Book of Travels - MaD_Helen
Dear Travellers,
In our blog today we’re taking you for a rummage in the studio attic. In its many draws, folders and cabinets are sketches showing Book of Travels in many stages of its life. The first sketches were made in 2016, at the very beginning of development and were created by the art team to explore the kinds of places and people that might exist in this new world.

Pre-production sketches
Below are sketches from the pre-production phase - exploratory designs from a time before the style had solidified.





Production sketches
These are sketches from the ongoing production. Traditional pen-and-paper designs play a major part in the design of the in-game graphics - the current amount of sketches could easily drive a fresh recruit mad!










Sketches to come back to
These strange looking sketches haven't found their way into the game yet but may be part of the future of Book of Travels.







We hope you enjoyed this little peek into the attic! We'll be back in a couple of weeks with a very exciting update... Till then stay safe and take care.

Best Wishes,

Helen and the team xx


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels

Want more info?
Become a Traveller
Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at https://m-n-d.games/BoT/Steam/update.

What is TMORPG?
The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World
Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region – the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord
Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.
Book of Travels - MaD_Helen


With two of our most ambitious titles to date releasing soon, we thought that this was the perfect time to ensure that they'll be cross checked to perfection with the help of Quality Assurance Officer Fleur. We hope you like their Q&A and are brimming with questions yourself to ask them in the comments section!

Where have you been until now?
At Blekinge Institute of Technology in Karlshamn studying digital game design, I loved the programming part of the course although the story elements hold a close second. Before that I lived on a small farm outside of Grythyttan where we keep sheep and chickens, of which my favorite is the big grey rooster Sebastian which I raised from a hatchling.

How did you find your way to Might and Delight?
Through a student group posting job advertisements where I fell in love with Might and Delight’s art style and game concepts, it [quality assurance] was a completely new position at the company so it seemed intriguing.

What do you most enjoy about your work at Might and Delight?
The people! Everyone is super kind and welcoming, almost feels like an extended family.

What’s something that you love doing when you're not working?
I love cross stitching and reading fantasy novels! The Terry Pratchett series Discworld holds a special place in my heart for their witty style, intriguing plot and cleverly disguised social commentary. Cross stitching is a relatively new hobby which I started with to keep my hands occupied while watching [tv] series but found that it's really relaxing to do as long as the threads cooperate.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/
Book of Travels - MaD_Helen
Dear Travellers,
So far we’ve shared a lot about how serene the Book of Travels experience will be, but as we talked about in our inspirations blog, the beauty of the world lies partly in its shadows and the tension that lurks at the periphery. This week we’re looking at some of the dangers that can sneak up on you in Braided Shore. Here we share a few that you can expect to encounter when early access launches this summer. Be warned - the shadows in this world do not fall at the usual angles...



Beware the chaos of a Kettem
Also known as the spirit of the middle winds, the Kettem (Plural:Kettem) is a malicious spirit that rides the winds that bisect the cardinal coordinates. Having no physical form Kettem animate themselves with any objects that lie in their path, creating wild and chaotic melds of unknown intent. A Kettem is a harsh opponent in all cases, but harsher still when animated by harder objects, such as parts of trees or broken boats. Other common Kettem components include seaweed (being plentiful on a high tide) and hay (being skimmed from hay bales). Abandoned junk and personal objects are also sometimes caught in a Kettem’s path. Once its physical form has been destroyed, a Kettem becomes a harmless wind spirit once more and will quickly vanish.



Never mess with a Maisu

The Maisu (Plural: Maisu) is not known as the ‘spirit-of-foul-words’ for nothing - this spirit is the embodiment of every expletive spat in vitriol and is said to be summoned by feelings of hate. Where spite is usually something unleashed in rare and hot flashes, for Maisu it is an eternally roaring fire. They love nothing better than to hurt folk and cause them distress, but their attacks can often be more baffling than life threatening. But Maisu can also be cowardly and not particularly strong-willed - farm families will sometimes come together to vanquish a Maisu that has been troubling the surroundings. Because of Maisu, Braided Shore folk choose their words wisely, scolding “Curse-for-the-Maisu!” at folk who use foul words. Maisu are bound to a knot symbol of unknown meaning that also resembles their facial features. This “rune” can be seen floating in the air before the demon itself becomes visible.



