Another eventful week. Basically closed out OSE Solos. Nightmare Fuel funded but is still mired in doldrums, but hope remains while the company is true.

• The Nightmare Fuel bestiary project for the Dungeon Fantasy RPG went live on Backerkit Crowdfunding on October 13, hit 50% funding on Day 1, passed the funding goal on Oct 21 (Day 8), and is currently idling with 9 days left.
• We still have 585 folks following but not backed, and are closing in on 800 followers total. That follower total is more than the original Nordlondr Bestiary, which closed at 685 backers, with 250 or so joining the last week of the campaign. If we get that sort of final run, we’ll likely pass the stretch goal.
• Just in case it wasn’t clear: If we pass the stretch goal, the hardcover omnibus is in addition to the three books you get with your physical rewards. It’s not a replacement. I thought that was clear, but in case it wasn’t: It’s a free extra book.
• PLEASE pledge soon if you can. How close we are to the stretch makes a real difference. If you’re on the fence due to lack of information, I’ve started to post contents and sample art. More forthcoming this weekend.
• The OSE solos project is pretty darn close to done. All domestic and Canadian packages are out. I get daily “dings” on my phone saying yet another package has arrived. The AUS/NZ box needs customs forms but is picked and packed. The UK Hub orders are awaiting the reprint of Dragon Hunt, which has been shipped. I have processed all refunds and late surveys. This is as done as I can make it.
• Oh, one more thing: the “Mondragon’s Hounds” card had an error in it where the font got replaced with a small box. Artiforge reprinted that for me and I dropped a replacement card in the mail for Domestic recipients.
• The Nightmare Fuel campaign page contains a discount code for 10% off those products not featured on the campaign. Check out Can’t Find an Add-On on the campaign page!

Gaming Ballistic Patreon

To help with ongoing funding of art and speed eventual time to delivery, Gaming Ballistic started a Patreon in January 2021. Here’s the weekly update on Patreon status.

• Membership status: 66 patrons and $491 per month.
• Special Content in October: The finalized PDF of Shields Up. Lots of previews and such on the discord.

October brought the return of two Patrons who had to leave, but now are back!

Gaming Ballistic in Media

• A nice review from Peter Dell’Orto on Dungeon Fantastic.
• Shields Up! also got a mention by my friend Roland Warzecha (who provided the back-cover illustration) of Dimicator. Roland is one of the top researchers into sword-and-shield fighting from a practical sense, and he and my own martial arts instructor, Arthur von Eschen, have significantly informed the work that went into the book.
• I made a status and unboxing video, in which it’s rapidly clear why I’m not a million-follower internet influencer. Kickstarter Update #53 gives you a link to the YouTube video as well as the TL;DR synopsis.
• I got a nice comment (a few actually) about my ability to deliver Kickstarters.

Currently Manufacturing/Fulfilling/Shipping

Projects where hardcopies and PDFs are going out or scheduled to do so.

• The OSE Solos kickstarter is just about as done as I can make it.

Crowdfunding and Product Launches

 

Nightmare Fuel

• The campaign passed the funding goal Oct 20-51.
• We currently stand just over 300 backers with 585 following but not backed. Given the totals, the stretch goal will fall at roughly 535 backers. Over 250 joined the Nordlond Bestiary campaign in the final week…which also happened to be the first week of the month. So we’re not done yet!
• To reiterate: the stretch goal is for an EXTRA book in your physical pledges. Not a replacement.

Old-School Solo Adventures

• All Domestic and Canadian books were in the mail as of Thursday 9am. UK Hub orders awaiting Dragon Hunt! arrival and check-in, which looks to be next week.
• OSE solos will go on sale on my website this weekend.

Product Announcements

The full Product Catalog finally got updated on Sept 3 for fall! I took the opportunity to normalize prices for my entire product line. PDFs in general went up by a dollar or two; most print books stayed the same, a few actually came down in price. But with a few exceptions, at least all my stuff is now on the same pricing curve.

