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PROJECT UPDATE
Lola | JohnsonOfair
CREATOR
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12 days ago

Project Update: Thank You & What Next...

Hi Everyone!

We've funded and over the next 14 days or so BackerKit will be charging and processing the funds for the Campaign. There are some failed charges, which BackerKit will email you about if this has occured with your pledge, you will have, I think, until next week to double check and correct this.

Now continues/begins the next steps to fulfillment. I've put together a rough timeline. open image in new tab to enlarge.


 A graphic timeline showing plans for writing, editing, design and surveys out in march, mystery planning beggining, and editing complete in april, with surveys closing and extras ordered. In May the Game should be in the layout stage and the internal art coming in along with the extras. June, Layout will be ongoing whilst the ephemera is being organised. July, a completed layout will go for test printing with a final edit review. Any dixes and revisions will happen before dgitial delivery and going to print. August Shipping will be calculated and charged with shipping begining after copies arrive.



Things are subjects to change in that they might be completed earlier or later, but this is the current plan which builds in a bit of buffer either way. As you know a first draft is already with Brent (Our Fabulous Editor) and some playtesting copies containing the core game are out too. There will be some revisions based on incoming feedback this week and a more complete playtesting copy will go out to Bookshop Patrons later in the month along with their special survey.  Designs are being done and finalised for the extras and I've reached out to get started on the art for The Curators Notebook. The next time you'll hear from me is when funds are received and surveys are ready to go out towards the middle/ end of this month.

We didn't quite meet all of our community goals. However I will collate a plain text book list of the recommendations given with the cards and prompts for them, so if you want to still add your recommendations to the resource, please do. This is likely something I will do in May. We were super close to the Independent Bookshop goal, so i'll also include a plain text list of those and if I have spare time I will pick a few to create map fragments from.

So much appreciation for you all!

Lola

p.s. If you are in the UK and feel like travelling to Glasgow later this month for the Inaugural Groundhog Play, sign ups are open for another week for this free Playtesting Convention.
Groundhog Play Info

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PROJECT UPDATE
Lola | JohnsonOfair
CREATOR
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15 days ago

Project Update: Only 7 Hours Left ~ Bookshops, Prompts and Rambles

Hi Everyone!

We're in the last seven hours of the campaign, and I can't say enough how much I appreciate and am grateful for your support. Getting to create something that speaks from my heart to yours and to work with others to create something truly beautiful is everything to me. I hope that you get as much joy from playing it as I do from writing it, collaborating and reading books.

Join the discussions to help us unlock more things, we're over halfway to shouting out 30 Independent Bookshops and I have to add some shout outs for the shops that were willing to chat to me and inspired and supported my research.  The Book Nook and Category Is in Glasgow, Common Press and New Beacon books in London, Books & Books in Florida and a tiny little secondhand bookshop in France whose name I don't remember (it was half my lifetime ago) but the magical paved path that wended it's way through the bookshelves will stick with me forever.

I've drawn three new cards for book prompts, so share a book from your collection you feel aligns with the prompts and help us build a community resource of extra prompts and recommendations.

2 of Wands from the Elemental Strength Tarot, The Sun from the Alleyway Tarot and the Nine of Air from the Rosewood Tarot.


A book that fears the unknown, A book that obliterates the darkness and a book that confronts fear


Speaking of which if you're interested in hearing me ramble about books and also to check out the rest of the Weird Place stream (apologies that it didn't seem to be set up properly to view from here). See my chat here and watch the full stream here.

The Weird Place are funding Residue a Solo Survival Sci-Fi Horror TTRPG on Kickstarter about wandering endless landscapes, searching ruins, and trying to stay alive long enough to find meaning. It looks like a fantastic game and I ran to support it. Watch the stream to let Gabriel and Le tell you more about their game themselves. As well as games from so many other fantastic creators!

For an entirely different ramble on the inspirations behind The Wanderer's Bookshop check out the interview I did with Dan from The Fandomentals


For now share away and lets see if we can unlock the last Stretch Goals. We've got a little sun in Scotland (it's a bright day), that and you carry me through the rest of the day, I hope some of my joy can help carry you through yours.

Lola


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PROJECT UPDATE
Lola | JohnsonOfair
CREATOR
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17 days ago

Project Update: A snippet from my journal and finding sources

We're approaching the last 48 hours!


Great news! We've unlocked the expanded Parallel Play mechanics by getting enough digital community copies to meet our goal. So i'll be finishing writing those this week.

Don't forget that the community share goal unlocks book plate stickers for all physical pledges and downloadable ones for digital, now is a great time to share and help us get our last few Stretch Goals met.

