Onyx Path: GhOOOOOOst Haunters, er, Hunters! [Monday Meeting Notes]

[Matt]

We’re almost two weeks into the Deluxe WoD20th: Ghost Hunters Kickstarter and it’s getting into the looong plateau before it’s finale on Halloween, October 31st.

What interesting with this KS is that we seem to be surprising folks with what material is being revealed to backers. One backer is interested in the Arcanum. It’s mentioned in there.

Another, the Benandanti and Necromancy.

In there.

Today someone noted Numina in the revealed text, and Matthew mentioned that the team used a lot of the previous WoD material, including WoD: Sorcerer.

So if you still aren’t sure, and/or you haven’t backed one of our KSs for a few years, please do be aware that we have the complete text and are revealing it throughout the course of this Kickstarter. It’s what we do with our KSs now, and means that if you back the project you will be able to see whether you’re favorite stuff is in there.

(And with this team of creators there’s a really solid chance that it will be, as they love working in past WoD material and probably know that world better than our real one!

Now, one way that folks have been a bit confused is the idea that these are Ghost Hunters, not Hunters Hunted hunters or Hunter: The Reckoning hunters. In the first case, we did already do a new HH for the 20th Anniversary line, so this is more something that can complement that book and vice versa. (You can find Hunters Hunted 2 on DTRPG).

In the second case, Hunter: The Reckoning, we wouldn’t get in there and “stealth” a 20th Anniversary take on them – and even if we did, the text for this book went through several approval passes with the crew and Paradox/White Wolf. While we’d love to do a true H:TR 20th Anniversary, we respect Paradox’s right to make the call on whether that’s something they want created by us. So, no sneaking it in.

Cults of the Blood Gods art by Sam Denmark

Some shorts bits from the meeting today:

Here’s a bit of general Kickstarter news: we’re going to try and have one more KS before the end of the year, or through the end of the year. Everything in the beginning of November is uncertain nationally, so we have to leave some room as we see what actually happens.

Right now, that looks like the Scarred Lands mega-adventure Dead Man’s Rust as it is the most flexible in terms of it not being a license, so no external approval periods; relatively modular, so we can release a bunch of it at once if we need to compress the KS or expand it and subdivide the sections; and it is being developed by Travis Legge, who has both his own skill-set and 5e knowledge, as well as his writing team’s, to draw on if we need any emergency changes due to circumstances outside our control.

(Sorry to bring real-world events into our many worlds of imagination, but as a company we have to deal with these sorts of things as they do impact our hobby).

Cults of the Blood Gods art by Amy Wilkins

Here’s a happy bit of info: today is Mirthful Mike Chaney’s wedding anniversary! Congrats, Mike and Di!

There’s also some additional good news for the Mirthful One: Mike Chaney’s new art help. Yep, we have arranged for a bunch of new freelance art directing and layout folks to work with Mike under his direction. We’re hoping this gives us a jumpstart in those areas that have gotten a bit bogged down through no fault of Mike’s.

On the Wikipedia page for “work ethic” there’s a picture of Mirthful Mike, so… just sayin’.

The Prestige Edition Chronicles of Darkness books sale at Indie Press Revolution (IPR) continues and has been so strong that Beast: The Primordial traditional printed hardcovers have sold out, with the first Dark Eras collection right behind with only a few copies left!

https://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Deals-and-Specials/

These are the copies we overprinted after their Kickstarters, and don’t worry, you can still get the PDF and PoD versions at DTRPG.com!

M20 Technocracy Reloaded art by Sam Denmark

That news is pretty exciting, and I’ve also been having a lot of fun with the concept art work for the peoples for the fantasy MMO half of Trinity Continuum: Anima. I need to come up with their look in order to then create the thumb-nail sketch of the cover of TC: Anima to get to the cover artist.

Since the fantasy world they live in is at its heart an MMO, we’re looking at needing a consistent look for the player character and PC peoples, the various flora and fauna, all of it. In ways we haven’t really approached for years! Which is a lot of fun to work on!

