It is always so great to hear from our creative gang after they’ve returned from a convention that has really gone well, and the reports from Dapper Dave Brookshaw and Matthew Dawkins, The Gentleman Gamer, from Dragonmeet in London certainly sound like they had a great time! If memory serves me right, this is not the biggest UK convention, but it has been consistently growing and seems to have built up a very dedicated and friendly group of conventioneers.
Matthew and Dave hosted an Onyx Path panel and answered questions while handing out a box worth of our 2016-2017 Onyx Path brochures, and they tell me that folks there were thrilled to get their hands on them. The brochures, that is.
One of the things attendees mentioned was that they’d like to see smaller core books that are less intimidating to new players. Which is interesting as a lot of our thinking recently is making sure that while the long-time fan gets their compiled big book of love for the game line, we also provide ways for new players to get into the games as well.
Our line of Jumpstarts to go with the new editions are one way, and the way we were positioned with the WW license, that we’ve put into play these last few years, but you’ll also note that new games like Pugmire are slated to have smaller core books, and Scion 2e and the Trinity Continuum have two smaller books rather than a huge single book that you need to get started.
And now that we have actually made the massive volumes to restart, rejuvenate, and reintroduce, the WW game lines, we have more options as to what we can do as the lines develop. (In fact, when Eddy and I were planning what we called V4, a new edition of Vampire: the Masquerade, we were looking at ways to get the core book down below the size of the original VtM core book. With the new White Wolf Publishing having taken the design of the next edition in-house, we couldn’t continue with our edition, but I wouldn’t be surprised if V5 winds up as a smaller book or set of smaller books).
Speaking of our friends at the new White Wolf Publishing, some of you may have received a survey from them asking for your info and thoughts on a variety of topics. A lot of you may not have though, as their surveys are going out to people depending on which mailing list they are on. This week, it is our turn, and we’ll be sending the WW Survey to the subscribers of the Onyx Path Mailing List at around 6pm EST tomorrow, Tuesday the 6th. So if you want to send them your thoughts, make sure you sign up for our list before the WW Survey goes out!
The sign up spot is right there on the right side of the page —->
BLURBS!
KICKSTARTER!
We’re exploring card game Kickstarters, packaging, and components, for Prince’s Gambit. Right now, this will be pushed back further because we need to get the KS video, which will also feature the example of play, done. Right now, we are scheduling doing that the week before the holidays kick in. So the Monarchies of Mau KS may be our next.
The folks who are working with us on the Scion 2e LARP rules, Damocles Thread Development, are running a Kickstarter right now for their card based game of community theater drama, hijinks, and betrayal called Curtain Call. It looks to be a fun party game, with a line-up of fake plays you need to put on like Big Box Store of Horrors or Nightmare on 34th Street. (Full disclosure: the gang asked me to do the playbill cover art for Nightmare on 34th Street, a mashup of Nightmare Before Christmas and Miracle on 34th Street!) If all the crazy hijinks that go into pulling together a stage production are your thing, check it out and get your name in lights: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/205007809/curtain-call-2
ON SALE!
Keep an eye on our FB, Twitter, and other social media, for sales and deals during this holiday season!!!
Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Here’s the link to the press release we put out about how Onyx Path is now selling through Indie Press Revolution: https://theonyxpath.com/press-release-onyx-path-limited-editions-now-available-through-indie-press-revolution/
We open the locker this Wednesday; the Chronicles of Darkness: Hurt Locker, that is! The Advance PDF will be available on DTRPG this Wednesday the 7th!
Discover the long-awaited Secrets of the Covenants for Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition this Wednesday as we unearth the Advance PDF on DTRPG!
And for a physical book, this week we travel all the way to the Red Planet for the Cavaliers of Mars Jumpstart: A Festival of Blades, available in PDF and PoD this Wednesday!
