I think you need to be a zombie-ghoul to become enshrined, and then choose not to sacrifice the slaves to become a lich saint.
3 Likes
Hi @BubbaJubbs ,
Cheers for giving my game a go; welcome to this thread.
By the end of this month, all paths on the HG Forum build will be at the same level of ‘development’. I have tried to make each path as valid and of a similar length as all the others. However, some will be longer than others, simply due to the writing process and the results of a player’s choices. (I really have tried to make every route interesting and different, to some degree, although how well I have done this is not for me to say.)
Keep in mind that this is book 1 of 2 (or, depending on how book 1 is received, book 2 could be split into a few shorter books, which I’d prefer not to do). Our choices here will also have benefits and consequences in the following book(s).
Also- see @Zinne_cwb 's post. Welcome to you, too, bringing the wisdom of a lore master!
Yes, keep in mind that, to become a saint lich, you will first have to become a mindless undead thing. In this state, you will be pushed to do some things which our human MC may call ‘evil’. At first, we will have no control, but by our MC resisting this – the trial of undeath if you will – we can ascend to become a lich saint.
Great explanation of the general lay of the land, haha. You do have revealing insights into the potential future of a Basilisk MC… I think you also have a knack for seeing where some other paths may lead… Although we must call it all speculation at this point.
A NOTE: We will not see our MC manifest the powers of a lich beyond the barest tinkerings in this book, as it happens, approaching the end. Our minds become warped and frayed with new knowledge and thousands of competing voices. We do, however, lay the foundation for a very powerful MC.
7 Likes
That’s awesome to hear, I’ll be spending weeks trying out all of the cool paths you’ve made haha.
I had no clue there’s already plans for a second book, that’s awesome to know! Just be sure not to burn yourself out with all the writing.
I think that actually makes me even more interested in going for the lich path. The thought of fighting your inherently evil nature (assuming we’re raised by someone evil) rather than being forced to be evil is a really refreshing take on lichdom.
3 Likes
I hope you enjoy exploring the paths. I do have replayability in mind, which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea – although some, like me, love exploring games 
The ‘middle game’ can be drastically different depending on our choices, though the endings do tie them together, ready for book. 2. The ending won’t be ‘exactly’ the same, but the situation will be the same.
Thanks, mate! Yes, I will not be jumping into Book 2. Instead, I will make a much shorter DLC for my first game, An Unexpectedly Green Journey, something I can relax with after a couple of weeks away from writing. Green Journey is a different tone of game, more of a sandbox, set in the same world over 1,000 years earlier… And you are an orc. In Shriek of Ash and Fire, you may sometimes hear folks refer to the ‘Green Emperor’ – that could be you in Green Journey.
Please let me know if you find any issues along the way – bugs, typos, or inconsistencies. Some of the players in these forums remember things far better than I do; my thoughts are all knotted between the different paths at times. But I’ll always try to fix issues as quickly as I can.
6 Likes
Still can’t access the game
1 Like
@NumberedEntity Will the powers of a Reaper Lich and a Saint Lich develop differently? Since a Saint is blessed by the Mother and a Reaper by Ardgudo?
2 Likes
Hi, mate. Post the exact error here, and I will personally ask Chani. She is very busy with her day job and is working through several things with Cogdemos as we speak, so I won’t know when she is able to respond. She might have a few tips.
Does every other game work fine on cogdemos? Did you try on different browsers? I know you said you cleared the cache.
The Reaper Lich disperses with any help from the divine. Saints (lich or otherwise) get the blessing of the Mother, while Firebrands stir the old warrior god, Ardgudo. They will develop differently. The Mother will, eventually, focus more on healing; Ardgudo will be more active on future battlefields… The Reaper will become an undead-raising, more classic-style lich. A Lich Saint… I don’t want to spoil it, but they will become an almost inverse classical lich.
