Chapelwick - A Soulslike Cosmic Horror Campaign for 5E
Created by Let's Roll Press
A Bloodborne-inspired, 400+ page 5E campaign setting for levels 1–13. No one is safe from the city that crawled out of the sea!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Stone Dice Prototype First Look + New Deluxe Edition Book Cover + Madness Playtesting Begins Soon!
25 days ago
– Tue, Sep 08, 2026 at 11:59:42 AM
We're entering the phase where Chapelwick is starting to become tangible reality. We’ve got our first look at the stone dice and the rest of the dice are arriving in September, we're sharing our new Deluxe Edition book cover, and madness playtesting opens this month! We're also gearing up for PAX Unplugged, our first chance to put some of the Chapelwick prototypes directly in your hands. There's real momentum here, and it feels good.
Let's dive in!
Manufacturing: Stone Dice Prototype + Full Dice Arrival 9/21
Our stone dice prototype is complete and it's everything we hoped it would be!
Something ancient watches every roll. This 7-piece Darkstone dice set is inspired by the Blind One, carrying a presence that feels as heavy and inevitable as the force behind Chapelwick's descent. Let every roll feel watched, as if something unseen is already aware of the outcome.
The Material & Design
These dice are crafted from obsidian, or pitch-black volcanic glass. We loved the conceptual irony of making the Blind One's dice from a material you're supposed to see through (glass) but absolutely cannot because it's pitch black. But there's something deeper here too: obsidian is born from volcanic violence, one of nature's most destructive and chaotic forces. It emerges from the same raw, primal power that levels mountains and reshapes landscapes without warning or mercy. That same unstoppable, indifferent force lives in the Blind One, a being of pure destruction that consumes knowledge and returns all things to ignorance.
Durability & Presentation
Stone dice are more prone to chipping than resin dice, so we rounded all the corners to significantly reduce chipping risk. We still recommend rolling in a padded dice tray for long-term care. We're also finalizing a display box that doubles as storage, because these dice deserve to be on your shelf where everyone can admire them!
The Details That Matter
As many of you will remember, back in June we shared some symbols in our update. Well, we’re pleased to reveal that they’re custom crit symbols for the dice sets! If you’ve been hanging out in our Discord, you’ll know this was accidentally revealed by the project’s author Jane a few months ago.
To be honest, this was a tough decision because the expense is significant, but we ultimately decided we wanted to spoil you guys with premium dice sets. We think you're going to love them!
Full Dice Arrival: September 21st
The stone dice, resin subclass dice, and liquid core dice will all arrive on September 21st. The metal dice are in process using a different manufacturing technique, so they may arrive separately. Once everything is in hand, we'll photograph the full collection and create some unboxing content for Discord.
Deluxe Cover: In Final Stages
We also wanted to share an update on the Deluxe Edition Cover! What you see below isn't 100% final as we're still working out the manufacturing details with Panda Games, but we're very confident we'll be close to this when everything's worked out.
Let us know in the comments what you think!
If you'd like to adjust your pledge to upgrade to the Deluxe Edition book (or you just want to add it on so you have both books) send us an email at [email protected] and we can manually update your pledge no problem!
We're opening playtesting for the Mindrift Madness Deck this month. We've identified an artist for the deck's design and should have the first draft completed by the end of September. We're hoping to have samples in hand in time for PAX Unplugged so you can see them in person.
Leroy here! I'm excited to share what Matt and I have been cooking up for you guys! Fundamentally, our design philosophy with madness was to bring a boardgame inspired escalation mechanic to the table reminiscent of games like Betrayal at House on the Hill and Pandemic. This is the core design philosophy we've held while designing Madness.
Design Refinements and Improvements
In our initial design, the gameplay flow had been as such:
Player makes a DC Madness check and fails -> draws madness card -> rolls a 1d4 -> madness effect -> player makes another DC Madness check and fails, draws 2nd madness card -> lines/rails on card point to next madness effect on 2nd card -> etc...
We've redesigned a bit of the clunkiness and added some new elements that will not only make the Madness come alive, but the city itself come alive:
Player makes a DC Madness check and fails -> draws madness card -> player checks which tier the Citywide Madness is -> madness effect based on Citywide Madness tier -> player makes another DC Madness check and fails, draws 2nd madness card -> player checks which tier the Citywide Madness is-> madness effect based on Citywide Madness tier -> etc...
This new set up ensures that the madness encounters will be directly tied to the overall city madness meaning the stakes for the party are directly connected to the stakes of the city.
