Hi, folks. Rose here. ^_^
Rich is out this week on vacation (note to self: find out what that is), so I’m your hostess for the weekly update.
Today’s post title is a tribute to our dear absent creative director, who took me out for shrimp cocktails three whole actual times during the course of Gen Con. There’s a steakhouse in Indy that makes the things with an insane amount of fresh horseradish. They’re painful and delightful in a way you usually have to go to a whole different kind of convention to experience.
I know we’ve been talking about the con a lot, but it really is the most wonderful time of the year. I spend most of my workdays sitting at a desk interfacing with the world as a swarm of glowing dots. Getting out and actually meeting real live players once a year is a blast, and it’s particularly nice to see people returning from year to year and hear about how their games have been going. This year, a few people I’m used to seeing as attendees were there as professionals, and that was really awesome.
Speaking of players becoming pros, this was the first year we did a freelancing for Onyx Path panel, and I was pleasantly surprised to have a full room. We got a lot of great questions, and I’m going to be revising our submission guidelines and re-posting our all-calls over the next few months to address them. Our last all-call was mainly aimed at the Worlds of Darkness, but we’ve got a lot of other worlds in our care, so I may break those out some. Any thoughts on that?
It’s also great to see some of our writers, developers, and editors. While the OP freelancer community is generally a chatty bunch, there’s something distinctly nice about crowding us all into a hotel bar to tell old war stories and discuss who among us has in fact dated a dragon. I also enjoy the opportunity to actually game with some of the crew.
This year, the game I ran was Cavaliers of Mars. I had a brand new system iteration to try out, and since we’re getting close to the next major stage of writing on the book, it was important to get those ideas out into the field. The game went quite wonderfully off the rails… I set up a scene to introduce the characters to each other before they got press-ganged into solving one of the city of Vance’s myriad intrigues… and they all got themselves arrested before I could do that. So instead of solving the murder of a street preacher who may have tweaked the nose of the establishment once too often, we ended up following their adventures as they broke out of jail and made their escape on an airship full of contraband.
I love it when that happens. One of the things Cavaliers does well is picaresque adventure, so following a band of misfits getting into trouble was delightful. I’m sure next session we’ll be all serious and grown-up and noir. 😉
Getting back from the con was all about getting people on deck for the next round of books. In that spirit, here’s the project roundup.
DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM ROLLICKING… UH…ME:
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)
- M20 Anthology (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
- CtL anthology (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)
- Dark Eras Expansions (nWod Dark Eras)
- Pugmire Early Access
- Dark Eras Companion (nWod Dark Eras)
- VtM Lore of the Bloodlines (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)
- WtA Kinfolk (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition
- V20 Ready Made Characters (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Beast Ready Made Characters (Beast: the Primordial)
- Beast Fiction Anthology (Beast: the Primordial)
Redlines
- Mummy Fiction Anthology (Mummy: the Curse)
- Wraith: the Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition
- Cursed Necropolis: Rio (Mummy: the Curse)
- Beckett’s Jyhad Diary (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)- In Open Development
- WtF The Pack (Werewolf: the Forsaken 2nd Edition)
Second Draft
- Arms of the Chosen (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- Secrets of the Covenants (Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition)
- The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Development
- Promethean: the Created 2nd Edition, featuring the Firestorm Chronicle (Promethean: the Created)
- “Sardonyx” System Rules (Base rules set for Scion and the Trinity Continuum)
- Mage: the Awakening 2nd Edition, featuring the Fallen World Chronicle (Mage: the Awakening) – In Open Development
- W20 Pentex Employee Indoctrination Handbook (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Scarred Lands Player’s Guide: Ghelspad (Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
- W20 Changing Ways (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)
- nWoD Hurt Locker (World of Darkness 2nd Edition)
Editing
- V20 Ghouls (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)
- V20 Black Hand: Guide to the Tal’Mahe’Ra (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)
- W20 Shattered Dreams (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)
- nWoD 2e core (New World of Darkness)
- Demon Storytellers’ Guide (Demon: the Descent)
- VtM Lore of the Clans Expansions (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)
ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:
- V20 Ghouls – Just waiting on sketches from Yanner. Finals should start to roll in over the next couple of weeks.
- Dreams of Avarice – Going over Sam’s sketches.
- NWoD 2 – Leblanc working on the four fill in pcs.
- Tal Me Rah – Fulls contracted. Got some guys, getting some more. Art should be fully underway once Ghouls is in.
- W20 Shattered Dreams – AD’d.
- V20 Lore of the Clans – AD’d.
- Pentex Employee Indoctrination Manual
- Demon STG – Fulls AD’d. Working up halfs… gonna try out a couple of newer artists. Gonna check with Marco to see if he’s up for the cover.
In Layout
- Beast: The Primordial
- M20 How Do You Do That
Proofing
- M20 Screen – Fixing that and getting ready for the printer.
- Ex 3 Anthology – Awaiting updated text file.
- Ex 3 core book – RichT here: Proofs 7 notes sent back to Maria and a set sent to the Devs. Lots of sidebar adjustments and tweaking color.
- V20DA – Book sent to the printer. Screen comes next.
