Yar HAR! It’s International Talk Like A Pirate Day, me hearties!

And what better way to illustrate that than to actually illustrate it with the concept art piece I drew up to send the cover artist for Pirates of Pugmire?

Here’s the actual art that the immensely talented Claudio Pozas created based on that concept art sketch:

Some swapping of costume elements, some excellent refinement of poses, and it’s in color, all came together under Claudio’s watch.

Of course, I bring all this up in order to point out that we only have a few more weeks to go with our Realms of Pugmire celebration this month – which is part of our year-long Onyx Path 10th Anniversary extravaganza!

We’ve made the switch to the next batch of Pugmire PDFs on sale for 10% of their regular price on DTRPG, and IPR continues their 50% off sale of physical Pugmire products.

The gang at the Onyx Pathcast are continuing their round-robin playing of the various Realms of Pugmire gamelines – having a great time making characters, and then playing them – with different ones picking up running that week’s game and playing.

So far, they seem to be having a great time, and what a delightful way of celebrating the game line, so it’s worth giving it a listen over on Podbean or your favorite podcast venue!

To return to talking about Pirates of Pugmire (and talking like then: Yar! Yip! Meeeeooowww!) here’s Eddy talking about how he started conceptualizing the book (from the Onyx Path Pugmire channel on Discord:

Originally, I had planned to do three core rulebooks: one for dogs, one for cats, and one for rodents. But a couple of things happened after the Monarchies of Mau Kickstarter: A lot of people treated it like a supplement, not a core game, and there were a lot of requests for a campaign book.

I wanted to see how things went before I made any final decisions on what Squeaks in the Deep would turn out to be, so instead I decided to work on some character types I had eluded to in other books. My goal was to make them playable without a core rulebook (in what would turn out to be a test run for how I handled things in Squeaks in the Deep).

I also wanted to do something with Waterdog Port, since the idea of an unaligned pirate city had really captured my imagination. My head quickly mapped the idea of parrots with bird characters, and I pitched the idea soon after.

I definitely wanted to do something that was more generally “sea adventure,” but initially I struggled because pirates are, historically, awful people. And I didn’t want awful people to be a basis for player characters — I’d rather that option be something players opt into, rather than presented as a default.

But when I did some research, I realized that over the past century, we’ve ended up calling any seafaring adventurer “pirate” as a bit of shorthand. Combined with consuming some pirate media (although not media that I pirated), I settled on the idea that Pugmire is uniquely positioned to 100% embrace the pop cultural definition of pirates while being able to largely jettison the actual history around them.

After that, things fell into place pretty quickly. Since this was intended to be a campaign book, adventures had to be a big central piece, but I also wanted to add some fun rules. Sailing and ship rules were an obvious addition, as well as the nuances of adding lizard and bird characters to the setting.

Since there was a dog-friendly monarchy on the shores of the Acid Sea (which I did intentionally in the past), I was able to add some political intrigue into the mix: the dogs are further inland but more culturally connected to the city, while the cats are able to be more directly involved (although said cats do have conflicting loyalties). And the cat/bird dynamic was a nice bit to discover during the outline.

Honestly, Pirates of Pugmire was one of those books where I did a bunch of research, tied that into what I had already established for the world, then let the writers have fun. Which, to me, is always the sweet spot for design: Give a strong set of firm guidelines, and then let the team fill in the gaps with their own creativity. They came up with things I never would have thought of, but which now I can’t imagine not having in the world.

There’s a lot I would have done differently in retrospect — nothing the team brought to the table, but larger design decisions I would have done differently. But I think it’s telling that I can look at stuff like One Piece long after the book was done and go “I can see how that would be done in Pirates of Pugmire.”

On the visual end, I still can not find my packed away notebook that I was hoping to use to show you all the first ad/poster sketches we came up with. Never fear, I’m still looking! It has to be in one of these boxes down here in the art dungeon!

Instead, though, here’s a shot of a random selection of character concept art I did, first as we were coming up with the look for Pugmire itself, and also a few later characters and the main ones for Mau. I really love working on these, although they are time consuming, as they draw on both my love of animals and Ren-Fest pseudo-medieval fantasy.