BUT we will have to wait until Book 2 to see this, since we are left in a state of weakness right now…
3 Likes
Okay, mate. You’re going to have to give me a bit more info, since this isn’t an issue with the game; it’s not something I can fix, and it’s not in my control, so I am as baffled as you.
To help, let me know the things you have tried to resolve it – we had some suggestions before. These I can pass on. This might help narrow it down. Otherwise, you’ll just end up getting the same suggestions a second time.
EDIT: Do you have more than one email address? Perhaps try opening a cogdemos account with the second one and see if you face the same situation with a new account? Try a few, 3 or so, different browsers. Will help to know which browsers give you that error, too.
1 Like
I only make a second account if my main one is hacked.
2 Likes
Let me know what browsers you have tried, the errors which came up in these other browsers and what other things you tried. Otherwise, the only advice I will get back will be to ‘clear the cache’, which I think you have already done, right?
You can PM me all the info if you prefer, and I will pass it on, along with the error code, once I have more details.
1 Like
I’ll think about it.
2 Likes
Update Incoming in the Next Few Days
This month and last month, I have been very busy with our game since I know the end is nigh. This has given me a bit of a boost.
Cold Road Machine Love, about 140k, will be released for free to everyone as the next HG Forum update.
The newest Krog Tier Patreon update, The Abhidhar Update, will be out in the next few days (on Patreon), looking to be about 150K, spread across every path.
I will, of course, post the news about the HG Forum update here, with the link being in the first post, as always.
I hesitantly say that there might be only a single month left of scene and game writing after this before I move on to adding achievements and saves and begin a final read-through. This means the beta version of the game could be out in about 2 months or so, since Patreon is a month ahead.
We’ve had a long, long drive…
17 Likes
Info about old updates, since I ran out of space on the first post:
DOUBLE UPDATE 14 (approx 220K, 1.36 Million total- 23rd August 2025)
Hi, instigators, usurpers, plotters and protectors,
The new DOUBLE UPDATE is now available, comprising over 220,000 words about the relentless toil of the ash, totalling 1.36 million words.
This contains the Fleet Meet and Power Corrupts updates:
-Failed revolutionaries, who fled Fort Ard, will join the Road Fleet, meet Zuan et al, and the MC will negotiate alongside Tinnafri with Gravian Evagrey.
-Road Pirates from the Free Country will have a reunion with their Roachpede pals in the wastes, before the MC, alongside Tinnafri, negotiates with Gravian Evagrey.
-Royalist MCs will negotiate on behalf of the crawler with the Road Fleet. Depending on their previous choices, they will be accompanied either by Gravian Evagrey, General Thrayton (he was promoted) or Revira or Raith Evagrey. The twins have very different approaches to the talks.
-Rebel MCs will negotiate on behalf of the crawler with Rumble, who is either a councillor or the chancellor, depending on how you fared in the previous election.
-Baskilisk MCs have many ways to deal with the Road Fleet. None of them involves negotiations.
-Patrol the crawler as a Councillor or Chancellor, dealing with dissent and the manifestation of corrupt magic.
-Try to hold everything together as the Despair’s Demise starts to fall apart.
-Deal with Rumble’s final throw of the dice to gain ultimate control over his new Republic, to put the engine mates in charge.
-Or, investigate signs of a lingering plot targeting the Evagreys.
-Collect evidence and state your case to the King.
-Deal with the consequences of your investigation, one way or the other. Will the throne change hands?
-Both Royal and Rebel paths will desperately defend the crawler from an attack by a group of Silver Angels. Perhaps the great Despair’s Demise is on the verge of obsolescence.
-Behold your first, fleeting glimpse of the fabled Dragon Colony.
-Added a stats screen, at the end of the update, where you can now view the state of Behatland after the first year of the Revolutionary War. (Patrons will have already seen this/)
-Added a stats screen recording the evidence you may find during your investigation of the plot against the Evagreys.
-Added a stats screen with about 10k worth of lore, to help set the scene for new players.
