Don’t worry, that’s probably the last use of the 15th Anniversary Onyx Path logo for our header; even the last two altered versions. But we are, still, really excited to hit this milestone and we’re still in awe of all the hard work and passion, from both our creators and our fans, that got us here – and still going!
I’ll see if I can start putting up some cool art for a bit, and then we’ll have cool crowdfunder art as our headers as we start rockin’ the crowdfunding again. (I’m looking at early Feb for the next one, but until we actually start pulling the campaign page together I’m loath to hype it up.
As a side note: a lot of our discussions these last weeks in the Monday Meeting are on getting some longer lead times for our releases so folks can have just a tad bit of warning ahead of time. We’ve been lengthening our timing, getting onto things earlier, pushing our dates our further, but as a small shop that takes some coordinated effort and it’s not a snap, everybody jumps and does it, decision. Lots of moving parts.
Still, we’re further along now than last year. Which helps a lot.
Similarly, we’re almost into the bookbinding phase on Exigents, which is very exciting because so far – so far – the printing prep and actual printing has gone very smoothly. Knock wood, cross fingers, throw salt over your shoulder, make an offering to the warehouse faeries – whatever it takes so that the next phase of shipping to our fulfillment shippers also goes as smoothly as it can. (We’re a superstitious crew here on the Onyx Seas).
Even if you are not an Exalted fan or backer, this is good news, because how the process goes with Exigents will inform our moving forward with traditionally printed books and Deluxes that backers are waiting for from other games.
Meanwhile we have a healthy amount of projects moving through various stages including, entering the First Draft stage of production, a Solo Guidebook for playing Curseborne! One of our goals with Curseborne is to make the setting and game as accessible to as many different gamers as possible, and solo gaming has always been something that was desirable in our hobby, but not something Onyx Path did much more than dabble in, like with Scion.
With this project, which is just getting started but has been discussed since we were formulating how we wanted to introduce CB after the core book, we’ll be looking at Curseborne in particular, but depending on whether folks dig it, we can see expanding not just for CB but for any of the SPU game lines. But don’t worry, gamers who play in groups have not been shouldered aside: we’ve still got lots of Curseborne projects for your gaming groups coming, including the Seattle city book and the big project coming for October…
Like we did last week, here’s Travis with some info on upcoming Twitch stream events!:
Last week, our new Scion actual play, The Veiled Society, premiered on the Onyx Path Twitch channel! Storyguide Krow has assembled a band of pre-visitation Scions who are taking their first faltering steps into the World! Tune on on Friday at 9 PM EST to catch episode 2! Remember, Twitch subscribers can access Video on Demand immediately, so if you can’t watch live, be sure to subscribe!
And if you’re looking for insight into crafting stories for Storypath Ultra, including game prep, story structure, and tips for keeping your players engaged, don’t miss Guiding the Path with Tom Murr! Each week Tom covers ways to make your Storypath game more engaging, exciting, and easier to run! Guiding the Path broadcasts weekly on Thursdays at 4 PM EST!
Now, before I wrap up for this week and get back to the meetings and emails coming out of the Monday Meeting today, I’d like to give folks a chance to reach out to us – both via our other social media and in our Comments section here – and let us know what you think about the Onyx Path Forums. Two years ago, we had as one of our company goals the fixing of our website and forums which had gotten bashed up by a series of broken updates. Last year we were finally able to update and upgrade across the site and the forums were finally fixed.
But, as we look at the number of posts and users, it’s clear that only a very limited number of folks in our community still use the forums, with most of our activity now happening in our Discord and other Discords, and on other social media venues. So, are we reading the numbers but not getting the actual value our Onyx Path Forums hold for you?
Let us know, either way, frankly, so that your thoughts can be part of our decisions as to how we want to move forward with the Forums! Now’s your chance!
Looking forward to hearing any and all responses, and always glad to hear from you all for any reason. Don’t be a stranger. C’mon in and sit a spell. We’ll have a cuppa and talk about your favorite of our:
Many Worlds… One Path!
Blurbs!
Crowdfunding!
TBA!
Onyx Path Media!
Check out our attached media schedule for the videos on our Twitch channel this week!
Today on the Onyx Path News Matthew talks about Scion: Dragon, Curseborne, Scarred Lands, and more! https://youtu.be/fOjFXOnzmIU?si=k2WmadeNeMCgfu3_
Over on his YouTube channel, he returns to the Gentleman’s Guide to the Accursed to cover the servile Prenderghast Family introduced in the Player’s Guide to Curseborne: https://youtu.be/vTnZbE-pJRo?si=uOcoYz5cYcyrZs3H
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
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
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!
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!
Is it just a game, or are these battles actually a part of a bigger war between pantheons, Titans, and gods? Find out the truth in Scion War Games! On sale in PDF and PoD versions this Weds on DTRPG!
On Sale Last Week!
Now available for the first time as a compiled hardcover book, that retro classic: the Dead Gods Trilogy Omnibus for Scarred Lands, for sale on DTRPG!
Plus, as mentioned last week: get yer Onyx Path 15th Anniversary merch on our RedBubble store! Wear proudly our official 15th Anniversary logo! Drink from your own 15th cup and gaze in wonder at the wacky logo on your curtain as you shower (they have a lot of different merch ideas over there!)
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 the last Friday of every month 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
Project Status Updates!
Our full list of projects will be available monthly on our blog! Check out December’s full list report here: https://theonyxpath.com/release-roundup-december-2025/
DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM EDDY!
