Edenhorde Manifesto
A living document. Last updated: 10/9/24
On Edenhorde
We’re building a world in Web3 that you can be part of
Closest analogous examples: The Lord of the Rings, Pokémon, Star Wars
N.B This document uses illustrative examples from well-known household names to help provide easy-to-understand comparisons. It does not attempt to directly compare the caliber of Edenhorde to these projects in its current state. We are aware that franchises like these, by nature, take an extraordinary amount of time and effort to develop.
Edenhorde is an exercise towards collective world-building and IP from Merit Circle, an ever-evolving digital ecosystem built by a global community to ensure the future of gaming. Committed to integrating the endless possibilities of blockchain technology with the latest in gaming to create the next generation of immersive gaming experiences.Closest analogous examples: The Lord of the Rings, Pokémon, Star Wars
N.B This document uses illustrative examples from well-known household names to help provide easy-to-understand comparisons. It does not attempt to directly compare the caliber of Edenhorde to these projects in its current state. We are aware that franchises like these, by nature, take an extraordinary amount of time and effort to develop.
Edenhorde is an integral part of this vibrant ecosystem, not merely a subsidiary. What began with 8,800 Edenhorde NFTs has evolved into something much deeper, focusing on the core elements—narrative arcs, immersive storytelling, and the heart of the Beam Ecosystem: games. This translates into Eclipse of Edenhorde, an exhilarating strategy card game that can be played both online and offline, allowing players to delve even further into the rich Edenhorde universe.
On World Building and Narrative
Edenhorde as a project will exist in multiple mediums. The current dominant medium (other than the NFTs themselves) is the Edenhorde narrative arc. The narrative arc consists of two chapters, of which both are a collection of (interactive) episodes which are composed of text-driven narrative, a musical score, illustrative work, interactive elements in chapter one (i.e. votes, claims, trades etc.) and other multimedia work (e.g augmented reality).Lore and narrative is delivered through the text which helps build and solidify the world of Edenhorde. Illustrations, multimedia elements and music are included and act as representations of the world of Edenhorde through media. During the windows between episodes, communication happens within the community around the lore and storyline. Owners can interact with the chapters of the first arc where holders were rewarded with items through extremely simple game mechanics.
The upcoming card game, "Eclipse" will expand on lore and ideas from the narrative arc to offer a compelling game that expands on the world of Edenhorde while providing value to holders.
Special attention will be made with the game to decouple the IP from NFTs in an attempt to attract non-NFT holders into the space; to push Edenhorde into the mainstream and increase inclusivity and accessibility of the project.
Edenhorde = World-building & IP + Ownership
On Ownership, Benefits and Utility
Edenhorde is a part of the vibrant Beam ecosystem, opening the door to unique opportunities and partnerships exclusive to the Edenhorde community.In the beginning, owning an Edenhorde NFT was the only way to participate in the eight-episode Edenhorde narrative arc. This allowed holders to claim free NFTs simply by engaging with the story, a fun and memorable souvenir from the early days of the adventure. We also experimented with VR meet-ups, bringing the world of Edenhorde to life right before their eyes, creating an even more immersive experience for our community.
On Mediums
Edenhorde will never be limited or pinned to specific mediums and is a multimedia project by default.
From the beginning we’ve aimed to ensure that Edenhorde is not boxed-in to a particular medium (e.g generative artwork, illustration etc.). Prior to our launch we purposefully used mixed media approaches during our excavation of the world of Edenhorde (the first landing page illustration was a digital matte painting).We truly feel that pushing forward and using a variety of delivery mediums early on (AR, VR, audio, digital, tangible, spoken etc.) are key to the success of developing a foundation for the world of Edenhorde while making the project as accessible as possible.
We feel this also elevates the project to more than the sum of the images attached to the NFTs and helps us focus on bringing the world to life rather than bringing a specific representation to life. This also means that we are not tied to a specific art style or portrayal of the project, freeing us to explore mediums that make sense for specific use cases and to deliver pointed immersive experiences. While also freeing others (ie partners or the community) to build on top of the Edenhorde source code, the world itself.
