May

I am more excited for this update than for any in a long time. That's because, even though last month I shared that we had lost our layout artist,  we now have a new one, and he has already knocked out full drafts of both the rules and the character creation chapters! And the exciting part? I am sharing them out…today! 

If you are a backer, you can find those previews in the supplementary, backer-only Kickstarter update that follows today’s KS update.  

New Graphic Design(er)

As an RPG graphic designer, Robert Denton is probably best known for his work on the Legends of the Five Rings line, and he has also done a lot of layout work for Biohazard's Blue Planet partner, Gallant Knight Games. He is creative, easy to work with and super-fast, and his speed has already convinced me that layout will definitely not become a production bottleneck.

For those familiar with the graphic design of the Recontact Quickstart primer, you will notice a lot of changes in the new layout. The change in artist provided the opportunity to refine the style and mechanics of the layout in significant ways. My priorities for BP are readability, visual cohesion and an evocative palette. If a spectrum of book design runs from Apple to H.R. Giger, I want the BP layout sitting next to AirPods. In my opinion, Robert is blowing it out of the water, and I hope these previews make you as excited as they've made me. 

Though the text is final, please note that we are still tweaking the layout, and some minor things will change. For example, the map graphics heading each section are currently only placeholders for the text-free versions we are working on - their "busy" look will be sorted out shortly. 

Typo Hunting?

It has been my intention all along to share out chapter PDFs as they are completed for two important reasons. The first is so that you can start enjoying the new material as soon as possible. The second is so that those of you who are so inclined can hunt down and report typos - helping us make Blue Planet as error-free as possible. If you want to be one of these editing heroes - or if you just happen to notice a mistake as you read along - I would ask that you click on this link and fill out an error report. Please respond to the prompts with enough specificity that we can quickly identify the issue, and feel free to report anything at all that you think might be a mistake. Typos, layout glitches and even math errors - everything is fair game!

Storm Surge Playtest

Only one session this month as illness and work obligations kept half our party away from the table last week. It was a big one, however, as the characters got arrested, survived a sabotaged VTOL crash, and endured a long distance tow by the party orca to Baffin Island. Coming ashore at the notorious settlement put them at the heart of the northern insurgency just as circumstances were pushing them over the edge. Unsurprisingly, by the end of the night, the characters had gone all in with the freedom fighters. 

While they awaited the arrival of Bataku’s war pod, they worked to adjust to their dangerous new status and train up for their first mission. It was a good distraction from the fact that the characters (and players) have no understanding of the magnitude of what’s coming. 

Structurally, we are building to the first of the nine or so transitions I intend for this three-character-party campaign. We are shifting next to the Incorporate security perspective, where things are going to get really ugly, really fast. 

Gratitude

I want to close out this update with a reminder of how grateful I am for the ongoing support. Whether you are a silent (and very patient) backer, a regular voice in the update comments, on our Twitter, in the BP forums or Discord, or you are Pawel (the hardest working human on Poseidon), it is your support and enthusiasm that are creating Recontact. You all are providing the essential motivation needed to keep pushing forward.

Mahalo...

April

Almost April and time for another Blue Planet update. I'm posting this a day early as I may not have Internet tomorrow. 

Art Preview

I know I say “this is one of my favorites” every time I post an art preview, but I guess that’s what happens when you do all the art direction on a project like this. This illustration truly is one of my favorites. It represents so many things I love about BP, capturing the defining juxtapositions inherent in the setting, all in a single image.

New Layout Artist

In the interests of transparency about project progress I wanted to share that for personal reasons our original artist is unable to complete the project. We are transitioning to a new layout artist and will do our best to get them up to speed quickly. We'll strive to make sure layout does not become a production bottleneck.

Maps

This is a link to the final, high resolution draft of the Endeavor Island map and the final chance for those of you who contributed names for geographical features to make any corrections. Accordingly, please review the map and let me know through the KS message system if there are any issues with your submission. After April 15th, no further changes will be possible.

Low resolution preview - please follow the link above for the high res version.

Storm Surge Playtest

As I mentioned last month, I have resumed playtesting on the Storm Surge stretch goal campaign. Not only is the playtest essential for developing the adventure, but as running games always seems to do, it’s providing me with additional enthusiasm for the overall project.

