The new Kickstarter is up and running! I knock down some important housekeeping items. My new sword remains awesome.

• The Foundry VTT module for Nightmare Fuel was finished and sent to backers last week, closing out that project completely.
• Best Supporting Actors: Adversaries and Allies launched with, well, mixed success. On the one hand, it was identified as a Project We Love by Kickstarter, the first time that has happened to me. On the other, it’s not doing well, sitting a bit over 75% of the funding goal (for the second time, having lost something like 5% of its total in two days as unexpected bills came due), and with history suggesting it’s going to be a very near thing.
• I did my taxes; no S-Corp for me this year, as I didn’t make enough income to have the extra tax return and permanent change to that status a lock. On the other hand, I had good revenue, and reasonable income for the year as a whole. Focusing on the June to December period – maximum productivity – looks amazing.
• One background project is stalled; Davi
• d’s TFT project is running behind but that’s OK.
• My new sword continues to be excellent.

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: 59 patrons and $440 per month.
• Special Content in March: OSE Kickstarter Preview; Early look at GB 2022 Year in Review.

I’ll also be releasing 45 new spells for Old-School Essentials for review and comment in the next few days I hope.

Currently Manufacturing/Fulfilling/Shipping

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

• The OSE solos project is essentially closed.
• With the distribution of the Nightmare Fuel Foundry VTT module, that applies to Nightmare Fuel as well.

Crowdfunding and Product Launches

• The Best Supporting Actors: Adversaries and Allies project launched on March 7.
  • It got off to a slow start, with only 75-77% funding over the first 10 days. This is a long project for me, so there’s still more than three weeks to go. It will probably
  • On the other hand, it was selected a Kickstarter Project We Love, which is the first time this has happened to me. The utility of a book like this, especially combined with the quick-reference cards, becomes more apparent in play, not less (the TFT Character Collections serve a similar and very useful role).
• We have OSE in March, TFT in May, Powered by GURPS in July, OSE again in September, and finally Powered by GURPS in November. With luck, there will also be some other “quiet” releases that don’t get full campaigns.

Product Announcements

The full Product Catalog

is accurate as of Sept 3, 2022 but needs a refresh for new product and a Winter 2023 update. Look for that and dissemination of my new PbG products to all sales channels.

The Nightmare Fuel books and the VTT Module are now available in all intended formats on my shopify store!

• Serpents of Legend
• The Bugstiary
• Garden of Evil
• Nightmare Fuel Foundry VTT Module

In Development

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

Let’s see where we are on other things…

• Let Us Rejoice! Looking at my planned releases and the work required, this is either 2024 or “as time permits” in 2023…and I hope it’s a non-crowdfund release in 2023 and time does
• 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. I’m hoping for this one in July 2023.
• Artifacts of Norðlond. Working title and Marko Vujnovic as lead on this one. I’ve seen a first revision by Marko based on an original manuscript by CRR, and it’s in the middle of a second revision right now. I suspect this will be a “surprise” release when it’s ready and as funds allow to do the art, with an appearance as a crowdfunding pledge level in June as well (probably another All the New Things level, which was well received in Nightmare Fuel).

• Inns and Taverns; Two Warring Houses, by Douglas Cole. Systemless. 2024 is likely, and I’m probably going to solicit new authors on both.
• Infinite Archipelago is happening. I have the first plan here with the TFT books David is making right now, and big plans for late summer or early fall for bringing Nordlond into the OSE and TFT as part of this line. Heck, I think I even have a logo for it.
• “Gwalathar” TFT Setting by David Pulver. The solo books David wrote for me have an implied setting and there are a minimum of three books – likely more – planned and in writing at this time that blow out that setting as the first example of the Infinite Archipelago concept. April.
• Mission X: Working contract details with SJGames and I can’t really dig in on this until I have the formal list of materials accessible to me. I have been actively discussing this with SJGames and as one might imagine for a stand-alone RPG, the discussion of “what this will be” can get hung up on both macro and micro details. I’m still optimistic we’ll land on a happy place, but the trajectory to get there is non-trivial.

I actively encourage prospective authors to drop me proposals having to do with any of the above projects, but bear in mind that there are guidelines and strictures that must be followed to make a sale and move from concept to final.

Friction

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

• I seem to have torn my rotator cuff, which interferes with my sleep and generally makes life more difficult than it needs to be.
• Still no Mission X contract.
• I’ll tell you…while the concept of a book full of PCs/NPCs might be a head-scratcher, I’m surprised at the response (or lack thereof) to Best Supporting Actors, and it’s weighing on me. Having a party of rival adventurers or tavern-dwellers or hirelings or evil bosses ready-to-go with no prep? That’s just useful, and folks who have messed around with the versions of these for The Fantasy Trip have noted they rapidly become an invaluable resource. Basically: Still not there on conveying my message from a marketing perspective.
• I stalled a bit on the project with fun co-author. Not pulling my weight there.
• The TFT manuscript(s) are delayed, but then, I’m still doing copious work on OSE, so that’s not tragic.

Fair Winds

Information about things that move GB forward.

• I got my taxes done and submitted. If the information I have already received from my accountant is correct, I covered myself and then some with pre-payments, so hopefully no sudden tax bill from the Fed, which is excellent.
• I have been making screaming progress recently on moving Best Supporting Actors’ manuscript into the ready-for-layout stage. I’ve got something like 90 of 172 characters ready for spooling to layout, and I’m nearly ready to write up 45 new spells. At 3-5 spells per page, this will be a substantial part of the book’s preamble pages. I’ve also expanded the list of “background skills” from the OSE Advanced Rules Tome to very nearly 100 entries.
• My sword is still awesome, and despite rotator cuff problems, I continue to train (a bit) and teach at the Viking martial arts school in Eagan. I had a particularly good class yesterday.
• Closing out both Old-School Solos and the final deliverable for Nightmare Fuel was a big relief stress-wise.