Henshina

Henshina is a nation whose geography is primarily dominated by one of the largest deserts on the planet Bryche, the setting of Project Aleutian. Henshinans value ability above all other traits because it has been crucial to their culture and their survival for as long as oral tradition goes back. The purple crystal present in the desert is unique because each crystal is linked to another. This can lead to different behavior when stimulated in different ways such as moving in unison, moving in opposite directions, or even swapping places. Through study they’ve been able to get swapping crystals to move objects with them of varying sizes tied to the size of the crystal. This has allowed them to move goods across vast distances in seconds. One of the original uses of this technology by the Henshinans was to transport water across the vast distances of the desert. They’ve been looking for a way to move people with this technology for generations. If there is a way, they have not found it yet.

Waviscia

Waviscia is an archipelagic nation on the planet Bryche, the setting of Project Aleutian, positioned between the nation of Navaire and the fractured continent, the origin of the stone clouds. The island chain the Waviscians call home is also the home of a unique species of whale, called glass belly whales, that played a key role in the nation’s history. As a part of the glass belly whale migration cycle, they use both forms of echolocation and radar for navigation. Through studying these whales, they discovered that the orange crystal found in their nation functions as a radio transmitter and receiver. This led to some early development of long-range communications and weather detection technologies. These crystals have become instrumental in the early detection of stone clouds and their contents.

Seulana

Seulana is a nation primarily consisting of forest and desert on the planet Bryche, the setting of Project Aleutian, making life both abundant yet sacred to the Seulanans. They work to live in harmony with nature and are very conscious of what resources they use to further their goals. The nation is rich in a green crystal which restores broken inorganic items to a repaired or complete state. However, to the Seulanans it represents a spiritual connection of the object with its soul, and restores an object to its true form. Those who are called to a life of shaping the souls of objects are called Exemplars. Exemplars use their skills for humble tasks such as common repairs for the general public, for technical marvels such as making roads that never need repair, and for historical import such as restoring manuscripts or relics weathered by time.

Scivatan

Scivatan, also known as the “Mountain Empire,” holds lands primarily amongst the largest mountain range on the planet of Bryche, the setting of Project Aleutian. The mountain range is rich in a yellow crystal that remains hot and never seems to cool down. It was used early in the nation’s history to keep their mountain homes warm, and at the dawn of industry it quickly became a sought-after heat source for steam powered machines as it was more reliable. Access to these crystals has led Scivatan to be a leader in the development of new engines and tools used by all nations.

Navaire

Navaire is a coastal nation on the planet of Bryche, the setting of Project Aleutian. As a coastal nation with a rich naval tradition, they are well known as experts in navigation. As such, they are renowned makers of traditional compasses that use the magnetic field of Bryche to aid in traversal of the seas and skies. They also developed special compasses that use their nation’s blue crystal to point toward and help find specific resources on the planet. Their ability to locate crystal deposits for themselves and other nations has led to Navaire being one of the richer nations on Bryche.

New Nations

I’ve developed two new nations that I’ve started playtesting along the existing four. Their abilities are aimed at adding some interesting interactions between the different players such as swapping cards and triggering espionage. It will also add some more variety to the different nation ability combinations when playing with four players.

Welcome Madelyn!

I’m excited to announce our new partnership with Madelyn Hogrebe, @heartoflakesandmountains, who is on contract, as of this week, to be the concept artist for Project Aleutian! After several weeks of discussing the scope and theme, last week was my first time showcasing the game to her and showing some physical cards.  We can’t wait to see how we’ll bring the game to life through this collaboration!

Experimenting with Grunge

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been experimenting with some different looks for the design and layout of the card fronts. One thing that I started experimenting with were grunge textures in Inkscape to get a bit of a weathered and organic paper look. When applied to other symbols, I also found that grunge textures also gave them a more rugged and realistic appearance which in contrast with some more elegant embellishments in the corners gave a look that I was pleased with. This image is a result of some of that experimentation using the Antibyss logo as the subject symbol. I’ll be continuing to experiment as the visuals around the theming for Project Aleutian really start to take shape.

Project Aleutian V10

I got to work incorporating some feedback from the prototype con over the last couple of weeks into Project Aleutian. This was focusing on some of the mechanics and balance of the game. Luckily, it didn’t require a complete reprint of Project Aleutian, the adjustments were mostly centered on the points in the stone cloud deck and the actions in the espionage deck. After the very short life span of V09, the new version, V10, is getting its first plays. While we continue to playtest V10, I’m planning to focus on revising and detailing theming for the game.