Yes! We are indeed in the FINAL DAYS of the At The Gates crowdfunding campaign on BackerKit!

Where did the month go?

As we’ve moved to this point in the campaign, one of the things we’ve noticed is that a whole lot of our awesome backers have pledged for the PDF version of the game. Since the campaign is all about getting traditionally printed book versions to backers and then to stores, I’m kind of hoping that after having seen most of the text (and really, all of it after tomorrow) that you’ll opt to upgrade your pledges to get what promises to be a gorgeous physical book!

But, you know, if not, we really, really do appreciate your support in whatever way you can show it! It’s a fantastic game, a true homage to JRPGs, and is going to look different than our other games in a very appropriate and beautiful way!

And now, at the turn of the tide, here is Danielle with her final creator comments for this campaign:

As we enter the final days of the At the Gates crowdfunder, I’m feeling a bit nostalgic for sitting around the TV watching someone playing a classic rpg. I’m in the UK this week after a long weekend at UKGE. I’m happy to have gone and met so many great people and get a chance to talk about our games, but I’m also kind of bummed that it means I can’t stream Chrono Trigger this week. I’ll be in an airplane crossing the Atlantic during the last hours of the campaign, so its final resolution will be a welcome home surprise to me. I deeply hope that we can do one final big push to increase pledge levels and backer numbers. Everyone’s support means so much, and I’m overwhelmed with how positive everyone is after reading through the magic systems from last week’s update. Thank you all so much!

D is absolutely right: we can’t do this without your support. Not just in the mechanisms of crowdfunding, but in the very necessary support from all of you that have been encouraging, curious about this setting and rules that we’ve all worked so hard on, and have been willing to share those good vibes with all of us during the course of this crowdfunder. Let’s keep going and spread that love around in these final days!

And speaking of good vibes, here’s some advance notice on the Branch Riders Kickstarter!

A week from tomorrow, Tues. June 11th, our friends at The Bodhana Group are going live on Kickstarter with their very first KS campaign! We at Onyx Path have been helping them with the game creation process, as well as handling the art and design of the book, and we’ll be publishing the game, but this is their KS and they can use all the support everyone can give!

Oh, and our very own Crowdfunding Concierge, James Bell, has graciously consented to run their campaign for them! So there will be a lot of things that are familiar to our community…but, this is a very different thing than you’re used to! I’m saying that now because I know we all have a set of expectations when we approach a campaign as backers, quite logically based on past experiences.

Let me lay out a few differences: Branch Riders features a rules system created by The Bodhana Group team, that is unlike anything we at Onyx have used to power our games, and we think you’ll really appreciate just how easy it makes playing the game. AND how focused on the decisions of the players! All of the eight Realms described in the book are designed not just as interesting settings across a wide variety of genres (often mashed together), but to present very specifically chosen challenges.

For example, the “Western” genre Realm is all about creativity and art, and your opponents are there trying to monetize your art so that rather than enrich the artist or their audience, the art is there to make the baddies richer monetarily. Pretty timely with recent AI uproars, and yet they’ve had these Realms designed for years!

Hmmmm…

They’ve put together some excellent pre-KS page info and you can find it here if you want to know more. And believe me, you really do!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tbgjack/branch-riders-tabletop-role-playing-game

They also have some great playtest actual plays on our Onyx Path YouTube from last year’s Onyx Path Virtual Convention, and even more will be up on the final KS page! Plus, we’ll be running several panels at this year’s convention just a few days after the KS campaign goes live, so you can ask questions during those streams!

When Is a Gate A Jar?

Good thing the Monday Meeting metaphorical door was ajar, that let our folks over in the UK stagger in after a weekend of gaming goodness! More on that later, but first this Very Important Message:

IPR is having a MASSIVE Anniversary Celebration/ OPPConvention Sale in honor of both our 13th year in this wacky business, and our upcoming virtual con, with just wild savings on our physical books and screens and stuff! All of it – almost all of our game lines! It’s huuuuge!

There are more than 20 titles (a combination of books, screens, and dice) up to 75% off all
month:

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

And with that bit of business sorted, how about a little pleasure?

I give you this report from UK Games Expo from Matthew:

I wrote this returning from the UK Games Expo, and what an intense weekend it’s been! Myself, Chris Jones, Michele Masala, and Eddy Webb arrived on Thursday with our games all written up and plans of action in our heads. Equipped with character sheets, Quip cards, dice, and everything else we might need, we were ready for game start on Friday…

And my goodness. I don’t think we’ve ever had a more successful run of games at a convention. It’s a proud boast but we all sold out our games within two weeks of their being listed on the Expo site (we ran four each) and what’s more, more than half of our players were new to our games (which is fantastic for potential sales) and the rest were keen followers of our games like They Came From, Pugmire, and The World Below (which is great for brand loyalty). The reports I got from everyone tell similar stories of full tables, enthusiastic play, a lot of laughter (my They Came from the Mean Streets! game had to compete with Chris’s They Came from the Hi-Octane Apocalypse! game next door, so now I know the pain of trying to run in the same room as a chaotic They Came From session), and people going to pre-order or buy our books immediately following – or even during, in a few cases – the games.

