Forewarned is Four-armed! [Monday Meeting Notes]

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Above you can see two of the sentient species in Cavaliers of Mars, illustrated in lovely b&w line-art by the multi-styled talent of Andrew Trabbold. That was a decision we made a couple of years ago, actually: to have all the interior art in Cavs by rendered line-art. The style works just right as it references both the old pulp-era illustrations and the early art in the tabletop RPG hobby.

Is going black and white line-art going to alienate current day gamers who are used to and demand full-color interior art? Well, it probably does limit the appeal of Cavaliers of Mars in terms of a more broad-based audience, but we knew that would happen with this sort of game anyway.

When Rose and I first started throwing ideas at each other the Gen Con after she pitched me the “canals/Venice” line, as explained last week, we were kind of brainstorming, kind of riffing off each others’ ideas. It became clear to me as the ideas started clicking together organically, that Rose had a very specific vision that she wanted to give full reign to rather than holding back for “business” reasons.

In fact, the label “Fantasy Heartbreaker” was mentioned pretty early in our discussions as a point of pride. (Note Rose’s Patreon page.)

For me, I tend to think of games like Cavs as beautiful jewel-boxes where every design decision is made to reinforce the overall feel and themes of the game. The world, the rules, the system, the visuals – all given consideration as an intrinsic piece of the whole.

This was a huge part of the appeal to me for publishing Cavaliers of Mars. If you look at Scion or the Trinity Continuum, they are designed to enable a lot of access points and ways to play, with built-in ways we can further expand the game to appeal to more people. (WoD, CofD, and Exalted, are also designed to “go big”). I like that Onyx Path can publish Cavs, apply our high production values as always, and help Rose create the focused game she imagined.

As we have done before, you can check out whether that approach to Cavaliers of Mars works for you by reading the KS page and the ongoing Updates, or by backing the project and you can read the complete text via a link in Backer Update #1.

 

 

VtR: Half Damned illustration by Felipe Goana

 

 

Besides discovering our jewel-box of a game, backers of the Cavaliers of Mars Kickstarter also discovered the newest member of the Onyx Path team in the person of our Kickstarter runner, Jammin’ James Bell, when they read their first Update. James will gradually be taking on more and more of the extremely varied responsibilities of running our Kickstarters – which is a huge weight off my shoulders and greatly appreciated!

Since James is entirely focused on our Kickstarters, we’re looking forward to his many years of customer service and business management experience to really pay off for our backers.

Hiring on James was one of the awesome things to come out of GenCon this year, much as with bringing Fast Eddy Webb on full-time as announced last month. I was really busy finalizing a lot of ideas for improving Onyx that we had been putting together all through the year, and we have a bunch more of them to reveal in the months to come.

Now, this announcement didn’t really come out of GenCon, but Steve Wieck and I did discuss a bit what was the best way to handle the Scarred Lands game-line with the passing of Stew Wieck. It was after the con that I tendered an offer to purchase Nocturnal Media‘s half of the rights, and last week that offer was accepted. Onyx Path now owns Scarred Lands outright, and we are all absolutely thrilled to be able to continue to create new projects for one of the very best settings to come out of the d20 days.

Onyx and Nocturnal are still linked together to fulfill the SL Kickstarter, but after that is all achieved, we’ll be moving forward into the Scarred Lands based on the plans I was developing with Stew, but on our own.

 

 

Wraith20 illustration by Mark Kelly

 

 

Finally, I just wanted to shout out to Mighty Matt McElroy, who flew out at the last minute to the studios of Geek & Sundry last Friday to join a taping of their One Night Only show focused on tabletop game publishing. Matt represented for Onyx Path, together with a panel of fellow game creators, and he says the whole thing was absolutely polished and fascinating. I understand you can find the show on their ProjectAlpha site with a 30 day free trial: https://www.projectalpha.com/

If you check it out, let us know what you think and we’ll pass your feedback on to the Geek & Sundry folks!

Until next week:

Many Worlds. One Path.

 

 

BLURBS!

ON SALE!

