Hey y'all,

The campaign's done, to spectacular result! Almost four times our original funding goal. That rules. 

As progress goes, we're honestly pretty near the end. There are a few more art pieces for Katie to finish out, and a little more playtesting in hopes of wringing out some more useful feedback. But once that's done, game's done too. 

Expect backer surveys to go out soon to gather the right email to send your DriveThruRPG complimentary copies to. As with previous campaigns, if you don't answer the email, we can't get the game to you—so keep an eye on those inboxes (and spam folders, if necessary). 

Until then, let's get back to work!

Cheers,
Eleanor
(Compass Publishing House)

Hey y'all,

SO. Our funding has doubled since our update yesterday. That's obviously extremely cool, and deserves something to celebrate!

Previously, the link on the project page only showed off the first chapter of the book. But now, with all these new eyes and the great progress Katie's been making on the art, we're confident previewing a little more.

A lot more, actually. It's the first half of the book—like, 70 pages or so.

Thanks for getting us this far, and enjoy the early look at what we've got to offer.

Cheers,
E. R. F. Jordan
(Compass Publishing House)

Hey y'all,

A full week into our two-week campaign and we're sitting pretty, just above our funding goal. We decided to keep things simple and deliverable on our first venture into original games—hence the lack of sky-shooting stretch goals like extra chapters or Mooncroft Manor-themed radioactive glassware.

Still, we're real pleased for every pledge we get and want to show our appreciation for you folks who supported us in the more anxiety-inducing half of the campaign, so we're showing off two of our favorite parts of the book thus far!

There are a few subsystems in the back half of the book for GMs to shake up slow seasons—Curses, Mysteries, Events, and so on—but my unequivocal favorite is Dueling.

That's a lot of text, so we'll summarize. Duels take place in three parts.

First, the mages declare what Spell they're casting, and whether they want to risk casting High Magic—a more powerful version of the Spell that will grant you an edge, but also risks a terrible backlash if you fail. If one Spell has an advantage over the other, that makes the opponent's roll more difficult. (Water beats fire—that sort of thing.) Rolls are made under a cup or similar concealment, such that nobody knows the result until they're revealed.

Second, the mages declare how badly they want to hurt their opponent. The more lethal you're willing to be, the easier it is to claim the tempo of the duel for yourself—after all, you aren't restraining yourself, and they are. If one mage is more lethal than the other, they roll an extra die outside the cup, and if it Hits, that's the game. But whatever the result of this die, you're committing to your intent—grazing, injuring, or even killing your opponent.

Last, the cups are taken away and the rolls revealed. The mage with the most Hits claims the day; if there's none; propose a stalemate or clash once more. 

The tension between hidden rolls and the changing of mages' intent between rounds is exactly the sort of juicy drama we were aiming to create with this game. (It's also the easiest way to get removed from the game, so be careful, prospective duelists.)

An exciting gathering hinges on having lots of interesting guests to interact with and scheme against. The Guests section provides lots of guidance on developing NPCs before play starts. Our favorite tool from that section is the Common Archetypes table.

With a standard deck of playing cards—or, increasingly, a website that simulates a deck of cards—you can pick a mage, draw a card, and find that crucial first piece of a guest's shtick. Each entry poses either a prompt for the guest's behavior or a relationship to one of the mages—a solid starting point for you to build them out into a full NPC. 

That's it for our mid-campaign check-in. Back to the book mines. If you have any questions or comments about the project so far, feel free to let us know. Otherwise, we'll check in again at the end of the campaign to talk about fulfillment. 

Cheers,
E. R. F. Jordan
(Compass Publishing House)

Hey y'all,

What a wonderful thing to wake up to! At some point in the night we hit our funding goal. What's more, we did it in under 24 hours, which is wildly cool. 

With the funding goal achieved, we're secure to finish out the book and deliver it to you by June 2026. Every pledge beyond this point helps compensate us for the past few months of work and allows us to further lock in on getting this lovely little game to y'all in the best possible form.

Excited to see where we go from here!

Cheers,
E. R. F. Jordan
(Compass Publishing House)