We have now added a B&W PoD version of the Endless Ages Vampire Anthology to the existing full color PDF and PoD choices! Celebrating 25 years of personal horror, the eighteen stories in Endless Ages range in style and aesthetics from the very first edition of Vampire released in 1991, all the way to the latest books put out for the 20th Anniversary Edition. http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/193199/V20-The-Endless-Ages-Anthology
Seek the Cainite Conspiracies, the fiction anthology for V20 Dark Ages, in PDF and PoD physical book formats! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/195704/V20-The-Cainite-Conspiracies-Anthology
This collection of short stories features tales by Vampire developers such as Justin Achilli, Eddy Webb, David A. Hill, Jr., and Neall Raemonn Price along with award-winning horror authors including Maurice Broaddus, Catherine Lundoff, and Richard Dansky.
Here are the Beast Condition Cards Advance PDF version. http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/198773/Beast-The-Primordial-Condition-Cards
Part of the Beast: the Primordial rules and a handy and elegant way to keep track of and incorporate Conditions into your Chronicle, Conditions add an additional layer of consequence and reward to certain actions in the World of Darkness. Various things within the course of a game can cause Conditions. These include exceptional successes, supernatural abilities, and really any situation where the Storyteller thinks they can be used to heighten the drama of a game.
Promethean: the Created 2nd Edition comes to life in both PDF and PoD physical book versions NOW on DTRPG! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/189395/Promethean-the-Created-2nd-Edition
You are a pilgrim now, one of the Created. You rose to life from dead flesh or inert matter, under the ministrations of one of your own, or a mad scientist, or perhaps just the power of the Divine Fire. You wander the world, sometimes alone, sometimes in the blessed company of your own kind, driven by memories of events and facts you never knew, all in the service of one Great Work…
…to be human.
Humans don’t make it easy, though. The Divine Fire that animates you burns too bright, blinds people, and scorches the land if you linger too long. It masks your disfigurements and makes you appear human, but that mask slips and people see your hideous, true form. The Pilgrimage is a long, difficult road, but it is yours, and you know, somehow, that the salvation of the New Dawn waits at the end.
This book contains:
- The complete guide to playing a Promethean in the Chronicles of Darkness
- Reimagined Lineages and Refinements, and a redesigned system for Transmutations
- A more detailed approached to the Pilgrimage that presents players with more control over their characters’ path
- New challenges on the road to humanity, including deranged, greedy alchemists
With a snarl, W20 Shattered Dreams is now on sale on DTRPG in both PDF and PoD versions! Grrrrrrr! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/194649/W20-Shattered-Dreams
The Past Laid Bare
Shattered Dreams presents an in-depth look at the prehistory of the Garou and Changing Breeds, including both the threats they had to face before circumstances drove them to war and the War of Rage itself. Rather than one answer, it showcases many time periods and many ways in which the War could start, so that players and Storytellers can make prehistory their own. It also presents the circumstances surrounding the Second War of Rage, giving players the chance to take part, either as Garou Conquistadores or as the Fera desperately trying to fight off an invasion. Finally, the included chronicle structure allows modern characters to visit these crucial moments of history in an effort to stop the Wyrm’s most powerful minions.
Shattered Dreams contains:
• The first ever look at the World of Darkness before the War of Rage.
• The ways the Wars of Rage could start, and how enterprising characters could change what happened.
• Two chronicle frameworks that bring modern characters to the past, replete with new Abilities and new Storytelling tools that make the players the center of much larger stories.
With a howl, W20 Kinfolk: A Breed Apart will be on sale on DTRPG in both PDF and PoD formats! Awooooo! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/194952/W20-Kinfolk-A-Breed-Apart
Born to Run
The Garou are born of two kinds: humans and wolves. These are their Kinfolk — those “of the blood.” These special people — whether of two legs or four — carry in them the hope of the Garou: the promise of future generations. Although Garou are born to Kinfolk, nobody knows they’re different until they undergo their First Change. Until such a blessed (or cursed) time, they are just like their more mundane Kin. Most live as humans, suffering the foibles of humanity, all the while hoping they’re secretly special, that they harbor the wolf within. Even though that wolf will never howl for the majority of Kin, they’ve still got a vital role in the war, aiding the effort from behind the lines.
