Hello Dungeon Denizens 2 backers!

This post is going to have a ton of photos. We are at the very end of the proofing process, where we are receiving physical samples of covers. So get ready for a whole bunch of those!

We also have one bit of bad-news-that-we-fixed-so-it's-fine-now. Long story short, the MCC neon cover will use foil instead of fluorescent inks to achieve the desired look. Full details on that below.

Before we dive in, remember that Castle Whiterock is live now. Already broke $425k and cleared every stretch goal, so we added more! Plus you get a free book of bonus adventures just for pledging. Check out the project here.

Now, let's start with proof photos... so many proof photos...

BTW, these are called F&G's, which stands for "Folded & Gathered." These are printed on the true and final paper stock. They're folded, and gathered together (hence the name), but no binding is applied. That is why in some cases you see the "guts" of the book sitting outside the cover. The guts are printed "as you'll get them", just not bound in yet, so we're showing you what the inside will look like, too.

In some cases you'll see "firm" covers. Those have already been adhered to the board. In other cases they look "floppy." That's the PLC (Printed Laminated Case), which is "exactly what it will be printed on," just not yet glued to a board to make it a hardcover. In those cases, you actually see the bleed, which is an extra 1/2" or so on every edge. If you examine one of your hardcovers at home carefully, you'll see the bleed is wrapped around the board edge, then the endsheets are glued over it, covering off that final 1/2". In these photos you can see the edge bleed that will be obscured by the endsheets when bound. In case anyone is wondering why the cover edges look weird on some of those "floppy hardcover images", that is why!

Now, on to some photos.

A couple updates ago, a backer asked to see interior shots of the Flumph book. Here are a few photos for you!

And while we're at it, here are some photos of the interior of Dungeon Denizens 2. First, the 5E version...

...and now some photos inside the DCC edition.

Now, the tale of this title. MCC has a natural "radioactive" theme, and we want to do a cover that captures that. We were originally inspired by the option of fluorescent inks. This is the printer chip that beguiled us:

Don't those fluorescent inks look awesome? That was the menu of choices. So we designed a cover that would utilize fluorescent inks.

A while back, the printer told us they were having trouble executing the cover. They sent the photo below. This was their first proof for the MCC neon cover. They rejected it internally and told us they were going to re-do it, and not even send it to us. Sometimes inks don't execute properly, for a variety of reasons. Believe it or not, humidity can screw up the printing process. The surface underneath the ink can sometimes affect things, too, and fluorescent inks are persnickety like that.

The "scratchy stuff" around the edges is glow ink. Our vision was a neon green cover, which turned into a glow cover when the lights went out.

Glow ink is very cool, and we've used it before. It leaves behind a residue. When we've used it previously, the residue blended into the cover look. However, when applied to a black case, as you can see above, the residue is way too obvious.

Plus the green wasn't vibrant enough!

After spending some more time reworking it, the printer then sent us this proof, which we just received:

As you can see, this still doesn't work. The green isn't vibrant enough and doesn't fulfill the promise of that original chip of fluorescent inks. And the glow ink is wayyyy too distracting - that white scratchy texture is too obvious. The glow ink was supposed to enhance the cover when in dark environments, but instead it became a distracting application of its own.

It's rare that we reject a proof, especially with the amazing printer we have, but in this case we have done just that.

The printer is now acquiring foil to achieve the same effect using vibrant foils instead of fluorescent inks. We will probably abandon the glow-in-the-dark idea, too, since it's just not executing right. Here is our mockup using our foil choices:

Once the foil inks are acquired, we can confirm the exact final shades, then we'll share a proof photo.

All this is to say... this MCC cover will still look cool. We're achieving the same effect, with a different path.

Whew! Wow this is a long update.

In other news...

Castle Whiterock is doing phenomenal. $425k+, all stretch goals cleared, new ones added... check it out and get your free softcover Book of Bonus Adventures!

If you live near Fort Wayne, Indiana, come visit us! We are opening our warehouse to the general public! Our famous warehouse sale happens Friday May 1 and Saturday May 2.

In addition, Dungeon Con 2 will be held in downtown Fort Wayne, IN on Saturday May 2 and Sunday May 3. Hundreds of games, seminars, and more! Plus your chance to meet the Goodman Gang and pick our warehouse clean!

Learn more and buy your badge on the TTE page!

Hello, Dungeon Denizens 2 backers!

Here's the latest update as we progress through the final part of the proofing process. In previous updates we showed you a wide variety of printer proofs. This update has the latest batch received since... well, since whenever we posted the last batch!

Most of these proofs are related to the DCC core rulebook and its iterations. The MCC rulebook is one of the last proofing items we are awaiting. More on that below.

So that's the latest round of proofs, everyone. Off the top of my head, we are currently awaiting only one significant remaining item, which is the fluorescent neon edition of the MCC RPG core rulebook. The printer sent a photo of their first proof run, but it wasn't bright enough. They're re-applying the neon ink for another proof sample soon. Once we have that approved, I believe it will be all proofs approved. We'll keep providing updates as we progress!

Hello everyone!

Reminder that this Friday, March 6 is the deadline to complete surveys. About 15% of surveys are still incomplete. If you haven't already done so, please complete your survey!

If you complete your survey on schedule, your items will deliver faster, especially for international backers!

Meanwhile, in other news...

Dragon Rider's Primer is live! This crunchy 5E sourcebook is suitable for both low-level and high-level campaigns. It elevates your adventure to new heights! Featuring 30+ flying mounts, 12 new subclasses, and new feats, spells, and options - for both characters and their adversaries. Check out the project for more info and see the stretch goals we've cleared!