What’s up, backers? Got another update for ya.

Two weeks ago we were busy with Gen Con and last week, everyone at Succubus got the ‘rona. The Con Crud, if you will. So the entire week was spent pounding Dayquil and trying not to die.

We’re garbage at taking pictures, but here are a couple…

Brooklynn looks happy, but the ‘rona was beginning to take a firm grasp of him and his sanity.

Kris, Brooklyn, and Alex on Day 4, moments before packing up the booth at the end of the convention when the exhibit hall shuts off the AC, even though it’s 95 degrees and 80% humidity. They also turn off the lights, so you must remain vigilant as to not get completely owned by a forklift.

The Act 2 + 3 sample looks really good. So much stuff! We’ve set up a proper photoshoot of this and once those photos (and videos) are ready, we’ll be showing them off for your viewing pleasure!

But anyway, this week we’ve been back at it, grinding away.

First on the agenda…

We’ve combed through every aspect that is left to finish on this project, assigned deadlines to everyone, and here’s where we’re at.

Our current plan is to launch the preorder on October 1st . The preorder will be on our website .

This will give Brooklynn the last couple weeks of August and all of September to complete dev and begin uploading whatever is left of Act 3 to the playtesters.

Playtesting will be ongoing throughout the month of October. While we could print before then, we feel that playtesting is worth the extra month.

This means that production won’t begin until November, which also means that we likely be will be mid-production when Chinese New Year happens, pushing delivery another month out. This means that a Q2 2025 delivery is most certainly the reality.

Everything from this campaign except for the resin kits will be available for preorder.

We’ve been listening to feedback and will be including all sorts of new goodies on the preorder that have been requested by popular demand. Additionally, we have ensured that these new items are either already finished, or are passion projects by team members who have already finished their outstanding duties related to the current kickstarter.

You can expect more juicy details as we get closer to the preorder! 

We have hundreds of you in our beta-testing Discord channel and we’re stoked about that! As you’re digging through our files, we urge you to please put any feedback you have into this Google Sheet .

We aren’t able to scour the discord server or our emails for playtester feedback. To make things simple, we are localizing all the feedback to this one document, so it’s very important that if you have feedback / suggestions, to put them there.

And again, the more eyes the better. If you want to help us out and help us get this game delivered, join our Discord channel and request access to our beta files!

Pirates of Elenia and the complete Act 3 Adventure Book and Diagram book are on the horizon. The more help we have the better! 

These kits are amazing, but my lord they were a pain in the ass. Luckily they are all finished and are shipping out. Here’s where we’re at…

USA

These are being fulfilled slowly by our local manufacturer (since they aren’t a full blown fulfillment center they move slower). They have been sending a few hundred out a week. We expect them to be delivering over the course of the next month. So if you are in the United States, you will be getting these as the local manufacturer works their way down the list.

EU / UK / AUS

These kits are all on the boats making their way across the sea. The fulfillment center will batch ship them rather quickly once they arrive.

CA

Canada is all fulfilled.

TLDR

To break it all down, all of Lupercalia 2022 should be fulfilled by mid-September.

Ok, now to the fun stuff.

Anyone who’s ever played an MMO is familiar with the idea of random drops. You never know when that monster is going to give you that one awesome item you need for your build. We capture this same feeling of excitement and uncertainty with the Loot deck. You never know when you’re about to draw that monster loot card, and get your hands on something amazing that you can’t find any other way.

With rare exceptions, every monster you face across Middara’s Encounters have a range of interesting items waiting to be won, if the deck turns in your favor.

Defeating your foes isn't just about progressing the story or gaining experience. Every vanquished enemy is a new chance at that bright yellow deck. The random nature of the Monster Loot deck creates a sense of anticipation and excitement with each draw. As intended, the loot of each creature is meant to be unknown, mechanically representing the dangers and rewards waiting for the Adventurers as they brave the horrifying and unexplored corners of Middara.

