February Update
over 7 years ago – Sun, Feb 26, 2017 at 09:58:19 PM

Hello all. The leap year threatened to make me late for my monthly update, but I caught it in time. Here we go.

Rewards

All of the dice tins have been sent out. Thanks to those of you that have posted pictures and kind words; Sara really appreciates it! We hope you enjoy them. The tin-less dice are already purchased and ready to send out once the book is ready.

In less probabilistic news, I've commissioned the covers to all of the supplemental releases and have already received some concept sketches back.  I'm still working on editing Best Practices. Four out of the six enclave commissions have been completed, and we're only waiting on one more character piece. I'll send previews out once the final three are done. 

Beyond that, I've begun writing the unfinished chapters of the novella so I can get it edited and sent over for recording. After that, I'll begin the enclave and job writing for stuff like Le Corbusier. I'm also trying to figure out the LifeLines forums and the website. It appears my first vendor has taken the money, disabled the hosting, and run, so we're back to square one. Sorry. It happens, sadly. I'm trying to find someone more reliable currently. 

Otherwise, I'm going to hold off on commissioning more work for rewards and stretch goals. This doesn't mean I'm going to stop working on these projects, but I am taking a hiatus from spending your generous backer dollars on more art/products. 

The reasons are two-fold. Firstly, I was hoping to have my tax return back by now, but I'm still waiting as of this posting. We've hired out to a professional firm, so I don't anticipate anything going wrong, but I'm not one for counting chickens before they hatch. Secondly, with the current POTUS threatening to up import tariffs by 35%, my budget for shipping the print run stateside could potentially be blown to hell and back. 

In short, I'm saving until we can be absolutely sure the book gets to everyone. After that, we'll have enough steady income to ensure complete fulfillment of the project no matter what happens. But if I try to do too much too early and get smacked with an unexpected expense? We'd have a lot of support material with nothing to support. I'm not going to take that risk. 

Writing

I'm done! Well, not really. But close! I've only got, like, 60K more to write...but none of it is for the core book! Woohoo?

It's going to be about 210,000 words total. That's about 400-415 pages in print. A Fate or Apocalypse World hack seems like a much better idea, in retrospect.

Editing, Layout, and Art Direction

Laura is on her second pass of the History of the Crash and most of her way through the Loss. She's done an absolutely heroic job of cutting down my fluff into something leaner and better.

The layout for Playing Red Markets is pretty much done. Kyle and Kat did a fantastic job composing the most difficult section of the book, and it comes in at an impressive 183 pages. 

As far as art goes, we're only 2 pieces short of having all commissions turned in for Running the Market. For the setting chapters, we have 39/48 pieces completed as of right now, before the editing has even been completed. All-in-all, we're making fantastic progress towards a completed PDF and print run. 

Conclusion

Thank you all for your continued support. If you have any questions, hit me up in the comments. I can also be found @HebanonGCal.

December Update
almost 8 years ago – Sun, Dec 18, 2016 at 03:32:47 PM

We're a week or so early this month, but I don't want to leave all you loyal Takers without an update.

Rewards

The dice tins are done. I'm putting dice in them right after I finish typing this. I'm going to wait to mail them until after the holidays, though. I don't want all Sara's hard work handcrafting a dice tin to be wasted as the package gets lost in glut of Amazon boxes. Backers at the dice tin level should expect a survey for addresses after the new year. Regular dice packages will ship with the book late next year. 

Editing, Layout, and Art Direction

"The History of the Loss" is done and off to editing. Laura's got her work cut out for her on this one...literally, considering how over the word count I went. We might have to find some way to get the unedited version of the text to backers at some point; a lot of stuff is going to have to stay on the cutting room floor to make the art budget and page construction work. But it's done. "The Loss" section is all I have left to write.

