Update: Closing the door on 2024, new mechanics, and what's to come!
over 1 year ago
– Sun, Jan 12, 2025 at 12:03:16 PM
Happy New Year, Chosen!
I hope that everyone had a safe and enjoyable end of the year! The weeks of Christmas and New Year are one of the few times each year that my family's daily schedules align so that we can spend time together. My past few weeks have mostly consisted of this, and I'm thankful for that. I'll take it when I can.
However, the door to last year is closed, and it's time to look forward to what's to come. The Eclipseborn Logbook (Journal Add-On) has been sent to the printer for a test copy. When it arrives, I'll make any needed changes and print the order to get it out of the way. That gets us one step closer to project completion.
Meanwhile, I'll continue working on the game book. I had hoped for some good feedback from Pax Unplugged, and my players did not disappoint. At the game's final convention playtest, I tested a new approach to combat mechanics in hopes of creating a more cinematic feel. Instead of the typical one action per turn, players now get three actions per turn. This allowed combat to flow more freely in the game and created some really epic moments, which is what I've been envisioning all along. I'm so excited for you guys to get to experience Chosen for yourselves!
I would like to take a second to shout out to those who came by the booth to talk about the game. Putting faces to the names on the backer list is a great experience. With any luck, I'll get to meet more of you in the future.
Below are the covers and sample page from the logbook:
Logbook Front Cover
Page 3 - The Sample Entry. This is a general entry. You can make yours as detailed or vague as you want. If you want to focus more on the fight with the contract, then by all means write what you feel is important to you.
Back Cover
Also, thanks to feedback from a graphic designer at Metatopia, I've updated the world map with an aesthetic that makes it appear as if it were drawn in blood. I also removed the standard compass graphic and designed my own from scratch to better suit the vibe of the drawing.
For the coming weeks, it's more of the same: layout editing and random tables such as a name generator and a few other charts. Thank you for your continued patience, and I look forward to what I have to show you next month. With any luck, it will be a finished book (or at least getting very close to one).
Until next time,
Happy Hunting!
Joe Weaver - Creator
Mid-Month Update!!!
over 1 year ago
– Mon, Dec 02, 2024 at 03:42:57 PM
Greetings, Chosen!!!
For those who celebrated Thanksgiving, I hope you had an excellent holiday! I'm currently preparing for Pax Unplugged and my first public-facing table for Advent Chaos LLC. It's been an amazing journey to get here, and I owe a large portion of it to you. Making the jump from Game Designer/Writer to LLC Creative Director wasn't something I anticipated back in January. It's been frustrating at times for sure, but I've learned a lot. For that, I am grateful.
I had planned on waiting until I got back from Pax to send out an update, but considering the developments that have taken place over the past week, I wanted to reach out now. Last week, I compared a few of the book's pages to the printing template. Unfortunately, my margins don't align with what's recommended.
For those unfamiliar with the process, that doesn't mean what I have won't work. It just means that I need to be prepared for extra layout changes in case it doesn't. I won't know for certain if there are issues until I have test copies printed, and the game has yet to make it to the printer. That said, I think it would be best to give Chosen some cushion for the sake of quality. I know I've mentioned quality a lot in some of the more recent updates. That's only because it's something I take seriously. Edits shouldn't be rushed and if there is extra layout to do, I don't want there to be any surprises on your end.
All in all, this means I'll be postponing shipment until late February/March. If the game is ready to ship before that, then I will definitely do so. My projections during the Kickstarter campaign were for a 45-60 pg digest-sized book. I've mentioned before how adding an extra 40+ pages threw my time table for the game off. I thought I wouldn't need the cushion I originally planned into the development, but now it's become clear that I very much need it. I underestimated how much the struggle of doing all the writing, layout, & graphic design for Chosen myself, while staying true to that January fulfillment target, would be.
As a first-time publisher, I suppose these could be considered growing pains. That doesn't change the fact that I'm a bit disappointed that I'm hitting this setback. However, I know that the resulting product will have been worth it.
