Hunt demons, eldritch horrors, and more in a world consumed by darkness. You are Chosen, but can you survive? (Supports 1-4 players)
Latest Updates from Our Project:
August Update!!!
10 months ago
– Wed, Aug 20, 2025 at 12:33:30 PM
Greetings Chosen!
Let me start by saying that, as is sometimes the case, there is not a lot to report this month. Development is exciting at times, and at other times it just feels like a grind against the clock. However, progress is progress.
I will say that Gen Con was a good experience. One of my players happened to be an acquaintance whom I had met before. He and the other players were very candid during their game session, providing some great feedback. I also had the opportunity to talk with that acquaintance for a while after the session ended (shout out to Paul B for taking the time to have a fruitful conversation about your experience).
I think I've mentioned before that convention sessions at this point are more preview than playtest. However, if there are details that can be improved, I will do so as long as it's needed or doesn't throw the development off the rails. Tweaks are often easy improvements that make quality of life better for the player. The development window is closing, though, so I suppose that makes these last few convention sessions before release some of the most important. As the game nears its final iteration, they are the proof of whether it works or not. Feedback has continued to be positive, so that's definitely a good sign.
I know I was quiet this month. However, September and October will likely be more months of multiple updates. These will include things like a look into the finalized system mechanics, a peek at the monster/enemies section, and a few other things that I think are exciting.
I'll close the update with this. I have my sights set on Halloween, folks. I'll be at GrandCon in Grand Rapids, MI, next weekend. The next convention I'm attending after that is Gamehole Con, two weeks before Halloween. I want to try to hammer what's left out between now and then. Time will tell, or as Volgrath the Dread Knight would say, "We'll see if the dark gods smile upon thee."
You'll be hearing from me again soon! Until then, happy gaming!!!
Joe Weaver - Creator
July Update 1.2: DrivethruRPG and Spotify
10 months ago
– Mon, Jul 28, 2025 at 08:49:54 PM
Greetings, Chosen!
I wanted to let you all know that all pre-release materials are now live on DrivethruRPG, except for the map of The Shadowreach, which has been submitted and will go live this week. For those who downloaded from Itch.io, these are the same files. Last week, there was some drama between Itch and their payment processors (Mastercard/Visa), and my main goal was to build an audience on Drivethru anyway. It just took a bit longer to submit everything.
I also decided I would share Chosen's development playlist with you. I mean, why not? Many of these songs have had a direct impact on Chosen itself. Certain songs stir specific emotions and help me get into a particular headspace. For example, the last two pages of the story text in The Return were inspired by/envisioned to the first 26 seconds of "Raise Your Flag." The playlist is, of course, free. You can find it on Spotify here:
I am scheduled to work Booth 458 for most of the con. I will be at Booth 464 for the majority of my time in the exhibit hall on Saturday. Feel free to stop by and say hi!
More soon...
Best,
Joe Weaver - Creator
July Update 1.1: Map added as free download!
11 months ago
– Sat, Jul 19, 2025 at 02:18:30 PM
Hey everyone,
It occurred to me last night that I should create an ink-friendly version of the map to accompany the character sheets. I really like the book version of the map, but I also understand that multiple printings of items with backgrounds can add up in ink cost.
That said, I've added a background-free map of The Shadowreach to Itch with its accompanying map key. The download is free, so feel free to grab a map to go with your pre-generated characters if you'd like. Here's the link to the page: https://adventchaos.itch.io/chosen-world-map
Enjoy!
Joe Weaver - Creator
July Update: Drivethru and Itch
11 months ago
– Thu, Jul 17, 2025 at 06:31:23 PM
Greetings Chosen!
I hope that everyone is having a decent Summer! I wanted to get this out this week because I have a very busy schedule next week, and Gen Con is the week after that. I know you probably don't want to hear me ramble about how some fonts and I broke up with each other, when I planned on showing them the ultimate form of love (publication). Therefore, I will try to keep this short and sweet.
I'm still waiting for DriveThruRPG to approve the submissions I've made. A few of the pre-gens are live, but some aren't yet. That said, as promised in the last update, the pre-gens, the new character sheet, and the Chosen short story, "The Return," are now available for download. They're just on Itch.io. Apparently, DriveThruRPG likes to take its time if you're not an established publisher. Good info to know.
All of that comes at no cost to you, although I've set up the pre-gens and short story to accept donations. Every pre-gen has art that I licensed for the book as a background, so if a non-backer wants to toss a buck or two my way for the quality, I'm not going to argue.
As I mentioned in the opening, there have been some font changes that affected a few things, but they have been addressed. It was a headache. We'll leave it at that.