Each of these items is another opportunity for the mechanics to communicate lore. When you bring down a Loche Bomb, maybe you’ll get your hands on one of their sparking explosive organs and turn it against your foes?

Nothing feels stranger than taking down an epic wolf and getting a full suit of armor from its corpse. In Middara, every Monster Loot card is tied visually and mechanically to the Monster that drops it. As our game uses loot-based progression, it’s not uncommon for Adventurers to claim the unique abilities of our creatures after defeating them.

Let’s look at just one example, the Hallowed Water Loa. These are far more potent versions of the Water Loas dwelling in rivers and lakes across Elenia. These powerful water elementals overflow with magical energy, enough to gather many lesser creatures around them. Should your party be lucky enough to survive the encounter with one, the rewards are great.

The concentrated essence of their mastery of water may solidify into an Adaptation Sphere, protecting its wielder from ranged attacks just like the water Loa, and allowing them to flood the battlefield with water. If you’re exceptionally lucky, the Ascended Water Loa might just decide to join you, in the hopes that you might provide her with new experiences and foster her growing sapience.

This represents a new class of Monster Loot to Unintentional Malum: Act 2 and 3—those granting their wielder new familiars.

Well armed is well prepared.

One of the advantages of combating human adversaries is their most dangerous abilities tend to be external. Defeat them, and they may be ‘relieved’ of what they’re carrying. L.U.R.I.D Security Agents may even be made to yield their devastating Aether cannon, allowing you to deploy a stationary turret to dominate the battlefield. Three free magic attacks each round could really add up fast, especially as large numbers begin to swarm the adventurers. Pop that turret down, spin the drum, and listen to the sweet sound of shell casings raining down.

Given the awful threats waiting for the Adventurers in Act 3, I know I’d want to get my hands on one!

Unless you’re playing through Middara with an Assemblage build, it’s highly likely your Adventurer’s Familiar slot is going unused. The rewards offered by dropping the XP to take a single discipline in the tree just aren’t enough to justify their expense. As a result, many players never experience the benefit.

We address this in Unintentional Malum Act 2 and Act 3 by creating Monster Loot cards that grant some version of the creature you’ve just defeated as a loyal familiar. If Assemblage just isn’t your thing, now you have another option!

These familiars (and others you’ll discover later, we wouldn’t want to spoil all of them!) are build agnostic, and should give significant benefits to a wide variety of builds. Of course these benefits don’t come without a cost. If you’re not spending the XP on a discipline, that means you’ll need to keep the item equipped. That Water Loa can’t follow you without somewhere safe, or she’ll dry out!

Including familiars like these give a way for these creatures to remain meaningful and mechanically represent the journey your Adventurer takes through our world, even as you continue through the tiers and leave them behind.

A weapon from a fallen foe, a piece of armor recovered after fighting off a Corp ambush, or even a former enemy joining you for the journey—each of these may prove a pivotal part of your build as you explore Act 2 and 3.

The randomness introduced by Monster Loot might feel frustrating, if you’re waiting on that draw that just won’t come. But like all randomness, this mechanic helps capture the unpredictability of the real world. Sometimes fate is in your favor, and sometimes it isn’t. Either way, the journey is rewarding.

For fans of lore, the Aeonian Codex will explore the Foundation and history of Elenia. Many of these details can be found scattered between cards and scenes, but never presented in one place... until now...

Earth: A cosmic jewel shielded by the mysterious Veil and guarded by unknowable Angels. This barrier protects humanity from otherworldly forces, but at a terrible price. Those who venture beyond Earth's borders become "tainted," forever marked by magic. Should they return, the celestial guardians will hunt them mercilessly…

Next week, on top of all the production news, we’ll venture back to the forsaken realm of the Middle Passage to look at new game effects. Lava, gale force winds, and razor-sharp spikes. We’ll have a chance to poke at some of the new tileset, and how these new threats will affect your perilous journey through the Passage.

We hope you have a great weekend! Seeya next week!