How does Madness Work Under the Hood?
Currently, Citywide Madness is broken up by two different thresholds. A quadrant or larger tier system, and a decile system with shorter breakpoints.
The tier of the Madness is dependent on the quadrant system indicated up top. Think of this as the city working through Madness to debuff the players. The decile thresholds on the bottom are more about the city buffing itself. Don't worry about the ramping rows and colors quite yet; we'll explore more of that during playtesting.
Bringing Madness to the DM Screen
I'm also excited to announce a new feature for the DM screen to accompany the Madness system.
This is an incredibly professional sketch of how Citywide Madness will be displayed to the players, so the burden of tracking is less. When the Citywide Madness advances, the dm only needs to place a marker atop the dm screen denoting which number and threshold the table is currently at. The thresholds will also be seen here.
This won't only be a simplification of madness tracking, but it can also build dread and be fun for player interactions. Imagine the party just completes a difficult and grueling combat. They're celebrating and asking to loot the arena. Then you as the DM hold up your finger until all eyes are on you, then place that finger on the citywide madness tracker and slide it up 10 spots. Your players will look at each other wide-eyed as they realize victory came with a cost.
Despair & Resilience
Despair and resilience points have also been refined and expanded as well. Say a player is in possession of 3 Madness cards. The next time they fail a DC Madness check, they will draw a Despair card, roll a 1d4, and have a permanent scar/flaw that they will be able to track on our custom character sheet. Players will also accumulate resiliance points that they can spend to lower the impact of madness to the party and the city. You'll be able to see the Madness and Despair cards during playtesting.
About 312 Madness Effects
We're currently looking at 312 possible effects across the main deck!This will ensure replayability while keeping the game fresh. We also love the idea of players pulling their first madness card, applying a Tier 1 effect, but reading what happens at higher tiers so they can get a sense of what's at stake as city madness increases. This is another way the madness mechanic subtly builds dread during the early gameplay.
We have the mechanics nailed down, our next steps are to populate and edit the 312 effects to hand over to the community for playtesting and feedback. I'm excited to hear your thoughts on what we've come up with! Please come join us in the Discordif you want to be part of that discussion!
Leroy, out!
Bellfounder & Subclasses 2.0
We mentioned in our last update that we'd be playtesting Bellfounder and Subclasses v0.2 this month, but we've reordered our mechanical rollout. By testing the Madness Deck first we're hoping to have a sample ready for PAX so we can showcase the full mechanical vision at the event. Bellfounder and Subclasses v0.2 playtesting will kick off next month in October.
If you're interested in joining the playtesting community for the Madness Deck, head to Discord for signups!
Art Drop: Staff Picks
This month we wanted to share some of our Staff Art Picks. These are some of our favorites with no real rhyme or reason. We'll share more about them in future updates.
Community & Events: PAX Unplugged + Merch Store Coming soon!
The Let's Roll Press team will be at PAX Unplugged this fall, and we'd love to see you there. We'll share booth information with you all once we receive it from the PAX team. This is our first chance to showcase physical Chapelwick pieces in person, and we're excited to put our work directly in your hands.
We'll also be launching a simple merch store within the next month for those of you who want to represent Chapelwick at PAX (or just around the house). We'll be posting that in Discord as well as in next month's update.
Keep an eye on Discord for all the latest PAX news and updates!
Manuscript: Backgrounds
In addition to all the other manuscript work in progress, we're adding backgrounds! In our work on the manuscript, Jane has started the drafting process on this addition. We are custom designing the backgrounds to draw your characters into the world of Chapelwick and thematically integrate with our subclasses to give you a variety of roleplaying springboards. Each background has a unique hook letter of invitation to pull characters into the story as well as connection points to give player characters ideas for interactions with each other. You'll never guess how many backgrounds we decided to add (we may or may not have an unhealthy relationship with the number 13).
Fulfillment: Timeline Update
We shared back in April that fulfillment would be delayed beyond our initial estimate of October,2026. As we've dived deeper into production, it's become clear that there's significantly more work involved in bringing Chapelwick to life than we initially knew. This being our first time doing a project like this means the learning curve is crazy steep. The good news: everything is moving at a healthy pace. As we talk to other creators and industry professionals, they're impressed with the balance we're keeping between quality and speed which has been very encouraging for our team.
