Oh yeah! the Curseborne Covenant Kickstarter campaign is coming in just a few days! October 1st, to be exact, at 2pm Eastern US time! It’ll run until the end of the month, because October is the Curseborne month!
As I went into detail on in last week’s MMN blog, Curseborne Covenant is the next tier of play and it’s where we reveal more about the wider world of the Accursed! But let’s have Matthew Dawkins, you all know him, go into a little more detail here on the almost-eve of the campaign:
Eddy and I really pored over Curseborne Covenant to make it a whole new experience for Curseborne players and Storyguides. The authors did a superb job creating their conspiracies (which I’ve started previewing on my YouTube channel, with the Cinder Saints video posted last week), cursebinding (a video about that will come out next week!), new spells, a new system for conspiracy and control, brand new adversaries, and much, much more.
The big objective for both of us was to present a new angle to the Curseborne game, just as playable, just as enthralling, and just as dark as the original, but with new takes on every part of the urban horror and folklore that makes Curseborne such a strong game. The conspiracy level of play is going to allow people to play Curseborne at the “city level” and probably broader, with characters going on the offensive against Outsiders, Family manipulations, and the liminal habitats of all manner of terrible beasts.
The thing we’ve not been talking about too much regarding Curseborne Covenant, and a part that intrigues me a great deal, is the nature of our shadow Families: those Accursed Families that have thrown in with the Fae (and other beings of the Outside) because frankly, they see the rest of the Accursed as being on the insipid, foolish, and losing side of magical affairs. These five may be seen as adversaries or could be played so you can turn Curseborne Covenant on its head and work against the expected Families of Hungry, Primal, Dead, Outcasts, and Sorcerers.
Those Families are the Black Ledger, the Bone Collectors, the Dragon’s Horde, Great Filter, and Whisper Thieves.
None of them are nice.
None of them are heroic.
All of them want to ruin the lives of the Accursed who turned their back on the Fae.
Now that’s a lot of letting the black cat out of the proverbial bag, but that’s OK! In a perverse Curseborne way, the black cat is a helpful omen! We want folks interested and excited about just what we’re doing with Curseborne Covenant.
Some have compared the Curseborne book released last year and now Curseborne Covenant to the “Tier” system in Scion. And that’s a fair comparison, but not an exact comparison. There’s a very deliberate difference in a Hero and a Demi-God in Scion, whereas the journey the Accursed make from Curseborne to Covenant is really more like the change we all go through as we grow into adulthood and older. Past understandings are deepened – and we see a bigger picture about the world.
There’s a lot going on in Curseborne Covenant, and as is usual, we’ll be sending sections of the text to backers during the course of the campaign! We’re looking forward to the discussions of material as it is delivered, as well as answering your questions, so please use the link in the Crowdfunding section of The Blurbs! below to sign up to get all the notifications and not miss a single eerie revelation!
But before Thursday, we’re also sending out into the ether all sorts of teasers, clues, and fun bits…including:
We’ve been releasing two sets of videos on our YouTube channel and providing links in other places – first, the ten vids that started our teasing of Curseborne Covenant that now have been revealed to feature a Conspiracy in each one, as their respective symbols burn into the screen.
Next, a series that features art from the book with different voices from the world of the Accursed describing…something important to them, and in their own words. (What they find important is usually something that we think you’ll find important, even if only thematically.) (“Only thematically”, he says, sometimes that’s the most important thing!)
Sometime this week, keep an eye out for the Curseborne Covenant Brochure as a free, small, downloadable PDF! Containing even more insights into just what the book contains, this stylish teaser is just the way to try a little taste of Curseborne Covenant!
Meanwhile, over on the recently refurbished Curseborne Website, you’ll find an interesting story to follow this week as well!
Of course, if you read the MMN blog last week or saw our sales blog last Wednesday, you’ll see that we’re adding Curseborne Family symbols merchandise – both tees and other kinds too, as is RedBubble‘s wont. This Wednesday we’ll be releasing The Hungry Families, after releasing The Dead ones last week.
As for the Curseborne book itself, the traditionally printed copies, as well as the other rewards from its Kickstarter, are all at various stages of being printed and manufactured, but they are all getting done up! A few folks are still asking why this process took so long, and I can only repeat what we’ve been saying: we couldn’t go to press earlier because the existential threat to our entire business that existed because of threatened tariffs caused us to hold off any printing until a way forward that wasn’t a huge gamble presented itself.
