An Americana-inspired 5e mini-setting zine featuring unique player options, creatures of folklore and legend, and much more!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Adventure Is Done (Final Edits and Layout Finishing Up)
7 months ago
– Sun, Sep 24, 2023 at 06:14:54 PM
Alright everyone, here is a quick update to keep you informed.
The adventure is done! Sean has to finish editing it and then we need to finalize the entire book layout and make sure it's perfect, but ALL first draft items of the book are completed now, with most of the book already having been edited and formatted for print.
I don't really have anything else to say for this update other than that I'm very pleased with the length, direction, and creativity of this adventure. The Summer Spring has a lot of heart to it and a very personal connection to the almost 3 years long D&D game Sean and I played with our best friends a few years ago. I also love the jumping-off point that it gives GMs and players to get acquainted with the Shrouded Coast. At the adventure's conclusion, I've also provided some story branches that GMs and players can explore next and craft their own adventures on the coast.
And before I end this update, thank you for the kind words I received after my last update in August. In that update, I had mentioned that Sean was caring for his aging parents. We did lose his mother shortly after that post. It was both expected and unexpected.
The encouragement you all continue to provide has meant a lot to us. While I've hated needing to thank you for your patience each month, I'll say it one more time. Thank you all.
Another update will be coming soon :) Bye!
The Adventure Has Grown, but the Project is Almost Complete
8 months ago
– Sun, Aug 20, 2023 at 10:12:37 PM
Hey everybody!
It has been crazy here with a lot of work being done and some fun and unfun life happenings. We have had a lot of progress and this journey is almost over.
ALL ART IS DONE. Yes, you read that correctly. All of the art for The Shrouded Coast is completed. Look at all of the beautiful magic item cards!
The magic item cards!
THE LAYOUT IS DONE. Yes, you also read that correctly. I even designed a page watermark for the page numbers that I'm really proud of. Here is an example of what a book page will look like.
A screen shot of what one page will look like, with the page number watermark art in the bottom left corner.
The writing is all done except for the adventure. The adventure has grown some from the simple one-shot we initially envisioned. I am really excited about what we've come up with. We were able to use it to explore a good portion of the Shrouded Coast, include multiple NPCs, and multiple monsters, and even write in two of the "Part of Our World" backer characters! I will be finishing it up narratively this week and Sean will swoop in and help me fine-tune the mechanics and make sure everything is balanced. He is also starting to work on the conversions for Roll20 and Foundry. Sean works full-time in the TTRPG space, and much of his work is doing conversions, so he is confident that converting The Shrouded Coast will not take very long and will be completed on time with everything else.
Regardless of how long the conversion takes, we will move towards printing once the adventure is done and one final edit is made to the text and final layout. As far as our timeline is concerned, we are hoping to begin talking to the printer next month.
Also, the plan is still to release EVERYTHING together at one time. So once books are shipped, we will also release all of the digital books and additional digital content (stretch goals).
I've tried to be transparent from the start of this that we are a two-person team, with most of the work, I'd say at least 75% of it, falling to me, a person who also has a full-time job outside of TTRPGs. Sean and I are also parents which also takes up time. Lastly, we've battled sicknesses in our house during the past year and Sean has also taken on additional duties caring for his aging parents. I don't say all of this as an excuse for going past our intended timeline. I say all of this to show how amazing you all are for supporting a small, indie creator in the first place and for sticking with us. We really appreciate you all. Your trust, your support, and your patience have meant the world.
I will post another update once printing begins!
Moving Towards Print (May Update)
11 months ago
– Wed, May 31, 2023 at 09:12:11 PM
Hello wonderful backers!
First of all, I answered some questions on April's update that I missed last month. Sorry about that, but pop over to that post if you want to see those answers.
Secondly, I'm happy to say that art is almost completed! All the maps are done, subclasses are done, monsters/creatures are completed, etc. I have one more Part of Our World portrait to finish and some magic items. I know you don't know this and I promise this isn't a weird brag, just fact, but...I'm really fast at doing magic item art. So don't sweat those, because I'm not!
The writing is almost completed and we've started editing. We've also started formatting for print. While we finish up everything we will continue to edit and format the final layout with the use of placeholder text and images if necessary.
