Yes, we’re down to the last few days of this extra-long Kickstarter campaign for They Came From Beneath the Sea!

Holding a Kickstarter over the Xmas holidays is always a risky venture, but we’re pretty happy with the response we’ve gotten from this brand-new game. The extra time time allow a bunch of groups to try out playing the Early Access version that is available to all backers, and it seems like hilarity has been had by all!

Except for one group, actually.

But, to be fair, that was sort of the point of their playtest. Allow me to explain.

Red Moon Roleplaying contacted They Came From Beneath the Sea! developer Matthew Dawkins with an interesting idea. As much as they liked the inherent humor in TCFBtS!, it wasn’t really the tone they’d set for their podcasts. Their previous broadcasts have been much more strictly horror oriented.

So, they asked Matthew, could TCFBtS! handle a non-humor session?

“Hell, yes!”, I imagine Matthew responding, although I’m sure his real answer was less rude and a bit longer.

In fact, Matthew and I discussed this very thing when we were originally talking about the game. We both wanted to give the game its own feel, and thought that the material cried out for a funny direction, but agreed that it is so focused and robust a game with the Storypath System underlying it, that folks could easily play it straight.

So that’s exactly what they are doing with Matthew’s help. He sent me this earlier:

I’ve just concluded recording the first session of They Came from Beneath the Sea! with Red Moon Roleplaying, going through all of character creation, a breakdown of the rules, and an introduction to the scenario. It went very well!

What’s going to be a lot of fun once they are ready to air the show, is that they add sound effects and selected music to their show, so this promises to be very enjoyable to listen to. Here’s a sweet visual they prepared:

The first episode is slated to start this Wednesday the 23th and here’s hoping you get a chance to listen to it. I know I will! https://www.redmoonroleplaying.com/

You’ll also be able to find the first episode on our Onyx Path YouTube channel! We’re getting more and more excellent content over there – like interviews with our creators from MidWinter and Gentleman Gamer news and review segments – I strongly suggest you check it out, there’s something for everybody! https://www.youtube.com/user/TheOnyxPath

I bring this up because a lot of games and their fans can get locked into a “this is all this does” mode, and we’re still reallllly early in the life of our Storypath System. There’s still a ton of different gaming styles and genres we can use Storypath as the basis for.

Horror, as an example, is something we’ve discussed, but haven’t specifically built towards, but if we hear from our community, you wonderful people, and we see support for other Storypath powered games, then we can use those indicators from you as guideposts for our future plans.

So if you are interested in us exploring a new game, a new genre, whatever, with the Storypath System, let us know. Here, in our forums, Facebook pages, on Twitter. Back our Storypath game Kickstarters even just for the PDF so we know the interest is out there. Like I said, we’ll look at these sorts of things as indicators that the interest is there.

But maybe you want to know more before you pledge, maybe you have questions not covered by all the various They Came From media bits we’ve been giving the links out for. That’s fair, and we actually have you covered.

On the Onyx Path YouTube channel tomorrow, there will be a live Q&A with the They Came from Beneath the Sea! team of Matthew Dawkins, Larry Blamire, Bianca Savazzi, and John Burke! Tune in and throw them your questions about the game, B-movies, and RPGs in general! The broadcast is scheduled for Tuesday 22nd January at 20:00 GMT!

Next week, I think I’ll be talking about where we are with all of our Kickstarter campaigns, what we’re trying to achieve with them now that a lot of our emphasis is on making KSs that fund getting our books traditionally printed and in stores, and what’s up next.

If you have questions about our Kickstarters you’d like to see answered in next week’s MMN blog, lay them on me in the comments to this one, and I’ll try and work them in. Kickstarters are, after all, one of the ways we are able to create games that explore:

Many Worlds, One Path!

BLURBS!

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KICKSTARTER:

They Came From Beneath the Sea! (TCFBtS!) has only three more days left as I write this and we’ve passed through Stretch Goal after Stretch Goal including getting Larry Blamire to illustrate a horizontal scene usable on a screen, three entries for a book of additional soggy Threats, a T-Shirt, two added Adventure Scenarios, digital wallpaper featuring our submarine menaces, and we are rising up on the next goal!

