All posts by Ed Jowett

Lyre-ing out to you!

Hi everyone!

I’m pretty happy right now – I sent out the digital version of the Lyres Deluxe rulebooks to Kickstarter backers yesterday and I’ve placed the order for the paperbacks for all non-US and non-Canada backers today! I’ve picked up a few extras for sale at conventions, but these books will not be available in stores for a while – so you’d better find us at one of our upcoming conventions if you want to see the Bestiary and the extra stories we used the extra time to create!

The US versions aren’t too far behind, but require a little bit of layout work before we make that order.

I have also had a delivery of Counting Down From One comics just yesterday, so that’ll be another new offering at Dragondaze and MCM October, our upcoming conventions!

I’m currently working very hard on four primary things:

  • Marked for Death Kickstarter (and rulebook editing) – if you haven’t checked this out yet, you should take a look. We’re well beyond funded, which is fantastic, and Sanchit did a Q&A the other day about the game (you can find a log of the IRC chat linked on the main Kickstarter page. I sat in on the chat and if you’ve ever wondered exactly what it is that Shades of Vengeance does on this type of project, that question was actually asked and you got the chance to see both his response and mine!
  • Era: Lyres – Yarnolth and the Surrounding Lands: A Traveller’s Guide – This fantastic little addon that we included in the last days of the Kickstarter gives you an idea of what the world around Yarnolth is like. It’s going out in Digital format to those Kickstarter backers who wanted it and, depending on timescales, I may be offering it in hard copy at MCM October!
  • Era: Lyres Comic – While I have no plans for this to be Physical, this digital-only comic is coming along nicely. We hope to deliver it soon.
  • Era: The Empowered Rulebook Primer – Most of you have already seen that we’re giving 110% to finishing the Era: The Empowered Primer in time for MCM Comicon. It’s going well but I still need to spend some more time on it, still, to get it to ready-for-you quality! I’m going to do my best to make sure it is done in time!

Of course, that doesn’t include the artwork and writing ongoing for Era: The Consortium expansions, the website upgrades which are still ongoing and the various other things that are going on for convention prep!

– Ed

How Long Can You Survive? – The Oracle

I’ve been collecting skills for quite a few years now. I can drive a motorcycle, navigate a sailboat, identify edible fungus and fire a rifle with reasonable accuracy. All this work has been for one very important reason: Survive the zombie apocalypse.

I’m not the only one preparing. Ed is right now working with his fellow in-house game developer, Freddie, to bring you Era’s first ever Survival Horror game. We’re working on a brand new mechanic that will give a few unique twists from what you’ve come to expect in this genre. We at Shades of Vengeance are committed to the preparation of the future and until the day comes that we have to worry about the forces of the undead, we’ll keep bringing you materials to flex those zombie blasting muscles.

However, seeing as how the apocalypse is not upon just yet it gives you a chance to grab tickets for MCM Comicon, London. For those of you who’ve seen us at a convention you’ll know that we love to talk with fans, we love to show off games and above all else we love to run live gaming sessions. This time we’re bringing enough materials and people to run 3 games simultaneously!

We’ve never been able to accommodate so many folks before and we’re really looking forward to meeting and playing with as many people as we possibly can. Get your tickets early for October 23-25th and find us in row 1400. We’ll have paperback and hardcover copies of Era: The Consortium, Era: Lyres (deluxe and regular edition) as well as physical versions of our Counting Down From One comic. If everything goes as planned we’ll also be able to bring physical copies of Era: The Empowered primer! That’s everything you should need to keep you busy until the end of days.

So, off I go to work on another skill. What do you think… tank driving or wilderness first aid?

See you next week!

-A

Plenty More Where That Came From! – The Oracle

Last week I had the opportunity to show off a piece of art by our incomparable Keith Draws. The eagle eyed among you might have started to notice that the art of our Era: Empowered game is distinctly different from both Era: The Consortium and Era: Lyres. I assure you it’s not just the lack of futuristic technology or mobs of angry skeletons. This difference was entirely intentional.

