I wanted to jump on here and give you all a mini update as we head into September! Part way through October was the big closing of this campaign and now begins the work to get everything ready to go for publication! This month has been two fold: 1. Start working on the written stretch goals and 2. finish up existing commissions!
For that first point I have begun writing up several NPCs, planning the new town, lore for Makizani, and mapping out the new encounters! TOWN
Here is a little snippet of my notes on the new town... keep in mind these are notes! But this can give you an idea of where I'm heading! (subject to change)
Town of Tolara, Central Highlands Tolara is a confluence town tucked within the Central Highlands. It sits against a few tall plateaus and serves as the meeting point of two rivers cascading through the surrounding valleys. Years ago, it was the only haven between the outer settlements and the large port city of Dauphini but the explosion of seafaring in this region has allowed even commoners cheaper and safer passage to the major port and beyond. This destroyed the economy of Tolara as travelers avoided the treacherous terrain completely and until recently have only survived on trade with the villages down the intersecting rivers. Tolara became a shell of what it once was, and if it was not for outside intervention would no longer have a place on the map.
Perhaps an extravagant menagerie would do wonders in a town like that.... hmmmmmmmm!
NPCS
I am also creating 7 new NPCs, all of which will have their own purpose! I took care in making sure they are relevant to Ringtail's story and all ties back in on each other! This entire new section of the adventure really adds a ton and I think you are going to LOVE the way the story unravels from it! It easily takes a single 4 hour session and lets it breathe to an 6 hour or two sessions if your party wishes to explore it all! I am so excited to share it all with you!
PATRON
Designing the patron Makizani, Ancestress of Man has been a FUN experience. I keep coming up with new ideas for her that might show up in future adventures! She is an old goddess. She is the reason progress has been at a standstill. For example, she is the one who stopped gunpowder from being invented. She is not an evil patron, but she does does what she needs to. Her power had been wanning as time went on. Progress and evolution has pushed her further and further back into the pantheons. I can't wait for you to learn more about her in this adventure (and maybe future ones?)
ART?
No new art just yet! I am whittling down the last remaining commissions on my plate so I can fully focus on pumping out art for Mr. Ringtail's Menagerie! I am actually the sole illustrator for another title called The Old Hunger by Noelle Johnson with Girls@Computers! I encourage you to follow her project!
Cover art for The Old Hunger by Tahlia Espenscheid
WHATS NEXT?
November is looking to be the big month for Ringtail! I should be hopping back on here by the end of the month with tons of new artwork! There's a lot to be done from now till fulfillment in March so you bet I'm going to be hard at work getting this book as beautiful as it can be! Thank you for your support and I will see you all in November for the next big update!
MR. RINGTAIL's MENAGERIE CROWDFUNDING IS COMPLETE! FINAL TOTAL: $4,511! I've said it many times but THANK you. Seriously, this is a huge moment for me as a creative. No many people get to publish their own book, especially one they wrote and illustrated themselves. Thank you all for believing in this project and know that no matter what, I will deliver to you the best book I possibly can make.
To that end, we hit all the stretch goals!!! Holy cow! In the last moment we got to the very very very last one. I added three Patron Spells for Makizani! I cannot wait to share these with you.
What is next? I will be in full production mode! As stated in the campaign, the entire adventure is written. I just have art to finish and now the new stretch goals! I will post regular updates (at minimum monthly!) on how that process is going!
Storytime: Zoo Trip!
Let's talk some fun! Last weekend I went to the zoo and guess who I found there!!! Its Mr. Ringtail!! Err... Well...his namesake! I got to meet a bunch of Ringtail Lemurs and they are so cute and fun. It was a wonderful way to round out the ending of the campaign!
I also got to check out the inspiration for the Gragons! Aka, a Giraffe! In the adventure, Gragons are kinda like a giraffe dragon with baby wings and shoot a little bit of fire. Very lethargic however! These Gragons at the Fort Wayne Zoo were much more active! Take a look!
Finally for the list of really cool animals we saw, check out this gorgeous hyena! She was sitting right against the glass and you could practically touch her! Perhaps she looks kinda like the Worgers... be careful... don't let the Worgers out of your sight they are really ----- where'd they go?
And that is it! I just wanted to share a Zoo experience with you all! Once again, thank you so much for your support! Here is to Mr. Ringtail's Menagerie and the future! If you have not gotten the chance to check it out yet, here is a link to our livestream celebrating the adventure! Bryan Spellman and I chat about the adventure, art, unreleased content and more!