Of course, we always love creating new worlds – and we actually have many more that we will be revealing as time goes on into 2021. Because, after all, we love creating them and then inviting you into our:

Many Worlds, One Path!

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Blurbs!

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Kickstarter!

The World of Darkness: Ghost Hunters Kickstarter funded in three hours and has passed 200% funding while ectoplasmically slipping past Stretch Goals!

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Onyx Path Media!

This week: Part 2 of the Trinity Continuum Actual Play with The Trio!

As always, this Friday’s Onyx Pathcast will be on Podbean or your favorite podcast venue! https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/

A big one this week!

The good folks of Darker Days Radio spent a good hour or so discussing Ghost Hunters (and a whole load of other topics) over on their show, so please check it out: http://podcast.darker-days.org/e/162-world-of-darkness-ghost-hunters-interview-with-matthew-dawkins/

Tune in to our Twitch channel for actual plays of Ghost Hunters by such stalwarts as the fine folks at Vorpal Tales!

For anyone new to our media section, you can find us running and playing games over on twitch.tv/theonyxpath pretty much every day of the week! Plus, if you’d like your games hosted there, just get in touch with Matthew Dawkins using the contact link on matthewdawkins.com. 

Please give our Twitch channel a follow, as you can find a huge number of videos of all kinds of games being run!

This week on Twitch, expect to see these games and streams running:

• Trinity Continuum:  ÆON – Skirmish at Khantze Lu Ge
• Contagion Chronicle – No Time for Reality
• V5 – Cults of the Blood Gods – Styx and Bones
• World of Darkness Ghost Hunters
• Changeling: The Dreaming – The Last Faerie Tale
• Mage: The Awakening – Occultists Anonymous
  
• Vampire: The Masquerade – Boston by Night
• V5 – Cults of the Blood Gods – Thy Kindred Come
• Hunter: Unbound Anomalies – Devil’s Luck Gaming

Get watching for some fantastic insight into how to run these wonderful games and subscribe to us on Twitch, over at twitch.tv/theonyxpath

Come take a look at our YouTube channel, youtube.com/user/theonyxpath, where you can find a whole load of videos of actual plays, dissections of our games, and more, including:

Changeling: The Dreaming – The Last Faerie Tale – E17 – https://youtu.be/TJimhOiml5M

They Came from Beyond the Grave! – Vorpal Tales Actual Play – Episode One – https://youtu.be/GwYR4jndGb8

Vampire: The Masquerade – Boston by Night – Game 1 – https://youtu.be/tkiUR2Om4lw

Scarred Lands – Purge of the Serpentholds – S1E19 – https://youtu.be/lSHtU3XcpA8

Deviant: The Renegades – A Cautionary Tale – Episode 5: Ex-Club: https://youtu.be/-1Fa-eUiVfI

Cavaliers of Mars – The Angry Machine to Benefit the Trevor Project – https://youtu.be/ZrS8vpN72aM

Subscribe to our channel and click the bell icon if you want to be notified whenever new news videos and uploads come online!

Systematic Understanding of Everything is a fantastic Exalted Explainer Podcast by Exalted Dev Monica Speca and Exalted Writer Chazz Kellner. You should check it out, because frankly, it’s brilliant.

Their most recent episodes are available over on https://www.exaltcast.com/, with their newest covering protagonists empowered by the Fire of Exaltation, those stolen from the Loom of Destiny, and those who the hosts don’t quite know about… https://www.exaltcast.com/2020/10/19/every-door-opened/

Occultists Anonymous continue their wonderful Mage: The Awakening chronicle right here:

Episode 133: Robbing Graves
The cabal kicks down the door to Mr. Graves inner sanctum. With Songbird leading the charge, it’s not going to be pretty.
https://youtu.be/dZLQPQMEOLw

