Preview: The Meatgrinder
almost 7 years ago – Fri, Jul 28, 2017 at 02:17:34 AM

Hi, everyone! Rose here, with a new preview from Matthew. ^_^

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Matthew here again, with a brief update on my background in World War I subject matter, and how much detail we'll be aiming to add regarding military activities of the period.  

The Great War has always fascinated me. My first exposure to it was probably through Blackadder Goes Forth and the Regeneration Trilogy novels by Pat Barker. I moved on to the poetry of Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon before having to learn about the conflict at school. I was fortunate enough to go on many battlefield tours run by my father, in Belgium and France. Finally, I went on to study the entire war, including its causes and outcomes, at college. My interest in the complicated era has abides to this day.  

In short, this is an era I am overjoyed to be able to develop. I can assure you that I have both the background to apply accuracy where it's needed, and creative writing skills to make the chapter more than a dry historical text.  

Werewolves and Sin-Eaters will help with that, of course.  

A few people have asked how focused we are going to be on the military activities of the era, and I think it's fair to say I aim to cover the means of conflict (whether trench warfare, rolling bombardments, strikes via dirigible, gas attacks, urban combat, or other), the innovations in death-dealing machinery (the flamethrower, the machine gun, the use of chemical weapons, bombs dropped from the sky, combat in flight), and the hierarchies, motivations, and preferred tactics of each major force in play (and some minor ones - though Bulgaria wasn't that minor).  

That's not to say this will be a chapter purely about the mechanics of war. That will appeal to some players, but to others, mass combat rules, the ability to mow down thousands of foes, and the minutiae of aggressive war will leave them cold. For those players, this era will also cover the civilian response, the rampant disease, the horror of shell-shock (among mortal and supernatural beings alike), the political spikes of the time, and of course, plentiful story seeds for involving Chronicles of Darkness protagonists from our main two lines for the era, and smaller hooks for the other games. You didn't think we'd forgotten the Brothers of Ypres from Vampire, did you?  

I want us to consider all fronts of the war, including the fronts at home, in the mind, and of course - in a spiritual sense. This era will be about conflict and death (cornerstones of Werewolf and Geist), but about so much more besides. I'm confident we'll give options to players wanting to do something other than walk into No Man's Land with a rifle, under an unstoppable hail of machine-gun fire, though that option will be available too.

A Bit More About the Three Possible Dark Eras
almost 7 years ago – Mon, Jul 24, 2017 at 06:39:16 PM

Hello Dark Eras 2 backers!

RichT here:

Here's just a bit more about the three possible Dark Eras currently up for voting:

King Arthur's Britannia (400-500s C.E.) You've heard the stories of Lancelot and Guinevere, King Arthur and Mordred, Merlin and Morgana. Inspired by medieval romance, the Arthurian lives on and on. Get behind the myth, find the source of these tales, and adventure in Great Britain during the legendary King Arthur's rule. For, in the Chronicles of Darkness, nothing is what it seems. The shadows we explore will expose darker secrets that follow King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table wherever they roam.

Epic of Gilgamesh (2100s B.C.E.) The Epic of Gilgamesh is believed to be the first surviving piece of literature. An epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia, the work features Gilgamesh (or Bilgamesh in Sumerian), a king of Uruk. Translated into multiple languages, the story highlights this king and Enkidu who initially opposes him. Although the pair have many adventures, and even go on to face Humbaba the Terrible, Gilgamesh eventually becomes obsessed with discovering the secret of eternal life. In the Chronicles of Darkness, Gilgamesh's perilous journey is marked by its denizens, and in this Dark Era we'll explore not only who they are, but what they do when Uruk's king discovers them.

Jazz Age/Roaring '20s (1920s C.E.) Following the end of World War I, the 1920s ushered in a new decade of American music, fashion, and art. In New Orleans, African and European musical styles were fused together to create jazz, and musical legends like Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, and Kid Ory toured the states. American youth rebelled, reveling in this new sound, smoking cigarettes, dancing the Charleston, and partying in long-waisted dresses while their elders decried the end of society. As soft saxophones played and velvety voices crooned, the twenties also woke up forgotten creatures, drawing them to New York, Chicago, and the fabled New Orleans. This is a time of awakening in the Chronicles of Darkness, and its stagnant denizens are on the move.