I'm torn about presenting spoilers here in case any of you will be eventual players in the campaign, and because I think all my current players are backers so receive these updates. As a compromise, I’ll use a SPOLIER ALERT warning before any scenario specific content, and I just won’t address anything that hasn’t already happened at our table.

We started with the native thread of the campaign and though we are only a couple of sessions in, the characters have reached a pivotal decision point and I am excited to see which way they dive. Though the plot is only just spinning up, I am already particularly enjoying the player dynamics and the more campaign-focused aspects of the mechanics.

Entirely independent of the campaign structure, the players opted to make characters who are all members of the same family – Ephraim the father and his adult twin children Liam and Violet. The fourth player is an orca named Nana who adopted the family as his pod when the siblings were babies. The player interactions are already ranging from the hilarious to the heartbreaking as they roleplay family dynamics and stumble their way through the unresolved trauma of having lost their partner/mother to the planet when the children were young. In fact, play has already generated a common native aphorism – “Poseidon is always hungry.”

I am also enjoying the opportunity to really lean into the campaign effects of character profile, advancement, tags, tracks and ties. As you might guess, most of the playtesting of the new system consisted of one-shots, so it’s great to be able to push hard on these rules and experience the effects they have on roleplay, character growth and character interrelationships. I have particularly enjoyed the roleplay resulting from changes in the track we created for the family:

Family Dynamics

Sacrifice +/- 4

Dedication +/-2

Loving 0

Distant -/+ 2

Estranged -/+4

In the last session there was a  moment of true emotion when, after a tension-filled roleplay encounter with the daughter, I asked the father player to make a Psyche test. He failed and I asked him to move down the track to “distant.” It was clear narratively that the father had been trying to mend a fence but had only made things worse. The rules helped create that perfect moment of family drama.

March

Welcome to the March update! I’m excited to share more BP goodness.

Maps

One of the best things about producing the new edition of Blue Planet is getting to work with Mark Richardson of Green Hat Designs fame to create all new, full-color maps! As a professional, working cartographer and a game designer in his own right, I cannot imagine a more perfect matching of skillset to purpose than Mark and Poseidon.

Though I know I previewed the main Pacifica Archipelago map before, that was a low resolution draft. Now that the final versions are in, I want to share the Northern and Southern Pacifica detail maps so you can see how good the high resolution versions look. You’ll have to click here (north) and here (south) to download the hi-res files this thumbnail can’t do them justice.

Art

Some might argue that I should save some of the art reveals for when the books are finally released, but it’s hard to resist. I am excited for you all to see the amazing images, and since I figure you’ve already paid for them, why not share? What do you all think? Should I leave some in the vault so they will be surprises when the books come out, or should I keep them coming?

This image of the Niños Muertos is in my top five favorites of the project. There is so much going on - the alien biology, the violent attack, the desperate reaction, the bad-ass POV, the amazing creature design and the perfect color palette. The artist absolutely killed it!

Words

In the November 22 update, I previewed the 12 campaign archetypes we are packing into Recontact. In the comments, backer Troy G made a great point about the lack of a mining-focused archetype, and though long john mining is the background MacGuffin for many of the archetypes, I realized he was right and we should include one. Accordingly, I refocused the newcomer hook to present the travails of managing a cooperative mining colony. The final draft was submitted over the weekend, and it’s so good I'm previewing it here. Please keep in mind the caveat that this is the raw text and has yet to go to editing.

This is the last of the archetypes, and later this morning I will send the lot to our editor. Though I was motivated to provide these new moderator resources in Recontact, I did not expect to be so excited about them. The value, diversity and inspiration they bring to the project are amazing, and I can’t wait to see what players do with them.

Production

We have mostly transitioned from production of text and art to editing and layout. Accordingly, I thought I would share a little about our editing process.

Much of my time on the project has been spent content editing text – both new and existing material. I edit the new content to fit freelancer contributions into the Blue Planet setting and style. I edit the existing content to keep the cool stuff we want, cull the stuff that just won’t fit, and update, modify and add to that original material. There’s been 25 years of technological, scientific, societal and game design advancement since the 1st edition was published, and one of the main reasons we are doing Recontact is to catch the game up with all those improvements.

I’ve finished the content edits on almost everything, and our editor Rachael is cranking through her two-phase process. First she makes a line editing pass, editing for structure, grammar, comprehensibility and continuity – facts, dates, names, locations etc. Then she sends the files back to me for line-by-line approvals, after which I send them back to her for final proofreading - spelling, fine grammar and anything missed in the first pass. When these come back, I make a final review, and they go to layout.

