It's been a little while since my last update, and I'm really happy to share this one: the last piece has arrived, and everything came together just as we hoped.
The sticker sheets arrived this week, which means every physical item for BREAKING NEWS has now been printed and delivered to the US and EU warehouses handling fulfilment:
The zine, BREAKING NEWS
The prequel, Where It Shouldn't
The Oracle patch
The sticker sheet
BREAKING NEWS STICKERS - by Cat Skull Press
I'm really happy with how the stickers turned out as the print is sharp and the colours came out exactly as I hoped. I couldn't wait to slap mine on my laptop.
BREAKING NEWS Full Media Coverage pack all together
And here's the complete Full Media Coverage bundle, all together at last.
While waiting isn't fun, the digital version of BREAKING NEWS is already available to download and yours to enjoy. Additionaly your physical copies are packed and safe in the EU and US warehouses, ready to ship with the Mothership Month 25 mega pledge manager.
Questions
For anything about the pledge manager or shipping, TKG's contact details are at the bottom of their update. For anything about BREAKING NEWS itself, drop a comment here or message me directly.
Thank you for being part of this. I hope you are enjoying the PDF in the meantime, and happy reporting!
Great news! I have received my copies of BREAKING NEWS, Where It Shouldn't and The Oracle patches and they are all looking gorgeous! The only things I haven't received yet are the stickers; they are being shipped from the US warehouse to me and the EU warehouse shortly; but I couldn't contain my excitement and had to share the news with you!
It is quite difficult to describe how it felt to hold the result of these past months of work in my hands for the first time: surreal, overwhelmingly positive and also a relief. I have been working with Haven, Mathieu, Roque and Golden Achiever for so long on this first book. I took the feedback from editors, playtesters, early readers and fans to heart in order to make BREAKING NEWS as good as I could make it; and I am glad to say, the book I worked so hard on is everything I wanted it to be. I know you will have fun with it.
Your copies will be with you soon depending on how the centralized MM25 logistics go; I look forward to hearing your thoughts and game stories when running Show No Pythia or bringing the content of BREAKING NEWS at your table.
I will update you once there is more news, or one final time once everything is said and done.
We are finally ready to print. After releasing the PDF, a very zealous fan (I say this in the most gentle, thankful, and appreciative way) brought up a few points that we've since ironed out: some artefacts coming from the document export, and a few things that remained from previous versions of the story that evolved and didn't make the final cut. This makes this version the best possible BREAKING NEWS. We are waiting for confirmation on final print quantities before sending it to press, after which it ships to the warehouses where TKG takes care of logistics for us.
We started production on the Oracle patches (and hit a rough patch... pun intended): the supplier didn't match the expected warmer yellow color. They are currently working on fixing this, and we should be all good timeline-wise, making sure early birds and other patch aficionados will be able to display their allegiance to the best news outlet on Prospero's Dream: The Oracle.
A big one for me: the next project is finally unveiling.9 Circles: a Dante-Inspired Mothership RPG Anthologyis heading to crowdfunding on BackerKit on September 1st. I've been working diligently on this massive and very fulfilling new book, and I'm beyond excited to finally share it. This concept has been on my mind since before the first words of BREAKING NEWS hit the page, and I am so happy with how it's shaping up.
9 Circles is an anthology containing nine different stories, illustrated by nine different artists; each adventure has a unique mechanic, rooted in the original poem by Dante Alighieri, and devilishly Mothership in how it plays and feels. Each adventure can be used individually or woven into a campaign with an overarching metaplot. There is also a general section fleshing out this particular universe, with details on the corporations involved and how they play into these adventures set across different places and times. We currently have 3 guest writers and 8 confirmed illustrators, with more to be announced as the project unfolds.
I'd love to invite you to follow the teaser page to stay in the know: 9 Circles teaser page.
This is it for today's update. Once again, I am so grateful for the feedback received so far, and to be able to write stories that people play all around the world and feel invested in, as much as I am when creating them.
