Hello Deep Delvers,
It's the final Thursday of the month, which means it's time for our regular monthly update. Last month I mentioned a bit about At The Gates, Onyx Path's lat...
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James Bell
about 1 month ago
4-4-24 Backer T-Shirt Bonanza
Hello Dark Delvers,
A quick update at the start of the month because I've got a Stretch Goal reward for you!
Remember this during our Crowdfunding campaign?
Well, we unlocked...
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James Bell
about 1 month ago
March 2024 Monthly Update
Hello Dark Delvers,
Up here on the mythical surface world, I'm heading into spring. That means it's time for our regular monthly update. Each month, I'll list our "Pending" rew...
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James Bell
2 months ago
February 2024 Update
Hello Dark Delvers,
Thanks to Leap Year, it's the final Thursday of the month and time for our regular monthly check in.
As mentioned last month, each month, I'll list our "Pe...
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James Bell
3 months ago
January 2024 - Existing PDFs going out
Hello Dark Delvers,
It's been just about 10 days since we announced the Pledge Manager and we've got about 80% of backers responding so far. That means there are still some Del...
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0
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James Bell
4 months ago
Pledge Manager Surveys Coming Over the Next 4 Days
Hello Dark Delvers!
Welcome to 2024! It's been a while since our campaign ended. I hope everyone was able to take a break or pause as the year rolled over.
We finished up the...
It's the final Thursday of the month, which means it's time for our regular monthly update. Last month I mentioned a bit about At The Gates, Onyx Path's latest Ashcan release, and a project somehow related to The World Below (like distant cousins, but the connection isn't crucial to either game line. Just a fun easter egg, as far as I understand at this time).
One of our Stretch Goal projects has moved forward again - Ed Greenwood's Monstrous Ecology. Once the developers had brought all of the final drafts together and ensured it was clearly a cohesive single project, it went up the chain to Manuscript Review and Approval. At that point, it was deemed worthy of including more content, so some additional writing has been requested before it move to the next stage of development! I am always excited when something catches a vibe and the team decides to further expand the content. More for us!
I'll post this chart in each monthly update, and fill in dots as projects move along.
REWARDS DISTRIBUTED TO BACKERS
Trinity Continuum Digital Starter Bundle (January 25 '24 Update)
Scion Second Edition Digital Starter Bundle (January 25 '24 Update)
They Came From Digital Starter Bundle (January 25 '24 Update)
Redbubble Backer T-Shirt Link(April 4 '24 Update)
Once a project finishes up on the progress chart and is distributed to backers, I'll move it down to this list and note which update talks about reward distribution for that item in case you want to go back and get more information.
If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://the-world-below.backerkit.com/
In addition to redemption links for distibuted digital rewards, all backers have received a link to the compiled draft manuscript. This link can be found in your BackerKit digital rewards page (See the link above for Claiming Your Digital Rewards if you need a refresher). Again, this isn't a new manuscript, it's just all of the pieces we shared during the campaign put together in order.
ONYX PATH PROJECT TRACKING
You can read Onyx Path's most recent monthly summary, covering all projects and their status up to that point here: <March 2024 Project Status Summary>
You can find the weekly Monday Meeting blog updates <here>, which note any projects with status changes since the previous Month End summary. The project statuses listed are current as of last Monday, so do check it out each Monday night to see if anything may have progressed!
I will continue to post regular updates every month until the final reward has gone out.
ONYX PATH DISCUSSION CHANNELS
You may be able to get further insight and possibly some in-depth conversation at these Onyx Path discussion zones:
So, this Stretch Goal during the Crowdfunding campaign was for a special available-for-a-limited-timeThe World Below Backer Shirt <LINK>. I listed it as a Backer T-Shirt, but really there are more than just T-shirt options there (and more colors as well!)
If you click over to Onyx Path's REDBUBBLE T-shirt Shop using this link <World Below Shirt> you will see the backer shirts, which will be available for a LIMITED TIME ONLY! You have ONE WEEK to order a shirt with this design if you'd like to announce you're ready for a Kalm season!
If you scroll down a bit, you'll see other options - including hoodies and other styles - you can change the style, color, and size to make sure it works for you! Changing the style and size may change the cost, so be aware. Make sure you review your selection before you process payment to ensure you've got the correct images, style, color, and size.
One last time: This shirt will be available for a LIMITED TIME ONLY - please act quickly if you're interested!
I'll be back later in the month for our regular monthly summary, now with one more reward moved from Pending to Delivered!
TO CONTACT JAMES
Via E-Mail: Onyx.Kickstarter [at] gmail.com
Via BackerKit: Click "Need Help?" from your page, and then fill in the Contact Us form. BackerKit will pass your message along to me.
Up here on the mythical surface world, I'm heading into spring. That means it's time for our regular monthly update. Each month, I'll list our "Pending" rewards and our "Delivered" rewards. We'll track the project status of our pending rewards by filling in the stage dots, and I'll note which update (and include a link) with each delivered reward, in case you want to go back and re-read the relevant update for more information. If any of these rewards were on your pledge list, you can access download codes in your BackerKit Digital Rewards page. And once they've been added to your DriveThruRPG library, you can access them through your DTRPG digital library at any time.
Before I get into our regular review, I wanna talk about a brand new release from Onyx Path which you may find interesting...
On the continent of Everend in the world of Gaia, magic suffuses everything, keeping all in harmony. The seven nations of Everend maintain peace after centuries of struggle — a peace now rapidly deteriorating. In an explosive demonstration of power, one nation pierced reality and called forth daemons from the Void through the resulting gates.
Now, all nations rush to gain daemonic magic for themselves. As the nations prepare for battle, common folk go about their daily lives fearing the brutality of war and the daemons’ incomprehensible power. All the while, the Void spilling through the gates collides with Gaia’s magic, creating Void-tainted landscapes. The taint transforms wildlife into ravenous beasts that rove across Everend. The balance has been upended. Everend needs heroes to stop the march of destruction and to help people understand their place in the new world.
Will you heed the call?
At the Gates: Ashcan Edition is an early access experience designed to introduce you to the world of Everend and get you started playing the game today.
Inside you will find:
Details on how to play Storypath Ultra.
Four pre-made characters, along with all the rules necessary to play and understand them.
Rules on two nations and a couple of antagonists in which to set your story.
A short scenario to introduce you to the world.
In the most recent Monday Meeting Notes, Rich says of the At the Gates Ashcan Edition:
It’s a bare-bones version of our newest fantasy game in the Earthbane Cycle, so it’ll give folks a real solid taste of the setting and rules before the actual text is released during its crowdfunding campaign. Which is the next one we’re doing – real dates coming soon!
Danielle and team did a fantastic job evoking the elements we love in JRPGs, as well as taking those elements and creating a bright, fun, and threatened world to play in. Plus, they made the tone dangerous in a very different way than in The World Below, while still working with the Storypath Ultra rules. Even in just the Ashcan, I think those qualities shine forth.
Oh, and about the Earthbane Cycle: we’ve very specifically not publicly tied down just what about these fantasy games make them part of Earthbane, or a cycle, so if you see anybody telling you what the connection is as if we announced it…nope, they’re only guessing, themselves. Someday, the truth will be out there, but that day is not today!
So... At the Gates is related to The World Belowsomehow, as both are part of Onyx Path's Earthbane Cycle in some fashion... but the actual connection is yet to be revealed.
REWARDS STILL PENDING
A bit of progress on one of our Stretch Goal supplements. Ed Greenwood's Monstrous Ecology has moved quickly through the writer stages and is now in the hands of developer Matthew Dawkins. This is the phase where Matthew takes all of the bits of the manuscript and ensures that it works holistically, presented in a consistent voice, and works within the aims of the greater game line.
I'll post this chart in each monthly update, and fill in dots as projects move along.
REWARDS DISTRIBUTED TO BACKERS
Trinity Continuum Digital Starter Bundle (January 25 '24 Update)
Scion Second Edition Digital Starter Bundle (January 25 '24 Update)
They Came From Digital Starter Bundle (January 25 '24 Update)
Once a project finishes up on the progress chart and is distributed to backers, I'll move it down to this list and note which update talks about reward distribution for that item in case you want to go back and get more information.
If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://the-world-below.backerkit.com/
In addition to redemption links for distibuted digital rewards, all backers have received a link to the compiled draft manuscript. This link can be found in your BackerKit digital rewards page (See the link above for Claiming Your Digital Rewards if you need a refresher). Again, this isn't a new manuscript, it's just all of the pieces we shared during the campaign put together in order.
You can find the weekly Monday Meeting blog updates <here>, which note any projects with status changes since the previous Month End summary. The project statuses listed are current as of last Monday, so do check it out each Monday night to see if anything may have progressed!
I will continue to post regular updates every month until the final Stretch Goal reward has gone out.
ONYX PATH DISCUSSION CHANNELS
You may be able to get further insight and possibly some in-depth conversation at these Onyx Path discussion zones:
Thanks to Leap Year, it's the final Thursday of the month and time for our regular monthly check in.
As mentioned last month, each month, I'll list our "Pending" rewards and our "Delivered" rewards. We'll track the project status of our pending rewards by filling in the stage dots, and I'll note which update (and include a link) with each delivered reward, in case you want to go back and re-read the relevant update for more information. If any of these rewards were on your pledge list, you can access download codes in your BackerKit Digital Rewards page. And once they've been added to your DriveThruRPG library, you can access them through your DTRPG digital library at any time.
REWARDS STILL PENDING
A bit of progress on one of our Stretch Goal supplements. Ed Greenwood's Monstrous Ecology has moved quickly through the writer stages and is now in the hands of developer Matthew Dawkins. This is the phase where Matthew takes all of the bits of the manuscript and ensures that it works holistically, presented in a consistent voice, and works within the aims of the greater game line.
I'll post this chart in each monthly update, and fill in dots as projects move along.
REWARDS DISTRIBUTED TO BACKERS
Trinity Continuum Digital Starter Bundle (January 25 '24 Update)
Scion Second Edition Digital Starter Bundle (January 25 '24 Update)
They Came From Digital Starter Bundle (January 25 '24 Update)
Once a project finishes up on the progress chart and is distributed to backers, I'll move it down to this list and note which update talks about reward distribution for that item in case you want to go back and get more information.
If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://the-world-below.backerkit.com/
In addition to redemption links for distibuted digital rewards, all backers have received a link to the compiled draft manuscript. This link can be found in your BackerKit digital rewards page (See the link above for Claiming Your Digital Rewards if you need a refresher). Again, this isn't a new manuscript, it's just all of the pieces we shared during the campaign put together in order.
(That link may not be live until later today, as it's the final day of the month)
You can find the weekly Monday Meeting blog updates <here>, which note any projects with status changes since the previous Month End summary. The project statuses listed are current as of last Monday, so do check it out each Monday night to see if anything may have progressed!
I will continue to post regular updates every month until the final Stretch Goal reward has gone out.
ONYX PATH DISCUSSION CHANNELS
You may be able to get further insight and possibly some in-depth conversation at these Onyx Path discussion zones:
Via BackerKit: Click "Need Help?" from your page, and then fill in the Contact Us form. BackerKit will pass your message along to me.
CURRENTLY CROWDFUNDING
Trust your instincts. Reward loyalty. Respect an honest duel. And always, always pounce on the minions of the Unseen.
