Path of Shadows Distributed
over 6 years ago – Fri, Dec 08, 2017 at 09:05:21 AM

Hey folks!

On behalf of Nocturnal Media, I've distributed the Path of Shadows Storypath card PDF to folks who added on for it!

They were distributed in PDF this morning in BackerKit via DriveThruRPG Link! If the email doesn't come in, you should be able to get them by logging into your BackerKit, selecting this project (if you have multiple) and then clicking on the Digital Downloads section!  

Give it some time as we literally pulled the trigger on them about ten minutes ago.  

If you have any issues getting them, let us know! - The Nocturnal Media Team.

Happy Helly-ween!
over 6 years ago – Fri, Oct 27, 2017 at 11:03:55 PM

Hah, sorry about that...pun?

(Seriously, I hate puns.) 

So, status update for all our patient backers!

Hardboiled Games has completely cleared their plates and dedicated their time to finishing Hellywood. 

We'll be full bore on the edits and translation rewrites that are required (idioms, metaphors, etc.), and then we'll be moving into layout. 

Translation on the Justice of Angels campaign is underway. We will be tackling that after we get the corebook wrapped up.

Dice are just waiting for us to push the "print" button to get them made.

We're also taking care of getting the GM screen handled and translated. 

We appreciate your patience as we sort this out! We're looking forward to getting this game in your hands as fast as we can!

- The Hardboiled Team

Rounding out the Progress Report
over 6 years ago – Mon, Sep 18, 2017 at 12:03:24 AM

It’s been a tough few weeks from a logistical perspective: both Nocturnal and Hardboiled were affected by hurricanes, which complicated and delayed things. That said, we were able to get some things worked out.  

Dice: A manufacturer is selected, funds are allocated, and designs are approved. These are ready to go and we’re working out the timing.  

Cards: Alan is in the process of confirming this, but it appears that all the necessary art elements are in our possession. We’re looking at layout and printing options so we can allocate funds.  

Justice of Angels: As it stands, the Justice of Angels campaign is approximately 50% translated. Translation remains ongoing and the finished work will likely need the same level of editorial attention as the Core Rulebook.  

Now that we know where we are, we can chart a course to where we need to be. Ideally, we’ll have a comprehensive plan in the near future and we’ll use that plan as a model for future updates. 

Until then, Hardboiled, Alan, and I would like to thank all of you for your patience in all this; back to back hurricanes were not on the agenda when this process started.  

Best,  

Drew Wendell and the Hardboiled Team

Hell, High Water, and a Partial Status Report
over 6 years ago – Thu, Sep 07, 2017 at 10:18:28 PM

With mandatory evacuation orders creeping closer and closer, odds are it's my turn to make for the high ground ahead of Hurricane Irma. I may be traveling a fair bit in the coming days and well into next week, so please be patient. Alan is safe and dry in the desert, however, so any critical decisions or communications will still be made if I am offline. 

As Facebook works a lot better on my phone than Kickstarter, I'll likely be checking in at the backer-made Facebook group more often than I will be posting updates here. Alan is over there, as well as the original French team, so it's a great place to spark discussion and make your voice heard (in addition to the comments on KS). Once I have stable internet and such, I'll resume postings here. 

That said, as promised, here is the...

Status Report

Right now, our main focus is getting the Core Rulebook and GM Screen booklet to where it needs to be. The English translation of the Core Rulebook and GM Screen booklet are complete. These translations are accurate and technically sound; however, the original text is highly idiomatic and stylized, requiring extensive editing in order to give the text the voice and color it deserves. 

At this point, it is our belief that the only way to make up for the time you’ve already waited is to deliver a product worth waiting for. 

• The GM Screen booklet is approximately 60% complete. The mechanics and NPC sections are awaiting polish and sign off and the remaining section, a sizable adventure titled “The Jade Snake,” is still a work in progress.
   
• Chapter 1 of the Core Rulebook is complete and awaiting final polish and signoff. 
  
• Chapter 2 of the Core Rulebook is approximately three times larger than all other chapters and is likely to be completed last. 
  
• Chapter 3 of the Core Rulebook is in editing. This is the rules chapter; extra care is being taken to make sure the mechanics are clear and concise. 
  
• “Metropolis Agency” is a section between Chapters 3 and 4 of the Core Rulebook containing pre-generated NPCs ready to play. This is in editing and should be complete next. 
  
• Chapter 4 of the Core Rulebook is in editing. This is the Voiceover (GM) section of the book and is approximately 25% complete. 
  
• Chapter 5 of the Core Rulebook is in editing. This chapter contains a selection of scenarios collectively known as “Hellywood Stories” One of the three scenarios is near completion, the other two have received initial edits but require more work.

Timelines are still a work in progress as we collate information and work up estimates.

We appreciate your patience. 

Best,
Drew

Hellywood and the Future
over 6 years ago – Mon, Sep 04, 2017 at 10:42:44 PM

Hello,

My name is Drew Wendell and, under Nocturnal Media, I was responsible for editing and finalizing the translated text of Hellywood. I’ve worked on a variety of projects for Savage Mojo (Shaintar, etc.), Gallant Knight Games, Planet Mercenary, and others. I am also the Managing Partner at Hardboiled Games. 

As I am sure you all know, Stewart Wieck was the heart and soul of Nocturnal Media as well as an innovator in the RPG industry. He was also a seasoned professional with a creative drive unlike any other and the ability to juggle an uncanny number of projects at the same time. Sadly, his passing has left many projects in the air. Stewart’s wife, brother, and co-worker have taken over Nocturnal Media and are intent on satisfying all outstanding projects, but the projects are too numerous for them to manage alone, so for some projects, likeHellywood, they have sought help.

After discussions with, Nocturnal Media, Stewart’s estate, and John Doe SARL, Hardboiled Games has taken over responsibility for Hellywood, both for this Kickstarter and future projects. In the interest of maintaining as much continuity as possible, Hardboiled has retained the services of Alan Bahr of Nocturnal Media, to help shepherd the project to completion as Project Manager. Personally, both Alan and I deeply believe that this game needs to be made; everyone involved in both Nocturnal and Hardboiled also wants to see the backers taken care of.

From a purely objective point of view, taking over Hellywood wasn’t necessarily the smart thing to do, but both Alan and I agreed it was the right thing to do. Both of us want to bring this game to the world. Doing so, however, is going to require hard work from us and both patience and flexibility from you, the backers. We understand both patience and flexibility may be in short supply.

Both Alan and I have experience “turning around” troubled Kickstarter projects; if there is one thing we’ve learned, it’s that full transparency is the only way to go. In the coming days and weeks, we’ll be going over all of the information from Nocturnal and putting together some timelines. We’re not going to rush that process: we want to make sure we’re communicating timelines we think we can live up to. 

As some of you know, Nocturnal Media is a Houston, Texas based company and, while everyone is safe, Hurricane Harvey has certainly been a disruption. Obviously, we’re not pushing Nocturnal for documents at a time like this, so please bear with us.

In next day or so, we expect to post a preliminary status report, detailing roughly where each element of the project stands. Everyone here at Hardboiled is excited to get working on this project and can’t wait to bring Hellywood to all of you. 

Sincerely,  

The Hardboiled Team