Kinfolk: A Breed Apart contains:
- Overview of the Kinfolk, both kenning and callow, including some of the Fellowships founded by Kinfolk to aid the Garou cause — and to protect themselves from their cousins’ Rage.
- Character creation for playing Kinfolk, including new Skills, Backgrounds, Merits and Flaws, as well as special Kin rites, Gifts, and fetishes.
- Guidelines for running Kinfolk chronicles, as well as in-depth information on the Kin-Fetches, the unique spirits used by Garou to watch over their distant cousins and warn the tribes if one of them should undergo the First Change.
NOTE: If you have already purchased the Advance PDF, you will be automatically updated to the final PDF and receive a link to enable you to purchase the PoD at a discount designed so that your total price matches our usual PDF and Print combo offer.
CONVENTIONS!
Onyx Path will be at Mid Winter Con 2017 in January in the lovely city of Milwaukee. Come brave the cold wastes to game and cavort with us! Please keep an eye out on the MidWinter site for announcements as to our very special beta test and Play With The Creator special events! http://www.midwintergamingconvention.com/
And now, the new project status updates!
First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)
- Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)
- Trinity Continuum: Aeon Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)
- M20 Gods and Monsters (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
- V20 Dark Ages Jumpstart (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)
- M20 Cookbook (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
- M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
- GtS Geist 2e core (Geist: the Sin-Eaters Second Edition)
- VtR Half-Damned (Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition)
- Kithbook Boggans (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
- WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)
- CtD C20 Jumpstart (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Ex Novel 2 by Aaron Rosenberg (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Redlines
- Scion: Origins (Scion 2nd Edition)
- Scion: Hero (Scion 2nd Edition)
- BtP Beast Player’s Guide (Beast: the Primordial)
Second Draft
- The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- Cavaliers of Mars
- Wraith: the Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition
- BtP Building a Legend (Beast: the Primordial)
- CtD C20 Anthology (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
Development
- W20 Changing Ways (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)
- SL The Wise and the Wicked (5e – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
- SL Ring of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
- Ring of Spiragos (5e – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
- SL Dagger of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
- Dagger of Spiragos (5e– Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
- Arms of the Chosen (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- VtR A Thousand Years of Night (Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition)
- V20 Beckett’s Jyhad Diary (Stretch Goal Content)
- Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition) RT: My bad last week, as I thought this was the CtL2 book went to editing already.
Editing:
- CtL fiction anthology (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)
Post-Editing Development:
Indexing:
ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:
In Art Direction
- Dark Eras Companion
- Beckett’s Jyhad Diary
- Prince’s Gambit – AD’d
- C20 – Still dealing with artist shenanigans.
- M20 Book of Secrets
- W20 Pentex Employee Indoctrination Handbook
- V20 Dark Ages Companion
- Pugmire
- Mortal Remains – Beast – Getting an artist to do it up
- EX3 Jumpstart – AD’d.
In Layout
- Necropolis Rio
- Promethean 2 Condition Cards
- V20 Lore of the Bloodlines
- SL Wise and Wicked Update
Proofing
- Beast Conquering Heroes
At Press
- Ex 3 Screen – Finished at the Printer.
- Ex 3 core book – From RichT: manufacturing continues. I’m told the two bound samples with covers are coming this week. But we’ve heard that before… and we are hearing it again.
- Beast RMCs – PDF and PoD versions on sale next Wednesday, the 14th.
- V20 DA Tome of Secrets – Waiting to order PoD proof.
- Dawn of Heresies Mummy Novel – Wrapping up errata from KS backers.
- Beast Condition Cards – Advance PDF version on sale, gathering errata.
- CofD Hurt Locker – Advance PDF version on sale Wednesday, Dec 7th.
- Secrets of the Covenants – Advance PDF version on sale Wednesday, Dec 7th.
- Cavaliers of Mars Jumpstart – PoD on sale Wednesday, Dec 7th.
- Revised Reap The Whirlwind Jumpstart – Advance PDF on sale next Wednesday, the 14th.
TODAY’S REASON TO DRINK: Happy BDay Mimi. Mbely.
I know Scion is starting with Origins and Hero, what are the starting books for Trinity going to be?
