December Part 1: A not so 'Micro' Update
almost 3 years ago – Wed, Dec 13, 2023 at 04:19:39 AM

Greetings All!

Here is a not so Micro Update, I wanted to give a state of the project while everything was still in motion. There is a lot, so please bear with me. It adds up quick.

Scrambling is a lifestyle these days.

PAXU:

This just wrapped up a week ago in Philly and it was an incredible time. I cannot express the joy it brought to me to talk directly to backers as well as have decks on display. For those of you that made it to the booth, thank you for truly making the convention for me!

I ended up catching a nasty fever (thankfully not covid) by the time I got home and just now getting around to the update. It's my fault for that. The outline was done before the convention but solo boothing was a ride I was not prepped for.

I pretty much fell apart the moment I got home. I was able to beat the fever by Monday but I'm really tired of lost time here.

Most Importantly - Items:

The Main 500: It's the meat of the project.

By the end of this week, 400 of the 500 will have finished their first final edit pass. This is just slightly farther than it was at the end of October, we hit a snag during the first pass with the professional editor. After this first pass makes it through all 500, we will be set for the Alpha release. So we are rapidly approaching getting that wrapped up for sharing.

I would have liked this to be wrapped up by the end of November, but my tried and true editor has been entrenched in their own solo project. I know what it's like to over commit, it gets to the best of us. So we are making due with over extended workloads, pushed deadlines, and good vibes. They’ve been trusted with my content for years, and are essential to the final product. I am not going to rock the boat now, trust that they are kicking it into high gear.

So while they are finishing the last 100 with the goal set for this month. I have the 2nd Pass beginning from 1 to 400 to follow right behind them. 250 of these are just a sign off on previous work, making sure they still gel with the project. This should help cut down on some of the time lost.

Boons & Extras:

The additional Boons and additional items outside of the 500 scope have been shifted into their own category. Progress is there but less crucial than the core items in terms of review and timeline.

They are getting their day in the sun, just not yet. More details on the originals + new items in the next update hopefully.

Art and Assets!:

The 3 Patrons:

I know this is just a stretch goal, but oh boy is it my type of goal. I cannot wait to share these with you. The artist has been knocking out the full page illustrations for the TRIO. It’s been nothing short of spectacular.

There is also an additional take of them in battle mode for the stats breakdowns that I am getting cooked up. Be Hyped!

Comic Pages:

I am very happy with the talent signed on and working, as well as those on the cusp of convincing. I love comics. I would like to get it to 6 artist’s individual takes on the tales, though we are dancing at a perfectly fine 4 currently.

Item Art:

Yep, also me. I love tweaking item art, but I am not doing that currently. Almost all of this (95%) has been signed off in my tracking sheet and reserved for only tweaking if I see fit during the production shutdown in Jan-Feb.

Even then, it’s  just because I can and if there is bandwidth to revisit. This is done if something catches my eye or doesn’t meet the quality of other items.

Right now, I a full project manager and fulfillment hats.

The Book Covers: A Tale of 2 Editions.

Standard Tome: This design is locked in and I am working on getting production sampling as soon as able. This is to ensure the gold and individual items truly pop even on the standard. (These tend to be lumped together with the bookmarks and pins that are prepped)

Deluxe Tome: There is a minor change to the design (mostly the back cover) that I am working on getting solved next week. Once this is finalized, it too will get moved into the production table.

Shiny Clackies (Dice):

Both dice productions are underway. We are currently still in the color testing phases. Normally this comes after unique molds. However, I have asked to swap the order as we focus on the dice colors and designs over immediate molding.

It’s been a challenge but I want these colors to pop and not be a muted mess. The team that’s working with me seems to want that as well, even if it takes multiple takes.

What does this mean?: I have the production company doing different passes of the colors for both the Cosmos (Color Blends) and Elder Dice (Pattern Approval). This is to ensure color quality before diving into the number molds.

Shard D4’s:

Funny enough, the initial passes of the ‘Shard D4’ for the Elder Dice were short (think d8) and blunted versions, opposed to the approved designs and images shared during quoting. This spiraled into a two week conversation on the correct sharpness for a specialty d4. Not a major detail, but just odd enough to share.

I’m excited to see the corrected version of these.

VTT’s:

Ingestor’s (term for those who take content and work it into Platforms) are officially hired after negotiations at PAX U, these include a re-polish or compendium upgrade for the original 250 Items to bring them up to standard.

This is a trusted team, just hyped each of them back for this project.

In Closing:

I realized that is a lot to go over, but there is a lot going on. Between this and some shipping issues from the previous project, I’ve been pretty much consistently in communication with fulfillment or production. It’s a lot.

I’m still hyped and a ball of excitement.

Thank you for making dreams real  Buckle up! Only more good things to come. 

I'll be back with another update later this month, so keep an eye out!

Be Safe, and Keep Playing.

• Hos (Dungeon Scribe)
   

Micro Update: D3 at Sea + Continual Progress
about 3 years ago – Sun, Oct 29, 2023 at 08:40:15 AM

Greetings All!

Just a small and simple update for this trip week.

I am setting sail with D3 at Sea this week, so I’ll have limited internet access for the next 8 Days. So in the meantime, how about an update!

While this will no doubt be an amazing experience, work is on the schedule. So, here is a small breakdown of what is happening in the meantime.

Magical Oddities:

• Decks 7 & 8 are getting their 2nd and 1st editing pass (via Spectrecreations) this week.
  
• Decks 9 & 10 are getting a final pass from me and then getting handed off next week.
  
• Boons are separated from the main decks.
  
  • The originals are getting a 2nd edit pass.
    
  • The new boons are getting their first overall pass next week.
    
• Checking through the rolodex for any additional items that can be added to the tome.
  

