A quick timeline update: Layout was quoted to be complete by October 1st.
Obviously that is still an estimate rather than a blood oath, but it gives us a much firmer target than we had before. Once layout is finished, Iâll be able to get the completed PDF out to everyone and move ahead with the printing process.
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In the meantime, a friend of mine put together a Youtube playlist for the adventure, which I thought would be fun to share: 90 Seconds to Midnight Playlist
It was put together by Joshua Justice and is meant to capture some of the atmosphere of the adventure. Give it a listen while reading, running, prepping, driving through the desert at night, etc. It's really good! Find more of his stuff @ ghosttropic.org.
And while I'm here...
I also recently released a little Fatherfog 0e adventure of my own called The Five Doors of Grandmother's House.
It's a small pamphlet adventure written by me, with art and layout by Michael Pisano (hauntedmeat).
Quick update. In my last post, I mentioned that some team members had changed and that the book still needed to go through editing and layout.
Good news: editing was completed a couple of weeks ago, and the book is now in layout. I do not have a firm timeline for that stage yet, but it is in very good hands.
Those hands, which I neglected to credit previously, belong to Ryan Creedon, also known as RACComputing (DO NOT REMOVE / DO NOT TRANSCRIBE, Sunset Over Ithica, Straight Arrows). Editing was completed by Chris Airiau (Bio-Drones & Cryo-Clones, When In Rome, Not Enough Scoundrels).
They are both tremendously talented, and their work is helping bring this thing over the finish line.
The plan now is to let Ryan cook. Once layout is complete, I will finally send out the PDFs, as most backers voted to continue waiting for the finished version, and then begin the printing process.
One important note regarding printing: I expect to run the remaining BackerKit charges around the time the files are sent to print rather than waiting until the books are ready to ship.
The book has grown considerably since the campaign. It is no longer the roughly 12-page module originally planned, and the expanded page count, additional production work, and team changes have pushed costs well beyond the original budget. That is on me. The upside is that backers are ultimately receiving a much larger and better-produced book at the original campaign price, which I am genuinely happy about.
Running the remaining charges at the start of printing will allow me to cover those production costs directly. I am working with a local print shop that I can visit in person, so I do not currently expect a massive gap between printing and fulfillment. I will provide advance notice before any charges are processed but letting everyone know ahead of time it will be perhaps earlier than traditionally done in other crowdfunding campaigns (just before shipping, I believe).
That is all for now. Things are moving, and we are finally nearing the end. I will likely update again as layout approaches completion, hopefully with some cool sneak peeks and more concrete dating (my estimation without confirming with anyone anything is within the next 90 days).
Thank you again to everyone for your patience, to Chris for showing me just how valuable a good editor is, and to Ryan for the beautiful work now underway.
I wanted to send out a real update because it has been too long, and because there is finally something concrete to say:
The pre-copyedit PDF is ready.
That does not mean the final PDF is ready yet, but it does mean the full project has been assembled into a readable, playable draft. The text is there, the structure is there, the bones are finally where they need to be.
The next step is copyediting, which is currently planned for mid-June, and after that the book will move into layout.
A couple of important changes on that front: I have brought on a new editor and a new layout designer to help get this over the finish line properly. Iâm really excited about both, and I think the final book is going to be much stronger for it. I'll name them later but they are both incredibly talented people to add to the roster of already amazing folks that have done work to elevate my words.
About the delay
I also want to be upfront again: this project has been delayed pretty badly, and that is on me.
Some of it was first-time creator stuff. Some of it was me not understanding how many holes would need to be plugged between âcool idea with a lot of piecesâ and âfinished book that people paid money for.â Some of it was school and just not having the mental bandwidth to keep pushing the project forward at the speed I wanted.
But at the end of the day, I am the person responsible for the timeline, and I fumbled that part. Iâm sorry for that.
I do want to say thank you, though. Seriously. People have been patient and encouraging even while Iâve been slower than I should have been, and I do not take that lightly. I know this is a small weird casino space-horror zine and not a heart transplant, but you still backed it with real money and real trust. I appreciate that.
A question for backers
Because the pre-copyedit PDF is now ready, I wanted to ask what people would prefer:
The current draft is readable and playable, but it is not edited, it has no final art/layout, and it will absolutely have rough edges. Think âashcan / workprint / here is the thing before it gets cleaned up,â not âfinished digital reward.â
So the question is:
Would you like me to release the pre-edited, no-art PDF to backers now, or would you rather wait until the edited and laid-out PDF is ready?
