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Afterglow, Adventures in the Shatterlands

Created by New Terra Studios

Survive the slow death of a world run by broken AIs. Explore the Shatterlands—a living apocalypse where machines dream, faith mutates, and humanity decides what deserves to survive. Campaign is to finish funding core artwork for the book.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Layout/Design Freeze! Progress! AND MORE!
2 months ago – Thu, Jul 30, 2026 at 08:39:28 PM

Hello all,

Time for a long overdue update.

The blank masters have arrived and they are monstrous:
  • Paperback: 3.9 lbs
  • Hardcover: 4.4 lbs
  • Special Editions: 4.5 lbs
Internal content came in at 552 pages.


The one thing still open is the cover material for the Special Edition. I've rejected every sample sent so far. None of them met the feel I want for this book, and I'd rather hold a few days than approve something I'm not excited to own my self. I think we're close.

Once that's locked, here's the path as i know it:
  • Physical printed proofs in the next week or two
  • Proof approval
  • Final survey goes out
  • PDF codes get delivered
  • Books show up here in Wisconsin in early October.

I'll update again as soon as the proofs are in hand and hopefully remember to take some pictures this time...

Best regards,
=Popples

Update from the Shattered Lands
3 months ago – Thu, Jul 02, 2026 at 09:38:37 AM

Hello everyone,

It has been far too long since I've given you a status update, and for that I apologize. I have been wrapped up tight working on this project.

TLDR: Progress has been steady but fast paced. Estimated time to release for print is 7/31/2026. This puts us at an estimated October/November physical delivery. 

Status of ToDos:
  • There are only 4 or 5 pieces of artwork left to approve on my end, mostly in the included adventure. I expect that work to be turned in by the 11th or 12th.
  • My editors assure me they will have their notes to me by the 10th, and I estimate that work will only take one to two weeks on my end for review.
  • The printer has been chosen and contracts have been signed. They are reviewing sample files, so we are all set up and ready when the big print happens.
  • Cover layouts for the prints are started and will be sent to the printer for review in the next couple of days.
  • I'm expecting a delivery of foil samples later today, maybe tomorrow, for the special edition covers.
  • DriveThruRPG has been selected for PDF distribution. Those PDFs will be available to all the day files are sent to the printer (self-imposed deadline of 7/31/2026).

Related to the project, but not this round of printing:
  • I have been hard at work updating the PC generation tool on our website, along with some other tools for GMs, like a fight simulator to test new creature designs before the test critter hits the testing table.
  • A new module/adventure called I'd Survive is in development. Playtesting began two weeks ago, and the response so far has been overall very positive. I will be at Game Hole this October running it in a gauntlet of 9 back to back sessions. More details to come later.
  • Quick handout cards for Bio-Glyphs, Visions, and Engineered Traits are in the works.
  • Downloadable 3D print models for minis have been created for the classes. Monsters are getting worked on as well.
  • And so much more.

Thank you to everyone for helping bring this to fruition. It means a lot to me, and this has been some of the most fun I've had in a very long time.

Progress Update
5 months ago – Tue, May 12, 2026 at 04:00:14 PM

Hey everyone, good things are happening and I wanted to share a quick update.

Things are moving. The manuscript is in the hands of our editors, and we're expecting notes back within the next couple of weeks. It's a good feeling to have the words out of our hands and into someone else's sharp eyes.

On the art side, the story section "Becoming the Shatterlands" is fully illustrated and wrapped up.

Once the editorial notes come back and revisions are locked, the artists get the green light to finish out the remaining artwork. That's the next big push.

Here is a sneak peek at one of the images from the backstory section of the book.

More soon!
=-Jakob

To Everyone Who Backed Afterglow
6 months ago – Tue, Apr 14, 2026 at 05:30:08 PM

When I launched this project, I honestly wasn't sure what to expect. I knew what Afterglow was — the game, the world, the stories — but knowing isn't the same as finding out others care too. You all answered that question loud and clear.

Seeing the support come in is a great feeling and something I won't forget. Every backer and every share meant more than I can properly articulate. You didn't just fund a game. You told me Afterglow deserves to exist, and that matters to me deeply.

Here's where I'm at: I'm heads-down right now, getting as much artwork finalized as I can and pushing hard to wrap things up and get rewards into your hands as fast as possible. I want to deliver something that lives up to what you deserve.

Thank you. Genuinely. Afterglow is real because you helped make it real.

=Jakob

Artist and Art Feature #6
6 months ago – Sat, Apr 11, 2026 at 02:00:13 PM

Cyril Tenar Discord: cyriltenar
Cyril Tenar took on four of Afterglow's classes — the Boomshade, Ranger, Coil-Bound, and Forged — and delivered exactly what was asked for, every time.

The Boomshade illustration is where Cyril really shines. The detailed line work is deliberate, and the silent, espionage-edged tone I was chasing for that class comes through without needing to be explained. You look at it and you just get the Boomshade.
The Ranger hits the same mark from a completely different direction — rugged, self-sufficient, built for the wild. It captures the kind of person who doesn't need the world to be intact to survive in it.



Cyril is a straightforward collaborator — clear communication, delivers on the brief, easy to work with. If you want to reach out directly, hit them up on Discord.