Well, the hustle and bustle of the holidays is over and it's time to get back to work. For our small team at Storm Bunny Studios, doubly so, since we've set some pretty ambitious goals - things we've been hinting at all throughout 2013 - for ourselves this year. And, in less than a month, we're going to set out to achieve all of those ambitious goals.
Into the Pale Tower
First, let me say that our very first full-length adventure, Into the Pale Tower, is in layout. It features some amazing a (from Hugo Solis and Terry Maranda), as well as some stunning maps from cartographer Robert Lopatto. Will Cooper and I wrote it, but it features additional content by Joshua Kitchens. It's arguably a little darker than some adventures go, but it should give players and GMs alike a good idea of what Rhune: Dawn of Twilight has in store for them.
Frigid Reflections
We're also working with designer Mike Myler on another adventure, one that dares the PCs to delve into the realm of Niflæheim, where the dreaded NÃðhöggroth - a mythic beast - hunts giants and ice ælves alike. While I don't want to say too much now about this, we're planning on tying this adventure into the others, creating an arc of adventures set in Rhune that will take PCs from level 1-12. In addition to these two adventures, we're working on two others.
The Agony of Ælves!
(a working title)
This adventure introduces the PCs to the lands west of the City-States of Vallinar and encourages them to play on the other side of the technology divide - championing the ælven cause by facing a wide array of Ælveheim's enemies - both internally and externally. This adventure will be the sister adventure to Into the Pale Tower and will also take PCs from levels 1-4, featuring Rhune's unique factions and conflicts.
Fane of the Fallen
(a working title)
This adventure will be the second adventure in Rhune's working adventure arc and will be accessible from either Into the Pale Tower or Ælves Abound. It will take place in and around the Glittering Isle and will feature Rhune's least explained race, The Glitterfane.
Rhune Re-imagined
One of the things we've been actively discussing throughout 2013 has been how Rhune has evolved, either by design or because of external influences. Because we tend to be pretty inclusive and supportive of Paizo's core products, we've tried to work to incorporate their newer books as they've been released. Some of these releases (the gunslinger is a perfect example of this) have influenced the setting more than others. As a result, it has become evident that the next edition of the Rhune: Dawn fo Twilight: Stormpunk Character Primer needs a major update and, with all of this new material to cover, needs to expand, as well. This takes time and money, both resources that are fluctuating for Storm Bunny Studios. To alleviate some of this, we're going to be running our first ever Kickstarter this year. This is not a decision we've made lightly, but one that we feel is positive. In light of all of the investments we've made up to this point (I've personally invested thousands of dollars of my own money into the setting), it's a necessity and something I think we can do successfully. We’ve proven, time and time again, that we possess the skill, tenacity, and vision to make our setting a reality. Now, we just need a little more help bringing it into being. We can only hope the community will find Rhune worthy and support us as we expand our vision for the setting and the company's future.
So, we'll be looking to release several core products - updated and expanded - in print this year. We'll be working with our stellar design team and, in some cases, be taking on some additional (some of them ENnie award winners) talent, as well. Fans should understand that we're not going to be completely rebuilding the setting. It's core assumptions and themes, the things that make it identifiably Stormpunk will remain intact. We have no desire to change those things. But we are going to evolve the setting to make it more accessible and, where possible, to make it fit the mechanics (both current and future) that are unique to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
So, when April rolls around, share our posts. Talk about us. Encourage your friends to consider us. And most of all, look at what we've built so far and invest some of your faith in us. Because we do not want to be one of those Kickstarters where gamers say, "hey, so and so raised X dollars for Y" (and waited years to see their investment). We want to be one of those Kickstarters where fans say, "Man, I just got my copy of Rhune, it's beautiful, and it arrived before its delivery date...."
Obviously, we’re going to plan to be early and may even set a longer date to make sure it gets done in time, but that’s just one of our many goals.
Stepped-Up Production
In addition to our core products and 4 adventures, we're aiming for a dozen or so small projects, as well. Essentially, we're looking at putting out no less than one product a month, starting at the end of February, and running from 2014 to 2015. That's a lot for our small company, but it's something that we need to do. And if we understand anything about the runes, it's how the compel us to meet those needs.
And that, dear fans, is where we stand at the beginning of January 2014. I trust (and hope) you'll be back next month (if not sooner) to check on us. And if you haven't, like us on Facebook (and G+) and jump into the discussions!
Cheers, Jaye