Red Carnations on a Black Grave

Where We Are, or, Why Proofreading is Achilles and the Tortoise
over 3 years ago – Thu, Oct 15, 2020 at 01:15:30 PM

Hey everyone, I'm sorry I delayed this because I was really hoping that the next announcement from me would have been the release of the PDF to everyone. Let me bullet point where we are and then get into details:

• Proofing took a while but is in the very last stages
• As soon as I get the final clean copy ready we'll start releasing PDFs
• We'll start the process of printing at the same time

Before I started designing sad historical story games (and before I was a database developer, which is my day job), I started out as an editorial assistant. This was so long ago that the books I worked on actually used a photographic process to print--the books were designed in Quark, but the printers had only just started to be able to get the Quark files and use those to output directly to the press.

I mean, there were other things that were hard too. I'm one of the few people I know who has actually hand-indexed a book. (This is how you did it: you read the text, noting terms you wanted to index on an index card--of course!--along with the page number, and then put subsequent page numbers on each card as you found the term. And then probably went back and checked a bunch of times.) Nowadays, so much of this stuff is easier; you can get your software to index words automatically, generate tables of contents, and create everything the printer needs in much less time.

Proofreading, however, pretty much remains where it has always been: an arduous process that is best left to experts. (I'm not one of them; I'm a decent editor but a lousy proofreader, and yes those are different jobs. Despite this, I still know the old proofreader's marks that aren't used much in our digital age.) And proofing isn't a single pass process; you get the corrections, have them put in, then take a pass to make sure they've all been corrected properly. This is how it is supposed to go--it's easy to make a mistake when applying a correction, and our modern tools sometimes make find and replace your worst enemy.

I had wanted to get the first pass corrections back by the start of July, and our English proofreader, the redoubtable Jared Smith--seriously, he's good, if you need a proofreader or editor he's your guy--managed to do just that. But I also needed a French proofreader to go through and make sure the French passages were correct, as well as make sure there weren't any remaining stupid mistakes of geography and to a lesser extent history. And here the global pandemic intervened; there were some COVID-related issues around my original choice for the task, which resulted in loss of contact for a while. And this was happening during my own COVID exile away from my home. By the time I made the call to get a new French reader (and thanks to a certain backer who got me a terrific substitute), we were in the vacation period in France. So one way or another, the proofs didn't get finished until the start of September.

I wish I could tell you that over here at Aviatrix Games we're a bustling concern with plenty of staff, but of course I'm just one cat working with her friends to make something. Jason did a great job at getting the corrections in, but the second pass found a few glitches. So those needed to get sent to him, but now we're in the middle of his own Kickstarter (Sig: City of Blades. Check it out, it's great!) So bottom line is that the most recent round of corrections is still being put in, but it shouldn't take too much longer. And at that point you'll all get the PDF. 

I know this is frustrating to you. It's frustrating to me, and I worked in publishing long enough to know this sort of stuff happens and is a part of the process. (I remember having to make corrections after the film negatives of the book had already been created, which was a VERY expensive proposition back in the day.) I've lived with the Paris Commune in my head for going on three years now, in the middle of a period of history that is turbulent to say the very least. And I've also fallen into the trap of not keeping you caught up, because of the anxiety of our age and the fact that I know where the status is, but that still leaves you all in the dark. But we really are finally getting closer to the end here. And in a bit of irony, this probably puts the physical game in your hands in time for the 150th anniversary of the Paris Commune.

I'll leave you with one anecdote that kind of illustrates the contradictory nature of proofreading. Every French speaker who has seen this phrase “Tout ce qui n’est pas avec nous est contre nous” on one of the Placards has wanted to correct it (the last round had “tous ceux qui ne sont pas avec nous sont contre nous” which is better modern French.) Roughly it means "All those who are not with us are against us." But of course, 90% or so of the Placards I sourced from original posters printed during the Commune period, and this one is no exception:

Of course, the irony is that I got it wrong myself once, in an elementary error of French that I really do actually know (it has to be ce qui but at least once I had it as ce que). So it goes; even when you're right, you need to get your work checked. It's correct on the files now. And I hope very soon you'll have it to look at yourself.

Thank you again for all your patience and support. I am as always humbled and honored by it.

Best,

Cat Ramen

Current Status: Out For Proofreading
almost 4 years ago – Fri, Jul 10, 2020 at 07:06:23 PM

Hey everyone, here's a quick update as to where we are. It's positive, although in the stop-and-start way of a lot of publishing projects.

Since last update we have completed the full layout of the entire text and all the cards and the box design. Jason came up with something that is very stark and should look good with semi-gloss picking out the flower:

The text has gone through the first round of proofreading and we have a bunch of changes to get into the text based on that. I also have the text out for a final review with a close Parisian friend to make sure any silly little mistakes in either French or facts don't creep in.

Once we have the changes back we'll finally be able to upload the text to our publisher. There's going to be more waiting for them to get us proofs and any changes to the design we'll need to make based on their recommendations, so I can't give you a press date except to say it's a lot closer than it's been at any time prior. We really are finally entering the end of the project. And as previously mentioned, as soon as we get the text finalized the PDFs will be released for print and play enjoyment.

As always, I thank you for your patience and support.

Best,

Cat

Latest Status Update
almost 4 years ago – Tue, May 05, 2020 at 05:50:08 PM

Hello everyone,

I hope you and those close to you are weathering the current crisis as well as you can. This is a trying time for everyone and one of enormous uncertainty.

Since last I updated you, we have resolved the problems with the files and Jason completed a full layout of the text and cards. I sent him my corrections and he is getting those into the file, along with final checks against the printer's requirements.

Once those changes are done and I've approved them, we will get this out for final proofreading (including contextual reading by a native Parisian) and we will finally close the book, as it were, on this stage of the process.

