Quick Revision Update
over 1 year ago – Mon, Feb 06, 2023 at 07:28:20 AM

Hey Folks,

Wow, I don't know about you all but I am SO glad January is over. After the the Open Gaming License debacle caused the greatest controversy in the TTRPG space since the 1980's Satanic Panic, I ended up in the hospital for five days due to a severe GI infection. It's taken me a couple of weeks to recover - which didn't help with nailing down the latest revision of Adventurer's Agency, but I am pleased to share that real. tangible progress has been made. I have sent lead writer Alex a list of rewrite/expansion requests, the book is largely formatted, and 95% of the art selection and placement is done. I am anticipating Alex will get me the new rewrites within two weeks and then it will move on the the next stage of revisions. Right now, we are still on target for a June 2023 fulfillment but our margin for error is growing more narrow. I will keep you updated once we move along to the next stage of editing and should be able to show some interior page samples soon. 

Also, speaking of the OGL drama, a lot of gamers have been really curious to see what other game systems are out there. If you're curious to see what's out there beyond D&D 5e, come check out our intro guide to some of the other great systems you might be interested in. https://www.headlesshydrapress.com/post/gameplay-options-besides-dungeons-dragons

Thanks folks! We had a cold one here in Vermont this weekend with wind chill temperatures dipping to -45 degrees Fahrenheit. Wherever you are, we hope you are warm and safe!

Shane

Will You Vote in Our Poll?
over 1 year ago – Mon, Jan 23, 2023 at 08:00:33 AM

Hey Folks!

The OGL and Us

Wow. it has been quite the start to the year. If you’ve missed the high drama of the TTRPG world for the last couple of weeks, Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes D&D, pulled the rug out from under the Third Party Publishing community when they “announced” plans to revoke their Open Game License that allows us to publish content for 5e. After being caught attempting to strong arm and intimidate small publishers, they lied to the public, saying the predatory and draconian OGL 1.1 they sent to publishers with a contract and deadine to sign was just a ”draft”. They’ve since released a new draft that is better but is still a bad enough license that we would be unable to publish under it. While we wait to see what the final draft will look like, we are moving forward with Adventurers Agency in the hopes that we will complete it in time to publish it under the old license. 

However, in the chaos and uncertainty, we have had to completely change our planned publishing schedule, including postponing a 5e campaign setting ive spent 3+ years developing and have spent thousands of dollars preparing for kickstarter. As we try to figure out where to go from here, I really want to know what you hope to see from us. If you have a few seconds, please vote in this single-question multiple choice poll to let us know what content you most want to see. https://strawpoll.com/polls/ajnEOzlajZW

Progress Update

I‘m still working on revising the latest version of the draft but have been stymied by my wife getting Covid and spending 10 days quarantining. Luckily the kids and I avoided getting sick (and my wife is feeling better)@ but I spent a lot of time taking care of her and the kids while still dealing with reduced childcare. Ive made some progress with revisions but not as much as I was hoping. I spoke to Alex and he is making good progress on Agency Contracts.

New Kickstarter

Were fortunate that the next kickstarter weve been preparing is not reliant on the OGL. Villains and Villagers is launching next week and is a system neutral supplement for making great NPCs quickly and easily. You can check it out here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shanecollins/villains-and-villagers

Third Party Partner

Want to support a third party publisher whose making a cool 5e project right now? Checknout the first Kickstarter from Confused Clerics. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/confusedclerics/elodins-item-and-spell-cards?ref=8opic2

Update on Revisions!
over 1 year ago – Fri, Dec 23, 2022 at 10:06:07 PM

Hey Folks!

It's been quite a month (not in a great way) over here at HHP. I was hoping to have an exciting update on all the great progress I've made in the last month+ revising Adventurer's Agency. Instead, here is a list of all the things that have happened since I last wrote an update.

Things that have happened:

• I'm 99% done with art selection and art layout for Adventurers' Agency (yay!)
• I've gotten sick twice
• I've had some mental health/anxiety issues that are now being better managed
• Our family cat passed away
• My kids have been acting out after beloved family cat passed away
• My kids' daycare had a fire and their daycare is closed indefinitely

And here's a list of things that have NOT happened:

• I've made significant progress in my second round of Adventurers' Agency Revisions

The fire at my kids' childcare happened late at night and while a cleaning person was there, they managed to escape and call 911. The fire was not as bad as it could have been but we are looking at months of renovations to the facility. For those who don't know, Vermont is in the throes of a major childcare crisis so options here are very limited. While we are still working on a long term childcare solution, we've got a few irons in the fire and I should hopefully have  at least 50% childcare by mid January. Neddless to say, this will have a significant impact on my work productivity. I will be sure to update you when this is resolved and the revision process is back on track. I may have limited work time next week (I wasn't anticipating any, even before the fire) so I may make progress on reviisons then. I will really only need a solid 30 hours to complete the process so once I make it through it, we can begin the next stages of editing and keep chugging away. Thank you all for being understanding of the delay and supportive. 

More than anything, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and a safe, fun, and warm start to your New Year. And I hope you can all find time to game with your family or friends.

Shane

Revision Round 2 and Black Friday Sale for You
over 1 year ago – Mon, Nov 21, 2022 at 07:08:19 PM

Hey Folks,

This is just a quick update to let you know we’re beginning the second stage of the revision process as well as doing the first run layout and art placement. Check out the sample below! Please ignore the actual text, grammar, and page numbers. This is just to give you a taste for the layout and artwork.

We’re also having a sale this week for Black Friday with discount codes going out through social media and email but I’ve saved our biggest discount code for you folks. You can get anything you want from our website and save 50% off the ticket price (on top of free US shipping) with the code BACKER22. You can use it for our Sandbox Adventures Softcover or our Limited Edition Box Set. Thank you so much for backing this project and I hope you have a great holiday season this winter.

Shane

Revision Update
over 1 year ago – Sun, Nov 06, 2022 at 12:17:01 PM

Hey Folks!

I am excited to share that the first, and most expansive, round of revisions is done. We still have some work to do on some of the monster stat blocks and balancing but we are essentially ready to move on to the next stage of revisions. I will be doing another sweep myself and then it will move on to Ash for content editing.

I'm also excited to share that the first of our physical rewards have arrived! We have the print maps of Blumont as well as the art prints of the Titan! Check out the unboxing video below!

Congratulations!

I also want to give a big congratulations to Adventurer's Agency lead writer, Alex Pirotta, who was just married yesterday! Way to go, Alex!

Thanks, folks! I will keep you updated on the revision process as it moves along but at the latest, I will have another update for you all at the beginning on December.

New GM Tool

I also wanted to pass along a new free tool on our website, our Gaming Group Questionnaire. If you are starting a gaming group and want to assess your new players, this tool can be perfect. It's also great if you are considering adding a new player to your existing group and you want to see if they'd be the right fit. Check it out here: https://www.headlesshydrapress.com/gaming-group-questionnaire

Happy gaming!

Shane