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Confluence: The Living Archive

Created by Publishing Goblin, LLC

Confluence is an expansive tabletop roleplaying game of in-world artifacts and Atlases, built upon a world and a system that grows and changes as you explore. Shipping yet to be added or charged on orders-- will be adding and charging in early 2027 closer to our ship date.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Day 5 Progress | Book Previews | Update #4
over 1 year ago – Sat, Oct 19, 2024 at 10:01:20 AM

TL:DR

  • 70% funded!
  • Check the links for previews of the Atlas and the Calibration Guide.
  • You can gain and spend tokens in Confluence to get better odds on a roll or change the direction of the story.
  • Brandon O'Brien is one of the guest writers for the Motley Coast Adventures Book!
  • Less than 24 hours to vote on your favorite between Goblins and Gods/Fallen Gods.

Day 5 Progress

We are at 70% funded! We still have a ways to go, but we have some innovative pieces to this game that will carry us through. Don't forget to share this campaign with your circles!


Book Previews

The Atlas Volume 1: The Motley Coast
Half the team will be heading to Big Bad Con in San Francisco next week so we printed a few Best Test Atlases for con goers to doodle on. If you will be at Big Bad make sure to say hi to the team and doodle in the book. The flip through is so pretty that we just had to share! Check it out on YouTube.


Calibration Guide
We just received a preview of the layout of Calibration from our graphic designer Cris! As with all her work it is gorgeous! Check out the early layout of the zine here!

*We are still in Best Testing so any information, mechanics, and graphics are subject to change before final publishing.

Token Mechanics Spotlight

In Confluence you can gain and spend tokens to get better odds on a roll or change the direction of the story.
Gain a Token by:
  • Using attributes to create interesting story beats. 
  • Resolving a Scene Roll where the Difficulty Pool had more dice than the Player Pool.
  • Failing while using a facet or specialty. 
  • Clearing a Wound.  

Spend a Token to: 
  • Add a die to a Quick Roll. 
  • Reroll a die in a Scene Roll and choose which result to use. Explain how you or an ally alter the scene when you reroll. 
  • Establish something new about the world. Add details to the scene, create NPCs, define a law of the land, etc. 
  • Have exactly what you need: a piece of forgotten paperwork at the bottom of your pack, a specialty tool that you wouldn’t normally carry, or salt bricks to trade for favors. 

Guest Writer: Brandon O’Brien Spotlight 

The Motley Coast Adventures Book will have 8 mini adventures to immerse you into the Motley Coast! We have invited guest writers to write a few of those adventures. Our first guest writer is Brandon O’Brien!
 
Brandon O’Brien is a writer, poet, and game designer from Trinidad and Tobago. He has written tie-in fiction for Pathfinder, Magic: The Gathering, and Blue Rose RPG, and game content for games like Wanderhome and The House Doesn't Always Win. Find him online @therisingtithes!

Wandering Tier Update

Our first Wandering Tier Pledge Level went live a few hours ago and if you figured out the riddle in Update #2 you know we have more in store for you! They are limited so get the discounted materials while they are hot! 

Lineage Knockout Tournament: Bracket #1 Match up 2

You have a little less than 48 hours to vote on your favorite between the Goblins and the Gods/Fallen Gods. The results so far are very interesting... Check out Update 3 for details on these lineages and then vote in the poll!  

Day 4 Progress | New Pledge Levels! | Update #3
over 1 year ago – Fri, Oct 18, 2024 at 09:15:53 AM

Howdy Ajureans!

TL;DR

  • Just shy of 70% to goal.
  • New Get Pulled Into Ajurea and Touched Atlas levels with the All-in Bundle.
  • Stretch Goal: Pixel Table will make a Confluence Wiki, Focus Card Database  and an interactive infinite canvas.
  • Check out the art process video of the God of the Hunt by art lead Shan Bennion.
  • Lineage Poll: And the winner is... the body molting Gen!
  • Vote on the next match up of Goblins Vs. Gods/Fallen Gods.

Day 4 Progress

Happy Friday! Just shy of 70% to goal. Help us reach our goal by sharing our campaign!

New Pledge Levels and Add-ons

The All-in + Get Pulled Into Ajurea Bundle
Now you can get Pulled into Ajurea with a full backpack! Add something (ephemera, focus, doodle, etc.) to the Atlas and get the physical and pdf books with Motley Coast Adventures, a deck of focus cards, the postcard book, and the 3 pin set.

The All-in + Touched Atlas Bundle
Get your hands on a one of a kind Atlas that will be "touched" by one of our team members adding extra doodles, ephemera, and maybe some secrets. This will replace the regular Atlas in this bundle. You also get the whole kit and caboodle: the physical and pdf books with Motley Coast Adventures, a deck of focus cards, the postcard book, and the 3 pin set.

