10K, and a celebration!
almost 2 years ago
– Wed, Jun 29, 2022 at 04:29:53 AM
Hi all,
A lot going on today in the world of Grayshade, and all in positive directions. The team and I were excited to see the campaign break past five digits yesterday thanks to your enthusiasm, shares, and support, and we're almost to the halfway mark in the Kickstarter — so we decided a celebration was in order!
First, we’re going to amp up the stretch goal for adding a new character class to the RPG, and set it to 200 backers. That means when the campaign reaches 200 backers, we’ll send out a web poll, for you to tell us what class you’d like to see! Any backer level counts for this, starting at $1, and we’re excited to hear from you what you’d like to see from us.
This next one is big, and I’m thrilled the team at Atthis Arts is as excited to make this call as I am to tell you about it. They are going to add the audiobook for Grayshade (the first novel) right now. At any level, you can modify your pledge to add a thrilling audio version read by Tren Sparks for $10 (message any of us if you have questions or could use help). That does mean that the audiobook needs to be added at every level, from the $1 to the $1000, but funding the recording is a dedicated cost, and $10 is well below what we expect the pricing of the online retail sites to be. So again, once we fund, the audiobook will be funded too, and if you're as blown away by Tren's voice in our Kickstarter video as we were, you'll know what a big deal that is!
We’ve also heard your enthusiastic calls for some more game details, and we’d love to get more into the elements of the RPG itself and show you how very cool it’ll be – it’s 5E based, yet with really unique and fun elements specific to the world of the Gray Assassin and the city of Corelle. There will be much more on this, but to start, we've scheduled two livestreams both Tuesday night (tonight!) and Wednesday night of this week, featuring creators from Alligator Alley Entertainment, myself, and visionary game designer Brandon O’Brien, live from Trinidad! Follow my Twitter for announcements, but both will air on my Twitch channel: Arvan Eleron, on June 28th and 29th, 9 PM EDT both days. I hope to see you there.
Beyond that, there will be more chances to hear about the game in what I know will be some really fun and engaging conversations with these amazing creative minds. The videos will be posted after 24 hours to my YouTube (please click subscribe if you’re there and haven’t yet done so) and then, working with streamer Zac Clay, we’ll be posting clips to TikTok to reach more gaming audiences and showcase all the unique play experiences this game will offer.
I’m so hyped about all of this. The team is so hyped about all of this. And I hope you’ll enjoy! We have so much more to share over the next couple of weeks. : )
Thank you, again, for all your support; as you can see, you’ll be hearing a lot from us soon! In the meantime, we’re really grateful for your help spreading the word. If you’d like to see us make and exceed these stretch goals, please do share on social media, but also reach out to groups you’re in, or people you know, who might be interested. Here’s the link to share: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alligatoralleyent/grayshade
See you soon,
Greg
From Rich Lescouflair: On RPG Design
almost 2 years ago
– Sun, Jun 26, 2022 at 07:21:57 AM
Hello all!
I want to thank you for your support to this campaign. It means a lot to me and our team, and I’m excited to work on this TTRPG in a world I find really intriguing and am looking forward to playing in. I thought people might like hearing a few of the principles I put behind designing a game like this.
When designing rules for any tabletop system, I always strive for a few essential standards. The rules need to be simple to learn, easily adaptable, and most importantly, created with the intent of making the game more fun. As someone who has been roleplaying for almost four decades, I can say the core 5E rules embody the best aspects of D&D, while remaining fast-paced, fun, and versatile.
This is the reason why I chose 5E for Esper Genesis—a sci-fi universe inspired by my favorite movies, games, and stories from my childhood. Like the fantasy games I grew up on, it was designed to be a fun and easy way to build and play in a sci-fi setting limited only by the imagination.
Because of 5E’s broad compatibility and versatility, it inspired me to launch Expedition from the Mysterious Peaks, a homage to an old idea of combining the fantasy and sci-fi genres into something new and extraordinary game setting. We are making good progress on getting the adventures finalized from the writers, and in fact Greg Wilson will be premiering a Session Zero of it tonight on his Twitch channel.
And so I’m equally thrilled to bring these concepts to the setting of Cohrelle, the realm of the Gray Assassin.
I mention setting often, since a great setting is the foundation for making a versatile rules system truly sing. The world of Grayshade is such an environment in which to make a great game—filled with conflict, intrigue, and mystery within a city of shadows, with the specter of hope always on the horizon. (Not to mention a shady tavern; I definitely know some people who’d be hanging out there.) Its rich detail and captivating lore provide the framework to create amazing encounters for all three pillars of play: combat, social, and exploration.
I’m excited to work on adapting Grayshade to 5E, with new and exciting options that would allow players and GMs to truly immerse themselves into the city of Cohrelle and its ever-expanding world beyond. I think it’s a game RPG-lovers (like me) are going to sink right into and then make their own.
And if you’re here for the novels, maybe you’ll give this game a look. Playing RPGs is storytelling at its core, and it’s something that has brought our team here the joy we needed when things are tough.
If you have any questions, please feel free to post in the comments. This game is going to be super fun to work on. The more this campaign is seen, the more stretch goals and lore we can put into it, so please share this post where you can to help us get the word out.
Thank you!
From Marie: On Grit
almost 2 years ago
– Wed, Jun 22, 2022 at 07:32:24 PM
Hi all,
We continue to make good, steady progress on our Kickstarter, and as we pass the week mark we're already one third of the way funded--an excellent start. We would ask that you continue to spread the word about the project and what we're trying to do here; the more we get involved, the better for all concerned, and we're excited to see how things proceed as we move forward!
