So happy, with all the pretty springtime flowers-

Achoo!

Let’s get these notes in between spring sneezes. First there’s:

I know a bunch of you reading are waiting for solid news about the Exalted: Exigents crowd-funding (maybe Kickstarter, maybe not?) campaign, and Exigents should indeed be our next one, but in the spirit of the 10th Anniversary year – here’s a bit on the evolution of our Kickstarters.

Justin Achilli and I were working on the V20 Companion book, and I was really frustrated because I wanted Onyx Path‘s first Vampire: The Masquerade book to be a real companion book to V20 – not just in terms of subject matter, but also in appearance.

But, the cash needed to get something like that – deluxe leatherette, etc – printed and out was just outside of what Onyx Path could afford, there in the first months of its founding.

Justin and I both were aware of this new crowd-funding concept called Kickstarter, and I might have even jumped in on somebody’s campaign to see how it worked. (Matt Forbeck’s “novel a month” KS?) We had worked with a fella at CCP who backed KS projects as a fun pastime, so we pulled some info from him and I went and set up Onyx‘s first KS.

So V20 Companion was our first Deluxe KS, followed quickly by V20 Children of the Revolution, which did OK, but then W20 exploded into 300K+ with a whole slew of stretch goals – which were a new thing that were just being grafted onto the Kickstarter platform. I mean really crudely nailed on and scotch-taped onto it!

Plus, for the first time we included an “Ultra-Deluxe” that enough backers backed so that I could fulfill my dream of a metal cover slashed through by Garou claws!

That was a gigantic KS at the time, but oh boy was there more madness to come with the Exalted 3rd and the Mage20 KSs that held records for some time as the highest funded. How fast things have progressed in Kickstarter-land when non-million dollar KSs could be record-holding!

We were always racing to make the KSs work even as the added methods like Stretch Goals got more complex. Gradually, we developed a working system even as printers and fulfillment companies crashed and burned out from under us. But it was gradual, and hard-learned from mistakes along the way, so not everything – an understatement – worked as we intended.

But enough did, and we kept going and trying out different ways to put our KSs together. Eventually, we teamed up with Studio2 as our KS fulfillment partner, and they also had a pipeline into stores, so I saw a chance to use crowd-funding to enable us to start putting books into game and book stores again.

That’s when we started to do KSs for traditionally printed books that we would print more of than we needed for KS backers, and get those extra books into stores. It was an extension of what we were already doing with overprinting our Deluxe books to cover replacements due to lost or damaged books, but writ large into overprinting in the hundreds and thousands.

Studio2 and IPR have been fantastic to work with as we’ve built inroads into getting our projects into peoples’ hands post-Kickstarter campaigns, and they’ve been pretty stable and effective partners even during Covid. We’ve also worked with a variety of printers and binders over the years – some are long-term like the gang that did our first Deluxe covers and books, who we still work with on screens and special projects.

And some we try out and things aren’t quite what works for us. That’s the biz, and we move on. Fortunately we have been with a printer for a few years pretty smoothly until we all slid right into the challenges of Covid. I’ve pointed out these challenges for the last year or so here on the Monday Meeting Notes blog, so you’re all pretty aware of how difficult the effects of the pandemic have made things in printing and fulfillment.

Schedules have run late, print times have been delayed and then we’ve jammed in as many titles as possible, supplies have been hard or impossible to get ahold of, limited staff has resulted in slips and mistakes, trucking and other shipping has been limited and/or delayed…there’ve been a lot of challenges for our printers, our shippers, and for our team with the redoubtable and essential James Bell as our KS-runner at the head of the team. But we persevere.

It’s challenging for us, and it has been a nightmare for the printers and shippers, and yet through all of that Studio2 just finished shipping the sixth of six KS’s reward mail-outs from our big manufacturing gang-up in January, and Mirthful Mike has started sending the print files for the next batch of several KSs to the printer.

Not everything has run perfectly, and James is working hard on some problems with shipments, but it’s been amazing how our printing and shipping partners have risen to the occasion considering how rough things are right now for them.

Sooo, not the state of things we want, or planned for in the halcyon pre-Covid times, but progress is being made.

We still create Deluxe books, we’ve created card games, we’ve created canvas maps and dice and other extra merch items, we’ve added in traditionally printed books to go into stores…who knows what’s next?

Well, I do, and it’s-

Achoo!

MORE SNEEZING, and also Meeting Stuff:

OK, real quick before this sneezing kicks in again-

A reminder that we now have the Scion: Origin Compendium for sale on Roll20. That gives players a very easy and searchable base for everything they need to play Scion: Origin on Roll20. Combine that with some of our character and monster packs from DTRPG and you’ll be running and playing Scion 2e on Roll20 in no time!

https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/compendiumexpansion/12522/scion-second-edition-book-one-origin

We’ve got some approvals yet to get through for the Scion: Hero Compendium, so that’s not out yet. Yet.

Red Bubble is having a sale right now, so if you’d like some of our cool merchandise, like t-shirts, but also mugs and cell-cases, etc – check out our Red Bubble store! You can even get the delightful Happy Sun version of our logo on your items!

