Out of Orbit

Project Updates & Collaboration
5 months ago – Sun, Nov 30, 2025 at 01:32:51 PM

Hey all! This update has been a long time coming - I’ve got a lot to share!

First, I wanna say thank you so much for your patience. Fulfilling this Kickstarter has taken longer than I expected, for a bunch of reasons (more on that to come). You’ve stuck with me, and I really appreciate your support. Now for the update!

Out of Orbit [status]

The game has been written for a while, and I've been playtesting out a few remaining mechanics that are super important, as well as dialing in the ways that I'll be able to demo it and bring it to the table at conventions.

Running the game for designers, new players, and people who have never played anything like it has been a really cool experience where I'm getting diverse feedback and a really clear understanding of how I need to bring this game into layout and print.

A lot of the game will be advice on how you CAN run story games like OoO. It becomes so much more about asking questions and allowing your table to worldbuild more than it is about guiding players through a curated experience.

I'm really dying to run a longer campaign and show off how things work... maybe an AP eventually. (Please hit me up if you're connected to an AP network and you wanna chat)

New friends!

I’m excited to share that I’ve joined Infinite Citadel, an indie TTRPG worker co-op! 
This is a company that is all about making incredible games together. Matt and Conlin had been working together for a few months and then we actually connected over our actual play of Out of Orbit when things really clicked into place. After working with them a little on that adventure, I knew I had found people I wanted to work with for a long time.

As part of that partnership, IC is going to become the fulfillment partner for Out of Orbit. That means: I'll have support with putting out more consistent updates, customer support, and eventually getting books in hands so I'm not stuck doing it myself.

I’ve also been working with the team on Mörk Sol - we decided to go for a big launch on that project, and it’s taken up a bit more of my time than I expected, but I’m so excited to be working on that project. The setting is very similar to Out of Orbit, and the art style we’ve developed is really awesome. Now that the Kickstarter for Mörk Sol is launched (and ending soon!), I’m focusing in on Out of Orbit and will be getting it to fulfillment as soon as I'm able but the core focus is diving into layout early this next year and finishing everything up to be released and in your hands ideally around the end of February.

With Infinite Citadel taking on Out of Orbit, we’re excited to be able to support the game, potentially adding future books/zines and integrating it more broadly with our other games. It also means that the game will eventually be available on the Infinite Citadel web store and the conventions where IC has stock!

All these little snapshots hopefully show y'all I'm serious about making this game the best it can be. Though I've grown my body of work into other collaborations, this remains my favorite game to play and work on.

I can't wait to show you everything that's been cooking.

In the meantime, I'd ask if you're still itching to jump into Frontier Space, enjoy the sessions I ran with the crew at Tales of Initiative, and consider backing Mörk Sol. It's in its last few hours of Kickstarting. (However! late pledges will still be open for a bit)

Thank you all for taking this journey with me.

I'll see you amongst the stars.

-A

Overdue Updates and Project Status
6 months ago – Sun, Oct 05, 2025 at 11:25:28 AM

Hey everyone!

This summer has been wild... I've been working on a lot of new things now that I'm full-time in game design and taking on client work, and this has likely left a lot of you wondering about the status and... the ever-nearing delivery date of Out of Orbit. So, let's talk.

I want to recognize that my new ventures and work have pulled some attention away from OoO, but I want to assure you all that I've kept all the plates spinning, and things are right on track for getting Out of Orbit into a PDF, playable form for you very soon, with printed copies coming right after. Unfortunately, I'm still not comfortable giving out a final in-hand date until I have the layout finished.

As a result of some big changes to my daily schedule, transitioning from a full-time stay-at-home homeschool dad of two, to a full-time maker with kiddos in school a lot is shifting, and I'm still working out how to juggle all of these projects, both personal, Infinite Citadel, and freelance/collaborations. 

Project Status

We're in the final stretch for Out of Orbit.

The game is written, the cover is finished, and the brand and visual direction are decided. I just need some things off my plate so I can lock in and focus on the actual layout of the book. With Before the Bog God finished and going out the door, and a few other freelance projects finished, as well as the school year kicking off, I'm getting a lot of my time back from the summer schedule, and you'll begin seeing bi-weekly updates from me starting today.