KICKSTARTER:

 

The Cavaliers of Mars Kickstarter funded and has been rolling along nicely past 500%, including a variety of Stretch Goals! For more on the thinking behind the game see above, and here is the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/cavaliers-of-mars-a-tabletop-roleplaying-game

 

ON AMAZON:

 

We’re delighted to announce the opening of our ebook store on Amazon! You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle. Our initial selection includes these fiction anthologies: Vampire: the Masquerade‘s Endless Ages, Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition‘s Rites of Renown: When Will You Rage 2, Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition‘s Truth Beyond Paradox, Chronicles of Darkness‘ God Machine Chronicle, Mummy: The Curse‘s Curse of the Blue Nile, and Beast: The Primordial‘s The Primordial Feast!

And now you can get these books in the Barnes and Noble Nook store too!

 

And here are six more fiction books:

 

Andand six more more:

  • Vampire: The Masquerade: The Beast Within Anthology (Kindle, Nook)
  • Werewolf: The Apocalypse: W20 Cookbook (Kindle, Nook)
  • Exalted: Tales from the Age of Sorrows (Kindle, Nook)
  • Chronicles of Darkness: Tales of the Dark Eras (Kindle, Nook)
  • Promethean: The Created: The Firestorm Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)
  • Demon: The Descent: Demon: Interface (Kindle, Nook)

And even more books are going up on Amazon and the Nook store on Wednesday!:

  • Vampire: The Masquerade Dark Ages: The Cainite Conspiracies
  • World of Darkness: Strangeness in the Proportion
  • Vampire: The Requiem: Silent Knife
  • Mummy: The Curse: Dawn of Heresies
  • Scarred Lands: The Walled Warren

 

 

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

 

 

iprlogo

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/

You can now order wave 2 of our Deluxe and Prestige print overrun books, including Deluxe Mage 20th Anniversary, and Deluxe V20 Dark Ages! And Screens…so many Screens!

And you can now order Pugmire: the book, the screen, and the dice! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=296

 

ON DRIVETHRURPG.COM:

 

EX3 Music Suite #1: Fanfare for the Chosen sounds off long and proud on DTRPG on Wednesday!

We’re also releasing the five EX3 Electronic Wallpapers only previously available to EX3 Kickstarter backers on DTRPG on Wednesday! And you completely underline this Exalted day: our monthly dose of creatures from the Thousand Devils Night Parade will also be releasing!

 

 

 

From out of the Dreaming, the C20 Jumpstart: Yours To Keep PDF and PoD are now live on DTRPG.com: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/217594/Yours-to-Keep-A-Changeling-The-Dreaming-20th-Anniversary-Edition-Jumpstart

There is magic hiding everywhere. You just need to know where to look.

You are a changeling, a faerie soul hiding in a mortal body, fighting the chill of Nightmares and the oppressive weight of Banality with the pure creative power of Glamour. You have lived many lives, but the story of this one? It outshines them all.

In this hidden world, knights in steel and leather clash sword to sword outside the homecoming dance, dragons fly between skyscrapers, and fantastic castles rise from suburban lawns. A world of magic, intrigue, and adventure, and now that your fae side has awakened, it’s your world too.

“Yours to Keep” includes a rules and setting overview, as well as pre-generated characters and a complete introductory scenario for Changeling: The Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition. It’s perfect for jumpstarting a new Changeling chronicle!

 

 

The PDF and PoD versions of C20 are now on DriveThruRPG.com: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/210616/Changeling-The-Dreaming-20th-Anniversary-Edition

Twenty years ago, White Wolf published Changeling: the Dreaming, the fifth of their promised five game-lines that together comprised the World of Darkness. Seen by some as a lighter, more fantasy-based setting in the modern-day, and by others as the darkest game White Wolf had yet created, players had to face the question of what happens once creativity and magic fades from their world.

This 20th Anniversary Edition of Changeling: the Dreaming returns to that deceptively bright yet terrifying world and both compiles and completes the concepts of the previous two editions. Led by veteran White Wolf and Onyx Path developer “Blackhat” Matt McFarland, our writing team consists of longtime Changeling creators like Ian Lemke, Jackie Cassada, Nicky Rea, and Peter Woodworth, as well as familiar names such as John Snead, Maggie Carrol, Matthew Dawkins, and Krister Michl. One and all are dedicated to making Changeling: the Dreaming Twentieth Anniversary Edition the most playable edition yet – while not losing the wonder, awe, and majesty that Changeling is known for.

