Lanternbrook
Lanternbrook at golden hour: thatched and tiled houses round a campfire square, a windmill, a ropeway, and a river and lake at the edge of the forest.

A town builder by nemix

Lanternbrook

For anyone who likes watching bread get made

Six settlers arrive in a river valley with a handcart and not much else. Build them a town, then watch it work.

  • Wishlist on Steam(Coming soon)
  • Play the free demo on itch.io(Coming soon)

The story so far

About the game

Lanternbrook is a town builder in which you can follow a loaf of bread back to the field it came from. Wheat is cut and carried to the windmill. The miller grinds it into flour, and the baker fires the oven with logs somebody else chopped that morning. Then a villager carries the bread to the storehouse on one shoulder, and it gets eaten at supper.

The villagers have names and homes to go to. They get up at six, go to work, stop for lunch if the food is close, and spend the evening round the campfire or, once there is one, in the tavern. Build too few houses and the newcomers sleep in bedrolls by the fire. They will mention it.

Nobody fights, and you cannot lose. A hungry villager is slow and a bit sulky, and that is as bad as it gets. The camp grows into a hamlet, a village and then a town, and the roofs change as it grows, from canvas to thatch to red tile to slate.

Finish the town charter and everyone comes out after dark for the Lantern Festival. After that the charter turns into the Town Almanac, and the game goes on for as long as you like, with a festival every season and the odd villager hoping for a bench by the lake.

Pictures

From the valley

  • Hundreds of glowing sky lanterns rise from the town square and drift over the forest towards the mountains, reflected in the lake.
    The Lantern Festival. The whole town turns out, and the sky over the lake fills with lights.
  • The town from above at golden hour, with a river and a lake beside it and forest all round.
    Golden hour. The campfire is still in the middle of the square, where the first settlers left it.
  • The town in autumn, surrounded by orange and yellow trees, beside a lake with small islands.
    Autumn. The oaks and maples turn, and the farms get ready to rest.
  • The town under snow at dusk, windows and street lamps glowing, moonlight on the lake.
    Winter. Homes burn more firewood, and the lamps come on early.
  • A small camp of canvas tents and a log cabin round a campfire in a forest clearing, with settlers walking about.
    The first morning. A few tents, a woodcutter’s lodge and the campfire.
  • The game with its interface showing: resource counts along the top, the Town Almanac on the left, and the build menu along the bottom.
    A market town, with the Town Almanac open. Planting Day is two days off.
  • The town square at dusk, lit by lampposts and the campfire, with villagers gathering.
    Dusk. The lamps are lit, and everyone drifts back to the fire.
  • A close view of cottages with thatched and tiled roofs, cobbled paths and villagers in straw hats.
    Close enough to see who is carrying what.
  • The town late at night, with warm light in the windows and pools of lamplight on the paths.
    Late at night, with a lamp on every lane.

What's in it

In the game

  • The Town Charter

    Goals for each stage of the town, from pitching three tents to building the clock tower. Each one gets the charter’s ink stamp when it is done.

  • The Lantern Festival

    When the charter is finished, the whole town gathers at night and sends sky lanterns up over the valley.

  • The Town Almanac

    Twenty-six things to work towards once the town is built. Some open new buildings, and some let the town take a title, such as Lanternbrook the Merry.

  • Festivals of the seasons

    Planting Day, the Summer Fair, the Harvest Festival and the Lantern Festival in midwinter. Put by what the feast would like and the town is happier for days.

  • Building sites

    A new building starts as stakes and string. The haulers bring timber and stone, and the frame, walls and roof go up as the piles arrive.

  • Villagers

    Everyone in town has a name and somewhere to live. Hover over anyone to see what they are doing. Hazel is hauling planks again.

  • Ropeways

    String a cable between two stations and crates ride over the rooftops. So far only one has landed in a garden.

  • The music

    A recorded folk soundtrack that changes with the seasons. Each festival has tunes of its own.

Letters from the valley

The mailing list

A short letter when there is something to show, and one on the day the demo or the Steam page goes up.