The new year has come and brought with it a stupid amount of writing I have to do. Some of it is brand new and some it is spill-over from last year.

The biggest spill-over is, of course, Five-Story Drop which is still (sadly, unfortunately) in development. It’s all on me. Shawn handed over the last of the artwork a while ago. I am continuing to work on it as I can, I promise you. I’m amount to get back to it after I hit “publish” on this post, as a matter of fact.

There’s not been one thing holding it back though working out the plot intricacies has been a personal stumbling block for me. I want these to be proper noir/pulp/crime dramas and, well, I seem to have a high goal for that stuff. Ideally, that’ll mean a better product for you in the end but, well, it also means stuff like this. What I need to do is push forward harder and get this book done. A lot of you are waiting on your entire order. I apologize for that.

The other spill-overs from last year are the standalone SoB Stories, some of which will be shaped by high-level backers, and Sounds of Bedlam. I’ll be in talks with Ed about the status of the rest of Sounds this week. I’ll update you all when I have news.

So. Onward. As always, feel free to email me at JasonLBlair@gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns.

*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.)

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.

Work continues per usual. Words are going down, being revised, art is coming in, going into the text, the surgeon’s cutting in, my gallbladder is coming out.

Yeah, hadn’t worked that last one into the schedule. I’ve been fighting gallbladder issues for months now. The original surgery got bumped due to an out-of-country move that didn’t happen. Potential impending circumstances dictate I get the procedure done sooner than later so I’m going under the knife tomorrow. This is an in-and-out procedure that I sincerely hope won’t impact things too much but, well, it might.

So I’m running full steam ahead, trying to get as much done as possible before and after. I’ll keep you all in the loop.

Work continues! The big bad beast of May 16th looms in the distance like a dragon coming to roost but I vow to slay it. Worst case, I throw Shawn Gaston toward it and run. (Kidding, Shawn.)

So, real quick because I gotta get back to work, here’s where things are at.

The Book
Writing, editing, layout, and more illustrations. It’s coming together, and initial feedback has been really good. I’m excited for you folks to see this.

Sounds of Bedlam
I’m getting updates and revisions from Ed and, wow, is this thing coming together. I’ll be putting together another teaser for you all soon.

Five-Story Drop
I’ll be pulling back the curtain on the five scenarios that will be included in the game’s first supplement next week.

Also there’s this:

If you backed the Kickstarter at $60 or higher, you were promised dice. And this is what you’re getting! A full set of dice (d4, d6, d8, percentile d10s, d12, d20) that you can use for Savage Worlds—or any game you please. As a special thank you, and for use as your go-to Wild Die, this set will include a second custom d6 featuring Vincent’s bandaged hand coming straight at ya, based on Shawn’s artwork (which the book uses to note Wild Card characters).

The dice will be available for individual sale after the pre-order as well, so don’t fret.

The Pre-Order
The pre-order has two weeks to go, and I’d love your help in letting folks know about it. People can save some serious cash and…

ALL PRE-ORDERS OF STREETS OF BEDLAM WILL INCLUDE A SIX-PACK OF CHARACTERS, so your group can get up and playing right away.

I’ll say it right out of the gate: Streets of Bedlam will not see release this month.

I am truly sorry for this but I don’t expect the delay to be major. I am currently aiming for May 16th, which I think is a really solid target.

The reasons for this delay are:

1) I have decided to add more stuff to Chapter One. It just wasn’t selling the city to me. It felt lacking so I’m putting in more details, more places, more tools for gamers to make Bedlam their own.
2) I want to test the Archetypes and systems some more. I’m happy with them overall but want to make sure they’re awesome.
3) I want more art. I love the visual style of this game so much that I want even more art in the book. I can only push Shawn so hard before he bites though, so I’m putting in some buffer room.
4) It’s bigger than I thought. I originally estimated this book would be 192pp. Yeah, it’s going to be at least 240pp, and I wouldn’t doubt if it goes even longer than that.
5) I’ve been looking into other things. I’m currently working up some pretty special/awesome announcements that I plan to make in the coming weeks. I think you all will dig them.

So that’s the big news. Thank you for your support and understanding. Streets of Bedlam means a lot to me, and I want to do right by it and by you, so I appreciate your patience. I will do my best to make your wait worth it.

This past week has been a blur of faces as I work through the 250 minor NPCs and good dozen or so Major NPCs from the Kickstarter backers. And that’s not including the other Major NPCs. So, yeah, lots of characters for you Savage Worlds gamemasters.

The rest has been fine-tuning the Archetypes. If you checked out the Bulldog PDF preview last week, you got a good glimpse of what I’m doing for all the Archetypes in the book and the Kickstarter-exclusive Archetypes and the Archetypes I’ll be rolling out for special events and promotions and whatnot.

When I said Streets of Bedlam was all about character, I wasn’t kidding.

I’m having outsiders put their eyes on the write-ups to make sure the rules-related stuff is crystal clear. The game has a definite voice, and I really like writing that way, but I don’t want the mechanic and system stuff to be obscured by lingo or flavor. In fact, thanks in big part to Streets backer Josh Bazin, the “Can Take a Punch” Edge description for the Bulldog is now much clearer.

Anyway, working through the character sections of the corebook is like trudging through the swamp. It’s seemingly slow progress because it’s a series of heavy, concentrated steps. Once you’re free from it though, you’re running like the wind.

To give myself breaks, I’ve been alternating between PC and NPC work with setting stuff and scenario stuff. This is all coming together very well. I’m not 100% sure this book will be out in PDF before month’s end but whatever delay comes shouldn’t be crazy.

Sounds of Bedlam
The stuff Ed has sent over is jaw-dropping. Cannot wait for it all to come in. If you haven’t already, check out the teaser I posted last week. You can hear a full track on the trailer I posted a few months ago as well.

I’m so very happy that Streets of Bedlam will have a soundtrack of this quality. Thank you so much for making this happen. I never could have commissioned it without your Kickstarter support. I hope you all enjoy the tracks as much as I do.

Five-Story Drop
Outside the initial scenario write-ups, I haven’t yet touched this. My entire focus has been on the corebook.

In Sum
That’s where things are at! I have three full workdays this week and plan to get A LOT done. I’m aiming to finish up all but the last chapter this week. Can’t guarantee it, but that’s definitely the goal.

Later this Week
Could it be…the cover reveal?

For those of you who may have missed it, last week was a bit of a crazy one for me. The first half anyway. While resuming the hunt for full-time employment ate some more of my time after, I did manage some work on Streets at the tail end. This week, though, I’m all about the Streets of Bedlam and should have a much more impressive “done” list next week. My goal right now is to get the PDF out by month’s end.

My focus has been on characters: PCs, Major NPCs, and Minor NPCs. My thanks goes out to everyone who has submitted their Kickstarter questionnaire. Using your bases to add variety and personality to Bedlam has been a treat. I should be through them all by week’s end. That’ll be a big load off my plate and should put us in the home stretch.

Sounds of Bedlam
Ed sent over some tracks this past week and, lemme tell ya, they are so good. I’ll be sharing some samples later this week along with the final track list.

Five-Story Drop
I’m in talks to bring another writer into the mix for the scenarios. Nothing finalized yet but I’ll let you know how that goes.

In Sum
Not nearly as much as I hoped but I’ll be pushing along hard this week. Speaking of which, today is a full-day workday for me so I best get back to it. Talk to you later this week!