The first setting chapter has also been completely art directed, and contracts have been sent to artists for all the pieces. Overall, the art for "Playing Red Markets" is completely done, the art for "Running Red Markets" is 75% finished, and the art for the setting stuff is already starting to roll in from some of our faster doodlers (all the art in this post is from the "History of the Loss" chapter, incidentally). I couldn't be happier with the work from the art crew. As you can see from these updates, this book is going to look cool.

Kyle and Kat are slugging away on two sections at once. With all the art complete, Kat has taken to working on Playing the Market by herself while Kyle works ahead on the Running the Market chapters. Hopefully, tackling 2/3rds of the book simultaneously puts it in your hot little hands faster.

Writing

Like I said, History is done. I finished 65K words between September and December while teaching full time. Believe it or not, I'm disappointed I didn't get more finished, even though I can look at the numbers and realize that's patently ridiculous. Anyone who has ever dealt with a paper load should look at that number and be proud. I deserve a friggin medal. 

I've been more excited to write "The Loss" chapters than anything else in the book, which is worrisome considering how much longer History ended up than intended. However, there's a lot less info to convey in those sections, so I think I can hit a more reasonable word count. Not wanting to leave that to chance though, I'm taking a little break over the holidays to get my head right. The character of Banhammer has a very different voice than Gnat, and I need to make sure he's more terse than ever. I need a bit to get into that Hemingway-esque headspace before I tackle the final chapter.

Ross, on the other hand, is booking right along with Best Practices. It should be done and in my paws by the end of the year. I can get starting editing that, and it'll be the first of our supplemental releases. To that same end, I've also been working with Chris on getting our worldmap together. The geography of the Blight is basically going to be my writing prompt for "The Carrion Economy," so I should be ready to go on that section once my corebook responsibilities are complete.

New Podcast: The Mixed Six

I took a strange journey into writing RPGs. I came to the hobby late in life, through a podcast meant to promote Ross's fine work in the field. Oddly enough, I mimicked the game writing part before I ever got into the podcasting side of the RPPR equation. It's something I'm trying to remedy now.

I've wanted to try starting my own pod for awhile now, if only to provide an income that allows me to write a little more often. A podcasting release schedule is steadier income than the Kickstarter planning/product release cycle, and it's something I'm doing every week anyway. If I can make enough money to quit adjunct teaching and just work one full-time job while running Hebanon Games, it's going to speed things along quite nicely.

So to that end, we've started a new podcast called The Mixed Six.

The Mixed Six is a variety podcast structured around beer reviews. For every 10-15 minute segment, we start with a quick beer review. From there, we launch into a wide variety of topics: anything ranging from movies, board games, politics, sports, philosophy, etc. The more "lubricated" the hosts get, the headier the topics become. Basically, while we share a mixed six of beers, the listeners get a sampler of six bar conversations. 

While we talk about games a lot in each episode, it's a variety podcast meant to appeal to an even wider audience. But if it's not your thing and your'e just here for the zombies and economic horror? Don't worry. I'll still be doing RPPR podcasts as often as ever, and it doesn't effect the production of Red Markets in the least. I was drinking with Spencer before this Kickstarter even launched, and I'd be doing so anyway if we hadn't decided to put a microphone on the table. 

All that The Mixed Six is meant to do is provide me with a little salary so I can prioritize working on my creative projects. I pull no income from the KS money so generously donated by Kickstarter backers; every cent of it is going to art, editing, layout, printing, distribution, packaging, etc. And while I think that's the way to go artistically, it's not sustainable in the long term economically. If I'm ever going to get to a place where I can write full-time, something like The Mixed Six is going to take me there. 

But hey, all of you have already been super generous. If you don't feel like backing the Patreon, our first two episodes are up for free at themixedsix.com. We'll also be dropping free episodes there at least twice a month. So if becoming a patron and a backer isn't your thing, no hard feelings. I hope you enjoy the free podcast.

