Let's get off on the right foot by wishing each other a Happy Friday!
I couldn't really think of a hyper-marketing-focussed subject line that would ensure you opened this email because it's a jumble of stuff, so I really hope you are here reading this. If not, I'm always happy writing into the void - you should see the plethora of draft games that never made it into the public realm.
Here's the cyptic contents section in case you want to skip some stuff or bail out now.
Free sh*t
Woody's on board
A bulleted list of clarifications for something that doesn't exist yet but is likely to in some form in the near future
Trecento porcento
The Bournemouth identity
Bye
Free as in Game
If you didn't read through the campaign page yet, you might have missed the fact that all backers get a free game at some point between the end of the campaign and fulfilment. I've done this on my past two campaigns and I think it's a good way to ease the pain of waiting, to let you know I value you, and to kick my ass into finishing a game I've left percolating for a while.
On that note, I have put a poll up with three game titles (no context) for you to vote on. I've never done this before, but I'm going to let you choose which game I finish. Here are the covers:
Vote!
I woke up this morning to the news that Michael Madsen had passed away. I'll no doubt be watching something of his this weekend just to remind myself of what a great talent is missing from our reality today. Please drop me any suggestions in the comments of what I might watch (NO RESERVOIR DOGS! - I do love that movie, but I also want something more nuanced).
Woody's in the book!
I completely forgot about this little bit of news on the campaign. At the begining of the year, I sent a long-shot email down the inter-tubes to the estate of Woody Guthrie asking if we could use some specific lyrics in the Folk Hero. Several weeks passed and then to my surprise, I received the following from his grandaughter, Anna:
Thank you for your interest in including this excerpt from Woody Guthrie’s song “All You Fascists” in your forthcoming book. Since it’s just those lines, we’re happy to approve this request... Also, if you don’t mind sending a copy along to our office for our records, that would be great.
So, I don't know which part of this is exciting: getting the quote permission or knowing that Folk Hero will be somewhere in the estate of Woody. I dunno. It's a lot. As for which lyric I am using, you'll just have to wait. In any case, here is a super cool pic of Woody.
Don't smoke, kids, but do fight fascism.
We're heading towards 300% funded.
Thank you! For someone who usually has a lot of words, I don't really have any that would relate to you how grateful I am that you trust me to produce a game that is also a piece of art and a tribute to folk music and British Folklore. I'll let the end product relay that to you. (I still managed to make that quite a lot of words, didn't I?)
Clarifying that Crowdfunding idea from yesterday.
The overall response to that crowdfunding idea I put forward yesterday was positive. There were questions, so I am going to address the main ones here:
There is no subscription commitment - you an back any Zine of The Month and ignore any that don't feel like your vibe.
There will PDF and Physical options.
Previous zines will be add-ons in future campaigns, so if you miss one, you can pick up from two months after the original campaign.
If you have any more questions, on that one let me know.
Wishing I was back in Bournemouth.
Last week, Sarah and myself took a two hour trip to see St Vincent. She was straight off the back of a Glastonbury performance at a much more intimate venue. My journey to St Vincent was through her collaboration with David Byrne and I can't recommend her enough. I love pretty much everything she does and the energy she brings, but her back catalogue is eclectic enough to have something for everyone: from ballads to metal anthems. If you haven't already, given her a go, I recommend starting with her latest album, All Born Screaming, then work backwards.
She played some guitar, screamed at us and threw a cymbal stand into the crowd. Ticks all the boxes for me.
What was the last gig you went to see?
Okay, I'm wrapping it up here as I have games to create and a little publishing business - that punches well above its weight - to run. If you're not into my random updates, please feel free to ignore them. I'll always mark in the subject line if something is a must read (i.e. project related).
Have a lovely weekend, go do a random good deed, and I'll see you on the other side.
