So, it's been about 5 weeks (if I can do math right) since the launch of KIE. While we're still waiting on playtest feedback, things are getting a bit busy on my end with personal responsibilities. It's not overwhelming, more that we've reached the point where we need to wait and see before making any drastic changes.

Figured now is a good time as any to give an update on the Field Guide to Jovo project. In short, we're still working on it, with one of the developers creating the campaign/narrative to accompany the Field Guide. It's not exactly in an "open playtest" level of development, but we have a general outline and idea of what we want to do to introduce players and Game Masters alike to the frontiers of Jovo.

Recently, I commissioned the team's artist, Raigmann, to create some concept sketches for the Field Guide to set the tone. Like all elements of concept art, these are not going to be completely indicative of a final product, but they are "close enough" to an ideal image.

Along with some initial explanations of the pieces of concept art, I will also provide a Lore Excerpt from the Field Guide proper.

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Jovo - Nadvest Orbital Tether

Nadvest is the primary port of call for the vast majority of goods and people entering and leaving Jovo's space. It's also a sign of Union's presence, though whether this is good or bad is up to interpretation: for the Chartered Companies, Nadvest is a reminder that, despite the small size of the Union Directorate, the Companies are beholden to Union, which is something they resent greatly. For settlers, it's more mixed: while Union on paper provides protection and considers every resident of Jovo a Citizen of Union with the same privileges that entitles, the execution of this ideal leaves much to be desired. And for the Ghosts of Jovo, it's a sign of an uncaring or malignant power, riddled with superstition of their own.

Lore Excerpt:
"The largest orbital station, Navdest was constructed by Union during its initial colonization in the late 4830s, and is named after Matylda Nadvest, the captain of the colony ship that oversaw early efforts. Navdest Orbital acts as one of the largest ports of both people and cargo to and from the planet’s surface, and as an embassy for the Chartered Companies to air their grievances to Union."

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Ghosts of Jovo

Depending on who you talk to, the Ghosts of Jovo are either malignant specters that haunt their final resting grounds or spirits summoned by dust storms, lost wanderers and pioneers. The truth, however, is far less supernatural: they are those who, for one reason or another, were abandoned or forgotten. Some are settlements from early in the founding of Jovo, where supply lines were cut off or lost, while others can trace their Clan's origin to that of the horrific times preceding and during the Bloodied Years.

Lore Excerpt:
"Known by many names- Wraiths, Specters, Apparitions, etc.- these are those who were abandoned by the wider world. As their exonym would imply, they are often inhabitants of Ghost Towns, typically those overlooked or even outright left to sink-or-swim, especially during the Gold Rush and subsequent Bloodied Years. Ghost clans can range from caravans pulled by domesticated fauna, roaming convoys of field-rigged trucks and other vehicles, or simply just trying to eke out a living in a town left to rot for the sake of saving a quick buck. These “Ghosts” often avoid contact with outsiders, and culturally speaking, are extremely hostile or distrustful of Union and the chartered companies, seeing their own plight as a failing of the Directorate. Most Ghosts are observed wearing full-body flexsuits covered by cloaks, their faces hidden with hoods, goggles, and rebreather masks, with technologies built from scrap and salvage."

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Glasscrawler Typhonspawn

More than mere animals, the Typhonspawn are an existential threat to Jovo. The result of a rampant spread of what Union has classified as the "Typhon Plague" of nanoviral greywash, these abominations of metal and meat are terrifyingly powerful. With unnatural capabilities and seemingly recombinant attributes, the Typhon Plague is self-replicating, self-preserving, and most horrifying, self-improving. This particular Typhonspawn here, shown facing off against a KIE Pillbug, is an abnormally large example of the "Glasscrawler" strain, residing in an irradiated wasteland created by a dirty bomb detonation during the Bloodied Years.

