Urban Shadows: Second Edition

Created by Magpie Games

The award-winning tabletop roleplaying game of political urban fantasy returns with a bold new edition!

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Off to the Printers!
about 20 hours ago – Thu, Apr 25, 2024 at 12:40:25 PM

Hey all!

We hope you’re having a lovely April and playing some great games. We’re excited to get to the update this month, so let’s dive in!

Gone to Print!

Exciting news, friends! The print files for Urban Shadows 2E are now with our printer! It took longer than anticipated to integrate all of the feedback we had from our community members, both via email and through our Discord. This feedback was absolutely integral to creating an amazing game, and we can’t thank you enough!

It’s been an incredible (and sometimes tumultuous) journey. We know we’ve needed to apologize far too many times and had too many delays. We really can’t thank everyone here enough for still being on this journey with us. For all the feedback, the playtesting, the excitement, the support during the ups and downs, we truly appreciate and are grateful for you. We hope that when you see this beautiful book you’ll feel like you were an important part of making Urban Shadows 2E happen.

Now that the printer has the file, they’ll be working to create proofs. A proof comes in two types: digital and physical.

Digital proofs are for us to ensure that the cover (front and back) look correct with the inside components. They’ll let us pick out if anything is out of order, or ended up with weird layout that we didn’t catch in our files.

Physical proofs are like a preview copy that has been printed. Sometimes these come bound like a real book, sometimes they are loose pages in the correct order. This lets us check the colors to ensure they match our quality standards. If anything is off, the printer will make a correction and run a new proof. Once this process is complete, we go to full printing. 

Next Steps

There are still a number of steps before you get your books. We’re going to cover everything to come (including our stretch goals) to let you know the progress you can expect to see from here on out.

  • Final PDFs: We are in the middle of converting the final files into a web-friendly PDF. Once this is fully converted over, we’ll release it to you! This should be within the next two weeks.
  • Proofs: The printer will send physical proofs to confirm everything.
  • Printing: The printer will begin printing. They will give us a timeline on how long this will take.
  • Shipping: Once the printer has sent us the books, we’ll prepare for shipping. This means locking Backerkit surveys. We’ll give you ample notice for when this happens via an update, as well as when shipping begins and what you can expect from that process.
  • Stretch Goals: From here out, we’ll be working to finish all the stretch goals by the end of 2024. As we complete them, we’ll release them to you without art for playtesting. Once we integrate your feedback, we’ll lay them out with art/commentary on moves and deliver them to you!

From here out, we’ll be updating you as these steps are completed, rather than monthly, since the chapter updates are no longer relevant. 

Thank you

It is an incredible moment, friends. Having these files to the printer is a victory and we’re so grateful to share it with you! We’ll be back shortly to continue to update you on the steps above! 
 

March Chapters Update
26 days ago – Sun, Mar 31, 2024 at 05:25:25 PM

Hey all!

Happy bunny day, everyone! It’s the end of March and we’ve been focusing hard on getting everything ready for Urban Shadows! We have some exciting updates! So let’s dive in, talk about the game, and what’s coming up next! 

Chapter Update: March 2024

Before we get to the timeline, however, let’s check in with a chapter update. Here’s a brief reminder of what each phase means, but for a full description you can see Update 30: Chapters Update & Dice Preview:

  • On hold areas are waiting for the rest of the book to be done.
  • Writing involves the writing team creating the chapter.
  • Developmental Editing is the process of an editor working with the writer on a written chapter, restructuring and finalizing the text. 
  • Copy Editing is when an editor goes through the text to ensure that all grammatical, spelling, punctuation, and style errors are corrected.
  • Layout takes the text from the copy editor and puts it into the final form for print.
  • Proofing: the team looks over the chapter in all its laid out glory to ensure it’s perfect.
  • Art: art is added to the chapter.