You’ll note, if you’re the sort who notes these things, that their clothing is accurate for a wide range of locations and time periods. This was something Eddy and I discussed before I started working on the first ones, as we felt that the uplifted inhabitants of this world would attempt to pattern their clothing based on whatever reference they could find, without the context to know the time, place, or even the materials used in their textiles.

Some clothing would wind up being made from textiles pretty close to how we developed them historically, but that was not always the case. Which gave me a pretty free reign in coming up with the various styles. Dogs of Pugmire tend to straddle the various “medieval” periods, while the cats of Mau might be wearing things more appropriate to the the Renaissance up to the Napoleonic period.

Compare King Puckington Pug, who is wearing pretty much what Henry VIII wore, to the Mau ambassadors at the top in their sashes and long coats. The important thing was to have fun, and by doing so free up the players to not care so much about “accuracy” that they couldn’t have fun.

You can see that they are done up in pencil in order to give even the concept art the general semi-realistic style we were going for, and many of the pieces have written and/or drawn notes that are there for any other artist we hire to grasp certain details.

That’s one of the primary differences in creating concept art for a project – I’m not making it for you folks, although I hope you enjoy seeing these – I’m making a visual guide so that other artists can portray our characters and world in the way we need everything depicted. Subject matter and style have to work together.

And just because these are Eddy’s pups, and I’ve stolen his words liberally all this month (and hope to do so again next week), here are:

Finally, in advance of the last week of our Realms of Pugmire celebration, here’s a link to an excellently in-depth review of Squeaks In The Deep: https://whatdoiknowjr.com/2022/09/14/what-do-i-know-about-reviews-squeaks-in-the-deep-realms-of-pugmire/

It’s Double Dinghammer Day!

Once again, an out-of-context quote from today’s meeting which I’ll leave you to speculate on. Why would there even be a single Dinghammer, nevermind a double? What would cause a Dinghammer reference, anyway?

But I can tell you that Dinghammer is one of many games we are pretty sure that Justin Achilli created while doing booth duties:

But it could have been an olde game created by pirates, we don’t know. Nuff said, matey!

Amazingly, we are almost at October, and two things happen in October every year: I work on a drawing a day with the Inktober challenge, and our friends at The Bodhana Group host their Save Against Fear convention!

In terms of Inktober, I’ve done years of illustrations from my Crossroads Continent game world, which we’re now publishing projects about. I could do more of those…or I could do pieces that depict a new setting we’re working on. Concept art or finished pieces. Could be both.

But really, it’s Save Against Fear that’s the important thing here. Once again, as we have for many years, Onyx Path will be a sponsor for the convention, as I just feel that TBG‘s mission to incorporate tabletop gaming into therapeutic practices is too positive a goal not to support.

We’ve all played that game that got us through hard times, opened our eyes to an important truth, or led us to see the world or ourselves differently. Bringing that moment to folks who need a boost is something I think Bodhana does, and can do more of with our support. Save Against Fear is everything gamers might expect from a con, and the cost to attend goes towards supporting Bodhana. That’s a win-win!

Details are below in the Conventions section, and right now we’re sure that Eddy and I are attending, for sure. If we can swing it, maybe more Onyx Path folks will be there, too!

Also in the Conventions section, below, we have the details for our monthly Onyx Path Friday Game Night at StartPlaying.Games. These last few have been fun, but we’d love to see more of our games being run and enjoyed. Especially since our year long celebration sales means that folks can pick up the PDFs they need to run and play at ludicrously great prices and then put that swag (Yar!) to good use by playing on the last Friday of each month!

If you want to try out new games, enjoy old favorites, test out ideas before dropping them on your friends, even make a little cash running games, the last Friday night each month is your time, and our little event is your place!

Finally, 7 years ago this Friday, M20 went on sale! This does not seem possible. And yet, it has, in fact, been:

TEN YEARS, MANY WORLDS, ONE PATH!

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BLURBS!

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KICKSTARTER/CROWDFUNDING!

Coming next on crowdfunding… Scion: God!

Keep your eyes open for a very special announcement at the end of this week!

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Onyx Path Media!

This week:

Continuing the month of Pugmire, Matthew runs Dixie and Eddy through a one-shot Pirates of Pugmire adventure!

