It's done! I've finished it. The last thing we are going to wait for now is that there is a fan who is a professional at proofreading who is going through the text and finding all the errors I missed. I think a few extra days is worth catching those grammar mistakes and unclear sentences. As soon as that is done, I'll get it uploaded to DrivethruRPG and get you all the final version.
Also, if you click on "Start Playing Now!" above, you will find new play aids: a GM's reference and a Combat reference to complement the Player's reference. The character sheet has also been updated to reflect the latest changes.
I feel like I owe some explanation for why it has been delayed, but I have been loath to post a list of excuses. On the other hand, as a newbie at self-publishing, I want others who are thinking of self-publishing to be able to learn from my mistakes. In that spirit, here are the factors that have contributed to the delay.
Also, if you click on "Start Playing Now!" above, you will find new play aids: a GM's reference and a Combat reference to complement the Player's reference. The character sheet has also been updated to reflect the latest changes.
I feel like I owe some explanation for why it has been delayed, but I have been loath to post a list of excuses. On the other hand, as a newbie at self-publishing, I want others who are thinking of self-publishing to be able to learn from my mistakes. In that spirit, here are the factors that have contributed to the delay.
1. Inexperience led to bad estimates. My estimates for writing were generally on-target (specifically, they were off by one week because I spent a week procrastinating and terrified of trying to get my tangle of thoughts on Kits into a coherent structure). My estimates for poofreading and substantive editing were way off! Proofreading took me about four times as long as I expected, and it was very difficult work.
2. New interest from Kickstarter backers led to more playtest reports and more fixes, which results in a better game but did take many hours to read and resolve everything. This is essentially why my estimates were off for substantive editing. My game wasn't as finished as I had thought it was.
3. The person I had lined up to do layout backed out due to personal reasons. She had been offering me a good deal and I wasn't sure if I could find another pro who would do the work for the amount I had budgeted. Luckily, another fan volunteered to do the layout design if I would do the grunt work myself. This was the best way to stay within my budget, but added extra time to the project. Instead of doing the proofreading concurrently while someone else did the layout work, I had to do them sequentially. This added one month to the project - I knew what to do in InDesign (because I had help and advice), but I'm not nearly as efficient as a pro would be, so everything took a while.
4. These three causes of lateness were exacerbated by the fact that once the game got pushed back into July it was always doomed to take longer due to my new baby and my increased teaching workload through July and August.
Here, have some art! (This one by Kyla Austin).
2. New interest from Kickstarter backers led to more playtest reports and more fixes, which results in a better game but did take many hours to read and resolve everything. This is essentially why my estimates were off for substantive editing. My game wasn't as finished as I had thought it was.
3. The person I had lined up to do layout backed out due to personal reasons. She had been offering me a good deal and I wasn't sure if I could find another pro who would do the work for the amount I had budgeted. Luckily, another fan volunteered to do the layout design if I would do the grunt work myself. This was the best way to stay within my budget, but added extra time to the project. Instead of doing the proofreading concurrently while someone else did the layout work, I had to do them sequentially. This added one month to the project - I knew what to do in InDesign (because I had help and advice), but I'm not nearly as efficient as a pro would be, so everything took a while.
4. These three causes of lateness were exacerbated by the fact that once the game got pushed back into July it was always doomed to take longer due to my new baby and my increased teaching workload through July and August.
Here, have some art! (This one by Kyla Austin).
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