Draft:Eldritch Automata

Eldritch Automata, abbreviated as E//A, is a cosmic horror/mecha role-playing game created by Nicholas Francia and published by Gehenna Gaming. The game was first announced in 2023, and is based on the Year Zero Engine (YZE) by Free League Publishing, with additional system mechanics for interpersonal relationships, mech combat, and psychological horror designed by Gehenna Gaming.

History
Eldritch Automata was originally conceived by Francia in 2017 as a Powered by the Apocalypse hack to run a Neon Genesis Evangelion-style game. The idea sat on the shelf for some time before Francia joined Gehenna Gaming and brought the game forward as a publishing option for the company's first original IP. Work began developing the game in 2022 behind the scenes, as the team at Gehenna Gaming continued to refine the mechanics and playtest iterations of the system.

In 2023, the team, led by Francia as the lead developer of the project, began recruiting contributing writers to build out the "post-Advent" world of the game. They also brought on accomplished 3D mecha artist Misael 'Gio' Manning to design the cover and Automata archetypes. In December 2023, during the PAX Unplugged convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the team announced the game, promoting a Kickstarter launched in January 2024, and running game demo sessions throughout the weekend.

The Kickstarter campaign for Eldritch Automata launched January 2, 2024, raising $37,372 over 30 days, but was unsuccessful in reaching its $65,000 goal. Following this campaign the team at Gehenna gathered feedback and continued working on the game, releasing a quickstart in May 2024, and relaunching a crowdfunding campaign on Backerkit on June 25, 2024.