  • A revised and up to date look at the World of Darkness through the eyes of the Kithain – what has happened to the Dreaming in the last 20 years, and what is the state of Glamour and dreams?
  • Rules for all of the kiths including in 2nd ed, plus fan favorites from other books: selkies, piskies, clurichaun, and both Arcadian and Concordian sidhe.
  • Rules for the Gallain: The inanimae, the hsien, the Nunnehi, and others!
  • An overhauled and reimagined system for fae magic, including new Arts and the powerful but dangerous practice of Unleashing!
  • New full-color beautiful artwork as well as classic Changeling illustrations including remastered full page pieces of the kiths by Tony Diterlizzi.

 

 

 

Now available, this all-new Trinity Continuum: Aeon poster, featuring the art we used for the cover of the StoryPath Booklet at this year’s GenCon! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/220904/Trinity-Continuum-Aeon-Poster

And this version for art lovers is without the logo: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/220905/Trinity-Continuum-Aeon-Poster-sans-logo

 

 

 

From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: After the Fall (Demon: The Descent Constantinople 1453-1458). The Ottoman conquest shatters Constantinople…and also the God-Machine’s grip on it. Unchained flock from all over the world to seek their fortunes in rebuilding the city. But is the Machine really gone, and if it is, can the Unchained face the horrors it drove into the shadows?

On sale in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/217978/Dark-Eras-After-the-Fall-Demon-the-Descent

 

 

 

Calling all Good Dogs! The Pugmire Core Rulebook PDF is now available on DTRPG.com!

http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/204313/Pugmire-Core-Rulebook

And the actual physical book, screen, and dice, are available to order on the IPR and Studio2 websites!

Studio2: https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

 

 

 

From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: A Grimm Dark Era (Changeling: The Lost Grimm’s Tales). With the publication of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, the Lost find themselves subject to the strength of stories, to a degree never before seen. As numerous stories reach greater audiences, the power of tales redefine what it means to be a changeling. Here, we explore a shift in the veil between fiction and reality, and find changelings who escaped by embracing the odd rules of the fantastic.

http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/217370/Dark-Eras-A-Grimm-Dark-Era

On sale in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG!

 

 

 

 

Satyr Phil Brucato beckons you once more into the Annex of Mage: The Ascension with this 300 page follow-up to M20. The M20 Book of Secrets is NOW on sale in PDF and PoD versions at DTRPG.com! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/214133/M20-Book-of-Secrets

More Than Magick

For mages who think they have everything, this trove of treasures expands upon the wealth of material presented throughout Mage: The Ascension’s 20th Anniversary Edition. New Traits, new rules, essays, answers, information… the Secrets are revealed within.

Enter the Annex

Building upon the M20 core rulebook, this Book of Secrets features updated rules and setting material, such as…

  • An M20 FAQ Genres & Resources
  • Matters of Focus Justice & Influence
  • New Abilities, Archetypes, Merits & Flaws
  • Expanded Rules for Combat, Resonance, Wonders, Computer Systems, and More

This Ascension Continues…

 

 

 

 

What dark secrets do the eldest vampires hold? Find out in Thousand Years of Night for Vampire: The Requiem! Advance PDF version available now on DriveThruRPG.com. http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/214130/Thousand-Years-of-Night

You may think that with a multitude of people coming, going, dying and running away, we’d be tired, done, or ready to give up.
Instead, I find myself restless, looking for the next thing. 
There’s always a next thing, and I for one am not yet ready to die.

– Elder Kincaid, Daeva Crone

This book includes:

• Detailed instructions on creating elder vampires, including how to base chronicles around them

• A look into the lives of elders, how they spend their nights, who they work with, and why including their roles in both their clans and covenants

• New Devotions, Merits, and Rituals for elder vampires

• The kinds of creatures that pose a threat to elder vampires, including Inamorata, Lamia, Sons of Phobos, a new elder conspiracy, and more!

