Week 1 Update + Lore!!!
about 2 years ago
– Wed, Mar 27, 2024 at 07:08:59 PM
Greetings, Chosen!
Today marks the 1-week milestone for the launch of Chosen, and wow, do I have a massive update for you!!! We're currently sitting at 81% funded with 22 days left to go! For all the newcomers who have backed since the last update, welcome aboard! I can't reiterate enough how much I appreciate your support!!!
Now, this is where the fun begins. Campaigns often hit a drought around Week 2, so we need to keep climbing through these next 14 days. Doing so should give us a good opportunity to unlock one or more stretch goals. To that end, every time you tell a friend about this Kickstarter or share it on social media, it goes a long way toward making that happen. We still have a journey ahead of us, but I know we'll get there!
Now, with that said, let's talk game development. I have a few things I want to address.
I'm excited! Are you excited? I hope so because here we go!!!
Cover Update
I need to correct something I shared in Update #2. Once I started formatting the Dread Knight artwork for the cover, it just didn't work. The all-imposing figure that made it such a draw was, actually, too imposing. He practically consumed the entire front cover. However, I've found a solid cover replacement that I hadn't seen the first time around. I was so convinced that I just had to have it. Here's how the new front cover is shaping up:
This may not be the final iteration, but this is where we are at the moment. Feel free to let me know in the comments what you think! I love to hear feedback!
For those who really liked the previous artwork, I apologize. However, fear not. It will be in the book!
New Add-On
I have a surprise add-on in the works for all of you! I discussed it with Foam Brain Games earlier this month at GAMA Expo. That's the only hint you're getting for now. I'm currently looking at pricing to make sure it's worth my and, in turn, your investment.
House Wylfenfis and Evigbo'ri Lore Reveal
House Wylfenfis is the fourth and final House of Thought founded by the Volratha. Due to the sheer voracity of the Evigbo'ri, the hunters of this house are expert trappers. After centuries of hunting werewolves and losing hunters to the point that the House was on the verge of collapse, Wylfenfis turned their focus to the progenitors of their prey.
When an Evigbo'ri moves into a region, it immediately starts building a massive Den, spreading its disease to all who pass or live nearby. Trapping 4 to 5 werewolves in a den's Territory allows a member of House Wylfenfis to gather enough information for an Evigbo'ri hunt. Unlike those they infect, the Evigbo'ri do not have a second form and are immortal, so allowing a den to fester is certain doom for that area. Evigbo'ri are bipedal but frequently walk on all fours, causing many a villager to mistake them for some other large animal. This inadvertent camouflage vanishes, however, as soon as an Evigbo'ri stands upright.
Their size and features make them unmistakable. Unlike the ghostly light that shines in the eyes of werewolves, the eyes of an Evigbo'ri glow a sinister red (not unlike vampires). Werewolf fur ranges from a light to medium coat. Evigbo'ri coats are always thick and have an almost supernatural softness to them, making them prized by Wylfenfis trappers as armor adornments. Werewolves are smaller than their progenitors, usually reaching a height between 10' and 12' when standing upright. The largest Evigbo'ri ever killed was 15'4" tall and weighed 2,210 pounds. Lastly, werewolves never reach a 100% wolf-like visage, often demonstrated by a stubby snout. Evigbo'ri, on the other hand, possess the head and snout of an extremely large wolf.
Taking out one of these massive beasts instantly pacifies any individual they've infected, either directly or indirectly. In most cases, the progenitor's death cures the individual's lycanthropy. However, individuals infected by an Ancient Evigbo'ri are not guaranteed a cure. The strain of lycanthropy these creatures carry has been shown to persist after death, causing those unfortunate souls to live a life of exile. Scattered throughout The Shadowreach, these survivors occasionally form pack villages as havens for those who suffer the same fate.
Last Thoughts
There's still more to come, and it's already been a wonderful ride so far! I'm debating the creation of a lore library. Depending on how the formatting goes, I may need an additional place to dump information. Who knows, maybe there's a larger project in the Chosen world waiting in the future.
Right now, we're making a zine, and I'm loving it! By the way, there's a good chance the book will have 48 pages instead of 45 (no charge to you, of course). That gives me a little wiggle room and all of you more content.
Please keep sharing the game whenever you get a chance. As I've said before, your efforts do not go unnoticed! We're all on this train together. I can't wait to bring you all more content and look forward to what the next week holds!
As I mentioned on the campaign page, I'm a huge Hideyuki Kikuchi fan. Without him, this game likely doesn't exist. Since Vampire Hunter D is one of my favorite properties, I'll leave you with an interesting quote.
"As far as fashion was concerned, I decided to have him in a double-breasted, long coat with high boots and long gloves. I never considered giving him a cape. Putting someone with vampire blood into a black cape would be too easy. Too expected." - Hideyuki Kikuchi regarding the aesthetic of D
Happy Hunting,
Joseph Weaver - Designer