Hope these help you to decide on which to vote for, and please let other folks know, too!

Thanks!

Preview: A Sense of Wonder
almost 7 years ago – Mon, Jul 24, 2017 at 07:35:37 AM

Hi, Rose here. ^_^ Matthew would like to say a few words about the Seven Wonders era.

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Matthew:

Matthew Dawkins here, to talk about the Seven Wonders era for Dark Eras 2!  

When we first started discussing eras for this upcoming book, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World appealed to and mystified me in equal measure.  

There was a time frame of approximately 60 years during which all Seven Wonders of the Ancient World stood, before the Colossus of Rhodes collapsed in 226 B.C.E. During the period they all existed, the Hellenistic world experienced perhaps its first flush of tourism. Word travelled widely between philosophers and nobles about these staggering man-made constructs, that had to be seen to be believed. There was never a period like it before, and in a way, there has never been one like it since. In this historic era, mortals like you and I set forth on expeditions to view structures only possible in fable or dream. This sense of wonder fascinates me.  

It makes me think about the time before the final two Wonders – the Colossus and the Lighthouse of Alexandria – were completed. It makes me consider that brief six-decade period during which all seven existed. It makes me think about the effect it had on these same Hellenistic people after the Colossus, and not long after, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus fell. *It makes me wonder at the portents surrounding these Seven Wonders. Who was waiting for their completion? Who was powered by their standing? Who celebrated, and who mourned their premature fall?  

In our Dark Era, we are planning on focusing on Changeling and Promethean. Promethean has a focus on pilgrimage and discovery, so it makes perfect sense to me that the Created would seek these structures out. They are wondrous beings, albeit deeply flawed, and the idea of a Promethean seeking out and standing before the Statue of Zeus at Olympia conjures a tragic image in my mind. What if the Created are drawn for a reason greater than simple study and awe? Perhaps Prometheans hear tales from the road that in these places where man-built edifice is at its most celebrated, they will receive reprieve from Disquiet and persecution. Maybe in the Wonders’ shadows they will feel at peace. They will do anything to cling on to that peace, but as we know, it only lasts 60 years. We should examine who might seek to end this temporary calm, and whether that foe comes from within Promethean ranks. We should also look at whether the lure is in fact a trap, laid by those who would seek to ensnare the Created.  

We know the Gentry and the Lost alike are drawn to the idea of dreams becoming reality. While the True Fae may wish to enforce eternal nightmare, the Lost seek escape and sanctuary from torment. I can see the Seven Wonders’ ambience affecting Lost in much the same way as it does the Created, but with additional problems. The True Fae grow gluttonous with the number of dreamers making their way to these imaginative constructs. From their fantastical Hedge reflections of the Wonders, they lure and snatch away wanderers. The Lost want the same peace as the Prometheans, but recognize the dangerous proximity to their kidnappers, masters, and torturers. No doubt many a mortal seeking one of the Wonders has inadvertently crossed the Hedge and discovered the disturbing, impossible version controlled by the True Fae.  

Some Created and Lost will desperately try to cling on to the six decades of “peace” surrounding the Wonders, despite the cost to the innocents at risk of predation. Others will realize the toll this peace has on their very morality, and make efforts to tear down these false symbols of hope.  

This era, like all those in Dark Eras 2, will integrate multiple lines in a way that allows for both to be played in a single chronicle. *I hope you’re looking forward to what we have planned for the Seven Wonders. *

Preview: Meghan on picking years
almost 7 years ago – Thu, Jul 20, 2017 at 07:13:16 AM

Hi, Rose here. ^_^ One thing that came up a lot, both when we were asking for fan era suggestions and when we were picking the ones we wanted to start with, was how to cover entire "eras," while simultaneously providing a setting players could immediately jump into. I'll let Meghan talk a little bit about how we'll be structuring that in Dark Eras 2.

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Hi all! In this update I’d like to talk a little about how we plan to approach the eras of Dark Eras 2 in a general sense, with One Thousand and One Nights as an example to show you what we mean.  

