Just two weeks ago we released the PDF and PoD versions of Exalted 3rd Edition for sale and going “double platinum”, and now this week we’ll be release the Advance PDF for Mage: the Awakening 2nd Edition! New, improved, self-contained, and more mysterious magic and mysticism than ever before! What a month!
For those of you who might not know what I mean by “Advance PDF”, that’s the first PDF released to the public for sale on DriveThruRPG.com. It is not what we would consider the finished PDF, like it won’t have hyperlinks or an index. It is however the stage where we encourage our amazingly dedicated community to read through and send us notes on any mistakes or unclear areas of the text (or strange places where we drop a line of text or hide it behind a sidebar or art), that sort of stuff.
A thousand eyes rather than a dozen, if you will.
We got this idea from our Kickstarted projects actually, because we’d promise the PDF before the printed version and when we first started getting notes back, we’d input a few changes. And with the next KS, we got a bunch more and input those. It really helped the books, so now we do it as a part of our book creation process. PDFs (whether Backer or Advance) are much easier to fix than printed books, obviously, so it makes sense to proceed this way.
Then, after we assemble the errata and input the changes, we create PoD or traditionally printed printer files that are a lot cleaner. And we use DTRPG’s system to automatically update the Advance PDF into the final PDF with the corrections, index, hyperlinks, and bookmarks all in there. Folks who got the earlier PDF then automatically get the finished one in their DTRPG “library”.
I really wish we had had this system back in the old White Wolf days. Those PgXX’s? Gone.
(But of course, in those days, we had to wait for people’s thoughts to come in through the physical mail, or through the nascent message boards.)
There are downsides to this process though.
Like, we can’t do the index until the errata is input because we don’t want to have messed up page numbers if text shifts with the changes, so doing things this way further extends how long it takes for the final PDF and the PoD (or Deluxe) book to go on sale. By at least a month and maybe more.
And from the point of view of Onyx Path as a business, there’s some validity to the idea that releasing a book this way diminishing the marketing OOMPH that can lead to buying frenzies and huge numbers on the DTRPG metal tote boards. In fact, we have to deal with the fact that some folks think the Advance or Backer PDFs are the finals and think the project sucks because it “clearly was not finished before being released”.
Right now, we’re taking the risk of those downsides. Because we like having our community involved. We like having fewer errors in the final product.
Absolutely no project has ever been released in a perfect, no-errors, state. It’s an axiom in publishing.
Seriously doesn’t happen with books as big as ours.
But this process sure does hit a lot more errors than we could hit before.
So, check out Mage 2nd this Wednesday and let us know what you think. There will be a thread on our forums for errata, and if you have time, we’d love to have you contribute.
BLURBS!
ON SALE!
Here’s the link to the press release we put out about how Onyx Path is now selling through Indie Press Revolution: https://theonyxpath.com/press-release-onyx-path-limited-editions-now-available-through-indie-press-revolution/
Coming this Wednesday out of mystery and wonder: Mage: the Awakening 2nd Edition! Advance PDF available Weds at DTRPG.com!
Some…things. Arise. The Primordial Feast fiction anthology for Beast: the Primordial is on sale at DriveThruRPG.com in PDF, ebook and PoD versions!
The world of the Chronicles of Darkness is a strange place…
For the human masses, it is terrifying and brutal, full of monsters waiting to drink the blood and taste the flesh of those foolish enough to delve into forbidden corners.
For the Begotten, though, it is home, and those who transgress serve to feed the Horrors within.
The Primordial Feast contains nine new stories inspired by Beast: The Primordial.
Children of the Unconquered Sun arise!
Exalted 3rd Edition in both PDF and PoD versions is now on sale at DriveThruRPG.com: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/162759/Exalted-3rd-Edition
This is your tale. This is Exalted. What legends will they tell of your deeds?
Exalted 3rd Edition depicts both a revitalized and expanded Creation, and the triumphant return of the Solar Exalted—but whether their rebirth will herald the salvation or destruction of the world, none can say. The system redesign takes the best parts of the previous editions and streamlines the mechanics for maximum playability.
Exalted 3rd Edition includes:
- New Fiction – Read a new tale by original Exalted developer and author Geoff Grabowski.
- New Artwork – See the Realm in a new light with stunning artwork by both new and classic Exalted artists working under the direction of Maria Cabardo.
