Actual Play Videos. First review. Stay in touch. All of the tiers. Elements of Typographic Style.
5 months ago
– Tue, Jan 27, 2026 at 01:16:40 PM
Greetings, Ripper backers!
Fulfillment of the digital and softback tiers is almost complete. Read on to find out how the collector's limited edition is progressing.
Actual Play videos on PeerTube
https://tube.fediverse.games/w/vCN6gmAk71rok9yjNMJVSw
At the beginning of the project, I recorded a number of live sessions of Return of the Ripper and put them on YouTube. Now I'm moving them all to PeerTube, a decentralised video-sharing network with no ads and no monetisation and therefore no surveillance. You can watch and share without an account (accounts are only needed if you want to comment or subscribe).
I decided to also improve accessibility by manually editing the subtitles. I'm aiming to upload one video a week.
First review of Return of the Ripper
Throat Punch Games has published the first review of Ripper, giving it a top score of 99/100.
TL;DR Want From Hell in DCC that becomes the Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath?
Read the full review here:
https://throatpunchgames.com/2026/01/19/ring-side-report-rpg-review-of-dungeon-crawl-classics-horror-return-of-the-ripper/
You too can leave a rating or a review on DriveThruRPG!
Let's stay in touch
I hope you have enjoyed these campaign updates. There will be just a couple more as I fulfill the hardbacks and bring the project to a close. After all this time together, it would be a pity to say goodbye.
If you would like to hear about my future projects or crowdfunding campaigns, please sign up to my mailing list by clicking I want to know the forbidden secrets in the invitation e-mail.
If you didn't receive the invitation e-mail, use this link instead: https://listmonk.strangequark.eu/subscription/form
If you don't opt-in, your details will be banished into the void and never seen again.
Privacy policy: I use the privacy-preserving mailing list software ListMonk, hosted on my private server in a European data centre. I collect only the minimum details necessary (name and e-mail address). Your personal details will not be available to any third party like Google or ad companies. You can download or delete your personal data and unsubscribe at any time.
Digital tier
Almost everyone has downloaded the PDF of the book. If you did not receive the e-mail with the download link, please send me a message through Kickstarter and I'll sort you out.
The Judge's Screen is still in the pipeline. I'll finish it after the hardback proof copy has been ordered.
The Player Handouts are included in the PDF in full colour, so you can already print them out at home. I will prepare a separate PDF/POD version of the handouts and make those available on DriveThruRPG too.
Softback tier — redeem before 1 February!
The Return of the Ripper softback was approved for sale on 16 January. All backers at the softback tier or higher should have received an e-mail with a Print On Demand order link. If not, let me know.
NOTE: DriveThruRPG print prices will go up on 1 February. Redeem your POD voucher before the end of January to avoid the higher price.
Backed at the digital tier but want the softback? Need a gift for your loved one on Valentine's Day? Your Friendly Local Game Store has some empty shelf space?
Whatever the reason, here is an opportunity to buy as many additional copies as you need at a $10 discount. Offer valid until end of January.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?discountId=91b1bb2c43
Limited Edition Hardback
I am working on re-setting the book into US Trade size (6"×9"/152 mm × 229 mm) for the hardback.
This is not simply a case of shrinking the pages. Freed from the constraints of the Letter page size and the Goodman Games House Style, I'm taking this as an opportunity to reexamine the layout and make it as aesthetically pleasing as possible. My reference is The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst (1992).
According to Brisinghurst, we should choose the page proportions carefully. He compares proportions to harmonics in music. The 2:3 proportion of the US Trade size is one of the perfect intervals, coinciding exactly with the favoured page shapes of the European Middle Ages.
The text block on each page can be a different proportion, to give an interlocking relationship of symmetry and asymmetry.
All of this geometrical analysis seems to resonate with the themes of the book. The Master Builders would approve.
