Everything had been going so well. The virtual environment for the Keegan and Rogue law firm was precisely as Maia had expected. There were large windows overlooking an impressive duplicate of the Taranis skyline. Busy personnel in crisp suits shuffled back and forth between desks and offices. Everything from the layout of the floorplan to the welcome of the receptionist was exactly as she had researched.

Maia’s confidence was so high that she had already started planning what to do with the money from her client’s paycheck. There were plenty of bills to catch up on of course, but she was hoping to save a little and use it to upgrade her hacking rig. She’d had to turn down more than one job because she didn’t have the right tools.

She was so lost in thought that, at first, Maia didn’t notice the smiling man addressing her. She nearly plowed into him as she made her way further into the lobby. He held out his hands to catch her as she wobbled and that’s when she saw him. A small tingle of worry itched at the bottom of her stomach.

“Welcome to Keegan and Rogue.” His ultra white teeth flashed in the setting sun which filtered in through the large windows. “By the direction you are heading, I see that you are interested in our more classified areas. I would be happy to assist you today.”

He tipped his head to the side in an overly sympathetic fashion. “Of course, I do need to see some identification. Only level three access is allowed past this point.” The tone of his voice suggested sincere doubt that she possessed any access authority at all, let alone the required level three.

Maia fumbled with her response. The program she’d used to mask her identity should have let her glide right through without trouble. She cursed under her breath. A new hacking rig would have the right upgrade to get past this guy.

“Oh, of course,” Maia tried to control her breathing.

“I sense that you are feeling tense,” the man’s voice was cautious, “is there something wrong?”

“No, no. Not at all.” Maia forced herself to laugh and tried to think. Perhaps if she got him alone she could overpower him…

“Advanced sensors have determined that you are using a masking program to conceal your identity.” The white smile disappeared in a frown of polite disapproval. “I am deeply sorry. I am now required to eliminate you.”

The man’s frown certainly didn’t seem apologetic and neither did the lashing tentacles which began to sprout from his legs as the office environment dissolved. Maia found herself standing in a rocky landscape surrounded by nightmarish creatures. She calculated the odds of still getting her client’s information and gave a small sigh. Why was it never easy?

“The lawfirm of Keegan and Rogue would like to thank you for your visit. Good bye.” The tentacled creature opened its arms and attacked.

Senator George Winston was an unpopular official. His elitist views, narrow minded rhetoric, and flashy opulence made him an enemy of most of the district he was supposed to represent. However, as much as he was disliked among the regular people, it wasn’t until recently that he’d begun to gain a few high-dollar enemies. The kind of enemies who wouldn’t think twice about paying good money to plant a man they didn’t like, six feet under the ground.

Mina crept along the second floor of the Senator’s mansion home. After a brief scuffle with some gate security guards, her team had advanced and made short work of the ground’s crew. Securing the massive estate, on the other hand, had turned into a room by room man hunt. The team announced their position and status over their communication devices as they went.

“Strickland here. Library is clear, no sign of the Senator and I am seriously short on ammo.”

“Gregor here. I’m the same, powers are all drained. Almost done sweeping the wine cellar, this dude has some epically old bottles down here… anybody want one?”

“Hey, save me two. Might make me look good with the wife for our anniversary next week. Simons here. I’ve got maybe one good push left with my power, otherwise I’m out. The kitchen and staff rooms are clear.”

Mina crouched just outside a room which glowed with a warm fire. “Mina here. Might have something in one of the second floor bedrooms.” She whispered.

Mina slid into the room, her back against the wall and rifle searching for a target. A well dressed man sat in a high backed chair near an elaborate fireplace. In front of him, a thin nosed man with slicked back blonde hair stood like a guard dog. Mina didn’t wait for confirmation, this had to be the Senator. She fired four rounds.

The thin nosed man flicked his hands as if he were swatting flies and the bullets swerved around their target, burying themselves into the walls. Mina cursed, of course a man like this could afford to hire a telekinetic. The man in the chair smiled.

“Do you think you’re the first assassin to try and kill me?” He stared at Mina and the firelight reflected off his eyes, giving him a mad look. He dismissed her with a wave of his hand, “Bruno, deal with her.”

The blonde man ran his fingers through his hair and retrieved a handful of sharp metal darts from his coat pockets. He made them hover above his shoulders, pointing towards Mina. “This will only hurt for a second.”

