Shattered Bounds – Battlegrounds & more

Tag: Shattered Bounds

  • Dev Blog 6 –A Short-Term Pivot Into the Shattered Bounds Ecosystem

    Date: March 30, 2026
    Series: Dev Blog (Dev-06)

    TLDR

    • I’ve taken a short-term pivot away from direct game development, but the work is still focused on building the Shattered Bounds universe.
    • Right now I’m developing two connected side projects: the Shattered Bounds CCG and the LivingNPC-Engine.
    • The Shattered Bounds CCG helps visualize the world and gives players a physical piece of Shattered Bounds they can take anywhere.
    • The LivingNPC-Engine is moving toward beta and is being built to power meaningful, evolving NPC interactions over time.
    • Both projects are designed to support the long-term future of Shattered Bounds.

    Short-Term Pivot

    My ADHD has pulled me into a short-term pivot away from direct game development for a little while. Even so, the work I’m doing is still closely tied to the larger Shattered Bounds vision.

    The two projects I’ve been focused on are the Shattered Bounds CCG and the LivingNPC-Engine. Both play an important role in the future of the Shattered Bounds universe.

    Shattered Bounds CCG

    This card game serves two main purposes.

    First, it helps visualize the world of Shattered Bounds. It gives me a way to bring characters, factions, creatures, and ideas into a format people can see, hold, and understand more easily.

    Second, it provides a piece of Shattered Bounds that players can take with them anywhere. Long before the full experience exists at scale, this gives players something physical and personal that connects them to the world.

    At this early stage, I have several decks planned. Right now, the only completed deck is the Free Learning Deck, which focuses on the Guild.

    Once I finish a proper rules page, the print-and-play version will be available to download alongside the next worldbuilding article.

    Future decks will eventually be made available through an online store, with links to come later.

    Long term, I see one of two possible directions for the card system:

    A set of NFC-enabled physical cards used on a smart board

    A smart board system that integrates with a personal Adventurer Card containing all purchased decks

    At the moment, I’m leaning toward the second option. It would let players access their decks without needing to buy the same content twice. That said, I also know some people will still want physical cards, so that remains part of the broader vision.

    LivingNPC-Engine

    Progress on the LivingNPC-Engine has been exciting. At this point, I’m roughly a month away from beta testing.

    The LivingNPC-Engine is a custom-built middle layer between a database and an LLM, designed to shape and maintain a character’s personality over time.

    The first public phase will allow users to create characters and place them into custom situations where they can interact with one another. The exciting part is that these characters will be able to remember, learn, and grow over time, making each interaction more meaningful than a one-off conversation.

    The second phase will turn the system into an API that users can integrate into their own projects, including games and other interactive experiences. That opens the door for the LivingNPC-Engine to grow far beyond a single demo or tool.

    The long-term goal is to build this engine into the foundation for Shattered Bounds itself, eventually powering the NPCs that inhabit the world.

    Why This Still Matters for Shattered Bounds

    Even though this is a pivot away from direct game development in the short term, it is not a step away from Shattered Bounds.

    The CCG helps define and communicate the world.

    The LivingNPC-Engine helps build the kinds of characters and systems that can make the world feel alive.

    Both projects move the larger vision forward, even if they do it from a different angle than the core game build.

    If progress on the main game slows for a little while, I want to be clear that the world is still being built.

  • A Tale of Two Kings

    Date: March 16, 2026

    Article: S03

    A tale told in every tavern of the old world 

    Long before the guilds kept records and long before the first towers were raised in stone, the people of the world believed that the turning of the seasons was not an accident of nature. 

    They believed it was a war. 

    Not a war of armies or steel, but a struggle between two ancient rulers whose battle shaped the rhythm of the world itself. 

    The Holly King and the Oak King. 

    The Oak King – Lord of the Summer Lands 

    The youthful Oak King is the ruler of growth, warmth, and long days. 

    His crown is woven from young branches and leaves, and wherever his power reaches the land awakens. Seeds break open beneath the soil, rivers run bright and fast, and animals roam the forests in abundance. 

    When the Oak King holds dominion, the world becomes alive with movement. Farmers plant their crops. Adventurers travel the roads. Cities fill with noise, markets, and celebration. 

    It is said the Oak King carries a staff carved from the first tree that ever grew in the world. With it he commands the rising sun and the long days of summer. 

    But his reign is never permanent. 

    For somewhere far to the north in the frozen tundra waits his rival. 

    The Holly King – Lord of the Winter Lands 

    Where the Oak King brings warmth, the Holly King brings silence. 

    He wears a crown of dark green holly leaves edged with frost, and his cloak trails winter wherever he walks. The ground grows hard beneath his steps, rivers slow under ice, and the nights stretch long across the land. 

    Yet the Holly King is not a villain in the old stories. Winter is not destruction. Winter is rest. 

    The Holly King protects the sleeping world. Under his rule the forests grow quiet, the animals hide in shelter, and the earth gathers strength for the coming year. 

    It is said the Holly King carries a blade of pale crystal ice, forged from the first winter storm. With it he calls the cold winds that sweep across the land. 

    But like his rival, his rule cannot last forever. 

    Because the Oak King always returns. 

    The Perpetual Struggle 

    Twice each year the two kings meet. 

    The old tales say they meet at the edge of the world where the seasons change — at the place where frost first touches the leaves or where the first warmth returns to the air. 

    There they fight. 

    Not a battle meant to destroy the other, but one meant to decide who will rule the land. 

    When the Oak King wins, the days grow longer and the warmth spreads across the world. 

    When the Holly King wins, the nights lengthen and winter slowly claims the land. 

    Neither king can defeat the other forever, their struggle is eternal and their victories temporary. 

    Because of this endless contest, the world continues to turn. 

    Why the Old Stories Matter 

    Every culture in the world tells the story slightly differently. 

    Some say the kings are brothers. Some say they are two halves of the same spirit. Others believe they are ancient guardians who agreed long ago to divide the year between them. 

    But in every telling, one truth remains the same: 

    The seasons are not random. 

    They are the result of a balance. 

    A balance maintained by two ancient rulers whose struggle ensures the world never falls into endless summer or endless winter. 

    A Story Still Told 

    Even now, in quiet guild halls and crowded taverns, storytellers repeat the ancient tale. 

    Children hear of the Oak King when the first flowers appear. 

    They hear of the Holly King when the first snow begins to fall. 

    And though the world has changed and many people now believe the seasons follow natural laws, some adventurers still whisper that the two kings are real. 

    That somewhere beyond the known lands, in forests older than history, the Oak King and the Holly King still meet twice each year. 

    And the outcome of their duel decides the fate of the coming season.