We got the first set inked with a grid today. They look good, but we still want to do a few tweaks to insure that the ink doesn't wear off.
Check'em out! [Click image below for additional images]
The light in the close-up pics really washes them out, and the darker pic shows them a little darker than they really are.
Nova Praxis: Savage Worlds Edition - We're still tweaking things, but layout is underway. I'm about 70 pages in and plan to get with Sean sometime in the next few days to start applying the last few coats of polish.
Tact-Tiles - This has probably been the most infuriating project I've ever tackled, but thing continue to look up. We did some ink testing yesterday, and got the first 100 tiles in the queue for printing tomorrow or Thursday. I'm hoping to shoot the video for the Kickstarter this weekend!
Machinations - Content is mostly complete. Layout is mostly complete. Art is getting closer. Vague I know. Sorry. With everything else going on I've had trouble getting it wrapped up. But I promise it frustrates me more than it does you.
We received our first 100 Tact-Tiles yesterday. These were produced to test inks, fit, flatness, etc. They had a few minor issues, but nothing that can't be fixed relatively easily. And I was able to test the marker adhesion, which proved to stick to the tiles as we'd hoped, and easily wipe away clean.
We dropped several off with our silk-screener, who will hopefully (fingers crossed!) be testing the ink today.
Our hope is to have a few sets of "finished" Tact-Tiles to endurance test over the weekend. We're going to be making sure the plastic doesn't scratch too easily and that the ink doesn't chip off or easily scratch away.
Stick a fork in her, she's done folks! 185% funded for $12K. Many thanks to all of you!
We are going to try our best to hit an August release in hopes of getting the book out in time for GenCon.
We'll be keeping you up to date, and if it looks like we're going to hit GenCon, I'll let everyone know if they'll be able to pick up their print copies there.
We also managed to unlock the following Stretch goals:
$8,000 - The Augmented PDF - We will develop an Augmented version of the PDF. Evolved backers will get both the regular PDF, and the Augmented PDF, at no additional cost.
$8,500 - Game Master's Screen - We will develop a Nova Praxis: Savage Worlds Edition Game Master's Screen PDF. Evolved backers will get this PDF for free.
$9,500 - Ghosts in Darkness - We will develop and release the introductory scenario, Ghosts in Darkness for Nova Praxis: Savage Worlds Edition. Evolved backers will get this PDF for free when it is released.
$10,000 - Work Hazards - We will begin developing Work Hazards, a book of alien creatures, biotechnological horrors, combat drones, terrorists, pirates and other NPCs to challenge your players with. Evolved backers will get this PDF for free when it is released. Work Hazards will be released featuring both Savage Worlds and Fate stats.
$11,000 - Nova Praxis Cards - We will develop a custom set of Nova Praxis playing cards for use in determining initiative. These cards will be available through DrivethruCards around the same time the book releases. Evolved backers will get a PDF of these cards for free.
$12,000 - Fragmentation - Mike McConnell will begin writing Fragmentation, a Nova Praxis novel. Evolved backers will get this ebook/PDF for free when it is released.
The primary focus for the next two months will be getting the printed version of NP:SWE out the door. The Augmented PDF will be developed somewhat in parallel, and should follow a few weeks.
The other projects will follow shortly after, with attention shifting to the novel as the other products start wrapping up.
Playtesting
Playtesting for NP:SWE will continue. All backers will continue to have access to the live playtest doc until June 27th, after which this playtest doc will no longer be available. Evolved and Transcendent backers will continue to receive occasional updates until release.
In addition, Evolved and Transcendent backers will receive an alpha version sometime before Monday, June 16th. This alpha verison will be a cobbled together blend of setting material from the Fate version and the new rules. Layout and art will not be complete, or even close, but the alpha version will be around 90% content complete.
Some folks have requested wallpapers made from the latest round of images from the Nova Praxis: Savage Worlds Edition.
So here they are!
After one unspeakably frustrating false start after another, we've finally got a pseudo-sample tile in hand.
What you're looking at in the pics below (click to see more) is one of the original Tact-Tiles (left) mated with the first new Tact-Tile (black) to be produced in nearly a decade. This one is actually from a sample of the material they had on hand today. The real material won't be in for a few days yet, and will obviously be lighter. This was just produced to make sure the mold is okay, and to do a fit check.
