Greetings Crew,

In the month since funding we've been working on setting a production schedule and budget for The Conduit. While the module is written, developmental editing, playtesting, and a final pass still remain before we can move the manuscript to Curious Friend for layout. Jettila Lewis and I live in the same Chicago neighborhood and have been meeting weekly for coffee to talk about characters and inspirations. The Conduit is just one of many commissions she's working on, and we're setting up manageable milestones and a payment schedule to keep production moving without overbooking her time.

Meanwhile we're getting quotes for printing costs from competing printers, patches, and shipping options to TKG's distributor. In some cases this is as simple as just filling out online forms, but some quotes involve emailing printers directly.

All of this helps us estimate what we can afford to pay for art, and helps Jettila and I set a reasonable scope for her work. We're both making TTRPG's just for the joy of the hobby, but figuring out these limits helps keep us from committing to more than we can handle.

In the meantime- here's a behind the scenes look at some of Jettila's earliest concept art from this summer. These illustrations will never make it into the final project, but show some of her initial prototyping for character looks and locations.

This cybernetic body builder's bar illuminated with natural starlight cascading through massive prisms. Sunny is the owner and operator but rumor has it their bar is just the front for a smuggling operation under the noses of the Novos.

My initial feedback on the art was just that the bar itself was a little too spacious. Luxury on Prospero's Dream is measured not just in O2 and creds, but in square meters. The poorer you are, the more comfortable you learn to get with a lack of elbow room. In a seedy smuggling front the only thing closer than smell of liquor and cybernetic machine oil is the quarters.

Until next time!
Columbary TTRPG
Ben King