Era: Empowered is a game set in the 90’s and we wanted everything about it to reflect that aspect of its universe. The stories incorporate elements of that time and the art is made to copy the animated series that you would have seen back then as well.

We have commissioned roughly 16 works of art (so far!) from Keith and I think he’s doing a fabulous job getting the feel right. What do you think? Does it remind you of those good old days?

Stop in next week for more news!

– A

Win a Free Copy! – The Oracle

Geeky Monkey is giving away a free copy of the Era: Lyres rulebook! Today is the absolute last chance that you can enter so you’d better hustle. You’ve got a few options to score yourself a copy. You can either go to their Facebook page, like and share their Lyres post, or you can hop on Twitter to follow and re-tweet the announcement there.

Best of luck to you! First prize gets a rulebook and poster, two second prizes will just get a rulebook so you’ve got a couple of chances. Don’t wait until it’s too late to join in on the fun. Winners will be announced by end of the day August 3rd. Ready… Set… Go!

One last bit of news for you today. Our deluxe version has been delayed one more week to allow our newly hired professional proofreaders a chance to look it over. Once those three folks have had a decent look at it we’ll be able to really finish it off and get the best copy possible out to you folks. Thank you so much for your patience while we work to make this book the best that it can be. Your continued support for this project is fabulous and we’re very grateful.

See you next week!

– A

Big Things are Happening! – The Oracle

Congratulations to everyone who’s worked so hard on Marked for Death. The Kickstarter has reached and surpassed it’s goal! However, we’ve still got quite a few days to make some stretch goals so if you haven’t already, please pass this along to all your friends and neighbors. Trust me, they’ll thank you for it.

The first stretch goal coming up is Army of Assassins. We get to create 20 pre-made characters for you to play. I’m not gonna lie, that part sounds like a whole lot of fun. Each of them will have their own varied set of skills so you can hit the ground running when you receive your copy.

This game is making a lot of progress. By Monday we expect to have a character creation booklet ready for our backers. Besides the booklet, Ed is also at work editing the rulebook to have it good to go by the end of the Kickstarter. Great things are happening so keep watching!

Moving on to other game news. Have you heard about our newest title?

The game currently entitled “Eden” has just been signed on and it looks like a really interesting experience. The rule system will be unique; using the d20. Ed is helping to create the system so you know it will be thoroughly tested and just complex enough to be engaging while also making sense.

Now for the bit you’ve been waiting for. Did anyone take bets on what sort of fantasy world our newest game will be exploring? Well, it’s going to be set in a high magic fantasy world like none we’ve ever done before. It will have some fantastical elements such as spirits and soul vortices. Did you guess vortices? Give yourself a solid pat on the back if you did.

In all seriousness I’m really excited to know more about this game. It looks to be very different from other games we’ve gotten into and I can’t wait to find out. Keep your ears tuned so you can be in on the details the minute I hear about them.

Until then, keep on rolling!

– A

Taking it out for a spin – The Oracle

If you build a car you take it for a test drive, if you write a book you give it to a beta reader, if you make an RPG… you play it!

Just last week, Ed sent out the call to his trusty group of well trained players. The Secret War Expansion was ready to be tested. They answered with gusto and a good time was had by all. Why, you may be asking yourself, does a creator need to play the game? Shouldn’t a person be able to write up rules and scenarios and just have at it?

Not hardly. Without running our games through adequate playtesting we’d lose out on all sorts of in-game problem solving. Let’s be honest, some rules sound great on paper but when acted out through live sessions they could end up confusing or clumsy. This is also the time when Ed can get inspired and have the chance to explore great ideas for new characters.

By the time you’ve gotten your hands on a polished copy of an Era game it’s already gone through countless hours of play time. I know, they’ve got a grueling job don’t they? Well, someone’s got to do it.

So today I’d like to say thank you to our team of playtesters who help make each game the absolute best that it can be. Without them we’d just be sitting alone at a table with a bunch of dice having conversations with ourselves… it’s not a pretty thought.

