Critical Quest Coming Soon

DUNGEONS! DRAGONS! CIPHERS! WIZARDS! PUZZLES!

This has been a hard secret to keep while we figured out if we could pull it off, but we’ve got our feet under us and are running towards the finish line to bring you some solid DnD-inspired fantasy adventure!

Some of you may remember the Critical Quest event scheduled for April 19— a public gathering that was not to be. — but we have been scheming to bring a manifestation of it to you anyway. The Critical Quest Chest will combine elements of DnD with good old-fashioned Ravenchase-style storytelling and puzzles.

And while this will be a love letter to tabletop games, we don’t want to bog down players with math and rules. Plus, even folks who have never held a d20 deserve to enjoy some nerdy adventure. But as your to-be Dungeon Masters, we’re going to do our best to tell a story through found relics, locked boxes, artifacts, unexpected tricks, and a lot of Ravenchase-brand magic.

Here’s what we’ve cooked up so far:

• The box will come in multiple installments, beginning with a letter that allows you to personalize your box with decisions in the same spirit of filling out a character sheet (without all the work)

• Certain parts of the box will be inaccessible until you’ve pieced together some of the mystery.

• A choose-your-own-adventure styled narrative, where you do so much more than simply uncover a story.

• Keep your supplies! Everything you receive is yours to keep. That means our antique-styled locks, small chests, gadgets, baubles, and— hopefully— a custom Ravenchase d20

There’s so much more to come, but we wanted to give you a taste of what we’ve been working on since publishing our RVA Art Quest and boxing up our first Quest Box .

Many of you have already put in your name to receive updates on upcoming boxes, but if you haven’t yet and want to see how the Critical Quest Chest turns out, leave your info here and we will keep you in the loop!

Quest Box and Quest chest

From a time-travel Poe dream box with a custom-made trick chest, to a low-cost SOL-prep puzzle game for teachers, we’ve been kicking around ideas for a game-in-a-box for a long time. And now— confined to a house with a Ravenchase office, accompanied by my co-designer/husband— a passion project is sorely needed to keep spirits up.

We released a (now sold out) limited edition Quest Box and were inspired by the warm response— so we’re going ahead and taking the risk with this next box to bring you a grand adventure. The 2.0 of the original Quest Box, named because it is fun to say aloud:

Quest Chest.

The Quest Chest still comes in a box, but the contents will be the sort of materials and tactile puzzles you would expect from one of our hosted Gold Game events. Each box will contain substantial props and secrets, with multiple layers and a narrative you can follow as you unravel the mystery. From what we’ve planned and ordered so far, you can expect:

• Compass and case

• Vintage journal filled with clues

• Antique locks

• A Ravenchase cipher coin

• Hand-drawn and individually-aged stationary

Here’s the tricky thing: The stores we typically visit have closed their doors, and Amazon is prioritizing essential products (food, cleaners, pet supplies) to help people stay inside. That means that the less-essential items (vintage stamps, quill pens, small chests) will take a little longer to get here.

Because of the delay for materials, our current estimate is April 29 for completion and local delivery of these. But in this Michael Crichton hellscape we have found ourselves in, things change fast and we have to adapt. We will continue to post as we develop details and source new and exciting materials to include.

Pre-orders will be available as soon as we secure the supplies and can calculate the design cost of each box. If you’re interested in this new project, have ideas you’d love to see manifest, or just like plugging your email address into boxes, you can leave your info below and we will update you with our progress and send you an email when pre-orders are live.

Hankering for adventure now? Check out our digital download art adventure Here.

Boxed Adventures

As two asthmatics, Alex and I have pretty thoroughly turned the Drake household and Ravenchase office into a fortress of solitude while we wait for the viral storm to hit Richmond. This leaves quite a lot of time for brainstorming new and puzzling schemes. And today, our Ravenchase boxes arrived! We are currently plotting a game-in-a-box we can drop off on the front porch of interested RVA players.

The box would come packed with supplies and instructions, and will tie in bits of technology. We’re even working with an augmented reality app to design some clues! It can be played solo or by up to 6 people, so it will work with however many co-habitants are isolated alongside you.

We’re starting with a game at adult difficulty, but if people are interested we also have begun sketching out some drafts for kids and education. Supplies for the game are streaming in at a slower pace than usual, but once we are sure we will be able to secure all the game pieces, we will make the box available for pre-order.

There is a rough road ahead for all of us, and I hope Ravenchase can keep afloat long enough to see you all on the other side of the pandemic. Your interest, support, and the encouraging DMs have meant the whole world to us, and we will keep creating more as long as we are able.

If you have a cool theme concept, or just a type of game you’ve been interested in trying, please reach out! You might just see it as the next product on our page. You can comment on this post, comment or DM us on our facebook page, or email us directly at alex@ravenchase.com and drake@ravenchase.com.

Note: Box does not include small dog or fluffy blanket. We need both for cuddling purposes.

Questing in the time of Covid

The viral forecast is looking cloudy, and we may all be spending much of this spring cooped up at home. We’re already getting restless, so we’re devising safe ways to bring adventure to you! We’ve got one in development that will be available this Sunday:

A quest that will have you touring the city without leaving your car! In the classic DaVinci-style Ravenchase Adventure, you’ll explore Richmond’s rich collection of street art as you untangle the mystery we’ve crafted. No supplies needed— just read off of your phone or print from your computer. ($25)

We’re brainstorming different ways to bring adventure to you, and would love to hear what you think of our other ideas below!

• Ravenchase Adventures in your home: A mystery experience that is story-light and puzzle-heavy with the classic Ravenchase flair. Instructions for setup will be included, so even the host will be able to play without the advantage of a peek behind the curtain.

  • Option to upgrade for additional prop pieces like chests and locks, along with some extra tricks and gimmicks to make your game last even longer

• For the kiddos: a kid-friendly experience brought to you: story-light and puzzle-heavy, we’ll drop off several locks and props with instructions on how to set it up about your house, hints you can give them if asked, and of course the answers so you can skip the solving and use their adventure time for a well-earned nap.

We love being a source of curiosity and engagement, and we also don’t want to sit on the sidelines during this outbreak.

A portion of all proceeds will go to relief efforts for the outbreak (charity TBD, suggestions welcome!), and we hope to put any additional funds towards a future project that will package Ravenchase for folks in hospice care who could use a little adventure even if they can’t necessarily chase it for themselves.

We’re a team-building, museum-hopping, public-spaces kind of company, so we’d love to hear your thoughts as we prepare for a shift in the way people seek entertainment in the coming months.

SO—ON WHICH QUEST WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO EMBARK?

Drop us a line in the comments, we’d love to hear your thoughts!