White Box Rules Update/Re-design

[Mach Front]

Never mind again. No matter what I do, when I get to "Make Print-ready File", after clicking I get nothing but a "visit Lulu support" or some such, plus emails about errors concerning the document (the WB:FMAG pdf that I only extracted the cover image from). Then, finally...success...except it claims the file contains "low resolution images" within the file. SIGH! UUHGGHH!...

Four or five hours. Just to create a entirely white dust-jacket with four words and ampersand on the cover and an already created pdf file and still I cannot do it!
This is just like all those times I was made to figure out some long division problem or fraction or decimal crap on the blackboard in front of the class and had no idea of what to do and the silence turned to a snicker or two and then to the laughter of many as I stared and stared and didn't understand or even really hear the verbal 'hand-holding' of the teacher until I was made to return to my seat amidst renewed laughter. Yay. What fun.

I guess I need to find an ultra-lite game to turn to as a go-to, so I can print out its less than 20 pages at home as a booklet and not worry about all this stuff.

[The Wanderer]

Mach, so you were trying to use the WB:FMAG PDF to create a book with a S&W dust jacket cover?

With all the different versions I have on different sites its hard to keep all the files straight. But the PDF file is probably not the same as the print file.

However lulu will still print a file even if it has low res images. I believe you just click create print book anyway or something like that.

Oh and here is the obligatory statement: I do not condone your unauthorized use to create books or something like that. Blah blah

[Mach Front]

Yeah, it's the 1.5 release I believe. Since so many folk do it I figured a mundane pdf would suffice.

Ah, and yes, I am not and will not really, really seriously do anything unauthorized.

But seriously though this was more of a test. I was reading about it, it was sitting there and I thought for a moment I could figure out how to do it. Too much and too frustrating for me.

[Mach Front]

Besides, why would I take WB:FMAG as it is and print my own?...I'd rather (and have to) utilize the word doc so I can add house rules and change all the things you really totally fouled up big-time...like not giving thieves the cleric HD advancement and not making their skills more effective at lower levels. What's up with that? Take your dunce cap off. Seriously. Hit points: Fighters, then thieves, then clerics and magic-users should get a hit point or two and at character creation the latter two should both start the game with a spear thrust in their chest and perhaps a disease and/or curse.

[foxroe]

Hmmm. This is actually a really good idea for a "special" or "anniversary" edition. Are their any "official" WB:FMAG adventures out there? If you could combine the rulebook (with errata) with an adventure and, as Mach says, make it available as a POD dust jacket hardback, that would be pretty sweet. I would even be willing to pitch in for the cover art and the proofs (and I'm sure others would as well).

It would have a special place on my gaming shelf next to my Carcosa and OSRIC hardbacks...

[The Wanderer]

That is a good idea. So no problem, I will make one. Waiting for the one year anniversary may be a good idea. Because I have all my money tied up in in 3 projects for this year.

Or I can make one using the existing covers and save some money. Cover art is one of the most expensive parts of making books.

[foxroe]

I really like the red dragon cover...

[Mach Front]

So, I know you have around about 100 million irons in the fire now...and I know it's some time out, but I was thinking about "Into the Unknown".

I'm not at all certain how you are or want to do it, but I was wondering if you may be looking for some outside input regarding this supplement. If so, I'd like to recommend Sean Wills if you want a drop-in city of two (he had a short-lived Lulu product some years back inspired by the then-new 'one page dungeon' concept that was a short, 16-or-so-page affair with a handful of 'one page cities' that was called Cities of Swords & Sorcery I believe). If you like or want 'swords vs. Cthulhu'-type stuff then the fevered and imaginative force of Shane Mangus is someone who could/would likely contribute some solid stuff. Both of them are on G+ and one or both may be here. I'm not sure. If and when you may wish to avail yourself of their imaginatorium-ness I can easily get in touch with them if for some reason you're unable.

If you are (or will be) wanting to put the call out for contributions for content to fill "Into the Unknown" I'd even like to help, despite my lack of maps, notes and other things mortals consider essential. Ha! My over-stuffed, too-big-for-its-britches town of Dirtwater is waiting, ephemeral though it may be, for the warping.

Of course, if "Into the Unknown" is something that is your vision alone then I'll shut up and simply look forward to its content.

Anyway. It was on my brain right now and I wanted to spew now so that I wouldn't forget later.
So, yeah. Cheers an' stuff.

[The Wanderer]

Well, here is the inside info.

I spent money on art for the Beginner's Guide and then decided that the art needed to be full color and in a different style to target younger, new players. But I had no money to pay for new art. However, I had already paid Michael for some art for Into the Unknown, which he hadn't started yet. So I told him to do art for the Beginner's Guide instead. I spent way more on the BG than I did for WB:FMAG and I'm going to release the Beginner's Guide for free.

I also (maybe crazily) decided to sell the WB:FMAG books at cost. As a result, I'm broke and have no money coming in! And I have to pay about $100 for print proofs for all the different versions of WB:FMAG I have out there to make sure the changes with the S&W compatibility logo are okay. Yeah, don't ever follow how I do things!

I was thinking I would sell off a bunch of my RPG stuff to pay for the Into the Unknown art, but I realize now, that wouldn't work, for many different reasons. So I'm left with only a couple choices. I either use what stock art I have and try to make a standard Into the Unknown book (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) OR I do the dreaded Kickstarter and try to raise funds for the art.

With either scenario, there is really no way I could pay someone to help with content.

So I'm kind of stuck right now on what I'm going to do after the Beginner's Guide is released.

[geordie racer]

I'd like to recommend Sean Wills

Thanks Eric, but I'm the first to admit I'm not very prolific, mostly due to limited time to spend on the computer. The release of WB:FMAG started me writing WB stuff again so I'm very keen to see Charlie's reboot.