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Author Topic: Book of Hours: Upcoming Occult Librarian Game in Setting of Cultist Simulator  (Read 1308 times)

Chiefwaffles

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I posted this stuff on the Cultist Simulator thread then decided that it probably needs its own thread. Sorry.

Steam Page Link.
IGN article on game announcement (and Cultist Simulator content)
So far this OP will mostly just be some summarizing of the above links.

Announced very recently and seeming to me like it's just started production, in Book of Hours You play as a librarian in possession of occult books; taking delivery of and organizing these books, talking with visitors and giving them what they need. It's meant to be much more "chill" than Cultist Simulator; with a co-founder of Weather Factory describing it as "spooky hygge" and Kennedy stating:
Quote
We want you to feel that you're in a familiar room with the rain rattling on the roof and the firelight playing on the old leather spines of the books, but also that there's a storm getting up outside and the sea's smashing on the rocks and if you open the wrong book you might see something you really regret.
Weather Factory has apparently expanded to a full team since Cultist Simulator and is described as a "fully-fledged game" set in the same setting of Cultist Simulator. A setting they're now calling the "Secret Histories". Looks like it's planned to use the same base card mechanics of Cultist Simulator, but with a lot of changes and additions.


Its blurb on steam:
Quote
BOOK OF HOURS is an elegant, melancholy, combat-free RPG set in an occult library, from the makers of BAFTA-nominated Cultist Simulator and the creator of Fallen London and Sunless Sea.

Shutter the windows against the sea. Bank the fire against the cold. Listen to the rain rattle on the roof, while you slide books one by one into their ancient nests. For five centuries, the library of Hush House was a fortress of knowledge... until the fire. The collection is ruined, and the Librarian is dead. Your unique talents make you fit to rebuild the collection.

ACQUIRE occult books, by purchase or more underhand means, and STUDY them to solve the setting's mysteries. RESTORE books to address the ravages of time, or PURIFY them to remove their curses and shadowy taints. Enjoy the sweet peace of indexing and cataloguing books to the order you desire, building a library to be proud of, while you defend it against storm, fire, theft and the occasional theoplasmic assault.

And GUIDE the visitors who come seeking your assistance, to choose their paths and stories. Give one uncanny seeker the knowledge they need to rob a tomb; sabotage another's intrigues; or convince a third to stay home with a nice book of poetry. The Librarian's influence extends far beyond the walls of Hush House... and it's up to you to determine how history is written.

BOOK OF HOURS is a rich, non-linear story about the terror and majesty of books, and about alphabetical order.

Some more images. Additional stuff on the steam page, as well.

(Above image looks to be more of a UI design/mockup, as closer look shows that the cards are all from Cultist Simulator. While they'll probably share stuff like Reason and whatnot, I fully doubt that the cards will be this similar)




According to the IGN article, a kickstarter campaign is planned "later this year" for the game.
« Last Edit: May 29, 2019, 11:43:36 am by Chiefwaffles »
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You should really look to the wilderness for your stealth ideas, it has been doing it much longer than you have after all. Take squids for example, that ink trick works pretty well, and in water too! So you just sneak into the dam upsteam, dump several megatons of distressed squid into it, then break the dam. Boom, you suddenly have enough water-proof stealth for a whole city!

nenjin

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Spoiler (click to show/hide)
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Cautivo del Milagro seamos, Penitente.
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Its kinda silly to complain that a friendly NPC isn't a well designed boss fight.
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nenjin

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Arise, damn you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9XGEbx3ps4

45 minute Splattercat first look at teh game.

First thought: wish they hadn't skimped on the art. Or hoping its a placeholder/first pass thing. Those paths in the village just look blech. There's low end graphics as an aesthetic sure. But you gotta do the most with what you have and that path...needs some work. There aren't even any shadows in place.

Second thought: more Cultist Sim and I'm about it. Lots more aspects although they seem at first blush less tightly constructed.

Third thought: there's more emphasis on people and characters due to it taking place in a village rather than generically a city. I think the game aims to be a little easier for people to get into than Cultist Simulator.

Fourth thought: oh boy, another time cycle mechanic where something you need has to be created and used within a specific time frame or it disappears....loved that mechanic from CS......

If you liked putting cards in holes and being rewarded with occult insight, this so far looks like it fits the bill.
« Last Edit: February 03, 2023, 08:17:14 pm by nenjin »
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Cautivo del Milagro seamos, Penitente.
Quote from: Viktor Frankl
When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.
Quote from: Sindain
Its kinda silly to complain that a friendly NPC isn't a well designed boss fight.
Quote from: Eric Blank
How will I cheese now assholes?
Quote from: MrRoboto75
Always spaghetti, never forghetti