DevLog #2: The Archivium – Final Playtesting and Sneak Peeks

Hey there, Custodians-to-be! With the playtest period for The Archivium wrapping up, we’re taking a moment to bask in the glow of flickering candlelight (and the hum of mildly cursed relics) to share how far this little soloRPG of ours has come—and why it’s the perfect game for anyone who’s ever wanted to battle existential dread with a well-organized to-do list.

So, What Is The Archivium Anyway?

Think of The Archivium as the lovechild of dark academia and cozy horror, sprinkled with just enough journaling and game mechanics to make you feel like you’re taming an eldritch library. You’ll step into the role of a first-year student drafted into a mysterious secret society. Your job? To keep the Archive running, uncover its secrets, and, oh yeah, try not to get devoured by whatever’s whispering to you from the shadows.

It’s a game of eerie encounters, meaningful choices, and just the right amount of “what was that noise?” to keep you on your toes.

What’s New Since the Playtest?

We’ve been busy sharpening the edges of The Archivium, and your feedback has made all the difference. Here’s what’s been polished, expanded, and added:

• Simpler Digital Journaling: We updated the body font to remove ligatures, making it easier to copy and paste your notes into digital journals. (Your haunted prose deserves clarity!)
• Hands-On Orientation: We replaced the Getting Started section with Orientation Week, an immersive intro that guides you through university life, gameplay mechanics, and the action economy.
• Expanded Foundations: The Foundational Charter got a glow-up, with richer prompts around fields of study and extracurriculars. You’ll have even more to build your character and world.
• Better NPC Creation: New explanations and revamped tables for NPC traits make generating quirky dormmates or suspicious faculty a breeze. Partial symbols in cards? Now fully accounted for!
• Refined Downtime: Prompts were rewritten to better reflect the time actions take, with Campus locations split into three: Library (quiet reflection), Campus Grounds (outdoor hijinks), and Campus Commons (indoor mischief).

What Makes It Different?

1. Foundational Choices Shape Your Game Instead of choosing a subgenre outright, players complete a Foundational Charter inspired by Ironsworn's world truths. Your choices guide which of the four appendices you’ll play with, each offering its own horror subgenre, prompts, oracles, and lore.
2. 16 Possible Endings Each appendix has four endings, and your decisions determine whether you unravel the Archive’s mysteries or… well, just unravel. Replayability? Off the charts.
3. Big Game Energy
   The Archivium started as an 84-page zine and has ballooned into 226 page chonker of prompts, mechanics, and worldbuilding. It’s packed tighter than a freshman dorm room.
4. A Living World That Grows With You The Archivium doesn’t stop at launch. Codices—bite-sized expansions—will keep the Archive alive with new mysteries, mechanics, and challenges.

The Art Direction

Inspired by traditional block prints, we chose to keep the illustrations as rough, scratchy, monotone sketches with a vaguely unsettling feeling. 

Coming Soon: Codex #1: Love Beyond the Veil

Launching February/March, our first Codex sends you through a portal to a haunted post office. Your mission: deliver love letters to restless spirits before they turn into angry poltergeists. Along the way, you’ll unlock rewards you can take back to the Archive, such as energy/health boosters, and possibly a companion who’ll keep you company on future shifts (Because who doesn’t want an undead pen pal?)

This Codex may also introduce:

• A relationship tracking system.
• New social mechanics for downtime.
• Items that carry into future games.

Why Are We So Excited?

Because The Archivium isn’t just a game—it’s an invitation. To tell stories, to face fears, and to explore a world that changes with every choice you make. And we’ve loved watching playtesters bring it to life. You’ve helped shape this game into something we’re incredibly proud of, and we can’t wait to unleash it on the world.

Mark your calendars: The Archivium releases on Thursday 30 January! 

We’ll see you on launch day. Until then—don’t forget Rule #2: Never leave any book open when you step away!