 

 

 

 

 

CONVENTIONS!

Fast Eddy Webb will be running Pugmire during the online convention Gauntlet Con: http://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/ which runs from Oct. 20 – 22. Here is the sign-up link for the event which will be live-streamed. Currently three of six seats are still open: https://gauntlet-con.firebaseapp.com/event-detail/-KsmNjZtiH5ARXA6T6vb

 

In November, we’ll be at Game Hole Con in Madison, WI. November 2-5: https://www.gameholecon.com/  Monica Valentinelli (Hunter: the Vigil 2e, Dark Eras), Manda Collis (Exalted 3e), Scott Holden (Scarred Lands), Matt M McElroy (Operations Manager) and other folks from the OPP crew will be there!

 

Also in November, the Onyx Path crew including Rich, Matt, Lisa, Neall, Dixie, and Meghan will be at the first ever PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia, November 17-19. http://unplugged.paxsite.com/

 

Planning ahead for 2018, we’re heading back to Midwinter Game Convention in Milwaukee, January 11-14, where we’re going to be bringing a big crew of many of your favorite Onyx Path designers and we’ll be running demos and making some special announcements at the show!  http://midwintergamingconvention.com

 

And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM ROLLICKING ROSE (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 Gods and Monsters (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
  • M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
  • C20 Novel (Jackie Cassada) (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
  • Monarchies of Mau (Monarchies of Mau)
  • Night Horrors: The Tormented (Promethean: The Created 2nd Edition)
  • Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)
  • They Came From Beneath the Sea! Rulebook (TCFBtS!)

 

Redlines

  • Kithbook Boggans (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
  • Hunter: the Vigil 2e core (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)

 

Second Draft

  • WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)
  • Tales of Good Dogs – Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)
  • Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)

 

Development

  • Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)
  • SL Ring of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
  • Ring of Spiragos (5e – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
  • Pugmire Pan’s Guide for New Pioneers (Pugmire)
  • Scion: Origin (Scion 2nd Edition)
  • Scion: Hero (Scion 2nd Edition)
  • Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)
  • Trinity Continuum: Aeon Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)
  • GtS Geist 2e core (Geist: the Sin-Eaters Second Edition)
  • The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)

 

WW Manuscript Approval:

  • Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)

 

Editing:

  • Ex Novel 2 (Aaron Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)
  • DtD Night Horrors: Enemy Action (Demon: the Descent)

 

Post-Editing Development:

  • W20 Changing Ways (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)
  • Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)
  • C20 Ready Made Characters (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

 

Indexing:

 

 

ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:

In Art Direction

  • W20 Pentex Employee Indoctrination Handbook – Art at WW for approval.
  • Cavaliers of Mars
  • W20 Changing Ways
  • Ex3 Monthly Stuff
  • Scion Origins
  • Ring of Spiragos
  • VtR Half Damned
  • Book of Freeholds
  • DtD Enemy Action – AD’d… contracts and notes sent out.
  • C20 RMCs – Finished with sketches.

 

Marketing Stuff

 

In Layout

  • Prince’s Gambit – Remaining art is arting.
  • Beckett’s Jyhad Diary – Layouting.
  • Wraith 20
  • Beast PG
  • M20 Cookbook – Working on it after Beckett is done.

 

Proofing

  • VDA Jumpstart – At WW for approval.
  • Ex 3 Arms of the Chosen – 1st proof.
  • Becket’s Jyhad Diary – First half proofing with Dawkins.

 

At Press

  • Beckett Screen – Shipped to shipper.
  • Scarred Land PGs & Wise and the Wicked PF & 5e – On a boat to the US. PoD files processing (see above).
  • Dark Eras: God’s Own Country – PoD proof on the way.
  • VTR: Thousand Years of Night – Errors discovered at GenCon, getting fixed.
  • Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition) – Deluxe Edition cover and Screen in the works.
  • C20 Jumpstart PDF – PDF and PoD versions on sale this Wednesday!
  • CtL Huntsmen Chronicle Anthology PDF
  • Art of Mage – Prepping for PoD this week.
  • Pugmire Trick, Condition, and Initiative Cards – PoD proofs ordered.
  • Exalted 3rd Music Suite #1 – On sale this week.