As of today, we don't have specific fulfillment dates to share just yet, but know that we’re working with the best fulfillment partners, marketing partners, logistics partners, legal partners, etc. and we're committed to transparency as we move through this process. We’ll keep you posted on timeline updates as we have them.
Our promise to you remains the same: the quality will absolutely be worth the wait!
Until Next Time
We're grateful for every backer who's believed in this project from the start. You're the reason this world exists.
Our next update arrives on October 13th. Until then, the conversation continues in our Discord community.
If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to reach out at [email protected].
Talk soon!
Alexander CEO
58-Page Lore Document + Dice Prototypes Underway + Precognicia Revealed!
about 2 months ago
– Tue, Aug 11, 2026 at 07:24:23 AM
Summer is fading fast, and with it, Chapelwick's development is hitting a critical threshold. We're deep in the work of locking down the world, finalizing the manuscript, and watching our physical prototypes come to life. This is the kind of month where momentum compounds and the pieces start fitting together in ways that get us really excited!
Let's take a look together!
Manuscript: Foundational Lockdown
Matt and Jane have made significant headway with manuscript planning. Since our last update, they've finalized developmental outlining, which has resulted in the creation of an updated, 58-page lore document consisting of over 25,000 words. By doing so, they've formalized canonical lore and ironed out any narrative inconsistencies that existed in earlier drafts of the manuscript. This also means any team member can now visit a single source of truth to have any story questions answered (like when I'm writing these updates).
Let us know in Discord if you’d be interested in reading through the lore doc. We don’t want to give away any spoilers, but if there’s enough interest, we may share redacted excerpts in future updates!
Furthermore, the team is currently in the midst of line edit outlining, part of which involves studying and breaking down other TTRPG source materials for inspiration on general layout and presentation. In tandem with performing this kind of research, Jane and Matt are also hard at work creating a polished chapter template where they are standardizing language, voice, and sequencing. They're building quick view charts and organizers that do more than just look good: they're designed to dramatically reduce prep time and make Chapelwick genuinely accessible to new DMs. This commitment to intelligent information design will be a signature element of every Let's Roll Press project.
Simple draft of chapter summary to help DMs prepare for each session. This is just one example of how we're working to reduce DM "homework" and help decrease prep time.
All in all, there's a lot of effort being put into laying down this foundational groundwork so that Jane has all the tools and resources she needs to succeed as she prepares to begin revisions on the next draft of the manuscript. Ultimately, devoting the time to this kind of meticulous planning should allow us to move with real speed through the revision cycles ahead.
Playtesting & Mechanics
With the world canonically locked and the manuscript moving into revision, we're excited to lean into the mechanical systems that live within Chapelwick. We're hoping to open playtesting for the Bellfounder and Subclasses v0.2 in September along with renewed work on encounters and spell mechanics.
If you're interested in joining the playtesting community and helping shape these systems, join us on Discord for play tester signups next month.
Environment Artist Spotlight: Najeeb Najjar
We're excited to have welcomed Najeeb Najjar to the Chapelwick art team as one of our environment artist. Najeeb specializes in creating landscapes and cityscapes with epic scale and immense detail which is exactly what Chapelwick demands.
Much of our visual direction draws inspiration from beautiful dark fantasy worlds like Bloodborne and Elden Ring. Those games create environments that feel simultaneously grand and unsettling, where architecture and landscape tell their own stories. Najeeb's skill at building those kinds of spaces makes him an ideal fit for bringing Chapelwick's districts and environments to life.
If you use the images below as desktop backgrounds, we wouldn't blame you and Najeeb has more on the way! If you want a 4k version of any of these, let us know in Discordand maybe we can put a folder of high-res images together for you all!
Resplendent university campuses comprise the college district of Quella. Students of the Blind Veil fill the halls, studying the power of the old gods for themselves.
Wealth and opulence glitter from every corner of Larvisham. No matter where the eye looks, there is no shortage of gleaming marble and gold over streets, fountains, and columned mansions.
Nightmare Hunter: Precognica
Today we're introducing Precognica, one of our thirteen Nightmare Hunters brought to life by our Art Director, Keegan.
Precognica haunts Quella, Chapelwick's College of Magic and Academic District. Quella functions as an undergraduate campus, indoctrinating arrivals into the Cult of the Blind Veil. The curriculum is deliberately contradictory and paradoxical; students learn in order to sacrifice their knowledge to the Blind One as an act of faith.
Precognica embodies the nightmare that emerges when knowledge becomes a weapon and education becomes indoctrination, clarity twisted into contradiction, wisdom transformed into madness.
