I'm happy to say that fulfillment is going smoothly! I've shipped about 200 packages to backers now, and games are starting to arrive at people's doorsteps. It's so exciting seeing pictures of Death of the Author in people's hands!

Here are brief updates on various matters:

Here is the current status on surveys:

Surveys completed - 423
Cards declined - 8
Surveys not submitted - 42

There are currently 50 backers who I'm unable to fulfill rewards for. Please complete the survey and, if relevant, check that your payment went through. Once you complete the survey, you will automatically have access to the PDF, and if you've ordered a physical copy I'll be able to ship it your way.

I've been stopping by the post office nearly every day, but now that surveys are just trickling in I'm planning to mail out new packages 1-2 per week. Thus, if you complete your survey now, its guaranteed your package will be shipped next week.

The print run of The World We Left Behind is expected to arrive at my doorstep early next week. As soon as it arrives, I'll be mailing out packages to all backers who included TWWLB as an add-on.

I'm also planning to distribute the PDFs of TWWLB once I have the physical copies in hand, so that should be just a few days!

In addition to the downloads on Backerkit, I'm still planning to distribute itchio codes for all digital downloads. I'm currently waiting until a few more people finish their survey to make these easier to send as a batch. When this is distributed, you'll receive a separate email with your code.

Once Death of the Author is mailed to everyone who's already completed their surveys (including those who added on The World We Left Behind), I'll be fully releasing the physical version to the public. Copies will be available to purchase on the itchio page, Indie Press Revolution, and Heart of the Deernicorn, among others.

I'll also be mailing copies to everyone who preordered the game on the itchio page, as well as everyone who claimed a physical community copy.

Thanks your your generosity, at least 23 physical community copies will be distributed - copies have been claimed throughout the world, including Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Armenia, and the Philippines. These are shipped at no cost to those who claimed them, and I can't wait to mail them out.

If you've had any problems with your backer rewards (such as a game arriving with a bent corner), or if you have any questions, please email me at [email protected].

Also, if there's anything preventing you from filling out the Backerkit survey and getting your rewards, feel free to let me know and we can work out a solution.

Here are a couple other projects I'm involved in that I'd love for you to check out!

A Fool's Errand is another tarot TTRPG! In this science fantasy world designed by Planet Arcana GMs J Strautman and B Marsollier, play as a group of Fools on a journey. Gain the attention, favor, or jealousy of the gods: the Major Arcana.

I'm the developmental editor & line/copy editor of A Fool's Errand! I've already done a ton of dev editing on this project and it's truly something special.

A Fool's Errand is crowdfunding right now, so check out the page!

The Time We Have is a tragic, 2-player zombie game designed by Elliot Davis, played on opposite sides of a closed door. The characters are two brother and one has just been infected. Play out your final conversations in the week you have remaining. Will you open the door?

I'm the line/copy editor of The Time We Have - I've worked on Elliot's other games before (Project ECCO, Rom Com Drama Bomb) and I've been so impressed by each one.

The Time We Have launches on Backerkit on Oct 29th: you can sign up to follow the project here.

Lastly, if you've played Death of the Author, I'd love to hear about your game! Who was your Character? Who was your Author? What type of story did you tell? You can comment below, or tag me @GoblinMixtape pretty much everywhere on social media.

That's everything for now - I'll continue sending updates in the future when news arises.

Until next time.
~ Sam Leigh, the Author 

Hi all,

Quick note that I forgot to mention in the October Update - I'll be charging your card very soon after your survey is locked. You can expect the timeline to look something like this, starting at when your survey is completed:

0 hours - Survey completed
48 hours - Survey answers are locked
48-72 hours - Card is charged for shipping and add-ons
72 hours - Address is locked and shipping begins! (with a slight delay for those who added the physical version of The World We Left Behind)

This means that the sooner you complete the survey, the sooner you'll receive both the digital and physical versions of the game.

If you preordered, rather than backed the campaign, I will be charging cards in about 48 hours, and will send out a final notice for address changes since some of these were submitted a few months ago.

Once any required payment is collected, you'll receive an email about digital downloads! As of right now, the available downloads are:
- Pages & Spreads versions of Death of the Author
- Entire digital package for Anamnesis (if chosen as an add-on)

I am still working on the extras for Death of the Author, which are expected to be delivered in November. If you added on The World We Left Behind (thank you!), the PDF is expected to be delivered shortly after the rest - I am receiving the test print in the mail today and just need to double-check if anything needs to be edited before digital distribution (if all goes well, I'll be ordering TWWLB print run today!).

