We have gotten some recurring questions that we'd like to have the answers to in one place, and since the FAQ's page on BackerKit can't be accessed until the project launches, we decided to do an update with all of the important questions we get regularly answered, and we'll make sure to edit/review/add and change anything as we move forward.
Are you planning to localize all of the Sword World RPG books?
We will be working through the books with Group SNE. This will take some time. It won't all happen at once, but we are planning to do additional books and work through the back catalog. This crowdfunding campaign performing well would help to move that process along!
What will the size of the book be?
We are still finalizing, but it will likely be 8.5 x 11 (letter sized). This is because the Japanese written language is more space efficient, and the books would be insanely thick if we chose a smaller form.
Will it be in black and white?
We will be releasing the Sword World RPG Core Rules in full-color!
International fulfillment?
We are planning to ship to wherever we are able! While this campaign is allowed to ship to other countries, it will have to be on a country by country basis due to shipping restrictions. We will keep you updated!
FYI: Just a note to potential backers who want to reserve but are worried that we won’t ship to their countries: This reservation lasts till the day of launch so you don’t need to reserve immediately, and we should have some more information on shipping before launch.
Is this a 1:1 translation?
No, it functionally cannot be. However, we are working with Group SNE as the authority on the translation to make sure it's as close to the source information as possible. This requires difficult decisions, however, those decisions are being made with the original creators of the game in order to make sure you are getting to experience Sword World the way it was originally intended.
Will you be using Generative AI for art and translation? What is your stance on AI?
Our stance on AI is similar to what most game producers is: we have absolutely no intention at all to use generative ai in any part of the release of Sword World. We are working with Japanese artists, we are doing the translation, we are working with writers and proofreaders that are human, so every step of the way we are having humans produce the art and translation.
...we'll keep this page updated with more FAQs as they arise!
Sleepy Hollow - The Return of the Headless Horseman
The adventure is finished and codes have been sent, expect to see a notification today if you are set to receive this adventure. If you do not receive an e-mail, please look in your Backerkit account and you should see it under downloads. The adventure includes 5 Pre-generated Characters.
@Goodman Goblins, please unpin my original post and pin this one.
Room 1-1 - Included in CW
Room 1-2 - Made A Monster!
Room 1-3 - The Quarryton Calamity
Room 1-4 - Mutant Spawn of the Toadmother
Room 1-5 - The Carnivorous Cauldron
Room 1-6 - The Madness of Metronax
Room 1-7 - Steamlander
Room 1-8 - Siege on the Cerulean Spire
Room 1-9 - 101 Dungeon Encounters
Room 1-10 - When Dying Unicorns Dream
Room 1-11 - Forest of Terror
Room 1-12 - Castle Whiterock: An Illustrated Journey
Room 1-13 - Descent of the Ancient Fane
Room 1-14 - Tyche's Pouch
Driven by an insatiable hunger and a compulsion to devour everything in their path, BILE LICKER's warband scours the lands, followed by a swarm of giant rats with skeletal features. Where do they make their lair?
Like true warriors, you have overcome every achievement—leaving all obstacles crushed under your iron boots!
So, we added some new stretch goals. Here is the line up:
The "Devious Door Randomizer" added to each book.
The "Quick Start" dungeon added to each book.
Dunn's Torch: an app we will develop (free to each backer) to track torches, lanterns and magic light at the table. Featuring an animated Dunn the Dwarf, so you feel safe and secure as you delve!
The posters (early bird, reservation, and add-on editions) all oversized for added epic gameplay.
The "Build a Boss" section added to each book. Craft your epic dungeon boss with this killer tool!
You have unlocked new levels!
Check out more details below... (and don't forget, if Dunn the Dwarf survives all 4 rounds, the amount needed for ALL stretch goals is each decreased by 25%!)
At this level, we will create a "Devious Door Randomizer" for the book. No two portals will look alike with this table of trapped, tricked out, and tremendous archways, gates, portals, hatches, secret doors, or portcullises!
Once we hit this goal, we will add the IOs, android, web app for all backers called "Dunn's Torch." This app is a variable timer for RPG game lighting (torch, lantern, magic lights)--a great device to keep the action going!
At this level, we will create a "Build a Boss" section for the book. Quickly generate dozens of nasty bosses with randomized motivations, origins, powers, and appearances.
Chris Lindsay here... I'm just dropping everyone a quick note to let you know that we've been collecting up all of our edited content and are now in the process of fully assembling this aerial beast. I wanted to remind you that if you haven't yet done so, you can DOWNLOAD the BETA rules here and start playing right away. There's absolutely no reason you should remain grounded whilst you wait. In the meantime, I'm working hard so that by the next time I update you, we should have complete manuscripts, ready for layout and final art.
At the same time, we're polishing the articles and content to populate Issue #1 of the OG5E Journal. It's sure to be jam-packed with insightful ideas, amazing articles, and all around gamer goodness!
While we're chatting, I'd like to draw your attention to the AWESOME new campaign we have going with.... wait for it....BOOOOOOM!!!
This post is going to have a ton of photos. We are at the very end of the proofing process, where we are receiving physical samples of covers. So get ready for a whole bunch of those!
