Chosen

September Update!!!
over 1 year ago – Mon, Sep 30, 2024 at 12:44:25 AM

Greetings, Chosen!!!

It's been a long month of birthdays (including mine) and fighting off the onset of the Fall sick season, but we're finally here! I have a lot to share tonight, so I'll get right down to it.

First, let me say that 11 people still haven't filled out the survey. If you plan to do that, your opportunity window will close soon. I just wanted to mention it one last time. Chances are that the next monthly update will be a lead-in to locking addresses.

Next up are some reveals. These are the first few pages of The Armory, including some submitted weapons (more on that after the pages). You may see yours here. If not, fear not—The Armory is still being compiled.

Again, I want to thank everyone who pledged to the higher reward tiers. You guys are amazing and have submitted awesome material! I still have formatting to do for Scourge of Demon backers and The Legend backers, but everything I've seen is absolutely usable. That said, efficiency is the name of the game at this point when it comes to layout. Most lore/backstories will probably be omitted from the actual book entry.

HOWEVER, as those who are in the Discord already know, Advent Chaos (my brand) is now an official LLC. Chosen will be Advent Chaos' flagship game, and when I rework my website, I intend to reserve a section of it for an in-depth look at Chosen with lore pages, descriptions, stats, etc. The submitted backstories/lore for your weapons, NPCs, and more will have a home there. I'm super excited to get that set up, but it will have to wait until the game is submitted for printing.

I've also been working on the overall book layout and taking a hard look at the game's mechanics. In doing so, I've determined I will add one more Mindset. These determine how your Eclipseborn/Chosen approaches combat.
Mindsets
Brute allows a Chosen to carry a weapon one size larger than their body type.
Nimble grants a Chosen the ability to dual wield and gives -1 to Strike Damage taken.
The new mindset, Mender, allows a Chosen to mend weapons/armor without a smith as long as they have access to the necessary equipment. Menders can also sharpen weapons in the field, providing a +1 Strike dmg for one contract.

Another new addition is a Cannibalism mechanic. This is a dark time that sometimes requires drastic measures to be taken, so I thought up a mechanic that provides the Chosen with a buff for consuming a fallen monster. Beware, though, these buffs come at a cost and are irreversible.

Witches, for example, can cause Necromantic Saturation. A character who consumes witch flesh must make a Chaos Roll. A success provides immunity to necro dmg for 1D6 contracts. A failure results in the flesh on a limb becoming necrotic and falling from the bone. The limb continues to work as normal (including the head if that is the affected limb), but your choice will forever mark you. Characters suffer only one affliction per consumption. Consuming Eldritch flesh provides permanent Chaos Sight (eyes turn black). A character with Chaos Sight must make a Chaos Roll before every encounter to determine how their altered psyche aligns with that specific entity, which could make for some interesting situations. 

If you want to go a darker route, eating a fellow Eclipseborn is possible, but you take permanent shadow poisoning for it. In exchange, you gain one ability from the consumed Chosen. The player can either choose or roll for which one, as goes with all afflictions taken in this manner.

I'll share a couple more pieces of source art that are now in the book.

Image by Kalleeck/Shutterstock.com

Image by Warm_Tail/Shutterstock.com

Image by DomCritelli/Shutterstock.com

I think I've mentioned this before, but most of the pieces I license for use end up with filters on them. It just helps to get the right look. The original werewolf piece was monochrome. I wanted a more "full moon" look, and this was the result of playing around with colors/filters for a while.

Final Thoughts

We're rounding the last bend for Chosen's development. I can't thank you all enough. I will reach out with another mid-month update soon! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me!

Best,
Joe Weaver - Creator

Progress Update and Surveys
over 1 year ago – Wed, Sep 11, 2024 at 08:44:20 PM

Hey everyone,

I'm working my way through the surveys and have responses from everyone except 16 backers. If you're one of those 16 individuals, please check your email for the survey and fill it out. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me.Also, I mentioned that if anything significant changed, you would be the first to know. The book is coming along, but it seems I was a bit ambitious in judging how long it would take to format the game.

That said, I'm postponing the PDF release by about a month, maybe less. The goal is to release the PDF the same day I send the book to the printers. I indicated in the KS campaign that the release date for physical copies would be January 2025.

My goal, now, is to have copies for Pax Unplugged. The original timeline allowed for a Halloween release of the PDF and provided me a cushion for getting books printed and shipped. I'm simply removing the cushion. The PDF needs more work, but it should be ready for printing in time to take Chosen with me to Pax.

