First Look at the Zine!
almost 3 years ago – Wed, May 19, 2021 at 12:50:15 PM

A tip of the ten-gallon hat to you all. I hope you're enjoying the PDF version of The Great Soul Train Robbery. Please let me know if you've had any trouble claiming your copy.

I have received a test batch of copies of the physical zine from the printer. They're gorgeous! It's wonderful to finally have the book in hand. Check out some pictures:

As we barrel down the track, I'm opening up pre-orders to non-backers. So if you have friends who want in on the zine, point them here. I'll place an order soon for big batch of copies. Then we'll be off to the races, collecting shipping fees and sending out the zine so you can all have one of these beauts for your enjoyment at the gaming table. (Of course, I'll deliver copies to backers first, never fear.)

I have also made the PDF of the game available for purchase on DriveThruRPG and Itchio. So please also point your friends there! And today, May 14th, point them especially to Itchio. It's Creator Day, and 100% of what you spend on Itchio today goes to the creators. Itchio is also where folks playing the game can find the fillable character sheet for the game—designed, of course, in the style of a wanted poster. I'll link directly to the character sheet below for you, my lovely backers.

Till soon, Desperados.

The PDF is Here!
almost 3 years ago – Fri, May 14, 2021 at 10:50:58 AM

Howdy, Desperados!

Throw your ten-gallon hats in the air. Today the PDF of The Great Soul Train Robbery is going out to all backers at the $6 level and above.

You should have gotten (or get soon) an email from DriveThruRPG with a link to download the PDF. You don't need to have a DriveThruRPG account beforehand, and you can make one for free. Once you get to your DriveThruRPG cart, you should see the PDF, discounted to $0. Download it and enjoy!

If you don't see this email sometime today or tomorrow, check to make sure it hasn't ended up in your spam folder. If it still eludes you, shoot me a message and we'll get it sorted out.

(NB: There's a link in the PDF directing you to find fillable character sheets at Cloven Pine Games's itchio page. The sheets are not up there yet, but they will be soon.)

To whet your appetite for the allegorical adventures to come, I'll end this update with a peek at the zine's cover, beautifully illustrated by Emily Cheeseman and now sporting the game's title:

We're not at the end of the line yet, of course. Next up, I'll be printing the zine and shipping it to backers at the $12 level and up. I'm glad to be releasing this game into the world, and I am excited to hear stories from your tables about how the Desperados fare in attempting this Great Soul Train Robbery.

Happy trails!

March Update: Train Car Layout
about 3 years ago – Sat, Mar 20, 2021 at 05:50:57 AM

Greetings, train robbers!

That lonesome whistle in the distance means the Hell-train is soon to pull into the station. I am working to finalize the PDF's layout. The train cars are taking longer than expected, as there's a lot of tables here. It's all good material for GMs to conduct the train, it just takes a little finagling to fit it onto our pages. Here's a preview:

My revised estimate is that the PDF will be delivered in April, and we'll turn to physical printing and delivery thereafter.

ZineQuest 3 Retrospective

Many thanks to those of you who supported us again with our ZineQuest project last month, Back Again from the Broken Land. It means a lot to me that so many Desperados came along as small adventurers sharing stories of their part in the Doomslord's fall—and the burdens they carried home. Ultimately, the project funded with almost $11,500 and more than 750 backers. We've arranged the project timeline for Back Again from the Broken Land to make sure I have time to complete delivering Great Soul Train Robbery before moving on to focus on the next zine.

If you missed that Kickstarter, never fear. Sign up here to be the first to know when Back Again from the Broken Land becomes available for non-backers to order.

Till next time, Desperados. I'll be working on the railroad all the livelong day till The Great Soul Train Robbery is out in the world.

January Update and ZineQuest3
about 3 years ago – Sun, Jan 31, 2021 at 08:23:36 AM

Howdy Desperados!

Happy New Year! Our two items of business today are a status update and an announcement.

First the update: The end of layout is in sight. I am deep in the GM section of the book, as you’ll see in my sample spread here: 

The last major thing to work on is the train cars. We've put in a bunch of fun train cars for you! But I am reasonably confident we can finalize layout and proofing in time to send out the PDF in February. Then we can turn to physical printing and delivery in March.

Thank you for your patience! I am excited to get the game into your hands.

Next, ZineQuest3!

This February, another ZineQuest is upon us. I am partnering with my wife Leah Sargeant to Kickstart a game we created called Back Again from the Broken Land. Back Again from the Broken Land is a game of small adventurers sharing stories on the long walk home from a calamitous war. It’s a game that use the Powered by the Apocalypse engine, and is inspired by the more meditative stretches of The Lord of the Rings. We’d be thrilled if you joined us for this adventure:

Never fear, I will of course prioritize delivery of The Great Soul Train Robbery. And I think lessons I learned and skills I’ve acquired from Great Soul Train Robbery will pay dividends for Back Again from the Broken Land.

Ever upward, Desperados!

June Update: Award Nominations and More
about 3 years ago – Thu, Jan 28, 2021 at 06:22:49 PM

Howdy, all. I have been chugging away at The Great Soul Train Robbery.  The text of the game is almost entirely complete, and interior illustrations are also coming together well.

I have some other exciting pieces of news for you:

Award Nominations!

The Great Soul Train Robbery has been nominated for an Indie Groundbreaker Award for Best Rules!

This is a huge honor, especially given the high quality of the other nominees. The Indie Groundbreaker Awards are presented by the Indie Game Developers Network, and "are designed to shine a spotlight on excellence in the indie game design community."

The nomination is for the two-page, pay-what-you-will version of the game. The zine edition you are all eagerly awaiting will be eligible for awards next year.

In related news, I have to let you know that another RPG from Cloven Pine Games has received an award nomination: Secret Science Sewer Siblings, my game about a found family of teenage mutant ninja critters, has been chosen as an ENnie nominee for Best Free Game! Hurrah!

A Chance to Play Online

The Gauntlet gaming community is hosting another round of Gauntlet Community Open Gaming, this time on July 16th–19th. Like before, this event is entirely free and open to all. It's a great chance to try out roleplaying games online. We will be offering sessions of both our award-nominated games! The redoubtable Leah Sargeant will be running a session of The Great Soul Train Robbery on Friday, July 17th. I am running a session of Secret Science Sewer Siblings on Saturday, July 18th. You can sign up to play with us starting Monday, July 6th, at 10am Eastern time.

That's all for now, Desperados. Enjoy a glimpse of the interior art I'm working on: