I wanted to give everyone a quick update on where things stand.
The finish line is finally in sight.
At this point, I think there's a very good chance I'll have the core book wrapped up within the next two weeks, assuming life doesn't decide to throw me another curveball. If something unexpected does happen, my absolute worst-case estimate is before the end of the month.
I know this project has taken longer than any of us expected, and I genuinely appreciate everyone's patience. I don't like delays any more than you do, but I also wasn't willing to rush this book just to get it out the door.
I'm incredibly happy with how it's turned out. I honestly believe it's been worth the extra time.
Once the core book is finished, the remaining work shifts to proofs, final files, and getting everything ready for fulfillment. After spending so long building this game, I'm excited to finally get it into your hands.
Thank you all again for sticking with me through this project. I can't wait for you to see what we've been working on.
I wanted to share a quick update on where things currently stand.
The Folklore Americana Core Book is now in layout and active work is underway. The manuscript itself has grown well beyond my original expectations, as you know, and currently sits at approximately 275 pages before artwork is added.
At this stage, we're working through page design, layout refinements, illustrations, and all of the small details that transform a manuscript into a finished book. It is always exciting, and challenging, to finally see the project taking shape as actual pages instead of a collection of documents and notes.
To give everyone a look behind the curtain, I've included a few sample layout pages below. These are still works in progress and subject to change, but they should give you a good sense of the direction and overall feel of the book.
Here is also some commissioned character portraits being created for backers. They are not all completed yet, as I went back and redid a few I wasn't happy with, so don't worry if you have not received them yet, you will.
Character Portrait Art
Thank you again for your patience and support. Folklore Americana is a massive project, but it is moving forward every day, and I'm excited to share more as we continue through layout and production.
If you picked up the Coalbelly Cookbook Add-On, a Google Doc submission link has been sent to you and can be found in your digital downloads here on BackerKit.
Use that link to either:
Fill out the recipe submission form, or
Upload a document if your recipe requires additional space or details.
We'll be reviewing all submissions and including as many recipes as possible in the final book.
Please be sure to include your name so we can credit you properly. If you would prefer a family name, nickname, or "passed down from" attribution, feel free to use that instead.
When submitting recipes, please include:
Recipe title
Ingredients
Step-by-step instructions
Approximate serving size (if known)
We can't wait to see what everyone sends in. Some of the best recipes are the ones passed around kitchen tables, scribbled on index cards, or remembered by heart.
The corebook is officially done with editing, rewrites, and additional content (it was done a week ago, but I have been sick with the flu). The manuscript currently sits at roughly 117,100 words across a 390-page document, and that’s before final art, layout, and design elements are fully integrated. By the time everything is complete, this is shaping up to be a pretty substantial tome.
We are now fully entering production.
That means I’ll finally be able to start showing more of what’s being worked on — artwork, layouts, samples, visual direction, and pieces of the world coming together on the page. A lot of the work up until now has been making sure the foundation was solid enough to support everything else we have planned for the line.
Right now I’m estimating around 30 days on my end for production and layout work, though I’m planning to push hard with long nights and busy weekends to try and get it done much faster. I want this in your hands as soon as possible, but I also want it to feel complete, cohesive, and worth the wait.
While I’m buried in production work on the corebook, the rest of the team will be moving directly into editing and preparing the next round of books so we can keep momentum rolling once the core release lands.
This corebook needed the extra time and attention. It sets the tone, structure, visual identity, and foundation for everything that follows, and I wanted to make sure we got it right before pushing forward.
I really think it’s going to be worth it. Add in delays on top of that from personal issues, health issues, scheduling and so forth and its been a mess, and honestly my fault. I should have given us more production time and an easier schedule with this, and I am sorry that this delay has fallen on all of you.
I want to give you a real update on where things stand with Folklore Americana.
We’re behind. More than I wanted, more than I planned. I’m not going to dress that up.
A big part of this came from decisions we made during development that I still stand by. I expanded a bunch of content. We recently overhauled how the system handles stress and panic, which was a pretty fundamental change. It needed to be right, and the earlier version just wasn’t holding up the way it should at the table. On top of that, expanding the corebook to include magic and creatures added more weight than originally scoped, and that rippled into editing time in a real way. Then there’s just real life on top of it all.
The good news is we’re at the end of that stretch. The corebook should be out of editing and turned over to me for layout by this weekend. Once it’s in my hands, things shift into a phase I control directly, which means I can start moving faster and showing you actual pages, layout samples, and the book taking shape.
I know delays are frustrating. I feel that stress too. But the version of the book coming out of this is stronger, more cohesive, and actually supports the kind of play this game is built for. It’s not just “more stuff,” it’s better structure.
Quick note on portraits: if you had a character portrait in the corebook, some of you already received them, some of you didn’t. I’m redoing all of them this weekend. I wasn’t happy with how they turned out, and now that I have a clearer sense of the book as a whole, I know exactly how they should look and where they fit.
Looking ahead, once the corebook is in layout, the next regional book will move into editing. The goal there is to get those releasing on a 1–2 month cadence. In between, I’ll be pushing out additional content that doesn’t require heavy editorial overhead so things keep moving and you’re not just waiting on the big pieces.
At the end of the day, this is still just three of us building this thing. When something expands, everything expands. But it’s moving, it’s the priority, and we’re close to turning a corner where you’ll start seeing real progress instead of just hearing about it.
I appreciate the patience. I don’t take it lightly. And sorry for the lack of updates, I just really wanted to know where we stood with progress before making more posts.
