Feb 2020 Production Update
about 4 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 4 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!

October 2019 Production Update
over 4 years ago – Wed, Oct 16, 2019 at 06:11:32 PM

¡Hola, compadres!

I’ve got an exciting update today: a new set of final play materials—including a revised El Güero—and two full chapters of the book! Read on for an update on the overall production calendar and some info on getting access to the preview files!

Production Update: October 2019

I’m virtually finished with Chapter 3 (mechanics) and Chapter 4 (playbooks/characters), and I’m working now on wrapping up Chapter 2 (setting) and Chapter 5 (MC section). Both of those chapters are much shorter than the two I’ve already finished, so I expect to have the full text in layout soon. Getting close!

Thank you again for your patience. I’m always focused on making sure that this book is the absolute best thing I’ve designed and written, and the time you all have given me makes all the difference. It’s my hope that we’ll have the whole book done and off to the printer by the end of the year, and I’ll keep you all posted as new chapters are completed.

Corebook Preview: Chapter 3-4

In the meantime, I’m thrilled to send you all a preview of the two finished chapters via Backerkit. You should have an email in your inbox that gets you access to the final play materials and the 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 any serious alterations 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!
   
• Chapter 3 has placeholders (large pink blocks) for art, but Chapter 4 features brand-new art from Mirco Paganessi (not yet final)! ¡Órale! 

 Final Play Materials + El Güero (version 3)

In addition to the preview materials, I’m also releasing the final play materials for the corebook, drawn from the updated text in Chapters 3 y 4. There aren’t any major changes to the core playbooks and basic moves, aside from the following:

• Characters—PCs and NPCS—may now “impose a condition” when accepting a deal offered by a PC through propose a deal
   
• Cocinar (El Cocinero) and Infiltrado (La Polizeta) have both been modified to make them sharper as start of session moves
   
• I’ve made a number of small edits for layout/clarity through the playbooks, all of which are reflected in the final text featured in Chapter 4

In addition to the final play materials, I’ve also completely revamped El Güero, the CIA operative playbook. I’m still working on the special CIA section that will feature this playbook, but I wanted to get the newest draft out to you all right away! Comments welcome!

On Our Way!

Huge progress this last two months, and the release of the corebook is in sight. We’re still working on the location cards and other materials as well, so I’ll hopefully have previews of that material and another chapter or two done for you all next month. Stay tuned!

August 2019 Production Update
over 4 years ago – Fri, Aug 30, 2019 at 01:09:43 AM

¡Hola, amigos!

Thanks for your patience with me this month! I had hoped to get an update out before Gen Con, but the rush of the convention left me reeling a bit.Let’s talk about where things are with Cartel!

Production Update: August 2019

I carved out a big chunk of time this month to make sure that progress on the corebook continues. Yesterday, I handed off a meaty portion of the book to Miguel to review for Spanish language and cultural notes. After that, all that’s left is some brief editing and proofreading for that section and it’s done!

Given what we learned working on Bluebeard’s Bride, I’m focused heavily on how the text looks in layout, so the pieces I’m handing off are very near complete. See below for some previews!

Unfortunately, all of this means I’m not quite done with the whole book. Cartel continues to be my main focus, though, and I’m hoping to have the remaining chapters of the book to review in September. I’ll know more about when the books will ship when I hand them off to the printer. ¡Más vale paso que dure, no trote que canse!

Layout Preview: Los Narcos

Part of what I handed off to Miguel this week was Chapter 3: Los Narcos, the portion of the book dedicated to making characters, including the playbooks. Here’s a few previews:

These chapter introductions are likely to go through one last layout revision, but I love the way that Miguel framed Andrew Thompson’s piece—la familia sitting down to dinner—with the bright splatter. My hope with all of this is to convey the vibrancy and immediacy of Mexican colors and culture amidst the violence of the drug war.

We've spent a good deal of time on the way playbooks are presented. I wanted to find a way to transition from the text stat line in the printed playbooks (“Your stats are X, please add +1”) to something that would actually stand out on the page. I was really happy with what Miguel and I were able to put together here, and it’s a great example of the kind of work we’re focused on here in the home stretch of the book!

Another example of the awesome intersection between layout/text is this green sidebar. Miguel came up with a few different sidebars when working up the template for the book, and I immediately gravitated toward this one as a place where I could include Mexican history and culture next to the regular rules. In this section, I’m teaching you how to make a character… but also commenting on how the cartels use weapons and stolen police gear in the real world.

Finishing the Book!

