MEGALOS is a new science-fantasy roleplaying game set in a multiverse of aetherological science and magick. We funded originally through a successful Kickstarter campaign and have recently finished & launched version 1.0 of the finished game. PDF copies of the core rulebook & upcoming first rules expansion are available, and physical editions are available while supplies last. The MEGALOS Core book features all the rules you need to play in any World of MEGALOS, or to create your own. It comes packaged with the first MEGALOS Worldbook, The Oradam Rift, a world of floating islands drifting amidst the vasty emptiness of a chasm cleft from north to south pole in a planet called Gaaln. The Oradam Rift is a place of magick and magitek, of imperial crusades and desperate revolutions. Adventure awaits, from the Unshrouded Lands below to the Ebon Moon above. Come get your giant book of crystals-and-airships fantasy roleplaying!
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
It has been way too long since our last update, for which I apologize. I would thank you profusely for all your patience, but I worry that it would come off as disingenuous since... like... backers unfortunately don't really have much alternative to patience when it comes to Kickstarter. Regardless, I come bearing gifts! 👀💦
First, let's show off the last 4 character Callings' key art by Venx.
The original design for the Rune Magus (the last one pictured above) was done by the excellent @KodaConstella, with Venx doing her take on the character based on that. :D I'm very excited and pleased with how everyone's come out. MEGALOS' art has a huge variety of body types, which I'm really proud of and happy for. The last thing I want is for this game to read as Generic Fantasy™️, and the art we're working with goes a long way to evoking a particular aesthetic character & mood.
Now for the main event of this post-- I'm going to share with you a preview of the first 25 pages of the finished product!! :D
We're hip-deep in the layout and finalizing process right now. Text is done except for Patron Saint backer inputs (more on that below), edit sweeps are happening concurrently, files are being prepped for the printers at the same time as everything else is happening so that once we're ready to go it'll be done in the shortest amount of time possible.
Find the sample here: First 25 pages of MEGALOS baybee!
The reception to and feedback from the release of the NEW GAME quick-start has been phenomenal (get it for free here), and it's been awesome to see people getting to actually, properly play the game and have fun with it. NEW GAME+ may be slightly delayed, such that it may very well come out shortly after I've sent the files off to the printer for the final full game. Started working a second job somewhat recently and I felt like getting the game done & ready to ship as close to the complete date advertised during the KS campaign (i.e. next month) was the higher priority.
NG+ will be available as soon as I can get everything else done, but by then it may end up being more of a product for other people (i.e. not folks here in this kickstarter email lol).
As always, I live on Twitter (@gahostan), so hit me up there if you have any questions or anything! :3
I wanted to get it out last Friday, but a buncha stuff got in the way, unfortunately. We're still on pace for it to be available on Free RPG Day (this Saturday, the 25th), but it seems unlikely it'll be done early enough for you all to get your hands on it much sooner than The Great & Thronging Masses™️.
BUT! I wanted to share some quick screenshots from it. If you follow me on twitter (@gahostan), you've already seen at least the cover, probably (unless twitter is deboosting me again... lol), but let's all have fun with it anyway. :D
Interior art is by Warm_Tail, Tithi Luadthong, and Venxia (@Venx_artonly on twitter), cover art is by Venxia. 🥳🎊🎉
That's all for right now. I'm doing my best to get it finished ASAP (and starting a new job on top of my current job tomorrow lol 🤣), but I'm really sorry if it ends up I can't get it out to you early as a lil treat.
Sorry for the long quiet. It's been a really busy time the past couple months. Got a new puppy, bought a house an hour away from my old place with my partner (and then had to move there, of course... 😩), got Da Big Covid and was knocked flat for a couple weeks, working with new artists, trying to get another job, etc., etc.
But! Your patience has been rewarded this time with a hefty chunk of cool new art I can show off and an announcement about a goody I'm working on for Free RPG Day 2022 (June 25th) that y'all should hopefully be getting access to about a week early assuming nothing else catches fire (or Covid).
Arto:
For Free RPG Day 2022 I'm going to be putting out a Quick-Start rulebook and scenario for MEGALOS with 4 pre-generated characters and a progressive system of slowly added complexity to help people learn how to play from zero to hero. It's called MEGALOS: NEW GAME and will give people everything they need to hop into the world of the Oradam Rift and start adventuring in a world of aetherology and magitek.
If all goes according to plan, you folks should be getting your hands on it next week, about a week before it becomes publicly available on Free RPG Day (June 25th).
Please look forward to it! 🙇
MEGALOS has had a major update launched today- version 1.4~~
This update includes the rebuilt final chapter (the bestiary) including a robust toolkit for building your own monsters and NPCs, customizing existing ones, and building and balancing (or re-balancing) combat encounters. This section includes some discussion of the things which can "go wrong"- or right- when trying to plan out satisfying combat encounters in a tactical combat sort of game like this. MEGALOS serves in a lot of ways as a expression of my personal philosophies related to game design, and this chapter is no different.
V1.4 has also brought with it updates to the bonus Callings to bring them in line with v1.3's changes to the core system, as well as an entirely new Class (the Primalist) with 2 Callings (Atavists and Woodscaiths). If you've wondered what MEGALOS' take on the classic "druid" fantasy archetype might look like, here's your chance to find out.
Thanks for the patience folks have shown with the pace of the project. Life has been coming at me pretty fast recently and I'm working as hard as I can to make sure that I hit the Kickstarter's proposed deadline of September 2022 for full release and mailing of physical copies to backers.
As usual, the pre-release version of the book is available on my itch page: here! If you backed the game during this KS last year and have somehow fallen through the cracks on getting your download key for that page, email me at [email protected]! :D