-Added a stats screen with ‘Player Notes’ to give new players a heads up.
UPDATE 12 (approx 150K, 1.14 Million total- 22nd June 2025)
-Added two new TESTING starts to allow players to begin their adventures just before facing the gangs of the wasteland- an Abhidhar or Road Warrior start.
-Decide who governs the Free Country, Tinnafri, the Nagarese or a Popular Assembly.
-Direct building priorities and lay down the law.
-Hunt down a stalking sniper using tactical awareness and decide their fate.
-Road Warriors may find themselves gravely wounded, losing an arm of flesh and bones, and replaced with one of three possible contraptions to enhance them.
-Fight in the battle of New Yeirshee to rescue refugees, at the risk of freeing a Cold Pact crawler. Or, sacrifice the refugees to maintain the safety of Frelsisaire.
-Perhaps you can discover Zuan’s secret…
-During the aftermath of the battle of New Yeirshee, spend time with Zuan, Tinnafri or, perhaps, the captured sniper. Be careful…
-Modified scenes where the MC flees Fort Ard and meets the Road Fleet.
UPDATE 11 (approx 110K, 995k+ total- 29th May 2025)
-Added two new testing starts, one for those with oily, engine-delving panache and one for wannabe snake mages starting in New Yerishee. Be advised, these test-starts present you with an unrealistically well-rounded and competent MC.
-Build your fleet to take on all-comers and bring order to the ash.
-Use tactics, diplomacy or sheer force to tame the largest gangs in the wastes.
-Fight the Zthullu Zoomers, a bunch of goblins led by orcs driving a giga-carrier.
-Overcome the Ashland Angels, dray-driving dwarves who’ve carved a town of workshops, roads and turrets from the scrap they’ve found.
-Crush the Bulletlockers, a bunch of carrier-riding humans, led by a demonically possessed nutter commanding a throng of mutants.
-Finally, take on the undead-infested ruin of the Cold Pact Crawler, Pale Lady. Become the Abhidhar and battle the demonic force at the great metal-beast’s core, or salvage her cannons to use against her.
-Found a capital and a new nation, represented on the map in the stats screens.
-Added title music.
In ash and hopelessness, can you create the foundations for a new home?
UPDATE 10 (approx 80K, 885k+ total- 13th Arpil 2025)
Hi frenzied mob of discontent anti-monarchists,
I present the latest update, with an extra 80K+ of rebellious content, totalling over 885k.
Here, we’ll rid the crawler of tyrants and decide who will become the first Chancellor of the Republic of the Despair’s Demise. Let us hope it won’t become a despairing republic.
-One of two starting points, enter the crawler after winning the battle of Fort Ard’s and the Despair’s Demise’s road fleets.
-Fight through a maze of towering containers, mopping up opposition, with the help of any allies who’ve joined your cause.
-Or assist Rumble, the Union of Engine Mates Representative, on a mission to sabotage the main generators on a deck housing a static shield and a contained steam elemental.
-The second entry point sees you entering the crawler with a tribe of Goblins through the towering artillery barrels.
-You’ll engage in assassination missions to serve Gibleti’s vendetta against influential royalists.
-Arrive at the upper deck for the bloody showdown with Commodore Evagrey. Here, you’ll encounter a changed Avalina.
-Join the rebel council and engage in a lightning election campaign. The victor will be declared the first Chancellor of the new republic.
-Make promises, court favours, and schemes with underhand tactics. Or try to take the more moral course, setting an example worthy of the votes of the war-weary masses.
-Come with TESTER starting points to bring you closer to the new content. Select one of the ‘rebel starts’ after you have made your character.
-We now have title music, a track called Steampunk Victorian Orchestra- by Luis Humanoide 2.
Check it out on YouTube with the link below:
Royalty Free Steampunk Victorian Music
UPDATE 9 (approx 58K, 808k+ total- 14th March 2025)
Hi, loyal supporters of the Ancient Regime,
I present the Royalists in the Revolution update for you, more than 50K of new content bringing the total to 808K.