The cortexes of my mind unravel, I know everything and nothing at once. Mesmerizing foreknowledge, tantalizing ignorance, forever entangled in Precognica.
Precognica has been nicknamed "Brian" in the Discord due to a group spelling reaction gone wrong.
We’ll be releasing another Nightmare Hunter on Discordbefore next month so come check it out!
Manufacturing
We've revised the cover of the deluxe edition book. Before the campaign, our resources were limited and we made the best choices we could with what we had. Now, with your backing, we're able to realize the cover design we originally envisioned. It's an elevated version that captures the vibe of Chapelwick far more faithfully than we could have pulled off initially. Below is a teaser. The full reveal will drop in the Discord when our manufacturer confirms the design is viable which should be in the next week or so! We can't wait to show you!
We'll reveal the unblurred image in Discord as soon as our manufacturer confirms it's possible to make!
Our manufacturing partners are also deep in prototype production. The stone dice are complete and currently with our manufacturer. Resin subclass dice are being molded, and the metal and liquid core dice are in process too. We're also working on getting the dice bag prototype made this week! This first round of prototypes will all ship together. Once those prototypes arrive, we'll take pictures and videos to share on Discord.
PAX Unplugged
The Let's Roll Press team will be at PAX Unplugged this year and we'd LOVE to see you! Once we have our booth number confirmed, we'll let you all know. Please, please, please plan to swing by and say hello!
Also, our team usually designs a staff t-shirt and hoodie that we wear at PAX. One of our team members suggested that we open that up to all of you! If we added them to our web store, would you all want to represent Chapelwick at PAX Unplugged? Let us know in Discordand if there's enough interest, we'll make it happen before next month's update.
Until Next Time
We're grateful for every backer who's believed in this project from the start. You're the reason this world exists.
Our next update arrives on September 8th. Until then, the conversation continues in our Discord community.
If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to reach out at [email protected].
Talk soon!
Alexander CEO
Manuscript in Revision Phase + Parasitica & Revelry Quarter Revealed + Manufacturing Agreement Signed
3 months ago
– Tue, Jul 14, 2026 at 08:34:46 AM
Hello everyone!
We've got solid progress to share this month, particularly on the manuscript front. The editing phase is complete, revisions have begun, and we're one step closer to locking in the final manuscript. We've also got another Nightmare Hunter reveal and a new district reveal, plus we have exciting news on the manufacturing side!
Things are moving forward steadily, and the project continues to take shape!
Let's dive in.
Writing and Game Design
Manuscript Revision Phase Underway
Great news on the manuscript front! Matt has completed the developmental and line editing passes on all 14 chapters. As a result, he and Jane are now in a revision planning phase where the two of them are discussing and working out each of Matt's suggested revisions. This is where the core Chapelwick canon solidifies. Jane will soon implement the agreed-upon changes from Matt's edit, refining the narrative and polishing the prose. This first round of revisions is significant because it locks in the foundational world, story beats, character arcs, core cannon, and the thematic through-lines that make Chapelwick what it is.
Once she completes her first set of revisions, the manuscript will go back to Matt for another review. This back-and-forth will continue through a few more revision cycles as both collaborate to perfect the manuscript. And here's the good news: each round of revisions should be noticeably quicker than the last. As the big-picture elements settle, the revisions become increasingly targeted and granular. The manuscript tightens and stabilizes as we move through each pass.
Once all revisions are complete, Matt will perform a final copyedit which is the last layer of polish for grammar, syntax, and CMoS formatting before the manuscript is locked for publishing.
We're excited to see Chapelwick's world crystallizing at this level of detail and care. If you want to chat with Matt or Jane about the writing and editing process, come say hello in Discord!
Intentional Sequencing: A Short Pause in Mechanical Polish
As we've moved deeper into production, we’re learning more and more about what it takes to build a complex, living world like Chapelwick. Part of this learning has lead us to adjust the order in which we develop and test mechanical systems. We wanted to start spell playtesting, the Bellfounder subclass playtesting, and encounter/madness playtesting, but as we've learned more about development, our approach has shifted.
We're intentionally holding these until the manuscript is a little closer to being fully locked in because we want these systems to be inspired by the world, not retrofitted to it. Spells, items, encounters, and madness conditions need to grow naturally from Chapelwick's narrative, themes, and lore. They should feel native to this world, born from it, rather than bolted on afterward.