A core rulebook (my internal record-keeping calls it The Trinity Continuum: Storypath System rulebook) and The Trinity Continuum: Æon, both of which are listed above as being in first draft.
What does the note AD’d under Art Direction mean?
“Art Directed,” I assume.
You are correct, sir!
The Trinity books have been in the first draft stage for a while. Does that indicate they are still being written, or is it mostly finished and waiting for the right time to launch a Kickstarter? Where is the project on that? Like 95% done? 50% done? 10% done? Ian Watson writing the title and then “Cool shit goes here” on a cocktail napkin?
There was a logistical bottleneck that prevented progress on the core, which in turn stalled Aeon. We’re working on clearing it now.
Rose has mentioned before that a project is typically listed at the earliest completed point, so one chapter might have cleared redlines and had a second draft turned in, while another chapter hasn’t had its first draft completed, so the book as a whole would be listed as being in the first draft stage.
Rich mentioned during the Scion Kickstarter that he was planning for the Trinity Kickstarter to launch in 2017 around the same time of year.
Thanks for the info.
As for the length of a rulebook my rule of thumb is as follows:
> 300 pages -> I probably (95%) do not read it
> 200 pages -> I maybe (50%) read it, but probably not all of it.
100 – 150 pages is my sweet spot for core books.
around 50 pages for supplements.
Interesting, for me the bigger the better. I feel like I’ve gotten more for my money.
Yep, that is certainly one school of thought that we are aware of, and which went into my giving the go-ahead for these bigger books we’ve done.
That would feel a little light for me, as a consumer, but it would really depend on the value of the info. If I get engaged with the material and I want to play, then it could be one page. Of course, it’d have to be one amazing page.
Come on, Dragon Blooded, you can do it! Just a little farther! The world needs you!
You have absolutely no idea how right you are.
Very yes. Love my Realmies and lost eggs and all that Dragon Blooded goodness.
SOMEBODY’S got to do something about all these blasted Anathema running around here!
Pssh, Lunars!
Well, that’s what I’d say if I liked this edition anyway.
While I prefer to have one large book with as much info as possible rather than a smaller core book with plenty of supplements, I can see that it would seem rather daunting for someone who’s only recently begun discovering WoD or CofD.
The best way, IMO is the old CofD/VtR route with one smaller corebook with basic core rules and supplemental corebooks for the various gamelines with splat specific traits and rules.
Personally, I get really giddy and excited when I see a gigantic book full of goodness. I would start to worry for the survival of a game that just produced a bunch of anemic game books.
I certainly understand the large hurdle that new players face when trying to convince them to start a new game, but I also know that those very same people tend to not buy game books anyway. They’re half-heartedly interested, want a friend to hook them up with the pdf, and ultimately aren’t the best customers to pander to.
I wouldn’t consider making business decisions based on how we can get new players playing our games to be pandering. Onyx Path needs to be flexible enough to evolve how we sell and put together our projects in order to give them the best chance of garnering a following. That way we sell enough to keep on making them, and everyone gets to enjoy more cool stuff.
I don’t know if there is a single best solution for all possible gamers, but the Core + Core solution is one we are playing with with both Scion 2e and the Trinity Continuum, albeit both for different reasons. For Scion, the Scion: Origin core book lets us start the saga of a Scion before they transform/realize what they can be, and there was enough material we talked about wishing we could have included about that in the original Scion: Hero 1e that it made sense to divide the books that way. For the Trinity Continuum, we are looking more at the model you mention because we expect to have more time periods in the Continuum that we’ll be presenting with the expectation that folks will use the TC core with the books specific to that time period. In both cases, though, we want to be sure that the books themselves contain enough info, but not too much, so that we can bring new players into these two lines we’re bringing back.
There just something about Sam arayas art that speaks to me. Just really good stuff.
Also let me than Neall and the rest of the scion origins PDF kickstarter for their amazing preview
I’ve loved Sam’s work since he sent me that wheelchair piece for the nWoD core rulebook. Just spooky as all get out and beautifully rendered.
