Nevermore - July Update
24 days ago
– Tue, Jul 28, 2026 at 04:58:01 PM
Greetings Folk,
So, things have been moving along, and I have somewhat annoying news and good news. I got the book back from proofing two weeks ago. The annoying news is that during proofing, we discovered that some version errors took place during the initial layout, which meant that not all of the chapters had been edited properly. The good news is that we caught it and have made another full editing pass in addition to proofing. I just finished entering everything last night.
I'm doing last-minute packing for GenCon right now, but as soon as I get back, I'll make a final pass and then have the book back to layout. As soon as all of the new updates are in the PDF, I'll be sending out a new version to everyone. Then, if all goes according to plan, Nevermore should be going to print by the end of August. Hopefully a little soon! From there, it should take about 6 weeks to print. Then shipping begins!
The light truly is visible at the end of the tunnel. And this time, I don't think it's a train.
Stop by the Green Ronin booth and say hi if you're at GenCon this weekend. I'll be there most of the weekend.
Ian Lemke
Nepenthe Games
Nevermore June Update - PDFs, Surveys, and Shipping, Oh my!
about 2 months ago
– Tue, Jun 23, 2026 at 07:18:52 PM
Greetings Folks,
I just got back from Origins Game Fair, where I ran demos of Nevermore and met a lot of really cool people. Things are moving fast now, and I wanted to get an update out to you all. Before I get into the details, I want to take a moment to thank all of you for your kindness and patience. I know I promised this book a lot sooner, but life decided to throw obstacles in the way. Also, mistakes were made and lessons learned. I will be doing things very differently should I do another crowdfunder. Thank you! Your patience and support have really meant a lot!
PDFs: By now, all of you should have received the PDF of Nevermore: A Roleplaying Game of American Gothic Horror. If you haven't, check your Spam folders and any other filters. If you still can't find it, please reach out to me, and I'll make sure you get it ASAP.
Surveys: We have a LOT of incomplete surveys. Please check your survey and make sure it's complete. The biggest thing I've seen is missing phone numbers. A phone number is required for USPS shipping.
Shipping: We did not apply shipping fees during the Kickstarter campaign because I was uncertain what shipping would actually cost by the time fulfillment began. I am charging now since the book is shipping soon. You should have received another notice about this, but I figured the more warning, the better. Please make sure your credit card information is up to date. I currently have October 1st set as the shipping date, but I think it will be a good bit sooner. I should know more about that by the beginning of next week, and I will post about it then.
Book Status: The book is currently undergoing final proofing before going to print. As soon as proofing is complete, I will send out a revised version of the PDF to everyone. In the meantime, if you come across any errors, you can email them directly to me at [email protected].
Stretch Goals: The stretch goals are currently underway. Things like the map and Lodge rules will be included with the rulebook. The PDF items, such as the new cabals, adventures, and Narrator's Kit, are underway, and I expect most, if not all, of them will be available by the time the printed book is shipped.
That's about all for now. I hope you're having a wonderful summer, and I'll be in touch soon.
In accordance with the prophecy,
Ian Lemke
May Update - PDF Release by June 17th
3 months ago
– Wed, May 20, 2026 at 09:16:49 AM
Hey Folks,
So, as you probably know, I hired Sigil Entertainment Group to do the layout on Nevermore last October. I was originally promised that the first proof would be done in 3-4 weeks, which made me hopeful that I could at least get the PDF out to folks by Christmas. After months of delays, I finally got the first proof. I turned that around within a week and sent it back for correction. Since then, it has been delayed, then silence, then delay, then silence. I was very sympathetic because Aaron, the owner of Sigil, has been very ill, and his brother Ben, who was doing the layout, has been doing a lot to care for him. I've been in However, last week, I decided that it had been far too long. I spoke with them, and he agreed to turn over the existing files. I now have the files and have turned them over to Hal Mangold with Green Ronin Publishing. To be clear, this is not a Green Ronin project. Nevermore is a side project for me, and Hal is doing this freelance.
This is good news for several reasons. First and foremost, I work with Hal every day, so communication will be strong, and I have 100% confidence he will get it done on time. Second, Hal is amazing at layout, and he's already made significant improvements. Third, he has promised me that we will have the book ready for release as a PDF by Origins (June 17th). I am talking to printers right now to see how soon after I can get the book printed. I'll post an update on that as soon as I have something worked out with a printer.
Nevermore seems to have been plagued by health issues and other obstacles, but I am happy to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel!
Despite having to part ways with Sigil for now, I have a lot of respect for them both as a company and as people. I've told Ben that I would be happy to work with him in the future, once things calm down for them. If you have it in your heart to help Aaron Acevedo out with his medical expenses, you can check out his GoFundMe here: https://gofund.me/e57dd2f2c
Ian Lemke
Nepenthe Games
Nevermore - February Update (FANTASTIC NEWS!!!)
7 months ago
– Sun, Feb 01, 2026 at 02:27:14 PM
Hey Folks!
I have fantastic news! I finally have the first draft of the layout for Nevermore. It's printed out, and I've started going through it for errors and corrections. I expect you're now asking, "So, what now? When do I get to see it?" Well, allow me walk you through the process of where we go from here:
- I need to go through the book for errors and needed corrections. I expect that will take me about a week.
- The folks over at Sigil Entertainment group still need to do the cover, and once I get my notes back to them, the index.
- The big unknown here is how long Sigil will need to implement my corrections. I hope less than a month.
- Once the PDF is back in my hands, I'll make a final pass, and as long as things look mostly good, I will get it out to backers.
- Actual proofing will take place after I get the PDF to you folks, so please be patient, as there are likely to be some niggly errors in the first version you get.
- Once proofing is complete, the book will go off to be printed. I'm waiting until the book is ready for final proofing before entering into negotiations with printers. I'll definitely make an update as soon as I have an estimated print date.
- Given the volatility in the world today, I'll be waiting until the book actually goes off to print (or at least in final proofing) before charging for shipping. Right now, I'm going to update that to April 15th.
I have been asked by a few folks if there will be a PDF version without the background texture, and the answer to that is yes. By the time the final proof is done there will be a non-textured version for easier reading. If you have any questions like that, please feel free to respond here or reach out directly at [email protected].
Thanks again for hanging in there with me! I can't wait to hear what you all think when the book FINALLY gets out to you all. With any luck, the rest of the process will go smoothly, and you'll have the PDF by early spring, with the book coming soon after.
Ian Lemke
Nepenthe Games
Nevermore - January Update
7 months ago
– Tue, Jan 13, 2026 at 12:17:11 PM
I wish I had good news. I had believed that by now I'd have delivered the PDF to you all and the book would be at the printers. Unfortunately, the folks whom I contracted to do the layout have had their own struggles the book is not yet complete. I don't even know what to say other than that I am sincerely sorry and I feel absolutely terrible. I hate to throw anyone under the bus, but I feel I owe you all an explanation and an accounting of what happened.
As you may recall, I contracted with them back in September and was told that work would begin by October 18th and that the first draft should be done within a month. I finally received a draft of the first half of the book, 6 weeks later, and was promised the rest would come soon. I've been poking ever since to get a realistic estimate on when the book would be done. The last communication I had was a week ago, and it did not provide me with any estimate for the book, but they did say I'd have the first draft of the character sheet last Friday. The weekend came and went, and I haven't received or heard anything. I wrote again today, requesting a solid update and asking whether I should look elsewhere for someone to do the layout. If I don't get something solid within the week, I will be forced to pull it and look elsewhere. I will also provide an update as soon as I know anything.
To be clear, the folks doing the layout are fantastic people! I've really enjoyed working with them in the past, and I know they are going through some legitimate problems. But I have to balance that with my responsibility to you all.
Hopefully, I'll have some additional news soon!
