Between Clouds - A Roleplaying Game of Flying Beasts

Week 11 - Book Pages, Playtesting and more!
almost 2 years ago – Sat, Jul 16, 2022 at 02:23:56 PM

Greetings Symbiotes! 

So um, what happened to the Week 10 update huh? Guess I was so busy that I didn't even notice it pass, which is good!(?) I've been hard at work on the book itself, focusing my time on formatting, organization, and mechanical clarity. It's rather tedious work, but necessary. Already the game is around 170 pages in length, and I still have so much artwork that needs to be added as well as the lovely landmarks, Symbiotes and Kirin that you all have contributed. I'll need to maximize page space if I hope to stay under my limit and printing budget, but that just means the final copies will be packed with good content :)

Aside from that I've been enjoying my summer, what fun! Hiking, baseball, nights out; what more could I ask for. Only 18 days remain until the beta is set to release (omg that's so soon), and I can't wait to share it with you all! Come find me on twitter or instagram or Tiktok (mostly just being trans on there lol) and stop by the Discord if you haven't already. Cheers! 

Smooth sailing,

Andi <3 

Week 9 - Biomes
almost 2 years ago – Wed, Jun 29, 2022 at 02:56:02 PM

Greetings Symbiotes, 

How is everyone doing? Last week I continued to flesh out travel mechanics and Biomes, adding those components into the book and formatting it for your aesthetic pleasure! As it is, the game should be playable without a prewritten campaign or plot hook, as well as having the flexibility to integrate handmade content wherever the Storyteller sees fit. This week I'm diving back into Powers and Mutations. In the past they've given me grief, and I think space was necessary to sort out my thoughts on a few lingering questions. We only have one month left until the beta launches (for real this time), I can't wait to share it with you all! <3 

Anyways, I hope you all had a BIG, GAY, and FABULOUS PRIDE!! This was my first year going to Pride (believe it or not) and my life was changed forever (for the gayer). If you haven't yet, feel free to stalk my Twitter and Instagram, or join the Discord server to chat with others when the beta drops! That's all for now, cheers! :) 

Smooth sailing,

Andi 

Week 8 - Travel!
almost 2 years ago – Thu, Jun 23, 2022 at 10:10:57 PM

Greetings Symbiotes! 

How is everyone doing? Last week I worked on travel mechanics, an essential part of the core gameplay loop for Between Clouds. Fighting monsters is cool and all, but I'm much more interested in exploration, discovery, and a sense of scale that players can experience, as well the ways that dangerous weather and shifting climates affect the people of Empyrea. The mechanics involve randomization, allowing for session content to be spontaneously generated, while still providing room for Storytellers to weave their own plots and narratives around the family. 

This week I'm going to be cleaning up some artwork for the beta version, as well as focusing on accessories for Symbiotes and saddle upgrades for Kirin. I'm trying to make these elements, especially the accessories, unique to Between Clouds, and more than just common or mundane equipment. Anyways, just a little more than a month until the beta drops and I couldn't be more excited! As always, check out my twitter or instagram and join the Discord if you haven't! Cheers! :) 

Smoothing sailing,

Andi <3 

Week 7 - Maps and Stuff!
almost 2 years ago – Mon, Jun 13, 2022 at 10:36:28 PM

Greetings Symbiotes,

How is everyone doing? Last week was good for me. I spent the majority of my time thinking about Empyrea, what life is like on it, and how to travel across it! You can see my early, grayscale interpretation of the map below, hopefully I'll have a color version for you all soon! You also may notice open space in between the biomes. This 'uncharted sky' will be filled in by the Symbiotes as they travel, adding a little chaos to the map and making it unique for each playthrough. The map is also missing key cities right now, I'm waiting to do more work on the world's factions before I place those. In terms of artwork, I didn't quite plan ahead for the book's aspect ratio, so I've been slowly going back through and expanding some of my previous illustrations function better as full-page chapter art, as seen above. 

Not much to report beyond that, but I couldn't be more excited to get this game to you all. Only 48 days remaining! (Yes I finally learned how to count) Feel free to drop by our Discord or follow me Twitter and Instagram. Cheers! :) 

Best wishes,

Andi 

Week 6 - I lied!
almost 2 years ago – Wed, Jun 08, 2022 at 08:44:10 AM

Greeetings Symbiotes! 

If you read my last update, and if you aware of how calendars work, you may have noticed that the beta release is set for July, and that the update was posted in May. THUS, we still have two months (54 days to be exact) not one, until the beta releases. Sorry for the false alarm! If anyone knows how to use a calendar please DM me, I am in the process of learning. 

Moving on from that little hiccup, I've been hard at work on the meat and bones of Between Clouds, tinkering with mechanics and transcribing all of the worldbuilding in my head out onto the page. It's been difficult, but fun! Sadly this means that there is a scarce little to share for art this week, but you can see one of my warmup doodles above. 

Final note, you all will be receiving another email from Backerkit, but don't worry, it's not homework! The email you're getting is a fun little page featuring stats and metrics from the campaign, pertaining to both your pledge and the game's funding at large. Give it a look, I think it's kind of cool! As always feel free to reach out to me on here, by email, or anywhere you please on our Discord server. That's all for now, cheers! :)

Smooth sailing,

Andi <3