Rick here! Time to talk updates! I come bearing production news and I can cackle with insane madness and glee.
This update is going to focus on some number crunch and shipping updates / serve as open information on crowdfunding. Not to bury the lede as it were:
Shipping table has finally been run through and we have our final pricing! (In some cases, less than what we estimated on the crowdfunding main-page). We will have Backerkit load these numbers in and start applying them in the coming weeks. (Although I might wait until closer to November / December).
But First... Black Ballad Production Updates:
!!Niki Tantillo has officially begun layout as of a week ago!!
This means that we will finally have pretty updates of laid out versions of the Black Ballad right on track. Our schedule is for the first full pdf to be completed by 12/15, but you'll all be seeing screenshots and updates. I might actually have Niki write an update for everyone. I firmly believe Layout Artists are some of the unsung heroes of the TTRPG World. Here are the formats the Black Ballad will be available in when she's done:
PDF Format ADA Compliant PDF for Online Ebook version!! .epub format. <-Handy for you ST's out there with Nooks and other E readers.
We will also have the sidequest: Gamble of Fates and the Pathfinder Conversion Packet done at the same time!
*my muppet flail knows no bounds*.
Additionally, the invoice and print production for: The Poker Deck, GM Screen, Character Sheet Packs, and Map of the Sunless Crossing has been ordered. (Rick is going to have a big pallet of stuff showing up at his place sometime). All we have to do is print tests on the little products first.
Crowdfunding and Shipping:
Crowdfunding a TTRPG project is always a shot in the dark. We made it with the Black Ballad, but couldn't have done it without all your support.
As of today, almost everyone on the project has been paid! Plus all our contributors benefit from being able to buy the book for signings at conventions (from artists to writers to layout to editors). The only people left outstanding are a few remaining art pieces that are currently being polished up and manufacturing costs.
So how did we fair on this project?
We raised $154,000 roughly. With our goal of $65,000 estimated for creation. Obviously, stretch goals add some cost (like getting the DiAmorte orchestral elements all paid for and composed!).
What's the biggest cost that everyone thinking about a running a TTRPG Crowdfunding should watch out for?
Marketing and Crowdfunding Fees. Between Stripe, Platform Fees, Ad Costs, and ROAS numbers, it was pretty much close to 40% of what we raised. <--This was not a surprise. This isn't my first time crowdfunding or being involved or talking to other studio heads, and so we planned for it. But the question comes up often enough I figured I'd tell everyone all at once. PLAN FOR THAT! If you are running a crowdfunding campaign, don't assume the money raised is what shows up in your account. You have to account for an operating budget of about 60% of total funds raised to pay everyone and actually PRINT what you are selling.
As you run more (and this was our first as ST Forge) that percentage goes down a little more, which allows you to keep building more worlds - so don't be off put by that either. It's sort of the cost of getting everything all built and launched. If you want to ask us about crowdfunding on discord, you can do so by joining our server. I'm more than happy to offer advice to other people taking the plunge!
Shipping Tables!
Just so everyone knows what to expect for shipping costs, we had our shipper take everyones order and go through an entire spreadsheet and determine an average cost for region on shipping. These are estimates of course (and there WILL be fluctuation up or down) based on someones individual order. But I'll be honest - at the start of this - I couldn't for the life of me find good shipping estimate tables. So we built one.
We will be loading these into everyone's orders accordingly in the coming weeks as we finalize everything. ST Forge is trying Backerkits new Beta Feature that allows us to add accurate shipping per order after the campaign closes based off book weight and order quantity, so we will see how it goes. Either way, now that we have some updated shipping tables, everyone should have some good baseline budget info for their own projects. (Just for the love of all curses upon pointy-D4 dice... remember that these are estimates and budgets and everything is always up to the shipping gods at the last minute).
If you guys want me to write up some blog posts on this kinda stuff or do Tiktok updates on production elements, let me know. I'm curious if people actually find these helpful or not! Because I can always just talk content.
But thank you so much everyone! I can't wait to share with you the PDF when it's done!
-Rick
[Edit, I'm working up a new one for 2024. Let's just say, prices jumped (like we predicted). But shipping costs are now loaded. If you are an international backer and looking at stickershock (looking at you Guam), please email us at [email protected]. We can't help ease the cost of shipping (we have no control), but we can possibly do something to help make it more worthwhile]