Conclusion

Things slow down during the holidays, but I'm happy to report the progress we've made this month despite the busy lives of our freelancers. I hope all of you have wonderful, productive holidays as well

Stay warm and keep your powder dry, Takers. The frost won't freeze the dead forever, and we'll be back at work again sooner than you think. 

Red Markets Quickstart Rules Playtest
almost 8 years ago – Wed, Nov 30, 2016 at 06:24:19 PM

I know I try to limit myself to one update a month, but this is too cool to wait on.

Laura and Adam, respective Red Markets editor and angel-investor, have long been on my case about the need for a quickstart guide. "Any game that survives and gets played in the wild has a quickstart guide," they said. "How are people meant to demo the Profit system at conventions without a starter packet?" they asked. 

"Oh God!" I would scream in response. "Not more words! Anything but more words!" Crying usually followed shortly thereafter.

Astute observers of human behavior that they are, Laura and Adam correctly assumed I was unfit for the task and just went about doing the work themselves. The results are pretty great, and the pair have already tested the content at multiple conventions.

However, the point of the packet is to get those unfamiliar with Red Markets playing it. Laura and Adam haven't been unfamiliar for quite some time, so the packet is in need of beta playtesters.

From Laura:

We are working on play testing a quickstart version designed for first time players and GMs to quickly pick up the system and setting at the table and try out a single-session adventure. The quickstart version includes pre-generated characters, a 10-page rule-book for players, two starting jobs to choose from, a GM's guide, and questions for post-game discussion and feedback. If you and your group are interested in helping us out by play testing this packet, please email laura.briskin.limehouse@gmail.com, and put "RM Playtest" in the subject line. 

Thanks, 

Laura

So there you have it! Now is the perfect time to try Red Markets with your group if you haven't. I'll be leaving this update open to anyone intentionally; if you missed out on the preview draft distributed through the KS, we would love to hear your feedback on the quickstart packet most of all. 

Thanks again to Laura and Adam for putting this together. It's really cool of them. I can't wait to read everyone's feedback!

November Update
almost 8 years ago – Mon, Nov 28, 2016 at 07:39:26 PM

Celebratory Vitamin C supplements for all! It's holiday season in the Loss! It's also time for the monthly update on the book's progress.

Rewards

I'm sorry to say that I have no rewards progress to report. Sara was gone every weekend this month for work, weddings, or family stuff. My schedule hasn't been much better. Thanksgiving obligations certainly did not help. Any time that can be spared has gone towards the book itself rather than rewards. I hate reporting that the news is no news, but it's bound to happen on a project this size. Sorry.

Editing, Layout, and Art Direction

Laura is heroically tackling the first batch of setting material as we speak. Those that want real-time updates can follow her Twitter. She's taken to mocking my typos in public now, so that should be fun for everyone (mutters under breath).

Kyle and Kat are in the trenches fighting the inventory chapter. The layout out for gear section is the one area of the book that can't follow the rigid style guide already established for the rest of the book. As such, it's going to take longer because we have to experiment with things. The rest of the text should go much faster, as it's mainly stylizing headings and killing the widows and orphans (Figuratively, not literally...well, maybe not literally. I don't want to tell Kyle and Kat how to live their lives). 

Further speeding layout along is the fact that all art assignments for the "Playing Red Markets" section are complete. One-third of the book's total art is finished! While that's not a pace fast enough to get done early, it's easily on track to hit our promised deadline, even accounting for the typical holiday slow down experienced by all freelancers. All in all, things are looking good for Red Markets...literally.

Printing and Distribution

Nothing has changed on this front either, but with both printing and distribution agreements set, no news is good news. I'll let anybody know if things change, but I'll probably delete this section from further updates until we get ready to go to press. 

For those late to the project, see previous entries for news on how printing and distro have evolved since the campaign. TL;DR: Late backers can get in on the add-ons via Backerkit, which is also where all shipping fees will be collected. 

