Fate of the Elder Gods by Campfire Studios now on Kickstarter

The Dark World of Fate of the Elder Gods

Freshly out of an economic boom, the fiscal uncertainty of the late nineteenth century has caused a normally loyal political populace to begin doubting the direction of the New World.

Recent advances in technology have created environments with largely populated, industrious cities and a different view of poverty and want. Man has proven to be incapable of maintaining bounty. There is only one path forward. The Old ones dream of eternal order and understanding. They must be awakened, in order to guide us on the path to peace and prosperity. In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.

Fate of the Elder Gods is a visionary new perspective on the Lovecraftian mythos. Not often has the truth of the world been seen through the eyes of the cultists. Our reality is much more glorious through the eyes of the chosen; those who are granted the “vision” of the Elders.

At Campfire, we’re gaming fiends. When the company was founded, we wanted to create a different environment; one that wasn’t driven by money, but by passion to create amazing things. Every team member is a gamer first, developer second. Because of this, there is no hierarchy at Campfire. Every team member has a say in every piece of development. Decisions are made together, and the first question is always, “Will this create the most fun experience for us playing the game?”

Desktop/Console Support

Fate of the Elder Gods will be targeted at PC and Xbox on initial release. All backers will receive either a PC or an Xbox version of the game, if they’ve chosen the appropriate tier. Fate of the Elder Gods will be released cross-platform! There has been just as much effort to build the game for both platforms, and the play experience will be the same. As gamers, we believe that everyone should be able to play together, regardless of the platform they choose to play on.

Music

A ton of effort has gone into making the soundtrack a combination of creepy and fantastic in nature. The entire soundtrack, composed by our very own Jon McNew, is deep and will keep you on the edge of your seat, begging for closure.

Real-world Integration

Fate of the Elder Gods is launching along-side arkham-advertiser.com, your exclusive source for all things Arkham! The Advertiser will tell you what’s going on in the world, and for diligent harbingers, can be a source of in-game intel! In addition, what you see in the Advertiser will affect what you see in-game! Also, things you do in-game with significant impact will show up in the Advertiser!

Player Choices

The player decides what happens in the world! Based off of the player’s choices, the world is affected, and so is the story experience! Please, just please don’t sacrifice Boris, though. Everyone loves Boris!

Cult Management

As the chosen champion of your cult and God, you will achieve your goals through various means. Increasing the potency and numbers of your cult is key. New cult members will be recruited to search for arcane artifacts, learn information about select locations, and track other cultist and Investigator movements. Unique cult members may also give your organization abilities or boosts in skills or talents. Sacrifices can grant powerful effects, but require cultists to complete. Plan out your cultists' movements strategically! You will be most effective in locations that are controlled by your cult.

Dynamically changing world!

Fate of the Elder Gods has session-persistent world instances, zonally instanced geographically. What this means is that people in the same area of the world as you affect the reality of your world as much as their own. Opening a rift to spawn a Beast from Beyond will cause repercussions and reactions in your own instance. So, even if you’re not directly fighting against someone in your world, your experience is also constantly unique.

Avatar Customization

Players may customize their experience via in-game character and cult skins. Players are able to customize their character, cult roster, and lodge with a plethora of available skins.

Multiplayer

Fate of the Elder Gods will be built using Improbable.io’s platform SpatialOS. This is the most advanced multiplayer game platform on the planet, and is additionally supplemented with Campfire’s proprietary Ignition Engine to provide a multiplayer environment without loading screens, thousands of active actors, and an expansive environment.

Class and Character Customization

In Fate of the Elder Gods, you will research and craft the spells which are available to you through the collection of excerpts from ancient tomes and ingredients found on creatures from dark ancestry. In addition, you may carry artifacts, which will channel your power in various ways. Finally, the structure of your cult also plays a part in your progression through the story. Every member of your cult has archetypes, or talents, which will provide you with boons depending on what their strengths are. Also, don’t forget, your cultists are a resource! You may sacrifice them for rituals or Eldritch Power!

