Update #12 - Stretch Goals Updates & Changes
10 days ago
– Wed, Sep 11, 2024 at 12:49:05 PM
Hello Backers! We’re here to provide a game update as of right now as we await the remaining drafts from writers, Nick has thrown himself into writing and completing the stretch goals for the core rulebook in order to get everything for the final manuscript done as soon as possible. We’ve got an overview of some of these updates and changes below!
The 13th Archetypes
We are happy to announce that both the Forgotten and the Eldritch are complete and in the official manuscript. The Forgotten involves talents that utilize Strands, such as Blank Space, which allows the GM to help build out your past with you, and Last of the Real Ones, which lets you contact other characters you have Strands with – no matter the distance. Our 13th Automata Archetype, The Eldritch, boasts some of the most unique talents we’ve written to date. Rapid Assimilation lets you consume fallen Horrors and add additional weapon tags to your Signature Arm, while Bring Forth the Nest lets you create dangerous field effects that your Automata thrives in.
The Eldritch Arms
We’ve also completed the 10 unique Eldritch Arms and added them to the book. The Eldritch Arms are the ultimate evolution of what Automata weapons can become. We often hear that with great power comes great responsibility, but in this case, great power comes at a great price. Every Eldritch Arm has a specific Bane – often a static debuff that affects you as long as you are wielding it. From a mechanical standpoint, the Bane is counted as “in effect” when it is placed in your Automata’s loadout when launching for a battle. The Bane lingers for a Shift worth of time from when it’s removed from your Automata’s equipment.
Now we’re finalizing descriptions and getting these off to modeling for our highest-tier backer rewards and the Equipment Deck 😉
Mechanics Updates & Changes
We received some great feedback from the Quicklaunch and our games at Gen Con this year, which has inspired us to make some gameplay tweaks. We’re adding a small section addressing Panic Roll Cascade, tweaking the rules behind the Ammo flaw tag, and clarifying the explanations on some of the more confusing mechanics. We also took the time to revisit the Area descriptor tag, we knew this would be a popular tag but also feared it overtaking the game. In our quest to tighten up game mechanics and make every bit of Eldritch Automata feel used we changed the Area descriptor tag in order to keep in line with the ruleset had for Explosions.
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Area - Your weapon’s attack encompasses an entire zone, and can hit an entire group of enemies. Weapons with the Area tag act according to Explosion rules and act as if they had a Blast Power of 5. Additional successes cannot be used to add additional damage to your attack. However, you may buy the Area tag a second time to increase Blast Power to 7. (Cost 3)
We also revisited the
Scorching Zone feature to bring it line with base rules we have for Fire. We’ve removed Scorching and tied in the talent of
Scorched Earth from the Collateral to create fire with adherence to the Intensity mechanic.
These mechanical changes will all be available in the Quicklaunch update we’re working on!
Upcoming Events
In other news we are proud to announce we’ll be selling merchandise and official prints of the Quicklaunch at PAX Unplugged in December. So if you’d like to drop by and pick up a copy of the Quicklaunch and/or talk to the creator and lead designer of Eldritch Automata, stop by booth 3646!
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That’s it for now. We’re hard at work getting everything ready, off to printing/manufacturing, and ready for PAX! Stay tuned for more news soon, and don’t forget to get your Pledge Manager survey finished, as we’re locking those down on OCTOBER 1!
Update #11 - IT'S TIME
about 1 month ago
– Tue, Aug 20, 2024 at 12:28:23 PM
Hello Backers! The surveys have now been sent out (please check your inbox, spam folder, etc.). We'll leave the surveys open for collection for a few weeks to ensure everyone has PLENTY of time to commit to their add-ons and pledges. For our early bird (first 48 hour) backers you should also see a $10 credit to your pledge. You can use that to add new Add-Ons or leave it alone, and it will apply to shipping later on once we bill for that.
Please reach out if you have trouble adding everything you want or selecting the correct pins, patches, t-shirt designs, and other add-ons.
We'll monitor this site and our inbox to ensure that everyone is able to submit their survey seamlessly! And don't forget you can pre-order now as well, if you didn't back the original campaign!
In other news, we're excited to reveal a new Automata design completed by Gio! Behold the Prototype!
The Prototype is on the razor’s edge of technology, outfitted with several powerful new capabilities. Activate the powerful Ego Terror ability to negate any Horror or Seraph’s Ego Field or Wondrous Machinery to guarantee a successful attack. But remember, everything has a price…
We'll be sharing more designs as they're finalized, as well as new art, chapter previews, and more! So, keep your eyes on the page as we continue with the development of the game.
Update #10 - AND WE'RE FUNDED!
about 2 months ago
– Thu, Jul 25, 2024 at 09:56:57 AM
Wow.
