Critical Kit

iHey all,

Firstly, a belated Happy New Year to all!

I wanted to let you know where we are with Wires, because even though we are running very late on this project, you should also have the confidence that we will deliver.

Before I tell you where we are at, let me remind you to grab your beta copy. It's the full game, so you can download it and start playing immediately. If you are a backer, please go back a couple of updates to find the URL or drop me a message here and I will keep checking in over the next week and email you the details to get your copy (don't post any email addresses in the comments, we can find you by your backer details!).

Now, we have the proofread copies back which means Simon and I will start trawling through the edits this week and deciding what to change and what to keep as is. As soon as we have done that, I will upload the final version to our store and, if you have already downloaded the PDF, you will get an email telling you there is an updated version along with a link.

Then we are going straight to print. We've been told it will take a round five weeks, but we are going to keep are fingers crossed that we can get it a bit faster. I'll keep you updated at the point the print finally gets in process.

That's all for now.

Thank you for your patience, we do have a game for you, we are producing a book that is absolutely gorgeous and something we're sure you will enjoy and will take pride and place on your shelves.

I'll be back soon with more on your rewards.

Tim (& Simon)

Hello!

Firstly, Simon and myself want to thank you for your patience whilst we have tweaked, agonised and gone above and beyond with everything about this project.

The idea for Wires in The Woods was first sparked when we both met at a comic con over 2 years ago. Since that time, we have created a world that is both rich and unique and brought it into the pages of this book.

Today, after a lot of work, we are thrilled to release the beta version. I say Beta, because we still have to let our wonderful proofreader, Chrissy work her magic. However, the art, layouts and mechanics are all done and the text is 99% correct bar some grammar and readability checks. In short, we are happy for you to see the game.

Hello!

I spend much of my day walking the fine line between capitalism (running a small publishing business) and creativity (trying to write great games, storylines, screenplays and so forth). But in between that, I travel a lot as part of what I do. That's mainly to conventions or industry events.

I'm privileged in the the sense that I can do this as part of earning my living, but it's also pretty tough going. This year alone, I've flown on 18 economy flights, been to five countries and three continents, taken countless planes, trains and ubers to and from my destinations, stayed in AirBnBs and hotels that range from comfortable to murder rooms, attended dozens of meetings, met thousands of gamers, lost my voice, got flu and/or exhaustion and so much more. In between all of that, I have to find time to daydream so I can create things, as well as be a dad and husband.

I love it, but I don't want it to pass me by in a blur.

That's why I'm starting a new series of posts called Dispatches, over on my Patreon,  in which I will give you a glimpse behind the scenes at the places we go in the name of getting games out into the world. Not only that, I want to talk more about the multitude of ways games can get from a spark of an idea to a table somewhere on the other side of the world.

So, starting this week, I shall begin my report from the front line of game publishing. It will all begin with a trip to Philadelphia on Wednesday for Pax Unplugged. Then, two days after we return from the USA, we'll be heading to London for Dragonmeet.

These posts will be free to everyone, but I will continue creating exclusive content for my paying Patreons.

Please do sign up for the free tier on my Patreon if any of this interests you.

Right, that's all for now, gotta go pack!

Tim x

Hey all,

Firstly, thank you for all of your feedback yesterday. The overwhelming majority of you have expressed that you are happy to wait for edge printing. Heard!

However, that leaves me with a number of backers who also appreciate the second bookmark because of its utility - I imagine you have played solo games before. 

Now, if we are adding edge printing, it's not financially viable for us to have second bookmark printed. But, I have an idea.

What we can do financially, is to  print actual recycled card bookmarks using the same design as the edge printing. This way, we can create something as beautiful as the book that everyone can use in the game (or with any other book).

How does that sound?

Tim (& Simon)

Hey all,

So, much has been happening over the past few weeks and we've a fair bit of news to give you about the project. Please read this as, despite the delays, we have some good news.

The Book.

We're almost ready to send out in PDF format. Simon is tweaking layouts and I am doing a few last minute edits. I'm still aiming to get this to you this month and give you all two to three weeks to have a read and report back. At the same time as you get the book we will be sending it for a final proofread, so we can get it straight out to the printers.

Naturally, I have seen Simon's layouts and art and he has gone above and beyond. This book is going to be as gorgeous to look at as it is to play.


Production time.

So, I have had the news that in order to do edge-printing on the pages, the books will need to be shipped from the printers to Germany and then to us, which is going to add weeks onto the process. I have an alternative that might work for everyone which will slim down the production time. Instead of edge printing, we can add a second ribbon bookmark in a different style. IMO, this would offer more utility as during the game you will need to flip between a couple of sections in the book. Before I commit to that, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Tariffs.

Lots of great news on this front. Not only will we be shipping from within the states, which will allow us to ensure tariffs don't affect our US backers. We also believe that as most of the assembly and production of major parts of the box sets are carried out in the UK, we can assign this product as manufactured in the UK. That will keep nasty charges down. I'll confirm this in a couple of weeks.

Add-on games.

I've decided that as fulfilment is not coming until after Christmas, I intend to work out a means of sending you any other games you have ordered as PDFs before we hit the festive season. This way you can enjoy the extra games you have ordered rather than waiting for your physical rewards to arrive. I'll need to do a bit of programming magic to make this happen, but I'll action this before Christmas, so be on the lookout in your inboxes.

Final production.

Once all the final production is underway, I'll return with updates on progress. We are expecting everything to take 5-6 weeks once we give it the all clear, so if we can do this in December, my hope is that everything begins to go out in January 2026.

Shipping Addresses.

Once we have everything out for print, I will give you the option to change your addresses as I know some of you may have moved. Lesson learned: next time I do a campaign I won't lock things down as hastily!

That's all for now, but I'll keep you updated as things progress. Please let me know if you have any 

All the best,

Tim (& Simon)