HEX 05: Campaign funded! + External playtesting form 🗡
about 2 years ago – Wed, Apr 06, 2022 at 09:32:20 PM

Last Friday the funding period for THE EXILES ended, wrapping up with 456 backers and almost 300% funding past the original goal. It’s been a delight to be off to such a great start for this project. 🖤

What was unlocked?

We managed to cover quite a bit of stretch goals, including production of the forbidden boxset for all physical pledges of the expansion, extra landmarks and NPCs by Nychelle Schneider and Adam Dixon, a digital web keeper by Michael Pelletier, and interior illustrations by Conner Fawcett!

What’s next?

• Over the next few weeks, funds will be processed and sent to us by Kickstarter. In the meantime, I will be working on the remaining bits of the game’s core writing and settling some logistical aspects before tossing the ball to the other collaborators.
• We will also be working on putting together a Backerkit page for the game. Backerkit is a secondary platform from which you will be able to register your shipping address, pay for postage, and modify your pledge with additional items. You can expect to receive an invite to sign up sometime during the spring.
• We’re now entering late production of the game. If all goes according to plan, the game and all of its components should be ready for print sometime during the summer, and the books should be shipping over the autumn. We’ll let you know how we’re doing with the timeline as we move along.

Updates

You can expect a new update every couple of months. I will reserve them for when we hit any project milestones (like opening up the Backerkit!), for when there’s anything cool to show, or to report any delays that might affect the project. You can also follow me or Pocket Compass over on social media for more day-to-day happenings.

Thanks again. Don’t hesitate to reach out for anything. Until next time. 🩸

 P.S. Playtesting Sign-Up Form

We’re considering opening up the expansion for external playtesting. If you’d be interested in helping us make this game as nightmarish as possible by playing it and providing feedback, feel free to fill this interest form.

HEX 04: Final stretch of the campaign! Last stretch goal reveal 🩸💀
about 2 years ago – Sat, Mar 26, 2022 at 02:56:04 PM

Another goal down. With almost a week left before the campaign endes, we've now hit our third stretch goal! Now that we're over $9500, we'll be able to secure funding for producing and hosting the Keeper. Look forward to it. It's going to turn out real cool. 🖤

LAST STRETCH GOAL: Interior illustrations by Conner Fawcett

As part of our last stretch goal, we're inviting Conner to join the team as a guest illustrator!

Conner is an artist and creative who has previously drawn for games such as Possum Creek’s Wanderhome and Massif Press’s Lancer RPG. Their spooky creature design and delicate inkwork would be a beautiful addition to THE EXILES, and it would be an honor to be able to bring them on board! If we reach $12,000, we'll be able to bring them on board to make an opening illustration for every landmark in The Path—bringing to life the somber weight each of them carries and creating a cohesive picture for The Below.

With 6 days left and barely over $2000 to get there, I'm confident we can reach it with a little luck! Anything raised above this stretch goal will go towards improving the production values for the book and ensuring that we have a robust safety net for the project. Let's do it. 🗡️

Other things happening that you might be into

Friends over at Possum Creek Games just launched Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast, a slice-of-life roleplaying game about a found family and their magical home. It looks tender, fun as hell, and mechanically rich and I couldn't be more excited about its full release finally hitting the public. 

CBR+PNK is getting a physical release! and it looks incredible! Published by Mythopoeia, this edition of the game features all the pamphlets that have been published on itch over the past year plus some extras in a lush boxed set. As someone also developing a rules-lite take on Forged in the Dark design in the same space, seeing Emanoel and Ray come this far with this project has been super inspiring.

A couple years ago I illustrated a card deck loosely based on videogame villains, and it seems like Secret Boss Games will now be crowdfunding a physical release of it as part of their Playing Card Set series. I'm not involved in the project, but if you dig my art you might be interested in checking it out!

And that's it from me. I'll see you on the other side. Until then. 🩸

HEX 03: 8.5k unlocked! New stretch goal reveal ⚔️
about 2 years ago – Tue, Mar 22, 2022 at 05:52:56 AM

Good morning, everyone.

Thanks to your support, we've managed to unlock Nychelle and Adam's contributions for THE EXILES. With them on board, the final game will now include more landmarks, more characters, and in general more lovely content to plague your nightmares. You're welcome.

New stretch goal reveal: THE KEEPER - Digital Play App

If we hit $9500, Michael Pelletier (our editor!) will design a web-based app to play THE EXILES online. The Keeper will include everything needed to keep track of your character; a dice roller, rule references, and the possibility to save your progress from session to session. We're super excited to be able to facilitate online play of the game in new ways that reflect the physical experience, and can't wait to show you what weird things we manage to infuse into this little monster of ours. Please look forward to it. 🌜

HEX 02: Forbidden Set unlocked 🔥
about 2 years ago – Thu, Mar 17, 2022 at 12:46:14 AM

It's real. The Forbidden Set is here to stay.

If you've backed at the 'Accursed Tome' or 'Crossing Fates' level, your pledge will be automatically updated to include everything from it! Pretty cool, I know.

Coming up next: Stretch Goal writing by Nychelle Schneider and Adam Dixon.

Our next goal is one of my personal favorites: At $8500 we'll bring on board Nychelle and Adam, two wonderful writers who will provide some additional content to the expansion.

Nychelle will be in charge of illuminating four more dread-infused landmarks for The Path, taking the total location count up to 10. Meanwhile, Adam will bring to life a couple of errant wisps you might run into while adventuring, two parties to help or thwart during your travels, and an additional Wretch to fight against in your campaign.

I admire the work of these two individuals and it will be an honor to invite them onto the project. Fingers crossed. 🖤

You consult The Path and feel something ahead...Though you can't make out what it is quite yet. Friend or foe? Haven or threat?

If we unlock Nychelle and Adam's stretch goal, I will reveal what the next stop in this journey is. I won't give it away yet, but I will promise you one thing: This one is pretty out there—equal parts puzzling, useful, and unique.

look forward to it,

ema

HEX 01: Project Funded!
about 2 years ago – Sat, Mar 12, 2022 at 06:39:09 PM

We did it. Thanks to your support, we've managed to fund barely over a day after launching—this dark fantasy nightmare of an RPG is now a reality we'll be able to realize, and me and the rest of the team couldn't be more thirlled about it. 🖤

Stretch Goal #1: FORBIDDEN SET

Coming at $7000, we have something big lined up for our first stretch goal: Turning all physical pledges of the expansion into The Forbidden Set; a special edition of the game that includes the book, a pack of 4 character sheets, a set of perforated item cards, and a printed drawstring envelope to carry it all together. 

I envision this as a compact way to make playing THE EXILES in-person as easy and portable as possible, so I hope we reach it. Plus, who knows what else we might be able to place inside that envelope if we keep going?

see you very soon,

ema