The Words We Leave Behind launches
New game! New game! New game!
You are a Proxy, an agent of change fighting an endless war across time and space. Your missions will reshape reality, bending it towards the future that your superiors desire.
But you are not alone.
You have a counterpart. An agent working for another faction who seeks to shape the flow of history and divert it to their own vision. They are your opposite. Your reflection. Your foil. Your nemesis. You know next to nothing about them.
And they intrigue you…
I’m excited to announce that the ashcan edition of The Words We Leave Behind is here! This duet epistolary RPG about time, war, love and hate was inspired by the novella ‘This is how you lose the time war’ and adapts the escalation engine from Signal to Noise. As you traverse the time stream you will work to rewrite history for your Faction, all while building a secret rapport with the only person who could ever understand you - an agent of the enemy.
The ashcan is available now on itch.io at a reduced price that will slowly increase as the game moves towards completion. Buying it now gets you not only the current ashcan but updates as they are added to the text.
But that’s not all! The ashcan is also available as a limited print run on Etsy for the bargain price of only £5+p&p, including digital updates!
The ashcan edition includes the full game and a set of prompts built to explore the history of our own world. Updates will add additional prompt sets, a full example of play, refinement of the core text and a small amount of internal art pieces. Supporters who purchase the ashcan at the reduced price will receive these for free as the game moves towards a Kickstarter in Q1 2025.
If you want to be notified when the Kickstarter launches then you can do so by following this link. That’s right, the page is up already and I’ll be promoting it heavily over the coming months. Kickstarter will allow me to
Add more art by Carly A-F, who did the fantastic cover you can see below. She’s already produced a variant on the ashcan cover for the full release and I can’t wait to see what she produces for the interior art.
Hire an editor to go through the game. I’ve seen in the past how much this can improve my games and I want to ensure The Words We Leave Behind is the best it can be.
Print a premium edition of the game. To date I have only released physical zines, but I want to use this opportunity to take the next step up and produce a physical product that makes the game stand out.
The next update will add a second prompt set that sends the characters into the wider galactic conflict. I’ll also be adding a full example of play that chronicles the story of Janus and Aion. This is a solo playthrough where I take on both sides of the story and I’m having a lot of fun just jumping back and forth between these two very different characters.
You can expect updates on The Words We Leave Behind in the coming months but for now here’s those links again.
The Kickstarter page - sign up and be notified the moment it goes live.
Links Roundup
Tales of the Old West is a Western RPG by Dave and Matthew of Effekt publishing. Built on Free League’s Year Zero Engine it explores life in the American West during the 1870s. Unlike many games in the genre it eschews the temptation to spin a ‘weird west’ setting, focusing instead on a historical portrayal that doesn’t shy away from the realities of the period. The campaign has already soared past its goal and runs until October 3rd.
Jude’s World from Button Kin Games is a solo tarot-based journaling game in which a plucky preteen protagonist works to reunite their estranged parents. It’s down to the last few hours so check it out ASAP!
Hermine Hémon, one of the translators that produced Vers le Silence, the French language adaptation of Signal to Noise, will be a guest at the sci-fi festival Hypermondes in Mérignac on the 21st and 22nd of September. The festival has a fantastic lineup that includes a mix of creatives and researchers. I wish I knew enough French to attend!
Tiny Spaceship is a micro-game by Tanya Floaker, about being a tiny spaceship visiting Earth. It’s perfect for whimsical one-shot games in the style of Batteries Not Included or Ponyo. Funds from the campaign will help Tanya visit Big Bad Con in the US later this year.
The Sign Off
That’s all for this month and I haven’t event mentioned Tabletop Scotland, which was this last weekend. Suffice to say I had a great time and I’ll be posting about it on the blog and in next months newsletter. Until then stay safe,
Craig