Still a little fuzzy in the brain today from the whirlwind fun Neall Raemonn Price, Fast Eddy Webb, and myself had at MidWinter con in Milwaukee.
The pic above shows our two table booth in the vendors hall where we sold out of M20 and M20 How Do You DO That? in a day. I did not expect that since so much of the convention’s roots are based in LARPing and mostly Vampire LARPing at that. V20 Lore of the Clans sold really well too, but that I expected.
If any of you went to our early White Wolf parties back when Gen Con was in Milwaukee, this is the same ballroom where we had several of our Saturday night festivities. That gold draped alcove was I think the one where Ray Winninger sat for “Ray Winninger’s Krackin’ Korner”, where the noted game designer would unleash hilarious insults on anybody who stopped by. We knew how to have fun!
The fun at MidWinter wasn’t just the booth and reminiscing about Gen Cons past, most of it was talking with fans and other gaming industry folks. At the booth, in restaurants and bars, we reconnected (and sometimes just connected) and talked gaming. Because it is a smaller con, the need for formal meetings and agendas was much less, and everyone seemed much more relaxed.
Most of all though, the best parts of the con professionally were the playtests of Scion and Pugmire. We got a lot of positive confirmation that the StoryPath System was fun and works like we intended, and there was huge interest in the new Scion edition. We were surprised by how many people and companies were interested in Scion live action gaming, and we are definitely going to discuss that further.
And then, there is Pugmire. There is really no way to express the waves of interest we got for this game world at this convention. Maybe because it was a year ago that “Be a Good Dog!” became the catchphrase for the game in the very first playtests, but wow, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so much sheer enthusiasm for a game world even from folks who don’t play tabletop RPGs.
The Kickstarter for Pugmire at the end of this month is going to be very different from almost any one we’ve run before, that’s for sure.
In fact, The Gentleman Gamer himself, Matthew Dawkins, is coming out of online blog retirement to both interview Eddy about Pugmire and then to run an online Pugmire game with Fast Eddy Webb as one of the players along with a couple of folks who send him interview questions. If you are interested in sending him in questions, and maybe getting a chance to sit in on a game, here’s the link where Matthew explains himself what he is doing: https://youtu.be/XC8VdYeRSVc
So, before I crash, let’s just wrap up by saying it was a very good convention, it has informed our plans for all of next year, and we’re thrilled to have gone and now be back and working on the projects below. Thanks to all involved (and a more detailed thanks in the Reason To Drink section at the end of this blog.)
BLURBS!
KICKSTARTER!
The Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition Kickstarter IS OVAH! Stretch Goals were passed like the C20 Deluxe Dice Sets as Add-ons, Kithbook: Boggans, and a sequel novel to the Immortal Eyes fiction trilogy written by Jackie Cassada!
Unfortunately, we could not get enough commitments for the Ultra-Deluxe C20s featuring a stained glass style cover, so we won’t be able to create that. Good try everybody! C20 is still going to be gorgeous, and your support made that possible!
In the heady days of the D20 explosion, White Wolf created our own fantasy setting featuring a world devastated by the brutal war between gods and ancient titans. The Scarred Lands will return as this Kickstarter for the new edition of Scarred Lands Players Guide was funded last week! Hosted on KS by our partner, Nocturnal Media, this Kickstarter is not only for a new edition but for a print run to get Pathfinder AND 5E editions into stores!
Here’s the link! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1861515217/scarred-landsfrpg-setting-in-both-5e-and-pathfinde
ON SALE!
The Tales From the Age of Sorrows Exalted 3rd fiction anthology is now on sale at DTRPG in PDF/ePub/Mobi and PoD versions! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/145501/Exalted-Tales-From-the-Age-of-Sorrows
The Demon Storyteller Guide has dropped its cover and is on sale as an Advance PDF on DTRPG! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/170165/Demon-Storytellers-Guide
M20 How Do You DO That? is now available at DTRPG in PDF and PoD versions! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/162241/M20-How-Do-You-DO-That
The Pugmire Pamphlet we had available at Gen Con is now ready for PDF download. Read about the world of Pugmire from the enthusiastic and optimistic pen of Princess Yosha Pug, as well as notes from the gruff and worldly hunter Pan Daschund: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/153518/Pugmire-Gen-Con-Brochure
There are also six Pugmire posters available as free PDFs or $.99 physical posters, suitable for framing:
- Spike Mutt: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/150845/Spike-Mutt-Pugmire-Poster-6
- Pan Dachshund: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/150844/Pan-Dachshund-Pugmire-Poster-5
- Jack Rat-Terrier: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/150944/Jack-RatTerrier-Pugmire-Poster-4
- Sgt. Leo Bulldog: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/150843/Sgt-Leo-Bulldog-Pugmire-Poster-3
- Princess Yosha Pug: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/149750/Princess-Yosha-Pug-Pugmire-Poster-2
- Sister Picassa Collie: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/148516/Sister-Picassa-Collie-Pugmire-Poster-1
Start spreading the Code of Man!