To be clear, we won’t wait for the whole manuscript to be final. Rather we’ll begin in batches as sections of the manuscript are finalized. This process will ultimately save us significant rework later, allowing us to deliver faster overall, and ensuring everything feels cohesive and authentic when you sit down at the table.
We also wanted to mention that we didn’t face this challenge with the subclasses nearly as much because they were foundational to the project from the start. Much of Chapelwick's world was actually built around the subclasses. They shaped the setting as much as the setting now shapes them. That's why they've already been in your hands for playtesting.
Feel free to jump in the Discord and talk shop with the team about mechanic design! We’d love to say hello and answer questions about what we’re cooking up!
Art and Visual Direction
Nightmare Hunter Reveal: Parasitica
This month in our Discord, we revealed Parasitica, one of the 13th Hour Nightmare Hunters. This is one of the boss encounters your party will find in the 13th Hour Nightmare Realm.
Crawling over the maze of web built into the buttress network of the buildings, a massive spider formed of smaller parasitic creatures stalks overhead. Leeches feed on one another and on any living thing they find, binding together in the form of the spindly legs that fester over the sides of buildings. The slumbering victims of Chapelwick are pulled into the webbing and fed upon by the thousands of hungry mouths within the core of Parasitica. Creatures of disease, leeching off of unwilling hosts, multiplying, infecting, draining.
Writhing leeches and parasites spill onto my shoulders from the hunter looming overhead... Parasitica has come.
As a reminder, we reveal nightmare hunters and other art and previews early in the Discord! If you’re seeing this now for the first time, there’s even more waiting for you in the Discord! Come join us! 😊
District Highlight: The Revelry Quarter
We want to highlight one of our favorite Chapelwick districts. Each one has its own flavor, its own secrets, its own reason for existing in this strange and unsettling world.
At first glance, this district might seem at odds with the overall vibe of Chapelwick at first glance, but there is profound unease woven into every bright thread and joyful note. The Revelry Quarter is Chapelwick's beautiful lie. A carnival that never ends, where celebration has become its own trap. Beneath the masks and music, something sinister hides in plain sight.
Every stone building of the Revelry Quarter is adorned in bright greens, golds, and purples. Streamers and bright fabrics wave from the balconies; confetti drifts through the air tossed about everywhere and intermingled with the thrown coins and jewels from the floats. Every face is covered in the bright garb and mask of fools.
The streets are alive with the music and celebration of carnival. The A parade loops in a continuous route around the quarter above the district’s catacombs. All are engaged in the song and dance of celebration: horsemen, musicians, marchers, and the Krewe royalty of fools. Everyone is so caught up in the festivities that no booths and stalls are left unattended and no one is sitting to rest. The song of the celebration repeats the refrain “Libera nos a festo scurrae et da nobis requiem quadragesimae.”
This is the endless celebration known as Carnival.
Check out some art from the big parade scene, a centerpiece moment that captures the fever dream energy of the Revelry Quarter.
Mindless revelries in the corner of your eye.
Forever revel with me you ought, never in pace requiescat.
Each a menacing member of the court, the Krewe is royalty of revelry.
Sitting cocked and languid over his throne, Fortunato rules the revelry of fools.
More district highlights will be coming in the Discordas the art pipeline continues to expand!
Production and Manufacturing
Manufacturing Agreement: Signed & Deposit Paid
Great news on the manufacturing front, we've officially signed the manufacturing agreement and the deposit has been submitted! This is a major milestone. We're now moving into prototype production for all products that don't require the finalized book: dice, pins, art prints, and other physical rewards.
The initial round of prototypes typically takes 45-70 days to produce once the deposit is placed. That means we're looking at physical samples in our hands sometime in late August or mid-September depending on how the process goes.
Once we have prototypes in hand, we’ll get pictures and launch the online store! We'll announce the launch date as soon as we lock it in, and you'll see all the prototypes in Discord as soon as we have them in hand.
Project We Love: Elementary
The lunch bell rings... You're the new kid... and every monster in the cafeteria is lining up. You need to make new friends, and all you have is what your momster packed for you...
Imagine being a little monster sitting in a school cafeteria, trying to figure out who is sharing their lunch and who is totally bluffing. It is a cozy social deduction game where you win by collecting Snax, matching colors, and building the ultimate lunch table crew. The artwork by Sandara Tang is stunning, and the vibe is completely wholesome. None of that mean-spirited elimination you get in other deduction games. It is quick to learn, full of laughs, and perfect for game nights with friends or family.
