The Round Table of Camelyn

There is a forthcoming development to the site, as we'll be adding a section on Red Mist shortly. This is a 1 to 10 player narrative skirmish game set in Inis Fael. Link is here: https://gamefound.com/en/projects/triskelion-games/the-thinning-veil---red-mist

I've finished the rulebook for the game, but have not started the campaign book yet, though many ideas for it are in note form. Playtesting has begun, all the card decks are written save for the full extent of Twilight cards and some tables. Sculpts for Red Mist are coming along well, I've been showing some painted examples as I work through some painting commission commitments I agreed to in order to secure some prototypes! Cormac is going well, and the printing for the Printed Pledges is in full swing. I will move on to the painted pledges as soon as I have honoured my commitment to the UK firm.

I've almost finished the card decks for Denizens of Midnight, and am on the final drafts for Cormac scenarios. 'A Reiver's Tale' will form the lion's share of the work in terms of game development going forward. We'll have some news on that front soon.

I hope you're all well, and looking forward to the project development as the world of the Thinning Veil begins to open up for you to explore!

Red Mist will now launch with full production in China, including miniature content. We're going to go for it and see what happens!

Been a busy few weeks since the close of the campaign. As we are readying for the opening of the late pledges on Tuesday, I find myself in the midst of the mist. It is red and there is an air of menace. I suspect violence could break out tonight at any moment. Which means I am working with InDesign again... Venerable Knight has set up the 75 mm Collectible range on Only Games division of My Mini Factory for print on demand collectible miniatures in grand scales! This includes a display piece of the Murder Crow from the original Kickstarter. Hopefully we'll get back to that game with a chance of funding it one day, but that day doesn't seem any closer from this vantage point (in the mists). I've completed the final draft of 'Raised by Wolves', 'The King in the Crypt' and 'Reaper's Hollow' since end of the campaign, and am half way through 'The Shadow Within' which concludes the Young Cormac adventures for the Cormac game. Given we want to have a prototype of Red Mist we can show off at Tabletop Scotland, I've been working on that too, and have written the bulk of the rulebook, or at least 50% of it. Paul and I have worked hard on the art for the game, to include a battle arena or two based on Henning's tiles, and utilising the Crypt. We've designed icons for the Warbands and I've created card backs for all the decks for the game. As far as the Warbands are concerned, the game contains Headhunters and Berserkers - two very aggressive warbands, guaranteeing optimum carnage. The bands each contain 1 Chief, 1 Spiritual Advisor, and 3 Warriors. Additionally the game will include six Crypt Ghouls (as seen in Reiver during our Cormac campaign). We hope to unlock some additional miniature content to surprise you with enemies interrupting even the best laid of plans.

I've written the rules and attributes for the Warbands and each character, and written the warband skill decks, the traits and talents decks and am now working on Items and Spells. Paul's created a few spells for the deck too! Our problem is that in a world where there are many skirmish games, Red Mist has a lot of competition and people will inevitably ask ' what makes this one different?' or 'why do I need this, what makes it special?' to which there is no actual good answer. The truth doesn't sell. Red Mist is a skirmish game and you absolutely don't need it. If you consider the basic needs for survival, board games are not among them. If I had to answer and I inevitably will have to answer this question or one like it. I'd say Red Mist is unique as it is the only skirmish game set in Inis Fael, and it has a narrative which evolves as the game does, around what you are doing. You might even find in the end, that your goal in the final round is quite a departure from when you set out. What you end up wanting to do may be poles apart from what you thought you were about when the battle began. I don't know another skirmish game that does that. Maybe there is one. There are so many and I've only played about 20 of them over my lifetime. Red Mist introduces enemies into the fray which can really mess you up and we're working on an A.I app you can use instead of rolling dice and drawing cards. Some of them are malicious entities, unseen beings, others are demons manifest. Now this latter happens only if we get unlocks.

Also Red Mist can be played solo. Your warband gains skills, traits, talents, items and spells. You increase your level as you gain souls and renown, becoming more and more feared. A Known Man. Even Crysanthe of the Ways can be a Known Man. There can be power in her name, much as there can that of MacAoghan Flesheater. In the world of the Red Mist it's deeds set you apart and put weight to your name, not what's between your legs.

