U=Ultra!

Next week, on Tuesday the 3rd, we launch the BackerKit Crowdfunder for the Storypath Ultra Core Manual! Woohoo! In fact, here’s the link to the prelaunch signup page, which I heartily recommend you sign up on if you’re interested in this newest and best version of our Storypath System:

https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/e1e8ffda-b5fb-485e-9b8c-4bed270ffde9/landing

So, you might ask, what is SPU Core Manual, anyway? Answer #1: it’s a book that contains rules, rules options, rules explanations, and example settings using those rules. Answer #2: it’s the long-awaited entry point towards Onyx Path providing a rules set that other folks – maybe yourself – can use in order to create their own games!

Answer #3: it’s the book we are looking to get traditionally printed and into stores as well as being on DTRPG, so that retailers can put in on the shelves with the games that are built from it, like At the Gates, The World Below, our upcoming horror game Curseborne, and more! That’s why we’re doing the BackerKit Crowdfunder, and why we’re looking for support from our community.

And as for that BK Crowdfunding campaign, well, there are a couple of choices for additional settings for the book we could use backer help with deciding, as well as the hope that as we achieve additional Stretch Goals after funding that those goals will be ones that expand on just what we’ll be enabling for home-brewers and aspiring game creators using SPU. So, yep, this will be a kind of different campaign, but a fun and useful one for players and creators!

Here’s Eddy with more, from his vantage point as developer of the book:

I’m so excited for the Storypath Ultra Core Manual crowdfunder! One of the things I’m pleased with is how we offer advice on how to expand and adjust the rules to get exactly the experience you want. Here’s a blurb from the book talking about that:

Maybe you want to make your own Paths, or need to create Edges and powers that give your characters that special spark unique to your vision of the game. Or maybe you want to introduce some more detail to systems like combat or investigation or bonds. If the core rules are the “science” of Storypath, here we move into the “art,” as you fine-tune the rules to work in whatever way you need them to. These suggestions aren’t as hard-and-fast as the core rules, and sometimes consist more about what feels right than what makes the most mathematical sense.

We also present the idea of “building block” systems, which are whole subsystems you can essentially drop into games as needed. Here’s more on that, again from the book:

Now you know how Storypath works, and even how to build on it. However, sometimes you need something specific. Your game might involve a lot of building strange scientific items or breaking into secure locations on a regular basis. You can use the core Storypath rules, absolutely, but you might want a whole new subsection of rules to give some real heft to these specific activities. We call these building blocks because you can add or remove them as you see fit and put them in whatever configuration makes the most sense to you.

If you’re still not sure, check out this Friday’s Onyx Pathcast where Eddy, Matthew, and Danielle dig into the SPU rules and the Core Manual itself – a topic they have all been heavily involved with for many moons! Available on Podbean and wherever you get your podcasts!

This Week, We Put the Ew in Meeting!

Last Friday, as I noted in last week’s MMN blog, a whole bunch of us from Onyx Path did an AMA on the White Wolf subReddit and it ran for about two and a half hours of some excellent Q&A exchanges. Of course, as we had hoped, there were a lot of questions about CofD and WoD 20, and some WoD5 ones as well.

There were also a bunch of Exalted questions and questions about our own games especially Curseborne. Again, as we had hoped. Today we reviewed how it went for a large part of our meeting and the general consensus was uniformly that it went great. We’ve had some mixed experiences on Reddit, but the audience on this subReddit were pretty much polite and asked some great questions.

We’re looking at returning as soon as the team over there will let us, it was that excellent a back and forth. There were, I think, over 750 posts and we were all pretty busy the whole time! Meanwhile, we’re looking at two more AMAs before October, so if you missed out, please do join us for those (one of them is likely going to be on a different venue than Reddit, as it’s important to us to spread the reach).

Of course, October is important because that’s when we have Curseborne‘s crowdfunder slated (on Kickstarter if all goes as intended). This is the last week of the twice-weekly Curseborne blog posts, because in September we’ll be moving to three times a week so that we can get out all of the info we’d like y’all to get a look at before the KS starts.

Something I noted during last Friday’s AMA is that I’ve seen some mention of “The Curse”, which might not be intended as such, but sounds like there’s some sort of single big curse in the game. Short answer: there isn’t. Curseborne‘s setting is pretty much our world, but hidden from view of most everyone are layers and layers of curses – tiny little “I hope you stub your toe” curses, to bad wishes, to “putting the evil eye” on someone, to medium-sized “everyone in my family is cursed to die young” ones, to the horrific curses that afflict our supernatural Families.

And those epic, dare I say, “Biblical” ones that stretch across the globe and through time!

If you’ve ever watched the movie Moonstruck with Cher and Nic Cage, there’s a theme of curses all the way through it. Cher’s character thinks she’s cursed because she eloped with her first husband at city hall and then he died in an accident. Her “bad luck” is a curse in Curseborne, or at least, if it’s true and not her imagination…

And don’t forget the old lady at the airport who put a curse on her sister’s plane for revenge!

Let’s stop calling attention to ourselves here, knock on wood, and make the sign warding against the evil eye, and get back to what else is going on! Brrrrr.

After a kind of slow Summer, our Twitch channels have boosted up the content so that this week several new shows start, and we wind up with a seven show week! They run the gamut of our Onyx Path games, so we hope there something for everybody. Remember, there are a lot of streaming venues like Amazon that provide ways to get Twitch subs to your favorite channels – like ours! So hope to see you there!

Check out the listings below in our Onyx Path Media section of The Blurbs!

