Monday update 4/24
about 7 years ago – Mon, Apr 24, 2017 at 07:15:20 PM

Greetings Featherheads!

This Monday finds us extremely busy implementing a host of small adjustments to the book. We've got several proofreaders picking out the little things that always get introduced during the editing process. We're also tweaking some design issues, for example when a picture gets moved due to changes in text and no longs sits next to the correct section. Making sure that the fixes don't introduce new errors is kind of like playing Whack-A-Mole, but it's really gratifying to see the book in the final stages of development.

Today's peek is a little excerpt from Chapter 14 about Sharston, where Chimera Corp got its start:

Sharston  

Noteworthy Locations and Services: Shent’s Fields Park, Sharston Green warehouse district, Lujo’s Map Shop, Original Chimera Corporation factory, Vurt-U-Want (3), Vurturama (2), Pop-A-Damn! walk-thru (5), Monstermart (4), Hotel (4), Library (1), District Council Hall, Train station (2).  

Some call this district Chimera-land or Chimera-ville due to the pervasive presence the megacorp has here. The original Chimera Corp feather factory opened here almost 40 years ago in the former Wythenshawe Bus Garage site. Back then, the Vurt feather industry was still in its infancy, and many in the public were hesitant to trust this new, untested form of potentially lethal entertainment. Chimera Corp was the first to really make it big. Some of the most well-known Vurt feathers were actually created 100% on site, from initial concept to packaging and distribution. This is one of the reasons that featherhead tourists from all over make the pilgrimage to see the back studios and lots where geniuses like Cher Phoner, Tom Jasmine and Quentin Tarantula once worked together, before they became legends.  

There are no Slick City feather stores in this district, only Vurt-U-Wants and Vurturamas. Licensing restrictions can be a bitch. Security here is uber tight, controlled by the Chimera Corp private security force. Their security drone population is immense and they have the most advanced mech suits available. Skyscrapers here in Sharston are often 100 stories or more, and each Chimera Corp owned building has its own mech suit “guardian angel”. That’s what they’re calling them at least. The MPD considers this area a huge No-Go, and you should too!

Monday update 4/10
about 7 years ago – Tue, Apr 11, 2017 at 12:55:51 AM

Hello backers!

Time for another peek at the Vurt RPG! We're making good progress towards our May 1st PDF release date, but there's still a lot to do, so I'll keep today's update short and sweet. 

A backer asked on the comment thread about the ambient soundtrack for the Vurt RPG and it's coming along nicely! The soundtrack by Adam Gubman and Alex Lepera is well into the mixing process and will be released along with the rest of the digital rewards when the physical rewards ship out to you. Just to remind you, we'll be able to give you information on the delivery schedule for the printed books and digital extras as soon as the PDFs are in your mailboxes.

This week's peek is a look at the cover art for the corebook, by Rhys Griffiths. It shows a crew of featherheads, facing the high rises of New Centerton in Manchester with a massive Vurt serpent looming overhead. You might be able to spot Beetham Tower, looking awfully small between the massive buildings of Manchester's new skyline. I hope you all love it as much as we do!

Monday update 4/3
about 7 years ago – Mon, Apr 03, 2017 at 04:44:11 PM

Monday update time!

As we mentioned before, we've been making some design adjustments, which can be a can worms--small changes to the way the page looks often result in fixes needed throughout the document. But, we are really happy with the effect those changes have had on the overall look of the book.  

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 8, the equipment chapter. You can see that the page background/watermark has been adjusted to give the pages a more textured look. We also adjusted some of the graphic design. The illustrations you can see here are of flame tech, antique firearms, a few pieces of armor and (my favorite) an electronic knife like the one wielded by Gumbo YaYa in the second Vurt novel, Pollen. 

Another peek will be coming your way next Monday and each week until your books arrive. We are still right on track to get the pdf copies of Vurt send out to you on May 1st!

Lee

Update Monday!
about 7 years ago – Mon, Mar 27, 2017 at 04:48:45 PM

Monday update time!

This week I thought I would show you a page spread from Chapter 13. Though there will be a few tweaks to the design before the final PDF version comes to you on May 1st, this gives you an idea of how pages will look. Also, for those of you who aren’t already familiar with the concept of feathers and how they work, you get a look at the mechanics of Vurt feathers as well.  

The illustration shown here is by one of our favorite artists and depicts a couple of featherheads taking a deadly Yellow and heading into the dark woods of the Vurt. Is it the Tulgey Woods? If it is, they’ll have to watch out for branch manglers! The feather art is by R. Michalak, who has also done most of the other cypher illustrations as well as vehicles and weapons. 

We're only a few short weeks away from being able to launch into the Vurt world, so it might be a good time to crack open Jeff Noon's novels and get pumped! I’ll have another peek for you next Monday, featherheads!   

Lee Pruitt, Project Manager

Corebook PDFs coming May 1st!
about 7 years ago – Mon, Mar 20, 2017 at 05:19:13 PM

Hi Folks,

When last we updated you, we were “a few days” from announcing April 1st as our pdf release date. Thanks to some complications at the 11th hour, we aren’t going to be able to hit that intended date. We have spent most of our development time working on adapting the rules and building the world of Vurt, as well as working with artists for the illustrations in the book. Since this is our first project, we really had no idea how much time the extremely detailed work that needs to be done just before sending the pages to the printer would take. It seems obvious in retrospect, but one thing we’ve learned is that proofing and editing a 304-page book is an arduous process at a stage when even small changes on one page can have big effects on the following pages. And, of course, making sure every line is checked multiple times is absolutely crucial in a game that’s based on a solid foundation of rules.   

After taking into account everything left on our to-do list, we are confident that the PDF versions of the corebook will be in your mailboxes on May 1st. By the time that happens, the printing process will have already begun and we will be able to give you the date the books are scheduled to arrive at the warehouse, as well as an estimated ship date for the physical rewards.

Many of you have expressed that while you understand delays, our lack of communication so far has shaken your confidence. We get that. Keeping you, our backers, in the loop and up to date on the status of the project ought to be a priority for the Vurt RPG, and there’s no excuse for slacking off on communication.

So in light of that, along with the delay caused by this rather arduous editing home stretch, we’re going to commit to weekly updates with concrete information and pages from the book itself. Every Monday, until the game is in your hands, I’ll post a content update over Kickstarter, filling you in on the status of the remaining work to be done along with a piece of the finished product. These updates will happen every week without fail, so that you can see something of the project and be involved in the process in a more meaningful way.

Here you can see the character sheets for the Vurt RPG. We will be making the form fillable pdf versions available as well.

We are very, very grateful for your continued patience, and we appreciate your feedback—including your criticism for not communicating as well or as often as we should have.

And once again, thank you all for making the Vurt RPG possible. 

Lee Pruitt, Project Manager