Here we are in almost the last week of the Deluxe M20 Technocracy Reloaded Kickstarter, and like all KSs, we’re at that time where pledges start to slow. So we’re thinking about this KS, and our previous ones, and the roster that’s coming up.
What works, what doesn’t, and what just makes us wonder. Like, should we continue to portion out sections of the complete text during the KS, so at the end backers have pretty much the text as it’s going to be before being formatted during layout. (Which makes it a lot easier to read in most cases!)
We like that model, as it shows prospective backers just what they’re getting so situations where folks expected one set of information but got something else don’t occur any longer. And it shows that the text being finished won’t be a factor in the final project delivery to KS backers.
Those are two pretty good things, in our estimation!
But, does that kill the fun for folks? Like, is there value in being, well, surprised by your new book when it arrives? So far, we’ve been betting that the surety of information is more important to more backers than those who might miss a surprise, but we could be wrong.
Similarly, if we say this is the text and if you don’t like it then you can drop your pledge before we finish, we see that as a valuable option for backers. We want folks who back to enjoy the Kickstarter and the material we’re releasing. We hope they enjoy the chance to help create one of these books by backing, or going further and taking one of those fancy, upper-tier rewards that let them add characters or be part of the art.
Yet, we can only hope we’re pleasing folks as it is often hard to tell if our methods are not delivering our intention since the vast majority of backers don’t interact with KSs Comments section. Whether because of a general, well-earned, fear of Comments sections throughout the internet, or of KS Comments specifically, my impression from talking to backers is that they don’t need the stress.
Who can blame them? It’s why I always try and suggest other ways for folks to communicate with us – even here, I’ll suggest adding to the Comments for this blog, but whenever I do I also get direct emails. And they usually start off with a variant of: “Hope you don’t mind my contacting you this way, but I didn’t want to get involved with any drama in the Comments.”
Like I said, we tend to think a lot about how we do things, and particularly Kickstarters since they are one of our most public display of our processes.
In some states, public display of your processes can get you arrested!
To get back to the M20 Technocracy Reloaded KS, here’s some links to fun and informative programming that will be reposted in the Onyx Path Media section below:
Tune in to hear words of wisdom from the Technocratic Union live on Twitch, Tuesday, May 19th at 9 PM EDT on the Onyx Path Publishing Twitch Channel. twitch.tv/theonyxpath
Plus, Red Moon Roleplaying continue their actual play of Technocracy Reloaded right here: https://youtu.be/RtdW0znt7GU Please give them your support!
And also, Travis Legge’s M20 Technocracy Reloaded actual play, featuring a stellar cast including the one and only Satyr Phil Brucato: https://youtu.be/ALnD1nwuTis
Our Next Kickstarter:
Of course, as we’ve been thinking about Kickstarters, we’ve been thinking about the best time to bring back the Legendlore Kickstarter. This was the KS we cancelled as we launched it right before the Covid-19 lock-downs, and we just didn’t think it could get the sort of attention it deserved.
But as we have considered the situation now, it seems like our lines of communication are, if not perfect, working far more closely to expectations. I’m getting regular notices from backers of our previous KSs again, for example.
So, without further ado, and not wanting to sit to long on Legendlore, we are going to Kickstart it next after M20 Technocracy Reloaded!
Expect most of our approach to be similar, but knowing that we already have a wonderful group of backers from the first go, we’ll be aiming at putting the KS together in a way that doesn’t just make them go through the same things again, and that appeals to folks who didn’t back the first time.
More on that as we have some actual examples!
Things We’re Doing To Try and Help During All This
On Wednesday, we’re opening up Dystopia Rising: Evolution Community Content on the Storypath Nexus. This is a chance for anyone to work with the templates and art packs we provide to create new projects for DR:E. As a creator, it’s a way to both publish your ideas, and to get a little extra cash during these difficult times.
That’s pretty much our feelings for any Community Content site right now. Plus, for players, the projects posted on these sites are PDFs that usually aren’t that big or expensive, and they very often are focused on useful additions to our official stuff. Adventures, deep dives into specific topics we’re not really set up to put together – just great ideas to add to your playing enjoyment.
Just wanted to chime in here to remind folks that we released Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras 2 on DTRPG last week, and besides the big book itself in PDF and PoD versions, we released each chapter as an individual PDF. If you’re into a particular line and/or historical period, but can’t indulge in buying the full book, these individual chapters are a lot easier on the budget with the job situation being what it is.
