Just a quick update to let you know that the digital version of the 12 Sandy the Dragon adventures are finished, on itchio, and digitally distributed!
I've sent distribution keys to those who had the dragon-specific adventures only, and for folks who got the whole collection, you won't get a new key because the key you already have gives you continued access to the collection. You'll just need to go back to the big StoryGuider collection page and download the new files to get the new games/books!
AND... the digital coloring books are out there too! This is the print-and-play for just the characters so you have some extra pages to go along with your adventures or can check out just the characters before you try the game!
I hope you enjoy these print-and-play releases, and I'll have our regularly scheduled print-on-demand progress update at our regularly scheduled monthly interval as well.
I'm here with your monthly StoryGuider update, and... proofs for the Heroes and Friends series came in!
I’ve gone through all the proof copies and, overall, they're pretty OK, but I did find a few issues with:
Layout in relation to book seam (image or text too close to inner seam)
Print quality (resolution unclear on an image or section of text)
Page # placement error (image layer was partially overtop of the page number on one page)
So, I am fixing those ASAP. Revisions have already been submitted for proofs round 2, and I'm using expedited shipping to make sure they get here as fast as possible.
And in parallel to all that, I’m working on Sandy the Dragon!
There’s 12 more stories and The Big Book of Dragons yet to come, and it’s moving along. Right now, I have all covers colored and laid out (shown below), and all the prepatory pages for the whole series are written and proofread (this includes the credits/ISBN page, skills practice page, recommended supplemental activities page, story summary page, and internal title page). Additionally, all content drafts are completed.
What’s left here is taking all the content drafts and getting them to final draft stage, which does involve a lot of clean up and fine tuning along with matching to art and confirming layout. I’ll be starting on that this week, and I am hoping to have that completed before summer break starts during the 2nd week of June.
Beyond that, there’s still lots to do, but I’ll leave our big running schedule to cover those items!
COMPLETED:
Oct – campaign funds released from Backerkit
Oct – send contracts for funded art to artists
Oct – draft the Tome Traveller Trilogy (part of the Heroes series)
Oct → Nov – collect first round of art from early artist kick-offs (from itchio and ko-fi prefunds)
Nov – artists working on Heroes series
Nov/Dec – finish writing the new Dragon series adventures
Nov → Jan – reformat the Heroes series
Jan – Heroes series art due
Jan – order Heroes series proofs (round 1)
Jan – artists working on Friends series
Feb – Friends series art due
Feb – Heroes series proofs arrive, review, update (round 1)
Jan – Mar – reformat the Friends series
Jan – Apr – artists working on Dragon series
Mar – Dragon series art due
Mar – send backer surveys
Apr – update + order Friends series proofs (round 1)
Apr – update + order Heroes series proofs (round 1.5)
Apr – set up digial pages for Friends and Heroes series
Apr – fulfill digital print-and-play for Friends and Heroes series
May – Heroes series proofs arrive
May – Friends series proofs arrive
May – Friends series proofs review, update, reorder (round 2)
NEXT STEPS:
May/June – Heroes series proofs review, update, reorder (round 2)
May/June – reformat the Dragon series and make coloring book
June – order Dragons series and coloring book proofs (round 1)
June – set up digial pages for Dragons series
June/July – fulfill digital print-and-play for Dragon series
June/July – Friends series proofs arrive, review, update (round 2)
June/July– if no issues with Friends series, start to distribute POD keys
July – Heroes series proofs arrive, review, update (round 2)
July – Dragon series proofs arrive, review, update (round 1)
July – if no issues with Heroes, Dragons, or coloring book, start to distribute POD keys
July – Sept – continue release of OK’d proofs as possible
As always, thank you for supporting the project, and I have lots more info on this (and other work) in the TTRPGkids monthly Dev Log if you want the nitty gritty details on the whole process.
Until next update (late June), happy gaming, and have a good start to your summer!
Before you vote, please watch this video for an in-depth overview for both potential covers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74cAFy-bwyQ
This poll is only available to backers of the campaign.
Not as catchy as It's Gonna be May (cue Justin Timberlake), but we make it work around here.
Howdy!
As per my last update back in January, we did indeed enter the Dead Zone of project updates, but I am now here to pop that bubble of silence.
First and foremost, I have received Monitored Activity's final edits this past Friday. You know, the whole point of the campaign? The part of this book you all so graciously helped fund? It is — officially — done. Shout-out to subvertebra over on BlueSky who has been an absolute thrill to work with. I genuinely could not have asked for a better editor.