Urban Shadows Chapters (March 2024)

Front Materials (credits, opening, etc) - layout
Chapter 1: Introduction - FINAL
Chapter 2: Cities of Shadows - FINAL
Chapter 3: Fundamentals of Play - FINAL
Chapter 4: Character Creation - FINAL
Chapter 5: Core Moves - FINAL
Chapter 6: Playbooks - FINAL
Chapter 7: Advancement - FINAL
Chapter 8: The Master of Ceremonies - FINAL
Chapter 9: Long-term Play - FINAL
Chapter 10: City Guides - PROOFING
Back Material (play aids, index, etc) - PROOFING

This month, we finalized all the page references, art pieces, and all the proofing for Chapters 1-9… and finally finished the city guides! This is our first time tackling the revised city guide format, and we’re really excited to show it off to you. Both city guides take on their respective cities with a bunch of cool ideas and a focused plot hook, perfect for focusing a long-term campaign or running a focused one-shot.

Of course, that means that the book is (pretty much) final! All of the writing and editing have been completed, so we’re focused now on proofing and other small changes before we go to print. Thank you again so much for your patience while we’ve gotten the book to this point.

Because we’re now at this advanced stage, it’s time to talk about the final schedule. Here’s what we’re planning:

  • Early April: We’ll send the book and GM screen to print!
  • June/July: the books will ship to our US-based warehouse and international shipping partners
  • July/August: we will deliver the books (and all accessories) to backers!

Over the next few weeks, we’ll also have a preview of the GM Screen for you all to proof, as well as a schedule for a few of the upcoming stretch goal playbooks. We’re excited to get those done now that the book is headed to print!

March 2024: Full PDF Release

We’re excited to show you the complete PDF for Urban Shadows 2E! We know it’s been an incredibly long road and we can’t tell you how thrilled we are to send this PDF to you! This PDF is missing a few small things, namely the credits page, table of contents, and index. Those will be added once we have feedback processed on the city guides!

You can get your copy of the current book preview—and updated playbooks!—via Backerkit’s digital download system. We’ve already pushed out the files to your account, and you should have received an email letting you know that the files are ready for download. If you didn’t, you can access them directly from Backerkit here: 

https://urban-shadows-second-edition.backerkit.com/backer/digital_rewards

There are a few notes on changes in this draft, all a result of the awesome feedback you’ve given us over the past few weeks:

  • changed the miss in Tend to Mortal Relationships (The Aware)
  • changed One Way or Another to better address misses (The Aware)
  • replaced faerie magic payout with “gain 2 new let it out abilities” (The imp)
  • changed the tragedy option on Oracle’s Foretellings for clarity (The Oracle)
  • clarified that the Spectre must lose all four anchors to be swallowed by oblivion
  • clarified the loyal minions option for the Tainted’s Dark Patron
  • clarified “vulnerable NPC” for True Hunter (The Vamp)
  • simplified the Wizard’s end move
  • changed the Imps services, investments, and problems to even out and clarify the options
  • added “clean up gruesome messes” to the Tainted’s list of jobs
  • revised ranges to focus on hand, close, near, and far (p51 and Appendix)

If you have any errors you need to report, such as typo, layout errors, or anything else you notice, please email us at [email protected] and we’ll make sure we get to it! Please email us by April 7th with any feedback on this draft.

Thank you!

As always, we can’t thank you enough for being on this journey with us. We’re so grateful for your patience, kindness, and encouragement as we’ve worked to finish this game and get it in your hands! 
 

February Chapters Update
about 2 months ago – Thu, Feb 29, 2024 at 05:16:14 PM

Hey all!

It’s leap day and what better time to release a new PDF preview! Let’s dive into the changes, the updated schedule, and what to expect going forward! We’re so close to done with the core book!

