Some Blood and Smoke with Just a Hint of Janus

Monday Meeting

Just this morning I got the Premium color PoD proof of Blood & Smoke dropped off at the door (I had reviewed the Standard color PoD version over the weekend), so we are good to go live with the PoD versions and in fact they are now on sale at DTRPG. The Premium color PoD book is one beautiful solid tome- as befitting the latest evolution of Vampire The Requiem!

Talked with Eddy, and we had a fair number of pieces go through CCP approvals this last week: art, whole books, logos. Still waiting to hear about an idea I had that I hope to go into more detail on later this year if CCP is cool with it (no, not about buying WW outright), and the 2015 Schedule which is now in their hands. Can’t reveal anything about that yet, but I do hope to let you all in on the rest of 2014 once Rollickin’ Rose and Impish Ian and I sit down and actually have our schedule review meeting this month. We’ll be updating the current expectations listed here, and looking further into 2014. Since I also have end of 2013 accounting meetings this week (the accountant is needed to explain the arcane processes they use to come up with the answer to the single question: did we make any money last year?), we’re squeezing in this talk where we can.

But in general terms, and as I went into at the beginning of this month: http://theonyxpath.com/13-was-a-lucky-number-for-onyx-path/ 2013 was a pretty crazy year for Onyx Path. We innovated and evolved a lot of…stuff. And the price of that, as an entity that wants to keep innovating and having fun while doing it, and which is built on the idea that all of our freelancers also have fun, is that a lot of our internal processes were challenged to keep functioning, never mind trying to evolve them into something that works better. For example, this website. We could do a lot more with it, but once the WW Forums were transferred here we needed to be sure that the transition for our community was a smooth one first and foremost, and think about bells and whistles after that was taken care of. And all things considered, I think we (well, Rose, Ian, and the fabulous WW Forum Mods- I was moral support) did pretty well in making the Onyx Path Forums a welcoming and familiar place.

So, again generally, in 2014 the Onyx Path gang have decided to spend a lot of our internal effort in shoring up those internal processes that need it, evolving those that can be improved, and ditching out-moded ways of thinking or methods that are just clunking along. And this thinking permeates a lot of our discussions about our efforts in 2014. Should we buy a huge booth at Gen Con and have a street party like WW once did? Not this year- we’re going to spend that effort and money on getting more demo games of our lines running at the con, and on having a focused message at the booth that builds on 2013’s presence rather than trying to blow anybody out of the water. Small steps that free us up to devote those resources to the creation of more awesome games and the delivery of those games to you.

For an example, consider our Kickstarters. Because Rose is now able to help me run them, I’m now able to go through the laborious process of trying to find new printers and shippers for our Deluxe and Prestige books and screens. There just wasn’t enough time to find more than a few reputable printers whom I knew could deliver the quality we needed, even if they took a long time to deliver it. Now I can find those who can do both.

Finally, Eddy and I talked about True Detective on HBO. The show might as well be in either version of WoD, and it is noir dialed up to 11. Matthew McConaughey’s dialogue and delivery are like a hypnotic weaving of existential bleakness so deep and dark that they make even me seem like Hello Kitty in comparison. And that provides a delicious catharsis that I’m just craving each week. Eddy had not seen it. But now he has to.

The weekly updates. They’re much less bleak than Matthew McConaughey:

– Blood and Smoke: The Strix Chronicle (VtR) Both the PoD and the PDF are available on sale on DTRPG! B&S Screen PDF is in for approval and the B&S Condition Cards are on sale at DTRPG, too.

– Mummy the Curse – Cursed Necropolis DC is in editing.

– 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. Charms: Performance is done, Integrity is underway. Social engine overhauls are done, unless the playtesters turn up new issues, but it looks pretty solid right now. Martial Arts are getting some revisions based on playtest results. The various parts of the setting chapter (Chapter Two) are assembled, and expected to fully be in editing within a few days.

Zub’s EX3 Comic and both EX3 novels are being worked on. Exploration of a theme continues for the EX3 Music Suites– so far we’ve heard sketches for Dragon Blooded, Exigent, and Infernal.

– V20 Hunters Hunted 2: Shipping services still continue to deliver these. Of Predators and Prey: The HH2 Fiction Anthology PDF/electronic is on sale at DTRPG: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/124845/Of-Predators-and-Prey-The-Hunters-Hunted-II-Anthology

– V20 Anarchs Unbound Kickstarter is live and is already three quarters funded!

– Deluxe Werewolf 20th Anniversary Edition: As with HH2, shipping services still continue to deliver these. The Heavy Metal Deluxe W20 is slowly being assembled after several bad starts with the ink density on the metal covers- bad density= flaking, scratching, peeling. Mike Lee has a new batch of chapters of the W20 “Houses of the Moon” novel for Bill to review. W20 Anthology PDF is on sale at DTRPG now, and we are looking to get the PoD files on sale this week. Jess Hartley has submitted the White Howlers Tribe Book is in red-lining, and the W20 Cookbook PDF was delivered to backers before last year ended- I’m waiting for a proof of the PoD version. Ethan is almost done the W20 Wyld West patch writing.

– Deluxe Mage the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition has Phil on the very last sections of the book. Reviewing full pages in b&w first from Mike Kaluta. Five pieces of the Traditions two-page spread art have been approved by CCP. Going to do its Kickstarter after Anarchs Unbound‘s, and had a really fun conversation with Phil about how we can do the KS and how involved he wants to be. He said something about a fire and video.

– W20 Changing Breeds PDF and PoD versions are on sale at DTRPG! Deluxe files are with the printer. The Changing Breeds Fiction Anthology first drafts were due last week.

– W20 Rage Across the World: The PDF went to Deluxe W20 backers first as an appreciative gift for their patience, and is now on sale at DTRPG. Waiting for the proofs of the PoD.

– W20 Book of the Wyrm is in layout. A couple of additional art pieces still coming in.

– 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): Proof was approved by CCP. Looking to offer the PDF on DTRPG later this week!

– Trinity Continuum: New System ideas continue being hammered out. Most of the Aeon setting material is in.

– Scion: New Systems discussion continue. Both Scion and the TU above are now moving into active mode for 2014.

– Demon: The Descent: In a surprise move, we delivered the Demon PDF to KS backers before the end of December, and we’re compiling changes and tweaks before creating PoD and traditional printing files.

– Hunter: Mortal Remains: Art coming in.

– Book of the Deceived (MtC): Second drafts being worked on.

– nWoD: Dark Eras: Writers are writing.

– V20 Dark Ages: Scribes are scribing. Some on 2nd Drafts. Check out the discussion on the WW Forums and these very blogs.

– DtD Players Guide: Flowers Of Hell?: In editing.

– V20: Ghouls: Writing continues very well.

– V20 Red List: In final draft stage.

– The Making of the Art of Children of the Revolution: Out to backers who pledged for it. Creating PoD files to go with PDF for sale on DTRPG.

Reason to Drink: Last weekend was my 51st birthday and it snowed on me.