Nouvelle update special GENCON…
Dante Update #3: Gathering at the Shores of Acheron
In this update, we talk about Gencon where you can meet us and demo Dante! There’s also information about characters from the game, new giveaway discussion, and our partnership with the King of Average. Finally, join us in a vote for the best name!
« All this shall be made known to you when we stand on the joyless beach of Acheron… »
- Inferno, III:73-74, Ciardi
Dear Adventurers,
Dark waves wash over a sunless bank, deep beyond the Gate of Hell, as a crowd gathers nearby an ancient ferry anchoring the river Acheron. Weeping and cursing, souls are drawn to this strange shore, condemned to see the light on the surface nevermore.
This update will focus on the community of souls gathering both within and outside of the game as we invite you to join us at Gencon, explore the developing backgrounds of the player characters, talk about what we are working on, start a new community discussion about storytelling in games (with another giveaway), and continue the incredible community effort from the last update to find the perfect name for the game:
- Meet us at Gencon (booth #3029) and see Dante in action! (book a demo here)
- The Souls in the Abyss — get to know the player characters
- Our partnership with The King of Average
- Help us find the best name for the game
- New community discussion with a giveaway
- What lies ahead — next steps for Dante
Gencon — Meet Us at Booth #3029
« Here sighs, laments, and deep wailings were resounding though the starless air »
- Inferno, III, Norton
We know that many of you are looking forward to Gencon 23, and we’d love to meet you there in person to talk all about Dante and also to demo the game for you!
You will find us in a booth number is #3029 (see the convention map). You can meet Rick, Mauro, Eurico, Marcio, Fize, and Maju from the CGS team, and apart from demoing Dante, we’ll also have a finished version of CoD: Apocalypse as well as other games that were not published through crowdfunding. We’d love to hang out with you, so come see us even if the demo schedule is full!
Play Dante with the Designer at Gencon!
We have an incredible opportunity for you to be part of something truly special at Gencon! We’re thrilled to announce that we’ll be hosting exclusive gameplay sessions with the game designers themselves for both Apocalypse and Dante. This is your chance to experience the games firsthand, engage with the creative minds behind them, and create unforgettable memories!
What’s the Buzz About?
Picture yourself sitting at the gaming table alongside the talented designers of Apocalypse and Dante. You’ll have the unique opportunity to dive deep into the mechanics, strategies, and immersive worlds of these exciting games. It’s the ultimate gaming experience that will leave you inspired and connected to the heart of the games you love.
How to Secure Your Spot?
To be in with a chance to play with the game designers at GENCON, all you need to do is sign up for our exclusive gameplay sessions. Simply visit our website below and fill out the registration form. Hurry, as spots are limited and the demand is high!
Register Now for the Experience of a Lifetime!
The Souls in the Abyss
" their miserable lives have sunk so low
that they must envy every other fate."
- Inferno, III:44-45, Ciardi
While many deceased souls reside within the Circles of Hell, that accursed abyss is also threaded by some who still drink from the chalice of life. Just like Dante when he lost the true way, the four player characters found themselves on the tangled ground of a forest dark. What led them there they do not know, as much of their memories are clouded in shadows.
Below is a work-in-progress version of background for the four Champions who will be the player characters in the game. We are still working on them, thinking about the personality traits, flaws, beliefs, and possible ways in which these characters can develop throughout the game. Finally, we have also included a brief description of the Order who are among the antagonists of the story.
The Mercenary: Born into the esteemed echelons of Ethiopian nobility, the Mercenary is at heart a simple man with a thoughtful mind and steadfast moral values. The path of his life, dictated by his lineage, was charted out for him since childhood. At least until the day when everything changed. A disturbing incident within his family, a well-kept secret he never speaks about, drastically altered his course and led him far astray from his predetermined path. Fleeing to seek refuge in the rugged landscapes of the Mediterranean, he cast aside the privilege of his birth to adopt the mantle of a Mercenary.
The Devotee: Steeped in the opulence of a merchant family in Flanders, the Devotee‘s childhood formed a bittersweet tapestry of privilege and turmoil. Wrapped in the lavish comfort of wealth, she was raised from an early age to become a desirable future wife. This was her only worth in the eyes of her parents. Yet, the girl’s fiery spirit clashed hard with these expectations. The upset parents banished her in the confines of the austere walls of a convent. It didn’t hold her for long, but the experience was enough for her spirit to find its true calling. She never returned home and developed into a pious, strict woman of fervent religious conviction, as the punishment meant to crush her only served to further ignite her passion.
The Artist: Raised on the roads of Eastern Europe, the Artist spent most of her life traversing between the Balkan and Russian lands, yet never truly finding a place to call home. Her Romani heritage turned her childhood into a battleground against stigma and prejudice, molding her into the resilient individual she is today. To survive in such a hostile world, she learned to adapt, learning multiple languages, skills, and trades, embracing the cosmopolitan identity of her people. Despite life’s relentless trials, her gentle nature always shines through when she appears on stage, as if she was a different person – gentle, sweet, and with a big and generous heart.