Keeping this process flowing is critical so there are no production bottlenecks with someone having to sit on their thumbs waiting for files to come in. The process is optimized when each of us - production, editing and layout - have stockpiles in our queues so we can all work in parallel. So far we have been able to maintain that balance, and it is serving the project well.

Storm Surge Playtest Updates

In the January update, I mentioned that playtesting on the stretch goal campaign “Storm Surge” would be resuming this month. We had our session zero last week and made the first of the three sets of characters I plan to run through the perspective-shifting story. I’m happy to report that with very little input from me, the players – three of whom had never made a Recontact character before - were able to do so in about 30 minutes. This is pretty great given how rich the resulting characters feel. I hope to be able to share the character creation section here soon.

We are starting with the native insurgent party, and our first actual play session is next week. Depending on how things go, I thought perhaps I might provide monthly updates in these…monthly updates, so stay tuned.

Shipping Reminder

I know I’ve shared this before, but I feel compelled to occasionally offer a reminder. Shipping costs continue to be gravely impacted by the outsized influence of major corporations, and though they have come down some in recent months, they remain high and unpredictable. I just wanted to remind everyone that shipping for physical rewards will be charged when we open the pledge manager prior to going to press. This will not only keep us from losing our wetsuits if prices go up again, but hopefully will allow us to offer you all lower costs should they continue to go down. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

February

Already time for a new update. It's been a busy month at Biohazard HQ, and there's lots to share. 

Art

If you follow over on Twitter you may have seen the various iterations of the GEO logo upgrade about which I asked for opinions. In the end I settled on this cool take that pays tribute to the original, but gives it a new style that fits well with the aesthetic of the Incorporate logos we previewed way back in the September 21 update. There is the basic organizational logo, as well as badges for each of the High Commissions. James has a unique talent for evoking just the right intent with his graphic design.  

Speaking of logos, the last of Pawel's six art donations is one of my favorite for many reasons. In this case it's because after the aforementioned Incorporate logos were created, Pawel went back to his artist and re-commissioned him to incorporate (ah...get it?) a couple of those logos in this image.  The result is  awesome. 

 Words

Graeme Barber (still no relation unfortunately) produced two of my favorite campaign archetypes, one of which I teased way back in the November 21 update. Operation Polypod is perfect for players who are into military action thrillers but also appreciate the drama in choosing the right side of history.  Hope you want to play it as much as I do.  (Note this is the raw text and has not been to the editor yet.) 

I am excited to say that playtesting on the stretch goal campaign Storm Surge is spinning back up. I have run various versions of the first third of the campaign three times now, and will be diving into the middle third for the first time by the end of the month. I have ambitions to structure the game to be played from three different perspectives - native insurgency, Incorporate security and GEO - with the players playing a single party, or rotating through three different groups of characters respectively. So far so good, but we'll see if I can ultimately pull it off within the 20k word count...

Avatar: The Way of Blue Planet

I finally saw Avatar: The Way of Water, and for reasons anyone who knows me or Blue Planet would probably understand, I have some strong and complicated feelings. Warning - spoilers follow, so if you've not yet seen the movie you might want to stop here.

I recognize the problematic elements of the series - the white savior, “blue-face” cultural appropriation, and now the addition of toxic fatherhood. These issues bothered me more in the sequel and I guess they are good reasons to not seen the film. Given my relationship with Blue Planet however, I don't imagine that was ever really an option for me.

I  know some think both Avatar movies are soulless, intrinsically bad films for their uninspired storytelling. I understand this less, but admit I'm pretty simplistic when it comes to narratives. I also admit that I, perhaps unsurprisingly given the setting, love Avatar. Which leads me to the point of this self-indulgent note.

Point for point - background, plot, characters, motivations and action - The Way of Water is the Blue Planet movie that would otherwise never have been made. All that really needs to be done to make the Way of Water 100% Blue Planet is replace the Navi and Tulkun with BP's natives and  nereids. That's it! From the return of colonial newcomers from a desperate Earth, to the uncanny ecology and sapient sea creatures, to the native insurgency and, most blatantly, the economic engine of a priceless natural resource that prolongs human life, the new Avatar movie is a beat for beat Blue Planet film. The Tulkun even have four part jaws and multiple eyes? WTF Cameron?

