Hello Mercenaries,
TL;DR: The full Core Book of Valraven is now ready in Beta for you to check out.
Core Book Beta
Today’s the day: the full Core Book of Valraven: The C...
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The World Anvil Publishing
29 days ago
#26 - June Update: Book of the Eclipse BETA!
Hello Mercenaries,
TL;DR: The full Book of the Eclipse is now ready in Beta for you to check out.
Book of the Eclipse Beta
All right, I know what you’re thinking. And no...
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The World Anvil Publishing
about 2 months ago
#25 - May Update: The Lands of Valraven
Hello Mercenaries,
TL;DR: We have a new preview from the Core Book.
The Lands of Valraven preview
I’m excited to share a new 45-page preview from the Valraven Core Bo...
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The World Anvil Publishing
3 months ago
#24 - April Update: 3 Chapters from the Core Book!
Hello Mercenaries,
TL;DR: We have the first preview of the Core Book! Oh, we also have a new game on Kickstarter.
Core Book preview
I can finally share a preview from t...
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The World Anvil Publishing
4 months ago
#23 - February Update: Scenarios in layout!
Hello Mercenaries,
TL;DR: Today we’re sending out a preview of the Scenarios in the Book of Eclipse!
Scenario Previews
All the Scenarios from the Book of Eclipse are now...
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The World Anvil Publishing
5 months ago
#22 - January Update + Final Tarots first look!
Hello Mercenaries,
TL;DR: We can finally show how the tarots will look!
The new tarots
In a previous update, I shared insights from Valraven’s author, Alberto Tronchi, on ...
TL;DR: The full Core Book of Valraven is now ready in Beta for you to check out.
Core Book Beta
Today’s the day: the full Core Book of Valraven: The Chronicles of Blood and Iron is fresh from layout. We’re beginning our full re-read as I write this, so don’t be surprised if you come across an overly long index, something slightly off, or the occasional typo or formatting issue. That said, this is it: you now have everything you need to start playing.
Why is this a Beta and not the final release?
Just like we did with The Book of the Eclipse, we want to do one final pass to catch any lingering issues. Since the Eclipse Beta, we’ve made over 400 small improvements, and we think this round is just as important. As before, you can help.
How?
Read the Core Book Beta.
If you find a typo, layout problem, or anything that feels unclear, head over to our Discord and post it in the #valraven-typos channel.
We’ll review everything, and if it’s relevant, we’ll incorporate your notes into the final version. You will get an email with a download link for the Core Book from Backerkit. Please check your SPAM folder before reaching out, and make sure it was actually included in your pledge. Feel free to share your thoughts on our Discord Server.
When is it going to print?
Once we’ve completed this review of the Core Book and can confidently replace all the “XXX” placeholders with final page numbers. We had hoped the tariff situation would be clearer after July 9, but it’s been postponed—again. We’ll make a final decision in August, and share the updated timeline shortly after.
Reminders
You can always access your Pledge Manager survey from HERE. Orders are locked but get in touch if you need changes.
TL;DR: The full Book of the Eclipse is now ready in Beta for you to check out.
Book of the Eclipse Beta
All right, I know what you’re thinking. And no—you didn’t miss an update. We’re sending out the full PDF of the expansion, the Book of the Eclipse, before the Core Book.
If you’ve been following our journey, you already know we worked on Book of the Eclipse first and moved to the Core Book later, since that one was undergoing a full rework. So, the good news: the complete Book of the Eclipse is now ready for you to read! Even without the Core Book in hand, there’s plenty here to explore, enjoy, and draw inspiration from.
Why is it called a Beta, and not just the final release?
Because we just wrapped up the layout, and before calling it “final,” we’re doing one more full read-through to catch anything that might still need fixing before going to print. And here’s the fun part: you can help.
Community feedback has been a huge help in past projects, allowing us to squash the last remaining typos and polish any fuzzy bits of text. Just to be clear: the book has been professionally edited, but no matter how much we love Lovecraft, your collective eyeballs outnumber ours.
How can you help?
Read the Book of the Eclipse Beta
If you spot a typo, a layout hiccup, or anything that seems unclear, hop over to our Discord and drop your findings in the #valraven-typos channel.
We’ll review everything, and if it’s relevant, we’ll incorporate your notes into the final version. It’s a tried-and-true method that’s helped us deliver print-ready books with almost zero errors: a win for everyone.
So go ahead, dive in, and thanks in advance for making this the best version it can be.
You will get an email with a download link for the Book of the Eclipse from Backerkit. Please check your SPAM folder before reaching out, and make sure it was actually included in your pledge. Feel free to share your thoughts on our Discord Server.
Core Book? When?
Soon! I’m currently translating the final chapter. Once that’s done, we’ll need about a week for editing and another for layout. If all goes according to plan, the Core Book Beta should be ready by mid July.
We’re almost there!
Reminders
You can always access your Pledge Manager survey from HERE. Orders are locked but get in touch if you need changes.
I’m excited to share a new 45-page preview from the Valraven Core Book: The Lands of Valraven. This chapter explores all the game’s Factions, detailing their structure, goals, and the most notable NPCs within each. It’s a rich lore section that’s sure to spark your imagination (and your war plans).
