July Update!!!
about 1 month ago
– Thu, Jul 16, 2026 at 04:58:24 PM
Hey Everyone!
I hope everyone has had a good month. I have a brief announcement, then I'll get right to it.
I don't know how many of you (if any) have visited the Advent Chaos website since backing the game. It's been in limbo, pretty much since 2024. I've decided to shut down the website I was building and have someone design an official site for me, hopefully to go live in 2027. I will retain the domain name, so once the new site is completed, adventchaos.com will live again.
Now, the game manuscript....
I've got good news and bad news. I like to end on a positive note, so bad news first.
The valuable work time that I lost over the past two months caught up with me, but it was unavoidable. That said, I don't think the manuscript will be finished before Gen Con. Most recently, I had to backtrack on the Encounter Tables being finished. I had to spend more time on them again this month. After not looking at them for over a week, I was scrolling past them and realized I had overused the "torn page" graphic (yay...graphic design). It came off like the graphic was just used in some places for its own sake, rather than contributing to an organic feel for the book (not what you want when you're looking for flow). The font was also a little hard to read in places, so I had to fix those things.
I took some time earlier today for an "official" assessment of what's left. My goal was to get a more accurate idea of when I'll be able to get this game printed and to you guys. Given where I'm at in development, how long it's taking to get through some of these things, and knowing I have one convention a month for the second half of the year, I'm adjusting my completion timeline to sometime in September.
The good news is that Chosen now has a convention guide! I postponed working on it until last week. It's taking a little longer than anticipated to create, but that's just how it goes sometimes. I was looking at it a few minutes ago, and it only needs a few more things. This was definitely needed for conventions moving forward, so that's time well spent.
If something unforeseen comes up, I feel like the worst-case scenario is that the Chosen finished product debuts at Gamehole Con. In the grand scheme of things, that's not a huge change. Like I've said from day one, when you finally get this book in your hands, I want it to be a quality product.
We're just about there, folks. As always, thank you for your support!
Stay safe and happy gaming!
Joe
June Update!
2 months ago
– Sun, Jun 21, 2026 at 11:21:48 AM
Hey Everyone!
Happy Father's Day to those dads out there!
I hope the past month has been good to you all, or as good as it could be! Other than the tornadoes affecting my region, it's been decent here. This week was a little strange, as it was the first time in three years that I didn't attend Origins Fair. I will say that having a kid out on Summer Break and a wife unable to drive herself around, due to recovery from major surgery, makes for too many distractions!
In any case, progress continues. Writing/Layout for the Exploration, Season, and Weather tables is complete, along with other miscellaneous changes. Seasons are optional, but they also add extra depth to your travels, with each season offering its own benefits and risks. The mechanic for seasons works as follows:
- The player or group rolls for a starting season on the Season Table at the beginning of play (1D6)
- Seasons then rotate through the chart in numerical order (2-5), with each season lasting 12 in-game weeks
- At the beginning of each new season, make a 1D6 roll. If the roll is a 1 or 6, Winds of Ash (1) or Evernight (6) is active for 1D6 weeks. At the conclusion of these exceptions, the regularly scheduled season is active for the remainder of the 12 weeks
Now, as far as the timeline goes, I still think getting the game to the editor by the end of Summer is a viable goal. Next week, I will take some time to create a document to help a colleague learn how to play the game, since they want to run it at Gen Con.
Essentially, that means the game will have an unofficial quickstart. Maybe after the game is published, I will add to that and turn it into an official Chosen Quickstart or Chaos Engine system guide, so players can use Chosen's system in other games. Time will tell, but my main focus is completing the game's manuscript for now.
That's all I've got at the moment, but I'm looking forward to next month's update! Hopefully, we'll be able to celebrate the completion of Chosen's development not long after!
Until next time,
Stay safe and happy gaming!
May Update!
3 months ago
– Mon, May 25, 2026 at 03:58:04 PM
Greetings Chosen!
