CAH Update

[Eddy Fate]

It's time again to update everyone on the progress of the current Cartoon Action Hour projects.

CAH Hardcopy

* We've been getting artwork in by the droves and it's very, very good stuff!  Roughly 60 pieces of art will be going into this book, making it a visual treat!

* The most current prototype of the cover looks highly dynamic!  As good as any cover we've ever seen on a game product.  That said, due to complications, we may have to go with a backup plan (i.e., another artist).  

* I'm working on the first round of editing, and checking over all the math for the characters from the "Iconia" book-within-a-book.  Once this is all done, we send the manuscript to yet another copy editor.  We want this book to be as free of errors as possible.

* The character sheet is being worked on right now too.  This version is much better than the one from the PDF version.  It's a two-page sheet with an optional third page "cover sheet" which is fashioned to look like an action figure package.  The area where the action figure would go is designated for you to do a character sketch.  

* There's a whole new section of the book with optional rules in it:  an alternate experience system, expanded goon rules, more elaborate rules for "giant transforming robots" and more.

* Jared Brown is currently plugging away at the mini-comic that goes into the Iconia section.  We're excited to see this come to fruition as it's the first comicbook Cindi's ever had published.  ;)

* We've made a few organizational changes to the book as well, but this was merely done to make it easier to navigate.  Nothing major though.

* We've renamed a few of the SA modifiers for clarity.  For example, "Major Restriction" and "Minor Restriction" have been changed to "Major Disadvantage" and "Minor Disadvantage" respectively, due to the fact that negative modifiers, as a whole, are called "Restrictions".

* Levi Davis is working with us on the book's layout.  The layout is more bold and interesting this time around and reflects the genre even more than the PDF version did.[/list:u]

After These Messages issue #1

Right now, we're focusing entirely on getting the articles completed.  We haven't begun work on the layout and such yet.

ATM will most likely carry a $5.00 price tag and will be released on a quarterly basis.

Here's a listing of what the premiere issue will feature:

* An article about creating more dynamic characters.

* An article featuring some new optional combat rules, such as shield usage.

* A detailed write-up for "Galactic Heroes", the series in which Kargorr was the main villain.  And yes, we include his stats!

* An article about converting your favorite cartoon characters to CAH.

* An article with rules for spaceship combat.

* A full preview for the hardcover edition of CAH.

* A spotlight on CAH artist Jared Brown.[/list:u]

Miscellaneous
Eventually, we will be doing an annual update for each series that we have a Series Book for.  Each mini-sourcebook will introduce a new season of the "show", including new characters, updated versions of existing characters, new hardware, new locales and new ideas for storylines.  We're still uncertain whether these will be in PDF or hardcopy format.

We have recently discussed doing a spin-off game.  This game would be a fast and furious miniatures battle game based on the different CAH series.  No, you won't have to spend a bunch of money on expensive metal miniatures.  Rather, the game will use cardboard "stand-up" miniatures.  It will be available in two formats: starter kits and enhancement packs.  Don't worry though, it's not a collectible game (i.e., you won't have to buy packs in hopes that you'll get the character you want), so again, it won't be an expensive endeavor.  More on this later, as we learn more.

We plan to start working up a "demo team" program soon.  So, CAH enthusiasts will be able to teach people the game at cons and stores ... and receive cool prizes for doing so!