Proofs & Final PDF!
almost 2 years ago
– Thu, Jun 06, 2024 at 12:46:58 PM
Hey all!
We’re excited to be back with project updates as we’ve hit a milestone from our last update! Thanks for your patience as we’ve worked hard to focus on finishing the PDF, working through the proofs, and getting the play materials ready for you!
Proofs are here!
The first round of proofs have arrived! There are some errors–which is a normal part of the process–and we’re working with our printer to correct them and get the next set of proofs. That said, a lot came out really great! We’re excited to show you some sneak peeks below.
These images are the first round of proofs–so while they are close to the final product, they aren’t finalized. Our team is going through to make sure everything looks great, including color saturation and checking for any final errors. We’ll report any errors to our printer and get new proofs to reflect these changes.
Proofs don’t always come as a bound book. Many times they come as loose pages. You’ll see below some loose pages with white margins. These margins will be cut off in the final version, but are not removed during the proof stage. We also have a preview of the hardcover standard edition for you to look at!
Once proofs are good, we move into printing!
Final PDF & Play Materials
First, we apologize for the delay in getting these to you as quickly as we had initially planned. We’re grateful for your patience as we worked to get these final files to you. The final PDF is now uploaded to Backerkit, along with the play materials!
Please have a look over them and if you spot anything in the play materials that’s off, email us with Urban Shadows feedback to [email protected]. We appreciate your amazing feedback on this final step!
You can get your copy of the final PDF 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
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.
-
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!
As always, thank you so much for your support and excitement! We hope you enjoy the play materials and are as excited as we are to see these first proofs! We’ll be back when the proofs are approved and we’ve moved into printing!
Off to the Printers!
almost 2 years 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
about 2 years 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 years 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
about 2 years 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!