The expansion is moving along steadily and Jennifer is hard at work on the accompanying stories. I hope to have more news for you very soon.

I’ll see you next time!

– A

So much news I can’t keep it in my hat! – The Oracle

Frankly, I’m not wearing a hat, but that hardly matters. I’m going to start with the biggest news first. We’ve signed another game!

I’ll pause for cartwheels and applause.

The game’s working title is Eden and it’s set in a fantasy world. Last week I was taking bets on what style of fantasy we can expect but I’m not ready to give out the answer just yet. You can find more details on Sunday so be sure to check back in to get all the latest info. So, there’s still time to put in your guess. Will it be wizards and witches, werewolves and vampires, or good old fashioned orcs and trolls?

I don’t know if you’re keeping track but that makes 8 games we’ve either created or are helping to create with our independent designers. I know what you’re thinking: “That is a lot of games… and why don’t you wear hats?” We believe that more games equals more choices and more enjoyment for everyone involved. If you’ve got an idea for a game don’t hesitate to contact us, we’d love to hear from you!

Moving on to equally exciting news; some of you may have already noticed the announcement that Marked for Death has just this week begun its Kickstarter event. Well, hold on to your hats because I’m thrilled to tell you that this game has reached its goal in only 6 hours! We’re really proud of how well it is doing. Pop over and take a look at all the great rewards. I’m sure you’ll find something to like.

My last bit of news for today is something you’ve probably already seen. Our main webpage is getting a makeover! Ed is hard at work molding our Shades of Vengeance page into the sleek new design that Era: The Consortium is sporting. We’re putting on our best and big things are changing about the way we look. So, what do you think? You can be honest, does that sidebar make us look a little wide in the hips?

See you next week and I promise to start wearing more hats!

– A

Fruits of Our Labour – The Oracle

All that Thai food paid off and Keith has been producing piles of great new artwork for our latest Era game. Lucky for me, I get to show you one small sample of what he’s been working so hard on the past few weeks.

 

Immovable Object Catching Cars final

 

I think you’ll agree it was worth the wait. I’ll be back next week with more details.

Until then, keep on rolling!

– A

Putting It All Together – The Oracle

It seems like this game has just flown by. Only a few weeks ago we were announcing a unique concept in Role Playing Games and today we’re nearly finished with the content and will be getting ready to send rulebooks out to our fans and fabulous backers.

Right now the book is in Keith’s very capable hands for final layout art and Ed has finished half of the Traveler’s Guide. Things are beginning to wrap up and I hope to announce sometime soon that we’ll be looking at the final proof. Have you decided what your first adventure will be?

Until next week!

– A

Working on a New Game – The Oracle

Last week I gave you some ideas of what to do when we’ve got a slow news day. Did anyone else try sock puppets? Word of caution, make sure you haven’t just gone to the gym before you stuff your hand in your sock. You’ve been warned.

Today I’ve got more than fuzzy cotton blend entertainment for you. Ed recently informed me that he is in talks with a new developer! I don’t have much detail yet but I can tell you that we’re looking into assisting with the creation of the game as well as running its Kickstarter. This will be a Fantasy title and I can only guess at what sort of world we’ll be creating. Does anyone care to guess with me… something in the style of Tolkien perhaps? Stick with me and I’ll keep you up to date as more details emerge on this and all our developing games.

Also, Ed is working on the final round of edits in the Marked For Death Kickstarter video. We’re really getting close now and you can expect an announcement soon about the kickoff of that event.

See you next week!

– A

The Consortium: A History in Profiles – Jitalakanka – The Oracle

Equality. Justice. Death.

The Consortium universe is a living breathing world much like our own today. The citizens of its world struggle with injustice in the face of inequality and none more obviously than the Ximian Jitalakanka. In the year 260 CE, life in The Consortium was slowly returning to normal as Humans, Eukutians and Ximians worked to create a world where they would live together in peace. One event… one media frenzied, justice blurred event changed all that.