As always, I hope we can bring you more warbands for Red Mist in time, to include the Harbingers, an all female warrior caste of the War Goddess. There is a Harbinger Hero type in Crypt of the Charnel Court. That's another game we've completed development on, with only a few scenarios to write. But we want that game to include miniatures and we don't attract the support needed to fund a game that will be as expensive as Court or Veil yet...

So back to Red Mist and miniatures. We're thinking about exploring UK production, to print on demand, adding our own 3d printed miniatures if we can get good packaging from our manufacturers. Then we'll order in dice from China, print up the minis, travel to the factory and add the dice and minis to each game individually.

If we hit a decent level of funding we will switch to China and PVC production with ABS parts using steel moulds. Do you think people will be cool with that if we state this upfront? Because I don't think we'll fund if we need to cover $20,000+ of mould costs before we get out of the gate on production of units. Or we will, but all the money will go on steel moulds and we'll make no profit at all. We are looking at maybe getting 75 backers at this point, based on Cormac conversion rates, where we went in with 2,570 followers and got 292 backers. Obviously we'll hope to improve that picture before launch. But you have to be realistic about these things. However much it hurts.

The above model would mean we could do as we have done, but with no printed pledges, the printing would be included until we hit that stretch goal which would open up Chinese production on miniatures.

Stretch Goals will be additional warband skills and combats cards, additional trap cards, shrine powers, and talents, items and so on.

What does Camelyn say to this?

Thank you for the Rulebook Paul. I've already started modifying the new content in the French version while translating to Spanish.

As for the comics, I should have been more specific but I was short of time: I was giving you two examples of what in my opinion are absolute works of art made without modern technologies. My point is more, for comic, that using a computer, you still need to know drawing techniques. On the contrary, using more than 50% AI is something different, that I wouldn't appreciate personnaly as art. As for your argument about the author feeling free to develop the story because they would not need to draw the same background again and again, well, I suppose that is why most authors work in pairs: it is a synergy between a scenarist and a graphics artist. Few do both, but anyway in my opinion it is their job and what they love, no matter the time it takes. I will not enter in the commercial debate since I do not have enough knowledge about that, and it is not something new, just reinforced by AI I think.

As any new technology, the issue is how you use it, not the tech itself. What bothers me most, in the case of ChatGPT, is thinking about WHO created it, with all the cultural and economical bias it implies. And ot still does a lot of basic mistakes: you certainly have noticed that a few weeks ago Gamefound started offering other languages than English in their platform. I already have detected several big "horrors" in French and Spanish, and I told them. They said "thank you, we use an AI and the help of native backers". Well, no comment... So I can guarantee you my translations are 100% "nuts free".

Anyway, it is a great debate (in the end we are in and it is my fault!) and a very necessary one, because it is the first time a tool is ment to be a substitute not for our workforce (machines), nor our memory (internet, and that is proving to be a big issue in my job), but our very imagination and creativity. Yes, I say "replacing", because Homo Sapiens is lazy, and he always goes the esiaest way. My biggest fear is that AI will create a big "chasm" between the few that will still know how to do things, and a mass of people hipnotized by screens and virtual friends. Yes, I know, to much Orwell, to much Black mirror, but sometimes I am glad I do not have any children!

Going back to work, have a great day!

I have to say I really admire you trying and discover how AI works in your "sector", especially considering we are the same age (Too old to Rock'n'Roll, too young to die, as Ian Anderson said long time ago!). As a teacher, this year has been particularly interesting, confusing, puzzling and self-questioning: I have discovered I could ask ChatGPT to prepare my classes, structure the exams and correct them, translate any proof so I can "steal" activities from my English, German, Italian and Spanish (as a foreign language) colleagues... Anything! For short, I could be payed to do almost nothing. Is this how I see my job? Definitely not. Am I in any way saying you or John Howe (I don't know about Alan Lee) are wrong? Not at all. As anybody, I'm trying to adapt to a world going faster and faster.

But still, for comics, I stick to my opinion, because of this https://www.bedetheque.com/serie-4-BD-Peter-Pan-Loisel.html or that https://www.bedetheque.com/serie-42820-BD-Wika.html (or Miyazaki, as you wrote about Disney). No AI, not even computer, no way! Artists don't need to rush. As for TTRPG, well, a friend of mine started to use ChatGPT to prepare his adventures. Result? Boring and unpersonal, and he is on of the best Game Masters I've ever known.

