Welcome to Tikor PDF is HERE
about 1 month ago – Mon, Mar 11, 2024 at 11:53:14 AM

Hello Swordies,

To say that Welcome to Tikor has been fashionably late is an understatement of epic proportions. But alas, it is here. The PDF version at least. It’s been a long six-year journey to this point. Before I get into it, let’s cut to the chase. At 465 color pages, here it is.

Link for the Welcome to Tikor PDF
Password: welcometotikor2018

For those who have stuck with me through the crazy delay, I truly appreciate you. To those who left because of the delay, or other reasons such as my online behavior, I get it and I truly appreciate you all as well. Going from invisible to highly visible in a matter of a month was a lot to take in, that’s for sure. It’s all too easy to get sucked into, well, everything, that comes with it. And I did.

I eventually had to make the decision to just cut off all social media and focus on my writing and my personal life. This post-COVID economy has been a real drag and I have had to focus more of my attention on making money. That was only part of the reason.

The biggest hangup came with AMU canceling the contract for Welcome to Tikor. After that they didn’t answer any of my messages afterwards. Including my requests for getting the main design file for Welcome to Tikor. Here’s the thing, the book design and layout has been largely done since 2021. There were a few spot things to fix and then that was it. So, part of what I’ve spent the last few years doing is recreating/refining the book from the last proofread PDF I was sent.

The PDF still is missing one major thing because of that, the Table of Contents. I’ve had some glitches toward the end of finishing the TOC for the past few months, and I finally decided it wasn’t enough to hold back putting out the PDF any longer. (When I do finish the TOC, I’ll update the link and let folks know).

I hope that once you see how beautiful this book is you’ll understand why I’ve been nitpicky with it. I had a vision from the beginning of the Kickstarter how I wanted the book to look, and it finally has achieved that. Even if that means the book came in at double the page count (even with content cut...).

The loss of the AMU contract puts the print version of the book in a bind. It’s a 463-page color book so the estimates I had at the beginning of the KS are dead by that alone. Let alone the increased cost of paper and ink over the years. The current quotes I’m getting end up at around $60 a unit. Far too much.

I am, however, currently waiting for a softcover proof to show up in the mail in the next few days to see if what I have is truly print ready or not. Nevertheless, I have a good feeling that the finished PDF will help me find a new publisher partner to bring the print cost back down and make sure it’s print ready.

One big positive that came out working with AMU was that it really helped me sharpen my writing process in terms of handling huge documents. Managing a 700 manuscript isn’t something they really teach you in college and its caused a lot of headache for me in the first half of the process. It’s helped me fully outline the other three books. It’s a huge time saver.

Future Books

The next book will be Pantheons of Tikor, which covers in detail all the pantheons in Swordsfall. Welcome to Tikor touches on them enough that I think everyone will be excited to hear more detail about some of the interesting deities on Tikor. I’m about 40% done with it overall.

Going forward I’m going to stick to only posting on Kickstarter when there’s big news like releases, the proof comes in, etc. As for regular updates I’ll slowly be getting back into a regular rhythm of posting on the Swordsfall website and Patreon. Also, I’ll be bringing the shop back online soon and will have the PDF up there as well for sale. I’ve already plugged in the KS backers to the store to get copies for free so you have a constant way to get a copy. I’m sure folks have changed emails since the last time I added them, so when the time comes, I’ll ask for folks to send me their updated emails.

Likewise, I will be adding some new content to the Amazon store this year. I have some more short stories I’ve written in the last years that I’ll be selling once they get fully edited. Make sure to look out for that later on this year if you’re interested. Remember though, the Chronicles of Tikor series is largely just an all print version of what you already got in Welcome to Tikor. It’s a retread so only buy it if you want an all-text version/kindle version of it.

In regards of the Swordsfall TTRPG, I’ve been testing the dice system and seems to hold up alright so far. I want to get a proper test group together to have some folks break it and see how it goes. 8 of the 36 Professions are finished, mainly the ones for the Fifth Ebon Expedition campaign (which is still happening). Right now, I’m having to figure out how I want to book to go, because I keep running into the fact I have tome disease. If I include all the professions in the book, along with core rules and the system along with enough lore to make sense, it’s another 500+ page beast.

Once I know the dice system holds up to basic scrutiny, I’ll gather the core systems and such with no lore and see what the page count is like. I might put out a “lite” version that’s rules only if some folks would rather have that quickly. We’ll see once I do some group testing.