Finally, it sure is weird to think that this is the last week of Summer! I’m always amazed at how fast we burn through this time of year. It’s even faster when you’re trying to get done everything we do – and prep for the KS for the project you’ve been working on for years (mostly behind the scenes). And, as you know if you’ve read this blog the last couple of months, we’ve also been playing a Tetris game of arranging some vacation time for all of our crew.

By the start of September, our little crew should all be feeling a bit refreshed, a bit more able to look at our computer screens without grimacing, a bit more energized to wrap up our ongoing projects and dive into the new ones glowing just over the horizon! Maybe it’s because I’ve been brainwashed by the US school system and going back each September to start a new year, but after August is done, it feels like we’re starting new!

Sharpened new pencils, new crayon colors, un-written in notebooks (or in my case, un-doodled in), new stories, new games. And a new chance to play in our:

Many Worlds, One Path!

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Blurbs!

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Crowdfunding!

Storypath Ultra Core Manual!

Goes Live Tuesday, September 3rd on BackerKit Crowdfunding!

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Onyx Path Media!

This week: Matthew, Eddy, and D discuss Storypath Ultra and the Storypath Ultra Core Manual!

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, you’ll find Matthew talking about the Mage: The Ascension and Curseborne! Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO0WnEk5Wyw

Awkward GM Corbin continues with his excellent run of videos, now with an expansive dive into Curseborne news released so far: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUqlV8p7k90

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Virtual Tabletop!

Cosmic Horror Sale is live on DTRPG and Roll20 – FINAL WEEK!

Masks of the Mythos featured bundle deal:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/featured_promotions?promotion_id=CosmicHorror_RPG_24

Roll20:
https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/search?tag=Unique%20Status:CosmicHorrorSale&author=Onyx%20Path%20Publishing

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/

Select CofD, Exalted, and Legendlore books and screens on sale at IPR – FINAL WEEK!:

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!

Cosmic Horror Sale is live on DTRPG and Roll20 – FINAL WEEK!

Masks of the Mythos featured bundle deal:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/featured_promotions?promotion_id=CosmicHorror_RPG_24

Roll20:
https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/search?tag=Unique%20Status:CosmicHorrorSale&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).

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On Sale This Week!

On DTRPG this week, tactfully check out this month’s Tasty Bit PDF: TC Æon: Diplomacy and Conflict – On Sale This Weds on DTRPG!

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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 this Friday the 30th! 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 EDDY!

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

Development

Tasty Bit – Scion Dragon Lair #3 (September)

• Danielle: David did a super fast turn around on this tasty bit. I’m going to try to match their energy and get it off to approval before the end of the week.

Realms of Pugmire – Rumble in Riverwall

• Eddy: The second Realms of Pugmire adventure stretch goal is rumbling its way through the status updates!

Post-Editing Development

At the Gates

• Danielle: MK has returned this to me, and I’m excited to go through it. I have quite a few bits and bobs I need to adjust, and then I’m going to patiently wait for the SPU crowdfunder to end to see if we need to make any adjustments to the system before sending it off to layout.

Realms of Pugmire – Curious Cats of Mau Jumpstart

• Eddy: Meanwhile, the cats of Mau have snuck into post-editing development.

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ART DIRECTION FROM MIKE CHANEY!

In Art Direction

• Ex Essence Pillars of Creation – Having two fulls redone.
• Ex Essence Deeds Yet Undone (Dirt Cheap) – Sketch notes sent back to HIVE.
• Ex3 Alchemicals – Got Mels splats in.
• The World Below – Finals still rolling in. Getting template ready for Travis.
• TCF RPG Anthology – Sent notes out to artists.
• M20 Forbidden and Forgotten Orders – Sam is working on the fulls.
• SCION Titans Rising – The few remaining pcs will get assigned post Aegis art turn in.
• TC Anima Jumpstart (Terra Surge) – With Navella.
• TC Aegis – Notes with Maria.
• SPU Core Manual (BK) – BK page set up.

Layout

• Trinity Continuum CC – Assets with Dixie.
• Sidereals Novella – Assets with Dixie.
• Scion Tasty Bit Combo

Proofing

• TC Player’s Guide – Magic handsing it (see last week’s MMN title).
• They Came From Classified Jumpstart – first proof notes back from dev.

Indexing

• Ex3 Sidereals 

At Press

• Reprints:
• Scion Origin – At port, then to Studio2.
• TC Core – At port, then to Studio2.

• Ex 3 Exigents – Reviewing quotes.
• Ex 3 Exigents Screen – Looking at proofs.
• TC Aether – Reviewing quotes.
• TC Anima – Printing.
• TC Anima Terra Surge Screen – Looking at proofs.
• Ex3 Sidereals – Indexing.
• Ex Essence Jumpstart – With Travis for fixing.
• Ex Essence Charm Cards – Got about half of the PoD’s set up…
• Realms of Pugmire – Backer errata input.
• Scion: God – Making a few tweaks from the Ultimate Proof and prepping PoD. Reviewing quotes for trad printing.
• SCION Path to Apotheosis – PoD proofs ordered.
• They Came From the Cyclops’s Cave – Printing.
• They Came From the Cyclops’s Cave Screen – Looking at proofs.
• They Came From CLASSIFIED – Printing.
• They Came From CLASSIFIED Screen – Looking at proofs.
• Tasty Bit – Æon: Diplomacy and Conflict (August) PDF On Sale This Weds on DTRPG!

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Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

This coming Friday the 30th we celebrate two births: that of Pugmire, who turns 7 (49 in dog-years) and the 60th birthday of the (in)famous Mark ReinDotHagen! Congrats to Eddy, whose puppies have grown so big, and to Mark – may your feverish font of ideas never run dry! Now, who wants treats?!