Writing

I'm still posting early drafts up on our Reddit. The latest is called "Naming the Divide." Besides that, I can only report my progress in words written rather than sections complete.

I write long. It's the greatest of my many flaws as a writing. The problem is deeper than imprecise sentences; Laura can help me through those issues. I also don't see it as a problem of focus. When I can't place how the information might be used in a game, I have no trouble cutting it. No...my writing has a content problem. I generate too much of it. 

This isn't a humblebrag; I really generate too much of it. When I get into a game setting, I write down more shit than anyone could use in a dozen campaigns, to say nothing of the half-of-one campaign most people ever run in a single system. I don't know how to kill my babies or K.I.S.S.. I can't prioritize my thoughts beyond "useful for someone or not." It's the bane of every publisher I've ever worked with. Trying to stop the process in the drafting stage just stops me dead, so I write long and hope I can cut it later. 

Too much content for a single book is more a business problem than an artistic one, but it requires an artistic solution I haven't figured out yet. 

All of this is a long-winded (of course) way of saying that the "History of the Loss" section is running long...almost three times longer than I'd planned. Of course, word counts change once Laura gets out her chainsaw, but even she can only do so much. I underestimated the degree to which the near-future setting before the Crash was necessary to understand the initial situation of the game. I also underestimated the complexity of explaining the effects an ironic apocalypse would have on a culture. There's stuff in there vital to understanding the premise; cutting two-thirds of it would leave mechanics on the floor as well. I'm not willing to do that. 

So I've made an executive decision. I'm turning the "Best Practices" chapter into a supplement. Everyone at the PDF level and above will receive the entirety of "Best Practices" complete as promised. We have enough in the budget to cover extra pretty pictures. We just won't be printing the chapter in the core book because, frankly, the binding won't hold up under the weight of my bombastic prose.

I believe this is the best move for the product for multiple reasons. First off, while Ross's writing is fantastic, the purview of "Best Practices" was never essential to play the game. In contrast, "History of the Loss" answers all the questions about how the setting came to be, and "The Loss" is a buffet of present-day plot hooks. Both are necessary for new GM's to get new players immersed in Red Markets. Pro-tips for player-characters is great for promoting in-depth roleplaying from already committed fans, but it's also something groups can come up with on their own. "Best Practices" belonged in the realm of supplements all along, but I foolishly underestimated my verbosity.

Furthermore, moving "Best Practices" into the supplements also gives Ross plenty of time to give his best to the material. He won't have to write under the same death march I'm under.

Finally, though the plan is to sell our supplements digital-only, putting "Best Practices" into the supplement range means we have the option of providing a print expansion one day. If we collected all the rules-expansions (War Rules, etc), setting extras (The Carrion Economy, the Trades, etc), and pre-gen enclaves into a single volume, adding "Best Practices" to the bunch would put us over the page numbers we need for a print book. 

In short, backers can expect Red Markets to have the same word count promised during the KS campaign, plus a new PDF supplement to boot. The only thing changing is the focus of some of the setting material. 

Conclusion

That's it for the November update. I'll be focused on whipping as much productivity as possible out of myself and the team during the difficult holiday season, but hit me up in the comments with any questions you have. I'll get back to you eventually. 

October Update
about 8 years ago – Tue, Oct 25, 2016 at 09:53:06 PM

Like the enclave's tax collector, the monthly update inexorably approaches. Here's where the project is at currently.

Rewards

There's not much movement on this front. I haven't had time to get to a scanner for the Taker notebook and game design notes yet. 

All the enclave commissions and (the only three) Taker commissions I received have been scheduled for illustration. This is my final call for art commission information. If I don't get your commission info within the week, I can't promise it will be in the book. 

We are two dice tins away from being able to ship. Those backers at the $100 level will likely be the first to receive surveys, as regular dice orders will ship along with the finished book. If you don't mind, I'll be using the dice tins as sort of a soft open/test run of our Backerkit surveys and add-ons. I want to make sure our postal calculations and upgrade options are on point before we open it up to the thousands. 