We also have one bit of bad-news-that-we-fixed-so-it's-fine-now. Long story short, the MCC neon cover will use foil instead of fluorescent inks to achieve the desired look. Full details on that below.
Now, let's start with proof photos... so many proof photos...
BTW, these are called F&G's, which stands for "Folded & Gathered." These are printed on the true and final paper stock. They're folded, and gathered together (hence the name), but no binding is applied. That is why in some cases you see the "guts" of the book sitting outside the cover. The guts are printed "as you'll get them", just not bound in yet, so we're showing you what the inside will look like, too.
In some cases you'll see "firm" covers. Those have already been adhered to the board. In other cases they look "floppy." That's the PLC (Printed Laminated Case), which is "exactly what it will be printed on," just not yet glued to a board to make it a hardcover. In those cases, you actually see the bleed, which is an extra 1/2" or so on every edge. If you examine one of your hardcovers at home carefully, you'll see the bleed is wrapped around the board edge, then the endsheets are glued over it, covering off that final 1/2". In these photos you can see the edge bleed that will be obscured by the endsheets when bound. In case anyone is wondering why the cover edges look weird on some of those "floppy hardcover images", that is why!
Now, on to some photos.
Dungeon Denizens 2 5E monster-hide cover, printed on the actual stock with the actual foils with the final deboss.
Dungeon Denizens 2 DCC monster-hide cover, printed on the actual stock with the actual foils with the final deboss.
In case you were wondering - yes, this is the leatherbound!
These are the stretch goal booklets that you'll receive.
This is one of the "floppy" hardcovers, not yet adhered to a board, as explained above. Same for the next couple covers.
Inside the Flumph Book
A couple updates ago, a backer asked to see interior shots of the Flumph book. Here are a few photos for you!
Inside the Dungeon Denizens 2 Books
And while we're at it, here are some photos of the interior of Dungeon Denizens 2. First, the 5E version...
...and now some photos inside the DCC edition.
MCC Core Book, Neon Edition
Now, the tale of this title. MCC has a natural "radioactive" theme, and we want to do a cover that captures that. We were originally inspired by the option of fluorescent inks. This is the printer chip that beguiled us:
Don't those fluorescent inks look awesome? That was the menu of choices. So we designed a cover that would utilize fluorescent inks.
A while back, the printer told us they were having trouble executing the cover. They sent the photo below. This was their first proof for the MCC neon cover. They rejected it internally and told us they were going to re-do it, and not even send it to us. Sometimes inks don't execute properly, for a variety of reasons. Believe it or not, humidity can screw up the printing process. The surface underneath the ink can sometimes affect things, too, and fluorescent inks are persnickety like that.
The "scratchy stuff" around the edges is glow ink. Our vision was a neon green cover, which turned into a glow cover when the lights went out.
Glow ink is very cool, and we've used it before. It leaves behind a residue. When we've used it previously, the residue blended into the cover look. However, when applied to a black case, as you can see above, the residue is way too obvious.
Plus the green wasn't vibrant enough!
After spending some more time reworking it, the printer then sent us this proof, which we just received:
As you can see, this still doesn't work. The green isn't vibrant enough and doesn't fulfill the promise of that original chip of fluorescent inks. And the glow ink is wayyyy too distracting - that white scratchy texture is too obvious. The glow ink was supposed to enhance the cover when in dark environments, but instead it became a distracting application of its own.
It's rare that we reject a proof, especially with the amazing printer we have, but in this case we have done just that.
The printer is now acquiring foil to achieve the same effect using vibrant foils instead of fluorescent inks. We will probably abandon the glow-in-the-dark idea, too, since it's just not executing right. Here is our mockup using our foil choices:
Once the foil inks are acquired, we can confirm the exact final shades, then we'll share a proof photo.
All this is to say... this MCC cover will still look cool. We're achieving the same effect, with a different path.
Warehouse sale + game convention! May 1-3 in Fort Wayne, Indiana!
Dungeon Con 2 Is Coming
If you live near Fort Wayne, Indiana, come visit us! We are opening our warehouse to the general public! Our famous warehouse sale happens Friday May 1 and Saturday May 2.
In addition, Dungeon Con 2 will be held in downtown Fort Wayne, IN on Saturday May 2 and Sunday May 3. Hundreds of games, seminars, and more! Plus your chance to meet the Goodman Gang and pick our warehouse clean!
We are nearing the tail end of art creation. The last several dozen illustrations have been steadily trickling in. So this update is going to start with even more art. These should give you a sense of what we've been working on. BTW, the Doug Kovacs chapter starts in particular are just awesome, as you are about to see.
So first some art - then a little more "reporting" at the end of this update...
Next up will be layout. As a quick estimation, we have roughly 50-60 illustrations still to come in. Several books inside the boxed set are close to having all their art completed.
As the art is completed for each specific book, we will start layout. Our next update should include some page spreads for you to check out!
Tell us in the comments what your favorite image is!
![Curseborne Jumpstart [Softcover Print Edition]](https://cdn.backerkit.com/uploads/email_campaign/hero_image/71142/optimized_Video_Splash_v4.png)
