Yep, just when you think things are working as planned, you get a surprise.
In the case in the illustration above by our old pal Sam Araya, it’s a surprise thanks to the Contagion Chronicle!
Which is, right now, as you read this, seeping into our reality on Kickstarter!
Now, since we funded, support for this one has been steady, but slow. Part of that, we have no doubt, are the adjusted International shipping costs I talked about on this blog a couple of weeks ago.
There’s also a part that is kind of interesting, which is folks waiting to hear about a revealed section of the text that features a region or that has more to do with their favorite CofD game line. Well, we certainly hope that they like what they see when “their” section of text shows up!
In any case, we’re actually pretty happy with where this Kickstarter has been going, and we do hope more folks can jump on before the end a couple of weeks from now.
Check it out here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/contagion-chronicle-a-chronicles-of-darkness-cross
I was also really happy just this last week to listen to last Friday’s Onyx Pathcast featuring an engrossing and fun interview with Chris Spivey. It is really interesting, and I think is an excellent place for anyone concerned about how we’ll be bringing Cthulhu into Scion 2e to get an idea of how Chris will be developing that project, and how he’ll be handling the built-in challenges of the source material.
You can find the interview here, on PodBean, or on any of your favorite Podcast venues: https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/
Today, though, we were less happy with having to get together during the meeting and talk about how we need to figure out what broke in our proofing process with our Scion 2e core books.
I’ll talk more about this when we get all the information in, but it seems pretty sure that a number of errata fixes that Neall input did not “stick”, but remained as errors. He is currently, painstakingly, going back through his errata notes and reconstructing what changes need to be made.
The last I checked, he hasn’t found a pattern for why some changes stayed, and others did not, nor why this happened with these two books, but not on the dozen-plus books that have previously used the same proofing process. While I’d like to know that, and will, our in-house devs have already taken over the errata input phase so that our book developers only have to notate the PDF.
This will add another stage, but will also give us an additional chance to identify whether errata that we gathered is actually in a book.
We’ll be able to tell better once Neall finishes his pass, but we’re not seeing anything that breaks the game or makes it unplayable. Certainly, the rules as they stand have worked for the many Scion 2e groups who are already playing the game, including the fraction of Actual Play groups we can highlight each week in our Media section below.
But it is extremely frustrating for us, and Neall, but also for all of the Scion community that stepped up to pore through the Backer PDF and send us what they found. Sometimes, in publishing, despite all your safeguards, stuff slips in. Here’s a painful example of a process that worked…until it didn’t.
So, some weeks you can really enjoy the whole process of making something that didn’t exist before, and other weeks you do the job because that’s what you do, and others you have to try and fix what broke. Sometimes all those weeks are all in one week!
But in the end, you do it because it is how we create:
Many Worlds, One Path!
BLURBS!
KICKSTARTER:
The Contagion continues to spread, infecting all in its path with more and more Stretch Goals! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/contagion-chronicle-a-chronicles-of-darkness-cross
Matthew Dawkins has also started running the Contagion Chronicle for some of the members of his Discord, via Google Hangouts! Follow along to get some sneak peeks of the content coming up in the Contagion Chronicle Kickstarter: https://youtu.be/dFMjit-YTwQ
He also asks for your Contagion Chronicle-related questions here: https://youtu.be/axvrFeQOvEg
ONYX PATH MEDIA
On this Friday’s Onyx Pathcast, our team explore Emotions At the Tabletop! (I’m assuming the gang are looking at the full gamut of what you feel playing, what you bring to the table, and what emotions are evoked when you play!) https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/
And Here’s More Media About Our Worlds:
Matthew Dawkins returns with the Onyx Path News to discuss the Contagion Chronicle and new releases here: https://youtu.be/A27HxT33me4
And he’s not done, because he asks for your Contagion Chronicle-related questions here: https://youtu.be/axvrFeQOvEg
Matthew Dawkins and a whole host of the writers from the Contagion Chronicle are running a live Q&A Monday, 4/8, on our channel at 9pm BST. Here’s the link, so don’t forget to subscribe and click the alarm bell on the site to get notified when we upload a video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzN5jRB35OvnC-6gxnRY4gQ
Matthew also continues his read through of Vigilant: Through Shadows and Dreams, for Scarred Lands: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmTRJx9Qh4o
If YOU have a podcast, YouTube or Twitch channel, or talk about games on a blog or other website, and want to perform actual plays or make reviews of our games, please reach out to the Gentleman Gamer on the Onyx Path forum. From there we’ll share emails and get you started, so when you do start producing content we’ll be able to promote it on our blog and YouTube channel!