“You’re right,” Mina replied, still aiming her rifle at the men. She closed her eyes and concentrated all her willpower. Pulling every last bit of strength through her mind, she felt the warmth of the fire consume her. Her eyes snapped open and the light of the flames gave her eyes a brilliant glow.

“This is going to hurt,” Mina said as she released all her built up energy in one brutal tidal wave of flames which reached out of the fireplace to engulf both men. It was over in a matter of seconds.

Mina smiled as she spoke through her comm device, “Mission accomplished, target is down and deep fried. Gregor you better pick me up one of those bottles. I’m feeling a little parched.”

The Durance was cold and lifeless. Silence filled the empty halls and save for emergency lighting, the massive mining vessel was dark. It was built to hold several hundred laborers and management personnel. As a result, there was generally some activity happening at all hours. But, for three weeks there had been no sign of life from the bustling ship.

No whisper of life. Until, a team arrived to investigate. The ship echoed with the sounds of their footsteps.

“Quiet. Jorgen, Did you hear that?”

Dark halls emptied into forgotten control rooms where nothing moved. Row upon row of automated machines paused in mid-operation. Trays filled with minerals from the moon Arausio lined conveyors going to and from processing stations. Not a buzz or whir interrupted the mechanical mausoleum.

“The ship is derelict, there’s no one here. Kitsechix, help me pop this access panel.”

It began as a slow thrumming sound. The noise echoed somewhere in the lower seventh level, behind sturdy walls of thick metal and down level after level of winding staircase. The sound quickened.

“I told you I heard something.”

Cups and plates lay scattered across a mess hall thick with dust. Heavy soup pots sat ready to serve as lonely tables and chairs lined the mining vessel’s cafeteria, waiting. The ship held its breath. The thrumming grew from the depths of the cold engine room.

“Did you see that… what the hell was that thing?”

“It’s not stopping. Open fire!”

“Caleb, shoot the damn thing!”

“Shoot!”

The Durance wandered in space, a silent witness to the horrors that it bore. Aimless it drifted, infected with something dark and terrible.

In a dusty warehouse by the side of a brown and stagnant river, a gang of muscled thieves labored to load priceless works of art into the back of three, covered pickup trucks. A vase tipped from the hands of a clumsy thug and shattered into large, less expensive pieces. No sooner had the sound of breaking Chinese imperial porcelain hit the ground than a wide bodied man in a red bandana rushed out of the warehouse’s back office doors.

“You idiot!”

A lively ruckus between the two men distracted the balance of the thieves until there was no one left to notice a strangely moving shadow which crept along the wall. Without a body to cast it, this particular shadow seemed to move of its own will. Inside the darkness, Penumbra chuckled.

“Boys, when will you ever learn?” Penumbra slid inside the warehouse office and rummaged across the desk until she found what she’d come for, a red velvet case. Inside sat a breathtaking yellow diamond necklace. “We meet again, handsome.”

Penumbra snapped the lid shut and stuffed the case into one of her oversized jacket pockets. A thunderous shout outside the office drew her back to the door. Several men in tight black jackets had gotten the drop on the thugs. Everyone stood tense with guns drawn and lips curled as a man in a pencil moustache stepped out from behind the black jackets.

“Cornwall.” The wide bodied thug spat. “What are you doing here?”

“A little bird told me that you were hiding something interesting… something of mine.” Cornwall preened, “She said you were in possession of my Qing-dynasty porcelain collection-”

Cornwall spotted the broken pieces of vase. His face flushed and his nostrils flared. The bandana wearing thug didn’t wait for what he knew was coming next. With a wild roar, he dove head first into Cornwall. The fight that erupted was a chaotic mess of bullets, fists, and cursing. No one noticed a sleek and satisfied shadow make its way past the tumult and out of the warehouse.

“You really should know by now,” Penumbra took one look back at the bodies hurling themselves together. “There’s no point in trying to take something I’ve already stolen. You’ll always regret it.”

Now that the Fifth Race is in the capable hands of Conan RPG editor Sally Christensen, Ed is taking the time to run both the Psionics and Rapier expansions through another round of intense editing.

I once read “Editing is where the magic happens”. I absolutely agree with that. The difference between a solid first draft and a well polished final product can be worlds apart. So, while Sally and Ed spend their hours delving into every grammatical crevice I’ve got something to entertain you.

