We’re All Jelly Donuts? [Monday Meeting Notes]

Monday Meeting, News

According to Eddy Izzard, that’s the literal translation of JFK’s famous quote as he entered Berlin during the cold war. I don’t know if Mighty Matt McElroy or Matthew “The Gentleman Gamer” Dawkins issued a similar proclamation as they entered the city for last weekend’s PAX convention, but there they were anyway.

Now, it’s a Paradox Entertainment convention so it was really focused mostly on their electronic games – but Onyx Path was there representing the happy land of Tabletop Role-Playing Games. And from what the dynamic duo reported back, it was a fantastic chance to talk with all sorts of gamers – many of whom were unfamiliar with Onyx Path and/or TTRPGs.

What was really gratifying for our team was just how positive and friendly the attendees were. You never know, going to a new city or country for a con, just how the reception will be. Well, from what they said, it was fantastic! They were able to talk about our upcoming games, both V5 and upcoming White Wolf projects, and also there was a lot of interest in our other, non-WW game lines!

For those folks who did know about us, we had some sneak previews of upcoming V5 projects – some from the V5 Chicago By Night KS, and also the text from V5 Cults of the Blood Gods. So, a lot of excitement there! There was also a lot of interest from the Paradox/White Wolf team for us to run a Kickstarter for V5 Cults of the Blood Gods. Which is always nice to hear from the folks who are licensing you their properties!

In case it sounds like our crew were just there to hang out in our booth and chat, they also had the responsibility of representing Onyx Path in many meetings where the future of V5 and all the WW IPs was discussed. Again, this was an extremely positive experience for our duo, with just tons of ideas and possible projects coming out of those discussions!

Of course, being business meetings, there wasn’t anything I can share with you here, but I can say that the refocusing of White Wolf last year has seemed to have really altered how they are proceeding, and has borne fruit in a lot of new licensed projects folks are going to enjoy.

Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition art by Brian LeBlanc

To switch gears slightly, but not totally as I did mention Kickstarters up above, we finished up the Deviant: The Renegades Kickstarter last week! Again, huge kudos to Eric Zawadzki for his nigh-constant efforts to answer everybody’s questions in the comments as the KS ran. He was indefatigable!

We’re pretty happy with how it turned out, and big thanks to all of your who backed and spread the word about this one! We hoped that running the Creature Collection at the same time wouldn’t collide our audiences too much, and it looks like both KSs ran just fine and without overwhelming potential backers.

We’re going to try to avoid running two KSs of similar size and that might have too large of an overlap of audiences, but we have so many cool projects and settings that folks want to see Kickstarted that they’ve been backing up until now. Now, we’re going to try and use our two KS accounts to give both us and all of you the flexibility to put a project on Kickstarter as we need to and when it makes sense to.

We have, as many folks have pointed our previously, an embarrassment of riches when it comes to our projects, which really starts with the large number of game lines we are always working on.

VtR 2e Spilled Blood art by Andrea Payne

Of course, that goes all the way back to when Onyx Path first started with the WW licenses. We didn’t just get the licenses to one of the WoD lines or CofD lines, we took on the responsibility of shepherding all the existing lines and on bringing forth new ones if that what was needed.

Plus, we brought over other WW game lines, and one of those (cough, Trinity Continuum, cough) had multiple lines within it as well. We took, and still take, those responsibilities seriously as we know that every line has dedicated, long-term, fans that truly love it.

It is a real juggling act, and we’ve tried to provide every game line, every setting, with a new project and the spotlight at least once, regardless of the number of fans, over these past 7-8 years. And the flip side is that we are actually a business, we need projects that sell more than what it cost to make them – if only so everybody we work with keeps being able to afford to keep on making TTRPGs.

So those projects that sell well get follow-up projects, and those are usually within a single line, and so that line gets more focus. Which is one of reasons I’ve pushed for cross-line projects like the Night Horrors books, the Dark Eras books, or even the Contagion Chronicle, for Chronicles of Darkness (our biggest umbrella line).

