I wanted to share a quick update on where things currently stand.
The Folklore Americana Core Book is now in layout and active work is underway. The manuscript itself has grown well beyond my original expectations, as you know, and currently sits at approximately 275 pages before artwork is added.
At this stage, we're working through page design, layout refinements, illustrations, and all of the small details that transform a manuscript into a finished book. It is always exciting, and challenging, to finally see the project taking shape as actual pages instead of a collection of documents and notes.
To give everyone a look behind the curtain, I've included a few sample layout pages below. These are still works in progress and subject to change, but they should give you a good sense of the direction and overall feel of the book.
Here is also some commissioned character portraits being created for backers. They are not all completed yet, as I went back and redid a few I wasn't happy with, so don't worry if you have not received them yet, you will.
Character Portrait Art
Thank you again for your patience and support. Folklore Americana is a massive project, but it is moving forward every day, and I'm excited to share more as we continue through layout and production.
If you picked up the Coalbelly Cookbook Add-On, a Google Doc submission link has been sent to you and can be found in your digital downloads here on BackerKit.
Use that link to either:
Fill out the recipe submission form, or
Upload a document if your recipe requires additional space or details.
We'll be reviewing all submissions and including as many recipes as possible in the final book.
Please be sure to include your name so we can credit you properly. If you would prefer a family name, nickname, or "passed down from" attribution, feel free to use that instead.
When submitting recipes, please include:
Recipe title
Ingredients
Step-by-step instructions
Approximate serving size (if known)
We can't wait to see what everyone sends in. Some of the best recipes are the ones passed around kitchen tables, scribbled on index cards, or remembered by heart.
The corebook is officially done with editing, rewrites, and additional content (it was done a week ago, but I have been sick with the flu). The manuscript currently sits at roughly 117,100 words across a 390-page document, and that’s before final art, layout, and design elements are fully integrated. By the time everything is complete, this is shaping up to be a pretty substantial tome.
We are now fully entering production.
That means I’ll finally be able to start showing more of what’s being worked on — artwork, layouts, samples, visual direction, and pieces of the world coming together on the page. A lot of the work up until now has been making sure the foundation was solid enough to support everything else we have planned for the line.
Right now I’m estimating around 30 days on my end for production and layout work, though I’m planning to push hard with long nights and busy weekends to try and get it done much faster. I want this in your hands as soon as possible, but I also want it to feel complete, cohesive, and worth the wait.
While I’m buried in production work on the corebook, the rest of the team will be moving directly into editing and preparing the next round of books so we can keep momentum rolling once the core release lands.
This corebook needed the extra time and attention. It sets the tone, structure, visual identity, and foundation for everything that follows, and I wanted to make sure we got it right before pushing forward.
I really think it’s going to be worth it. Add in delays on top of that from personal issues, health issues, scheduling and so forth and its been a mess, and honestly my fault. I should have given us more production time and an easier schedule with this, and I am sorry that this delay has fallen on all of you.
I want to give you a real update on where things stand with Folklore Americana.
We’re behind. More than I wanted, more than I planned. I’m not going to dress that up.
A big part of this came from decisions we made during development that I still stand by. I expanded a bunch of content. We recently overhauled how the system handles stress and panic, which was a pretty fundamental change. It needed to be right, and the earlier version just wasn’t holding up the way it should at the table. On top of that, expanding the corebook to include magic and creatures added more weight than originally scoped, and that rippled into editing time in a real way. Then there’s just real life on top of it all.
The good news is we’re at the end of that stretch. The corebook should be out of editing and turned over to me for layout by this weekend. Once it’s in my hands, things shift into a phase I control directly, which means I can start moving faster and showing you actual pages, layout samples, and the book taking shape.
I know delays are frustrating. I feel that stress too. But the version of the book coming out of this is stronger, more cohesive, and actually supports the kind of play this game is built for. It’s not just “more stuff,” it’s better structure.
Quick note on portraits: if you had a character portrait in the corebook, some of you already received them, some of you didn’t. I’m redoing all of them this weekend. I wasn’t happy with how they turned out, and now that I have a clearer sense of the book as a whole, I know exactly how they should look and where they fit.
Looking ahead, once the corebook is in layout, the next regional book will move into editing. The goal there is to get those releasing on a 1–2 month cadence. In between, I’ll be pushing out additional content that doesn’t require heavy editorial overhead so things keep moving and you’re not just waiting on the big pieces.
At the end of the day, this is still just three of us building this thing. When something expands, everything expands. But it’s moving, it’s the priority, and we’re close to turning a corner where you’ll start seeing real progress instead of just hearing about it.
I appreciate the patience. I don’t take it lightly. And sorry for the lack of updates, I just really wanted to know where we stood with progress before making more posts.
I wanted to share where things stand and what’s been happening behind the scenes.
The corebook went into final edit and review last week. This is the last major pass before layout, and it’s focused on tightening the text, consistency, and making sure the book reads clean and strong from front to back.
Over the last stretch, I expanded the book in some important ways:
More equipment and goods to better support play on the road and in desperate situations
More spells and prayers, with stronger flavor and clearer use at the table
More creatures, each with much more extensive lore, behavior, and guidance for using them in play
GM Section, with better guidance on actual gameplay and storytelling
In short, the book is bigger, deeper, and more usable than the earlier drafts.
On the art side, I’m actively working through it now. That includes the backer character art. Some of those have already gone out, and the rest should be wrapped up this week. At the same time, I’m continuing to push forward on the rest of the book’s illustrations and layout assets.
I know we’ve been delayed, and I do genuinely apologize for that. Work on the other books has been ongoing in parallel, and the plan is for those to move straight into editing as soon as the corebook comes back to me for layout. This hasn’t been idle time. It’s been a matter of making sure the foundation is solid before everything else locks into place.
I know waiting sucks. I know you’re excited. I am too. But I’m confident this extra time is paying off in a better, stronger, more complete book, and I think you’ll feel that when it’s in your hands.
Thank you, sincerely, for your patience and your support. It means more than I can easily put into words.
It’s been a busy month, especially with holidays. A lot of work happening behind the scenes, and most of it is good news.
The big thing: the corebook is shaping up to be larger than originally planned. I went into this wanting the core book to feel complete, not just “good enough until the supplements.” As I kept building, it became clear that what needs to be in the core ended up being more than the original scope. I’m okay with that. I’d rather deliver a solid, definitive book than rush something thin.
At this point, the manuscript itself is done and in review for the most part. What I’m actively working on now is the creatures and monsters, deciding what absolutely belongs in the corebook versus what makes more sense to save for regional guides and what really covers the core game needs. That’s taking some thought, and it’s one of the reasons for a slight delay. I know we’re running a bit behind, but I want this to land right.
On the art front:
Backer illustrations are officially underway.
Those will start rolling out to backers next week.
I’ll likely start sharing preview art here as well, because there’s a lot of good stuff coming together.
Meanwhile, Lucus and Geoff are deep into reviewing the text. . . tightening, checking tone, consistency, and making sure everything holds together (and I am not rambling on incoherently). Once that pass is done, we’re ready to move straight into layout.
Right now, my target is to have Folklore Americana out in early February. Once the corebook is across the finish line, the other books should move along much faster since they’re already well into development.
As always, I appreciate the patience. I’m not dragging my feet, I’m making sure this thing is the book it deserves to be after wanting to make it for so long.
I wanted to share a quick update on where things currently stand.
The Folklore Americana Core Book is now in layout and active work is underway. The manuscript itself has grown well beyond my original expectations, as you know, and currently sits at approximately 275 pages before artwork is added.
At this stage, we're working through page design, layout refinements, illustrations, and all of the small details that transform a manuscript into a finished book. It is always exciting, and challenging, to finally see the project taking shape as actual pages instead of a collection of documents and notes.
To give everyone a look behind the curtain, I've included a few sample layout pages below. These are still works in progress and subject to change, but they should give you a good sense of the direction and overall feel of the book.
Here is also some commissioned character portraits being created for backers. They are not all completed yet, as I went back and redid a few I wasn't happy with, so don't worry if you have not received them yet, you will.
Character Portrait Art
Thank you again for your patience and support. Folklore Americana is a massive project, but it is moving forward every day, and I'm excited to share more as we continue through layout and production.
If you picked up the Coalbelly Cookbook Add-On, a Google Doc submission link has been sent to you and can be found in your digital downloads here on BackerKit.
Use that link to either:
Fill out the recipe submission form, or
Upload a document if your recipe requires additional space or details.
We'll be reviewing all submissions and including as many recipes as possible in the final book.
Please be sure to include your name so we can credit you properly. If you would prefer a family name, nickname, or "passed down from" attribution, feel free to use that instead.
When submitting recipes, please include:
Recipe title
Ingredients
Step-by-step instructions
Approximate serving size (if known)
We can't wait to see what everyone sends in. Some of the best recipes are the ones passed around kitchen tables, scribbled on index cards, or remembered by heart.
The corebook is officially done with editing, rewrites, and additional content (it was done a week ago, but I have been sick with the flu). The manuscript currently sits at roughly 117,100 words across a 390-page document, and that’s before final art, layout, and design elements are fully integrated. By the time everything is complete, this is shaping up to be a pretty substantial tome.
We are now fully entering production.
That means I’ll finally be able to start showing more of what’s being worked on — artwork, layouts, samples, visual direction, and pieces of the world coming together on the page. A lot of the work up until now has been making sure the foundation was solid enough to support everything else we have planned for the line.
Right now I’m estimating around 30 days on my end for production and layout work, though I’m planning to push hard with long nights and busy weekends to try and get it done much faster. I want this in your hands as soon as possible, but I also want it to feel complete, cohesive, and worth the wait.
While I’m buried in production work on the corebook, the rest of the team will be moving directly into editing and preparing the next round of books so we can keep momentum rolling once the core release lands.
This corebook needed the extra time and attention. It sets the tone, structure, visual identity, and foundation for everything that follows, and I wanted to make sure we got it right before pushing forward.
I really think it’s going to be worth it. Add in delays on top of that from personal issues, health issues, scheduling and so forth and its been a mess, and honestly my fault. I should have given us more production time and an easier schedule with this, and I am sorry that this delay has fallen on all of you.
I want to give you a real update on where things stand with Folklore Americana.
We’re behind. More than I wanted, more than I planned. I’m not going to dress that up.
A big part of this came from decisions we made during development that I still stand by. I expanded a bunch of content. We recently overhauled how the system handles stress and panic, which was a pretty fundamental change. It needed to be right, and the earlier version just wasn’t holding up the way it should at the table. On top of that, expanding the corebook to include magic and creatures added more weight than originally scoped, and that rippled into editing time in a real way. Then there’s just real life on top of it all.
The good news is we’re at the end of that stretch. The corebook should be out of editing and turned over to me for layout by this weekend. Once it’s in my hands, things shift into a phase I control directly, which means I can start moving faster and showing you actual pages, layout samples, and the book taking shape.
I know delays are frustrating. I feel that stress too. But the version of the book coming out of this is stronger, more cohesive, and actually supports the kind of play this game is built for. It’s not just “more stuff,” it’s better structure.
Quick note on portraits: if you had a character portrait in the corebook, some of you already received them, some of you didn’t. I’m redoing all of them this weekend. I wasn’t happy with how they turned out, and now that I have a clearer sense of the book as a whole, I know exactly how they should look and where they fit.
Looking ahead, once the corebook is in layout, the next regional book will move into editing. The goal there is to get those releasing on a 1–2 month cadence. In between, I’ll be pushing out additional content that doesn’t require heavy editorial overhead so things keep moving and you’re not just waiting on the big pieces.
At the end of the day, this is still just three of us building this thing. When something expands, everything expands. But it’s moving, it’s the priority, and we’re close to turning a corner where you’ll start seeing real progress instead of just hearing about it.
I appreciate the patience. I don’t take it lightly. And sorry for the lack of updates, I just really wanted to know where we stood with progress before making more posts.
Hello, a detailed Update every month should be the minimum to respect your backers. Even if you don’t have important progress to reveal, you can show work in progress extracts. Communication is really important ;)