Backers who go to Pax Unplugged will then have the opportunity to take their rewards home with them. I will likely send a scheduled update sometime next week. I have more news related to Pax, but it can wait.

I also look forward to showing you examples of your submissions that have been formatted for the book! Until then, have a great week/weekend!!!

Best,
Joe Weaver - Creator

August Update w/ GrandCon around the corner
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Aug 23, 2024 at 01:28:24 AM

Greetings, Chosen!

I hope everyone is doing well! It is, once again, time for an update. There's not much news to share this month, but we are about to hit the home stretch of Chosen's development. I foresee many long nights in the near future, as there's still a good bit of layout and design to do.

I'm also still awaiting submissions from individuals who pledged at higher tiers (addressed below). However, we still appear to be on track for an October PDF release. If that changes, you all will be the first to know.

The book is coming along nicely. Development is not fast by any means, but it feels steady. Besides that, Chosen is trucking along with the finish line on the horizon.

Material Submission Forms

I can no longer wait to send out the survey, so I emailed every backer who had not completed their Material Submission Forms a few nights ago. If you pledged any tier above The Lightbringer (PDF + physical copy), you should have an email with a link to a Google form in your inbox. The original emails with the links are titled "Chosen Kickstarter Rewards."

Please fill those out, or let me know if you need me to send you a new one. If you feel you've received that email by mistake, please get in touch with me so we can resolve any confusion. I've already spoken to a few people regarding their submissions, and what's been submitted so far is excellent!

If you have any questions about the forms or are unsure what you need to do, don't hesitate to ask me. I will happily help in any way I can.

GrandCon - Grand Rapids, MI

I will be at GrandCon with Imagining Games. If you're in the area or planning to go to the con, come by the booth to get a peak at the game's manuscript. It's still a work in progress, but reception so far has been really positive.

Since there is very little news, I'll give you all another art reveal. I've gotten a lot of love for House Wylfenfis since I announced it. Due to that excitement, here are art pieces for the two Paths a player can pick for House Wylfenfis: Wood Walker & Den Raider

Above is the art for the Wood Walker.

Wood Walkers are extremely devoted hunters, going so far as contracting lycanthropy themselves to better assist in their efforts to track their prey. Some even choose to keep the sickness, refusing to kill the Evigbo'ri responsible for that infestation. Legendary abilities are gaining the ability to use weapons while in werewolf form or mastering the ability to transform into a werewolf at will.

This piece is meant to represent the Den Raider.

Den Raiders have spent so long in the wild that they often rather spend time with wolves than humans. One of their legendary abilities is to bond with a pack and call them for aid. Den Raiders also get a Dire Wolf mount.

I've also updated the cover of the book.

Front Cover

Back Cover

I've decided to go with perfect binding since we're moving out of zine territory and into small TTRPG territory.

Last Thoughts

It's 3:15 a.m. at my house, and I can tell my tea has worn off lol. My daughter's first homeschool class is at 7:30, so I'll send out surveys sometime tomorrow (Friday). I will likely provide updates more frequently as we approach launch (when the book goes to proofreading, editing status, etc.), so keep an eye out for them.

Backers who pledged at higher tiers, please check your inboxes for that email. Your submission has to be edited and formatted, so the earlier you get it turned in, the quicker I can start working on it. I hope to see backers at GrandCon! We're past the halfway point now. I'm so excited!

Goodnight and happy hunting,
Joe Weaver - Creator

July/Gen Con '24 Update
almost 2 years ago – Sun, Jul 21, 2024 at 11:24:51 PM

Greetings Chosen!!!

I can't believe it's already been another month! Time flies when you're having fun...or stuck in your office like a hermit who only emerges for food and water (I joke, but sometimes it feels like that lol).

Before I get to the good stuff, I wanted to bring you up to speed on the surveys. I know I said in the last update that they would go out the last week of June. Well, Kickstarter now has a Backer Survey, so I intend to try it out instead of using Backerkit's survey. After a bit of thought, it also doesn't make sense for me to send out surveys before the add-on and reward tier creative forms have been submitted.

There are questions on the survey about the creative reward tiers, so I need to know if those backers have seen their forms. I just "bumped" those emails in case you haven't. For those who already filled out their form, just ignore the email bump. For those who have not, I would like to have these filled out within the next two weeks, if possible. If circumstances don't allow for you to complete your form, please reach out to me to let me know what's going on. I can work with you to ensure your weapon, location, NPC, etc., makes it into the first PDF release. You paid for it. You deserve it.