Here, we’ll return to the Despair’s Demise and put right what went wrong.
-Be greeted by the, really not quite right in the head, Evagrey twins, including a special scene for all your minions.
-Gather with Commodore Evagrey to receive your orders and get a promotion, perhaps 2.
-Negotiate peace with the Union of Enginae Mate rebels (and swabs too) to put an end to the fighting.
-Fight the last Basilisk holdout, meeting a change Avalina and, potentially, Father Roach.
-Deal with the recruitment from a bested Fort Ard to bolster the reduced crew of the Despair’s Demise.
-Receive a great revelation at the end of it all, before the crawler starts its turbines and engines to journey ever deeper into the ash.
UPDATE 8 (approx 50K, 750k+ total- 15th February 2025)
Please note, the Royalist Revolution Path is expanded, securing their primacy of the crawler, in the most recent Patreon build, for Krog Tier patrons.
-I have added a new TESTER START option, allowing you to begin as an engine mate in Fort Ard, ready to join the revolution on the side of the Basilisk.
-You will be reforged into a new class with new stats.
-Unleash new powers using your cog-and-coil panoply.
-Encounter a one-eyed beast from legend…
-Break Fort Ard before the will of the Basilisk before turning the city’s guns on the Despair’s Demise.
-Battle through the Crawler and bring Ash-Commodore Evagrey to heel.
-Perhaps connect coils with Avalina…
-Decide the final fate of Fort Ard in an invigorated crawler.
Please let me know if you find any typos and bugs, and I will fix them ASAP.
UPDATE 7 (approx 90K, 700k total- 14th January 2025)
I have included many TESTING start options after you pick your name and race, which places you straight into Fort Ard, when you first arrive and leave the crawler. These may come with additional bugs- please report these similarly though be aware that each prepared start locks you into certain choices. It is very helpful to have some starting options allowing testers to explore newer content, though you can still start again if you wish.
Please note- the Basilisk path, after the events at the Iron Hill Pub, is available on Patreon and will be updated here next month.
*-Start your game in Fort Ard using the TESTER OPTIONS after you have created your character.
-Join the rebels and gather allies to your cause.
-Discover a lost goblin tribe, with baborcs!
-Engage in an artillery duel with the Despair’s Demise.
-Fight a battle on the ash plains against the crawler’s road fleet.
-Board the crawler to begin retaking it for your cause.
-OR, join the royalists.
-After fighting your way to the Baron’s Quarter, discover the nefarious events within.
-Just what has the Baron been up to? You will decide his fate before returning back to the crawler.
-OR, flee the city in various ways and join the New Yeirshee Pirate fleet.
Please report all bugs and typos you come across!
UPDATE 6 (approx 80K, 612k total- 19th December 2024)
-All will get a scene in the Iron Hill pub, where Basilisk cultists try to take control.
-Royalists will get a longer path, finishing at the battle of the Baron’s Quarter. Here, you may see Father Roach make an appearance. You may also get to don the Bastion Armour if you are an ash marine who has joined that secretive order.
-Rebels will get a longer path, finishing when affiliated engine mates fire Fort Ard’s artillery at the Despair’s Demise. Among, other options, you may find a hidden goblin tribe or have Sera unleash the full extent of her demonic abilities.
-Basilisk cultists currently have their path end after the Iron Hill meeting.
-Those who have not sufficiently supported the Royalists or Rebels, and if they take control of events, will be forced into exile. This path ends soon after the Iron Hill pub meeting.
Please report typos and bugs. This is a very complicated scene to piece together and your help is much appreciated.
UPDATE 5 (50K, 531k total- 11th November 2024)
Here, you have the first part of the Fort Ard Update, 50k+ bringing this version of the game to over 500k words. How will you spend your time on the eve of revolution?
-Take the load off and enjoy a street festival.
