HEX 09: AUTUMN OF SOLACE — Production Update #2 🍂
about 2 years ago – Sat, Oct 29, 2022 at 01:47:16 PM

(TL;DR: This is that boring production update you make at the middle of a project that's like "yeah we're working very hard on it" just so people will leave you alone.)

Greetings. Forcefully risen once again by the pact that binds me, I present myself to you. Worn down, blood-soaked, and yet still all the more eager to tell you what I've seen down below.

State of production.

Since the start of the month, getting EXILES to the finishing line is back to being my primary focus. This will continue to be the case until at least January—at which point I'll go back to splitting my time more evenly between production and freelance work.

This is what's been going on since last time I updated you:

• I finished the core systems. All of the game's rules and structures are done!
• I'm working my way through the final manuscript. 
• External playtesting is underway.
• Michael has started final developmental work on the web app.
• Our guest writers, Adam and Nychelle, were briefed and have now completed their contributions.
• Me and Adam have been hammering out the Underdwellers (NPCs) section.
• Our layout artist has been brought in and is starting work on the final book layout.

Details on some of those points ahead.

Core systems, Manuscript & Playtesting.

After almost a year of development, EXILES is now on its final playable draft. This means all the game rules are fixed in place and working together to create the glorious, grotesque body that is the finished game.

Therefore, my creative efforts at the moment are devoted to:

• Finishing all the content. (Underdwellers, Landmarks, Crawls, Pacts, etc.) In other words, elements that are not core to the game but grease the wheels and add depth when playing it.
• Working on the final manuscript. This involves going over the playkit draft and expanding on it in a separate document; streamlining terms, writing examples of play, and so on. I'm currently working my way through the first chapter. 
• Playtesting! On top of being playtested externally by very kind volunteers, I'm also conducting the last round of my personal playtesting efforts. This is ensuring that the game's campaign functions as devised, and that all the pieces of the core systems are tested and refined before the game ships.

Content writing.

By far, the lengthier sections of the game's content are the Underdwellers and the Landmarks: The messed up little guys you meet in hell, and the messed up hellscapes you visit on the way. I'm currently working my way through the (over 30 and counting) underdweller list, which is currently 2/3rds of the way to being complete. Locations will start being worked on after we're done with the characters in a couple weeks.

• Adam has been doing an amazing work with the character list. And working with him has been nothing but a pleasure. Here are some of my favorite messed up little guys so far:

. . . 

. . . 

Book Layout

We officially have a layout artist. Everyone welcome Riley!

Riley (she/they) is a designer living on Deathspiral Terf Island (also known as the UK). She is currently working on As the Sun Forever Sets, a horror survival game about surviving the collapse of the British Empire under the weight of an invasion from Mars. She also creates graphics for (and occasionally appears on camera as part of) the Fiction First Network.

Riley will be in charge of taking the manuscript, setting it in the final layout, and working closely with me on designing the game's spreads and developing a final look. You can see some of her work for As The Sun Forever Sets and the upcoming GHOULBOYS ahead:

What's next?

I expect to have all the writing bits tightened up before the end of the year. After that, interior illustration will start, as the designing focus slowly shifts towards Crescent Moon 2nd. You can expect the next update to come sometime in the next 2-3 months. As always, you can keep up with me on twitter or instagram in between that time.

Have a happy halloween, and see you very soon. Until then. ✴️

HEX 08: Summer of Pain — Production update ✨🗝
over 2 years ago – Fri, Jul 22, 2022 at 04:12:58 PM

Hello. Once more I've crawled out of my game-making hell pit to dutifully update you on all the little happenings of the making. I kneel in blood-bound servitude, and announce the following:

State of production

As I write this, I'm wrapping up the last bits of core systems in EXILES. I call 'core systems' all the rules and procedures that make up the backbone of the game; this includes rolls, currencies, mechanics, and all other fiddly bits of play.

According to the abundant majority of playtesters, the game has turned out "unbelievably sick", "GOATED", and "10/10 ended all my friendships". I really can't wait for you to see it.

