Weather Factory

I’ve been working on some new revolutionary (!) UI for our upcoming BOOK OF HOURS expansion, but I can’t show you it yet because it’s not final functionality, and we don’t want people misconstruing an early mock-up of an eight-slot situation window devoted entirely to teacakes as a promise that HOUSE OF LIGHT will feature, at minimum, 400 different types of bun. But I am very excited to show it to you when we’re more certain of the direction: it makes a lot of our upcoming expansion functionality much clearer.

What I can share, though, are some juicy new details: because the HOUSE OF LIGHT Steam page is now live! If you can, please head over and wishlist it, even if you’re a lucky Perpetual Edition holder who’ll get the expansion for free when it launches. (Wishlists make Steam think we’ll make them £££ which means they’re more likely to promote HoL / BOOK OF HOURS. Cf the algorithm section on this page from history.) It also means you’ll receive an email the moment the expansion is live, so you can dive in and start playing lickety-split. Thank you!

Here’s a gloss on the main points you’ll see on the HoL Steam page, to explain where we’re taking things…

Social Events

Host influential dinner parties in the crumbling splendour of Hush House. Choose a location that suits you – the Hall of Division, the Chapter House, or the Physic Garden, perhaps? – and send out invitations. Become tastemaker of the occult demimonde, or curate an exclusive society of only the most select adepts. Get to know the great and the good, introduce topics for discussion around the table, and observe the chemistry – or animus – between your guests. You’ll need food, drink, ambience, entertainment and more, but a successful soirée will influence the world in subtle ways, sending ripples far beyond your walls.

NB: AK is still working on the design and this is TBC, but it might be possible to to invite Visitors AND named Assistants – which means you could sit Reverend Timothy down next to Aunt Mopsy and see whether Good triumphs over Evil, or sandwich Denzil between Franklin Bancroft and Daymare to torture his saturnine soul.

Cooking

Your guests will grow hungry, and it’s up to you to cater to their interesting palates. Bake honey sandwich cakes and pair with port. Perfect beef suet pudding. Serve veal and cucumber, dark-smelling ‘garden nectar’, or a simple bowl of tinned peaches and cream. Dive into the dangerous world of 1930s European recipes and influence your attendees with your choice of spices, sweetmeats and dainties.

NB: like my teacake point above, PLEASE NOTE that we do not guarantee the presence of honey sandwich cakes, port, beef suet pudding, veal and/or cucumber, or tinned peaches and cream. We haven’t yet confirmed exactly what recipes you’ll be able to cook in the game, though we will update the description to reflect specific recipes nearer the time if they change from this list. If it makes you feel better, ‘garden nectar’ was actually a thing in 1930s English cuisine, apparently ‘an elegant variation of borscht’ which AK will undoubtedly turn into something horrible like Mondays broiled in the blood of the Thunderskin or something. In hindsight, maybe that doesn’t make you feel better.

Advanced Visitor Stories

You’ve dabbled in the Affair of the Oriflamme Heist. You’ve guessed what lies in the Messenger’s Casket. Now help your Visitors delve deeper. Encourage alliances between strangers, or convince an ally to help you stymie a foe. Using an innovative new system, influence the wider world with in-depth Visitor stories and see the results between the branches of the Wisdom Tree. Where now does the dappled rose flourish? What did Zuthi hear at the Roost? What is the deeper connection between Rowena, Yvette, and Ys?

Once you’ve met someone, you’ll also be able to add them to your address book and invite them to Hush House to pursue their business at a time of your choosing. When the Librarian calls, the invisible world listens.

NB: take particular note of ‘innovative new system’ and ‘see the results between the branches of the Wisdom Tree’. Again, this is more UI I can’t show you yet but it is a new format for storytelling in BOOK OF HOURS that a) looks significantly different from stories played out elsewhere in situation windows and b) connects more closely with the Wisdom Tree. More on that later, with pictures.

The Lighthouse Institute

You’ve wined, dined and appraised your chosen guests – now decide who’s worthy to form the board of the Lighthouse Institute. Who should be Treasurer? Who might suit Secretary Vigilant? Does your group all share the same agenda, or does one boardmember sympathise with the Chandler, while another fears his coming Dawn?

Your selection will found the influential Lighthouse Institute and set its course through the world. So take your time, and choose wisely.

Lucid Tarot colouring book

On another news-y note, we announced earlier this week that the Lucid Tarot colouring book – showcasing all 78 cards from our upcoming transparent stained-glass PVC deck – will launch on the merch shop on Wednesday 28th February. As with all our new merch, this is an experiment so it’s initially a limited edition: there’re only 500 copies of this colouring book, to get a sense of appetite for the item in question. They’re really lovely, though – so if you fancy a quiet night in with a glass of wine, or a sunlit afternoon watching YouTube and doodling or something – I think you might like them. 🙂