As promised, here is an image from this latest expansion. The Big Eight in conference. Things look a bit tense for these heads of the biggest companies in the Consortium universe. I’m quite sure they’re trying to decide something important though we’ll have to wait for the book to find out what.

That’s all I have for today, be sure to come back next Saturday for more Consortium news!
-A

“At 2:30 this morning, Cutlass unit was compromised.” Commander Nihil’s words, given through a video feed, to a Resistance debriefing room shocked the gathered members.

“What?”

“How did this happen?”

“That’s impossible!”

“The members of Cutlass unit had been deep undercover for the past three months infiltrating a high level Smertios Security research vessel.” Murmuring from the group made it obvious not everyone was aware of Cutlass unit’s orders.

“There were signs in the last 72 hours that something was happening off plan.” The commander was interrupted by a flurry of indignation.

“Then why didn’t you take them out?”

“That’s reckless!”

“What happened?”

“Before all communication with Cutlass unit ended, we received one final transmission from Captain Madison.” The commander’s face faded and a grainy video of Madison, leaning in close to a recording device in a dark room, filled the communication display.

“They’re gone. They’re all gone. They picked us off one by one just after midnight.” The captain turned to look behind him and dropped his voice. His eyes were wide and they roved all around the dark room. “I’ve checked, there’s no one left. It’s just me.There’s nothing more that I can tell you but it’s clear now that they knew all along. They knew who we were… they knew from the very beginning…” There was a loud noise from the back of the room and a scuffle. A hand reached in front of the camera. Static, then nothing.

The debriefing room was silent. The commander came back on the screen

“I didn’t bring you all here to tell you that Cutlass unit was destroyed.” The commander’s face was grim. “I brought you here because we believe one of you set them up.”

“Don’t take it so hard, Ace.” Penumbra relaxed across the ledge of a rooftop. Salt from the soft pretzel in her hand drifted down to the quiet evening street below. “Having powers and being powerful are two very different things.”

“I hate it when you start talking like a fortune cookie.” Lacuna complained. “What does that even mean?” Penumbra smirked up at him and took a bite of the pretzel. Lacuna flopped next to her and put his head on his arm. “Let’s face it, I’m just not great at this whole ‘being a hero’ routine.”

“Good!”

Lacuna looked up with one raised eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“I hate heroes,” Penumbra sniffed dramatically. “They’re stuffy, they’re boring, and they always want to tell you about ‘That time they saved the world once’… ugh!”

“But, isn’t that what you’ve been training me for?” Lacuna stretched out his arms to include the rooftop skyline. “Isn’t that what all this rooftop tag is for? To turn me into a hero.”

“Oh god no,” Penumbra finished her snack and slid her mask back down over her face. She dropped her voice to a whisper and leaned close to Lacuna, “I’ll tell you a secret. I’m not really a hero.”

“Yeah,” Lacuna shrugged his shoulders and looked out over the city. “I kind of figured that out when you tried to get me to drop that giant cheese wheel on the hot dog vendor who stiffed you two bucks in change.”

“I still think you should have done it,” Penumbra laughed and smiled through her mask. “I wasn’t training you to be a hero, kid. I was teaching you how to relax and have some fun for once in your life. What good is saving the world if you’re not even going to enjoy living in it?”

With that, Penumbra dropped off the edge of the roof and down a spiral slide of shadows, shouting back up over her shoulder.

“Last one to Wrigley Field has to wear one of those giant foam number one hands for the rest of the night!”

“The stabilizers have gone out. Watch yourself!” Tristra shouted to Anitiri as the Ximian tumbled through the level 12 elevator doors. The world tipped and reeled. Heavy metal canisters broke away from their braces and shot across the open floor to crash against the ship’s deck and burst into flames. Smoke billowed and choked the air.

“I thought you said getting out would be the easy part. Catch!” Anitiri threw her heavy pistol to Tristra then launched herself across the open docking bay. There was only one ship in this hangar, a carefully concealed getaway vehicle which lurched across the floor with each failure of the Smertios gun ship’s control systems.

Their escape pod slid across the bare floor in a screech and groan of metal as the larger Smertios vessel lost control again. An overhead voice announced continuing system wide failures as red and yellow lights flashed emergency warnings across the ship.

The world skidded sideways. Tristra leaped to avoid pieces of a mechanical arm that had come loose and were bouncing around the bay. Anitiri took a hit to the stomach with a pipe. Any other race and that would have crushed vital bones and organs but Anitiri only stumbled to one knee and kept moving.