It passed! It mates really well, and it's nice, flat, and rigid.
The finished version will look like the one on the left, but with gray lines instead of brown.
We're going to push hard to get these out in the same release window as D&D5e and the Savage Worlds version of Nova Praxis. Expect the Kickstarter to fire up sometime in the next few weeks!
We did it! With 11 days to go, the Kickstarter for the Savage Worlds version of Nova Praxis has been funded!
Now to see if we can hit some of those stretch goals!
In other news, I suppose I should give an update on our other projects.
Tact-Tiles
We're cursed. That's the only explanation. The gods hate Tact-Tiles. They loaded the tool into the injection machine, turned it on, and blew a bunch of bolts. Repairs are under way. This is, I believe, the third time the machine has gone down.
Machinations
It's basically done. We just need to get the remaining art and finalize layout. I'm hoping to get it released around the same time as "Savage Praxis".
With 16 days to go, the Nova Praxis: Savage Worlds Edition is almost funded. Development is well underway. And while we've hit a few snags, we are still on track to deliver a playtest document to backers early next week.
And while we've heard it before, we're finally supposed to get samples from the plastic injection molders for Tact-Tiles this week. We've been bumped by larger customers more than once, and had the machine break down a few times, but dammit I think we're finally getting there.
The Nova Praxis Savage Worlds Edition Kickstarter is doing well. It became over half-way funded in 3 days. But we're still a ways off from being fully backed, and even farther from those great stretch goals. So please, continue to spread the word!
The bad news this week is that we've hit yet another snag with the manufacturer for Tact-Tiles. We're promised samples early next week, but then, we were promised samples last week and the week before that too though. Samples are running a month late. Enough is enough.
I'm not putting a hold on them in case, by some miracle, we actually do get samples next week. But we're going to start looking for another supplier.
The state of Machinations remains much the same as it was in the last update. I got the edits back from Joshua and he has done a wonderful job of catching typos, grammar issues, and editing for clarity. Now the big wait is for art. I've got a few orders out, and will post them as they become available, starting with this one...
If you've been following me on G+, or watching the NP:SWE Kickstarter, you've probably already seen this. It's a piece featuring a Samurai from House Kimura and his recon frame.
Spread the word! The faster we get funded, the sooner we can start knocking out those stretch goals!
Click the cover image below to become a backer!
We're going live Tuesday! Click here to see the preview page.
So they finally got the machine repaired. They're going to have a scheduling meeting tomorrow and we've been promised that we're first in line to get our samples.
Machinations and "Savage Praxis" share some art. Otherwise, that's just about all we're waiting on before its release.
We just released an update to the PDFs for the original Nova Praxis. Check it out!
On the Tact-Tiles front, it would appear that our mold is STILL stuck in the machine and the repair guy is, I guess, riding in from Cambodia on a unicycle. It boggles my mind that this is taking as long as it is, but it's out of our hands.
The weather hasn't helped. As you may have heard, we've had some nasty storms here in North Alabama this week, which also delayed the meeting I'd planned to have with Sean to discuss the Savage Worlds version of Nova Praxis. We're planning to have that meeting tonight.
Speaking of "Savage Praxis", I got some more art ordered and the Kickstarter page is pretty much done. Now I just have to figure out why Amazon locked me out of my payments account. I can't fire up the Kickstarter until that gets sorted out, so I guess that's the next hurdle to clear.
In other news, someone mentioned that I didn't plug our Facebook site in the last post. We have one, but the truth is I just don't like Facebook all that much so it doesn't get as much love as our G+ or Reddit site. Same for Twitter. But if you use those, and want to follow me, click on CONTACT AND RETAILER INFO above for the links.
I've mentioned it before, but I'd like to draw a little extra attention to the Nova Praxis sub-reddit on Reddit.com. Check it out, subscribe, post, and show our tiny little community some love!
We also have a nice little VSS community on Google+. So make sure you check that out too!
After failing to return our calls and reply to emails for almost two weeks, I FINALLY got some answers out the manufacturing manager at the plant responsible for running our Tact-Tiles mold.