The Age of Man is long over. Cats – uplifted from our clever feline companions to use tools and language – now rule the world. In the Monarchies of Mau, cats study relics the Old Ones left behind to create new wonders, expand their understanding of the world, and combat the monsters and minions of the Unseen that threaten catkind. Curious cats explore ruins and set sail on the Acid Sea, or participate in games of intrigue against other houses, the dogs of Pugmire, and other rival species.
The world is full of mysteries and dangers, which excellent cats are eager to face.
It's been just about 10 days since we announced the Pledge Manager and we've got about 80% of backers responding so far. That means there are still some Delvers out there who haven't clicked their link yet - please do so as soon as you can. All fulfillment is managed through the Pledge Manager, so you'll need to have your pledge confirmed to receive your downloads and other items.
Hopefully some reward distribution will help Inspire you! Because I've got some rewards to send out!
If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://the-world-below.backerkit.com/
Many of the rewards for our Crowdfunding projects take a lot of time and effort to complete. Usually, the campaign is a means of moving the project from an idea (even when it's a mostly-fully-written idea) into the actual channel that turns it into a project/product. It'll be a while before we're ready to talk about delivery on The World Below, and even longer for our projects generated via Stretch Goals (theUnderworld Adventures supplement, Ed Greenwood's Monstrous Ecology, and the rest).
That said, there are a few rewards that are available now, as they were mostly add-on PDFs or bundles of existing products. And now we can work on getting those out to you over the weekend.
The following Add On Rewards WillBe Distributed This Week:
Trinity Continuum Digital Starter Bundle
Scion Second Edition Digital Starter Bundle
They Came From Digital Starter Bundle
Within each of those items are 4-5 PDF products, so it's a much bigger list than it appears. It's basically this section from our Add On menu during the campaign.
If you want any of these and didn't add them on during the campaign, you can still update your BackerKit page and add them to your rewards list. See the BackerKit How-To instructions above.
REWARD DISTRIBUTION
Your link to claim these digital rewards will be sent out by our BackerKit pledge manager over the nextfew days. Since we are using our partners at DriveThruRPG as the hosts for these, you will need to set up a DriveThru account if you don't have one already. If you encounter any problems with downloading your rewards, please contact DTRPG's customer service to resolve the matter, they've always been top-rated for customer service. http://www.drivethrurpg.com/contact_us.ph
Thebest way to ensure these redemption codes work smoothly is to log in to your DTRPG account first, and then click (or copy) the link shown in your BackerKit.
Again, you will receive an e-mail from BackerKit with links for these rewards over the next 2-3 days if any of them are on your expected list of rewards. I'll be releasing them in waves, so don't panic if you only see a couple links at first... the rest are coming. (We're in a digital world, but there are still a lot of manual processes. And there are manylinks to go out!!)
The easiest way to see if you've got digital downloads available is to login to your backerkit account: https://the-world-below.backerkit.com/ and it'll show anything available. Your backerkit account should also confirm all rewards that you should expect from your reward tier selected.
DRAFT MANUSCRIPT
In addition to redemption links for these digital rewards, all backers will be receiving a link to the compiled draft manuscript. This link can be found in your BackerKit digital rewards page, and you'll receive an e-mail linking to that with the first wave of rewards going out. Again, this isn't a new manuscript, it's just all of the pieces we shared during the campaign put together in order. It's the same link that I share at the bottom of these campaign updates, but I want to make sure you have access to it in any place that makes sense.
MONTHLY UPDATES
With the Pledge Manager up and running, this is officially the first "regular" monthly update for our project. I'll send these updates out every month to let you know where we sit. We're still in the earliest stages of this post-campaign, where projects make incremental movements along the progress path. A lot of months will be pretty similar, just a quick note to let you know that the Onyx Path team is still working on it. Any time we have a new reward or something of interest to share, I'll include that as well.
At the end of each month, I'll include a summary of our rewards and their current status (they'll either be delivered or marked as still pending, possibly with additional details if I know more). I'll also list any relevant Update posts, in case you want to go back and check into something.
Each month, I'll list our "Pending" rewards and our "Delivered" rewards. We'll track the project status of our pending rewards by filling in the stage dots, and I'll note which update (and include a link) with each delivered reward, in case you want to go back and re-read the relevant update for more information. If any of these rewards were on your pledge list, you can access download codes in your BackerKit Digital Rewards page. And once they've been added to your DriveThruRPG library, you can access them through your DTRPG digital library at any time.
REWARDS STILL PENDING
There's a lot of stuff on this list! Our main reward, The World Below PDF, standard and deluxe hardcover, along with the Print-on-Demand option, is all part of that first line, and those various formats will be rewarded at different stages near the end of the production side. Right now, we can see that the manuscript is in editing before one final development pass finishes that up and then it's on to Art Direction.
Two of our Stretch Goal rewards have entered first draft status. They're outlined and now being worked on by the various writers who will get feedback (redlines) from the developers. This goes back and forth a number of times until they have a final draft to submit and then the project moves to the developer's hands (or, screens, I guess).
I'll post this chart in each monthly update, and fill in dots as projects move along.
REWARDS DISTRIBUTED TO BACKERS
Trinity Continuum Digital Starter Bundle (January 25 '24 Update)
Scion Second Edition Digital Starter Bundle (January 25 '24 Update)
They Came From Digital Starter Bundle (January 25 '24 Update)
Once a project finishes up on the progress chart and is distributed to backers, I'll move it down to this list and note which update talks about reward distribution for that item in case you want to go back and get more information.
ONYX PATH PROJECT TRACKING
You can read Onyx Path's most recent monthly summary, covering all projects and their status up to that point here: <December 2023 Project Status Summary>
You can find the weekly Monday Meeting blog updates <here>, which note any projects with status changes since the previous Month End summary. The project statuses listed are current as of last Monday, so do check it out each Monday night to see if anything may have progressed!
I will continue to post regular updates every month until the final Stretch Goal reward has gone out.
ONYX PATH DISCUSSION CHANNELS
You may be able to get further insight and possibly some in-depth conversation at these Onyx Path discussion zones:
Via BackerKit: Click "Need Help?" from your page, and then fill in the Contact Us form. BackerKit will pass your message along to me.
CURRENTLY CROWDFUNDING
We’re all out of the traditionally-printed copies of several of our core rulebooks from previous crowdfunding campaigns. So we’re going back for more!
This should help us fund a new print run for:
You, if you back this. Fulfillment, probably later this year. No development needed, just printing.
Other campaigns: we like adding core rulebooks as add-ons to other campaigns (we did a bunch of those on this campaign too!), and this helps us keep doing that.
Retailers: Put our games in front of other faces at physical game stores!
The books have all received minor edits to fix a few errors we’ve noticed over the years. This Friday's Onyx Pathcast will talk about these books and the possible minor edits that are being worked on. You can check out the campaign for one more week <here>.
Welcome to 2024! It's been a while since our campaign ended. I hope everyone was able to take a break or pause as the year rolled over.
We finished up the Crowdfunding portion of our campaign last year with a successful run, adding many backers and extra bonus rewards. Now it's time to start the next phase of the project - the Post-Campaign, where we track the progress of the various projects we helped fund and send out rewards as they become available.
To help with all of that we use BackerKit's Pledge Manager.
Today's Topics
BackerKit Pledge Manager SurveysComing This Week
CompiledDraft Manuscript (available in BackerKit Digital Rewards)
ComingNext
BACKER SURVEYS
Over the next handfulof days (Jan 16-19), you’ll receive an email from us with a special link to your Pledge Manager survey. It’s important to respond to your survey as quickly as you can since we need this information to fulfill your rewards.
You don’t need to create a BackerKit account to fill out your survey (although you probably already have one from pledging to this campaign). When you receive the email with the survey, click the survey invitation link to respond. Answer the questions about your reward preferences, provide shipping information, and purchase add-on items if you like. You don’t have access to this survey link yet, but it will be available laterthis week via email!
The e-mail will look something like this:
After you respond to your survey, you can go back later and change your responses at any time before we close the surveys and get our final counts, and that won't happen until the books are being printed and we're preparing to ship.
If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://the-world-below.backerkit.com/
If you have any other questions or concerns, you can post them to the comments for this update, the comment section, or message me via one of these methods:
TO CONTACT JAMES
Via E-Mail: Onyx.Kickstarter [at] gmail.com
Via BackerKit: Click "Need Help?" from your page, and then fill in the Contact Us form. BackerKit will pass your message along to me.
If there are any issues you find with the Pledge Manager, please contact me as soon as possible to let me know. It rolls out in waves so that I can correct issues on the fly and make it work as best possible as people come on board.
Within the BackerKit Survey and Pledge Manager, you can:
Review your Pledge Tier Selection and Rewards
Upgrade your Reward Tier pledge selection
Confirm Add On selections
Set up payment information for any failed payments from the Crowdfunding campaign or to pay for any new Add On options selected.
Whenyou click on your BackerKit invitation link,you should see something like this...
From the Pledge Manager welcome page you can choose to
Review Your Pledge Level and Rewards
Start Your Survey, confirming pledge rewards, confirming or selecting new Add On options, and confirming any shipping and payment info that may be needed
Switch Your Pledge Level
If you've pledged to a reward tier that includes physical rewards, you can enter your shipping country at this stage. As noted during our campaign, we haven't set international shipping costs yet - those will be calculated and added in when we're preparing to ship the book. That won't be for a long time, though, and there will be plenty of opportunity - and notice - for you to make changes.
If you click on your Pledge Level, you will see a list of all items included in your Pledge Rewards (including Stretch Goals and the Draft Manuscript), and also have the option to switch your Pledge Level, in case you've decided to get the hardcover pledge instead of the PDF-only pledge tier for example.
Once you've confirmed that your Pledge Level is correct and where you want it to be, you can GETSTARTED with your BackerKit Pledge Manager Survey.
Once we've got a fair response to our survey and collected a reasonable amount of info, I'll be working on fulfilling rewards that are available now - like the PDFs of the titles included in our Add On section (for example, the ScionStarter Bundle, the Trinity Continuum Starter Bundle, and the They Came From Starter Bundle). Those will likely be coming out before the end of January, and I'll send another update with more info when that time comes.
So, in summary:
Look for an e-mail invitation to BackerKit's Pledge Manager sometime over the next 4 days
Get Started on your survey
Confirm your Pledge Level (or SWITCH your Pledge Level if you want to change it)
Confirm and Select Any Add On options
Confirm Your Shipping Information (if needed)
Confirm Your Payment Information (if needed)
I will post an update in another week or two as I begin outlining the delivery of our first Add On rewards (the existing Starter Bundles, as noted above) and beginning distribution of those PDF rewards.
DRAFT MANUSCRIPT
Looking in the example pledge list above, you can see a listing for the Draft Manuscript. In your BackerKit digital rewards page, you will have access to the compiled draft manuscript. It won't be different from the one that was shared during the campaign - it'll just be all gathered together in one big file. The Draft Manuscript link may not be active when you first login to your BackerKit survey, but I'll throw the switch and it'll send you a notice next week after all of the invitations have gone out.
I will talk about how to access your BackerKit digital rewards links in an update coming later this month, when I send out the first wave of available rewards.
COMING NEXT
In the next week or two, I'll send an update with details about the distribution for that first wave of Starter Bundle rewards. I'll also get the compiled draft manuscript up and ready for you.