A technician’s access door from the side of the hangar slid open and seven Smertios Security soldiers rushed into the hangar. Anitiri gave Tristra a frustrated look.

“Maybe they’re just here to say goodbye?” Tristra called out over the sound of another exploding barrel. The shifting ship took three of the soldiers off their feet immediately and they slid into a pile at the farthest end of the bay. The rest fired on the rebels as Tristra and Anitiri neared their escape pod.

One of the soldiers leaped over a stack of tools, firing his weapon and slinging curses at Anitiri. Two more tried to surround Tristra, their aim swinging wild with the pitch and tilt of the ship. Their shots missed by an uncomfortably close margin. Another jolt from the gunship and the pod slid towards the rebels, escape was now so much closer.

Anitiri crouched as a soldier took aim in front of her. She put two fingers to her head and concentrated her psychic power on the soldier. His body dropped like a falling stone and she leaped over it, one hand swinging her up and into the escape vehicle.

Tristra fired a shot at another soldier as she used her own Psychic ability to crush the nearest Smertios guard. They both fell back and cleared the way to the pod. In quick succession, Tristra had herself inside the vehicle and the navigation system firing up. She paused to watch Anitiri ignite the main engines.

“I think you were right,” Tristra said with a grin. “We should have waited until we were off the ship to blow the explosives in engineering.”

Hi everyone!

Ed here, to explain what’s going on!

For the next month, I thought it would be fun to turn our writers loose with an image from one of our upcoming games that relates to something that they probably don’t know about yet.

So, Amy has volunteered to pick up every post for this month and write a short story about the images I’ve selected. Isn’t that cool?

Some of these stories may end up canon, but no promises, as I am having no influence what Amy is choosing to write!

Enjoy your month in an alternate universe!

– Ed

A Most Unusual Date

“What did you say it was that you do?” ice clinked in the small rotund cup of gold liquid in Meijong’s hand. He peered over the edge of his glass with searching eyes that gobbled up as much as he could of the divine creature across from him.

“Research,” the woman’s smile was coy with some private joke or other and she brushed her short coppery hair with a bit of a chuckle. “There’s nothing I can’t discover if I set my mind to it.”

Meijong chalked the laughter up to nervous attraction. Plenty of women had lost their good sense around the most powerful man in all of Taranis. Well, most powerful if you didn’t count those damn Haydens… and Meijong did his best not to think of them.

The music and chatter of the private club disappeared behind glass doors as Meijong dismissed his guards to stand outside the plush VIP room. With a swipe of his hand, he dimmed the outer glass to near opaque. Music still thrummed from the dance floor and shadows walked by but now he was entirely alone with… what was her name?

Meijong turned back to his quarry and found himself nose to barrel with a small but lethal looking weapon. He tipped his head and raised his eyebrows. This was hardly the way things usually went.

“My apologies,” the woman smiled, slipped her hand inside his jacket and retrieved a slim rectangle of metal, Meijong’s personal data storage. “Small talk isn’t my strongest skill.”

With one hand she slid the data device open. A small blue-lit pad highlighted the front panel. She shook it in front of Meijong. “If you’d be so kind…”

After a moment’s hesitation he stuck out his forefinger and set it on the pad. A red light blinked once, twice and then the device lit all over with steady blue icons. He sat back in the overstuffed sofa and crossed his arms over his chest.

“That will hardly do you any good.” He tilted his chin and tried to think of all the times something like this had ever happened. He couldn’t think of one. “My finance information has a top of the line encryption and security program, it would take you weeks to crack it.”

“Weeks? I’ve never been so offended.” the woman slipped her weapon closer to Meijong’s neck and pulled the trigger. A paralyzing dart pierced his skin and within seconds his body stiffened and his eyes glazed. She leaned close to his ear. “I’ll know everything there is to know about you in less than fifteen minutes.”

The woman plugged a cord from the data device into a hidden port behind her ear and slipped into the virtual environment. Apparently, Meijong had already put the system on high alert and instead of the expected faux office appearance, she was faced with a towering wall of flames, red beamed Roamers and a massive, many armed Squid.

Her eyes widened and something stuck in her throat. Fear?

Perhaps she’d been a little overzealous…

Ed is working to put together the absolute best group of writers for our Era: The Consortium expansions. Not only will you get stories from our original team but you’ll also be getting them from some well known people in the business. Today I get to introduce you to two of the new faces that you’ll be reading more from later on.