They just launched on Kickstarter this morning (literally 30 minutes ago) and have already hit their funding goal!
As a reminder, we'll continue sharing Kickstarter updates on the second Tuesday of each month. The next update will be on Tuesday, August 11th.
If you'd like more frequent sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes updates, and first looks at what's coming, we'd love to have you in the Discord.
Thank you again for your patience, enthusiasm, and support as we continue building Chapelwick together. The work is real, the progress is meaningful, and we're excited about what's coming next.
If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to reach out at [email protected].
In it together,
Alexander CEO
Manuscript in Major Edits + Kalopsia Revealed + Alchemy Approval + Manufacturing Moving Forward
4 months ago
– Tue, Jun 09, 2026 at 11:31:37 AM
Hello everyone,
This month brings some of the most meaningful progress we've seen on Chapelwick since the campaign closed. The manuscript is in a major editorial phase; we're pulling back the curtain on one of the 13th Hour Nightmare Hunters, and we've gotten approval for something we've been working toward for a while now.
Let's dive in.
Writing and Game Design
Manuscript Editing: Major Milestone
Matt has been working through the manuscript systematically, and we wanted to pull back the curtain a bit on what that actually means. There are two initial phases of editing.
Developmental editing is the broadest, most high-level form of editing. It tackles the big picture elements: plot, pacing, character arcs, structure, and themes. The goal is to ensure the entire world reads as one cohesive narrative rather than a collection of pieces.
Line editing is the mid-level pass. It refines the flow, voice, pacing, and sequencing at the paragraph and sentence level, increasing clarity and readability.
Most publishing projects handle these as separate passes, one after the other. But because the manuscript is already in solid shape, we can do both simultaneously. This means we can approach all these story components together, saving us significant time without compromising quality. Both layers are considered the minimum standard in professional publishing, and they go a long way in making the final product stronger.
We've now completed both passes on 9 of the 14 chapters, and the remaining chapters will be completed by the end of the month!
Once Matt completes this round of edits, the manuscript will return to Janelle for her to begin revisions and implement all of the agreed-upon changes. Revisions are a collaborative process that will see the manuscript go back and forth between the two of them a few more times until they finalize the draft. Each set of revisions should be quicker than the last as the revisions become more and more targeted.
Once the manuscript is set, Matt will perform one final layer of editing known as a copyedit, after which the manuscript will be locked for publishing. I wonder what our authors will work on in their free time while we're finalizing the rest of Chapelwick?
Spell Development
Spell creation and balancing reached completion this month. The full spell roster is now moving into editing, where Matt and Leroy will work through clarity, balance, and integration with the subclasses. Once that pass is complete, we'll open spell playtesting so you can test the subclasses with their full toolkit available.
Madness and Monsters: Next Phase Unlocked
With spell creation nearing completion, we'll soon be able to move forward on two interconnected systems that have been waiting in the pipeline.
The Mindrift Madness Deck and the encounter roster both relied heavily on the custom spells as they were being developed. Those spells influenced how the madness conditions interact with player abilities and shaped encounter design around the tools players would actually have available. Now that the full spell roster is locked, both the Madness Deck and the encounters can move forward.
Art and Visual Direction
Nightmare Hunter Reveal: Kalopsia
Kalopsia lurks within arched tunnels and shadowed corners. Its pale, almost gentle face masks a body twisted into an impossible, grasping form. It appears first as warmth, memory, and comfort, projecting the sweetness of childhood dreams to draw victims closer.
A face you almost recognize smiles gently while too many limbs unfold, stretching toward you.
Only when it's too late does the illusion fracture, revealing the monster under the bed made real. A creature of endless want that haunts the 13th hour where beauty and fear collapse into the same lie.
Parasitica Coming to Discord
We've got one more Nightmare Hunter that's complete! Parasitica will be this month's early reveal on Discord over the coming weeks. If you want to see Parasitica early, join us there. This is a good reminder that Discord is where you'll catch the earliest looks at what we're working on, before the monthly updates.
Mysterious Symbols
We're dropping something fun this month. These symbols are pretty close to final but might be adjusted slightly as they go through their final round of refinement. Take a guess. What do you think these represent? What are they going to be for? Where will they appear? Drop your theories in the comments here and on our Discord, and we'll reveal what they are and their significance in a future update.
What could these mysterious symbols mean?
Production and Manufacturing
Manufacturing Deposit: Moving Forward This Week
We're locking in a portion of our manufacturing agreement and placing the deposit this week. Once that's done, we move into prototype production for the dice, pins, and other physical rewards.
