December Update
over 2 years ago – Mon, Dec 13, 2021 at 11:37:55 AM

Greetings Grimmers!

Progress Report

Just a short update to let you know we're pressing forward on both the setting and adventure fronts in the main Grimmerspace book, Grimmerspace Setting & Adventures. At this point, it's just about cracking more rocks in the word mines, and hammers are swinging. In part one, Setting, we're deep in the weeds on longer, core items like polity entries. Part two of the book, Adventures, also progresses, with our more complex adventures in final development before playtest. Speaking of which, we've scheduled another playtest this weekend.

New Adventure Art

Our Nothing But Rubble playtesters all said they wished we had a painting for this scene.

So now we do.

Project Tracking

As always, you can check the details of our progress, here.

November Update
over 2 years ago – Sat, Nov 06, 2021 at 02:04:04 AM

Greetings Grimmers!

30,000 Foot View of Progress

We had a number of comment requests for a better understanding of where the project is at, and a top level summary may prove clarifying. Of the three Grimmerspace books, we completed the first (the Xeno Files bestiary) and sent early access PDFs to all backers. We're full steam ahead on the largest and most complex of the three core books, Grimmerspace Settings & Adventures, and hope to have an estimate for early access PDF release in the next few months. We'll turn our attention to finishing the third book, Grimmerspace Adventures Vol. 1 after backers receive a PDF of Settings & Adventures. 

We've shipped all 3rd party rewards to backers, and completed the majority of the project's non-book rewards (posters, minis, decks, etc.).

We're in the "fetch pail, carry water" stage of the project, where progress is incremental but steady. 

Improved Project Tracking

A number of backers also commented that they found our tracking spreadsheet too detailed to be helpful. We've taken a moment to revise and simplify it in the hopes it more clearly shows progress. Here's what we changed:

1. If it's done, we took it out. Going forward the sheet will only show progress on what's left to do, not what we've already completed. This means that as we progress, the sheet will shrink which gives a sense of progress at a glance.

2. We changed the meaning of the phrase IN PROGRESS. Before, the phrase marked the limit of progress on every task. Now, "IN PROGRESS" means a task is physically (or digitally) sitting on someone's desk, actively being addressed.

3. We labeled book titles, book sections, as well as the differences between book text, art, and cartography more clearly.

4. We deleted columns and/or rows that no longer apply because the production process evolved or because we've shifted the nature of the sheet itself.

5. We've mentioned additional content in previous updates, but those aren't the only expansions and changes we've implemented. The tracking sheet now reflects expansions of the text, revised levels for adventures, and other changes to the TOC.

You can view the revise project tracker here.

Relative Chapter Sizes

Some backers expressed concern that parts of our core book, Grimmerspace Settings and Adventures, seem to advance more swiftly (or receive more attention) than others. Below we've listed key sections as a percentage of the book's total estimated word count.

• Setting Locations 33.2%
• Other Setting Material 12.4%
• Player and GM Rules and Reference 13.8%
• Adventures 40.6%

For example, this tells us that, because adventures are 40% of the total project, when we focus on them we're likely writing more words and making more overall progress than if we added a lot of checkmarks to a smaller section like Other Setting Material.

Starship Sneak Peeks

The Spectrality grows organic ships in lakes of amniotic fluid before fitting them with tech and hardware. 

A Personal Note

As some no doubt recall, we skipped last month's update for a combination of medical issues and family funerals. While some issues still linger, we're both back on track, and we deeply appreciate the outpouring of support and condolences so many of you sent us. Thank you!

Iron GM Games | Status Update
over 2 years ago – Thu, Oct 14, 2021 at 07:26:17 AM

Hi,

Lou, here. This is just a quick note to let you know there won't be an October update.

At the beginning of the month I suffered a death in the family, the fallout from which we are still handling. Matters should resolve soon. 

Also, earlier this week Rone was admitted to the ER and briefly hospitalized. Rone's hospitalization was not COVID related, and he'll be fine.

Monthly updates will resume as usual in November.

On behalf of the Grimmerspace team, thank you for your kind support and continued patience,

Lou & Rone

August Update
over 2 years ago – Sat, Sep 11, 2021 at 08:22:43 PM

Greetings, Grimmers!

Again, we'll be keeping last month's update to a few highlights. Work on the core book proceeds on three broad fronts: Setting, Player Options and New Rules, and Adventures.

Setting. We continue to finalize our polity chapters and Edge space locations with designer Hal Maclean (Advanced Player's Guide, GameMastery Guide, Bestiary 2, Interface Zero).

Player Options and New Rules. We've completed most, while the balance awaits additional playtesting. Primary exceptions include Equipment, because much of it comes from adventures (see below), and player Descents, where we're waiting for the final development pass on the polities before locking these in. 

Adventures. We continue to move the 14 expanded adventures in the core book, Grimmerspace Settings & Adventures, through our external playtest gauntlet. 

Monthly Highlights

•  Internal Playtests. We've completed internal playtests on 12 of 14 adventures in Grimmerspace Settings & Adventures.
•  External Playtests. We conducted more playtests with playtest backers, secured feedback, made revisions, and continue the playtest process. These are now entering the post-play test revision phases.

Starship First Peek

The Gylorran salvage companies of the Thriftic Binary build their recovery vessels themselves. Armed with saws, grapple tools, additional thrusters, and more, these starships pull wrecked hulks from beneath the sands of Edge Space worlds or grab ahold of alien ghost ships and haul them home. Heroes to the citizens of Gylorr, the most famous of these licensed companies, Touchdown Salvage, even inspired a long-running, serialized show called Salvage Ho! 

Designs from Jason Bulmahn in hand, we asked artist Giorgos Tsolis to bring a Touchdown Salvage starship to life.

Project Tracking

We've updated our project tracking spreadsheet to reflect the latest progress. You can view the more detailed report here.

End of July Update
over 2 years ago – Mon, Aug 09, 2021 at 09:06:26 PM

Greetings, Grimmers!

We're keeping this month's update to a few highlights. That said, we've kept our focus on our core book, Grimmerspace Settings & Adventures. 

On the setting side, development efforts are paying dividends as drafts from designers arrive and we sign off on them (as opposed to send them back to the designers with another round of development notes). 

On the adventure side, all 14 adventures are exiting the design funnel and moving through the playtest funnel. 

We're all hands on deck, here. Plus a new hand on deck!

Monthly Highlights

• New Team Member. To help speed the last of our adventure development, design, and editing, we brought Ron Lundeen onto the Grimmerspace team. Ron currently works as lead developer on the Paizo AP line, and his adventure skills and horror chops are top-notch.
• Internal playtests wrapping up. We've completed internal playtests on 9 of 14 adventures in the core book, Grimmerspace Settings & Adventures, and expect to complete the rest this month. 
• External playtests in the works. Rough VTT versions for external play tests are being created. As those complete, we'll be scheduling sessions with our playtest level backers.

Hodrak Starships First Peek

I2U reporters let all Grimmers know when the hodraks arrived. Seven-foot tall, bone-armored warriors from an irradiated, heavy-gravity world, their clans fled the Gyre en masse and spread into Edge space, but in what vessels?

Hodrak warriors glorify combat, carving records of their deeds into the very bone that encases them, and venerating the victories of their ancestors. It should come as no surprise hodrak tactics center on massive carriers overwhelming foes with swarms of individually-crewed fighters. 

With designs from Jason Bulmahn in hand, we asked artist Giorgos Tsolis to bring our hodrak starships to life.

Witness... the hodrak Razor Fighter!

And the massive hodrak Invasion Carrier to transport them!

Project Tracking

We continue to make progress on multiple fronts and, as usual, we've updated our project tracking spreadsheet to reflect this. You can view a detailed report of our progress here.