Lore Excerpt:
"Originally sighted around the Glasslands, these Typhonspawn appear to have elements of both Bristlefiends and Snapjaws merged together into a disgusting, abominable chimera. The head appears to be that of a Snapjaw, but with chainsaw-like blades entwining the mandibles. A pair of strong limbs taken from Bristlefiends propel them along, while the rest of their body is a long, worm-like mass ending in spine-tipped whips. Around the size of an armored car, Glasscrawlers are not to be trifled with, and several examples are known to be capable of launching their spikes using some combination of musculature and magnetic mass drivers, turning them into deadly, armor-piercing projectiles."
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The Rubble - Dust Blocks

The "Dust Blocks" is the name given to a series of interconnected cave systems near the surface entrance of the Rubble. It provides housing to Settlers, JXC, and Union personnel living in the area, and serves as a meeting point between the colony and the surface world. Construction is constantly on-going as living quarters are expanded, improved, and refined.

Lore Excerpt:
"A large conglomeration of prefabricated, modular housing units located near the entrance of Rubble, serving as the living quarters of JXC and other non-augmented individuals either stationed or taking refuge within the Colony. Each unit holds a pair of beds, a bathroom and a small kitchen, with each group of habitats sharing a singular warehouse with supplies necessary to survive on Jovo’s less habitable zones."

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Rubbleborn

As part of an exploration of the Rubbleborn, this piece of concept art depicts one that takes a less-conventional shape. Some Rubbleborn have a stable enough bio-core that they can use it as limbs or as part of their endo-skeletal support structure. As they continue to make contact with the outside world, their methods of expression will increase in variety and diversity.

Lore Excerpt:
"While most Rubbleborn appear somewhat insectoid in their primary body’s appearance, this can differ from person to person; some, having been exposed to life that aren’t arthropods, have adjusted their bodies accordingly, while others have attempted to emulate the appearances of mechs. Others have had themselves rebuilt around their bio-cores into more compact, android-esque forms. Others still- especially those living beyond the borders of their homeworld- find inspiration from their new homes. As with any other human in the universe of Lancer, they are a diverse group in terms of their physical expressions."

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Rubbleborn Autopsy

This piece of concept art demonstrates the biomechanical nature of the Rubbleborn, with the barrier between mechanical and organic being almost impossible to fully determine.  While this body is smaller than a conventional human, and would fit into the classification of "Ambulatory Core", other larger Rubbleborn are similar in their construction, with artificial lungs, circulatory systems, and other elements created from nanite-cells.

Lore Excerpt:
"The Rubbleborn are cybernetic gestalt beings made from a radiation-damaged human body and multiple subsapient machine-minds interdependent on each other, implanted into a mech chassis body constructed in a biomechanical manner. These bodies are able to bleed, to breathe, and have tactile feedback, along with organ- and muscle-equivalents."

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Closing Thoughts

All I can say is that the reception to Khepri Industrial Equipment has been overwhelming. I cannot state this enough: I am grateful for everyone who has decided to download this content and give it a shot, and to those who have decided to take a glimpse into the world of Jovo.

We are currently planning to have an update to the frames sometime in February, depending on when we get enough usable feedback and can collate it together. Once we do, there will be a pre-patch preview post describing the changes and modifications. It's easy to be caught on the train of "we need to get this done now now now", but there's only so much we can do at once, and rushing is rarely a good idea. The lore component of the Field Guide is probably around 80-90%, aside from formatting and art. Player-facing content is also at a similar level of completion, except for the Exotic Gear able to be found by each faction. GM content remains relatively skeletal at the moment, but it is being worked on. As said previously, the team here is currently all-volunteer aside from the artist, so this is something we can only work on during our spare time, and certain things must take priority over this project. It's the unfortunate fact of life, but the good news is that just because work has "slowed down" doesn't mean it has stopped: some things require more time to cook in the oven than others. Not sure why I used a cooking metaphor here, but I did, so there's that.

I would like to close this with a statement by Raigmann, and encourage anyone interested in his work to check out his cardd.co page.

"Working on K.I.E has been quite an experience, I learned a lot and expanded my art catalogue thanks to this, These Insect based mechas will always have a place in my heart, I loved the concept right from start, Working on Jovo, the Rubble, rubbleborns,  Ghost, Glasscrawler and of course the mechas made me grow a little bit as an artist,  and I'm thankful for this amazing opportunity." - Raigmann