I know there are no new stories under the sun, and I know I took inspiration from lots of obvious sources when I created Blue Planet, but I'd love a look at JC’s bookshelf. The truth is, I sat through the second half of the movie a little bored, not because the film itself was boring, but because I had already imagined that story a hundred different ways over the past 25 years of working and playing on Poseidon.

I guess I wrote this note to clarify what I think about Avatar, and I guess it comes down to two things. 

First, parts of the production are problematic and that is unfortunate. There were many ways to have better honored such themes and characters and the telling of their stories, even hidden as they were under layers of CGI.

Second, if you like Blue Planet, you'll never see a more spot on, cinematic portrayal of its core setting, conflict and narrative arc than The Way of Water. It's a stunning visual achievement, a gloriously aquatic, sci-fi action film, and a must see for any fan of the game.

Oh...and does anyone know a good copyright lawyer? 

January 2023

Happy New Year Everyone! 

Thank you all for the continued support, enthusiasm and patience. It is my sincere hope that 2023 is a better year for all. 

Now, on to 2199...

OrcaCon

Come join Biohazard Games at OrcaCon 2023 next weekend - Jan 6th-8th, in Bellevue, WA. I'll be there and running both Blue Planet: Recontact and Upwind. Though the official games are full, I could easily be convinced to run a special backers-only session if there was interest. 

Layout Samples

Layout is underway - woohoo! Thomas is experimenting with the template and I have a few pages from one of the tests to share. I'm anticipating a few tweaks, but this is close to what the final layout will be, so let us know what you think!

Art

Can't pass up the chance to share another of Pawel's commissions. Evocative is not a strong enough word...

Words

I'm keen to share another of the new archetypes - The Argonauts.  This one may be a little unexpected, but I think Mari did a great job of stretching our expectations about what can be done within the BP setting, and I love it. Please note this is raw text, and has yet to meet our editor Rachel in combat.

Hope this update has you fired up and excited for more. Thank you all and Happy New Year!   

December

Hope you're ready for this month's update!

Art

I wanted to share another pair of Pawel's commissions (see October 22 update). These images evoke so much about the setting of Blue Planet there is little my words can add. This seemingly innocuous domestic scene perfectly juxtaposes the native descendants of the Athena Project with the growing sprawl of the colonial newcomers. 

This scene of high tech exploration similarly juxtaposes the vast scale of Poseidon against the nascent presence of humanity, offering hope that it is still possible to protect rather than corrupt the planet. 

Words

A year ago (October 21 update) I shared the raw text describing the dark, miserable, lunar research facility of Proteus Landing - one of the three "Station" stretch goals. This month I'm sharing the raw text of the campaign archetype written specifically for the Proteus Landing location. It's called Night Shift and it's intended as an example of the kind of environmental horror that is so readily evoked with Blue Planet. It was one of Pawel's two archetypes, and he hit every tension-filled note perfectly...

Production

The maps are still undergoing final edits and tweaks to make sure everything is located, labeled and spelled correctly and that we don't inadvertently leave some place out. The mechanics, character creation and field guide chapters have been sent to layout, and my hope is that with the next update I will be able to start sharing PDFs sections with backers. Who's game to stalk the Frontier for typos?

It feels like we've finally entered orbit around Poseidon and are about to start the landing effort. Can't wait to begin assembling the actual colony...

November Update

A new month and a new update. It was a busy October and I have good stuff to share.

Art Donation

Pawel D. is perhaps Blue Planet's most supportive community member. He manages the BP forums, promotes the game across the Interwebs, and has contributed to Recontact with an excellent pair of campaign archetypes - hooks featuring horror at Proteus Landing and insurgency in the Northwest Territories. In addition, he is uniquely kind and generous. So generous in fact, that he is donating Blue Planet art he originally, privately commissioned for his own enjoyment, to Biohazard for use in Recontact - and it's stunning. I already previewed a couple images over on Twitter, so I thought I should include a couple here as well. The second piece is perhaps my favorite of the six he is sharing, as it evokes a hundred possible adventures every time I look at it. Thank you Pawel!