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With the first draft submitted to Brent (our glorious editor) I took a short pause on writing and had a go at digitising some of my playthrough (you can see why Nala is the best person to do the game layout) as seen in the main campaign image.
 
I struggle with pain in my hands so cutting and sticking is not something I can personally do easily, same with handwriting for long stretches, so I keep the sources i'm using together in a folder and in some cases hand write or voice record and then type.

However you chose to make your journal is up to you, the key is to make something you can keep in some form.

 If I visually digitise the whole playthrough after finishing, I might remove the background images and print a copy on some fun paper, which I may very well see if sewn binding is something my hands will let me do, alternatively i'll get good with my stapler!


For a close up and to scroll through these as pages head over to thirdvaultyarns.com (this is a direct link to the playthrough which is hidden on the website otherwise).


The playthrough currently follows the initial set up where you establish your Curator, which will help you to start finding the voice your journal entries will take. Then task entries, with some of the entries for the mystery solving prompts interspersed with day to day tasks like building a window display and cataloguing an intake. 

Books that I've included in the digitised playthrough are Shigidi and the Brass Head of Olubafon by Wole Talabi and The Secrets of the First School by Tendai Huchu. I'm reading my next book We Set The Dark on Fire by Taylor Kay Mejia and hope to get more free time to finish it ahead of plans to roll a new task and pull a card to present my friends with, so I can borrow a book from their collection when I visit :P


In the game book there is an appendix section dedicated to finding books and a separate one about finding sources and how to use them. Especially when you might need to focus on preservation because they are rare or precious to you.

In my digitised playthrough i've scanned in the sources i'm using
and digitally manipulated them - in this case a french pronounciation guide that I picked up in not amazing condition and a readers digest also picked up at the Barras market second hand bookstore in Glasgow. Along with a collection of musicals I acquired for free that you see on the first spread. The art for the window display on the last page was a bit of image manipulation, noun project icons and quick digital drawing. 

If you are working in a physical journal, you could do something along the same lines and photocopy the pages you'd like to use and then cut up the photocopies or take pictures of the items and include the pictures instead, saving you from destroying the original source if you don't want to.

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We'll be joining the Weird Place Zine Month Round Up Stream today along with several other great creators so swing by at 11am PST/ 2pm EST/7pm GMT/8pm CET youtube.com/@weird_place


I also had a chat with Todd of Third Kingdom Games in the latest episode of Sabre Rattlings. I apologise my laptop fans being a bit loud makes my audio quality not the best, but it was a great chat! so you can check that out here https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-j54rm-1a52d31

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PROJECT UPDATE
Lola | JohnsonOfair
CREATOR
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19 days ago

Project Update: 4 Days to go!

Hi Everyone!

I had an update half written for Friday and got taken out by how extremely busy that day was, I spent much of the weekend attempting to recover. 


Big news! We unlocked the Book List Notepad! I've had a little chance to play around with layouts for it and I'm quite liking what I have so far, so check out the add-on for a little taster. I'll be designing more versions ahead of going to print, so I shall put the final design to a poll for you to decide what will be printed.

Also the first draft of The Wanderer's Bookshop has gone for editing! It doesn't currently include the events supplement or additionalmechanics but because we are only 2 digital community copies away from to unlocking the Parallel Play Mechanics I have startes!d writing them! I really hope they get unlocked because i'm already a couple pages deep.... I'll pick the writing back up again when we reach that community goal. Both Keys to the Bookshop and A Bookshop Patron add more copies, as well as the add on. Keep sending in those book recommendations and Bookshop shout outs

 an imae with watercolour bookshelves on either side of the text "Community Bookshelves"

With previous Stretch Goals out of the way, our next target is the ever controversial paying myself for all the writing but really securing my ability to continue writing games by enabling me to upgrade my tech with not 10 year old equipment. At the same time unlocking a new print at home sticker sheet for download by every backer as a thank you. I've been using nearly any excuse to break out my watercolour paints for this project and this will be a fun one.


There are only 4 days left to go for this project so lets see if we can meet all our Stretch Goals, and unlock unique illustrations and a new task for the bookshop. A new task will mean that instead of a digital mini zine Events and the new task will both be included in the main book. SO to help us get there don't forget to share The Wanderer's Bookshop with people you know, on your socials if you have them and with friends that might want to go halves on a Twin Bookshop with you!


Zine Month Shout Outs!