We expect the initial round of prototypes to land in 45-60 days, give or take, once the deposit is placed. Once they arrive, we'll photograph them for the store and verify quality, materials, weight, and finish in person before committing to full production runs.
We'll share photos as soon as we have them, but given the timeline, they probably won't be in next month's update. We will post pictures and videos in Discord ASAP, so if you want to see them as soon as we have them, be sure to join!
Online Store: Waiting on Prototypes
The store remains 90% complete, fully designed and ready to go live. We're holding off on launch until we can photograph as many of the actual prototypes rather than relying on renders. This means the launch is tied directly to when the physical samples arrive and are photographed. We'll announce the launch date as soon as we lock it in.
Community and Long-Term Vision
Alchemy Approval
We've been working with Alchemy to integrate Chapelwick into their platform, and we're excited to share that they've pre-approved the full campaign.
What makes this significant is that Alchemy is very selective about what they feature. They approved us without reviewing the manuscript, which speaks to their confidence in the project and in us as creators. This kind of partnership helps ensure Chapelwick reaches people who are actively looking for exactly what we're building.
As a reminder, you can already play for free with the Chapelwick pre-qualification module on Alchemy. It's a great way to get a taste of the world and the mechanics if you haven't had a chance yet. Let us know in the Discord if you need help getting your free access code.
You Guys are Really Making it Your Own
We're genuinely excited when we see screenshots like this one in Discord. One of our core goals for Chapelwick has always been to create a world and systems that players can make their own. We want to give you the tools and the concepts you need to tell stories that matter to you at your table. Seeing someone in the community build an entire pre-campaign around the Nightmare Hunters, creating character backstories and giving players agency in how they connect to the world, is exactly what we're hoping for.
Chapelwick isn't meant to be a rigid story you follow. It's meant to be a foundation for your stories. That's what makes this special to us. Every table that runs this campaign will be different. Every group will find their own moments, their own themes, their own reasons these characters matter. And knowing that we're helping people create those meaningful moments around the table, that's the real point of all this work.
In Hover, players take on the role of hummingbirds competing for two things: nectar and romance. You'll fight, flirt, and outmaneuver your feathered rivals as you gather resources, build a nest, and attract a mate. The goal is simple but delightfully competitive: be the first bird to complete a nest and successfully perform a courting call to secure your legacy and win the game.
If you enjoy lighthearted competition, clever player interaction, and a unique nature-inspired theme, Hover is definitely worth checking out. They're over 3000% funded and only have 9 days left in their campaign!
Next Update
As a reminder, we'll continue sharing Kickstarter updates on the second Tuesday of each month. The next update will be on Tuesday, July 14th.
If you'd like more frequent sneak peeks, development discussions, and behind-the-scenes updates, we'd love to see you in the Discord.
Thank you again for your encouragement and support as we continue building this world together. The work is real, the progress is meaningful, and Chapelwick is taking shape.
If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to reach out at [email protected].
In it together,
Alexander CEO
Playtesting Reactions + Character Art Reveal + Manufacturing & Pledge Updates
5 months ago
– Tue, May 12, 2026 at 08:08:20 AM
Last month, something we've been building toward for a long time finally happened: the first wave of Chapelwick playtesting was put in your hands. The subclass playtest has been live for a month now, and the community response has been incredible. We've also got progress to share on editing, spell development, character art, manufacturing, and our e-commerce store launch.
Let's dive in.
Subclass Playtesting: One Month In
When we opened subclass playtesting on April 14th, we honestly weren't sure what to expect. A month later, we can say with confidence that this community has shown up in a huge way.
The feedback rolling in from Discord has been thoughtful, specific, and genuinely useful. It's exactly the kind of input that makes a game better.
A few high-level themes from what we're seeing:
Rogue and Paladin subclasses are early favorites, with strong, enthusiastic reactions to both the mechanics and the flavor.
Overall playability is high across the roster. Most feedback centers on small refinements rather than structural concerns, which is a great sign this deep into development.
The flavor is landing. Players are connecting with the feel of these subclasses as much as the mechanics, and that's been one of the most rewarding things to read.
A couple of standout reactions from Discord that we couldn't resist sharing
Comment about the Oath of the Parasite Paladin Subclass
Comment about the Ghost Flame Corsair Fighter Subclass
If you haven't joined playtesting yet, it's not too late. Hop into Discord, grab the @playtesting role, and you're in.
