A tag-based cyberpunk-fantasy roleplaying game in a megacity of tech and myth, powered by City of Mist.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
City of Mist sets start shipping! First art sketches! Team on an editorial spree!
about 1 year ago
– Thu, Apr 20, 2023 at 01:46:18 PM
Hi there demonic cyber-gangsters,
Sticking to our new bi-weekly schedule, the time has come for another update!
Good News! City of Mist items for Metroverse and Immortal pledges from the US, UK, EU, or Canada have started shipping! Watch your inboxes both digital and physical for updates from the carriers. We are also looking at what we can do for other locales and for those who ordered smaller City of Mist items; this may involve some freighting games around the globe, so please bear with us.
On the Dev front, Developer Kelly, Editor Eran, and myself have started on a tight editing schedule, and have already finished first-pass editing Metro #1 ://IMAGINE and halfway through Tokyo #1 ://TOKYO-MEGACITY, which will promptly be sent for proofreading. Eran will be moving on to editing the rest of Tokyo, starting with the Key Players chapter, and probably followed by all the mini-locations and adventures.
On the designand art front, we have started working with Isago on the Immortal-tier characters. We're still waiting for a final round of feedback from the superbackers, but you can take a look at a set of sketches Isago has been working on (still very preliminary). We're also bringing on a new Project Manager for art, to catch it up with the text - more on this intrepid street samurai next time. Finally, next week we'll start a rough layout for Metro #1 using the layout design we've shown in prevous updates.
On the Codex App front, Manuel the Graphic Designer, Rajneet the HTML/CSS Master, and Nick the Full-Stack Developer are working on a major visual update for the app, and the reader specifically. We'll announce that deployment when it's ready, following which we will focus on adding the bookmarks and search functionalities.
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The :Otherscape machine is back in full motion and it's forming into a really beautiful game! We can't wait to share more of what we've been doing. Be sure to be here for the next update in two weeks.
Until then, stock up on ofuda scrolls because yokai are about to overrun the place!
Yours,
Amit
Apology for the two-month radio silence + City of Mist items shipping out (update your address!)
about 1 year ago
– Wed, Apr 05, 2023 at 06:53:46 PM
Hey there mythic Megacity dwellers!
It's been too long since our last update and so I'd like to start with an apology for taking so long to communicate the status of the project. If you've ever been in direct communication with myself (Amit) or any SoO staff, you know how much we love the community and appreciate our backers. Recent events have kept us away from our desks temporarily, but we're back on track on. Let's bring you up to speed.
Why The Radio Silence
Over the past two months, multiple members of our team (including myself, Amit) had gone through some significant turmoil or disruptions in their personal lives and needed to take some time off and/or reduce work (due to family matters, sick time, and other reasons). For an indie team with no redundancies, this confluence of bad mojo has held back project progress significantly. This has also been the reason I personally have not released any updates recently, and why others have not taken over from me.
I'm happy to say we are all back on track now and working dally to finish:Otherscape. It's been a rough patch, but it's great to be back discussing cyberpunk tropes and new mythical Sources, loadout catalogs and Self themes! We've got a great new universe and system coming, and we're excited to share more of it with you, and soon.
Recap: Our Estimates from Last Update
In our last (February) update, we estimated completing the writing by March 2023 and uploading content to the Codex App; completing the editing and PDFs layout by June 2023, and delivering the game in the summer or early fall. These delays from the original schedule were due to the sheer volume of the game (2 books + accessories), and our original, way too hopeful estimate that we would complete it in 6 months (!). While the project missed its original hyper-optimisticschedule, please note we're not yet in the one year mark since the beginning of development, which began in June 2022.
What's next?
First and foremost, we will be switching to a bi-weekly update to make sure you the backers have continuous reports on what is happening on the ground.
Second, while we missed the March deadline for the Codex App, the good news is that the current estimate has not changed by much. With almost all of the writing done, we are still planning to produce the PDFs by end of June 2023, or with a very small delay beyond that, and send out the books early in fall.
Third, for now, we're delaying more uploads to the Codex App, for two main reasons:
The Codex App is undergoing a face lift, that includes some updates to code, changes in design, and some overall enhancements to flow, so it could meet our original expectations of it.
The :Otherscape mechanics are being re-worked and finalized, so we'd like to avoid double-uploading Challenge (Danger) profiles and upload them when they are in their final form.
Fourth, having said that, in the next few weeks, we do plan on releasing other types of content. For starters, we want to release some of the pregen characters that are being created together with the IMMORTAL backers. Isago Fukuda will be working on the art for those and, once it's approved by the IMMORTAL backers, we'll be able to share these pregens with you all!
