As we teeter on the very edge of the Holidays (and our Onyx Path crew get a couple of weeks off to celebrate a tough but good year), there are juuuust a few items to touch base on.

First, last Thursday we finished up our last crowdfunding campaign of the year with a big green-fire explosion! Yes, the Exalted: Infernals crowdfunder on BackerKit ended – although the Backer Train kept it alive almost one full hour past our original end time! Great job there, all you folks who kept that choo-choo from Hell roaring down the track! That’s a huge thank you from all of us to the more than 1200 backers who almost got us to 800% of our original goal – fantastic!

We’re going to aim for mid-January at the earliest to do another campaign, so everybody – us included – can take a breather! As for our crowdfunders in general, Mirthful Mike and I are one more approval away from giving the printer for Exalted: Exigents the green light to print, bind, and then ship, the book to our fulfillment shippers. Those are a lot of steps with a new (to us) printer, so we’ll have to see how things go before we can even guess when the books will get to backers, but we’re thrilled that we can get it rolling before 2025 is finally over!

It went on sale to the public last week, but everybody here at Onyx Path is just thrilled that the Branch Riders core book (and some gaming accessories) by the Bodhanna Group is now selling merrily on our DTRPG site! Couldn’t be happier to help TBG get their baby together and out to y’all! Designed by avid gamers for both new and experienced gamers first and foremost, it also has the advantage of TBG‘s decades of combined experience as therapists. There’s a lot of good thinking under that hood, and in 2026 we’ll provide a bit more info and projects featuring both the pure gaming fun and how to facilitate positive experiences for players.

Still giddy from it all, here’s TBG lead Jack Berkenstock:

Wow – it is almost one week since Branch Riders launched to the public and we could not be more thrilled.  The response thus far for this little engine that could has been overwhelming.  Folks emailing, messaging, sharing some of their stories and their thoughts on the book.  It really is the culmination of so many things.  First the arrival of the by-product of five to six years of one’s life and to hold that in your hands is something I cannot fully describe.  Since 10 I have wanted to be a published writer, and since 12 I wanted to write an RPG.  Now I’ve run a successful Kickstarter.  Wow.  Looking at it still doesn’t feel real.  But it is.  A great game finally where it needs to be – in the hands of players.  Thanks to every member of the team – Doug, Dave, Eddy, James, Bonnie, Rich, Bear, Gong Studios, Randall, Mike, Matt, James and Rich T. as well as all the tireless work of all the other members of Onyx Path for their help in this journey.  Thanks to all the playtesters and readers and our family and friends for their support.

We want to thank everyone so far who has upgraded their copy to POD and ordered their Condition Cards and Exposure Trackers.  Now we can’t wait for pictures of these beauties in action at tables in the real world.  We have some great action going on in the Discord chat from backers and some of their ideas, and I got to say that feels even greater and was part of this experience I did not account for.  People talking about all that lore we wrote and how many ideas it is springing to life.  What a high to end 2025 on.  Please if you backed this and have games at your table or just want to continue to see where it is going – join the Discord chat and all the fun.  

And we are already talking about what we want to see next for Branch Riders.  A supplement with new realms?  A full scale realm hopping adventure?  More conditions?  Community content?  Who knows?  We already are in talks with some streamers who are interested in running Branch Riders on their channels and we have some plans ourselves to add sessions to StartPlaying Games and the cons.  So many cons to keep sharing this little gem with the world.  If you’ve played, if you’ve backed, please help us out by writing a review and sharing some chatter on DriveThruRPG.  

My final words today are to my co-designer and friend Dave Johnson, who poured so much of himself into Branch Riders and to whom the final book is dedicated.  We sadly lost Dave over three years ago in the middle of this path.  I can see him giving me a set of metal horns now.  We did it Dave.

Sincerely, on behalf of the team
– Jack Berkenstock Jr., MHS
Branch Riders Project Lead

Another cool thing just in time for the holidays is the launch of the recreated Trinity Battleground minis game by Faceless Publishing! You can check it out here: www.facelesspublishing.com Plus, here’s a note from them that goes into more detail!

“The day is finally here! Through the dedication of the Faceless Publishing staff and the techno-magic of 3d scanning, a dead game lives once more! After spending more than 25 years out of production, Trinity: Battleground is available again!

Trinity: Battleground is a 28mm miniature wargame where players build a small force of Aberrants or Psions and fight through a range of exciting scenarios on the tabletop. The game was originally released in 1998 by White Wolf Publishing, and is based on the Storyteller game system used in the linked Trinity Roleplaying game. Players can use the included character creation rules to make their own custom units for truly unlimited gameplay!

