Some Thanks Before The Turkey

Monday Meeting

Eddy and I had kind of a dull, business-oriented meeting. Next week though, we’re talking 50 years of Doctor Who. Pre-Thanksgiving, I’m pushing to get out various work items to try and buy time to spend with the family. A few reminders and then some thoughts about Thanksgiving, then.

We are halfway through the Kickstarter campaign for the Demon: The Descent Prestige Edition and are 260% funded with 1420 backers. This is very gratifying as we tried a few new things with this KS, including presenting the full pre-edit text for anyone to download, and offering a discount on the Demon Condition Cards and the Demon PoD itself (as Stretch Goals we’re headed for currently).

As a reminder, a whole bunch of Onyx Path creators will be doing an AMA (Ask me Anything) on Reddit today at 2pm EST that should go for about two hours or more. We’ve got Rollickin’ Rose Bailey and Black Hat Matt McFarland onboard to field Demon: The Descent questions, but other developer and writer type peoples say they’ll be there too, as will myself and Amiable Ian Watson.

Here’s the link to an interview I did with the Grown As Gamers gang a few nights ago- there’s general Onyx Path talk, plus old WW stories, a pretty decent Demon: The Descent section, and some Scion chatter. It was a great time, I loved hanging with the guys, and hope to get out to their home base sometime for another romp. I will say that one maybe misinterpretation came up out of the talk, where I mention my personal thinking that Demons would have been interpreted by mortals throughout history in the ways those mortals could best understand them. Thus giving rise to the classic demon myths and beliefs. But that’s my meta-view of it, and I can’t say for sure that there is anything about that in the book and certainly not in the rules. http://www.grownasgamers.com/2013/11/gag-cast-episode-115b-rich-thomas-from-onyx-path-publishing/

Mummy‘s Guildhalls of the Deathless, and cMage‘s Conventionbook: Void Engineers are now available in PoD formats at DTRPG, and both books have certainly been tightened up considerably by the comments and suggestions you all shared after checking out the PDFs. Thanks! I’m going to pull them from the list below now that they are fully on sale.

As Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and I think we could all benefit from a momentary slowdown in our crazy lives to remember the people and things that have got us through another year, here are some of mine. I don’t tell anybody enough how much I appreciate all that they do for me, so maybe this will help a bit with that (and please, if I forgot you, it isn’t deliberate- my brain is stuffed full of pre-Thanksgiving gotta-get-dones):

Thanks to Mirthful Mike Chaney: I have no idea how he juggles all the art direction, graphic design, and scheduling stuff I throw at him and still produces phenomenal looking books like Demon – but he does and Onyx Path could not have grown as fast as we have without Mike’s contributions.

Thanks to Amiable Ian Watson: There are so many behind the scenes things that Ian handles so smoothly that don’t even register on most people’s radars, but without him we never could have even a tenth of the online presence we have. And far fewer folks would even know what Onyx is up to. Which would be bad.

Thanks to Rollickin’ Rose Bailey: Rose stepped up and began coordinating the various development and editing moving parts to improve how Onyx communicates with the writing side of creating our books and really firmed up everything there in ways I just couldn’t find the available time to give due attention to. And, in her spare time, she has developed a couple of really big and important books with Demon and the Strix Chronicles: Blood and Smoke .

Rose stepped up and began coordinating the various development and editing moving parts to improve how Onyx communicates with the writing side of creating our books and really firmed up everything there in ways I just couldn’t find the available time to give due attention to. And, in her spare time, she has developed a couple of really big and important books with and the . Thanks to Matt McElroy and Monica Valentinelli for their excellent advice and consultation on matters of Marketing, GenCon, DTRPG, and just general common sense sharing of their experiences in the current tabletop RPG marketplace. I might not always agree on the next step, but I find their advice invaluable.

and for their excellent advice and consultation on matters of Marketing, GenCon, DTRPG, and just general common sense sharing of their experiences in the current tabletop RPG marketplace. I might not always agree on the next step, but I find their advice invaluable. Thanks to Eddy Webb for friggin’ years of good conversation and great advice, and some stellar work on his V20 books. And being the best CCP interface I could ever hope to argue vehemently with.