We'll also begin our regular monthly check-ins, tracking the progress of this project as it moves through this phase. It'll take some time, but we'll have regular updates all through the process. I'll also have notes on how to check the weekly and monthly All Project Progress updates on Onyx Path's website.
TO CONTACT JAMES
Via E-Mail: Onyx.Kickstarter [at] gmail.com
Via BackerKit: Click "Need Help?" from your page, and then fill in the Contact Us form. BackerKit will pass your message along to me.
COMING TOMORROW
Onyx Path is launching a quick campaign to get Scion: Origin (Second Edition Book 1), the Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook, and Trinity Continuum: Æon back into print! Sign up <HERE> to be notified when this campaign launches.
We did it! We built a community, explored the dark recesses of this underworld, and brought light and life to some new places in preparation for our Kalm season!
Thanks to the support of more than 1,000 backers, Onyx Path will be able to develop and print hardcover editions (standard and deluxe) for The World Below, a brand new game using the Storypath Ultra ruleset.
A lotta great stuff coming from this one! I'm a big fan of new and unusual, and this game certainly delivers!
There's more to celebrate! Not only did we fund this project by Day 3, we also unlocked a variety of fun Stretch Goals. From standard Onyx Path milestone markers to a Monstrous Ecology PDF by Ed Greenwood, to an epic adventure path for your delvers!
All is well, Liches! It came down to the final hours, but we managed to hit our longshot final goal, adding an epic conclusion to our adventure scenario supplement.
Our Bonus Reward Collection
Some Milestone Markers
An Alternative Add On
Online Gaming Tools
Additional and Expanded New Content Supplements!
A lucky 13 Stretch Goal rewards!
I'm so happy we were able to introduce - and then unlock - that final Stretch Goal just today! It will really put an epic conclusion to an adventure in the World Below! I mean, we were at eleven just yesterday! Always awesome to unlock one final Stretch Goal as we head into the final hours.
Those celebrations and milestone markers along the way are fun - I certainly like having something to mark our accomplishments during the campaign and they help keep the enthusiasm up. But I really really love when we can add additional content, especially an a chance for the writers to light up some dark places and show us more of The World Below! And I think I've made it pretty clear how excited I am for more Ed Greenwood ecology writing!
And all of that is, of course, on top of our main purpose here - the creating of the actual book itself! This is the real reward - everything else is a bonus!
So a huge congratulations to Matthew and the creative team on this project, and to all of the backers who've joined in to make this possible. I'm happy about the goals we hit and rewards we introduced, but I'm also always amazed and excited about having more than 1,000 backers join in during this campaign. A new game - especially one as unusual and interesting as this one - is always a risk. But when a game finds and builds a community, it's extra rewarding. And this is just the beginning, I'm sure...
AN EXTRA THANK YOU!
So, thank you to all the backers who supported us and made this happen. And an extra thanks to everyone who participated online, either in the Community comments section of the campaign, and on social media around the web. Thanks to everyone who talked about the project on the Discord and thanks to the Onyx Path team who answered questions and provided insight.
COMMUNICATION
So, as noted in today's earlier update, starting in 2024 I'll be sending out updates once a month and whenever we've got a new goal, survey, or other item to cover. If you have any questions or need clarification on something related to the campaign, feel free to get in touch. I may take a bit to answer as I recover from these past four weeks, but I'll eventually have an answer!
TO CONTACT ME
Via E-Mail: Onyx.Kickstarter [at] gmail.com
Via BackerKit: Click "Need Help?" from your forthcoming survey page, and then fill in the Contact Us form. BackerKit will pass your message along to me.
ONYX PATH DISCUSSION CHANNELS
If you've got questions about the rules or setting, or just want to discuss this game with other fans (as well as the Onyx Path writers and developers!), you can check out these Onyx Path discussion zones:
The Discord is particularly lively, and I loved seeing the detective work put into the mysteries of The World Below as the chapters came out bit by bit.
BackerKit will begin collected pledges and processing payments later tonight, so be ready for that.
If I wasn't already tired enough, I'm off to get my flu shot for the season, so expect to hibernate for the next 24 hours! High fives all around in the comment section and on the Discord, and you'll hear from me again in the new year when I've got the pledge manager set up and ready to roll out!
(So happy holidays and happy new year well in advance!)
We're nearly in our final 24 hours and have done so well so far! Thank you so much to everyone who has been sharing, backing, telling others, creating videos, making podcasts, and everything else you've done to support this project. It's genuinely appreciated.
In the final 24 hours we're going to want to see what other stretch goals we can unlock and how close we can get to the big 1,000 backer mark! This last day is always tense, but keep on sharing, tell your forums, Reddit groups, gaming groups, and social media followers that this is a project worth hopping onto before the campaign ends!
So, i've been working away in the background, and i've managed to edit an older sheet in Roll20 to bring it fully inline with The World Below - it handles all your dice rolls, includes space for your avatar, and also has lots of (collapsable) space to record and log all the details about your character and their various Theses, Syntheses, Sorceries, and everything else - and what's more, you can send this text to the roll window for easy reference, and to show it to the rest of the group. The sheet also aims to help with character creation, all all of the various options given by Community, Dialectic, Ancestry, Calling etc, are all plugged into the sheet as well, so you can easily see what elements each Path grants you.
Right now, the sheet will only work for Pro users, but i'll soon have it uploaded to Roll20 so any user can pull it from the drop down when creating a game. Once i'm up to speed, i hope to add in the tabs needed for antagonist stats too, as well as maybe even a Settlement tab, to record changes from the Kalm period. I've got some screenshots and a link to my test sheet on Roll20 on the Onyx Path Discord, as it doesn't seem I can post images here :)
Kalm came, all right. No Kaos storms surged through our hidden city, no fear of that. But with the Kalm emerged hundreds of creatures… People, I suppose, with arachnid forms. Are these the haemexii? Is this one of their cities?
Joanne, Fyrn, and I remain hidden in the cellar, or tomb, of a temple to some serpent god. Do the haemexii worship snakes? Should I feel safer than I do, for my scales and tail?
There’s no point risking exposure. We have provisions to last a month if we’re careful. We have Syntheses and Sorceries to nourish ourselves and keep ourselves healthy while we outlast this sudden invasion.
Are we the invaders, in fact? I suppose so, if this is a haemexii home…
I am determined to survive. I am determined to reach Telver’s Hearth and tell my family I love them. I am determined to return Fyrn and Joanne to theirs.
This will not be my last writing. Hello Diggers,
We're in the Final Days countdown for this Crowdfunding campaign. The World Below finishes the crowdfunding campaign on Tuesday, November 14th at 2:00 PM EST. There's still time to Inspire others to help brighten up the darkness, but we're definitely getting closer to the finish line. With that in mind, I wanted to touch on some of the basics over these final four days to make sure everyone has the information they need to support this project in the way that works best for them.
Whether you're a veteran of many Kaos storms or just prepping for your first Kalm season, these are some good topics to review over this week to make sure we all end up where we want to be. If you're looking at this update and deciding whether or not to join, please click on the Pledge Tier Review link to get a better idea of which rewards are included in our pledge tiers.
(An aside, if you're a new backer, make sure you check out our Final Week Countdown / Resource Update. It has links to interviews, podcasts, and a ton of Actual Play sessions.)
Yesterday was a pretty great day in terms of Stretch Goals! We actually unlocked two, including one that was just introduced yesterday!
ACHIEVED! - At $50,000 in Funding – WORLD BELOW VTT TOKEN PACK – Digital assets will be created to support online play for The World Below, including key character and creature tokens from the book. This online asset pack will be added to the rewards list of all backers.
We find ourselves, once again, *so close* to unlocking our next Stretch Goal! This is one that I'm very excited about!
At $52,000 in Funding – ED GREENWOOD’S MOUNSTROUS ECOLOGY PART 2 – Ed Greenwood returns with an examination of the aberrant horrors, cosmic nightmares, and dreamlike phenomena of the World Below in the second part of our ecology book.
Tomorrow I'll be reviewing our Stretch Goal successes thus far. Will I be adding one more to our list of accomplishments and maybe unveiling a final Stretch Goal target? Let's keep at it and tune in tomorrow!
DRAFT MANUSCRIPT PREVIEW
For backers just joining us or checking out this project in it's final hours, we have now shared the ENTIRE draft manuscript of this project, so you are able to read the contents of this book from front to back before any pledges are processed or payments collected. A perfect Kalm season activity!
Today we've got the 5th installment, which covers the final two chapters -
Chapter Ten: Dangers in the World Below - This chapter provides traits for a huge number of horrifying antagonists and their Antitheses, along with environmental hazards, and guidance on how to increase the mounting tension in this fantasy game.
Appendix: Subsystems and Tables - This chapter contains optional systems a Storyguide and player group familiar with this game and its system may wish to use to augment their gameplay, from rules for exploration and excavation, to cartography and realm building.
BACKER FEEDBACK
We crowdfund these projects because Backers Make It Better, and sharing the draft manuscript sections allow us to note errata or point out parts that need clarification. Onyx Path has created a special The World Below Feedback Form that you can use to submit any corrections or comments directly to the development and writing team so they can have some guidance during the next rounds of development and editing.
Remember, thanks to BackerKit magic, these download link are visible to Backers only - you must be logged in and reading this on the website to have access to the manuscript preview links. So, if you're reading this via e-mail, click that "Reply to this Update" link on the bottom and I'll see you below the title treatment...
Kalm is a time for building. For reflection. For meditation. For negotiation.
These cellars are much broader than we first anticipated. We’re living under the feet, claws, and spines of the haemexii and building our own small world under here, brick by brick. We wait until they’re out hunting and then we go to work.
At first, we were at each other’s throats. But we’ve since had many chances to speak, to share ideas, and to find peace among each other.
We may only be three people trapped in the World Below, but we have the skills, the tools, and the powers to carve something out in here. Lines of defense should the haemexii find us, a narrow water channel, a source of green lichen, nutritious seeds, and protein rich bugs, and most importantly, quarters for solitude.
I would not wish to spend my entire life here, but this place could one day become more than a respite: this may be the foundation for a new settlement, built under the ruins of an old one.
Hello Diggers!
We're in the Final Days countdown for this Crowdfunding campaign. The World Below finishes the crowdfunding campaign on Tuesday, November 14th at 2:00 PM EST. There's still time to Inspire others to help brighten up the darkness, but we're definitely getting closer to the finish line. With that in mind, I wanted to touch on some of the basics over these final four days to make sure everyone has the information they need to support this project in the way that works best for them.
Whether you're a veteran of many Kaos storms or just prepping for your first Kalm season, these are some good topics to review over this week to make sure we all end up where we want to be.
(An aside, if you're a new backer, make sure you check out our Final Week Countdown / Resource Update. It has links to the manuscript previews, podcasts, and a ton of Actual Play sessions.)
Refresher Course
Note for New Backers: Please check out the updates listed above. There's a lot of information there that will be important to know about before the end, like how we're not including international shipping charges in our pledges for this campaign and instead will be charging them in our pledge manager before we ship out the books, and you can also read the entire draft manuscript before the end of the campaign and any pledges are processed.
Note for Since-the-Start Backers: It's probably a good idea to review that stuff as well. Never hurts to make sure you haven't missed anything! And it's fun to listento those podcasts and watch the Actual Plays.
We've had, and will have, a bunch of new backers join in during these last days. I want to take a moment to highlight some key Update posts that new backers may want to check out (and existing backers may want to read as a refresher!).
