All posts by Ed Jowett

Aging like a Fine Wine – The Oracle

All the best things take time, ask anybody. Granted we do seem to have hit a brief delay but it’s nothing we can’t blast our way through with a little well placed explosives, right Ed?

What I’m talking about is the small matter of our Digital Rulebook layout delay. We had hoped to get the finished product out clearly ahead of schedule and now we’re going to have to settle for getting it out on time. We don’t want to send out an inferior product and I think you’d agree. We still plan to have it finished in the very near future, so keep a watch out for that announcement.

In better news; Counting Down From One – Part One is finished! The ink is drying and it all looks fabulous. I don’t have details on exactly when this will be sent out to backers but you won’t have a long wait. This comic has been great fun and we are really hoping to continue on with this story in the near future. What do you think, would you like to read more Consortium comics? Let us know on Facebook!

While everything seems to be tying up when it comes to the rulebook and the comic, Ed is busy doing a bit of extermination. The developers for our Character Creation Application have delivered a good working prototype. However, Ed is finding a few bugs that need to be sprayed. We’re hopeful that this can all be sorted and a finished version sent out to backers shortly after the Rulebooks are finished.

Before I leave you for today, I want to mention that we have a new Patreon Campaign Session. We’re on Session 11, which encompasses First Contact with the Eulutians, a full 30 years before it’s set to happen in the history books! What does this mean for the Consortium? Are humans ready to meet their first alien species and who will their contact be? This is your chance to shape the future of the Consortium. Reminder that our previous sessions are still available at the store; they come in 5 session packs and are entirely Gluten Free.

Keep those dice rolling!

– A

Working hard!

Hi everyone!

As you probably gathered from Amy’s post yesterday, I’m rather busy right now!

Era: The Consortium is the most busy thing for me right now, with the Digital Rulebook being finished off, and the program also going along reasonably well.

Order of the Link comes a close second, now that it’s hit its first Stretch Goal. If you haven’t had a look already, check it out – it’s the product of over 30 years of game development, not something I think you’ll see often! I’d like to thank everyone that has helped and backed us on that project.

I’m dealing with the last of Marked for Death’s artwork and the layout of Era: Lyres, hoping to get those towards Kickstarter before long.

And finally, I’m working with Frontier and “Defend the Planet” on their rules and game background – they are both coming along nicely! You can look forward to hearing more on those soon, I think!

– Ed

 

More Games than we have Hands! – The Oracle

We’re only two months into the new year and already there’s so much going on! I just found out that we’ve officially signed a contract with another game designer. This will be a FATE module game in a science fiction universe that Ed has dubbed, “Defend the Planet!” I’ll get you further details on this new project later in the week. For anyone who hasn’t been keeping track; that now puts us at 7 games. Era: Consortium, Era: Lyres, Order of the Link, Marked for Death, Frontier, “Defend the Planet” and the  “mysterious superhero game”… it’s officially raining games!

We’ve got so many new titles coming out right now that we’re up to our eyeballs in rule design, new art, story writing and the thrill of development; which brings me to my next announcement. Back in the early part of February I posted an article looking to hire a game developer. Well, we haven’t found anyone with quite the right mix of enthusiasm, experience and just a touch of crazy.

If you think you’ve got what it takes and would like to help people create the games they’ve always dreamed of then drop everything and get in touch. We’re offering reasonable compensation, flexible hours and location as well as a chance to really get under the hood of these new games and have a hand in their development. Send an email to Ed – ed.jowett@era-games.com, or apply through the website, if you prefer.

Congratulations to Order of the Link and everyone who is a supporter! The Kickstarter has now achieved its first stretch goal, “More Magical”. You can expect to see more spells in each school which translates to more power and ultimately…more fun!

That’s all folks!

– A

Dice and Stuff Episode 22 is now available!

Hi everyone!

Dice and Stuff have put out “Episode 22: Is this plan almost done yet?“. It’s awesome, thanks to a new character who’s included… not that I’m biased. See my interview on Dice and Stuff’s Behind the Dice if you have no idea what that means.

And if anyone’s wondering, she has the “cockney” circuit activated in her suit so that she doesn’t sound too much like Trisha or something!