It has been an amazing campaign and a wonderful debut. Thank you all for your support thus far! In celebration of this amazing achievement we will be hosting a LIVE show as the campaign closes! I will be joined by a special guest who has already played through this adventure with me! Can you guess who?
We will be talking all things Mr. Ringtail. With no spoilers, we will chat about some of our favourite experiences within the adventure, as well as a sneak peak at the new updates added due to the stretch goals!
Speaking of stretch goals....
During this live stream I will be debuting the FINAL three stretch goals! These three will expand upon an existing stretch goals you have already cleared! More on those later!
In the meantime, thank you again for believing in me and this project. I hope you enjoy playing this adventure as much as I enjoyed creating it!!
Mr. Ringtail's Menagerie is not only funded but all of the stretch goals have been hit... AGAIN!
You all are amazing and I will thank you by bringing to you the best product I can. You have now unlocked... The Back Entrance.
This section of the adventure did not have any further details, but now I will be expanding on it allowing for even more options from your players! A whole new way to enter the dungeon which provides and entirely different pathway and new enemies!
I seriously cannot thank you enough. I want to go ahead and share with you some social links so we can all stay connected! Discord: https://discord.gg/UEhPEHKsqy Join the discord and come hang out! We are still growing!
Technically yes! I have some more stretch goals in mind but I am going to save those for the end of the campaign. Keep your eye on the updates! Thank you again for being so awesome!
Wow! We are really close to 3k! By the time this update hits live it might have already passed! Are you tired of me being surprised yet? Because I still am! I wont say if... WHEN we hit 3k that unlocks the Webcrab tunnels. In the adventure I allude to the Webcrabs being such a problem that Mr. Ringtail puts iron webbing underneath the exhibit to keep them from burrowing out. But ever the clever, these creatures found a way and have made an impressive network of tunnels below.... I wonder just how many are down there where its hard to count?
Who's Yer Con - Storytime
This past weekend I went down to indinapolis for Whos Yer Con! Its a much smaller convention compared to the likes of Gen Con and that made it really lovely! I got to hang out with tons of friends! Tyler Stroud manning the Goodman Booth, Janet and Marc at Dirty Woods, Bug with 9th Level Games, and Dale at Duck & Crow Press, among MANY awesome players I sat across from and next to! Too many to name!
Indiana Gongfarmers Group Photo!
I got to play 10th Level Doomstar by Julian Bernick and let me tell you, it was AMAZING. I turned Tyler who was playing a halfling into an god-like dragon using polymorph! But that was after I was stabbed in the back by Janet! (Don't worry, I forgave her when my familair who I also turned into a dragon ate her) If you have not given this adventure a play yet, you NEED to. It is unlike anything ive ever experienced in DCC.
Judge Spellburn taking a selfie with us! Im the one with the Kobold!
That game was ran by the excellent Bryan Spellman (or Spellburn for those in the know) and you'll see a trend of most photos being taken by him! He also ran me through WHPA. Weird Heroes of Public Access. There is nothing I can say here that will do this game justice. You just gotta trust me on this. If you see a Spellman WHPA game, join it. Do not hesitate. Ive never been at a table full of like-minded roleplayers in such a way as this. It was such a joy playing weird public access tv hosts solving mysteries.
Did I run any games? You bet your sweet bippy I did! I ran Mr. Ringtail's Menagerie! The last playtest before the campaign! It went awesome. Everyone had a great time exploring the Menagerie and discovering the dark secrets below! Now I am not gonna spoil anything here! You will just have to see what's in store for you!
Hey! I took this one! Look at those awesome adventurers after completing my adventure!
I tell you what though, one particular booth stole my attention! 9th Level Games was at the con and I got to make fast friends with Bug! They did not even need to sell me anything as I came ready with cash and bought half their table! Check it out below! I got Kobolds Ate My Baby and Thunder Road Vendetta RPGs! These look so fun to play and I cannot wait to dive head first! Who knows... maybe I'll write or draw something for these one day. Whatcha think?
9th Level Swag!
Bug (Front) and I (Back)! I love these Lil Kobolds! ALL HAIL KING TORG!
Who's Yer Con was such an awarding experience. I cannot thank enough the wonderful people who I hanged out with all weekend, who gave me a warm bed at night and threw dice with by day! Check out your local cons and give it a try. Who knows what your con family will look like! Its always about the people.
Thank you again for such an awesome day 2! We have a few hours til the end of the day and I cannot wait to see what day 3 and the weekend brings! Please keep sharing this campaign so we can make Mr. Ringtial's Menagerie AWESOME!
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