We have an online print and fulfillment company selected, but we also wanted to check with some local printers. We've spoken to two and will explore some more options. At this point, with the current length of the book, we are going to explore and price out what a larger-sized zine would be as well. So instead of the originally proposed 4.25 x 5.5 we may need to go to 8.5 x 11. This is simply to have a more attractive product that is easier to read and use.
With all of that said...I think this thing will be done, ready for print and ship by the end of the month/beginning of July! We are so close that I can almost taste it! Also, as soon as digital rewards are ready to send, I will post an update just to share that information, even if it's before the end of the month. We are getting to a point where I will probably start having more updates that can't wait to be said all at once at the end of the month. So I will try to not start sending a bunch, but I want you all to be in the loop. So sorry, not sorry if you start getting an uptick in notifications from us!
Okay, here is some art to look at! And let me know if you have any questions. You are all amazing! We're almost done! Yay!
"It's a sickness...or maybe a curse," the old man deftly flicks away the blade of grass he's been chewing on before continuing, "but them people in Mercy's End? No, they're not like normal folk. We thought they all died once. Trade stopped, mail stopped, farm animals ran amuck, but then the town came alive again and they all acted like nothin uncanny had happened" You frown and ask, "well, have they hurt anyone?" The old man leans forward in his rocking chair and squints at you. "Who's to tell? The dead sure can't! Now there's been no reports of anyone missing or hurt, but they're up to somethin there. Why else would they start buying all the butcher's blood on the Shrouded Coast?!"
Mercy's End
The Clandestine keep their oaths as they further the goals of secret, mysterious societies.
End of April Update
12 months ago
– Sun, Apr 30, 2023 at 09:29:16 PM
Hey all!
I hope everyone's April has been good! Mine has been very busy! It's maybe odd for creators to talk about other parts of their lives, but I have a full-time job outside of working on this zine. I'm the community liaison and public speaker for a non-profit organization that serves survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. We also work to address suicide, child abuse, elder abuse, and homelessness in our communities. April just happens to be both Child Abuse Prevention Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month...which created a perfect storm of events and speaking engagements for me.
Despite having a busy month and despite being laid low for almost a week and a half with a nasty cold, I did get Shrouded Coast work done! I've really been enjoying the creature art this month and we worked more on the adventure writing!
Peep some of the new art pieces!
"You want to know about the Pine Devils? These nightmarish fiends do not make deals at crossroads nor do they care for contracts like others of their kind. No, Pine Devils watch from the darkness of the ancient, thick pine woods, waiting for mortals who do not stay on safe paths. Do you really think it's just the wind that moans and snaps through the pines? If so, then you are a fool."
"You shouldn't swim there. There are monsters in the lakes, things that can take a man's leg off in one bite. You might think they're just a floating log, but there's an iron maw with dagger teeth, claws sharper than any wild cat's, and jagged plating that extends all the way to a whip-like tail beneath the surface. No, I've not actually seen one, but I know they're real. At night, you can see their eyes above the water line, glowing like lanterns."
We are still here and we are still working to complete this project! While there is no update on a timeline since last month's update, I do want to take a minute to talk about the future of any additional zines.
When I came up with the original idea for this zine, Sean and I had discussed where we could go after the Shrouded Coast. Would we expand upon this area or could we find a way to expand upon the idea of Americana-inspired 5E settings? We decided that geographically and history-wise, there was a lot to explore when it came to doing additional Americana settings. We planned to push west to explore new biomes and time periods.
Unfortunately, plans have changed. While I would like to do more setting guides in the future, at this time, I probably won't. This was something that I wrestled with earlier in the year when we thought WOTC was going to take ownership of any 3rd party materials created. I wasn't going to create anything new if that were to be the case, but then that was all resolved and I felt okay about WOTC and I felt safe to continue to create 5E materials. Unfortunately, WOTC continues to show itself as a company that doesn't know how to follow basic business ethics. They have once again done something weird and wrong. I think that once the Shrouded Coast is completed, I will be moving away from the game system completely.
I will still be writing and illustrating though! I have a novel that I intend to publish once the Shrouded Coast is done. I hope that some of you will take the time to find me on social media and stick around once we're finished here :) Sorry for the long and somewhat strange update, but since WOTC has been a point of conversation here recently, I thought now would be a good time to discuss the future.
I think May is going to be a good month for us and I'm excited to have things done. Thank you all for your continued support!
March Update + New Art
about 1 year ago
– Mon, Mar 27, 2023 at 08:55:43 PM
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