As the chaos settled and the path forward became clear, we took it, and have been getting up to speed with a new printer and shipper. While that has had its up and downs – for a more detailed description of one of those, check out the end of my section of the blog this week – we’re moving forward as quickly as we can!
You can also see a whole bunch of Curseborne stuff in the Progress Reports, particularly in the Art section, so you’ll continue to have lots of CB material in the months (and years) to come!
Redcord. Disddit.
I got a little muddled heading up our meeting as we talked about social media sites…so sue me, I transposed the names! We got it straightened out and were talking apples to apples in no time.
Here’s Travis with word about our Twitch offering this week:
This week and next Tom Murr will be taking a break from Guiding the Path, with his return expected on October 15th.. However, Mike Athey is returning to the channel on Monday at 8 PM EDT with a new episode of Trinity Continuum: Adventure! Air Circus!
As I write this we’re in the last day of the two Trinity Continuum Bundles of Holding, so quick! – get over there if you want super deals on those bundles!
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/ContinuumCore
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/ContinuumAeon
Similarly, the Supers Sale is still live on DTRPG, for some great deals on TC: Aberrant projects:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/4261/onyx-path-publishing?promo=1000781
Upcoming on DTRPG for October: the Month of Darkness Sale includes all our World of Darkness 20th and all our Chronicles of Darkness PDFs. Then, the DTRPG Halloween Sale includes other horror titles from our catalog, such as They Came From Murder Lake, etc.
Oh, hey, how about another note from Travis?!
This week I’ve received the first drafts for The Gluttonhold Gambit, a forthcoming Plot Point Campaign for Scarred Lands (SWADE) from the mind of Matthew Dawkins! In this story, the adventurers discover a terrible horror bubbling up from beneath the Titanshome Mountains! As titanic contamination spreads throughout Scarn, the heroes must uncover the source of this corruption before it bubbles up to devour all they hold dear! I’m loving what I am reading so far and looking forward to sharing more of this story with you as we assemble this tale!
I’m also hard at work putting the text together for the Adventure Atlas (working title) stretch goal unlocked during the Scarred Lands Player’s Guide (SWADE) Kickstarter. This book expands on the unusual terrain found across Scarn, including new rules, encounters, and Savage Tales to help expand your adventures in the Scarred Lands! Watch this space for more Scarred Lands news!
That guy is soooo busy! Seriously, I’m not being sarcastic! Travis is like the hardest working guy in gaming.
We haven’t heard from Jack Berkenstock for a while as he and the Bodhana team have also been super-busy, but here’s some news about what they’ve been up to with Branch Riders:
Actually we are very excited to have just submitted a proposal to one of our local libraries in a program we are calling Running Branch Riders at the Branches! Our focus is that BR celebrates storytelling mechanics and genre based fiction. We are very excited to be able to get our little game into the hands of more new players!
The plan is to have the kiddos play a session of Branch Riders in week one. Week 2 and 3 they work with GMs on crafting locations, people and plots within the Realms. Week 4 they present their findings as if they were Branch Rider teams scouting the worlds beyond the Nexus! If this pilot works we want to offer it to other libraries and school groups.
OK- as promised, here’s a little behind the scenes info about why it is indeed a back-and-forth, time-consuming, process to work with printers that are relatively new to us.
Part of the Curseborne print job is the hardcover Deluxe Edition, as well as the Making Of CB book which is designed to use the same deluxe cover material but is a softcover. If you have or have seen the original slipcover edition of the first edition of Exalted, that’s the feel we’re aiming for.
Previous to this Curseborne multi-book print job, we tested this printers abilities to do Deluxe Editions with the Deluxe version of Exalted Exigents. All went well. We thought that a good sign that the Deluxe parts of Curseborne would be a snap.
Nope.
Mirthful Mike began running into confusion with the Making Of book as it’s softcover, so we took pics of the old Exalted book to show what we wanted. It soon resolved that the issue was that the kind of Deluxe material we used in Exigents is actually pretty rare in Eastern Europe where our printer is, and while they had enough for that smaller Deluxe run, using the same material for all the Curseborne Deluxes and the Making Of CB books, and possibly wasting a bunch of material as they worked out how to do the softcover was a daunting prospect to our printer rep.