-Or, if your cloth is cut properly, enter an exclusive club.
-Or, kick back in a pub with the rest of the crawler boys and girls.
-Lots of variable-dependent events. This scene could pass quickly or not, depending on your choices. Some choices are only available to certain professions.
-Potentially, get closer with Colonel Thrayton, Sera or add a notch to Gibleti’s, already hacked-to-pieces, bedpost.
-If you have become one of the Evagrey twins’ favoured bootlickers, get a chance to delve into their past and uncover another side of this sadistic pair.
UPDATE 4 (103K, 481k total- 13th October 2024)
This update is mostly events and stories, rather than game systems, conentrating on one of the crawler escape paths. Brakka is much denser than New Yeirshee. It has more issues. And more ways of handling these issues.
-Make a life in Brakka for a short period of time.
-Work in the mines, on the pit level, or in the gun towers on the crust.
-Visit the Gristle in the Bristles pub to join the Cold Pact and the bearded dwarves.
-Or join the actions of beardless dwarves and escaped human conscripts, deserters and wanderers to plan their escape.
-There are 4 missions for supporters of the beardless folk, to wreak havoc in Brakka. Or 3 missions to put the damn beardless in their place- making the scene very replayable.
-If you mess up you might die. More than likely though, you’ll be locked up to await a terrible fate as a slave in one of the Cold Pact’s crawlers, which will be a future playable path.
-Oh, and if you are a dwarf, you can grow a beard!
Any help with typos and bugs is much appreciated. I will resolve to fix any issues ASAP.
UPDATE 3 (128K, 378k total- 15th September 2024)
-Travel to New Yeirshee and explore this weird scab of a town
-Join the Ash Land Road Pirates and become a road warrior, earning a ‘road name’.
-Fight against other vehicles using the road combat system.
-If you are inclined towards magic, enhance your skills with the formidable, dark powers of Naga magic and become the legendary Abhidhar of Zthullu.
-Potentially, get much closer to Zuan, the Man Without Title.
-Keep up to date with events back in Behatland by viewing the ‘news portal’ in the communal mess.
UPDATE 2 (97K, 250k total- 14th August 2024)
-With Vin and Sera, with a squad of ash marines, venture into Zthullu to confront a Yonder threat.
-Take part in an intense battle and uncover the secret behind a new enemy weapon.
-Return from your expedition in the ash lands and report to none other than Commodore Evagrey, the Lord of Despair.
-Spread dissent for your favoured faction or weaken your enemies.
-Investigate sightings of an intruder… depending on how your expedition in Zthullu went.
-Potentially get closer, very close, to Sera, Gibleti, the Evagrey Twins and/or Colonel Thrayton.
-Learn new skills.
-Prepare for the coming revolution.
UPDATE 1 (87k, 153k total- 5th July 2024)
-Expanded the Crawler paths for each profession. Now, you can settle into your new job, meet a few new people and get involved with some of the politics and mysteries of crawler life. This is the main content of the update by far.
-If you have fled the crawler, you have a small expansion of events heading north or south. Go north to find the town of Brakka, home of many outcasts, or south to New Yeirshee, where you will join ash pirates and be able to pick a weapon and vehicle.
-Added a new ‘pamphlet’ section to the stats screen, where I can handily add bits about lore which would be useful for playing the game. Right now, there is a summary of names for various mixtures of the races of Behatland- mostly because I found writing things like half halfling half-elf terrifying.
-Split up the lore stats screen a bit, to avoid scrolling issues on mobiles.
UPDATE 0 (66k- June 9th 2024):
-Very early stages and everything is up for change and development. Less than 10% complete.
-Create your character and choose their heritage; dwarf, goblin, elf or halfling.
-Hone your starting skills in your gang, the Roachpedes.
-Begin to form relationships with factions which will alter your destiny.
-Arrive in Zthullu and begin your journey in this most blighted of places, as a runaway or as part of an ash crawler crew.