– Ed

The Court of the Cyclops King – The Oracle

It’s new story day in our Era: Lyres universe. Take a moment to read and enjoy Court of the Cyclops King. Convincing a bunch of farmers and barmaids that you just pulled off the years biggest adventure is one thing. Doing it in a room full of royalty is on a whole different level! I loved writing this one…

Along with our new story I want to mention that the folks at Dice and Stuff are taking a look over the rules for Lyres and will be getting things together over the next month to create their first game podcast. Can’t wait to see what they come up with! I’ll keep you posted.

See you next week!

– A

Kickstarter Update and possibly a New Game! – The Oracle

First off, I want to let everyone know that all of our current projects are running smoothly. Frontier has received some new rule set ideas from a brainstorming session that Ed was in and now those ideas are being perfected. Marked for Death has some new art and you should definitely check it out. You can find two new images on the slider here. We’re also in talks with another game developer about a new Fate module game. I don’t know much more than that right now but I’ll work on getting details for next weeks updates.

While you’re waiting for our new games to get finished don’t forget about Amazing Space Adventures. This game is polished, prepped and ready to play. You can find it in our store and we’ll be bringing it with us to the next convention we attend. Variety is the spice of life they say, so take a chance on something new this week.

Last but certainly not least, the Order of the Link Kickstarter is over 200% funded with 50 backers! We are staring down the barrel of our first Stretch Goal. We’ve got plenty of time left to make some big things happen for this game, so go on and give it a look.

That’s all for now!

– A

Forging Ahead – The Oracle

Things are rolling along at a good pace in the world of Era: The Consortium.

The Digital version of the Full Rulebook has moved into final review and we’re hoping to get those copies out to backers soon. Just a quick reminder that everyone who chose to get a Digital or Physical copy of the Rulebook Primer should have received theirs by now. Be sure to get in touch if you’re a backer who seems to be missing your copy.

The last few pages of lettering and colouring are being worked on for Counting Down From One – Part One. It really looks fabulous. For those of you who missed my post two weeks ago, check out this color version of the cover image. I have questions… who’s crossing out faces, what is this team working on and why are they being targeted? Something tells me it won’t be clear-cut, knowing Ed and John! If you’ve got theories, I’d love to hear them.

Wrapping things up today, I’m happy to tell you that the first full prototype of the mobile Character Creation App is being delivered to Ed for testing. As we speak, he is kicking it around the block and taking it for a spin. I should be able to tell you next week how everything looks and what the next step is for this particular project.

That’s it for now. I’ll see you next week!

– A

Final Digital version of Era: The Consortium Approaches!

Hi everyone!

I can’t stay too long today – I’m checking the edits on the digital version of the Full Era: The Consortium Rulebook!

Things are going great – I’m expecting to get this out to all backers quite soon and on the store right after. Printing won’t be too far behind.

Era: Lyres is just finishing off Beta testing – it’s going great, everyone is really enjoying it.

The Order of the Link Kickstarter is also going really well, over 200% funded, and heading for 300%!

Thanks to everyone for supporting us, and I’d better get back to work.

– Ed

Another interview is on its way! – The Oracle

Before I tell you what’s new I’d like to take a minute and remind everyone that our Order of the Link Kickstarter is still going strong – over 200% funded! This project has some great rewards. At different donation levels you can choose from Digital and Physical versions of the Rulebook Primer as well as sessions written by the creator and a print of the game’s artwork. Thanks to everyone who’s already donated and if you haven’t then give it a look and spread the word about this great game!

Moving on to new business. We’re doing another interview! RPG Gamer Dad is doing a podcast interview with not only the Ed Jowett, but also Johnathan Lewis, our Marketing Director, Co-Writer and Editor. I don’t have details yet on when this will air but we’ll be sure to throw you a link once it’s up.

While you’re waiting, you can listen to our first interview with Adam from Dice and Stuff. The Dice and Stuff podcast interview featuring Ed Jowett (alone, this time!) came out on February 16th. If you didn’t catch it when it aired then take a moment to listen now. You’ll find out his favorite characters, favorite missions, where it all started and what his biggest gaming superstition is. I’ll give you a hint; it does not involve throwing coconuts.

