October'26 Recap: Loyalty Rewards, Graveyard Cathedral & What's Next (Patreon)

Hi everyone!

Well, another month has passed. And another pretty intense one!

As you probably know, quite a lot has been happening lately. Not only on my website, where I've been introducing new features and improvements, but also with the maps themselves.

October brought us two major releases, and both were pretty special to me, although for completely different reasons.

The Enduring Circle - A Thank You for Staying

First, we finally have our 1-Year Loyalty Reward!

This one is for those of you who have been supporting me continuously for an entire year. And it's another big step in developing The Enduring Circle, which is my way of saying thank you to the people who have decided to stay with me on this rather crazy adventure called Patreon.

You can check your current loyalty status, see which rewards you've already unlocked, and claim them directly on my website:

Loyalty Rewards - Check Your Status & Claim Your Rewards

And if you're wondering how to become a member of The Enduring Circle, well, I have some good news for you. It's actually very simple.

Just stay. Just be here.

That's it.

As long as you continue supporting my work, you'll gradually unlock special rewards for reaching 3 months, 6 months, and a full year of membership.

All three rewards are already available, with Ruined Farmstead being our newest addition for the one-year milestone.

And of course, I'm not stopping there. Rewards for two and three years of support are already on my to-do list, and I'll be working on them as the project moves forward.

I really wanted this to be something more than just a list of names on a website. Something tangible. Something you can actually use in your games.

After all, some of you have been here for years. And I think that deserves something special.

Graveyard Cathedral - A Little Something for Spooky Season

The second major release came just in time for Halloween. And, well, calling it a battlemap might be a bit of an understatement.

Graveyard Cathedral is actually an entire location built around an old, abandoned cemetery, with a ruined cathedral standing in its center, surrounded by ancient statues, forgotten graves, and the remains of a place that has clearly seen better days.

During the day, you get this beautiful golden autumn, yellow leaves slowly falling from the trees, and a quiet, almost melancholic atmosphere. It's the kind of place where you might simply stop for a moment and think about those who are no longer here.

But at night?

Well, things get a little more interesting.

Strange magical flames appear inside the cathedral. Dark mist begins creeping through the graveyard, and suddenly that peaceful, forgotten place doesn't feel quite so peaceful anymore.

Of course, I released it for spooky season, but I think it can work in so many different campaigns.

Maybe it's an abandoned cemetery somewhere on the outskirts of a city, where your party has been sent to deal with an undead infestation.

Or perhaps it's all that remains of a civilization that disappeared centuries ago, with a lonely graveyard still standing somewhere deep in the wilderness.

Maybe there's a necromancer performing some terrible ritual beneath the cathedral. Perhaps he's even trying to become a lich.

Or maybe this whole place is actually a hideout for a group of vampires?

There are plenty of possibilities here.

But hey, you're the Game Masters. I'm sure you'll come up with something much more interesting than I could ever suggest!

A Few More Improvements to the Website

Apart from the two major releases, I've also made a few smaller changes to the website.

One of them is a new section on the battlemap detail pages called "Best Used For."

Every map now includes a few suggestions on how you might use it in your campaign.

Obviously, I know you don't need me to tell you what to do with your maps. You have your own stories, your own players, and probably a hundred different ideas already waiting to be used.

But sometimes a little inspiration helps.

Maybe you'll discover an encounter idea you hadn't considered before, or realize that a map you've been scrolling past for months could actually work perfectly for your next session.

That's pretty much the idea behind this feature.

So, What's Coming in November?

Well, November is already looking pretty busy too.

One thing I can tell you for sure is that we're going back to The Shattered Obelisk. I have more maps from that campaign that I want to work on, and I'd really like to keep moving forward with it.

As for everything else? I have a few ideas floating around in my head, but nothing I'm ready to promise just yet.

You probably know by now that I don't really follow a strict release schedule when it comes to choosing what to build next. Most of the time, I simply follow my intuition.

Sometimes I have a very specific location in mind. Sometimes I see something that inspires me. And sometimes I just open Unreal Engine and start building whatever I feel like building that day. That's usually how my favorite maps come to life anyway.

So we'll see where November takes us!

And Finally – Thank You!

As always, I want to finish this monthly recap by thanking you.

All of you.

My wonderful Patrons, who keep supporting this project month after month, allowing me to spend more time building these locations, experimenting with new ideas, and making this whole thing grow.

I really appreciate it. More than you probably realize.

And of course, a very special shoutout to my Champions! You'll find our October Champions listed on the thank-you card at the top of this post. Your generosity and continued support mean a lot to me, and I genuinely appreciate having you here.

But whether you've been supporting me for three years or you've just joined this month, thank you for being part of this adventure.

And that's pretty much it for October!

Thanks again, everyone. See you in November!

Cheers!
~dransky

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