CONVENTIONS!
See above!
And now, the new project status updates!
First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)
- M20 Book of Secrets (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- CtL anthology (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)
- Ring of Spiragos (Scarred Lands)
- Ex Backer Charms (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- DA Tome of Secrets (Vampire 20th Dark Ages)
Redlines
- Mummy Fiction Anthology (Mummy: the Curse)
- Wraith: the Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition
- V20 Ready Made Characters (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Cavaliers of Mars
- Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)
- Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition
- Night Horrors: Conquering Heroes (Beast: the Primordial)
- Dagger of Spiragos (Scarred Lands)
- EX3 Quickstart (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Second Draft
- Arms of the Chosen (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- Shattered Dreams in-book stretch goals (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)
Development
- StoryPath System Rules (Base rules set for Scion and the Trinity Continuum)
- W20 Changing Ways (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)
- VtM Lore of the Bloodlines (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)
- W20 Shattered Dreams (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Beast Ready Made Characters (Beast: the Primordial)
- Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)
- WtA Kinfolk (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Scion: Alpha (Scion 2nd Edition Playtest Alpha Slice)
- Beckett’s Jyhad Diary (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)
Editing
- W20 Pentex Employee Indoctrination Handbook (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Dark Eras Companion (Chronicles of Darkness Dark Eras)
- WtF The Pack (Werewolf: the Forsaken 2nd Edition)
- CofD Hurt Locker (Chronicles of Darkness)
Post-Editing Development:
- V20 Ghouls (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Secrets of the Covenants (Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition)
- Scarred Lands Player’s Guide: Ghelspad (Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
Indexing:
- Chronicles of Darkness Core Book (Chronicles of Darkness)
- Beast: the Primordial Core Book (Beast: the Primordial)
ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:
In Art Direction
- V20 Ghouls – Awaiting text.
- W20 Shattered Dreams – Awaiting artnotes for Ch. 5. KS shirt is done.
- Promethean: the Created Second – Ron art rolling in… once all in I’ll send it over for approval.
- Scarred Lands PG – Wrangling last bit of art out of artists and recontracting some.
- Dark Eras Companion – Still sorting through that buy.
- The Pack – Almost contracted… waiting on one guy to get back to me.
In Layout
- Guide to the Black Hand – Working on it.
- Chronicles of Darkness Condition Cards – Working on those this week. And yes… Cards. Conditions, Numina, and Dread Powers.
- Mage: the Awakening Second – Awaiting approved text.
- Pugmire Early Access – Waiting on the last of the art to come in.
- Beast Anthology – Awaiting approved text.
- Dark Eras – Art in progress. Actually already have the artwork for Sundered World in. Doing layout with holes while the artwork is in progress. Sent notes for first bits of symbology over to Sto.
- Forsaken 2 Condition Cards – Should be going off to proofing by end of the week with the CofD cards.
- Lore of the Clans Prestige Edition – Prepping files.
Proofing
- Ex 3 core book – From RichT: Maria is working on the correx.
- Truth Beyond Paradox – Still proofing with Phil.
- Beast Screen – Off for approvals at Paradox.
- Gauntlet of Spiragos 5e – Sent to Scott Friday morning… might be a little bit as he’s currently moving.
At Press
- M20 – Deluxes printing (Screen is finished and awaiting book).
- Demon STG – Errata collecting, done Weds.
- Dreams of Avarice – Errata collecting, done Weds.
Special- projects on hold in the art and production area until an external factor is resolved
- Wraith 20 – Can’t go further until art notes come in, still being developed by Rich Dansky.
- Pentex Employee Indoctrination Manual – Some added and amended text needs to come in.