Wrapping things up this week, I want to let you know that Lien Scott has now officially signed on with us. She will be helping out as a Marketing Assistant and we’re thrilled to have her. Welcome aboard Lien! I brought cake and streamers but I think they broke my 3D printer when I tried to send them.

Until next time, keep rolling!

– A

Planning Kidnap – Dice and Stuff Episode 21

Hi everyone!

Another Dice and Stuff is up, Episode 21 – Ladies of the Night!

Now that everyone has escaped from Smertios Security and the Wallace has high-tailed it out of the area, the group need to decide what to do with Bishop.

Obviously, they come up with the simplest solution conceivable!

I can’t say much more, except that they are definitely being transported by the right people for the materials they want.

Check it out, I can’t wait for the next one!

– Ed

Down to the Wire – The Oracle

The artwork is finished! Congratulations to Sofia and Keith for such an amazing job. From the pieces that I’ve seen (one of which is featured in this post!), I think you all are really going to love what they’ve put together.

We only have one more story to finish and that puts us right on target for a Kickstarter launch in March.

Frankly, we are enjoying playing it so much that we’re not ready to hand it out yet – we keep finding more excuses to do playtests!

In a week or two I hope to have another great Lyres story to showcase for you. Until then, keep rolling!

– A

Kickstarter funded and moving towards Stretch Goals with still 28 days to go! – The Oracle

The Kickstarter for The Order of the Link is rounding the corner on its first week and we’re thrilled with all the support it’s gotten so far! Thank you to everyone who’s donated or passed along the information. There is so much time left and so many stretch goals that we could reach (don’t worry, we have more we can add!), so I hope you’ll take a look at backing this great game. We’re incredibly lucky to have the best fans and friends in the business. Keep up the good work: being awesome!

Things are moving along nicely in the world of Frontier. Ed and Brendan have met and discussed the rules at length; creating some new ideas that need to be decided upon. We’re excited about the possibilities in the massive universe of this game. It upholds all the best traditions of classic sci-fi roleplaying, set in an expansive area that you will be able to fully explore. The size and scope of this universe is going to let you take a ship into the farthest reaches of space to lose yourself for days on end. Sound interesting? I’ll do my best to get more details for you next time.

Next week I also hope to have a piece of artwork to show you of Marked for Death.

See you next time!

– A

The Consortium – A History in Profiles: Benjamin Hayden – The Oracle

It’s no secret that the early days of landing on Taranis were chaotic. While some folks squandered their time in contemplation and rebuilding, others chose to capitalize on this blank canvas of society. Benjamin Hayden, a raw materials salvage operator, saw opportunity and rose from the ranks of the working class.

He became a purveyor of information and a pivotal character in this new civilization’s beginning. His methods were questionable but his results were inarguable. Before his death, Benjamin Hayden created a massive financial empire, a lending institution that formed the backbone of The Consortium’s ruling body, as well as an enduring legacy of power that passed on to his heirs for countless generations. A solid gold statue of the Hayden Bank founder stands in the lobby of their main office as a testament to this formidable man.

He had money like Donald Trump, power like King Tut and secrets like Al Capone. Not a bad way to live life if you don’t mind bending the rules. Would you choose a different path? Check out our current Patreon Campaign for playable sessions every month or pick up the Time Travel 5 pack from our store. Take part in history and perhaps experience the world as Benjamin Hayden sees it!

This week we’re continuing edits and art for Counting Down From One. I’ll have more news for you next time so until then, keep on rolling!

– A

What does Ed do all day?

Hi everyone!

Well, Dice and Stuff are planning to put an interview with me out today as part of their “Behind the Dice” series, so if you’re really wondering what I do and why I do it, that’s the place to start! I’ll edit this post with a link to it once it arrives!

EDIT: Behind the Dice seems to be revised to come out on Monday! Sorry, you’ll have to wait a few more days!

What else am I doing? I’m working hard on the publicity for the Order of the Link Kickstarter, obviously! It’s a brilliant game, and I’m proud to have helped in its development. It’s funded now, so the book is guaranteed with all Shades of Vengeance’s might – so no reason not to back it if you’re at all a fan of d20 games.