He told me that the machine was down with our tool inside. Apparently it went down last week and they are still waiting on the repair guy. He was supposed to be there last week, and should arrive "any day now". He promised to give me a call and do better with communication in the future. We'll see.
They're supposed to give me a call before they run the first samples so that I can be on hand to do an on-the-spot approval and make sure the new tiles correctly interlock with old tiles.
Hopefully that'll be sometime in the next few days. I'm meeting with Sean on Friday to discuss his progress on the Savage Worlds version of Nova Praxis. The Kickstarter for it is just about ready to fire up, and I'm hoping I can post a big update full of good news on Monday.
Fingers crossed!
First, the good news:
I'm currently working on putting together the Nova Praxis: Savage Worlds Edition Kickstarter site. It won't be long now!
Then, the bad news:
The injection molding company was supposed to deliver samples of the new Tact-Tiles last Monday. They didn't. Worse, they haven't returned our call or responded to emails. This isn't a fly-by-night company. They are an established supplier. So I'm not sure what the issue is.
Regardless, we may have to start looking for someone else. And needless to say, I am not pleased.
It's that time again:
The beta version has been released to Kickstarter backers and other assorted testers. It's very nearly content complete, and we're mostly just waiting on art before the official release.
Once it's finalized, it will be available in PDF and print through DrivethruRPG.
Sean is hammering away at it, and we're planning to fire off the Kickstarter in the next few weeks.
We should be getting our first samples from the injection molders next week. And thankfully we were able to find an ink that's going to get the job done. So once we get samples in hand, we'll print some up and run a few tests. I really hope to get the Kickstarter rolling sometime within the next month.
We've been quiet, but we've been productive.
I sent the "alpha" doc off to playtesters last night. It's pretty rough, but about 95% content complete and has a functional (if unfinished) layout. Now I just need to focus on editing, art, and adding that last few pages of content and NPC stats.
Huge progress on that front. We've got the first samples on order! We should get them around this time next month, and if we don't have any trouble with the molding process, we can start ink testing.
We've hit a few delays, but we should be off and running on this again. Sean and I have talked a good bit and just need to get around to hammering out more of the details.
Yep! Usually the VSS website is kinda quiet, but I'm going to try to do a better job of posting updates. And it helps that I've got more to talk about since the recent announcements.
About 90% of the book is written. The rest exists as bullet points that need to be converted into actual completed thoughts, and then it's off to editing and layout. But we still need a lot of art too, and that can be a pain.
I haven't talked too much about the contents, but I'll tell you about some of my favorite bits:
Advice is included for GMs who want to run all-Scholae or Phalanx campaigns; encouraging a look at the Nova Praxis setting from a new angle.
The Houses and the Coalition - Each House got more pages dedicated to how they work, how they govern themselves, their ambitions and their troubles. We also spent some time on how the Houses relate to the Coalition as a whole.
Ghosts in Darkness and the Campaign Arcs - We've talked about this before, but I thought I'd mention it again because I really dig it. GiD is an intro scenario designed to get a new campaign started. And there are four campaign arcs, each of which outlines a series of events that can play out over several gaming sessions. GiD fits nicely either before or after the first arc.
I met with Sean on Sunday and we talked about schedules and content. We're hoping to have a set of notes put together by the end of this month that we can playtest with. Expect the Kickstarter to go live shortly after, sometime around the first of March.
And yes, it will feature much of what is in Machinations.
I talked to my ink guy. He has a more scratch resistant ink we're going to try.
I also talked to our plastics guys, and it looks like we're going to be able to get the price down some. The original Tact-Tiles were $70 for a set of 12. We're going to try our best to hit that with this new set; but I can't make any promises. That was nearly a decade ago, and prices have done nothing but rise since then.
Right now we're trying to get a sample of the plastic sent to our ink guy so that he can select an ink that works better for us. Hopefully we'll get that sample, and get it sent out in the next few days.
Like I said above, we're planning to Kickstart "Savage Praxis" and hopefully Tact-Tiles soon. And as with any Kickstart campaign, the better it does, the better for all of us. So get out there and start spreading the word! And if you have a cool idea for a stretch goal (for either Tact-Tiles or "Savage Praxis") be sure to let me know.
