Midsummer Update
over 1 year ago – Fri, Aug 05, 2022 at 12:03:35 PM

As reported in our last update, we're currently focused on completing the first two-thirds of the core Grimmerspace Settings and Adventures book, Player Options and Setting, and getting it into your hands in PDF ASAP. After which, we'll finish up Adventures for PDF release, and then everything for print.

Summary of Progress

The tracking sheet shows three chapters from Player Options and the Setting not yet in beta. These are: C4.0 Equipment,  C9.0 Polities, and C10.0 Edge Space. Our goal is to complete Polities this month. We've set Owen K.C. Stephen's Equipment handover deadline for this month as well. Finally, we are targeting Edge Space for Beta sometime the following month.

Discussion of Progress

There are four major milestones leading to a PDF (or print) release. These four milestones are Final Draft, Beta, Gold, and Layout. For any chapter, the hardest and most time-consuming milestone to reach is Beta, because both the development work and playtesting must be complete before this stage. 

Once everything reaches Beta, we review, edit, and finalize every line of text for clarity and language; after which, we send the documents to proofreading. Documents revised after proofing are Gold, and Gold is what layout uses to create PDFs. We release finalized PDFs to the backers as Early Release and, once all PDFs are in hand, those same PDFs are off to the printer along with any errata. 

Beta and Gold proceed a bit like an assembly line. When we finish a chapter in Beta, we'll feed it to the first proofreader. When we receive the chapter back, we'll send it to the next proofreader. Back again for a final review by us and then into Gold. 

The takeaway is that proofreaders will turn Beta chapters into Gold in our rearview, even as we tackle the next Beta chapter. This is another part of what makes getting to Gold faster than getting the documents to Beta in the first place.

In the last update we mentioned needing to finish C9.0 Polities before finishing the Descents. While work remains on C9.0, we finalized the polities enough for Owen to help us get the Descents into Beta.

Last but not least, once everything is in Beta and we have a sense of how swiftly the transmutation to Gold progresses, we'll estimate a date for placing the PDF in your hands.

Project Tracking

As always, you can check out our progress for yourself here. As a reminder, a checkmark means the stage of work is complete. N/A is short for "not applicable." The term "In Progress" means there is a file open (or about to open) on someone's desk, and a gold pip in the Beta column means that section reached Beta.

Start of Summer Update
almost 2 years ago – Wed, Jun 08, 2022 at 01:24:44 PM

Progress Report

There's not much in particular to report, as we continue to break rocks in the word mines for Grimmerspace. We wanted to reassure you we're closing in on completing both the player options and setting sections of the core book and, to reiterate, we'll distribute both the options/setting and adventures to backers only in two pre-release PDFs before finalizing the books for print. 

Summary of Progress

A quick review: the core book has grown into three distinct sections, which breaks out roughly as 1/3 player options, 1/3 setting, and 1/3 adventures. 

Being "in Beta" is the step wherein we finalize the text and start feeding it to commenters/proofreaders. One more revision pass by Rone and I after the text comes back from commenters/proofers, and off it goes to layout. 

Once every chapter in options and setting reaches Beta, we'll be able to offer a pre-release delivery estimate for the PDF. In terms of page count, over 80% of both the options and setting sections of the book are in Beta. If you include adventures, we've got over 70% of the full book in Beta.

Discussion of Progress

Note: The following discussion makes the most sense if you've got the progress tracker open (link below) for reference.

SETTING

As you can see from the tracker, there are three chapters in the setting part of the book not yet in Beta: C9.0 Polities of the Crux, C10.0 Edge Space, and C12.0 Citizens of the Galaxy.

Right now Hal Maclean, Rone, and Lou are in the thick of the hardest chapter--polities. These are the linchpins on which the  setting rests and must be handled carefully.  Change a polity, the ripples affect everything. 

Edge Space locations are important as well, but nowhere near as interconnected. Change an Edge location and an adventure may need a tweak. These are well developed, and we expect all 9 to enter Beta much more swiftly than the 5 polities.

Citizens of the Galaxy includes our seven Grimmer NPCs, and these are also short. They include a stat block and 1-2 pages of backstory and adventure hooks.

Meanwhile, Jason Brick is finishing the last two Galactic Organizations, and we plan to have him join us on the polities and Edge locations once he wraps.

PLAYER OPTIONS

C2.0 Descents (plus a theme in C3.0) and C4.0 Equipment are the last two chapters from the player options section of the book not in Beta. The Grimmerspace core book includes eight descents and a new theme, but at 1-2 pages each these are also short. 

We've assigned the Descents chapter (ie mechanics for playable Grimmer species) to Owen K.C. Stephens. He implemented our class concepts and understands best how to integrate and balance the descents against them. Before he can begin on descents, however, we have to finish those five polities. 

In the meantime, Owen is over in player options finishing the Equipment chapter. 

Project Tracking

As always, you can check out our progress for yourself here. As a reminder, a checkmark means the stage of work is complete. N/A is short for "not applicable." The term "In Progress" means there is a file open (or about to open) on someone's desk, and a gold pip in the Beta column means that section reached Beta.