It started out like any other day for Jitalakanka. Go to work, come back to his one bedroom apartment and feed his aquarium of fish. However, on this particular day he happened to meet an old man. The man went on at length explaining to Jitalakanka how he was losing his faculties one at a time. His strength, his mind and ultimately his life were slowly and painfully fading away. This sort of thing wasn’t rare to the Ximians. Their society has an efficient and merciful way to address these kinds of situations and any Ximian who heard this man’s sad tale might have done what Jitalakanka did next.

In an act of mercy which was meant to not only ease the old man’s suffering but also stem his drain on society, Jitalakanka took the man’s life. This one act caught like a spark in dry brush and soon engulfed the Consortium. The trial was a media blitz and a jury of humans were quick to condemn the act as murder. They committed the Ximian to life imprisonment on Sirona and thus threatened the fledgling peace between Humans and Ximians.

To take a man’s life must be called murder but, when that life is filled with pain and misery, can it also be called mercy?

You can find this entry on the Backstory page now!

Are you looking for more Consortium history and characters like Jitalakanka? You’re in luck! Ed is currently developing a second expansion which will include a new playable alien race. What do you think; will they be strong like the Ximians, intelligent like the Eulutians or crafty like the humans?

Until next time!

– A

Traveller’s Guide, Lyres Kickstarter Fulfillment, Marked For Death, Empowered Artwork and more!

Hi everyone!

Only time for a brief update today, things are a little crazy! I’ve been working hard, as always.

The Traveller’s Guide to Yarnolth and the Surrounding Lands is almost completed now, then it needs a touch of editing, a little layout work  and it’ll be ready to come out to everyone who wanted it in Digital Format. This was a last-minute addition to the Kickstarter, so I’d like to thank everyone who supported it as an add-on. It includes a map of the lands around Yarnolth, along with a description of what each town and major area is like and what beasts can be found there!

The Lyres Kickstarter is edging ever closer to “Digital Reward Fulfillment”. Keith is just doing the last couple of fixes on the digital file and I think I’ll have that today to send out to everyone who backed the Kickstarter! The print version will, by necessity, be a few weeks behind, because it takes a little while to get through printer queues!

Marked For Death is going great, getting close to the Kickstarter now, I’ve just spent the last couple of days editing the video material that Sanchit (the creator) sent over to me… it’s looking pretty good. We’ll have to do Kickstarter approval, but I think you can expect this to begin quite soon now.

We’ve been working our backsides on Empowered artwork – I had 4 sketches from Keith just this morning. It’s shaping up to look absolutely brilliant, I really think you’ll like what we’re coming up with.

The Secret War, the first Expansion for Era: The Consortium is having the last few artwork touches put to it. I have a brand new artist on this, and I think it’s going to look great with Sophia’s very recognisable style for the Equipment and weaponry artwork backing it up. My aim is to make it look like these pages were just ones omitted from the original Rulebook (which happens to be true!), so it will look good sat next to your rulebook as well!

So, I’m fairly busy! Have a great day and thanks for reading.

– Ed

Filling Up Shelves Online and On The Ground! – The Oracle

Ed has confirmed that the Shades of Vengeance Era games are officially available at Wayland Games! This is a fabulous bit of news and I’m thrilled that more people will get to see and enjoy all these great adventures. Tell your friends and neighbors to visit the shop and ask for the Shades of Vengeance titles. They have physical copies of Era: The Consortium, Era: Lyres, Last Stand of Stiletto Unit comic, and Order of the Link.

I love hearing that physical copies of these games are resting comfortably in a shop somewhere but if you’re like me then you might be a bit depressed that you don’t live close enough to see for yourself. Well, I do have some consolation for you. The softcover physical edition of Era: The Consortium has just arrived to our online shelves! You can purchase your own copy and take all the time you want thumbing through the fabulous art, reading over 500 years of history and intrigue as well as beginning your own journey with a team of friends to explore and play the game’s content. What are you waiting for?