- Expanded Locales – Expand your campaigns with a detailed overview of the sprawling and decadent Second Age of Man. In addition to classic locales such as Chiaroscuro and Nexus, find many new locations not detailed in previous editions, from the treacherous intrigues of Port Calin to the proud warriors of the frigid plains and forests of Medo, held in check only by the iron hand of the Realm.
- Intrigue and Mystery – Discover a revitalized Realm, still standing at the brink of civil war, but more dangerous than ever before; and the Lunar dominions which harry its borders, seeking redress for ancient crimes while pursuing modern ambitions.
- Expanded Character Creation – Create and play Solar Exalted characters and compelling mortal heroes with more information and fleshed out details.
- Combat System – Fight with a new cinematic combat engine, primed to deliver dynamic, exciting, and easily resolved battles between heroes, gods, and armies.
- Charms – Explore a vibrant new Charm set encompassing both classic Solar powers from previous editions and all-new powers to shift the course of Creation.
- …and much, much more!
The Black Hand returns! V20 The Black Hand: Guide to the Tal’Mahe’Ra Advance PDF is available on DTRPG! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/179023/V20-The-Black-Hand-A-Guide-to-the-TalMaheRa
Beware the Beast: the Primordial PDFs and PoDs NOW on sale at DTRPG.com! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/162443/Beast-The-Primordial
- The complete guide to playing a Beast in Chronicles of Darkness
- A game system designed for crossover with the other Chronicles of Darkness lines
- A look at the Beasts and their broods all around the world, from Vancouver to Tokyo
- Rules for Heroes, the deluded individuals who think that this is their story
The Chronicles of Darkness Core Rulebook looms out of the shadows, and is now on sale with PDF and PoD versions on DTRPG: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/168428/Chronicles-of-Darkness
Chronicles of Darkness RPG rulebook contains:
- A guide to creating characters to explore a world of modern horror, from hopes and fears to psychic powers.
- Dramatic rules for investigation, social manipulation, and bone-crunching violence.
- Over a dozen monsters straight out of weird fiction and urban legend… plus complete rules for creating your own.
- The God-Machine Chronicle, a massive collection of sample characters and techgnostic adventures.
- Formerly titled nWoD Core Rulebook 2nd Edition.
CONVENTIONS!
Gen Con 2016 planning has started. We’re starting to plan our booth demo schedule and our 2016-2017 Brochure and a Scion/Trinity/StoryPath brochure, too.
Here’s a con Fast Eddy Webb will be attending! Talk to him about V20 and Pugmire and Sherlock Holmes and Oxford Commas:
- MomoCon (May 26-29, 2016, Atlanta, GA)
Matt McFarland (2Ms) and Matt McElroy (3Ms) are guests at Marcon: http://marcon.org/ (May 6-8th). They’ll be doing a “What’s up with Onyx Path?” panel on Saturday the 7th. Some Onyx Path brochures and some Condition Cards will be given away.
And now, the new project status updates!
First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)
- M20 Book of Secrets (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- CtL fiction anthology (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)
- Ring of Spiragos (Scarred Lands)
- VtM Endless Ages fiction anthology (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)
- BtP Building a Legend (Beast: the Primordial)
- Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)
- Trinity Continuum: Aeon Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)
- M20 Gods and Monsters (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
- V20 Dark Ages Anthology (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)
- VtR A Thousand Years of Night (Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition)
- Scion: Origins (Scion 2nd Edition)
- Scion: Hero (Scion 2nd Edition)
- BtP Mortal Remains (Beast: the Primordial)
- BtP Player’s Guide
- Pugmire Core Book
- Ring of Spiragos (5e)
- Dagger of Spiragos (5e)
Redlines
- Dagger of Spiragos – Pathfinder Version (Scarred Lands)
- EX3 Quickstart (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- Scarred Lands Player’s Guide 5E: Ghelspad (Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
Second Draft
- Arms of the Chosen (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)
- Cavaliers of Mars
- Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition
- Wraith: the Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition
- V20 Dark Ages Companion (Vampire 20th Dark Ages)
Development
- W20 Changing Ways (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Beast Ready Made Characters (Beast: the Primordial)
- Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)
- W20 Pentex Employee Indoctrination Handbook (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)
- Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)
- Night Horrors: Conquering Heroes (Beast: the Primordial)
- SL Ring of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
- SL The Wise and the Wicked (5e – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
- SL The Wise and the Wicked (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
- SL Dagger of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
Editing
- V20 DA Tome of Secrets (Vampire 20th Dark Ages)
- MtC Mummy Novel (Mummy: the Curse)
- V20 Lore of the Bloodlines (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)
- CofD Hurt Locker (Chronicles of Darkness)
Post-Editing Development:
- Scarred Lands Player’s Guide: Ghelspad – Pathfinder (Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
- The Prince’s Gambit (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)
Indexing:
ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:
In Art Direction
- W20 Shattered Dreams
- Scarred Lands PG
- Dark Eras Companion
- Necropolis Rio
- W20 Kinfolk
- EX3 Backer Charms – Finals in for WWP approval.
