Four Horsemen Universe RPG: Savage Worlds Edition

Plot Complications and Progress
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Jul 29, 2022 at 10:13:00 PM

Greeting Mercs!

Real life has thrown us a couple of curveballs - those of you who follow us on social media probably already know Mark had to take up a day job (and by day job, I mean all day), which has put a huge crimp in all his other work. Meanwhile, I had my own complications - my sister was found unresponsive in her home, and after three different hospitals she passed away. As I'm the only other member of our family left - things have been a handful.

Now onto where we are. Our layout person is taking Chapter One (the greatly expanded character chapter), and laying it out to see where we fall with space once you add in trade dress, so we can see which races need trimming or expanding and where we can fit in sidebars. This will also give us a good idea going forward of how much fits on a page once you factor in art and trade dress.

I'm expanding the material in Chapter 2 - Equipment, increasing the variety of gear, adding more background information, and increasing the detail for those who want a bit more nitty-gritty in their game. Note that this chapter does not include CASPers - that was the first chapter finished so we could get to play testing to mechanics.

I wish I could give you an ETA, but as traditional for Kickstarters, life had other ideas, and I don't want to make promises we can't deliver. Stay tuned for continued updates as we forge ahead. 

Roll to resist real life
about 2 years ago – Tue, May 03, 2022 at 12:40:01 PM

There's not exciting news, but I wanted to touch base with everyone. Our original hope was to have to book out by Liberty Con - this won't happen. Between the one-two punch of the book massively expanding (yay!) and real world intruding (boo!), we've fallen behind our admittedly optimistic goal.

What's going on now? Mark is writing up a bunch of behind-the-scenes sidebars, providing some deep lore for the 4HU. I've finished the overhaul of the character section, expanding the info provided for each race, adding more races, and including more character building options. This section is three times as large as the original would have been.

I'm now going through the gear and equipment chapter, and expanding it, providing not only more choices within the book, but also more in-universe info on the gear itself - especially weapons. Mercs love weapons.

Our goal has always been to make this a sourcebook for fans of the Four Horsemen Universe, whether you're a gamer or not. This extra material supports that mission, but it takes time - a precious commodity, especially nowadays. I don't want to give a new estimate only to disappoint you. If you've paid attention to the news, there's a lot going on in supply chains, including impacts on the printing industry.

We'll continue to forge ahead, and keep you updated. Kill aliens, get paid!

Quick Update!
about 2 years ago – Thu, Mar 10, 2022 at 03:32:05 PM

Hi Friends, 

Just wanted to drop a quick note here to let you all know that the physical items are starting to arrive, and looking awesome! Work is proceeding apace on the book also, with Jon working hard on the writing of all the details, Mark kicking in when he can or is needed. The Dice are in and exactly as we hoped they would be, and the coins have arrived, also looking excellent. T-shirts will be ordered soon, and the poker chips are in hand at present. The artwork has been coming in and we are stoked about it. We are all excited about this project and want to get it done and out to you all as soon as possible, but we also want to make it the best we possibly can. 

To tide you over and give you something to enjoy, here is the artwork for a newer race, the Padda. 

Thanks so much, 

Mark and Jon

February 2022 Update
over 2 years ago – Mon, Feb 07, 2022 at 06:40:18 AM

What's going on?

We're still working on the book despite IRL demands. Mark and I have both had a lot on our plates, but we're still forging ahead one hammerfall at a time. The character section is being overhauled due to the expansion that comes with having more book space. We've added additional races, and we're providing more details on the races. This means combing through tons of material to try to reconcile the work of a dozen authors. For those who've seen the original prototypes, races got about half a page each. This has been expanded to roughly two pages per race, including artwork.

We're also including alternative character construction options for groups who want their characters to hit the battlefield ready to rumble. These will be at the discretion of the game master, of course, but should better prepare characters for their careers in the Galactic Union, whether mercenaries or not.

If you haven't joined the 4HU page on Facebook, I'd suggest doing so. It's a great way to interact with authors and fans as well as get glimpses under the hood, like the recent discussion on mercenary unit size and composition.

Lastly, here are so samples of art from the playable races. Which one do you want to play?

Quick update!
over 2 years ago – Mon, Dec 20, 2021 at 07:07:04 PM

Thanks so much to all our backers! Writing is proceeding apace, as well as artwork, and boy does it look great! Dice and chips have been ordered, and all is moving forward on time at present. T shirts will be ordered in January, and the backerkit will be finalized and charged in mid january, so if you haven't ordered those last few things you want there's still time! 

We look forward to delivering this on time in June! 

Thanks again for all your support! 

Mark and Jon