Here's where the Spire Ends

The Spire’s End: Volume 2 – Episodes are an adult, narrative-driven card game set during the week-long eclipse, alongside the events of Volume 1. This time, you’ll follow a solitary beekeeper and a band of strangers drawn into a growing nightmare.

It should feel like a homecoming for those who played the original game. The Volume 2 – Episodes build on everything I’ve learned from the previous three entries in the series, blending their strongest elements into one cohesive, bloody affair. New mechanics and a carefully planned narrative structure make Volume 2 the most evolved and story-rich entry in the series—layered with meaningful choices, lasting consequences, and character moments that cut deep.

A Self Contained Story, with Benefits

For those who’ve never played Spire’s End before, this will be a great place to start. Volume 2 will be a self-contained story that stands on its own while interweaving with the other games in the series, without catering to fan service. That being said, expect meaningful character crossovers and story elements to bleed into the narrative where planned.

Human Artistry

Bertho Horn returns with a distinct artistic voice—decisively adult in nature, edgy, and uncompromising. His unique, unsettling style creates a chorus of disturbing and somehow endearing moments on this adventure. Charlie Potter, whose wonderful isometric landscape art helped define Rangitaki, returns to carry that tradition into Spire’s End: Volume 2 – Episodes, grounding the story in rich, atmospheric settings that feel both vast and intimate. These games are, at their core, analog narrative experiments—odd, quirky, and at times uncomfortable—unbeholden to any conventions or trends. For Spire’s End, that can only be realized through human artistry.

Introducing Episodic Content!

Spire’s End: Volume 2 will unfold over three episodes, tentatively planned for release about once a year, keeping the story moving and the stakes climbing toward the climactic end.

Episode 1 throws you into a blood-stained western — a world of dust heads, plains critters, grit, and treachery. You’ll ride across hostile plains, walk the streets of Witherford, and stare down enemies with twitching trigger fingers.

All of it unfolds under the shadow of the Spire, always looming in the far distance — a constant reminder that this deadly frontier is just one piece of a much larger nightmare.

Episode 1 is already in preliminary testing and is planned to be completed and released in the first quarter of 2026.

Why Episodic?

Breaking the game into episodes lets me release content sooner, rather than making you wait for an enormous all-in-one package years down the line. It also keeps the world of Spire’s End alive and evolving, giving you fresh story beats and mechanics regularly—building toward the finale without long silences between releases.

What’s New and Returning

Episodic release: 3 planned episodes, tentatively one per year, leading to the conclusion.
1–3 players: friends survive or die together.
Distinct Ally & Enemy systems: Shared stats, different mechanics—clean, simple, and intuitive.
No more Recoup rolls: Each character has a fixed recovery amount for smarter, faster play.
Fixed encounter lengths: Most fights have a set number of rounds; when they don’t, it’s for a reason.
Finesse is back (with a twist): The Bullseye & Finesse mechanics from Hildegard return with added risk.
Wildlife encounters return: A fan-favorite feature from Hildegard, bringing back unpredictable pacing between story events.
New Waterfall Mechanics: An exciting system using the smaller 2×2-inch cards from the original Spire’s End, where you follow branching illustrations through a series of choices to a final conclusion.
Tarot-sized Story Cards: Illustrated by Bertho Horn (characters) & Charlie Potter (landscapes)—zero AI art, only real hands and heartbeats.

Why No Crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding has been essential in getting Spire’s End to where it is today, but for this stage of the series, it makes more sense to go it alone. By self-funding, I avoid the bureaucracy, fees, and drawn-out timelines that can slow a project down. This approach gives me more creative control and lets me focus entirely on making the game. In the long run, I believe this will serve both the players and me, the creator, better.

PRE-ORDER DETAILS

Episode 1 is planned for release in Q1 2026.
Pre-orders will be available exclusively at spiresend.com.
Sign up for the newsletter for updates and the pre-order launch notification.
Pre-orders will come with exclusive content not available afterward. Current plan: 1–2 alternate character cards and 1 new item card.
Pre-orders will be open to the same countries as past crowdfunding campaigns.
Fulfillment and logistics are still being determined, but most orders will likely be subject to your country’s VAT/duties upon delivery.
Quantities: If you pre-order, a copy will be reserved for you.
Pre-order window details will be provided in a site update.

In the Box

60 Story Cards (Tarot-sized)
14 Enemy Cards (Tarot-sized)
60 Event/Milestone/Item Cards (2x2 Inches)
5 Ally Cards (Tarot-sized)
8 Custom-etched Hive Dice
8 Shot Dice (similar to Hildegard)
3 Twenty-sided Dice (d20)
Marker Dice (quantity TBD)
Marker Cubes (quantity TBD)
All core components needed to play the entire Spire’s End: Volume 2 – Episode series
Rulebook (Survival Guide)

Survival Guide Coming Soon!

My Pledge

Over the past five years, I’ve successfully crowdfunded and delivered all three previous Spire’s End games—each handed over to the manufacturer on time, which is rare in this industry. Episode 1 is nearly complete creatively, and custom dice prototypes are already in the works. I understand that in our current economic climate, putting your trust in me with your money is not something to take lightly. It is a privilege to do what I do. I keep my promises.

Support Independent Games

The Spire’s End series is made by one guy. Every card, mechanic, and piece of art is shaped by hand in a garage turned design studio and fulfillment center. It is the sort of odd, quirky, and uncompromising game a big company could never make. There is always a certain level of risk in producing a project like this without the safety net of Kickstarter, but that is part of what keeps it exciting and personal. Supporting projects like this helps small creators bring you fresh ideas and personal visions you will not find anywhere else.

This game is intended for players 16 and up. No compromises will be made in service of this story. Episode 1 is just the start.

All content is subject to change.

SPIRE'S END: VOLUME TWO

EPISODE 1 - COMING 2026

A 1-3 Player Choose Your Path Card Game