April Update
about 2 years ago – Tue, Apr 05, 2022 at 05:13:03 AM

Progress Report

Just a quick update to let those interested know we continue to make forward progress. Several backers told us they only cared about hearing dates, not the details, and once everything in the Options and Setting sections of the book reaches the Beta stage, we should be able to offer reasonable estimates for releasing the first half of the book in PDF.

The Team at Work

In the meantime, it feels like the team is hitting a rhythm. Rone is supervising and working with Hal Maclean on a deep dive into writing the polities. At the same time he continues to art direct, bringing our final pieces in for a landing. 

We're at the stage where, as we finalize a chapter of the book, we look to see if that chapter is art-light, despite the art plan. If it is, and if Rone also sees potent visuals or moments just demanding illustration, we may commission additional artwork. As the team progresses, we're finding it needful to add a piece here and a piece there to round out the original vision.

Meanwhile, Lou is working with Jason Brick to deliver the organizations and with Owen K.C. Stephens on Grimmer equipment. He also has the various sections of chapter 6 open on his desktop, filling up with words.

Simultaneously, we're waiting for a break in Ron Lundeen's schedule so we can hand him the next adventure from a swiftly dwindling pile waiting on a developer to prep them for playtesting. 

While we could wish there were more designer-cogs at work, the Grimmerspace creation-machine feels like its humming along.

Project Tracking

As always, you can check out our progress for yourself here. Those interested in the details may notice minor changes to the setting's TOC. As a reminder, a checkmark means the stage of work is complete. N/A is short for "not applicable." The term "In Progress" means there is a file open (or about to open) on someone's desk, and a gold pip in the Beta column means that section reached Beta.

Art from Russia

Sanctions prevented us from paying one of our favorite artists, Ivan Stan, because he teaches and works in Russia. That didn't stop him creating for us, and eventually we found a workaround. For those who appreciate the art of Grimmerspace, here's a recent piece from the Somnium Meld investigative adventure, The Slaughtering Hole, which depicts Inspector Wolsh. Wolsh also makes an appearance in the Denizen Deck.

March Update
about 2 years ago – Thu, Mar 03, 2022 at 05:18:50 AM

Progress Report

Letting you know, in accordance with the plan we announced last update, we've adjusted course to focus on setting first as backers requested. This shift in focus has allowed us to make solid progress toward delivering the Setting half of the core book to backers first. As always, you can check out our progress for yourself here.

Timeline of the Gliding Rim

We thought you might enjoy our timeline, which lays out the emergence of Crux civilization. This is a vital, internal tool our designers rely upon to maintain continuity and speed development while writing for Grimmerspace. To clarify, this isn't the timeline you'll see printed in the core book. That one will be a slicker, prettier subset.

Sausage Making

Those of you who enjoy the sausage making might like to know why it's impossible to create an outline like this from the outset. In large part, the creative process is a spiral, with every fresh change rippling through what already exists. It requires diving into the playable-setting as it is "today" to glimpse possible pasts that would logically lead to it. 

Once a creative decision fixes an historical event in place, that stake in the ground dictates more of how the present-day setting must evolve. As the writing progresses, this back-and-forth establishes both the setting players will enter and explore, as well as the past events which led to it.

To avoid mistakes and rewrites, any new adventure writer or setting designer must understand the genesis of the setting to which they aim to contribute. 

Where to Find It

You can check out the history behind Crux civilization here.

February Update
about 2 years ago – Fri, Feb 04, 2022 at 11:50:10 PM

Progress Report

In the past we've pushed forward on all fronts at the same time, splitting our efforts across player options, setting, adventures, playtesting, art, and cartography. Adventures — in particular playtesting via VTT — absorbs the most time and effort. In January, we shifted our focus somewhat. 

Setting First

In response to backer suggestions and comments, we've adjusted course. While the excellent Ron Lundeen continues to finalize adventures for playtest, Rone and I are giving our undivided attention to setting. We plan to distribute the first 2/3rds of the core book, the player options and setting sections, as a backer-only early-release PDF before issuing adventures, also as a backer-only, early-release PDF. After which, of course, we'll send all volumes and add-ons to the printer for manufacturing and delivery of physical rewards.

Project Tracking and a New TOC

Despite updating and simplifying our progress tracker once before, some backers remain dissatisfied with the complexity and detail in it.  In response, from this point forward the progress tracker will only show the book on which we are currently working. 

This means February's progress tracker shows only Grimmerspace Setting & Adventures, our core book. Additionally, we've removed confusing or unnecessary details,  compressed some categories, and deleted others.

Our workflow should also be more gettable now. Stage 1, Production, is about getting all the chapters to Beta status. Stage 2 is Editorial and Proofing. Stage 3 is Layout, which ends with delivery to the printer.

Finally, while streamlining the progress tracker, we took the opportunity to update the table of contents for Grimmerspace Setting & Adventures to reflect the expansion and evolution of the core book. 

Taken together, we hope these changes increase both concision and clarity. 

As always, you'll find a detailed look at our progress here.