So, Monday Meeting on Tuesday as I had to postpone yesterday. Eddy is feeling much improved from last week, except going up and down stairs, and is ready for the panels next week at Atlanta by Night. But not ready for LARPing- too much movement involved. I suggested he take legless as a Flaw, and Eddy responded with a wise and knowing “Shut up”.Β Our good buddy and art approval contact Matt Milberger is leaving CCP for the West Coast and LucasArts (good luck, matt!), so Eddy was “promoted” to be both my project and art approval contact with CCP. Every time Eddy said “promoted” I could hear the air quotes even though he wasn’t making the gesture. As we talked about it though, he expressed his feeling that we’re in a really good spot in terms of the art approvals and that particular process is pretty smooth now. I can’t argue that as recent approvals have indeed gone smoothly, but wished he hadn’t said that out loud- now we’re jinxed! With that we looked at recent projects, discussed which writers really get Mage mechanics (Aha, but which Mage? Or both?), went over my blog post on the Onyx Path website about this last month since Gen-Con https://theonyxpath.com/its-a-month-since-we-announced-and-wow/, and talked about the Deluxe W20 Kickstarter. Which brings us to:
– I’m writing the Deluxe W20 Kickstarter page right now! I need to finish, get approval from KS, and give everyone 24 hours notice before turning it loose. I know you’ve all been waiting to get involved, and the elements that delayed this have really dragged on- the nonUS shipping was a real shock- but we’re rolling now. So before we get there, let me ask that once again everyone please remember that this is not simply a pre-order of W20 but the chance to really dive in and use Kickstarter as a way to talk about and be part of putting this deluxe edition together. With V20 we had a WW store and infrastructure to take pre-orders and get them out and that was it- no extra rewards, no chance to really talk as a community. You are enabling us to make this if you contribute, and we couldn’t do it without you- yeah, you right there!- so revel in that power you have!
– V20 news: Children of the Revolution printer files went to the printer, and Print on Demand files went to DriveThru. Still need to hear if they’re OK. I’m starting on the Making of the Art Book later this week, and Matt McElroy is still a-writin’ the V20 Red List. The last of the V20 Companion folks who returned their info so we can create a character sheet with portrait by Ken Meyer, Jr. has contacted me, so if you are waiting for the sheet we’ll be getting those out as soon as Ken is done. Justin is red-lining (developmentally editing the final text) of Hunters Hunted 2 and threatens to have a video ready soon for its Kickstarter.
– A new blog post for W20 Changing Breeds will be going up later today I hear from Stew Wilson, and development continues on apace with that and Rage Across the World.
– Exalted 3 is being written and developed while Geoff Grabowski and I argue over whether Art Nouveau is a look we could ascribe to the setting. Also, I did more drawings of the sig characters and almost have them where we can all discuss them.
– Blood Sorcery: Blasphemies and Sacraments went live at DriveThruRPG last week and continues to sell steadily. I really enjoyed art directing the book- what do you folks think about it?
– Just saw the cover laid out for Left Handed Path for nMtA and it looks cool, and the book should be proofing right now. Waiting on the Silent Knife cover and that should enable that book to get approved and out, and Mike Chaney almost has all the art for Convention Book: NWO in and is starting layout on it.
Reason to Drink: I’m sure I forgot to update a particular project and someone out there is going to yell at me. We drink to ease the pain. <sob>
Blood Sorcery is awesome. Great little toolkit book, and some really good art too. I really love the shorter nWoD products. They’re useful and just the right length!
Just so everyone knows, when Rich does a video call with Eddy, he sits in front of a row of bookshelves filled with old White Wolf books, making us think he’s all scholarly.
All while, apparently, assembling plastic model airplanes, or something. It was kinda hard to tell what he was also during that video conference call. π
By the way, awesome to see other project-folks posting on the blogs too. I hope you guys are also watching the Forums, Facebook and other sources where folks are commenting on the products too. π
We’re watching everywhere, although we’re also trying to pull our far-flung communication network a bit tighter. Actually, I was assembling the new Dark Vengeance minis for 40K to paint up so my sons and I can work our way through the scenarios. My youngest is keen on minis but has never actually played using the rules.
That W20 post is already up. My evening is your lunchtime.
Blood Sorcery’s art is the best we have since The Danse Macabre. Bravo!
Andy Hepworth, Pat Loboyko and Cathy Wilkins are great artists. I prefer Hepworth and Wilkins (specially Wilkins).
