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Dirt City Blues - Redemption's a Bullet Away

Created by The World Anvil Publishing

Dirt City Blues is a TTRPG ispired by Sin City and the cinematography of Quentin Tarantino, about people who should know better: burned-out Badasses with hair-trigger tempers, messy pasts, and a real knack for making things worse before they get better. But Dirt City Blues is also a game about redemption, about that one last heroic act that drags you out of hiding. Someone knocks. Someone bleeds. The quiet life ends. You hang the apron, kill the lights, and step back into the fight. We aim to start shipping physical rewards by July 2026. Digital rewards for already-existing books will be sent when orders are locked down (Mid January 2026). Once they're ready, all other digital rewards will be made accessible (estimated Q2 2026). Pre-order sales are final. Shipping will be charged closer to fulfillment. You can check estimated shipping prices HERE (Shipping and Fulfillment section)

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Folder and Iskra PDFs now available!
22 days ago – Thu, Aug 27, 2026 at 06:22:39 AM


Hello Badasses,

Work is proceeding, and we're planning to send the files to the printer within the next three weeks. Meanwhile...

More Betas Available!

Today we're sending out the Beta files for the Folder, which include several Problems, Hacks, and the Solo Mode (as a single file for now, but these will come as separate files in the final version), plus the PDF for the "playable Art Print" of Iskra, which you can start using immediately.

The email with the download links will come from BackerKit. Before getting in touch, please make sure you've pledged for a level that includes the Folder, and that your survey has been completed.

Reminder: What Is a Beta?

A Beta is a complete version of a specific file that still needs one final proofread to catch any lingering layout issues or typos. If you find an error or a passage that needs clarification, please submit it on our Discord server and we'll implement the fix. Join the server here.

  • Submit issues for the English Core Book in #dcb-typos
  • Submit issues for the Italian Core Book in #dcb-refusi

Project Status

Raffaele and I are combing through the files, fixing layout issues and other glitches as we find them (for example, I noticed the English Beta of the Core Book still had a couple of paragraphs left over from the Italian version — those will obviously be replaced with the correct text).

We've already started discussions about printing, but it will still take a couple more weeks before we settle on an estimate. Once that's done, we'll move forward with locking in shipping addresses and calculating shipping costs, which, as a reminder, haven't yet been calculated for your pledge. We're hoping that end-of-year geopolitical developments don't complicate things further, though of course that's never guaranteed. We'll let you know when it's time for a final check.

Reminders

  • Your survey is HERE. Let me know if you need help with it.
  • The Late Pledge is open HERE. If you know someone who missed the campaign but would love a copy of Dirt City Blues, feel free to share the link with them! Late Pledge backers will also get all the relevant Beta files. 

—Tommaso


Connect With Us

You can find us on multiple platforms:
 • Discord: Join our community and chat directly with us.
 • Facebook: Follow The World Anvil Publishing page.
 • Bluesky: Stay updated with our latest posts.
 • Telegram: Get quick updates straight to your device.
 • Instagram: See behind-the-scenes content and more.

Thank you again for being part of this adventure. Together, we’ll make Dirt City Blues the best game it can be.

Core Book BETA PDFs now available!
about 2 months ago – Wed, Jul 22, 2026 at 12:01:37 AM



Hello Badasses,

You will like this update.

BETA PDFs Available!

The Core Book is now available in BETA PDF format in both languages. If your pledge is locked and paid, you will receive an email from BackerKit with the download link, and you will also find the file on the Digital Downloads tab of your survey. Get in touch if you have issues with the download, but before doing so make sure your survey has been completed.

What Is a Beta?

The Beta PDF is a complete version of the Core Book requiring one final proofread to eliminate lingering layout issues and typos. We will conduct an internal review before sending the files to print, and your collective help is invaluable to this process. If you find an error or a passage requiring clarification, please submit it to our Discord server, and we will implement the fix. You can join the server HERE.

  • Submit issues for the English Core Book on: #dcb-typos 
  • Submit issues for the Italian Core Book on: #dcb-refusi

What Happens Next?

While we review the Core Book to ensure its absolute best quality, Daniel is finalizing the layout for all Stretch Goals contained in the Folder. We will share those files next.

As a reminder, we have not yet added shipping costs for book fulfillment to the surveys. We will process shipping charges in the coming months once the books go to print. We just want to make sure this doesn’t come as a surprise, but we’ll tell you explicitly when this will happen.

Also, please let us know if you like the Core Book!

Reminders

  • Your survey is HERE.
  • The Late Pledge is open HERE. If you're just following the project or know someone who missed the campaign but would love a copy of Dirt City Blues, feel free to share the link with them! Late Pledge backers will also get the Beta right away. 

—Tommaso 


Connect With Us

You can find us on multiple platforms:
 • Discord: Join our community and chat directly with us.
 • Facebook: Follow The World Anvil Publishing page.
 • Bluesky: Stay updated with our latest posts.
 • Telegram: Get quick updates straight to your device.
 • Instagram: See behind-the-scenes content and more.

Thank you again for being part of this adventure. Together, we’ll make Dirt City Blues the best game it can be.