-From the stats screen, find the political map of Behatland and read about how the world has changed since An Unexpectedly Green Journey.
-If you join an ash crawler find a page detailing its immense size and power. Can such a mechanical beast survive?
Update 24: Cold Road Machine Love! (140K; 2.21 million total words – 24th May 2026)
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The Road Fleet has lost sight of the Despair’s Demise. Set up camp and await news as suspicions rise about this new land.
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Depending on your choices, commit to Tinnafri, Zuan, Micraik or Chesucsi. Each has a new ‘big scene’ not shared across other paths.
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The Basilisk path must come to terms with failing machinery and invasion. Escape with Avalina.
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An extended scene, for those who get close to Avalina, has been added.
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Cold Pact Reapers, Saints, or Firebrands find the Grey Torment rusting and decaying. Can they withstand the lingering curse of Malachar?
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Cold Pact ROs include Pickles, Ironwill, Frans or Scram. Or, for non-Reapers, enjoy a night with the crew playing with ‘pastry zombies’.
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Basilisk and, especially, Cold Pact paths can probe further into what awaits them…
Behold, the last of the ‘Love’ updates, for those who chose to be amorous. Otherwise, we can strengthen our bonds with our friends and crewmates. All paths for this and last month share a similar theme: a trap is placed around us that springs at the end of our selected route, though we experience it from slightly different angles.
Next month will be the ABHIDHAR update. Sera gets roped in, no matter what, although the outcome will depend on how deeply she has been corrupted. Some of us may, indeed, be the prime Abhidhar. For those who are not, we will witness terrifying events, including the invasion of our crawler or an attack on the Road Fleet.
Please report bugs and typos.
Most of all, I hope you enjoy it, though we totter on the edge of the Abyss.
Use the CoGDemos link in the first post!
EDIT: WARNING! Old saves may play up. Best to start a new game. I still have tester links, where you can skip the beginning portion of the game.
11 Likes
The scope of this story is incredibly ambitious, and the IF community is blessed to have a writer with your vision and grit. You’ve heard this yesterday, last month and last year I’m sure,@NumberedEntity, and yet it needs to be expressed by each new reader.
I hadn’t an inkling of I was getting myself into. Just as I thought I was settling in, my expectations were shattered the way Mal stomped on that ether orb, in great part due to the opportune update. Suffice to say, the nature of the revelations and the ensuing cliffhanger has me rapt for more.
What feedback I can offer at this time is limited to my first run as Half-Elf Chancermancer Abhidar with Chesucsi as a RO. However, as the final editing phase approaches, I hope that leaves some odds and ends will be of aid to you.
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The main missable in New Yairshee is becoming an Abhidar. All other stat changes can be done in short order, and their associated changes are comparatively negligible. When stats cease to matter before you even start hunting the rival gangs, their impact and the relevance of character specific traits evaporates. I suggest a gradual empowerment process: stats should first return to slightly below normal, and only start growing to OP levels after completing training / trial flavoured events. Distribute them over the course of the story in various locations. Let Zuan merely plant the seed, and have its growth dependent on player efforts. For example, meditating in a cave between a mission to attack the bandit gangs or safely crossing a molten stream using your ash serpent powers during Frelsisaire.
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New Yeirshee is narratively thin. Nearly all the time spent here will be farming the repeatable bandit bounty missions that award money and scrap parts. Try spacing out and introducing a few more scenes in the communal hall when you end the night, so there is something to return to besides feeling like you are farming resources in a game. Add signposting so players don’t farm way more than they need to.
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Chancermancery didn’t seem to have much of a role in the story after leaving New Yeirshee.
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The gigacarrier was rarely involved. What if the salvaged batteries could be mounted to it? It could have helped evacuations at New Yeirshee or defended the barricade at the Pale Lady?
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Relationships: There should be more chances to check in with characters during lulls in action, especially for non-romance scenes. I wanted to speak to the Roachpedes more after the reunion. I also wished to discuss the dreams and the stolen journal page with Sera. FYI Zuan disappears for a long time from the story after we first meet the Despair’s Demise.
