Sept 2020 Production Update
over 5 years ago – Thu, Sep 17, 2020 at 12:57:05 AM

¡Hola, cabrones!

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of final proofs and production samples, but we’re almost ready to ship everything out. Read on for our production update—including a ship date from our printer!—and information about getting your final corebook PDF (and other downloads) on DriveThruRPG!

Production Update: September 2020

We sent out the complete core book PDF in July, but the final version—complete with updates that fix typos, etc.—is now finished. Huge thanks to our proofer, Katherine Fackrell, for catching all those little errors, as well as to our production manager, Brendan Conway, for working on the physical proofs.

As for the physical books, we have word that the normal core books will ship to us the first week of October, followed by the limited edition books 1-2 weeks later. We expect to ship those books out to you as soon as we receive them, which means all packages should be in the mail by late October. ¡Órale!

On that note, I also wanted to share with you a mockup of the final special edition cover, featuring new calavera art from Doomkitten. I think the new piece is an amazing fit for the game, and I’m so excited to share it with you all! (For those of you getting the regular edition of the book, this art will be featured in the upcoming desktop/phone background images we promised along with Roll20!)

The accessories are coming along as well, amigos. We already had the dice and tattoos in our warehouse; we’ve now put in our final order for the Deck of Locations, candy meth, and cloth maps. And the stickers for the santos candles arrived two weeks ago! Check below for info on getting PDF copies of the deck and map along with your core book PDF.

All in all, it looks like we will have everything ready to ship in October. Once we get all the main rewards out to you all, we’ll start working on the remaining items for delivery in 2021. Thank you for your patience!

Final Cartel Corebook & Deck of Locations PDFs!

The final versions of both the corebook and the Deck of Locations are finished! Thank you all again for all the notes you all provided; the book is much stronger because of your feedback!

You can get the DTRPG code for the final PDF of Cartel, along with the play materials and the map of Durango, via Backerkit. Head over to your digital downloads page and grab it ahora mismo:

https://cartel-rpg.backerkit.com/backer/digital_rewards

In addition to the DTRPG code, you can also pick up the final PDF for the Deck of Locations as well. The cards look wonderful—thank you, Miguel!—and I’m excited to see you all use the moves when running the game. Let us know how they work out!

If you have friends (or enemies) who would enjoy Cartel, please let them know that the PDF and pre-order goes live tomorrow on DTRPG and our webstore. Huge thanks to you all for making this project possible, and I’m so excited to see what people think when they see the whole book in one place.

Next Step: Shipping!

I’ll be back at the end of the month with a shipping update, including instructions on paying your shipping fee and updating your final address. Thank you so much for all the support and care during this campaign. We’re almost there, muchachos!

July 2020 Production Update
almost 6 years ago – Fri, Jul 03, 2020 at 02:03:33 AM

¡Hola, amigos!

Thank you all for your patience this last few months. I’ve been working hard to finalize the Cartel core book, and… it’s finally done. Read on for how to get the full PDF and for an update on our shipping timeline!

Production Update: July 2020

While the COVID-19 crisis here in the United States has caused no shortage of delays and problems, we have finished the Cartel core book! The full book, including art and all of the front and back matter, is now off to the printers. ¡Órale!

That said, our printer in Dallas is still very much behind on working through their existing print queue. They have estimated they will have print books for us in September 2020, but that may be delayed by further shutdowns in Texas. I will keep you all updated as that timeline evolves!

Regardless, the core book is done. There’s still more work to do on the limited edition version, including the special CIA section, but we’ve got time to wrap that up in July/August while we wait for the main book to get through physical proofing. I should have more pictures and updates on the printing process soon.

Again, thank you for all your patience and support. There were days when I felt we would never reach today… and here we are. ¡Un chingo de gracias!

Claim Your Cartel PDF Corebook Now!

We’ll eventually put up the corebook and updated play materials on DriveThruRPG for final distribution (once print proofing squashes any final typos), but I am so emocionado to have the book done that I can’t wait to share it.

Head over to your digital downloads page and grab it ahora mismo:

https://cartel-rpg.backerkit.com/backer/digital_rewards

If you’ve got any feedback, please email me at [email protected]. We’ve still got time to fix pinches errors if y’all find any.

