- What are you playing this weekend? - 26 February 2023
The weekend is here, and we're all ready for it. This weekend, we're trying to get our Light level up, playing a highly anticipated title, and finding out the truth behind a shadowy secret society. Sounds busy, right? Here's what we're playing this weekend: Read more
- Episode 1 is now free to play! - 25 March 2020
https://steamusercontent-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/915792147220495976/2FF8567723A8D1C123CFAB274E2B3833B147C742/ Hi everyone, The Council’s first episode is now free to play for all players on all platforms! The narrative adventure game, which redefined the genre with RPG mechanics and consequences for every choice, can also be purchased as a Complete Season for players looking to continue the captivating story further. In The Council – Episode 1: The Mad Ones, you set off on your journey with Louis de Richet on Lord Mortimer’s private island, in an attempt discover the fate of your missing mother before it’s too late. Joining you are several high-profile guests, including Napoleon Bonaparte and President of the United States of America, George Washington. The strange nature of this private reception goes beyond just the prestigious guests – and each of the colorful cast seems to have their own…
- Have You Played The Council? - 30 August 2019
Have You Played? is an endless stream of game retrospectives. One a day, every day, perhaps for all time. The Council could have been a detective game for the ages. It tells the tale of a secret society made of world famous leaders such as Napoleon Bonaparte and George Washington who have taken it upon themselves to decide the fate of the world. Your character happens upon this meeting because you’re looking for your mother, a fictional but nonetheless equally important character on this eighteenth century world stage, who’s also been invited to take part in this elaborate game of real-life Risk. It’s a mix of history and mythology-themed puzzles with branching dialogue like the kind you’ll find in a Telltale game. But then it does something very silly in the middle of episode four and it all ends up being a terrible disappointment. (more…)
- Vampire: The Masquerade Narrative RPG coming from The Council developers - 14 May 2019
Currently with no title of its own (beyond the series branding), publisher Bigben Interactive announced today that among their “2019 and beyond” lineup is a Vampire: The Masquerade “narrative RPG” developed by Big Bad Wolf, the folks behind the episodic historical murder-mystery The Council . Also coming is Blood Bowl 3, once again developed by Cyanide, with plans to launch a new digital iteration alongside the 2020 tabletop edition, which is updating the game’s rules. Typical – you wait fifteen years for a Vampire game, and they go and announce two practically side by side. (more…)
- Daily Deal - The Council, 50% Off - 4 December 2018
Today's Deal: Save 50% on The Council !* Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are! *Offer ends Thursday at 10AM Pacific Time
- The Council - Full Season Out Now! - 4 December 2018
https://i.imgur.com/3C1rSmU.gif Play the full season of The Council now! The Complete Season including the final episode, Checkmate, is now released. Take the last steps on Louis’ path – and decide the fate of the world. The Complete Season and fifth episode of The Council, the narrative adventure game redefining the genre with RPG mechanics and consequences for every choice, releases today! The Full Season Launch Trailer is the perfect occasion to look back at the strongest moments that punctuated the full season, and everything you’ve been through since the first episode. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqUO7t2yUj0 The Council has already enthralled players and press alike with a deep and captivating story featuring intricate characters and smart writing. The innovative RPG concept brings the genre beyond its boundaries and allows for meaningful choices with impactful consequences. ht…
- Devblog - RPG meets Narrative Adventure - 29 November 2018
https://i.imgur.com/PwDCJAi.gif We welcome you again to Lord Mortimer’s island. Please, help yourself to some wine. Today, the topic of discussion is the RPG systems of The Council, and how they complement the narrative adventure genre. The Council is a game of consequences - you decide who to help or hinder, which path to follow and how to survive on the island. This is not as simple as binary decisions at key moments in the story. Louis de Richet’s capabilities are entirely at your discretion, and how you use them will shape the story as much as anything else. The first major decision in this area is your class. Early in the story you’ll be able to characterise Louis as a smooth-talking diplomat, experienced occultist, or cunning detective. This determines your starting selection of abilities, and makes advancing those cheaper - but you aren’t locked into that class skill tree. Experi…