TODAY’S REASON TO DRINK: To all our friends at MidWinter: Anne and Bill, who run an amazing and warm experience no matter how freaking freezing it is outside; Meredith and Mike, who just embody positive energy and who you are no doubt going to hear more about; our blood cousins at By Night Studios, long may they stalk through the night; the gang from IGDN, who were great to finally meet and talk, joke, and scheme with; Matt McF and Michelle, who I loved getting to have some facetime with; Matt McE and Monica, with whom our whole next year was plotted; Front Room Games, oh you guys- you are gonna do some great things; Drew and Ric and John, who were always supportive all con long and great adventuring dog brothers…”it’s called sarcasm, Spike!”; Pat and Tiny and Danielle and everybody and anybody else I didn’t mention but who were there having such a good time with us. Thanks!
What exactly does “Awaiting Approved Text” mean?
It means I have to keep pushing my internal estimate of when we’re going to get the book back every week. :p
But, more seriously, I believe it means White Wolf has yet to sign off on the text, so layout can’t get fully underway. If there are any changes they want made it could mess with the layout otherwise.
Ok, Storypath works as intended=awesome. So when are we gonna start hearing about kickstarters for Scion and Trinity Contimuum? I have literally been making sure that I have at least 150 bucks available for each KS of those lines since the reboot was announced! 🙂
Thanks! I expect at least one of those lines will have a KS this year.
That’s great! I’m waiting for Scion 2nd as well. 🙂
Mechanically is StoryPath going to mimic Scion v1? Am I going to have to buy gobs of d10s or a mix of different dice?
My favorite Trinity continum setting was Adventure! Will we be seeing all the TC books drop in the same year or a more traditional staged release over the course of a few years?
StoryPath is a ten-sided dice pool system, but with a design goal of holding down the number of dice you need to roll. There still might be a big event where you’ll need a bunch, but that’s supposed to be a lot rarer now. We will be releasing the “core books” through several years, with supplements and additional Continuum settings interspersed between the original three cores.
What’s the time between Beast finishing Indexing and the Kickstarter ones being sent out? As in, how long is it likely to take?
A month, give or take.
Nice to see an update on lore of the clans prestige edition. Can’t wait on that and tome of secrets.
Is there any chance of getting an update on Wraith any time soon?
Anything On The EX3 Music?
Is Midwinter Gaming Convention kind of your Promethean Daze = Starting the New Year with a bit of relaxation, and preparing for the year to come? 🙂
It was great to see you guys again. Glad to see another W20 Deluxe find a home in the wyld. 🙂
Looking forward to the Pugmire KickStarter. It sounds like it’ll be fun, and I think you’re right–it could be VERY interesting to see just how different this one is going to be from the others, just by the public interest alone. 😀
Why are The Pack and Dark Eras Companion repeated?
One of them is in the development section, one of them is the the art direction section. You’ll note that Ghouls and Shattered Dreams are also duplicated.
While Art Direction in general follows after Development, the two also overlap. Mike often gets started on ADing a project before development is complete.
I’m really excited about Lore of the Bloodlines as it is the first time the bloodlines of VtM will have a book dedicated to them.
I have no idea how long these things normally take but it’s been in Development for quite a while now – the poor bloodlines haven’t been forgotten about have they?
Nope.
Seconded! Really excited about Lore of the Bloodlines!
Reluctantly excited for Pugmire after I recently found out it was going to be a roll20 system. (My fault for not checking the obvious older posts regarding it.) With the release of the early access coming soon I figured id ask a few questions. I’m not against d20 as much as I am against the tropes of the usual d20 system. Hopefully these are questions you can answer a little in advance to the kickstarter. Was going to wait till then to ask but I guess my restraint failed me. lol
1. Are the rules designed to be used with a map/grid as the default?
2. Is progression highly linear class progression like traditional D&D/PF or does it have that ST open ended approach?
3. Is it centered on experience per session or experience per encounter?
Thanks for your time. Pugmire may end up being the only d20 system I actually want to run.
From Eddy:
1. No, although it can be used with a grid.
2. It is open-ended (players can choose what they take when they progress).
3. Neither — characters gain a level after a story or two. There are no experience points.
From me: It really is a system “based” on d20 rather than a slavish port. The good thing is that everyone who pledges to the Pugmire Kickstarter will get a link to the Early Access PDF and can start playing during the KS and let us know what works for your table.
Thanks!
You two basically just restored all the hype I originally had for Pugmire. Really appreciate it! Money prepped and ready for the KS.
Excellent!
To follow up on Rich’s point, I know that a handful of people just don’t like playing d20-style games, and that’s cool. It’s one of the reasons I’ve been very firm on having Early Access available by the start of the Kickstarter, so people can actually play it and back with a clear conscience. Further, I have some ideas for people who love the world but aren’t into the system, like a “Pugmire Translation Guide” or something. That said, a number of people who HATE d20 have since come to enjoy Pugmire, so I hope it’ll convert you as well!