On Merit Circle
Edenhorde and Merit Circle are the same entity. Edenhorde does not act as an incubated project or a subsidiary of Merit Circle but simply as a part of it. The majority of people working on Edenhorde also actively work on Merit Circle and vice versa.Edenhorde and Merit Circle being the same entity also allows for multiple opportunities within the ecosystem and within the greater partner network, with the potential for opportunities to flow directly to Edenhorde holders.
On Roadmaps and Longetivity
As a long term project, Edenhorde does not have a public set timeline or traditional roadmap. From the very beginning we have been committed to delivering on things as soon as they are 100% confirmed and have lived up to this internal mantra, delivering the narrative arc only weeks after the launch of the Edenhorde NFTs.Instead, we will maintain a dynamic section of this manifesto called the Action Zone. These are actionable items that are grouped into three sections: Live Items: these are actionable items that have been released and are accessible right now; Upcoming Items: these are projects that are confirmed internally to be released and are actively being developed; and Early Stage Discussions or Prototypes: these are concepts that are further along than simply the idea stage, but which are exploratory and yet to be confirmed.
We believe this approach will allow us to communicate what we’re actively doing in a practical and pragmatic way while allowing for internal exchange of ideas, and avoiding being tied to unrealistic roadmaps — essentially to avoid overpromising and under-delivering while being able to explore ideas and directions internally without consistent external pressure.
Action Zone
Live Items
These are actionable items that have been released and are accessible right now.
Edenhorde Card Game (Eclipse)
Edenhorde Eclipse is a card game that is currently in alpha release. The game revolves around strategic card-based gameplay, where players use their cards, which have various abilities, to battle against each other.Area of impact: Ownership, Benefits & Utility
Edenhorde NFTs
These are central to the Edenhorde project and are directly associated with Ownership, Benefits & Utility.Edenhorde Narrative Arc
This is the source code we’re building out to develop platforms and products on top of and is the foundation of World Building & Narrative.Edenhorde Collectible NFTs
A collection of gamified collectible NFTs exlcusively for Edenhorde holders, claimable during the narrative arc.Ownership, Benefits & UtilityProfile Picture Generator
This is a way of adapting your Edenhorde NFT to fit into various medium format profile pictures to act as avatars on social sites and is a key part of identifying others through Community & Guardianship.Active Partnerships
We are continually delivering partnerships with other projects both inside and outside the Merit Circle ecosystem, bringing whitelist opportunities and giveaways to Edenhorde holders. Part of Ownership, Benefits & Utility.Visual Redesign
A consistent brand and design system for Edenhorde to help scale across products (UI/UX) and templates for visual design that better reflects who we are.Area of impact: Mediums
Edenhorde Rarity Tools
An official first party rarity platform to query rarity of Edenhorde NFTs and to search and sort by rarity ranking.Area of impact: Community & Guardianship
Guardian System
A redesign of our approach to the Guardian program. Allowing for greater transparency and communictaion through representative Guardians.Area of impact: Community & Guardianship
Sphere Marketplace
Merit Circle is has launched on an NFT marketplace called Sphere.Area of impact: Ownership, Benefits & Utility
VRChat World v.01 (deprecated)
An v.01 of a VRChat world set in the Edenhorde universe. This will be accessible for people with VR headsets as well as via PC (non-vr). Although currently a less accessible medium, we believe that VR is a frontier worth exploring early on as a way to immersively experience the Edenhorde universe and to meet the team and community members “face-to-face”.Area of impact: World Building & Narrative, Community & Guardianship
VR Ready Avatars v.01 (deprecated)
An v.01 of four VRChat avatars to be used in the Edenhorde VRChat world.Area of impact: World Building & Narrative, Community & Guardianship