After that we will begin working with the printer in earnest to get proofs of the materials and schedule the actual printing.

At this point I'm not sure to what degree the current international situation will affect the printing and shipping but I have reached out to the printers to get some updates. It would be foolish to think there won't be some impact but I am hoping it will be reasonably low impact. 

When we have the layout locked we'll get going on getting you the PDFs with the print and play cards so you'll have working copies of the game.

Right now timelines are a bit uncertain but I'll try and get back to you as soon as they firm up.

I appreciate so much the patience you have all shown and we are grinding away at this while dodging the increasing number of unforeseen obstacles the present is throwing at us. This is a frightening time for everyone and I hope you continue to remain safe. And as always you have my deepest thanks for the interest in this little game of mine.

Progress Update: Commune Day, Solidarity, and Be Safe
about 4 years ago – Thu, Mar 19, 2020 at 03:13:30 AM

Today is the 149th anniversary of the start of the Paris Commune!

From the historical background section of Red Carnations on a Black Grave:

Remaining in Paris, Thiers now cast a worried glance at the northwestern, working-class districts of Montmartre and Belleville. The citizens of those neighborhoods had banded together to buy older cannons for their National Guard units when the government failed to arm them (an early example of successful crowdfunding!) These guns were now moved to the top of the Butte of Montmartre, one of the highest points in the city, where they could easily fire down on any invaders. On March 17, Thiers ordered units of the national army to seize the cannons and drag them down the hill. In the early morning hours of March 18, two brigades of soldiers quietly moved through the streets of Montmartre, heading to the Champ Polonais (site of the present-day Basilica Sacre-Coeur) where most of the cannons were parked.

Initially the soldiers had little difficulty in achieving their objective. They had taken Montmartre by surprise, and with barely a shot fired—the only casualty was a National Guardsman on sentry duty named Turpin, who was shot and later died. Soon the cannons on the Butte de Montmartre were in the army's possession, and proclamations by Thiers saying the seizure of the cannons was necessary for the public order were pasted up.

But now their difficulties began. The expedition had been organized so hastily that there were not enough horses to haul away the guns. While the soldiers waited for them to be fetched, Montmartre's women, including Louise Michel, began to gather on the Champs Polonais. They blocked the horses that began to arrive, and began to mingle with the soldiers, offering them bread and wine. Meanwhile National Guardsmen began to organize and move towards the army troops. At the Champs Polonais, the commander of the army troops, General Lecomte, finally ordered his men to fire into the crowd to chase them away. The angry crowd pleaded with the soldiers not to fire into people who were their wives, their mothers, their children. Three times Lecomte issued his order, and three times the crowd held its breath. After the third order, one of the army officers, Captain Lalande, told Lecomte that he was under arrest. The troops turned their rifles upside down, butts in the air, a sign they would not fire. Thiers' gamble had failed.

Here's a quick update of where we are: Jason is still working on the layout, we had some trouble with the files but he's making progress on it and I should have something ready for proofing soon. Meanwhile the look gets better on every iteration, here's a couple of spreads with the artwork incorporated:

This is pretty nice improvement on the already nice results I showed you before! Jason and I are both committed to getting the pdf out to you all as soon as we have the copy proofed. As for the physical copies, obviously everything is currently disrupted but as soon as we move into that phase of the process I'll update you with what the publisher says. I honestly don't know how the current lockdowns are going to affect fulfillment but we'll get them to you if I have to sit up nights filling out the mailers myself.

Meanwhile, we're all being impacted by the current pandemic crisis. I've been on self-imposed lockdown for about five days now with little expectation that it will lift. Last night I was thinking about how there are some similarities between the present crisis and the conditions in Paris from January through March 1871: a sense of claustrophobia, necessities running out, massive inequality, and, well, let's just say a lack of leadership from the top. But those conditions created a solidarity and a revolution that rocked the world, if only tragically briefly. In this time of isolation remember you have comrades out there in the world. So check in on them with phone or chat, and show your solidarity by keeping everyone as safe as possible and following social distancing guidelines. (If you haven't tried playing an rpg online, now is a great time to start, of course!) 

We may be apart but we're all in this together.

All my best, and vive la Commune!

--Cat

Update on Progress, plus: ART!
about 4 years ago – Tue, Feb 18, 2020 at 06:21:53 PM

I'd like to catch folks up on where we are. Progress is being made slowly and mostly surely!

Jason is currently doing another pass on the layout to incorporate the art we received from Juan Ochoa and the last couple of things I owe him. When that's finished we'll probably be ready to send it out for proofreading and then finalization of the files to get them ready to print. We've already proofed the card deck and I'm just waiting to get the art for the new characters so that I can strike off a prototype deck and bring it with me to Breakout.

Now, speaking of art, we got the interior art back from Juan and it's very lovely! I thought I'd share some pieces with you.

Here's a lovely image set during the Bloody Week that I think captures a lot of the spirit of the doomed last ditch resistance.

Juan gave us color, greyscale, and line art versions of all the illustrations so we can use them in a variety of ways. Here we see some citizens worried about the sudden turn of events for the worse that is the action of Act II of the game.

The pétroleuses were a myth of the reactionary response to the Commune--supposedly there were a bunch of women with gasoline bombs (Molotov cocktails avant la lettre) running around and setting fire to Paris. (There were fires and some were set by the Communards but not with the nihilistic abandon of the pétroleuse myth; in fact most of the fires were the result of the French Army's shelling of Paris.)

However if there has to be a myth, let it be this fine lady. I think I'm in love with her.

Again I want to thank everyone for their support and patience. We're trying to bring this thing to glorious life and I think it's going to be a really fine looking game when it's published.