I will not bore you with all the technical details of how I have selected the margin widths, but they include some practical considerations like leaving enough space at the bottom for your thumb when holding the book. Page numbers will be on the outside edge to make it easy to find the right page when thumbing through.
I've done a first cut of the new layout and I'm quite pleased with it. Next I need to do a lot of tweaking of the illustrations and tables. I'll post some images in the next update.
That's the end of this update. I'll get the last rewards to you as quickly as I can. In the meantime, enjoy reading the book!
Your humble and obedient servant,
Michael
Happy New Year! Request Submitted: Please Wait Three Days.
5 months ago
– Mon, Jan 12, 2026 at 01:41:56 PM
Happy New Year!
2025 had its share of woe, both personally and on the world stage. Lets hope that 2026 brings more Chaos and creativity and pushback against the evil forces that seek to dominate and control.
Almost all of you have by now have downloaded the PDF of the book. If any stragglers are missing the download link, please get in touch.
I have good news for all those who backed the project at the Softback Book tier or higher:
The proof copy of Return of the Ripper softback has arrived
Since I clicked Submit on Christmas Eve, I have been nursing the softback book through DriveThruRPG's approvals process. On New Year's Eve I ordered the proof copy and today it dropped into my postbox. Here is a short unboxing-type video (but there is no box).
Watch Return of the Ripper has arrived!
It was an emotional moment. The book has taken well over two years from conception to birth. I will be bringing this copy to my gaming table and to a number of conventions this year, to introduce as many people as possible to the filth and squalor of Spittle-Fields.
Request Submitted: Please Wait Three Days.
I have checked and approved the proof. Now I'm waiting for final approval from DriveThruRPG so I can get this into your hands.
In the next few days I will send another DriveThruRPG link to all backers whose reward tier included the softback book. You will need to log in and pay the base print and shipping costs and then the book will be on its way to you.
Regrettably the base print cost will be about three times the $2.50 I estimated at the beginning of the project. This is partly because the book contains twice as many pages as my original estimate (143 vs. 64) and partly because of DriveThruRPG cost increases due to tariffs on paper stock. I hope that all the new material justifies the increase, but if it causes difficulties for anyone, please do get in touch.
Note for backers at the Limited Edition tier: your hardback book is coming! Your tier includes the softback as an optional extra, in case you want to have both.
Limited Edition Hardback
Now that the softback book is finished, I have some final typesetting to do on the hardback, which then needs to go through a similar approvals process. As I have learned with the softback, this can take some weeks. I'll post another update with a better estimate as soon as the hardback has been uploaded to the print platform.
Note that the hardback tier includes all printing costs, but does not include postage. I will calculate postage costs for all backers at the Limited Edition tier and be in touch about how much and where to pay.
There are a few last items to complete fulfilment:
-
Judge's Screen: This will be some tables from the book on one side and artwork on the player-facing side. The PDF is included at all tiers, and the physical screen will be made available to buy on DriveThruRPG. TO DO.
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Player Handouts: The handouts are included in B&W in the softback book and in colour in the PDF, so you can print them out at home. Does anyone prefer to have the handouts in a separate PDF from the book? I could also make a print-on-demand version if there is interest. Let me know!
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Spittle-Fields District Maps: Print on demand poster maps are already available on DriveThruRPG. I will investigate if I can find a way to make full-size poster maps available.
Conventions
I plan to attend a few conventions in 2026 and run a some sessions of Return of the Ripper. My plans are still tentative at this stage, but my schedule might include:
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UK Games Expo, 29-31 May 2026, Birmingham, UK
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Longcon, 27-28 June 2026, Sheffield, UK
- Q-Con Belfast, date TBC (usually mid-June), Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Dragonmeet, 28 November 2026, London, UK
If you plan to attend any of those conventions, please do let me know. I would love to thank you in person for backing the project. I can also sign your book, if you want it to be worth slightly less.