We’ve successfully created a complete digital archive of the game, including all 34 miniatures, along with the rulebook, stat cards, and every other component ever released for it. It’s all now available on our webstore, www.facelesspublishing.com, as well as through MyMiniFactory and Wargame Vault. Everything is in digital format for now, but in the new year we plan to make physical versions of the miniatures available as well. We’d like to thank Onyx Path Publishing for entrusting us with the license and working with us to preserve and re-release this piece of gaming history. To celebrate the game’s return, we’re running a special sale, with 10% off all Trinity: Battleground products until the end of the year!”

As some of you may recall, a bunch of us once worked for the original White Wolf, so being able to revisit Trinity Battleground is a real treat for us too! We were also part of WW when we merged with the Icelandic MMO company CCP. The accounting of that experience is a long saga worthy of the Eddas, and we learned a whole lot from our Icelandic co-workers and friends, including their Xmas custom of Jólabókaflóðið, which is loosely translated into Book Flood.

Or as Wikipedia says: The Christmas book flood or Yule book flood (Icelandic: Jólabókaflóðið) is a term used in Iceland for the annual release of new books occurring in the months before Christmas. These books are then purchased as presents to be gifted on Christmas Eve. This tradition makes books the most popular Christmas gift in the country. The tradition extends into the night, when Icelanders will often read their new books and drink hot chocolate.

We’ve always loved that they have a book enjoying custom for the holiday, so we thought we’d try and join in on the spirit of that be putting three different fiction projects on sale this Weds: which is, in fact, Christmas Eve! The timing is just too good to pass up! So here are the three books, maybe not a big-ol’ flood, but definitely a splash of fiction goodness:

• TC Aberrant Fiction Compilation – PDF and PoD versions on sale this Weds on DTRPG!
• TC Aeon Fiction Compilation – PDF and PoD versions on sale this Weds on DTRPG!
• Scarred Lands Dead Gods Trilogy Omnibus – PDF version on sale this Weds on DTRPG!

Finally, here’s the Onyx Path Monday Meeting crew with their traditional “What I Would ask Santa For” items!

Eddy Webb:

My birthday is coming up, too, so I’ve been looking at a really cool Lego Sherlock Holmes set that folds up to sit on a bookcase. I’ve also been eyeing the Lone Wolf hardback gamebook reprints.

Mirthful Mike:

Number one… to not end up in the ER on Xmas day
Number two… for the Curseborne brand and line to grow. Get some non ks supplements out there.
Number three… for me and Diane to not be sick over the holidays
Number four… that New Prussian box set for Trench Crusade
Number five… the Epstein files to come out and name names. I don’t give a rats ass on who it takes down. They all need to be punished.
Number six… did I mention not ending up in the ER? I’d like to extend that to no ER visits in 2026.

LisaT:

My Christmas wish is that everyone who wants a new game for Christmas gets just the one that they want. And that they all want a copy of Curseborne!

Travis Legge:

This year for Christmas I’d like to set up some new games for the year. Most of my streaming series and paid games I run on Startplaying are either ended or in the process of winding down, so I’m hoping I’ll have the opportunity to set up some new adventures to explore in the new year!

Ian Watson:

For me personally, I’d like USPS and Canada Post issues to resolve, at least long enough that I can get the packages I’ve ordered that have been stuck at the border for over a week. For everyone else, I hope you can all find time in your schedules to get some good gaming in with your friends and loved ones.

Matthew Dawkins:

What I’d like for Christmas is world peace… in the Monster Kingdoms. Those bastards can’t stop taking bloody lumps out of each other, and it’s really wrecking any chance of a cool, harmonious celebration that encompasses the entirety of Gewinn. What the Monster Kingdoms need is a martyr! A messianic figure who preaches peace in Gewinn, travels to Xin, and gets ceremonially flayed for his heresy. Then and only then will the monsters of the various kingdoms celebrate Xinmass.

Dixie:

For Christmas this year, I want a Switch 2. But that’s irrelevant to the company, so I’ll say I also want to keep making books that people enjoy, and keep hearing stories about the games people play with them. It’s really cool to see people in the Discord and elsewhere online discuss the personal games they’ve played and run with the projects we put out. It feels almost like we assist in their imagination, and that’s really gratifying, as imagination and creativity are both incredibly important to me.

RichT:

And as for me, with four kids and now two grand-kids, I’ve spent too long being Santa (and looking more and more like him, too!) that it’s hard for me to really imagine what to ask for. I mean, there’s all the really big ones, like better health for all of my loved ones, or my own living full-sized dragon, but no matter how good a boy I was last year, those things just aren’t coming from Santa. Plus, I’ve always believed that you receive things because you work hard for them. So, maybe, just maybe, Santa…after this last year of 2025 and the challenges all our creators have had to face, maybe, if you could Santa: could you make it just a little less hard?

A smidge?

So we can keep on keeping on, and creating, and playing our:

Many Worlds… One Path!

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Blurbs!

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Crowdfunding!

Check Back Next Year!

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Onyx Path Media!

Check out our attached media schedule for the videos on our Twitch channel this week!