My apologies if I should know this. I may have lost track of things but, where are we on Shattered Dreams? I have received my PdF, but not the physical deluxe book and I can’t find the status of that on the notes above. I do not believe it has been shipped yet, right?
Thank you for the assistance.
Did you not get the last Shattered Dreams backer update for Nov? Let me know in case there was a glitch. As it says in there, next we’ll be preparing the files for traditional printing.
Found it. Thanks Richt. It seems I missed it in the chaos of moving into my new house.
Good then, I will stop worrying and resume patiently waiting. 🙂
I am an RPG geek with shelves upon shelves of RPG books proudly on display. And I love huge books. Dark Eras looks hella awesome to me, for example.
That said, when I pitched Ex3 to my new group, I realized I was essentially asking them to go through a 600 page book. I could see hesitation in their eyes. We decided to try something smaller first and then we’ll see after a couple of months. It makes sense. And, anyway, I have zero clue how Ex3 could function as a book that is half the size. But smaller books clearly do have their benefits.
But then again, I remember people being pissed about new WoD having a rule book separate from the core line books, back in the day. It’s possibly harder to get people interested in buying into a game that requires purchasing multiple books (like three whole darn books for DnD…). Not really sure what the middle ground there might be.
The difference with D&D however is only one person needs all three books.
As for Exalted, while the corebook could be reduced in size by making it just the core rules and putting the Solar information in a separate splat book, which I’d be opposed to.
What you really just need to understand with Exalted is the players don’t need to read three quarters of the book to play, naturally the ST should. Charms take up a large part of the book and no one needs to read all of them right off the bat, players can skip the ST centric stuff (antagonists, and artifacts in particular) and only need to focus on the setting info for the area they’re based in.
Of course new players aren’t going to know what they can skip and what they need to read.
Yes, you see the dilemma. Which is why we are going to experiment a bit to see if we can find the balance of the large book that has so much stuff in it, vs smaller or multiple books. We’ll see what actually sells, and, if possible, to whom. We know there’s an audience for huge books, and we have heard enough commentary from other gamers that big books daunt new players to know that there is some amount of truth to it. So we’ll keep looking for ways to satisfy as many folks as we can.
In my particular situation, I tend to prefer books that require as little reading as possible to play. This is bc my friends who enjoy playing RPG’s don’t really have time to actually read the core books beyond the character creation stuff. Unfortunately, I feel like most of the CofD and WoD lines don’t really lend themselves to that “pick up and play” style. I personally love them, but its tough for me to run them with my players bc I have to stop and explain things too often. So, more often than not, I run a Mortals game or HtV.
How about going with the quickstart books? Keep it cheap and brief and that should help players.
Something like this seems like a good idea. I don’t know how feasible this would be but one way might be to have the core book in all it’s girthy glory then have sections of it be purchasable as smaller books, like have the basic rules and player stuff in one book, the setting and themes another focused on more Storyteller oriented information.
Any idea when Hurt locker and Secrets of the Covenants are going up on Drivethru? My wallet is ready
Unless I’m wrong… new stuff goes live around 3 or 4pm EST…
As english isn’t my first language I want to make sure I got all correct about wod. So onyxpath can and does continue on the V20 books but the next edition of wod WW designs and does house intern?
Basically, yes. We are working on the many V20 projects that we’re scheduled for, and along with WWP on creating V5 books once they bring together the core book that they wanted to be as completely their baby as possible.
Ah thanks for the clarification!
Can we get a backer update on the M20 projects more detailed then “Its being written and in Art Direction”?
If Phil gives me more info for you, I’ll be glad to share it in an Update. Otherwise, I give backers the facts as they stand each month.
So you don’t check on the guy every so often to see what’s up?
Why do you always seem so angry when you post, man?
Why are you so vague with the updates, man?
See what I mean, you’re always confrontational. I’m not vague with the updates, I give you the place in the process the project is in. As I’ve been clear that I would be doing. But you’re trying to use this space, where you could be talking about something interesting, to be in my face.
I am very much looking forward to Deviant and the new Hunter myself. Here’s hoping things will proceed in such a way that there will be something new to report on them soon.