It’s exciting! We’re moving into the third reveal of our Shards from our Scion: Mythic Shards book and crowdfunder on BackerKit, and leaping through some Stretch Goals and right towards two goals that will add dice as Add-Ons to the project. Two different dice sets hand picked by dev Hiromi Cota to match the Shards they are connected to!
We’ve done dice in a variety of different ways and pricing, and these are super-flavorful in terms of matching their Shards, lovely to look at regardless of the Shard connection, and not at all expensive! And they come with a color matching drawstring bag! So, like the blog title sez: Don’t miss this one!
First we revealed the After The End post-apocalyptic Shard, and then came the Cyber-Scion (kind of self explanatory) Shard, and now we’re heading down the monochrome rain-slick mean streets of the Noir-genre Farewell To Heroes. I’m a huge Noir fan, and am really looking forward to hearing what y’all think out there. I really don’t know if the genre is compelling in and of itself to our modern gamers, but I know that our Scion team will make it so by mixing our scions (hard-boiled?) in with the foreboding shadows.
So, here’s Hiromi knowing all about it:
Farewell to Heroes is our noir setting. I’ve said in previous streams & interviews that it draws from X-Men: Days of Future Past and Watchmen, but that’s mainly because those works are also depictions of superpowered heroes in a noir setting. All of them draw heavily from the older noir works, like the stories of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett (i.e. the authors behind The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon.)
Farewell to Heroes is hard boiled. It’s vigilantes. It’s fugitives from the law, trying to do the right thing in a world that hates and fears them. In short, it’s an exploration of what Scion’s the World would be like if Heroes and Demigods were outlaws. How much energy will your Scions spend protecting themselves and each other? How much energy is left to save mortals and denizens from titanspawn? How do they evade the international law enforcement agency TITAN? What happens when they get caught? These are all questions that players will have to answer for themselves, as they get embroiled in heists and capers to get other Scions out of jail, erase criminal records, and find time to look out for the unpowered people.
This shard is arguably Scions at their most heroic, as they’re tasked with the job of saving people who will never say “thank you.” For the Scions of Farewell to Heroes, doing good isn’t a matter of maintaining a celebrity status; it’s an existential fight against the darkness, holding the shadows at bay. They join Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade in treading where others fear to.
To add to Hiromi’s thoughts, here’s Kim Godwin with another perspective on what makes this Shard exciting:
Hello again from future Jakarta!
As I’ve been exploring these South East Asian countries this summer I’ve been paying attention to the movement of the crowds through sprawling urban areas as they weave through narrow alleys and towering skyscrapers. Each city is bursting with life and energy as people go about their day – no one seems to pay too much attention to strangers meandering through. As night falls, they transform into something strange yet familiar with neon lights and sparse streetlamps trying in vain to keep the darkness at bay. People pay more attention to who is waiting on what street corner, who is smoking where (because in many of these cities vaping and smoking in certain areas is banned), and at the entrance to most major malls and shops are armed guards keeping watch. These places make it easy to think of how Scions in Farewell to Heroes might feel as they must be vigilant of open displays of their divinity. One wrong act of heroism will draw the government agency TITAN to them to arrest them because in that reality, Scions are hated, feared and hunted. Scions exist outside of the law and are therefore not protected by anyone but themselves.
Noir is a genre that lends itself to cynicism and intrigue. This is a perfect setting for heists, jail breaks, and espionage. You could easily keep a campaign in one city with a large enough population to hide in or run from city to city as your band gets burned or other Scions reach out for your band’s help. This shard is perfect if you ever wanted a more Watchmen, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Maltese Falcon, Sin City, or Casablanca feel to your Scion game. I’m a fan of concealed identities, looming threats, and personal stakes in games like this. The threat to your Scions is very real and geting burned in a city means confinement, or death. Stakes are higher and the rewards sweeter. Geoffrey did a phenomenal job writing this chapter and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Speaking of more about Mythic Shards as a whole, Kim Godwin sat down with the folks at The Old Ways Podcast for an in-depth interview, which went live this morning! Listen now at https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/32320657
Kim will also be Eddy’s guest on the Onyx Pathcast this coming Friday, so you can take a listen as they talk about the book, as well as Kim’s excellent, ever-growing, body of work with us here at Onyx Path! Available wherever you enjoy your podcasts.