Sally Christensen is the famed editor of Conan, Firefly and Marvel Heroic. She was also a writer on Smallville and many other games. She comes to us with a great deal of experience on some very high end games and we’re happy to have her join the team.

Steffie de Vaan is also working on Conan as well as being a writer for both the Vampire and Seventh Sea games. Steffie is another well known writer in the RPG world and she brings with her a wealth of talent. I’m excited to see what she does in the world of the Consortium.

With each new writer we gain a new vision and a new well of creativity with which to grow this universe. The possibilities are endless. Welcome aboard, Sally and Steffie, to our cozy little spot in the world. We hope you’ll enjoy building the Consortium with us!

Just a reminder that a new session came out on Patreon this week, so you can join in the continuing campaign right here, as well as help us continue doing what we’re doing!

Next week I’ll get a chance to show off some artwork so be sure to check back with me!

-A

The time to pull up a chair and join in on all our Consortium Expansions is swiftly approaching. Five of those expansions have already gone on to Keith for preliminary layout! If you haven’t been around for one of these events you’ll want to stop in frequently for plenty of behind the scenes information, crowd participation in the comment’s zone and opportunities to ask Ed any and all questions about the game.

We’re planning to launch the Kickstarter between the middle and end of September. So, cancel your dental appointment and wake up early to be one of the first to get in on the fun and grab a reward. I think you’re going to love these new additions.

More news next week!
-A

Today I have loads of information to pass along to you. Ed has been diligently working in several areas all at once and things are coming together in quick fashion.

First up, Era: Silence. All you lucky folks in the UK can have a little celebration because printing  is now complete in your neck of the woods! My friends in the US, we will all have to wait a bit more as the process is still pending but rest assured that fulfilment will be happening soon. Dot the T’s and cross the I’s, all that jazz.

Now that we have another game done and out into the world it’s just about time to start a new one, am I right? Ed has come up with another Pocket Game idea and this one is going to be set in the modern world. Now before you start wondering where we’ve lost our minds I’ll just tell you that this game will also involve some pretty amazing psychic or magic-like abilities. I don’t know any more than that right now but can I just say that if there’s a chance to include fireballs… I want that. There are very few times when a fireball can’t solve your problems.

This new game isn’t the only one we’re going to be working on. The lead writers for Era: Empowered, Ed and John, are working on a style guide for the rest of the writers so we can head back to creating more stories for that universe. You can get a little preview of the direction we’ll be heading when you check out our Lacuna and Penumbra comics.

For all you Lacuna fans, I’ve got good news. Ed’s just waiting on a few more colored pages and then we’ll be ready to launch! Can’t wait to see it all put together.

That’s it for me, see you next time!
-A

It’s come to the end of that time where we have new information to share about our latest project. Era: Silence has been a great adventure that the team has loved working on from start to finish. The support from our fans has been amazing and we really can’t thank everyone enough for stepping in and giving this crazy new game idea a try. We hope you enjoy playing it just as much as we have.

As the rewards are sent out and things are winding down with this game you will no longer see Monday updates. We’ll be taking a break from sending out news on this day but be sure to come back on Thursday and Saturday for our General News and Consortium updates.

We’ll be back again soon!
-A

Now that the Fifth Race is in the capable hands of Conan RPG editor Sally Christensen, Ed is taking the time to run both the Psionics and Rapier expansions through another round of intense editing.

I once read “Editing is where the magic happens”. I absolutely agree with that. The difference between a solid first draft and a well polished final product can be worlds apart. So, while Sally and Ed spend their hours delving into every grammatical crevice I’ve got something to entertain you.

As promised, here is an image from this latest expansion. The Big Eight in conference. Things look a bit tense for these heads of the biggest companies in the Consortium universe. I’m quite sure they’re trying to decide something important though we’ll have to wait for the book to find out what.

That’s all I have for today, be sure to come back next Saturday for more Consortium news!
-A

Comics are an amazing collaboration of beautiful images and concise powerful storytelling. They don’t waste time telling you about all the boring details and lengthy backstory, it’s POW – BANG – SLAM, straight to the point. I think that’s why we love them so much.

