October 2019 Production Update
over 6 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 6 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 7 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!

February 2019 Production Update & Gen Con 2019!
about 7 years ago – Thu, Feb 28, 2019 at 11:43:47 PM

¡Hola, amigos!

It’s the end of Febrero, and it’s time for you all to get an update about Cartel! It’s also time for us to start thinking about Gen Con this Agosto, so read on to hear about our plans to bring Cartel to the biggest convention in the United States!

Production Update: February 2019

The work continues…but slower than I had hoped. While the mechanics are set for the corebook, it’s taken me longer than I hoped to get the final text together in layout. At this point, it looks like we’re going to deliver the PDF to you all in April or May, followed by the print book this summer. ¡Disculpe! Writing is hard, hard work, and I want this book to be the best it can be. Thank you for your patience!

Gen Con 2019: GMs Needed!

While I’m working on finishing the corebook, our convention staff has been planning the awesome games we’re going to run at Gen Con this year. We’ve got a ton of Cartel on the schedule, and we’re looking for a few GMs who want to help out by running games. You get a free book/game if you run 2+ sessions, and if you run at least four slots for us, we’ll even get you a badge to the convention!

If you’re interested in helping out with Gen Con 2019, fill out the application here:

https://bit.ly/2V7RMXt

I am so excited to see Cartel at Gen Con this year, and it would be wonderful to see some of our Kickstarter backers running sessions of the full game. If you’re going to be at Gen Con this year, please apply to be a GM. It would mean a ton to me to have you fine folks running Cartel!

Next Steps

Along with the Cartel corebook, we’re still working on the dice, cards, candles, etc, all to get them ready to ship alongside the main book. Stay tuned for more monthly updates this year; we’ll release new materials as we finish them over the next few months. Thank you!

Dec 2018 Production Update y Quickstart v3.4
over 7 years ago – Mon, Dec 10, 2018 at 11:47:03 PM

¡Hola, amigos!

Just a quick update this month to share with you the final Cartel Quickstart and update you on the production timeline. In short, the final quickstart is in your inbox, and we’re on track to get you the full PDF early next year. ¡Gracias!

Production Update: December 2018 

I’ve integrated all the feedback I received from backers this past two month into our final Cartel Quickstart (version 3.4). Huge thanks to all of you who gave me feedback; you all are what makes our games great! Please check your Backerkit account for your copy of the Quickstart (if you don't already have it in your inbox):

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

By far the most significant changes in version 3.4 are in El Cocinero’s playbook. It’s become obvious that the laboratorio was taking up too much room on the playbook for how often it showed up in play. Since El Cocinero was one of the first playbooks I wrote, it’s not surprising that it needed to be refreshed! Now the lab is more compact and focused, and I’ve added a new set of relationships to El Cocinero’s sheet that help drive home the fine balance he needs to strike to keep his secrets.

With all of that in order, I’m going to take a sabbatical from the office through January to finalize the final text. We’re a bit behind where I wanted to be for printed books, but I think we’ll be able to get you all the final PDF in the first quarter of 2019. Thank you for your patience! 

Closed for Las Fiestas Decembrinas 

While I’m hunkering down to write, the rest of the Magpies will be taking a well-deserved break starting December 15th. They’ll return on January 7th, but in the meantime the office will be closed for the holidays. Please email [email protected] if you need anything while we're gone, and some of our staff will get back to you as soon as we can.

Thanks for a wonderful year! I had no idea that Cartel was going to find such an amazing audience, and I can't wait to get you all books next year.