New Game Reveal!

It is finally time! We have completed all of the editing and final artwork approvals for our new game releasing towards the end of this year. All files have been sent to our printer and we are waiting for approval to receive our proof copy. Having said all that, while we celebrate here at the studio for another job well done, we can finally reveal a bit more about what you can expect to be seeing. This new tabletop game incorporates a lot of familiar elements from our other games and uses the same D20/D6 system that has been successful. However, we have added new elements to include more in-depth character background and world building tables. This game world is set in early prehistoric time on a world much like our own Earth back when it was a Pangaea world. While we do not have dinosaurs, there are still massive beasts roaming the wilds, and there are mystical energies to be tapped by those who can wield such untamed magic. This game has a lot more survival elements but is otherwise similar to how Chronofields introduced limited resources. Characters take the role of tribal members who must band together for safety and security in this harsh, living world.

There are a lot of other exciting things we have included in this game, but we want to hold off a bit before revealing everything. We did commission more artwork for this game and are excited to show a sampling of it here. What you see are some of the mythical monoliths found throughout the world. These are immense places of power and are often where tribes gather. The artist that made these beautiful images is just one of those that we commissioned for this game. Keep checking back here for more information as we get closer to the release date.

So what are we planning now that we have finished this immense project? Well, as mentioned before, we will begin working on the next expansion for Chronofields that was supposed to have been released last year. We hope to have this done and out for everyone before June next year. After that is the final expansion for True Agenda that should be out before the end of 2024. So we have a lot of work to complete in the coming months. As always, thank you to everyone who has been with us on this amazing journey!

August already!

The original intention was to keep the news page updated semi-regularly with exciting information about what we here at the studio were doing this year. Now it’s August. Better late than never and all that, but it is amazing how quickly time passes. There is good news, nonetheless. The newest game title has been 100% written and has gone to editing. About 70% of the artwork is complete, including several commissioned pieces. The rest of the artwork should be complete in the next couple of weeks, and then once editing and any rewrites are finished, the book will be sent off to the printer hopefully in early September.

While we wait for the proof to get back from our printer, we will begin work once more on completing the next expansion for Chronofields that was supposed to release last year. If everything goes well, then we might be able to secure a March or April release next year. Once that completes, then we will see where the studio wants to focus its attention on, but I am believing it will be for the long-awaited final expansion for True Agenda. However, that will be looked at closer once we get through the next few months.

In between all of this, we will be putting together several ads to start to drum up interest in our upcoming releases. Some will coincide with the new game release while others will be used on various social media and internet sites. More on this to come.

The Plan Revealed!

Finally, after much deliberation and consideration for pending projects and making up for lost time, the staff at the studio have finally made a determination for where the road will lead us in 2023. We have decided to go ahead with the launch of a new tabletop role playing game as was originally slated for this year. The missed projects for last year, which included expansions for True Agenda and Chronofields, have been put back on hold. If time allows, then one of those projects will begin again later this year, most likely being the Chronofields expansion as work had already begun on it in early 2022 before things went south.

So far, work is progressing nicely on the new game title, with page design and writing already completed for about 20% of the game, with the rest in between initial draft and final development stages. We have also begun reaching agreements with some freelance artists for this game and are excited to be able to add more custom artwork from a variety of talent! This takes some pressure off the small in-house staff, allowing us to focus on the writing and development of the game, including some new elements never before used in any previous titles. Final playtesting will also be done in the coming months, although with us using the already successful framework of our previous games, any tweaks should prove minimal.

Game reveal details will not happen until much closer to release, which isn’t scheduled until towards the end of this year. We might be able to release teasers, and potential artist information, a little sooner. As always, keep checking back here for more information.

Winter Hangs on...

It has been a cold, snowy winter here for us and a lot of people, and it doesn’t look like it’s done yet. Hopefully, everyone has remained safe and healthy these past months. I know this hasn’t been the case for many people in Texas and other areas, so help each other whenever we can. There isn’t really much new news here at the studio. We’ve been busy working on our newest tabletop game release as well as planning for what’s to come in ‘22 and ‘23. Beyond that, we’re just like most everyone else in being hopeful that we are on the other side of the pandemic and kids can start returning to school. That’s all, just ramblings on a frigid early winter morning…

Summertime...