Also on DTRPG right now is the Shelter in Play Bundle containing about $180 worth of PDFs, including the Vinsen’s Tomb Jumpstart for Pugmire and A Light Extinguished, the Jumpstart for Scion 2e, plus a ton of other delightful games for playing while we’re all stuck in together – all for $10, and the proceeds go to two worthy charities! https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/312564/Shelter-In-Play-BUNDLE
Our friends at IPR, Indie Press Revolution, are running sales of our books over on their site (link below in the sales partners area) and are planning to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. If you’re looking for our traditionally printed hardcover books and screens, Deluxe and otherwise, now’s a great chance!
We made the decision last week that we wouldn’t be attending gaming conventions until we feel like our folks would be safe from Covid-19 if they attended. Considering that “con crud” is a thing that we expect to get after major conventions during a normal period, we just can’t send our people into a convention right now. Unfortunately, that includes our industry biggie Gen Con, which still has not announced whether it is postponed or cancelled. Regardless of their decision, ours is: we’re not going.
Finally, speaking of conventions: Thanks for the support and interest in an online Onyx Path Convention I received in the blog Comments and elsewhere all last week. It was heartening, and a little scary, how many of you would enjoy virtually playing our games and meeting with us. Actually, all kidding aside, it was great to hear!
No news yet, but you gave us even more to think about. In this case, expect that we’ll be acting pretty quickly on running something like a virtual convention. We want to commit, if we’re going to, before the enormity of it has a chance to sink in!
So, thanks to your feedback, we’re a few steps closer to arranging a virtual venue where we can talk about and play in our:
Many Worlds, One Path!
Blurbs!
Kickstarter!
The M20 Technocracy Reloaded Kickstarter funded in 43 minutes and at with just over a week to go has passed 1800 backer operatives, is over 400% funded, and has achieved Stretch Goals consisting of a Storytellers Screen unlock, an unlock of more original Mage PDFs, Backers’ Exclusive T-Shirt, Wallpaper, and building the Technocracy Reloaded Player’s Companion PDF: sections on Constructs and Symposiums (and then expanded by a later SG), Digital Web 3.0, Technomancers’ Toybox 20 and the Q-Division bonus section, Unlikely Allies 1, 2, & 3, Mission Statement short scenarios, and the expanded Digital Web 3.0.2. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/m20-technocracy-reloaded
Highlights of M20 Technocracy Reloaded include:
- An Operative’s Handbook that provides a detailed overview of life in the Technocratic Union, describing the organization of the Union, the Conventions, and the roles that sympathizers, extraordinary citizens, and Enlightened Operatives play in the overall structure of the Technocracy.
- An examination of Technocratic initiatives on a global scale.
- Devices, procedures, and hypertech used by the Technocratic Union that explores the Enlightened Science, allowing operatives to apply similar effects in the field, if they have sufficient understanding of the principles that allow these gadgets to function.
- A comprehensive list of citizens, cyborgs, operatives, progenitor creations, and allies to use as NPCs.
- Storyteller support that explores story seeds and metaplot to shape a chronicle for their needs.
Next Kickstarter: We return to The Realm of Legendlore!
Onyx Path Media!
This week Impish Ian Watson returns to delve into the Trinity Continuum, specifically the recently announced Trinity Continuum: Anima, VtM Bloodlines, and the happy wonders of managing Onyx Path social media with the Terrific Trio!
As always, this Friday’s Onyx Pathcast will be on Podbean or your favorite podcast venue! https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/
Tune in to hear words of wisdom from the Technocratic Union live on Twitch, Tuesday, May 19th at 9 PM EDT on the Onyx Path Publishing Twitch Channel. twitch.tv/theonyxpath
Join the Consensus and watch the stream.
Plus, Red Moon Roleplaying continue their actual play of Technocracy Reloaded right here: https://youtu.be/RtdW0znt7GU Please give them your support!
