Big Book of Maps: New Years Project Status Update

Yesterday I sent out huge project update for The Big Book of Maps for Tabletop Roleplaying Games project.

Good morning folks! I promised an “official update” at the start of the year. Over the past couple months I haven’t posted an update, but I have been trying to keep up frequently with folks via the comments section, messages, email, and social media. Honestly, I just didn’t want to fill everyone’s inbox with less than happy news during the holidays.

There’s a lot to get caught up on since our last update, so let’s get started…

First off, I wanted to express my gratitude and appreciation to many backers for showing support in November when my Mom passed away. That event, my family mourning and adjusting to the loss, and the immediate holidays thereafter sapped a great deal of my focus and energy, and my progress on this project slowed dramatically (though we still remain far ahead of schedule).

I was blown away by the thoughtful comments, messages, emails, and even cards sent by some of you. This is an amazing community to be a part of! So, thank you, again.

So, Where Do We Stand?

While progress was slow during those last two months, it was never at a standstill (though I’m sure some weeks it must have seemed like it). I continued making updates and distributing files via the Digital Distribution Tool at a slower pace, but those updates did add up.

All of the Map Icon Sets have been released. That’s over 620 Map Icons + the Cartographers Toolkit. The Master File (a ZIP containing all of these) is available on everyone’s “My Account” page in the DDT.

Also, the Kickstarter funded 195 maps. We currently have 196 maps released. Which makes it look like we’re 100% done with the map releases as well. However, we’re not quite done yet! The final count of maps that are to be released has been updated to 230. An explanation for that can be found on the actual update on Kickstarter. 

That means everyone gets 35 extra maps and book is going to be roughly 20% larger than originally planned. After all, it *is* called "The BIG Book of Maps for Tabletop Roleplaying Games.”

With the start of the New Year, I’m feeling like I’m getting back into my productivity groove. Though I now have quite a bit of catch-up work to do all around, I plan on completing and releasing the remaining maps for this project over the next 1-2 weeks, and then have the PDF released to backers during the following week. We are in the final stage of this project!

I hope to have the files for the print proofs of the book sent off to the printers before January ends.Then print book vouchers can go out as soon as I see the proofs and confirm they are free of errors.

My thanks to everyone for sticking with me during the lull while I dealt with personal matters.

We’re currently looking good to complete this entire project three months or more ahead of schedule.