Chapter Update: February 2024

Before we get to the timeline, however, let’s check in with a chapter update. Here’s a brief reminder of what each phase means, but for a full description you can see Update 30: Chapters Update & Dice Preview:

  • On hold areas are waiting for the rest of the book to be done.
  • Writing involves the writing team creating the chapter.
  • Developmental Editing is the process of an editor working with the writer on a written chapter, restructuring and finalizing the text. 
  • Copy Editing is when an editor goes through the text to ensure that all grammatical, spelling, punctuation, and style errors are corrected.
  • Layout takes the text from the copy editor and puts it into the final form for print.
  • Proofing: the team looks over the chapter in all its laid out glory to ensure it’s perfect.
  • Art: art is added to the chapter.

Urban Shadows Chapters (February 2024)
Front Materials (credits, opening, etc) - layout
Chapter 1: Introduction - PROOFING
Chapter 2: Cities of Shadows - PROOFING
Chapter 3: Fundamentals of Play - PROOFING
Chapter 4: Character Creation - PROOFING
Chapter 5: Core Moves - PROOFING
Chapter 6: Playbooks -PROOFING
Chapter 7: Advancement - PROOFING
Chapter 8: The Master of Ceremonies - PROOFING
Chapter 9: Long-term Play -PROOFING
Chapter 10: City Guides - layout
Back Material (play aids, index, etc) - layout

This month, we moved Chapter 1 all the way through the process, finished the rest of the playbook chapter, and integrated the feedback we received from you about the last preview we released! Thank you for all the feedback and insights on the last preview! They were integral to this next release!

As the PDF preview shows, we’re so close to finished! Other than the credits/ToC, city guides, page references, and a few pieces of art—this PDF is final! We need just a bit more time to finalize the layout for the city guides, but we will release those (along with any changes we make in proofing) to backers soon.

Why do so many of these say proofing? Because that’s where the incredible Urban Shadows community comes in. We’ve received a ton of useful and important feedback from you, and once we do this final proofing pass and incorporate any feedback you have to send, we’ll be ready to go!

Because we’re now at this advanced stage, it’s time to talk about the final schedule. Here’s what we’re planning:

  • Early March: we will release the complete PDF to backers for proofing which will include any proofing updates and the city guides (roughly 2 weeks)
  • End of March: we send the book to print, along with the GM screen
  • May-July: the books will ship to our US-based warehouse and international shipping partners
  • July/August: we will deliver the books (and all accessories) to backers

February 2024: New Preview

We mentioned in the last update that we would have a full preview for you this month. We didn’t quite hit the mark—the city guides are still outstanding—and we apologize for the delay. We need just a bit more time! The guides are in layout and will be added to the PDF preview by Mid-March ensuring we still hit our deadline of delivering the PDF to the printer by end of March.

You can get your copy of the current book preview—and updated playbooks!—via Backerkit’s digital download system. We’ve already pushed out the files to your account, and you should have received an email letting you know that the files are ready for download. If you didn’t, you can access them directly from Backerkit here:

https://urban-shadows-second-edition.backerkit.com/backer/digital_rewards

There are a few notes on changes in this draft:

We’ve cleaned up language and other errors throughout the final playbook text. The Wizard has several important changes:

  • removed the spell Elementalism, replaced with Stun
  • removed "apprentice" as an advance, replaced it with "bond with a familiar"
  • changed The Dark Arts to allow the Wizard to take Spirit +4 as a corruption move
  • removed Warding as a corruption move; it’s better handled by magic via your Sanctum
  • added a new corruption move: Eldritch Blast
  • revised Upon a Pale Horse to make it a more useful option, next to Eldritch Blast

If you have any errors you need to report, such as typos, layout errors, or anything else you notice, please email us at [email protected] and we’ll make sure we get to it! Since plan to release the full book in early March, please email us by March 8th with any feedback on this draft.

Thank You

We are so excited to be making so much progress and can’t thank you enough for your patience on this journey. Urban Shadows remains a project near and dear to our hearts and we’re so thrilled that we’re getting very close to having the book to you!

January Chapters Update
3 months ago – Wed, Jan 31, 2024 at 04:51:26 PM

Hey all!