Finally, for a sneak-peak at an upcoming Shard, check out Awkward GM Corbin‘s vid linked in our Media section as he takes a look at the Space Odyssey Shard!
MEETING TODAY: VACATIONS SALES AND CURSEBORNE
Since we are heading to the end of the month in a couple of days, our two major sales over at Roll20/DTRPG and at IPR are also going to be over! Check below in our Sales Partners section for links if you want to take advantage of some excellent savings!
There are also going to be some savings at the Studio2 booth at GenCon this week, so if you’re there and want to get some of our traditionally printed books (not PoDs) at a discount, you can find them at booth #1929/2029!
Most of us won’t be at GenCon this year, but both Travis Legge and Danielle Lauzon will be attending for different reasons and you might get a chance to see them at different panels, etc, during the show – and wandering the dark streets of Indy exhausted after show hours!
We talked today about how thrilled we are that we’re seeing a lot of discussion about the Curseborne blogs and videos that we started putting up almost two weeks ago. It’s really very cool when we post about a topic that folks get their teeth into! Last week, it was the first two blogs talking about the Primals and two of their families, the Get of Lyka, our werewolves and other canines, and the Hydes, those who transform from human into something far more ferocious, something protean.
If you check out our social media, you’re liable to find the links to these blogs, and also short vids that further tie together the world as they pull imagery and sound from these blogs as well as those teaser vids we made oh so very long ago! Of course, these vids are still all about mood and designed to intrigue folks into checking out the blogs and ultimately Curseborne, and so more about spreading the word in what we hope is a stylish way. It’s these bi-weekly blog posts that are our main way to deliver more about the game and setting. Even with these posts though, and the Ashcan, it’s still the Curseborne core book that will be the place to really put all the pieces together.
I mean for us – we know there’s a bunch of y’all that love to examine and try to fit together every piece we’re putting out there! Enjoy!
The one thing to bear in mind as we keep getting the word out is that we’re not specifically doing it in a way that is optimized for wherever you personally are in knowing about (or caring about) Curseborne. The signal to noise ratio when any game publisher besides Hasbro is trying to get the word out has become grossly noisy, and that, combined with the extremely varied audience we have after all this time and game worlds, means that you may, personally, get a bunch of redundant sources of Curseborne data. You may find that we’re pushing links in places we didn’t before and find that irritating.
Like we saw earlier before we announced the game, you may find that we’re not telling you about what you want to know and instead focusing on something you don’t care at all about. “I get it! I get it!”, you might be shouting. We understand where you’re coming from if you feel anything like that, and really don’t want to bug you. We’d rather not have to change how we normally do things, but we’ve got to shout to be heard.
If you can give us a little leeway, I think you’ll find that all of these pieces will indeed become less scattershot once more and more of the blogs, etc, get out there, and more and more people start discussing how it all relates and checking it out. Because we think there is so much depth to Curseborne that once folks start to see just how it all works, from this modern take on horror that still respects earlier horror games, to the implementation of the Storypath Ultra System, to the stunning and terrifying visuals that we’ve only hinted at so far, that everybody is going to want to see more!
And with that bit of rah, rah, rah!, keep an eye out next week as the delightful Eddy Webb pushes me aside and takes the helm of these Monday Meeting Notes! Will he steer you into the rapids for a mostly-safe thrill ride? Over a cliff? Or around in circles for his own amusement? Pop in next week and find out what Eddy has done to our:
Many Worlds, One Path!
Blurbs!
Crowdfunding!