MANUSCRIPT PREVIEW - As noted, the complete Preview Manuscript for the book is available for you to review prior to the conclusion of the campaign. If you're a backer, you'll have access to this preview manuscript after the campaign. Remember, though, there are still some minor edits, development and proofing that need to be done. But, you can consider it about 98.7% finished. Making the manuscript available for review before the campaign ends ensures that everyone knows exactly what our goal is - making this book - and are on board with our aims for this project. Thanks for your support, we're all in this together!
PLEDGE TIERS -This update breaks down your best starting point for figuring out which Backer Reward Tier to choose to help support this project in a way that works for you.
The first decision you need to make in figuring out your reward tier is whether you want to receive the PDF version or the standard or deluxe hardcover edition (which comes with bonus PDF versions).
HUNTER: This is the PDF-only reward tier. So, if you're saving trees or saving shelf space - or avoiding the shipping charges that are absolutely ever-increasing - this is the reward tier option that you should begin with. The PDF will be fulfilled by our partners at DriveThruRPG.com - when it is ready, you will receive a link to add it to your DTRPG library at no cost for you to download at your leisure.
CARTOGRAPHER: This reward tier includes the standard hardcover version of this book. Shipping costs ARE NOT included in the cost of your pledge. You will be charged for shipping after the campaign through the pledge manager. In addition, this option also includes the PDF version, so you will get a digital copy as described above.
ARTIFICER: This reward tier includes the limited edition deluxe version of The World Below hardcover book, with a special cover design and bound-in silk bookmark. Shipping costs ARE NOT included in the cost of your pledge. You will be charged for shipping after the campaign through the pledge manager. In addition, this option also includes the PDF version, so you will get a digital copy as described above.
ADD-ON OPTIONS - The other half of our Reward Tiers update, including information on the second step of pledging. There are several Add On options that you can add as part of your pledging process, including other The World Below items (like pendants and pins) plus messenger bags, Storyguide Screens, and a premium glowing dice set! We've also got digital starter bundles of some other Onyx Path games that are well worth checking out!
Choose Wisely
Choosing the correct Reward Tier for your desired rewards, and then filling in any "gaps" with add-ons, ensures that you'll be claiming all of your desired rewards as a thank you for supporting this project and bringing this world to life.
Remember, your PLEDGE AMOUNT is equal to your REWARD TIER + ADD ONS only - Any International Shipping costs will be collected at a later date. You will also be able to select Add On options in the Pledge Manager after the campaign, but remember that only funds added during the campaign count towards Stretch Goal funding targets.
Also to note, only those who participate during the campaign are able to have Stretch Goal rewards added automatically to their rewards lists. If you're waiting to pre-order at a later time, it's better to pledge to the Surface-Touched tier now and then simply upgrade your pledge later to include these bonus rewards.
On Tuesday, I'll be posting one further "Final Day" update, covering What Happens Next and outlining what to expect once the campaign ends.
But until then, we're going to hopefully hunt down a final Stretch Goal achievement as we race through our final day of the campaign!
Over the past 28 days as we've worked through this World Below campaign we've not only funded the book but also unlocked ELEVEN Stretch Goal targets! That's right - we've unlocked the first TEN goals that were announced and we've ALREADY unlocked one of the final goals that was going to be announced as part of this update!
Within these Stretch Goals are some milestone markers that allowed us to maintain our pace through the middle parts of the campaign, and some really cool new supplements that we expanded and grew by working together. Let's review and see what we've accomplished so far...
MILESTONE MARKERS
Helping us maintain our pace during the regular "Funding Plateau" and between new content goals, these milestone markers are great celebratory moments allowing us to keep our focus, and fun rewards going out to all who supported this project during the Crowdfunding campaign.
WORLD BELOW T-SHIRT ON REDBUBBLE – A World Below-themed Backer shirt will be hosted on Onyx Path’s Redbubble store for a limited time. Only backers will be notified when the shirt becomes available for purchase.
WORLD BELOW DIGITAL WALLPAPER – Weird and wonderful World Below artwork will be used to create a wallpaper for your computer desktop. This digital wallpaper will be added to the rewards list of all backers supporting this project.
WORLD BELOW MOBILE WALLPAPER – Weird and wonderful World Below artwork will be used to create a wallpaper for your mobile device lockscreen. This lockscreen wallpaper will be added to the rewards list of all backers supporting this project.
ONLINE TOOLS
Like many of you, my days of gathering around the gaming table with friends to tell stories with our favorite characters have grown much less frequent in these past years. Online sessions have become the norm in my world and allow us to join gamers across the world to build our chronicles. We've unlocked some tools to help make that a little more fun!
WORLD BELOW VTT TOKEN PACK – Digital assets will be created to support online play for The World Below, including key character and creature tokens from the book. This online asset pack will be added to the rewards list of all backers.
WORLD BELOW STREAMING OVERLAY – A set of overlays for your online World Below game will be created, for your use when streaming your game. This reward will be added to the rewards list for all backers.
That's right! You've done such a great job spreading the word and recruiting new backers over the past 24 hours that I hadn't even had time to announce this goal yet and we've already unlocked it!
ADD ON OPTIONS
The support that this campaign has received has allowed Onyx Path to offer alternative options for one of their Add On items. Now you'll be able to select the black and green The World Provides bag or the current The World Below messenger bag.
ALTERNATE EXPLORER’S BAG ADD ON OPTION – An alternate version of the Explorer’s Bag will be made available as an Add On option. Backers pledged to the Explorer reward tier will be able to select which bag they wish to receive in the Pledge Manager after the campaign.
NEW CONTENT
We've unlocked two supplements as part of our campaign, and then expanded both! We've also added a fun and useful Storyguide tool to help dive into this game. First up, a starting scenario that we've turned into an adventure path...
DELVING DEEP INTO THE WORLD BELOW – A starting scenario to play or serve as an example for a World Below Storyguide. Our first adventure concerns the most common field of play: venturing from the safety of one's settlement to explore, face dangers, and hopefully return with resources to strengthen one's communities. Expect some surprises in this one! This World Below Adventure Supplement PDF will be added to the rewards list of all backers receiving The World Below PDF as one of their rewards.
DIGGING DEEPER INTO THE WORLD BELOW – The World Below Adventure Supplement PDF will be expanded to include a follow-up adventure. Our second adventure concerns the building and protection of our settlement, the political maneuvering of the guilds, and the clashes of dogmas that go on behind the so-called "safety" of the settlement walls.
Next up, that Storyguide tool I mentioned (although it's a fun product for everyone!)
WORLD BELOW MONSTER CARDS – A set of Monster Cards with illustrations on one side and information on the back will be released as a “Print-and-Play” PDF and added to the rewards list of all backers receiving The World Below PDF as one of their rewards. Backers will receive an option to order a physical version from DriveThruCards at a discounted rate.
And, finally, one of the stretch goal supplements I'm most excited about (no offense to any of the others, which are also amazing) - Ed Greenwood's Monstrous Ecology!
ED GREENWOOD’S MOUNSTROUS ECOLOGY – A PDF supplement detailing some of the strange and unique creatures that dwell in the World Below. The intrepid Ed Greenwood delves into some of the common colossal bugs, monstrous entities, and carnivorous beasts dwelling in the World Below with the first part of our ecology book. This PDF supplement will be added to the rewards list of all backers receiving The World Below PDF as one of their rewards.
ED GREENWOOD’S MOUNSTROUS ECOLOGY PART 2 – Ed Greenwood returns with an examination of the aberrant horrors, cosmic nightmares, and dreamlike phenomena of the World Below in the second part of our ecology book.
WHY STOP THERE?
It's great that we've unlocked 11 Stretch Goal rewards... but what about an even dozen?
With just over a day left in our campaign, I think one more Stretch Goal is certainly within our grasp. Let's do our best to unlock this before the end!
At $58,000 in Funding – FURTHER INTO THE WORLD BELOW – The World Below Adventure Scenario PDF will be expanded to include a third adventure. Our third adventure tasks our heroes with making contact with a distant settlement that's fallen unnervingly silent, reestablishing dead links, and facing the nightmares that have occupied the empty space where the living once dwelled.
YOUR REWARDS!
That's right! You backed this project to help make and publish The World Below! Our primary reward - the big thank you that we'll send out in appreciation for your support - are PDFs and/or hardcover copies of this book! BUT AS A BONUS, you may also have the Delving Deep/Digging DeeperAdventure Scenarios PDF Supplement, Ed Greenwood's Monstrous Ecology PDF, the Monster Cards PDF (with discounted PoD option), a digital wallpaper and mobile lockscreen wallpaper, an opportunity to add to your wardrobe and a set of tokens and streaming overlay for your online game!
Not Much More Time
The World Below provides, but only to the worthy!
Unfortunately, we seem to continue to move forward at a regular pace, and our campaign will some come to the inescapable end. We've achieved our primary goal of funding the book, but there is still one possible Stretch Goal rewards that is almost within grasp! I know this last funding target may seem daunting, but it wouldn't be a STRETCH goals if we didn't have to really STRETCH to reach it! That last one may take a little bit of work. It's certainly within reach, but won't be easy, so let's keep at it!
So, as every update concludes: let's keep the enthusiasm rolling! Keep spreading the word and letting others know about this project. They've got this final day to jump in and share the Stretch Goals we've achieved!
And every backer who joins in as we approach the end is not only able to enjoy the additional rewards already added by the early fans and backers, but also help reward those early backers by maybeunlocking thatfinal Adventure scenario!
Remember, only the funds generated during the Crowdfunding campaign go toward achieving these Stretch Goal targets, so the time to act is now! Together, we can bring this game to life and make great things happen!
The World Below finishes the crowdfunding campaign on Tuesday, November 14th at 2:00 PM EST.
Welcome to the final hours of this campaign! We've had a pretty great run - funding fairly quickly by the third day day and then unlocking TWELVE Stretch Goals along the way. We're closing in on 970 backers, which is just amazing!
That's right, we landed our final posted Stretch Goal in the darkness of the night.
ACHIEVED! -At $58,000 in Funding – FURTHER INTO THE WORLD BELOW – The World Below Adventure Scenario PDF will be expanded to include a third adventure. Our third adventure tasks our heroes with making contact with a distant settlement that's fallen unnervingly silent, reestablishing dead links, and facing the nightmares that have occupied the empty space where the living once dwelled. Can we get up to 1,000 backers before the end? Can we hit 200% of our Funding Target? Should we try for one more Stretch Goal?
Let's go for it! ONE FINAL STRETCH GOAL...
At $60,000 in Funding – THE WELL LICH OF THE WORLD BELOW – The World Below Adventure Scenario PDF will be expanded to include a final adventure. Our fourth adventure sees our protagonists in a race against the Kaos storm and one of its horrifying drivers: a Well Lich. Do you jump through a Kaos Portal and take your chances, face down the undead monstrosity, or run for your lives?
With mere hours left, this one will truly be a race to the finish line. Let's see if we can get there before our light runs out!!
The best part of this campaign, though, is that we have successfully funded this project! Thanks to everyone who's come out to support this campaign, we'll be getting this amazing game book (and a deluxe version as well!)
Now that we've added a third scenario to our adventure path (and could maybe add a fourth?), that's an expanded bonus reward for everyone who's backed this project and has The World Below PDF as one of their rewards! Let's see if we can get our backer count to 1,000 so even more members of our community get to enjoy this achievement!
