K is for a Kickstarter Update

I haven't updated the Kickstarter community specifically in a bit, so it seems appropriate to use the letter K get 'er done...

- Work continues on the core rules. The basic system has been stripped to the rails and rebuilt a few times now, and I keep testing ideas. Please continue to send me your play test reports, observations, and even wish lists. These things are helping to shape the rule set! The open play test period continues until May 31 - after that date, we lock this sucker down and get serious about finishing the book. I'm using the blog to post almost daily at this point, so keep checking in there... www.splinteredrealm.blogspot.com

- I've gone through the comic pages, and (I think) have accounted for all of my original art, some of which has been in storage for a decade or more. In the process, I've discovered some art I'd forgotten about, and even better a few drafts of game materials and setting stuff that I had totally forgotten about, and which never saw the light of day before.

- I've almost completed the first two strips for the new Army Ants webcomic that launches June 1. I'm working on setting up hosting for this and ways to archive the strips as I go. There will be a weekly adventure webcomic and a monthly newsletter for the RPG that support the launch of the game and comic books. You'll all be getting those automatically when they are released.

- I've received all of my final quotes for t-shirts, tattoos, patches and lunch boxes. The only snag (and not much of one) is on the lunch boxes that have a steep setup fee considering the handful of boxes I'm ordering. I'm looking into alternate ways to get the lunch boxes done that won't make them a loss for the project (my original quote didn't include the $75 setup fee - ick). It's not THAT big of a deal, and I'll ultimately pay the setup fee if I have to, but I wanted to check my options first.

- I'm pretty much set on going with CreateSpace for the book publishing in place of Lulu. I've read good things about it, and the interface seems friendly enough. I'm considering direct shipping books from them and then sending other merch in a separate package. On one hand, I like the idea of shipping big boxes full of all sorts of goodies, but if it ends up cutting shipping costs (since I'm not shipping to me and then to you), I may end up doing that. I also think that this will reduce the chances of books getting damaged, since I am confident in their packaging to ship books safely; by re-packaging books a second time, I'm adding to the risk of the books being damaged in transit. Something to consider...

- A survey will be coming your way (if you were a backer) in the next few days to get your address, sizes, preferences and other stuff so I can start moving towards fulfilling orders. I'm still several months from getting the comics and (especially) RPG together, but I feel good about where it's all at. If I end up shipping the books separately, I may begin sending out other backer rewards within a few weeks, sending the books when they're finished.