Just in case there is anyone out there who is bruning for an update and can’t wait till Monday, Era: Lyres has one final spot open for Beta testing. The game’s good fun, and it even has audience generation so the GM can just sit back, relax and enjoy the players’ story (oh, and roll a dice occasionally…). Of course, Amy will say a bit more on that in her Monday post!

Thanks to everyone who’s supported either or both the Era: The Consortium and Order of the Link Kickstarters, and there’s one individual who has actually supported every Kickstarter we have ever done, including the first Era: The Consortium one (in £!) and Amazing Space Adventures, so special thanks to “Trip the Space Parasite” (no, really!).

– Ed

Friday the Thirteenth – The Oracle

I’m pleased to announce that the Order of the Link KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN IS HERE! John Serembe has been perfecting this game for over 30 years and it’s truly an achievement to help bring his dream to life. The rulebook is already finished and it is already funded (after only 36 hours!), so there won’t be a whole lot of waiting around once the Kickstarter is over. Limited rewards will disappear before you know it so go on and get in there!

Are you ready to know more about the man behind the magic? The Dice and Stuff podcast interview of Ed Jowett is out and ready to be enjoyed! Listen to all the behind the scenes talk and get answers to some of those questions you’ve been pondering.

That about does it for me today, but before I go I want to bring this week’s post to a close with a little public service announcement. It’s common knowledge that Friday the 13th is bad news. All over the world this combination of the number 13 and Friday go hand in hand with black cats, broken mirrors and walking under ladders. Well, we here at Shades of Vengeance are nothing if not helpful so we’ve created our own list of ways to avoid the dark eye of lady luck.

  1. To avoid stepping on cracks insist that your flatmate carry you piggy back everywhere you go.
  1. If one rabbits foot is lucky then an entire rabbit is even better; keep one with you all day. Same advice applies to horse shoes and horses.
  1. Instead of throwing a pinch of salt over your left shoulder, try throwing bananas or coconuts. If your luck doesn’t clear up at least you’ll have a good time watching people duck and cover.

If none of those things work, then you should consider locking yourself indoors with a mug of your favorite beverage and listening to the Dice and Stuff podcast of our very own Ed Jowett. It’ll be like your little digital rabbits foot on the years most unlucky day. Stay safe out there people!

– A

Order of the Link Kickstarter has Begun!

Hi everyone!

We’ve just begun the Order of the Link Kickstarter, so whether you have been waiting the months between when we began talking about it and now, or have just heard of it for the first time and are looking for a great game, head on over to the Kickstarter!

This game has been cooking for over 30 years and is now as ready as any game you’ll ever come across.

If you’re still not sure, you can find a link (pun intended!) to a Playtest Pack on the Kickstarter page, which will allow you to check out the rules for yourself!

I hope you consider backing this game, it’s really great.

– Ed

Escape from Military Clutches! – Dice and Stuff Episode 20

Hi everyone!

Another Dice and Stuff is up, Episode 20 – Breakoff!

See if the group escape from Smertios Security, whether they can restart the Wallace, whether Lancier ever gets a Cam-eleon Stealth Suit and how many jokes the group can make about Lancier’s missing arm…

Dice and Stuff also did an interview with me, which I’m told they are going to put out on Friday 13th! So… I’ll post about that at the time, but if you’ve ever wondered what goes on in my head… that’ll be your chance to find out!

– Ed

Finalising Art and Stories – The Oracle

The last two pieces of art and the final story are being worked on by our team of creative folks. We’re coming to the end of content additions on this game and it’s really looking great. This is going to be such a unique and fun game; I can’t wait to hear what you all think of it. We’re planning to run a few more playtests before rolling out the Kickstarter – our aim is to begin in March. Soon you’ll be able to take a look for yourself!

Don’t forget that we’re still on the search for another Marketing Assistant as well as a Game Developer. Check out this post for more details. Don’t be shy, send us an email and join the team. We’re a fun bunch of people and we only bite if you ask us.

Until next time!

– A

Kickstarter, Playtest and a Brand New Game – The Oracle

We’re entering the final stretch of preparations for the Order of the Link Kickstarter. All our fingers and toes are crossed so with any luck that should go live some time next week. Keep your eyes peeled for a chance to grab this game!

