May Update: Tweaks, Abilities, and...Canva (SMH)
about 1 year ago
– Mon, May 12, 2025 at 04:39:57 PM
Greetings, Chosen!
It hasn't quite been a month yet, but I wanted to go ahead and get this update out. It's been another busy few weeks working on the manuscript/layout. There have been a few bumps in the road since the last time I messaged you all. I had a minor surgery procedure done (got a good 4 inches or so of stitches in the top of my shoulder at the moment), and the future drama student that is my daughter was sick. I hope all of you are staying safe and healthy!
How is the game coming along?
The edits for the portion of the book I sent to the editor are complete, and I'm in the process of finishing those revisions. I'm also continuing to make tweaks as I work my way through the book with layout. One thing I recently noticed was that I had strayed a bit from the role alchemy plays in the lore, so I changed the wording on path abilities and everywhere else elements are mentioned in the book to reflect the Order's focus on alchemy. Characters now even start with three alchemical essence pouches to enhance armor/weaponry (requires $$$), throw as alchemical "grenades" at susceptible enemies, or whatever other creative use you guys can think up for them.
Unfortunately, while making these specific edits, I went to check the page alignment with another page and realized that Canva's latest update may have added more work to my plate. I designed the game in Canva to this point because they have good design elements, and "grid view" showed you how each page aligned with the one next to it. However, Canva has updated the grid view to only show half of a page as the thumbnail instead of showing the entire page, which simply won't work for layout purposes.
I've been struggling with it like that for about a week, and it's just a pain. That said, I may have to finish general design and editing in Canva, then port the manuscript to Affinity for finishing touches. I have a friend who has experience using Affinity for layout purposes, so I won't have to operate simply on tutorials. It still sucks, but at least I have a "plan b."
The "To-Do" List
The goal this week (and into next if needed) is to ensure that all path abilities are up to date and formatted in layout, work on a revised character sheet for the book, and (hopefully) get started on laying out "The Monsters of The Shadowreach" section.
Page Spreads
I didn't make any page spreads for you guys before typing this up, but I should have more next time I reach out.
Happy belated Mother's Day to any moms out there! Dads, ours is up next month! Until next time...
Happy gaming,
Joe Weaver - Creator
April Update #1: Mounts and Changes to Houses/Paths
about 1 year ago
– Thu, Apr 24, 2025 at 01:28:23 PM
Greetings Chosen,
I can't believe it's already been a month since the last update! I'm still working hard on the game, but let's go ahead and touch base. I've made a few more key changes over the past month that will directly affect player experience. In my efforts to make the game as fresh and streamlined as possible, I realized that some of the stretch goal Paths (subclasses in the game) had redundant aspects. I've reduced the Path count from 14 to 11 to fix this. The four "base" Houses (classes) will have two Paths each, while the three unlocked through stretch goals will have 1 Path each.
Another struggle during development has been how to handle special mounts. Before this month, some classes came with unique mounts while others didn't, and that never quite sat well with me. It needed revising, which has been addressed. Now, special mounts are something characters can quest to obtain and can be used by any character path. A couple of examples would be the volcano-dwelling magmawing (a wyvern/fiend hybrid) and poison gas-breathing rockclaw (a drake/mountain goat hybrid).
As I said, I've been working on streamlining information so you all can get into and start playing the game as efficiently as possible. On top of the changes I've made to the Houses/Paths, I've also moved Character Creation closer to the front of the book. One of the pleasant surprises of this month's layout progress is how the new layout allows the Character Path art to really shine.
Also, by narrowing the three stretch-goal Houses to one Path each, I was able to pick and choose from the best of the cut paths' abilities and enhance the three that survived the chopping block. One of those three is an entirely new Path for House Ydrâ called "The Nomad," which was heavily influenced by Guts from Berserk. Below are the revised opening pages of "Houses of the Order", the two Character Paths that survived the chopping block, and the new Nomad Path. Remember that some of the text looks too close to the paper's edge because the images were stretched to fit the two-page template.
Here are the three updated Volrathi Paths...
I'm really pleased with how the book is looking. Each day, I get a little more excited because we're getting closer and closer to wrapping up this project. I will say that the more I continue through the book, the more I question if I can get this out by the end of next month, though. That is still my goal, but time will tell on that front. The notes on the finished section of the book I sent to an editor have begun to roll in, so that process is moving along.
Honestly, I'm really just glad that one of my concerns isn't tariffs. Many of my friends and colleagues are dealing with increased costs, and I feel lucky that my project is small enough not to need an overseas manufacturer. I would rather not have to deal with that if possible.
I hope you all are well and look forward to what I can share in the next update!
Thanks,
Joe Weaver - Creator
March Update: Kickstarter Anniversary, Editing, and More Page Reveals
about 1 year ago
– Mon, Mar 24, 2025 at 06:14:14 PM
Greetings, Chosen!
Last Thursday marked the one-year anniversary of Chosen going live on Kickstarter. I've said before how much of a learning experience this has been for me. I wouldn't trade that knowledge for the world. That said, the projects I do next year and on will likely have a different process.
Namely, I will not take on layout without submitting the game to an editor first. The upside to me starting the layout prior to editing is that the game should need fewer edits once I send it to the editor. The downside is that it feels like it's taking forever to complete the process. All of that is to say that I am still working page by page on layout and editing as I go.
I have two smaller projects in mind for next year. Those will be written and edited before I tackle the layout. However, I will say that progress is progress. I can't really be upset with a 1 year development time for a 120-page TTRPG (custom system, full color, art throughout, with writing, layout, and graphic design all done by me). That's what Chosen has grown into because that's what it needed to be.