PDF Bundle Add-on
If you picked up the lore bundle, you can now add-on a pdf bundle of the game! 

Pixel Table Spotlight

Confluence is different! To get the full experience we need custom digital tools to make playing online truly seamless. So we have partnered with Pixel Table, the makers of the Alice is Missing digital tools, to help us build a custom tool that will give you the full Confluence experience. Now custom digital tools are expensive so they are a stretch goal for this campaign. Help us reach this goal by backing today!

The Confluence Team has partnered with Pixel Table, to bring our userbase custom digital tools including a Confluence Wiki open to everyone, Focus Card Database including the base game's focuses, focuses from other tables, and even yours if you choose to upload them, and an interactive infinite canvas with character, group, and Story Leader support! You'll even be able to pull in the ephemera you find in the Atlas!

Check out the mock ups below. *These are representations and may not be the final designs.

If we reach this stretch goal backers at the PDF Bundle Level and higher (not including Lore and Retailer's Bundles) will receive the Founder designation which includes: 
  • Perpetual access to The Motley Coast materials
  • 1 Board with 1 Story Leader slot and 5 player slots 
  • Perpetual access to and use of the Focus Card Database 
 

Art Process Video

Our art lead Shan has put together some amazing art process videos of illustrations from Confluence! Check out how the God of the Hunt came to life from sketch to finished piece. 

Lineage Knockout Tournament: Bracket #1 Match up 2 

Gen Vs. Salians Winner... the body molting Gen!

Goblins Vs. Gods


Lineage Spotlight: Goblins!

Spotlighting Goblins is a no brainer. You all love them so much! Goblins are a familiar lineage across different fantasy stories and games, but Goblins in Ajurea have an interesting quirk about them that sets them apart. They are born Jellyblooded: that is they are born into a symbiotic relationship with a moss, fungi, or mold that covers their whole body. Their symbiotes nourish their hosts and help Goblins heal faster than other lineages. In the same way, Goblins take meticulous care of the growth on their bodies, as the symbiotes themselves cannot survive on their own. They need to be taken care of, too! 

Goblins are also incredibly diverse. Most will have pointy ears, but one Goblin can be so different from the next: from tails to the types of their symbiotes, to their claws, and the shapes and colors of their eyes.

Would you play a Goblin? 

Lineage Spotlight: Fallen and Full Gods

Divinity is an interesting concept in Ajurea, as there truly are full gods just walking among everyone, living their own lives. Fallen gods are a popular lineage and are an exploration of the concept of mortality and the idea of one’s own finite existence. In Ajurea, divinity is an expendable resource. Once a god or fallen god has used up their divinity, they die and are reduced to an object with their lingering essence. Divine beings are incredibly diverse, as you can be the god of basically anything in this game, and take on any type of physical form, from a towering mountain-sized fallen god slowly giving way to slumber to a small mote of sparkling dust, causing mischief wherever you please. 

Would you play a god or fallen god?

Vote in the new poll below!

Day 3 Progress | The Tier That Wanders | Update #2
over 1 year ago – Thu, Oct 17, 2024 at 12:40:09 PM

Greeting Ajureans!

TL;DR

  • Just hit 60% to goal. More freebies in stretch goals, so let's gooo!
  • Wandering Tiers are surprise pledge levels that are deeply discounted and limited. Solve the riddles from Keyassa to find out when they go live.
  • New requested pledge levels and add-ons are coming today!
  • Don't forget the VTT! You get Alchemy, you get Alchemy, you get Alchemy! Everybody* gets Alchemy! 
  • Keyassa drops some Motley Coast lore.
  • Transplanar has a skywhale campaign idea for their AP stretch goal. 
  • Don't forget to vote on your favorite lineages! 

Day 3 Progress

It's Day 3 we just hit 60% funded! Thank you to everyone who has backed us so far. We have a little ways to go, but after we are funded there are A LOT of stretch goals that add freebies to everyone that backs at PDF level or higher. Who doesn't want the colorful dice unlock?

The Tier That Wanders

If you are new to Publishing Goblin's projects then let me tell you that here at Publishing Goblin we like to get a little weird! We realize that not everyone has as much disposable income so we will be running Wandering Tiers several times throughout the campaign. A Wandering Tier is a deeply discounted and limited pledge level. The only catch is that you have to find and solve the riddles in our updates (today has a riddle!) to get the day, time, time zone, and what products the tier will be featuring. Feel free to work on the riddle in the comments. Happy sleuthing!

New Pledge Levels and Addons

We have had some requests for specific pledge levels and addons. We heard you and we will be adding them throughout the day and throughout the campaign. Keep a look out for the additions and if you have idea, pop it the comments!