Let's Stay in Touch
I have a few ideas in my back pocket for future projects. I don't expect any of them will see the light of day in 2026, but if you would like to be notified when they eventually do, please sign up to my mailing list.
I will send an opt-in link to everyone in the next few days. If you would like to hear from me occasionally (a couple of times a year) please click Confirm. If you are tired of my rambling, do nothing and I will bother you no more.
Thank you again for being such wonderful and supportive people. You have really made the whole experience a pleasure. I'll be in touch soon with the final fulfilment details.
Your humble and obedient servant,
Michael
Saturnalian greetings! Final final PDF on DriveThruRPG. Print-ready version uploaded.
6 months ago
– Thu, Dec 25, 2025 at 02:57:50 PM
Saturnalian greetings dear backers!
I hope you were able to turn your face towards the cold light of the dying sun to celebrate the solstice, before withdrawing indoors to the warmth of your Yule log, a cup of hot spiced wine and the comforting terror of a Christmas ghost story.
Final final PDF on DriveThruRPG
As promised, the final final version of the PDF was uploaded to DriveThruRPG on 14 December. There are no substantial changes to the previous version, just a few minor layout tweaks and a few more pieces of spot "filler" art (p.21, 71, 76, 124, 125, 127 and 137).
Everyone should already have received a download link. If you didn't receive it or have misplaced it, don't hesitate to send me a private message and I'll send you a new one.
Baleful Bed-linen
The new spot art includes the only piece of artwork in the book drawn by my own hand: the Baleful Bed-linen. I couldn't find a suitable stock image so decided to draw my own. I took inspiration from Alan Hunter's drawing of the Sheet Phantom in the AD&D 1st edition Fiend Folio (1981):
Alan was a science fiction and fantasy artist (1923-2012) working primarily in black and white for small-press and fan publications. His RPG credits include the cover of White Dwarf 3, the recurring header for the Fiend Factory column and other WD spot illustrations. He drew the illustrations for a number of weird and obscure monsters in the Fiend Folio, including the Sheet Phantom.
My take on the cliché of a ghost made from a bedsheet is on p.76:
Print-ready version uploaded to DriveThruRPG
I spent the last week and a half on the purely technical work needed to prepare the PDF for printing. This included:
- Laying out the cover art on the Print-on-Demand (POD) template using the CMYK colourmap suitable for digital printing. On the POD version, Jeff's artwork wraps around the back cover, spine and front cover.
- Replaced all interior artwork with high-resolution, flattened images using a grey colourmap.
- Added bleed (⅛" margin along outside edges).
- Tweaked the PDF format to comply with PDF/X-3:2002 standard suitable for printing.
This is now complete and the files have been uploaded to DriveThruRPG:
The softback version will be available in a couple of weeks, as soon as I receive the proof copy.
There are a couple of very minor changes compared to the PDF version. The spot art at the bottom of p.25 represents the pictograms on the side of the obelisk:
I thought these might be better if they looked like they were engraved on stone. I achieved that with Gimp's Bump Map filter:
The other change is one additional page at the back of the book. DriveThruRPG uses 4-page signatures, meaning that the total number of pages has to be divisible by 4. The book had 142 pages of content, so two additional pages had to be added to bring it up to 144.
I used the extra space by adding one page of links to related products (Priesthood of Pelagia supplement, poster maps, cover art). The very last page is reserved for DTRPG's barcode.
I will fold these changes back into the PDF version and upload a Final final final version in due course.
Next update as soon as I receive the proof copy of the softback. In the meantime I will proceed with the layout for the hardback and the Judge's screen.
— Michael
Final(-ish) version uploaded to DriveThruRPG! Verb accords. Spot Art.
6 months ago
– Thu, Dec 04, 2025 at 02:00:43 PM
Yuletide greetings, dear backers!
I have just uploaded the "FINAL" version of Return of the Ripper to DriveThruRPG.