The Outlaw: Growing up among the rugged beauty of Cornwall, the Outlaw’s childhood was forged by the civil war that torn England apart. When the boy became a man and the original bloodshed was over, he found himself ensnared in the middle of a conflict once more as the people united against the newly-crowned king. The terrifying confrontation with the aftermath of a doomed rebellion led the man to rethink his choices and abandon his comrades. Now, a decade later, he stands tall as a pragmatic and down-to-earth man, bowing only to the guilt of his past decisions.
The Order: The Order is an institution assembled of faithful knights. The flame of their spirits kindled by the tales of the Crusaders, these knights are united through their common goal - to establish a direct physical passage leading from Earth to Paradise. Although the thought alone of such a sacrilegious task is terrifying, the trust and devotion in their leader is strong enough to convince the knights that this objective is possible. There are even whispers that the leader is a divine emissary. After all, such formidable undertaking is not a hasty enterprise, but the culmination of a decade-long process of recruitment, training, and indoctrination spanning Europe and Eurasia. Catholics, Orthodox, Muslims, Jews, Cathars, or Buddhists… members of all faiths are accepted in their ranks, as the only thing that matters to the Order is a fervor and dedication to the task at hand.
Partnership with The King of Average
"… I pass from light
into the kingdom of eternal night."
- Inferno, IV:151-52, Ciardi
We can’t repeat often enough how important the amazing feedback and comments from the community are to us. The primary vision of the CGS studio and the games we develop has always been firmly established on the foundation of developing community-based projects. Because of this, we are constantly looking for new ways to improve the experience for our backers and supporters. We also explore new options to listen and communicate with you to ensure that every decision we make resonates with the voice of the community.
This is why we are proud to announce a partnership with Michael King, better known as The King of Average, who has been a powerful voice and an outspoken champion of the board gaming community for a long time now. This collaboration will help us increase and incorporate even more feedback into our projects, which will help us improve our games and crowdfunding campaigns with a community-first approach.
Take a look at what he says about this collaboration in the video below.
Help Us Find the Best Name
« this has been willed where what is willed must be. »
- Inferno, III:92, Ciardi
In the last update (Update #2), we have started a discussion about whether the current name, Dante: Invasion of Hell, accurately represents the essence of the game. There was a vote for a name that would fit the game best, and as always, you were absolutely amazing in giving us plenty of feedback and additional options.
After reading through your responses and comments, we have decided to open a poll where you can submit a couple of names that you think best fit the theme and mechanics of this board game reimagination of Dante’s literary masterpiece. We will then collate the results and open a new poll for those that fit the best. Please take a moment to share your thoughts in the link below. We really appreciate your participation in shaping the future of the project.
You can take a look back at Update #1and Update #2 where we describe the two main gameplay phases and outline the story of the game.
New Community Discussion about Storytelling - With a Giveaway!
« in silence, I followed where he lead. »
- Inferno, I: 128, Ciardi
In the last update, we started a community discussion about solo gaming. There was a poll through which you could voice your opinions, and 1264 of you have shared your thoughts! For us, it is incredible to communicate this way with a big part of this community. Thank you very much - we are glad that so many of you have participated!
In this new community discussion, we’d like to explore board game stories! Do you care about them? Do you like long campaigns or prefer short scenarios? Join the new discussion and let us and others from the community know! As a thank you, we will give away a pledge from the upcoming campaign to one random person who participates.
What Lies Ahead
« Now let us go, for a long road awaits us. »
- Inferno, IV:21, Ciardi
First, no need to worry if you can’t demo Dante at Gencon. Not only will we have a booth at Essen SPIEL later this year, we’re also working on a Print-and-Play version of the Dante Demo Box so we can give you a glimpse into how the game is going to be played. In the Demo Box, you will explore a prototype version of Limbo, the first circle of Hell, and get into a fierce battle with Minos, the infernal judge. And, if you prefer, Andreas is also currently working on porting the Demo Box content into Tabletop Simulator.
Rick and Mika had an exciting call with Luke and Nate from Forteller. It was wonderful to see the dedication and incredible level of commitment that the Forteller team has for elevating the immersion of Dante to a completely different level through their approach to voice narration and sound design. We hope to soon start sharing with you plenty of behind-the-scenes materials and information about all the different aspects of development of the Forteller narration for the game.
Finally, we expect the launch date of the Dante campaign to fall between Q4 of 2023 and Q1 of 2024. As you may know, we finished all work on our previous project, Chronicles of Drunagor: Apocalypse, earlier this year, and so it is now in the hands of the manufacturer and our logistics partners to deliver it. What we know for certain is that we will only launch Dante after Apocalypse in English has been delivered to backers because it is important for us to show everyone the quality of our project and let everyone experience the game we made before we launch a new campaign.
Demo Box getting packed for GENCON
Thank you very much, adventurers. We really appreciate all your thoughtful ideas and suggestions. It’s a pleasure to have you here already as a part of the project.
Let us know what you would like to see in the next updates. Is there anything specific that you would like us to talk about and share? We’re looking forward to seeing many of you at Gencon and, as always, we’d love to read your thoughts in the comments.
We wish you a great week!
Sincerely,
CGS Team