Episode 134: Pleading & Threatening
Wyrd the Seer dreams of Zolius, bringing eager pleading and desperate threats. The cabal must deal with a burden they knew was coming but may not have been ready for: The Stalker.
https://youtu.be/u33G0o_ByQM

A Bunch of Gamers continue their Vampire: The Dark Ages chronicle right here. They’re long-time supports of Onyx Path, and we’d love for you to check out Church at the Crossroads here: https://youtu.be/yKOc0IqZj4Q

Here’s a Red Moon Roleplaying blast from the past! Last year, Matthew Dawkins ran a Scarred Lands campaign for Hjalmar, Mattiaz, and Craig of Red Moon Roleplaying, which he named The Great Vilhaim Heist! This story takes the characters into the guts of a god and puts them as the servants of a firewrack dragon. Here’s episode one! https://youtu.be/QUFVS4g6gDg

If you missed Virtual Tabletop Gaming Live, please check out our video from the convention where Dixie interviews Matthew regarding They Came from Beyond the Grave! https://youtu.be/VyWrpJtWZ7w

From the same convention, here’s Danielle Lauzon being interviewed by Dixie regarding Trinity Continuum! Check it out if you want details about the game! https://youtu.be/eTwDqYbkbRQ

Please check these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games! We’d love to feature you!

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Electronic Gaming!

As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is awesome! (Seriously, you need to roll 100 dice for Exalted? This app has you covered.)

We’re told that the App Dev is currently creating an updated version for the latest devices, so keep an eye open for those!

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Virtual TableTop!

Introducing a Virtual Tabletop adventure: the Gauntlet of Spiragos for Scarred Lands on Astral TableTop!

Scars of the Divine War, which ended less than 200 years ago, have still not healed. One such scar is the Chasm of Flies, a rent in the earth created when the titan Spiragos the Ambusher was smote down by one of the young gods, Vangal the Ravager. Now, the Chasm is inhabited by spider-eye goblins and their spider allies, but it is also thought to be the resting place of powerful artifacts from that elder age.

Gauntlet of Spiragos is a Scarred Lands adventure designed for 1st level characters, although it can be easily modified for characters of up to 5th level.

Astral TableTop is the easiest way to play any tabletop RPG online, free. Astral already supports popular systems like D&D and Pathfinder, and Astral can support virtually any tabletop roleplaying game. Get started quickly with built-in support for most popular game systems. Whether you’re brand new to TTRPGs or a veteran tabletop gamer, Astral‘s ease-of-use and built in automation is designed to streamline gameplay.

Astral is browser-based and uses the latest technology to streamline your storytelling experience. Connect with your party online and run your campaigns however you like. Astral offers tools optimized for phone, tablet, and desktop devices, no installation required.

Build epic battlemaps using Astral‘s enormous collection of scenery, props, and tokens or upload your own. Pro users gain access to over 12,000+ assets and fresh new packs every month. Add weather, visual effects, triggers, and so much more with easy-to-use tools

Build your own adventure, or choose from pre-generated game kits like Gauntlet of Spiragos. Create character sheets, craft maps, or just jump right in to connect with your friends and start your adventures!

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On Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).

If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue from which you bought it. Reviews really, really help us get folks interested in our amazing fiction!

Our selection includes these latest fiction books:

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Our Sales Partners!

We’re working with Studio2 to provide our traditionally printed books out into your local game stores. Game stores can order via their usual distributors, and can also contact Studio2 directly. And individuals can check out our projects via the links below!