What I miss? Well, (there’s nothing wrong with BS’s art), but I miss a heavier gothic atmosphere. Those are my favorites artists and pieces, I guess they show what I’m trying to mean:
– Mark Pexton: http://markofthedead.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d2s48c9
– Mark Pexton: http://markofthedead.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d2s4cvt
– Jenny Frison: http://jfrison.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=72#/d1j13ok
– Matthew Starbuck: http://faxtar.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=24#/d31kiwj
and especially (my favorite), Jason Chan:
– http://www.jasonchanart.com/gallery/2005/work/vampire/deepcover.jpg
– http://www.jasonchanart.com/gallery/2005/work/vampire/daeva.jpg
– http://www.jasonchanart.com/gallery/2005/work/vampire/gangrel.jpg
– http://www.jasonchanart.com/gallery/2005/work/vampire/taste.jpg
– http://www.jasonchanart.com/gallery/2005/work/vampire/mood.jpg
– http://www.jasonchanart.com/gallery/2005/work/vampire/newworld.jpg
– http://www.jasonchanart.com/gallery/2005/work/vampire/embrace.jpg
– http://www.jasonchanart.com/gallery/2005/work/vampire/courtoisie.jpg
Thanks- I’ll check them out!
No honorable mention for Mummy, but I’ll forgive the oversight π I will check in soon to ensure its on your “to do list” for KS.
On the Blood Sorcery side of things: Bravo! You all did a phenomenal job. Probably my favorite Requiem book to come out since Danse.
Seriously, this book could have been another 30-40 pages. Its *that* good.
Mummy layout continues, Colin and team are writing the next one. Thanks for the kind words about Blood Sorcery.
I really like the idea of art nouveau as the stylistic direction for Exalted 3. For me, the flourishes and filigree of art nouveau, with its sombre recollection of the numinous, perfectly encapsulate the fantasy setting of Exalted. In this regard, perhaps the most iconic image for Exalted is on pages 34-35 of the First Edition rulebook, where we are treated to a magisterial vision of what I assume is the Imperial City of the Blessed Isle. I loved that image, and art nouveau is perhaps closest in describing its evocative power.
Yeah any Mummy updates? Also glad to hear Blood Sorcery is going steadily and that W20 should be Kickstarting soon.
“Iβm sure I forgot to update a particular project…”
So… Any word of the Book of Nod? π
Getting proofed via DriveThru.
I would love to see the artwork of each book, or at least the best representations of each line, to give a visual identity for those of us who are drawn into games and setting through the artwork more than the words on the page. When I would pick up a White Wolf book, I would immediately flip through the pages for the artwork to see if I liked it. I’d love to see the artwork in Blood Sorcery, or Children of the Revolution to see if I’d be interested in it, but I can no longer thumb through for that information. Of course, for those who do depend on the copy (text) for their own hooks to be interested in books, there must also be a better way of choosing which pages are shown in the sample pages on DriveThruRPG, especially when the first 6 pages are just Thank-Yous, or story, or other page-fillers. Hmm. I think I’ve diverged from you original intent.
I would love to see a product page on OnyxPath for each book you produce with a synopsis and perhaps a few pages of your own choosing, or the artwork of each to best show what each book is about.
AND another option would be to integrate DriveThruRPG into your web site (sort of in the way Flames Rising does) but with only your products? Just a thought.
News that W20 is THAT MUCH CLOSER is fantastic, and I am psyched to know when the KS goes live!
The Onyx website is an ongoing project so I’ll pass your ideas onto Ian. I’d like more visuals as well, but there’s only so much we can do at one time- getting updates and schedule changes and links to all our far-flung social media up and running is job one right now.
Hi !
As a long-time german customer I’m a bit concerned about the shipping costs of all the things I want to get via KS.
Maybe there is one solution. Why don’t you create a reward tier for non-US customers for all the KS projects you want to do in the future.
With this reward I get the book, but with a delay – say until X-mas.
Then all the KS prestige prints I “bought” until mid November will be sent in one package. As I am planing to back a couple of the upcomming prjects this will reduce the shiping costs a lot. And I think many non-US customers will wait some months just to save 100+ dolllars.
That’s a pretty cool idea and I’ll definitely see if we can get something like that in place for next year when we have several projects going. We’ve only shipped one KS so far, so we’re still learning- as the nonUS shipping costs exploration showed.
I really enjoy the art in Blood Sorcerery, particularly the individual character pieces in the antagonists section. Whoever designed Mister Fixer should get an award.
Any chance you’ll share your Exalted 3 sketches with us, Rich?
Yes, I would love to see those sketches as well.
Great work on Blood Sorcery. This book is just phenomenal.
Redlines for HH2 are done. Full development is underway. I’m also in contact with Matt McElroy, who’s working on the stretch goal expansion of the Red List.
I’ll second the Art Nouveau being 100% awesome. For Exalted specifically but I’m a fan of the style in general.
Nice update as always.
I’m still waiting for the Book of Glamour and Keys to the Kingdom, those are going to rock. π
I have a long memory.
Awesome update. Tell Eddy to watch out for those first steps… π