As always, this Friday’s Onyx Pathcast will be on Podbean or your favorite podcast venue! https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/

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Onyx Path Media now has its own blog on Tuesdays! We’ll continue posting our highlight of the week here, but Tuesday will be the day to visit if you want to catch up on actual plays, interviews, deep dives, and other assorted Onyx Path media!

Please check out our attached media schedule for the impressive number of 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!

MEDIA HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK:

Pain in the Dice have created a three part Scion: Hero actual play that we’d love for you to check out:
Thank you!

Part 1 – https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/QZFfwzOEntb

Part 2 – https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/weV2YyOEntb

Part 3 – https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/x8NGqyOEntb

The Onyx Path News goes live every single week to discuss recent and upcoming releases, dive into some of our most anticipated books, and answer questions from the audience. You can find it on our YouTube channel (click the bell to be informed when we go live!) but if you missed the last episode, here it is: https://youtu.be/q_2fYzHGXKM Tomorrow will see a new episode focused on our game nights with Start.Playing, so tune in then!

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Virtual Tabletop!

The Scion: Origin Compendium is now available on Roll20!

https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/compendiumexpansion/12522/scion-second-edition-book-one-origin

It’s native to Roll20, so not for use elsewhere, but perfect for starting your Roll20 Scion game – plus, the official Origin & Hero sheets are already available!

And the first of our official sheets designed for Roll20 are now available!

The first of our official sheets designed for Foundry VTTis now available!

Direct Link: https://foundryvtt.com

As they say: “Foundry Virtual Tabletop is a self-hosted roleplaying platform with support for hundreds of game systems with modern features and a developer-friendly API. Foundry VTT is a one-time purchase where your players connect for free using a web browser.”

More VTT offerings and projects will be arriving this year!

On DrivethruRPG, here is the main filter for all of our current VTT content:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/4261/Onyx-Path-Publishing?filters=0_0_0_45317_0

A few highlights of our platform agnostic DTRPG content:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/309127/Scarred-Lands-Creature-Collection-VTT-Token-Pack
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/317690/Trinity-Continuum-Hunt-for-the-Red-Widow-VTT
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/340327/Trinity-Continuum-Aeon-VTT-Tokens
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/311578/Scarred-Lands-VTT-Separation-Anxiety
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/311580/Scion-2e-VTT-Origin-Signature-Tokens
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/311579/Scion-2e-VTT-Hero-Signature-Tokens

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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/

Pugmire/Mau books and dice are 50% off at IPR this 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!

Select Pugmire/Mau PDFs are 90% off at DTRPG:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/saleguide.php
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/4261/Onyx-Path-Publishing/subcategory/8329_23127/Pugmire

These will be available until Friday, when a new set of various Pugmire PDFs will go on sale!

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).

Check out the Trinity Continuum: Aeon novellas Dawn and Meridian in the Kindle store!

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On Sale This Week!

They’re everywhere! Novas, I mean – as in Novas Worldwide for Trinity Continuum: Aberrant is released in PDF and physical book PoD versions this Weds on DTRPG!

Novas Worldwide contains three adventures to use in your games. These scenarios can be played in sequence as a campaign, used individually as single chronicles, or added to an existing chronicle.

• Fifteen Minutes introduces new novas to a life of celebrity and fame where they must balance their new roles as superheroes with their reputations.

• Sink or Swim sends the characters on a seemingly simple mission to stop a criminal gang, which turns into a rescue operation alongside unlikely allies.

• All Tomorrow’s Parties provides the novas with a chance to try their hand at public relations while grappling with the sinister aspects of human desire to be super-powered.

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Conventions!

Because dates for physical conventions are subject to change due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, we don’t yet have a list of upcoming physical conventions. Instead, keep an eye out here for more virtual conventions we’re going to be involved with!

Game Night With Onyx Path Publishing at Start.Playing is Friday the 30th, this month! Our special focus is the Realms of Pugmire! (But any of our game lines are welcome!)

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

Our friends at The Bodhana Group return to the physical convention space at the Heritage Hills Resort in York, PA on Oct 6 – 9 with this year’s Save Against Fear Convention:
www.saveagainstfear.com

As always there will be lots and lots of games being played, vendor booths, virtual gaming, and many panels – including some that RichT and Eddy Webb will be sitting on!

One of the things that makes this convention different is that it is run by and helps finance The Bodhana Group‘s efforts towards using tabletop gaming as a tool for therapy. They even have a separate track of panels and workshops for therapists and facilitators that runs before the rest of the con!