Have a great next few weeks, and I'll be in touch again soon!!!
Sincerely,
Joe Weaver - Creator
November Update!!!
over 1 year ago
– Wed, Nov 20, 2024 at 01:28:13 PM
Greetings, Chosen!!!
It's been another long month working on the details of the game. I will say that Metatopia was a smashing success! I received quite possibly the most helpful feedback I've had to date. The game is in a very good place (evocative is the word several used to describe it), but there's still work to do.
It's become apparent that there's a vast difference between how the game functions when played solo versus how it plays when there is a group. When played solo, the game presents the narrative journey of an anti-hero. When played as a group, much of the narrative gets pushed to the wayside in favor of simple monster bashing.
As a result, I'm currently knee-deep in rewriting a few things (primarily prompts and abilities) to improve the gaming experience from a group perspective. Changing the writing has changed some of the layout, so I hope to make these changes in time to get a copy for Pax Unplugged. However, that window is quickly closing.
We're getting there, folks. It's just taking longer than I would have liked. The reactions of those who have seen the progress thus far have been totally worth it, though.
As I was typing this, the Chosen tabletop banner arrived. It turned out great!!! I'll use this banner as a flag for my table during the RPG Designer Meet & Greet at Pax Unplugged and whenever I'm at Games on Demand (unless the players want me to run Broken Tales, which will be offered opposite Chosen).
I will post another update in mid-December to let you know where we are in the development timeline. With a little luck and a lot of determination, the message will be that your game is getting reviewed by the editor or is ready to take on that task.
For those who practice Thanksgiving, I hope you have a happy one! I am thankful for so much, including you all. If you don't observe the holiday, have a great rest of the month!
Sincerely,
Joe Weaver - Creator
October Update!!!
over 1 year ago
– Wed, Oct 30, 2024 at 02:24:46 PM
Greetings, Chosen!!!
Happy Devil's Day!!! I don't know about you all, but this month has flown by for me. It's been a month of working on book layout and edits, purchasing art, doing more work on layout, and continuing to tweak the Chaos Engine. I also playtested Chosen again, this time at Gamehole Con in Madison, WI.
I want to take a moment to thank my players from Gamehole for their amazing gameplay and feedback. It's one thing to run a playtest, but it's something else to get really good, productive feedback. The benefits a productive playtest provides for games in development can't be overstated. Thanks to their input, I will make a few more changes to the Chaos Engine geared toward immersion.
Since I'm just aiming for a test copy at Pax Unplugged, I won't send the manuscript to printers for mass production until December. That means I won't be locking addresses until we get closer to shipping.
For those going to Pax Unplugged, I will participate in the RPG Designer Meet & Greet at Games on Demand on Saturday, Dec. 7th, from 10:00 a.m. to 10:55 a.m. Feel free to come by and say hi. I'm not sure how busy it will be, but I'll happily talk about Chosen, next year's planned project, and potential ideas for the future.
Also, thank you to everyone who took a few minutes to fill out your survey! The number hasn't moved since September, so I'm pretty sure we can call that one.
Progress (minor and major)
Minor
New Seal of the Order
As you can see on the media banner, I've changed the design of the Seal of the Order to a more finalized version. This "Crowned Skull" version of the seal has replaced the previous design throughout the book.
Dedicated Abilities Section
I originally planned to have two-page spreads of each playbook. However, I've changed my mind, and each playbook is now limited to one page with an "Abilities Overview." Detailed descriptions of abilities will go in a section specifically for that to prevent the situation where details end up too for the page, and I'm stuck spending extra time editing the descriptions. This would have been "major" progress if I had come to this conclusion last week, but I got this idea the first day I began adding abilities to the playbooks, so I saved myself some trouble.
Name Change
I changed the name of one of the Paths. I'm not sure if I've mentioned The Ashen before, but that Path is now called The Conduit. Conduits channel spirits from the void to aid them in battle. The Conduit's appearance changes to that of who they're channeling, and the weapons of the individual manifest from the void for The Conduit's use. "Ashen" is now the official name of the type of spirit used.
