Bodil's Gap Book Update, and More Illustrations

I normally post about the ongoing playtest game at this time, but for a variety of reasons my group hasn't been able to play for the past couple of weeks. So instead, I'd like to take the opportunity to offer an update about the state of the project, and to show off some more of the fantastic art I've gotten for the project.

Where are we?

As of about a week ago, I've gotten back the final piece of artwork I had budgeted for. Working with the artist, Anton Vitus, has been a fantastic experience, and I'm really pleased with the final result. With artwork done for the moment, however, the ball is entirely in my court as far as getting Bodil's Gap to publication goes.

Currently the text of the book is 90% complete. What remains to write is minor, and a lot of it depends on the editing and layout stage. For example, I'm writing epigraphs for every chapter, but need to know exactly how the chapters will break down to know how many I'll need. I'm filling out a glossary, and it will expand as I go through the text and decide what needs to be included. Stuff of that nature takes up what I consider the incomplete wordcount.

What that means is that editing is the next step, and it's one I'm currently working on. At this point I think I'm half-way through the material that needs to be edited, but it's hard to predict a timeline for the rest of it—a lot of the text that I'm going through is first-draft material, and some sections have called for major rewrites. Depending on how much redrafting is required, the editing phase will obviously take a longer or shorter amount of time.

What's next?

Once I'm done editing, the text will have to be assembled into one master document and then go to layout. During this phase I'll arrange the text into chapters, apply all the correct fonts and formats, and insert the art into place. From there, I will theoretically have a finished product ready to be put up for sale.

My plan, however, is not to stop there. My budget for art was small, and though I have some work experience in the field, I am by no means a professional editor. Once I have an initial rpg document to show off, my plan is to take the project to Kickstarter with two goals:

1. Expand my budget for art
2. Hire a professional editor

If I can get more of an art budget, Anton has already expressed an interest in further work on this project. I can also consider potentially working with other artists with different styles, depending on the needs of the particular piece. And on the editing front, I have a contact in the field who can recommend someone to me. So all of that considered, I'm quite confident about the project, and looking forward to getting to the crowdfunding stage.

The art

To show off what I have already and hopefully whet your appetite for more of Anton's work, here are two more of the playbook portraits he's done.

The Rúngaeti

The Goði