So, Tact-Tiles and I have a past. I met the boys of BC-Products (the original creators) on ENWorld several years ago when the Tact-Tiles originally came out. I noticed they were in the same city as me (Huntsville, AL) and, in need of a gaming group, sent one of them a private message.
I got a response and we agreed to meet for lunch one day to sort of interview each other. Both of us have had some problem players in the past and wanted to avoid that sort of situation again.
So we met, hit it off, and have been good friends ever since. In fact, I'm still in a weekly game with them.
Fast forward a few years. Tact-Tiles go out of production due to issues with the manufacturing process and one of the vendors. A few other companies try their hand at it, and fail. I get involved with BC-Products try again. We fail again.
Tact-Tiles effectively disappear.
Fast forward a few more years. I start Void Star Studios with Strands of Fate. By indie standards, it's a huge success. For one guy working with his friends from the internet, it's a massive hit. It goes Platinum on DrivethruRPG.
Strands of Power comes the next year. For a supplement, it also does very well.
And then this Kickstarter thing happens and I see the opportunity to get the capital to do Nova Praxis the way I wanted to do it. It goes on to generate almost $30,000 in pledges. Again, by indie standards, that's a huge hit. It goes Platinum on DrivethruRPG three times faster than Strands of Fate, and will soon see a Savage Worlds version.
So... emboldened by past success, I acquire the rights to Tact-Tiles for Void Star. We start plotting, scheming, designing and schmoozing vendors. Progress, it seems, it finally being made.
And here we are. I won't lie, we're still facing some challenges.
For example... We got our sample in for the ink that gets applied to make the grid. I'm not real thrilled with it. Take a sharp metal object (like the base of a metal mini), and you can scrape it off. i expect that to some degree, but I'm not happy with how easy it was. So I'll be getting back in touch with my ink guy Monday.
I also got an updated quote to run some samples from the mold, and the price per tile has gone up considerably (like +40%). So we've got to tackle that Monday as well. And I've also got to buy a new sprue for the mold, which clocks in at around $800.
Nasty surprises to be sure, but certainly not show stoppers. Tact-Tiles have become my own personal Moby Dick over the last few years, but by God I'm going to slay this beast.
Stay tuned for more updates as we battle this beast.
Official website of Void Star Studios, publishers of Strands of Fate and Nova Praxis.
MIMIR Virtual Game MAster App
Strands of Fate 2nd Edition
![Nova Praxis: Savage Worlds Edition [SW]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/513f57ebe4b0970eaf232dec/1411429136405-VRGAKJO9SF6QPT34HM4E/image-asset.jpeg)
Nova Praxis: Savage Worlds Edition [SW]
Nova Praxis: Savage Worlds Edition GM Screen
![Machinations: The Nova Praxis GM's Companion [FATE]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/513f57ebe4b0970eaf232dec/1411429079131-BC5SAOV0KM9HTN3OZBH7/image-asset.jpeg)
Machinations: The Nova Praxis GM's Companion [FATE]
![Nova Praxis [FATE]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/513f57ebe4b0970eaf232dec/1367939683929-QNNP413OLYGL8M41WLW6/NP+Cover+-+Portrait.jpg)
Nova Praxis [FATE]
![Nova Praxis Augmented PDF [FATE]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/513f57ebe4b0970eaf232dec/1363875286527-YO2FZTE5UEEWDRCGJDEL/NP+Cover+-+Portrait.jpg)
Nova Praxis Augmented PDF [FATE]
![Nova Praxis GM Screen PDF [FATE]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/513f57ebe4b0970eaf232dec/1364779338460-GU1F5C8859WT56TJP77X/GM+Screen+Cover.jpg)
Nova Praxis GM Screen PDF [FATE]
![Strands of Fate [A FATE Core Rulebook]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/513f57ebe4b0970eaf232dec/1363875325431-39PZH4IV53HBRVIUSZ22/Strands+of+Fate+Cover.jpg)
Strands of Fate [A FATE Core Rulebook]
![Strands of Power {SoF Supplement]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/513f57ebe4b0970eaf232dec/1363875360147-J8EQQ90ZOIEOBLSTIEPY/Strands+of+Power+3+1.jpg)
Strands of Power {SoF Supplement]
(OUT OF STOCK)