FINAL DAY CHECKLIST
Whether you're a veteran of many Kaos storms or just prepping for your first Kalm season, these are some good topics to review over these final six hours...
1. Know What You're Supporting
In the body of <this post>, you'll see links to podcasts that will let you know more about the creation (and creators) of this game and how it plays in action, but the best way to confirm what the team is building is to hear their actual words.
This update breaks down your best starting point for figuring out which Backer Reward Tier to choose to help support this project in a way that works for you.
The first decision you need to make in figuring out your reward tier is whether you want to receive the PDF version or the standard or deluxe hardcover edition (which comes with bonus PDF versions).
HUNTER: This is the PDF-only reward tier. So, if you're saving trees or saving shelf space - or avoiding the shipping charges that are absolutely ever-increasing - this is the reward tier option that you should begin with. The PDF will be fulfilled by our partners at DriveThruRPG.com - when it is ready, you will receive a link to add it to your DTRPG library at no cost for you to download at your leisure.
CARTOGRAPHER: This reward tier includes the standard hardcover version of this book. Shipping costs ARE NOT included in the cost of your pledge. You will be charged for shipping after the campaign through the pledge manager. In addition, this option also includes the PDF version, so you will get a digital copy as described above.
ARTIFICER: This reward tier includes the limited edition deluxe version of The World Below hardcover book, with a special cover design and bound-in silk bookmark. Shipping costs ARE NOT included in the cost of your pledge. You will be charged for shipping after the campaign through the pledge manager. In addition, this option also includes the PDF version, so you will get a digital copy as described above.
As noted, shipping charges will be calculated later and charged in the BackerKit Pledge Manager. We'll have exact shipping costs once the book is in production and we know the specifications, but we do expect it to be expensive. See our estimates on the front pate. If you're an international backer, you can pledge at The Hunter tier and upgrade inthe pledge managerto one of the hardcover tiers once the shipping costs are known before we lockdown orders.
ADD-ON OPTIONS - The other half of our Reward Tiers update, including information on the second step of pledging. There are several Add On options that you can add as part of your pledging process, including other The World Below items (like pendants and pins) plus messenger bags, Storyguide Screens, and a premium glowing dice set! We've also got digital starter bundles of some other Onyx Path games that are well worth checking out!
ADD ON selections will be available in the post-campaign Pledge Manager as well.
SO: Ensure that you've selected the Reward Tier you want, and select any Add On options you wish to include. AND - make sure that you are comfortable with the Pledge amount, in terms of it covering everything you want and theaffordabilityof the pledge at this moment!
I'm going to speak against my own self interest for a moment, and repeat something I say at the end of every campaign - though 2023 has been a bit better than the past three years, the world is still unpredictable and some futures are a little less certain. Ensure that your circumstances enable to afford this pledge at this moment - BackerKit will begin processing payments late tonight after the campaign ends and neither Onyx Path nor I have any involvement in that process. If you are unsure of your financial situation but don't want to miss out, please pledge for a tier you can afford now and know that you will be able to upgrade to open pledge levels in our post-campaign Pledge Manager for some time before the book is completed.
Choose a Reward Tier You Can Afford
Readthe Manuscripts and Make Sure You Know What You're Getting
Be Aware of the Projected Delivery Date (Onyx Path will try to deliver earlier than this, but the book will take some time to get perfect)
3. PAYMENT AND CONTACT INFORMATION
Once you're comfortable with your pledge, please ensure that the payment and contact information in your BackerKit account is up to date and correct. Making sure your e-mail is entered correctly and your credit card isn't expired will speed up the next step process. (I have learned from experience!)
WHAT COMES NEXT?
3. AFTER THE CAMPAIGN ENDS
First, we celebrate. The campaign page will subtly change, locking out the ability to pledge and showing the final totals. We'll give socially-distanced high fives and digital fist bumps in the Community section and over on Discord.
Then, the BackerKit payment process begins. Starting late tonight and continuing over the next week, Backerkit will begin charging your payment methods for the total amount you've pledged.
If there is an issue with your payment method (expired credit card or incorrect number or pre-paid Visa awaiting funds, for example), BackerKit will keep trying to process payment during this time.
Once this step is done, which will likely be by the end of November, BackerKit will confirm everything with Onyx Path and I can begin to set up the project in the Pledge Manager and load in all of the campaign data.
In addition to providing the crowdfunding platform for this campaign, BackerKit is also Onyx Path's regular Pledge Manager partner.
BackerKit provides a robust fulfillment integration and pledge management program that will allow us to work with all of the data and distribute the rewards to you. It will take me about a month to set the project up. Once I've got it all entered and built, the team from BackerKit will review to ensure I didn't mess anything up too badly, and then I'll make any changes they've suggested and we can move on to the Survey stage.
4. BACKERKIT SURVEYS
Once BackerKit says I'm good to go, I will send out a survey to all backers. This is why confirming your e-mail is important!
The BackerKit survey is both a verb and a noun - it will collect data for the analysis of some aspect of a group (enabling Onyx Path to set print runs, prioritize new projects, and fine-tune future campaigns), as well as providing a general review or summary of the reward tier you've chosen, confirm all of the rewards associated with that reward tier, and confirm your total pledge amount.
I expect Surveys to go out by early January 2024.
During the Survey period, you can choose to increase your reward tier and add on additional options. If you've found $20 in your winter coat or found an alternate income source and decide it's time to trade up to the hardcover version of the books or include another add-on, you can do so at this time. Note, you will not be able to reduce your reward tier selection, only increase.
If you selected Add On options, they'll be added to your reward list automatically.
Note that you'll be able to upgrade your pledge tier for quite some time - until we're getting ready to print the book itself and have figured out International shipping costs. So don't feel pressure to have it all figured out right away - we'll make sure there's plenty of time to get it all sorted before the books go out.
Similarly, if you have a hardcover book as one of your rewards, the survey will ask you to confirm your shipping address, even though it'll be some time before we ship out the final product. Do not worry about moving before shipping begins - you will be able to update BackerKit right up until the point that we begin fulfilling the final book. We will send out a notice prior to lock down so you can update any information.
I'll also use the Survey to confirm some details for the premium reward tiers.
5. REWARD DISTRIBUTION
Once the surveys are up and running, I'll prepare fulfillment for the existing rewards - the Add On options that are all currently available, like the digital Starter Bundles. Depending on how smoothly the Pledge Manager process goes, those should be out fairly soon after the survey stage starts. So, let's say the existing PDF rewards will be out to you by the end of January. That's only the beginning, though.
This is a long process, but I will send out regular updates (usually at the end of the month) to keep you up to speed on Onyx Path's progress. There will be strings of updates that are just "still working on it," but I will share new artwork or information when I can.
Eventually, we will have a completed PDF of The World Below. Onyx Path will take some time to distribute, review, and compile any errata or corrections that need to be made. When they've made any necessary changes, they'll make an updated version of the PDF available in your DriveThruRPG digital library and then begin creating print-ready files for the Print-on-Demand and the hardcover versions.
It's yet another long road ahead, likely full of twists and turns and things hidden in the darkness, but one that we wouldn't be undertaking if not for your ongoing support.
So - one final time - please spread the word to any potential backers and fans, and thanks so much for a great campaign!
Joanne and Fyrn agreed that we should seek the emerald dragon for counsel, but before we could reach her lair, the loose rock gave way.
As I fell, I had three thoughts. “The people of Drope betrayed us.” “This is a dragon’s trap.” “I may never see my family again.”
The relief when we landed in a bed of spongy fungi, and not the toxic, spore-spewing kind… No, these fungi were on the edge of what I can best describe as a city of gold and diamond, spires, spines, and spikes, all penetrating upward.
We can see and hear no inhabitants. We can detect no signs of life at all, in fact, which tells me this cave has been sealed for generations. Maybe before the Great Descent, even. An Iprecean kingdom, maybe?
This could be the find of our lives, and even if it isn’t, with Kalm approaching it may act as sanctuary during the Kaos storm.
The World Below provides.
Dangers of the World Below
The World Below’s explorers have since their arrival attempted to catalogue and define the dangers they’ve encountered. From small, burrowing bugs to their enormous, devouring cousins. From alien assemblies of eyeballs and mouths to an entire civilization of arachnid humanoids. From caves filled with acidic mist and raging storms to deep, fast-flowing channels of magma. It seems impossible to chronicle every possible threat, yet still people try. You cannot survive unless you know your enemy.
Storyguides may use the pre-written antagonists presented in this chapter or construct their own using the Qualities and Antitheses available. The Storyguide should always be mindful of possible environmental threats to spring on the player characters, too. This chapter presents ways to make environmental threats more than something to just be escaped or survived. Interacting with one’s environment and mastering it is a way of turning a danger into an asset.
The World Below’s many monsters can be divided into categories of severity, ranging from Pests at the lowest end, followed by Blights — which might pose a problem for a new pack of explorers — and then Scourges. Scourges are the things that terrify communities and isolated outposts with impunity. Finally, Horrors make up the most eldritch and dangerous creatures in the Vast Underneath.
Note that while some creatures are capable of flight, wall walking, and swimming, it’s for the Storyguide to decide if the given antagonist has this capability and what actions they can perform during such a state.
Antagonist Templates
Antagonists use a simplified set of character details to allow the Storyguide to easily put one together and abstract what it’s doing. These simplified templates give a general sense of the power level of the antagonist and all the important information in condensed format. The antagonists’ dice pools indicate their general capabilities along with some important actions to which they apply.
Primary Pool: The antagonist’s primary pool is its large action pool. This should be between 6 for the weakest character to 12 for the strongest character. Assign two to three actions the antagonist is good at.
Secondary Pool: The antagonist’s secondary pool is what it is next best at. This should be 2 points lower than the primary pool. Assign two to three actions that fall in this category.
Desperation Pool: The desperation pool is for everything else. This should be half the primary pool, rounded down.
Enhancement: Antagonists have access to Enhancement on certain actions, just like characters. List what kinds of actions the character gains Enhancement on here, and how much. Weaker characters shouldn’t gain more than 1 or 2 Enhancement overall, and stronger characters shouldn’t have more than 5 or 6 Enhancement overall, and they should never have more than 3 Enhancement to any one action.
Defense: Antagonists do not roll for Defense. Instead, this number is a static number that serves as the difficulty to hit the antagonist. This should be 1 for the weakest antagonists, and no more than 3 for difficult antagonists.
Integrity: Antagonists similarly do not roll for Integrity against influence actions. Integrity should be against no more than 1 for weak antagonists or 3 for difficult antagonists.
Health: Antagonists have injuries, but not Injury Levels like the players’ characters. Otherwise, Health works the same way. An “easy to knock out” category only has 1 Health, while others range between 4-10. Above that, Armor, Qualities, or Advantages reflect the sturdiness of bigger monsters.
Armor: If the antagonist has armor, it is stated here. If the armor is magical or elemental in nature, it will be denoted as such.
Initiative: The antagonist’s Initiative score should be equal to its desperation pool.
Qualities: List any antagonist Qualities here.
Antitheses: List any antagonist Antitheses here.
Special: Some antagonists have unique perks to their Qualities and Antitheses or ad hoc rules to reinforce their identity.
