The new tarots

In a previous update, I shared insights from Valraven’s author, Alberto Tronchi, on the changes we made to how Tarots work. You can read that update HERE, but in summary: Tarots are now better integrated into the game, allowing not only Players but also their Characters to use them in-game for exciting and impactful moments.

Today, I want to showcase the graphic design changes we’ve made. Valraven’s Tarots are divided into three distinct decks, which are never mixed: Major Arcana, Faction Cards, and Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana represent archetypes, characters, and powerful concepts that shape the divination process. The Faction Cards indicate which Factions are involved in the reading, while the Minor Arcana, structured around the four Seasons that define a game of Valraven, provide additional details about timing, circumstances, and more.

To make these distinctions clear, we’ve created unique card backs for each deck. A reference card will serve as a handy legend, explaining the meaning of the icons. Additionally, we’ve designed new symbols for the Minor Arcana, inspired by the seasonal icons used in the book. The original illustrations, reminiscent of medieval miniatures, were beautifully detailed but too intricate to work as suits, particularly for the higher-numbered cards.

We’ve put a lot of thought into making the Tarots a compelling tool—one that adds depth and a sense of discovery, making them a game within the game. We can’t wait to see how these beautifully crafted cards look once printed!

Below is a selection from the full 72-card deck.

Are we on track?

I’m making great progress on the Book of Eclipse, currently working through the translation of one of its largest chapters. However, I’m not as far along as I’d like to be with the translation of the Core Book. Over the next few weeks, my main focus will be making progress with Valraven’s translation, and I’ll provide a revised timeline once I have a clearer picture. That said, I may need a bit more time than anticipated to ensure the final product meets the high quality standard that defines our games.

On the bright side, several Scenarios and additional chapters are already in layout, and I hope to share some of them in an upcoming update—something to keep you engaged while I finalize the rest.

Reminder: Our next game

Our new game, Bitter Chalice, will launch on Kickstarter sometime in the next few weeks.

We've pushed this back a bit to allow for the full delivery of our previous Lost Stories campaign, which should be completed by next week. The release date for Bitter Chalice will be announced as soon as I feel comfortable finalizing it.

Bitter Chalice is an adventure role-playing game set in a desolate fantasy world. The story takes place in the Blighted Lands surrounding the once lush and now cursed city of Vathan, where the inhabitants are condemned to a life of thirst, hunger, and madness.

Bitter Chalice is structured to be a different experience to traditional TTRPGs: think of it as one huge, highly curated game campaign that comes with its own rules. The game aims to evoke the feel of a TTRPG Soulslike: an intoxicating and challenging journey into a dark, immersive world inspired by Hollow Knight, Bloodborne, Elden Ring, and Dark Souls—but without the relentless fight/die/repeat loop.

We've created a 42-page overview that you can download for free HERE.

If you like what you see, you can:

Bookmark the Kickstarter page
Get two Harry Conway (Magic the Gathering, D&D) art prints for FREE on top of any physical pledge you make during the campaign, just by signing up HERE (use the same email you use for your Kickstarter account)

Reminder

You can always access your Pledge Manager survey from HERE. Orders are locked but get in touch if you need changes.
The Late Pledge for Valraven is HERE.
You can find us on our Discord server, visit our website and store, like our Facebook page (The World Anvil Publishing), follow our Bluesky account, get the key news from Telegram, check out our Instagram channel, or see Actual Plays and more from our YouTube channel.

–Tommaso

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