Update your shipping addresses -- your City of Mist items will ship soon!
Due to the delays, we've decided to send all City of Mist items from the :Otherscape campaign ahead of the :Otherscape goods to backers in the US, UK, EU (excluding Cyprus and Malta), and Canada. This is mostly relevant to backers from the METROVERSE or IMMORTAL tiers.
To allow us to do this, please go back to your pledge manager (BackerKit) surveys and make sure that your shipping addresses are up-to-date. Please do so before April 17th, so we can send those items out to you as soon as possible.
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That's it for now. We will be back with another update on the week starting April 17th, hopefulyl with some new art, and fresh content for the mythic cyberpunk game we're all eager to play!
Until then, keep up performing your Rituals and scratching your Itches!
-Amit and the SOO team
Local Legends is live on Kickstarter!! Tokyo:Otherscape progress update!
about 1 year ago
– Tue, Feb 14, 2023 at 09:02:05 AM
Hey there masked renegades in a (Mega)City of crime and myth!
Tokyo:Otherscape progress update
Tokyo:Otherscape is almost entirely written. Kelly is working on the last remaining parts, and Amit has a chapter to finalize in Metro:Otherscape that mostly deals with the game system. This should be finished in March 2023 and uploaded to the Codex App.
We will then focus on editing to bring the game to our usual top level of quality. While Eran has already started editing, we realistically see this game going to print around June 2023, because we really want it to be completely honed and perfected. This means it will be completely playable by then as a PDF, and physically in your hands in summer or fall 2023.
We acknowledged that the wait can be tedious, but overall, as we've expressed before, we don't think a little over a year is a bad timeline for a project in this scope (two full books and a set of accessories). The Metro and Tokyo books are a crazy treasure trove of content, which we hope you'll thoroughly enjoy playing!
Local Legends is live on Kickstarter!
As we prepare to wrap up T:O in the next few months, we're setting up our next City of Mist project, so that the writing team can continue to work more or less seamlessly (as the editing team takes on Metro and Tokyo).
Our next addition to the City of Mist and the Metroverse is now live on Kickstarter!
Local Legends, the new addition to the City of Mist library, will have 6 expanded districts, 2 totally new districts including the long-awaited Chinatown, a one-shot case for each of the 8 districts, and a host of new accessories!
Day-one backer rewards include:
Early access to new content and drafts via the Codex App
Vote for the 8th District added to the book
Plus, day-one backers of physical tiers get two custom Local Legends dice
Come and join the entire City of Mist community as we geek out over what is in store in this new mythic noir installment!
This is all from us today. We will share a new update as soon as more content is shared with you on the Codex App.
With love and gratitude,
- Omer & Amit
Dev Update + Get notified: City of Mist Local Legends launches in February!
over 1 year ago
– Thu, Jan 19, 2023 at 10:55:38 AM
Hello there, kami harnessed to the physical matrix!
We're here today to announce a new City of Mist Kickstarter, but let's start with an update TOKYO:OTHERSCAPE first!
Tokyo:Otherscape Dev Update
First thing's first: Check your Codex App! Later today we will uploaded two of five location-based mini-adventures, one set in a gang-owner bathhouse and another in the literal hive-mind of Tokoyo. As promised, we'll continue to upload to the Codex App materials that are ready for your review.
Our current goal for wrapping up writing is end of this month, and we're pushing to meet it. At the latest, we plan to have all writing done by mid-February, when we plan to launch our next Kickstarter (see next section). Following that, we'll begin the editing phase of polishing all of the content we've created and adding some connective tissue, art, and layout to create the PDF books. Currently, this is estimated to be completed in 2-3 months, at which point we'll go to print.
However, we're re-evaluating this goal daily due to the sheer volume of content we've created fro Metro and Tokyo: from gear catalogs to rapid character creation tropes, from theme kits to mini-adventures, from Dangers to locations -- this project is a true beast, and like all Son of Oak publications, it will keep you playing for months and years. While you have access to this content via the Codex App, we are going to take the time to really polish this game and make it worthy of the Son of Oak logo. So stay tuned for further updates, and keep checking the Codex App!
Get notified: City of Mist Local Legends launches in February!
As we're getting ready to wrap up the writing phase on TOKYO:OTHERSCAPE, our writing team will be ready for our next project!
It's been 3 years since the last City of Mist Kickstarter, and we've been itching to launch this one:Local Legends, a book of City of Mist districts and one-shots, is coming to Kickstarter in February!
Please take a minute to hit the Notify Me On Launch button.