Happy New Year! We hope January has been kind to you, that you’ve managed to ease into the new year, and are finding fun games to play for 2024! We’re back with our monthly update and have some pretty exciting news!

Chapter Update: January 2024

Before we get to the timeline, however, let’s check in with a chapter update. Here’s a brief reminder of what each phase means, but for a full description you can see Update 30: Chapters Update & Dice Preview:

  • On hold areas are waiting for the rest of the book to be done.
  • Writing involves the writing team creating the chapter.
  • Developmental Editing is the process of an editor working with the writer on a written chapter, restructuring and finalizing the text. 
  • Copy Editing is when an editor goes through the text to ensure that all grammatical, spelling, punctuation, and style errors are corrected.
  • Layout takes the text from the copy editor and puts it into the final form for print.
  • Proofing: the team looks over the chapter in all its laid out glory to ensure it’s perfect.
  • Art: art is added to the chapter.

Urban Shadows Chapters (January 2024)
Front Materials (credits, opening, etc) - on hold
Chapter 1: Introduction - copy editing
Chapter 2: Cities of Shadows - proofing/art
Chapter 3: Fundamentals of Play - proofing/art
Chapter 4: Character Creation - proofing/art
Chapter 5: Core Moves - proofing/art
Chapter 6: Playbooks - layout & proofing/art
Chapter 7: Advancement - proofing/art
Chapter 8: The Master of Ceremonies - proofing/art
Chapter 9: Long-term Play - proofing/art 
Chapter 10: City Guides - Chicago (layout) + Santiago (copy editing)
Back Material (play aids, index, etc) - layout

As you can see, we’re in the endgame now. There are a few areas that are still in copy (namely Chapter 1 and Chapter 10), but they amount to less than 5% of the entire book. The rest of Urban Shadows: Second Edition is in layout or proofing (and much of the art is in too)

This month, we moved Chapter 2 and Chapter 5 all the way through the process and finalized a some of the playbook chapter, which is one of the most layout-intensive portions of the book. Read below for info on getting your full preview PDF, which contains Chapter 2 through Chapter 9 in full (with art)!

Because we’re now at this advanced stage, it’s time to talk about the final schedule. Here’s what we’re planning:

  • Late February: we will release the complete PDF to backers for proofing (giving backers roughly 2 weeks)
  • Early March: we send the book to print, along with the GM screen
  • May-July: the books will ship to our US-based warehouse and international shipping partners who already have the other accessories
  • July/August: we will deliver the books (and all accessories) to backers! 

The most important part of this schedule is the next step: we are going to release a full PDF of the book to backers for proofing next month. You will have seen virtually all of it before, but the remaining portions of the book that are not included in the release today will be finished. We’ll give folks a full two weeks to proof the book (in addition to the proofing we do on our own). From there… we send the book to print and get to work on the stretch goals!

February 2024: Full Preview

You can get your copy of the full book preview via Backerkit’s digital download system. We’ve already pushed out the files to your account, and you should have received an email letting you know that the files are ready for download. If you didn’t, you can access them directly from Backerkit here:

https://urban-shadows-second-edition.backerkit.com/backer/digital_rewards

This draft of the book contains the entirety of Chapter 2 through Chapter 9, including four of the playbooks in Chapter 6. The missing materials—the intro, missing playbooks, the city guides, and the front/back matter—will all be included in the full PDF release to backers next month.

There are a few notes on changes in this draft:

  • Revised Interfere in Someone’s Business to Overlook a Harm, better clarifying what it takes to claim a Debt when someone screws up your business
  • Revised Lay Claim to work after asset seizure instead of seizing the asset through the faction turn
  • Revised Claim Status-3 to Establish a Faction in order to clarify that a PC can gain Status-3 in the fiction (taking over a faction) or by creating a new faction.
  • Clarified trigger for Shrewd Negotiator (The Fae)
  • Clarified that MCs can directly inflict corruption (rarely!) by modifying "inflict (or trade) harm" to "inflict harm or corruption"
  • Corrected typos and other problems throughout the document

If you have any errors you need to report, such as typos, or layout errors, or anything else you notice, please email us at [email protected] and we’ll make sure we get to it! Since plan to release the full book in late February, please email us by February 11th with any feedback on this draft.

