introducing the dumpster fire progress bar


Hi Reader,

Welcome! Please, come in. After some whipsaw weather, spring has gotten determined here. Nothing's blooming in the garden yet, but five years ago, M rescued an orchid from a gutter, and now it's blooming for the first time. So I've put it on the table.

I'm still thinking about everything I saw at GAMA Expo. So much waste. It's amazing what sells. It's discouraging how few ideas are in most of it. But it's a privilege to be in this business. I'm so glad I get to make fun things for you to play.

One of those fun things is Raccoon Sky Pirates: Total Chaos Edition. We're moving full steam ahead on the prototype. A few days ago, I submitted all the artwork and dielines to Boda Games, barely in time.

This resulted in a nice email back with all their specs—things I should've asked for at the outset. But, maximum effort, as Deadpool says. (I hate Deadpool.) I spent 16 hours reformatting all the artwork and sending it again.

But what artwork! Here are just a few of the portraits you can choose from for your raccoon or possum. Robbi captured something about the little chaos gremlins—muppety but scratchy. They're wielding power tools, but they're real raccoons, too. I want you to be able to see yourself playing them.

I'll show more of them when the Kickstarter launches. As a reminder, you can sign up for that here.

I'll see what the folks at Boda say about the prototype on Monday.

Also on Monday: Defy the Gods will arrive at Plus One Exp's warehouse in Philly! A day early. I almost hate to talk about these intermediate milestones. because there's still a long way before they land at your door. But, naturally, I'm excited to get them one big step closer.

With that in mind, tomorrow I'll close down the preorder store. I should've done it a long time ago! But you can profit from my disarray. If you want to get the book at a steep discount—or one of the few special-edition copies yet unclaimed—this is your last chance.

So far, the through-line of my two published games is chaos. Maybe that's just me, careering my way through publishing. I'll try to batten down the hatches a little better going forward.

Best,
Chrys

P.S. The Raccoon Sky Pirates Kickstarter is coming! Sign up to hear when it launches. For reference, this is about where we're at in the process:

Everlasting, Neverending Game Night

🌈🚀 Reliable wonder engine. I make narrative role-playing games that imagine a weirder, queerer, more connected world.

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