Hello Jadebearers,

There's been so much going on while this campaign has been running that it feels like it's just started and it's been running forever, but the truth is that it's been three weeks since the Jadestorm first hit and we've got one more week to go before the storm is finished! 

We're now officially in our FINAL WEEK COUNTDOWN!

Next week I'll be sharing a handful of instruction and review-type posts about Reward Tiers & Add Ons, Stretch Goal reviews, and What Comes Next, so if you've got any process questions or are wondering about how the Crowdfunding steps work, I'm hoping to clarify any remaining questions before we finish. Of course, if you're still wondering about something, please ask and I'll help as best I can.

Ha, I really need to update my avatar image with a lot more gray in my beard.

You gain jade splinters - or, let's call them backers, in this case - and use it to power your abilities (this campaign).. . You know, I'm not sure how I'm building this analogy, but there's something about jade gambling and creating Chains and in this case, that's called "OVERTIME MODE" and it allows us to keep the campaign rolling as long as backers are pledging.

Overtime Mode

Overtime Mode extends the campaign past its original end time to give backers a final chance to make their pledge and adds an interesting twist to the end of the campaign. How long will it extend? That’s entirely up to backers: The campaign will keep going for an additional 10 minutes as long as pledges keep coming in – a chain of back-to-back pledges is called the Backer Train. The campaign will end only when the Backer Train stops after a period of 10 minutes passing without any pledges.

You’ll know we’re in Overtime Mode when the campaign’s Backer Train counter displays a bright rainbow border and a new countdown that resets to 10 minutes after each new backer joins that final Backer Train ride.

So, we've scheduled the campaign to conclude on September 17th at 2:00 PM Eastern Time, but it'll be extended in 10 minute chunks as long as backers keep pledging. Will we add an extra 10 minutes? An extra 20? Or will it all finish up as planned? Who knows, but we'll gamble our jade together!

I know, this is something I've already said many times (and seem to say during every project!), but for this final week, you are officially a Jadestorm recruiter. It's time to share your excitement for Jadestorm! Basically, we want to recruit as many curious backers as possible to see how long we can keep our Backer Train running over this final week.

I know I've ended many update posts with "Keep spreading the word! Invite others to join in!" - but what does that mean, and how do you do it?

Easy answer - don't stop talking about Jadestorm until 2:01 PM Eastern next Thursday September 17th  (and then as long as we continue running in Overtime Mode). Yes, family and friends are tired of me talking about it. But what else have I got to talk about? The state of the world? That gets a little depressing fairly quickly. I've also had a cold over the past week, so they don't want to be near me anyway. But here's the thing - there are others around who haven't heard or don't know about the campaign.

We all know the Earthbane games are a little quirky and niche - it's a different take on fantasy adventures with different directions and possiblities - with lots of amazing setting bits and strange ties to the other Earthbane Cycle games thrown in as well. This book covers a lot of different ideas and topics, and surely something in there will be interesting to potential players! Yet those backers haven't yet heard about this campaign and would love to join in. We're right in the middle of relentless news and events so it's not surprising that new backers are just finding out about the campaign every day. If you have an opportunity to let someone know, please do and let's make sure they have a chance to join in before the end.

For me, one of my main ways of coping with these exhausting times is to dive into a game world with my friends. Reading the Jadestorm manuscript has been a much-needed escape over the past weeks, and my friends and I will absolutely be figuring out our sorceries and chains as part of our self-care in the future.

So, let's help out our awesome TTRPG fans and make sure that we've spread the word as best we can and everyone has an opportunity to participate in this campaign!

If you're inviting new backers, or if you are a new backer (hi new backers!), here are a few key resources to be aware of for this campaign.

Backers are able to review the (soon-to-be) complete manuscript for this book before the campaign closes and any pledges are processed. With the exception of the Storyguide and Antagonists chapters which will be posted on Friday and next Tuesday, the entirety of the rules and options from this book are available for download and review by backers, including all of the information needed to build your own character. 

Anyone who pledges to this campaign before the end can read the entire book now AND provide feedback directly to the developers to help guide the manuscript through the final phases of development and editing!

And, if you join now, as I've noted, we'll be posting the final chapters of the book over the next five days before we reach the finish line. These final chapters have advice for Guides, along with new adversaries and possible allies.

Matthew Dawkins, the developer of Jadestorm, is creating a series of videos that explains the game and setting better than my fuzzy words ever could. If you've been on the fence or need some more info to convince your friends to join in, here are some of his videos:

and these:

Matthew has also sent along this rough political map of Eos to use as reference when reading the manuscript:

GM Corbin talked with one of the writers of the book, Emma Summers, in his latest Game Designer Interview:

I think the best way to learn about the game is to read the manuscript, but if you want some ideas of what you're getting into, these videos will really help. The other great idea is to talk to backers of the campaign!

The Discord is particularly lively and fun, but you might be able to gain further insight and some in-depth conversation at any of these Onyx Path discussion zones:

The Discord has been particularly lively on this one, especially when new manuscript sections drop. And Matthew and Emma and others have been providing a lot of insight and answers.

1) Don't forget to share a link to the Crowdfunding page in any discussion you have (where appropriate) - and feel free to pass any of the long list of links above to those who may need more info (or, just point them to this post!)

2) Don't forget to tell us about any post or review or discussion you write! Come to the comments section and let us know so we can all go and contribute! I know I keep saying it, but really - these last days are key. Keep the enthusiasm high and keep on inviting others to join in, either directly ("Come see...") or just by setting an example of your enthusiasm and interest.

Final Week

We've got one week to go, everyone! Thank you all so much for your support! We work together because it's the right thing to do, and because backers make it better! Let's finish strong! And let's continue exploring this amazingly interesting setting together, sharing our feedback with the writers and delving into the draft manuscript, and let's see if we can't get another Stretch Goal or two before we review next Wednesday!