Map Change
I also made a few minor changes to the map.
Miscellaneous
A few other details that don't merit much attention (mechanic tweaks, art swaps, etc.)
Major
All the art for Character Paths/playbooks has been purchased and is in place. The last thing for the playbooks will be updating the page numbers and reference page numbers for each Path's abilities. With a total of 14 Paths to choose from, players have a lot of options. For those who like to do things their own way, mixing and matching abilities from different Paths/Houses to create a custom Path could also work. After all, it's your Eclipseborn. Tell the story you want to tell.
With that said, I would like to share one playbook from each house, so let's get started. A few things to know going in:
VP = Vitality Points (Health)
Connection = 1 of 3 attributes, represents a character's bond with the world itself
Cunning = 1 of 3 attributes, represents a character's strength of mind
Combat = 1 of 3 attributes, represents a character's combat prowess
CR = Combat Roll
Chaos Roll = A feature roll where high risk comes with high reward, 50/50 odds
MPD = Miles Per Day
SKD = Strike Damage (any non-magical damage)
SUD = Supplemental Damage (any magical damage, the type of dmg is in parenthesis)
Italicized words are mechanics in the game.
These pages will be digest size (5.5x8.5) and are pretty much ready for the editor (after the updates mentioned above). I'm definitely in the home stretch now.
Final Thoughts
I'll be sure to get you guys another mid-month update in the next couple of weeks. I'm going to Metatopia for the 1st time next week. From what I've heard, it is THE convention for designers to attend. Shout out to Pete Petrusha for inviting me to come along this year! I'm looking forward to hearing what other creators think of the game.
That said, I'm ecstatic that we're so close to the finish line!!! It's not completed yet, but the book is together enough that it definitely has a soul. I'm just thankful I get the chance to bring it to life.
By the way, I would love to hear what you guys think of the art/book style in the comments! I've spent a good deal of time making sure I got the aesthetic I was searching for. Have an amazing and safe All Hallow's Eve, and you'll hear from me again soon!
Happy Hunting,
Joe Weaver - Creator
Mid-Month Update!!!
over 1 year ago
– Tue, Oct 08, 2024 at 06:30:19 PM
Hey everyone,
I hope your October has been spooktacular thus far! I, for one, love this time of year. I took some time to sit down and write out what was left for development today. After doing so, I felt I needed to get you this update.
Today, I realized I've been miscalculating my time projections for about two months because I've been overlooking two key steps of the process. One is editing, and the other is printing a test copy of the main book to ensure everything is as it should be. Test copies for small books aren't always necessary, but I'm aiming for high quality, so I'm not cutting corners. With that said, I have good news and unfortunate news.
I believe in ending on a positive note, so I'll tell you the unfortunate news first. Although I have an editor, I'm not done with the book yet, so their eyes have not graced its pages. Since they haven't seen it, a test copy is a no-go, at least not yet. Ultimately, this has me thinking that it's highly unlikely I'll have early copies ready for Pax Unplugged :(. At the very least, I would like to be able to take a test copy with me, though.
The GOOD news is that this shouldn't affect the original promise of a January fulfillment. Being done in time for Pax Unplugged was more of a personal goal, but I'm not going to rush something when I know it would decrease quality. Mistakes happen, but my epiphany today definitely gave me that noob sensation of a learning curve. After last month's updates, I apologize to anyone hoping to pick up their copy early at Pax. I had hoped to have the game ready by then.
You guys deserve every penny of what you paid for, so that's what I intend to give you. I've even decided to add something at the end of the book as a bonus for your contributions to making this dream come to life. This was my first attempt at crowdfunding...ever, and the statistics aren't great for first-time Kickstarters. However, you guys made it happen.
Thank you all, and I can't wait to get Chosen into your hands.
Sincerely,
Joe Weaver - Game Creator
