PDF Released

PDF Updates

I Wrote a Poem - I originally had a section providing an example of how the creatures could be reworked for different themes. After expanding that idea into an entire toolkit to change themes, I decided on final proof read that this section was redundant and not as good as the new toolkit. I took it out and replaced it with a poem the characters could uncover that highlights the challenges they face.

Final Sketch of Zephyr's Veil - The artist delivered and we have a really cool hand drawn sketch of the evolution of Zephyr's Veil.

Final Kolossys is in! - Final piece came out amazing! Best part of this is we had a miscommunication that actually led to a way better vision from the artist than I had in my brief. 

Index is Built - I find indexes to be super useful as one tool in the toolkit for finding what I'm looking for. I really struggle with new books that don't take the time to build this feature for their readers. I hope you use the crap out of it as it is time consuming, but so worth the effort.

Next Version - I'm expecting somewhere between 1 to 3 additional updates to the PDF. 

• I need to go through and implement my subclass balancing system to validate everything feels good at all tiers of play in relation to the rest of the options available.
• I will potentially have feedback from the printer that minor adjustments need to be made to formatting to ensure print quality.
• There may be additional points of clarification needed based on your feedback.

Next Steps

PDF Status

We're close! The last two art pieces did make it, but one of them still needs work.

The final version of Kolossys came in and looks spectacular!

The last art piece, Creed's Zephyr's Veil sketch arrived, but it still needs work.

I'm not going to quite make the estimated delivery of May 31st, but we're very close. The tariff whiplash discussion delays put me a little behind and this last art piece is probably going to take another week to finalize based on where it sits. We're still within the buffer for the hardcovers, so we should not have any issues with the final books heading out.

Next Steps

• Zephyr's Veil sketch
• Build the index
• Double check all the cross linking (see page XX for ABC)
• Final check for any layout artifacts
• Make updates based on printer preflight feedback

There will be about two weeks for any additional changes you raise to make it into the final before printing as well.

Once the PDF is finalized, the print process will proceed.

It takes about a month for the printing to complete. The longest tent pole is the drying and binding of the cover, though there are a surprising number of steps in the full process.

Something particularly neat is that they use these large metal print plates and have four copies of each, one for each of the colors: yellow, magenta, black, and cyan in the order below:

Once the printing and binding is done, the books will be sent to the fulfillment center, and then packaged for each person and shipped out.

We're closing in and the book is really something!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out! I'm here and happy to help!

Have a killer weekend, and I'll talk to you next week!

-Brendan

P.S. Don't forget to snag a free copy of the 110-page Tome of Endless Wonders on the next Kickstarter promotion page before I swap it out on the 13th!

PDF is On-Track Targeted for Release May 31st

As I'm sure you're tired of hearing, I've had to spend way more time trying to navigate the ever changing lava fields of the tariffs and unpredictable manufacturing landscape.

They probably influenced my art brief when I sent over the details for the Kolossys concept piece! The final version is going to be epic, but here's the work in progress. I love how the primal/elemental chaotic elements meshes with the construct/man-made appearance of the artifact's face.

I'm still on target to wrap up the PDF by the end of the month to meet the original schedule. It's going to be a mad dash to the end, but the end is insight.

Notes:

• There are two outstanding illustrations we are closing in on (Kolossys above) and an architectural sketch of Zephyr's Veil done by Creed's own hand. I'm 90% confident about Kolossys. I give the architectural sketch a 75% chance of completion based on previous work with this artist.
• Once the PDF is in your hands, I've budgeted time in the original schedule to take feedback on any balance issues, or any other issues, and make updates. We'll likely have a few number tweaks as we get a wider set of eyes and game types/combinations using the material.
• When I preflight the PDF with the printer, we may identify issues where the text is at risk of printing artifacts based on image placement or other similar issues requiring small tweaks. This will result in some updates.
• All updates will be compiled, and you'll get a notification when the version in your digital library is updated. If there is any errata in the future, you'll get those versions as well.
• Once these changes are in, we'll proceed to printing as planned. 
• The infiltrator propaganda poster is one of my favorite ideas in the book!

Free 110-Page PDF

I put together a 110-page free PDF with tons of content for you.

You can snag it for free on the Kickstarter Follower page — but don’t wait. I’m swapping it out for new content on June 13th!

Once I wrap up the PDF preflight and get Creed's Codex: Echoes of the Shattered Age flowing through the printer, if you picked up the free preview you'll automatically get notified when I add another ~50 pages of content this summer now that the digital library is up and running!

Awe-Inspiring Artwork

I know I dropped a couple up above, but who says no to a few more epic page spreads?

If you have any questions, please let me know! 

Have a killer week and talk soon,
Brendan

Tariffs

Backer Lore

Manuscript Update

• Read aloud text for each area
• DM overview details of the area
• Faction activities in the area
• Transitioning between areas 
• 3 Notable NPCs (pulled from your lore submissions!)
• 3 Points of Interest (POI) within the area
• Read aloud text for  POI
• DM overview for POI
• 6 plot hooks with notes for the DM for each POI

I'm actively working on the manuscript live if you want to come check it out! You can drop any questions too!

How's your day going?

Talk soon,
Brendan