Update on Silverheart, Manaheim, and Dragepust

Happy New Year!

2023 ended in a hectic sprint, 2024 starts with a bang, and a lot has happened on the creative front lately. Time for a little update.

Silverheart

It has been a hectic final sprint with Silverheart, which is finally finished! From the first email to Kongsberg Municipality in September 2022 until the project was delivered to print in January 2024, 599 hours went by. Even more hours will follow with the packing of the shipment.

It is post-production that has taken far more time than I budgeted for. That means design, a second round of proofreading, formatting files for the print shop, and following up with the printer.

Because of a fixed deadline the book went to press, and I can see afterwards that a couple of typos snuck in. That is quite alright, and I don't feel it will define the quality of the work.

As for the choice of printer, I went with LaserTrykk. It would probably have been cheaper to print in Asia or Eastern Europe, but given uncertain times for logistics, it was more important to me to be sure the books arrived on time. I am also very pleased with the customer experience at LaserTrykk. The order for the first print run looks like this:

• 400 books, B5, 115 gram paper, digital color print

• 150 maps, 700 mm x 1000 mm, 130 gram synthetic paper

• 150 boxes, B5, designed for the game

• 500 player booklets, A5, 130 gram paper, color

• 1500 character sheets, B5, 130 gram paper, black/white

• 1000 dice, 16mm, red casino dice (ordered externally)

• 150 spokesperson cards (ordered externally)

• 150 game tokens (red glass beads) (ordered externally)

The total cost of this order comes to around 85,000 NOK.

A more complete reflection and summary of the project will come in time.

Manaheim

Since last time I have become a board member, and eventually chairman of the board, of Manaheim. It is fun! To put it mildly, I am thrilled that a specialist store focused on social games has finally opened in Kongsberg. When an opportunity opened up to get involved in this organization, it was hard to say no.

Manaheim is a wonderful meeting place for game enthusiasts in Kongsberg, dedicated to promoting roleplaying games, board games, miniature games, and card games. The venue has an inclusive environment where players of all skill levels can gather, learn, and share their passion for games. The goal is to:

• Create an inclusive and engaging environment for players across the region.

• Strengthen the gaming community through events and social interaction.

• Offer a wide selection of games and accessories available to everyone.

Check out a Manaheim promo here: https://youtube.com/shorts/9zv8NM_vPXQ?si=0YL3ay7bFl6FM7g1

Dragepust

In November and December 2023, Spillforlaget, in collaboration with Outland Forlag, launched their fantasy roleplaying game Dragpust on the Kickstarter platform.

It was a spectacular launch, likely the biggest ever for roleplaying games in Norway, measured in pre-orders and money raised. I am wildly happy for these guys' success and keep my fingers crossed that it takes off further when it hits the stores.

As a bonus, I have been asked by the authors to write an official adventure for Dragepust, to be published in 2024. It was a big deal to be asked, so I have said yes, and I already have some good ideas for what the adventure will be about. There is a certain risk it will involve mines and such, colored by Silverheart...

The Road Ahead

Going forward, it is first and foremost about the launch of Silverheart. Packing all the sets, distributing books and sets to retailers, setting up the web shop, updating the website, getting the stand ready at KongsbergMarken and finishing the workshop for the lower secondary school teachers so they can put Silverheart to use as a teaching method in school.

Breathe from the belly, KO, breathe from the belly...