What better way to finish a 2010 open letter to the coordinator of Shadows Esteren:
Hey everyone,
The year 2010 is about to end and it's an opportunity to make a small balance. For the whole team of Shadows Esteren in recent months have been epic: published in Prologue RPG mag No. 11 during the summer, Book 1 Release Universe by mid-September at the World Game then exit Paper 2 and leader screen at the end of November. Throughout recent months, Esteren Tour was an opportunity for many encounters Store and conventions. Instant memory with the video game world:
Firstly, thank you. Thank you all for hosting the game, for the passion and enthusiasm that we met in convention and in stores. Initially, the continuation of the range in 2011 was not obvious. Esteren is an adventure involving the collective Forgesonges , an association of creators, and a young editor, RPG Agate, with support from our distributor, Iello . Everything would depend on the reception the game It was a very pleasant surprise and the first assessment of 2010 is that the adventure will continue in 2011!
few prospects for 2011 ...
Now talk about prospects in 2011 for Shadows of Esteren . Difficult to establish a specific timetable but here at least a few major directions:
On the Prologue appeared in the mag JDR No. 11, it will be well placed for free download in PDF format. We still working on it (corrections and updates to the text, comp), especially as we offer you new content. We hope you forward in early 2011.
The next release should be, hopefully, the soundtrack of the game made by Delphine Wood . We hope it will be available to the International Games Festival in Cannes. It should be accompanied by a booklet of thirty A4 page containing a complete scenario. We decided to add this scenario to meet the demand of the community in this area. We hope you enjoy it ... Finally, if only in draft form a little crazy, we know that trying to set up a concert at this exit. We'll keep you posted! For more information, please visit the forum Esteren in the part dedicated .
the spring should arrive the first episode of a major campaign which will cross the entire range. Presented at the Pathfinder format (one hundred pages in full color, gaming aids and scenarios, some twenty euros if all goes well), each episode will be autonomous and can be played independently. Played one after another, these events form a large mural that will show players the different facets of the world Esteren. The purpose of this first episode is to give an initial framework typical for leaders and players (the valley of Dearg, which are related to archetypes of Book 1), offering a large number of tracks scriptwriting while offering first scenarios confronting players in the world Esteren.
The following publication is expected in September, at the world of gambling and there ... big question. course, we would like to offer you the Book of Secrets. But no promises can be made. This book will between 200 and 300 pages and will require a lot of work before reaching its final form and be in your hands. Fortunately, much of the texts were written and many illustrations have been made in recent years. We needed to build the secrets to our descriptions in the book a universe is consistent and give the sensation of being built on solid foundations. The fact remains that such work requires considerable work to reach its final form. We have taken four years for a book ... it will probably be shorter for the Book of Secrets, but you need patience.
A word about the video game universe in the Shadows of Esteren (above one of the sets). The site is still ongoing and we take heart: this game is an important aspect of the universe Esteren was thought at the outset in a cross-media format . Unfortunately we have encountered major problems in the programming of the game and pointed a work that requires very special skills. We continue to work and we hope that 2011 will be the year that will see the release of "The Legacy Mac Lyr" where you find heroin Yldiane in a 'point' n 'click' traditional. The formats are still under the PC and Iphone.
Finally, a word on a project in embryo within the team: short stories to immerse themselves in the heart of stories Esteren. The idea is gaining ground but difficult to say when it will end ...! Not to mention all the content Free PDF is provided for Petre put online, including in the form of Appendix , supplements containing official material of all kinds of game salute in passing the creativity of the community who proposed six scenarios, a dozen canvas (the scenarios in the format of short Esteren) and five assists in the game, all accessible in the "Secrets" forum of Shadows .
The editorial: tough choices
I take this letter to give everyone some elements on the editorial of Shadows Esteren.
We know that part of the community looks forward to the book on the Secrets. The team also expects this out! In this context, one might be surprised to see other trips before that intercalate famous publication (soundtrack, country, various scenarios, and so on.). If the team is focused solely on this famous book, it could be published more quickly, you might say. So why these outputs interleaved? It's not as simple! Due to the communal nature of this game and its membership Forgesonges (association to which everyone can participate), it seems worthwhile to raise the curtain on some behind the scenes. First, keep in mind that Shadows of Esteren is a game designed by Forgesonges , a group of gamers, enthusiasts authors and illustrators. A book as "Universe" has been done in our spare time. It's the same for the video game and soundtrack. Despite the success of Book 1, we are very far (I emphasize "very") to be able to live and we fully concentrate. The first condition is determined, above all other considerations, the choice for the editorial line and including release dates. Then you say that this does not explain why it was decided to interpolate the outputs of the Universe and Secrets Book 1 ... here are some answers:
The campaign will be released in the spring was written during the preparation of a book. In fact, this campaign should be part of Book 1. During his four years of design, Book 1 has evolved. We gave up to this campaign for two very different reasons but ultimately complementary: First, our choice taken to make a book for players, with a presentation of the subjective world, a book that every player could see his way. Second thing, much more pragmatic this reflection resting on editorial constraints that limited us to 300 pages not to exceed the symbolic price of 40 € for the book and limit investment for the publisher. In short, we ended up with a campaign, largely written and illustrated especially well playtestée. Its publication will ask us to finish the job but we will leave time and energy to work in parallel on Secrets. Here the editorial choice is to ensure a relatively quick exit in 2011 without leaving the community without any publication for months, while being able to continue working on Secrets.
It's the same for the soundtrack. Delphine working on it for a long time now and more than two years have elapsed among the first models and pieces finalized.
Finally, comes a subjective choice that I am responsible to perform in my capacity as editorial coordinator of the range. This choice is to make a game Esteren Shadows of "old" one game at range, which requires the investment of the players and - above all - leaders. Book 1, in particular, is not a book "all in one." We are aware that this will not unanimous.
Esteren is a game of secrets and the range is built around this: each revelation as many levels of play. There is really no "timeline" in Esteren (items will be given time during campaigns but may - or not - be adopted by the leaders.) But rather work around the revelation of these secrets that make the heart of the horrific scale of the game's horror is that moment of terror when the unthinkable emerges in the midst of a familiar environment. That is why it is interesting, at least initially, as the leader and players explore Esteren based on visible content, the book describes in a , and learn about daily life in this world ... before diving further into the shadows.
Nevertheless, this choice is dependent on the editorial team's ability to create content. Forgesonges lacks the capacity to release several books in a row, a month after another. At our level, to succeed you the book 2 and the screen just three months after the release of Book 1 was a challenge and a great source of satisfaction. We worked hard, nibbling on our nights to finish as quickly as possible, while meeting our quality requirements. We're gamers first and foremost, we understand the expectations that we know ... will do our best to offer you a great range ... in time "reasonable"!
And after?
Finally, a few words on the range long term . We had a lot of questions about it. Shadows of Esteren is intended to be a closed range. Since the beginning, we considered a range of three cycles, crossed by a major campaign. The first cycle Tri-Kazel, will continue at least through 2011 and probably during 2012. Of course, we hope to overcome these cycles. But there are so many unknowns it is difficult to project that far. And maybe the idea of three cycles evolve does, too? The future will tell ...
I'll see you at the next Esteren Tour dates during which I would love to continue this discussion with you,
With that, on behalf of the entire team, very happy holiday New Year to you!
Nelyhann
Coordinator on Shadows of Esteren