SCION MYTHIC SHARDS – Funded in half a day!
So far, we’ve achieved a classic Backer T-Shirt offer, a Mythic Shards Reference Guide PDF to be created, containing useful charts and info to help Storyguides run After The End or Cyber-Scion games!
Coming up next are two Mythic Shards dice sets (After The End and Cyber-Scion) that will be added as Add-Ons if they are achieved! Jump in now and you’ll get to read each Shard as it is revealed!
https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/onyx-path/scion-mythic-shards
Onyx Path Media!
This week: Eddy interviews Kim Godwin to talk about her work at Onyx Path, including Scion: Mythic Shards!
As always, this Friday’s Onyx Pathcast will be on Podbean or your favorite podcast venue!
Please check out our attached media schedule for the 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!
In this week’s Onyx Path News, Travis Legge steps into the hot seat while Matthew enjoys a well-deserved holiday! This episode provides information on Scion: Mythic Shards, Trinity Continuum: Aether, and more! Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/live/41RKfoQNQPY?si=4g6O2n8sNgEskiaG
Awkward GM Corbin has once again come to YouTube with a preview of one of our Mythic Shards! In this case, he examines Space Odyssey! Watch his video at: https://youtu.be/aOdSb74Hh8I?si=SBPy-8upvnAXJ22V
Virtual Tabletop!
FINAL DAYS! Roll20 Marketplace X-Mas in July Sale is happening RIGHT NOW. Almost our entire catalog will be on sale for 3 MORE DAYS!
The Monsters of the Deep Compendium with all of the monsters added to the They Came From Beneath the Sea! Compendium core, including Tokens for VTT play, will be on Roll20 and DTRPG this FOUR MORE DAYS!
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
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/
Dog Days of Summer Sale: Monarchies of Mau/Pirates of Pugmire sale at IPR ends in 2 days!:
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!
FINAL DAYS! DTRPG/Fiction/STV and Roll20 Marketplace X-Mas in July Sale is on now:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/4261/onyx-path-publishing?promo=31815
https://www.drivethrufiction.com/xmas_in_july.php?manufacturers_id=4261
https://www.storytellersvault.com/xmas_in_july.php?manufacturers_id=4261
https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/search?tag=Unique%20Status:ChristmasInJuly24&author=Onyx%20Path%20Publishing
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).
On Sale This Week!
This month’s Tasty Bit PDF is the third in the Trinity Continuum: CLASSIFIED! villains series! CLASSIFIED Villain #3: Rogue State PDF on sale at DTRPG this Weds!
Conventions!
Here’s where you can find out more info on physical and virtual conventions we’re going to be involved with!
Keep an eye out for our books at:
GenCon starts this week and our books and other products will be at the Studio2 booth #1929/2029! Includes some convention special prices:
https://studio2publishing.com/collections/onx-onyx-path-publishing
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
Project Status Updates!
Our full list of projects will be available monthly on our blog! Check out June’s full list report here: https://theonyxpath.com/release-roundup-june-2024/
DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM EDDY
Here are the projects that moved to the next stage of production:
First Draft
Trinity Continuum – Steam Wars
- Eddy: The fleet of iron-clad steam-powered writers have marched out of the holding bay and into first drafts!
Editing
Realms of Pugmire – Curious Cats of Mau Jumpstart
- Eddy: The Curious Cats Jumpstart yowled through approvals until we let it out so it could wander into editing!
Realms of Pugmire – The Haunted Village
- Eddy: The first of two adventures we got with stretch goals in the Realms of Pugmire crowdfunding campaign is approved and ready for editing as well!
ART DIRECTION FROM MIKE CHANEY!
In Art Direction
- Ex Essence Pillars of Creation – They are working on stuff but Manilla got hit with a typhoon last week and several of the artists lost their homes. Needless to say, they are not running at 100% right now.
- Ex Essence Deeds Yet Undone (Dirt Cheap) – Getting some sketches in from HIVE.