Some Status Effects — and less commonly, Area Effects — may seem inappropriate for a given monster. How worthwhile is it to make a vermi feel Crestfallen or describe them as a Fabulist, for instance? With this in mind, consider your characters’ Theses, Syntheses, and Sorceries, as some are designed to affect humanoids with personalities and societies, while others are crafted to target monsters such as the ones in this chapter. It’s possible for a power to affect a creature in an unusual way, such as using the Rend the Sovereign Soul on an unthinking beast to make it flee briefly or succumb to a form of mental paralysis, though doing so is best discussed between the player and Storyguide instead of assumed.
Arachniida
My experience with arachniida never went beyond a solitary small one scuttling outside a crevice or the sight of webbing tapestries along the walls of the Illuneian Precipice. Settlers advised me to stay clear of those, and so I did. My luck changed when the ground beneath our caravan collapsed, and we fell inside the webs in the cave below. That day I discovered death runs on eight legs.
Thanks to the warning colors of their exoskeletons and their venom-dripping fangs, people know better than to disturb the arachniida, although caution only helps to a point: The many-legged creatures are often content to feed on less intelligent bugs but waste no occasion to attack prey that stumbles upon their nests or disturbs their webbings.
Arachniida range from smaller than a hand to as big as a cave, with a wicked intellect shining through their multiple eyes well beyond the dangerous cunning other predatory bugs possess. They communicate through an elaborate language Scarabs can learn to speak and demonstrate an unsettling attitude for problem-solving and the use of tools. Some gastrevores theorize arachniida are experiencing a rapid evolution due to the settlers’ invasion of their territory. The implication is that in a handful of generations they’ll become a menace nobody will be equipped to stop.
The antagonist is a natural predator and has some form of natural weapon that it can always use even when unarmed. These weapons can never be disarmed. Each additional time this Quality is chosen, pick a tag to apply to the weapons from the following: Abyssal, Brutal, Deadly, Dreamcrafted, Electrified, Flaming, Ice, Kaos Touched, Long Range, Painful, Piercing, Poison, Reach, Returning, Shadow, Stunning, or Wrecking. If a natural weapon can be used at range, it’ll specify the range in brackets.
Stable
This antagonist is immune to the use of the Knockdown Trick and gains +1 Power Advantage against attempts to move them.
Devastating Blow
Prerequisite: Scourge+
Health: Half Health
Type: Reflexive (Melee)
The antagonist hits a character so hard that they immediately gain the Taken Out Status Effect. For example, a giant arachniida may swoop down and kidnap a character, while a Kaosist might pull down a cave roof on top of another.
Entangle
Type: SimpleAction
Through silky webs, lashing roots, shadowy tendrils, or other means, the antagonist can immobilize their opponents. The antagonist applies the Overgrowth Area Effect centered on itself out to medium range.
Pull
Type: Reflexive (Ranged)
With fiery whip, web leash, gravitational clutch, or any other method, the antagonist drags its victim right into their grasp. The attacker is moved two range bands closer to the antagonist.
Chitters
Down here it’s either eat or get eaten, a way of survival that always made plenty of sense to me. That is, until I learned about the chitters. Chitters are… vurth, they’re all-consuming winged bugs, only as big as carts. The noise they make and their horrible, makiru-like faces make clear they’re anything but. They treat us like we treat mindless bugs, going as far as making deals with settlement leaders to protect people from enemies and predators in exchange for the right to harvest ripe livestock when they’re hungry. An offering only the foolish and the desperate accept, but it’s not like these tunnels lack either…
An oddity raising uncanny questions about the boundaries between settlers and insects, chitters keep more communities under their heel than sensible scholars like to imagine. Although it’s unclear whether they started as insects who evolved in response to the makiru expansion in the World Below or explorers who left behind their nature to become insectoid predators, chitters are clever, malicious, and lethal.
With thick skin and sharp mandibles, a chitter pack makes for a deadly treat, but the creatures feast and prosper thanks to their cunning more than their might. Chitters look for isolated settlements without allies, circle them while terrorizing the inhabitants with demonstrative assaults, and establish a gruesome ecosystem where the humanoids live as cattle for harvesting.
Chitters take care of their “herd,” happy to defend them from dangers and let people come and go as the necessities lives demand, but at the same time reserve themselves the right to slaughter anyone t. Whoever reveals the settlement’s secret or rebels is taken care of like a sick beast endangering its kin, while the chitters force the others to live in a nightmare where everyone prays to not be the next in line to feed their monstrous master.
The antagonist shares an instinctive connection with other creatures in its hive. Provided it’s not separated from its peers at extreme range or greater, everything the creature sees or experiences gets shared across other members of the hive.
While this complicates all attempts to avoid detection, the shared information begins and ends with a given creature’s perspective. If characters flee or kill the creature who spotted them, the alerted reinforcements won’t demonstrate any prescient knowledge of their current position.
Hive Coordination
Prerequisite: Scourge template or higher; Hive Mind.
Within the network of its hive, the antagonist plays a central role in the control and organization of the colony. Other creatures with the Hive Mind Quality in the Area gain a +1 Enhancement on all rolls when the antagonist is present. Multiple instances of this Quality within a scene don’t stack.
If all antagonists with Hive Coordination involved in a scene die, other members of the colony must roll their desperation pool. On a failure, they either flee or fail to recognize their peers as allies and attack them.
Leap
Type: Reflexive (Any Attack)
The antagonist moves two range bands in a single bound, be it an impressive jump, an eldritch blink, or any other means of sudden movement. If this happens as a result of a ranged attack, the antagonist may use Leap to close the distance to the attacker.
Dragons
Dragons are a rare sight, but not one you’ll ever forget. Although their reptilian features and vast wings refuse to let the world forget their original majesty, dragons had to adapt to their subterranean home, as we all did. But how a body looks doesn’t define a dragon: their true heritage is power. Can you imagine how that feels? To be a living portent, to change the world with every breath? That’s what dragons are.
Among the mightiest creatures of the tunnels, dragons are presences no settlement can ignore. Be they merciless overlords, solitary monsters, or enigmatic hermits, dragons imbue the land around them with their own brand of power, drawn from Kaos and processed through the crucible of their being.
While their personalities vary, dragons are driven by pride, desire, and an aspiration to a magnificence lesser beings cannot comprehend. Their morality sometimes aligns to that of other creatures but exists in a different paradigm. A dragon can act as patron for a settlement while being a winged bearer of destruction for another, but each demands respect, if not outright worship, while plenty of dragons refuse to entertain conversation with non-dragons.
Although dragons consider the reminder a heinous offence, most of them are foreigners to the World Below. They have Dialectics of their own, although they consider those of others as disgusting aberrations. The land near a dragon’s lair takes after its master, changing according to the shape of their Dialectic.
Template: Horror
Primary Pool: 12 (Destruction, Grandiose Shows of Power)
Secondary Pool: 10 (Scout the Lair, Wealth Accumulation)
Desperation Pool: 6
Enhancement: +1 Close Combat, +2 Impress, +2 Ranged Combat
The antagonist is extraordinarily difficult to take by surprise. All actions to avoid its attention face a Major Complication. Failure to buy it off alerts the antagonist that something’s amiss despite not noticing the character and will investigate the general area. Additionally, attempts to evade its pursuit or lead it on a false trail are made at a +1 difficulty.
Destructive Force
Prerequisite: Scourge+, 1+ Power Advantage
Due to its mass or sheer power, the antagonist devastates the environment with their blows. Their attacks gain access to the following combat Trick:
Demolition (2 successes): Rubble and debris fill the environment, applying the Demolished Area Effect to the scene as a Moderate Complication. This Trick can be purchased twice per action, in which case the Complication increases to Major. Any artificial structure or object in the Area is destroyed at Storyguide’s discretion.
Frightening Presence
Both people and animals see the antagonist as a dangerous threat not to be messed with, providing it 1 Social Advantage when intimidating others. Minor characters and Pests flee from the antagonists at its mere sight.
Defensive Rebuke
Type: Reflexive (Any Attack)
Whether peaceful, awe-inspiring, or intimidating, the antagonist’s mere looks discourage people from hurting them. The attacking character refuses to attack the antagonist again this scene unless it attacks them first. If a character successfully buys off the Complication from this Antithesis, it cannot be used against them again this scene.
Devour
Prerequisite: Blight+
Type: Reflexive (Melee)
The antagonist swallows their prey whole. While inside the antagonist’s belly, the target can only make an Athletics action against difficulty 1 for Blights, 2 for Scourges, and 3 for Horrors to escape. Failure to escape inflicts a single damage on the swallowed character. Each damage the antagonist suffers in the same turn lowers the difficulty to escape by 1, to a minimum of 1.
Most antagonists can devour only creatures of smaller size, but exceptions exist.
Push
Type: Reflexive (Melee)
The antagonist launches their opponent away, either through sheer force or mystical means. The attacker is moved two range bands away from the antagonist.
Trample
Type: Simple Action
The antagonist charges at its opponents with violence. As part of a rush movement, the creature may purchase the Shockwave Trick for 1 hit. Unlike a normal rush, Trample can be used even if the antagonist starts at short or close range.
Wave of Destruction
Prerequisite: Scourge+
Type: Reflexive (Any Attack)
The antagonist unleashes a lethal attack across a wide area. Examples include a gold dragon’s fiery breath, an earth geoprocugalla’s seismic tremors, a Hypogean herald’s eldritch detonation, and a quaesitor’s disintegration ray. The antagonist deals 1 damage to all characters within medium range. Choose a single element when purchasing this Antithesis. Apply an appropriate Area Effect based on that element, such as Aflame for fire, Darkness for shadows, Flooding for water, Suffocating for air, Extreme Temperature (Cold) for ice, or Quaking for earth.
Haemexii
The haemexii fancy themselves a noble heritage, but you ask me, they’re nothing but a pestilence. Behind the doors of their blood-soaked citadels, deep darkward, they swarm upon their victims, draining them dry and then lapping at the drenched floor. I witnessed how flesh, chitin, and crystal rot away when receiving their curse, only for the matter to reshape itself in their nightmarish features. “Blood is life,” they chant, seeing us as a herd whose only purpose is to slake their crimson thirst.
Long ago, back before the Exodus, a darkward community made a terrible discovery. Digging deep, they found a slumbering god, wreathed in chthonic darkness. In that moment, the explorers made a decision. Some wonder whether an external influence revealed a secret — perhaps murmurs from the all-consuming Abyss — if only to explain what happened: each member of that civilization sunk their teeth into the sleeping god’s flesh and drunk deep, gorging themselves on divine essence. In a baptism of blood and death, the haemexii were born.
Haemexii exist somewhere between life and death, doomed to forever feast on other beings’ blood. Their dark curse changed them, a reminder of their blasphemous crimes: all haemexii resemble ravenous parasites, although the most powerful ones learn to mask their true nature. The curse carries forward even to those initiated in their secret society today. The promise of climbing through their ranks and eventually obtaining the blessing of their dark aristocracy spurns far too many to sacrifice everything they hold dear and leave their humanity behind.
The haemexii consider themselves supreme predators and dark demigods, seeing their need to feed on others as a divine right.
Whether through multiple limbs, an engulfing anatomy, or stranger features such gravitational powers or time magic, the antagonist locks their enemies into place with ease. The Break-Up Grapple, Overwhelm, and Disengage Tricks cost 1 additional hit to be purchased against antagonists with this Quality. This Quality has two versions: aggressive and defensive.
