The Vitacernis

Proof Copies Received, Surveys Locking Soon!
almost 3 years ago – Sun, May 09, 2021 at 07:15:35 PM

Hi all, 

The proofing copies have arrived!

There are some minor issues like bleed settings where the art doesn't extend fully to the end of the page as intended and the page number art is cut off in some instances: 

This is what proofing copies are for though, and I will be making minor adjustments to the layout to account for this before sending out the final printing order.

Otherwise they look good, so I'm proceeding to lock down surveys, which means you'll have 48 hours to make any changes with add-ons.  If you haven't filled out your survey yet, please do so as soon as you can! Once the orders have locked, I will be distributing itch keys for the digital version!

Note this isn't locking shipping addresses yet, that will come once the zines are printed. I'll send another update reminder as we approach that deadline.

If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on the BackerKit project page at https://the-vitacernis.backerkit.com.

Thanks everyone for the support! Excited to get the digital versions in your hands in just a few days!

- Brian

Map Preview, Survey Reminder, Digital Version Soon!
almost 3 years ago – Fri, Apr 30, 2021 at 12:50:24 AM

Hi all!

It's been awhile, but I have good news: the final version of the map is finished! With that, all of the art is complete, last steps are to finalize the layout with the map integrated and do a triple-check proofreading to make sure I've squashed all typos. Here's a preview of the spread with Evlyn's lovely illustration:

Once those final steps are finished, it's off to the printers, and digital copies off to backers. With the final steps coming soon, this is just another reminder to complete your surveys if you haven't already (90% complete so most of you have!). Final address lock won't happen until the physical copies are ready to ship, which I will send a reminder about once I have a better idea from Mixam when the copies will be arriving at distributors.

Finally, an update on the Mausritter community at large: The Mausritter March jam mentioned in the previous update finished with a whopping 44 entries, including my own: A pamphlet adventure with a dungeon crawl through a temple found at the base of a drained pond. Starting in a few days is also another Mausritter jam: Mayfield.

Thanks again everyone for your patience, I can't wait to get this into your hands!

- Brian

Surveys are coming and #MoreMausritterMarch
about 3 years ago – Thu, Mar 25, 2021 at 05:21:21 AM

BackerKit surveys will be going out to all of you within the next couple of days to collect information to get you your zines (both digital and physical)! This is where collecting the shipping costs and addresses will happen for physical backers, and also digital backers will have the option to upgrade to receive a physical copy if they'd like. 

After you respond to your survey, you can go back later and change your responses at any time before I close the surveys and get the final counts.

If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://the-vitacerins.backerkit.com

If you have any trouble, check out the FAQ here: https://the-vitacerins.backerkit.com/faq

The zine itself is progressing nicely, final edits to the text are complete, I've gone through and added hyperlinks to the digital version to make it as usable as possible, and the separate item sheet is laid out and ready to go. The dungeon map art should be in within the next week, and then it's final touches and spot checks before sending it off to the printer. Still plenty of time in the schedule for any delays, but we should still be on track.

Finally, if you're looking for more Mausritter adventures, check out #MoreMausritterMarch. MausritterMarch is a game jam where the Mausritter community is building hexes, adventures, and tools that can be used on their own, but will also all be compiled into a usable campaign setting once the jam completes. Just over a week left with 25 submissions, check it out here: https://itch.io/jam/rittermarch

We did it! 🎉🎉
about 3 years ago – Mon, Mar 01, 2021 at 04:55:15 PM

Thanks everyone for the incredible support over the past two weeks! Not only did we get funded, but over 140% funded! Considering I thought it was a long-shot to get funding at all, the support has been absolutely humbling, thanks so much

Moving forward, expect initial surveys to go out within the next few weeks, and BackerKit to open as soon as I can figure out how to navigate it. I'll post updates here as I hit milestones, new mockups as the map art comes in and layout gets finalized, and any updates to the timelines if necessary.

Thanks again for the support everyone, I couldn't have done this without you, and I cannot wait to get this in your hands!

- Brian 

Final 48 Hours!
about 3 years ago – Sat, Feb 27, 2021 at 04:11:33 PM

Hi everyone!

Only 48 hours left in the campaign! I've been busy in layout, I had a late stage font switch that while making all the compact text more legible, made it take up more room. This necessitated some edits to keep everything logically grouped together, but also has made me think hard about what's important to include, and how to most effectively get across certain ideas.  So far I think it's made the end-result much better, definitely something to be said about constraints breeding creativity.

I can't wait to share this adventure with you all, thanks again everyone for your support! Only 48 hours left, so please share and spread the fun of fantasy mice adventures!

Since it's pretty small in the campaign page, and there have been a few updates since the mockup, I'll leave you with  a preview of the cover sketch. Thanks again!

- Brian