- Ex3 Alchemicals – Splats with Mel still.
- The World Below – Reviewing sketches… Leblanc is almost done with his finals.
- TCF RPG Anthology – Thanks to car stuff, things did not go my way…
- SCION Mythic Shards (BK) – Rolling along!
- SPU Rulebook (BK) – First round of sketches in…
In Layout
- SCION Path to Apotheosis
- They Came From Classified Jumpstart – Assembled files with Ron Thompson.
- Scion Tasty Bit Combo
Proofing
- M20 Victorian Weird Wonders and Revolutionary Magic – Off to Paradox for approval.
- TC Player’s Guide – Sent Eddy’s comments over to Pauline.
- Pugmire 2e – Getting last bits of text from Eddy and my missing splats from Navela.
- Pugmire 2e Curs and Threats – Waiting on final page numbers from Realms.
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 – Should have quotes end of the week… printer was on vacation.
- TC Aether – Getting quotes.
- TC Anima – Going through the proofs.
- TC Anima Terra Surge Screen – Should have quotes end of the week… printer was on vacation.
- Ex3 Sidereals – Indexing.
- Ex Essence Jumpstart – Inputting errata correx.
- Ex Essence Charm Cards – Getting PoD files set up.
- Scion – No Gods No Masters – PoD proofs ordered.
- Scion: God – Getting PoD files set up.
- They Came From the Cyclops’s Cave – Proofs signed off on, should be printing.
- They Came From the Cyclops’s Cave Screen – Should have quotes end of the week… printer was on vacation.
- They Came From CLASSIFIED – Proofs signed off on, should be printing.
- They Came From CLASSIFIED Screen – Should have quotes end of the week… printer was on vacation.
- Tasty Bit – CLASSIFIED Villain #3 (July) – PDF on sale at DTRPG this Weds!
Today’s Reason to Celebrate!
Speaking of variants of a core game, the latest incarnation of the first WoD core variant came out Jul 29, 2015 when we published V20 Dark Ages! I still remember being sold on the first edition with the pitch of vampire knights chasing down human peasants with their lances through midnight estates, and V20 DA delivered all that and more!
i’m so sorry about the hurricane! all the sympathy to those affected
Very much appreciated. We don’t hear everything that’s going on over there with the art studios, but so far everybody seems safe, at least. That’s the first, best, thing we’re relieved to hear about, and then they’ll let us know how well their art and computers and servers handled the flooding.
Any chance Aaron Riley is doing any of the world below art? Love his stuff in dystopia rising!
Each of the Earthbane game lines are designed with very particular visual styles, so if Mirthful Mike thought Aaron’s style would work and if Aaron had time in his schedule besides his other gigs for us and other clients, it could be a thing. But, since this is a game line, not just one book, the chances of folks we like to work with like Aaron showing up in another book for the line are pretty good!
Oh, V20 Dark Ages is how I became aware of Onyx Path and all you wonderful people. Great book. I’ve loved reading it. Did it really come out in 2015?
I know, hard to believe, isn’t it? Ten year anniversary next year, and it seems like we ran that frenetic but fun KS just a couple of years ago! Great intro to what we can do – that Deluxe Edition’s cover is still one of my favs – and thanks for hanging out with us all this time. Have you had a chance to check out Curseborne?
I have! I purchased the ashcan the day it became available (I think). Curseborne looks very interesting and I can’t wait to see more of it.
Huh, Alchemicals is already in the Art Phase? That’s pretty fast, things must be progressing really quickly on that.
So ya know, we’re getting art for the crowdfunding campaign first and then the book itself, and while a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of the visuals (concept art, references, etc) gets done before _any_ art is contracted, you’ll be seeing the second phase of art direction next year.
I’ll be running a pick up game of the Curseborne Ashcan at Gen Con this week. My first time running it.
Fantastic! Please let us know how it goes – pics would be nice, too… Have fun, Louis!