Here are the projects that moved to the next stage of production:
First Drafts
Curseborne – Solo Play
- That’s right, we’re devising a solo play version of Curseborne for those times you can’t get a group together.
Final Draft
Scion – Pandora’s Box of Knacks, Birthrights, and Boons
- My goodness this book has turned into a giant…
Development
Exalted – Exalted Essence Storyteller’s Guide
- Our next big book for Exalted Essence is all written (barring a few small bits) and is being deftly pulled together by our developer!
Post-Editing Development
At the Gates – Jumpstart: A Daemon’s Bargain
- Back to Danielle for the finishing touches on this very exciting Jumpstart!
At the Gates – Encore (was Companion)
- So many new playable options… Let’s see if we can get a preview up on the blog soon.
ART DIRECTION FROM MIKE CHANEY!
In Art Direction
- TCF Cyclops Cave Jumpstart – Wilson is almost done…
- TCF Murder Lake Jumpstart – Splats Ad’d… just have to find someone to do the full and halfs (and that crapload of maps).
- TCF the Danger Zone – halfs.
- Curseborne Jumpstart – Figuring out what we need.
- Scion God Divine Inpsiration – Getting notes and backer likenesses over to Maria.
- TC Steam Wars – Sent to Larry for review and so on.
- TWB Secrets of Kalm and Khaos – Just waiting on sketches for last few half pagers.
Layout Queue
- Ex3 Alchemicals
- TWB Ed Greenwood Book – With Ron Thompson.
- TC Anima AR – knocking this out real quick.
- Curseborne Tasty Bit Compilation – Tweaking the older files to line up with Curseborne formatting
Proofing Queue
- SCION Gifts of the Titans – Finishing proofing and getting the Backer PDF out this week.
- SPU Core Manual
- Curseborne Community Content Stuff
At Press
- Ex 3 Exigents – Printing.
- Heroes of Action and Wonder – PoD proofs ordered.
- SCION War Games – PDF and PoD versions on sale Weds on DTRPG!
Today’s Reason to Celebrate!
In the US today, we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and it remains an official federal Monday holiday. His actual birthday was January 15, 1929 and for those who don’t have the info, he was an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister who was a leader of the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. He advanced civil rights for people of color in the United States through the use of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience against Jim Crow laws and other forms of legalized discrimination, which most commonly affected African Americans. If you are less concerned with the civil rights movement in the US, it is also the birthday in 1809 of Edgar Allan Poe, American short story writer, poet, critic, and all-time example for the tormented artist of the macabre.
Hey crew,
I completely switched from forums to Discord a while ago. The thing is, Discord is moving more into monetisation options and is likely to become a worse platform. Maybe it is good to have the forums as a backup?
Until I am being pushed away from Discord by enshitification, it’s unlikely I’ll go somewhere else, though
Hi Tom – yep, that’s one of the “joys” of social media: the ever-shifting transitions that make it harder and harder to build consistent communities. And it seems to be happening faster and faster, making it even harder for us to be sure we’re talking to the most folks interested in our games.
I prefer the forums. I find them easier to find conversations and topics I’m interested in. Those conversations rely on other people to also be using them though, so I’m less present simply because fewer people are present over all. If they ever picked up again I’d be back on my daily visitations. Catch 22.
Hey Nik – Thanks for responding! Can I ask you which of the individual forums you’d post to if there was more going on? Thanks!
I like both Discord and the forums for different reasons. On Discord, it’s very easy to have short conversations and answers to quick questions. But detailed tidbits often get lost because the scroll eats them up.
On forums, it’s much easier to have long-form/term discussions about topics and detailed posts. Important topics get a lot of analysis and tend to stay around longer. You engage with the topics (posts) that interest you as opposed to having to wade through a lot of chatter.
I think the problem with the Onyx Path forum right now is since it WAS broken, a lot of people moved on and never checked back in (or did when it was still broken). It’s also a lot easier to check in on Discord when you are already there. The forums need something added to pull people back. For example, dev interaction (which happens on Discord now).
That division of structure and usage is definitely something we’ve discussed before, and even the folks who run the various social media venues are aware and often try and expand their structures to start adding in more familiar types of usage. Discord has a thread function now to enable a single topic to be put into a discrete place so it’s easier to follow the conversation, for example. I think Reddit feels a lot more forum-like these days, even though it retains a lot of its own structure. As for bringing in more dev interaction, that’s a thing that is harder to do for a team our size: most of our devs are freelancers, so while it might be in their overall best interests to help the lines, the amount of time they spend answering questions comes out of their personal time and isn’t time they are getting paid to write/dev on projects for us or other companies. So, we’re super-glad for all of the interaction they feel able to give in the venues they feel comfortable posting in, and it’s a hard ask to “assign” them a particular venue.
Always prefer the forums. No idea how to bring them back to life. Discord is fine and has its place, but forums always felt like more of a community and allowed for focused, directed discussions.
Yep, it’s a big question. That’s why I’m starting the conversation now, as there’s a lot to look at: actual usage, structure of forums vs elsewhere, continuity of use, nostalgia for the communities you came up in (as you note), habit of use and what happens when that habit breaks. And more, including business reasons and having enough coverage of staff and moderation for all these various venues.
Whether you are still posting to our forums or have stopped, which ones did you post to? Thanks!
I prefer the forums, but I also see the lower activity too. I would love to see them revived. I go way back to the White Wolf forums of old and I miss those days when that was one of the main places to discuss the games. There was no social media, Discord or Reddit in those days. I would miss the forums if they went away.