The proof of the physical book is in and I’m really happy with how it looks. I’m going to put in the order this week and get those hot copies out in the mail to all you good folks. I’ll post another update when they come in and they’re ready to ship!

The printing bricks that is! The new files are under final review and the pdf will be uploaded to the printer on Tuesday, September 4th. I should have print copies very soon. Then they’ll go out to backers. YOU WILL FINALLY HAVE YOUR HARDCOPIES! I am excited (and relieved) about this. The revised version of the PDF will go up Monday, the 3rd.

In addition to cleaning up some typos, the final copy of the book now includes:

New Drug Rules
Drugs are a big part of Bedlam and these rules touch on the popular vices, their effects, and in-game penalties for their abuse.

Episode Generator
A new episode generator lets you drum up a compelling scenario with a few flops of the cards.

NPCs Have Edges + Hindrances
Look at all that depth!

Other Minor Tweaks
Including a new Hindrance and some other cool things.

The delay on this stemmed almost entirely from the move and the new job and all that other real world stuff. But all that’s settled down and I’m back on track. Expect a Five-Story Drop update very soon!

Hey everyone! As you may know, I’m in the midst of a new job and an out-of-state move but I wanted to give you all an update on where the print edition of SoB and the PDF/print edition of Five-Story Drop are at.

SoB: Print Edition
I was lucky enough after launching Streets of Bedlam to receive some raw, honest feedback on the book. The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive but fans of Savage Worlds and neo-noir weren’t shy about pointing some areas that could be strong. I’m taking advantage of being able to update the PDF prior to committing to print to tweak the text a bit, add some more content, and do more and more edit passes. My aim is to get the print edition in-hand next month.

SoB: Five-Story Drop
My plan for the first supplement, Five-Story Drop, is to get it out in PDF in September and then in print around early October. If I can do earlier, I certainly will.

All of this is about half-a-year out from my initial target. I apologize sincerely for that. I could push out the PDF to the printer right now and have everything in hand by mid-August, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make SoB even better and give you all even more content.

SoB: Sounds
Ed is currently hard at work on the tracks. The stuff I’ve heard has been amazing. I’m aiming to get “Side A” of the compilation out to backers next week or so with “Side B” to follow sometime after.

SoB: Dice
For those interested, I’ll be doing a pre-order for the Streets of Bedlam dice very soon. Folks who backed the Kickstarter at $60 or more are already getting these custom dice, but I love them so much I made a bunch to share with you all. I’ll get that pre-order rolling soon.

Streets of Bedlam has been out for a little over two days now and the initial critical response has been very positive. Darren Miller has a full write-up over at Geekcentricity and Thomas Brownell gives his take over at his blog. Here are my favorite pulls from their reviews:

From Darren:

“It reads like Rush sounds, tight and polished, but rocking your face off.”

“The character creation is the strongest I’ve seen of any Savage Worlds setting.”

“[My] two-word review is: ‘Fucking Phenomenal.'”

From Thomas:

“The writing is very crisp.”

“[T]he Plot Point Campaign structure is a welcome change of pace.”

“I love the Archetypes set-up for character creation.”

I am very excited by the response so far and, if you haven’t checked out the game yet, I hope you give it a shot if you’re a fan of crime dramas, Savage Worlds, or are a gamer interested in trying something new.

Streets of Bedlam hits in PDF this Wednesday. Prepare yourself with this full-page character sheet.

See you Wednesday.

*breathe out*

I didn’t keep up with the previews as promised.

I lost almost all my work time this weekend due to the pending relocation. I have NPC sex changes coming in (thank you all!), edits coming in, and a few thousand more words to write. This will be done June 13th. I cannot express how sorry I am. I will make this up to all of you.

For now, I’m up way too late for way too many days in a row. I’m in a strange city and everybody around me is asleep. Living the dream.

Back to work.

(Click below for another preview.)

Something Shawn and I noticed going through the NPCs list is that a good 90% of the Kickstarter characters are men. This is a product of the Kickstarter demographics, of course, but it makes for a heavily-skewed public directory. Normally I’d just add a bunch more female NPCs but I’ve created some 250+ characters and, hey, I still need to get the book out.

