Working on a publication: Kaidan

[Gamerprinter]

So that my illustrators don't get all the fun. I decided to put in a few of own art, beyond maps into the Kaidan project. Here's an early WIP for an Onmyoji Court Wizard. This is based on ukiyo-e prints as to dress, design and color. The wizards face is from some Japanese actor/model I found online.

I will probably do the rest of his body (lower half) and place some semi-visible Shikigami imp demons as familiars behind him.

Enjoy!

GP

[Gandwarf]

Hey, you can draw

Good job so far, I like his pose.

[Steel General]

That's really nice GP, I just could never get people so they looked any good.

But I Mad Skillz with Stick Figures!

[Gamerprinter]

Any art that needs some "pizazz" I'll commission one of my artists to do the work, but for simpler illustrations, I guess I'll do them myself. Like the Class description illustrations for the splat book - samurai, ashigaru, hatamoto, onmyoji, jugondo sorcerer, etc. Perhaps some basic Japanese scenes - mountain roads with PCs walking along it, landscapes, ships, that sort of thing.

Since aside from background information, primary development, I've got writers that will do most of the narratives and textual information, that frees me up for light illustrations and maps.

I hope I'm not going overboard on the art, I'm planning for some kind of art on half the pages of the splat (at least), since I believe illustrations should be a major part of any decent rules/setting handbook - I want to look like I've got one gigantic budget for the project, when the truth is, my budget is tiny at best. So many 3pp stuff, looks like their under budget - I want my game work to impress and have buyers look forward to additional publications for Kaidan as it becomes available.

Just thoughts on my plans...

GP

PS: if you're asking how I'm paying other writer/developers, since they're game developers too with their own projects, I'm doing maps for them on trade, instead of paying them!

[Gamerprinter]

I'm finding it completely bizzare. I was just dreaming up some possible adventure plots and posting them on the Dementia 5 forum - actually thinking in my head that these might be adventure plots for future greater campaign at the completion of the Gift mini-campaign arc.

However, as soon as I posted my first couple idea, the publisher contacted me and was interested in creating a haunted tomb sub-adventure in the first part, but as soon as he saw my "Cursed Ryokan" (a country inn that turns out to be the haunted location of a murder/suicide that occurred 50 years ago) he grabbed the idea and ran with it instead.

My other writer from Australia saw my two plot ideas that followed, and now they are being directly incorporated into Part 3 of the Gift mini-arc.

I see it as totally bizzare, I just post an adventure seed idea and it gets actuated immediately. I don't even need to fully develop the idea - they just run with it!

Hopefully I can keep up with the epiphanies, it helps drive the narrative it seems!

GP

[Alfar]

Yay! Great to hear about your progress. You should totally have a development blog, reach a wider group of Kaidan fans already.

[Gamerprinter]

So I am starting to develop other product ideas for Kaidan:

1. The primary product at this time is the 3 part mini-campaign, The Gift, each adventure module of the set will be offered as a downloadable PDF product, tentatively priced at $7.99 each.

2. Sometime in the Fall '09 (hopefully) the publication of the Kaidan RPG Handbook - Asian Horror rules set and setting material for Kaidan.

3. Between adventure releases which is based on a schedule of one adventure per month (once The Gift arc is complete a larger campaign going up to 20th level is planned) other products support the adventures are planned:

a. Map Folios for Print - essentially sliced letter size PDFs of larger maps, as well as all encounter scale maps.

b. Map Folio for VTT - a digital unsliced version of the Print Folio with varying versions at different resolutions for use in MapTools, Fantasy Grounds, etc.

c. Complete VTT versions of each adventure module with included maps, text, monster stats, NPC stats preloaded into different format of each major VT app.

4. Alphabetical Gazeteers of each major island of Kaidan starting with Yonshu island (the island focused on in The Gift adventures) for the gaming groups who prefer sandbox style play, where the adventure party explores at their whim rather than follow a pre-scripted adventure module.

What other products could I market to work with Kaidan?

Thoughts?

Edit: talking with my Australian writer (he's become my "go to guy" for making things happen) and he suggested that I create a "Volo the Bard" type character who is providing info and adventure seeds through a Gazeteer type format for smaller region specific guides. Perhaps eventually coming out with a specific Guide book setting Gazeteer splat for Kaidan, down the road. I like!

GP

[Gamerprinter]

Jan Pospisil, the illustrator who created the cover design for The Gift, has just completed her next illustration for the second adventure.

This is a fight between a PC "gaijin" fighter and a local samurai, as challenged by Lord Hachiwara of Tsue-jo for his entertainment. The fight is either to "first blood" or death, PC's choice. He has healers prepared if the PC should become seriously wounded.

This is very cool and dynamic really focusing on Jan's style. She was really into this commission - so am I!

Enjoy!

GP

[Gandwarf]

Very nice!

[Steel General]

Beautiful work...