First, apologies for the delay in updates. We had a "who's on first?" moment - "I thought you were doing the updates!" - "No, I thought you were doing them!" It's one the perils of a monolithic, highly compartmentalized, bureaucratic organization like Goodman Games. In true corporate fashion, we will now embark on a six-month restructuring mission and then update the org chart to address the root cause.
Just kidding. We just dropped the ball. There's a LOT being done on Castle Whiterock, and we'll make sure to share that regularly going forward.
For today's update, we will show you art. Art, art, art, and more art. It's been a steady stream of art and maps recently,
So, since a picture's better than a thousand words, let's dive right in!
Whew! That's just a sample of what's been rolling in.
We'll come back next month with more. In the meantime, please tell us in the comments... what's YOUR favorite piece?
P.S. If you will be at Gamehole Con in Madison this weekend, please come by and say hi! Joseph, Mike, Brendan, Harley, Doug, Matt Hildebrand, and Chris Lindsay are all here. And we brought the Doom Gong!
We are fast approaching the exciting stage of this project!
We have been working with our factory closely to make sure these maps are looking amazing! The sheer size of them has thrown up some unexpected challenges, but we are now on the home straight and we expect to have everything shipping from our factory this month!
Once we have ship names and sailing schedules I will be able to provide a more detailed timeline for everyone. US backer pledges will ship from our US warehouse in GA, everyone else will receive their package from Spiral Galaxy in the UK.
Now we are approaching this milestone we will be charging your cards and locking addresses on October 10.
Please go and review your pledge manager survey and ensure everything is correct. If you have any concerns you can't address please reach out so we can help!
And Finally here is a short video of how the Battle Screen has come out! I always struggle to take good pictures of GM screens, so I went for a video as this has come out so well and we can't wait for you to see this in person!
As always if you have any questions or concerns please reach out either here or store @ lokeltd . co . uk
Matt & Tam Loke Battle Mats
And Finally
Later this month we will be launching Untold Revelations - A campfire conversation deck which is designed to inspire detailed character back stories, deepen the relationship between party members and help players understand and embrace their character's motivations.
There are some VIP perks available if you follow before launch, you can find out more here - https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/loke-battle-mats/deck-of-fateship-untold-revelations/pre-launch
As production is in full swing I can now share a closer look at the final map designs for our two new essentials map packs.
These large maps are all laminated so dry erase safe, feature a 1" grid throughout and are fold out. As you can see below we have designed them so that they can be used together to create larger map areas.
Essential RPG Battle Maps - Pirate Coast
Our six pirate maps, printed on 3 double sided sheets
Essential RPG Battle Maps - Gothic Castles
Our six gothic castle maps, printed on 3 double sided sheets
These maps are fully compatible with our existing maps, drawn in the same scale and style.
We are now expecting to have everything printed, wrapped and packed up to ship out of factory to our warehouses in October.
We will be working on our shipping arrangements in the coming weeks, and we expect to lock orders and charge cards at the end of September. We will send an update out before we do this.
Thanks for all your support and feedback!
Matt & Tam Loke Battle Mats
And one final thing...
Now we have cleared all design work and the production process is well underway, we are delighted to announce our new project.
Deck of Fateship - Untold Revelations is a deck of 100 conversations prompts for in-character conversations.
Designed to support players to develop emotionally intelligent RPG characters, and evolve multi dimensional character motivations, backstories and even story arcs, these prompts will spark roleplay and conversation.
Perfect for story led adventures, GMs who want to support player led storytelling with in-character roleplay and players who want to develop their RPG Character, Untold Revelations is a handy and player friendly tool.
What’s next for Lairs of Etharis: Transformed? Get these dates in your calendars!
💀Hey everyone!
Now that the dust has settled on the campaign, we’re back with the full breakdown of what happens between now and the moment your new lairs land on your doorstep. Below you’ll find the post-campaign schedule, an explanation of each stage, and a few things we’d love for you to do to make sure your pledge is set up correctly.
⌛Late Pledges & Stretch Goals
First up, a note about late pledges and stretch goals. As you may have assumed, as the campaign has now closed no additional stretch goals can be unlocked. We need to lock down the scope of the content so we can keep production on track and deliver everything we’ve promised on time.
Late pledges will remain open through our BackerKit page for a limited time, so if you’ve got friends who missed out, point them our way before that window shuts. We’ll share the late pledge closing date in an upcoming update, as we get closer to printing.
📅Post-Campaign Schedule
Below is the schedule of key dates we’d love every backer to have on their radar between now and fulfilment. We’ll remind you about each milestone as we get closer, but it’s worth dropping these in your calendar so nothing sneaks up on you.
All Current Pledge Manager Surveys: Sent out by Monday 8th June, 26 🟡
Lock orders (continuous): Begins 17th July, 26 🔴
Charge cards (continuous): Begins 10th Aug, 26 🔴
Lock addresses: February, 2027 🔴
Fulfilment begins: Shipping to start March, 2027 🔴
❗Check Your Pledge: NOW!
