Newborn Games
CREATOR
3 days ago
Project Update: The Road Ahead
It's already the end of the month.
The crowdfunding campaign may be over, but in many ways, it feels like the real work has only just begun.
First of all...
thank you.
Once again.
Your support didn't simply fund a game—it gave me the opportunity to dedicate myself to making the best version of Silent Læke I possibly can.
So I thought it was the perfect moment to give you a proper production update.
What's already done
A surprising amount, actually.
Dusk's Embrace v2
The Quick Tour has already received its first post-campaign revision, incorporating several refinements and clarifications. Physical copies will be available for purchase soon on the Newborn Games website.
As a reminder:
- Followers who were following the campaign before launch receive the PDF for free.
- Killer, Homecoming King and Homecoming Queen backers receive both the PDF and the physical edition.
- Those physical copies will ship together with the rest of your rewards, although if you meet Newborn Games at conventions before then, you're welcome to pick up your copy in person.
Design work completed
Although not yet manufactured, the following items have already been fully designed:
- Coffee & Shadows deck (including the box)
- SLHS Phys. Ed. T-Shirt
- In Loving Memory T-Shirt
- Homecoming King jacket
- Homecoming Queen jacket
- Patches
- Stickers
The next step is transforming these designs into physical products.
I'm currently waiting for production proofs of the t-shirts before giving the green light.
The main priority: the Corebook
Everything else revolves around this. The physical game comes first.
Always.
Silent Læke's core rulebook is divided into two major parts, spanning six thematic chapters we call Books.
Part I — To Everyone Who Conquers
(For Players and Directors alike.)
- 1. Book of Dusk
- The town, its atmosphere and its history.
- 2. Book of Faces
- Character preparation.
- 3. Book of Threads
- The complete rules.
- 4. Book of Whispers
- Places, People and Stuff.
Part II — By Demons Be Driven
(For the Director's eyes only.)
- 5. Book of Mirrors
- Beautiful secrets.
- Dark secrets.
- Your deepest fears.
- 6. Book of Echoes
- The mysterious side of Silent Læke.
- Consequences.
- How everything comes together behind the curtain.
Current progress
1. Book of Dusk
- Written
- Proofread
- Sensitive Read
2. Book of Faces
- Written
- Proofread
- Sensitive Read
3. Book of Threads
- Around one-third complete
4. Book of Whispers
- First draft completed
5. Book of Mirrors
- First draft completed
6. Book of Echoes
- First draft completed
Development Roadmap
The current goal looks like this:
July
- Finish Book of Threads.
August
- Finish Book of Whispers.
September
- Finish Book of Mirrors.
October
- Finish Book of Echoes.
November
- Editing, proofreading and layout.
Current Target
If everything goes according to plan...
I'd love to deliver the digital Corebook in December 2026.
That gives all of you time to read it, play it and send feedback before it goes to print.
Current schedule:
Digital Corebook
- December 2026
Printing
- February–March 2027
Fulfilment
- April 2027
Naturally, publishing is full of surprises, so these dates may shift slightly—but this is the roadmap I'm working toward every single day.
What about Solo Mode and Campaign Mode?
They're still happening.
Nothing has changed.
However, I've made one important decision:
I don't want these modes to delay the Corebook.
The Corebook is my absolute priority.
Whether Solo Mode and Campaign Mode end up inside the printed Corebook or as separate digital supplements will depend on how development progresses over the coming months. If including them in the Corebook risks delaying the physical release, I'd rather publish them as standalone PDFs first.
Either way...
you're getting them.
Later on, I'll probably ask the community what you prefer through a poll before making that final decision.
Original Soundtrack
The soundtrack is also moving forward.
The plan is for it to combine carefully curated licensed music with several original pieces composed and performed by yours truly—and perhaps a guest musician or two.
Like the additional game modes, though...
the soundtrack will never delay the Corebook.
The game comes first.
Everything else builds around it.
King's Sheriff Car & Queen's Secret Diary
These are passion projects.
They're smaller, handcrafted pieces that I'll develop alongside the main production.
They shouldn't affect the overall schedule.
Looking ahead
The crowdfunding campaign lasted only a few weeks.
The journey to bring Silent Læke to life will take many more months.
That's the nature of making tabletop games.
Every page.
Every illustration.
Every line of text.
Every proof.
Every correction.
Every decision.
I'm looking forward to sharing that journey with you.
And now...
it's time for me to get back to work.
Thank you once again for believing in Silent Læke.
See you at the lake.
Yours,
– A Máquina do RPG
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