Here we are in the second half of April, so our Tenth Anniversary Sale has now switched to PDFs that are about non-Solars in our Exalted 90% off sale! https://www.drivethrurpg.com/saleguide.php
And physical book Exalted Deluxes and Screens are still 50% off at IPR: https://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Deals-and-Specials/

Not to be outdone, DTRPG is running their sale for Print on Demand books:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/promo.php?manufacturers_id=4261

Wow, sorry, that’s a lot of Sales talk! I try to hold that back a bit, but honestly, most of our Monday Meeting today was about scheduling and deadlines and other process-oriented stuff. Which doesn’t really make for a fun blog post. At least the Sales stuff in possibly useful and timely info. For some folks.

I’ll try and get more and varied info next week…promise!

Finally, we’re still looking for GMs for the Onyx Path Online Convention!

Please do think about running a game or three – it’ll be fun and you know you have a story in you that players could run through! Plus, part of the players’ fees go towards charity, and part goes right to you!

Event Page:
https://startplaying.games/event/onyx-path
How to list a game:
https://intercom.help/startplayinggames/en/articles/4516071-how-to-create-and-list-a-game

Well worth the time. (I’m even running a game during the con, but let’s keep that between ourselves!)

Achoo!

Here’s one thing not to sneeze about:

Ten Years, Many Worlds, One Path!

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BLURBS!

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Kickstarter!

Look here for news of our next crowdfunding project: Exalted: Exigents!

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Onyx Path Media!

This week:
Dixie sits down with Robert Vance and Elliott Freeman to talk about the upcoming Exigents book and Kickstarter for Exalted!

As always, this Friday’s Onyx Pathcast will be on Podbean or your favorite podcast venue! https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/

Onyx Path Media now has its own blog on Tuesdays! THURSDAY THIS WEEK! We’ll continue posting our highlight of the week here, but Tuesday will be the day to visit if you want to catch up on actual plays, interviews, deep dives, and other assorted Onyx Path media!

Please check out our attached media schedule for the impressive number of videos on our Twitch channel this week! In particular, keep those eyes open for our Storypath Showcase, where we give an excellent profile of our various Storypath games and how to play them!

MEDIA HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK:

Devil’s Luck Gaming just started up their time jumping game of Trinity Continuum: Adventure! and TC: Assassins! But not only that, they’re also running Hunter: The Vigil 2E! For the best in costumed actual plays, do check them out over on https://twitch.tv/devilsluckgaming and give them a follow and a subscribe. It’s definitely worth your while.

The Onyx Path News goes live every single week to discuss recent and upcoming releases, dive into some of our most anticipated books, and answer questions from the audience. You can find it on our YouTube channel (click the bell to be informed when we go live!). You can find the latest episode here: https://youtu.be/L-sAcXiV_k4

(Look at that face! You gotta love the Dawkins!)

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Virtual Tabletop!

The Scion: Origin Compendium is now available on Roll20!

https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/compendiumexpansion/12522/scion-second-edition-book-one-origin

It’s native to Roll20, so not for use elsewhere, but perfect for starting your Roll20 Scion game – plus, the official Origin & Hero sheets are already available!

And the first of our official sheets designed for Roll20 are now available!

The first of our official sheets designed for Foundry VTTis now available!

As they say:
Direct Link: https://foundryvtt.com
“Foundry Virtual Tabletop is a self-hosted roleplaying
platform with support for hundreds of game systems with modern
features and a developer-friendly API. Foundry VTT is a one-time
purchase where your players connect for free using a web browser.”

More VTT offerings and projects will be arriving this year!

A Quantum Leap (A Trinity Continuum: Jumpstart),The Adventures of Teen Tomorrow (A Trinity Continuum: Aberrant Jumpstart),Quantum Entanglement (A Trinity Continuum: Aeon Jumpstart),are all on Astral TableTop.

Also on Astral TableTop is the Secret of Vinsen’s Tomb for Realms of Pugmire!

Check out Astral TableTop for two free projects: Scion 2E: A Light Extinguished and Scarred Lands: Gauntlet of Spiragos and this Dagger of Spiragos module for sale: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/336406/Dagger-of-Spiragos-5e–Astral-VTT

On DrivethruRPG, here is the main filter for all of our current VTT content:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/4261/Onyx-Path-Publishing?filters=0_0_0_45317_0

A few highlights of our platform agnostic DTRPG content:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/309127/Scarred-Lands-Creature-Collection-VTT-Token-Pack
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/317690/Trinity-Continuum-Hunt-for-the-Red-Widow-VTT
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/340327/Trinity-Continuum-Aeon-VTT-Tokens
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/311578/Scarred-Lands-VTT-Separation-Anxiety
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/311580/Scion-2e-VTT-Origin-Signature-Tokens
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/311579/Scion-2e-VTT-Hero-Signature-Tokens

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Our Sales Partners!

We’re working with Studio2 to provide our traditionally printed books out into your local game stores. Game stores can order via their usual distributors, and can also contact Studio2 directly. And individuals can check out our projects via the links below!

