Welcome to the dark and mysterious world of Colonial Gothic, where the American colonial period is infused with supernatural elements!
Tonight, I will participate in a Q&A on the Randomworlds TTRPG Discords chat room tonight.
Here are the details:
Nothing new to report this week—work is moving along smoothly, with no setbacks. The book looks great, and seeing it take shape each day is a rewarding experience.
In other news, I posted an article on my Substack exploring the art of acquiring art. If you’re interested in the behind-the-scenes of creative projects, this might be worth a look—I use Colonial Gothic as an example.
(Note: I’ll only post Kickstarter updates here; Substack is for other content.)
To keep things engaging, feel free to ask questions in the comments! I’ll answer as many as I can (but let’s keep things professional).
That’s it for this week—see you in the next update!
This is the update I’ve been waiting for! As of Sunday, all the artwork has been approved, and the final versions are safely stored across multiple devices. The latest batch includes the last four pieces designated for Chapter 2: Character Creation.
The chapter includes twenty-two professions, and Theo's twenty-one pieces are absolutely fantastic. Each one has its own distinct style, and while some may question the artistic direction, it aligns perfectly with one of my main goals for 4E: making the game more approachable.
I’ve always appreciated the visual legacy of previous editions—they captured a nostalgic, old-world feel. But that look started to feel stale, even a bit cliché over time. When I began this project, I knew it was time to step away from that tradition and embrace something fresh. It wasn’t an easy decision. I even explored making the book a more traditional size, but that approach didn’t work. Fortunately, the new art style does.
With all the artwork now in-house and the final proofreading notes delivered, it’s time to begin tidying up the manuscript so the layout can start soon. With everything falling into place and the finish line in sight, I’m really happy with where things stand.
Not much to report this week. More sketches and artwork for the profession chapter are coming in. Here’s one I approved yesterday.
I know the art style in the profession sketches I’ve been showing you is different. It might even feel jarring to some, but I wanted to switch things up.
Colonial Gothic has been in print since 2007, and while the rules have been tweaked, refined, and, in the fourth edition, completely rethought, the look has largely stayed the same.
With this new edition, I felt—and still feel—that the art style needed to be more approachable to make the game more accessible. Art is one of the best ways to achieve that. As you’ve seen in James’s work, the styles vary, and that’s good. The colonies were historically a melting pot of people, ideas, and experiences. Citizens from Boston carry themselves differently than those from Savannah. New York City looks different from Charleston. Art helps reflect those differences.
On a related note, I posted one of the pieces I cut from the final manuscript on my Substack. It covers currency and investment, providing rules and guidance for modeling the colonial economy. I plan to include it in one of the follow-up books, but I wanted to share it with you now.
Finally, Colonial Gothic's first adventure is nearing a workable draft. It serves as the opening part of Act 1 in the long-awaited campaign, set in 1775 Philadelphia, and acts as the gateway to what’s coming next.
And, as usual, what started as a quick update turned into a much longer one. Let’s see if I can keep it brief next time!
Yesterday, I mentioned waiting on the final art set, including illustrations for all the professions. This morning, the first batch of rough sketches arrived.
Here’s a preview: the Barber.
The new art style is a deliberate choice. I decided to give the game a fresh look when I started this project. As much as I love the old design, it felt like time for a change. Seeing this sketch reassures me that it was the right decision.
