Legend in the Mist RPG

Subsystem Stew
7 days ago – Sat, Aug 31, 2024 at 11:17:06 AM

Hello there companions!

We've been walking in the Aldenwood since daybreak, and your bellies begin to rumble, when lo and behold - as you push aside the last dense branches of hemlock, you unveil an expected view: a log cabin standing solitary in a clearing, rays of sun sparkling upon odd trinkets hung from the eaves. The smells of a delicious stew waft through the air, beckoning you to approach. The Apple Picker darts forward, but is promptly stopped by the extended arm of the Wise One, who half-whispers half-barks "Halt, you fool! This is a place of great danger. Tread carefully or it will be the last place you'll see!"

It's been a while and we have a lot to catch up on! 

 

Please check out Devlog #2: Subsystem Stew above to see what we've been up to, or read the summary below.

 

Game Development Status

Development of Legend In The Mist has been continuing swimmingly over the past two months and progress is well on track for the March 2025 estimated release date we provided on the Kickstarter.

 

Tl;dr What has been done so far?

• The Dev team has been focused on completing all the elements of the game system, including Backpack, Journeys, Camping, Solo / GMless, Character Evolution and the Might system (characters of different power levels).
• The Dev team also continued to build the world of Hearts of Ravensdale, with a focus on factions, as well as writing up ready-to-use Challenges, be they of human, monstrous, or otherwise.
• In Art and Design, masterful Daniel Pinal has created tons of new and beautiful art pieces which you'll see in the book. Graphic Designer Manuel Serra Saez has been working on the visual style of the book, inspired by herbals (ancient botanical guidebooks). 

Here's a quick comics test Daniel did just for fun (story also by Daniel, set in Hearts of Ravensdale) - it won't be in the books but it so cool we had to share it:

:Otherscape is out!

We just digitally released :Otherscape, the first game using the one-roll-to-rule-them-all Mist Engine that will be used in Legend In The Mist!

 

In stark contrast, :Otherscape is a dystopian fantasy-cyberpunk heist game where corporations and syndicates exploit mythic forces just as they do tech and natural resources. Your characters are a crew of operatives, freedom fighters, or survivors trying to get ahead by running jobs for or against the powers that be.

 

You can download :Otherscape as well as pre-order a physical copy on our store. If you backed for :Otherscape together with Legend In The Mist, you should already have the digital files for :Otherscape, and will get your books together with the Legend In The Mist books. You can also ask for a split shipment to get your :Otherscape books earlier, in November 2024, instead.

 

For any questions or issues, please reach out to [email protected].

 

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That's all from us for today. Please let us know in the comments, here or on YouTube, what you think of the game aspects we've revealed in this update / devlog, or join us for a discussion about this in the feedback thread we've opened on Discord.

 

Until next time, don't stray off the trail!

 

-The Son of Oak team

Groundwork and Worldbuilding
3 months ago – Wed, Jun 12, 2024 at 06:14:21 AM

Hello there companions!

We continue our journey through the Dales and beyond. What has taken us on this adventure? Are we an old Wise One going to visit her friend in a nearby village and running into bandits? Or a child who must find the cure for their mother's sudden illness? Perhaps we're a Child of Twilight, looking for answers as to what foul forces are seeping into the Dales? Let's find out!

In today's Devlog update, I talk about the new proposed structures for the core and setting books and share some gorgeous worldbuilding art from Lead Artist Daniel Pinal.

Tl;dr What has been done this month?

• Teambuilding: We analyzed past projects and set up new work processes to improve our work and to also have a better creative experience for the team.
• Book Design: We focused our vision for the book, its structure, how it will read, how it will teach you to play, and the different content blocks it will offer for players and MCs.
• Initial foray into content: We started drafting some of the character creation content (tropes), MC guides (adapting to various fantasy genres), and game systems (magic system builder).
• Worldbuilding: We've done a lot of worldbuilding with the art team - from currencies to buildings to life styles in different Dales - check out dozens of art sketches I share in the video above.

For transparency, while three out of four of the Dev team have now started working on Legend In The Mist components, yours truly (Amit) is still finalizing the last chapter of the last :Otherscape book. I hope to wrap this up soon and be fully dedicated to Legend In The Mist. Overall, we are already making good progress with the content I mentioned above. 

The next update will come in July. We're hoping to release at least something small for you to feast on, perhaps the comic choose-your-own-adventure game primer or a chunk of the Hero chapter before the end of July. This also depends on how fast the graphic design vision will evolve.

Tell Us Your Thoughts

If you have any questions or feedback, please put them in the comments here, the comments on the Devlog video on YouTube, or share them on Discord and tag the Dev team. Also, what do you think about the art, worldbuilding elements, and proposed book structures we've shared in the Devlog? Let us know!

Until then, enjoy the summer trails!

