Speaking of vacations, you know that feeling when you come back to work after one and you don’t remember how anything works? That’s a bit how I feel right now, because it’s been so long since I wrote one of these blogs. The interface has all changed since I last did one, too, so it’s been an experience trying to figure out how this is done all over again. So if you see an error in the blog today, don’t get frustrated with my colleagues. Assuming it’s all my fault, and we’ll work from there. Finding those weird problems in tech that no one else can possible replicate is my superpower.

Speaking of superpowers (I’m so good at segues), our Scion: Mythic Shards crowdfunder is still moving right along. We’re in the slower middle period of the campaign, which is something we’re really familiar with, but we did get some dice sets unlocked as add-ons, which is exciting! We’ve always wanted to make dice work, and with mixed success in the past, but this is probably the most flavorful option we’ve had in a while, so now’s a great time to leap on board in a single bound and pick up some great dice.

Since we’re already leaping (see? so good at segues), let’s do a quick pass over our lovely co-developers, Hiromi and Kim, to find out what they think of our superhero Shard, Four Color. First up, Hiromi:

This is arguably the closest shard to the core version of the World, however Four Color dials things up to 11. In the World, people know that there are Titans out there who revel in destruction. In Four Color, those Titans and their Titanic Scions are actively trying to wreak havoc. Apep stands out as the Big Bad who would destroy the sun, and with it all life in the World. He is Four Color’s analog to Marvel Comics’ Thanos and DC Comics’ Darkseid. 

But, Apep is far from the only danger that the Scions must confront. Dr. Arcturus rules the largely subterranean nation of Kolcharia and leads an international movement to regulate superhumans. Scions who face off against him will have to tread carefully to avoid an international incident. But, street-level heroes have their rogues gallery, too! Armadillo Man, the Cackling Crawler, and the Motley will challenge your heroes and make it difficult to keep your Scions’ mortal allies like Mickey Mahoney out of harm’s way!

From foiling muggings to epic battles on Asteroid X, Four Color has everything you could want in a superhero Scion game!

Oh man, Asteroid X. Such a great cut of Bronze Age X-Men lore. And it turns out Kim is quite the fan of Bronze Age mutants as well:

Hello from somewhere in the Pacific Ocean! 

I remember the first time I read a “What If…” comic Marvel comic from my dad’s massive comic collection when I was in elementary school. It was Issue 27, “What if Phoenix had not died?” from 1981, released two years before I was born. I loved the idea of these comics exploring the possibilities of other futures. I dug through the rest of my dad’s collection reading everything I could. I loved it when I found the older comics from the Silver Age in those giant boxes in our garage. It’s amazing how far comics have come as a storytelling medium, pushing boundaries to tell more meaningful stories with allusions to current social issues. The difference between what is allowed now in the Modern Age vs Bronze Age vs the Silver Age is amazing. The possibilities of what stories can be told in this sort of setting is vast. 

Four Color invokes the nostalgic fantasy of the joy of playing a superhero of Divine Origin. Scions can fly to outer space without equipment, rescue cats from trees, worry about college, tackle a rampaging oni, and stop Apep’s newest death ray all in the same week. This setting allows for many possibilities including alternate origins for known Scions. Team-ups grant major power ups to Scion bands and every Scion has their own signature ability that makes them stand out from the rest. Alison did a fantastic job with this chapter.

Wow, now I want to stop writing this blog and go back to look at some Dave Cockrum or John Byrne art. But I’ll hold off, since we have a meeting to talk about.

MEETING TODAY: I Thought It Would Be Shorter

Because Rich is out, I volunteered to run the meeting today, because we have a lot of plates spinning and I wanted to make sure none of them fall while we’re between vacation periods. When I volunteered, I thought to myself, now that Rich is out, this meeting will be super short. And it was… shorter, I suppose, but not by much. We still had a lot to talk about!

Of course, part of the reason for our chat is because a few of us were at Gen Con. We didn’t have an Onyx Path booth this year (we haven’t for quite a few years, actually), but we still had plenty of our books at the show! These these beauties out!

It’s always so exciting to see so many of our books all in one place. It really reinforces that we make a ton of great games, you know? Particularly at Gen Con — even though I haven’t been myself for five years, it’s still nice that we’re able to show off our hard work at one of the biggest RPG shows in the world. It’s even better that some of our hard-working creatives got some awards this year! I admit I don’t know absolutely everyone and what awards they got, so I’m reluctant to list any because I know I’ll forget someone and inadvertently offend them, but that just shows how much talent we have here at Onyx Path. It’s maybe too much!

We also talked a fair bit about our Curseborne plans. Nothing we can announce here, aside for “get excited for October,” but we are continuing to put out a couple of blogs every week showcasing some of the amazing stuff that you’ll see in the final book. Danielle talked about how curse dice work, and Matthew finished up his tour of the Primal. And starting this week, I’ll be showing you what the Outcasts are like, through the lens of a few of the people who are part of that Lineage.

We’re also planning to do an AMA! These events (short for “Ask Me Anything”) are always really fun, and we haven’t done one in a while, so we figured it was time to get the band back together. It’ll be Friday on Reddit /rpg — I’m sure someone will post details on social media and our Discord once they’re finalized — where you can ask us about the Storypath system and our games powered by Storypath.

Really, it’s easy for me to get lost in the weeds of whatever project’s in front of me, but sometimes it’s nice to take this kind of step back and really look at all the amazing things we’re making here. We really do create…

Many Worlds, One Path!

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Blurbs!

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Crowdfunding!

SCION MYTHIC SHARDS – Nearly 150% Funded!