For reference, only 20% (roughly) of the creative forms have been submitted, so I'm missing forms from quite a few backers. I will say that the stuff submitted so far is excellent! I can't wait to get it formatted and into the book. However, I want to get the surveys out, so let's get this done.

Gen Con

It's been a wild year, so far. That trend seems to continue in two weeks by seeing me and the rest of the CHEW TTRPG development team win a Judge's Spotlight Award at the 2024 Ennies! With that said, I will DEFINITELY be at Gen Con. I'll be at booth 458 with Imagining Games, so feel free to come by and say hi. Meeting backers is an awesome experience! I'll also have the Vor Dice (custom coins) with me, so you can pick yours up early if you want.

Book Progress

The manuscript is coming along nicely. As a solo developer, some days are spent writing, some on art, and others on layout. 

Mechanics
I've changed how armor works. I've decided to give armor a vitality rating. When your armor reaches 1 vitality point, it'll be considered "rent" (torn or damaged to the point it's nearly useless). All damage taken while wearing rent armor is treated as if there is no armor. If a character takes a deadly blow while wearing rent armor, the armor is destroyed. 

Damaged and rent armor can be repaired. Chosen are trained in field repairs, so a PC can mend armor for up to 5 VP. However, to fully repair your armor, you will need to visit a smith/armorer.

I've also changed how experience is obtained. Now, only Order Sanctioned Contracts provide experience. Unsanctioned hunts provide loot, but will not count toward your progress within the Order.

Design & Layout
One of the biggest things that happened in the past month was a breakthrough in the book's style. For the past couple of months, I haven't been able to settle on a font style or color. Thanks to some very constructive feedback and hours of playing with fonts, I've found the style/color combination that will be the one I use going forward in the design process.

I've also revamped my choice of text boxes, using something more akin to loose pages of an ancient book than ancient scrolls (what I had before). Shout out to my friend and fellow designer Pete Petrusha, who does an amazing job at telling me what I need to hear instead of what I want to hear any time I have a question.

Examples of the new text boxes with completed layout:

Image Credit: Warm_Tail/Shutterstock.com

Art Reveal

Below are three more pieces of art that appear in the book. They may not look exactly like this, as I often use a filter to get the color/crispness I desire for the page. However, the works themselves are unaltered in all their glory. I'm thrilled to have found these to use for this game!

Image Credit: Warm_Tail/Shutterstock.com

Image Credit: Riptaid/Shutterstock.com

Image Credit: Warm_Tail/Shutterstock.com

What's Next?

The next big event on the "to-do" list is, of course, Gen Con. Other than that, it's just continuing to chip away at completing the manuscript for Chosen. Again, if you go to Gen Con, feel free to come by our booth (#458) and introduce yourself. I would love to meet you!!! I'll also have custom coins to take home with you if you ordered them. Until next time, stay safe and happy hunting!

The Void Gives You Strength,
Joe Weaver - Creator

The Chaos Engine
almost 2 years ago – Mon, Jul 01, 2024 at 11:10:56 PM

Greetings Chosen!!!

I'm reaching out late this evening (I live just south of Lake Michigan) because something occurred to me yesterday. I was getting ready to send out the forms for all the reward tiers above The Lightbringer, and it dawned on me that I was about to ask those backers to submit designs for a system they hadn't seen or played to any great length (some not at all).

To that end, I present to you the system that will run Chosen: Chaos Engine https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kdS6RSynxixqBq-neHp8ID2vcVRzpdzA/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=102553125328401023880&rtpof=true&sd=true 

Chaos Engine is my creation and is probably somewhere between the alpha and beta stages. There are still some things I need to add to the system, but more playtesting is key to making sure the play experience stays enjoyable from session to session.

I put summaries of how submitted material works on the forms for backers. However, the preliminary system document will stay open to backers for you to access if you need/want it. The player-submitted material forms will go out right after this update.

Relevant sections of the Chaos Engine for those submitting material:

• Locales/Finding Work - starts on page 4
• Combat Rules - starts on page 6

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to let me know. The system is still a work in progress, and clarity is a priority. 

I always have Discord running in the background, so you can message me there if you want (username: a_rogue_clone). Don't forget that there's a Discord server you can join for more info. I plan to start posting there more, especially after the game releases. You can find it here: https://discord.gg/gRpJhYjEDy 

You can also email me or use Kickstarter messaging to reach me if need be.

With that, I say "good night" and "happy hunting." Also, for those in the States, have a safe July 4th!

Best,
Joe Weaver - Creator