July Update - New Illustrations and Progress Report
3 months ago – Wed, Jul 01, 2026 at 03:56:43 AM


Hello Badasses,

Things are coming together, here are the details.

Project Status

All stretch goals have been translated, so both Core Books and the Folder are now 100% ready in two languages. Daniel has been focused on illustrations. You can see some of the latest ones here, and there are at least twice as many more sitting on my hard drive. The only ones still missing are the full-page illustrations, which need a bit more time.



After that comes the English layout, which should come together relatively quickly now that we have the Italian layout to use as a guide.

Dice and maps are on a boat, with an expected arrival at our warehouse in mid-August. The printing process for physical books will start once the PDF files are ready, so we'll have more on that later.

We know some of you are already testing the game with the ashcan version we shared in the last update; let us know how it's going on Discord.

That's all for now, we're going back to cooking.

Reminders

  • Your survey is HERE.
  • The Late Pledge is open HERE. If you know someone who missed the campaign but would love a copy of Dirt City Blues, feel free to share the link with them!

—Tommaso 

Connect With Us

You can find us on multiple platforms:
 • Discord: Join our community and chat directly with us.
 • Facebook: Follow The World Anvil Publishing page.
 • Bluesky: Stay updated with our latest posts.
 • Telegram: Get quick updates straight to your device.
 • Instagram: See behind-the-scenes content and more.

Thank you again for being part of this adventure. Together, we’ll make Dirt City Blues the best game it can be.

June Update - Full Corebook text preview
4 months ago – Mon, Jun 01, 2026 at 08:15:25 AM



Hey Badasses, 
we have some news. Let's go!

Project Status

The translation of the Core Book is complete, and we are sharing the full text preview of Dirt City Blues via the links in the backers-only section of this update.

Text-wise, the game is fully playable and in its final form, barring minor fixes and clarifications. All 13 chapters are complete, taking you from character creation through managing a web of interconnected Problems so your players can become the new, cursed heroes of Dirt City. The text now moves to the layout stage.

On the art front, we are experiencing some slowdowns. Our illustrator, Daniel, is currently managing a backlog of clients. He is incredibly talented, popular, and handsome, but a few of his previous projects are taking longer than expected to wrap up, so we need to exercise a little patience (to be completely fair, we're also asking him a hand to send some elements of another game to print, so there's that). We expect to resolve this over the summer, which puts us roughly two months behind our original timeline.

On a positive note, map and dice production will be 100% complete this week, and we are already arranging shipments to our warehouse. Production for the physical book and folder requires the final PDFs first, so stay tuned for a revised timeline once those details lock in.

Reminders

  • Your survey is HERE.
  • The Late Pledge is open HERE. If you know someone who missed the campaign but would love a copy of Dirt City Blues, feel free to share the link with them!

—Tommaso


Connect With Us

You can find us on multiple platforms:
 • Discord: Join our community and chat directly with us.
 • Facebook: Follow The World Anvil Publishing page.
 • Bluesky: Stay updated with our latest posts.
 • Telegram: Get quick updates straight to your device.
 • Instagram: See behind-the-scenes content and more.

May Update - 4 chapters preview and more dice pictures!
5 months ago – Sun, May 03, 2026 at 08:59:10 AM

Hello Badasses,
Things are moving along! Here is a summary of our progress over the last month:

Project Status

  • Daniel has completed the Italian layout; you can find a couple of sample spreads below. Please note that several key illustrations are still in progress, so while the layout is in place, we still have work to do in the art department. The Core Book is currently tracking at 150 pages.




  • Translation for the first four chapters is complete. Backers can access these as a text-only preview in the backers-only section of this update. These chapters cover character creation and core mechanics, with the exception of Gifts, which are slated for Chapter 5. The translation process for Dirt City Blues remains fluid. While balancing two concurrent projects has impacted my ideal pace, I can’t say I’m unhappy with the progress. Trust the process; we are getting there.


New dice pictures!

  • We have made significant strides with physical components. Below, you can see the final designs for the custom dice and dice bag. These items are now in active production, and we expect to receive the finished goods in June. Printing for the books will commence once the PDFs are locked.



  • Current projections put fulfillment on track after the summer. I will provide a more concrete timeline as the production window narrows. We hope to have the full Core Book Beta PDF ready for distribution in early July.


Get some stuff!

In addition to the text previews for Chapters 1–4, backers who have completed their surveys should receive an automated email from BackerKit containing the download link for the final Dirt City Map.

That is all for this month. If you dive into today’s previews, please share your thoughts on our Discord server. We look forward to your feedback!


Reminders

  • Your survey is HERE.
  • The Late Pledge is open HERE. If you know someone who missed the campaign but would love a copy of Dirt City Blues, feel free to share the link with them!

—Tommaso 


Connect With Us

You can find us on multiple platforms:
 • Discord: Join our community and chat directly with us.
 • Facebook: Follow The World Anvil Publishing page.
 • Bluesky: Stay updated with our latest posts.
 • Telegram: Get quick updates straight to your device.
 • Instagram: See behind-the-scenes content and more.

Thank you again for being part of this adventure. Together, we’ll make Dirt City Blues the best game it can be.