Come tune in to our Twitch channel for a schedule including:
- Vampire: The Masquerade – Blood on the Tamesis
- Vampire: The Masquerade – Chicago by Night Noir
- Pugmire – Paws & Claws
- Storytellers with Coffee
- Scarred Lands: Chronicles of Calastia
- Changeling: The Lost – Littlebrook Reunion
- Changeling: The Dreaming – The Last Faerie Tale
- Mage: The Awakening – Occultists Anonymous
- Scarred Lands – Purge of the Serpentholds
- Dark Eras Werewolf: The Forsaken
- Chronicles of Darkness – Tooth & Claw
- Deviant: The Renegades – A Cautionary Tale
Good heavens, that’s a lot of games for you to watch!
You can subscribe to our channel over on twitch.tv/theonyxpath to catch up with any episodes you missed!
Come take a look at our YouTube channel, youtube.com/user/theonyxpath, where you can find a whole load of videos of actual plays, dissections of our games, and more, including:
Changeling: The Dreaming – The Last Faerie Tale: https://youtu.be/fx_UEKY6moE
Scarred Lands: Purge of the Serpentholds: https://youtu.be/9YC0qb29vjk
Mage: The Ascension – Technocracy Reloaded: https://youtu.be/ALnD1nwuTis
Hunter: The Vigil – Hometown Heroes: https://youtu.be/LJs8Q6KVu1o
Changeling: The Lost – Littlebrook Reunion: https://youtu.be/SXYLA9rCjKk
Vampire: The Masquerade – Blood City Chicago by Night: https://youtu.be/NmDv9Sq_wKA
Chronicles of Darkness – Seattle by Streetlight: https://youtu.be/6CwozhRpUNo
Do subscribe to our channel and click the bell icon if you want to be notified whenever new news videos and uploads come online!
Did you miss 307 RPG interviewing Matthew Dawkins regarding everything from They Came from Beneath the Sea! and They Came from Beyond the Grave! to upcoming Vampire: The Masquerade books? Give them a listen here: https://307rpg.com/?p=265
Further to that interview, the 307 RPG Podcast released an episode all to do with the Archetypes in They Came from Beneath the Sea!: https://307rpg.com/?p=282
That’s not all! Vorpal Tales commence an actual play of They Came from Beneath the Sea! tonight over on their Twitch channel! Find them here: https://twitch.tv/vorpaltales
Utility Muffin Labs, home of the 25 Years of Vampire: The Masquerade podcast, have released a glowing review of The Chicago Folios right here: https://utilitymuffinlabs.com/25-years-of-vampire-the-masquerade?author=51a88e2ee4b035d1810e13fe
Occultists Anonymous are here with a new special Mage: The Awakening series:
RV Mage 07: Reversion
With Orphean mages no longer on the field of battle, the Pentacle mages work to undo the warping of the Gauntlet. The werewolves threatening the Supernal Being is going to make negotiations a little difficult.
https://youtu.be/iUZKuh0G5sI
RV Mage 08: Excursion
Following the Supernal shenanigans in downtown Richmond, Vicar, Drifter, and Amanita begin the search for further Orphean agents. An attempt to restore relationships with the werewolves goes as well as you might expect…
https://youtu.be/YUcXnQwB-vM
Please check these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games! We’d love to feature you!
Electronic Gaming!
As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is awesome! (Seriously, you need to roll 100 dice for Exalted? This app has you covered.)
On Amazon and Barnes & Noble!
You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).
If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue from which you bought it. Reviews really, really help us get folks interested in our amazing fiction!
Our selection includes these latest fiction books:
Our Sales Partners!
We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire
We’ve added Prince’s Gambit to our Studio2 catalog: https://studio2publishing.com/products/prince-s-gambit-card-game
Now, we’ve added Changeling: The Lost Second Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost
Scion 2e books and other products are available now at Studio2: https://studio2publishing.com/blogs/new-releases/scion-second-edition-book-one-origin-now-available-at-your-local-retailer-or-online
Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/
And you can order Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Cavaliers of Mars, and Changeling: The Lost 2e at the same link! And now Scion Origin and Scion Hero and Trinity Continuum Core and Trinity Continuum: Aeon are available to order!
As always, you can find Onyx Path’s titles at DriveThruRPG.com!
On Sale This Week!
This week, the PDF and PoD versions of Oak, Ash, and Thorn the Changeling: The Lost 2e Companion bolts from the freakish Hedge on DriveThruRPG on Wednesday!
Oak, Ash, and Thorn as a companion book to Changeling: The Lost Second Edition, expands on what’s in the core book. It contains:
- Expanded rules for freeholds and a selection of seeds for sample freeholds in four international locations.
- Rules for creating new court Bargains and an introduction to non-traditional Mantles, including free companies, traveling bands, and Lost dynasties, with a playable example of each.
- Entitlements, the titles of nobility that changelings assume to inherit mystical legacies from the Lost who came before them, including three full examples with accompanying tokens and Merits.
- Expanded rules for tokens, including two new types with examples, guidelines for creating your own, and a system for ripping out one’s heart to become unkillable.
Also on Wednesday, we open the Dystopia Rising: Evolution Community Content section of the Storypath Nexus! Expect template and art packs you can use to create your own supplements to the DR:E tabletop RPG (and even get a royalty for your work!) Check it out for community-created supplements to further expand your fun with DR:E!
Conventions!
Though dates are subject to change due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, here’s our current list of upcoming conventions:
UKGames Expo: https://www.ukgamesexpo.co.uk/
GenCon: https://www.gencon.com/
Tabletop Scotland: https://tabletopscotland.co.uk/
Gamehole Con: https://www.gameholecon.com/
PAX Unplugged: https://unplugged.paxsite.com/
And now, the new project status updates!
Development Status from Eddy Webb! (Projects in bold have changed status since last week.):
First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep.)
- Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)
- Under Alien Suns (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)
- Adversaries of the Righteous (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- The Clades Companion (Deviant: The Renegades)
- The Devoted Companion (Deviant: The Renegades)
- Saints and Monsters (Scion 2nd Edition)
- Wild Hunt (Scion 2nd Edition)
- Dead Man’s Rust (Scarred Lands)
- V5 The Faithful Undead (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)
- V5 Trails of Ash and Bone (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)
- V5 Forbidden Religions (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)
- Trinity Continuum: Anima
Redlines
- Dragon-Blooded Novella #2 (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- Hundred Devil’s Night Parade (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- Trinity Continuum: Adventure! core (Trinity Continuum: Adventure!)
- Contagion Chronicle Ready-Made Characters (Chronicles of Darkness)
- Novas Worldwide (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)
- Exalted Essence Edition (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- M20 Rich Bastard’s Guide To Magick (Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary)
Second Draft
- Many-Faced Strangers – Lunars Companion (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)
- Assassins (Trinity Continuum Core)
- Dearly Bleak – Novella (Deviant: The Renegades)
- Mission Statements (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)
Development
- TC: Aberrant Reference Screen (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)
- Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- Contagion Chronicle: Global Outbreaks (Chronicles of Darkness)
- M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Crucible of Legends (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- Exigents (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- N!ternational Wrestling Entertainment (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)
Manuscript Approval
- They Came From Beyond the Grave! (They Came From!)
Post-Approval Development
- Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)
- Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)
Editing
- Lunars Novella (Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)
- Player’s Guide to the Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)
- Contagion Chronicle Jumpstart (Chronicles of Darkness)
- TC: Aberrant Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)
- Trinity Continuum Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum)
- Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)
- LARP Rules (Scion 2nd Edition)
- Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- The Book of Lasting Death (Mummy: The Curse 2e)
Post-Editing Development
- City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)
- W20 Shattered Dreams Gift Cards (Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th)
- Cults of the Blood Gods (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)
- Hunter: The Vigil 2e core (Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition)
- Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)
- Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)
- Monsters of the Deep (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)
- Legendlore core book (Legendlore)
- Pirates of Pugmire KS-Added Adventure (Realms of Pugmire)
- Tales of Aquatic Terror (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)
- Terra Firma (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)
- One Foot in the Grave Jumpstart (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2e)
Indexing
Art Direction from Mike Chaney!
In Art Direction
- Scion Titanomachy
- Tales of Aquatic Terror
- WoD Ghost Hunters – KS final art: One more piece coming in.
- Aberrant – Contacting and contracting. Signing off on sketches.
- Pugmire Adventure – All sketches in.
- Hunter: The Vigil 2e
- Mummy 2
- Deviant – Dividing up among current artists.
- Legendlore – Back to KS prep.
- Technocracy Reloaded (KS) – Happening.
- Cults of the Blood God – Rolling along.
- Scion: Dragon – Waiting on art notes.
- Masks of the Mythos – Waiting on art notes.
- Scion: Demigod – Waiting on art notes.
- They Came From Beyond the Grave! (KS) – Sent out notes for fulls and splats for KS.
