First order of the day is to let you know that I studied the ancient scrolls, meditated atop a shattered mountain, and finally learned how to use Tumblr. Follow HOMD on there if you want occasional lovely screenshots.

Progress on HOMD is going well, and I’m on schedule for the February release. There’s not much writing left to do – I’m currently working on the last few stages of the main story. There are things here that I think (hope) will catch everyone by surprise.

Also there are now lots of little optional quests in the game, which I’ll leave you to discover on your own! But I want to talk today about one of the lengthiest series of side-quests, the Journalism branches.

But First, A Random Screenshot

Because after this they’re all pretty similar.

Journalism

When you return to the City of Keys with Current Affairs from another city, you can choose to write up a Freelance Article and sell it to one of the City’s big three newspapers. Which newspaper you choose to sell to is actually a crucial decision – by selling to a newspaper, you build up your relationship with them, and after a while they’ll seek you out and try to hire you as their foreign correspondent.

You can join only one newspaper, and each of the three has a completely different questline!

Accepting this role begins a long chain of events as you wrangle with government censorship, unnatural beings, complex ghoul politics, and most fearsome of all – a Chief Editor wielding a deadline.

The Hollow Trumpet

The first newspaper who you can join is the Hollow Trumpet. Its rivals call it a despicable rag. Its owner calls it a despicable rag which sells half a million copies a day.

The Chief Editor, Vanion Mandible, is a corpulent man who long ago sacrificed his decency at the altar of sales figures. He will shout at you, chomp a cigar aggressively, and force you write utter drivel – but ultimately, the Hollow Trumpet pays better than any of the other options. Just try to ignore the allegations of mob ties.

The Pioneer

Really more of a magazine than a newpaper, the Pioneer is light and frothy but ultimately harmless. It is aimed at all the intercellular explorers who leave the City in order to explore the rest of the House – which is what makes you such a perfect writer for them.

Its eccentric Chief Editor, Lady Phoenix Crumpett, gives you a free rein to write what you want. It’s just a pity that so few people read the damn thing. It’s a niche publication for a niche with a high mortality rate.

The Key Details

A newspaper which aims to expose every corruption and reveal every secret. Just a pity it has a tenth of the sales figures of the Hollow Trumpet.

The Chief Editor is Ambiguity Vilecroft, a severe-looking individual with a sly sense of humour. She (or perhaps he) requires rigorous and meticulous journalism. It’s the kind of journalism that does real good in the world, so of course the Governor is going to want it shut it down by any means possible. Writing for the Key Details is a bad idea if you want to stay on the government’s good side.

Which newspaper do you plan to join when playing HOMD?

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