I appreciate the direct follow up!
I’m fairly certain I’m going to love pugmire despite my original excitement for a more traditional fantasy style world with a ST-esc system. The three things i mentioned in the questions above are essentially what pushes me away from traditional d20. The fact xp isn’t even a concern is right up there with my style of running games. I actually enjoy the rolling system of d20 overall so having that without the overused (IMO) tropes sounds pretty brilliant.
Probably going to try and shift my werewolf group (who are all interested in Pugmire but shared similar concerns)to Pugmire instead. Looking forward to providing some solid feedback!
Since we are now 2 months late and counting on Wraith 20th Anniversary, can we please get our limited editions autographed ?
quote: Wraith 20 – Can’t go further until art notes come in, still being developed by Rich Dansky.
The last several updates have said this exact same thing…. can someone light a fire under the butts of whoever is supposed to be working on these notes and get them to actually do the work.
Nope. That’s a different Reward Tier. You backed a creative process and we will reward you with a book at the end, but the process is what it is. And takes as long as it takes – even if the amount of time it takes is extended by unforeseen circumstances. I thought I was clear in my Backer Updates as to why RichD is behind on the text and that it was a circumstance we could not anticipate and are doing our best with – neither RichD nor myself is happy about it. But I believe that RichD is the only developer who can do Wraith20 justice and deliver the amazing volume backers deserve. He is also a consummate professional and no fire will be set, nor will I fire him as some backers have suggested.
Thank you, RichT! Part for the clarification, but MOST for the reminder of how Kickstarter works…
I’m anxious for Wraith 20, sure, but I’ve not found ANY of these project to be anything but worth waiting.
I’m dying to see another Wraith update, but the timeline issues are what they are. I really wouldn’t want anyone else to develop Wraith other than Rich D. He was one of my favorite classic WoD writers, and while I’m hoping to get some idea of how much he pushed through over his holiday on the haunted beach I certainly don’t expect anyone to sign thousands of books. That would be a lot of time.
HA! ‘dying”
I see what you did there
I just wanted to say that it was great having the opportunity to interact with all of you at Midwinter. Can’t wait for GenCon ’16 🙂
Right back atcha! The best parts were really just hanging out and chatting with you and the many folks who came by the booth, and panels, and late night gab sessions. Thanks and see you in Indy!
Great news, guys! I’m excited to read the Pugmire brochure and the Tales from the Age of Sorrows.
A question about the deluxe M20: How many more weeks do you expect the printing to take before shipping begins? It’s been going for 10 weeks now and we haven’t been given any indication how much has been printed or how many more need to be printed.
I don’t give estimates, but I think they should be wrapping up the gilding soon. It is the gilding that takes the most time, which I did mention during the KS and in Updates.
Just a quick question, but I noticed that Changing Ways for W20 is taking a long time. Any particular reason for this?
No, not really. Stew Wilson had multiple books being written simultaneously by different groups of writers and now he is going through their work one project at a time. Thanks!
With the release of the 5e SRD, are there thoughts to leverage that for Pugmire, instead of the “d20 3.5 SRD + inspiration of 5E” approach I believe has been mentioned in the past?
We may rephrase things, but ultimately the earlier description still holds, as far as I saw with the Early Access doc at MidWinter.
I may swap to the 5e OGL and change a few bits to line up with that, but it’ll still be mechanically distinct from 3.5 and 5e.
Thanks!
One day I’ll see y’all at one of these events, and thanks to your posts, I’ll likely recognise all of you on sight… That makes stalking so much easier!
Um, that IS meant to sound creepy, but like World of Darkness and Chronicles of Darkness, it’s all in good fun, yeah?
Rich, I just wanted to say, thanks for all you do to keep White Wolf’s amazing RPGs alive through Kickstarter. I too have gotten impatient about waiting, but I am still shocked to hear about people demanding a deadline be enforced or that Rich be fired for delaying Wraith. I fully espouse the “it will be done when it’s done” philosophy with this kind of creative endeavor. And even though the anticipation is killing me to get my hands on my Mage 20th Quintessence Edition, I am definitely not frustrated with the wait. Also, please relay my thanks to all the writers and artists for the Kickstarters. You guys have done an amazing job, and deserve some congratulations.
Hi. Just a quick question: what exactly does “Post-Editing Development” mean?
Sorry if this has previously been answered.
Anything that the Devs might want to do after editing, really, including prepping the text for layout.