This project is my greatest passion. All the other projects I've taken on have been to fuel this project. Every side-project, to sharpen my skills to bring back to my work, like Out of Orbit.

So what's the plan? I'm going to hunker down for the rest of the year, focus on my projects and get this game laid out and ready for print. You'll begin getting updates more regularly from me with visuals and updates showing off the book as it develops. I can't wait to show you what's in store.

GameHole Con is coming!

If you're headed to Madison WI on October 16th - 19th, I'll be there vending at Booth #21 with Goosepoop Games. I'll have copies of some of my games as well as helping my friend Jordan sell a whole host of incredible indie games from other creators in the space. If you're in the area, you should definitely make the time to visit the con for the day!

New Cover Art - Mörk Sol - Gen Con
9 months ago – Tue, Jul 22, 2025 at 05:56:14 PM

New Cover Art!

Making games for me is like jazz.
I might come into a jam session with a riff in mind—a few touchstones, strong influences, even a clear sense of what I want to make—but at the end of the day, I let the music guide me.

That’s exactly what happened with the cover art for Out of Orbit.

When I first put together the cover, it was born out of necessity. I had absolutely no idea what this game’s visual identity would become. Would it be pixel art and black-and-white like Battle School? I didn’t want to repeat myself. So I threw together a cover that checked off the big sci-fi boxes: some high-level vibes, a few character illustrations I’d been working on for the interior, and called it a day. I honestly didn’t think too hard about it.

Months later, as the game grew, I discovered its true feel: how important ecology, discovery, wonder, beauty, and horror all are to its tone. And when I looked back at that first cover... it just didn’t communicate any of that. Sure, it said sci-fi troupe game, but nothing more. That’s where my limits as an illustrator started to show. I’m still sharpening my axe, and the cover I was imagining was simply beyond what I could pull off alone.

So I called in the big guns.

I reached out to one of my favorite artists—someone whose work you might know from Magic: The Gathering, Square Enix’s NieR Replicant, and countless other incredible projects. Gax immediately got what I was going for and brought it to life beautifully.

And now, I’m thrilled to share it with you.

Meet the new cover of Out of Orbit.

See me at Gencon 2025!

I'll be working the IGDN booth at Gen Con in Indianapolis this year, so if you're attending the con, please come say, "hi!" I'll be at Booth 132 selling games and meeting folks. If you want to chat, pick up a physical copy of Gentlemages, or check out the other amazing games from the other members of IGDN come swing by.

Mörk Sol Pre-Launch

I'm stoked to be sharing more about my new partnership with the team at Infinite Citadel. We've announced our first Kickstarter, Mörk Sol, a faster-than-light Mörk Borg-inspired RPG set in a horrific galaxy consumed by entropic decay. It's rules-lite and vibe-heavy. A self-contained sci-fi horror game compatible with Mörk Borg and inspired by media like The Expanse, Alien, The Thing, and Dead Space.

The game focuses on space-faring & ship-to-ship combat. Aboard your Skip, you and your crew explore the Span, completing jobs & scavenging parts. Every windfall is a chance to upgrade your kit and trade for better Skip parts. And a better Skip means bigger jobs.

This is a project that was started by Conlin Durbin was later joined by Matt Best and has been in playtesting and development for the better part of two years. This thing is an incredible game and checks all of my boxes for a creative endeavor. When we started talking about collaboration, jumping in and helping out with art and creative direction was a natural fit for me once I joined the team. So here we are. I've been knee deep in this world, making art and building out the visual language for what is going to be a truly incredible book. Please go check out the Kickstarter pre-launch page and follow to get notified when it launches. 

Can't wait to share more after Gen Con. Stay tuned.

-Andrew

Updates + New Game Release!?!
10 months ago – Sat, Jun 14, 2025 at 01:19:03 PM

Updates!

Out of Orbit is moving forward full steam. The manuscript is locked. The 'game' is done. Now I just have to make it look good, read well, and get it printed. 