- M20 – Standard version still processing. Hopefully will be able to order a proof by middle to end of the week.
TODAY’S REASON TO DRINK: There’s an important difference between an airship and an airboat.
An unexpected coincidence that You wrote this recent post. 🙂 Back in the days I give a try to the “new” WoD, but found it was not my thing (except for changeling). In the recent few days I decieded to read through Requiem 2E and, well, I just want to congratulate to You and everyone who worked on that. I know, it’s not the most actual, but it’s fairly new to me. I’m looking forward to the Secrets of the Covenants very much. Interestingly, in CWoD I was a big fan of the anarchs (and love Anarchs Untold), but the Carthian Movement is somewhat seems to be the worst aspect of them and I’m curious how the espansion will articulate them. Besides, the overall picture is somewhat darker than I’m used to in CWoD (which is funny) but I think it is true for all the lines and not a problem at all. I still like both iterations of Changeling (and now Vampire), just for different reasons.
The one ‘problem’ is that I’m missing the first ed’s artwork. Not that the 2E ones are bad, I’m just a sucker for black and white and sketchy pics. 🙂
All in all, thanks, keep up and congrats for all the GenCon goodness!
I disagree. Anarchs were anarchists, whereas the Carthians are socialist. Their motivation comes from a similar place, but they have rather different ideals.
oOoOoh! New submission guidelines! Me interested. Got some new ideas I’d like to share. I’ll keep an eye out. 🙂
What’s the next Kickstarter?
If memory serves it was going to be for:
“WTA – Shattered Dreams: Presents the wars between the Garou and Fera, as well as the time before that. Invaluable for owners of Changing Breeds as well as W20.”
Which makes me ecstatic!
I believe it’s Changeling the Dreaming 20th
Last Rich said, the plan was for Shattered Dreams first, then C20 next.
Is there an ETA on the Changeling 20 Kickstarter? Are we talking fall? Winter? Anyone know?
Hmmm.. I wonder what nefarious plans would the WOLFIE have for plying its potential prey with SO MUCH TEMPTING Shrimp Cocktail….
What darkness would drive the WOLFIE to use such a wicked temptation to its prey…
RUN ROSE RUN…. BEWARE the WOLFIE offering 3 helpings of Shrimp Cocktail…..
New submission guidelines certainly have my eyes glued to this space.
Thanks for this update Rose. Did I miss the recordings made at Gencon this year, or did that not happen?
It typically takes me a couple of weeks to put them up once I’ve gotten home.
Aha, thanks Ian, very much appreciated, and looking forward to the Continuum – very exciting stuff! Will the KS for it come together this year?
Kickstarter timing is in Rich’s wheelhouse.
The dragon story is truly the epic saga of our time. I should have bought Neall a drink for that one.
It was certainly one for the ages. Even the bar staff got involved!
Yes, my Dragon Story is a tale of youthful folly, containing adult situations and nudity.
That’s pretty much what I expect out of you at this point, honestly. 🙂
Was the steakhouse Ruth’s Chris or Shula’s?
St. Elmo’s actually, they also have a bar styled after a speak easy.
Forgot about St. Elmos.
Given that as far as I can tell the plan is to kickstart the Dragonblooded book only once it has finished development, is the plan for a online version to visible during the kickstart? I know this has been done with a few other OnyxPath lines?
When the submission guidelines get updated, I may need to try to apply again. Never got a response from my last one so I’ll have to try a bit harder!
I feel your pain. I have also sent in submissions without any responses. Hopefully, these new submission guidelines will be exactly what I need to get my writing into a proper Onyx Path format. I am really looking forward to see them.
uh oh =/
thankfully they caught it.
http://support.drivethrurpg.com/entries/69850204-Credit-Card-Data-Breach-Q-A
Ooh, new submission guidelines! I never submitted my first attempt at submission because it was so bad. But now I’ll have a chance to make something good. Right on.
I sent an email regarding this, but since revising the submission guidelines was brought up, I hope you fine Onyx Path people will forgive me for also asking here.
The Microsoft Word template that we are advised to use in the Style Guide, is that document still in use? If so, how does one procure it? If it’s a lapse in common sense on my part, I apologize, but I can’t seem to find it anywhere.
V20DA – Book sent to the printer. Screen comes next.
Is this in regards to the regular version or is this the Deluxe?
Deluxe.
The Print on Demand one is already up, and it is kinda lovely… I got my copy a few days ago, and I resisted the urge to sleep with it.
Uh, my wife said I couldn’t do, but when the DELUXE one comes, she’s got NO business telling me no! :0
o.o so i took the time to look up what cards rich did o.o
=O u did GLEEMAX!
^w^ and lots and lots of blue <3
and opponent hand control o.o
=3 suddenly i just thought of a very evil use for blast of genius.
I’m all about those revised submission guidelines. Not that there’s anything wrong with the current ones but… I don’t know. I got lots of material but been too squeamish to give it a try. Maybe when the new ones are up?
Very excited for nWoD Core 2nd Edition. The GMC update was good but my group has to keep going between it and the original core. Having everything in one cover will be really handy.