But for us, after days of miscommunication, the answer was not to use the same material as the Exigents book, but to find Deluxe cover material that was readily available where they are. After all, Curseborne is a brand new line – we don’t need to try and match what we did for the Exalted Deluxes at all! So long as it is high-quality and looks and feels both Deluxe and cool, we have lots of room to maneuver there.
So we’ve worked that out and the Mirthful One is waiting for samples of the materials they have readily available – as soon as he sees and rates those we can get that part of the process on press! Whew!
A friend of mine once said that getting into a new relationship with somebody was learning a new vocabulary, and she was both right and her adage also applies to the creative process between a publisher and their printer. You have moments where you are just not saying the same things, and then it clicks and you know what they mean, they know what you mean, and away you go!
And away we go, to our:
Many Worlds… One Path!
Blurbs!
Crowdfunding!
Coming This Thursday: October 1, 2pm Eastern US Time!
Curseborne Covenant on Kickstarter!
Follow the moth to the pre-campaign page to sign up so you won’t miss a second! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/curseborne-covenant
Onyx Path Media!
Check out our attached media schedule for the videos on our Twitch channel this week!
On today’s Onyx Path News, Matthew explores At The Gates, Curseborne Dead merch, and the Curseborne Covenant Kickstarter: https://youtu.be/1JsY7AU42xM
On The Gentleman’s Guide to the Accursed, Matthew delves into the outskirts and rural wilds of Junction City for Curseborne: https://youtu.be/12gVBY3PO-M
Virtual Tabletop!
Check it out now! The Scion Demiplane Nexus! Click here for Early Access:
Campaigns for Scion Nexus went live last week as well. This blog post explains how Campaigns work on Demiplane:
https://www.demiplane.com/blog/campaigns-have-arrived
Scion Demigod Available on Roll20 NOW!
The Scion: Origin and Scion Hero Compendiums are now available on Roll20!
https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/publisher/1716/onyx-path-publishing
The first of our official Scion sheets designed for Foundry VTT are now available! https://foundryvtt.co
They Came From Beneath the Sea! on Roll20 VTT!
https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/bundle/22308/they-came-from-beneath-the-sea
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!
Chronicles of Darkness, Monarchies of Mau, and more are up to 50% off for a limited time over at our Studio 2 shop:
https://studio2publishing.com/collections/onx-onyx-path-publishing
And don’t forget to let your local game store they can order direct
from Studio 2. Details here:
https://studio2publishing.com/pages/retailers
As always, you can find Onyx Path’s titles in PDF and PoD versions at DriveThruRPG.com!
Supers Sale is live on DTRPG:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/4261/onyx-path-publishing?promo=1000781
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 SPU Tasty Bit PDF – MAGIC – is going to materialize this Weds on DTRPG!
Also, on RedBubble this Weds, we have the second batch of Family Symbols – The Hungry – merch for Curseborne!
On Sale Last Week!
At The Gates, the 2nd in the lauded Earthbane Cycle series of fantasy TTRPGs comes through the portal and arrives in PDF and PoD versions on DTRPG!
Also, on RedBubble, we have the first batch of Family Symbols merch for Curseborne!
Conventions!
Here’s where you can find out more info on physical and virtual conventions we’re going to be involved with!
GameHoleCon October 15th – 18th): Check out these Curseborne games to play there:
Twin Cities Con – November 20th – 22nd (Game Room demos).
PAX Unplugged – December 4th – 6th (Studio 2 will have our books and more).
Project Status Updates!
Our full list of projects will be available monthly on our blog! Check out August’s full list report here; https://theonyxpath.com/release-roundup-august-2026/
DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM EDDY!
Here are the projects that moved to the next stage of production:
First Draft
Exalted Essence Storyteller’s Supplement
- Lots of Exalted progress this week! First off, the stretch goal book for the Essence Storyteller’s Guide is off and running, as first drafts are being worked on!
Redlines
Infernals Companion (Exalted)
- The stretch goal book for Infernals is written, and ready for redlining!