No more philosophy for today, let's just say that Humanity is facing one of its biggest challenge ever and I'm not sure what's going to happen in the next years. The choice is ours.

And yes, yes, "marsterrrrr" (whipping noises), I go back to my translations!

Thank you, Paul, for your transparency about A.I. You are absolutely right it has been a tool used for a long time in graphic design. As for me, without opening any debate, I am "old school" and I won't accept it for a comic or any kind of illustration book, since an artist selling this kind of work should be 100% behind it. On the other hand, even if I always will prefer 100% natural (no pun intended), I understand it helps game designers a lot. I think the most important is being honest about it, as you are, and try to always give a nice personal touch, because it really could make the difference in crowdfunding: a different visual is always more attractive than a "meh, already seen the same kind of pictures a thousand times...".

As for schooling you on your English, please, don't make me blush, I have nothing to schooling you on. In any case, I was just pointing out some sentence that my French brain found hard to process, and that clearly is not a very valid argument!😂😉

The question of whether we delay or not is probably moot now, as we were late getting some files in and so the prototypes lacked a few vital components. Our immense gratitude to the printers concerned as they pulled some hours for us during the Christmas period and we'll have the missing bits probably tomorrow or day after. Everything we have recieved is so good it is literally production quality in my view.

So with that being the case, we may be on track for end of Jan / Middle of Feb. It's all good, it doesn't matter really. We simply want the prototypes we have which are being sent out to reach the content creators concerned and for them to cover the game. That's what matters.

We are using the time to develop the idea of standees whether they be cardboard or acrylic. I actually prefer the round tokens to either, as I like the top down view it creates. Given the choice, as you all know, I'd rather do a miniatures game - but we are a first time creator and must establish ourselves, both with trade partners for retail and otherwise, to prove we can deliver on a product to backers. When we can assure numbers to justify paying the cost of steel moulds, then happy days. Until then, my objective, and ours as a company, is to get this game out. We have invested a great deal into the game, and we know it will only improve over time. Did anyone here play D&D in 1978 or earlier? It got better. Then it got worse again (4th). Then it got better again (5th). But the point is anything like this benefits with playtests, feedback and development. Going through this process is excellent as you learn so much. I am learning all the time and loving that.

So all this means I still need to write 2 scenarios to complete the game. I have them structured, and it should be a lot of fun putting them together and then finishing the Scenario Book. In the meantime I hope to be collaborating with and assisting where necessary those who feature the game on their respective YouTube channels. The difference this makes for us is going to be huge, obviously, and more influential for the project than any amount of conventions we might visit.

That said, we are going to be at some of those in 2024. Mostly Paul and I, though we'll have a few more with us (we are thinking Paul, Paul, Demon, Trine and myself) for UKGE. We are very unlikely to have anything to sell of any sort for that, so it will be demo games of Cormac only, but we are looking forward to it. It would be better if we were able to show off something more, but there is only so much time between now and then. I have a plan, but even an optimist would wonder if it can be implemented. I'll for sure try.

We are working with Ser Gregoire on translations. He and his wife have been astonishing and we will find a means to reward that. He has even been schooling me on my English at times, and bless his patience for that much, it is definitely improving the product. I know 100% full well how much the rulebook alone has improved and is about to continue to, resultant of his work and feedback. Not to say our playtesters and proofreaders have not likewise given us valuable feedback.

Wow, this is getting rather long again. We are preparing a few extra bits on the site: one is a section dedicated to the Cormac series and one is a section on A.I art, hybrid art, and the future as we see it. As I stated in the early days of the Thinning Veil, our artbook was not just to be an artbook. It was to be what I considered a portfolio, of design and the journey to realising a board game. Challenges, pitfalls, things to be prepare for, things that may seem obvious to some but were not to me, and so on. I think, given what I know it was to contain, that it would have been quite prophetic, though at the time I had no idea quite how quickly it would transpire to be so!