Each era spans a particular amount of time, as an indication of the cultural conflicts, shifts, and influences that play a role in the era’s setting. Within that span, for each era we’ll choose one year as the focal point around which the chapter’s material pivots. You can see this kind of approach in many of the eras from Dark Eras and the Dark Eras Companion, such as Requiem for Regina. Then we’ll explore what came before that year and what comes after, examining how the past informs what’s happening “today,” from the chapter’s point of view, and how current events lead into the future to come.  

In the case of One Thousand and One Nights, the focal year we choose will take place during the Islamic Golden Age, when the eponymous tales’ compilation begins. Our exploration of the era’s past and future will concentrate largely on the stories themselves — their origins in the ancient world, their strong presence during the chosen year in the Primordial Dream and the Kindred’s long memories as well as human discourse, and their continuing legacy across many cultures and time periods afterward. One theme I intend to delve into in this chapter is how compiling and translating these stories brings forgotten secrets into the light of progress. While the Islamic Golden Age looks into the future, the magic of these tales brings the past back to life.

Monica on lessons learned from Dark Eras 1
almost 7 years ago – Fri, Jul 14, 2017 at 06:04:28 PM

Hi, Rose here. ^_^ Following up on my comments yesterday about building on the first Dark Eras, here's Monica Valentinelli. Monica was a key contributor to the original book and its companion, and has written across a large variety of games for Onyx Path and other publishers. (You may know her as the developer of the excellent Firefly for Margaret Weis Productions.) Monica's here to share her insights as a Dark Eras contributor turned Dark Eras 2 developer.

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Monica:

Hi! My name is Monica Valentinelli and I am the overseeing developer for Dark Eras 2. I’ll also be developing individual chapters like Light of the Golden Sun for Deviant: The Renegade and Mage: The Awakening set during the Italian Renaissance.

I wanted to pop in today to talk about how excited I am to see this project come together, and am relaying some insight I had after writing for the first Dark Eras, Tales of the Dark Eras, and the Dark Eras Companion. Dark Eras 2 will be a fresh take on the concept, because of the way we’ll approach the game lines. Instead of focusing on one Chronicles of Darkness gameline per era, we’ll be highlighting two in each era of history selected. That design goal reminds me of the questions I often encountered when writing Doubting Souls for Hunter: The Vigil and Foreboding Lands for Geist: The Sin-Eaters. For Doubting Souls, I often thought about Demon: The Descent and Vampire: The Requiem when plotting the antagonists and inserting compacts like the Scarlet Watch into the chapter. Hunter: The Vigil has a lot of setting, however, and the chapter would have taken on a very different shape if we added and folded in a separate gameline. As such, I’ll be reviewing different structures for the chapters, to ensure that we use the space wisely to cover two gamelines, while ensuring the history remains intact. 

One of the hardest lessons I learned, was that history is complicated. There are a lot of nuances and cultures that are often underrepresented at first glance, and my research often turned up facts I needed to pull together. For Doubting Souls, for example, indigenous populations are rarely mentioned whenever Salem Village is presented in the media. The more we dug into what happened, the more we realized the setting would not be complete without that material. In Foreboding Lands, we had a unique experience, because the mystery of the lost colonists of Roanoke was all but solved while we were working on the chapter. My takeaway from this, is that sometimes the research will inform how the chapters are presented. I am keen on ensuring the chapter lengths are similar, because as a fan of Chronicles of Darkness I feel giving the game lines similar attention is the right thing to do. However, in some cases that may not be possible depending upon what the research uncovers. In some chapters, we may need to present just a little more history to ensure that we treat events and cultures with the respect they deserve. 

Lastly, one of my big goals is to avoid full on confrontation scenarios between game lines. History is not black-and-white, and the Chronicles of Darkness are filled with shades of gray.

I am very excited to take on this challenge, and I’m grateful that I can marry my love of history with the Chronicles of Darkness to create something new. 

Happy gaming,  

Monica  

P.S. If you want to learn more about me, you can read my previous open development posts at www.theonyxpath.com. Or, you can also visit www.booksofm.com to check out all my stories, games, and more.