You can pick up the traditionally printed Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau main books, screens, and the official dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

Now, we’ve added Chronicles of Darkness books such as Changeling: The Lost Second Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost

Scion 2e books and other products are available now at Studio2: https://studio2publishing.com/blogs/new-releases/scion-second-edition-book-one-origin-now-available-at-your-local-retailer-or-online

Our Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition books are also available from Studio2 in the US: https://studio2publishing.com/products/vampire-the-masquerade-chicago-by-night-sourcebook

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

And you can order Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Cavaliers of Mars, and Changeling: The Lost 2e at the same link! And now Scion Origin and Scion Hero and Trinity Continuum Core and Trinity Continuum: Aeon are available to order

IPR‘s Chronicles of Darkness Halloween Sale is running until November 1. For the Return of Halfoween, all CofD Books and Screens will be 50% Off! https://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Deals-and-Specials/

As always, you can find Onyx Path’s titles at DriveThruRPG.com!

DTRPG‘s Halloween Sale will be the 19th – Nov 2nd and all of our Horror
PDF titles more than 30 days old will be 25% off! Plus, get an eye out for our 6 or 7 freebies in the annual trick-or-treat giveaway!

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On Sale This Week!

This Wednesday we’re offering both the Lunars Storytellers Screen and the Lunars Map as PDFs at DTRPG!

Also, this Wednesday Chase Across Ghelspad will now be available in PoD as well as PDF on the Slarecian Vault Community Content site for Scarred Lands!

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Conventions!

Though dates for physical conventions are subject to change due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, here’s what’s left of our current list of upcoming conventions (and really, we’re just waiting for this last one to be cancelled even though it’s Nov/Dec). Instead, keep an eye out here for more virtual conventions we’re going to be involved with:

PAX Unplugged has confirmed that they are cancelling the con for this year.

We’ll be playing games at GameHole Con – the virtual edition – from Nov 5th to Nov 8th! Here’s a link to the con, and the events…pay no attention to the info about the venue and all that detritus from the earlier plan for their usual live convention: https://bit.ly/37lEEaF

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And now, the new project status updates!

Development Status from Eddy Webb! (Projects in bold have changed status since last week.):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep.)

• Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)
• No Gods, No Masters (Scion 2nd Edition)
• TC: Aeon Novella: Dawn (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)
• TC: Aeon Novella: Meridian (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)
• Once and Future (Scion 2nd Edition)
• They Came From Beneath the Sea! Jumpstart (They Came From…!)
• They Came From Beyond the Grave! Jumpstart (They Came From…!)
• Tales of Depravity! (They Came From…!)
• Tome of the Pentacle (Mage: the Awakening 2e)
• Monsters From the Crypt! (They Came From…!)
• They Came From Camp Murder Lake! (They Came From…!)
• They Came From [Classified]! (They Came From…!)

Redlines

• Dragon-Blooded Novella #2 (Exalted 3rd Edition)
• Scion Fiction Anthology (Scion 2nd Edition)
• Heroes in a World of Horror! (They Came From…!)

Second Draft

• Many-Faced Strangers – Lunars Companion (Exalted 3rd Edition)
• Exalted Essence Edition (Exalted 3rd Edition)
• Saints and Monsters (Scion 2nd Edition)
• Wild Hunt (Scion 2nd Edition)
• Squeaks In The Deep (Realms of Pugmire)
• Trinity Continuum: Anima
• Legacies of Earth (Legendlore)

Development

• TC: Aberrant Reference Screen (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)
• Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)
• Contagion Chronicle: Global Outbreaks (Chronicles of Darkness)
• Exigents (Exalted 3rd Edition)
• Assassins (Trinity Continuum Core)
• Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)
• Trinity Continuum: Adventure! core (Trinity Continuum: Adventure!)
• M20 Rich Bastard’s Guide To Magick (Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary)
• Adversaries of the Righteous (Exalted 3rd Edition)
• Novas Worldwide (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)
• Prometheus Unbound (was Psi Orders) (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)
• The Devoted Companion (Deviant: The Renegades)

Manuscript Approval

• Crucible of Legends (Exalted 3rd Edition)
• Dystopia Rising: Evolution Fiction Anthology (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

Post-Approval Development

• Contagion Chronicle Ready-Made Characters (Chronicles of Darkness)
• Hundred Devil’s Night Parade (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Editing

