A goal-based heroic fantasy role-playing game. Old-school adventures, with modern mechanics.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
June Progress Update 1
12 months ago
– Mon, Jun 09, 2025 at 03:08:01 AM
Hello Adventurers!
Today its a quick update as I'm playing a little catch up on the day (had to do the school run this morning for my boys).
We're in a good place though. I got some work done on holiday and I'm now sitting on 5 out of 6 Archetypes completed. Just the Wildwalker to go. Then we have an ever shortening list of outstanding items:
Few pages in the Running the Game
Transfer Adventure Locations into layout and finish a couple of maps
Write up the Magic Items and Relics section
Get the Monsters in the book
At that stage it's 95% done. It's still a bunch of stuff to do, but the pieces I've completed so far are the harder bits to do so I imagine that things will speed up.
Also I'm planning on taking a bit of time of work to sit and get a lot of this done. Not a family holiday, but a Pete and Heroic Deeds holiday. So that will get us most of the way there.
Once we've had an initial edit I'll get a test print made and likely share the pdf with backers to get feedback and make the last edits before sending to print. At which point we'll charge for fulfilment.
So it's all moving now, not long. It will be this year. The goal is its done by Dragonmeet so I can run a cool event there in November.
I will continue to keep you updated.
More soon,
Pete
May Progress Update 1
about 1 year ago
– Mon, May 12, 2025 at 06:14:55 AM
Hello Adventurers!
It's that time again where I give you a quick update on what's been going on with Heroic Deeds recently.
The book gets ever closer as the writing carries on. These last two weeks I've focused in on the Running the Game section, as I've had two games running (one Play by Post, one face to face). It's been great to run the Journey and Exploration phases with players and I've learned a lot (and confirmed a lot) about actually playing Heroic Deeds. I've been putting that into the book, with specific guidance and tips around the phases of play, not running rpgs in general.
So I've got NPC interactions, Exploration, Journeys, Combat and more written. I've got Downtime and Campaign to go, and that should be resolved soon.
This week I've been tackling Rumours. The face to face game is moving along at a nice pace and I need to get more Rumours finalised asap! One thing I've figured out is that these don't need to be too detailed or cumbersome. They need to have an effect and a reward, but be flexible enough that the GM and players can come up with the growing story of the Adventure Locations that contribute to the Emerging Campaign.
It's all starting to form together into a cohesive whole, which is very satisfying to me and reinforces my desire to complete the game. So things are continuing, lots going on. I'm still going and very excited for the outcome of it all!
More soon,
Pete
April Progress Update 2
about 1 year ago
– Mon, Apr 28, 2025 at 04:51:48 AM
Hello Adventurers!
Whoops it's been 3 weeks since my last update!
Sorry about that, but I had the school half term (for two weeks!) and that meant my Mondays were not my own. Anyway the progress continues, even with half term.
Today's update is going to be a quick one though, as I'm sitting in Dark Fire Cafe working away on the book. So here's some stuff that's been going on in the book.
Darkdelver complete to Level 6 - all deeds and the Guild options at 6th level: the Adventure's Tavern, the Collector's Guild, or the Mechanical Reliquary.
Lightbearer rough to Level 6 - just the Temple options for level 6 to complete.
Running Journeys page written up - I'll go back over once all the Running the Game section is done, so I can see that they all work together.
Outlined the four adventure locations that are going in the book.
So there's been some good progress even with small humans interrupting my schedule.
I've also had a second session of my face to face game, which went really well. The team are in the Exploration Phase of the Lost Beacon adventure location. It's been a great playthrough with the players enjoying the actions and the feel the procedure creates. We had a combat with some minion skeletons and they got a good feel for their other abilities. So I'm super happy and they are really enjoying it.
I'll do a more detailed update in 2 weeks.
More soon,
Pete
April Progress Update 1
about 1 year ago
– Mon, Apr 07, 2025 at 11:34:01 AM
Hello Adventurers!
It’s been another fortnight, so it’s time for another update.
So two things have been a major step for me: the Battlerager, and face to face gaming!
Firstly I have completed the Battlerager to Level 6 and got a solid outline for the other Archetypes. The big thing here is that I’ve done the first iteration of a Level 6 “Heroic Deed”. This is a Deed that has four advance tracks and once complete rewards the character with a new structure within Emberwatch. With this I am going for a bit of classic D&D Name Level fun where you get to have your own building, but I’m not going as far as counting bricks or hiring labourers. Effectively the legend of the hero has grown so much by the time they reach level 6 that they have become a sponsor and great boon to Emberwatch, and the baron decides to enable them further through a specific structure.
The Battlerager is able to pick from 3 options: the Gladiatorial Academy, the Monster Fighting Pit, or The Gauntlet. Each provides Downtime benefits that greatly benefit the Battlerager. The Darkdelver will create a Guild, the Lightbearer dedicate a Temple, the Oathsworn will start an Order, the Runewielder will found an Enclave, and the Wildwalker will create a Haven. Each will add something special. It should make Level 6 not only very attainable but also super fun.
The structure allows increase of Attributes and sometimes the recruitment of Hirelings
Secondly I have started a face-to-face game of Heroic Deeds! Yay! This is something I haven’t done since playing at Dragonmeet in 2023. I’ve been playing nearly completely online for the last few years and it’s really nice to get back to the table. I sat down with 3 players last Tuesday, and I’ve got a 4th joining for our next session. Having recently introduced some friends to D&D I am super happy with how quickly I was able to introduce the game and get the campaign started. We created an Elf Darkdelver, a Dwarf Battlerager, and an Orc Lightbearer, allocated rumours to Adventure Locations, did a downtime action at Emberwatch and then completed their first Journey out to The Lost Beacon location.
A zoomed in view of the party's Starting Region. They decided to put one Rumour on each starting location.
It was a lot of fun to step through the non-combat phases and it be lots of fun. Looking forward to our next session and I’ll let you know how that one goes!
There’s been loads of other work as well, but I’ll save some of that for next time.
More soon,
Pete
March Progress Update 2
about 1 year ago
– Mon, Mar 24, 2025 at 04:23:05 AM
Hello Adventurers!
As promised I'm starting to post every two weeks with some updates on how the game is going. This helps me to keep momentum and focus and hopefully keeps you excited about the game you'll receive later this year.
The last two weeks I've been working on:
editing Trappings to make them all relevant or adjust their effects
incorporating Exploration playtest tweaks
starting the Running Heroic Deeds section (Exploration tips and tables)
nearly finished with the first two Adventure Location GM Playsheets
Monster Encounter tables for the Journeys section
playtesting Exploration and Combat
We've been having lots of fun with a Play By Post campaign with Patrons of the channel. We've got 7 players in the Lost Beacon Adventure Location wandering around battling skeletons, avoiding spectral winds, end ensuring crypt doors don't seal them in while searching for lost scouts. It's been a great process to understand how the phase actually plays, rather than simply detailing a procedure. I'm about to try and start an in person game to see how it goes at the table drawing out the map as we go.
After defeating a small troop of skeletons the party has to contend with physical obstacles that might seal them in!
The discord has proven a great place to have a nice slow burn adventure rolling in the background and little test bed for this way of playing. So it's been really useful.
If you want to find out more about the PBP game head over to the Patreon - even free members can see the posts there. Paying members get to join in or view the game as it runs in the discord server.
If you want to come and ask questions about the game then join the Gartopia Discord server where we're talking about this and loads of other rpg/gaming stuff in general!
