Luka Rejec’s beautiful cover in the flesh!
Having approved the proofs from both DrivethruRPG and Lulu.com, my low-level OSR adventure module is now available in print from those vendors. I am quite happy with this as someone who, while regularly purchasing PDF resources, only makes use of things for which I have physical copies. As someone who has worked in digital publishing for more than a decade and whose dissertation was written in XML before that was cool, my Luddite tendencies when it comes to books sometimes surprises even me — heck, I’ve never managed to read in eBook in all the years that I have been producing them for a paycheck!
Leaving aside issues of hypocrisy or technophobia, though, there are some real reasons to check out the print version of Automata Run Amok. Chief among these is that the map key portions of the module (see my previous post) were arranged on purpose to take advantage of the two-page spread. That explains the following features:
Interior spread (Map Key)
- The map key portions of the module are oriented differently than the rest of the adventure (landscape versus portrait) and the spreads are flipped so that you can turn the book and read straight down across the gutter.
- All keying information appears on the same spread as the relevant mini-map (the map appearing in the top-left of the spread when you hold the book sideways).
- Visual information trackers and commentary for section of the map key always appear at the lower-right of the page spread.
While I have been happy with the comments on the layout of the PDF version to date, I think these choices show my print prejudice and my future publications will likely save these flourishes for a print-only layout since they add little to the reader’s experience when viewed in a digital format. Lesson learned!
Links to Print Versions
- DrivethruRPG: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/198834/Automata-Run-Amok
- Lulu.com: