In which progress is made, largely invisibly, and we continue to creep up on our ultimate goal like a Hunter with a Knife.
MANUSCRIPT
Editing. Still editing. Maz has given Hollows a brilliantly thorough shakedown, and they’re now down to the setting chapter. The glossary of game terms and mechanics they’ve made is a thing of beauty, and I look forward to sharing it with you in the near future.
We’ve reworked the two scenarios that are going into the core book based on all the rules revisions etc. I’ve just finished my readthrough and they’ll go to Maz for editing next week. I had forgotten how many ways Chris Taylor knew to describe ticks, and also his knack for evoking sympathy and sadness in the same paragraph as describing ticks the size of apples.
We’ve heard back from our sensitivity consultant, who has taken Hollows pretty much in stride. The single biggest piece of feedback was that we needed to build out the nations beyond The Isles more, so Grant’s been working on new material to meet that need. We’re not quite ready to show it off yet: it may not surprise you to learn that writing a concise travelogue of colonised countries in a roleplaying setting is delicate work.
PLAYTESTING
If you took part in the extremely late-stage playtest over the last couple of months: THANK YOU! If you’ve provided feedback, THANK YOU EVEN MORE! If you haven’t, I’ll be sending out a Google form to everyone who received the playtest materials. Depending on how this week goes, it might have gone out before this update, in fact.
ART
The dashing, heroic, noble Sam Lamont is working on what I believe to be the final piece of art: the slipcase that encloses the special edition and component kit set. This is quite a fiddly, technical brief (there are cut-outs and stuff), and I look forward to proudly showing off the finished product in due course.
What I can share is some of Sam's work on the chapter header art. We've devised what passes in The Isles for a morality tale: the Seed of a Hunter's story, his development - Weapons in hand and foes at his feet - and his Last Good Death and eventual shift into the Lord of his own Hollow. Here's Chapter One.
COMPONENT KIT
The component kit manufacturer’s just finished the latest (and, I hope, final) round of sampling. I’ve been promised a set to review in the next couple of weeks, but the videos I’ve seen are looking nice. So are these snaps of the tactical grid and token bags.
So, all in all, the pieces are continuing to grind into place. This is the dull part where there’s nothing to show off, but work is continuing and no news is good news.
Until next month, when I will return with no news, which is good news!