- Devblog - Confrontations - 27 November 2018
https://steamusercontent-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/918045226339079273/4C8A1B11F0784571B6C7091DDE630C34C33200EC/ Welcome, all, to Lord Mortimer's island. Please join us in the small salon for a little more information on The Council, and how one of the key mechanics in the game will work - the Confrontation System. The Confrontation System in The Council is one of the ways that we uniquely twist the narrative adventure game, and is instrumental in deciding how your story will play out. https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32219564%2F072f30ca6604a3ca5e57eec4121d138e4cd4fe09.jpg In narrative games, the vast majority of your decisions come down to how well you understand the way the other characters in the game think, and how you can manipulate your dialogue to get what you want out of them. In The Council, encounters with goals at the end of them are called Confrontati…
- The Council's fifth and final episode arrives next month - 24 November 2018
The fifth and final episode of narrative adventure game The Council will be out on December 4, Focus Home Interactive has announced. The episode, called Checkmate, will round out the 18th century story of Louis de Richet, who’s searching for his mother on the island retreat of a secret order that counts George Washington and Napoleon Bonaparte among its members.  It's a game about conversation: as de Richet, you verbally joust with characters to get what you want, trying to avoid blunders and pursue the right lines of enquiry. There are 15 character skills, 44 talents, and 20 traits that can give you a trickier tongue—and you only have partial control over which ones you accrue.  Checkmate will bring “all your decisions, mistakes, and victories to the fore as Louis’ alliances, enemies, and family all come together for a climactic confrontation&…
- Devblog - Choices - 23 November 2018
https://i.imgur.com/PwDCJAi.gif Hello, and welcome once again, to Lord Mortimer’s island. Today, we will be taking lunch in the Red Salon, and discussing Choice in The Council, and how your decisions will live with you for the entirety of the game. The world of 1793 is a dangerous one, an aristocratic island filled with world leaders and powerful aristocrats. https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32219564%2F9f93acf5fadb0921ceba4def5bfa58688d2f226f.jpg In your investigations, conversations and confrontations in The Council, you’ll most likely have to take charge and make choices about how best to proceed. Will you retire for the night, or stay up and investigate the island? Will you help somebody that asks for your help getting information out of someone, or refuse to do so, and potentially lose a key ally on the island? In one such situation in The Council, yo…
- Fifth Episode: Checkmate Releases December 4 - 22 November 2018
https://steamusercontent-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/918045226339079273/4C8A1B11F0784571B6C7091DDE630C34C33200EC/ The Council’s Complete Season and Episode 5: Checkmate downloadable December 4 on all platforms! Louis de Richet must take the final steps on deciding his path – and the fate of the world Complete Season and fifth episode of The Council, the narrative adventure game redefining the genre with RPG mechanics and consequences for every choice, release December 4 on PS4, Xbox One & PC digital stores. See two exclusive new screenshots of episode 5 and look back at the key moments that punctuated the whole season! https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32219564%2F12fc75fb6a5f4cd45a3ed9e9917dfbb45925c954.jpg Episode 5: Checkmate brings all your decisions, mistakes, and victories to the fore as Louis’ alliances, enemies, and family all come together for a climactic c…
- Hotfix 03/10/2018 - 3 October 2018
https://i.imgur.com/vk4zB0l.gif Dear all, It’s been one week since the release of The Council - Episode 4: Burning Bridges. We would like to thank you, at first, for all your support and feedback. Today, we’re launching a hotfix which addresses some issues that you’ve raised to us since the release. You can find below the details. Hotfix content: The balcony door in Elizabeth Adam’s room is now inaccessible. Players will no longer be stuck.This fix is not retroactive, and if you have had it occur, you will need to restart the episode. Characters will no longer be resurrect by a bug. Players that were previously unable to generate save files and log files on specific setups are now able to create these files. These files will not work with Steam Cloud Saves.