Archetypes 

I've spent most of my BP work time over the past few weeks editing freelancer campaign archetypes. One of the best things about working with other authors -  the reason I wanted the  archetypes to be written by a diverse collection of creators - is that ideas I would never have had on my own are becoming part of Recontact. I am excited to include so many different voices and know their perspectives will make for a much more compelling Poseidon.

We've made our (stretched) goal of an even dozen archetypes, and I thought I would preview the list. We've put a lot of effort into making sure the scope emphasizes the range of stories that can be told in Blue Planet and I think we nailed it. 

Argonauts - An homage to the first underwater sci-fi tale, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, updated with a few twists and relocated to Poseidon. 

Azure - Slice-of-native-settlement-life against the backdrop of a changing Poseidon, where the lethal wildlife and the deadly weather are less threatening than the flood of newcomers. 

Chrome - Ruthless politics and deadly espionage among the diamond glass archeologies of the Incorporate elite. 

DSSD (DeepStar Salvage Divers) - job-of-the-week newcomer entrepreneurs trying to make an already risky living in the dangerous spaces between lumbering Incorporate giants - without getting stepped on or running out of air. 

Field-Team Avalon -  Poseidon offers the most significant scientific mysteries ever encountered by humanity, and the Haven Institute of Science and Technology Field Teams are on the sharp end of often dangerous, always compelling exploration and discovery.

Flood Tide -  The original colonists fight to protect their home from Incorporate despoilers will change Poseidon forever...one way or another. 

Newcomer - Slice-of-life in a newcomer colony, with as many challenges from political conflicts, supply shortfalls and interpersonal drama as from the weather, pirates and sea monsters. 

Nightshift - Horror-tinged classic science fiction, based at the Proteus Landing research station in the frozen dark of the eponymous moon's very long night. 

Operation Polypod - Grounded military action featuring GEO Peacekeepers caught between expanding Incorporate mining operations and the growing native insurgency - focused on the harsh realities of violent conflict and colonialism. 

Red Sky Charters - Precarious, job-of-the-week hustle in the interstices between modern and traditional Poseidon, urban society and the frontier, Incorporate domination and gangland threat - buoyed by the acceptance of found family.

Shenley ERT - Previewed in October's update, this is the adrenaline-fueled, rescue-of-the-week operations of a GEO Emergency Rescue Team and its shepherding of the inhabitants of Poseidon's most remote frontier. 

Trienos - An elite crew of criminals - the best of the worst - working, unbeknownst to them, for GEO intelligence and the most ruthless deep-cover operative on the planet. 

October Update

Progress on Blue Planet continues, and it feels like we are well past the wormhole and finally entering orbit. 

Maps and Backer Locations

Most excitingly this month, I have received drafts of the maps for final proofing, and as you can see, they are outstanding! I am scouring them for continuity issues, typos and mysterious lost settlements, and I am adding a few extra details here and there.  As part of that proofing effort, I wanted to share the Outback map so backers could review it and make sure they are happy with their location name selections. If you backed at the level to name a feature and have a question or do not see your contribution, please reach out though the KS message system, and I'll be happy to sort the issue - just let me know.

Outback Archetype

I thought it would be cool to share another text preview - one designed in parallel with the Outback map above. One of the 10+ campaign archetypes we are providing in Recontact, this excerpt describes the Shenley Emergency Response Team and is a great example of the endless variety of game types that can be played in the Blue Planet setting. Neil has done a great job with this unique campaign seed, and I can't wait  for you to see what he's also done with the Outback gazetteer entry itself. 

I have really loved working with such talented artists and writers on this project. They have continuously renewed my enthusiasm for the setting and made me excited to play so many new campaigns.

(Note, this document has not been to the copy editor yet, so please ignore any such errors.) 

Whalesong

Speaking of art, I can't let an update go by without at least one sneak peek at the incredible images that are bringing this new edition to life. One of my favorites (I know I say that a lot) is this Whalesong Theogeny singing circle. Words are pointless, so just sit and stare at it for as long as you want...

Let us know if you have any questions, and as always, thank you for your incredible generosity and patience as we plug along on production. 

September Update

Art Previews
Another month, another update and another chance to brag about Blue Planet art. Every time a new piece came in, I changed my mind about which was my favorite. This Blood Hunter attack illustration was one of the last to be submitted, and since now all the art is in, this illustration may forever stand as my favorite of so many great images. I love how at first glance it appears just an abstract swirl of colors, then suddenly resolves into dynamic  horror.