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And now, the new project status updates!

Our full list of projects will be available monthly on our blog! Check out August’s full list report here:

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM EDDY

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

First Draft

TC: Aether – The Aethernaut Collection

• Eddy: Right away, one of the stretch goals for the TC:Aether crowdfunding campaign is rushing out of the [wrought-iron – RT] gate! This collection of characters from Victorian fiction is sure to delight any Storyguide.

Development

Trinity Continuum – Assassins VTT Adventure

• Matthew: Kim Godwin has written an excellent scenario for Assassin’s here, with surprising shades of Resident Evil 4!

TC: Aberrant – Best at What I Do

• Eddy: The final drafts of our TC: Aberrant book on Elites and other lone heroes have all come in, so now they’re being revised by our developer!

TC: Aegis – Trinity Continuum: Aegis

• Eddy: Similarly, all final drafts of our upcoming game of ancient heroes in the Trinity Continuum are in!

Manuscript Approval

Scion – Demigod Companion

• Matthew: Lauren Roy’s team has produced a magnificent sourcebook in the Demigod Companion. It really expands the options for Demigod, including for solo play!

Post-Approval Development

TC: Aberrant – Tasty Bit – Queer Nova Alliance

• Eddy: Final drafts and approval went quickly, so I just need to put some final touches on this new TC: Aberrant Tasty Bit, and then it’ll be off to editing!

Editing

Hunter: The Vigil – Tending the Flame

• Matthew: If you want more options for your Hunter chronicles, Eric Zawadzki’s book has you covered! Hunter is one of my favourite Chronicles of Darkness lines, so it’s impressive to see some lovely expansion options in Tending the Flame.

Trinity Continuum – Talents Player’s Guide

• Eddy: Danielle has developed all the drafts on this book featuring the Talents of the Trinity Continuum, so now it’s ready for the editing queue!

Hunter: The Vigil – Hunter Jumpstart

• Matthew: We’re firm believers in the “on-boarding” process for new roleplayers, or simply just roleplayers new to our games. The Hunter Jumpstart incorporates a lot of what we’ve learned from our most popular Jumpstarts, and I think it does its job marvelously.

TC: Aberrant – From the Shadows

• Eddy: Similarly, our book of espionage in the Nova Age is developed and ready for an editor to slash at it from the shadows.

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ART DIRECTION FROM MIKE CHANEY!

In Art Direction

• Exalted Essence – Awaiting color proofs.
• Ex3 Sidereals KS – Scene sketches being corrected… should have splats in this week.
• TCF Cyclops Cave  and Classified Jumpstarts –Getting the Classified Jumpstart rolling.
• SCION Realms of Magic and Mystery– Fulls are already in.
• SCION God 2e – Working on crowdfunding assets.
• Legendlore: Legacies of Earth – Getting DAC on the fulls.
• TC Adventure Jumpstart  – Getting artwork for the adventure portion.

In Layout

• Squeaks Jumpstart – Splats in. Just waiting on the maps.
• Ex3 Adversaries – In progress.

Proofing

• Victorian Mage – Second proof.

Indexing

• Scion Dragon

At Press

• Scion Demigod – KS books at fulfillment shipper.
• Scion Demigod Screen – At KS shipper.
• Squeaks in the Deep Screen – At KS shipper.
• Squeaks in the Deep – KS books at fulfillment shipper.
• Squeaks in the Deep Bookmarks – At KS shipper.
• Hunter: The Vigil 2e – KS rewards starting to ship out.
• HTV 2 Screen – KS rewards starting to ship out.
• Scarred Lands: Dead Man’s Rust – KS books at fulfillment shipper.
• M20 Sorcerer – Awaiting XXs.
• Scion Players Guide: Saints and Monsters – PoD proofs ordered.
• MTC Book of Lasting Death – Awaiting approval on final piece of art.
• CtL 2e Kith and Kin – Awaiting errata.
• TC: Mission Statements – Awaiting errata.
• Scion Masks of Mythos – Out to KS backers for errata pass – ends Friday.
• TC Novas Worldwide – PDF and PoD versions on sale Wednesday on DTRPG.

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Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

YARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!

Shiver me timbers, Tim, the black spot!