I'm well aware it is a divisive topic, and our focus was on the game itself during the second campaign as we pushed to get the project realised. Some people, I think on BGG, wondered if we did not mention the A.I art we used during that run because of a perceived negative backlash from anti - A.I art people. It is actually down to the fact that by then it was not a new subject and we were posting every day about the new unlocks. It didn't even occur to us to drive that conversation forward and talk about the art specifically. We are, in house, all aligned in our thoughts regarding it, and that's by the by. We have artists we have employed who have strong feelings about A.I and would rather it never be used, and we have artists who are excited about it, and those who are indifferent. Whatever the perspective of each individual, we think it best to include on our site our journey and experience with it, and how we see it developing.

The Thinning Veil, at this time, is really three games with a shared setting and unique tales. TTV, Crypt of the Charnel Court, and Cormac. Each of them has some A.I use and each of them has also artists used. So if a person absolutely will not purchase or support a product with A.I art, then we feel it important to let people know. Like a warning label 'may contain nuts' is important to those who have a nut allergy.

The reality is that A.I has been used for many years in the production of media and you'd be hard pressed to find something that categorically uses none. There are A.I tools used in graphic design software, for example, and I would imagine every graphic designer uses them. Ultimately how we define art and artists is very subjective also, and not a field I want to get involved in debating or arguing. That said I'm happy to discuss my journey with it and ours, and then if people choose not to support us, that is of course, their absolute right.

🤤

So we did it. We got the Scenario Book done in time for the deadline. It contains Tutorial 1,2 & 3! It also has Scenario 1 & 2 of the adventure game included. I'll be writing 3 & 4 soon as we need to get the Scenario Book finished for proofing and translation.

Have heard Conan launches the 16th, campaign called Red Nails. So the question is, do we carry on or delay until Feb to avoid clashing? We can't come forward as we need the prototypes to reach content creators with time enough for them to do something with them.

The Scenario Overview, Tutorial 1 and Tutorial 2 are written and we're putting them in InDesign now.

We are now going through final formatting of the rulebook based on proofreading and feedback from several sources, in house and out. We are in the process of prototyping, and have secured coverage from our favourite YouTube personalities. We are working hard on our Scenario Book and the first Tutorial is in and formatted. I am mid way through the next two in a series of those and the first two scenarios for influencers are finished in design and need to get all this final and formatted in Indesign! Then we can go to print while work on the artbook with a special feature or two.

The rulebook is now complete, save for the Index section which I will compile once I have attended to a few other matters, hopefully with some progress or to completion, today. Scenarios are in playtests.

With the invaluable assistance of Ser Gregoire, we are catching some card corrections and our proof readers are getting back to us in regards to the rulebook. In the meantime we are 5 pages of graphical elements from a finished rulebook, then we compile the Index and that's a wrap for now on that. In the meantime, I am developing the Scenario Book and that's going at pace. The Scenario Overview is finished as are the more detailed instructions. In fact it is at present time ready for the Tutorial to go in and the Scenarios which follow. So then when the design work is done and all the scenarios finished, we move it all to InDesign and move on to the Artbook and, hopefully, the French & Spanish translations! And perhaps also a Chinese translation! We shall see.

To let you all know, I have written the rulebook for Cormac. It is a significant re-write and overhaul of the previous fledgling effort. We hope it meets industry standard!

Ser Gregoire, you shall see it first for translation purposes. The original rulebook was 36 pages. We are on page 14 transferring the rulebook I have written to InDesign, and we are moving as fast as we can.

Good evening! I've been wanting to ask that a few days ago and just remembered: is there a way to improve the sound of the video in the project? The voice is absolutely great, so it's a pity it doesn't sound more like the classic Conan movie beginning! Yes, I know you have already a lot to do!😉

Hi Paul!

I've just seen the "Come back next week..." sentence in the project page. It's a good traditional cliffhanger indeed, but... you're aware you can do pre-campaign updates in GF, are you? Well, you most probably are, but you also have a lot to think about, so just in case! People usually like this GF functionality (me included!), and in a few days "next week" could be confusing. Have a nice saturday night fever! (and sorry if I'm a bit too "present" everywere, I'm probably too hyped!)

Good morning, Wizard!

I've just seen you updated the project page with price and content, and I think offering print & play is great. As for STL, I've already a lot of files in my computer from other games but I'm still missing the 3D printer, hahaha! Anyway, I just wanted to be sure if the mini(s) for this small game will be physically available as an add-on (I may have read something about this in the comments but I'm not completely sure). Otherwise, I'll go to a shop offering 3D printing service or ask a friend in France, but STL files aren't still very attractive to me. That doens't mean of course I find it a bad idea, on the contrary. We just don't have room for another device (to many games!!!). Thank you and keep up with the updating, we already are past half-way for the first 1,000 followers!

