Silvery Moon Tavern

Silvery Moon Tavern, my (Rocky's) newest supplement is off to the editors. It was a difficult process to complete the book, and I thought some of our fans may be interested in what goes on behind the process.

The first step of any book is an idea. After Gamehole Con in November, Ian, Jake and I were discussing what's next. We have created a city that our adventures revolve around. The Orbs series and the Blood Pharaoh both have ties to Redstone. We decided it was necessary to begin detailing what Redstone is. Through that, we decided there are a few almost must have locations in an adventuring area. The tavern sounded interesting to me, so I started it. We also have long term plans for shops, the castle, the temples and churches, and guilds.

Moving the project forward immediately became difficult. As the holidays loomed down, family, friends, and work took more and more of my time. But, I still was able to get a bit done here and there. An outline, a couple of lines, ideas for artwork were accomplished in the scant minutes available.

As January's cold grip took hold of Michigan, I started to write. Slowly at first, but gaining momentum as I saw the pages fill up. As January turned to February, I was still writing, but also re-drafting as I went. When I couldn't write, I worked on the cover, changing colors a dozen times, the layout 5 times, and the font at least 3 times.

Redrafting is important. I didn't even have a first draft done when I started the second. That's my process, though. I am constantly going through and re-reading, making sure that similar ideas are in one paragraph, not three, separated by two other ideas. Even as I finished the "final draft," I still went through and read again. I'm not a master of the craft, and every time I read it, I still find mistakes or ways to tighten up wordings.

Then I released some screenshots to the community. The background I loved made it too difficult to read. That's a hearbreaker sometimes. But, when striving to make a product better, you HAVE to listen to the people that take time to give you feedback. They are the ones that will be using the product.

Finally, I have two versions ("color" and B&W) of the book, nearly finished. I am just waiting on edits and maps to finalize the product. As you can see, it is a long process. One that involves joy and sorrow. When the book hits OBS and the GaryCon Dealer Hall, I hope you all enjoy it!