On this week’s Onyx Path News, Matthew talks about the Realms of Pugmire and Branch Riders: https://youtu.be/Lg_0ANl4xNM?si=mcjseB4xZ8gI_8Bx

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Virtual Tabletop!

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

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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!

Select Chronicles of Darkness Screens and Monarchies of Mau books,
screens, and dice 50% off at Studio 2:
https://studio2publishing.com/collections/onx-onyx-path-publishing

Some more deluxe books have popped up on Studio 2, with more on the way.

https://studio2publishing.com/collections/onx-onyx-path-publishing

Last Chance Dystopia Rising sale is live until the end of the year!:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/4261/onyx-path-publishing/category/33936/dystopia-rising-evolution
https://studio2publishing.com/collections/onx-onyx-path-publishing

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books, dice, and screens? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

Some last chance/clearance titles at IPR:

https://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Last-Chance/

As always, you can find Onyx Path’s titles in PDF and PoD versions at DriveThruRPG.com!

Last Chance Dystopia Rising sale is live until the end of the year!:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/4261/onyx-path-publishing/category/33936/dystopia-rising-evolution
https://studio2publishing.com/collections/onx-onyx-path-publishing

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!

Jólabókaflóðið

Maybe not literally a flood – but here are three books you can enjoy for the Holidays!

TC Aberrant Fiction Omnibus – PDF and PoD versions on sale this Weds on DTRPG!

TC Aeon Fiction Omnibus – PDF and PoD versions on sale this Weds on DTRPG!

Scarred Lands Dead Gods Trilogy Omnibus – PDF version on sale this Weds on DTRPG!

On Sale Last Week!

Eight Realms… One Mission! When The Blight infects a world: they are there! The Branch Riders! All new game core rulebook available in PDF and PoD versions NOW! on DTRPG! Also comes with PDF of Cards and Exposure Tracker Sheet and form-fillable character sheet! Also, PoD Cards and Exposure Tracker Sheet available at DTCards!

Also available now: the monsters from Realms of Pugmire ready for your online play: Threats & Curs VTT Assets on sale 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!

In 2026, we’ll be at the GAMA Expo in March and then the ACD Expo in May (we’ll have a booth at this one).

Game Night With Onyx Path Publishing at StartPlaying is this Friday the 26th and through that weekend! Come play some Curseborne that night! (But any of our game lines are welcome all weekend 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 November’s full list report here: https://theonyxpath.com/release-roundup-november-2025/

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM EDDY!

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

Redlines

Monster Kingdoms – Jumpstart

• The Monster Kingdoms Jumpstart angles its way to my desk and it’s looking like a grisly sort of scenario, with a lot of blood, horror, vampires, and haemexii crawling about the place!

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ART DIRECTION FROM MIKE CHANEY!

In Art Direction

• Ex Essence PG – Getting art buy over to Eddy today…
• TCF the Danger Zone – Getting notes together for Sheikman and Luis…
• Curseborne Jumpstart – Figuring out what we need.
• Scion God Divine Inspiration – Getting notes over to Maria…
• TC Steam Wars – Art buy for remainder.
• Pugmire 2e Unleashed – Configuring art buy and sending to Eddy today.
• At The Gates – gotta track down some reference for Mel.
• TWB Secrets of Kalm and Khaos – Crowdfunder art buy.
  

Layout Queue

• Ex3 Alchemicals
• TWB Ed Greenwood Book – With Ron Thompson. 
• SPU Core Manual – It’s rolling along. I’m hoping to be done with crunch chapters this week and onto adventures when i’m back.
• TC Anima AR – Getting layout stuff compiled and to Travis.
• Curseborne Community Content Stuff – Travis.

Proofing Queue

At Press

• SCION God Player’s Guide – PoD proofs ordered.
• Ex 3 Exigents – Fixing the spine on the ltd… nothing big i just need to make sure there is 5mm of space from the fold so they can foil it properly.
• Heroes of Action and Wonder – PoD proofs ordered.
• RoP fiction Omnibus – PoD files uploading this week.
• Scion Dragon Tasty Bit Compilation – PoD proofs ordered.
• SCION War Games – Backer PDF out to backers.
• Curseborne December Tasty Bit – Ready to roll for next month.
• Jólabókaflóðið: TC Aberrant Fiction Omnibus – PDF and PoD versions on sale this Weds on DTRPG!
• Jólabókaflóðið: TC Aeon Fiction Omnibus – PDF and PoD versions on sale this Weds on DTRPG!
• Jólabókaflóðið: Scarred Lands Dead Gods Trilogy Omnibus – PDF version on sale this Weds on DTRPG!

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Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

It’s the big week for Holidays, so if you celebrate, or get some days off at work, or just don’t have as many other people buggin’ you: Happy Holidays! Hope you have lots of time and energy to get some downtime playing games!