It's been just about a month since I last posted and, oh my goodness, so much has happened.
The Good
All written content for Huckleberry is complete and in the editing phase! My collaborators really knocked it out of the park with their scenarios and hostiles. I'm very proud of how Huckleberry + Avarice are shaping up. After editing, text combines with each section's art in the layout phase. Speaking of which, George continues to create incredible pieces of art for this game (Check out "The Ugly", below).
This month, accessories are going to manufacturing. The dice manufacturer is already making the molds. These molds will allow them to make our custom six-die sets with the Huckleberry logo replacing the "1" on each die. The All Rolled Up and Dice Trays are officially on the manufacturing schedule with the good folks over at All Rolled Up. Patches are currently being manufactured by a third party, then sent to All Rolled Up, where they'll be affixed to the bags. They should be able to begin production by the end of the month.
That leaves just the official playing cards to be accounted for. These are surprisingly the most complicated to finalize. Playing Cards are recognized by many countries as a gambling accessory, even when made for a tabletop roleplaying game. As such, it's important to make sure we label and package the cards exactly correct, to avoid customs issues and increased tariffs. With that said, I've been working with an EU Agent and other knowledgeable people with experience in international fulfilment. I've finalized all the necessary requirements and should be able to move forward with printing the decks before the end of the month. As I'm learning all of the bureaucracy involved, I find that it's important to remind myself that other people do these things every single day. Just because it's daunting, doesn't mean it's impossible, or even difficult!
The Bad
For the majority of my life, I've been fortunate to never have any major health concerns. However, in late January, I began to notice a significant drop-off in my energy levels and, consequently, productivity. I chalked it up to burnout as I've been working on Huckleberry for years now. Unfortunately, last week I began feeling so exhausted that I could hardly drag myself out of bed. I wasn't able to sleep, I wasn't hungry, and I didn't have the energy to respond to the even simplest of emails. After four days of suffering, I wasn't getting better and I went to the urgent care for help. They immediately sent me to the ER, who told me that my body was in sepsis. I had an internal infection without ever realizing it and that infection spread to my blood stream. I was rushed into an emergency surgery and admitted to the hospital overnight. Fortunately the doctors knew what they were doing and I was given a clean(ish) bill of health and checked out the next day, after 23 hours in the hospital. I spent the weekend resting up, and today I've hit the ground running to try and make up the lost time.
What's this mean for Huckleberry? Honestly, not a lot. I've fallen behind on developmental editing, and consequently those pieces of text are pushed back a couple weeks. But I'm back to work on Huckleberry full-time and I feel better than ever. Fortunately, the vast majority of Huckleberry's work was completed before the BackerKit even went live. Additionally, Huckleberry has a lot of facets. While I might have fallen behind on a few tasks, there are far more items on the list that continue to rumble down the tracks without impact. I don't foresee any major complications for Huckleberry arising from this particular speedbump.
The Ugly
George has been cranking out fantastic pieces for our upcoming scenarios lately. Want to know what happens to cattle that catch Mad Cow disease in the Wyrd West?? Take a look:
This is a piece from the upcoming Huckleberry: Slaughterhouse by Jaime Reyes Mondragón, where a cattle baron looks to cut costs by feeding his cattle with other cattle. Turns out, it doesn't take much for them to develop a taste for flesh!
As always, if you have any questions feel free to email me or join the Discord. We're getting so close to the end of this campaign and I can't wait to get Huckleberry to print and into your hands. Thanks for riding with us!
