I don’t know if you all prefer the good news first or the bad, but I’d rather just get the bad out of the way.
Unhappy New Year
As excited as I was last month to announce that we were working with Sheridan Printing here in the US, I am equally bummed now to share that we have been forced to go elsewhere to print Blue Planet. Sheridan just informed us their current production schedule would mean that the books would not actually go to press until July! Apparently small press orders are deprioritized when bigger orders come in, and given the threat of increased import tariffs and the resulting increase in demand for domestic printing, Blue Planet was bumped down the queue.
Given the already considerable delays, we are unwilling to wait and have ordered samples from an alternative printer – one back in China. Alan at Gallant Knight Games has been working overtime through the holidays to sort out the new printer, and though we cannot say at this stage in the switchover exactly what the new timeline will be, I’ll post it here as soon as we know it.
No one is more bummed about this turn of events than me, and all I can do is ask for your continued patience. If you’d told me ten years ago that political posturing would someday impact the publishing of something as trivial as RPGs, I’d have been incredulous. Now it’s just ridiculous.
Good News Second
There is a thin silver lining in this bummer of a dark cloud, however. The new printer is able to produce the slip cases in-house, which will greatly simplify the process, providing a much better product and a more accurate fit. Additionally, it’s the same company that prints books for Free League Publishing, and if you are familiar with their products you will know that they are arguably the prettiest books in the industry.
And there’s more good news. Last month I posted a couple of pics Alan shared of the proof copies we got from DriveThru RPG’s print-on-demand service. I have since gotten those copies into my own hands, and it is gratifying to finally hold physical books after all this time. Despite being PoD products, they look every bit as good as many offset RPG books. They lack the HD printing, paper quality, richer colors, end paper maps and place-marking ribbons that will be featured in our reward books, but they make me excited for how phenomenal those final books will be with all the enhancements and production upgrades.
The combined thickness is 2.5in (6.3cm), and together they weigh in at 5.1lbs (2.6kg). I’m not sure those measurements are relevant to anyone but the shipping company, but they at least provide some context to the pictures. Though our intention is not to release access to PoD BP until the offset books are delivered, it nonetheless feels good to have such a tangible proof of progress.
It's a Game After All
Even in the face of frustrating setbacks, it is good to remember that Blue Planet is a game after all and that with the delivery of the PDFs, it is one you can play! As you may recall, some of the higher pledge levels included some online BP with yours truly. The swankiest of these as a five-session mini-campaign. The backer and their family started this game last week, and so far we are having a blast. They are a found family running a native/newcomer underwater salvage company - ReFound Salvage. Incorporate intrigue, criminal conspiracy, rival malfeasance, hungry wildlife and a bunch of other stuff I have to redact since he reads these updates are all swirling together provide a Coen Brothers-esque story. The kind characters hate and players love. I'm calling it Bottoms Up.
And speaking of playing games, I'll be attending OrcaCon at its new location in Sea-Tac, WA, on January 10-12. I’ll be running both Blue Planet and Upwind sessions and hosting a Gaslands race. If you are local to the Seattle-Tacoma area and want meet up or play some games, reach out. Last I checked, there were still seats available for both RPG sessions, and I’d love to run a game for you.