The torment of Mares

Called simply 'Mares' these dream horrors take the shape of slender yet beast-like creatures that fly in a swimming fashion. Mares are a fairly recent phenomenon in Braided Shore and are believed to be a manifestation of the ills that have more recently troubled the region. There is no doubt that an encounter with a Mare is a very serious moment indeed: their uncanny aspect transfixes all who lay eyes on it, but a Mare must be quickly dealt with for their attack is mighty. Over time, Asken folk have come to know these ghouls as the nightmares of Sefra, wrangled loose from their dream world and drifting in torment across the land. Some say they have witnessed a Mare dissolve as its Sefra wakes, and others have been successful in destroying Mares while its Sefra sleeps on, more peacefully with its Mare now returned to its world of dreams.



Be watchful as you wander

These are just a few of the dangers you can expect to face in Braided Shore, but there’s plenty to watch out for on the roads and in the wilds too… All kinds of earthly good-for-nothings will knock you off your path. Poachers, kidnappers, smugglers and bandits may choose to rob or attack you, and though they may not be the most daunting of foes, an encounter with one may leave you as confused and depleted as any sprite or gast!

As always, we are so glad to have your company! We’d love to hear your thoughts about these and other beings so please do drop them right here in the comments section below…

Best Wishes and Stay Safe,

Helen and the Dev Team x


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/
Want more info?
Become a traveller
Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at https://m-n-d.games/BoT/Steam/update.

What is TMORPG?
The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World
Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region – the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord
Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

Book of Travels - MaD_Helen
Dear Travellers,

How does it feel to travel the road? What is it like to take a turning from the beaten path? Well-worn tracks bear the shape of familiar behaviours, but making new tracks brings us to the present moment, releasing new energy for fresh adventures... Such choices in these times are, for many of us, flights of fantasy, and today we hope to keep those flights aloft with the help of some music from Book of Travels. Whether you’re home-bound, locked down, or on the road, we hope you get some time to listen to them and let us know what you think...





Different moods for different journeys

The title 'Book of Travels' stuck because it so clearly places journeying as the heart of the game, and so it’s vital that these journeys are rich in mood and ambience, and here music plays a huge part, creating not just mood but depth and variety. Lead Sound Designer Josef Tuule explains: “These two pieces are meant to be companions for different kinds of areas in the game. ‘The Elden Road’ offers the comfy vibe of walking a path that others have walked many times before. By contrast, ‘The Weaving Wilds’ describes the kind of terrain we think of as an off-shoot - where culture and tonality may differ from your normal path. The player should feel they have progressed into a new area, hence the expression is more vivid.”



Instruments from the East recorded live

Music in Book of Travels has many different roles to play in the game, as well as being present as a traditional game score, it will be performed by the inhabitants of Braided Shore themselves. All scored pieces are composed and produced by Josef Tuulse and Retro Family, who comprise Ulf Wahlgren, Jokke Pettersson and Alfred Andersson. The band has a long relationship with the studio and is responsible for the unique sound of the Shelter Games series. Ulf Wahlgren attributes much of that style to the band’s method of recording live performance: “We play all of the music and instruments live, nothing is programmed or fixed, and that makes the music come alive within the game.”

Retro Family play instruments from around the world, and for this soundtrack combine the oud, flute, darbuka, saz and bass with hand percussion.



“The soundtrack takes influences from artists in Egypt, Turkey, Greece,” says Ulf, “A new instrument to us is the oud, an Arabic string instrument, which reminds me of a lute. It has no frets on the neck, so it slides beautifully between notes, and we use a fretless bass to blend with that.”

Just as the game design takes inspiration from many sources, so does the sound design. Ulf and the band look to “classic adventure and RPG games, classical Ottoman music and a wide variety of traditional music from Armenia, Greece, Turkey and Iran to name a few.” As with all things Book of Travels, the aim is to take these most excellent ingredients to make something fresh and exciting. As Ulf says, “We want the player to feel that a new world is awaiting them, a world, mayhaps, that they have not experienced before.”



Celebrating music in our games

To hear more of Retro Family’s soundtracks and watch them play live, check their Youtube channel. You can also follow their Instagram where they post pics and the occasional musical video clips.

This week we are also celebrating Retro Family’s score for Shelter Games as we head towards the release of Shelter 3. Check the post here and get a free soundtrack DLC of Shelter 2 by joining our Shelter newsletter here.

We’re super glad to be sharing this music with you and we can’t wait to share more lovely things as the game gets closer to completion this year. In the meantime, please let us know your thoughts right here in the comments… What music do you like to travel to?? What other games have you enjoyed journeying in? If travel’s your thing, there’s a whole channel dedicated to just that in our Discord. We'd love to see you there.

Best Wishes – and stay safe,

Helen and the Book of Travels dev team x


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Want more info?
Become a traveller
Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at https://m-n-d.games/BoT/Steam/update.

What is TMORPG?
The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World
Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region – the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord
Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.
Book of Travels - MaD_Helen
Dear Travellers,

The last year was one where we slowly opened the door to Book of Travels and all it involves. We’ve been deeply gratified to read your response, in particular those replies that have lead us to books, art and other media that you feel share similarities with the square-peg project that is our TMORPG. With that in mind, and to make for a reviving start to the epic year that will be 2021, we’re dedicating this post to a deeper investigation of key inspirations behind Book of Travels, and we hope you feel inspired to share your own inspirations with us too!


The Library of Babel by Érik Desmazières

Circularity and uncertainty from literary magic realists

Argentinian Jorge Luis Borges is famous for fiction that undermines all notions of reality. One of his best known works is The Library of Babel, whose (almost) infinite stacks of randomised texts prompted the production team to begin designing a game world that has players get lost on an (almost) infinite quest of their own design. In Borges’ story characters respond to the uninterpretable texts in many ways - as cultists, cabalists, or simply on a searching for meaning and truth. The exploratory decentred experience that is Book of Travels owes a lot to Borges’ library and Ficciones. Other stories such as 1001 Nights and Judith Schalansky’s Pocket Atlas of Remote Islands have also inspired the dreamy reality and magical everyday of Braided Shore.


Tove Jansson’s Hattifatteners haunt Moominmamma

Light and darkness from Tove Jansson

All Moomin fans are familiar with how the light-hearted domesticity of Moomin life is made brighter by lurking darkness. A Groke, hattifatteners and the Lady of the Cold all loom in from the periphery to quietly nudge you out of your existential comfort zone. No matter the infinite beauty of the new day’s sun there’s always something unnerving in the offing. If Book of Travels gets anywhere close to conjuring this kind of uncanny we would be thrilled indeed.


Standing in the rain with Totoro

Peace and solitude from Studio Ghibli

Hayao Miyazaki’s work is much loved in the studio, and the stillness and silence in films like Spirited Away, Ponyo, and Totoro is something we love a lot. These daring minutes of peace aren’t validated by any narrative task, they’re simply part of a meandering journey, allowing us to get lost in something or nothing in particular. We’ve often written about getting lost in Book of Travels and about how tranquil it is, the effect of Ghibli’s ‘ma’ is something we dream of achieving in game form.


David Lupton’s Ged from Ursula le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea

Ambiguity from Earthsea

Everything mundane and ethereal in Book of Travels emerges from a grey zone somewhere between good and evil, and the game’s design and scattered narratives quite consciously evade that classical binary. So while we’re clearly very inspired by fantasy RPGs, the spirit of the game’s design owes a lot to fantasy classic A Wizard of Earthsea, in which Ged learns about the balance of the cosmos and fights inner turmoil rather than outer forces of darkness.


Layers of mystery from Baldur's Gate

Open world gaming from Baldur’s Gate

If there is one game we never tire of paying tribute to it’s Baldur’s Gate. This was the original it-doesn’t-hold-your-hand RPG and many of the team have spent uncountable hours playing it, both since production began but also way before the Book of Travels seed was even planted. The sense of just wandering the lands freely, just enjoying nature and the adventure is still an unparalleled experience in the RPG genre. Interestingly BG1 was created by medical doctors and not seasoned game devs - they wanted to make a game with a much more open style of play. In terms of game design, this is the team’s number one inspiration and we’ll be over the moon if we can even slightly live up to its achievements! Other games that we looked at are Journey, ICO and RPGS like Knights of the Old Republic.


A still from Jiri Trkna’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Character design and a diorama aesthetic from Czech animators

Czech animation has something of a cult following, but it’s Jiri Trnka in particular whose illustrations and puppets are an all time favourite of Art Director Jakob Tuchten. Trkna’s almond-eyed, graceful-limbed creatures are dressed in the deeply-hued cloaks of medieval style fairytales, an aesthetic that blends easily with feudal Japanese and Middle Eastern dress. Trkna’s animation also inspired Book of Travel’s diorama feel. This mix of 2D and 3D was a big technical challenge but, we hope, now evokes a Trknaesque atmosphere, suggesting fictions consciously staged in a world that’s deeply immersive.


The Blue Heron by AJ Casson


Arnold Böcklin's Isle of Death

A light and dark aesthetic from many fine art masters

While ambiguity is a source of dramatic tension in Braided Shore, visually, dark and light are very polarised. For the painting style, inspiration finally came from AJ Casson whose picture above became the cornerstone of the game’s visual style. Casson’s lines are fluid, vivid and detailed, and echo expressionists (such as Munch and Van Gough) in invoking the motion of wind. Wind is a very important phenomena in Braided Shore, so this aesthetic also works to hint at its continuing presence and magical influence. Away from the woods, dense looking rocks and flat reflecting water are borrowed from Arnold Böcklin’s Isle of Death series to create a bleak feel. The art team also looked to the Orientalists whose figurative art documented everyday life in Middle Eastern cities. From them comes the hustle and bustle of our https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1152340/view/2944753052358276407.


The Reception of Ambassadors in Damascus, by an unknown Venetian artist


Waterhouse's Love for Circe

Those unexpected human things

Of course there are tonnes of other influences that go into the Book of Travels cooking pot to stew, some of which are those unplanned, organic and human things. There’s a phenomena in the theory of visual art whereby artists cannot resist the temptation to fill all available space with detail. It’s known as Horror Vacui, and unsurprisingly that’s exactly how the game ended up looking how it now does. For that we have Lead Artist Marcus to thank! A studio copy of Madelaine Miller’s Circe now creaking with use like it has a spirit in its spine has also bled into our approach to spells and magic.

-----------------------

We hope that this very brief dive into our various influences has inspired you to discover something new and fun. For sure, our journey of discovery is never over, and we'd love to hear all your suggestions for cultural rabbit holes that we can lose ourselves in, so please drop us a line below and let us know what Book of Travels makes you think of...

Thank you so much for spending your time with us! From the whole team, best wishes and stay safe!

Helen and the Dev Team xx

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Want more info?
Become a traveller
Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at https://m-n-d.games/BoT/Steam/update.

What is TMORPG?
The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World
Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region – the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord
Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.
Book of Travels - MaD_Helen
Dear Travellers,

We would love to be able to wish you a ‘kul jul’ with a traditional looking shot of our snowy Scandanavian island, but alas, it has not snowed here yet. So we share instead this photograph of our gate, taken by Studio Manager Joel in January 2019. That time was a very white winter in Stockholm and covered our little island in snow and froze Lake Malaren for weeks on end.



The second photo is the Might and Delight house just last week… We are never many here these days and are sitting through this bleakest of winters working to those all-engrossing deadlines and wishing for a better 2021… We are sure you are too, and today we want to send you our seasonal wishes with an extra serving of spirit to help with all you may be going through... and with extra special thanks for supporting us over this last year.



We can’t wait till the days get lighter and we get ever closer to that early access date! We’ll have a whole new set of Book of Travels sneak peeks to share with you between then and now - until then, take care and stay well.

Best wishes and a happy new year to you,

From us all at Might and Delight <3


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/
Dec 11, 2020
Book of Travels - MaD_Helen
Dearest Travellers,

If you’ve already checked out our gameplay video, you might have noticed that Creative Director Jakob spends some time explaining how to create characters. No doubt, character creation is a huge part of the soul and spirit of Book of Travels and we hope you’ll love getting deep into your character before starting your adventure. So today we’re sharing a little bit of insight into the thinking behind those character creation fields. We also have a first ever peek at artwork and info on four of the game’s 15+ Forms, plus a nice little bit of character-related community news...



The Wheel of Personality, Jung and Chinese Theatre

The character creation process in Book of Travels allows for very detailed and creative player input, which we think will enable rich and characterful roleplay. (You can see some of the fields you’ll be able to complete in the image below the next.)

Every character begins its life as one of a selection of Forms, each of which has been inspired by a combination of archetypes. In creating the Forms, our research took in personality theory from many disciplines including Comedia dell’arte, Chinese Theatre and Jung’s twelve personality types. All have been sources of inspiration rather than templates, and our main intention has been to build a framework that allows players to create complex, nuanced personalities.



Just like classes in traditional RPGs, each Form comes with different gameplay orientation and skill affinity, but in Book of Travels, Forms are designed to help players create an individual playstyle and enjoy a high degree of personal expression in their roleplay. Further character complexity can be added by choosing background, gender (a freeform field) personality traits, skills, talents and appearance, which will together make for a unique character and a unique play experience.



There are over 15 Forms to choose from with more to unlock as you solve narrative chains and engage in gameplay events. Here are four for you to get to know right now - we’ll be sharing another four sometime soon.



The Mirther and The Dimmed

The Mirther is creative and embodies honesty and youth. They echo rural Romantic archetypes such as shepherds, wandering musicians and artists. They are a daydreamer and find much mirth in or out of company. By contrast The Dimmed is an older, wiser type whose light shines less brightly. Their stoic attitude in company does not temper their thirst for exploration, especially when the quest is enlightenment.



The Moss Walker and The Weatherer

The Mosswalker has feet that are deep in the earth and finds magic in all things mundane. They live a relatively ordinary life but their values are wide and true, making them something of an unconventional, Bohemian type. Striding and far from domestic, The Weatherer’s spirit is forged by exposure to elements literal and metaphorical. Their unequivocal thinking and broad experience finds them well placed in exploration and adventure.

Choose a Form role on Discord!

From today, Discord users will now have the ability to choose from one of the above forms as a role. These are our first lore based roles and there will be more in time to come. So if you haven’t already, come by and say hello :)

Which Form resonates with you the most? Let us know in the comments here, and please feedback your thoughts on anything you think you like or are unsure about in our character creation process.

Thanks so much for spending your time with us!

Best Wishes,

Helen and the Dev Team x


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Want more info?
Become a traveller
Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at https://m-n-d.games/BoT/Steam/update.

What is TMORPG?
The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World
Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region – the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord
Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

Book of Travels - MaD_Helen
We are thrilled to share a gameplay video in which Creative Director Jakob Tuchten talks us through processes like character creation, skills and trade.

Rachel Watts at PC Gamer was first to share the video yesterday alongside a fabulous feature that you can read right here.



We hope you like what you see! We think it's going to give you a much clearer sense of the game and show how much it has changed since early screenshots and beta testing.

