Y'know, it's weird that it's entirely a coincidence that Shanice and I have both been working on games with "Spirit" in the title recently but here we are. Five feet apart and worlds different.

Spirit Tea Update

Since getting back from the UK Games Expo - where I've picked up yet another bloody illness - I've been working on Spirit Tea. For those of you who haven't been following along, Spirit Tea is my chinese mythology inspired Apothecaria hack that puts you in charge of a magical tea house. Your job is to brew special teas that will attract spirits who can help with your customer's Requests. Things like "name our baby" and "protect a traveller".

Of course, it wouldn't be an Anna project if I wasn't going above and beyond so rather than a straight one-to-one remake of Apothecaria with new Locales and Ingredients, I'm also introducing new systems that I feel fit the theme. Things like getting a visit from your mentor at the end of each month and having them give a random boon for the next month.

There is a sumi-e painting of a branch with green flowers and a red painter's mark off to the side.">

I'm currently adding in a bunch of services you can use during your Downtime including the Magistrate's Board where you can pick up wanted posters for a bit of extra money.

I will be endeavouring to get some form of Spirit Tea down before the end of the month - even if it is missing a few mechanics - because our shīfu's shīfu is visiting later this month!

Which means I should also get practicing some kung fu too...

Spirit Ranger

My partner Shanice has been working on her incredible solo RPG, Spirit Ranger for the better part of a year now. For those who haven't heard me wax lyrical about it already, it is a creature collector set in a world where a magical corruption has turned the usually peaceful spirits into monsters. Wherever the corruption takes root, the land itself turns dark and twisted. It is your job as a Spirit Ranger to venture into the corruption and cure the guardian spirits. Along the way you'll cleanse spirits, build up your sanctuary, go on missions for humans and spirits, learn new skills, and bond with your partner spirits.

I loved it so much that I immediately stole the setting, spirits, and combat system for our weekly RPG game and every solo playtest I've done has been incredible.

We're still a ways off of putting out a prototype for you lovely patrons but we wanted to show some of the MS Paint prototype art vs the final art for a few of the spirits.

You can see Grabbit, the flower spreading rabbit nature spirit above and its MS Paint original below!

next up, Firaptor

Boombug

Shanice, learning from the Anna school of game design, has 120+ Spirits to illustrate (plus corrupted versions) as well as landscapes, spot art, and other incidentals to do so the final Spirit Ranger is still some time away.

Of course, if you'd like to play the prototype, leave a comment and give our fledgling designer some encouragement ;)