For those who just came for the Welcome to Tikor PDF are now out, I thank you again for everything. This is a world that has been in my head for literally 25 years, and I’m really excited for everyone to read it and see if they have the same joy that I have had with it. I hope that the book entices you to want more for the Swordsfall universe in the future.

To those wanting a physical copy, there is more waiting to come unfortunately. But I can promise you it will happen, and you will have it in your hands. This is my baby, and it means something personal to me to fulfill it to every single person no matter how long it takes. I can completely understand if that’s unacceptable to you, but if you’re willing to give me the chance, I will fulfill.

And now, I can officially say to everyone.

Welcome to Tikor.

Silent, but busy. A look at the Publishing Process
over 2 years ago – Mon, Nov 01, 2021 at 09:46:28 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Manuscript Done! And a Preview of Things to Come
about 3 years ago – Thu, Mar 04, 2021 at 04:19:19 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

The Beginning of the End: Part 1
about 3 years ago – Mon, Feb 08, 2021 at 02:45:22 PM

Greetings Swordies!

Do you hear that sound? That's the sound of the hype train being prepared and fueled up. Owen has been working on the layout style for Welcome to Tikor and it looks AMAZING.

The Introduction

As I mentioned before, Welcome to Tikor is laid out to show you the world and everything in it. Because the world and book so big, the initial chapter is Chapter 0 and it's a general overview of Tikor. The first page of the chapter starts off with the story of how Tikor Was Born, and it's the first gorgeous spread you get to see in the book.

After the story, you get another gorgeous spread, the Tikor world map. I'm really proud of this map I made. Again you have the distance marker to give you a sense of scale. It's a big planet even though it has a single mass of land. 

No matter how much is written in the book, the land itself is more than big enough for a TON of unique stories in your head or at the table.

From there you get a nice zoomed-in map of each section to give you a sense of where the areas are. As well, Owen even added in a kilometer marker so you get a sense of scale. Tikor is big. Earth big. And I don't think folks always got a sense of that.

The introduction chapter also goes over the planetary bodies such as the primary sun Ila along with some art to give you a sense of what it looks like. How good does Ila and Adume look over a DOME? So good.

More in March

For now, enjoy your peek at the layout. I think it all looks phenomenal, especially the shapes that make up the design on the edge of the pages. Each chapter will have its own color scheme for the page details so you can easily thumb through sections.

I'll have a lot more to tell you next month!

(It's getting so close I can taste it)

The End of 2020 Update!
over 3 years ago – Wed, Dec 30, 2020 at 10:35:40 PM

Hello, Swordies to the end of 2020!

What a wild year it has been. A global pandemic was definitely not on my cards for the year. I hope everyone was able to stay safe out there, though I know how hard that is. With the year coming to a close, I wanted to sum up the Kickstarter for 2020 and talk about 2021!

2021 Release

I’ll get the obvious out the way. Welcome to Tikor will not be out in 2020, but it will be out in 2021. I’ve gotten a bit of flak for “missing my release date,” and I want to talk more about the book, why it’s taking so long, and to tell the haters to calm down.

First off, I have to say that the way a few select backers have been absolute trolls is disappointing. There are not too many Kickstarters where the creator is as active as me. I know that. I back tons of projects as well. I can understand being excited for something to come out and disappointed when it takes longer. But some folks are making up idiotic conspiracy theories, and frankly, I’m tired of it. So we’re gonna get deep into what to expect next year and why you should be excited!

Welcome to Tikor, 4X the size

The number one thing I want everyone to remember is that Welcome to Tikor has grown significantly since the Kickstarter launch. I initially promised a 150-page book, no more than 200 pages. For the rest of 2019, I spent just writing and taking feedback as more people began to read the lore. One thing I was surprised by was how much people were interested in things like what people ate and naming conventions. Stuff that I honestly hadn’t really written or given too much thought about. But they were good questions, and ones I wanted to answer.

Also, I don’t want to do a part 2 to Welcome to Tikor. I want this book to be the main lorebook—a true survey of the world. So I wrote all that stuff up too. And no, it’s not feature creep (I’ve always been accused of that), but it’s more that I didn’t have to cut stuff out or hold back.

The book is now looking at 400 pages+. The first chapter, Garuda, clocked in at 38,000 words and 78 pages in Word, which will come out to at least 150 pages in final layout. Ya know, the size of the original BOOK.