for friggin’ years of good conversation and great advice, and some stellar work on his books. And being the best CCP interface I could ever hope to argue vehemently with. Thanks to Black Hat Matt McFarland for his professionalism and passion. It’s no accident that many if not most of the projects we put out these last two years that hit pretty much as scheduled were under his guidance- Matt delivers both timeliness and quality and I am always, yes, thankful when he is working on a book.

for his professionalism and passion. It’s no accident that many if not most of the projects we put out these last two years that hit pretty much as scheduled were under his guidance- Matt delivers both timeliness and quality and I am always, yes, thankful when he is working on a book. Thanks to John Mørke and Holden Shearer who have shouldered a crazy-hard task of reinvigorating Exalted and continue to do so with undiminished passion through some pretty scary times. 18 minutes!

and who have shouldered a crazy-hard task of reinvigorating and continue to do so with undiminished passion through some pretty scary times. 18 minutes! And thanks to the whole EX3 writing team for their ultra-hard work. Almost there, gang!

writing team for their ultra-hard work. Almost there, gang! Thanks to CA Suleiman for diggin’ in and gettin’ busy on continuing Mummy past the awesome core book while still providing me with tons of intelligent and professional thought-provoking advice on how Onyx can move forward.

for diggin’ in and gettin’ busy on continuing past the awesome core book while still providing me with tons of intelligent and professional thought-provoking advice on how can move forward. Thanks to Justin Achilli for being the best curve-ball thrower I know, and still the idiot son I never had.

for being the best curve-ball thrower I know, and still the idiot son I never had. Thanks to Phil Brucato , Rich Dansky , Ethan Skemp , Bill Bridges , Aileen Miles , Geoff Grabowski , Pauline Benney , Fred Yelk , Aaron Voss , Craig Grant , and Joe Carriker : we all have gone and done different things after our WW times together, but damn it’s nice to be able to work on projects with all of you again- you all have the classic touch with a real excitement for how we can shake things up now.

, , , , , , , , , , and : we all have gone and done different things after our times together, but damn it’s nice to be able to work on projects with all of you again- you all have the classic touch with a real excitement for how we can shake things up now. Thanks to Dave Brookshaw , Stew Wilson , David Hill , Jess Hartley , and John Snead : you folks have really stepped up and are treating your respective game lines with the love and respect they deserve, while mixing in a whole lot of your own energy, creativity, and cool ideas. This isn’t just nice, it’s necessary.

, , , , and : you folks have really stepped up and are treating your respective game lines with the love and respect they deserve, while mixing in a whole lot of your own energy, creativity, and cool ideas. This isn’t just nice, it’s necessary. Thanks to Ryan Macklin for shepherding the 4 Convention Books into such glorious volumes while job-searching and all the ups and downs of book creation.

for shepherding the 4 into such glorious volumes while job-searching and all the ups and downs of book creation. Thanks to all of our freelance writers, editors, and artists , without whom we just could not make these beautiful books. We make it a point to list their names in the DTRPG product description sections, which is hardly enough thanks, but you should check them out.

, without whom we just could not make these beautiful books. We make it a point to list their names in the DTRPG product description sections, which is hardly enough thanks, but you should check them out. Thanks to my buds at By Night Studios (you know who you are) for really embracing (get it?) the idea that we’re all here to share the WW love.

(you know who you are) for really embracing (get it?) the idea that we’re all here to share the love. Thanks to Mike Tinney and Steve Wieck : I now understand why you got twitchy when I stormed into your offices, and appreciate more than ever how you didn’t kill me.

and : I now understand why you got twitchy when I stormed into your offices, and appreciate more than ever how you didn’t kill me. Thanks to Stewart Wieck , cause, you know. And now we can do Scarred Lands together again!