Along with prepping for the Kickstarter, Ed made time last week for a playtest of Marked for Death with the game’s creator. The whole group had a great time. If one round of explosives can take out your target then six should be plenty, right? We won’t mention that it also took out the entire building he was in. It was the only way to be sure!

At the same time that you’re reading this post, Ed is in the middle of a meeting with Brendan Geiger; the creator behind our new game “Frontier”. They’re working to simplify the rules as much as possible while still maintaining playability. They are also discussing the game’s setting. There’s so much to decide in these early stages but I’ll get any and all details to you when I find them.

Until next time!

– A

Primers are being shipped – The Oracle

As I write to you, stacks of Physical Rulebook Primers for Era: The Consortium are being packed, labelled, shipped and are travelling across the country to reach you. This is a really big moment for our team and you should take a moment to read Ed’s post about making this dream a reality.

Give us a shout back when you’ve got yours and let us know what you think. We love feedback… and chocolate… if you have chocolate you should definitely send us some.

We may have reached a big milestone but this is no time to relax; there’s still plenty of work to be done. Counting Down From One Part One has finished “Inking” and moved on to the “Colouring” stage of development. After that we only have “Lettering” and before you know it the comic will be off to our Kickstarter backers.

Here’s the front cover coloured, as a treat:

Cover Color Websafe

For everyone who might have missed out on our Kickstarter, don’t worry, once our backers receive their copies it will appear for sale in our store. That’s all I have for you this week but I do get to show off an inked page for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Check those mailboxes during the coming week and I’ll see you next time!

– A

Kickstarters (and dreams coming true)!

Hi everyone!

Well, this week’s been truly amazing for me. I’ve been sending out the first copies of my Physical Rulebook Primer for Era: The Consortium to the Kickstarter backers.

It’s really, truly incredible, there are no words to describe the feeling. I hope that you all get the chance to experience it sometime – there’s nothing quite like holding a book in your hand, putting it in an envelope and sending it out. I’m sure doing it 100 times will get old fast… but, for now at least, I can’t get mile-wide the smile off my face.

Order of the Link is approaching Kickstarter, we are hoping it will begin next week, though it depends on the last few bits and pieces from various places – so I’ve been working on that, getting it finished off. I think the Kickstarter itself looks brilliant. I hope you agree when you see it!

Era: Lyres is also finishing up, but obviously we can’t run it at the same time as Order of the Link! You can expect the Kickstarter to begin in March! I can’t wait, this game is a really good laugh and totally unlike anything else I’ve worked on in game creation.

Well, I’d better get back to work!

– Ed

And the winner is… – The Oracle

I want to hear a nice big round of applause for our Facebook game giveaway winner – Jonathan Baddeley!

Jonathan is now the proud owner of his very own copy of Star Realms. Well done Jonathan, we salute you! I am thrilled to announce that because of the interest you all showed in our first giveaway we’re gonna wind up and do it again.

The game you will be competing for this time is Cogs, a steampunk-styled 3D puzzle solver with more than 50 unique levels. I’ve checked this one out myself and may just have to pick up a copy. Same rules apply, check out our Facebook page for all the nuts and bolts. Get it… “nuts and bolts”… “Cogs”… alrighty then!

Getting back to our Shades of Vengeance updates…

I have a couple of announcements today and the first is that I just got word Shades of Vengeance has signed a contract to assist in the creation of Brendan Geiger’s new game. This science fiction RPG, unofficially titled “Frontier” is still in the early stages of development so there’s not much to report but I’ll keep you up to date as the weeks go by.

The next big news I have for you is that we’re looking for someone to join us! We’re so busy with all the games we’re currently working on that we’re going to hire on help. If you love RPG games and want to be a part of their creation then considering applying for our Game Developer position.

This person will assist in the development of games submitted by other people. Of course, if you have some ideas for a new game we’d be happy to help you with that as well. We’re looking for someone who has experience with RPG rules but a sincere enthusiasm to help others achieve their dreams is also a must! The Game Developer will be a project-based position where you’ll receive game details and will work at making its rules and ideas better until the finished product is acceptable to the creator. Compensation for this position will be a percentage of the fee that Shades of Vengeance will charge.