Source: https://phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1531
What's new in this version
No substantive changes, the updates this time are mostly editorial and layout tweaks:
- Includes additional appendix material mentioned in the last update: Appendix A: Murder Map (investigation flowchart) and Handout E (Map of the Undercity). Thanks to Jeremy for the latter:
- Bonus! Appendix G: Glossary of Architectural Terms. I had it in mind to include this a while ago, evoking the Construction section of the original AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide (1979). When I found myself with a blank page to fill, I whipped this out of my back pocket to fill the gap. If you have no idea what a Dromos is, turn to page 126.
- All of Pat's valuable editoral comments have been addressed (more on that below).
- Final check of the text found 109 typos and spelling errors which have now been fixed. 100 errors in 100,000 words doesn't seem too bad, but I hope the number of errors is asymptotically approaching zero.
- Adds about a dozen pieces of spot art to fill awkward blank spaces on some pages.
- Adds Table of Contents and List of Tables on the back page.
What is the correct verb accord for "the party"?
It's always good to have a second pair of eyes on your work. I'd like to give a shout-out to Pat for his painstaking thoroughness in checking the Ripper manuscript. One of the things he pulled me up on was my verb accords for the collective noun, "the party".
Throughout the text, I had used plural verbs. When Pat corrected the verbs to singular, I had to think about it. The use of the collective noun "the party" to mean "a group of adventurers" goes back a long way in fantasy fiction. The earliest reference I could think of was in "The Hobbit" (1937):
Here the pronoun is "they", implying (to me at least) that the verb should be plural.
However, the preference to accord as singular or plural has changed over time. In the 19th century, plural verb accords were more popular, giving way to singular in the 20th century:
Maybe I have just been reading too much Victorian literature?
I did some further research and finally @[email protected] kindly pointed me to an authoritative answer:
When all the members of a collective noun are performing an action as a unit (and that’s usually the case), use a singular verb.
When the members of a collective noun are performing an action as individuals, use a plural verb. In this case, all or some members of the group are doing something independently of the other members; the group is not acting together as a unit.
(Source: https://www.touro.edu/departments/writing-center/tutorials/verb-agreement-with-collective-singular-nouns/)
So, it depends. But I had to concede that Pat was right. I reviewed all 202 places in the book where I had used the phrase "the party" and (in most cases) corrected the verb accords to singular. In 15 cases, I changed "the party" to something else. And I left it plural in a couple of places where it seemed correct.
So thanks to Pat, I got a grammar lesson and you get a book that reads much better!
Spot Art
The final task was filling awkward blank spaces on some pages with spot art. As my budget for paying artists was burned long ago, this is using stock art (licensed for a couple of dollars per image).
I started with stock images like this one:
Then did a bit of editing work in Inkscape to make it fit with the murderous themes of Ripper. In this case, I followed this tutorial to add speed lines:
In a couple of cases, I wanted the text to wrap around the contour of the image. This is not supported by default in LaTeX, but with the addition of the cutwin module and a bit of jiggery-pokery I was able to get the effect I wanted:
Last chance to find errors and typos!
Please download the latest revision from DriveThruRPG and let me know within the next week if you find any errors or typos that I may have missed. If you need me to resend the download link please send me a private message and I will do so.
I plan to upload the final final version of the PDF to DriveThruRPG by 14 December at the latest.
I will then immediately order a print-on-demand proof copy of the softback. All being well, the softback will be available in January 2026.
In parallel, I will re-typeset the book to Trade size (6"×9") in preparation for printing the hardback. I'll also prepare the Judge's Screen, which will be artwork on the player side and a selection of the most useful tables on the Judge's side.
As always, thank you all for your support and encouragement. I hope you enjoy reading the book as much as I have enjoyed creating it.
With the nights getting longer, the evil is stronger,
Michael
Appendix N Complete! Found on the cutting-room floor. Next steps.
7 months ago
– Mon, Nov 17, 2025 at 01:10:15 PM
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
