Special Editions and Cool Art
over 6 years ago – Tue, Sep 19, 2017 at 06:52:00 PM

Before heading north to the Salt Lake Comic Con, I realized that I left something out of my last update.

Everyone who backed for the Wearing the Cape Special Edition received a hardback copy of the book. This is Completely My Fault. Quite simply, I forgot to arrange for the paperback printing at the same time as I did the hardback printing. So when everything came together for shipping, I decided to send everyone the hardback edition rather than make them wait any more.

This means that the backers who were expecting a paperback copy of the Special Edition have gotten a pleasant surprise. Hopefully. If you want to trade in your hardback edition for a paperback copy, it can be arranged.

Now, since I have you here:

Sourcebook Art

Although the sourcebook is currently on the back-burner while I finish Recursion, I am still pushing parts of it forward. One of the big bits is the art. Here's a few samples.

Something to look forward to?

Have a good week!

Marion G. Harmon

Stage One Complete!
over 6 years ago – Fri, Sep 15, 2017 at 12:19:49 AM

I am happy to announce that, as of today, all US backers should have received all of their gamebooks/dice/special editions, or be tracking them in the mail. If I have missed anyone, shout out and let me know. As previously explained, all international backers who are receiving the printed Barlows' Guide to Superhumans will have to wait to get everything at once. I will try and finish the sourcebooks this year, but must now turn my attention to finishing the seventh Wearing the Cape novel, Recursion.

 So with the exception of next week, Sept/Oct is deep writing mode. Thank you for your patience till now and going forward.

Salt Lake Comic Con

Speaking of next week, I am headed to Salt Lake City for their big comic convention, where I will be sharing a booth with a bunch of other authors (booth #1000, Author Collective). I'm using the booth as an excuse to get up there and speak to a bunch of writers I met at GenCon, but am bringing plenty of books. I'll have copies of all of the Wearing the Cape novels, plus a couple of boxes of the Special Edition and the gamebook! I'd love to meet any readers attending the con.

Reviews Welcome!

For everyone who has received their gamebook and/or special edition; and an indie writer/publisher with basically zero advertising budget, I thrive on word-of-mouth recommendations, blog and podcast reviews, and Amazon and DriveThruRPG reviews. If the gamebook and special edition have been everything you hoped they'd be, please drop a review (if you'd like to review the Special Edition, you now can on Amazon now). I'd especially love to see some crunchy, detail-picking reviews on DriveThruRPG.

I'll keep everyone in the loop on sourcebook developments, here and on the google+ community site where I'd also love to hear your gaming experiences with WtC:RPG!

Marion G. Harmon

Shipping Continues
over 6 years ago – Fri, Sep 01, 2017 at 08:58:19 PM

So it's taking longer than I thought to box, label, and ship everyone's stuff. Who knew? First I ran out of sleeves (replaced quickly), then I found that the cover-print sets weren't arriving as expected (don't ask, but yes, still coming). I have managed to get several loads of games out the door, including the international backer's games since they have further to go. And now here's Labor Day Weekend. So, yeah, fulfillment recommences next week.

Meanwhile, though, it's been kind of exciting seeing where some of these gamebooks are going.

I should ask everyone who gets their game to send me a post-card; it's kind of awesome to know that the books I'm signing and repacking are going all over the world.

Have a good Labor Day Weekend!

M.G. Harmon

Fulfillment Is At Hand!
over 6 years ago – Sat, Aug 26, 2017 at 12:23:44 AM

You know, that update title sounded better in my head.

But no matter. To catch everyone up on the past couple of weeks, the dice arrived a week before GenCon. Then there was GenCon. Now the Wearing the Cape special editions will arrive here today (according to UPS tracking; the printers delayed shipping due to GenCon week).

All this means that next week is Fulfillment Week! By next Saturday, all gamebooks, dice, and other items with the exception of the sourcebook, will ship domestically. Shipping the sourcebook later works with the $15 everyone paid for domestic shipping; it turns out that media-mail is cheap. (Yes, I've been learning this vital business-owner-type stuff as I go along, why do you ask?)

So everyone in the US will receive the physical copies of their gamebooks very soon. Sadly, all international backers are left in Wait Mode; I explored a special shipping option for Europe, at least, but the numbers to the separate shipping zones weren't good enough to make it work for a split-shipment and so I'm still relying on 1st Class Mail. Next time I'm going to have all the options in front of me (possibly including a European printer for the other side of the Atlantic).

In the meantime, I have decided to offer a refund to any international backers who feel that having to wait months more for their gamebook is unacceptable. If you would like to reduce your pledge to the PDF/PDFs, to the printed gamebook to be sent now, or some other combination, please message me through Kickstarter; I quite understand the frustration with delayed campaign fulfillment promises.

And now, let's talk GenCon!