Thank you to everyone who has tested, written up feedback, posted reactions, and helped shape these subclasses. This is genuinely your game as much as ours.
Editing Update
We're continuing the first full pass of the manuscript, currently working through a high-level edit focused on stylistic consistency, narrative structure, and continuity of both format and lore. This pass is essential to ensuring Chapelwick reads as one cohesive world rather than a collection of chapters.
Spell Creation and Balancing
We've made a focused push on spells this month and are now roughly 60% of the way through spell creation and balancing. Spell creation will be finished and move into editing this month, with playtesting to follow shortly after.
This became the priority this month because many of the custom spells are written to integrate directly into the subclasses, so once spell playtesting opens, you'll be able to test the subclasses with their full toolkit of abilities available. The current playtest gives us a strong signal on the core mechanics; the spell-integrated playtest will round out the picture and let you see these subclasses operating at full strength.
Mindrift Madness Deck Progress
The Mindrift Madness Deck is fully drafted. Both the core deck and the Twisted Madness expansion are now complete and have moved into balancing and editing. Once balancing wraps and the editing pass is complete, the deck will be ready to lock in.
Art Progress: Character Art Spotlight
This month, we want to share some of the work coming out of our character art pipeline. These pieces are a great example of how Chapelwick's visual identity is taking shape across the cast of characters who bring the world to life.
Garth's large hand claps you on the shoulder a bit too hard, jovial and completely unaware that you buckled under the force of the gesture.
Cackling with menacing laughter, the Taskmaster cracks a whip over the heads of the workers in the Ramshackle Doldrums. Every worker instinctively flinches at the sound, ducking their heads to avoid his notice.
The glimmering teeth of the Auctioneer shine in the dark corners of the Obsidian Mile. Every instinct of self-preservation says to stay far away from here and especially from this collector of oddities.
There's a lot more on the way. As more art comes online, we'll keep sharing both here and in Discord.
Manufacturing Update
We're in the final stretch on our manufacturing quote and will be locking it in with a deposit soon. Once that's done, we'll move into prototype production for the dice, pins, and several other physical items.
Prototypes are an important step. They let us verify quality, materials, weight, and finish in person before committing to full production runs.
A note on timing: prototype production typically takes a few weeks once the deposit is placed, and once they arrive, we'll need additional time to photograph them properly for the store. The next several weeks are about getting these steps right.
We'll share photos as soon as we have them in hand.
Shopify Store: 90% Complete
The Let's Roll Press Shopify store is about 90% complete. The site is designed, the product structure is in, and the underlying systems are ready to go. Product pages are built out across the catalog, including the core book, dice, pins, and bundles.
A look inside one of the product pages, fully built out and waiting on the real product photos.
We decided to delay the store a bit beyond what we communicated last month because we're really close to having prototypes in hand, and we wanted actual photos of the products on the site wherever possible, instead of digital renders.
As soon as the prototypes are photographed, we'll go live, and you'll be among the first to see it!
Pledge Wrap-Up
The April 21st final deadline has passed, and all completed pledges have been locked and charged. Thank you to everyone who finalized on time. The level of engagement and follow-through from this community has made this process smoother than we could have hoped for.
A quick ask: during charging, a small number of cards failed (typically expired cards, declines, or banks flagging the transaction). Please take a moment to log into BackerKit and double-check that your payment went through. If your card needs updating, you can do it yourself directly from your pledge confirmation page using the "Edit Payment Method" link — once you add a new card, BackerKit will automatically retry the charge. The sooner it's fixed, the better. We don't want anyone to lose their pledge over a card issue we can easily resolve.
If you need to make any other changes to your pledge (tier upgrades, add-on adjustments, etc.), reach out to us at [email protected] and we'll get it sorted.
If you weren't able to finalize before the deadline, the new Shopify store will be the path forward once it goes live. Pricing will reflect standard pre-order rates rather than Kickstarter pricing, but the door isn't fully closed. If you have questions about your specific situation, email us at [email protected], and we'll see what we can do.
Next Update
As a reminder, we'll continue sharing Kickstarter updates on the second Tuesday of each month. The next update will be on Tuesday, June 9th.
If you'd like more frequent sneak peeks, development discussions, and behind-the-scenes content, we'd love to see you in the Discord.
Thank you again for your encouragement, enthusiasm, and support as we continue building this world together. Without you, Chapelwick would never have crawled out of the sea.
If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to reach out at [email protected].