Here’s the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/they-came-from-beneath-the-sea-a-tabletop-roleplay

TCFBtS! has some very different additions to the Storypath mechanics we’ll be explaining during the KS that take an excellent 50’s action and investigation genre game and turn it to 11! You can see the actual play here:

Check out the teaser:https://youtu.be/kxLydk4t76s

Hope to see you there back in the 50’s, fighting watery menaces and cracking wise!

ONYX PATH MEDIA

This Friday’s Onyx Pathcast features an interview with long-time White Wolf and Green Ronin writer and developer Joe Carriker. Joe has lots of STRONGLY held thoughts and opinions about a lot of stuff, and we’re betting that a lot of tables get flipped! https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/

And Here’s More Media About Our Worlds:

As mentioned above, on the Onyx Path YouTube channel tomorrow, there will be a live Q&A with the They Came from Beneath the Sea! team of Matthew Dawkins, Larry Blamire, Bianca Savazzi, and John Burke! Tune in and throw them your questions about the game, B-movies, and RPGs in general! The broadcast is scheduled for Tuesday 22nd January at 20:00 GMT! 

Celebrated podcasters and actual play dramatists Red Moon Roleplaying will be starting their broadcast of Terror at Make-Out Point, ran by our very own Matthew Dawkins, on Wednesday 23rd January! If you’re at all on the fence about They Came from Beneath the Sea!, here’s a fine place to hear it in action, complete with sound effects and music! https://www.redmoonroleplaying.com/

On our channel Matthew Dawkins is recapping his campaign of Scion that he’s named “Tokyo Noir”. It sounds like a lot of grisly fun and mixes the children of Bishamon, Kissh?ten, and Loki in a murder mystery. Matthew is involving viewers in deciding the direction of the game, so get in early with your suggestions! https://youtu.be/cKpHy3W4Z-E

YouTuber Stuart Armstrong has put together an interesting video on crossing over They Came from Beneath the Sea! with the World of Darkness! Check it out and give his channel a subscription: https://youtu.be/2wBFny9mSng

One of our forumites, Cinder, has started a written recap of their campaign of They Came from Beneath the Sea! It’s in its early stages right now, but you can subscribe to the thread for updates: http://forum.theonyxpath.com/forum/main-category/cavaliers-of-mars-and-pugmire/1278691-explorers-of-the-fathoms-tcfbts-actual-play

Caffeinated Conquests concluded their actual play of A Slippery Conspiracy, the sample adventure in They Came from Beneath the Sea! Check out their footage here: https://youtu.be/2Z724VBdqV4

Twin Cities by Night posted their actual play of Scion: Origin – A Light Extinguished to YouTube. In this story, a scion of Re is found murdered. It’s up to the protagonists to find out why and who the killer is: https://youtu.be/CeMWhD92hIg

The Story Told Podcast has produced overviews of both Scion and They Came from Beneath the Sea! Here’s a link to where you can find their shows: http://thestorytold.libsyn.com/

Caffeinated Conquests (again!) posted a review of They Came from Beneath the Sea! on YouTube! If you’re on the fence about backing the game before the Kickstarter ends, perhaps this video will sway you: https://youtu.be/JDqOVHcgjwI

ELECTRONIC GAMING:

As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is now live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is both rolling and rocking!

ON 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).

If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue you bought it from. Reviews really, really help us with getting folks interested in our amazing fiction!

Our selection includes these fiction books:

OUR SALES PARTNERS:

Running until Feb 3 is the Trinity (Aeon) 1e Bundle of Holding: https://bundleofholding.com/presents/Trinity1E and the Aberrant 1e Bundle of Holding: https://bundleofholding.com/presents/Aberrant

Check them out and get some amazing deals on the first edition PDFs (same as we have on DTRPG) and watch how the Bundles grow during the duration of the sale!

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

We’ve added Prince’s Gambit to our Studio2 catalog: https://studio2publishing.com/products/prince-s-gambit-card-game

Now, we’ve added Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost

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

And you can now order Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Cavaliers of Mars, and Changeling: The Lost 2e! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=296

DRIVETHRURPG.COM:

This Wednesday, we’re offering PDF and PoD versions of the Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition Jumpstart : Hearts on Trial on DTRPG!