, cause, you know. And now we can do together again! Thanks to all of the WW and Onyx Path Community who continue to support the games lines we all love so much- we’re here for you. Hope you like the new forums

who continue to support the games lines we all love so much- we’re here for you. Hope you like the new forums Thanks to all of you who write in with your thoughts comments and suggestions and really make it worth the effort to write this (expletive deleted) blog every week.

And Now, The News:

– Blood and Smoke: The Strix Chronicle (VtR) First proof is out.

– Mummy the Curse – The MtC Ready Made Characters Pack PDF tweaks are in CA’s capable hands. Cursed Necropolis DC is being finished up by the writers.

– Exalted 3rd Edition: While John hunkers down to rewrite the Charms chapter he is also changing some of the ways he’s been doing these to enable more to get finished, the rest of the team is working on a couple of EX3 chapters that continue to be finalized for Editing: Survival is down and the Devs are doing some playtests with some groups they have gotten to know these past couple of years. And then after that fine-tuning they’d like to go with a wider group of external playtesters. Both EX3 novels as well as Zub’s EX3 Comic are in progress, and I just read through the initial format/scope document for the EX3 Music Suites– the music team is thinking of putting up their own video diaries documenting the creation of the EX3 Suites. Links when I have them.

– V20 Hunters Hunted 2: Looks like each of the three shippers have their books, next up, actually getting them out to backers. HH2 Fiction Anthology was not done there at the end of last week- this week for sure.

– V20 Anarchs Unbound is in layout and we are still putting the pieces together for its KS, but that’s been delayed until after the Demon KS (see above).

– Deluxe Werewolf 20th Anniversary Edition: At the three shippers, they are prepping and boxing. The Heavy Metal Deluxe W20 prototype was approved and they are slowly assembling and binding the books by hand. Mike Lee is submitting chapters of the W20 “Houses of the Moon” novel to Bill for dev review. Bill has the W20 Anthology stories in layout. Jess Hartley has submitted the White Howlers Tribe Book to Stew Wilson for development notes, and the W20 Cookbook is in layout.

– Deluxe Mage the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition has Phil is wrapping up the last sections of the book. Reviewing full pages in b&w first from Mike Kaluta.

– W20 Changing Breeds Backer PDF changes are in and the PoD files are being prepared. Waiting for a cover spec file for the Deluxe from the printer. The Changing Breeds Fiction Anthology is being contracted by developer Jess Hartley.

– W20 Rage Across the World: In approval. The PDF will go to Deluxe W20 backers first as an appreciative gift for their patience, and then up on DTRPG.

– Guildhalls of the Deathless (MtC) the PoD is now live along with the PDF on DTRPG.

– Conventionbook: Void Engineers (cMtA) the PoD version is now available with the PDF on DTRPG.

– W20 Book of the Wyrm is being art directed and is layout. Three names: Spencer, Ellis, Rebner.

– V20 Rites of the Blood: is ready for layout, but layout is not yet ready for it, art finals rolling in.

– Under the Darkening Sky (classic Dark Ages): In editing. Art getting approved.

– Trinity Continuum: New System ideas continue being hammered out. John Snead, Aeon developer and writer has already started sending material to Ian for review.

– Scion: New Systems discussion continue.

– Demon: The Descent: Files at indexing. The Demon: the Descent Kickstarter campaign has done great! (See above)!

– Hunter: Mortal Remains: Two chapters are in editing already and we have a new title instead of the previous two fake ones.

– Book of the Deceived (MtC): First drafts are coming in to CAS, who is red-lining away. Red-lining is the stage where the developer makes notes in the writer’s text for changes (called red lining because a red pen was used originally to mark up the paper manuscripts).

– nWoD: Dark Eras: Writers are writing.

– V20 Dark Ages: Scribes are scribing. Check out the discussion on the WW Forums and these very blogs. Talking to a pretty famous artist about this project- only talking yet, though.

– DtD Players Guide: Flowers Of Hell?: Being written in the dank and humid tunnels below Alcatraz.

– V20: Ghouls: Mind map created at LA by Night being transformed into a full-fledged project outline which has been sent to authors.

-V20 Red List: Still in final draft stage.

Reason to Drink: Thanks to fermentation.