I also want to brag about some more of the tech art. The more I look at these portraits of some of the hybrid species, the more I love them. Though I know many BP players imagined more animalistic aspects for the hybrids, in my mind they have always been human first, separated from the rest of humanity only by an uncanny valley of prejudice.  I asked the artist to emphasize their humanity while still capturing their slightly unsettling nature, and I think he nailed it. 

Stretch Goals
We have deliberately been focusing on the content that is going into the physical books so we can get them to press as soon as possible. Though we are deferring production on the stretch goals until the core books go to press,  developmental work has continued on A World of Hurt, Wormhole and the mini-campaign Storm Surge (working title). I have playtested the first of the three sections of Storm Surge and am playtesting the second this fall. One of my ambitions for the campaign is that it be playable - or even re-playable - using different, recurring/rotating parties of characters for the same players. In its current state, the game is intended to be played by a party of native insurgents,  a ruthless Incorporate security squad and a team of undercover GEO operatives. Each section will be composed of three one-shots that can be mixed and matched so that a given gaming group can approach the campaign however they want, playing through whichever chapters they wish.  I am not convinced that I can pull it off, but this is the intention for now.

Pandemic Production

In last month's update, I shared how the pandemic has impacted the Blue Planet production schedule. I recently guested on Role Playing Public Radio's excellent Game Designer's Workshop podcast, where the host, Ross Payton (Base Raiders), Caleb Stokes (Red Markets and Fae's Anatomy) and I had an "inside baseball" kind of discussion about game publishing during the pandemic. We talk Blue Planet specifically and dive deeper into some of the murky depths of game design and publishing in the pandemic. 

August Update

Art
I am pleased to announce that all the Recontact art - from creatures to tech to maps to scenic interiors - is complete! Well, mostly. There are a couple edits pending, and Mark is pasting in your geographical names, but everything has been submitted, and it all looks awesome!  The scope of communication, talent and effort that went into the production of these images is impossible to overstate. It was truly global, encompassing hundreds of hours of inspired work by artists from across the planet. Looking at the collected files, I am boggled at how much there is and how fantastic the books are going to look. Every time the latest image came in, it became my new favorite. I had to force myself to hold off sharing this image in particular because I wanted something special for this update. If you don't see it at first, look again...

The tech art has also been zooming in, and I want to share two of my favorites - the hypersail-boat and the nictitating membrane biomod. 

I won't even try for words about the maps. Mark has blown all my expectations out of the water, so I'll just let the latest Down-Home Station map speak for itself...

Words

The writing of the various sections of new text is also wrapping up and should be done shortly. I'm excited to share it all, but I thought one piece in particular would make a cool preview. Graeme Barber - still no relation - nailed his assignment and I thought I would share the current draft here (please note this has not been to the editor yet).

I also want to thank the hardcore among you who accepted my offer to review the game mechanics text last month. I got some great feedback and have already incorporated the majority of it. The result is a clearer, cleaner, tighter system, and I feel really good about the community collaboration. 

And if that's not cool enough, I'm stoked to announce that Greg Benage, my partner in the production of the original Blue Planet, and the designer of the v2 Synergy System, has joined the project! A change of jobs means more writing time for him, so he is now contributing to Recontact. If there's any good writing in the earlier editions, it is probably Greg's, so this is fantastic news. In fact, when I was casting about for a subtitle to distinguish the new edition, it was Greg who suggested "Recontact."

The Greater White in the Room
If you have been tracking our updates and side-eying the calendar, it's pretty obvious at this point that we are not going to make our planned delivery date of October '22. This has probably been evident for a while, but I want to be transparent about it here.  

I have a weird day job - well, 24 hour/day job - as an administrator at a boarding school. In a typical pre-COVID week, I'd work 50+ hours. During COVID, however, I've been working 70+ hours per week, as caring for 130 teenagers during a pandemic is...a lot.  This has left very little of me for anything else - especially creative work like RPG writing. Though there have so far been no critical bottlenecks - a fact of which I am kind of proud - the reduction in my own capacity means the overall workflow was slower than it would otherwise have been.