In our continued efforts to give you the most immersive gameplay experience possible, Ed is releasing another comic book in the Era: Empowered universe. You’ve already met our fledgling hero Lacuna. His journey was mostly about figuring out which end of the fist is right way up. Now, we’re going to give you a different kind of story for another one of our characters; Penumbra. She is a figure as mysterious and changeable as her powers.

The upcoming ten page comic is in the early stages of development and will follow one of her operations. It’s sure to be full of wit, action, and amazing artwork. Penumbra is a personal favorite for some of the staff here and they’re incredibly excited to see her get a full story of her own. I think you’re really going to enjoy this second glimpse of the Empowered world so check back soon to be one of the first to get in on this.

Don’t forget that you can find more information in Ed’s RPGaDay posts on Facebook. He’ll be answering questions each day from right here. While you’re there, feel free to post your own questions for Ed on our Facebook page!

See you next time!
-A

Congratulations to the team who created and everyone who supported Era: Silence! The Kickstarter event is now officially finished. Thank you to everyone who came together and made this event happen. Once again, we couldn’t be out here making games if it weren’t for the dedication and loyalty of our amazing fans. You guys are why we do what we do every day!

Era: Silence was a knock out event which ended not only completely funded but also smashed many Stretch Goals and achieved a whole host of Soundscapes. So, the next question I know you’re asking yourself is… “When are you delivering Era: Silence?”

Sooner than you think. The proof has already been signed off and Ed is expecting to receive the order in the next few weeks. That’s faster than almost any other project we’ve created. The Digital Rulebooks are ready to go and will be released just as soon as the payments have been confirmed, with the Physical books heading out not long after that.

After that it’s just the small matter of developing the Soundscapes. Now those will require a little more flexibility. These soundscapes take a great deal of work and we’re aiming to have around 1 finished per week until the remainder of them are complete. That’s a tight schedule but we’re confident Leo can get it done. We will definitely keep you up to date as things get finished so be sure to check back here often for the most current news.

Until next time, keep rolling!
-A

There are so many fabulous names in the world of RPG. There are writers, artists and editors who have made a name for themselves in this field and Ed has chosen to involve one such professional in the final process of our second Consortium expansion. The Fifth Race is currently in the hands of Conan RPG editor, Sally Christensen. She will be using her considerable talent and experience to give our game that extra edge to make it stand out. It’s a great honor to have such a reputable editor taking a look at our game and we know the final product will be even that much better for her efforts. I can’t wait to see what she does.

Now that the Fifth Race is getting a final look over it’s time to check in with our next expansions. We have a few that are coming up rather quickly. Ed has been working on the last stretch for a number of the upcoming expansions and he believes we’ll have something to show you for quite a few of them before our next Kickstarter. Before that happens though we still have some things to show you from our second expansion. Ed’s told me that next week I can share with you a special image from the Fifth Race. The Big Eight in session! I’ve always wanted to see what all that power in one room would look like.

Catch me next week for more news!
-A

When Ed first told me that Leo was designing soundscapes for Era: Silence I was excited to see what he would come up with. Anything that helps a game become more immersive is a huge bonus for me and after our first glimpse on the Kickstarter I was hooked. My first thought was, how cool that we’ll have a couple scenes of audio to go with game play and really make you feel like you’re in the world. Little did I know it was going to be so much more than that.

Era: Silence will have so many soundscapes for this game that you’re going to have tons of fabulous audio to go along with your experience. The entire collection is going to be 26 files, one for each challenge your hero may face! The best part is that you’ll be able to get them as a free addition when you back the Kickstarter. It’s really worth checking out because once the Kickstarter is over they won’t be free. I’d love to know which one is your favorite; the Banshee, Burning Village, Temple of Time? Chime in and let us know what you like.

While I have your attention, Ed has a quick word for all the Era: Silence backers. He wants to pass along that there will not be a Backerkit for Era: Silence so you need to get in ahead of the deadline on Sunday if you’d like to be involved. Why wait? Go out and pick your reward, secure yourself a copy and make plans to play one of the most unique games you’ll find.

In the meantime, keep checking back here and very soon you’ll see our new website design. Ed tells me that the whole thing is nearly finished. The only challenge left is to fix up the online payment system. Right now it’s giving Ed some difficulty. He wants to make sure that if you purchase a digital product you can download it instantly. I’m sure you’ll agree that’s an important feature and one we want fixed before the site goes live. Once that’s finished up the website will be declared ready to roll out and you’ll get to see our fresh new look!

