So back on November 17th last year, I announced I would no longer be working for Kort’thalis Publishing, with the exception of one project. That project had a lot of pre-design layout done for it already, and as it was a big project, I felt that it was not professionally appropriate to leave it mid-production. Another legacy of my previous professional career and almost-pathological need to not let people down.
I have mixed feelings about that. On one hand it was regular work that really helped my freelancing start for which I am eternally grateful. On the other hand, I was working on projects where I felt a little uncomfortable and even anxious. Anyway, I felt it was better to cut my association and start to feel easier about work I was doing and my place in the RPG-sphere.
Freelancers can get caught up easily in dramas surrounding their clients, and that’s something that I never fully understood when I started out. Some people don’t worry about that, but when you are making a full time career from the hobby you love so much, sometimes you have to make difficult decisions.
Months have passed while the manuscript has been worked on, and I’ve worked on the final product on and off for the last couple of months. It is now done. Cha’alt for Kort’thalis Publishing is now out in the wild on DriveThru, and being printed by a high-quality, renown printer based in Canada. The quality will be TOP NOTCH!
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/284600/Chaalt
Aside from the drama, I am actually really looking forward to the hardcover, dust jacketed, foil blocked, cloth-covered book I have laboured hard and lovingly on the layout/maps for. As I layout books, I read snippets and look for context to place art and such. I’ve always thought Venger was a more-than-capable writer, and great creative, and I am glad that this book moved back to less contentious subject matter, and focused its energy on a bit of scifi gonzo megadungeon without too much drama within.
The final product is grandiose, amusing, and weird. Any player traversing the desert of S’kbah and visiting its many locations is in for a wild ride. If nothing else, it’s worthy of your time to read through.
So, that’s it. My time working with Kort’thalis Publishing and Venger Satanis has finally ended. Hopefully, Cha’alt is a fitting end to that era, and you should definitely check it out. The hardcovers will be very limited edition!