Development
SPU Tasty Bit – Support Cast (November 2026)
- Our November Tasty Bit is in my hands for development, as we get close to wrapping up the 2026 Tasty Bit program(me).
Post-Approval Development
Curseborne Covenant
- Curseborne Covenant has been approved by Rich, so we’re ready to bind our conspirators this Thursday!
Post-Editing Development
Exalted Essence Storyteller’s Guide
- The Essence Storyteller’s Guide is back from editing, and getting a careful developer review!
ART DIRECTION FROM MIKE CHANEY!
In Art Direction
- Ex3 Infernals – Sketches in for approval.
- Ex3 Liminals – Finals in for approval.
- Ex3 Sidereals Companion – If everything is good with Liminals stuff, gonna send this to Gong.
- TCF Murder Lake Jumpstart – Sending art notes to Leblanc and maps to Wilson.
- Curseborne Solo – Recontracting missing full…
- Curseborne PG Jumpstart – Yep… looking to get that done real quick.
- TC From the Shadows – And even more sketch approvals.
- Pugmire Adventures – Awaiting finals.
- TWB Secrets of Kalm and Kaos – Gonna get this art buy prepped.
- Curseborne Covenant (KS) – Thursday.
Layout Queue
- Curseborne Compact Edition – Continuing… should start moving at a faster pace now that most of the “at press” stuff and PoD prep is all caught up.
- Monster Kingdoms
- PUGMIRE 2E Screen – Officially my thing to work on while big stuff is proofing.
- ROP Curious Cats of Mau Screen – Same.
- Curseborne Digital Wallpaper
Proofing Queue
- Curseborne Community Content Stuff
- Ex Essence PG – Off to Travis for typo fixing.
At Press
- Curseborne – Seen cover proofs, now just waiting on interior proofs and color proofs.
- Curseborne Screen – Seen proofs… some questions about the booklet though.
- Curseborne Jumpstart – Need to tweak the cover… but the interior proofs looked nice.
- Making of Curseborne – Seen proofs… just waiting on cover material samples.
- Curseborne Slipcase – Awaiting cutlines from printer.
- Curseborne Dice – Getting those rolling along.
- TC Danger Skies – Page xxs.
- TWB Underworld Adventures – Backer PDF out to backers this week.
- September Tasty Bit: Magic – PDF on sale this Weds on DTRPG!
- Curseborne Hungry Family symbols shirts – Available this Weds on RedBubble!
- Curseborne Covenant Brochure PDF available this week!
Today’s Reason to Celebrate!
In keeping with our theme today of entering October, the spooky season, today is the birthday of Hana Mae Lee, who was my favorite scene-stealer in the Pitch Perfect films! Some of her great whispered lines were: “I set fires to feel joy.”, “I ate my twin in the womb.”, “Hello, my name is Lily Onakurarama, I was born with gills like a fish.”, “Do you want to see a dead body?”, and “I sleep upside down like a bat.” Whoooo, scary, kids!
Disappointed that you canceled the Upcoming Projects section
Of what?
if you mean the current projects section, it was relocated to the drop down menu options of the About the Path tab above. it is sometimes out of date but otherwise intact.
Thanks! Since nothing in this week’s MMN blog was about our website, I just had no context for that question.
I try to update it monthly alongside the monthly Release Roundup, so it should be mostly accurate, or at least not out of date by more than a month.
Looking forward to Curseborn: Covenant.
I am sort of wondering if it’s still going to be help punk and if it’s possible to play a good Fae.
I am guessing the shadow families are meant to be antagonistic versions of the playable lineages I think that’s what they’re called I mean the hungry the dead and the like.
Maybe there’s no general dislike for the trope of always chaotic evil but I’m wondering and they’re always going to be evil if it’s going to be a bit more nuanced than that then again I’m a bit more OK with that if it’s an organization not a race
In general, the concepts of evil and good aren’t really something Curseborne delineates. If you do something that others could call evil, to them, but you need to do that thing for the best of reasons, to you, things start looking a lot murkier. You absolutely can strive to epitomize your definition of good in how you play your character regardless of supernatural origin – and there’s room in how CB is set up to have that Hope Punk aspect in your game work for you.
Just out of curiosity, why is it that the Sidereal’s Companion has been in Art direction for over a year, but is just now getting sent to Gong?