How is production going?

The past couple of months have been tougher than usual. I'm currently deep into a freelance project that is eating away a big portion of my working hours, and up until a couple of weeks ago I was finishing my (last) year of school. The time I've had available to make progress has been limited, but it feels like we're on the brink of taking a leap forward: The Backerkit launch has gone without trouble and the majority of you have already signed up (thank you so much!), Nychelle and Adam have just been briefed and will be starting their writing contributions soon, and the rules of the game are almost finished—which means external playtesting (to which you can still sign up to here) will be set into motion shortly.

What's next?

Next month is still going to be moving at half-speed (I'm going on a long-awaited vacation, and will still have to wrap up freelance work after coming back), but beginning from September I foresee production picking up steam at the usual rate. Once the rules are wrapped up and the playtest kit distributed, I'll be joining our guest writers into crafting the content section of the book: Rollable tables, character and worldbuilding options, items, locations of the path, and so on. Shortly after, the script will move into final layout as we slowly transition from the making part into the polishing part. This is where art, editing, and all the other fun stuff comes in.

Timeline Update

As you already saw on the progress sheet, the timeline has undergone a substantial extension. Here's why: When I first planned this project, I expected to only be able to fit a simple reprint of Crescent Moon into the campaign,  but thanks to the amount we managed to raise and the option of hardcovers coming into reach, I decided to take on the opportunity to better realize the original zine in an extended, higher quality format. 

This means we won't be simply sending in the original file when printing the new books, but will dive into the script and update the rules, art, and layout to polish and expand on the original game. In short, the version of Crescent we're working on is a proper second edition, rather than just a minor update.

A lot of the groundwork for this change is already in place: On the one hand, EXILES has already been written and developed with the updated ruleset in place, so porting it back to CM 2nd will be pretty straightforward. On the other, an extra hand has joined the team to take on the final layout of both games, which means we'll be making progress more efficiently. Still, taking on Crescent Moon adds at the very least a couple of extra months to production, so we're now looking at having everything ready to ship on late spring to early summer of 2023. 

Please remember this is not a set date; production delays aside, with a project of this scale the further you move along the less control you have over the process: Having to depend on manufacturers, shipping companies, and other real-world-stuff means unexpected hiccups can always arise. Still, we're doing all we can to minimize those eventualities and ensure the process moves on smoothly. Thank you for your patience. 🖤🗡

Serigraphs are done, by the way

People who follow me online already know about this, but the serigraph printing process wrapped up last June. Not only did I manage to not terribly mess it up, but they turned out amazing. Please take a look.

The staff at the printing office of my department was beyond helpful in getting these to turn out as crisp as they did, so a big thank you to them. You can expect one of these babies to come slipped inside your book if you pledged at the CROSSING FATES tier or ordered one through Backerkit already.

And that's it.

Thank you for sticking with me through another round of this purgatory. You can expect to hear from me again in Autumn once we've made more progress and production happenings accumulate. Until then. ✴️

P.S. Ryne is now crowdfunding on Indiegogo!

Ryne is a powered by the apocalypse wild fantasy game about life in the footsteps of gods. You may have heard about it from These Flimsy Rituals' actual play series from a couple years ago or from the playkit released on itch. It's a beautiful game where you and your community journey a patchwork world and weave stories together as you interact with the broken titans that shape the landscape.

If any of this sounds oddly familiar, it's no coincidence: I've been closely following Ryne's development for years now. In 2020 had the opportunity to play through one of the earlier versions of the game and was so awestruck by the way feelings and play intertwined and impacted one another I began to make games of my own—the result of which was a little book called Crescent Moon.

Ryne and Crescent have been growing together and influencing one another ever since,  for none of them would exist in quite the same way as we know them now without the other. I couldn't be happier to see how far Thryn and Adam have come with this project, so please check it out while it's funding—they've created something truly special. 🧡⛰

HEX 07: Preorder Store Open — Backerkit surveys on the way! 💌
over 2 years ago – Wed, May 18, 2022 at 08:26:28 PM

The path shines with a blighted glow. Through the cyphers and symbols I've grown accustomed to, I quickly divine where it wants me to go, yet I fear for what I might find—for what I might do.