First, let me say Happy Memorial Day to all of those who have lost a family member in military service or know someone who has. I thank them for their service!
Now, the game...
Considering that there are only six days left in May, I'm going to miss my soft deadline of June 1st. However, as I mentioned in the last update, I'm not worried about taking development into the Summer. I don't foresee a reason it will continue into the Fall convention season.
Some things have become clearer over the past few weeks. I said I would know a more accurate page count by the end of May, and I way undershot when I suggested it could be 130 pages. One reason is that the book size is both a friend and a foe to my Encounter Table. It's great that the page size is perfect for keeping prompts at a good length. Prompts need enough variation to maintain replay value, and each entry includes a variable for whether the encounter occurs during the day or at night. However, the variations that provide depth to the prompts result in one entry per page.
I don't consider that a setback, but it was unforeseen. I would rather have one entry per page and do the game justice than give you guys bland encounters that get boring. That said, the book will definitely be 150+ pages. How far over 150 it goes, I'll keep you updated.
Also, a colleague has indicated they want to run Chosen at Gen Con, which is a first for the game. That will be the first convention session of Chosen not facilitated by me. That's exciting! I'm looking forward to more people experiencing the game.
That's really all I have at the moment. I'll update you guys again soon.
Stay safe and happy gaming!
April Update 2.0!!!
4 months ago
– Thu, Apr 23, 2026 at 02:14:34 PM
Hey Everyone!!!
I mentioned at the beginning of the month that I would try to get out more than one update, so let me get to it.
Progress is coming along. The goal is still to complete the book before June 1st. If something comes up or interferes with that specific date, I'm not concerned. The game will go to printing this Summer.
Before I went back to school to become a writer, I read Stephen King's book, On Writing, about his journey to becoming a writer. Stephen has a routine where, once he finishes a manuscript, he puts it in a drawer for six weeks. That way, when he looks at it again, it's with a completely fresh set of eyes. This process makes editing one's own work easier and yields the best possible final copy when sent to an editor.
That has already happened to multiple areas within the game's book. In some places, more than once. That said, I feel like this will reduce the number of edits needed after I send it to the official editor. Plus, my wife is one of the harshest critics of RPG books that I know. She is not afraid to ask me why something is the way it is.
I've also decided to keep the short story I wrote in the game's world separate from the game book. I want the game's manuscript to focus on the game. The short story is still available for download on DrivethruRPG.com, and there will be excerpts from the story in the book as flavor text. I, honestly, feel the manuscript flows better that way.
As I work my way through the game's manuscript, finishing some areas and polishing others, we're sitting at a page count of 130 to 150. I will have a better idea of the final page count next month.
Until next time, stay safe and happy gaming!
March/April Update!!!
5 months ago
– Wed, Apr 01, 2026 at 12:59:43 PM
Greetings Chosen!
I apologize for not getting an update out sometime in the past couple of weeks. March was insanely busy. I had very little downtime, so progress was minimal. HOWEVER, I'm happy to say that I don't have another convention until Gen Con in late July.
The first weekend of March, when I was at GAMA Expo, a friend and fellow designer finally got a chance to play Chosen. In his words, "this is done. It's ready to go. Just get the book finished." This comes from a colleague whom I trust and know can give impartial advice. He's written and edited on projects much larger than Chosen, and is currently tagged to be one of the editors for the Ghost in the Shell TTRPG by Mana Project. I didn't need his approval, but it was great to hear.
That said, I think it's perfectly realistic for me to complete Chosen's development this Summer and have physical copies ready for Gen Con 2026. I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I appreciate you all sticking with me during this development period. It's taken much longer than I would've liked, but I've learned a lot. The longer "cook time" has definitely paid off, as I know you're getting a higher-quality product than what you originally ordered.
That's all for the moment. I will be in touch again soon, likely later this month. Stay safe and happy gaming!
Joe Weaver