Next Steps: Deck of Locations, Map of Durango, and More

Now that the core book is done, we’re going to take a bit to rest up. The 4th of July holiday is upon us, and we’ll be out of the office for a few days next week. But when we return, we’re going to finalize all the other materials we’re shipping with the core book: the Deck of Locations, the map of Durango, and all the other pieces of El Narco’s Stash.

Stay tuned for previews of all that material (and the CIA supplement) soon. And after that, we’ll be heavy into production on Amigos y Enemigos and Sin Fronteras. I’ll have more info about that process once the main books have shipped.

Have a good holiday weekend!

April 2020 Production Update
almost 6 years ago – Fri, May 01, 2020 at 03:08:14 AM

¡Mis queridos amigos!

It is a time of great uncertainty, and I hope this update finds you as well as you can hope to be. As you might expect, there’s been a number of changes in our schedule and workflow due to the coronavirus, but we’re a bunch of cabrones duros! We’ve finished Chapter 5 (MC Chapter), text/layout on the Deck of Locations, and we’re in the homestretch!

Production Update: April 2020

The COVID-19 outbreak here in New Mexico has been limited, largely because the state government moved early to shut things down. Magpie Games closed our office—with the exception of our shipping department—in March, and we’ve been working from home since then. It’s been muy extraño and sometimes difícil, but I’ve tried to make the most of our stay-at-home orders to finalize the book.

Unfortunately, our printer in Dallas is closed for the foreseeable future. I’ve been in communication with them this year to ensure that Cartel is ready for print, but they are closed until at least May 15th. I’ll keep you all updated as I hear more from them.

That said, the writing and editing in cuarentena has been very productive! Chapters 1-4 are through copy editing and Chapter 5 is written and through dev editing. In addition, the Deck of Locations text has been finalized, and we’ve gotten our first set of proofs for color matching from our card printer (who is not closed!). ¡Órale!

Check out the instructions for downloading the newest version of the corebook, new versions of the play materials, and the Deck of Locations below. I can’t wait for you all to see them.

Corebook Preview: Almost The Whole Book!

With the completion of Chapter 5, the latest preview is almost the entire book! You should have an email in your inbox that gets you access to the newest release, but you can also head over to your digital downloads page and grab them here:

https://cartel-rpg.backerkit.com/backer/digital_rewards

A few notes on this release (and the Deck of Locations preview):

• I am still finalizing The Long Example, which is the last few pages of Chapter 5. The rest of the book is everything you need to know to run the game, but I’m excited to share that final section with you soon.
   
• This corebook draft is also missing the front and back matter, including the table of contents, credits, a glossary, index, etc. All that stuff will come together quickly for the next (and hopefully final) draft of the book.
   
• The updated play materials primarily focus on updating the GM materials to match Chapter 5, but there are a few other changes to the playbooks that arose in copy editing. The moves Escolta and Seguir on La Polizeta's playbook are the most clarified (but not altered in purpose).
   
• If you spot an error, please let me know via email ([email protected]) or the comments below. I super appreciate the careful eyes of thoughtful backers!
   
• The pink blocks throughout the text (and the blank spaces on the cards) are placeholders for the art. We’ve received nearly all of the art as well, and Miguel will be working on placing it in the book soon.

I’m going to send Chapter 5 to editing next week (after I hear from all of you) and finalize the remainder of the corebook ASAP! I’m excited to get you all a final version of the corebook in the next few weeks!

Moving Forward

While we’ve made good progress on finishing the book, the next steps for production may be delayed by various COVID-19 closures. I’ll keep you all updated, but the delays are likely to shift out the timeline for printing. I’ll know more in May!

Feb 2020 Production Update
about 6 years ago – Tue, Feb 18, 2020 at 09:00:27 PM

¡Hola, muchachos!

We’re back into the full swing of things here at Magpie HQ for 2020, and book production is going strong. I’ve got some new finished chapters, an update on the Deck of Locations, and a preview of the awesome santos candles from Miguel!

Production Update: February 2020

As I mentioned in the last update, the México setting chapter has been muy difícil to complete. I’m emocionado about the opportunity to present the drug war in a way that expands what people know about it, but I’m also terribly nervioso about getting it wrong.

Thanks to the help of both Miguel and our dev editor, Brendan Conway, I’ve been able to put together a draft that I think captures the setting in a digestible set of spreads. Check out instructions for downloading the new chapters below, and please let me know what you think!