GenCon

(My table in that quiet, first-morning-before-the-doors-open moment.)

I wrote more about GenCon on my blog, but I want to say here that it was awesome to meet some of you and be able to talk! All things considered, I was bowled over by the number of people who stopped to chat who were a.) patiently waiting backers who wanted to say "thank you", b.) fans of the novel series who just had to meet the author, and c.) con-goers who had no idea the books or game existed but who saw the pretty banner and were amazed by the quality of the gamebook (something I'm told you don't often see in Authors' Alley).

I also played some pretty awesome games, because that's what you do at GenCon, got cards for some potential artists, spoke to other writers, and in general came away from the convention invigorated and ready to push forward.

Takeaways From The Con.

Talking with other game creators was enlightening. I need to finish and polish an introductory adventure, for at least PDF and POD release, as soon as the sourcebook is finished. I also need to come to next year's GenCon prepared to GM a demonstration game. And I do fully intend to be back next year.

On From Here.

The art has been one delaying factor with the sourcebook, but the main factor at this point is my own professionalism. Once the game-system was settled on, WtC:RPG went through close to a year of development before the Kickstarter, and I had stupidly forgotten that. I don't want Barlow's Guide to be any less professional and filled with goodness than the gamebook, which is why it wasn't finished two months ago. Unfortunately, my other commitment, getting Recursion out this year, must now take precedence over the sourcebook. I will continue to work on the sourcebook, which at this point includes:

• A Brave New World. A chapter on breakthroughs in the rest of the Post-Event World that is now nearly as long as The New Heroic Age chapter in the gamebook. The chapter also includes more detail on using extrarealities in your campaign.
• Friends and Foes. A chapter on creating and using NPCs that expands on the gamebook, which will include more examples of Post-Event organizations.
• Power-Plays. A chapter on creative use of some of the more wide-open Stunts in the gamebook's powers chapter.

All that in addition to the close to 80 fully developed Cape-Files and suggestions on using them straight or stripping them for ideas and themes in your campaign.

To conclude, thank you for your patience and your enthusiasm with the game! I look forward to hearing feedback from many more of you in the coming month as the gamebook arrives at your doors.

Marion G. Harmon

The Dice are Here! Also, the Special Edition and GenCon
over 6 years ago – Thu, Aug 10, 2017 at 12:01:25 AM

Big Bag o' Dice

Fedex knocked on my door today, with a couple boxes of bags like this. . .

 They arrived more than a month later than I had expected, but in all fairness I low-balled the initial number of dice I'd wanted from the manufacturer. Wow they look good.

The Special Edition

The special edition is also printed and on its way! A few boxes of it are meeting me at GenCon, since that is the only convention I am attending in 2017. The rest are coming to my home, to receive their signed bookplates before being sent out to everyone.

Also, I have uploaded a new file of the ebook on DriveThru RPG. The updated file incorporates the chapter-headers and section-headers from the printed book, and just looks nicer. I have uploaded a PDF-format file of the book there as well (several backers expressed a preference for PDF over MOBI format). Backers who have already downloaded their ebooks from DriveThruRPG should be able to return and download the updated and new files.

GenCon

It turns out Wearing the Cape: The Roleplaying Game didn't make it through the nomination cycle for this year's ENnies. A crushing disappointment. Despite the crushing, I'm still attending, and basically paying my way by sharing a spot at Maxwell Alexander Drake's author table until I sell of the boxes of books and games coming with me. Then I'm going to just enjoy the rest of the convention like a proper fanboy.

I would love to meet any of you who are also going to be there! To that end, although I have only a limited number of gamebooks and special editions being shipped there, if you want to arrange with me to pick up books or dice at GenCon, I'll be happy to sign them there for you if you arrange with me in advance of my departure for Wisconsin this coming Monday. Message me through Kickstarter or at [email protected].

However, those not attending GenCon need not rise in rebellion; regarding final fulfillment, I have news.

August/September Shipping

The sourcebooks are taking far, far longer than I expected. The art, the editing, pretty much everything is way behind schedule. Accordingly, I've decided that I can't wait to ship to backers who pledged for the printed sourcebook. When I get back from GenCon, I'll be shipping everything but the sourcebook to all US backers, and shipping the sourcebooks separately upon completion. This will not require any additional postage. I cannot do the same for international backers, but will arrange for a couple of options. If they can't wait to get everything shipped together, I should be able to offer either a full refund or simply a refund on the sourcebook while sending them everything else.

The Sourcebooks 

As to the sourcebooks themselves! Progress is not a figment. Text on the big "world-background" section is almost complete, and I have been posting the occasional cape-file on the Wearing the Cape Facebook page for people to see. I think that everyone will be pleased with the results, and hopefully forgiving about the wait.

And I'd better get back to it. Thank you for your patience as we carry on.

Marion G. Harmon