CONVENTIONS

New convention notices coming soon!

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And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM FAST EDDY WEBB (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 The Technocracy Reloaded (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
• M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
• City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)
• Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)
• Geist2e Fiction Anthology (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)
• Pirates of Pugmire (Realms of Pugmire)
• Distant Worlds (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)
• Dragon-Blooded Novella #1 (Exalted 3rd Edition)
• Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)
• Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)
• Legendlore core book (Legendlore)
• Creatures of the World Bestiary (Scion 2nd Edition)
• Chicago Folio/Dossier (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)
• Let The Streets Run Red (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)
• Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)
• Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)
• TC: Aeon Ready Made Characters (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Redlines

• Scion Companion: Mysteries of the World (Scion 2nd Edition)
• Memento Mori: the GtSE 2e Companion (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)
• C20 Novel: Cup of Dreams (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Second Draft

• Tales of Good Dogs – Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)
• Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)
• Scion Ready Made Characters (Scion 2nd Edition)
• Witch-Queen of the Shadowed Citadel (Cavaliers of Mars)
• Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Development

• Hunter: the Vigil 2e core (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)
• CofD Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)
• Lunars: Fangs at the Gate (Exalted 3rd Edition)
• WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)
• Oak, Ash, and Thorn: Changeling: The Lost 2nd Companion (Changeling: The Lost 2nd)
• CofD Dark Eras 2 (Chronicles of Darkness)
• Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

Manuscript Approval:

• Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)
• Scion Jumpstart (Scion 2nd Edition)

Editing:

• Aeon Aexpansion (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)
• Dystopia Rising: Evolution (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)
• M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
• In Media Res (Trinity Continuum: Core)
• Tales of Excellent Cats (Monarchies of Mau)
• V5 Chicago By Night (Vampire: The Masquerade)
• V5 Chicago By Night Screen (Vampire: The Masquerade)
• Spilled Blood (Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition)
• Wr20 Book of Oblivion (Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition)

Post-Editing Development:

• C20 Players’ Guide (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
• Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)
• Night Horrors: Shunned by the Moon (Werewolf: The Forsaken 2nd Edition)
• Adventures for Curious Cats (Monarchies of Mau)

Indexing:

• Scion Origin (Scion Second Edition)
• Scion Hero (Scion Second Edition)

ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:

In Art Direction

• Dystopia Rising: Evolution
• The Realm – Contracted.
• Ex3 Monthly Stuff –
• Chicago By Night – Rolling on contracting next bits.
• Aeon Aexpansion – Going over the notes.
• They Came From Beneath the Sea! – KS over in three days!
• EX3 Lunars – Updated KS finals are in, KS prep begins.
• Signs of Sorcery – Over to layout this week.
• In Media Res – Sketches starting to come in.
• Hunter: The Vigil 2
• Shunned By the Moon – Got the notes, contacting artists.
• Book of Oblivion – Contracted.
• Contagion Chronicle

Marketing Stuff

In Layout

• Geist 2e
• C20 Player’s Guide

Proofing

• Scion Hero – Indexing.
• Scion Origin – Indexing.
• M20: Gods and Monsters – Sending for WW approval.
• Pugmire Roll of Good Dogs and Cats – Getting backer PDF ready to send to backers.
• Trinity Core – Errata closed.
• Trinity Aeon – Errata closed.
• Ex3 Dragon Blooded – inputting XXs and then off to Indexing.
• CtL2e Condition Cards – Sending for PoD proofs.
• Ex Novel 2 (Aaron Rosenberg) – Sending for WW approval.

At Press

• Wraith 20th – Shipping to fulfillment shipper.
• Wraith 20 Screen – Shipping to fulfillment shipper.
• Scion Dice – At Studio2.
• Scion Screen – At Studio2.
• CtL2 Jumpstart – PDF and PoD versions on sale at DTRPG this Wednesday.
• Fetch Quest – Shipping to US.

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TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE: 

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr Day! Here in the US, for some of you out there, that may just mean you get a day off, or can’t get your mail as it’s a Monday holiday, and for others celebrating MLK’s birthday may mean a lot more. Humanity, and protest, and civil rights, and a man who stood up and spoke forth in a time period that sparked changes in laws and attitudes that we are still dealing with today.