• Lunars Novella (Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)
• Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)
• Player’s Guide to the Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)
• TC: Aberrant Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)
• LARP Rules (Scion 2nd Edition)
• The Book of Lasting Death (Mummy: The Curse 2e)
• Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)
• Dearly Bleak – Novella (Deviant: The Renegades)
• N!ternational Wrestling Entertainment (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)
• Under Alien Skies (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)
• Dead Man’s Rust (Scarred Lands)
• V5 Trails of Ash and Bone (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)
• M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
• Mission Statements (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)
• The Clades Companion (Deviant: The Renegades)
• V5 Children of the Blood (was The Faithful Undead) (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)
• Peoples of the Crossroads Continent
• M20 Technocracy Operative’s Dossier (Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary)
• Yugman’s Appendix: People of Ghelspad (Scarred Lands)
• V5 Forbidden Religions (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)
• CtL 2e Novella Collection: Hollow Courts (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

Post-Editing Development

• W20 Shattered Dreams Gift Cards (Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th)
• Cults of the Blood Gods (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)
• Hunter: The Vigil 2e core (Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition)
• Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)
• Legendlore core book (Legendlore)
• Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)
• They Came From Beyond the Grave! (They Came From!)
• Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)

Indexing

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Art Direction from Mike Chaney!

In Art Direction

• Tales of Aquatic Terror – Almost ready for Travis layout.
• WoD Ghost Hunters (KS) – KS going.
• Hunter: The Vigil 2e
• Mummy 2 – ADing.
• Legendlore
• Scion: Dragon (KS)
• Masks of the Mythos (KS) – Ready for the KS.
• Scion: Demigod (KS)
• They Came From Beyond the Grave!
• TC: Adventure! (KS)
• Contagion Chronicle Jumpstart (Chronicles of Darkness) – Awaiting artnotes.
• Monsters of the Deep – Monsters all AD’d. LeBlanc’s art is all in.
• M20 Victorian (KS) – ADing rolling.
• TC: Under Alien Skies – ADed.
• Heirs to the Shogunate – Working on art notes.
• Dead Man’s Rust (SL KS) – KS art AD’d. Sketches coming in.

In Layout

• Yugman’s Guide to Ghelspad
• Vigil Watch
• M20 Technocracy Reloaded – In layout realized needed some more art: contracted.
• Deviant
• Geist: One Foot In the Grave – Off to Travis.

Proofing

• Cavaliers of Mars: City of the Towered Tombs
• Yugman’s Guide Support Decks (Scarred Lands)
• Aberrant – Making a few new symbols. Art still coming in.
• V5 Cults of the Blood Gods – Tweaking layout with Josh.
• Trinity Core Jumpstart

At Press

• TCFBTS Screen and Booklet – At KS fulfiller.
• They Came from Beneath the Sea! – At KS fulfiller.
• Pirates of Pugmire – At KS fulfiller.
• Pirates of Pugmire Screen – At KS fulfiller.
• Dark Eras 2 – At KS fulfiller.
• Dark Eras 2 Screen and booklet – At KS fulfiller.
• Contagion Chronicle – Printing.
• Lunars Wall Scroll Map – At KS fulfiller.
• Lunars Screen and Booklet – At KS fulfiller.
• Lunars: Fangs at the Gate – Deluxe printing. PDF and PoD on sale at DTRPG.
• Titanomachy – PoD proofs ordered.
• TC Aeon Terra Firma – PoD files uploaded.
• V5 Let the Streets Run Red – Backer PDF out to backers for errata.

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Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

More of a commemoration, and one I usually skip for these but today the anniversary lands right on today. Nine years ago was the infamous Black Wednesday at CCP/White Wolf when a very large swathe of the employees working on the WoD MMO were fired, a group with a large percentage of folks who had been hired into the original White Wolf. The fact that in a couple of months it will be the 9th anniversary of the founding of Onyx Path Publishing is entirely coincidental. Not.