Major Updates & We Are Nominated for Tabletop Awards
over 2 years ago – Tue, Nov 14, 2023 at 06:31:10 AM

Hello all, 

We have been quite silent for a month or so - focusing on crafting Era of the Crusades' various sections, and more importantly, rebuilding our studio and our content creation tools, capabilities from the ground up. 

So, we wanted to take the time to go through what we have changed, what we have developed, and what we have in store for the future! 

But before that, WE ARE CELEBRATING!

We Have Two Nominations at Tabletop Awards 2023!

Yesterday, we found out that we were nominated to not one, but two categories at Tabletop Awards 2023: 

Historica Arcanum: Herald of Rain is nominated for the Best Art,

and Metis Creative is nominated for the Rising Star: Publisher. 

Needless to say, we are over the moon - to be recognized by the tabletop community, and be placed among the publishers, creators and artists that we were inspired by, feels awesome. And this is thanks to you guys. Without your love and support, we couldn't have done it!

One last thing, if you could take the time to vote for Historica Arcanum for the People's Choice award, we would appreciate it immensely. 

You can do so by just typing Historica Arcanum to the Award Entry form here. 

Era of the Crusades Updates

We have been hard at work at Era of the Crusades. During the last two months, we have finished a good chunk of the sourcebooks - in terms of both design, and content. 

First up, what we call the ''Design Codex'' is finished. This means that we now have the templates for almost a hundred unique page designs for Era of the Crusades. Now, all our efforts will be concentrated on bringing you kickass art pieces and written content.

Secondly, written content. The most important sections that we finished, internally playtested, and submitted to editing are; Subclasses, Deck of the Damned, and Character Builder. The first two will also get a public playtest once we finish their artworks. 

Lastly, we just received unprinted mockups for the boxes, slip-cases, and hand-outs. They are absolutely amazing - well above what we initially showcased in the Kickstarter. Once we lock-in designs, we will post videos here. Minds will be blown!

Metis Creative Updates

The last two months also saw us refining our identity and our creation methods as a studio.

We are moving to a bigger studio. Our previous office couldn't keep up with the sheer awesomeness of a rising tabletop studio. So, we made the move to expand our studio into a much bigger office! The moving and setting up took some time - but we are finally ready to unveil what we call Metis 2.0.

New Website on the Way! We wanted to refine your experience in our webstore - and how you interact with Historica Arcanum content. So, we are building a new website from the ground up. You can check our metismedia.net to see the progress so far. 

More content, more often! With the new studio, we focused on building a full on set to bring you new Historica Arcanum content more often. This includes lore and gameplay deep dives, roundtable discussions, and developer diaries, in the video form. We still have some time until we are fully ready, but once the content starts flowing - it won't stop!

Phew, that was a massive update to go through! Don't forget to follow our Instagram and our Discord to catch up with what we are working on.

Lots of Love from the upcoming Metis 2.0,

Sarp - Producer

Pledge Manager Update: Smoke Test is Out!
over 2 years ago – Fri, Oct 13, 2023 at 02:29:41 AM

Hello everyone,

We finalized the pledge manager and sent out the Smoke Test! This means that %5 of our backers have received an email with instructions on how to finalize their pledge. 

If you are within that %5, please submit your surveys and pledge information, and let us know if anything is missing or broken. 

Bear in mind that there is a chance that you will encounter problems, especially when it comes to calculating shipping fees and taxes. If that happens, you can let us know and we can take a look!

Once we fix any issues and bugs we encounter in the smoke test, we will send the Pledge Manager link to everyone!

More information and public playtests are coming soon.

Cheers,

Metis Creative Team

First Post-Campaign Update: Pledge Manager & Future Historica Arcanums Survey Reveal
over 2 years ago – Thu, Oct 05, 2023 at 04:54:00 AM

Hello everyone,

Now that the dust settled on the typhoon that was the Era of the Crusades campaign, we got to work in finalizing the Pledge Manager.

Everything is now ready - we are waiting for BackerKit to give us the greenlight to start sending all of you the surveys. We may take a week or so to also collect responses from our Smoke Test to fix any additional errors we might encounter. 

The Future of Historica Arcanum Survey

Remember the survey with the hundreds of answers where we asked you what would you like to see in the next Historica Arcanum campaign?

We compiled all the answers, matched them with the lore that we already created for our Historica Arcanum Codex.  In the end, we created a series of answers you will have a really hard time choosing from. 

For our next Historica Arcanum campaign - we are also considering creating not only our traditional Setting & Adventure twin books - but also a new line of content: A Massive Megadungeon sourcebook.

So, browse the potential futures of the Historica Arcanum, discuss and argue with your fellow adventurers to embolden your favorite answer - until the day of the Survey comes!

SETTING: Age of Renaissance and the Mediterranean Pirates: A thriller set in the Venetian Republic and the Pirate Council of Barbarossa.