Other than that, I'm still banging away at the manuscript. I've got two weeks until Gen Con. Technically, I've got two weeks from yesterday because I will go down to help set up. We'll see where I am at the end of those two weeks. Currently, thanks to this week's struggles, it appears I'll need a bit longer for the PDF. My god, though, guys. I'm so excited to get this book to you!
Our booths at Gen Con are 458 (Imagining Games) and 464 (Mana Project). I'll be at Mana Project on Saturday, but will spend most of my booth time at the Imagining Games booth.
Lastly, I'm going to play around with Roll20 to see if I can get the map of The Shadowreach to work. If so, I want to do an online session and cast it somehow. You all are, of course, invited to come hang out and chat/watch. I'll let you know when the time for that comes. Meanwhile, stay safe out there, and I'll reach out to you again soon!
Best, Joe Weaver - Creator
June Update: Origins Fair, Downloads, and Timeline
12 months ago
– Tue, Jun 24, 2025 at 05:41:04 PM
Greetings, Chosen!
I hope everyone has been doing well since I last contacted you all! For those that don't know, Origins Fair was last week. I had planned to put out an update on Friday the 13th, but I realized I would have much more to share after Origins, and I'm SO glad I waited because this was probably the best playtest of Chosen I've had thus far.
Before I proceed with the rest of the update, I want to remind all my backers about the Discord server. I know I've mentioned this before, but it's been quite a while, and I think it's time to throw it out there again. In the coming months, I plan for the Advent Chaos Discord to become increasingly active. I will be posting more on the server, and I also plan to push it more when I run games at conventions. There will still be monthly updates, but if you want to stay connected to the day-to-day and week-to-week activities, I highly recommend joining the server. You can do so at the following link: Advent Chaos Discord
Origins Fair
Chosen Player: "I've played a lot of GM-less games, and this is the only one I've played that actually works."
Coming from a 25+ year gaming veteran, that is hands down probably the best praise this game has received to date. Players at Origins had two opportunities to play Chosen: one was a scheduled playtest and the other was an option at Games on Demand. GoD went the way of the alternative game (Broken Tales), but the one game of Chosen I DID get to run went smashingly well. Honestly, at this point, the "playtests" are more like previews than tests, but either way, it was definitely a success. I managed to grab a pic for you guys before cleaning up my table. In the picture, you can see a few new things, which work as a segue to the next part of the update.
Downloads
I've decided to release a few free PDFs while I finish the manuscript. First, I've written a short story set in the Chosen universe that will be included in the book. I now plan to release that story as a free PDF to anyone who wants to read it, as a means to both spread the word about Chosen and let you guys see some of the lore in action. Second, I have completely reworked the character sheets (you can see the new pregens in the above picture). The one included in the book will be a default version, but I will also make these new pregens free to download. Once I have the downloads set up, I will send out a message to let you all know they're available. I know having character sheets with no game isn't helpful, but at least you can play around with the pre-gens and have an idea of how the sheets will come together when you create your character. Here is the cover of the short story:
The Return is a short story that revolves around the vampire hunter Azriela Lee and her shadow team. It chronicles the moments that lead up to theOllenstad Massacre, the battle that earned Shadow Team Gorgorron their reputation as the fiercest in the entire Order.
The Pre-gens I've created feature all the team members from the short story.
I've already made a change to the sheets I used at Origins, as the footer on the back did not line up with the one on the front. The sheet(s) I'm posting below are likely the final iteration. In the book, the generic will be front/back, but one of the benefits of a 5.5x8.5 book is that a two-sided character sheet will fit on one side of 8.5x11 printer paper. The printable generic also has no background to save on ink. As you can see below, that is not the case with pre-gens.
And here is an example of one of the pre-gens:
Timeline
That brings me to the game's development timeline. I realize development is running long. However, sometimes reworks just need to happen. After a thorough review of my experiences playtesting the game, I concluded that I needed to modify how the system functioned. The game was too crunchy for narrative play, and some of its mechanics were unnecessary. For those who like crunch, those mechanics are still included with the game, but as optional rules. Considering the overwhelmingly positive feedback I was given at Origins Fair, it is clear that making the changes I did was the right choice.
With all of that said, I want to have a fully playable PDF ready for you all by Gen Con. How tall that order is has yet to be seen, but it is my goal nonetheless. If successful, that should mean I'll have physical copies for fulfillment by sometime in early October (depending on editing and print time) and be able to sell Chosen at Gamehole Con. As always, we'll see what tomorrow brings. That's all I've got at the moment. I look forward to the next update and encourage you to join the Discord if possible.
Until next time, happy hunting and have a safe 4th of July!