Serpents of Legend, The “Bugstiary,” and Garden of Evil. All part of the Nightmare Fuel campaign.

Shields Up! Finalized, on sale, and print books are in! I must admit, I went with a matte-finish cover and I really like it. The OSE books got that cover too (because the OSE Rules Tome is matte) and I really like that as well.

In Development

Writing and content creation for announced projects. Some of this may be cryptic.

With OSE Solos almost done, Shields Up! released, and Nightmare Fuel campaign live…it’s time to start on active development of some of these projects. Plus a few more.

• Let Us Rejoice! is a systemless exploration of festivals and gatherings as great ways to make a world come alive. Uses and collects the Nordlond material that is scattered over several books as examples, but also goes further than that. This will be GB’s first systemless release. This one is definitely moving into 2023. That’s not a problem as such; having a robust “what’s coming next” is good.
• Delvers to Grow Companion. Some new professions. A whole bunch of new disad packages. Epic Upgrades. Everyman Adventurer modules. Who knows what else will strike me? I know what I want to do with this one, and shall get writing as soon as this OSE project is finished.
• Gear Catalog 1? There’s a good start at what is probably a nice 32-page book, maybe a bit more. Also DFRPG. I’ve talked with a potential author on this one and we need to work out a few things, but not in a bad way.
• Inns and Taverns, by Marshall LaPira. Systemless. Still postponed indefinitely. A good time for this would either be along with Let Us Rejoice (in a few months) or real close to the end of the year.

• Two Warring Houses, by Douglas Cole. Systemless. On hold.
• Infinite Archipelago is going to be my new framework for settings that should cross over systems. I have plans for TFT/OSE version of Nordlond, plus more, that GMs will be able to pick and choose and place what’s there. It implies sea travel in many ways, so there are ideas around that. Looking forward to this as a building block for 2023.
• Secret TFT Setting by David Pulver. Chatted with David about plans for this, and there’s a hole in his schedule at the end of the year. Chatted more, and liking how it works.
• Secret Nordlond-ish Setting by [CENSORED].
• OSE Conversions of Character Collections. I don’t see why not. Monsters, ready-to-go PCs/NPCs with just enough background to make ‘em interesting. Some art for visualization. I may work on this together with two other CC volumes I’d like to make, so they hit as a six-book bundle.
• Mission X: It’s time to get working on this. I’d anticipate late 2023 or early 2024 as it’s a big project. Starting to wonder what the physical format should be. 8×10 is the DFRPG, but US Letter, A4, A5, 6×9, etc would all be potentially viable. Most likely is the 8.5×11 US Letter format, but I’m still musing.

The two settings are part of a grand plan you’ll be seeing more of next year.

I note that for new authors, Delvers to Grow and Bestiary entries are fantastic ways to get into the game, as such projects lend themselves very well to focused writing and fast turn-around. The new concept that I’m shopping around to my circle of authors and contributors will be another entry…but the nature of the concepts requires a firm hand on the wheel for gamer utility. Some of my early discussions with authors are fluctuating between “oh, I get it, that’s cool” and “…but surely those restrictions don’t apply to my cool idea!” Yes, they do.

Friction

Bits of news and items that put a monkey in the wrench.

• The campaign doldrums on Backerkit are even more extreme than on Kickstarter so far. I have theories as to why. I’m hopeful that the final week of the campaign, November 1-6, will see the same sort of acceleration that we saw in Nordlond Bestiary.
• My fingers are literally raw from handling so much adhesive tape.

Fair Winds

Information about things that move GB forward.

• Having the OSE fulfillment off my shoulders, even with a few to-dos left, is a huge relief.
• The books are really pretty. Like really, really pretty. I love the matte covers on both Shields Up and the OSE solos, and may well do that for everything going forward.
• The art for Nightmare Fuel is going to be really good.