-The Son of Oak team

Last Stretch Goal Unlocked + Our Plan For Community Updates
4 months ago – Tue, May 07, 2024 at 08:56:05 AM

Fine day to you, companions!

For a while the path takes us through sparse hillside woods with the soft sunlight filtering through the foliage like golden fingers. But as we emerge on the other side, we are struck by the view of Soddenmore, the wettest of all Dales, a miserable quagmire if there ever was one -- but famous for its rowdy taverns. Better put your boots on, if you packed them! 

Community Marketplace Dev Pack Unlocked!

As planned, last week we locked the pledge manager and Late Pledges. The vast majority (92%) of you are all set, but if you haven't yet filled out your survey, please do so to avoid delays in receiving your rewards.

In total, between this Kickstarter campaign and pledge manager, we raised a total of $963,466, unlocking the final $950K stretch goal of the Community Marketplace Dev Pack!

The Dev Pack will contain assorted templates, graphic elements, and art that can be used to create your own original Legend In The Mist content. You can use this to make beautiful creations for your own games, or share them via our community program on DriveThruRPG, whether for free or as a paid product (so you'll be able to make a few bucks from selling Legend In The Mist content!). This will be a part of or similar to the City of Mist Garage program, which has been a great success with lots of community-made content, and you can check the package we made for the Garage to get a clue of what's coming thanks to this unlocked stretch goal.

Development Ramping Up Later This Month

The dev team is still in the process of wrapping up our previous projects, most notably :Otherscape, and this process should be concluded within the next two weeks at most. Then, we will begin to dive deeper into the development plan for the Legend In The Mist game as a whole, as well as its core book and setting book, and begin to send updates on what that's going to look like.

Communicating With You Throughout The Process

Since you are our companions on this journey, we'd like to set the expectations for how we will be communicating with you throughout the coming year. Here are some of our thoughts - please let us know yours in the comments!

We want our communication with you to be:

• Open and transparent
• Interesting, engaging, and of value to you
• Timely and reliable
• Efficient, to avoid taking too much time away from development
• Focused and not spammy. If you're the kind of backer who doesn't want to get progress reports and playtest material, let us know at [email protected].

We will be sharing with you:

• Regular progress updates
• Playtest materials, starting with core rules and expanding out
• Game design insights and philosophy, a look into the game design process
• Lore from the Hearts of Ravensdale setting
• Beautiful art!

Where and when we will be sharing this?

• Backer updates will be sent on a monthly basis, with a summary of all recent updates, or, on occasion, a dedicated update will be sent for special announcements.
• Devlog videos will be shared periodically on our YouTube channel, on an as-needed basis when we have something interesting to share or discuss with you. We hope to release at least once devlog per month.
• The Discord serverwill be used for smaller live updates (e.g., "We just shared this file with you!") on the newly added #litm-updates channel, with major announcements also shared with the entire Mist Engine community in #announcements. You can always ask us questions directly at #ama-questions, or give us feedback at #feedback

(Also, for any and all questions, you can always reach out to [email protected].)

For example, when a new Devlog video goes live, we will announce it on the Discord #litm-updates and later include it in the monthly backer update.

It's important to note that we will naturally have more content to share towards the end of development, around the end of 2024. The first several months of development are more sparse in updates and content, as we are building the core of the game and drafting content which isn't yet ready to be shared.

What do you think about this plan? Let us know in the comments.

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That is all for now! Our next backer update will come out on June 4th, with more updates sprinkled through the Discord.

Until then, tread carefully on the trail!

-The Son of Oak team

Orders Locking & Charging April 30th + Campaign Stretch Goal Unlocked!
5 months ago – Mon, Apr 22, 2024 at 11:39:02 AM

Hello there companions,

As we've scaled the first hill beyond Ravenhome, we look back one more time at the peaceful village we left behind. When will we see it again, and who will we be when we return? The road snakes onwards through the shadowy woodland hillside, where new adventures await...

Wake of The Oldways Campaign Unlocked!!!

Between the Kickstarter campaign and the pledge manager, we've so far raised $936,288 (not counting shipping fees and taxes), which means our $900,000 stretch goal has been unlocked: the Hearts of Ravensdale Setting Book will now include six adventures tied together in a campaign that follows the remnants of the Oldways to uncover what is behind the dark forces invading the Dales. This will be titled Book I: Wake of the Oldways and will serve to launch your group into a greater campaign in this mysterious new world!

Next up at $950,000 is the Community Marketplace Dev Pack which will allow you to create and sell your own Legend In The Mist content on DriveThruRPG. It's so close -- but we have just one more week to get there!

Important Notice: Pledge Manager To Lock and Charge on April 30th

As we announced on our previous update, your completed BackerKit pledge manager surveys will be locked and your credit cards (if not using PayPal) will be charged on April 30th to pay for shipping, VAT, and add-ons not paid for on Kickstarter.

