September Update!
over 2 years ago – Sun, Sep 26, 2021 at 05:54:51 PM

Hey Sparks,

Buckle up, because this update is full of art! 

Production of NOVA is going smoothly. Eddie has completed 3 of the last 4 pieces of art that he's been commissioned for. These 4 pieces represent some of the meanest enemies you all will find on your missions in The Dusk, the "boss" baddies if you will. 

Carro the Bloodied is rallying the Hellion raiders just outside our doorsteps. She's seen this world burn once, and is ready to see it again.

Gorefang is a massive dragon (yes dragon) living deeeeeep in The Dusk. They covet sun shards, absorbing them and using them to create their vicious brood.

What happens when Sparks fall in The Dusk? Lunar cults swoop in, and corrupt them...Are you ready to face yourself out there?

Not only is there this amazing character art, but Jam has been crushing it with layout! She sent me a big bundle of progress, and I thought I would share a bunch of it with you!

As you can see, this book is going to look amazing. Do make sure to go follow Eddie and Jam on Twitter and let them know how much you love their art!

Slayers Almanac

While the NOVA production is out of my hands and in the capable hands of Jam and Eddie, I've been preparing my next big project! The Slayers Almanac is a setting supplement book to my Slayers RPG, which was released a year ago and recently nominated for 3 ENNIES, and won an Indie Groundbreaker Award!

The book is going to be 10 districts and settings, written by 10 different authors, with art by the incredible Mike Rieman. If you want to learn more about Slayers, check out the itch page! It would mean the world if you followed and shared the Slayers Almanac Kickstarter page, so we can have a great launch on October 12th! These projects aren't possible without your support, so thank you.

See You In October

That's it for now for NOVA. Layout will continue, and I'll send you an update with that last piece from Eddie, and Jam's progress during next month's update. If you're interested in staying up to date on my other projects, subscribe to my monthly mailer, join the Gila RPGs Discord, and follow me on Twitter. I've got a lot of things I'm cooking up that I'd love to share with you!

Until next time, stay safe out there Sparks, Carro is on the prowl...

-Spencer

August Update!
over 2 years ago – Wed, Aug 25, 2021 at 01:22:26 AM

Hey Sparks,

I can't believe it's been almost a whole month since last we talked. As you know, we're in production mode for NOVA. Jam is working on the layout, and Eddie has started sketching up the enemy art of the big bads of the book. I thought I'd share some samples so far!

Jam's Layout

Jam has sent me some sample spreads and pages of what she has been working on. Check out these Spark spreads!

As you can see, Jam is ridiculously talented. That header on the Character Creation page is hand drawn! Jam uses ink on paper to create the headers, and scans them in to incorporate them into the layout. Here's an example of that process.

Eddie's Art

Eddie is working on 4 more pieces of art for the book. Each of the enemy factions has a "big bad", the boss of the faction, or at least someone with a lot of power. They are the ultimate challenge for the Sparks to take on. Eddie sent me this early sketch of Carro the Bloodied, the ruthless leader of the Hellion raiders living in the Dusk.

We're moving forward with production as planned. Art and layout like the stuff above are what make this game really stand out, and I can't wait to share another batch of updates with you all.

ENNIES

In unrelated news, my game Slayers was recently nominated for 3 ENNIES (Best Rules, Best Game, and Product of the Year). If you're a fan of my work, and would like to show your support, please consider voting for me in those categories. Voting ends on the 27th, so there are just a few days left!

Wrap Up

That's it for this month's update. Next month I'll send along more art and layout. Right now I'm working on a couple of other projects, including returning to my earlier games LIGHT, Corvid Court, and Seasons. Feel free to join our discord server, or follow me on Twitter for more day-to-day updates. Thanks for all your support!

-Spencer

Production Update!
over 2 years ago – Sat, Jul 31, 2021 at 03:40:55 AM

Hey Sparks,

Exciting news! The rules for NOVA have gone through their editing and revising process, thanks to the incredible Will Jobst, and are all finalized. I've passed the text, and all the Spark art to Jam now, who is going to start the layout process!

