February Update
about 5 years ago – Mon, Feb 18, 2019 at 08:54:27 PM

This update is going to be short and sweet: most of our goals for this month were met or close to met. We took a significant bite out of Chapter 5 and we're moving Chapter 3 into our sights. The setting section just won't seem to let go - we caught a continuity error, which is good, but it means we have to go back through some things with a fine toothed comb. On the plus side, this should save some time off the continuity editing when that time comes. 

The goals for this month are going to be modest, because I (Drew) have some upcoming travel for business which will cut into my time. The goal for the next update is to inform you Chapter 5 is done and we've got all the lingering questions on Chapter 3 out of the way.

- The Hardboiled Team

New Year, New Goals
over 5 years ago – Wed, Jan 16, 2019 at 07:00:54 PM

Apologies for missing December’s update, the second half of the month was a whirlwind of family, travel, and oversized meals and I (Drew) allowed myself and the team a brief vacation from Hellywood to recharge and get ready for this year. The vacation paid off: the whole team is firing on all cylinders and this month saw the big “over the top” push we needed.

All but a few paragraphs of the setting section are now out of copy editing and into line editing; the rest will be in line editing by the end of the week. Our additional editor sent back copy edits for the Voiceover (Game Master) section and it’s in line editing now. For those keeping score at home, all of Chapters 1, 2, and 4 are now in line or continuity editing (or will be by Friday), along with parts of Chapters 3 and 5. For context, Chapters 3, 4, and 5 combined are about a third as large as Chapter 2. As I’ve mentioned earlier, Chapter 3 will take a little longer than 4 or 5; it’s the rules and character creation chapter, so there is a heightened emphasis on getting the language as clear and accurate as possible. 

Our team goals this month are to keep the steady pace going on line editing for Chapter 2, take a bite out of Chapter 5, and chart a course through Chapter 3, identifying potential road blocks and getting ahead of problems.

We look forward to sharing a lot of good news on this project in 2019.

- The Hellywood Team

November Update
over 5 years ago – Thu, Nov 15, 2018 at 03:27:55 PM

Busy, Busy, Busy

Drew here, pleased to report that the entire setting chapter, some 60k+ words, is in some stage of editing: copy, line, or continuity. This is big news because the setting chapter was the most complex in terms of creating and maintaining a single, authentic voice. I covered the many reasons the setting chapter was so arduous in a previous update but the short version is "everything needed to be done thrice." The pace of editing and work generally should increase in the coming weeks. One of the big advantages of putting the setting section to bed is it opens things up for other voices. Which brings us to...

A Little Help

After serious consideration and a hard look at the budget, we've decided to bring in another copy editor. We're starting small, with a single section, but we have a great deal of confidence in our choice. Hopefully, tandem editing will increase our speed even further. We're committed getting you a product worth waiting for, but we don't intend to make you wait a second longer than you have to.

So that's all the news that's fit to print. As far as the Core book is concerned, it's all downhill from here. Things may slow down a little going into the holidays: we all have day jobs, families, commitments, and the like, but we're in a good position to make a big push very soon.

- The Hardboiled Team

Update!
over 5 years ago – Thu, Sep 27, 2018 at 11:23:06 PM

Hello folks!

Alan Bahr here. I've been assisting Drew on keeping Hellywood moving forward. 

I have two pieces of news for you today. 

First, Hardboiled Games is bringing on some extra help to get things moving. They've got a new editor who will help Drew get through the book, so we can get moving on delivering it to you!

Drew will talk more about that later.

Secondly, for those of you who ordered the physical Path of Shadows through this campaign, while Hardboiled can't afford to deliver it early (two-stage shipping would be fiscally unfeasible), we know you've been waiting a long time. 

So, Nocturnal has graciously agreed to offer all backers of a physical Path of Shadows deck an at-cost Print on Demand code for the Path of Shadows through DriveThruCards. 

It's important to note: THIS DOES NOT REPLACE YOUR REWARD. You will still get your Path of Shadows that was done via standard print run when Hellywood books ship. This is simply an option to get a version into your hands if you want it now, but there's no obligation to do this or use this option. 

I will be sending out those codes via BackerKit to appropriate backers tomorrow. 

- The Hardboiled Team

Speed Kills
over 5 years ago – Fri, Sep 21, 2018 at 10:58:00 PM

Hello All,

Drew here. I was hoping to announce we'd finished the setting section; sadly, I cannot. I have a pretty demanding day job and it turns out that when you basically take the month of August off to travel through Europe, you pay for it when you get back, hard. I know we're going slower than we'd like, which is why Alan and I are discussing an additional, frontline editor to handle Justice of Angles. The decision isn't final yet - it would be a significant departure from the budget - but I wanted you all to be that aware we're considering every available option to bring you the highest quality product as soon as possible. 

We'll be releasing some new text this week, so keep your eyes peeled. 

-The Hardboiled Team