If you’ve waded through the last two paragraphs and are still interested, get your letter of interest and relevant experience to Ed – ed.jowett@era-games.com, or apply through the website, if you prefer.

While I’m talking about opportunities I want to mention that we’ve recently chosen a Marketing Assistant to join us for the May MCM Comicon event in London. This doesn’t mean that you should stop sending in applications. We will have room for another assistant at the event and we’d love for you to be there! There’s time left but don’t wait too long or the last spot will get taken. Just like before, email us your letter of interest.

Have you ever wondered who our intrepid leader is? Ed Jowett is the person responsible for this whole operation. He’s our Yoda but without the speech impediment. I’m sure you’ve read his news posts and perhaps seen a few pictures or met him at an event…but how much do you really know about him? Some say that he’s half machine and has only slept 12 minutes since 1999. Others say that he lives in an underground cave, perfecting his singing voice…whatever the case may be, we will find out very soon. The creative folk at Dice and Stuff are planning to interview Ed in the next week or so about game creation and Era: The Consortium. Let’s hope they ask some of those other burning questions as well. We’ll throw a link up to the interview just as soon as it comes through.

That’s it for today! Until next time.

– A

Another Tuesday, another Dice and Stuff!

Hi everyone!

A new Dice and Stuff is up; Episode 19 is awesome, and briefly mentions one of my favourite characters in the Consortium universe… so go listen to it now!

The crew of the Wallace is in a difficult situation – trapped in a Smertios Security Cruiser from last time, they’ve fought off the guards that were immediately around them, but escaping sounds like it might be slightly more difficult… Though whether it’s harder to escape or convince Zani, Trisha and Tiberius not to crash the ship into the planet is open for debate!

– Ed

Looking for a few good Beta Testers! – The Oracle

The images are fabulous and the stories are coming along smashingly. Now all we need are a few willing souls to help us run through some beta-testing! Are you in?

As Lyres heads towards the end of its artwork and story creation cycle we’re gearing up for the first round of edits. The mechanics have been pinned down because of our initial playtest and we’d love to see what you think. So, we have decided to open up a limited offer to provide a playtest packet to the first few folks who show us some interest. You get a chance to be on the ground floor of a truly original game and your feedback will help us to iron out the creases.

To receive a beta packet, be one of the first four people to send an email to Ed Jowett – ed.jowett@era-games.com.

That’s all the news I have on Lyres for you this week. However, I do have a couple of general reminders before I leave you today.

– If you haven’t taken a look at it, consider coming with us to the London MCM Comicon event in May to help us with marketing. It’s an exciting event and we’d love to see everyone come down!

– Don’t forget that you’ve only got one more day before the finale of our Facebook game giveaway event. All that’ll be left will be the tears of disappointment for those poor folks who didn’t enter.

Until next time!

– A

In the Midst of Edits – The Oracle

With Amazing Space Adventures transitioning back to its creator, things have gotten pretty quiet on that front, though I do hear the squeak of mental cogs grinding away. Here’s what we’re working on this week…

Our expert on Rules and Character Creation, Ed Jowett, is busy with Order of the Link; hashing out the finer points with what we hope to be a final round of editing. He’s working closely with the game’s creator to get this project ready for its Kickstarter launch and if you’ve read his post then you’ll know that we’re also in the process of getting some artwork done. There are lots of details being worked on right now, all in the name of making a fabulous end product.

While Order of the Link is entering the last stage of edits we have Marked For Death just starting out in its first round of edits. We’re waiting on feedback from the game’s creator before we go further and I hope to have more news for you soon.

Don’t forget that our Facebook game giveaway event wraps up this Tuesday!

That ends the updates for this week. I’m hoping that next week I can announce the addition of a new game to our list.

– A

…LOADING… – The Oracle

This week I only have a few Consortium updates for you. Most everything we’re working on is caught up in the variable world of “Information Delivery”. From local and global postal service slowness to internet black outs. If one of you is sitting on the breakthrough for teleportation, now would be a great time to bring that out, m’kay? So, until faster than light delivery arrives, here’s what I do know…

All of the edits for the print version of the full Rulebook are in and we’ve moved on to the final layout. This is the part where we get to tweak and pinch until it comes out looking amazing. Layout will take some time so don’t look for this one to be delivered quite yet but I’ll let you know as soon as we move forward to the next stage.