We're in the last week of February and therefore the "end" of zine month. There are a number of projects whose funding periods end throughout the upcoming week including all the Zinetopia projects! So here's a few i'd love to highlight!


 a banner in the style of a medieval illuminated manuscript with ornate text that reads " Veritable Tales"

Veritable Tales of Folly in the Realms a collection of medieval mini party games to play whilst creating an illuminated manuscript with your friends! There's only 9 hours left on this one, so don't wait too long!

 a cute banner with a slightly leafy background a pink chibi axolotl and the text "Axolotl with a gun"

 Axolotl with a gun Take the fight to the robots to save your habitats as armed axolotls. Support the new and revised rules in this 2nd edition print. 

 A dark linocut tree top background with the text "How I heard it" on top and a zine mock up to the right of the banner

How I Heard It Another plug for how I heard it because who doesn't want to evoke the atmosphere of or literally campfire story tell! They still need your help to fund!

<a surrealist geometics and goat skeleton headed thing next to a the text "One Page TTRPG Bundle Volume 2 by La Lionne Publishing. Six all-new one-page TTRPGs. no preparation needed, just pick up the game and play!" </alt>

One Page TTRPG Bundle  A collection of six new one page games to pick up and play, a mixture of solo and group games for quick diversions.

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PROJECT UPDATE
Lola | JohnsonOfair
CREATOR
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24 days ago

Project Update: Stretch Goals and Playing Together

Happy Wednesday and much appreciation to you all!

We're at the point of having accomplished most of our pre-planned Stretch Goals and having over 10,000 pledged, i'm hoping that we'll unlock the Book List Note Pad soon!

So let's talk about Extra Stretch Goals!


title header Stretch Goals
 a ripped parchment graphic with text that reads "Unlock the Book List Notepad 10500 GBP, A digital printable and physical fillable book list. Printable for all digital and physical backers and sustainably printed physical tearaway pad will be available as an add on, and incl. in Keys to The Bookshop and A Bookshop Patron Tiers. Perfect for having your book list easily accessible or tradeable with others. Unlock Printable Sticker Sheet & Upgrade Lola's Tech 16000 GBP, Support Lola making future games and art by helping them upgrade their 10 yr old tech. To celebrate every backer will receive a new digital "sticker" sheet for personal printing. Unlock a new Bookshop Task 18500 GBP, Add a new task to The Wanderer's Bookshop - Task chosen by suggestion and poll by backers. Unlock More Unique Illustrations 21000 GBP, More specially commissioned art for the book, from Nala J. Wu, Joshua Clarke and Alex Coggon" Each stretch goal has a lock symbol next to them


The First ~ At 16,000 I'll allocate specific funds to improve the current tech situation and secure the likehood of me being able to make games and art for another 10 years. To celebrate Every Backer will recieve a digital "sticker" sheet for printing and cutting at home (different from the Bookshop curios sticker) as a thank you. Don't worry The Wanderer's Bookshop is all backed up and first draft is on it's way to Brent our editor this week!

The Second ~ At £18,500 we add a new bookshop task supplement. Surpassing this goal early on means we can also make sure to allocate funds to add it to the physical print and digital zine along with the already unlock Events supplement, including fancy layout from Nala J Wu.

What do you imagine you'll want to do as the curator of your own magical bookshop?  You get to choose our new task, Comment Below! I'll make a poll of all the non duplicate suggestions (including what doesn't already overlap with the current tasks).


The Third ~ At 21,000 we commision more art from our artists including Nala J. Wu.



Don't forget our Community Goals!

For example only 10 more Digital Community Copies to unlock expanded parallel play mechanics. What does that mean? Currently there is a short section on how you could parallel play if you wanted to. Expanded parallel play mechanics would include "relationship" building and how to establish some "rules/roles" in how you play together, aside from safety which is something that is discussed at the start. Also time and multiversal shenanigans.... it's fiction!

Join in the discussions to shout out Bookshops and i'll be drawing more cards today for more book recommendation prompts!


Zine Month Shout Out

 a banner with the text "bring down the stars" against a starry background with several falling star trails


If you're looking for to support a two player game, then check out 

Bring Down the Stars is a portal invasion hack of Godkiller: First Blood. In this duet TTRPG, take on the roles of a sadistic, otherworldly Game Master and player fighting to survive their death game. Bring Down the Stars is an anti-colonial, anti-capitalist love letter to overpowered protagonists, class solidarity, and the power of stories.

👉 Pledge Here

and 


Our wonderful Cross-Collab partner Threads We Share!

Don't forget if you back both our games you get a printable meanings sheet for the Major Arcana, to support you whilst you play our games and save you flicking back and forth for support if you're generating your own prompts.

a "ripped" stub of the collab reward printable showing the logos of both threads we share and the wanderer's bookshop in the centre an act key for threads on the right and  a cute little dog next to and inkpot and pile of books.



👉 Pledge Here

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