The Campaign Builder's Guild

I just designed the cover around the illustration for it, by Jan Pospisil.

My mini-campaign arc, The Gift, intro adventure for Kaidan will be released in August 2009, coinciding with the release of Paizo Pathfinder RPG as a compatible product.

The Gift - what begins as a simple escort of a gift to a powerful lord in a foreign land leads to a series of uncanny events that risk more than the lives of a party of adventurers, rather the fate of their eternal souls. Deceit, vengeance and dark revelations follow the party as they explore a dark fantasy world called Kaidan: a Japanese Ghost Story setting. Kaidan is a breathtaking empire of samurai, ninja and undead lords rich in legend, culture and nightmares.

The Gift is a mini-campaign arc and an introduction to Kaidan, a dark fantasy setting of oriental myth and gothic horror. It is a world sure to make the bravest adventurer's blood run cold.

 

From what I know of cover design, I'd say lose the glow effect around the title text, though it works with the ethereal theme every amateur graphic artist uses the glow effect and it screams Photoshop Cover. Otherwise, I'd say it looks pretty good.

I tend to agree. The cover doesn't mention Pathfinder?

Very nice artwork.

Quote from: Elven DoritosFrom what I know of cover design, I'd say lose the glow effect around the title text, though it works with the ethereal theme every amateur graphic artist uses the glow effect and it screams Photoshop Cover. Otherwise, I'd say it looks pretty good.

I hear what you're saying, I chose the glow effects, not for "coolness" rather to help the red title stand out against the black. I did this for practical reasons only - not "effect". (Photoshop was not used in any part of this design!)

The original plan was to release this in July, thus OGL license, since Pathfinder is not released yet, which is why the PFRPG logo isn't on it. But now discussions with the publisher, a delay on the written portion is pushing it into August - so I decided to co-release it then with PF is released.

You're right though, I need to place the PFRPG Compatible logo on that cover yet.

Thanks

GP

You might want to consider a straight-up white or yellow stroke then

Good idea!

GP

Looks better.

It does look better.

As soon as I began to post this on some of the other bigger boards (EnWorld, Paizo, Goodman Games) I immediate was asked to point to a website for more information, which I didn't have. So I whipped up a quick website for the product. Though there's far more information about the setting here, its there for your perusal. I have some samples of other art there as well.

 Kaidan RPG website

Also, because I'm just to busy to do more than create outlines and storyboards for other authors to write the adventures, I was worried not being able to get modules out fast enough. The Gift is being written by Andy Champagne, the collaborative publisher on the project. He's still working on it, that's why I've delayed release until the release of Pathfinder in August.

However, I just picked up a new published writer from Australia who will begin to write the second adventure in the mini-campaign arc, that will be called Dim Spirit (Dim Spirit is the direct translation for "Yurei" the Japanese word for ghost.) He asked to be "conscripted into my Asian Horror army!"

And I'm talking with another interested unpublished writer from Australia, so my writing staff seems to be growing.

I'm starting to feel like a real publishing company with a staff of writers, editors and artists from around the world [artists from UK (teaching in China), S. Africa, and USA.] collaborative publisher in Boston, and me in north central Illinois.

There might be future opportunities to offer publishing opportunities for other CBG worlds, if Kaidan pans out like its seeming at this early stage. Possibilities anyway.

GP

Random tangent: GP, you're in Illinois? Weird, me too.

Ottawa, Illinois

GP

Good luck.

I saw the thread at Paizo: http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/announcements/theGift1stOf3PartMiniCampaignForKaidanAJapaneseGhostStorySetting

Glad to see you are getting some publicity.

When you release, don't forget to advertise at the GiTP forums (OOTS).

Congrats GP! Sounds like things are really coming together.

Flying Mice in Boston?

Not Flying Mice, the publisher I am collaborating with on Kaidan is Dementia 5 Publishing House, actually in Worchester, Mass, I believe.

GP

Edit: now I have an additional writer, working on the second module of the mini-campaign and he's from Perth, Australia, so the international team is growing.

Swear to God, Boston is getting overrun with gamers and publishers.  
I promise to puschase this when I can.  You always have fun ideas.