- Beckett’s Jyhad Diary
- CofD Hurt Locker
- Mummy Novel
- V20 DA Tome of Secrets
In Layout
- Promethean: the Created Second
- V20 Ready Made Characters
- Secrets of the Covenants
- Ex 3 Screen
- V20 Black Hand
- Dark Eras – Prepping PoD files.
- Ex 3 core book – From RichT: Prepping the actual deluxe traditionally printed files.
Proofing
- WtF2 The Pack
- V20 Ghouls – At WWP for approvals.
- Curse of the Blue Nile – With Colin.
At Press
- Beast Screen – At shipper.
- Beast Prestige Edition
Special- projects on hold in the art and production area until an external factor is resolved
- Wraith 20 – Art direction and layout can’t go further until art notes come in, still being developed by Rich Dansky.
- Pentex Employee Indoctrination Manual – Some added and amended text needs to come in.
TODAY’S REASON TO DRINK: First EX3, now Mage2nd! The Editions are editioning!
Comments
73 responses to “Wake Up and Smell the Mage2nd! [Monday Meeting Notes]”
Woohoo!
Is the Pack back from approvals? Does that mean we get it Wednesday, too?
I would have mentioned it slightly if The Pack was also going on sale. A tad. 🙂
Is The Pack back from WWP? It’s listed in approvals but doesn’t have the ‘at WWP’ tag on it any more.
We’re getting it ready for next week.
WOO-Frikin-HOO!!!
So much the goodness.
Finally!!!!!!
Loving the continued status updates. Out of curiosity what will the next KS be, and around when? Is Ghouls still planned for a deluxe edition?
No, Ghouls won’t be a Deluxe KS’d project. We think we can do some cool things with Beckett’s Jyhad Diary, though, so expect that next.
Awesome. As a fan of the old metaplot I’m really looking forward to that. Though I’m also a fan of the Revenant families so I have to admit I was hoping for a deluxe Ghouls book haha.
Well..there goes this weeks wages 🙂
What the heck is BtP Mortal Remains?
I believe it’s the Hunter: Mortal Remains expansion for Beast.
You are correct!
What does “Double Plantinum” mean in terms of sales? I’m interested purely because after all the heartache and agony involved in getting EX3 made I want it to be really successful for Onyx Path, and John and Holden.
Twice platinum rating on DTRPG. 😉
To your bigger point, we’re very happy with how well EX3 is selling beyond the Kickstarter.
Hey that’s great Rich.
I know that double means twice, so I guess my real question is what does platinum mean in terms of real numbers?
We don’t release exact sales numbers, nor does DriveThruRPG.
Is there any particular reason for that? I was actually wondering that when I saw Ex3 go platinum. Is it just proprietary information or…?
I mean just from an outside perspective most privately held companies don’t share sales numbers. There is a fair bit a competitor can do with those numbers, and they allow for some public comment/conversation judgement on product choices that can be problematic. Publicly traded companies have to provide that info to their stockholders, but I’ve never heard of a privately held company in any industry sharing those details.
So the Mage 2nd release is formally announced on May 2nd. Just sayin??
Dave posted a blog announcing it already so
So is there a discount on the pod version if you bought the advanced pdf beforehand? Just asking as you always have the pod+pdf combos are a much lower price.
The combo will have the same discount as we’ve offered every time we’ve done this, no worries.
First EX3 is finished and the Scion books make it onto the board. Now Mage 2nd is coming up in being finished and the Pugmire Core Book is on the board. You’re killing me Rich! And my wallet…
I just really want to give congratulations to the artists working on the CofD stuff. The artwork in Requiem 2e and Forsaken 2e, and what we’ve seen of Awakening 2e have been wonderfully evocative, really capturing the feel of each game line beautifully. You could look at the art and get a feel for the type of game your playing as well as reading the fluff and descriptive bits of the books. For Requiem, it’s wild emotions in a slick, sensuous package. Forsaken’s art unsettles you in the way that watching a pack of wolves on the hunt can, savage and oddly riveting. Mage so far has had a strong “light in the darkness” motif, people brushing up against something far bigger than themselves.
I can’t wait to see the art for Changeling, or supplements for the other game lines. Great job to the artists!
Thanks! We’ll pass that on!
Good Lord, Rich! At this rate, you guys could actually be at a point where you have (Dare I say it?) breathing room soon!
SUPER excited to hear the news about EX3 going double plat already, and, even though Awakening isn’t my bag, I’m hoping for all the best for it as well.
I suspect that’s why a whole bunch of non-White Wolf projects are advancing now like OP’s Scion/Trinity stuff and the OGL setting materials. Wonder if Cavaliers of Mars will start gathering steam. I’m rather curious about that.
So happy to see M2e finally making it out the door. And many thanks to Rich, Dave and co for putting up with the slobbering fans for the last year or so. 🙂
Well, it looks like Mage 2nd has won the battle against Promethean 2nd for release. Now, can it win… THE WAR?!!!
Hello Rich,
I have a question for you but first I just want to congratulate the team for the quality of the work on the last projects that came out from Onyx path. It truly is an exciting time for the fans who’ve been waiting for these games in the past year !
My question regards printing. I am a canadian customer, which mean each time I want to order a book, I need to pay a significant extra for shipping, custom clearing and for USD to CAD conversion fees. This can mean an increase of more than 50% of the base book value in some cases.
I know you are probably aware of this situation and I was wondering if sometime in the future onyx path and/or dtrpg would consider partnering with local printers outside US to by-pass such fee?
I am not fully aware of the regulation and everything and this might not be possible, but for sure, there would be more books selling here if some of these fees could be minimized. I know I have refrained of buying some books myself because of this, and I know I’m not alone in this situation.
Thanks and good job again with the products in all case!
DriveThruRPG already minimizes costs as much as they can. Lightning Source has two major printing facilities, one in the US and one in the UK.
A lot of the stuff that gets shipped to Canada is actually printed in the UK, because it’s cheaper in terms of customs fees than it would be to ship from the US (weird but true).
However, I received my copy of Exalted only eight or nine days after ordering it, so the process can still be fairly quick.
If there were any other way for DTRPG to reasonably reduce costs, they’d take it.
Thanks for the explanation Ian !
I get it that it is not an easy thing to manage. I read through one EN World article that one reason for the financial downfall of TSR was, among other things, the high level of books inventory.
I don’t want to get into a brainstorming session here or linger on the subject, but I don’t know if big printing runs could lower the cost ?
I would personally be wiling to wait 2,4,8, 16 weeks before my book is printed (getting by with the pdf in the meantime) until the right number of order is met to get the volume discount.
And you can always leave the customer the option to pay the usual fee to get the book faster.
Anyway, like I said, I won’t linger on the subject.
I’m just curious about what could help create a win/win situation for everyone and help spread more onyx path products around the world!
You’ve hit the nail on the head for why we have been very careful about the evolution of our business model. Inventory, the storage of that inventory, the need for more employees to deal with managing that inventory, all of these are things I don’t need to bring into how Onyx Path does that pesky business side of our company. I absolutely hate how high shipping costs are growing, particularly since I think we shouldn’t have such rates for going through “the longest undefended border in the world.” But we really don’t control that.
So yes, in traditional printing you get a better price the more you print as so much cost is just in setting up and turning the presses on. In PoD printing, though, there is no intrinsic lowering of costs because every book goes through an individual printing process. Although I understand some PoD printers will offer a bulk discount like after 50 or 100 books in an order for a single title. For Onyx, there’s no value in doing that for sale to consumers because of the same inventory issues as above. Hope that helps!
Yes it does! Thanks for the clarifications. Anyway, it’s time for me to adapt and fully embrace the pdf / tablet era. It’s just tough to do the transition when you’ve been used to using books at the gaming table through the years. Nostalgia I guess… Younger players probably don’t have the same paradigms as older one on that matter.
Printing costs are a Jyhad move. It’s really a destabilizing ploy by the sabbot to undermine the masquerade. By making it expensive they make mortals covet and collect.
The time has come to cast our spells;
We have received a new Mage canon.