With the aggressive version, the Establish Grapple Trick is reduced to 0 hits.
With the defensive version, all Close Combat actions against the antagonist suffer a Minor Complication. Failure to buy it off results in the antagonist grappling the character.
The Quality can be picked multiple times to grant the antagonist both versions.
Unusual Anatomy
The antagonist’s biology demonstrates extraordinary resistance to all sorts of stress, to the point it’s questionable to define it as “living.” Increase the cost to purchase the Critical Trick by 1 hit for all non-spell altered attacks.
The Storyguide can also use this Quality to represent undead, artificial, or otherworldly creatures, choosing whether the antagonist ages and if it needs to breathe, sleep, or eat.
Vulnerability
Choose a sensation, behavior, substance, or source of damage. Each turn the creature is exposed to its vulnerability, it must roll its secondary pool as a reflexive action. On a failure, they either flee or are unable to act while their Defense lowers to 0. The antagonist suffers 1 additional damage from all attacks or hazards related to this vulnerability.
Consume
Type: Reflexive (Any Attack)
The antagonist consumes the Kaos inside its victims to sustain its own life. If it successfully hits in close combat, it can regain 1 point of Health by eating a generous handful of humanoid flesh. Antagonists express this Antithesis in different ways, such as devouring blood, brains, and souls.
If using this Antithesis would bring the antagonist’s Health above its maximum, the creature gains a +1 Enhancement on all rolls for the remainder of the scene, with successive instances raising it up to +3.
For Scourges and higher, Consume applies to all the antagonist’s ranged combat attacks as well. For Horrors, when the antagonist uses Consume on a target for the first time in a scene, it gains 1 Power Advantage.
Haemexii Warrior
While pages keep their masters’ homes in order and torment prisoners, warriors represent the bulk of the haemexii military force. Each wears the insignia of a dynastic house, ancient lineages almost as old as the haemexii themselves. Soon after the first nobles drained the dark gift from the sleeping god’s veins, they warred against each other in a furious war for supremacy. Broken alliances, betrayals, and vile strategies played prelude to countless battles, where warriors dutifully played their role.
Proud of their nature, haemexii warriors resemble humanoid spiders and assassin bugs. Their physical features suit combat well, but warriors train for the equivalent of entire mortal lives to fight and triumph for their dynasty. Their skills make them fearsome opponents, but warriors are so certain of their superiority they risk underestimating their foes.
Acid, lava, or another hazardous substance runs through the antagonist’s veins. When picking this Quality, select a Complication rating. Whenever characters strike the antagonist in close combat, they must buy off the Complication to not take 1 Injury.
Beastmaster
Type: Simple Action
The antagonist can control beasts and vermin. As a simple action, it can focus on an animal inside medium range and roll its primary pool opposed by the target’s Integrity. On a success, the animal follows all the antagonist’s orders until the end of the scene to the best of its abilities, although it might still flee should characters scare it away.
Leap
Type: Reflexive (Any Attack)
The antagonist moves two range bands in a single bound, be it an impressive jump, an eldritch blink, or any other means of sudden movement. If this happens as a result of a ranged attack, the antagonist may use Leap to close the distance to the attacker.
Well Liches
What defines the Well Liches is power, pure and simple. Theirs isn’t a title one earns easily: All liches are the true masters of the Well, supreme rulers of Kaos. Anytime one decides to pursue their own mysterious goals outside the Well, their presence is enough to change the fate of settlements for generations. Yet, for all their might, never forget the truth they dread the most: they’re not invincible. Some have died in the past, when arrogance led them against horrors more terrible than them, but also by the hands of those who successfully rose against them. Their rule seems inescapable, closer as they are to gods than mere kings and queens, but the liches weren’t always there and the Well grants its blessings to anyone strong enough to claim them.
... and that's a pretty good sneak peek of the chapter! We'll get the full draft version - including the full write up for Well Liches - on Sunday when our final manuscript section becomes available for backers!
This campaign ends in FOUR DAYS! Please continue to share with your social circle and on your social media! Tomorrow, I'm going to review our pledge tiers and Add On options for those looking to join or wanting a refresher. As mentioned, on Sunday we'll have our final section from the draft manuscript so backers will be able to read the entire current version of the book before any pledges are processed or payments collected.
I've got a lot to go over today, but before we get into it, let's celebrate! Because we've unlocked another Stretch Goal!
ACHIEVED! – DIGGING DEEPER INTO THE WORLD BELOW – The World Below Adventure Supplement PDF will be expanded to include a follow-up adventure. Our second adventure concerns the building and protection of our settlement, the political maneuvering of the guilds, and the clashes of dogmas that go on behind the so-called "safety" of the settlement walls.
With that, it's time for two more Stretch Goals to be unveiled! Will we be able to unlock these before the end of the campaign? Stay tuned!
At $50,000 in Funding – WORLD BELOW VTT TOKEN PACK – Digital assets will be created to support online play for The World Below, including key character and creature tokens from the book. This online asset pack will be added to the rewards list of all backers.
At $52,000 in Funding – ED GREENWOOD’S MOUNSTROUS ECOLOGY PART 2 – Ed Greenwood returns with an examination of the aberrant horrors, cosmic nightmares, and dreamlike phenomena of the World Below in the second part of our ecology book.
That's right! We'll unlock some online tools for Virtual Tabletop gaming, and then back to Ed Greenwood to expand the Monstrous Ecology PDF supplement! If you were interested in the weird creatures we had in our sneak peek yesterday, you're gonna love the full chapter that backers get tomorrow, and you're going to really want to further explore the strangeness of the underground ecosystem, so let's get more!
We're in the Final Days countdown for this Crowdfunding campaign. The World Below finishes the crowdfunding campaign on Tuesday, November 14th at 2:00 PM EST. There's still time to Inspire others to help brighten up the darkness, but we're definitely getting closer to the finish line. With that in mind, I wanted to touch on some of the basics over these final four days to make sure everyone has the information they need to support this project in the way that works best for them.
Whether you're a veteran of many Kaos storms or just prepping for your first Kalm season, these are some good topics to review over this week to make sure we all end up where we want to be.
(An aside, if you're a new backer, make sure you check out our Final Week Countdown / Resource Update. It has links to the manuscript previews, podcasts, and a ton of Actual Play sessions.)
PLEDGE REWARD TIERS
Like it says right at the top of the campaign story page, we've come together to help create a fully developed PDF and standard and deluxe hardcover versions for this great new tabletop roleplaying game, The World Below. Many of you have already explored different games using the Storypath system, but this is the first game designed from square one to use the refined expression of the Storypath Ultra rules set. And what a weird and wonderful world that's been created to make this system sing!
PLEDGING YOUR SUPPORT
To borrow an analogy that I've used in past campaigns, this process we're a part of works similar to the "Viewers Like You" support campaign from your local Public Broadcasting Station (for those who get American television channels or watched Sesame Street in the pre-HBO era): There are various levels of support that you can pledge to, and these come with various levels of rewards offered as a thank you. Like getting a tote bag or t-shirt when you give money to public broadcasting to fund them doing their thing, you can get rewards for helping Onyx Path work on this project.
Let's review the Backer Reward Tiers to ensure that you've pledged to a Reward Tier that provides all the rewards you wish to receive.
Hardcover Book or PDF Version
The main reward offered in this campaign is, of course, the main goal of the entire proposition: the finished book for The World Below. The first decision you need to make is what form your rewards will take. Do you want your main rewards in digital form and are going for the PDF rulebook? Or do you have space on your shelf for the hardcover book? Or, better yet, do you go all in with the limited deluxe edition? (Note - both hardcover versions include the PDF as a bonus!).
With that decision in mind, we've got three key reward tiers to choose from:
HUNTER: This is the PDF-only reward tier. So, if you're saving trees or saving shelf space - or avoiding the shipping charges that are absolutely ever-increasing - this is the reward tier option that you should begin with. The PDF will be fulfilled by our partners at DriveThruRPG.com - when it is ready, you will receive a link to add it to your DTRPG library at no cost for you to download at your leisure.
CARTOGRAPHER: This reward tier includes the standard hardcover version of this book. Shipping costs ARE NOT included in the cost of your pledge. You will be charged for shipping after the campaign through the pledge manager. In addition, this option also includes the PDF version, so you will get a digital copy as described above.
If you're really excited to take the journey into the World Below and want to really impress your gaming friends, we're also offering a special edition Deluxe World Below hardcover book.
ARTIFICER: This reward tier includes the limited edition deluxe version of The World Below hardcover book, with a leatherette cover, special cover design, and bound-in silk bookmark. Shipping costs ARE NOT included in the cost of your pledge. You will be charged for shipping after the campaign through the pledge manager. In addition, this option also includes the PDF version, so you will get a digital copy as described above.
An important reminders at this stage:
Shipping Costs: We’ll be charging for shipping in the Pledge Manager once the books are being printed and we can deal with the actual shipping charges rather than using our best-guesses this far out. We’re still anticipating pretty hefty costs to ship the book internationally (see our current guesses on the story page) so be forewarned, but we’ll cross that enormous bridge when we get to it.
In addition to these primary reward pledge paths, we also offer the following options:
SURFACE-TOUCHED: Not ready to commit, or just looking to offer general support? This pledge tier is for you. This does not include our primary reward, but allows you to select some digital optional Add Ons, as well as participate in the post-campaign Pledge Manager as a backer. You'll also be able to read the draft manuscript of The World Below that we post throughout this campaign.
KAOSIST / EXPLORER: These tiers bundle in some special collector's items to really celebrate the launch. The Kaosist tier includes the standard hardcover edition and PDF, alongside the deluxe starbearer glow dice set, the Storyguide screen, the World Below Provides pendant and World Below Provides enamel pin. The Explorer tier includes the limited deluxe edition hardcover and PDF, along with the Explorer's Bag, Storyguide screen, deluxe starbearer glow dice set, World Below Provides pendant, and World Below Provides enamel pin. You will be charged for shipping after the campaign through the pledge manager.
WORLDHEART / ALCHEMIST / MINERALBORN / FARSIGHTER: A few Reward Tiers offer special limited premium rewards in addition to the basics, including an option to supply a name to be used by an NPC included in a supplement, an opportunity to gain access to a supplemental manuscript during development, an option to submit photo references to be used by World Below artists for an interior illustration, and participation in an online game session run by Matthew Dawkins and featuring Ed Greenwood! Check each of the Reward Tier descriptions for more details.
Those premium reward tiers have limited slots, and some are completely claimed at this point, but if you're really interested in any of them it's a good idea to check on availability right up until the end of the campaign, as budgets shift and we may see some pledge changes that could open up a slot or two.
After the campaign is over we'll launch our BackerKit Pledge Manager and invite the backers to set up their rewards via survey. This allows you to confirm your pledge and add on anything that you might have missed, as well as possibly increasing your pledged reward tier, should you choose to expand your reward selection. This option will give international backers additional time to investigate shipping options, should they choose, knowing they can confirm a physical reward at a later date. We will also use BackerKit's Pledge Manager to charge actual shipping costs for orders when we're approaching order fulfillment. Funding collected by BackerKit after the crowdfunding campaign does not count toward any campaign Stretch Goals, however.
You'll note that two rewards - Access to the Manuscript Previews and Participation in Post-Campaign Pledge Manager - are included in ALL reward tiers. That's just one of the perks of participating in this crowdfunding campaign!