This means we now get to enter the final formatting and the proof-ordering phase.
I cannot believe we're here, and way ahead of schedule, too. That late summer release date might just become early summer, but let's hold off on any major announcements for a bit longer.
The sticker sheets and bookmarks have long since arrived and are currently hanging out on my desk, eagerly waiting to be sent out to their new homes!
In the coming weeks, orders will be locked in and cards charged for any post-campaign add-on purchases as well as shipping.
Keep an eye on your inbox! Emails will go out a few days beforehand so you're not caught by surprise.
Also — please make sure you've completed your survey! I'm still waiting on a few. If you've somehow lost it in your sea of emails (I don't blame you; my main inbox has 6,400 unread emails...), do not hesitate reaching out to me. I can very easily resend it.
And that's about it, for now. I hope you are all as excited as I am! Monitored Activity is close enough to taste.
Until next time. Happy (almost) April, and stay hydrated.
ChasmFriend pin reservations will be sent with your pledge rewards once you’ve backed the campaign (and completed the backer survey after that is sent out).
Introducing…Hoid’s Worldsinger Symposium!
Hello backers, we did it!
Brandon will be hosting a livestream to celebrate the launch of Hoid’s Storybook Collection today (March 3, 2026) at 6:00PM MST (1:00AM UTC). We’re sure you can see the joyspren surrounding us as we share the news that our campaign is officially funded! Once again, we’re able to bring the magic of Brandon’s worlds to life because of YOU. As if getting four enchantingly illustrated storybooks wasn’t enough, Brandon’s newest secret project The Fires of December is an adventure we know you’ll love as much as we did. Remember that the gold foiling on each of the picture books and the printed edges for The Fires of December will only be available for purchase during the lifetime of this BackerKit project. You’ll want to act now to guarantee their spot on your Sandershelf!
Now is the perfect time to collect your ChasmFriend Blind Bag pins to be able to trade with other Worldhoppers and complete your herd. The price of these collectible cuties is only $10 during the project launch, but will increase after the campaign closes.
If you reserved a ChasmFriend pin pre-campaign, as long as you have backed the campaign and completed your backer survey once it is sent out, the pin will automatically be sent with your pledge rewards.
A story doesn’t live until it is imagined
To celebrate the launch of Hoid’s Storybook Collection, we want to invite our backers to join in weaving a non-canonical Hoidian tale. Hoid’s Worldsinger Symposium is our new Stormlight-infused collaborative storytelling experience! Join the beloved Worldsinger’s ranks as you and other backers come together to tell a story of your own in the Collaborative Narrative. A writing prompt has been given on the Hoid’s Worldsinger Symposium tab of this project. Every day until the close of this campaign, you will have a chance to add to the narrative. It’s up to you Worldsingers to determine whose response is the best, as the entry with the most likes will be added to this storybook of your own creation! We will accept one submission per day, based on votes. If the content of a submission does not comply with our terms and conditions, it will be rejected.
The symposium will also include a Worldsinger Gallery! Send your fan art inspired by the Collaborative Narrative you’re creating via the submission link found within the Symposium. As long as your art adheres to our terms and conditions, we will feature it in our Worldsinger Gallery. Artists are allowed up to two art submissions during the campaign. Select art submissions, as well as the completed narrative, will be included in a free digital release entitled Hoid’s Worldsinger Symposium: Anthology.
We’re so happy you’re here and we’re elated to share Hoid’s tales with you. Until our next update later this month, Worldsingers!
I’m sorry it’s been a while since I shared an update. A lot of things have been going on lately, mostly not good. If you read my December newsletter, you’ll know that I’m in the process of moving house, which has caused a delay with Ruthless Wolves. Unfortunately, I still don’t have a moving date yet, but I’m hoping it won’t be much longer. On top of that, I'm dealing with a few personal issues at the moment that I can’t discuss. But please know that I’m still here. I haven’t gone anywhere, and I have no intention of disappearing at all. I’m still working hard to get Ruthless Wolves completed and ready to order/ship as soon as possible, but unfortunately, I don’t have a timeline to give at the moment. As soon as I know more, I will post an update in here to let you know.
Thank you again for your patience with this project. I hope to have better news for you soon.
![[RECORDED] — An Anthology of Found Media Fiction!](https://images.backerkit.com/active_storage/backerkit_production/blob/bt14eo1i83hyz0fid7du7obnsnlf?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&auto=compress%2Cformat&cs=srgb&w=600)