That’s it for this week’s news. Next week I hope to get you details about a new game coming our way. Ed is currently in talks with a designer to assist in the development and Kickstarter for a fantasy game. It’s still to early to know much more but I will keep my ear to the ground and let you know the minute I hear more. Until then I’ll just have to try and puzzle it out. Fantasy game… funny like Era: Lyres, dramatic like Lord of the Rings, or old-school like Dungeons and Dragons? Which would you prefer?

Until next time!

– A

How Much Art can we make Keith Create?! – The Oracle

Don’t tell the authorities but we’ve got Keith tied up in Ed’s yard. We’re feeding him Thai food and burying him with painting supplies. Alright, so that might be a slight exaggeration but we definitely have him working hard to create all the fabulous art for Era: The Empowered.

Apart from the art and layout, the Primer has been written and is ready to roll. Have you started to plan your Empowered character yet? Which will you choose, hero or villain? I hope to get you more release information on our newest title just as soon as I can.

Until next week!

– A

One or Two things left! – The Oracle

Era: Lyres Deluxe Rulebook is doing great: just waiting on one of our proofreaders to get back to us and then we’re off to the races on this rulebook.

Thank you so much to our team of readers who were willing to spend their time and give us some honest feedback. I’ve been told they did a great job picking out my American style… and here I thought I did so well hiding it!

We’re down to one last major piece of the project; the Traveller’s Guide. Ed’s done a good bit of it already and we’re looking at having that finished very soon. The map of  Yarnolth’s surrounding lands is getting some polish and will be ready to get paired with all that great extra Lyres content. Your chance to check it out will be coming up fast and I’ll let you know just as soon as these become available in our store.

Until next time!

– A

What to do when there’s nothing to do! – The Oracle

It’s officially a slow news day. All of our games are being feverishly developed but today I don’t have a single big announcement to give you. That sort of thing happens at times and you have to know how to handle it. So, to help you out I’ve come up with a few quick ideas on what you can do with your extra time.

1. Take off both shoes and socks. Stuff your hands inside the turned out socks and make puppets. Button eyes and falsetto voice totally optional. Not ideal during rush hour commute.

2. Organize your spice rack according to country of origin, sub-organized by economic stability.

3. Assign each of your closest friends a Star Wars identity and make them refer to you only as Rebel Commander for the rest of the day.

Or…

You can jump online and download a digital copy of Order of the Link, Amazing Space Adventures or one of our other great games and start playing something new (or meet Ed at Wayland Games!). It’s entirely up to you… I think I just might try those sock puppets.

See you next week!

– A

How Hard can a Shade be… Really? – The Oracle

Last week I promised you a story that would provide a glimpse into our expansion project; The Secret War.

I always keep my promises (unless I forget!). Today, I’ve got something special lined up for you.

This story follows the determination of one particular SHADE operative and how far he’s willing to go in the pursuit of his objective: years, distance, and innocent lives mean nothing compared to getting the job done.

Enjoy!

– A

Quiet Week!

Hi everyone!

It’s been a quiet week for me. I’ve done some work on the Consortium expansions but mostly I’ve been focusing on artwork.

We have the cover for one of the upcoming Consortium expansions completed, along with a number of the internal images, a number of images for Era: The Empowered coming through and the last few bits and pieces of Lyres artwork.

Things are coming on very nicely and I’ll keep giving Amy things to show you when I can!

– Ed

Do you know where to find us? – The Oracle

Last week I had the pleasure of announcing that the Shades of Vengeance games were going to find a physical home at a shop in the UK. Well, today I am thrilled to tell you that not only do we have the name of the shop but we also have a date for Ed’s first visit. Now I have one more reason to wish I lived closer; finding these games on the shelf and using British words like “Lorry” and “Boot” and “Bollocks”.

Get your marker ready and write this down: Wayland Games in Essex on the 19th of July. Ed will be there through the afternoon and as long as there are people willing to play. You will have the chancejoining in on a game of Era: The Consortium and even Era: Lyres if you’re feeling up to the adventure. He’s going to bring a selection of products for you to peruse: Primer and Full Rulebooks for Era: The Consortium, the Last Stand of Stiletto Unit comic, and the Era: Lyres basic edition.