On a positive note, an editor is currently reviewing a completed portion of the book as I type this. I would also like to give a shout-out to Pete Petrusha of Imagining Games. He finally got a chance to play Chosen this month and provided some excellent feedback that is sure to make backers' lives much easier once the game comes out.
As for now, we're looking at the end April (maybe May) for completion. I thought I could knock it out by the end of this month, but that didn't happen. With that said, I do have more pages to show you guys from throughout the book. This is the same graphic I used last time to demo pages, and they don't really fit the graphic. They may look a little off but don't worry. Great care has been taken to make sure these will look great once printed.
This is the Setting section of the book.
Lastly, thank you all for your patience. Another thing I did this month was type up a memorial. Unfortunately, we lost one of our backers to that great unknown that comes after we leave this mortal plane. His family reached out to me about his pledge, and I've decided to do a little something for them by writing a proper memorial to go in the book. It's my idea, and the backer's brother told me that he felt like the backer would have loved that.
Thank you all! I will talk to you again soon.
Joe Weaver - Creator
February Update: Add-Ons and Book Layout with Reveal
over 1 year ago
– Fri, Feb 21, 2025 at 11:24:12 PM
Hey everyone!
I hope you are having a better week than me. My family has been dealing with the stomach flu (or something like it) this week. I worked at a local con last weekend and am scheduled to go to the GAMA Expo next week. However, I'm still not 100%, so I will rest again tomorrow. That said, I hope you all are safe and in good health.
Despite a virus's attempt to keep me down, I couldn't resist the opportunity to share the news with you. All add-ons for Chosen are officially manufactured and ready for packing! I received the journals this morning.
I'm still working on this beast called book layout, but I wanted to reveal some pages that are ready for editing with you. Considering how the journals turned out and how the book is coming along, I couldn't be happier with the progress (unless I had a clone who could do more work while I slept. That would actually help a lot).
Here are a few page spreads. Mind you, these may not be the final representations, but they should give you a good idea of how the pages will look. Also, keep in mind that book-binding will create a page gutter down the middle.
And I can't share the first two Origins without showing you the last...
This is a taste of the stuff I've been working on. It is still coming along at a good pace. Being sick has set me back a few days, so there is that. However, I intend to double down and try to get the book to the printer (and you a pdf) by the end of March. We'll see what happens.
I'll reach out to you guys again soon. Stay healthy, friends.
Joe Weaver - Creator
Update: Prototype Journals, Book Progress, and New Opportunities
over 1 year ago
– Mon, Feb 03, 2025 at 06:27:12 PM
Greetings Chosen!
I come to you this evening with happy tidings! The prototype journals have arrived, and the only issues I found were those I expected. The line spacing looks good, but the lines need to be trimmed around the edges (already done). The art and some text boxes have some clipping, which I anticipated and have mostly fixed, but I need to go back through it to make sure I didn't miss anything. Overall, they turned out really well. The paper thicknesses I chose turned out exactly like I hoped they would.
I tried different font effects on the front and back to see which one I liked better. I'm thinking of going with the front cover effect because it differentiates the text from the circle surrounding the game icon instead of continuing the predominant white-outlined-in-red style on the cover.
Book Progress
I'm still hammering away at the layout. I've also made a few changes to the content, primarily the way certain things are worded. The less I have to change after the book goes to editing, the better. One of the content changes I've made is changing "levels" to "status/titles" in order to create a more lived-in feeling instead of a game theater. I've also reverted to my original idea of refraining from calling all Eclipseborn "Chosen." Now, "Chosen" is actually the title you acquire for reaching legendary status.
This means there will be fewer of them in the world, thus giving the word more power within the game. When everything is special, it's not very "special" anymore. Those are just a couple of the tweaks I've made and catch myself to continue to make as I work my way through the book with layout. I will be sure to keep you guys updated on my progress. It's looking awesome!
New Opportunities
After the release of Chosen, I have decided to dedicate time out of my year to make the Advent Chaos website fully functional and friendly to whatever device you happen to use. I just haven't been able to focus on it, and a project like that deserves focus. That also means I will open the "Chaos Corner" on my site. Chaos Corner will be a place where site visitors can view fiction written by me and those I approve of being on the site. I actually met with a writer yesterday to discuss their interest in this. I intend to keep it small simply because I want to write myself, not service a bunch of other writers.
The site will also have links for commissioning a short story (or longer) for a character you create. The options for what games/settings character stories can be based in will likely depend on the comfort level I and anyone I contract to write with me have with that setting. I haven't decided yet, but I'm considering doing something for all you backers regarding this—maybe a discount or something like that, if that sort of thing interests you. I'm still thinking about it, but I just wanted to throw it out there since that's the next thing on my horizon.
The last quarter of the year will likely be spent developing whatever game I release next year. I also have whatever contract work I take this year, but these are my goals for Advent Chaos in 2025.
Closing
Thank you all! Without your support, I would not have gotten this far. We're not quite to the finish line with this journey, but we will be there soon. As business demands, I have to keep an eye on what's coming my way, and I sincerely hope some of you will join me on the next journey as well.
With that, I'm going to sign off for the day. I'm being beckoned by the wife and daughter to come join them for family time (currently watching our way through Amphibia). I hope you all have a great evening and rest of your week! I will be in touch soon.
Sincerely,
Joe Weaver - Creator