OPTIONAL DISCOUNTED PoD VERSION – For this World Below campaign, you will have the option of using DriveThruRPG.com’s Print-On-Demand service to purchase a physical, printed copy of the PDF directly from their PoD partners at discounted cost (this cost is not included in your pledge, and you do not need to increase the cost of your pledge to use this option). When the PoD versions are available to order (which maybe some time after the books have gone to print), you will receive links to purchase these versions of the books from DriveThruRPG.com. You DO NOT need to take advantage of this PoD offer as it does not affect in any way your pledge rewards.
THE WORLD BELOW PDF VERSION - The digital version of The World Below, fulfilled by our partners at DriveThruRPG.com. Kickstarter backers will receive redemption links for an early version of this book before it goes on sale to the public. This initial "Advance Version" will be used to get feedback from the fans to make the final version the best that it can be. When it has been updated to the final version, it will automatically be added to your DriveThruRPG library and available for download at your convenience.
THE WORLD BELOW HARDCOVER BOOKS - The main goal of this campaign is to fund the creation, production, and print run of a standard and limited edition deluxe hardcover editions of this book. Note that all Reward Tiers that include the physical hardcover version also include the digital PDF version as a bonus. Shipping costs ARE NOT included in the cost of your pledge. You will be charged for shipping after the campaign through the pledge manager.
See the Add On Options for descriptions of some of the deluxe items.
Choosing Your Reward Tier
There has been some churn over this past week - a few Reward Tier adjustments and changes by backers, as budgets changed and people have read the manuscript previews. In these final days it's best to ensure that you've selected the Reward Tier that offers you the options and rewards you want to receive and are ready to lock down. This timing - before the campaign ends - is the absolute most affordable and inclusive these rewards will be, and will save headaches and heartbreaks if fully considered now.
This is just the first step, however, in completing your pledge for this campaign. Funds for additional extras can be added to your pledge by selecting Add On options and increasing the overall funding and maybe getting us closer to a Stretch Goal.
First Step: Reward Tier
To summarize the first part of this post, the absolute best way to ensure that you're getting the primary rewards you want from this crowdfunding campaign is to ensure you've selected the appropriate Backer Reward Tier. Selecting the right Reward Tier covers about 95% of the options available to you. If you want a PDF only, make sure you've selected the correct reward. If you want the hardcover version, double-check your reward tier to ensure the proper option is featured. If you're going digital now but want the option of getting a discounted Print-on-Demand copy later, make sure you've got a reward tier that includes it.
Once you've completed that important step, you're going to want to look at the Add On rewards for any reward "bits" that don't automatically fall into your reward tier. That takes us to the Add On step.
Step Two: Add-On Options
Once you've chosen your pledge tier, you've likely already included the main rewards you want. In addition to the rewards offered as part of the Reward Tier configurations, there are a few other possible rewards you may wish to add. All Add-On rewards are described in our Add On menu below.
You can select an Add On option, which will increase the amount of your pledge by the listed amount. Add on options will be selected and confirmed again in the Pledge Manager when that's up and running.
The World Below Storyguide Screen - a three-panel cardstock screen, with vibrant and weird World Below artwork on one side and charts and tables to make running the game a little easier on the inside. Can be added to any tier that includes a hardcover book (and therefore will have shipping options).
The World Below Provides Pendant - show off your love of the underground with this bit of jewelry, perhaps fashioned from the carapace of a beetle.
The World Below Provides Enamel Pin - perfect for backpacks, jackets, and collections, this enamel pin lets others know you've survived your share of Kaos storms.
World Below Messenger Bags - carry your hardcover books, pencils, dice, and character sheets in style in either of these messenger bags.
The World Below Starbearer Glow Dice - includes ten 10-sided dice and a velvet dice bag. These are resin Elixir liquid core dice. Elixir dice are infused with glittery liquid cores that swirl when rolled. Each set is handcrafted and polished to keep their beautiful sharp edges.
The World Below Dice Tray - a folding, snap-to-set-up dice tray to protect your dice... and your table!
In addition to these deluxe The World Below items, Onyx Path is also offering three "starter bundles" for their other Storypath game lines. These bundles include the main rulebooks for each line, plus Jumpstart scenarios designed to introduce your group to the setting and rulesset.
The Trinity Continuum is a tabletop roleplaying game about possibilities and human potential. In the continuum, you will portray characters who can act and achieve even the most outlandish goals. Talents are people who have the ability to unknowingly reach into the continuum and change their own circumstances, appearing to be extremely lucky or very skilled individuals.
Scion is a game about Gods and humanity, and everything in between. It's a game about mythic deeds and the reasons people talk about those mythic deeds.
They Came From presents dramatic and farcical tabletop roleplaying game encompassing the wonder, horror, thrills, and humor of 1950s and 1960s science fiction B-movies or the dramatic, hammy, and humorous Hammer, Amicus, and Roger Corman horror films of the 1970s.
Pick a Pledge Tier, then Add On Options
Ready to join in? If you're backing for the first time, you can click BACK IT and select your Pledge Tier and finalize funding amount in the next menu.
Using myself as an example, I'm loving this world and the Storypath Ultra system and have decided to splurge and get the deluxe edition hardcoverto sit proudly on my gaming shelf. Once I click BACK IT, I see my pledge level options. If I want to know a bit more about each level, I can click Learn More, or if I know what I'm looking for, I can click Back It.
The three main Pledges focusing on The World Below are the $25 Hunter for PDF only rewards, the $60 Cartographer Path for the hardcover book, and the $100 Artificer Path for the limited deluxe edition hardcover book. I could also go all-in with my gaming budget for the year and get the $260 Explorer pledge, which includes not only the deluxe edition hardcover book, but the premium pendant, pin, bag and dice set as well.
Clicking "Learn More" expands the Pledge Level info. For example, clicking "Learn More" on the Artificer tier gives you...
This is the reward I'm choosing, as it exactly fits my needs for this project.
Once you're ready, you can click that BACK IT button and go right to Add On options.
For example, I've decided on the $100 Artificer path, so I select BACK IT for that tier, and then I want to add on at least one of the optional Add On extras to my rewards list. I'm going to add the Storyguide Screen to my pledge.
My total is $125.00 USD. That's $100 for my Artificer pledge path, +$25 for the World Below Storyguide Screen Add On option
If I didn't already have all of the Trinity Continuum or They Came From PDFs offered in the bundles, I'd grab those too!
When everything is correct, click NEXT and then Confirm Your Pledge. You'll get an e-mail confirmation of your choices.
If you're already a backer but want to update your pledge or Add On choices...
Select "Manage Your Pledge" at the top of the page, and then "Edit Your Pledge" on your listing, and then...
You can select a new Pledge Level from the available option menu, or Change your Add On selection.
As before, you'll confirm all of your choices, and then receive an e-mail confirmation once that's done.
And with that, my pledge level and Add On options are set for your pledge. At this time, you don't need to worry about setting shipping information.
You should also be aware that any available Add On options will be made available in our BackerKit pledge manager, so if you're unsure about adding on something at this point, you will be able to adjust your pledge in the post-campaign phase.
Pledging to the campaign also opens up the Stretch Goal rewards as thanks for your participation. We'll review our Stretch Goal accomplishments on Monday, but it's important to note that backers who wait and Pre-Order The World Below at a later date will not have any Stretch Goal rewards automatically added to their rewards list. The Stretch Goal rewards will only automatically be added to the rewards for those who participated in this crowdfunding campaign.
REWARD DELIVERY
About 6-8 weeks after the campaign has ended, I'll launch our post-campaign Pledge Manager to collect information from all backers and confirm which rewards you'll be receiving. At that point, you'll be able to review your rewards and also also adjust any Add On Options that you may have missed. Once we have everything confirmed, I'll be able to deliver any rewards that are currently available - like starter set bundles. Backers who have pledged for these options will be sent special redemption links to claim these digital rewards from our partners at DriveThruRPG.com. Clicking these redemption links will allow you to add these PDF titles to your digital library to download anytime. I'll send an update when all of that is happening, though, so you are aware every step of the way.
So, while it will take some time for The World Below to move from manuscript form to a final product, you won't be waiting a year for PDFs that already exist. (You'll be waiting about 8-10 weeks or so, just enough time for us to set up the reward infrastructure.)
Physical Books
If you're waiting to see the International shipping costs before upgrading your PDF pledge to any of the hardcover reward tiers, you'll have lots of time for that. We won't close the Pledge Manager until the books are ready to print and we know what shipping costs will be, so you'll be able to go back and adjust your pledge tier at that time.
It's going to take some time to create the final PDF for The World Below and even longer for the eventual print run for the hardcover books. When the books are at the printer, I will be in touch with all backers to outline timeline for pledge adjustments, as well as lockdown procedures and when we'll be confirming addresses and processing BackerKit Add Ons and Shipping payments. That's a long time away, and we'll cover that as we get closer to that part of the process.
Don't fret if you had forgotten to select additional rewards by the end of the campaign. These Add Ons will be available to select in our post-campaign Pledge Manager for those who participated in our campaign and have full access to the Pledge Manager. So, if you are undecided at this time, you will be able to hold off until we're closer to the final reward shipment goes out.
Step 1: Pledge Tier
Step 2: Add On Options
Again, your first step should involve your main reward selection, and your Add On Options will build upon that. If you selected the PDF-only tier, you can investigate PDF and digital options. If you select a hardcover tier, you will be able to add physical reward options. You should not add on additional physical rewards (like the Storyguide Screen) if The World Below hardcover book is not included in your pledge tier reward list, but these Add Ons will appear in BackerKit if you later adjust your pledge choice.
Note that all funds are expressed in US Dollars, so take into account your conversion as needed.
It Adds Up!
That should explain the process of Selecting your Reward Level and adding Add On options and confirming your TOTAL PLEDGE AMOUNT. Since increasing your pledge amount increases the overall funding level of the project, add-ons can help us achieve our Stretch Goal funding targets, so it benefits us all to suggest that you double-check to make sure you're getting all of the rewards you want.
Additionally, this may go without saying,please review your personal budgetand ensure you've selected the appropriate reward tier and add ons for your current financial situation. BackerKit will begincharging your payment methodat midnight the day the campaign ends, so ensure you've budgeted correctly. Choose what works best for you now and is affordable at this time, knowing that you can upgrade your pledge level or choose Add Ons in the Pledge Manager at a late date.
Conclusion
As we move through these final days of the campaign, please ensure you've chosen the correct Reward Level for the rewards you want (at least at this point). And beyond that - please make sure you've investigated and selected any add-ons you wish to receive. If you have any issues with the Pledge process, either selecting the reward tier or figuring out the Add On options, you can reach out to me or to the support team at BackerKit. I've found them to respond quickly and offer great support.
On Tuesday, just before the campaign ends, I will send an update detailing the steps that occur after the campaign concludes, including notes about our Pledge Manager and the communication plan going forward.
So, just like always: Spread the word! Share your excitement on social media! Tell your friends! We're about to work on our final great delve into the dark, so let's make sure that none of our friends miss out!
And I'll be back tomorrow with the FINAL manuscript section for The World Below, making the complete text available for all backers to review before the campaign ends!
Just read that the pdf version included an "own-cost" PoD.
It also says it is discounted. Does it mean just how generally it is cheaper, or a discount on top of it? (I dont guess you know the price of that one yet)
Also: will the PoD be also in colour?