The biggest delay lately has been the state of the world and the questions of what is happening with tariffs, printing, and everything involved. That said, as it stands, we're still on schedule for getting the game complete and printed soon here. I'm currently preparing to attend Gen Con 2025, where I'll be selling copies of Battle School, two new smaller games (one that just launched, detailed below), and a new pamphlet adventure for Battle School by DNGN CLUB with art and layout by yours truly.

Gen Con

Yes, I'll be at Gen Con! And I would genuinely LOVE to meet you. I'll be working at the Indie Games Developer Network (IGDN) at Booth 132 if you wanna swing by and pick up any copies of my games, get a book signed, or just say, "hi!"

I've launched a new game!

Now, before y'all get out the pitchforks for launching a new game before delivering one I've crowdfunded... this is not even remotely on the scale of Out of Orbit, or even Battle School. This game and the other games I've been working on are a part of an effort to make smaller projects more regularly and to work on growing as a game designer outside of just TTRPGs. I'm incredibly proud of this game and would be honored for you to check it out.

Now, a little bit about this game...

Gentlemages of the Infinite Citadel is a d6 puzzle duel game where you face off against other mages, twisting your magics, warping your opponents' wards, all while rolling dice and hoping luck is on your side. If you're interested in checking it out, it's available for $5 to help support a growing game designer.

Additionally, I've joined forces with the incredible crew at Infinite Citadel, a new publishing co-op where we work on, create, and publish games together. Alongside Matt Best (Temperamental Upgrades, The Beckoning Dream) and Conlin Durbin (Temperamental Upgrades, MÖRK SOL) and a little bit of inspiration, this game came together in a few short weeks while I was hard at work on other projects. I hope you love it. There's a lot in store for it in the future.

So much progress!
12 months ago – Mon, Apr 21, 2025 at 09:47:11 AM

I've been behind on updates but not for a bad reason. I've been busy getting the game finished. About a month ago I sent off a completed manuscript for the full game to Will Jobst for editing. I've been so excited to work with Will on this and they're handing it back to me... TODAY!

Next step is for me to dive into the edits and make updates. Once that's done we've got our finished manuscript and I begin layout!

Here's our process thus far and what is still to-be-done.

Out of Orbit Production

DONE

• ~~Concept~~
• ~~Create the visual style for the game~~
• ~~Kickstarter~~
• ~~Update Entwine mechanics from Battle School for a more exploration-focused game that was less about combat~~
• ~~Create the camp mechanics and game loop between missions and camp~~
• ~~Lots of layout mockups and artwork made~~
• ~~finish rough draft and get developmental feedback~~
• ~~Finalize the manuscript and submit to editing~~

TO-DO

• Receive Manuscript from editor, Will Jobst, and apply edits finalizing the manuscript
• Begin layout and asses remaining art needs
• Create any digital assets for online play or print-and-play
• Send out early PDFs to backers for feedback
• Send the book to get a print proof to asses quality
• Apply feedback edits
• Send the final order of books for Kickstarter fulfillment

There's a TON more that will begin once the game is finished and sent to you on the business side for me, but hopefully that helps those of you curious about where the project is at. I cannot wait to get this game in your hands and I am incredibly proud of what this game is and how fun it is to play.

I'm going to be sending more regular updates now that the ball is back in my court and it is pretty much just up to me to get it done at this point. The only thing slowing me down is the freelance projects that I am doing to put food on the table.

Here's a more ambitious piece of art that I'm currently about 70% done with. I've found myself improving a lot and cant wait to show off all the artwork going in this book.

If you're interested in collaborating on a project or hiring me for a logo, illustration, TTRPG layout or writing, I'd love to chat and see if we can make something work. Please reach out at [email protected]

Stay tuned and please be patient. I'm way ahead of schedule and I'm doing everything I can to get the best product out as fast as I can for you all.

Reminder: Pre-Order Store is Live!

If you or a friend missed the Kickstarter, fret not, this book is happening and I'm excited to start taking pre-orders.

The price is a little bit higher for those of you coming in late, but hopefully not prohibitively so. There's a lot of costs that go into making this game and that only continues to grow.

Please consider sharing or Pre-Ordering Out of Orbit. It's set to come in Fall 2025 or sooner.

-Andrew Beauman