A newcomer here, as we highlight Twin Cities by Night‘s offering of a Hunter’s Hunted chronicle here: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-pygx4-ad07fb
Another new challenger approaches, with Roll the Role having run Dystopia Rising: Evolution for us on their Twitch channel here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/403766627
Occultists Anonymous, the Mage: The Awakening chronicle, has reached episode five! Here’s the playlist of all episodes so far: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh4mWsf86RuXzrrY_oHyjU4DdtE4MNsv2
And of course we continue to promote the absolutely superb Scarred Lands campaign by Devil’s Luck Gaming: https://www.twitch.tv/DevilsLuckGaming
A new player on the stage is going to running our Storypath games on their podcast, The Chimera!: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-chimera/id1259343855?mt=2
Please check any of these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games!
ELECTRONIC GAMING:
As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is now live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is both rolling and rocking!
Here’s an update from the App devs:
Onyx Dice! We’ve recently released the Changeling: The Lost, Trinity Continuum: Aeon dice, and now the Geist dice. Next up on our radar is: Demon: The Fallen, Mummy: The Resurrection, Kindred of the East, Vampire Dark Ages, and Mummy: The Curse.
We have a serious issue on the Pixel and Motorola phones that prevent the user from using the app correctly. A fix is coming shortly. A temporary workaround is to minimize the app without shutting it down, and then restore it.
ON 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).
If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue you bought it from. Reviews really, really help us with getting folks interested in our amazing fiction!
Our selection includes these fiction books:
OUR SALES PARTNERS:
We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the Screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire
We’ve added Prince’s Gambit to our Studio2 catalog: https://studio2publishing.com/products/prince-s-gambit-card-game
Now, we’ve added Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost
Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/
And you can now order Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Cavaliers of Mars, and Changeling: The Lost 2e! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=296
And available this week! Deluxe Changeling: The Dreaming and Deluxe Beckett’s Jyhad Diary! The additional books we have after the Kickstarter ship-outs are done are now at IPR!
DRIVETHRURPG.COM:
Starting this Thursday and running until the 22nd, all WoD 20th Anniversary Edition PDFs are on sale!
75% off all core 20th Anniversary Edition PDFs and 25% off every other 20th Anniversary Edition PDFs
PLUS!
If you are looking for physical Deluxe WoD 20th Anniversary books, IPR has them on sale for 25% off too!
On Sale This Week!
This Wednesday, here comes M20 Gods and Monsters, in PDF and physical book PoD versions on DTRPG!
CONVENTIONS
UK Games Expo: May 31st – June 2nd From the US comes Eddy Webb, Matt McElroy, and Rich Thomas to join with Matthew Dawkins, Steffie de Vann, John Burke, Chris Allen, and Klara Herbol!
Gen Con: August 1st – August 4th
Save Against Fear: Oct 12-14
GameHoleCon: October 31st – November 3rd
We’ll also be back at PAX Unplugged later this year.
And now, the new project status updates!
DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM FAST EDDY WEBB (projects in bold have changed status since last week):
First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)
- M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
- City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)
- Geist2e Fiction Anthology (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)
- Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)
- Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)
- Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)
- Trinity Continuum Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum Core)
- TC: Aeon Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)
- Tales of Aquatic Terror (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)
- Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)
- Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)
- Wraith20 Fiction Anthology (Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Blood Sea Guides for 5e (Scarred Lands)
- DR:E Jumpstart (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)
- DR:E Threat Guide (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)
- One Foot in the Grave Jumpstart (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2e)
Redlines
- Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)
- Cults of the Blood Gods (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)
- Legendlore core book (Legendlore)
- TC: Aeon Ready Made Characters (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)
- Heroic Land Dwellers (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)
- Monsters of the Deep (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)
Second Draft
- Tales of Good Dogs – Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)
- Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)
- Scion Companion: Mysteries of the World (Scion 2nd Edition)
- Let The Streets Run Red (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)
- Dragon-Blooded Novella #1 (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- Chicago Folio/Dossier (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)
Development
- Hunter: the Vigil 2e core (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)
- Lunars: Fangs at the Gate (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)
- Oak, Ash, and Thorn: Changeling: The Lost 2nd Companion (Changeling: The Lost 2nd)
- Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)
- Memento Mori: the GtSE 2e Companion (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)
- Distant Worlds (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)
- M20 The Technocracy Reloaded (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Creatures of the World Bestiary (Scion 2nd Edition)
Manuscript Approval:
- Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)
- Scion Ready Made Characters (Scion 2nd Edition)
- Pirates of Pugmire (Realms of Pugmire)
Editing:
- V5 Chicago By Night (Vampire: The Masquerade)
- V5 Chicago By Night Screen (Vampire: The Masquerade)
- Spilled Blood (Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition)
- CofD Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)
- Witch-Queen of the Shadowed Citadel (Cavaliers of Mars)
- CofD Dark Eras 2 (Chronicles of Darkness)
Post-Editing Development:
- Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)
- Tales of Excellent Cats (Monarchies of Mau)
- C20 Novel: Cup of Dreams (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
- M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Scion Jumpstart (Scion 2nd Edition)
Indexing:
- Trinity Core
- Trinity Aeon
ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:
In Art Direction
- Ex3 Monthly Stuff
- Chicago By Night – Gaydos getting finals in.
- Aeon Aexpansion
- They Came From Beneath the Sea! – Art coming in.
