Hello, everyone!
First of all, thank you guys! The campaign closed last week and it was a great success - blowing away all of my expectations. So, again, a thousand thanks t...
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RANNE
24 days ago
🃏 #2 - Happy Thanksgiving: Map & Dice Previews and Black Friday Deals!
Hello, everyone. Happy Thanksgiving!
Hope everyone has has a good couple of weeks now - wanting to shoot out a quick update before the weekend is here!
So, let's begi...
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RANNE
about 1 month ago
Re: International Shipping....Important to those considering upgrading!
Hello!
In my last update I said I would not do these but every two weeks and here we are two days later. However, this is a sort of sudden and important update so do forgiv...
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RANNE
about 1 month ago
🃏 #1 - Post-48hrs...
Hi, everyone!
I'm reaching out with an official update now that we have passed the first 48 hour mark (w...
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RANNE
about 1 month ago
WHOOSH!
So, Backers have blown this project (and every other Mothership Month project) out of the water completely. In fact, its actually too fast for me to keep up with! I'm going to reach out to everyone with updates after the 48 hour mark at the earliest to keep everyone's inbox as...
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RANNE
about 1 month ago
To my Backers!
Want to get ahead of everything and go ahead and say THANK YOU! Thank you to anyone that has decided to share their hard earned money to help me complete this module.
I'm humbled by your support. Be on the lookout for updates once the smoke clears!
-RANNE
First of all, thank you guys! The campaign closed last week and it was a great success - blowing away all of my expectations. So, again, a thousand thanks to you all. With that said, let's get into the update:
This update is a little late (campaign closed last week) as I was hoping to have the dice in hand for some nice photos to share with it. However, we had some Holiday slowdowns and a bit of trial and error with the sample set, so unfortunately I don't have any nice pictures to share at the moment but we will get into it anyway.
The Dice
Got word this morning that the color is where we want it. The manufacturer is going to polish and clean them up and get them sent out to me. So, I'll get pictures taken ASAP. Here are some photos of the process (including some fails) thus far:
1. Master molds being created
The master dice are set in the cup and silicone (I think) is poured over them. When these set and cure, you get a little silicone mold that you can then fill with the resin that will go on to cure into the actual dice...
2. ...but sometimes it doesn't turn out too good!
As you can tell, the color did not turn out too good (not in comparison to the design anyway). There were also some huge air bubbles that did not make it out of the mold and ruined this initial set.
3. So they tried again
Much better! Note that these are not cleaned/polished so they look a bit rough but the color is much closer and no giant air bubbles. The manufacturer is going to clean them up and get them sent out and I'll take some legit photos. The swirls from the initial render won't be present until we go to bulk production but we should get a good idea of how they look once they're in hand!
If you still want a pair and didn't pledge for one, unfortunately your only option will be to upgrade your pledge later to the High Roller edition once the surveys are sent out. I did not want to leave this item open for add-ons forever as constant fluctuations in the quantity wouldn't be ideal since this isn't exactly an item that is relatively quick/cheap to produce. Again, I won't be producing these (not this specific set at least) or selling them in the future so I won't have a bunch extra lying around.
TLDR:
Samples on the way. Pictures soon
Upgrade to High Roller edition if you still want these dice.
Excited!
Module Update
So, during the month of the campaign... I did basically nothing on the creative end of things. The campaign took a lot of mental real estate (even when literally nothing was going on). Couple that with Thanksgiving holidays here in the US and the fact that someone in my house has been sick every week or so now (when you have four kids this is what happens), things were a bit slow going. I was also finishing up my classes for the semester and now have Christmas coming up! So, all that to say that I've been pretty slow going for the past month (and hopefully I am semi-justifying that). However, now with the campaign over, things are moving along again.
I've been working on the ship spread upgrade to the book - turning it from a 12 page book to a 16 page book - and writing the bounty cards for the cross-collab bonus with Burning Light Press' Syndicate Wastels. Hopefully we have some examples to show in the next update!
Other than that, the actual funds should come through for me soon so I can pay a bunch of people I owe for their work and initiate some new work like the ship, more/upgraded illustrations, and an additional map for the bank....
This can be your Players' crew - iykyk
TLDR:
I did practically nothing last month
I'm doing stuff now
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That's all for now! Short and sweet. Keep an eye out for the Pledge Manager surveys - they will be sent out in about a week, I think. There are still some people (like 20-ish) that have not corrected their payment info from the initial campaign so double-check that's not you! You have 14 days from the close of the campaign to fix it. You can also correct it during the survey, I believe. The pre-order store is open, too. So, if you didn't get in on the campaign at all you can still order the book. If anyone DMs/contacts me (figure it out), I'll credit you to match the cost of the zine during the campaign as its at MSRP in the pre-order store.