$138,411 was raised from
1,454 backers. That's more than double our original goal, and nearly 14x this campaign's funding goal. You've blown us away with your support, praise, and amazing feedback so far, and we're so grateful for your backing on this project!
So What's Next?
Now that we're funded, Nick is about to head to Gen Con, where we'll be running demos of E//A all weekend. While he and our convention team are doing that, Ian is hard at work setting up the pre-order page, setting up the pledge manager, and organizing our accounting.
In terms of the book - we're working on three things right now.
- Updating the Quicklaunch Guide and releasing a print-on-demand version,
- Finalizing the core rulebook manuscript with our writers before it moves into editing; and,
- Initiating art direction, reviewing drafts, and getting our contracts in order.
What does this mean for you? We'll regularly update you on status changes when the book moves into a new phase and share teasers on art and lore over the next few months. The big update will come when the book is ready to send off to the printer. Unless any major layout changes are needed at that point, we'll move to finalizing and releasing the PDF to backers for feedback and errata before finalizing and sending it to print.
So stay tuned. We should have the pre-order page up in a few days so you can share it with your friends and grab any add-ons you missed during the campaign. And you'll be hearing from us soon!
Projects We Love
Wouldn't be an update without another project we love to share! This one is from one of our team members! Ellie Collins, a core Gehenna Gaming team member and our accessibility editor for E//A, is launching a very cool craft project this October -
Witchieware!
What is Witchieware?
"The witch Mareike is quite generous. She's always offering help to those in need. However, her assistance always comes at a price. For those who are unwilling to pay up when due, she has an alternative for them... become little jars on her shelf."These synthetic wood standees bring the little jars to life, each with their own story. The jars are designed in the style of kitsch condiment jars the creator found in her great-grandmother's house and have been designed to represent their new ill-fated souls. Wave 1 will feature jars of Deadly Nightshade, Mermaid Tears, and more. Stretch goals will contain 5 additional designs, such as Moth Wings, Wolfsbane, and more!
Don't miss this amazing project - Follow it now.
Update #9 - Final 24 Hours!
about 2 months ago
– Wed, Jul 24, 2024 at 09:00:20 AM
Hello pilots! We’re in the final 24 hours of the campaign now, and I have to say, we’re stoked for the next steps. We’ve been working hard to get the processes rolling on a number of production, events, and fun opportunities for E//A.
While we watch the counter eagerly to see if our next stretch goal is unlocked, we’re finalizing our list of artists for the soundtrack and beginning the conversations to get everyone on board. We’re incredibly excited about this feature and are exploring a new Add-on as well - a vinyl record of the soundtrack. This will be available POST-CAMPAIGN for pre-order, as we don’t want to muddy the existing campaign with another add-on. But rest assured, all backers will receive a digital copy of the soundtrack on a custom USB drive as well! The vinyl is just a little added bonus.
If you’re looking forward to either of these bonuses, don’t forget to tell your friends, family, co-workers, enemies, suspected horrors, and random strangers on the street about the campaign! We only have 24 hours to go to hit those goals!
Or, well… maybe I’m speaking too soon because pre-orders are right around the corner!
Pledge Manager & Pre-Orders
We’re working hard right now to get the Pledge Manager up and running by July 29th, which will open up PRE-ORDERS as well! Anyone who needs to wait till post-campaign to grab some add-ons, wants a second copy of the book or is still on the fence for those pins and flight patches, you’ll have plenty of time to grab them before we send out surveys! Pre-Orders will be open throughout August (possibly longer).
Play Eldritch Automata this Year!
We know you’re all excited to get your hands on the books and accessories, but we will have play opportunities this year as well! For those attending Gen Con, all our tables are booked for E//A demos, but keep your eyes peeled for a cancellation. We also have a bunch of sessions running at
NecronomiCon-Providence, August 15-18, and we’ll have a huge showing at PAX Unplugged, December 6-8, later this year, with some merch available as well! So mark your calendars for some high-octane cosmic horror mecha gaming this year. We’ll announce any other new demo opportunities on social media and our Discord server.
Another VTT is Live
Speaking of gameplay opportunities, the quicklaunch guide and ruleset is now available on
Tabletop Mirror! This free platform will give you a full campaign manager and virtual tabletop environment to explore the world of Eldritch Automata in, so go create an account and check it out there.
Speaking of Tabletop Mirror, they’re
launching their own Backerkit campaign next month, which will help with the platform's development and server maintenance costs. I know they have some exciting features planned, including play-by-chat and some very cool goodies you can get for backing, so make sure to follow their page and jump into that campaign in August!
That’s it for today, but we’ll post another update tomorrow once the campaign ends, discussing what we’ve achieved and the next steps!