- EX3 Lunars
- Hunter: The Vigil 2
- Contagion Chronicle – AD’d for KS.
- VtR Spilled Blood – Hiring artists.
- M20 Book of the Fallen – Pinging artists.
- Dark Eras 2 – Getting artnotes in from devs.
Marketing Stuff
In Layout
- Dystopia Rising: Evolution – Slowly but surely.
- Signs of Sorcery
- Shunned By the Moon
- Scion Jumpstart
- Trinity Core and Aeon Screens – They are in progress…
Proofing
- Adventures for Curious Cats – Maps being reviewed.
- Geist 2e – To WW for approval.
- C20 Player’s Guide – At WW for approval.
- The Realm – Proof comments in, inputting.
- Book of Oblivion – Inputting first round of corrections.
- Tales of Excellent Cats
- Scarred Lands Spell Cards
At Press
- Scion Hero – Shipping from printer to fulfillment shipper this week.
- Scion Origin – Shipping from printer to fulfillment shipper this week.
- Scion Dice – At Studio2.
- Scion Screen – At Studio2.
- Fetch Quest – Shipping to backers.
- In Media Res – Getting Backer PDF out to backers.
- M20: Gods and Monsters – PDF and PoD versions on sale this Wednesday on DriveThruRPG.com!
TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE:
Kind of a personal one, but let’s celebrate that I no longer live in Atlanta…as the pollen clouds waft down and cover all surfaces with a fine green/yellow dust. It’s like the Martian invasion in War of the Worlds, and I’m glad not to sneeze my way through it as Spring arrives full-force!
Very excited seeing the stuff from contagion. A lot of it seems very fun, you guys did great. It’s a pity on what’s happening with Scion, Neall is probably feeling more overstressed about it then anyone. Hopefully this will be fixed soon so he can get that off his shoulders. In any case really looking forward to see more. It looks like it be fun.
Don’t worry too much about the errata issues! Just make Scion popular enough so all our pre-errata first editions become fantastically expensive. That should more than make up for it!
Making Scion that kind of a success is really more of a job for us than it is a job for them.
How’s the music suite coming?
The composer is doing the final versions where he brings all the musical bits together. I only mention it occasionally in the Backer Updates as it is a slow process with large gaps as he has to take real world musical gigs.
I came here to ask the same question. Thanks for the update.
Living in Augusta I know all about the pollen.
Do the unfixed errors affect the traditional printed scion core set to be shipped out.
We need to see just what did or didn’t change before we can compare.
Folks, just to put this upfront: if I intended right now to go into details of what may or may not have been affected by the errata problem, or details of our proofing process, beyond what I’ve written about here or in previous MMN blogs, I would have gone into those details already. Not trying to be cute, we really do need to determine the extent of the issue before we can solve any problems.
Bummer to hear about the Scion Errata Thing, but I’ve waited this long. I can wait a little longer for the Actual Final Errata’d Edition.
Tell Neall that we’ve got his back.
Hell yeah, we do! You’ve got this, OP crew. You got this. It sucks, sure. But you got this, and we can wait a little more.
Just gonna make it all the more sweeter when we do get them. 🙂
C20 pg.. .almost there….
Good news everyone!
Its good to know you guys are working on the issues with Scion, I am proud to be part of the project (as a simple Mecenas, but still…)
Now let’s talk about the future, Aberrant is on approval for some time, I guess soon we will have some juice KS to spend our money, will we?
We’re still working on a few backstage things with Aberrant to make it the best book it can be. But we’ll let everyone know when we’re ready to get it Kickstarted! 🙂
With regards to the Scion errata issue, I had something similar happen to me 2 weeks ago. Working on a document in InDesign, I’d changed which computer I was working on AND the files had been moved from the desktop to a shared network drive. So InDesign lost all the links. When I updated the links, InDesign got the right pictures but picked up the original Word files. What *almost* caught me out was that many of the changes that had been done to the text were still there (where the text had been input directly into InDesign) but a few had reverted to the original text (which was text that had been imported from Word files) and I was REALLY confused until I’d figured out what had happened (I MAY also have besmirched my coworkers who’d also previously worked on the file *ahem*). No idea if this is remotely applicable in Scion’s case, but reading about it did give me a very unpleasant case of deja vu (honestly, the stress nightmares I’ve had over the years…)
I am backing Contagion and would like to know what your current timetable is for Mummy the Curse 2nd edition? Will the KS be in 2019? (I realise it’s being developed in tandem with Contagion and will be in alignment as much as possible, but I have concerns that Contagion will not be able to adapt to changes introduced by a KS for MtC, and feel that the longer the gap between them the more likely this becomes).
We’d like to KS Mummy 2e in 2019, but we’ll need to see what else needs a-KSin’ first. Contagion and Mummy 2e have the same dev with Mr Dawkins, and Mummy 2e will be completely written before we KS it, so I don’t think the core book will have any surprise disconnects from the Contagion Chronicle.
Cool that’s reassuring thank you!