It’s fair to say we’re all very pleased with how our games went and how welcoming all our players were to us. I’ve never had a player in They Came From find four different appropriate ways of using a Quip! (“Is this some kind of busy?” during a police raid, gesturing to the femme fatale’s chest, during a game of blackjack, and pointing at a statue). Eddy got to run Mau for players who had only played D&D and they absolutely loved it. Michele rolled out Witchford Academy for the first time to great effect. Chris ran two sessions of The World Below using two of his scenarios from the upcoming Underworld Adventures book, and the players were captivated throughout. I had someone back The World Below as I was running it. We had more people visiting the At the Gates BackerKit campaign as we talked about it. And it turns out the “K” in “Kuntz” is silent in They Came from the Billiard Room with the Candlestick!

Danielle Lauzon was at the convention too with the fine folks at Cephalofair, but she found a chance to join us for our Onyx Path panel, where we addressed a full room of attendees (a very nice and unexpected turn out!) about how to write and work for Onyx Path and our upcoming releases, including a certain Curseborne! We’ve attempted to record the panel, so if the recording is any good, it’ll be a Pathcast in the coming week or so.

As for the rest of the Expo, the convention had a record number of attendees (you could definitely feel that on the trade floor on Saturday) and we had the chance to meet fans of our games, look into games from other companies, make a purchase or two, and speak to peers from other companies, including our often hired writer and developer Chant Evans of Ex Stasis games, Community Customer and Marketing Manager at Rowan, Rook & Decard CJ Gahagan (who plays in a lot of our streamed games), frequent artistic collaborator Jon Hodgson of Handiwork Games, and the fine folks at Nightfall Games.

I’m currently making the long journey home, and it’s good to have the time to reflect on an incredibly busy but likewise fulfilling long weekend of games, business, and fun. A huge thank you to our local guide, writer on They Came from the Danger Zone!, friend, and special person on my Patreon Claire Symonds. She ate terrible roast pork on Sunday evening that I wouldn’t touch, and it was a sacrifice that won’t be forgotten. Her parents would be very proud.

To anyone thinking of attending the UK Games Expo next year, don’t stay in Birmingham, where the convention takes place. Stay in Coventry, just 15 or so minutes away by train and considerably more comfortable, quiet, and less costly. They also have a statue of Lady Godiva riding a horse. You can catch a train straight from the convention centre to Coventry (and back again) and your life will be better for it.

Final thought before I tune out: my legs may be bruised, my phone smashed, and back of my head cracked and swollen from repeated beatings over the weekend, but such pains are worth it to spend time with such lovely people and demonstrate our work for such an enthusiastic audience. Here’s to the next one!

Logistics and format question- was that too long of a report to read in the “quotation” format provided by the blog guys? If so, let me know in the Comments below – thanks!

Speaking of cons – and you knew I’d be going right to this – we’re less than two weeks away from our latest Onyx Path Virtual Convention! Wahoo! Yay! There was much rejoicing!, etc.

Really, really, looking forward to finally letting you folks in on a lot of our plans for the next couple of years and game lines, and well, everything! So many cool things to announce, and one in particular that we can go into real mothy detail about for the first time!

As we’ve been doing, here are some panel descriptions pulled together by our OPPCon-cierge, Travis Legge:

On Friday 6/14 at 9:30 PM EDT, I’ll be hosting a panel with friends from our partner channels of Dork Tales, Plastic Age Plays, Rolling Nomads, and Simulacra Studios to talk about Running Games Online, with a focus on tips, tricks, and our experiences streaming.

On Saturday 6/15 at 9:30 PM we will be hosting the first of two Scion panels. This panel will focus broadly on what’s coming down the line for Scion, and give attendees an opportunity to ask questions about Scion!

On Sunday at 12:30 PM EDT we’re hosting the Realms of Pugmire panel in which Eddy Webb and various creators who are working on the Realms of Pugmire will be sharing a wealth of information about the new edition! Don’t miss out!

Plus, we’re looking to find even more ways to display the amazing art and visuals from our projects – all of it made by human hands! I mean, more or less human…

There are many beings who create art who travel:

Many Worlds, One Path!

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Blurbs!

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Crowdfunding!:

NOW LIVE ON BACKERIT!

At The Gates! FINAL DAYS!

FINAL DAYS!!! https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/onyx-path/at-the-gates

We’re working our way through a bunch of Stretch Goals, including two sets of beautiful pins, and the start of the ATG Companion! More coming up fast!

And let’s not forget this awesome Ashcan:

Check it out on DTRPG! https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/475586

COMING NEXT: Branch Riders from our friends at the Bodhana Group! On Kickstarter June 11th!

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Onyx Path Media!

This week: It’s been a while since we did a live-action panel recording, but Matthew, Danielle, Eddy, Michele, and Chris Jones talk about freelancing for Onyx Path at UK Games Expo!

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

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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!

The Onyx Path News goes out every Monday and in this one, Travis fills in while Matthew is coming back from the UK Games Expo!: https://www.youtube.com/live/FOKNYzgMl8Q?si=rHIc0HiL0xXu7CPr

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like if They Came From and Shadowrun crossed paths, here’s the podcast for you! Resting Glitch Face have a superb actual play they’d love for you to hear: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/resting-glitch-face/episodes/The-RG-B-Movie-e217uj7

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Virtual Tabletop!