Advanced AI

A fully immersive world must be filled with believable characters and AI. In addition to deep characters who play significant roles in the story (unless you decide to sacrifice them for Eldritch Power), who are plentiful throughout the world, investigators are clever, and will smartly position to corner you. In addition, they intelligently gain intel from civilians (and other players), and will always be on the path to finding and preventing your glorious plan. They are alive, and will respond to sight, sound, touch, and that mysterious human 6th sense (don’t sit and stare for too long), so make sure you plan accordingly!

Keep your wits about you, or you might be ambushed by a group of investigators with no way to evade, or a hungry Beast from Beyond. Be mindful, Harbinger. As the chosen of the Gods, you are important. If your body is caught, the Gift of the Harbinger will exit your god’s current mortal pawn and you will be forced to choose a new host from those who have been enlightened. The old Cultist shell is gone for good.

Streamlined Combat System

Combat in Fate of the Elder Gods is all about stealth and secrecy. You have spent your life researching the ways of the Old Ones, and the unenlightened must not get their hands on what you’ve learned. They will destroy what you have gained, out of ignorance and dread. There is a near infinite number of spells, as you determine what elements to combine and what incantations to say when documenting (creating) spells. How you play your character is completely up to you, but you’ll want to learn the Eldritch Ways in order to take advantage of the talents you’ve acquired and the artifacts you’ve “borrowed”.

You will rid the land of investigators, or the spawn of Gods other than your chosen. You will out-wit and dispatch other cultists in your search for powerful sources of Eldritch power. You will summon your savior; The God you serve.

Throughout your quest to summon an Old God, you will battle powerful beings, deal with angry mobs of civilians, and protect your lodge from raids by investigators. You must act covertly, but quickly, as they are keen to destroy the knowledge and power you’ve gained. Such is the way of the unenlightened.

"Hmmmm… What say you then? You are the Harbinger now, so let’s act like it and get right to work. Be careful not to stumble. Our Lord’s eldritch gifts come at a cost, and there is much you will have to relearn.

The task at hand will be difficult, and the other blasphemous Cults will attempt to stop you at every turn. You will break them. The common folk has special Investigators among them who believe they have the power to turn you from your goal. Swat them aside.

Harbinger. Your entire existence has brought you to this point. Your Brothers and Sisters stand ready to assist you. Our great and terrible Lord has blessed you. Enemies prepare themselves to stand in your way.

Do not fail. Make sure to meet the rest of our flock before you enter the streets. They will have tasks and information for you. Now, be on your way.” - an Elder’s “gentle” lecture given to a newly imbued Harbinger

"Power, real power is never idly given, it is earned. It is obtained through dark deeds and blasphemous dedication. A Harbinger has been granted incredible arcane abilities far beyond those wielded by fellow Cultists. Shadows grow menacing around you, animals flee in terror, and bad luck plagues those who would do you harm. Magic garnered through the worship of the Old Gods is a mysterious and treacherous ability. Alien energy such as this follows no petty rules of mankind, and those without strong willpower will be reduced to the mental state of a newborn in the mere attempt of understanding it. Meticulously crafted spells, complicated rituals, and bloody sacrifices assist in focusing this terrible energy to take effect as you see fit.

Drink deep from the well of eldritch power that your God has granted you. We are doomed to not wield such a gift for long.” - Excerpt from cultist tome; A Treatise on Harnessing Eldritch Power

"We now suspect that no less than eight cults have taken up residence in the unsuspecting city of Arkham. When the sinister cult known as the Brothers of Brine originally began to gather influence here, we focused solely on that one threat. This was to our detriment. Too late did we discover that the entire city of Arkham, and its surrounding lands, is a mystical confluence of powerful ancient energy that can be harnessed to enhance occult rituals. Each new cult to arrive here has fought to carve out ownership of this energy, and this has caused a stalemate in their struggle for power. The citizens of this fair city walk about their daily lives with no knowledge of the danger that lurks among them. Our enemy could be a coworker, friend, or even family. We know why Arkham has been targeted by these renegades, and we shall stand our ground in defense of her. We Investigators remain vigilant." - Last journal entry of Investigator McClellan before his disappearance in Arkham