So, here’s the thing: If you are a male Kickstarter backer who is being represented in the book (and if you pledged at least $5, that includes you) and would like to volunteer to have your NPC turned into a female, that would be awesome.

Shawn and I realize this is a strange request. And none of you are under any obligation to volunteer. I realize part of the incentive in being an NPC in the book is the ability to point at the listing and say, “Hey, that’s me! I’m a coked-out corrupt cop under investigation by Internal Affairs. SWEET!”

But if you’re up for it, just let me know.

Well, folks, it’s come to this. Also, it’s come to this.

I’m confident I can get the Streets of Bedlam book done by Friday but I was confident I’d have the PDF out today so make of that what you will so let’s stick a stake in the ground: Streets of Bedlam will be out in PDF on Wednesday, June 6th. Finito. That’s the big D deadline right there. You backers and PDF pre-orderers will have the coupon code from DriveThruRPG in your hot little lands inside seven days.

I feel terrible about pushing this back one more week. I really do. I feel as though I’ve been bombarded since the Kickstarter ended in January will illness, surgery, breaking my arm, possibly moving to Canada, and now definitely moving next month to start a new (awesome) job in a new city and new state.

I’ve referred to 2012 as a cat pawing me back and forth like a toy. Unfortunately, Streets of Bedlam, which had an optimistic release date to begin with, has paid the price.

But I want to assure you this isn’t vaporware. I currently have the first four chapters out to select readers who may or may not pop up on here to tell just how wonderful it is. And I’ll be releasing PDF previews of the book every day from now until the PDF goes live, Wednesday, June 6th.

And you know this is true because, man, I am sick of writing these updates. I want to move on to reading your impressions, actual play reports, hear about your characters, and field your questions about the rules options and Archetypes. I want this done. So it will be. Until next week, click the picture below to download the intro chapter to Streets of Bedlam: Life in the Big City.

Hey everyone, just a quick update to let folks know where things are at.

Work continues on Streets of Bedlam (of course) and I’m cautiously optimistic about it seeing release in PDF next Wednesday. I’m working hard as I can but I want everyone to know that I recently accepted a (fantastic) job in another state. While this means wonderful things for my financial situation and career future, it also means chaos and panic as my family and I prep for a move.

This is all the more impetus to get Streets of Bedlam out the door, as I don’t relish balancing both finalizing a book release and packing up a house. So I’ll be dedicating every non-packing hour to finalizing this book.

My hope is, once the PDF is out and folks have a chance to point out all the errors in it, I’ll be able to get the files to the printer in mid-June and have the books in-hand by the end of the month. If I make the window, that’ll mean we’re already moved in by then and I’ll be able to get all the books out (as soon as I figure out where the post office is in the new place).

Other Archetypes and Sounds of Bedlam
While the book is being printed, I’ll get the Kickstarter-exclusive Archetypes released in the wild. I’m also aiming to get Sounds of Bedlam out in July or so.

Five-Story Drop
What that means for Five-Story Drop is that it’ll likely be out in August. After it gets released, I’ll work on working with the high-level backers on the standalone SoB Stories that’ll see release in PDF.

In Closing
I’ve had a lot of folks tell me they’d rather see Streets of Bedlam done well than done early, and I appreciate the support. I’m ready to get this out the door though. You all have been very patient with me as each deadline slipped past and with the chaos of the summer rushing toward me full-speed now’s a good time to get this done.

Which is the political way of saying I’m pushing back the release date.

I have to. The book’s in good shape but I don’t want to sprint to the finish with a rushed ending. Most likely, I’ll have the book done next Wednesday, the 23rd, but I want to make sure I give plenty of time so I don’t have to push this back again. So:

The new release date for the Streets of Bedlam corebook in PDF is May 30th.

Also, for those who missed out on getting the custom dice from the Kickstarter, you’ll be able to pre-order the dice starting this Wednesday. You’ll be able to pre-order the pdf and/or book plus the dice, as well as add the dice to an existing pre-order or Kickstarter pledge if you like. Check back Wednesday for details.