This said, the project moves forward a little every day, and we have been making substantive progress every month.  As you can see in the updates, the writing, art and design are coming together, but good work takes time, and without a wormhole, there's no getting around the physics. Given my job and the ongoing pandemic, I can't say with certainly when Recontact will deliver, but I can promise we will continue to communicate, be transparent and work diligently on the project. You will continue to know as we do how production is going, and when we finally go to press, we'll be able to accurately forecast shipping and delivery dates. 

In the meantime, thank you for your ongoing support and patience. Truth be told, it has been your constant enthusiasm and appreciation for Blue Planet that has kept me going over the last year and a half when little else could. In a very real way, you have all been vital to the project, and I am deeply grateful. 

July Update

Wow! I feel like I entered the wormhole in March and got dumped out in July? Existence has been...busy... but I'm excited for the summer break from my day-job and the chance to focus 100% on Blue Planet for a while. I'm also excited to share some more previews...

Favorite Things

Here's a slice of life scene inspired almost entirely from one of the backer art suggestions.  One of my favorite things about Blue Planet is the day-to-day, lived-in nature of the setting - how it feels like a real word exists around the characters and life goes on in countless familiar ways despite the fantastical environment and technologies. 

Speaking of technology, another of my favorite things about the setting is how the tech vastly expands character capabilities and yet fades into the background in deference to the storytelling - serving more as stage dressing or MacGuffin. The use of remotes for example, allows characters to engage in unprecedented ways - an urban sky swarming with a thousand drones on a thousand errands, a battlefield won by robotic tanks or a previously unknown species discovered by an autonomous underwater vehicle. Each of these adds such depth of focus to the Poseidon that exists in my mind's eye.

Military micro-missile platform, agricultural bot and cetacean hover remote.

Final Mechanics

This link takes you to a text file of the final game mechanics, and I'm sharing it for two reasons. First, I figure you've already paid for it, so why not get what I can to you as it becomes available? Second, and more importantly, for the hardcore among you who want to dive in, now is the last practical chance to make major revisions to the rules.  

The file has been line-edited, but still has to go through final proofreading, so don't worry about those kinds of errors. If you are motivated however, I would greatly appreciate any input about specific, omitted or confusing mechanics. I would also welcome any helpful observations about the structure and presentation of the chapter.  Please share any comments or suggestions via the Kickstarter message system. 

I am looking forward to the rules improving for having having been assimilated by the nereid hive mind... 

June Update

This month, instead of a typical update of art and text previews, I am offering something a little different. I thought I would not only share a sneak peak of some of the fantastic cartography Mark Richardson is producing for Poseidon, but also an advance look at the map location names submitted by backers.

Cartographic Master

Mark has created what I believe are the most realistic (and coolest) maps that have ever been included in an RPG. Using his professional cartography skills, experience and programs, he has visualized the essential geography of Poseidon in a way that elevates the hard science focus of the setting, lending the world a verisimilitude that could only be achieved with this kind of talent and attention to detail.

Gorgeous, right?

Note: This is still a draft and labels and other details may change.

Naming Rights

I am excited to have backers making their own marks on Poseidon by naming some of the locations on the colony world. In this spreadsheet I used only initials to protect individual privacy, but you should be able to identify your submission. If you were specific about the type of geographical feature you wanted to name, I assigned it accordingly. If you were open to options, I left the appropriate ones on the list so that Mark would have some flexibility as he labeled the maps.

The intention is to use these names to label the Outback map - a previously undocumented region centered on the Endeavor Islands - that was successfully included as a stretch goal. I'm excited for backers to go hunting, Easter-egg style, for their specific appellations once the map is complete.

If you backed at a naming reward level and do not see your submission listed, there are several possible explanations. Please reach out via a Kickstarter message so we can get it sorted.

On a related note, I Googled any words or references I didn't know just to make sure there were no inappropriate meanings or associations. Turns out I needn't have bothered. I appreciate that everyone made earnest submissions, avoiding the temptation to suggest Island McIsland-Face.

OK Fine...

Right. So I can't end an update without some kind of art sneak peek and a word about the text production. Here is the latest from Peter, and I love it - Silva, Skink and feline hybrids, getting into it on the Dyfed docks. I love how he captured their essential humanness underlying the engineered traits.

It kind of snuck up on me, but I was surprised to realize how close we are to a major production milestone. Of the 28 text files that currently make up the Recontact corebooks, I only have five more to re-work/update, before that means all the core text has been sent to the editor. That, my patient backers, will be a big day...