- The Council - Episode 4: Burning Bridges now available - 25 September 2018
https://i.imgur.com/IEozn8Q.gif Louis de Richet is thrown ever deeper into the web of intrigue… Complete Season and Season Pass holders can play today, full release on September 27. The fourth episode of The Council, the narrative adventure game redefining the genre with RPG mechanics and consequences for every choice, releases today for all Complete Season and Season Pass owners. Episode 4: Burning Bridges sees allegiances explained, rivalries come to a head, and the ghosts of the past begin to catch up to the inhabitants of the island. Your decisions will haunt you as you decide the fate of Louis, Mortimer, and the world itself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8DCLyFEeXU The Council has already enthralled players and press alike with a deep and captivating story featuring intricate characters and smart writing. The innovative concept brings the genre beyond its boundaries and allows…
- The Council episode 4 arrives next week - 18 September 2018
‘Burning Bridges’ is the fourth—and penultimate—episode of The Council, and is set for release on September 25. This fourth episode of Big Bad Wolf and Focus Home Interactive’s narrative adventure will see “allegiances explained” and “rivalries come to a head”, as the story unfolds for the inhabitants of the island.  Set in the 18th century, The Council focuses on you, Louis, and your part in the dealings of a secret society. A whole bunch of political maneuvering as members try to outdo each other, means that the RPG-like character classes and skill trees really come into their own . The game has so far succeeded in giving players “meaningful choices with impactful consequences”—something that seems sure to continue in this episode. You can check out three new screenshots below, showing Louis as he…
- Episode 4: Burning Bridges Releases September 25 - 18 September 2018
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32219564%2Ff6b5c1215b2160b5d605b2cb155aa280f2618ab7.jpg The Council’s fourth episode, Burning Bridges, releases September 25 Louis de Richet is thrown ever deeper into the web of intrigue… The fourth episode of The Council, the narrative adventure game redefining the genre with RPG mechanics and consequences for every choice, releases September 25. Discover the first screenshots of this new episode! https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32219564%2F2e572aa9e19df715141a8b643bee435dfa5a7fa7.jpg Episode 4: Burning Bridges sees allegiances explained, rivalries come to a head, and the ghosts of the past begin to catch up to the inhabitants of the island. Your decisions will haunt you as you decide the fate of Louis, Mortimer, and the world itself. The Council has already enthralled players and press al…
- Daily Deal - The Council, 25% Off - 24 July 2018
Today's Deal: Save 25% on The Council !* Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are! *Offer ends Thursday at 10AM Pacific Time
- The Council Episode Three: Ripples Releases Today - 24 July 2018
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32219564%2F914f517ec78d3812834e65125986dc860280689e.jpg The third episode of The Council, the narrative adventure game redefining the genre with RPG mechanics and consequences for every choice, releases today! Episode 3: Ripples continues the story of Louis de Richet as plots are laid bare, characters reach their breaking points, and an unexpected, terrifying truth is uncovered. It will take all of Louis’ influence to prevent the situation from getting out of hand. https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32219564%2Ff3de1720a83bbf7208f0d3ce0dc61d76e665ff32.jpg The Council has already enthralled players and press alike with a deep and captivating story featuring intricate characters and smart writing. The innovative concept brings the genre beyond its boundaries and allows for meaningful choices with…
- The bestest and most top PC games of 2018 so far - 18 July 2018
We’re just about halfway through 2018 (which has somehow taken both too long and no time at all). As is tradition, we’ve shaken our our brains around to see which games from the last six months still make our neurons fizzle with delight. Then we wrote about them here, in this big list feature that you’re reading right now this second. And what games they are! 2018 has been a great year so far, and our top picks run the whole range, from hand drawn oddities made by one person, to big mega-studio blockbusters that took the work of hundreds. And each of them is special to us in some way. Just like you are too. Click through the arrows to see the full spread of our faves so far. Better luck next year to the games that didn’t make the cut this time. (more…)
- Episode 3 of The Council arrives later this month - 14 July 2018
The third episode of neoclassical narrative adventure The Council will arrive on July 24, Focus Home Interactive has announced. Titled “Ripples”, the third episode will continue the story of Louis de Richet, who belongs to an 18th Century secret society whose members include George Washington and Napoleon Bonaparte. Its heavy emphasis on dialogue and player-choice is similar to DontNod’s Life is Strange, only with less teenage angst and more powdered wigs. Alongside its heavily caricatured look, The Council aims to stand out through is “Social Influence” system, a complex network of skills and abilities more in-line with an open-world RPG than a tightly scripted adventure game. Using this system, Richet can attempt to manipulate other members of the society as he investigates the fate of his mother, who vanished somewhere inside the society’s is…
- The Council's third episode Release Date - 13 July 2018
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32219564%2Fc3152fafbdc942cd95a124a185a0370c5de0f5de.jpg The third episode of The Council, the narrative adventure game redefining the genre with RPG mechanics and consequences for every choice, releases July 24. Discover the first screenshots of this new episode! Episode 3: Ripples continues the story of Louis de Richet as plots are laid bare, characters reach their breaking point, and an unexpected, terrifying truth is uncovered. It will take all of Louis’ influence to prevent the situation from growing out of hand. https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32219564%2Ff3de1720a83bbf7208f0d3ce0dc61d76e665ff32.jpg The Council has already enthralled players and press alike with a deep and captivating story featuring intricate characters and smart writing. The innovative concept brings the genre beyond…
