Accursed Short Fiction Now Available

We're currently working on the final stages of completing the Accursed core book. We're just waiting on a few last pieces so that we can assemble everything into the game book that we hope will exceed everyone's expectations. Until that's complete, here's something that might pique your interest.

The introductory fiction from Andy Chambers (Kickstarter Stretch Goal #2) had been received and recently approved. We took a little bit of time today to convert that into an ebook format. We've now got it in both .epub and .mobi (Kindle) formats.

Then we went ahead and uploaded it to DriveThruRPG. Because the introductory fiction is part of the setting book, its development costs were already covered. With that in mind, we've listed the book as Pay What You Want, with a default price of $0.00. So, just click the link below to get to the book. Then add it to your cart, entering whatever value you think is fair (if you're seriously considering buying the game book, we don't expect compensation for this). You can then complete check out and download the two different versions of the file.

Link to the Fiction

If you don't have an ereader (or an ereader app for your smartphone), there are a number of different browser plug-ins that can open up the file. (I use epubreader.) A quick google search on "epub reader" should provide you with some options. If you've got a great one to recommend, please mention it in the comments.

We hope you enjoy the short story!

Kickstarter Nearing Conclusion and Charity Bundle

We're entering the final few days of the Accursed Kickstarter. It's been a wild ride, and we've received fantastic support. Right now, we've reached more than 180% of our funding goal. This is fantastic, as it allows us to do so much more with the setting. Thanks so much to everyone that's helped let people know about the world of Morden.

Throughout the Kickstarter, the Accursed RPG web site has been steadily updated with more and more information about the setting. Over the last week, that's included a number of blog posts focused on providing additional adventure hooks. If those are of interest to you, we're willing to provide many more. However, we've set a goal that we need to achieve first before we commit to doing that. We need to get to 500 likes on the Accursed Facebook page. If we do, we'll keep updating with at least 3 more adventure hooks each week for a full year.

Finally, Melior Via is participating in a charity bundle on DriveThruRPG. All proceeds from bundle sales go directly aid victims of the Colorado flooding. It's a great bundle, currently featuring well over $200 worth of ebooks for a $20 price tag. Please consider contributing, as the incredible value can also be extremely helpful.

Accursed RPG Kickstarter Launches

Over on the AccursedRPG site, the development team has been sharing information about the game setting for several months now. We've talked about the nations that make up the game world, the Witches who invaded Morden, the banes they created, and the Witchmarked monsters who battle against them. Readers who have followed the postings have had more than 40 different posts to learn about the world.

Today, is the first chance we give gamers a chance to play in the world as well. We've just launched a Kickstarter project, to bring the game to market. Ultimately, the development team has some talented game designers and editors, but we need artistic resources as well. Because of our unusual tone, stock artwork simply has not been an option for Accursed. Fortunately, we have some very talented artists who are willing to work with us, and our initial expenditures gave us a few preview pieces to help promote the setting.

If the idea of playing a monster tormented by his essence while battling against more horrific beings inspires you, please take a moment to consider our project. Backers get an opportunity to download the playtest rules as soon as they pledge. This document offers background information on the world, character creation, and our customized system for tracking how a character has moved towards Denying or Accepting the curse that transforms the Witchmarked into a monster. It does require the Savage Worlds rules and the Horror Companion from Pinnacle. With those in hand, we think it can make for a great game experience.

Direct Link to the Kickstarter Here

It's that time of year

I just finished walking the dog and noticed the death march of students and parents heading to the back to school open house down the street from me. As I saw the assemblage of pre-teens with the expression of utter horror on my face, I immediately began to wonder just how a Hope Preparatory School student might feel about it. Which made me think that more people should wonder that same question.

So, let's have a Back to School! sale. All Hope Preparatory School products are now 10% off, through the end of August 2013.

Melior Via at DriveThruRPG!

OK, so perhaps I exaggerated

It seems that I may have previously jumped to some unreasonable conclusions.

Melior Via has just released Field Trip, the third adventure in the Freshman Story Arc for Hope Preparatory School. The ICONS version is currently available, it may be a bit before I have time to complete the version for M&M3. Here's a direct link to the product purchase site:

HPS #3 - Field Trip

Thanks for your ongoing support.

In other matters, the Accursed RPG blog continues with its pace of roughly 3 updates a week. As of this posting, it's up to 27 posts. More and more setting information is releasing on a steady basis. If Dark fantasy and heroic monsters sounds interesting to you, please take a look.

A whole bunch of updatery stuff

I've got to cover a whole bunch of different things to give updates to things that are in progress.

First off, this week is the Christmas in July Sale at DriveThruRPG. Melior Via is enthusiastically participating in it, and all of our products are 25% off as part of the sale. If you've been thinking about looking into our products, this is a great time to jump in whole hog. If you're looking for other gaming material, there's a stunning array of deeply discounted products included in this one.

Fabled Environments is currently wrapping up a Kickstarter for a High School Floorplan. I think this is a fantastic idea and a great resource for anyone interested in gaming at a High School. In an effort to encourage folks to help them reach stretch goals, Melior Via has decided to offer a throw in. We'll be giving a free copy of the HPS Freshman Handbook eBook to anyone who pledges at the $40 level or higher.

Finally, Accursed is continuing to make solid progress with our regular blog updates. If you're interested in a Savage Worlds setting where your the monsters are the heroes, please take a look. We love getting feedback.

Announcing Accursed

Things have been far too quiet about here for some time. During this time, we've had a few inquiries about Hope Prep, and other matters.

So, here's my chance to come clean. The simple fact of the matter is that I've been pretty swamped wit ha variety of projects. Most of these involve freelance work for other publishers. These continue to be updated in the "About Us" tab, as I am permitted to discuss them.

One project, however, is going to be insuring some blog posts and directly involves Melior Via.

Last fall, Ross Watson approached me with ideas about a new game setting. I really dug the ideas, and we started doing some early development. Ross also brought Jason Marker into the discussion. The three of us have been collaborating on developing Accursed into a full game ever since. This is a dark fantasy setting, which we're currently developing for Savage Worlds. It hasn't been a primary focus for me, but it has been a steady and ongoing concern. For more information, please give the blog a look, we'd love any feedback.

Accursed WILL be a physical product. Melior Via WILL be publishing this in the fall of 2013. www.accursedrpg.com is going to be a regularly updated blog where Ross, Jason, and I (John) will be regularly posting information about the game's setting.

This raises questions about the status of Hope Prep. We have a number of different things at various stages of production for Hope Prep, but I simply have not had the available time to focus on them. To date, the commercial success of the line has been inadequate to cover the time and effort invested in it. As much as I love the line, I cannot commit a significant amount of my time to work on it, when other project work is available. Additional products will be released for the line, but products that are more commercially viable are a higher priority. Consequently, I cannot commit to a release schedule at this time.