project-image

What Lies Beneath

Created by Tab Creations LLC

What Lies Beneath is a campaign and sourcebook for the Age of Ambition roleplaying game. It follows a band of Legionnaires — elite guards of Melanoc — as they patrol the streets, navigate politics and discover an unknown subterranean civilization. Along the way, the heroes must face off against criminal organizations, explore prophetic dreams, navigate cultural differences, uncover corruption in the highest echelons of society and make a name for themselves as the defenders of the city.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

December Update: Missing Surveys & Core Rulebook Progress
over 1 year ago – Fri, Dec 16, 2022 at 08:55:57 AM

Hello, loyal backers! We hope that you are doing well.

If you've been following us on Reddit, Twitter or Facebook, you know that our editing pass is done and that the layout is almost complete. From here the book moves into art direction. We hope to send out the preliminary PDF to backers a little after the new year.

Missing Surveys

We will be locking surveys and charging shipping once the preliminary PDF is out. There are currently 7 backers who haven't completed their surveys. If you don't see your name on the list below, you're good. If you do see your name, please complete your survey ASAP.

  • Jeff L.
  • NecroNuke9
  • Rangdo of Arg
  • Cheryl W.
  • Martinez W.
  • Kat D.
  • Stephen R. M.

 What Lies Beneath Progress

  • Our editing pass on the What Lies Beneath campaign and sourcebook is complete. In addition, the layout is almost complete. All that remains is to insert the page references, generate the table of contents, the index and touch up the text on two pages to better fit the available space.
  • Meanwhile, the art direction is well underway. There are currently three active commissions, two open commissions, two that have been earmarked for a particular artist and six that wait in the queue.
  • The art for the Poster Map is one of the three active commissions.
  • Writing has started on one of the three unlocked One-Sheet Scenarios, although progress will remain slow until the main PDF is ready.

Missed the Kickstarter?

If you missed the Kickstarter, preorders are open!

November Update: Surveys Incoming
over 1 year ago – Thu, Nov 17, 2022 at 05:01:26 PM

Hello friends, fans and gaming family!

Tonight we plan to send out the first few backer surveys as part of a smoke test. If this test doesn't reveal any issues with the survey, most of you will receive yours this weekend.

Once you receive yours, please fill it out ASAP. Doing so is necessary to fulfill your rewards. If you have not received a survey by Monday, please let us know and we'll make sure that you get one.

 What Lies Beneath Progress

For the past two weeks, we've been hard at work on What Lies Beneath. Everything is currently progressing on schedule. If you follow us on Reddit, Facebook or Twitter, you will soon see a couple two-page spreads, complete with art. Here is where things stand:

  • The text is currently in editing. We estimate that our editing pass is about 40% complete. Once editing is done, we'll move on to layout.
  • We currently have 2 active art commissions and are in the process of soliciting an artist for the poster map. By the end of next week, we hope to have the poster map contract finalized.
  • Writing has started on the first One-Sheet Scenario and another has been outlined.
  • The third One-Sheet Scenario waits in the queue, along with the Player's Brief. Progress on these will likely remain slow until after the campaign has made it through layout.

What Lies Beneath is Funded!
over 1 year ago – Fri, Nov 04, 2022 at 04:14:01 AM

Thank you all so much for your support! You are all awesome! And I know we say this a bunch, but we really couldn’t have done it without YOU. Thank you from all of us at Tab Creations!

As you likely know by now, the funding period ended a few moments ago with a final pledge total of $4,161! This means that not only have we been fully funded, but together we unlocked FIVE stretch goals as well.

We’re really excited about this, but this isn’t our first Kickstarter. We know that for us, now that the funding period is over, it’s time to buckle down and continue pushing this game through its final stages of production. We’re proud to say that we have never been late sending backers their rewards, and we have no intention of starting now!

Future Updates

We’re planning on sending out Kickstarter updates to everyone about once a month, this way we can keep all of our backers informed about the campaign’s progress. If you’d like to receive updates more frequently than that, we highly encourage you to follow us on the following three following social networks. We will make updates to these pages about once a week, giving people the latest news about the game.

You can also keep us with us, or discuss our game, through our development blog or on our forums. Additionally, we have a Patreon page if you are interested in helping support future releases of our various game lines.

The Next Couple Weeks

It usually takes Kickstarter about two to three weeks to process pledges and release the funds. We plan to send out the first monthly update at that time. It will include information on the state of What Lies Beneath and the unlocked extras. Until then, here’s what you can expect from us:

  • We have chosen BackerKit as our pledge manager. A BackerKit pre-order store for late backers will go live later today or tomorrow.
  • Surveys will go out as soon as Kickstarter finishes processing the funds.
  • Meanwhile, the draft text is in editing. We estimate that the edited text will be ready in the next few weeks.
  • We also continue to commission art and plan to regularly post previews to our Reddit, Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as to our blog.

Player's Brief Unlocked! 48 Hours to Go!
over 1 year ago – Tue, Nov 01, 2022 at 05:29:04 PM

We're doing great! Last night we unlocked the Player's Brief, featuring all of the player-facing information and options from the What Lies Beneath campaign and sourcebook. Perfect for GMs to distribute to their players before the game!

We now have 48 hours left in the funding period. Let's see how high we can go!

Upcoming Stretch Goals

$3500 - One-Sheet Scenario #3 - This funding level unlocks a third short adventure supplement for Age of Ambition. Like the others, it will be set in or around the city of Melanoc. It will be made available to all backers in PDF.

Scenario #2 Unlocked! Next Up: Player's Brief
over 1 year ago – Thu, Oct 20, 2022 at 08:46:58 AM

Yesterday we reached the campaign's third stretch goal! It unlocked a short scenario, set in or around the city of Melanoc. This scenario will be made available to all backers in PDF. Next up is the Player's Brief supplement, which is unlocked at $3000!

As always, thank you so much for your support. You guys are awesome, and we couldn't do it without you!

Upcoming Stretch Goals

$3000 - Player's Brief - The What Lies Beneath Player's Brief will be a full color PDF document containing all of the player-facing information and options from the What Lies Beneath campaign and sourcebook. Perfect for GMs to distribute to their players before the game! It will be made available to all backers in PDF, and available in print as an add-on.

$3500 - One-Sheet Scenario #3 - This funding level unlocks a third short adventure supplement for Age of Ambition. Like the others, it will be set in or around the city of Melanoc. It will be made available to all backers in PDF.