Thank you!

We can’t thank you enough for your continued support. We mentioned how difficult last year was for our staff and having our Urban Shadows backers be so supportive and kind was a bright spot amongst the struggle. We’ll be back next month with a final, print-ready PDF!

December Chapters Update, Last Call for Refunds/Late Pledges
4 months ago – Fri, Dec 22, 2023 at 10:50:08 AM

Hey all!

It’s the end of 2023, and we’re back with our final update of the year. We don’t have any previews this month—the new chapters are still mid-layout—but we have some exciting updates on the timeline for the book!

Chapter Update: December 2023

Before we get to the timeline, however, let’s check in with a chapter update. Here’s a brief reminder of what each phase means, but for a full description you can see Update 30: Chapters Update & Dice Preview:

  •  On hold areas are waiting for the rest of the book to be done.
  •  Writing involves the writing team creating the chapter.
  •  Developmental Editing is the process of an editor working with the writer on a written chapter, restructuring and finalizing the text.
  •  Copy Editing is when an editor goes through the text to ensure that all grammatical, spelling, punctuation, and style errors are corrected.
  •  Layout takes the text from the copy editor and puts it into the final form for print.
  •  Proofing: the team looks over the chapter in all its laid out glory to ensure it’s perfect.
  •  Art: art is added to the chapter.

Urban Shadows Chapters (December 2023)

  • Front Materials (credits, opening, etc) - on hold
  • Chapter 1: Introduction - copy editing
  • Chapter 2: Cities of Shadows - layout
  • Chapter 3: Fundamentals of Play - proofing/art
  • Chapter 4: Character Creation - proofing/art
  • Chapter 5: Core Moves - developmental editing (2nd pass)
  • Chapter 6: Playbooks - layout
  • Chapter 7: Advancement - proofing/art
  • Chapter 8: The Master of Ceremonies - proofing/art
  • Chapter 9: Long-term Play - proofing/art
  •  Chapter 10: City Guides - Chicago (layout) + Santiago (copy editing) 
  • Back Material (play aids, index, etc) - layout

December is a short month—we’re closed for the last week of the year for the holidays—but we were able to make progress on our last few outstanding chapters: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 5. While Chapter 5 isn’t fully released to copy editing yet, we’re done with the next revision and it’s undergoing final changes before moving on to the next stage. We’ve also moved the Santiago city guide out of dev editing and we’re getting it ready for layout now!

In other words, we expect the full text to be in layout in January, and we’re planning on releasing a full PDF preview of the book—including most of the art—by the end of January. At that time, we’ll be able to give you all a timeline for printing and shipping all the rewards, including the books and other accessories. We’re almost there!

Last Call for Refunds/Late Pledges: Jan 15, 2024

Since we are close to releasing the full PDF, this is the last call for refunds and late pledges—we will no longer be offering refunds or allowing late pledges after January 15th, 2024.

  • If you’d like a refund, please email us at [email protected] to request it. Please remember that we’re closed next week (through January 2nd) so we may be slow to respond until we’re back in January.
  • If you’d like to make a late pledge, you can still do so on Backerkit (https://urban-shadows-second-edition.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders). Once the late pledge window closes, we will no longer be offering the “All Stretch Goals” bundle.

We'll be releasing the full PDF toward the end of the month, but these deadlines will allow us to process all refund request and late pledge issues in a timely fashion. Thanks!

Thank you!

Once again, thank you for all your patience and support this year. 2023 has been an incredibly trying and difficult year for our staff and design teams (and many other people), and we greatly appreciate the patience and time you’ve given us while we finish up this book. Urban Shadows is one of our favorite games, and we can’t wait to ship it out to you all next year! Thank you!