All is right with the Fallen World;
It’s time to reclaim our Heaven.
So do you guys have a date for when the PoD version of Mage 2 will be available for purchase? As much as it’ll be cool to page through the PDF, I’m pretty eager to get my hands on that sweet, sweet hard copy. They’re so much easier to read/use 🙂
We don’t do dates and those sorts of estimates. Best idea on timing and why was described in my blog post. Thanks.
Fair enough, thanks. Sorry if I came off as pushy or anything there; I’m just really excited about this. Mage was always my favourite WoD line, so I’m super looking forward to getting 2nd-ed Awakening 🙂
Hi,
Any chances of your Gen Con booth having more physical books for sale? Some of us come from outside the US and the convention is the perfect place to pick a few dead-tree copies 🙂
We’ll be having a selection of the latest Onyx Path books at our booth this year. We have limited space and it doesn’t make a lot of sense for us to order PoD books from DTRPG on the off chance that somebody coming to the con just might buy them. If you are looking for old WW books, the various vendors that sell old books are your best bet.
So excited for Mage 2nd. Thank you Onyx Path!!!!
Impatiently awaiting wed this week.
So will there ever be “revised” editions of these books? it boggles my mind that errata collection stops. wouldn’t it be useful to to continue collecting and release a revised after a year? maybe that’s too expensive (if you’d just give the digital update to people who’ve purchased)
One of the reasons we like the Advance and Backer PDF errata phase is that it jumps on top of the misses that we would have been told about after the books went live before they go live. That’s about all we have the bandwidth for. The fact is that no published material is ever perfect, like I said in the blog, and tabletop RPGs with all their interpretable rules are never going to have enough errata to satisfy everybody.
Well and while I can’t say I never find a wierd typo or two words run together the quality of editing is way higher than it was in the old days. I’ve been very happy with the texts I’ve gotten in the past few years from OPP. It seems to be a pretty solid process.
Can’t wait for Wednesday! But at what time on Wednesday will it be available on DTRPG?
After 2pm Eastern US time.
Awesome COD Hurt Locker is in Editing…progress moves foward..
Related Note.. How is Hunter 2e Slasher Chronicles progressing… its not on the tracking list.. just jurious
Until writing starts, we don’t include the developer work on the list.
So let’s see….
Awakening 2e on Wednesday, which means I can get cracking on the genre directory and the SPI Addendum.
The Pack… not quite yet, but maybe in a week or two, which gives me a bit of breathing room.
And the long-awaited Secrets of the Covenants now out of Art Direction and fully into Layout.
This is a good week.
So glad Mage2E is finally releasing!
Beckett’s Jyhad Kickstarter?!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I had the same reaction, interestingly. I’m still making that noise in fact. Just at a very, very low pitch.
Mage tomorrow, Stellaris next Monday, The Pack maybe in a week or two, with Promethean, Curse of the Blue Nile, and the Dark Eras companion hot on their heels.
Man Paradox must be loving the impact they and OPP are having on my wallet right now!
12 hours until mage!
…8…
…2…
…1…
Its not as if anyone is compulsively hitting refresh here and on Drive Thru RPG or anything….
I don´t know what you´re talking about… 😉
…so much agony…
If I’m in London how much do I have to wait?
Mage 2nd released!!
Will I have a discount for the Print On Demand if I buy the pdf first? Shall I wait for the final version?
Thanks.
The way we do the Advance PDFs is that when the final PDF and PoD are ready to put on sale, anyone who has already purchased the PDF gets a discount link for the PoD along the lines of the cost of buying a PDF/PoD combo.
Many thanks, richt. 🙂
With other books, they gave us a discount to equal the pdf+print bundle price, so we should receive a 15 dollar discount in the PoD as soon as it´s available.
I feel like you have to delineate what Advanced PDF means a lot. Dipping into marketing research and how long you have a consumer’s attention, have you thought about putting the Advanced PDF notice at the beginning of the description in bold? Kind of like what Valve does for Early Access (the notice is the first thing). I’m not sure how it would affect sales, but it might (maybe, not too sure) improve customer satisfaction.
(For the record, I am the rare minority of consumers that reads the signs and fine print.)
[…] Source: Onyx Path […]
Where do I submit suggestions for improvement and report potential errors I’ve found for the Mage 2nd Edition Advance pdf?
There is a thread for it in the Mage: the Awakening forum on our site.
Noted. Thank you.