The 3rd of September was a big day for fans of the interactive Fighting Fantasy gamebooks that have brought countless hours of entertainment to so many of us since the 1980s. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the publication of the first Fighting Fantasy gamebook The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, the fourth Fighting Fantasy Fest was held in London. Visitors of the Fest could meet legends like Steve Jackson and Sir Ian Livingstone in person, along with many other prominent gamebook writers like Rhianna Pratchett, Jonathan Green, or Marc Gascoigne, as well as many graphic artists of the book series. We could have our books signed, pick up a bunch of merchandise, mingle with other fans, and watch presentations on various, exciting topics. It was indeed great fun!

We are happy to report that after a long, drawn-out battle with boxes, wrappers, and the employees of the postal services, we managed to send out all the physical rewards we could. All that remains are a handful of rewards where some information is missing (we did not receive a name or an address from the customer) or that wasn't picked up. But the vast majority of the rewards are on their way - if not at their destinations already.

And by Ahskul what a journey this has been so far. Speaking of which, there is a bit of a parallel here that could be drawn between caravans trudging across a barren, post-apocalyptic dark fantasy world and a tiny studio scrambling to deliver a huge open world game but we let's not go there on this fine day! :D

This week’s devblog is all about the plethora of quests being added to Vagrus with the full launch on October 5th. The update will include a revamped UI, a new companion to recruit, and plenty of quests to find on your journies across the wastelands. Let’s take a look at what’s coming!

Revamped User Interface and Extended Campaign Map

We've reached a point in the design of the physical rewards of our crowdfunding campaign and related merchandise that we decided to reveal what these items will look like. This includes a cloth chart, two kinds of T-shirts, and the two physical editions (Collector's and Emperor's Editions - more on their contents in a future post).

Eylani is a companion character who has thus far been unavailable for recruitment in the game. She is a Half-Elven warrior, wanderer, beastmaster, and huntress. Not only is she a formidable frontline fighter able to tank a lot of hurt but can also use Striker, her falcon, to disrupt enemies, as well as overwatch positions to cause good damage.

We presented our design mock-ups for the reworked settlement and crew UIs in a previous post but now you can see them in-game in this short video, including the new crew stats, Perk UI, and settlement panels.

We're very proud of these changes as they are the perfect example of player involvement. Your feedback and insights were the basis on what most of the changes were built - like the info box that shows formerly hidden crew stats, including Ambush chance or Vigilance.

Veles are agile, tough gladiators that move and bounce around with ease thanks to their light gear and excessive training. In their idle animation we made use of a wide stance with a raised shield, ideal for spear fighting.

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Our crowdfunding campaign is LIVE at Fig.co. Get instant access to the Early Access now!

The Twin Towers are ancient fortifications guarding the main mountain pass of the Sepis Mountains, which has always been the border between the Province and the 'lands beyond'. One of the forts sits on the western, the other on the eastern slope of the pass, only a mile from each other. The keeps fell into disrepair due to relative peace ruling the Empire's middle regions for centuries on end. Only the eastern fort is maintained today yet it usually has a token garrison whose main task is to gather road tax from travelers. These days, however, you might find more activity there due to the closing of the Emperor's Road.

For a long while now I've been working on what we call loyalty questlines for the eight companions in the game. These are long, complex stories, often with branching endings, personal to each companion. In this project update, we wanted to give you a heads-up about certain aspects of these without spoiling any content.

How Loyalty Questlines Work