There’s so much to choose from! Whatever you’ve got planned, make sure to take a few minutes on Sunday, gather up a handful of your friends, and run down to Wayland Games. We love seeing fans, talking games, and showing folks how much fun you can have. I don’t know if Ed will be making another trip over to the shop to run games so you’d best hurry down if you want some quality creator time!

One last thing before I let you go today. Ed has informed me that the Consortium books have now started to arrive around the world! I just got mine yesterday and after an hour of squeals and a quick photo shoot I proceeded to show everyone I know and even a few unsuspecting passersby. Be on the lookout for your copy!

We’d love to hear from you when you’ve got it. Send us a message here or on Facebook telling us what you think. If you don’t get your copy within a week of this announcement please email Ed to inquire about it and we will send our toughest thugs to figure it out.

That’s it for me, until next time!

– A

A Glimpse Into Headquarters – The Oracle

Have you ever wondered what it looks like at the Shades of Vengeance headquarters? Perhaps you’ve imagined that we’re all sitting around on lounge chairs, eating fast food tacos, and scanning the internet for leaked Star Wars videos. Well, ok… you’ve pretty much nailed my day. It is harder to get fast food tacos in the UK, so Ed usually settles for pizza.

However, on most days we work pretty hard around here. Between writing, editing, collaborating and a dozen different administrative tasks it get pretty hectic. Right now Ed has finished the writing for the primer and our artists are churning out pieces at a fantastic rate and they look great. So, to let you in on what we go through for an average work day I asked Ed to give me something we could share with you all.

Getting to Work

Working as fast as we can!

– A

Everything is coming together – The Oracle

I can count on one hand the number of hurdles we need to jump before every edition of the Lyres rulebook lands on our doorsteps. We’re getting close!

Right now our handpicked collection of proofreaders are skimming, reading, devouring and dissecting this rulebook. Once they’ve finished with their analysis and have given Ed every note of advice we’re going to put that feedback into practice. After it’s been polished for the last time there’s only one thing left to do: send it off for printing!

So, start coming up with your first big adventure now. It won’t be long before you’re sitting across from the GM trying to convince a bunch of farmers that your runaway flaming hay cart with a troupe of dancing girls just saved them from certain doom.

See you next week!

– A

It’s the Big Game Roundup Time! – The Oracle

Every once in a while I find it’s a good idea to touch base with all our games. We’ve got so many of them in the works right now, it is sometimes hard to get a good feel for what we’re working on and we want you to tell us which game sounds the most interesting to you. So, here they are in no particular order:

Marked For Death – If you don’t know where we’re at with this game then I haven’t been doing my job very well. This FATE module RPG about magic-wielding assassins will be our third game created through collaboration with an independent designer. We’re just a short way off from sending this out to Kickstarter where you can get your hands on a copy.

Frontier – This expansive interstellar game focuses on character development with some fast paced action. With a bad roll you just might end up on the wrong side of an airlock. This game has made great progress and come a long way towards a finished product. Right now the designers are heading into the final process.

Defend the Planet – The other FATE module RPG that we’re currently working with. The game includes bioroids, hovertanks, alien invasions and humanity on the brink of destruction. What more could you ask for? This game is being written and developed as I post this.

Collisions- This game is still in its very early stage of development. Right now, Ed is talking with the creator about adapting the Era: d10 Rule Set to work with the unique elements of the game universe. This will be our first ever post-apocalyptic, earth based title.

Ether – The latest game to come to us has just started getting some details and what we know so far looks very encouraging. Set in the 1800’s this will be a historical game with one major difference. You will get to play at the end of a magical era where technology like cannons are slowly taking over combat from magic. I hope to have more information soon on this and all our other titles.

We’ve got some great things on the way! If you would like to know more, drop us a comment here or on Facebook!

– A

More Content Means More Fun! – The Oracle

It’s time once again for another installment of our Time Travel Campaign Session Packs. Visit our page to get digital copies of sessions #11-15 and continue exploring The Consortium’s alternate history. The story is moving on and so should you be!