Quite a lot happened in these past 5 weeks. So many emotions, a lot of great indie TTRPG acquisitions, and a ton of good encounters.
TLDR : Production hiccup sorted, we are on track to print. UKGE was amazing. New project is looking very promising.
Layout:
The Bad news: We hit a problem in production and were forced to redo the initial layout due to a production issue with the original files.
The Good news: The whole MM25 creators community was very supportive and prompt to offer help, advice and recommendations. In the spirit of transparency ; this is my first project and I want to keep you informed every step of the way; I was very nervous and a bit at a loss with this hiccup happening so close to the finish line. Daniel (from TKG) was of very good counsel and helped me see things through and find a solution. Big shoutout to the creators of Prospero Protocols, Sunlit Path, The Company's New Groove, Certain Fathoms, Drink from the Hippocrene and The Conduit (I may be forgetting someone, sorry if I am!) who all offered help and words of comfort when I needed it most. You might still be able to pre-order their MM25 submissions on the MM25 pre-order store while it's still up.
The Better news: I took this opportunity to look at the whole book with fresh eyes (not only the layout) and dare I say, BREAKING NEWS is now better than ever. Mathieu Baguet (Red Nation) did an amazing job in such a timely fashion. Not only did he take over the project very quickly, he respected the original vision, identified some improvement points, and brought his own perspective to the piece; elevating the overall feel and quality of the zine. In the end, this whole experience was probably a blessing in disguise, as you can tell from the screenshots of Mathieu's version below :
BREAKING NEWS: New and improved layout (by Mathieu Baguet)
UKGE:
Haven and I met in Birmingham for the 20th anniversary of the UK Games Expo. Not only was it our first time meeting face to face, it was also our first UKGE; and what a treat it was! Over 50,000 visitors, 800+ exhibitors, and an aircon malfunction on the hottest day (and a cancelled flight back) made it quite the experience.
What made it truly unforgettable was the opportunity to meet so many like-minded individuals; indie and more established developers, talented illustrators, writers, and the people working behind the scenes that make it all possible.
I was very happy to get some of my favorite games and books signed by the minds behind them. I couldn't afford everything I wanted, but I highly recommend anyone thinking of going to the Expo next year to do so. I hope to be back if life allows it!
I received the initial outlines and some drafts from the guest writers while making progress on my own end. This is shaping up to be an amazing adventure or rather, adventures!
Since writing my first module, I always aimed at doing a grand collaboration project, and I am so glad for the collaborators who raised their hands and accepted to work on this together.
I am currently working with an editor to review my initial manuscript. Once that's done, I will finally be releasing more information. I hope you'll find it as exciting as we do.
Until then, I wish you the best and thank you again for your support. Hadrien
Mothership 2025 Pre-Order Store: The Mothership 2025 Pre-Order Store is now open for projects that funded during Mothership Month. If you missed out on any campaigns or want to support other creators, this is your chance. Every order helps us dial in print quantities before we send everything to the warehouses; your support is appreciated.
Final Text, Edit, and Layout: While reviewing the layout with Golden Achiever, I realized we could add a complete section on Au Clair de Lune, the high-end restaurant at the heart of the adventure. This meant a bit more work for our editor Mark and our layout artist, but it was absolutely worth it. The location is now fully detailed and ready to be reused in your own Prospero's Dream based or A Pound of Flesh campaigns. Final layout wraps mid May.
Next Steps: Shortly aftter layout is locked, we'll close our portion of the Pre-Order Store and finalize print quantities. We're keeping it open until then because we've received additional orders (which is amazing for an indie project), and we want to make sure you receive the best possible version before we go to press. We still have plenty of buffer before Tuesday Knight Games needs the books for the warehouse.
The New Project: I'm currently confirming availability with the artists and illustrators who'll bring this next vision to life. I can't share details yet, but this one feels like a dream coming true. More soon.
Looking forward to meeting those of you heading to UK Games Expo in May.
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