Death stalks the streets of Spittle-Fields! A 20th Anniversary extended remix of DC24 Legend of the Ripper, with cover art by Jeff Dee.
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
Dear Backers,
Thank you as always for your wonderful support and encouragement. The Return of the Ripper Kickstarter is in its final stage!
The Limited Edition Hardback books have been printed and shipped. Backers in the hardback tier should receive their copy in the next week or so (by end of May). Please leave a comment when it arrives — I would love to hear what you think.
If you backed the hardback but did not receive a link from BackerKit to pay the postage, please get in touch.
If you didn't order the hardback but secretly wish you had, it's not too late. I'm still accepting orders until end of May (or we reach the maximum 100 copies):
The limited edition prints of the cover art have been sent to Jeff Dee for signing. These are printed in archival inks on 300 gsm Cool Tone Picture Rag (acid-free paper made from 100% cotton rag, chosen as it holds incredibly vivid true colors).
If anyone would like a normal (unsigned) print, the artwork is also available to order on Fine Art America in a range of sizes and materials:
I always have one of these rolled out on the gaming table when I am Judging Ripper games. It really helps to bring Spittle-Fields to life:
You may remember that I promised to somehow make the full-size poster map available. Now it is!
The poster map of Spittle-Fields was a stretch goal during the Kickstarter campaign that did not get funded. But I really wanted to do it, so I paid for it out-of-pocket. If you would like to help me recover the costs, you can order a copy from Fine Art America in your preferred size and material:
For the Judges' Screen, I am playing around with different table layouts to try to squeeze the maximum of useful information onto the four interior panels. The Player Handouts just require a little technical work (CMYK conversion, adding bleed).
These are the final rewards. Coming soon!
I posted my convention schedule on the last update but it somehow got truncated. Here is the full schedule:
At the end of the month, I will run three sessions of Return of the Ripper at UKGE. This won't be the full campaign, just three vignettes (participants can sign up to just one or two sessions or all three):
Belfast's annual gaming, anime and cosplay convention.
A unique long-format convention where the game lasts the whole weekend. If you want to play through the entire book (abridged version) in one go, this is the place to do it.
That's all for now. I'll be back with the next update after UK Games Expo.
Your obedient servant,
Michael
Greetings dear backers!
Walpurgis Night has come and gone, and with the Beltane dawn comes the Return of the Ripper Limited Edition Hardback!
I just received the proof copy and it looks fantastic. Here is a video preview:
Limited Edition Hardback unboxing video on PeerTube
I will be shipping the book to backers at the Hardback tier in the next day or so. (If you have not yet paid the postage, please check your e-mail/junk folder for a message from BackerKit — in case of any problems, please get in touch).
If anyone is filled with regret at not ordering the hardback, it's not too late. I will accept late orders until end of May: Order the Hardback
At the end of the month, I will run three sessions of Return of the Ripper at UKGE. This won't be the full campaign, just three vignettes (participants can sign up to just one or two sessions or all three):
Dear backers,
It is an auspicious day. The stars have aligned. The hardback edition of Return of the Ripper is finished and ready to go to press!
The book will be bound in red cloth wrap, with a glossy dust jacket to showcase Jeff's cover art. Here is the cover layout (bleed at top and bottom will be trimmed during the printing process):
The spine is 1" (25 mm) thick, so the book will make an impression on whatever bookshelf it sits on. The blurb is on the inside folds, so the back cover is not obscured by text and logos.
As the page size (US Trade, 6"×9" / 152 mm × 229 mm) is smaller than the softback, the interior has been reformatted into a single-column layout. Body text font is the same but heading fonts have a bit more gravitas:
The new layout created some additional spaces here and there, that I filled with a dozen new pieces of spot art:
The read aloud text is set with a side bar so it stands out on the page:
The page ratio allows most of Arjuna's art to be displayed on a full page:
Jason also tweaked the layout of all the maps to fit the new page ratio:
I'm really pleased with it. I hope you will enjoy reading and looking at this edition as much as playing it.
So one step remains before I can send this to you: I need to collect payment for shipping (and sales taxes where applicable). As it's being sent all over the world —backers are from 11 countries in five continents — I will use BackerKit to manage the complexity.
Everyone will receive an e-mail from BackerKit in the next few days.
If none of the above applies to you, please feel free to ignore the e-mail from BackerKit.
In parallel with the hardback fulfillment I will finalise the last remaining loose ends in the project:
I think that's it, but if you are missing anything else please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Look out for the e-mail from BackerKit and I'll be in touch again at Beltane to report how it's going.
Mind your kerning and always check your ligatures before a hanging
indent.
— Michael
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.