WHY GET NOTIFIED? Because First Day backers get both early access to the new content via the Son of Oak Codex App and (for physical tiers) two City of Mist dice in a brand new style! Moreover, we will be voting on the 8th district of the book in the first 48hrs of the campaign, so if you want to give your input, you'll want to be there early.
What is planned for the Local Legends Kickstarter?
DISTRICTS!Local Legends will be a new sourcebook for City of Mist. It will include the existing districts but most of the content will be new: expanding on current districts with new Dangers and lore, and adding (at least) two more districts - the long-awaited Chinatown and the 8th District which will be voted on backers. Some ideas floating now are Ocean Heights (did anyone say Anatoli Vidales?) and a fey district in Lakeside Drive... Tell us in the comments: what is your top district to have as the 8th?
ONE SHOTS! In addition, Local Legends will include eight (or more) one-shot Cases, each set in its own district, which will be perfect for a single game night, such as side quests in-between story arcs or when your group has a free night.
NEWACCESSORIES! The Kickstarter will also include a set of accessories for Local Legends including dice in new styles, new pregens (one from each District), a brand new Deck of Local Legends, and more!
STRETCH GOALS! Some of the stretch goals we're planning include additional content and even additional districts, a new soundtrack, and extensive VTT support. Let us know in the comments what other stretch goals you'd like to see!
DAILY UNLOCKS! Another exciting feature we're planning for this Kickstarter is daily unlocks of new content, videos, and polls, so the campaign itself turns into a celebration of City of Mist content. We've waited to do this for a while!
So - you're invited to join us this February! Please add yourself to the followers of this campaign by hitting Notify Me On Launch :
And if you follow us on social media, spread the word!
Thank you and stay tuned for more updates soon!
-Amit and the Son of Oak team
Codex App Codes + Son of Oak 2022 End of Year Update and Survey
over 1 year ago
– Sun, Jan 01, 2023 at 03:26:25 AM
Hi there tag invokers wherever you are in the metroverse!
2022 is almost over, and City of Mist's old man Ben Newman is about to be reborn as a new Baby New again! Let's talk about the year that was and the year that will be.
Codex App Codes Sent To All Backers
First thing first: yesterday we emailed all backers (who have completed their BackerKit surveys) your access code to the Codex App. We've overcome some login issues, and now login should be piece of cake, but please note the email field is case-sensitive (it's on our list to get rid of that).
On the Codex App, you can already read the Metro setting chapter, some system basics, the themebooks (create characters!), and all of the Tokyo Key Players. Next up we'll add the adversaries, adventures, and location / mini-adventures we developed so far. Lots of content coming on the app!
We've been nominated to Most Anticipated Tabletop RPG of 2023 - probably by one of you!
What We've Been Up To in 2022
In 2022, we...
Kickstartered this mythic cyberpunk version of CoM, Tokyo:Otherscape
Worked on three games - QUEERZ!, :Otherscape, and the secret next-gen game - all of which will be coming out in 2023! If you haven't backed :Otherscape or QUEERZ!, late pledges are still open.
Developed about four large books worth of content - QUEERZ! three core books and the Adventure Anthology as well as most of Metro:Otherscape and Tokyo:Otherscape, besides lots of other goodies
Created a more adventure-focused version of the CoM engine, titled CoM:Reloaded
Built the Codex App - a new mobile platform for sharing our games with you!
What's Coming in 2023
In 2023, we plan to...
Release QUEERZ! and then :Otherscape early in the year
Upload all of our games to the Codex App
Kickstart Local Legends, a book of Districts and One Shots for City of Mist (postponed from late 2022)
Begin development of Legend In The Mist, our fantasy game using CoM:Reloaded
Launch our secret next-gen game!
Art for three Local Legends: Poseidon from Ocean Heights, Chang'e (aka Moonwraith) from Chinatown, and Rumplestiltskin from Fortune Row
Annual 1-Min Survey: Monthly Content with Patreon?
Last year we asked you what you wanted to see coming from Son of Oak in 2022 and we loved your input (you voted for :Otherscape and Local Legends, both of which went to the top of our list).
With the growing Metroverse and all these game lines aching for more content, we're considering launching a new monthly content subscription via Patreon. Check out this 1-min survey and let us know if you're interested:
(If you're subscribed for email updates from us, you may have also received this survey in email format. Answering either is good; we'll take out duplicates later.)
That's it from us for 2022. Thank you for being here with us and making it so incredible! We wish you an even better 2023 with lots of creative FREEDOM in your TTRPGs and hope to continue to share our journey with you for another year ❤️