Editing, Layout, and Art Direction

I've compiled and entered art direction for the first 30K of setting material. The section is not done, but it means all our extremely talented artists get to keep working steadily. It's a good thing, too, because we're about a quarter of the way through illustrating "Running the Market," and less than 10 pieces remain unfinished in "Playing Red Markets." I can't promise when we'll finish for certain, but I'm absolutely thrilled with our art team and the steady pace at which they create jaw-dropping work. 

Similarly, Laura is burning through the editing. She should be finished with "Running the Market" by the end of the month, and she'll be moving on to the first batch of setting fluff shortly thereafter. This means 2/3rds of the book should be ready for layout by November, and the majority of the art should be ready for placement within it. 

Kyle and Kat have already sent me some proofs of what the final copy of "Playing Red Markets" will looks like. It's gorgeous! And it looks good despite the distraction of both of them getting married last week. I can't imagine how great it's going to look when they're not trying to juggle wedding plans along with my insistence on four-paragraph long "sidebars."

Printing and Distribution

Again, I'm not ready to get into specifics. Something might change, and the business needs some flexibility if that happens. That said, I can finally make a few announcements regarding printing and distribution.

We have a distributor lined up. Red Markets will be available both online and in game stores all over the US. The distributor will also be handling fulfillment of the KS orders, so the delay between the print shop's delivery and getting a copy to your door will be minimal. 

We've also signed an agreement with a printer, meaning we can deduct the print cost from this year's income and secure them against getting taxed out of existence. Yay for accrual accounting!

I know all that's too vague to be of very much use to fans of the game, but it does have a big implication for our backers. During the whirlwind month of the campaign, there wasn't time for the extensive market research required to get the best possible print quotes and exact shipping costs. Now, after some sober accounting, I can say that it makes more financial sense for Hebanon Games to cut POD out of the process entirely. 

As such, we will be paying the print cost for all hardcover AND all softcover backers. All backers still have to pay for shipping, but the discount we receive from our printer by printing both hardcover and softcover versions through a single press means that it makes financial sense for us to cut out POD fees. So, whereas before hardcover backers had to pay shipping while softcover had to pay for shipping and printing, now everyone need only pay for shipping. 

If this price difference means some softcover backers would like to upgrade to hardcover, you can up your pledge retroactively when it the time comes to send out the Backerkit surveys. The only difference in price for upping a pledge will be the difference between softcover and hardcover price. Shipping costs will remain the same across both cover types.

Writing

The pressure is on. I have enough writing finished to keep everyone working steady, but that won't stay the case much longer at the current pace. As always, the writer is a weak link in the chain of project management; if I don't do my job, nobody else can.

Which isn't to say I'm totally blowing it. I've been posting steady excerpts on our Reddit page for those that want to see the progress creep up. I'm only saying I'm becoming keenly aware that I need to move faster. 

As I mentioned in the previous update, I've hired Ross Payton to take over the "Best Practices" setting chapter. If that doesn't prod things along fast enough, we still have some rearrangement options we can fall back on, such as moving a chapter over to the supplements. All backers would still receive that material for free, of course. 

It may actually end up being beneficial to move one of the setting chapters outside the core text. "Carrion Economy" is already a setting supplement, and we're only about 20K away from being to collect all the stretch goals into a second book... 

But that's a discussion for another time. Right now, I should write more book and less update.

Conclusion

I'll leave you with one of our chapter breaks/promo posters, hot from Michael's pen. Poor guy put in all this hard work...then I saw it and immediately commissioned five more. A Taker's work is never done. The above image starts of "The History of the Crash" chapter, which will be the first setting section to be finished up. 

Anyway, I hope you're all pleased with this month's progress. There was a lot of stuff in this update, so if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me in the comments. 

Otherwise, I'll get back to my typing. Have a good month!