Defy the Gods is alive!


Hi Reader,

It's good to see you again. Please, sit down—let me move these stacks of paper. And these. I'll put them—somewhere. On the sofa.

As you can see, this place has been a hive of activity since the Kickstarter launched on Tuesday. I meant to get together with you before now, but there's just been so much to do.

Oh hey, didn't I tell you? The Kickstarter is live! If you haven't already, please go check it out—including all the art I'm showing off there.

Yesterday, Jay Dragon released a Patreon post warning about the complexity of large projects—saying, "Heed my warning wary travelers, and beware the allure of the big game. It will envelop you and there will be nothing left." It's so true. I identify with what Jay says...and also with the impulse that led Jay to make big games anyway. I'm glad it's not just me.

As Cat Tobin, my Horizons mentor, wryly told me today, "You're living the dream." Not to mention living up to the "Hectic" in my brand name!

But enough about me. On Wednesday, I revealed the cover art for the special edition of Defy the Gods, and I wanted to make sure you saw the mockup. Isn't it beautiful? The whole game in one image—an embrace of sword and sorcery in the midst of destruction. Thalie has such a sense for these characters.

Now go tell your friends about the Kickstarter. Tell your enemies!

Cheers,
Chrys

Everlasting, Neverending Game Night

🌈🚀 Reliable wonder engine. I make narrative role-playing games that imagine a weirder, queerer, more connected world.

Read more from Everlasting, Neverending Game Night
Four illustrations from the book

Hi Reader, Welcome! Please, come in. There's still a few patches of snow on the ground—winter coming in fits and starts. How are you? Me? A weight is off my shoulders—Defy the Gods is at the printer. You can read more about it in the breathless Kickstarter update I sent out yesterday. In fairness, I was feeling breathless. Or like I was just starting to exhale. The printer is reviewing the files. They'll send a report by the end of the week. I'm gonna pay half the print cost soon, with an...

Art for Defy the Gods: scorpion demon, crab city, civic festival, and a thief in the marketplace.

Hi Reader, Welcome! Please come in. It's rainy and blowy outside, and someone said we could get snow. But it's toasty in here. On the table, we have a pile of decorative gourds. I marked numbers on them with a Sharpie so you can roll them like dice. After months of frenzied work on Defy the Gods, I'm suddenly left with nothing to do. The text is complete, the book is laid out. We're waiting on the index and the last four pieces of art—out of 75! Sometime in the next 10 days, we'll submit the...

sketch of four cards with a human figure or sword strikes, divided into nine grid squares. Defy the Gods looms faintly underneath.

Hi Reader, Welcome! Please come in, sit down. Have some cold fizzy water—it's way too hot out there. On the table are echinacea blooms—they're back! Since the Defy the Gods Kickstarter wrapped, I've been keeping a low profile. Writing the text, fixing things, finishing sections that were rough. I mean, that's what I'm doing now. At first, I just took the weekend off. Went to a movie. I found myself working on an old card game idea—a fast-paced sword duel played in real time instead of turns....