 

TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE: A couple of days ago, our friend Murray the pug, inspiration for Pugmire and Eddy Webb’s very good dog, passed away suddenly. Let us salute and celebrate his life, and the long shadow cast by a very little guy.

39 thoughts on “Forewarned is Four-armed! [Monday Meeting Notes]”

  1. Good to see Arms moving forward. What is next after this first proof is done. Will it go into a second proof or will it go to art then WW for approval so the Advanced version will be release to crowd source the remaining proofing?

    Reply

  2. I just want to give my condolences to Eddy on the passing of Murray. As a devoted dog-lover, and a former pug custodian myself, I know how difficult it is to lose a wonderful dog. Stay strong, Eddy.

    Reply

    • Onyx Path doesn’t do release dates; it’s why we post the current production status of all our projects.

      As you can see above, both are in the development stage, but only Scion Origin has entered art direction, so they both have a while to go yet.

      Reply

  4. Where to start?

    I’m glad to hear about the Exalted soundtrack being released. I remember how much I loved the music in the KS trailer. 🙂

    Although I wish the circumstances were better, congrats(?) on adding Scarred Lands to OPP’s list of owned IPs. WotC has really left me hanging as far as settings for 5e and OPP never fails to deliver quality products so I’m excited to see where this goes.

    Reply

    • Thanks so much! Yes, even with the whooo, we own another great game line aspect, I still wish it was something I could work on with Stewart. But, we can’t change the situation. We’re really looking forward to some of the projects for SL that we’ve been discussing- including getting more of a presence on the online gaming sites.

      Reply

    • If Mirthful Mike does not collapse, and WW is OK with the finished layout, we should be able to produce the Backer PDF pretty quickly after approvals. Check out the Backer Update for this month, and you’ll see some spreads and some final estimations on page count. Both are going to wow you!

      Reply

  6. I notice both Scion and Trinity (the game I’m really waiting for) are both at the same stage of production. Does that mean when we finally see a Trinity Kickstarter it will probably be a fairly quick turn around to the published product?

    Reply

    • We’re going to try and keep things rolling at a much faster pace than what occurred with Scion, which has been challenged on both the pantheon expert and the adapting rules set levels. Trinity Continuum should not face those challenges, but I’m sure we’ll find some of its very own. What we are planning is to only have minimum change in the text for the books because of the KS.

      Reply

    • Will the Trinity books be adopting a traditional sized hardback book, or will you trying to format them into the smaller formatted books as they were in the first printing?

      Reply

  8. It is unfortunate the why, however, I know that with SL in OP’s hands it will do amazing things (as it was already). Excited to see where it is going to go. As mentioned above, WoTC’s setting with 5E is good and all for their campaigns, however, for someone who loves creating a ground up sandbox for his players, Scarred Lands has always just…well…provided. I’m also very excited about Wraith being where it’s at, although I was not a backer, I will be awaiting the PoD as this game is seriously special to me (and probably any other who plays it). Cavaliers is doing amazing! I’m proud to say this is my first backing of a project and had to…it wasn’t even a question of ‘if’ lol. Exciting things are always coming from OP and I’m thrilled to see what’s next!

    Reply

  9. Seeing as Beckett is going to be the bridge between V20 and V5, out of curiosity will there be similar books for the other WoD lines as the new WW moves forward? Totally understand if that’s not something you can talk about yet, I was just wondering.

    Reply

  11. Today in “What stage is KILLING IT!”. the winner appears to be DEVELOPMENT!!!! With both 2 books for Trinity Continuum (MMM, so much goodness) and Geist 2e. You heard me say it like a ghost rising from the grave (OOO, so spooky). I didn’t even really have that one on the radar but now it comes roaring in like big ROARY thing. – WHAT?!? I still need coffee

    Reply

  12. Awesome to see all the Exalted progress! Is there an idea which part of the process Dragon-Blooded will be Kickstarted at? During editing, layout, etc.

    Reply

    • I would ideally love to get the KS rolling while we are working on the layout, but we’ll have to see where the progress on the book creation meets our available KS slots.

      Reply

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