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books, dice, and screens? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

Deluxe Exalted Books & Screens 50% Off at IPR:
https://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Deals-and-Specials/

As always, you can find Onyx Path’s titles in PDF and PoD versions at DriveThruRPG.com!

Select (non-Solar-oriented) Exalted PDFs 90% Off at DTRPG:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/saleguide.php

The Best of Print Sale just went live on DTRPG:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/promo.php?manufacturers_id=4261

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).

Check out the Trinity Continuum: Aeon novellas Dawn and Meridian in the Kindle store!

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On Sale This Week!

Just when you think it is safe to go back in the water: BAM! you’re visiting They Came From Camp Murder Lake!
Whose card sets:
They Came From Camp Murder Lake! Quip & Cinematic Cards and
They Came From Camp Murder Lake! Twist Cards PDFs and PoDs are available on Wednesday – for sale on DTRPG!

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Conventions!

Because dates for physical conventions are subject to change due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, we don’t yet have a list of upcoming physical conventions. Instead, keep an eye out here for more virtual conventions we’re going to be involved with!

Tabletop Scotland is due to take place on 27th and 28th August 2022 and will play host to at least four Onyx Pathers running our games and sitting on panels! If you’re UK or Europe based, it’s an excellent con to visit and within traveling distance from Edinburgh, which takes flights from a lot of places! Consider paying Tabletop Scotland a visit. https://tabletopscotland.co.uk/

Right now, we’re planning our first plans for the 3rd Onyx Path Virtual Con in June.

This year’s Onyx Path Publishing Virtual Convention page is now live on Start Playing Games:

https://startplaying.games/event/onyx-path

Check it out now for the GM sign-ups section if you want to run games during the con. More info on events and panels and all yet to come!

How to list a game:
https://intercom.help/startplayinggames/en/articles/4516071-how-to-create-and-list-a-game

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And now, the new project status updates!

Our full list of projects will be available monthly on our blog! Check out March’s full list report here:http://theonyxpath.com/release-roundup-march-2022/

Development Status from Eddy Webb!

(Here are the projects that moved to the next stage of production):

Redlines

TC: Aberrant – Hated and Feared

• Eddy: This project is ticking along on schedule. There’s been some interesting discussion among the team about things like nova imprisonment and what “villains” look like in Aberrant, so I think this will be a very cool book once it’s all done.

Mage: The Ascension – Technocracy Novellas

• Eddy: All the first drafts are in for the novellas. Another piece of the Technocracy Kickstarter racing along to the finish!

Hunter: The Vigil – Tending the Flame

• Dixie: Very happy this stretch goal book for Hunter is moving along! I’m excited to see what the team comes up with for their expansions on the core.

Final Draft

Exalted: Sidereals

• Dixie: The developers and myself are extremely happy with this book thus far. It’s chugging along nicely and I look forward to sharing excerpts once it’s finished!

Editing

TC: Aberrant – Tasty Bit – Earth Orbital Habitat

• Eddy: The Aberrant Tasty Bit is off to editing! Ian added a small bit to it, which I think will be a fun callback to one of the earliest stretch goals from the Kickstarter campaign….

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Art Direction from Mike Chaney!

In Art Direction

• Ex3 Exigents – KS prep continues.
• Squeaks in the Deep Jumpstart – ADing.

In Layout

• M20 Victorian Mage TCFBTG Tales of Depravity – First proof going out to dev.
• TC Aberrant Novas Worldwide 
• CTL2e Kith and Kin

Proofing

• Scion Demigod – Second Proof

At Press

• WoD Ghost Hunters – Deluxe shipped to backers.
• WoD Ghost Hunters Screen – Shipped to backers.
• Paranormalists Handbook – PoD proof on the way.
• Hunter: The Vigil 2e – Working on the PO details with printer and prepping the cover file. Interior files prepped and ready to go.
• HTV 2 Screen – Files ready for Press. Working on PO with printer.
• TC Panopticon – PoD proof on the way.
• M20 The Operatives Dossier – Awaiting errata.
• TC: Aberrant: Terat Novella – PoD proof on the way.
• Trinity Continuum: Assassins – Awaiting errata.
• They Came From Murder Lake Twist Cards – PDF/PoD versions on sale this Weds. on DTRPG/DTCards!
• They Came From Murder Lake Quip and Cinematic Cards – PDF/PoD versions on sale this Weds. on DTRPG/DTCards!

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Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

15 years ago, Scion: Hero was first published. This is notable for a couple of reasons, the first being that it was the first new game line from White Wolf in many years and it was a success from the start. Which was a pretty important moment, and one that I was real happy to see happen, as the guy in charge at that time. Well, with that cover of Eric Donner…you’d have to expect great things. Next, we had done a bit of guerilla marketing that was unprecedented at the time and included a copy of the game book in every store-owner’s bag at GAMA that year. Store orders skyrocketed from the measly amount previously reported to us by the distributors! Lessons were certainly learned. And, of course, that first edition set the stage for the current, 2nd edition, from us – your friends at Onyx Path!