SETTING: The Quintessential Rome: War of the First Triumvirate and the eldritch secrets behind the Assassination of Julius Caesar.

SETTING: Mongolian Invasion of Japan: The Aftermath of the Typhoon and the clash between the Noyan and the Samurai.

SETTING: Fall of Troy: A journey into the depths of Historica Arcanum lore, set in the legendary siege that created the epic of Illiad.

SETTING: Fall of Constantinople: The end of the Roman Empire, and the eldritch secrets of the Imperial City, unleashed in a desperate last stand.

SETTING: The Witch Trials of Salem: The old world, fighting for survival in the new, with occult conspiracies afoot.

SETTING: The Byzantium of Justinian: The Roman origins of the City of Crescent, Nike Riots, the War of Belisarius and the Shahmeran Conspiracy.

MEGADUNGEON: The Hunt for the the Lord Impaler: As the Janissaries push deeper into Wallachia, the Imperial army realizes that their muskets and cannons are no match for the Dark Voivoda. So, arcane specialists and monster hunters are hired to end the threat once and for all.

MEGADUNGEON: The Tower of Babylon crumbles under the reality-breaking power of a forbidden ritual. Survivors must fight through the ruins of the city, and face off against eldritch horrors, drawn to the lure of unbridled magic.

MEGADUNGEON: Library of Alexandria burns, and with it, the knowledge of the Ancient World, Spells and Eldritch Threats are being frayed from the face of the Earth. Save what you can, find the culprit, and get out - preferably alive.

MEGADUNGEON: Journey to the Depths of Giza: an expeditionary force under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte is set to dig out the secrets buried under the dunes. Was this a wise course of action remains to be seen.

MEGADUNGEON: Tomb of Agamennon and the Cretan Labyrinth: A team of archeologists, occultists and cryptozoologists enter the recently unveiled Labyrinth. The secrets of the Island's Mycenian past, and the damning knowledge of just what was locked away within the infinite corridors lays bare for the daring, and the foolhardy.

Good luck choosing! We will keep you updated on all news regarding the Pledge Manager, the cool new stuff and techniques we are cooking in the studio, and everything related to the World of Historica Arcanum. 

Best Wishes,

Metis Creative Team

The Campaign is Officially Over - Thank You All!
over 2 years ago – Fri, Sep 22, 2023 at 10:04:16 AM

Hello, everyone,

We're bursting with excitement and gratitude! Your incredible support has not only fully funded our project but has propelled us beyond our wildest dreams by shattering most of our stretch goals. From the bottom of our hearts, we want to say a massive thank you!

Era of the Crusades is our most ambitious campaign to date, and the setting is very exciting for the whole team, especially for our historians! The Crusades have always been a topic that piqued our interest for years. We are glad to have had the chance to delve into it thanks to you!

Your love and support mean the world to us, and we're truly touched by your belief in what we're creating. As the veterans of the previous Historica Arcanum settings know, we're not just making a 5e supplement; we're crafting a massive tale and setting in all the Historica Arcanum sagas, and we're determined to make Era of the Crusades an absolute beast!

From this day forward, we will begin releasing our Developer Diaries, "Draw With Me" videos, here in the project updates and our socials. Additionally, keep an eye out for our playtests; you might get a sneak peek at what the new game mechanics look like before anyone else. Join our Discord to ask questions, mingle, and receive fresh content directly from our design table.

So, here's to you, our fantastic community! Your enthusiasm fuels our passion, and we can't wait to take you on this incredible journey with us. Get ready for an adventure like no other, and rest assured, it's going to be one of the TTRPGs you've ever laid your eyes and hands on!

With boundless thanks and excitement,

Metis Creative Studio Team

The End of the Hunt - Archvillain of Era of the Crusades: REVEALED
over 2 years ago – Thu, Sep 21, 2023 at 04:55:07 AM

Two lunar cycles ago you uncovered auguries, revealing glimpses into the identity of the Archvillain, lurking in the shadows of the Holy Lands.

TOWER, GREATNESS.

MOTHER, HARLOT.

ABOMINATION, EARTH.

Many hunters were led astray, many fell to the lull of false promises and eldritch corruption. Names were drawn and accusing fingers pointed, both to the restless dead and the accursed living. 

Through missives and chapters found in the old tomes of Historica Arcanum, a wider picture was revealed. One that originates from an era much more ancient than the years of the Crusade.

The Holy Lands are indeed venerable, and her history hosts arcane secrets, archaic and forgotten: The bloodline of the Dragons, a family broken by ambition and conquest, a civilization broken by hubris, and a matriarch plotting her return from her exile.

Alas, Behold: Mystery, Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots, and Abominations of the Earth.

The Matriarch, risen over her grafted steed of five aspects of the Dragon, the kindled blood of Sargon, Chosen of the Mother Ishtar & She Who Was Banished by Darius.