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The Practical Guide to Becoming a Great GM

Created by Guy Sclanders

250+ pages packed with all the tools you need to begin & master the GM journey!

Latest Updates from Our Project:

06.04.22 IMPORTANT NEWS - LOCKING DOWN KICKSTARTER!
almost 2 years ago – Fri, May 06, 2022 at 11:12:15 PM

Heyo folks,


ON TRACK

The PDF Alpha is ready for you but Kickstarter is not! This was something I was not aware of - in order to send out the PDF to the backers who have paid for the PDF we have to 'lock down' the project. This is a specific action which we have to take and which takes 48 hours to complete (this is a function of Backerkit and Kickstarter). 

This means we'll be locking down the project today so that hopefully by Monday I can release the PDF BETA to you.  I've got a whole lot of info attached to the bottom of this update if you want more info on what a 'lock down' means. 

The long and short of it: You can update your shipping address but you cannot change your order once lock-down has happened. Any additional material you might want to add would need to be done AFTER the project is complete and you can purchase it via our website. 


PDF BETA

Why is this called the PDF Beta? I regret to say that our Editor has vanished. We can only hope that he is safe and OK and is merely taking a break from the project. What this means is, although Martin and I have done the very best we could in checking and rechecking the PDF there may be some minor issues. This means you may spot something that is wrong (in terms of layout or spelling). If you do, send us the correction and we'll be sure to update it for the final PDF release which will happen when we can release the PDF for Epic Campaigns (which is our aim for the early weeks of June). 


NPC CARDS

I have begun work on the cards. I have to say, I'm blown away by the amazing NPCs you have submitted (those who bought the NPC add-on). I'm also curious as to a lot of commonalities too! Red-hair features in a vast majority of characters, blue hair with other colors too! It's been a pleasure working on the designs. 

Now, as indicated, I am doing my very best to work within the designs you sent through, but sometimes I have had to make alterations or adjustments to the artwork based on what is available to me. I am confident however, that you'll be pleased with the final result. 

We expect the NPC cards to be ready sometime in July. There are 100 images to make and that takes a lot of time :)


Until the next update,

Happy gaming

Guy and the team


LOCK DOWN

This will be sent out to you as a separate email from Backerkit today as well, so look out for it! 


What does this mean?

You will no longer be able to add or remove items from your pledge, this is so we can lock down the number of books we need to print, and who will get the PDF Alpha next week. 


You will not be charged yet, and you will still be able to edit your shipping address.


What will happen next?

If you have the Practical Guide to Becoming a Great GM as part of your pledge, and paid for it during the Kickstarter (and not added in your BackerKit) you will soon receive a download link to the preprint beta version of the book.

This edition is for you to have a preview of the final book as it stands. We ask that if you find any errors or mistakes please let us know and we can sort them out! 


Where will I be able to download the preprint beta edition?

You will be able to find the download link on your BackerKit survey but you will also receive an email with the download link from BackerKit.


Will I receive the preprint beta edition if I only added the digital version or physical version in BackerKit?

No, the preprint beta edition will only be available to those who had the digital version or physical version as part of their pledge and have been charged in Kickstarter.


When am I going to be charged for any addons and shipping?

If you only ordered digital versions of the book(s), you will be charged only when the digital versions are complete for both books, this will be around June 2022.

If you ordered the physical book and any digital books, you will only be charged once the printing of the book has started. Which is expected to be around July 2022.

We will send out an update to let you know cards are going to be charged for both events.


When will I get the final digital book(s)?

We are aiming to have the final digital books in your hands in June 2022

If you have ordered a physical book and only added it during the BackerKit stage, you will only receive the digital version when you have been charged in July 2022.


How will I receive my final digital books?

You will receive your download links via email from BackerKit, but you will also be able to find your download links on your BackerKit survey when they are released.


Will I be able to change my shipping address after I have been charged?

Yes, you will be able to change your shipping address right up to before we start sending the books out, we will send out a 48 hour notification to let you know when this is happening.

26.04.22 Delay for a good cause
almost 2 years ago – Thu, Apr 28, 2022 at 07:41:13 PM

Hey folks,


We were all hoping to have the PDF ready for you this Friday. Then Martin showed me this...

Ignoring the blue box around the Collective Creativity, I want you to look at the way the image has been treated - the elvish cowboy looking down on the orc and human in a shoot-out (I know you can't tell the species, but since I made the artwork, I promise you they are). The way the colour fades into a black and white image? When I saw that it blew my breath away. This is one of the art-treatments we want to use in the book moving forward.


Then he showed me this:

Now, we'd planned all along to make the book as full of inspirational colour and imagery as possible, and to ensure that it wasn't just a wall of text. We wanted a book that you can dive into, draw some inspiration from, and then get back to your game planning.  The layout that Martin proposed when we started the book was amazing. The new layout - a tweak of the old - I think looks so, so much better. It may seem subtle, but it really pops the pages, and the books overall look and feel.