What that means is that the game is out of my hands now, and I get to join you all in eagerly anticipating its return in all its laid out glory. You've seen the sample spreads and character sheets Jam did on the KS page, so you know the wait is worth it.

Infernal

I'd like to introduce you to the devil. Infernal is the final Spark art to grace the book. Infernal is the fallen Spark, and their kit focuses on controlling the battlefield through damning their foes.  Enemies affected by Infernal's powers actually get a boost in power, and deal more Harm to Sparks. But, never make a deal with the devil, right? Any harm those damned souls deal is dealt back to them, twice. 

Art

Two fun updates on art besides that killer Infernal art above. Eddie created an updated lineup of all the Sparks in the game. Check out all 9 Sparks! Which one will you play first?

Bonus time. We haven't seen the last of Eddie's art. Thanks to overfunding, we're getting more art added to the book! Eddie loves drawing baddies, and so it only made sense to have him drawing the four "boss" enemies in the book. Get ready for some really nasty enemies from out of the Dusk.

Backerkit

The surveys for Backerkit went out and we've already got most of the back! Don't worry, you have plenty of time to fill out the form, or make any changes to it. I will make sure to give you a warning before surveys and addresses are locked, and shipping is charged.

If you know anyone who missed out on the Kickstarter but wants to grab a copy of their own, point them in the direction of our preorder store!

Hibernation

Now we play the waiting game! Jam has the text and will be working her magic for the layout. As I get updates from her, I will send them to you all. You can also follow me on Twitter my daily ramblings about NOVA and my other games, or hop into the Gila RPGs discord to share in our continuous hype for NOVA.

For now, let's kick back, relax, and talk about which Spark would win in battle royale (it's Drifter, right?).

-Spencer

Next Steps
almost 3 years ago – Wed, Jul 07, 2021 at 10:36:48 PM

Hi Sparks,

After a much needed long weekend of rest, we're back at it with NOVA. This update will provide some details about the timeline and next steps for developing the game, as well as how updates will be provided in the future.

Art

There are two more pieces of art that Eddie is working on. Sanguine, the blood-fueled Spark, and the Devil Spark we unlocked by hitting 666 backers! When those are done, I'll make sure to post them in the next update, as well as on Twitter. 

Rules

I've met with Jeremy and he has sent me his work for the GM toolkit. For folks who might not know, Jeremy Gage was brought on to help create a pool of enemies for the book, as well as tools for creating missions and locations in the Dusk. He has put together something really really, cool, and I will do a deeper dive into what is involved in a future update. You can watch us discussing some of the elements of the toolkit here on my Twitch channel.

Those were the last of the rules that we needed to write. My next step is incorporating Jeremy's work into the main text, and making sure everything makes sense. Once I've done that, it's off to Will Jobst later this month for editing, and then we send it all to Jam to begin layout!

Backerkit

In a little over a week, we'll send out the smokescreen version of the Backerkit surveys, followed by the rest of the surveys after. The surveys are for collecting shipping addresses, and allowing folks to grab any add-ons or adjust their pledge. 

Really important note, this is not locking in your shipping address. You will get a warning well in advance to that, so don't worry! We're doing this to get the add-ons and preorder shop up and running for NOVA, so that folks who missed out on the campaign, or want to adjust their pledge, have plenty of time to do what they need to do. The preorder version of the store is up, so if you know any friends who may have missed out on the campaign, you can point them here.

Future Updates

From here on out, expect updates about once a month. We're going to be hard at work getting the material ready for Jam as soon as we can, so she can start the layout process. Monthly updates will allow us to stay focused on that, as well keep your inboxes free of spammy updates. You can always follow me on Twitter for more day-to-day updates, or join our Discord server!

Thank you all again so much for all of your support. I know we're really excited to show off more NOVA in the future, so keep an eye out for that next update for some new art and other goodies! Until next time.

-Spencer

It's Over!
almost 3 years ago – Sun, Jul 04, 2021 at 03:53:28 AM

Hey Sparks,

The campaign just ended and I wanted to make a quick thank you video. So, thanks!

We'll talk plans and timelines soon, but first I'm going to turn off my brain for the rest of the weekend and relax. 

For now, kick back, and watch the aftermath of the sun exploding in the sky. Thank again <3

-Spencer