April 2023 Update
- Adam Donovan
- Apr 17, 2023
- 6 min read
[April 2023]
Greetings all, and welcome to the April (2023) update for Roguelike Games!
This month has seen steady progress on our flagship title, Moralinth. As those who have been following the project may well know, this is a table-top RPG setting that is due to be released as two separate products catering to two different games systems but sharing the same in-universe lore and events. April has been primarily focused on finishing up the writing of the Uncanny Edition of Moralinth, and much like our March update the majority of information in this blog will be centred around that content. We have some extra smaller updates to share with you of course, and just like our previous updates of this year we'll be sticking to the established format so you can see what we've been working on here at RLG.
Let's get rolling!
Moralinth Updates:
As a continuation of March, this month has seen the work focus squarely on the Moralinth TTRPG, with the bulk of that focus aimed at the Uncanny Edition of the game. As a reminder, the Uncanny Edition is the version being made in accordance with the CSOL (Cypher System Open License) and is by far the furthest along by way of development. It is our hope that if the current pace can be maintained that both versions, both QuickStart rules and even the worldbook will be ready to head to crowdfunding before 2024. There is still plenty of work to be done of course, and we'll be looking at using social media to gain more traction and interest from our current and future followers as well as opening ourselves up to questions, comments, and eventually external playtests so that we can make this game the very best it can be.
Moralinth is a herculean task for our small team, but our dedication and passion for the project keeps us on the straight and narrow. We're attempting our spin on a type of product that often employs a team of 40 to 80 people (feel free to open any TTRPG Core Rulebook and count the names), and we're doing so with a team of two. And we're doing it twice!
I guess you don't have to mad to work here, but it helps.
Moralinth: Uncanny Edition
The last of the main writing on the Uncanny Edition of Moralinth has now been completed, and while it undergoes proof-reading and editing work has begun to transition more toward tables, maps, interior art and all the extra parts that go into making TTRPG books a joy to read beyond just the words.
It was mentioned last month that we would be creating a Roadmap for all five(!) of our ongoing projects so that you can have a clearer idea of what we've done, what we're working on and what we still have outstanding. Those are now completed in their current form, completed in Google Documents, and uploaded to this site as part of a live working document. In May and beyond we'll give summaries as to what has changed since the previous roadmap update, but for this initial one literally everything will be new.
As an added bonus because the Roadmap is as much a working document for us as it is a reference document for yourselves, you'll also have a rough idea of the contents layout of each book as the main sections are recorded in sequential order.
It is our hope that these roadmaps will help everyone keep on top of the project on a month-by-month basis, and this will continue right through crowdfunding and to final release.
Moralinth Uncanny Edition Roadmap: this link will bring you to the initial roadmap for the Moralinth: Uncanny Edition Core Rulebook.
Moralinth: Gloom Edition
Although April saw more work done on the Gloom Edition of Moralinth, it is still very much held back with regards to the Open RPG Creative License (ORC). We've made some draft rules for various character options and some new/amended rules, but until we know exactly how much of Paizo's Pathfinder Second Edition ruleset is free to use, we're still behind a bit of a roadblock that is stopping us from diving in with the same intensity as we did with the Uncanny Edition. It is our hope that the ORC License will give us all the freedom we need, and indeed the first public draft is looking extremely positive. It looks like the next major update to the ORC is due around April 21st, so hopefully we'll have even more exciting news to share in our May update.
Luckily, much of the information in the Uncanny Edition of Moralinth that is not rules-specific is completely compatible with the Gloom Edition, and all of that data has been shared between both versions of the game. This is (hopefully) represented in the Gloom Edition roadmap, included below:
Moralinth Gloom Edition Roadmap: this link will bring you to the initial roadmap for the Moralinth: Gloom Edition Core Rulebook.
Moralinth Worldbook
Work has continued apace on the Worldbook lore tome that accompanies both versions of the Core Rulebook. Comprising all lore and no game mechanics, the Worldbook is designed to accompany the Core Rulebooks and add extra layers of detail to the Moralinth setting.
Over March and through April work has primarily focused on re-writes and cross referencing the information in the rulebooks to ensure nothing contradictory exists. Like the Core Rulebooks and the two QuickStart versions, a roadmap has also been prepared for the Worldbook:
Moralinth Worldbook Roadmap: this link will bring you to the initial roadmap for the Moralinth: Worldbook.
Moralinth Quickstarts
April has been a bit of an odd one for the Uncanny and Gloom QuickStart’s, as they have sat some way down the priorities list for reasons completely opposite to one another. The Uncanny QuickStart is basically complete, just needing art and editorial work to be done, but the Gloom QuickStart requires the Gloom Edition to be fleshed out before it can be trimmed down to quick-start rules - which we've obviously not been able to do due to progress delays with the Gloom Edition (see above).
Despite this, the roadmaps have been drawn up for these two smaller projects. Like the others these roadmaps also show the basic contents order for these two books, giving a good idea of what to expect from the finished products. We've included the initial QuickStart Roadmaps below, and will update them as work progresses:
Moralinth Quickstart Roadmaps:
this link will bring you to the initial roadmap for the Moralinth: Uncanny Quckstart.
this link will bring you to the initial roadmap for the Moralinth: Gloom Quickstart.
Roguelike Community
FACEBOOK & DISCORD: As eager as we are to get people talking about Moralinth, we wanted to get this April update and its associated Roadmaps out to the public before starting our social media presence. For that reason, we'll be launching both the Moralinth Facebook Group and the Moralinth Public Discord Server on April 21st, 2023.
These platforms will be completely open to the public and you are free to invite anyone who think might be interested in following this project as it develops. Depending on how large the FB Group and/or Discord grows, we might be looking for moderators to help keep the page/channel on track, but that is something we will look into as it becomes necessary. If anyone has an interest in becoming a moderator for either of these platforms prior to their release, please feel free to drop us a mail at contact@roguelikegames.co.uk and we'll take it under consideration.
It is our hope that the Facebook Group and Discord will be a great place to share updates, to discuss Moralinth and ask questions, give suggestions, and even throw out the odd secret or easter egg to those following the project. We're looking to mirror content on both these platforms so if you don't use Facebook or Discord, you won't be missing out by following only one of them.
Future Plans
Everything seems to be picking up steam with Moralinth, and the RLG team couldn't be happier! We're looking forward to the social media launches, hearing how the ORC License turns out, writing new content and getting playtesting packets out to those people most interested in this massive gothic-horror RPG. And of course there is the big one: bringing Moralinth to crowdfunding. We're only a tiny team and we're doing this all off our own backs, but we know our setting is worth investing in. We want all of you to tell marvellous stories you'll cherish in this strange, vibrant, sinister, otherworldly, quirky, horrific and conflicted world.
For now we're going to keep on doing what we're doing because the monster at the centre of this story needs to be fed!
....and that wraps up our update for this month! Feel free to drop us a message or come visit us on our Facebook page if you'd like! Until our next update,
Happy Gaming! - Adam
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