Our update today comes from someone who had a lot to do with the earliest versions of Grayshade, author, editor, and storyteller Marie Bilodeau. Our thanks to her for this, and thanks to all of you for your continued support and signal boosting of Grayshade!
Greg
From Marie:
You know who’s got grit? Grayshade. You know who else? Greg Wilson.
And, as sad as it is to say, grit is an important quality because the publishing industry can be harsh. But there’s also so much hope in the industry, so many stories of people continuing forward despite adversity…well, it’s a harsh industry, but one filled with light, too.
Now, onto Grayshade. I first had the honor of working on Grayshade when I was Deputy Publisher of an up-and-coming press. Slotted to be the second release of our main line, the book resonated with its characters and setting. I left shortly before it was released, but couldn’t wait for the world to devour it.
But, as is the way of the publishing industry at times, the publisher folded around its release, leaving many books orphaned, including Grayshade.
This is where the grit comes in. Having a small press fold while the ink still feels wet on your publishing contract can be extremely disheartening. Grayshade wasn’t the only book abandoned. Many other books were, as well. Then good news began to erupt over the few following years. These books found new homes. New champions to help them see the light of day.
And new editors to make them shine even more. I was thrilled to hear Atthis Arts was taking Grayshade out, since they produce fantastic books with beautiful covers. It’s the second chance Grayshade, and Gregory A. Wilson, deserved, and I couldn’t be more thrilled.
So, here’s to grit, and getting it done, and for beloved books to get their second well-deserved chance at the spotlight.
From Greg: "The Crimson Demon"
almost 2 years ago
– Tue, Jun 21, 2022 at 09:45:56 PM
Hi, everyone! We've passed our first stretch goal of one hundred backers (amazing and great work from all of you!), and that means I get to share a story of Grayshade's past, in this prequel story "The Crimson Demon." I hope you enjoy the story, and that it gives you a bit of insight into the time before The Gray Assassin Trilogy picks up the tale.
And remember: the more we can spread the word about this project, the more we can get people to take a look and support it, the more we can offer as time goes on. Next up, at 350 backers (remember, even a dollar backer counts here!), is a bonus class for the TTRPG, details to be announced as we get closer to the milestone--and right past that we have the audiobook from Tren Sparks, which is going to be incredible (if you've heard any of Tren's work in Battletech, Shadowrun, or elsewhere, you'll know what I mean--it's truly amazing stuff)! Again, thanks for your support, enjoy the story, and please spread the word to everyone you can, using the tag #GrayAssassin when you do so on social media. Thank you!
From Emily: The Stone Star
almost 2 years ago
– Mon, Jun 20, 2022 at 06:16:31 AM
Hello, and happy #IAmFerndalePride from Ferndale, Michigan! Emily here. Today’s update is a little aside, but one I hope is a bit of fun. One of the prizes from #ArvCon2022, the community charity event run by Gregory A. Wilson to benefit the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, was a short story written by me (along with a copy of my upcoming novel Night Ivy.) The winner, romance writer Kella Campbell, wanted me to write about a rock star, a lovely and complimentary challenge, as she writes spicy romances about the members of a rock band in the fanulous Smidge series. Both excited about this, Kella and Arvanaut Arudanel decided to collaborate on the prize, work together on an idea, and share it with backers of this campaign to help promote Grayshade. (♥ !) Arudanel wanted to build on Kella’s prompt, stay with the idea of romantic energy, and request that the rock star be made of literal rock, and maybe have lyrics about rock that are thus misunderstood.
I love a challenge. And so I wrote for Arudanel, for Kella, and for you. I hope you enjoy. (If you do, please share out the story!)
Thanks for your support to our campaign, for your love of indie art, and for letting people know.
The Stone Star by E.D.E. Bell
They called her The Stone Star. A rotund, chain-clad statue on the shadowy side of the plaza who spent her days singing to the people of the town. Not just the people of the town. Visitors started to show and gather in the shade of the nicer days, wanting a glimpse at the unique and interesting object, its history unclear.
She called herself a rock star. Stone was not her own. Stone was the lines of trim and rounded skin and etchings of lace that her artist had chiseled into her, one at a time. These ideas were human ideas. Her heart was made of rock.
And she sang for him. The statue on the sunny side of the plaza, facing away from her. Unable to approach, she watched the crowds gather in the light around him. She could hear his music from where she stood. Soft, joyful, and occasionally buoyant, like the bay that rippled, waving and thriving with edges of froth, to her back.
She could hear him. And so, she hoped, maybe when the winds were low and the crowds were light, he could hear her too.
The gatherers did not understand. She sang for rock. Wanting rock. Needing rock. Rock forever, and rock within her soul. Those who gathered cheered with glee, praising her passion for the genre as they danced and swayed and drank from life, but did not understand.
They never understood.
This did not quell her art; her art was hers, its desire as fierce as her words, the compression and release forming beats to be filled. She sang in measures. She pulled in the wind chimes and window screens, and the birds of the bay, and everything capable of sound joined her in her plea. She sang in harmony with the wind.
And at night, when the people left, she sang harder, truer, pulling the darkness into velvet chords, and letting the thunder strum her deepest notes, the streaks of light her stage.
She never tired of her song.
Someday, she knew that statues of human stone would always tumble to dust.
This brought her no sadness. She had a heart of rock.
To follow E.D.E. Bell, check out her social media links at edebell.com.
Find books and social media links for Atthis Arts at atthisarts.com and please consider subscribing to our new Atthis Arts Sketchbook on Patreon, featuring global experimental fiction. Thanks for your support!