August is here and so are the storms, humidity, and heat! Work in the studio continues diligently on the 3rd expansion for the True Agenda roleplaying game. This full-sized expansion is still slated for an end of the year release, although the exact date has not yet been decided. We are still anticipating a slowdown at the printer because of the resurgence in the number of virus cases, so things have to be planned around that possibility. Nonetheless, everyone here has continued taking precautions because health and wellbeing are more important.

We have been asked to attend an online game designer Q&A session at our convenience. This is certainly exciting news for us, however our current schedule might make attendance difficult, at least in the short term. It is something we do not want to pass up, but will have to see how things go on our end and what open slots are available in the coming months. Should this come to fruition, we will be sharing details on here, so make sure to check back in the coming weeks!

Battle Alien Invasions for Charity!

Streaming Consciousness Studios and Lunar Cycle Games were one of 300 game publishers who donated to Drive Thru RPG’s Australia brushfire relief charity drive! The main rules for True Agenda were chosen to be included in one of their bundles focused on modern and urban horror games. This bundle includes over 300 dollars of games and supplements for only $19.95! Every penny from sales are going to be split between two charities chosen to receive the donations. If you are interested in reviewing these bundles, check out the list here. To see the bundle with True Agenda included (it is the fifth title in the list), go here. For more information on the charities go here and here.

Googling...

It has been quiet here lately. Let me clarify. The news on the studio website has been quiet. In the studio itself, work has been progressing nicely, and we are entering the final stages of our first full sized expansion for True Agenda. Our target date is easily in sight with plenty of time to ensure all the final proofs meet with our satisfaction. As far as updating the website, that is where we have not been as focused as we were in those first months following our launch last year. I just have to say, it happens.

As our business moves through its second year, things quiet down during those stretches of time between projects and product release dates. There isn't enough information yet to keep a semi-regular blog post or social media blitz running all the time. Now, while we try not to go more than a month between news releases (where'd you go April 2018?), we certainly want to keep everyone aware that we're still here even if we're just quietly working on stuff.

Having said that, we have just launched a better partnership with Google. The studio website should be appearing in more searches, which helps our overall visibility, which leads to improved search ranking, and so forth. It will take a few days for Google to do its thing, and then probably a few more before we start seeing meaningful data coming back to us. I suspect that in June this process will start delivering results. Still, it is great news for driving the business, because visibility is crucial out here in the electronic world. Stay tuned...

Happy Anniversary!

Yesterday, we celebrated our one year anniversary here at the studios. While the business would not actually begin in earnest until July of last year, our official website release, along with social media sites including Facebook, occurred on March 26, 2017. It has been an exciting year that saw the release last November of our first tabletop roleplaying game, True Agenda. It also saw the release of the first of many expansions, with another slated later this summer. There were also six special commission projects that happened last year, with the latest one having just finished up. There are so many more projects we have planned and cannot wait to share with everyone. Definitely stay tuned here and follow us on Facebook to keep current with everything going on.

The image to the right is the final design for a good friend of mine. His game shop is promoting an online, message based D&D campaign, and this is the design that will shortly become a poster for his shop. Check out the Griffons Lair on Facebook here, or if you are in the Erie, PA area, drop in and take a look.  

Interesting News Items

While perusing the news headlines this week, I came across reports that the U.S. government has been funding an effort to identify and track UFOs. The main story broke in the New York Times and can be found here. While not as prominent as efforts like Project Blue Book and others, it is not surprising to learn that ongoing efforts have continued in the extraterrestrial search. Of course, this could easily turn into a promotion for the studio's new game release, True Agenda, like I did on Facebook, but setting aside marketing gimmicks for a moment, I found the article and attached imagery to be interesting. I won't turn this post into a platform for my thoughts on the existence of life "out there," but I certainly agree that these sort of efforts should continue regardless of whether or not the government feels we ought to know.