KS at that time, and where we tried a whole bunch of things that complicated the fulfillment including the amazing Ultra-Deluxe Heavy Metal Edition with the claw marks on the cover cutting through an actual rusty metal plate! For me, that was the achievement of what I wanted to do with the first edition cover, but future me, who had to ship out all the Ultras, felt a little less thrilled. Future me needs to get over it – it was too cool not to do – and we could, thanks to the backers!
Comments
17 responses to “BOO!!! [Monday Meeting Notes]”
This might sound a crass, but I hoping that one day you guys could do a Cyberpunk/magic type setting. Yeah, like Shadowrun. You could create whole new fantasy type races, or use creatures from urban legends. Maybe ever use different (rules wise) werewolves, vampires, mages, that are not the same as previous settings so they can be more balance to each other.
I know it was kinda a joke a few years back, but I’d back a full book/mini-line dedicated to combining Storypath lines, even moreso with The World Below coming. People are going to do it anyway, but an OP foundation would be awesome
Intriguing, because I haven’t seen much interest in this sort of thing for the Storypath game lines. I guess I’d need to know more as to why you’d be interested in such a combined line. Is it as simple as you want to have Divis Mal punch out Zeus, or is there more there? 😉 What’re you looking for a combined setting to do, especially how do you see The World Below fitting in?
tl;dr I’m more interested in stapling system elements (mechanical and story) together at will than a specific crossover setting
I’ve been homebrewing and Frankensteining systems together since before I could ride a bike, and the biggest draws are:
1) Character flexibility (“you wanna play WHAT?? … fine, I know the book for that”)
2) Story inspiration (first Scion 2e game I ran was an adaptation of Artifacts, Etc. from In Media Res)
3) System “Optimization” (I have never met a skill list I was happy with, but there’s nothing missing from these three together…)
Reasons I mixed 1e (Scion + Feral + VtR):
* people wanted to play different things
* double-templating (Vampire Scion) makes for mysterious (and ridiculously unbalanced) foes
* mix-n-match system elements (Virtues, Virtue/Vice, Skill lists)
* easy cues for tonal flexibility (Hunter-y investigation to Scion beat-’em-ups)
Without having gotten nearly as far as I’d like into reading or running Storypath, some things I’m eyeing for incorporation into Scion-based games:
* They Came From camp (Quips would fit right in with my previous groups)
* Trinity Core/Assassin better-than-mortals
* Skill tricks, mixing and merging skill lists, Edges, dotted Paths
* Trinity factions (as cross-pantheon collaboratives)
* Wholesale theft of abilities (powers, edges, whatever), with or without consistent explanations
* media crossover (Xena wakes up in the Nova Age!) or just diverse universes (Constantine, Wonder Woman, and Batman walk into a bar)
* Dungeon crawls from (/into) The World Below
I think you’re going to like the upcoming Storypath Ultra as we’re looking at a much more consistent core set of rules – which should make it easier to merge and combine the Storypath games. Your “kit-bashing” sounds like a lot of fun for your players, and that’s really what I think our hobby is all about!
Onyx Path kind DID make Cyberpunk/Magic setting? Trinity Continuum Anima is the most Cyberpunk you can get – but inside setting you have whole MMO game that you play – and is very much World of War craft-like Fantasy… ?
We most certainly did! And we’re always happy to talk about Anima on the Discord channel. Come say hello and chat with us.
Well, as noted already, we do touch on that very thing – magic and cyberpunk in one setting – although from a very specific way, in Trinity continuum: Anima. For something that combines them both, I’d have to wonder what fresh perspective we could bring? Doing just a Shadowrun clone wouldn’t really be something that we’d be into, but can you think of a different spin that would be particularly cool, interesting, and different enough to stand out of both Shadowrun and Cyberpunk’s shadows?
I know it is out of your hands since Paradox is the IP holder, but I was always interested in a post-apocalyptic WoD where, in the wake of the Wyrm’s not-entirely-successful assault, magick is surging in spurts and the Technocracy is trying to make an incredible leap forward in enlightened science. Meanwhile the shapeshifters were fully outed during the war, but was that actually a bad thing. The vampires are still jerks because, y’know, vampires.
Maybe I’ll run it one day and have fun making it up as I go. 🙂
Certainly, if you do it yourself you’ll be able to guarantee that all the moments you think should happen actually do happen! I don’t recall us having a post-apocalyptic discussion at WW back in the day – we were pretty excited about a reboot after the end of WoD, but I do know that there were a bunch of fans who were sure that was what we were going to do. For us, one of the big strengths of WoD and then CofD is the modern day setting. Very easy to jump into conceptually. First game could always be your home town, your school that you and your players are attending, that sort of thing. Going post-apoc adds a step, or a layer, between the “real world” and the “game world”, and that wasn’t what we thought would have the most appeal. Which is always a wider audience sort of thing, not a critique of anybody who would enjoy playing that sort of setting.
Was there a KS that had Victprian Mage that I missed?
It was on IndieGogo early last year. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/victorian-mage-ttrpg#/
Currently-active BackerKits are linked in every Wednesday release post: https://victorian-mage-ttrpg.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
Oh wow! What an entry this week was!
Must be pretty convenient having a free level in necromancy. Never know when raise dead might come in handy. Like, dusting or dishes. For lazy days, you know?
Thanks, Y! A little creative and silly writing to go with the holiday. And yeah, an undead intern could be great – maybe as a 24 hour social media admin! Most of the incidents were first put forward by Mirthful Mike, I just elaborated and organized them.
Funny you should mention AGFA. I went to my local Dismember the Alamo this weekend, which was partly programmed by AGFA. That also means I saw a few movies which would be fantastic for They Came From games. Spookies is insane and had a great use of the cheap set cinematic, and Unmasked Part 25 (aka The Hand of Death) would work well for a very meta Camp Murder Lake game.
Sounds like some real cinematic masterpieces, there! Perfect for They Came From, although I’m convinced after the AP Matthew ran that even truly classic films could be used for inspiration for They Came From sessions – just need the right spread of archetypes. Matthew actually did a Twitter thread about it, which I meant to link to in the blog but forgot about in a haze of Halloween-candy sugar: https://twitter.com/DawkinsMP/status/1585589605109211138