Whether you are friend, family, or just stumbled upon us by accident, we are glad to have you here. So hello, and welcome, to the developer’s blog for the upcoming card game Renown, produced by us, Stonehome Games.
My name is Drew Whitney and I am one of the two founders of Stonehome Games, alongside my long time friend and collaborator Mitch Hamrick. I’ll let Mitch handle his own introduction. As for myself, I am a guy in his 30’s who is a lifelong fan of anything to do with card and board games. I have a long, loving relationship with tabletop rpgs, ccgs, and video games, as well as a passion for design.
I have my BA in Publishing from Illinois State University and while I originally intended to head in one direction, game design pulled me another. We will go into more detail about the origins of Renown in a later blog, but when Mitch and I first started working on it, let’s just say it was a very different game. We have come a long way in this development process and I can safely say that I am extremely proud of the product we have produced.
Renown has turned into a wonderful collaborative effort between ourselves, the playtesters, and our fantastic group of artists. In the upcoming weeks we will have the chance to highlight some of these awesome people. So keep an eye out for some behind the scenes look at our whole process.
Thanks to the guidance of our card designer and lead artist, Sean McNiff, we put together a team of 12 unique artists to bring life to our little town. Each artist has designed a different personality and has helped bring their own perspective to Renown as well. Their work cannot be highlighted enough, and I hope to do it justice here in the future.
Each week we will be covering something different here in the developer’s blog so keep an eye out on the different social media platforms for updates. Thanks for checking us out, and we are looking forward to the eventual release of our first game, Renown. - Drew
Hello everyone! I’m Mitch the other creator of Renown. I’m just a guy in his 30’s that loves to play games and has a passion for stories of all kinds. I’ve spent my life learning and working all sorts of odd jobs but game design has always been a dream of mine. Renown is my first foray into the world of design but I couldn’t be more proud of the game that Drew and I have designed and the world that has begun to grow with the help of our talented artists.
For my maiden voyage into blogdom I’d like to talk a little about the theme and lore within Renown and more importantly Gloria’s Landing.
We always knew that humor would play a big role in Renown and that has blossomed into an incredible weave of tongue in cheek, homage and satire. The genre of fantasy has such a rich depth of material which has only grown through its fans and we’ve done our best to capture that. Picture all your favorite fantasy ending up on the Island of Misfit Toys.
Gloria’s Landing is a bustling town located on a nexus of many worlds. Some of the brightest walk these streets and some of the most sinister prowl amongst its shadows. Because of it’s location it is often beset by monsters, magic, and regular old catastrophes. So Gloria’s Landing has need of leaders and heroes! And that is where you come in. Many of those that come to Gloria’s Landing do so seeking fame and fortune. Some rise to the challenge and are remembered for years and others fall back amongst the faceless masses forgotten.
The personalities within the game (which we’ll be introducing in the weeks to come) are the up and comers in Gloria’s Landing. Whether you don the sweet, syrupy robes of the Waffle Wizard or pick up the razor edged sword of Logan the Barbarian your goal is the same; attract followers, build up the town and protect it from danger.
We have so much to show you in the coming weeks as we get ready for our Kickstarter. Hopefully you’re as excited to see it as we are to show it to you. Thanks again and have a great day! -Mitch Hamrick