If you want to follow the Campaign as it goes, you can back our Patreon.

Our Time Travel Sessions aren’t the only new things happening. We’ve got enough to keep you busy for a whole summer of adventures. Along with the latest campaign sessions you can dig into all the new material Ed’s been stuffing inside our upgraded website!

He’s added more stories, more backgrounds, more history and more everything! You can find entries for every one of the Big Seven companies as well as two of the alternate universe companies which you’ll discover inside our Time Travel series.

Take the time to browse through all our new site has to offer and I’m certain you’ll find something to entertain you. Ed’s included several stories by our fabulous writers; some of which you may have seen and some that have only just been finished. He’s also included a section where you can find all those fabulous characters that we’ve highlighted through our History in Profiles.

I’ll be back next week to introduce you to Jitalakanka; a complex and polarizing figure in The Consortium’s history. Can murder ever be considered mercy?

Until next week!

– A

 

Preparing a new campaign, writing a Traveller’s Guide…

Hi everyone!

If you are up to date with our latest news, you already know that we have shipped all Era: The Consortium rulebooks to backers, I have finished writing the Lyres Deluxe version and am just waiting for the response from a couple of proofreaders and that Era: The Empowered is coming along reasonably well.

So what next? Do you have to wait for Era: The Empowered to get hold of anything I have created?

Of course not! 🙂

I am writing a new campaign for Era: The Consortium, which I will be subjecting the bravest members of my regular group to. This campaign is designed to explore the story points around my three planned expansions for Era: The Consortium. They will play the events of these expansions and help me to shape characters who will then appear in the expansion itself – which is very similar to the birth of Scimitar and Stiletto Units.

The expansions themselves are well on the way and going very nicely – and, in preparation, don’t forget to check out the Era: The Consortium subsite for loads more information on the various companies, additional stories and all of the History in Profiles entries done so far – way more than has been there previously (I finally finished my work on that subsite)! I even included some alternate timeline companies that never survived in the main story (related to the Time Travel Campaign).

Speaking of the Time Travel Campaign, the third session pack, which I promised several people at MCM May would be up soon, is now on the Store.

I like to keep busy, I think most of you have figured that out by now! So that isn’t all that is going on for me…

With the Lyres Deluxe very close to completion, I am working on the add-on, “Yarnolth and the Surrounding Lands: A Traveller’s Guide”. I have already completed nearly a third of the first round of writing, which is pretty good, I think. I will be getting that out to Kickstarter backers in digital form relatively soon… and considering how best to proceed with it after doing so. At the very least, I am sure it will go up on the Store.

That is everything from me just now. I will be back next week with more info about what I am doing!

– Ed

Slowly taking over the UK! – The Oracle

It started small; just a thought that grew into a dream. That dream led to our first Era game which is being played by a fantastic group of dedicated fans. It’s been an amazing process and we couldn’t be happier with the success of the games we’ve created but today I’ve got some news that’s pushing my excitement meter to the next level.

The Shades of Vengeance games will be available at a physical shop in the UK!

Very soon you’ll be able to walk into a store and grab one of our titles off a shelf. We’re currently in talks with the owner to negotiate the terms of carrying a supply of our RPGs. I don’t have details yet on when or where but I’m going to be twisting Ed’s arm for information every chance I get.

Just imagine… you’ll be able to come in off the street and thumb through a copy for yourself! We plan to deliver primers as well as full rulebooks where available for Era: The Consortium, Era: Lyres and Order of the Link. The books will be available as hardcover or softcover and we’re even going to send out the comics.

Ed will visit the shop and run a few games to get people started once things are all hammered out and they’ve got the first shipment of books. It’s not every day you get a chance to sit down with a game creator and play under their guidance. I’ve heard that Ed’s regular gaming sessions have a great time so you’ll want to keep up to date with this announcement to know when he’s planning to be in the store.

In other company news I can tell you that Ed’s talking with several game designers about creating more new titles which means we’ll be looking at a very busy summer!

Enjoy your weekend and I’ll see you next Thursday!

– A