Iâm leaning toward making it available for anyone who wants it, while being very clear that it is not the final version. But I also donât want to dump a rough draft into peopleâs hands if most folks would rather wait for the proper book especially since everyone has been patiently waiting already (whats a little while longer?).
So please vote in the poll (leave a comment) below:
Poll options:
Send the pre-edited PDF ASAP. I want to read/play the rough version.
Iâd rather wait for the edited and laid-out PDF.
Either is fine. Do what makes the most sense.
Current timeline:
As of now, the rough sequence looks like this:
Pre-copyedit PDF: Ready now
Copyediting: Planned for mid-June
Layout: After copyedit
Final PDF: After layout and review
Print/fulfillment: After final PDF, final checks, and any needed corrections
I do not want to throw out a fake-hard date and then have to eat my hat later like some sort of cursed carnival trick, so Iâm keeping this as the actual production order rather than promising a specific finish date right now. But the big difference from previous updates is that this is no longer floating around as a pile of unfinished pieces. The project is assembled and moving into the cleanup/finalization stage.
That is a very good place to finally be.
Thank you all again for sticking with me. I know the delay is frustrating, and I appreciate the patience more than I can probably say without sounding like Iâm trying to win an Oscar in the comments.
Forgot to send out an update but just wanted to send a quick one: Layout is in progress now (early). Once its complete, I will have PDFs out to everyone! Hoping it is out within the next 30-60 days. Once that is complete and in everyone's hands, feedback is in, and final adjustments made, we will move to printing and shipping.
Appreciate everyone bearing with me and being patient. I know I was one of the smaller projects but you still pledged! So doing my best for everyone.
I'll be back with another shout when something significant occurs.
As I mentioned last update, I pushed back my timeline due to just not realizing, as a first timer to this process from A-Z, how much energy everything would require - creatively and physically. That hasn't changed. I am reiterating that upfront so that I can, again, apologize, and take ownership of my complete fumbling of the timeline in the beginning. Very sorry - I know hard earned money is tied up in this!
That being said... things are moving along! I just got the artwork from Guy Pradel for Midnight's bank late last week and a couple of weeks before that I got the final illustration from Ross Hayes showcasing the infamous Red Room - I will share both of those pieces further down for those that want to see.
What's left now that all the budgeted art is in? Writing and layout. I have a little bit left on the writing end (still) before we move forward but all the pieces are now on the table and its just a matter of putting the whole puzzle together! But, before I share some of the new pieces, I want to mention some existing challenges going on (definitely not to get some sympathy points for how slow I have been):
Moving: Anyone ever moved? It sucks but its exciting. I'm moving into my first real home this next week so we have been busy packing
Central Serous Reinopathy: Something I'm experiencing for the second time this summer is Central Serous Reinopathy - a dark spot in the center the vision of my left eye that is semi-opaque and bends/distorts what I am looking at due to fluid being trapped behind the retina The first time it happened it was really scary cause I thought I was going blind honestly but it cleared up. However, it has come back and, while less scary, is still a concern. Aside from it just being a concern medically though - it literally makes reading/typing difficult as it distorts letters pretty severely and makes looking at computer screens (I wear sunglasses at my computer now) all around uncomfortable.
School: My classes start back up in a week or so. Sharing for how that will obvious effect my time.
Anyway, some art: -------------------
Confident? Stupid? Rich? All of the above? Risk it all in the Red Room - just make sure you're invited:
Maybe youâre here to gamble on something elseâlike the reported lack of security around Midnightâs vaults during the Good Night celebration. Luckily, you wonât need eleven for this job⌠just two or three more.
Bonus Share: The Gambler custom class preview
Some people bet with chips. You bet with everything. Youâve crawled out of the wreckage of station raids, bloodied but breathing. Youâve run cards in smoke-filled backrooms where the stakes are as high as the ceiling and the shadows hide more than just secrets. Countless times now, someoneâs tried to end youâcountless times youâve stared down death with a crooked smile and walked away carrying more than just scars. That's because you know luck isnât some random gift you pray for; itâs a currency you earn with every sharp move and carefully crafted lie.
The world doesn't play by the rules - why should you? So, you donât just play the gameâyou own it, even when the house is burning down around you.
A custom class that will lean into the Fortune mechanic prescribed in 90 Seconds To Midnight. Leverage lady luck to stack the deck in your favor but know that, eventually, the house always wins. More details to come soon!
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Anyway, thank you everyone again for your patience!