Helnau’s Guide to Wasteland Beasties art by Michele Giorgi

Which is why our brochure this year, which is days away from going to press, is set up to talk about each setting, each game line, rather than trying to push for particular projects within the lines. We’ll do that with con-specific flyers at the conventions we’re attending, and news on all our social media sites, but we’re going to have the brochure there as a primer on just which game lines we’re doing right now.

We think that we’re at the point where we need that info out there where folks can reference it and compare and contrast our:

Many Worlds, One Path!

BLURBS!

Kickstarter!

Coming soon!: Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition!

Onyx Path Media!

This Friday’s Onyx Pathcast features a deep dive into our new game Legendlore with developer Steffie de Vaan, Dixie, and Matthew! Come find out about this very different fantasy RPG!

As Matthew has only just got back from a rather hazard-strewn trip from Berlin, our media update for this week is brief but punchy! So there’s only the events Matthew’s poor addled brain could pull together this week – but we’ll be back with our usual full run-down next week!

Character Creation Month continues this weekend as Meghan Fitzgerald takes us through character creation for Scion, over on the Onyx Path Twitch channel!

Plus, we again have a full week’s worth of fantastic gaming, so if you’re unsure about how any of our games run, please check out footage on the channel and interact with the people playing!

I’m going to link both here in case you’re not following / subscribed to them.

www.twitch.tv/theonyxpath & www/youtube.com/user/theonyxpath

It really helps us to have subscribers on our Twitch channel, and you can do so for free and catch premieres as they go up if you have an Amazon Prime account. Just type Twitch Amazon Prime into Google and you’ll be shown how to subscribe for free.

Remember, if you miss any content on our Twitch channel, some of it finds its way to our YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/user/theonyxpath Don’t forget though, that some of that content is Twitch exclusive or belongs to the Storytellers running their games, so don’t miss out and remember to follow us!

Meanwhile, our fans keep creating excellent content for us, not limited to:

Occultists Anonymous continues with their fantastic Mage: The Awakening game:

Episode 53: Everyone Dies

With safe passage into Tucume promised by the local Qero Shaman, the cabal prepares with spells and Songbird makes a deal with Supernal Being.

https://youtu.be/52hYTlw8RpE

Drop Matthew a message via the contact button on matthewdawkins.com if you have actual plays, reviews, or game overviews you want us to profile on the blog!

Please check any of these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games!

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.)

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:

Our Sales Partners!

We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

We’ve added Prince’s Gambit to our Studio2 catalog: https://studio2publishing.com/products/prince-s-gambit-card-game

Now, we’ve added Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost

Scarred Lands (Pathfinder) books are also on sale at Studio2, and they have the 5e version, supplements, and dice as well!:

https://studio2publishing.com/collections/scarred-lands

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

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 are available to order!

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

The big Halloween Sale on DriveThruRPG and Storytellers Vault continues until Halloween.

Most of our Chronicles of Darkness PDFs will be on sale on both sites, plus there will be some Halloween Treats (i.e. free PDFs) hidden around the sites.

On Sale This Week!

This Wednesday, you can get a jump on the end of the world with the Dystopia Rising: Evolution Jumpstart: Trouble On The Steel Pier PDF and physical book PoD on DriveThruRPG.com! Everything you need to start playing DR:E – a setting, adventure, and characters – with a basic Storypath rules-set!

Conventions!

GameHoleCon: October 31st – November 3rd

PAX Unplugged: December 6th – 8th



2020: Midwinter: January 9th – 12th

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)

Exigents (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Many-Faced Strangers – Lunars Companion (Exalted 3rd Edition)

N!ternational Wrestling Entertainment (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Creating in the Realms of Pugmire (Realms of Pugmire)

Contagion Chronicle Ready-Made Characters (Chronicles of Darkness)

Trinity Continuum: Adventure! core (Trinity Continuum: Adventure!)

