New Pledge Level for All the Things
almost 10 years ago
– Thu, Dec 29, 2016 at 10:18:28 PM
We've just added a new pledge level called Boneyard Scavenger. This is for those of you who just want basically everything we make. The pledge level includes hardcopies of all the books we come up with through stretch goals, as well as all the PDFs, and a Gambit Deck of your very own.
Just a couple days left, so this is the time to reach for the stars!
More Writers UNLOCKED!
almost 10 years ago
– Thu, Dec 29, 2016 at 05:30:56 PM
I'm very excited to say we've hit the $30,000 stretch goal, funding us to hire more freelance writers. Our goal is to fill our books with snippets of fiction that provide inspiration for building your own galaxies.
That number feels like a huge milestone. We literally had no idea we could fund this high. Blown away.
Next up: We're adding a $40,000 stretch goal for short stories. We'll have details up on the campaign page soon.
More info on Stelliform
almost 10 years ago
– Wed, Dec 28, 2016 at 09:50:59 PM
Recently we unlocked Stelliform, a campaign setting we'll be developing for HYPERLANES. It's even going to get its own comic book! Here are a few of the details on what we're planning.
A five-armed spiral galaxy stands poised for war or paradise, on a knife’s edge of hope and despair. Five empires, once autonomous, are now strung together by strands of space-time hung by a mysterious extra-galactic force. As cultures and empires clash, heroes reach for the stars.
Stelliform is a setting for HYPERLANES in which crews of starfaring outsiders find themselves thrust into the fiery heart of galactic conflict. Empires calculate whether war or alliance suits their interests, with innocent lives in the balance.
“The galaxy, until a short while ago, stood in relative safety through sheer dint of physical separation. Those who weave the strands have ruined all that, with obvious purpose. We now see shades of war on the horizon, for we are no longer isolated. We are neighbors without proper etiquette and I fear we may all perish for our own foolishness. Nothing crafts a foe so easily as proximity and ignorance combined.”
-Lady Edmiraesh, Seer of the Pools of Dedeece
The Five Arms
The Backwater Baronies. Once comprised of exiles and criminals operating on the fringes of Humanity, the Baronies are a collection of kleptocratic feudal states holding to an ethic of live-and-let-die. All are welcome, so long as they pay their protection fees and swear fealty to their lord. The lords (once called “crime lords”) form a corrupt council of adversaries, collectively ruling over an arm of the galaxy they’ve sprawled into. Seeing opportunity in the strange new spatial connections, the lords have each begun sending crews of smugglers and pirates out through the spatial strands.
The Lost Echo. An amphibious species of beautiful feminine humanoids, the Shaelan are often called “mermaids” by awe-inspired Humans. Their empire, the Lost Echo, is one built on secrets and knowledge. Their expansion throughout the stars may seem like that of Humanity’s. However, the Shaelan are stealthy explorers who’ve learned to monetize discoveries in a way few other species could imagine. Within every water-bearing world of their galactic arm, oceans and lakes hold hidden caches of treasured knowledge encrypted with riddles and songs. Some say the Shaelan knew the strands were coming long before the galaxy changed.
The Ecosystem. Five species of sapient plant life have carefully constructed an idyllic society of harmonious cooperation in their isolated arm of the galaxy. Xenophobic of outsiders, they fear a disruption to what they’ve worked so hard to accomplish these last few millennia. Some renegades, however, see peace between the five empires as the next step in their five-sided balancing act. The next challenge for their philosophy of cooperation.
Humanity. An exploration and colonization focused empire, known for its seemingly unstoppable expansionist agenda. Though nominally meritocratic and democratic, Humanity is ruled exclusively by members of those families wealthy and educated enough to become master-scientists and engineers. Yet some of the underclass, as well as a handful of Humanity’s android slaves, find the pluck to rise above their station, leading new ventures out into uncharted space where the technocratic elite dare not risk themselves.
The Argent Carapace. Though technically merely the external interface of a vast and complex insectoid society, the Argent Carapace is effectively an “empire” through its sheer presence. The metal encrusted insect species is a soldier race, genetically engineered for daring and self-sacrifice in the name of their far-off and seemingly aloof queens and interlocutors. The Carapace claim it is only they who can solve the secret of the spatial strands, having dealt with the species creating the distortions in their empire’s early period. Few imagine they have the scientific know-how to accomplish such a boast.
Problems on the Horizon
The Barons have begun to commission privateers through the strands, hoping to capture foreign vessels for plunder. Adventurers of all stripes have taken to the stars, seeking out spatial pathways to far off systems. A rebellion has begun within the ranks of the Ecosystem, seeking to overthrow the ruling council so that a new government can be formed; one that would include the rest of the galaxy.
What’s more, Humanity has documented half a dozen skirmishes with stealthy starships built on technologies far beyond that of the existing empires. Some believe these dark ships hold the secret to the strands; a sinister purpose which threatens all life in the galaxy.
Themes
Stelliform is a setting designed specifically for the rough and tumble nature of the HYPERLANES. It’s a society poised for war, so it’s ready with war stories if that’s what you’re looking for. It also expresses human-controlled regions as a civilized and an outlaw region, allowing for space frontiers and space cowboys as needed.
The political situation is a powder keg, but there are powerful factions willing to find alliance between all of the affected parties. Players may find their characters taking on roles as the founders of a galactic empire, shaping its rights and ways just as they fight for the survival of its inhabitants.
Stelliform is made to tell epic tales, chock full of fascinating creatures and spectacular set pieces. We can’t wait to tell these stories with you.
Bittersweet Day
almost 10 years ago
– Tue, Dec 27, 2016 at 07:39:45 PM
We've just hit our $26,000 stretch goal, which means we'll be adding additional artists to the project. We'd be celebrating, but honestly we're all in mourning for the loss of Carrie Fisher today. I'm getting teary-eyed just typing that.
We'll have more updates to come tomorrow, but just for today we're going to take it easy and reflect on things.
-Ryan