You’ll also find the two mercenary Companies we created together during the campaign: The Twilight Spears and their darker counterpart, The Shadows of Twilight.
You will get an email with a download link from Backerkit. Please check your SPAM folder before reaching out. Feel free to share your thoughts on our Discord Server.
Where are we?
I’m currently working on the largest chapter in the Core Book—actually, in both books—Character Creation. Due to a major reorganization of the text compared to the original Italian edition, this chapter alone comes in at over 100 pages (pre-layout). It’s a substantial piece to handle, but progress is going well, even if it’s not quite finished yet.
Once this section is wrapped up, the remaining content will be much quicker to finalize.
As mentioned in the previous update, we’re still assessing how potential tariffs might impact production. Despite recent announcements suggesting a pause on some tariffs (see here), the situation remains confusing and unstable (like… what happens after 90 days?).
Right now, I’m gathering updated quotes from both China and Europe to evaluate where production is most affordable and, importantly, which option has the least impact on U.S. backers. Up until just two days ago, printing in Europe seemed like the safest path—now, that’s less clear.
Will someone end up with a worse deal? Possibly, but it’s difficult to say who, or to what extent. The final decision may need to be made close to the start of production, and while I can’t rule out additional costs for U.S. backers*, I’ll do everything in my power to minimize the impact.
That said, we’re navigating forces well beyond our control. At a certain point, we all need to recognize that these broader shifts are happening—and they’re not something any one of us can fix alone. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we do our best to find the most balanced and sustainable path forward.
– Tommaso
*No backers outside of the U.S. will be affected by tariffs whatever happens.
Reminders
You can always access your Pledge Manager survey from HERE. Orders are locked but get in touch if you need changes.
I can finally share a preview from the Valraven Core Book: the first three chapters, totaling 48 pages. These include the full introduction and the entire system chapter, giving you a solid look at the mechanics that drive the game.
Character creation, setting, and Gifts will be covered in the next release—but for now, this is your chance to dive into the core engine of Valraven and see what makes it tick.
You will get an email with a download link from Backerkit. Please check your SPAM folder before reaching out. Feel free to share your thoughts on our Discord Server.
Where are we?
The Book of Eclipse is practically complete. The only remaining elements are a dedicated sheet for playing the solo mode with the full mercenary Company, along with some final layout tasks—namely the credits and the table of contents.
As previously mentioned, I’m a bit behind on the Core Book, but progress is steady and I’m catching up quickly. Here’s a snapshot of the current situation:
I believe it’s realistic to have the final PDFs ready before summer, and to move into print production during the summer. That timeline gives us some flexibility as we continue to monitor the ongoing U.S. tariff situation, which could significantly impact where we choose to print.
According to Rascal, books should be exempt, but other components—such as dice, playbooks, and accessories—may be subject to new tariffs. Unfortunately, the current U.S. administration has proven erratic, with a tendency toward sudden policy shifts that complicate long-term planning. Production and fulfillment are multi-week processes, and at this stage, we have no reliable way to forecast how the situation will evolve.
In that sense, taking a bit more time to finish everything might work in our favor. We’ll continue to monitor developments closely and update you as soon as we have clearer information—or at least a well-informed direction.
It’s already funded and we’ve started to unlock stretch goals.
Bitter Chalice is a dark fantasy adventure TTRPG that drops you into the Blighted Lands—a cursed region around the fallen city of Vathan, where people live with constant thirst, hunger, and creeping madness. Unlike your typical TTRPG, this isn’t a toolkit—it’s a complete, handcrafted campaign in the vein of Elden Ring, Hollow Knight, Bloodborne, and the Dark Souls series.
The game comes in a beautifully designed box set with three full volumes, featuring a complete ruleset, the game campaign, an intro campaign, several thematic classes to pick from, places of origin, a solo mode and much more. The game revolves around a huge map filled with mysterious locations to uncover. When you find one, you add a sticker to the map. Exploration is sandbox-style, so you can go wherever you want. Each location has different events, items, and NPCs, and your actions in one area affect what happens in others. There's a lot more to it, like managing resources and time (things change according to the time of day, and finding non-infected food is part of the gameplay to escape either hunger or madness, etc.).
TL;DR: Today we’re sending out a preview of the Scenarios in the Book of Eclipse!
Scenario Previews
All the Scenarios from the Book of Eclipse are now translated, edited, and laid out. Since they're playable with just the Quickstart rules, I thought it was a good time to give you something to have fun with. If you have backed the Book of Eclipse, you will receive a preview file including:
Windmar’s Destiny Extended Version (the Quickstart Scenario featuring new Scenes)
The Invader (a stand alone adventure or sequel for Widmar’s Destiny)
Sancta Sactorum (by Claudio Serena from Fumble GdR)
The Birth (by Michele Paroli from Mana Project Studio)
The Scenarios feature images from Tommaso Lucchetti, Samuele Zardinoni and Andrea Guardino.
The email with the link comes from Backerkit. Please check your SPAM folder and make sure you have backed the Book of Eclipse before reaching out. If you haven’t pledged for the Book of Eclipse and now regret your life choices you can still do the Late Pledge for it HERE, and you’ll also get the files.
