The Ardron Collection

Bonus Itch.io part

THIS GAME COSTS MONEY. I know most people come here just for the free games, this one aint one of those.

so... yeah.

Sorry.

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Hi. This is The Ardron Collection.

Is it going to win GOTY? Nope.

Is it going to be a massively successful indie game? Also nope.

I'll be happy if it sells five copies, to be honest.

This is one of those games you buy because it "looked kinda neat."

You start it up for 30 minutes, get confused, and then turn it off and forget you ever played it—or even bought it.

Great pitch, right?

I made this game for me and four other people. Like Randy Blythe from Lamb of God said, "We’re doing this for our people. If someone else likes it? Cool. But we also have to get paid. No such thing as a free ride."

So what exactly is The Ardron Collection? Well, it's a collection of games (duh) that take place in the universe of Ardron.

All games in this "pack" are related to the universe they take place in.

So what the actual f**k is Ardron? Well, let's dive into a little lore.

It's like... 30 pages condensed into three paragraphs, so...

In the beginning, the universe was shaped by a pantheon of gods, each contributing to the creation of distinct realms infused with mana, the lifeblood of existence. These realms—like Sostrum, Vidulyn, Yumalon, Grimlowe, and the Void—became homes to creatures and forces influenced by the gods’ unique powers and intentions. From the pure Etheric beings of Sostrum to the corrupted entities of Grimlowe, each realm reflected its creators' visions and conflicts.

The First Age, known as the Age of Gods, was marked by their direct involvement in the world. They created life, fought wars, and established the foundations of reality. Over time, their meddling led to chaos, culminating in a divine decision to withdraw, leaving mortals to their fates. This ushered in the Second Age, the Age of Mortals, where civilizations rose and fell, shaped by the lingering power of mana and the consequences of divine actions.

Now, Ardron stands as a fractured but vibrant universe, brimming with stories of creation, conflict, and survival. The realms are interconnected yet distinct, each offering a piece of the puzzle that forms the grand tapestry of this universe. From technological wonders to ancient myths, Ardron invites players to explore, battle, and thrive in a world shaped by gods but ruled by mortals.

A Tabletop Role-Playing Game (you know what Dungeons & Dragons is, right?)

Think of this "game" as more of a virtual character player sheet and virtual Game Master Shield—where you create a character and have your Game Master lead you through adventures across the Realms of Ardron.

This is not a GM-less game.

This is not Baldur’s Gate 3.

You cannot play this single-player. You will need friends. At least one, anyway.

If you're still interested, maybe you'll get past all the reading you’ll have to do.

Yes, reading is required. It’s mostly a text-based game. It’s a TTRPG. Imagination is half the game. If you’re looking for 2024 graphics in a TTRPG? I have a boat to sell you.

So, what the hell is it? A TTRPG. You make a character. The GM makes a campaign. The GM gives you prompts. You say what you want to do. Gameplay ensues.

The foundation of AoA is player choice. That starts at player creation. I won’t go into it here... It’s simply too much. You’ll just have to see what you’ve been missing out on.

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As for the GM…

Hi, GMs. I’m a forever GM too. I know what tools I needed to run games, and I know what tools haven’t been provided (or have been poorly done) for other games. So, I’ve crafted the GM section to work well for me—and hopefully for you.

There are map tools, music tools, combat management, NPC generators, enemy generators, loot generators... hell, there’s even time management. Just because some people want to know what time it is in the world, you’re set.

If I missed something, come yell at me in Discord. I’ll try. 🤷‍♂️

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Other information?

If you’re looking for a magicless system or a "lite" system? Go elsewhere. Magic is entwined into everything.

You’d have an easier time sandpapering a lion’s ass in a pair of pork chop panties than trying to remove the magic from this system.

And a "lite" system? No. But it is more in-depth than Group Storytelling with some guidelines.

Is it a crunchy system? Also no. It has a lot of mechanics, but the mechanics are pretty simple concepts that tie into other mechanics to give depth.

A Trading Card Game.

You take control of an Elder Primordial, and you mimic the spells cast and created by the six Gods.

What does this mean for you? You create a Main Deck out of spells, creatures, and cool things to cast.

You’ll need Mana from the Realms to do it, which you configure in your Mana Deck.

To coincide with Ashes of Arcanum, there is also a Sanity Deck for very powerful cards that come at a very great cost. Same as AoA: if you reach 100 corruption or delirium? Game over.

Other than that, it’s a simple TCG in the style of Magic: The Gathering, Hearthstone, or the Pokémon TCG.

This game will also require friends. I’m an indie dev with the budget of five nickels and a McChicken. You think I can afford servers? Lmao, no. I’m lucky I had the $100 to post the game to Steam, dude. 
My mouth is sore...

Graces Lament is the 2D Side-Scroller.

It’ll be your typical adventure-platformer-souls-like-rogue-like-metroidvania-whatever-the-terms-are-nowadays indie game.

Ever play Salt & Sanctuary? It’ll kinda be like that, but not exactly. It’s just the only good 2D souls-like game I can think of.

Anyways, you’ll take control of Freedin Deverfos, the current times’ Ascension for the realm of Yumalon—but this is kind of his backstory.

To summarize: there are angels in Ardron, and even more powerful beings than Archangels (I know, right? Really original).

The catch is: Freedin is birthed from an Archangel father and a human mother.

And Archangels? Can’t die. But uh... his dad dies. So????? We’re gonna go find out how and/or why.

Also, due to his father being an Archangel, Freedin also kind of can’t die? You’ll have to see what I mean in the game.

That’s it. That’s the game. You find out what happened to ol’ Papa and go on a grand adventure of bullsh*t to do it. Meanwhile, making critical choices in the storyline.

There will be kind of a butterfly effect to the game.

And just like Ashes of Arcanum, player choice is the most important thing. So there are no wrong answers.

If I had to equate it to anything, it’d probably be Remnant: From the Ashes, where you can either help NPC A or NPC B. Morals are gray. You just get different story outcomes depending on your choice.

I have the artistic skills of a newborn, so yeah, the graphics for AoA? They're going to be rough, again. My budget is basically two nickels and a McDouble, so expect the art to be as barebones as it gets. I've tried, but I'm not an artist, haha. Crowdfunding? Yeah, that probably won't go well in this oversaturated gaming market (I tried before and raised a grand total of $8).

Last month, I made $101.05 in ways I’m not exactly proud of. Who contributed that nickel? Everyone. A couple of them are still left, but the rest went into posting this on the Steam store and grabbing some Burger King foot lettuce.

So, we're just gonna push forward and try to get this thing done.

Thanks for reading. I’ve got games to make. 😁