UNDERISLES: Roleplaying with Sign Language

Update #3: Happy Holidays!
8 months ago – Fri, Dec 26, 2025 at 05:09:34 AM

Dear backers,

The team at Hatchlings hope your holidays have been fulfilling! This is quite a lengthy update so please read to the bottom.

Everything is moving along nicely with Underisles. Kathryn has drafted the first half of the book and we're now moving onto the dungeon design, which will populate isometric maps drawn by Fernando Salvaterrawith dozens of Belief Barriers and Disbelief Battles (the tests of the game). We'll end up with a grand spelunking adventure through a vast cave network in search of the missing miners!

Lucille has now finished rendering the 'teens at the table' piece, and we also wanted to show another illustration we're including in the book that evokes the cooperative vibe of the game (see both below).

WillowsQuest has taken Lucille's Pendragon designs from the last update and is now transforming them into templates for our sign language material, which we have fully planned out. This involves her illustrating the teens in their caving outfits, and then adding the arms and hands signing while keeping them seamless with the background (as shown below with the ASL for BIRD from Overisles).

Before the New Year we'll be sending out itch.io keys for Inspirisles, Overisles, and Shapes of Adventure to any digital PDF backers, so you can begin playing, and learning sign language from the very start of 2026.

It was always our hope to introduce the educational elements of Inspirisles to a wider audience, and next summer we're adapting our work for Daggerheart, a popular TTRPG from Darrington Press (the publisher behind Critical Role). 

This will be our first crowdfund of 2026 to ensure any outstanding projects are fulfilled and we have the time to complete the design and writing before heading to Kickstarter!

Dragon Dowers is the multiplayer version of a solo journaling game we published a few years ago. In this setting guide we'll explore the solarpunk kingdom of Praelar, its poisonous spore fields, long-buried machines of war, dragons and their ecology, tyrannical rulers hellbent on stealing their precious eggs, and the rebel Dowsers risking life-and-limb to stop them!

Alongside the sandbox campaign, expect new domains, classes, ancestries, environments, communities, equipment, NPCs, adversaries, and unique mechanics for downtime including dragon rearing using sign language.

If the Daggerheart system is something that appeals to you, follow the link HERE.

If not, then please consider following us on Discord or BlueSky.

Best wishes for now,
Team Hatchlings

Update #2: First Art
9 months ago – Mon, Nov 24, 2025 at 04:17:59 AM

Dear backers,

Sorry for the delayed update and thank you for filling out your BackerKit surveys. While Kathryn is busily working on the game draft, Lucille has been completing some important initial art. The first piece below is of the Pendragons around a table, which mirrors the same art found in the previous games. The second piece is of the new Pendragon designs ready for WillowsQuest to create the sign language backdrops, which will then be added to the book and flash cards. 

The game is progressing well, with Fernando Salvaterra and Helia Santo beginning their illustration work in January. Fernando will be bringing the caverns of the Underisles to life with his stunning map work, and Helia will tackle the Darklights, this games equivalent of the Silver Apple knights.

That's all for now, but we'll post an update whenever new art is complete.

Much thanks,
Team Hatchlings 

Pledge Manager
11 months ago – Mon, Sep 22, 2025 at 07:14:03 AM

Dear backers,

We're just in the process of completing the pledge manager for UNDERISLES, which will be sent out the first week of October via BackerKit. 

Lucille Nual is currently working on the new Pendragon character designs and once they're in place, WillowsQuest will replicate them for our sign language material. See below to see how this worked for Overisles.

That's everything for now!
More updates to come.

Much thanks,
Team Hatchlings 

573% Funded!
about 1 year ago – Thu, Aug 14, 2025 at 07:21:57 AM

Dear backers,

A huge thank you from myself, Kathryn and the rest of the UNDERISLES team!

This has been our most successful crowdfund to date and it's all thanks to your pledges, word of mouth, and just a general positive vibe throughout. We've signed a contract with BackerKit for their pledge manager, which we're now highly accustomed to using. That will go LIVE in a couple of weeks once the funds have cleared.

UNDERISLES will have regular project updates throughout the production timeline, with us commissioning art whenever we complete a new section.

We're so excited to complete this groundbreaking educational trilogy and teaching pack for 2026.

Best wishes for now,
Team Hatchlings

Final 24hrs!
about 1 year ago – Wed, Aug 13, 2025 at 07:19:20 AM

We're into the final 24hrs of funding so let's make the first big announcement! 
We're delighted to welcome Juno Curtin (Crowva) to the UNDERISLES art team. Juno worked on Cryptid Creeks and their character/creature designs will truly add to the overall appeal of the game!

Many thanks,
Team Hatchlings