Next update I hope I'll have some Thanks, everyone! -RANNE
Hope everyone has has a good couple of weeks now - wanting to shoot out a quick update before the weekend is here!
So, let's begin...
Campaign Progress
We are now halfway through the campaign and I remain absolutely floored by how successful it has been from my perspective. Thank you all again and thank you to any future Backers. I have unfortunately not been able to do ANY creative work on the product since we launched: The initial week of the campaign was so distracting I literally couldn't focus on anything other than the campaign and this week is Thanksgiving week (so all my kids are home) which also happens to be the week of my wife and I's anniversary so needless to say it has been quite busy. This shouldn't worry anyone regarding fulfillment as I am still on schedule but I'm just choosing to be transparent about the process. For anyone thinking about going into their first crowdfunding attempt, know that you will not be as productive as you thought you would be 😅 - It's quite hard not to constantly stare at all the data all day long.
Some good news though! The initial idea was to do a pin to celebrate the success of Mothership Month and as a reward for all the projects funding. This felt lazy on my end, costly (without appropriate value), and also like all the people that are supporting me digitally will completely miss out (as they can't get any Physical rewards) - so I've opted instead to expand the book by 1-2 spreads (that's 2-4 pages). I'll have more details on this later but it's going to be concerning Midnight's luxury jumpliner, Good Fortune, the cruise ship that ferries visitors to and from the colony. That will likely be detailed once funds from the campaign are received (so I can commission the artwork) so be on the lookout! Also, since we hit all the targets, expect some extra-licious art on all fronts. I'll be sharing some examples in future updates!
TLDR:
Past 2 weeks have been busy!
Expanded content coming (extra pages in the module). Details later!
Extra art coming due to Stretch Goals/Achievements. More Ross Hayes' illustrations, another map from Guy Pradel, improved NPC portraits from Rob Lieder.
Map of Midnight
The map, illustrated by Guy Pradel, is ready to be shared! If you're not familiar with Guy, his credits (to name a few) include Prison Station Echo, Abilities Considered Unnatural, and other Mothership Month projects including Interloper. So, yeah, the dude is stupidly talented and I'm honored to have his work in my module.
So, without further ado, here is Midnight:
I went with this abstracted design for two reasons. One, I love it. Two, it reminds me more of the type of thing a tourist would receive which seems very on brand for the book. I hope you love it as much as I do. In any case, the map will be provided in the Digital Assets Pack in both a keyed and keyless form and the poster will feature the keyless version.
Also!!!! Tomorrow is Black Friday which means rampant consumerism here in the United States.. to celebrate, I'll be offering $2 off the purchase of the posters (I will extend this to all current purchasers). Anyone that picks up the map as an add-on between now and December 2nd will have that credit applied to their purchase. I will likely have to manually apply these but you should see it once surveys go out after the campaign finishes. Remember the poster is ONLY being produced for this campaign so pick it up as an add-on if you want this at your table as it won't ever be available again.
Check out Guy Pradel and his other workhere. Really nice guy, and super pleasant/professional to work with. Go show him some love and consider him for your own projects if you have anything in mind! Highly recommend.
TLDR:
Map by Guy Pradel. He is awesome
Black Friday sale for the poster - $2 off until December 2nd. Will apply to all current purchases
Midnight Dice
Anyone that has been waiting for some more info on the dice hopefully will be content with a digital mockup of the design - the dice maker, BadWolf Forge, is in the 3D modeling stage at the moment and was kind enough to put together a 3D render of the current design for me to share with all the Backers:
Mockup Render of Finished Dice
Dice in the 3D Slicer w/o color
Simple/Legible Font for Lettering and Midnight Logo on 0/00
For those that don't know, the process for the dice looks like this:
3D Design
3D Print/Cure/Clean the master dice (between 10-20 masters will be made)
Each side of each master die will be polished with 6 layers of polish
The masters will be used to create the molds
Molds are filled with high quality resin
Filled molds are cured under pressure (the pressure removes any noticeable air bubbles)
Cured dice are cleaned and polished to remove mold lines and for any imperfections that may be found
The dice are painted (the numbers and Midnight logo)
Final polish
All the above for 100+ dice!
So, yeah! A lot of work but also you can tell that these will be really high quality dice which was extremely important me!
I will also extend a Black Friday deal to anyone that gets the dice as an add-on. Until December 2nd, if you add the dice as an add-on I will extend a $5 credit. And anyone that gets the High-Roller tier I will offer a $3 credit (I will extend this offer to everyone that already Pledged at this tier) Again, I will likely have to input this credit manually and you will likely see this on your pledge manager.
TLDR:
Dice by BadWolfForge. They are awesome.