Book Layout, Nine Mega Chapters

Welcome to Tikor is laid out in nine mega chapters, each one focusing on an area of the world, with the first chapter being an introduction. This is the chapter order

· Chapter 0 – Planet Tikor

· Chapter 1 – Garuda

· Chapter 2 – Vinyata

· Chapter 3 – Hawklore

· Chapter 4 – Grimnest

· Chapter 5 – The Independent Freeland of Teslan

· Chapter 6 – The Isle

· Chapter 7 – Ramnos

· Chapter 8 – The Canopy & the Ebon Cascade

What I want to do is really make it feel like a survey across the world. Each chapter starts off with a nice double-page splash art of the area. Then each chapter is broken down into its own sections that are roughly the same in each chapter.

Chapter 0 is your Introduction; it also gives you a rough summary of each area you’ll get into further in the book. It’s also where I drop some universal lore such as the mega war, The Longest Night, as well as what Ether is and how Hekan was discovered. That chapter has been completely finished and edited and came in at 20,000 words.

Layout of a Chapter

Each of the chapters has a similar layout; it details the major and minor areas, cultures that live there, and organizations. For example, in the Garuda chapter, I go over ten major areas: Adras Mountains, the Ghost Cliffs, the Deep Forest, the Ilun Valley, and more.

In those major areas, I go over the Weather, Local Ecology, and Local Geography in each one. If it has a major city in it, then I talk about the city and its Demographics, Industry, and Architecture. I do that for every Major Area and for each major city the area has.

The Minor Areas of each chapter is a mix of smaller places I’ve mentioned in the chapter and also the backer hometowns. Garuda has some of the most Minor Areas at 11, which lines up with the area's size.

The Cultures section of the chapter gives all the details on the cultures that live in the area. In Garuda, for example, there are the Karu, the See’er, and the Dihoma. I talk about their origins, deities, art, food, family names, and common taboos in each of those cultures. I also list notable and famous people from the culture. This has where I’ve spent the bulk of my time since I base my cultures on real African cultures. I want to make sure I’m respectful, which means a lot of research. And sometimes changing things. The culture sections are also some of the biggest sections of each chapter.

Finally, each chapter goes over the Organizations that call the land home. This usually includes the organization that runs the land along with the organization of each culture and such. Organizations have their overview, public agenda, and structure/leadership charts. For example, for the Garuda chapter, I tell you about the Divine Order the Phoenix and its sub-departments, such as the Eyes of Garuda, a spy organization.

It’s just a big ol jampacked book.

Early Access Model

I’ve been debating on doing it for a while now, but I’m gonna start embracing an Early Access model on more of my projects. I just did so with my converted Naruto ttrpg, Shadow Academy, and I think I’m going to do the same with Welcome to Tikor.

Basically, that just means I’m gonna put up the completed chapters as we go. For one, I think it’ll shut down the trolls trying to make it seem like the book is a grift or complain about how long it’s taking. I think a lot of people are sleeping on the detailed Welcome to Tikor is. I don’t think there’s really anything else like there like this. When people see the first chapter is bigger than the original full book, I think they’ll get it.

Chapter 0 and Chapter 1 are fully edited and in layout right now, which is about 200 pages right there alone. Chapter 2, Vinyata (32,000 words currently), is almost done on my end and will be sent to editing this month. Garuda and Vinyata are the two biggest chapters by far, with the following chapters being smaller. Places like the Isle and Canopy/Ebon Cascade have no cultures that live there. So if you’re trying to do some math based on the current time, don’t bother. It all goes faster the deeper in the book I get as I get to more adventurous areas.

See ya in 2021

That’s pretty much it, really. We’re at the most boring but most crucial stage of the book. It’s just a lot of lore detailing for me and the circle of sending things off to my editor and then refining that. The development cycle of this isn’t like an RPG; it’s like a novel. Which means just a lot of rewriting and retuning. I want this book to flow. It’s meant to be read. Not just be a “sourcebook.” So the writing is a lot more meticulously edited than I think people expect from a book like this.

I did underestimate how long the editing process takes for a serious book. I have to admit that in my personal life, I’m a quick and dirty editor. Which is what I based some of my time estimates on. However, my editor is a professional. They do editing at Paizo now, so that’s the level of their skills. It also means it takes a couple of months for a section to be edited. But I’ve never had any so thoroughly edit my work, complete with notes.

Also, knowing there’s gonna be 10,000 copies of my book out there drives me to make it as close to perfect as possible.

Thanks for everyone’s support! As much as I do get hate mail, I also get a ton of messages from backers who understand, so I appreciate you all!