In addition to wrapping up the text for Chapters 1 & 2, Miguel and I have been working on finalizing the Deck of Locations. We’ve got the moves written and edited, so he’s focused on completing the flavor text for each location. We expect the deck to go to print at the same time as the book itself, so everything—except the two supplements—will be ready together.

All of this means that we can start talking about a delivery date. I’m still working on Chapter 5 (and the CIA supplement), so I’m expecting to be able to send the book/deck to the printer sometime in March/April. Depending on the printer’s schedule, it looks like we should be able to get these books out in May/June. I’ll know more as soon as I hand the files off to the printer!

Corebook Preview: Chapters 1-4

It’s time for another preview! You should have an email in your inbox that gets you access to the new preview chapters, but you can also head over to your digital downloads page and grab them here:

https://cartel-rpg.backerkit.com/backer/digital_rewards

A few notes on the preview chapters:

• These materials are near final, but they haven’t been through proofing. We may see some changes in the text, but I don’t expect anything serious from this point forward.
   
• If you spot an error, please let me know via email ([email protected]). I super appreciate the careful eyes of thoughtful backers!
   
• The pink blocks throughout the text are placeholders for the art we’re waiting on from Mirco Pagnessi. The final book will have art throughout.

Finally, this preview contains all of the player-facing materials from the corebook. Chapter 5 is the MC chapter, designed to help people learn how to run the game. If you’ve got any thoughts on something that’s missing from this section that would help you as a player, let me know!

Preview: Santos Candles

In addition to his work on the Deck of Locations, Miguel was also able to finish up the awesome santos candles we’re including in El Narco’s stash. Here’s the candle for La Mariachi:

These santos candles were a big part of my upbringing as a  Mexican-American kid. My nana would always light several prayer candles each night, and I was fascinated by the connection they promised and the way that they represented her faith. Huge thanks to Miguel for making the playbook art look amazing on these and for writing an amazing oración for each one!

Next Steps

For now, we’re all focused on getting Chapter 5 and the Deck done so both are ready to go to the printer. Thanks to you all for your patience, and I’ll be back next month with an update on our progress!

End of 2019 Production Update
over 6 years ago – Wed, Jan 01, 2020 at 12:50:49 AM

¡Hola, amigos!

As the year comes to a close, I’m eternally grateful for all the backers who have supported Cartel. Here’s a quick update on how things are going as we close out the year! ¡Órale!

Production Update: December 2019

As per my last update, I’m currently working on the final two chapters of the corebook: Chapter 2 (Durango) and Chapter 5 (MC materials). The other chapters are finished (and available for download via Backerkit) and I’ve gotten some great feedback from backers who have had a chance to read through those sections. Thank you!

To be honest, the Durango chapter has been a challenge. While I can’t possibly explain all of the drug war in a single setting chapter, I am trying to condense everything you need to know about México to run or play Cartel into a manageable number of pages. That’s a mighty task, and I’m sometimes overwhelmed by how much there is to explain about the cultural and social forces that underlie Cartel’s setting. ¡Es muy difícil!

That said, I am making progress! Writing has been slower during the holidays, but I expect to deliver Chapter 2 to you all early next month, followed shortly by Chapter 5. Once both of those are wrapped up, I’ll get the book ready to send on to the printer early in the year.

El Narco’s Stash Preview: Tattoos!

Now that we’re close to sending the book to print, we’re also wrapping up the supplementary materials like the dice and santos candles. This month, we got in the temporary tattoos:

I think these turned out amazing! Huge thanks to Miguel Ángel Espinoza for his wonderful art, and I can’t wait to send these out to folks (along with books) later this year. ¡Que bonita!

Looking Forward to 2020!

Finally, I can’t end this year without saying something to express mi gratitud to all of you for your support. I’m working hard to make the absolute best version of Cartel that I can make, but there are days in which I feel the book will never be good enough. The writing is sometimes slow, and I wake up every day thinking about how much longer it's going to be before I can send the book to print.

Knowing that you all are muy emocianado for the release keeps my spirits high. The road is long—longer than I hoped it would be—but I’m so thankful for all the support you’ve given me and my team; it matters more than you can know. I literally cannot even imagine working on this kind of project without knowing that you all are out there supporting it.

Look for an update with more chapter previews and a new timeline early next year. I cannot wait to get these books to you all soon! ¡Feliz año nuevo! ¡Gracias!