#Liverpool is horrible right now. But anyone who tells me this is pain wasn't around during a certain Roy Hodgson's tenure. That was true agony.

The big difference between making games and making films for me is that when I see film, I see the narrative mechanism first, then the flavour. It's abhorrent and I hate myself for it. With games, though, it's flavour all the way because my brain isn't somehow broken there which makes it easier.

I feel like price sensitive buyers hate themselves far more than most.

Pay heed to the voice inside your head. It guides you through hunches, feelings and gentle nudges. However, the Chaos Vortex also plays on your mind, casting doubt. Through focus and intention, though, you can learn the difference.

Hopefully it isn't too late.

#IntoTheVortex #indiegame #boardgame

A green backdrop with Gather Ingredients written at the top. A box of Into The Vortex sits in the middle with four ingredient cards.

The magical world is divided into 4 fields of study: Botany, Alchemy, Astronomy and Incantations. Each Alhami is a master of 1 but familiar with all.

What's your mastery?

#indiegames #IntoTheVortex #boardgames

People in India, buy Into The Vortex. I'll give you a deal if you're nice to me.

the politics of politeness.

needlessly

Thunder & Lightning Studios An independent studio building hyperromantic worlds through games, books and films.

Hi! Buy my co-operative card game where you play as spellcasting witches fighting against a chaos vortex!

Much love.

thunderandlightning.xyz/into-the-vor...

let the past die. kill it if you have to.

A photograph of 6 Into the Vortex boxes

A photograph of 5 Into the Vortex boxes in shipping boxes with packing material

Been packing a fair few orders of Into The Vortex these past weeks. Feels good.

#IndieGame

A photograph of a side table with a yellow wide-base candle in the background, a large vase with yellow flowers on a white doilie, an orange card titled 'Liquid Luck' rests against it as the focal point of the image. An ornamental duck sits off to the edge of the frame.

"I've never known of a single alchemist to leave home without it." - Crisolie, an Alhami, on the subject of Liquid Luck.

An image of a person wearing a black billowing cloak against a fiery backdrop on a rocky landscape that is breaking apart revealing hot lava underneath.

Alhamis are members of the Ordin-e-Alhami, an order of spellcasting witches. They were formed by Zohara, Coven Mother of Veridia, after the War of the Plains almost 20 years ago.

Alhamis are the only witches allowed to wear Claraztone. This makes them the subject of great reverence as well as ire.

Into The Vortex has a teaser, too, if you'd like.

The world of Zinan is plagued by Chaos Vortexes and it's pretty bad tbh. You must work together to gather key ingredients and cast spells to fight back!

#gamedev #indiegame #teaser #spells #magic #indiedev #cardgame

A picture of a box of a game called Into The Vortex with the name written on the cover as well as a picture of a person wearing a black, billowing cloak set on a wooden table with books strewn in the back against the backdrop of a window looking out at an orange sunset sky.

In summary, if you like to work together with your friends, taking on seemingly insurmountable challenges all while immersed in beautiful card art and expansive lore, then Into The Vortex is the game for you!

Learn more: thunderandlightning.xyz/into-the-vor...
How To Play: youtu.be/4dXjgkfLMzY?...

A card from Into The Vortex titled "The Blood Moon Rises". The text reads "If 3 Bloom Moons are active then you are too late. The Vortex has consumed all." The right of the card reads "art.THF" and 'copyright Thunder & Lightning'

A Hex card from Into The Vortex titled "Toothache". The text reads "Throbbing and unbearable pain disrupts your focus and concentration." The cards healing cost is Incantation-9. The right of the card reads "art.THF" and 'copyright Thunder & Lightning'

A card from Into The Vortex titled "Vortex Lightning Strikes!" The text reads "Send any 2 of your ingredients to the Lost Pile. Discard this card." The right of the card reads "art.THF" and 'copyright Thunder & Lightning'

3. It's Exceptionally Challenging

Ask anyone who's played and they'll tell you, the struggle to not draw that third Blood Moon is pure anxiety-fuel. In ITV you play against the game itself and that makes for some incredibly challenging spells of play! Watch out for that Vortex Lightning!

An Alchemy-4 card from Into The Vortex titled "Marcania (HS)". The lore reads "Hel Sae graded sticks can be infused with great emotion. They are often given to people who have lost hope." The bottom of the card reads "art.THF" and copyright Thunder & Lightning.

An Astronomy-1 card from Into The Vortex titled "New Moon". The lore reads "On this night we plant the seeds of tomorrow. Beware the shadows. - Mysteries of the Sky Coven" The bottom of the card reads "art.THF" and 'copyright Thunder & Lightning'

An Botany-7 card from Into The Vortex titled "Lavender Stalk". The lore reads "Lavender whispers, soft and bright, chase away the shadows, hold you tight. - Coven Mother lullaby" The bottom of the card reads "art.THF" and 'copyright Thunder & Lightning'

An Incantation-5 card from Into The Vortex titled "Shakk Ardente". The lore reads "The Shadow Weavers were not immune to Whispers in the dark, often falling to paranoia or distrust within their ranks." The bottom of the card reads "art.THF" and 'copyright Thunder & Lightning'

2. Beautiful Card Are & Expansive Lore

This one's a bit self-explanatory, and dependent on taste, so here are some cards!
There are also stories coming out very soon that explore the world of Zinan and lends some context to the lives of Alhamis and the origin of the Chaos Vortex to look forward to.

A picture of seven cards from Into The Vortex floating magically in the air.

1. Co-Operation is a Core Mechanic

Games where you're excepted to scheme & deceive your friends are a tab bit sociopathic. ITV is the antithesis of all that. Here, your friends aren't opponents, they are the magic. The game incentivizes working together, selflessly. Win or lose, you do it together.

A photo of a box of the game Into The Vortex with the name of the game written on the cover and a person wearing a black billowing cloak. There's a massive lightning strike in the background that makes the whole thing look quite cool.

3 Reason Why You Should Play Into The Vortex,

a co-operative card game where you play witches called Alhamis who must cast spells to save the world from a Chaos Vortex:

#gamedev #indiegame #cardgame #indiedev #magic #spells

Into The Vortex | Official Teaser YouTube video by Thunder And Lightning

Just remembered your early kindness and thought I'd drop the trailer here just in case:

You can learn more at thunderandlightning.xyz !

youtu.be/Cp6TNxuMkto?...

True true. I'm quite invested in just how they crack private accounts while maintaining the integrity of the AtProtocol.

Now I am become Comparison, the thief of joy.

Every day I think of creating a small web app just for me to post to bluesky that will have a drafts folder. And also the thing where you can type emojis by typing ':' and then the emoji name. Sigh.

Nostalgic for the Fourth Estate. We have too few estates now.

It's absolutely brilliant. Truly a must watch.

A cropped screenshot showing an email with the subject: You made a sale!

After the intense struggle of getting this game off the ground this past year, we've just sold the first deck of Into The Vortex through the new website!

Lord, it feels like a weight off the shoulders. So grateful for the slow but definite progress!

#gamedev #indiedev #cardgame #intothevortex

What does this even mean?

Going to make a religion where standing completely still while a dog jumps up on you, tail wagging, waiting for you to pet it but you can't until it stops, confused, and eventually walks away, sad, absolves you of sin.

I can almost smell the crisp, slightly damp air. Great picture.