Hello there!
It’s been a busy season here at Arcadian Alchemy Entertainment, and I wanted to take a little time to share where things are, what I’ve been working on, and where the studio is headed next.
The short version is: I have been doing cool stuff.
The longer version is: several projects are moving forward at once, each in a different stage of development, testing, or release planning. Some are nearly ready to see the light of day. Some are still being shaped at the workbench. All of them are part of the same goal: making strange, fun, heartfelt games with a lot of character.
“Dr.” Rob’s is for sale and looking for its next step
“Dr.” Rob’s is officially available, currently priced as a boutique card game. It is a weird, funny, mean little game about questionable medicine, shady science, and trying to survive the table.
Because of the nature of print-on-demand production, it is not a cheap impulse-buy game right now. That puts it in a strange position. I’m proud of the game, I believe in it, and I think it has a real audience, but the current version is more of a boutique product than a mass-market one.
So one of my big goals is to find the right publishing partner for “Dr.” Rob’s. I’d love to see it get a wider release, better production pricing, and a bigger shot at finding the players who would really enjoy it.
“Dr.” Rob’s: The Video Game is in testing
The video game version of “Dr.” Rob’s is also moving along. It is currently in in-house testing, which means I’m spending a lot of time playing it, breaking it, fixing it, and figuring out what it still needs before a proper Steam launch.
The core game is there, but now we’re getting into the things that make it feel alive.
Want sound effects?
Want animations?
Want Steam achievements for doing deeply irresponsible fake medical nonsense?
Good. Me too.
That is the kind of polish I’m working toward now. The goal is to make sure the Steam version feels like more than just a digital translation of the card game. It needs to have its own personality, its own rhythm, and its own reasons to keep coming back.
Fist Fight is almost done
Fist Fight is getting very close.
The game itself is nearly finished, and I am currently drawing the final art. This is the stage where everything starts to feel real in a very different way. Mechanics and layouts are one thing, but final art gives a game its identity. It tells people what kind of world they’re stepping into before they ever read a rule.
Fist Fight has been a fun one to develop because it is direct, punchy, and easy to understand. It is about getting into the fight quickly and making every card feel like it matters.
The current plan is to launch Fist Fight through The Game Crafter once the last pieces are ready.
Red Leather, Yellow Leather is almost ready to demo
Red Leather, Yellow Leather is also moving toward a playable demo.
This one is strange, tense, and a little unsettling in the best way. It has a very different energy from something like Fist Fight or “Dr.” Rob’s, and I’m excited to get it in front of people.
Right now, the goal is not a full release. The goal is to get a strong demo into people’s hands, learn from that experience, and see how it lands.
Some games tell you what they are right away. Others need to be tested in the dark a little bit.
This is one of those.
Wardens is entering prototype territory
Wardens is being prototyped now, with testing planned to begin this summer.
This is the biggest, strangest, and most ambitious thing currently on the Arcadian Alchemy workbench. It is part tabletop roleplaying game, part heroic myth, part sacred sci-fantasy, and part “what if Power Rangers, old legends, spiritual authority, and dangerous wilderness all got thrown into the same forge?”
Right now, the focus is on viability.
Does the core system work?
Do the Warden powers feel good at the table?
Does the setting create the kind of stories it is supposed to create?
Can the rules support both investigation and big dramatic battles?
That is what testing will help determine.
I am excited about Wardens, but I also want to be wise with it. Big ideas need testing, pressure, patience, and honest feedback.
Goals for the year
Here is what I am aiming for before the end of the year:
- Get “Dr.” Rob’s card game published
- Launch “Dr.” Rob’s: The Video Game on Steam
- Launch Fist Fight on The Game Crafter
- Release a demo of Red Leather, Yellow Leather
- Assess the long-term viability of Wardens
That is a lot. Maybe too much.
But this whole studio has been built one step at a time, usually with more stubbornness than resources. The work is moving forward, and I’m grateful for that.
How to get involved
If you like what you’re seeing and want to help Arcadian Alchemy grow, there are a few ways to get involved.
You can apply to be a tester. Feedback is one of the most useful things you can give right now, especially as more projects move into playable form.
You can join the Discord and be part of the community as these games develop.
You can share social posts. That might seem small, but it genuinely helps. Every share gives these projects a better chance of finding the right people.
You can also support the studio on Ko-fi. That support helps with development costs, art, printing, software, testing materials, and all the little things that go into keeping this endeavor moving.
If you are one of the lucky to already own a copy of “Dr.” Rob Grave’s, you can leave a review on TheGameCrafter. It doesn’t just help me; it helps other gamers as well. A good review can help another person decide if a game is for them or not. So, if not for me, for your brother in arms.
I’ll also be bringing Arcadian Alchemy Entertainment out into the real world this fall. On Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., I’ll be at the Great Day Market Game Expo in Baraboo, Wisconsin showing off a few of the games currently on the workbench.
I’ll have “Dr.” Rob’s there in card game form, ready to inflict questionable medical decisions on anyone brave enough to sit at the table. I’ll also be showing Fist Fight, which is getting very close to the finish line, and I’ll be doing some early testing for Wardens as it moves into prototype territory. I’ll be announcing sign-ups for that soon, so if you want to throw hands, commit malpractice, or help test a strange heroic myth-in-the-making, keep an eye out.
Thank you
To everyone who is currently supporting Arcadian Alchemy Entertainment, and to everyone who has supported it in the past: thank you.
Whether you bought a game, tested a prototype, shared a post, gave feedback, prayed for me, encouraged me, or simply stuck around to see what weird thing I made next — I appreciate it more than I can properly say.
This is still a small studio. It is still growing. It is still finding its footing.
But good things are happening.
God bless,
J
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