Tag: princes of the west

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Update 28: Print Proof Ordered

Now we’re really steaming.  I completed all the corrections earlier this week and I’ve uploaded the first digital files to Ingram so that I could order a print proof.  It should arrive in the next couple of weeks and you’ll be treated to a photo of me holding it in the next update, if all goes well.

Here’s a screenshot of the print order.  You can see that the print cost of the book implies a large volume…  We’re looking at 438 pages and 2250ish passages.

The book isn’t quite finalised – there are a few gameplay edits still pending, but I want to have a think about these while turning the real pages, and I’ll take the time to have a playthrough as well.  You can always catch a few more errors in print too.

However, having digital files ready is a crucial catalyst for the project: it allows me to get a final print cost and book size and weight, which I need to proceed with the shipping preparations.  I’ll explain more soon, but rather than use the Kickstarter pledge manager, I’m going to be collecting shipping costs directly through Stripe.  It means I can tailor the costs a lot more finely, hopefully keeping shipping to a minimum for all of us!  I’ve begun looking at the costs and overall it seems my estimates were fairly good, despite the time that has passed.

But there is one particular shipping option I want to draw your attention to: collection.  The final costing of the book and extras has shown that the project is within budget and therefore then there is nothing more to pay if you collect your rewards.  When and where?  Howabout at Fighting Fantasy Fest 6, on Saturday 5th September, in London, UK?

If you haven’t been, the Fest is the premier convention devoted exclusively to gamebooks – including, of course, the Fighting Fantasy series.  However, it has also become a haven for the independent authors of the gamebook renaissance and a great place to meet heros of the medium both past and present.  It’s organised by the stalwart Jon Green whose work bridges both the original Fighting Fantasy books and modern independent gamebooks.  What a legend.

COLLECTION FORM

If you mean to be there, then use this form to register to collect your rewards in person.  Please try and use the same email that you used for your pledge so that I don’t lose your response!  

If you can’t make it to the convention but would like to arrange collection in London, UK on a date following 5th September, just put a note in the form.

Otherwise, I’ll be sending out links to collect shipping payments and arrange final addresses in about a month for everyone who wants their rewards delivered to their door.  I’ve put a lot of work into shipping costs but they aren’t quite finalised yet.

It was late last year when I first wondered if this was all going to come together in time for FFF6 and I’m pleased to say that I’m on schedule for a complete set of physical rewards by then.  The extra adventures may take a little longer or may also be ready in time – I’m not sure.

So what else needs doing?  Here’s a longer list of the remaining jobs of the project.

– Acknowledgements

– Complete 2 maps (Plymouth and the siege of Tintagel)

– Write short adventures (Dark, Satanic Mills and Harvest of Death) 

– Complete shipping estimates and plan

– Digital decorations for boxes, frames etc

– Look over / improve character sheets

– Codeword check (partly done!)

– Create companion (partly done)

– Order maps

– Complete Touring Guide 2 (about 20 pages to do)

– Draw pubs (at least 3 to draw)

– Order guide folders

– Order guidebooks

– Assemble folders

– Order packaging

– Assemble TG2s

– Order TG1s

– Assemble TG1s

– Chase Wanted Posters

– Create remaining wanted posters

– Set up stripe links for shipping payments

– Update SH1-3 companion

– Update SH1

– Update SH2

– Update SH3

– Update errata

In the next fortnight I’ll be keenly awaiting that print proof, doing the taxes for my wife’s small company (an home education hub) and trying to survive in the heat.  I may get to the drawing of the maps or work on the guide – pretty much all of the remaining jobs are pleasant ones and I’m not pressurising myself now.

What’s in the Steam Highwayman’s tankard?  A pint of Marston’s Pedigree.

Next update due: 2.7.26

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Update 18: Continuing to format

January has shot by – and progress is good.

– I paid Ben for the finalised internal illustrations.  I’m now only holding funds for the printing of the books and the extras.

– I’ve spent four days and several late-night stints formatting the book – so far, I’m up to passage 722.  This is essentially a long, careful paste-up, as I take sections of 100 passages from my gdoc and paste them into Microsoft publisher, and then work through them in order, checking lineation, reformatting bold and italic fonts, which I use a lot, adding in a lot of invisible tables and setting in the minor and major illustrations.  I think I’m now about ⅓ of the way through this long and painstaking job.

– Rather than correct the rumour engine from the outside, I’ve been correcting it as I go through the formatting: each time I reach a beer or other rumour passage, I can select which of the rumours to link in from a list of nearly 60.

– Likewise, as I’ve reached shops and places to trade, I’ve logged the items to be bought and sold so that everything needed can be accessed somewhere.  Prices are high in parts of Cornwall, cut off behind the Imperial blockade – but there’s money to be made if you know where to offload your loot!

– I’ve checked the codewords to passage 700, but there are more to do.

– I’ve checked the inter-book links and written a missing link that takes you on a railway journey to London.

The plan is to continue working at this pace until the book is formatted.  It’s taking longer than I had hoped because the book is … longer than expected.

But being so careful as I go does have the benefit of giving me the chance to comb my way through the passages.  I’ve made plenty of corrections as I’ve gone along – typos, bad links, duplications and so on – but also edited and improved the clarity of the writing in some places and, I think, improved the game in a few minor ways.

It’s been pleasant to re-read sections that I wrote a long time ago and enjoy the story from the inside as well.  There is a broad distribution of sections across the map too – passage 300-399 in one area and 400-499 in another – so it’s a bit like travelling across the region as well.  Coupled with memories from our trip to Cornwall and Devon in September, I’ve really been in the saddle in my mind.

What next?

– I’ll be continuing to format the document!  This is probably another 10 days work – so it may be March before I’m ready to send or share it with proofreaders.

Next update due: 13.2.26