Announcement! Umbra: Ghost Stories of Visagros

Umbra: Ghost Stories of Visagros is a combination of adventure card game and gamebook set in a world of gothic horror and fantasy for one player. You will create and customize your own character and explore an open world, completing quests and growing along the way. Your goal is to earn enough Reputation, through goodContinue reading “Announcement! Umbra: Ghost Stories of Visagros”

Catching up on Games (2/20/23)

There’s been a lot since November, the last time I did one of these. I might have to make these posts more frequent so there’s not such a pileup! Unsettled We tried out another “planet,” though this one had us stranded in space with asteroids. Lots of funky movement and puzzling out the board. StillContinue reading “Catching up on Games (2/20/23)”

Winds of the North 0.8.4 Release

After taking a hiatus to make The Unseen World, I’ve been back to Winds of the North, playtesting a full campaign and making more adjustments. There aren’t any major mechanical changes, but there are many adjustments, some additions, a variety of fixes, and a few clarifications. The game has been very loose in several areas,Continue reading “Winds of the North 0.8.4 Release”

The Unseen World: Designer Diary

From this… to this. A Distant Starting Point Years ago, I started getting into gamebooks like Fabled Lands and solo RPGs like Ironsworn. I really wanted to make one of my own but wasn’t sure where to start or how it’s done. When I learned of Draw.io (the tool I still use), it was exactlyContinue reading “The Unseen World: Designer Diary”

The Unseen World Release!

Just in time for Halloween, The Unseen World releases! In The Unseen World, you play a paranormal investigator traveling across Japan, visiting various towns, researching haunted locations, and trying to collect evidence of the supernatural. You’ll have to properly manage your resources and time while also trying not to succumb to fear during your investigations.Continue reading “The Unseen World Release!”

The Unseen World Playtest Report

Here’s a look at The Unseen World, a solitaire gamebook of paranormal investigation and horror set in modern-day Japan. Full system overview here. The gist of it is you travel from town to town, research haunted locations, then investigate those locations, resolving a series of encounters. Almost everything in the game is randomly generated usingContinue reading “The Unseen World Playtest Report”

The Unseen World Preview

Halloween soon approaches, and like last year, I’ve been working on a special holiday project! The Unseen World is a solitaire gamebook of paranormal investigation and horror set in modern-day Japan. You play as a paranormal investigator traveling to many towns across Japan, investigating haunted locations in order to collect evidence. You’ll spend evidence toContinue reading “The Unseen World Preview”

Winds of the North v0.8.3 Release

It took a while to compile the feedback and implement the changes (also interrupted by a much-needed break), but the next update is here. It’s primarily small tweaks and balance changes with a couple of revised systems to help streamline the game. Here’s a look at the bigger and more notable changes/fixes/additions in 0.8.3. LearnContinue reading “Winds of the North v0.8.3 Release”

Winds of the North v0.8.2 Release

After several days of jury duty and other distractions, I’ve been back to Winds of the North to finish the update. Unfortunately, the program I use doesn’t seem to be supported anymore, and there was one bug that was never fixed in the retail version: PDF exports don’t have the text preserved, it gets convertedContinue reading “Winds of the North v0.8.2 Release”

Winds of the North v0.8.2 Development Update

After further playtesting and getting some very valuable feedback, I’ve been back to making changes, applying fixes, and adding things for v0.8.2. The next update will be focused on balance changes and some re-organization. None of the mechanics are getting an overhaul this time. Exploration One of the biggest changes is how Exploration Encounters areContinue reading “Winds of the North v0.8.2 Development Update”