I'm glad to share the illustrations are all done! Writing is still only 30-40% of the way there, but to be fair I only truly started this week so I don't foresee major delays. At my current pace of one spread a day, the zine should be complete by the first week of June.
At the cost of sounding like a broken record: starting early next month we'll tweak the print-friendly version, put together the extra player material and the art pack, and by mid-June you should have your hands on the adventure! Physical copies will soon follow: end of June or early July at the latest.
Today's sneak peek is the cover art! Every major element is in there, but I guess you'll have to wait to know which one is which 😉
Last month we made a lot of progress on the illustrations! 80% of them are ready, so I feel pretty confident in saying we're on track with our timeline. As a remainder (I know it's easy to forget these things if you're not actively thinking about them like we do 😅), the next important dates are:
Early May: I turn my notes and descriptions into the final zine copy, Aleksandra finishes the illustrations
Late May: we integrate text and images into the final layout (we already have a draft)
Early June: we put together the player addons, the art pack, and print-friendly spreads and distribute the digital rewards
Late June/Early July: we fulfill the physical orders
This time we have a proper preview instead of the usual WIP 😊 We might (or might not) keep it black and white. Both Aleksandra and I feel like colour could muddy the picture and hide some of the details... Besides, it works well enough as it is. We'll see, I guess! Inputs are welcome.
I'm writing, Aleksandra is drawing, and, to make sure we were on the same page, we've drafted a zine layout with the main elements (titles, room keys, stat blocks, etc.) and placeholder text. I recon most publications go through the design, writing, and layout stages in this order, but with her being in charge of the layout and me of writing, we figured having a page ready to be filled in required less back and forth than the alternative.
Draft layout, made with low-fi sketches and example text.
I have to admit: as a first-time designer, it took me some time to fully accept that every Warden will run the adventure a little differently. I do the same when I facilitate other people's modules, so why should mine be so stringent? Since then, what I write and how I key have become increasingly leaner and more open to interpretation, which I think is a good thing.
Well, not gonna lie: February was an intense month. What's good is that Liquid Euphoria is gonna happen and it's all thanks to you--thank you so much 🙏
You might be wondering why you didn't hear from me sooner, given that the campaign ended two weeks ago. That's because I was busy prepping for the first playtest, which happened last weekend. Here's some pictures of it, taken by Aleksandra 📸
Overall, the game went really well. I'll have to update some little things but I'm quite confident in the current design. I can't wait to share more info 👀
We're nearing the end of the campaign and are already 188% funded, which means: Liquid Euphoria is (almost surely) gonna happen! Thank you so much for your support so far and let's see how much further we can get, shall we?
This is also your last chance to purchase the zine printed by us. And let me tell you: my co-creator knows a thing or two about printing (architecture studies, anyone?). As of now, there are 3 copies left—don't wait!
In other news
WIP and inspo carousel Yesterday Aleksandra shared a little behind-the-scenes on Instagram. Check it out for pictures of me in the woods, among other things 😄 https://www.instagram.com/p/DVJfkwrgn6J
Progress update I'm almost done with the adventure design, and am planning to put in enough hours this week to finish it. With the adventure fully-shaped, I can then move on to writing while my co-creator Aleksandra works on the illustrations.
First playtest On the 14th of March I'll be hosting a table at a local convention to playtest the adventure. If you happen to be in Milan, Italy that weekend, let's maybe meet there and have a chat! My table is full, but there will be plenty of cool games to play. Make sure to reserve your spot!
