I don’t have much to share this week. Haroldo didn’t make it. His condition turned out to be much more complicated than we initially thought.
I won’t turn this into a heavy update, but since I mentioned it last week, I felt it was only right to let you know. I did write a short eulogy to help me process things; you can read it here, if you’d like.
On the project side, there’s no new development to report this week. I’m taking a bit of time to gather myself, and I’ll be back with a proper update next week.
Take care of yourselves, and hug your pets for me.
I was planning to share a few examples of how I’ve been using Weird, Whimsy & Wonder in my home campaign, maybe even with some sketches from the table. But today took an unexpected turn.
My dog, Haroldo, was diagnosed with bronchitis, so the day ended up being a rotation of x-rays, antibiotics, trying to convince him to eat, and doing my best to keep my cool. It’s strange how quickly our priorities shift when our beloved furry companions aren’t doing well.
On the project side of things, the printing process is still moving along. The shipping funds have been transferred and properly allocated. At the moment we have just four declined cards remaining. I’ll run another attempt early next week to see if those go through.
So not a lot of news on that front for now, but things are progressing as expected.
I hope you’re all doing well. Thank you again for your support, and if you have a spare good vibe or two, please send them Haroldo’s way.
From this point on, updates will probably become a bit shorter and occasionally repetitive while we wait for the books to move through production. That’s simply the stage we’re in now.
The good news is that we’re down to just seven declined cards, which means nearly everything has gone through smoothly. Funds have been received, and production has officially begun.
We don’t yet have a precise date for when the books will be ready, but I didn’t want to skip an update and leave you wondering if I took the money and disappeared into the woods. At this point, it’s largely a waiting game and mostly out of our hands.
But we’re getting there. I can almost smell it.
Thank you again for your support and patience. Below is a picture of me patiently waiting for the books to be finished.
For backers: Credit cards have now been charged for shipping and any add-ons selected during the pledge manager phase. You should see the charge reflected on your statement.
We had 16 cards declined this week. If that’s you, BackerKit has sent an email letting you know and prompting you to update your payment details. Please check your inbox, and your spam folder, just in case. This is the step that ensures your book actually makes its way to you, so it’s important not to miss it.
Thank you all for taking care of this so promptly. It keeps the process smooth on our end and helps us move forward confidently with production.
For non-backers: the pre-order store is still up, and you can grab a copy of the book and any add-ons there.
Since this is a short update, I’ll share a couple of other bits of news.
Triple-O is making waves!
Triple-O—my player character emulator for Zinetopia—is in its final hours. The campaign has far exceeded my expectations (almost 900 backers! What???). We unlocked all stretch goals, which means backers are getting additional tables and even a bookmark with an extra random table and a rules summary. It was featured twice on the BackerKit homepage, which was honestly surreal.
If you’d like to jump in before it closes, you still can. The link is right here:
And because apparently I don’t know how to sit still, the teaser page for my next project is already live. Mausworn is my attempt to combine the spirit of Mausritter and Ironsworn into a game about sworn mice exploring a world once shaped—and then abandoned—by humans. I'm working hard on the alpha version (I’ve done the cover art too!), and this is shaping up to be my most ambitious project yet.
We’re still a few months away, but if that sounds like your kind of thing, I’d love for you to follow along here. The more eyes and feedback early on, the stronger the game will be.
You may have received a notice from BackerKit letting you know that orders are being locked. I used the option to send a warning and wait 48 hours before the full lock goes into effect, just to give everyone one last opportunity to make adjustments. That window is ending soon.
The next step is charging credit cards, so please make sure your payment details are up to date. I know the notifications can feel repetitive if everything is already sorted, but circumstances change—people move, cards expire, banks block transactions—and I’d rather build in too much margin than too little.
If everything on your end is correct, you’re all set. You’ll simply receive confirmation once your card is charged. If there’s any issue, BackerKit will automatically prompt you to update your payment information.
On the production side, things are moving forward. I don’t yet have a concrete Weird, Whimsy & Wonder printing update to show, but I do have something related that some of you will appreciate.
If you picked up Random Realities as an add-on or part of a bundle, I’m happy to share that it has already been printed and delivered to Critical Kit’s headquarters. Since that book was already complete, it moved through production earlier.
I got a look at the finished copy, and the print quality is excellent. Check this out:
The spot UV detailing looks fantastic! It’s a good preview of the level of care you can expect with Weird, Whimsy & Wonder as well.
Our book will take a bit longer because of the pledge locking, payment processing, and queueing at the print facility, but everything is proceeding with attention and care.