Hurry up and complete your survey to ensure we can deliver your game smoothly. If you lost your invite email, you can find your survey here: 

https://legend-in-the-mist-rpg.backerkit.com/ 

All backer-only digital files we'll be sharing during the development period will only be shared with backers who have completed their surveys. Similarly, if you ordered any City of Mist or :Otherscape items, we will be making their digital files available to you during the first week of May, but you must complete your survey first to receive them.

Last Chance for Late Pledges!

As of May 1st, Late Pledges will also conclude and we will stop tracking funds for the purpose of unlocking stretch goals, so this is our last chance to unlock the final $950,000 stretch goal, as explained above. 

Those still interested in pre-ordering the game will be able to do so at the same store on BackerKit, but some Kickstarter bundles and prices will no longer be available. There is still one week, however, so let your friends know it's their final chance to grab the incredibly-packed Ravenhome Set at $129!

https://legend-in-the-mist-rpg.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders 

Development Updates Soon!

Our next update will be on May 7th, where we will share some more information about the development process and communications throughout. The plan currently coalescing is to release as much as possible of the core, playable, and play-testable content of the game as soon as possible, and then continue to flesh it out with core content (such as Challenges, magic systems, and solo mode tools) and setting content (information about the Dales, Creatures of Twilight, and adventures).

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That's all for today! See you on the trail...

-The Son of Oak team

Pledge Manager, Late Pledge, Stretch Goals and more!
5 months ago – Mon, Apr 01, 2024 at 10:45:02 AM

Hello there companions, 

We have now officially left home and hearth to roam the Wanderlands! Thank you again for coming with us on this fantastically rustic journey...

Pledge Manager Coming Later This Week

The next landmark on our path is the BackerKit pledge manager. Sometime towards the end of this week, we will be inviting you by email to answer a survey on BackerKit. If you didn't get an invitation by Monday April 8th, please reach out to [email protected].

You will be able to use this survey to:

1. Let us know how you want to be credited in the books
2. Upgrade your pledge level
3. Pick up additional add-ons: dice, cards, character packs, maps, extra copies, and more!
4. Let us know your address, if you pledged for physical items. You will be able to change this address again when it's time to ship the game.
5. Pay for shipping and any applicable taxes, such as VAT. 
   Your shipping fees will be calculated based on the total weight of your order and your shipping address. Note that you may see a high shipping fee before you enter your address, this should correct itself once an address has been entered.  
   As for VAT, some items, like books, incur reduced VAT in some countries, while dice and cards usually incur the full VAT rate. We will calculate your VAT item by item, so you only pay the necessary VAT.

The pledge manager will remain open until April 30th, 2024 at which point we will lock all orders and charge credit cards. Don't worry, we'll remind you again when it's time.

Late Pledges Also Opening

If you've been following the project but have not pledged yet, or if you have friends who missed the campaign and would like to join the journey, Late Pledges will also be opening next week on Monday April 8th. This is the last chance to get the Kickstarter bundles with all the digital and physical stretch goals included!

Stretch Goals - Continued!

All pledge upgrades, add-ons, and late pledges will contribute to unlocking more of the campaign stretch goals. Shipping fees and taxes, however, are not included in this amount. We will continue to report on the new stretch goals unlocked as we raise more funds on BackerKit. Currently, the next two goals are:

• $900K Campaign: Book I: Wake of the Oldways: The setting book will include a sixth adventure, and all adventures will be united in a campaign taking place in and around the Dales, with the companions following the remnants of the Oldways to uncover what is behind the dark forces invading the Dales...
• $950K Community Marketplace Dev Pack: An extensive support package, with graphic design templates and extra art, for community creators who want to publish content for Legend In The Mist RPG on our City of Mist "Garage" program. Share or sell your characters, theme kits, magic systems, lore, adventures, and more!

The Twilight Deck is Now an Add-On!

The $1M stertch goal is an exception to the above. Instead of waiting for this stretch goal to unlock, we decided to offer the Twilight Deck as an add-on (as some backers suggested). You can now grab the Twilight Deck when you answer the survey, and add this beautiful deck of forty (40) Challenge cards to your pledge. Each card has art, lore, and the Challenge profile of a different Creature of Twilight prowling the Dales' villages, forests, rivers, marshes, and hilltops!

What's Next?

We're already working on some art for the project, but most of the team will be using this month to wrap up our other projects. Sometime in early May, we will begin to share more about the structure of the Legend In the Mist and Hearts of Ravensdale books and the planned schedule for releasing content. This will be accompanied by periodic devlogs to share what we're working on.

That is all for today, keep an eye on your inbox towards the end of the week for the pledge manager survey, and watch the comments for any updates.

Time to take a break from the march and pick some berries!

-The Son of Oak team