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 Weds!

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/

MASSIVE SALE at IPR Celebrating Onyx Path‘s 13 years of business! Our biggest sale ever!

Our OPP Con/Anniversary Sale has launched at IPR with more than 20
titles (a combination of books, screens, and dice) up to 75% off all
month:

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!

How do you get started playing Mage: The Ascension in the Victorian Age? Pick up the new PDF and PoD versions of Séance on St. James Street – The Victorian Age Mage Jumpstart this Weds on DTRPG!

 

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Conventions!

As we are slowly returning to attending conventions in person after avoiding them during the COVID-19 outbreak, keep an eye out here for more physical and virtual conventions we’re going to be involved with!

We will be repped by Studio 2 (and maybe IPR) at Origins Game Fair in June.

Onyx Path Virtual Con will be June 14-16.

https://startplaying.games/event/onyx-path-convention-2024

Info on signing up as a GM and listing a game:

https://intercom.help/startplaying/en/collections/7379816-game-master-faqs

See the schedules below!

Game Night With Onyx Path Publishing at StartPlaying will be 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 May’s full list report here: https://theonyxpath.com/release-roundup-may-2024/

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM EDDY

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

REDLINES

Tasty Bit – Scion Dragon Lair #3

• Danielle: David has sent me their first draft, and I’m eager to dig into the Source of the Nile lair.

FINAL DRAFT

Exalted – Exalted Essence Player’s Guide

• Danielle: Monica is a mystical creature who churns raw content into polished material. Each of the chapters in this book is filled with so many Charms, you’re going to be swimming in fun stuff to do.

Exalted – Alchemicals

• Danielle: I’ve gotten reports that entities from Autochthonia have combed through the scrolls for infernal machines and now everything is ready to be transcribed into a language we can read!

EDITING

Tasty Bit – CLASSIFIED Villain #3

• Matthew: How will your agents fare behind enemy lines? This book contains four deadly settings in which to find out.

Tasty Bit – Scion Dragon Lair #2

• Danielle: As I suspected, Dale’s tasty bit was in excellent shape and now it’s off to editing.

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ART DIRECTION FROM MIKE CHANEY!

In Art Direction

• Ex Essence Pillars of Creation – With Maria.
• Ex Essence Deeds Yet Undone (Dirt Cheap) – With Maria.
• The World Below – Unless something comes up, I’m gonna be working on getting the AD stuff wrapped up.
• TCF RPG Anthology – Getting some artwork going… 
• SCION Mythic Shards – BK art buy proceeding.
• SCION Path to Apotheosis – Unless I’m waaaay mistaken, finals are in.
• TC With Great Power – I think all that’s left is Dom… and the comic from Lee…
• At The Gates (BK) – Final Days! 
• Branch Riders (KS) – As we have the pledge levels firmed up…. I’m gonna do the graphics for those and that should be all from me.

In Layout

• Ex Essence Charm Cards – Dixie working on it.
• Ex 3 Exigents Screen – wrapping it up and getting it proofing on Tuesday.
• CofD Contagion Chronicles RMCs – Almost done…
• M20 Victorian Weird Wonders and Revolutionary Magic – I’m gonna give this to Pauline.
• Scion No Gods, No Masters – close to first proof.
• Pugmire 2e – My next KS project to tackle.
• TC Player’s Guide – And my other KS project to deal with.

Proofing

• Ex Essence Charm Cards – As soon as I get done fixing Cyclops and Classified… these…. 
• CofD Contagion Chronicles RMCs 
• Squeaks in the Deep Companion

Indexing

• TC Aether – putting in index and page xxs.
• Scion God – putting in index and page xxs.

At Press

• Reprints:
• Scion Origin – Proof has been gone through and back to printer.
• TC Core – Compared 1st printing to new printing… and we are good to go.

• Exalted Essence – On the boat. Toot! Toot!
• Ex Essence Screen – At Studio 2.
• TC Anima Terra Surge Screen – Sending info to screen printer for quotes.
• TC Anima – Pinging printer about cover specs again.
• M20 Lore of the Traditions – On the boat. Toot! Toot!
• Ex 3 Exigents – Getting quotes for trad printing.
• TC Aether – Going ahead and getting that quote going too.
• They Came From the Cyclops Cave! – Fixing some issues from prepress.
• They Came From CLASSIFIED! – Fixing some issues from prepress.
• They Came From the Cyclops’s Cave Screen – Sending info to screen printer for quotes.
• They Came From CLASSIFIED Screen – Sending info to screen printer for quotes.
• Deviant Clade Companion – PoD files uploaded.
• Ex3 Sidereals – Backer errata ending Weds this week.
• Ex Essence Jumpstart – Getting ready for backers.
• M20 Victorian Jumpstart – PDF and PoD versions on Sale Weds on DTRPG!

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Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

Weds will be the five year anniversary of us publishing Scion 2e Origin and Hero! So many great books since then, and so many still to come!