Check out all the stretch goals we’ve unlocked! Mythic Shards shirt! Storyguide Reference PDF for After the End and Cyber-Scion! Even Shard dice add-ons for After the End and Cyber-Scion! How cool is that?

Coming up next is the chance to unlock a brand new Mythic Shard, and backers will get to vote on what it’ll be! We’re so close to unlocking that, so if you haven’t checked it out yet, now’s the best time to swing on over and push us over the edge.

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/onyx-path/scion-mythic-shards

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Onyx Path Media!

This week: Dixie, Eddy, and guest host Travis Legge get together to talk about some of the media that could inspire your Curseborne games. Some of the answers might surprise you!

As always, this Friday’s Onyx Pathcast will be on Podbean or your favorite podcast venue!

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Also check out our attached media schedule for the videos on our Twitch channel this week!

In this week’s Onyx Path News, Matthew talks about Mythic Shards, Rogue State, and more! Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXjO4yNX-M8

Awkward GM Corbin has once again come to YouTube, this time covering the Four Color Shard for Scion: Mythic Shards! Watch his video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGRWO6Lu8T4

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Virtual Tabletop!

They Came From Beneath the Sea! on Roll20 VTT!
https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/bundle/22308/they-came-from-beneath-the-sea

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! https://foundryvtt.co

Looking for more virtual tabletop resources? We have a selection of
Tokens, Encounters, and more available now at DriveThruRPG! https://bit.ly/3SnrNJ7

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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/

There’s a big closeout sale at IPR right now. Some Dark Eras stuff at 75% off, a couple of the amazing Deluxe Edition Exalted books at 50%, and even some traditonally-printed Exalted and Legendlore books, all on sale. Check it out:

https://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Deals-and-Specials/

As always, you can find Onyx Path’s titles in PDF and PoD versions at DriveThruRPG.com!

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).

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On Sale This Week!

This month will be the print-on-demand version of Scion’s No Gods, No Masters! It’s a tier-spanning chronicle for the Scion roleplaying game, providing a tale playable with pre-Visitation Scions all the way through to Demigods, and perhaps beyond. Contained within this book, you’ll find:

• Ready-made characters so you can embark upon this heroic journey immediately.

• An epic three-part adventure for your Scions to embark upon, wherein the fate of The World is in your hands.

• The emergence of a deadly set of antagonists in the form of the Keepers of The World and their many monstrous servants.

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Conventions!

Here’s where you can find out more info on physical and virtual conventions we’re going to be involved with!

GameHoleCon – Oct 17th – 19th

https://www.gameholecon.com/

PAX Unplugged – December 6th – 8th

https://unplugged.paxsite.com/

Game Night With Onyx Path Publishing at StartPlaying is the last Friday of every month! Come play some of our games that night! (But any of our game lines are welcome all day long!)

Here’s a link to give anyone $10 credit to play games on Start.Playing:

https://startplaying.games/referral/clog9y0v10006ju0968iev95m

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

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Project Status Updates!

Our full list of projects will be available monthly on our blog! Check out July’s full list report here: https://theonyxpath.com/release-roundup-july-2024/

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM ME!

Here are the projects that moved to the next stage of production:

Development

Exalted – Champions of the Divine Flame (was Full Exigent Supplement)

• Danielle: The writers have finalized their work and sent it along for development. It shouldn’t be long before this follows the heels of our other Exigents companion.

Post-Approval Development

Storypath – Storypath Ultra Core Manual

• Eddy: We had some interesting discussion about some of the edges of Storypath as a system, but in general this was given a big thumbs up by both Rich and Matthew, so now the Storypath Ultra Core Manual is going to get some final bits ready before crowdfunding!

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ART DIRECTION FROM MIKE CHANEY!

In Art Direction

• Ex Essence Pillars of Creation – Got finals in over the weekend.
• Ex Essence Deeds Yet Undone (Dirt Cheap) – Sending sketches to devs soon.
• The World Below – It’s going… got some finals in on Friday.
• TCF RPG Anthology
• SCION Mythic Shards (BK) – chugging along
• SPU Rulebook (BK) – Sketches all in… so far so good…

Proofing

• TC Player’s Guide – First round of fixes in… I have the files and I’ll send out the proof for a 2nd go around.
• Scion Path to Apotheosis
• Scion God

Indexing

• Ex3 Sidereals 

At Press

• Reprints:
• Scion Origin – Starting the trip over the seas to Studio2.
• TC Core – Starting the trip over the seas to Studio2.

• Exalted Essence Retail and LtD – Backer books at Studio2, finishing shipping.
• Ex Essence Screen – Finishing shipping to backers.
• Ex 3 Exigents – Getting quotes.
• Ex 3 Exigents Screen – Getting quotes.
• TC Aether – Getting quotes.
• TC Anima – Going through the proofs.
• TC Anima Terra Surge Screen – Getting quotes.
• Ex3 Sidereals – Indexing.
• Ex Essence Jumpstart
• Ex Essence Charm Cards
• Scion: God
• They Came From the Cyclops’s Cave – Proofs signed off on.
• They Came From the Cyclops’s Cave Screen – Getting quotes.
• They Came From CLASSIFIED – Proofs signed off on.
• They Came From CLASSIFIED Screen – Getting quotes.
• Scion – No Gods No Masters – PoD on sale this Weds!

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Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

Today is the fourth anniversary of the release of They Came from Beneath the Sea! The book that has spawned a franchise, I still have a lot of affection for this great B-movie game. I remember getting really excited when Matthew asked me to work on it, and realizing that Storypath made it easy to emulate the “our guns don’t hurt the giant monster!” trope of a number of these movies. I’ve often pitched it as “Mystery Science Theatre: The RPG,” and it’s still strange to me that it literally came true….