Hey. I've just set into motion the Backerkit apparatus—that is, the platform through which we'll handle late-preorders and fulfillment for this campaign. Some of you will start getting your invite e-mails today as part of a 'smoke test'; and once we make sure we haven't accidentally unleashed the devil herself into this plane, invites for everyone will roll out over the course of the weekend.

What is Backerkit again?

Backerkit is a complementary platform to Kickstarter through which you will be able to:

• Purchase add-on items (like those sweet silkscreen prints or the book you didn't get).
• Change your reward level (limited to Stars & Flame, Accursed Tome, Bathed in Moonlight, and Crossing Fates).
• Enter your shipping information and pay for postage, if you're getting a physical reward.

You don’t need to create a Backerkit account to do any of this. You will simply receive an email with a link in a couple of days. To get everything sorted out just click on it and fill it out with your info whenever you have a couple minutes to spare.

Am I charged right away?

No. You will only be charged shipping fees and any add-ons once orders are locked.

When are the orders locked?

You will be able to modify your order until fall, at which point we'll lock all orders, charge cards, and gear up for printing and fulfilment. Over the next few months I'll be (respectfully) reminding you to fill out your info, so you can rest assured it will be hard to miss the date.

You can modify your order by re-clicking on the link sent to your email, or by requesting a new invite under "Lost your survey?" on the Backerkit page.

Please note that if you use Facebook to log in to your Kickstarter account, the Backerkit link is sent to the email address you use for your Facebook account.

Preorder Store

Along with all backer invites, we've also opened preorders for people who didn't back the campaign. The page looks rad as hell—feel free to check it out and share it with anyone who might be interested. :-)

Support

If you run into any issues, need assistance, or don't get your survey by next week, please get in touch at [email protected]. Thank you. 🖤

HEX 06: A New Path opens (Important backer poll inside! 📒) + CM 1e download link
over 2 years ago – Thu, Apr 28, 2022 at 04:51:38 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

HEX 05: Campaign funded! + External playtesting form 🗡
over 2 years ago – Wed, Apr 06, 2022 at 09:32:20 PM

Last Friday the funding period for THE EXILES ended, wrapping up with 456 backers and almost 300% funding past the original goal. It’s been a delight to be off to such a great start for this project. 🖤

What was unlocked?

We managed to cover quite a bit of stretch goals, including production of the forbidden boxset for all physical pledges of the expansion, extra landmarks and NPCs by Nychelle Schneider and Adam Dixon, a digital web keeper by Michael Pelletier, and interior illustrations by Conner Fawcett!

What’s next?

• Over the next few weeks, funds will be processed and sent to us by Kickstarter. In the meantime, I will be working on the remaining bits of the game’s core writing and settling some logistical aspects before tossing the ball to the other collaborators.
• We will also be working on putting together a Backerkit page for the game. Backerkit is a secondary platform from which you will be able to register your shipping address, pay for postage, and modify your pledge with additional items. You can expect to receive an invite to sign up sometime during the spring.
• We’re now entering late production of the game. If all goes according to plan, the game and all of its components should be ready for print sometime during the summer, and the books should be shipping over the autumn. We’ll let you know how we’re doing with the timeline as we move along.

Updates

You can expect a new update every couple of months. I will reserve them for when we hit any project milestones (like opening up the Backerkit!), for when there’s anything cool to show, or to report any delays that might affect the project. You can also follow me or Pocket Compass over on social media for more day-to-day happenings.

Thanks again. Don’t hesitate to reach out for anything. Until next time. 🩸

 P.S. Playtesting Sign-Up Form

We’re considering opening up the expansion for external playtesting. If you’d be interested in helping us make this game as nightmarish as possible by playing it and providing feedback, feel free to fill this interest form.