I can't believe it's been a month since the conclusion of Mothership Month. I took a much needed break throughout the rest of December a little bit into the new year. Burnout hit hard this time as I realized I never once rested since I started early campaigning for ARKYVR back in December of 2023. But IIIII'mmmmm back!!
Artwork
The NPC portraits are coming along nicely by Alex Cheng! They're giving off a "dreamy, unhinged mug shots from 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark'" vibe and it's working really well with the zine's investigative paper trail aesthetic.
Unfortunately, the artist I had originally booked for the OMENDROME spaceship illustration had recently chosen to take his skills elsewhere so I'm currently in talks with another artist. Fingers crossed! I'll update with name and example pieces as soon as we lock things in.
Some of Alex's newest OMENDROME illustrations!
Stretch Goal NPCs and the State of the Zine
Our 2 completed stretch goals gave way to 4 additional bounties. I'm currently working with one of our writers, Adrian Anguiano, to finalize the new entries about a war correspondent on the run, an underground cybernetic fight club, a sinister black market auctioneer, and a junkyard thrill seeker.
I'm still assembling the layout as I want to use a unique set and arrangement of scrap paper for every page and give each NPC a unique feel to their notes. I'm manually shaping and photographing each piece of scrap paper and jigsaw puzzling them all together on the computer - it's been a really fun but time consuming process so far.
Besides the few setbacks, it still feels good and likely that I'll deliver on time during Q2 of this year. Surveys will be sent out when we are close to fulfillment to ensure we have the most up-to-date shipping prices from Flying Cloud Fulfillment. It is also then where you'll have the opportunity to upgrade/change your pledge items and amounts.
I'm rearranging everything and it is a complete mess at the moment but trust the process! I see it clearly in my head!
Pre-Order Store
The BackerKit pre-order store will be up shortly. Keep in mind that people who late pledge here will not get access to the Mothership Month exclusive patches you all earned so diligently when backing OMENDROME during the first 48 hours and during the actual campaign weeks.
Local News
I've locked in a few events this year. If you end up in the area, please stop by and say hi, I've love to meet you all in person! I'll be vending at GameFace Con 2025 in Baltimore, MD on March 8-9, running ARKYVR games at GenCon in Indianapolis, IN in July 31-August 3, vending at PAX Unplugged again in Philadelphia, PA from November 21-23, and most likely doing another Holiday Market with Severed Books in Baltimore at the end of the year. There will probably be other events that pop up, so follow me on social media if you'd like to stay updated on those.
If you have any questions or concerns about development, the zine itself, or any of the Mothership Month exclusives don't hesitate to reach out to me through here or through my main website: https://www.alewoodgames.com/. Stay warm, stay safe, and happy gaming everyone!