Why do I show you all of these things? 


I am convinced an extra 10 days will make this book even better!

I consulted with the team and we all believe that rushing to get you a PDF by Friday 29th versus getting you a PDF by Monday 10th of May was worth the wait. The extra days will be used to treat some of the images in the first style - the fade to black and white style (around 35 images, with each fade taking about an hour to fully realize), and also to spend more time on opening up the pages to include even more artwork (we've added an extra 12 images [with each image taking roughly 5 hours to make]).

I know that some of you were really hoping for the book this weekend, but I know that the wait will be worth it. 

My next update will be with the release of the PDF in early May. 


Until then, from me and the hardworking team, I wish you all, the happiest of gaming!

Guy

22.04.22 April Update
almost 2 years ago – Sat, Apr 23, 2022 at 05:21:27 AM

Hello all!

It's been a 'heads down, all hands on deck' month for us. 

The Practical Guide

The PDF has been sent to Pontus for final checks, and Martin spent the weekend placing the last of the over 100 images into the book. We're hoping to do the bookmarks and final checks this coming week to send the PDF out to you all by the end of the month! Super excited for that. 

Epic Campaigns

The art is finished, the copy is edited, and now we're in the queue with Martin for layout and finalization. All is on track and we're super excited for this! 

Printing

We've sent the order to the printers for both books - nearly 12 000 copies or 480 000 pages worth of paper! They've logged the order with the papermills and now we wait for the paper makers to make the paper and send it through to the printers. 

All in all

We're on track and super excited for the end of this month. I think you'll all agree when you see the PDF that is was well worth it (at least I hope you do!). 

Until the next update,

Happy gaming,

Guy, Derrick and the team!

23.03.22 Minor Update
about 2 years ago – Thu, Mar 24, 2022 at 02:30:36 AM

Hey folks,


I hope that your March has been progressing well? Ours charges ahead. 

Art

We're 80% done with all the art requirements for Epic Campaigns now. It's been such a blast taking the original artwork and remaking it. Most of the images are inspired by the original. We've either gender swapped the characters, or twisted up the scene as our art style has evolved so much from the first book.  Another major change, which I think certainly helps the artwork is that before the images were a montage of photography and digital art, the new images are 100% digital which gives the art a completely uniform look, something that the old artwork lacked in my opinion.

Layout

I had a meeting this morning with Martin to discuss the text dump of Practical Guide. This is where Martin has taken all the text from Practical Guide word document and just roughly laid it out in his design software. This week and most of next week he'll be cleaning it up and making room for the 100+ pieces of artwork that are ready for him. Then next week Friday, I'll meet with him and we'll begin to put that art into it's place. 

We're still on track for our end of April PDF! However, we are about three weeks behind for the printers schedule. At the moment this doesn't mean we're three weeks behind delivering hard copies, as we've got some wiggle-room still. 

Edit

Well, this is what I got back from our editor regarding Epic Campaigns:


It is a clear and consistent continuation of the system, offering more depth. I think a reader who starts with this and then goes on to "Practical Guide" will feel the same. They reinforce each other and can be read in any order, which is good.


I think anyone who was concerned over the book being the 'same as the original' need not worry any more. I'd say it is at least 80% rewritten to align with our new philosophy of Practical Guides. I expect to get the edit back from the editor in early April. I'll make those changes to the text and then have that copy off to Martin for layout (assuming he's done with Practical Guide by then). 

All-in-all

We most certainly lost a few weeks to my family tragedy in South Africa, but I remain confident that we'll hit all our deadlines. The team are the best they can be, we're doing our very best and that's all one can hope and dream for. 

I am hoping that my next update will include a link for you all... :)


Until the next update, happy gaming,


Guy and the team

04.03.22 Good news folks!
about 2 years ago – Sat, Mar 05, 2022 at 07:40:19 PM

Hello all,

I couldn't contain myself and thought I had to share the news. 

Edit

The complete guide to Epic Campaigns rewrite draft 1 is complete! This is a major event in our milestones. Now it goes to the editor who will sit with it and make sure it makes sense. Folks, I was so excited in rewriting the book with the new approach we have now taken on the channel.  Your Epic Campaigns are never going to be the same again!

The Practical guide to becoming a Great GM is now in the hands of the layout designer and that should be done by the end of April. But, because Epic Campaigns is finished now a month ahead of schedule, we might see it being complete by the end of May (as a PDF). So your April and May just got a whole lot more interesting!

Next

Now that I have caught up on the rewriting, I can get stuck into the artwork for the Epic Campaigns. Just like Practical Guide, and the original Epic Campaigns, the images will be a mix of Fantasy, Sci-Fi, horror, modern, and historical. I have to generate around 50 of images - half of what we did for Practical Guide. I have 2 months... 


I hope you all have an amazing weekend,

Regards

Guy and the Team