With Los Narcos off to review, I’m going to return to some of the earlier work I did on the rules chapter—Plata o Plomo—and get that one off to review ASAP. I’ll check back in late September and let you all know how things are going! My hope is to have more good news throughout the month. Thanks again for your support!

June 2019 Production Update
almost 5 years ago – Mon, Jun 24, 2019 at 11:57:20 PM

¡Hola, compadres!

It’s been far too long since our last update! I’ve had a busy few months of travel and writing, and I’ve fallen behind in keeping you all informed. ¡Perdónenme!

Production Update: June 2019

Writing and layout for the corebook continues, and I’m still hoping to have the book done soon. After talking to our printer (see more below), we’re currently planning to release the PDF this summer, followed by the release of the physical book after Gen Con. Thanks again for your patience!

As I continue to work on the core text, Miguel and I are heavily revising the location moves for the Deck of Locations. I think the locations are a fantastic way to both introduce a set of custom moves to the game and tie the game more fully to Mexico as a specific place with a specific culture, so we’ve been working to make these moves awesome and interesting. Here are a few of my favorites so far:

Veterinaria “Fido” (Vet Clinic)

When you are badly wounded and go to Fido to get patched up, roll with Grit. On a 10+, the vet manages to fix you up. ¡Suertudo! On a 7-9, your wounds require special equipment or supplies, someone else will have to get them while the vet keeps you alive. On a miss, the vet doesn’t want anything to do with you; you’ll have to find some way to convince them to cooperate.

Centro Comercial "Los Arcos" (Shopping Mall)

When you turn to violence in the shopping mall by ambushing your enemies, roll with Hustle instead of Savagery. On a miss, your clever attack is caught on film; take +1 ongoing to Heat until you find someway to throw los federales off your trail.

Yonke (Junkyard)

When you bury a dead NPC at the junkyard, roll with Heat. On a miss, nobody sees your dirty work; clear 1 stress. On a 7-9, you hide the corpse, but you find proof that whoever you’re burying had some secrets that put you in danger. On a 10+, a family member of the victim has some proof you are responsible for their loved one’s disappearance; they won’t rest until they find the body.

La Sierra (Mountain Range)

When you flee to la sierra to hide from a rival cartel or other threat, roll with Hustle. On a 10+, you find a secure spot to lay low; they lose your trail for now. On a 7-9, you can lose them, but you’ll need to sacrifice any amenities or protections you may have...you’ll be alone in the wilds citadino! On a miss, you stumble onto the hideout of a dangerous enemy. ¡Buena suerte, cabrón!

Cartel Summer Plans

I’m was at Origins earlier this month running Cartel at Games on Demand—including a fantastic session that included La Rata and La Polizeta—but our next stop is Gen Con in Indianapolis, August 1-4, 2019. We’ve still got tickets for games of Cartel available; sign up here on the Gen Con website before all the spots sell out!

Other than Gen Con, I’m going to be spending my time for the next month or so finishing writing/layout on the corebook. I’ll be back in late July with an update on our progress. Thanks again for your patience! This book is absolutely a labor of love, and I appreciate you all making it possible for me to take the time to get it done right. And on that note...

Visiting Our Printer

In addition to working on getting the book ready for print, Marissa and I also took a trip last month to visit our printer, Taylor Specialty Books. Over the past few years, they have printed almost all of our books (Epyllion, Masks, Bluebeard’s Bride), but I wanted to review their process in person before we send them Cartel.

Taylor Specialty Books has a large facility in Dallas, mostly focusing on working with high schools and colleges to produce yearbooks. Over the last few years, they’ve also grown into a major publisher of roleplaying games for us, Evil Hat Productions, Pelgrane Press, and other indie publishers, turning out small runs of books (<3,000) with extraordinary quality.

It's hard to describe what it's like to see so many books getting made at one time, including all the components: covers, bindings, signatures, etc. Here's a giant collating machine they use to get all the signatures (16-page sections) together for larger print runs:

And here's a short video of those signatures getting sewn together into a book! (Warning: this is a bit loud, so make sure your audio isn't turned all the way up...)

We’ve been publishing books with Taylor since 2014, but it was incredible to actually get to see the inks and printers up close and talk with their staff about our books. As we get ready to send Cartel to them, our conversations about ink density, color mix, embossing, and many, many other elements of the book are going to make sure that this is one of the best books we’ve ever published!

If you've got any questions about printing, let me know! I'm always happy to demystify the process, and I can't wait to send Cartel to Taylor soon!