project-image

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:

June Update - Full Corebook text preview
10 days 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!
about 1 month 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.

April Update - More production pictures
2 months ago – Fri, Apr 10, 2026 at 09:24:00 AM

Hello Badasses,
Here’s what happened in the last month.

Project Status

  • Daniel is currently tackling the Italian layout. As of a few days ago, he estimated he was approximately 40% through the process, so progress is moving along steadily. He is simultaneously crafting the illustrations required for the book; working on both components in tandem allows him to ensure the graphics and art integrate seamlessly. Once this initial layout is complete, producing the English version will be a much faster process.
  • On the production front, we’ve received several new prototypes, including the dice (to confirm the shape; color and icons will be added later), the dice bag, and the dry-erase map. We've asked for a revision of the dice bag drawstring. We’ve also been finalizing the packaging for the dice and maps. I’m happy to report that the grueling task of determining which recycling symbols and warnings are required for the various boxes and hangtags is finally behind us.
  • Translation has not yet begun, but I’m confident I can dive in before the end of the month. Compared to other recent projects, I don’t anticipate any major hurdles with this one.




That’s all for April. We’ll talk again next month!

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.

March update - One language in layout, new pictures
3 months ago – Thu, Mar 12, 2026 at 04:44:46 AM



Hello Badasses,
It’s that time of the month again for a project status update.

Project Status

I’ve completed my final editing pass on the Italian text, which is now in Daniel Comerci's hands for layout. Daniel is also busy executing our illustration plan; our goal is to get the Italian version fully finalized with layout and images before we pivot to the English translation. Currently, I am alternating translation work between Dirt City Blues and another project. My priority is ensuring I don’t become a bottleneck so the rest of the team can keep moving forward. I’m wrapping up my tasks on that other project now before jumping back into the English translation for Dirt City Blues.

Prototypes

I am finalizing the details for the bullet dice and dry-erase map prototypes, which are nearly ready for approval. The process has been slower than anticipated (compounded by the Chinese New Year break), but we are effectively just waiting on the graphics for the map and marker packaging. Provided the physical prototypes meet our standards, this phase of production is essentially complete.

Below, you can see an early bullet dice used for shape approval. Please note that the final dice will be colorful and feature the correct icons. I’ll send proper pictures when I get them in hand. 


That’s all for now. We’ll talk again next month!

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.

February update - The material is written!
4 months ago – Wed, Feb 18, 2026 at 01:56:01 AM

Hello Badasses,
It’s time for your monthly update. We’ll keep this brief, but things are moving along steadily.

Project Status

Raffaele has completed the content for both the Core Book and all Stretch Goals. To be precise, he is finishing up the Solo Mode this weekend—the final outstanding piece of the puzzle. While it will still require some playtesting, all material is effectively written.

Editing & Translation

I have begun my editing pass for the Core Book. It’s a substantial read and I’m currently about 33% through, so I expect to finish in the coming days. So far, my notes have been minimal; I don't anticipate any major rewrites, just smoothing out the edges. Once this pass is complete, the Italian version of the book will move into layout while I begin the English translation.

Art & Production

We have finalized the full list of illustrations for Daniel Comerci, and it’s looking incredibly rich.

Before diving into the art, Daniel helped me assemble the assets for the sample production of our bullet dice and maps. All assets have been submitted to the factory, and we expect to receive prototypes within the next few weeks. This process was more time-consuming than anticipated, but we’re confident the results will be excellent.

That’s all for now. We’ll talk to you again in March!

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.