Words by David C. Obenour
Strange happenings have befell the Eastern Reaches. Celestial configurations have been observed and with them the foretold omens of the Dark One awakening from beyond the breach. There is no longer any doubt or denying. Through Dread Shores & Black Horizons, the end can be seen. Hope is lost. But favor can still be won.
Building off the darkened mechanisms of deck-building and area control, Archon Games introduced the doomed world of Eschaton in 2016. An expansion was issued the following year and another is yet due (it has been celestially foretold) but Dread Shores & Black Horizons is the first offering of community story-telling to hit the Eastern Reaches. While leaders amass forces and layout their pleas for the Dark One’s favor a single cultist can be easily lost and disregarding to the eyes of men… but perhaps not to those watching beyond the breach.
Off Shelf: Eschaton has always felt much, much larger than just what is experienced through the original board game. How excited were you all to be able to expand and share more of your vision of that bleak world?
Petras Vaznelis: It is certainly quite exciting! There is much at play within the mythology that has come to life as we have crafted the world around Eschaton. Having a venue through which we can share narrative exploration of the bigger picture is something that we have been working toward for a long time.
OS: Even with a modest budget and low price point, you still funded Dread Shores & Black Horizons in only 17 minutes. Were you surprised that so many others seemed just as excited as you?
PV: We were hopeful going into the campaign. The delve into narrative role-playing content is a new chapter for the Archon journey. It was a thrill to see how many people were excited for our first foray into this medium.
OS: In starting to further expand on the setting for Dread Shores & Black Horizons, was there any exciting differing view expressed that you hadn’t considered yet for the world?
PV: Realistically, this particular exploration was all very new to us. The story of the realm and its conflicts exist in broad strokes through our board games. As we move into the narrative content, we are able to hone our focus on the elements that tie together and give substance to the world which we have created.
OS: What were some of your favorite parts of the world that you were able to introduce through Dread Shores & Black Horizons?
PV: I am really invested in taking adventurers down to the ground level in the realm. Exploring the minutia of cult interactions, arcane relics, and twisted fiends on an intimate scale is a highlight of this world-building.
OS: Now that the game has been out, have you heard back from players sharing their own experiences of the setting? Any stand out?
PV: Indeed! All manner of stories from the accursed realm have circled back to us. We have heard epic background stories of characters forged through the struggles of the cults, tales of perilous adventures within territories of the realm, and legends of new factions that have rallied beneath the banner of the Dark One. It has been great to hear of players’ personal investment in the Eschaton narrative.
OS: Do you have other visions of expanding on Eschaton? Either through more game expansions or other games within the same setting?
PV: We have many ideas that we hope to bring to life and will continue to do so as long as the fire burns within us. Currently, we are focused on releasing the next expansion, Iconoclasm. This is a cooperative version of the Eschaton base game that has players raising cults and fighting alongside one another to thwart the advances of the Inquisition which seeks to stop the onset of Armageddon. This project has been roughly two years of development and we are quite excited to share the fruits of our labor.
OS: Between Eschaton, Nexus Infernum, do you see Archon primarily staying in this sort of apocalyptic fantasy setting? Or would you like to see other offerings in other settings?
PV: The world in which these games take place is one and the same. Our current focus is elaborating upon and fleshing out the accursed realm to bring to life the mythology behind the games and create more content to explore this setting.
OS: There’s also a defined aesthetic in the art you have through Archon. Do you see this continuing or would you ever see veering into other directions in the future?
PV: Definitely! The Archon Cult is a very tight knit group of artists and so the style is inherent in our craft. As we develop the world around our games it is important to maintain a consistent aesthetic, but we will certainly allow ourselves the space to grow, hone, and evolve our style as dictated by the unfolding of our creations.
OS: Working so long and dedicated within that artistic aesthetic, is there something you now appreciate or understand about it that maybe you hadn’t seen at first?
PV: It is all a journey. Every project yields its own challenges that shape our process and help us to grow as artists. We have learned quite a bit thus far and will certainly continue to do so as we delve ever deeper into future ventures.
OS: In such bleak a time as these can feel, what escape do you find and enjoy through the world of Eschaton?
PV: There is great catharsis in storytelling. As artists, we possess the ability to conjure and create new worlds to explore. This journey of delving into a mythology of our own making and sharing the creation with others yields a brilliant resonance – reflection of our influences and experiences upon the minds and imaginations of others. I feel that the personal exploration and subsequent shared experience through the community built with this art form is quite rewarding.