Keep checking back and I’ll see you soon!
-A

As promised, I have something special for you today. Our brilliant sound designer, Leo Cosh, has developed a new soundscape and I’ve the pleasure of sharing it with you. I’ll let you in on a little secret. I’ve been playing around with audio mixing myself and it’s no easy task. Creating a smooth sound with just the right bits of atmosphere thrown in is complicated. Leo’s done a great job of balancing the moods in this piece and I think you’re really going to enjoy playing along to what he’s created.

This soundscape is a draft for Challenge I. During this challenge you’ll be facing the Ice Giant. Let me know if you start to get a chill listening.

Just days left to join us at the Kickstarter. I hope to see you all there!
-A

It’s been an amazing run and we’re thrilled with all the support of our old and new fans. Thank you for helping to spread the word and make Era: Silence such a success. We only have another week before we close out this event so if you’ve been following along wondering whether or not you should try it out I’ll tell you something, there’s no better time than right now!

The response to this game has been wonderful. With your help we’ve smashed through over 10 Stretch Goals and we still have time for more. Stop by the Kickstarter page to check out the updates and make sure to follow us on Facebook where Ed is posting a little information and a new image every day. A new soundscape is coming out on Monday so be sure to check back here and have a listen.

Leo has done some great work with sound design and I know you’re going to love his newest piece. Don’t forget that you’ll have a chance to meet both Leo and Ed at the Stragety Gaming Con event in one month. They’re going to be talking in workshops about creativity in games and how to overcome issues both at the front of the day and at the back.They’ve got a lot to say and you’ll definitely come away with some great advice so be sure to get in early.

That’s all I have for you today, see you next time!
-A

We’re heading into the last two weeks of our Era: Silence Kickstarter and so far this event has gone incredibly well! More than 60 people have joined us on this journey and the number keeps going up and up. From old fans to new, everyone is getting in on this most unusual of games. Turns out keeping players from talking sounds pretty attractive to GMs. Your support means the world to us and we hope that you’ve been keeping up to date with all of the great posts that Ed has been sharing for this event.

To date, Ed hasn’t missed a day in his promise to bring you an image and information for each day that this Kickstarter is available. Heading to our Facebook page will get you some useful tips, great images, and information on some of our challenges and foes. Personally I think the Frost Giant looks like a mean contender but I’ll have to wait till the end to decide.

So, keep sharing and if you’re a supporter don’t be shy… give Ed a shout in the lively comments section and feel free to ask anything on your mind.

That’s it for me. See you next time!
-A

Hi everyone!

I’m taking over from Amy today to give you some insight into what’s happening in the Consortium universe right now.

We have brought some serious industry veterans on board and agreed projects with them to work on. We’re going to bring you not one Consortium expansion on our next Kickstarter, but multiple, giving you the chance to pledge for one level and gain everything in Digital format, and at another level for everything in Physical format.

It’s intended that as more people back and the level of funding rises, everyone gets more for their money, more expansions are produced…

…and the Consortium universe grows.

I have no less than 10 Expansions intended for near-future creation, and 18 ideas in total (without really thinking too hard, these are all things I’ve wanted to do for a while!). From Psionics and Immersive Hacking to “Free Trading” (ahem, piracy!), to details on the Resistance and the background of the races… we have loads more to offer.

We’re aiming to begin this Kickstarter in mid-September (we want to have cleared up Silence and Lacuna first!).

I’m really excited about what’s coming and I hope that you feel the same!

– Ed

Thanks to everyone who’s joined us in supporting this new game, the Era: Silence Kickstarter is moving along fantastically! We’ve enjoyed all the help that you’ve given us and we really look forward to bringing you a unique game with a revolutionary idea. Make sure you’re stopping by our Facebook page to pick up daily updates where Ed talks about his inspiration around the Challenges and the images that make up Silence.

By now you’re all aware that Silence is a game with a twist. There is no in-character talking during the game. Communication is given through body language and gestures alone. But does that mean Era: Silence should be played silently? Of course not! To better get you in the mood of the game, our fabulous sound designer, Leo Cosh has created a series of soundscapes for you to play while running through swamps, fighting for your life and completing challenges. Each one will be a singular experience that will take you through an immersive world. Ed has given us a chance to listen to one and I think you’re going to find it really incredible. What more could get you in the spirit of the world than to listen to the sounds as you play along. Enjoy!

See you next week for more updates and news!
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