So what's going on?

The Thinning Veil (TTV) is relaunching next year but we're not pinning down a date, a preview page will go up soon.

Crypt of the Charnel Court(Crypt) is benched for now, but complete all but for 2 STLs and 1 piece of art. Then there's the 10 scenarios to write up, transforming outlines into glorious adventures!

Cormac is at the preview page stage on Gamefound and the social media campaign is gearing up. We are aiming for mid Jan, but it might be late Jan by the time it's all in place. I'm relaxed about that.

What have I been up to since completing the Maimed King? What's Paul been doing? What's the other Paul been doing? Well, the other Paul is largely concerned with manufacturing and logistics as he is for all our projects. He looks after me, and us, financially. Makes sure we have our facts and figures sorted. As for Paul, of Venerable Knight fame, he has been very busy! He's responsible for all the lovely token sheets and the print & play pack assembly, for Cormac. He's also been learning more photoshop, InDesign & Illustrator, among other things. He's been 3dprinting a lot of minis too lately!

What have I been doing? Well, I have been working on the logistics too, and with manufacturers also, and with our sculptor for the miniatures for Cormac. I am looking to getting a few more pieces of art from Ludolpho, who is our artist for Cormac. Maybe a few more enemies and a token or two. He's largely done, and we have used concept art he made for his own personal projects and entertainment too. It is always good to get to know new artists.

I wrote all the new card content for Cormac, which contains 120 cards. 24 of those are new skill cards, for Cormac & Grainne (the latter in case we break that Stretch Goal). There is an all new themed Twilight deck for Cormac also. I have written all the Enemy Scrolls. Not just written, but I have created the InDesign files for all these. Which helped Paul...

Because another thing Paul's done is print up all the card decks I've created, and as of this past evening we have a full prototype at the House of Triskelion. So after a round of socials and planning, I'll be writing everything for the scenarios from the outlines and using all this stuff to realise the game in my head! It will be truly epic! I am also involved in a terrific secret project, which I am very excited about! More about that another time!

Blessed Be

The Citadel of Sin, being the concluding part of the Maimed King, is now finished as of this evening! 100% complete! Took a little longer than I expected but it grew from 1 scenario to 4 scenarios with a forked central path. I think it now provides Nightmare Mode players with a very cool and epic challenge. I'll give you more details in time, but who can say when the Nightmare Mode will be relevant. I only know it one day will be, and this was a planned Unlock which is now realised in complete detail.

Obviously when we settle on the format for scenarios and Book of Revelations, all the finished written material will have to be put into InDesign and that will itself take a long while. That's what will be happening post-funding I think. It largely depends on time. If I get the time I'll be using it.

For now Cormac Mac Airt and a few other projects are going to keep me more than occupied. I can draw a line under the Maimed King though, and know I have not risked any of the ideas for it escaping me. Also we can give Nightmare Mode some epic and rewarding playtests, and have some fun with this game! So far Nightmare Mode is brutal but fair, and can be won. It can also be lost quite tragically and comedically...

Hey Paul! Just followed Cormac Mac Airt on GF! I've got one tiny suggestion (comparing with other campaign. Maybe the "catch text" should be shorter since tis is the same text as below. I don't know, but maybe something shorter in text but wider in content could be more attractive for new potential backers: what is the "Thinning Veil world"? This game is complete but at the same time is kind of a teaser for future campaigns. Let's see what other friends think about that! Soooooo happy to see it on Gamefound!

Back from Iceland, and back to work, the Cage in the Crypt is now 100% written up, and the revised Hawklon Reach is also updated and the narrative re-writes to accommodate the changes have all been made. So the Maimed King campaign for Nightmare Mode is 75% complete. The Citadel of Sin remains!

There's a lot to catch up on and there'll be more updates soon. I hope you are all well and looking forward to future developments! We'll have some announcements soon.

In the meantime I can say that we've not had an update on samples, quotes or production of the prototypes while I was away so I must chase all that stuff up a.s.a.p in addition to a few other things in the pipeline!

Aleksandra rebuilt our box from scratch! We are indebted to her and her brilliance!