The Lore Bundle
For the non-gamers that have fallen in love with the world, but don't play tabletop games we have already added the Lore Bundle which includes the physical and PDF versions of the lore books, The Atlas Volume 1: The Motley Coast and Sujatha's Journal for $40. 

Alchemy Spotlight

*We are excited to be able to provide the Confluence Content Universe on Alchemy to all backers that back at the PDF level or higher (excluding the Lore Bundle).

Alchemy is the world's first virtual tabletop (VTT) built specifically for cinematic immersion and theater of the mind gameplay. Its scene-based structure empowers gamemasters to tell incredible stories with animated environments, particle effects, ambient sound, and music.

Check out the trailer on YouTube!

Keyassa's Report


Transplanar Spotlight

Our friends over at Transplanar are super excited to play in the Motley Coast. Check out their campaign idea on TikTok or YouTube for the 60 second rundown of the story they will be telling if we hit their stretch goal. Did someone say skywhales???


Lineage Knockout Tournament: Bracket #1

You have until tomorrow to vote for your favorite Confluence lineage! Check out update 1 for more information on the Gen and Salians.

The next match up will be including our Jellyblooded and fungi covered friends the Goblins. Who will they be matched against??

Day 2 Progress | 24 Hours Left to Get Freebies | Update #1
over 1 year ago – Wed, Oct 16, 2024 at 09:20:43 AM

Salutations Ajureans!

TL;DR
  • Close to 40% funded at the start of Day 2!
  • 24 hours left to back and get the free pin and/or digital focus card deck!
  • Back Fatebound and Confluence for a free exclusive adventure.
  • Vote on your favorite lineage in the lineage knockout tournament! 

Day 2 Progress

Welcome to Day 2! We are inching toward 40% of our funding goal. Please help us reach this goal by sharing with your friends. Also, if you have a favorite game store near you that you would like to see stock Confluence, let us know the name and city/state in the comments and we will contact them. 

24 Hours Left To Get Freebies


There is just under 24 hours left to back at the PDF level or higher to get the free skywhale pin and/or the digital focus card deck. Back now to take advantage of these rewards!

Fatebound Cross Collab


Congratulations to our friends over at Eerie Games for hitting their funding goal!

As you may have noticed we are collaborating with the wonderful tarot-based TTRPG, Fatebound. Step into the dark academia world of young witches at a military academy, training to become Fates, the most powerful witches in Witchdom. Players must navigate a brutal, high-stakes environment filled with dangerous trials, fierce competition, and backstabbing intrigue. Our campaign launches on Oct 15th but you can catch gameplay on our Twitch channel every other Thursday until launch.

Founded by friends Scott Falzone, Del Toro, and Dacia Pennington, with over 50 years of combined gaming experience, Eerie Games strives to create immersive and captivating narratives. We specialize in dice-less, TTRPGs in the horror and paranormal genres that craft stories that matter. We invite you to explore the eerie and the extraordinary with us, one story at a time.

Together we will write The Fates of Those Who Dream, an adventure combining our systems to create a whole new story. A Gate has opened in The Dream, bridging Ajurea to the world of Fatebound, Yikun Ma, a student from Aetheria Academy has gone missing, and new nightmares are running amok on both sides. Play Walkers in Dream from Ajurea and first-year students from Aetheria on a quest to defeat the new monsters, close the Gate, and save Yikun, who is stuck between.

Lineage Knockout Tournament: Bracket #1

Which lineage of Confluence is your favorite?

One lineage will be crowned the most favored at the end of the campaign! We will be doing bracket style polls every few days.

Gen Vs. Salians


Lineage Spotlight: Gen
Gen are a fascinating lineage with the capability to molt and shape themselves according to a form that suits them best. Whether they form wheels on the soles of their feet to be able to deliver messages from one end of Motley Coast City to the other or they become big, towering figures that guard a valley with precious plants, the Gen have no size limitations for their bodies, whether big or small. They can emerge from their molting even larger than before.

On an even cooler note, it has been found that under a deep OV-ray scan, one can see the various forms curled deep and layered within their bodies and in the order that a Gen would need them. Are these forms predetermined or self-determined? Who knows…

Would you play a Gen and if so, what form would you take?

Lineage Spotlight: Salian
For all of you who love lizards and salamanders, the Salian lineage may be for you! Salians are an amphibian lineage whose forms do resemble salamanders from Earth, and are adapted to living underground and underwater, though some Salians have also been known to make homes on dry land. 

Much like salamanders, Salians also have webbed fingers and toes that allow them to swim and glide through the water. They also have external gill stalks called rami, giving them the ability to breathe underwater. Some Salian will even have thin stalks on their rami, looking much like hair on a mortal’s head. 

Would you play a Salian?

Now click on the poll to choose your favorite!