In Layout
- Yugman’s Guide to Ghelspad
- Vigil Watch
- TC Aeon Terra Firma – Over to Josh.
- V5 Let the Streets Run Red – Working on it.
- Pirates of Pugmire Screen – Getting charts from dev.
Proofing
- Trinity Aeon Jumpstart – New artist taking care of finishing missing art.
- Pirates of Pugmire – Errata input.
- TCFBTS Heroic Land Dwellers – Inputting backer errata.
- Lunars: Fangs at the Gate – Gathering Backer PDF errata.
- Scion Companion – Just waiting for two tweaked pieces, expected today.
- Contagion Chronicle – Corrections going over to Josh.
- Cavaliers of Mars: City of the Towered Tombs
- Duke Rollo Book – Finishing gathering backer errata.
- Buried Bones: Creating in the Realms of Pugmire (Realms of Pugmire)
- Magic Item Decks (Scarred Lands)
- Yugman’s Guide Support Decks (Scarred Lands)
At Press
- Night Horrors : Nameless and Accursed – PoD proof on the way.
- Dystopia Rising: Evolution Community Content site – Opening on the Storypath Nexus this Weds!
- TCFBTS Screen and Booklet
- They Came from Beneath the Sea!
- C:tL 2e Oak, Ash, & Thorn – PDF and PoD versions on sale at DTRPG this Weds!
Today’s Reason to Celebrate!
Please welcome Aaron Voss to Onyx Path! Aaron is old White Wolf and was my print buyer in the years before the merger with CCP, and has expertise in every stage of the game book creation process, and is specifically going to oversee getting our projects printed and shipped (and help Mirthful Mike Chaney out where he is needed).
Comments
29 responses to “Tech-nically Thinking! [Monday Meeting Notes]”
Welcome Aaron!
Do we have any word on the new Mage: The Awakening books? I know two had been mentioned in the past but they’re not on the Project Status updates.
We don’t put projects in the project status report until we get to the first stage where the writers are writing. Efforts are being made before that stage but we’ve found that there’s no value to the creation process to go into those efforts in public. Thanks!
Personally, I think sharing the text is still a good idea. People who’d rather be surprised by the finished book can just skip those updates. And I don’t know I can’t speak for anyone else, but usually by the time the book is laid out and finished with art, it’s been long enough that much of the text is basically fresh to me. (For the record, that’s *not* a jab at production times and probably more of a statement about my attention span.) I think that parceling out the book snippets makes them easier to digest in their mostly-finished form, as well. But, again, that’s just me.
I agree with everything stated above! I was going to say this in my own comment, but Chris has said it better than I would have.
I agree as well.
Ditto. I am one of those that waits to read the finished book so I skip the manuscript updates. It does not dampen my enthusiasm at all.:)
Thanks for the insights. I think that’s one of the conundrums we deal with – there’s no one size fits all approach to this, as how we read, process, remember, enjoy, etc our game books is different for everybody.
Might make sense to additionally put those paragraphs on conventions under the Conventions section for the sad, deprived fools who don’t read the first portion
Thought about it, then forgot. I should probably redo the whole section at this point and note which cons have been cancelled, too.
With assassins being in second draft, does that typically mean another year or so of work?
It depends on the project. Right now, I’m not anticipating that, but something might come up during later stages that causes things to slow down. Plus, with COVID right now, it’s particularly hard to estimate time frames.
With most these Kickstarters being a year or 2 (sometime more) prior to release I personally am not interested in pledging for the product without something Infront of me there and then. As someone who wants the physical books it’s a lot of money to put down for a long term investment, without the manuscript I personally would just wait to buy the extra copies on Indie Press.
For me the least satisfying Kickstarter in recent years was dark eras 2 for that exact reason.
Something I did love was the Hunter Kickstarter where I got much more involved in the daily reveals and the discussion on the forums. Especially as the Deva were involved in that feedback process which puts onyx path above most other development teams in my opinion.
We think, and again, it’s us thinking and responding to comments like yours, that it’s more fun if you engage in the KS process like you did for Hunter, but a lot of backers want to pledge and move on – and get a new present(s) when the rewards show up. So, if, like you, they like receiving a present of the text during the KS to take their time reading through until the actual laid out and illustrated project shows up, that is what we think is a win for everybody. But you are right, backing a project isn’t just doing an order or even a pre-order and you have to be OK with waiting for the creative team to finish it up. Hopefully, as with you, our release of the text helps mitigate the intrinsic KS waiting. Thanks!