I mentioned last week that I would get images from our second comic as soon as they were available. Well, we’ve got one for you. Most of the pages for Counting Down From One have now been inked and Ed gave us all a little sneak peak in his recent post. I couldn’t tell you what exactly is happening but I’m guessing one of those people are in a whole lot of trouble.

For those of you who are eagerly waiting delivery of your U.S. version of the printed Primer I have a bit of news. Our editor for the U.S. version of the printed Primer proof (say that five times fast, I dare you) is expecting delivery within the week. Once he gets it I’m certain he’s going to chain himself to a laptop, a pot of coffee and order in a steady stream of take out food until the proof is finished. You know why? Because that’s the kind of dedication we have here at Shades of Vengeance. That and we really like take out food.

That about wraps it up for me today. If you haven’t checked out our Facebook game giveaway event, do it now. You only have a few more days until we’re announcing the winner.

Until next time!

-A

Lots to be getting on with!

Hi everyone!

Well, I’m not going to say I am busy this time… but here is what we’re working on at the moment in Game Creation land!

I just got the next (and hopefully last!) round of drafts back from Order of the Link for a final round of editing! We’re working on some artwork, and then we’ll be ready for the Kickstarter’s launch, hopefully quite soon now!

I’ve also sent back my first round of edits of Marked For Death for its review by the creator.

Era Lyres is coming along brilliantly, and it’s looking like it’ll be ready for a March Kickstarter! We’ve decided that, like Era: The Consortium, we’ll be including a comic to set the scene for those of you who want it, and we’re working on the writing of that currently.

Speaking of comics, the artist of Counting Down From One has already sent me over many of the pages from Part 2 of the 3-part comic for initial comments… while I probably shouldn’t, here’s one of them for you to have a quick glance at!

08a

I’m hoping to have something heading out to Kickstarter for you guys to pre-order for this before too long!

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

Who wants a free game? – The Oracle

Don’t crowd around now, put your hands back down and listen in close.

Shades of Vengeance is giving away a free copy of Star Realms to one lucky winner of our Facebook game giveaway event. You get an entry by doing any of the following; ‘like’ our game giveaway post, share the post or make a comment. If you do all three then you get entered three times in our random drawing which will happen next week; Tuesday February 3rd. You’d best get your hustle on because the event started yesterday! Go ahead, I know you want to do it now, I’ll wait.

In “New Game” news; I’ve found out a few more details that I can pass along to you. Last week I told you we had two creators who were considering working with us on their science fiction games. Well, we’re hoping to sign with one of them in the next week or so. This far future vision, which is pioneered by creator Brendon Geiger, will focus on a time when humanity has spread far across the universe. You will be able to explore planets, go on missions for the characters that inhabit them and take part in space races through the stars. I’m crossing all fingers and toes that this one gets the green light and I’ll let you know just as soon as I get the confirmation.

If you happened to miss our Marketing Assistant announcement, I want to mention it again. We’re still looking for someone to help us out during the May 2015 London MCM Comicon event. Check out the details and pass it along to your friends. We’d love to see you there, whether you apply or not!

One last thing before I go today: our new website styling is underway! As you move around the site you may notice that a few things here and there have already changed and there is still more to come. Keep a sharp eye out and you’ll catch some new front page slides coming soon.

Best of luck in our Facebook game giveaway event!

-A

New Dice and Stuff Episode – Jailbreak

Hi everyone!

(I did the “and welcome to Dice and Stuff” joke last week, so I’ll leave it this week!)

Dice and Stuff have released the second episode of their 2015 season, and thanked me personally, so definitely go listen to that bit!

This week’s episode features some nude combat (no, really), Eulutians flapping around without suits and “epic bar-breaking action” as Claymore Unit attempts to escape Smertios Security’s custody.

Want to find out more? Visit their site and listen to the podcast! Because it’s awesome.

– Ed