This one is the easiest thing on your plate, and the most important. Please log in to your BackerKit account and confirm your pledge has gone through successfully. Only successful pledges can be fulfilled.
If something has gone sideways on the payment side, that’s usually between you and your bank, and unfortunately it’s not something we can resolve directly. If you think we might be able to help, drop us a line at [email protected] and our team will take a look.
This is one of the most important dates on the schedule. From Friday of this week, we’ll send out pledge manager surveys through BackerKit - starting with a smoke test to a subsection of backers to make sure everything works. All current pledges should receive their survey by Monday of next week. This is where you’ll:
• Confirm your pledge level and items
• Add any add-ons you’d like to your order
• Enter your shipping address
• Pay your shipping costs
Shipping is not charged during the campaign itself, so the survey is where shipping is calculated and paid based on your region and items. Any extra money you pledged on the campaign above your tier will appear as credit inside BackerKit and can be put toward add-ons.
As mentioned, we’ll send a smoke test to a small group of backers first so we can iron out any issues before everyone gets their survey. If you’re one of those early backers, your feedback helps us make the process smoother for the rest of the community.
❓New to BackerKit?
If this is your first BackerKit campaign, no worries. Here’s how it works:
When surveys go out, you’ll receive an email from [email protected] with the subject line “Response Needed: Get your reward from Lairs of Etharis: Transformed.” The link inside takes you to your survey. From there, you’ll workthrough the items in your pledge, add any extras you’d like, then continue to the shipping payment section.
If you don’t yet have a BackerKit account, you can create one ahead of time. Just make sure you use the same email address you used to back the campaign so your pledge links up correctly.
🔒Lock Addresses: February, 2027
A few months before fulfilment we’ll lock shipping addresses. After this point, address changes are difficult and may incur additional shipping costs if a parcel needs to be redirected, so make sure your details are accurate well before the lock date.
A quick note on P.O. Boxes and Parcel Lockers: Our couriers cannot deliver to P.O. Boxes or parcel lockers. If your address is one of these, your pledge will not be able to be delivered. Please enter a street address in BackerKit so your books actually arrive at your door.
🚚Fulfilment: Shipping Begins March, 2027
The bit everyone is waiting for. We’ll do everything in our power to hit this date, but we want to be upfront that production and shipping sometimes throw unanticipated curveballs at us, and that can push timelines. If anything changes, we’ll communicate it as early as we can through Kickstarter and BackerKit updates rather than going quiet on you.
When fulfilment starts, we’ll break the schedule down by region (US, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia, NZ and Rest of World) so you know roughly when to expect your wave.
💬Join Us on Discord
If you want to chat about all things Etharis with fellow backers and the team, our Ghostfire Gaming Discord is the place. We share early previews, behind-the-scenes peeks, and it’s where the backer beta discussion will live too.
Join us here: https://discord.com/invite/DfxJfVHQZ3
🧟That’s the Plan
That’s everything for now. The only thing you need to do today is double-check your pledge has gone through cleanly. Beyond that, sit tight, keep an eye on your inbox, and we’ll be back with the next update when pledge manager surveys are about to land.
Thank you again for backing Lairs of Etharis: Transformed and for helping us grow the world of Etharis. We cannot wait to put these new lairs in your hands.
Shortly after midnight this morning, Mega Dungeon Month and the Castle Whiterock Backerkit campaign finally came to an end. After three days of Overtime Mode, the gates to the castle swung shut, but not before achieving the penultimate stretch goal of Mike’s Big Ass GM’s Screen. Congratulations and a sincere thank you to all our backers for making this crowdfunding campaign a stellar success. Not only did we fund Castle Whiterock, but also more than a dozen other Castle Whiterock-themed game releases achieved their goals. As I’ve said before, we couldn’t do it without your faith in us.
Things are going to be a little quiet for awhile around these parts as we recover from Dungeon Con 2 and focus on getting the Castle Whiterock sets and their associated stretch goals and add-ons finalized. But we will keep you updated regularly with their progress.
I can, however, reveal that Joseph Goodman is talking with the printer about the possibility of including clear packets for the BAGS, which so many of you requested. If that proves feasible, it will make the BAGS completely customizable, allowing you to use whatever tables and charts you might need for your game system of choice. We’ll update you with more once we have an answer.
Until then, let me extend the thanks of the entire Goodman Games gang for making Castle Whiterock our third most successful crowdfunding campaign even and for your ongoing trust and fanaticism when it comes to making great gaming products for your home tables. We often say our fans are the best simply because you prove it again and again. Castle Whiterock was no exception.
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!
Goal: $15,001 reached! — We did it! This project reached this goal!
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.
If YOU, the backers, can correctly guide DUNN THE DWARF through 4 rounds of our mini-dungeon, Dunn unlocks secret treasures for EVERY backer. Vote each week in the polls to guide him on. (He survived 4 rounds!)
Goal: 4 reached! — We did it! This project reached this goal!
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