Can’t wait to see what Buried Bones is about.
It’s a small book I’ve put together as a kind of “behind the scenes” look at Pugmire. So it has some essays, my writer’s guide, some errata I discovered during the Japanese translation process, and some advice from Travis Legge about converting from 5e to Pugmire.
Sounds cool.
Ooh, thank you for that synopsis Eddy!
Given that the option to sit in a shop and thumb through a book is increasingly rare, it seems only appropriate that there be as much transparency in a Kickstarter as is feasible when it comes to previews. I don’t know what kinds of spoilers people are trying to protect themselves from with a toolbox style rpg book.
This is a HUGE piece that I hadn’t been able to articulate until reading this. Thanks for bringing this up!
Did the last two pieces for the companion arrive as expected. Do we maybe have an ETA for the backer pdf? Asking for a friend who is loosing his mind sheltering in place and would love something new to read.
Personally, I’m a fan of manuscripts being released as part of the KS. Back during the Demon: The Descent KS, I had originally decided to pass on it because Demon: The Fallen had never clicked with me, but after reading the synopsis on the KS and seeing that the Descent concept really *did* click for me, I pledged a dollar to read the manuscript, and liked it so much that I went all-in on a deluxe print copy.
i looooooooooove the mansucript previews!
I like the manuscripts. I understand the feeling that it is not as exciting when you get the finish product because you have read it already. But the kickstarters that have had manuscripts or early access in the case of Pugmire/Mau have been more exciting.
Just to chime in on manuscript previews, I like having them. I know that Beast: The Primordial changed a LOT between the KS and the final version I have on my shelf thanks to input from manuscript preview. I also know that my excitement for Cults of the Blood Gods (for Vampire: The Masquerade) only increased from already-high-levels after reading the preview.
As someone who not only would flip through books at bookstores or borrow a copy before buying my own but also who had gotten burned by kickstarters (honestly, both yours and others) in the past, the presence of previews is one of the greatest things of Onyx Path kickstarters. Seeing how things are going to be like before the kickstarter closes makes it so all the positives are reinforced and the negatives are thought through to where it stops being super problematic.
I do think that having it be a chapter over four weeks can get a bit annoying when it comes to how the rules or power section is usually near the back and that is some of the meat of most rulebooks.
But yeah, showing us the book as a preview makes the kickstarters all the better.
Also, in my opinion, nothing NOTHING beats out actually having the physical book in my hands. So there is really still a ‘ooh, nice” moment when flipping through said book.
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Looking forward to the Legends kickstarter. Was a backer before it got postponed and thankfully I am still in a good place to support it, so I get the email, I back!
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Seeing the various Trinity Continuum notes in the schedule makes me really eagerly looking forward to seeing how things will go with that. I am intensely curious on how Aberrant has turned out now that you guys have looked at it more. And I really, really, REALLY, want to get my hands on any more info on Adventure!, Assassin, and Anima. Especially the first and the last, but the middle too.
I have to agree with comments by both Chris Shaffer and Carl. Having access to “review” the book before buying or finalizing my pledge amount is one of the major reasons I back your campaigns. Your Monday meeting notes and road-map are another huge part. If either of these were to stop, I for one would not be backing many of your campaigns.
Books are often revised, artwork added, layouts or errata fixed post-campaign, so I feel that there is still value in the completed product, even if it is only in .pdf format.
That said, the one MAJOR complaint I have is that there are too few art-books and wallpapers to go along with the campaigns.
Finally, now that Vampire the Masquerade V5 is available on Fantasy Grounds, I hope that in the near future, you and the team will be able to openly discuss your plans for officially converting your titles to fantasy grounds
The curiosity is so overwhelming I’ back a week after teh interwebs/Titans ate my first attempt to ask in order to try again? What’s the deal with Scion: Titanomachy and Scion: Dragon?
I support allowing Backers to look at the manuscript and also maybe Add-On projects from Stretch Goals when they’re done. I would suggest Backers to do so after they have pledged, though, though and the Kickstarter is over rather than before. I think it’d be awesome to see the text and it is a big source of excitement for all the projects I’ve backed.