Be sure to leave your comments and Jakob will come by and respond later!

Best Wishes,

Helen and the Dev Team x


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Want more info?
Become a traveller
Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at https://m-n-d.games/BoT/Steam/update.

What is TMORPG?
The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World
Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region – the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord
Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.
Book of Travels - MaD_Helen
Dear Travellers,

Today we’re sharing some sketches and screenshots of Braided Shore’s chief urban hub and capital city, Kasa. With its deep waters, Kasa has been the launching and landing place for Travellers for time immemorial, and for most visitors it's their first impression of the region. But bustling as it is, they'd be deceived to think the whole of Braided Shore as dense and thronging; a Traveller need not wander far to find themselves in nature and tranquillity.





A hive of activity in a serene land

In both our game announcement and Kickstarter campaign we described Book of Travels as a serene game, a description that received a very positive response. Certainly players of the beta will have found the world very tranquil, so it might seem a little surprising that the region’s capital is as dense and demanding as any real world one - so much so that Travellers might feel disinclined to stay for long.

Trade, commerce and culture

But just like a real world city, Kasa will be the place for those wishing to acquire basic provisions and the odd item of exotic equipment, it’s also a key destination for Travellers interested in the variety of the region’s culture and customs. Being a harbour city means there will also be chances to encounter the immigrant cultures of the Malku and Selka people.

Design sketches from Kasa

These sketches show various buildings from Kasa which draw on 18th Century Turkish and Italian architecture. While they hint at an industrial society the intent is to keep a largely romantic feel.











Contrasting environments

Intense as it may be, we think Kasa will be a place to stimulate the senses, thronging with the kind of sights and sounds that can only be found in a highly populated area. However, its very existence is intended to contrast with the region’s peaceful hinterlands. We think there’s something more satisfying about solitude when the knowledge of human tumult is somewhere in the distance, and a visit to Kasa is sure to enhance the feeling of peace beyond it.

Thank you for reading about Kasa! What are your experiences of urban density in games - and in life? Do you enjoy tranquillity more when you know that bustle is close at hand or further away? We'd love to hear your thoughts on this and Kasa in the comments section.

Best Wishes,

Helen and the Dev Team x


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/
Want more info?
Become a traveller
Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at https://m-n-d.games/BoT/Steam/30min/Traveller_signup.

What is TMORPG?
The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World
Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region – the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord
Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.



Book of Travels - MaD_Helen


Hello Travellers,

We’re so pleased with progress on the game world of Braided Shore, and today we’re excited to reveal just how much of it will be yours to explore in early access. As you can see, this western land mass is cleft by rivers large and small and there are many bays and inlets to explore as well as larger settlements, such as the northern city of Myr. New areas of land will be added throughout the early access period, extending the region across The Verve to the east and south and opening up more land, lore, levels and scope for adventure.



Wilds, waterways... and a bustling trade city

At the south-easterly edge of the early access map lies the gem of the region - the city of Kasa. A huge old harbour city to the south of Braided Shore, Kasa owes its status as the land’s key trading city to its deep waters. The image above offers a glimpse of its outskirts as it looks now (these aren’t final graphics), and in our next post we’ll be sharing more screenshots and information about the city.



Starting with Chapter Zero

Book of Travels’ early access period marks the start of Chapter Zero, the first in a sequence of chapters that will frame the evolving story of Braided Shore. Once early access levels up to full release, Chapter Zero will close and give way to Chapter One. Each new chapter will mark a new phase as the overarching storyline unfolds along with multiple small plots and event chains.

Chapters will also involve unique gameplay features and items which will be exclusive to the lifespan of that particular chapter, a design which we hope will enrich the experience of long time players over the game’s long life span.

We’re still working on this concept and we’ll share more in a future post once we have more details in place. In the meantime, we’d love to know what you think about it, so please do post your thoughts below!

Best Wishes,

Helen and the Dev Team


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/
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