We're pleased to announce the digital downloads are now available! 🥳 You should have received a download link/code from Backerkit via email. If you haven't, drop me a line ([email protected]) and we'll see to it.
We are pleased to announce that the zine is ready! Work is now underway to package the player material, the art bundle, and tweak the print-friendly version (let me say: we did everything we could to make you save as much ink as possible).
Also, do you remember the 1500€ stretch goal: 'We hire a professional proofreader'? Well, although we accrued only a third of that budget, we went ahead and did it anyway. Was it a savy investment? Probably not, but at least you'll receive the best product this zine can be, which is all that matters to us, really.
I'm glad to share the illustrations are all done! Writing is still only 30-40% of the way there, but to be fair I only truly started this week so I don't foresee major delays. At my current pace of one spread a day, the zine should be complete by the first week of June.
At the cost of sounding like a broken record: starting early next month we'll tweak the print-friendly version, put together the extra player material and the art pack, and by mid-June you should have your hands on the adventure! Physical copies will soon follow: end of June or early July at the latest.
Today's sneak peek is the cover art! Every major element is in there, but I guess you'll have to wait to know which one is which 😉
Last month we made a lot of progress on the illustrations! 80% of them are ready, so I feel pretty confident in saying we're on track with our timeline. As a remainder (I know it's easy to forget these things if you're not actively thinking about them like we do 😅), the next important dates are:
Early May: I turn my notes and descriptions into the final zine copy, Aleksandra finishes the illustrations
Late May: we integrate text and images into the final layout (we already have a draft)
Early June: we put together the player addons, the art pack, and print-friendly spreads and distribute the digital rewards
Late June/Early July: we fulfill the physical orders
This time we have a proper preview instead of the usual WIP 😊 We might (or might not) keep it black and white. Both Aleksandra and I feel like colour could muddy the picture and hide some of the details... Besides, it works well enough as it is. We'll see, I guess! Inputs are welcome.
I'm writing, Aleksandra is drawing, and, to make sure we were on the same page, we've drafted a zine layout with the main elements (titles, room keys, stat blocks, etc.) and placeholder text. I recon most publications go through the design, writing, and layout stages in this order, but with her being in charge of the layout and me of writing, we figured having a page ready to be filled in required less back and forth than the alternative.
Draft layout, made with low-fi sketches and example text.
I have to admit: as a first-time designer, it took me some time to fully accept that every Warden will run the adventure a little differently. I do the same when I facilitate other people's modules, so why should mine be so stringent? Since then, what I write and how I key have become increasingly leaner and more open to interpretation, which I think is a good thing.