I may have been lucky, but what of dissent? Does pissing off one group too much result in mutiny while you are away? Perhaps sabotage or defections during battles? I was admittedly relieved when Brassbolts didn’t start a rebellion after I stayed Chesucsi’s execution.
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The hallucination / illusion events got too repetitive toward the end. The cursed crypt could be expanded as an underground tunnel west. Aside from fighting off evil, there are mysteries or treasure to discover. Chesucsi can be of help. The fleet emerges near the forest and encounters the same problem of losing contact with the Despair’s Demise.
“Stretch Goals”
I’m cognisant that you’ve been working on this for a long time and need a break. There are also a bunch of other paths demanding your attention. This is why I’ve separated the rest of my points as suggestions you can consider implementing in the future as patches or extra context. -
Invite a companion to join you when you go on missions to grow your Abhidar power. Non-Abhidar players could get an alternate mission to drive a supply convoy with a companion to New Yeirshee and back from to Frelsisaire.
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Currency Usage:
Extra parts can be added to your total when you have to decide how to allocate parts to different groups. Or they could enable an option to build the equivalent of “fire boats” to be used in battle.
Grandes can be used to buy upgraded weapons, vehicle customisations, or gifts, whether it be at New Yeirshee, Frelsisaire or for negotiations. This can help non-Abidar players who lack stats. Alternately, changing this currency into Pirate cred / Zthulu rep score can work even better. -
Rework bandit bounty missions. I’d rather a smaller, finite number of them that are memorable. If you set a max of 8 and randomise the opponent vehicle, you may be able to introduce more flavour and variation to each battle. Plus, the risk of becoming a slave increases substantially, while the feeling of spamming a resource farm goes down. Just be sure to adjust the rewards accordingly.
6 Likes
Hi @Lorathil
Wow, thanks so much for taking the time to play and think through your playthrough and then note down your thoughts – and really perceptive and valuable thoughts at that! There is great insight here for both narrative and gameplay. I will keep a record of them all. I’ve even sent a reminder to pin to my emails for the final read-through, lol.
I would like to address some of your thoughts after a little bit of mentally fortifying coping on my part.
You already addressed this, but you have caught me so near the end, in a place where I am focused on finishing and tying things together. I thought I was approaching the end a year ago! My tank is on fumes, so to speak.
However, some of the changes, particularly the stretch goals, could, very possibly, be part of a free LC or DLC (if very significant) if Shriek does well. I need to let the bird out of its cage, even if it bumps into a few trees, to allow other ideas and projects space.
Another thing which I think is important is to mention that initially Shriek was going to be 1 book, but that became unrealistic. This means the development of some ‘classes’, like the non-abhidhar chancermancer, will have to wait for Book 2. This was never supposed to be very powerful at first; we needed to draw the attention of the Crone of Fates, which we will have done by the end of Book 1.
Book 2 will be much more about building an army and engaging in diplomacy. Here, Grandes will be more important, and those with a chokehold on luck can make good use of it, particularly dealing with the superstitious.
I will say, with a project which contains a fair few very different routes (although starting and ending in the same/similar place), that sometimes I lose track of the trees because of the forest. Shriek is designed for multiple playthroughs and exploration, but many players, if they play this at all, will only play once. Of course, I should never complain about this. If a player buys a game, they are free to play it the way they wish. This does mean that, when viewing each route forensically, I panic that it might not be enough to entertain a single-route player.
It is the bed I have made!
As for things I think I can improve during my final read-through, based on your suggestions:
Yes, I agree, New Yeirshee is narratively thin. I wrote this section after Brakka, which is far denser, and wanted to distinguish it for repeat playthroughs. New Yeirshee is a barren place, not meant to mimic the liveness of a mining hive, like Brakka. Only in New Yeirshee do we get a farming mechanic – although there are limits imposed, which are probably too high (point noted). Right now, we cannot farm indefinitely. The workshops of New Yeirshee will fill up at some point and prevent us from expanding our fleet, and the stats boost will stop.
