CofD, C20 and You and Me [Monday Meeting Blog]

Monday Meeting, News

Let’s get caught up.

On Saturday, in a castle in Germany, Martin and Tobias (the White Wolf Publishing guys), let folks know some of their plans for the WW properties: https://youtu.be/waHQeOrKxK8

Here’s how those plans affect us here at Onyx Path Publishing:

First, we are changing the overall title of New World of Darkness (nWoD), to Chronicles of Darkness (CofD) in order to differentiate the game lines under that brand from the classic World of Darkness lines. For more details, check out my blog from Saturday: http://theonyxpath.com/announcing-chronicles-of-darkness/

For Onyx Path, this is delightful. The biggest threat to us doing more Chronicles of Darkness games was the potential of issues surrounding the branding. And that problem is gone. We are able now to move ahead with several books that were awaiting the new branding, and to keep going with our announced and scheduled but not announced projects.

In addition, the process of solving this problem was very collaborative between our two companies, which was quite refreshing.

Second, we are continuing to move forward with Exalted 3rd Edition. Once the errata is input and a new backer PDF is uploaded, we can keep going with our announced and scheduled but unannounced projects.

Last, but by no means least, Onyx Path is continuing to publish the cWoD 20th Anniversary game lines. We will not be publishing the 4th Edition of the WoD game lines as we planned as that effort is being superseded by WWP‘s own efforts in the creation of their One World of Darkness. Here is a teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wewNseVo24 They may in fact call the next editions of the WoD game books 4th Editions, or they might not, but they absolutely need to be the ones pulling together the threads of WoD and creating a coherent single entity that can then be the cornerstone of the many licensing efforts they are working towards.

For Onyx Path, while we would have enjoyed the creation of the next edition as we were previously set to do it, we are consoled by two things:

The kinds of synergy that the new White Wolf is talking about and capable of pulling together is something that as a licenser we just couldn’t do. We had rights to tabletop RPGs only, and had to fight hard for anything else like t-shirts. Triple A computer games or Netflix series were not something we could arrange or even consult on with CCP. But as the owners, who want the World of Darkness to spread its dark stories over the world, WWP can. Which is pretty freaking exciting! We at Onyx Path wanted to create the next edition of the WoD games because we saw a need for an edition that shook things up, that was relevant to today’s players and ways of playing, while still steeped in the dark drama of decades of storytelling majesty. Everything we’ve discussed with Martin and Tobias indicates that their vision for the One World of Darkness is coming from looking at most things the same way, and while no one knows yet how that vision will be executed, we are looking forward to helping their efforts however they need it as things come together.

As an example of this, last year the Onyx Path crew attending MidWinter Convention charted out how we would ramp up our presence in stores leading up to a traditionally printed version of V4 as the first of the WW core rulebooks to return to retail stores. I’ve spent several years plotting a course that allows that but doesn’t bog us down into broken sales models that might hurt Onyx Path, and after a few test projects, V4 would have led the way. In the video, WWP also talks about getting One WoD into stores. Great minds, and all that.

You’ll see the first two of those tests next month, actually, as both the Scarred Lands Kickstarter and the Pugmire Kickstarter are set up specifically to enable us to print traditionally and get those books into stores. We’ll be making another announcement soon that takes this thinking a bit further, but the ink is barely dry on that contract.

So, with exception of V4, we are going ahead with our announced and scheduled but unannounced projects.

Speaking of one of the announced Twentieth Anniversary projects, the Deluxe Changeling: the Dreaming Twentieth Anniversary Kickstarter got off to a huge start last Thursday and was funded in 67 minutes, which strangely seems like a very Changeling kind of number to me. Dunno why. More details below in the Blurbs! section, but it is well past being 350% funded after 4 days. We still have lots of Stretch Goals to achieve, and a few surprises to share, so check it out! Don’t be it, dream it…

Last week, I mentioned a contest we’d be doing, and here it is: The 12 Days of Onyx Contest! Basically, as a celebration of the Chronicles of Darkness, we’re asking for holiday themed Condition Card submissions from all of you. We’ll pick our favorite 12 and pull the PDF together and give out to everyone on Christmas. You can see more details here: http://theonyxpath.com/announcing-the-12-days-of-onyx-contest/ I’m looking forward to some crazy holiday magic from everyone, so submit today!

So, thanks to everyone who asked how we were doing with the changes! We are doing great, we have fantastic projects slated for several years, and we have an evolving relationship with our primary license holder that has been pretty wonderful so far.

Could be worse, we could be in Philadelphia…

BLURBS!

KICKSTARTER!

As mentioned above, the Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition Kickstarter is going Boggan-busters right now! We hit the funding goal in 67 minutes, and have rolled through some pretty sweet Stretch Goals as well as a whole bunch of Achievements! And we haven’t even announced the dice yet!

ON SALE!

M20 How Do You DO That? is coming to DTRPG in PDF and PoD versions hopefully this week!

Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition PDF & Standard and Premium PoD physical book editions are NOW AVAILABLE on DTRPG! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/149562/Mage-the-Ascension-20th-Anniversary-Edition

The Pugmire Pamphlet we had available at Gen Con is now ready for PDF download. Read about the world of Pugmire from the enthusiastic and optimistic pen of Princess Yosha Pug, as well as notes from the gruff and worldly hunter Pan Daschund: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/153518/Pugmire-Gen-Con-Brochure

There are also six Pugmire posters available as free PDFs or $.99 physical posters, suitable for framing:

Spike Mutt: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/150845/Spike-Mutt-Pugmire-Poster-6

Pan Dachshund: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/150844/Pan-Dachshund-Pugmire-Poster-5

Jack Rat-Terrier: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/150944/Jack-RatTerrier-Pugmire-Poster-4

Sgt. Leo Bulldog: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/150843/Sgt-Leo-Bulldog-Pugmire-Poster-3

Princess Yosha Pug: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/149750/Princess-Yosha-Pug-Pugmire-Poster-2

Sister Picassa Collie: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/148516/Sister-Picassa-Collie-Pugmire-Poster-1

Start spreading the Code of Man!

CONVENTIONS!

ONE MONTH TO GO! We’re one of the Contributing Sponsors at Midwinter Con this year this January in Milwaukee! RichT, Fast Eddy Webb, and Newlywed Neall Raemonn Price will be there at our booth as well as running demo games of Scion and Pugmire. Right now we are planning panels for What’s Up With Onyx Path?, WoD 20th Anniversary Games and a Pugmire/Scion/StoryPath System one. In the meantime, check out the show here: http://www.midwintergamingconvention.com/

And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM ROLLICKING ROSE (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)

M20 Book of Secrets (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)

CtL anthology (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)

Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition

Night Horrors: Conquering Heroes (Beast: the Primordial)

Scion: Alpha (Scion 2nd Edition Playtest Alpha Slice)

Dagger of Spiragos (Scarred Lands)

EX3 Quickstart (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Shattered Dreams in-book stretch goals (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)

Ring of Spiragos (Scarred Lands)

Redlines

Mummy Fiction Anthology (Mummy: the Curse)

Wraith: the Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition

Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)

V20 Ready Made Characters (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)

Cavaliers of Mars

Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

Second Draft

Arms of the Chosen (Exalted 3rd Edition)

The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)

WtF The Pack (Werewolf: the Forsaken 2nd Edition)

Beckett’s Jyhad Diary (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)

WtA Kinfolk (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)

Development

StoryPath System Rules (Base rules set for Scion and the Trinity Continuum)

W20 Changing Ways (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)

nWoD Hurt Locker (Chronicles of Darkness)

VtM Lore of the Bloodlines (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)

W20 Shattered Dreams (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)

Beast Ready Made Characters (Beast: the Primordial)

Editing W20 Pentex Employee Indoctrination Handbook (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)

Dark Eras Expansions (Chronicles of Darkness Dark Eras)

Secrets of the Covenants (Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition)

Scarred Lands Player’s Guide: Ghelspad (Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Beast Fiction Anthology (Beast: the Primordial)

Dark Eras Companion (Chronicles of Darkness Dark Eras)

Post-Editing Development:

Cursed Necropolis: Rio (Mummy: the Curse)

V20 Ghouls (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)

V20 Black Hand: Guide to the Tal’Mahe’Ra (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)

M20 Anthology (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:

In Art Direction

V20 Ghouls – Awaiting text.

– Awaiting text. W20 Shattered Dreams – Awaiting artnotes for Ch. 5.

– Awaiting artnotes for Ch. 5. Mage: the Awakening Second – Art approved…need CofD swapped in.

– Art approved…need CofD swapped in. Promethean: the Created Second – Pinging Ron to see where the splats are…



– Pinging Ron to see where the splats are… Scarred Lands PG – more sketches and finals rolling in.

– more sketches and finals rolling in. Dark Eras – Working on that as well as troubleshooting several potential snags in the text.

Pugmire Early Access – sketches rolling in.

In Layout

Dreams of Avarice – in proofing.

– in proofing. Guide to the Black Hand – Working on it.

– Working on it. Chronicles of Darkness Condition Cards – After the errata pass is done on CofD core.

After the errata pass is done on CofD core. Clan Novel Assamite (PoD and epub update) – PoD proof not good, need new one.

– PoD proof not good, need new one. Clan Novel Ventrue (PoD and epub update) – Proofing.

– Proofing. Ex 3 Anthology – Awaiting reformatted file.

– Awaiting reformatted file. Beast Screen – Doing it up.

Proofing



Beast: The Primordial – Going to indexing and Paradox for approval. CofDs added in.

– Going to indexing and Paradox for approval. CofDs added in. Demon STG – Going to Paradox for Approval

Going to Paradox for Approval Ex 3 core book – From RichT: Same here. Devs working on notating changes to a clean PDF to send to me and Maria for review. Art corrections finishing up.

At Press

M20 – Deluxes printing (Screen is finished and awaiting book).

– Deluxes printing (Screen is finished and awaiting book). M20 How Do You Do That ?!? – Maybe this week.

– Maybe this week. V20 Lore of the Clans – PoD uploaded and awaiting proofs.

– PoD uploaded and awaiting proofs. Chronicles of Darkness – Available in PDF format and errata phase hath begun.

Special- projects on hold in the art and production area until an external factor is resolved

Wraith 20 – Can’t go further until art notes come in, still being developed by Rich Dansky.

Can’t go further until art notes come in, still being developed by Rich Dansky. Pentex Employee Indoctrination Manual – Some added and amended text needs to come in.