Once the first batch of backers who completed their surveys receive their digital copies, I will make the itchio page live to the public and will generate itchio download keys for backers.

If you have any issues with your survey, or with receiving your digital rewards, please let me know at [email protected].

Until next time.
~ Sam Leigh, the Author

The smoke test has been sent for the Backerkit surveys! This means about 5% of backers just received an email with a link to their survey. So long as no one runs into issues, the remainder of the surveys will be sent shortly.

Here are a couple things to know about the surveys:

If you backed at the digital level but have since decided you want a physical copy of Death of the Author, simply click the hyperlink on "$8 - Digital"....

....then click "Switch Pledge Levels?".

#2: You can add-on extra items to your pledge

After answering a couple questions, you'll be brought to the add-on page. Here, you can add any of the following items:

If you already added add-ons during the campaign, these will show on your list of items to the right.

If you run into any issues with your survey, or have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].

The test print arrived, and it looks wonderful!

I ordered the full print run, which is scheduled to arrive on Thursday. If all goes well, I'll be starting to mail out copies the week of Oct 14th to backers who have completed their surveys.

I'll be distributing the PDF version very soon - ideally within the next week. I originally said I'd be distributing the digital files over Itchio - this is still true, but I'll also now be distributing them via Backerkit. Once I have this set up, everyone who has completes their survey will receive an email with a link to the download page.

I'm still working on the digital extras (gameplay tracking sheet, audiobook, etc.) - I expect these to be ready in November.

I've been working on creating the tarot card extras, both the major and minor cards. During this, I decided to ditch the silver sharpie and instead use a black permanent marker to write on the cards. This is for a number of reasons:

There are still a handful of minor arcana cards available as add-ons. If you're using the Rider-Waite deck (illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith) to play, you can actually substitute this card into your deck and use it during gameplay.

That should be everything! If all goes smoothly, you should have digital and/or physical copies of Death of the Author in your hands by the next update. Thank you for your support!

Until next time.
~ Sam Leigh, the Author

The PDF of Death of the Author is almost, very nearly finalized! James has been sending me layout updates over the past month and I've just provided my final in-layout proofreading edits. We should be ordering the text print within the next week or so.

With that said, due to some members of the team catching sick and having unexpected life events, we've eaten through our "buffer month" of time and are now on a slight delay. Our timeline hasn't shifted by much, but here's an updated estimate!

September - Test print ordered
Early October - Full print run ordered
Late October - Fulfillment begins
November - Fulfillment ends

So long as the test print turns out well, we expect to complete shipping by mid-November, rather than the end of October. US backers are expected to receive their packages by the end of November, while international backers can expect the game to hit their mailbox by mid-December.

The PDF version of the game is still expected to be sent to everyone in early October. The extra digital supplements (audiobook, designer's commentary version, etc.) will likely be provided separately at a later date - I'm currently aiming for the end of October, though this might go into November.

I'll let you know if this timeline shifts at all in the future!

I'm putting the final touches on the Backerkit survey. As soon as it's ready, I'll send an update with instructions - a few backers will also receive the "smoke test" to ensure everything is working as intended.

As part of the survey, you'll have the option of upgrading your pledge and/or adding add-ons such as Anamnesis and my upcoming game The World We Left Behind (which, ironically, is on the same production schedule as Death of the Author!). I'm expecting to be sending out these surveys in the next couple of weeks, so be on the lookout for the update & survey in your email.

Lastly, I want to shout out the Backerkit campaign for Tangled Blessings: Echoes of Lost Electives! Tangled Blessings by Cassi Mothwin is a hack of Anamnesis that takes 1-2 players through a story of students at a foreboding magic academy.

This game is SO good. I've had an incredible time playing it myself and was delighted to contribute some prompts to the Echoes of Lost Electives expansion.

You can pick up both the core book and the supplement during this campaign, so check it out if it strikes your interest!


That's all for now! Thanks for reading - I'm incredibly excited about how Death of the Author has turned out and I can't wait to share this game with you.

Until next time.
~ Sam Leigh, the Author