Redlines

Tales of Aquatic Terror (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

Crucible of Legends (Exalted 3rd Edition)

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

Dragon-Blooded Novella #2 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Contagion Chronicle Jumpstart (Chronicles of Darkness)

Second Draft

Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Wraith20 Fiction Anthology (Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition)

Contagion Chronicle: Global Outbreaks (Chronicles of Darkness)

Player’s Guide to the Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)

Development

Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

TC: Aberrant Reference Screen (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Titanomachy (Scion 2nd Edition)

Trinity Continuum Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum Core)

Monsters of the Deep (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

One Foot in the Grave Jumpstart (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2e)

Lunars Novella (Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)

Pirates of Pugmire KS-Added Adventure (Realms of Pugmire)

Manuscript Approval



Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)

Terra Firma (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Yugman’s Guide to Ghelspad (Scarred Lands)

Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)

Post-Approval Development

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Scion LARP Rules (Scion)

M20 The Technocracy Reloaded (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)

Editing

Lunars: Fangs at the Gate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Hunter: The Vigil 2e core (Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition)

Let the Streets Run Red (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Geist 2e Fiction Anthology (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #1 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Scion Companion: Mysteries of the World (Scion 2nd Edition)

Cults of the Blood Gods (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Legendlore core book (Legendlore)

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Mythical Denizens (Creatures of the World Bestiary) (Scion 2nd Edition)

Vigil Watch (Scarred Lands)

Post-Editing Development

Chicago Folio/Dossier (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

TC: Aeon Ready-Made Characters (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

Oak, Ash, and Thorn: Changeling: The Lost 2nd Companion (Changeling: The Lost 2nd)

W20 Shattered Dreams Gift Cards (Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th)

TC: Aeon Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Tales of Good Dogs – Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Indexing

Dystopia Rising: Evolution core (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

ART DIRECTION FROM MIKE CHANEY!

In Art Direction

Contagion Chronicle – Sent out contracts.

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant

Hunter: The Vigil 2e – Sam on the fulls.

Ex3 Lunars – Contracted.

TCfBtS!: Heroic Land Dwellers

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed – Notes out to artists.

Ex3 Monthly Stuff

Trinity RMCs – Sketches in. Got interactive sheets from Gone in.

Cults of the Blood God (KS) – Mark is almost done, Denmark is done, and Amy is done.

Chicago Folio – Got stuff from Denmark and Mirko in… so far so good.

Mummy 2 (KS) – First half of Sam’s fulls are in and at WW for approval. Working on graphics in the morning.

City of the Towered Tombs – Contracted.

Let the Streets Run Red – Right after Chi Folio art is in.

CtL Oak Ash and Thorn – Sent breakdown for artnotes to Meghan.

Scion Mythical Denizens – Andrea is gonna do the portraits… waiting to hear back from Marco.

Deviant – Need art notes for the rest of the book.

Trinity Continuum Aeon Jumpstart – Going through it to see what we need.

In Layout

They Came from Beneath the Sea! – Template created… system chapter done.

Trinity Continuum Aeon: Distant Worlds

VtR Spilled Blood – In progress.

Geist 2e Screen – Need notes from developer, still.

Pirates of Pugmire

Proofing

C20 Cup of Dreams – At WW approval.

M20 Book of the Fallen – Josh finishing cover.

DR:E Threat Guide – Helnau’s Guide to Wasteland Beasties – PDF going out to backers.

Memento Mori – Layout proofing as art comes in.

Dark Eras 2 – In proofing

At Press

Trinity Core Screen – At Studio2 – shipping to backers.

TC Aeon Screen – At Studio2 – shipping to backers.

Trinity: In Media Res – PoD proofs coming.

Trinity Core – At Studio2 – shipping to backers.

Trinity Aeon – At Studio2 – shipping to backers.

V5: Chicago – Printing.

Aeon Aexpansion – Waiting to order PoD proofs.

DR:E Jumpstart – PDF and PoD versions on Sale this Wednesday.

W20 Art Book – PoD proof ordered.

Geist 2e (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition) – Getting print files ready.

DRE Screen – Getting print files prepped.

Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

Today is another five year anniversary! This time for Merely Marvelous Meredith’s time working with DriveThruRPG and helping us keep our PDFing and PoDing straight ovuh dere! DTRPG’s Customer Service are the unheralded saviors of many a small game company, and Mere’s ability to find solutions for non-tech people who just want to get their project online with the least amount of hassle – all with a smile in her emails – is a huge part of their success story. Congrats, Mere!