Dice:

• We are currently in the color sample stages. I will be sharing sample images once they are received and are to a quality that I approve!
  

Art:

• I’m enjoying taking some passes at some older items. Getting them to the updated quality expected for the new Tome & Cards!
  

Everything is moving along, which I couldn’t be more thankful for. I am hoping to have an Alpha Pass of some shape or form before PAXU (December 1st). So, I’m really taking advantage of this downtime.

I am diving in, and beyond excited to see what comes about from this week, I am hoping to treat it as a creative retreat with other D&D Enthusiast!

I’ll be back soon! Be Safe & Keep Playing!

• Hos (Dungeon Scribe)
  

Micro Update: Surveys & Smoke Test.
about 3 years ago – Fri, Sep 15, 2023 at 09:39:04 AM

Smallest of Updates - The Smoke Test went out to 5% of the backers, and it is going well.

Making a few changes (thank you for the messages!), and then the Surveys should be headed your way. Expect a full Survey release early Next Week!

Thank you for the patience while these tweaks happen to ensure a smooth delivery for everyone.

Be Safe & Keep Playing!

• Hos (Dungeon Scribe)
  

KS2: Preorder Store, Surveys, & Timeline
about 3 years ago – Fri, Sep 08, 2023 at 09:41:35 AM

Greetings All!

After some much needed rest, I’m back with the full steam ahead update.

Pre-Order Store: Here!

This quietly went up a few weeks back and continued to expand in the following days. It’s pretty much a soft launch of the Survey, so it was an easy task to knock out going forward.

It has the adjusted prices as they move off of Kickstarter. These are still cheaper than the final retail and webstore prices. It now includes the Sage Items!

Survey & Smoke Test:

Always a joy to double and triple check these. Unlike the last KS, this covered all questions including VTT right off the bat.

The surveys have been submitted for a Smoke Test (a test survey sent to a limited number of backers) approval, with the rest of the Surveys coming early next week. I went over this with the Backerkit team, they are doing the last review now. We are set to go forward from here.

Backerkit Includes: Your Early Bird specials and the ability to update to a Deluxe Collector’s Tome if you have the standard in your current tier.

Timeline: Nifty Graph of Important Dates!

Next Week: Survey Delivery!

Late November: Open Backerkit Feedback & Alpha Release of PDF Tome!

January: Close Backerkit Feedback Form & Beta Release of PDF Tome.

February: Backerkit Store Closes! Process Charges & release Digital Rewards.

June: Backerkit Shipping Charges & Address Lock.

July: Physical Reward Delivery!

Projects I Love: Deck of Encounters & Loot!

I use Tome of Summoning products at my table. They are incredible creators. I recommend them everywhere I can and to whomever I’m able. They have new decks of Loot, and Encounters are definitely going to be a table addition. Why not have something on hand for whenever your plays inevitably go completely off the rails.

Seriously, these are great creators. I can’t recommend it enough!

Check it out Here!: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tomeofsummoning/deck-of-encounters-and-loot-rollable-tables-for-dnd-5e?ref=bnq1qv

In their words: A Kickstarter Double Feature. Double up on the finest of Fifth Edition tools with The Deck of Loot and The Deck of Encounters! Enhance your loot with rollable tables of delightful and deadly trinkets, treasures, and trappings from the most commonly encountered creatures in Fifth Edition. Engage your players with a variety of exciting and inspiring encounters designed to fit the most commonly visited adventuring environments and scaled for multiple tiers of party level.

That’s it for this update, I’m going to be getting underway with the Creator Deck and Prep for the very basic version of the PDF. So, let’s go. I can’t wait to start sharing more as it comes in!

Keep Playing and Be Safe!

• Hos (Dungeon Scribe)
   

The Last Day: Recap!
over 3 years ago – Thu, Aug 10, 2023 at 07:36:17 PM

Greetings All!

The campaign conclusion!

What a day, and the conclusion of a several month marathon. About 12 Hours Ago the campaign drew to a close with a spike of support. Since that locked, I took a much needed nap and then spent some yard time with the puppy to basically decompress and get some sunshine.

This wasn’t my first campaign, but it was a lot of firsts in many ways. It was my first Kickstarter to involve a Book, to get a ‘Project We Love’, and to break 200k!

I normally take a week to realize that the campaign was indeed a success and let the stress associated with the Kickstarter go, but the most recent  outpouring of support and messages has really gotten to me. Most creators that I know, don’t take compliments well, so it's been a lot of emotions seeing the number spike up. I am truly humbled by the support and belief in not only the project but myself.

Long Story Short: I will be working on the Pledge Manage tonight and tomorrow morning. Then I’m taking the weekend to rest, map out the new schedule, and then dive right in starting next week.

So look forward to the Pledge Manager, and get some much needed rest for yourselves as well.

Thank you again, Truly.

Projects I Love: World of Battlezoo: Indigo Isles for Pathfinder 2e and 5e

Roll For Combat and I actually ran our Kickstarters at the same time last go around as well. I was blown away by the quality and art direction of the original Battlezoo, and this addition is no different.
 

In Their Words: The World of Battlezoo: Indigo Isles is the first lore book within the Battlezoo world of Alacar. This book is centered around the tropical Indigo Isles. World of Battlezoo Indigo Isles is designed to work within any game, so you can quickly drop these islands into your own campaign, use them in conjunction with the Jewel of the Indigo Isles Adventure Path, use them with the upcoming Battlezoo Eldamon book, or use them as the launching point for your introduction into the world of Alacar.

Click Here to Check it Out!

I am so very grateful, and will be back next week after some rest. I’m humbled, I can’t thank you enough for supporting me in this.

Be Safe & Keep Playing,

• Hos (Dungeon Scribe)