As for being OP here, in New Yeirshee, this has been mentioned before. It is something I worry about from the player’s perspective, which is the most important. Unlike Green, insta-death is far rarer in Shriek, and certain events, during the end of Book 1/start of Book 2, will rebalance our stats. I don’t mind our MC becoming OP in that this is a player’s choice, but if it ruins a player’s experience, then it is an issue.
I think limiting stat increases and gifting skills is a better solution. Although letting someone feel like a badass may not be a bad thing… Given me food for thought.
I like the idea of adding a couple more scenes in the communal hall. This is something I can look at during a final read-through.
The giga-carrier does add a points bonus to our fleet during all future checks, particularly when we use the carriers en masse. Making a few more direct references will be more immersive.
Adding more chances to talk to the Roachpedes is a good call. Also, good point regarding discussing the journal with Sera and Zuan going on holiday. I might be able to slip something in.
As for dissent and the future of Frelsiaire, we will not suffer a rebellion, but dissent could result in a less effective defence against the Cold Pact after we leave. We do get a vague report on how the defenders are faring. The calculations have already been performed, and the outcome will be revealed fully in Book 2. I would say that the citizens understand they are in a life-or-death fight and that rebellion is not on the cards, at least until they have secured their survival.
With the illusions, I wanted Zthullu itself to appear as a foe. The final illusion is shared among all paths, although the Road Fleet suffers more of them due to not being locked up in a big crawler. I want our MC to doubt everything and feel unease. I will think about how I present this, as it does lose its novelty.
The Road Fleet path presents itself as mechanically different to the rest of the game. In fact, the more I think about your suggestions, particularly with the stretch goals which are ideal for a Road Fleet-only game, the more I think about how they will make an excellent expansion after I have refreshed myself with a much shorter Green Journey DLC.
Again, I appreciate this so much. You caught me at a time when I am killing scope creep and new variables for the sake of finishing, but you have opened up future options for a deeper system for Road Fleet development. I wish I could have picked your brains before I started!
Sorry for such a long reply; I think your post deserved it. If you play any other route, I would be interested in your thoughts. Really excellent.
EDIT: Also, thanks for the kind words. 
I simply do not hear it enough! I pretend to be modest, but it is all a lie. I demand praise like an ignored Scorned Elf! But knowing folks play and, hopefully, enjoy my offering, tides me over nicely until I finally sink in that pool of variables.
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Lol! I had to look up the meaning of stone heads.
‘The emoji is often used to convey a stoic or deadpan expression, and it can also symbolise old wisdom or something long-lasting.’
The poor Road Fleet never stood a chance. I wonder if they might have had a better shot with our MC at the helm.
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If my feedback took a more critical slant, it was by design. Had I included all the positive things I encountered, the list would have grown unwieldy and lost its utility 
Introducing mutual exclusivity to an alliance between the Dwarven and Goblins gangs was a fantastic touch, as was allowing Tinnafri and Small Paul to get together if you choose another RO. The ancillary material in the stat screen was well appreciated, and the fact that some of it updated with your progress was a delight. Above all, I like how you added pushback from magic with Demon Queen’s claim that the march of the world toward atheism / eschewing magic and the over reliance on technology would spell it’s doom.
A story with as much branching as Shriek deserves further iteration, and if a DLC sized project is what would do it justice, then I support that. While wholly ignorant of their financial performance, I think the way Werewolf the Apocalypse: BoHN and Zombie Exodus did their DLC has been a great way to expand the game after release.
I intend to try the Rebel and Royalist paths when I have time and will leave feedback for those. The Cold Pact interested me initially as a foil to Ardland, but necromancy isn’t really my cup of tea. Since I do like dwarves, I may give it a try on that side.
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