Dice are awesome and take a lot of work
Actual photos coming as soon as samples become ready. Enjoy the render for now!
Black Friday deal on dice - until Dec. 2nd, get a $5 credit for purchasing a pair of dice and a $3 credit for High Roller pledges (will apply retroactively to all current purchasers/Pledges).
Black Friday Summary:
Until December 2nd 11:59p.m CST & if at least 20 people take advantage of the sale:
$2 off purchases of the Poster and/or Patch add-on
If you Backed in the first 48 hours, you are already getting the Poster for FREE and do not need to purchase unless you want an extra one!
Applies retroactively - if you already added a Poster or Patch as part of your Pledge, you will get the $2 credit. No additional action required on your end.
$5 off purchases of the Dice add-on
Applies retroactively. If you already added the Dice as part of your Pledge, you will get the $5 credit. No action required on your end.
$3 offHigh-Roller Pledges.
Applies retroactively - if you already Pledged at the High Roller tier, you will get the $3 credit.
Credits will be applied manually before Surveys are sent out so you will see it in your cart as part of Pledge at that time.
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That's all for now. I hope everyone that celebrates has a Happy Thanksgiving and, even if you don't, may you find something to be thankful for regardless of your circumstances.
Thank you all and have a great rest of your week! Let me know what you think of everything in the comments!
In my last update I said I would not do these but every two weeks and here we are two days later. However, this is a sort of sudden and important update so do forgive me :
I've decided to open up shipping to the following countries:
Canada
Mexico
EU Member States
United Kingdom
Australia
New Zealand
That being said, it is very important to understand that shipping to these places will be MORE expensive than the current price estimates I have listed (I will update the Shipping price estimates when and if I accurately can) which are for the US only at the moment. Additionally, many times (probably in every case) shipping will cost more than the price of the Core tier. ON TOP OF THAT, I'm not going to be collecting VAT/duties/GST/etc. on my end, so international Backers that opt for the Core or higher Pledges are going to be required to pay those and any associated fees prior to receiving their purchase. This will be prohibitively expensive in possibly all cases. Some countries will require payment before releasing from customs, and some will collect payment at the time of delivery. These are facts I'm sure many of you are aware of but really new to me so forgive my ignorance. That being said, I will be able to fill out the required customs documentation to the above countries no problem.
Please consider the above factors before upgrading your Pledge and I thank each and every one of you regardless of whether you chose to do so. Seriously...your money is important! Consider it wisely before making a decision.
I'm reaching out with an official update now that we have passed the first 48 hour mark (which I'm told is an important mark). First off, I want to say (again) thanks! Thanks to everyone that backed this project - you have collectively made it a great success and I am super excited to begin work to get it across the finish line and into everyone's hands ASAP. Thank you a thousand times.
And with that out of the way, let's get into the meat:
Updates: I don't anticipate sending nor want to send out constant updates of no material value - I imagine many of you will be getting quite a lot of emails over the next few months and I want to limit that noise from my end as much as is feasible. At the same time, I want to make sure you're confident in the choice you made. So, for now I am thinking I'll be reaching out once bi-weekly with the major points. That being said, please do feel free to comment and discuss as much as you'd like - I will respond in those as much as I can.
TLDR
Updates bi-weekly or as needed if its important.
Please comment/discuss whatever and whenever - I'll be around.
Dice Questions: There has been a question about the dice available in the High-Roller Pledge and I'm sure others have similar questions so I want to say a little bit about them now.
The dice are expensive. I totally get that. And right out the gate I want to say to anyone that does not feel comfortable paying for them ... DONT! Please don't. I respect nothing if not the choices people make with their hard earned money. However, if you're still at least interested, do know that in a couple of weeks I'll be sharing an update about them specifically with photos and such so that you can feel like your purchase is a valuable one. The main thing at this time I want to share on the dice is that they are exclusive (I won't be selling them anywhere else after this campaign - same with the patch), 100% hand made in the US - hand made being hand poured, hand painted, hand cleaned/polished, and all with care! Again, I'll share more details later with some pictures, info on who is making them, and how they are made. I'm really excited for these and I hope you are too.
TLDR
The dice are badass!
Expect details and pictures SOON (waiting on samples).
International Shipping: I've gotten a fewwww questions about opening up shipping of the physical zine to outside of the USA. My promise at this time is that I will research it. I really really want to offer this to everyone no matter where you are - this is already the aspect I feel worst about when it comes to the project. I am handling fulfillment of 90 Seconds to Midnight by myself and the last thing I want to do is fumble at the very end which is where shipping, one of the most complicated parts, happens to be. Every country has different rules, taxes/fees/duties, and costs and I'm not going to lie to everyone and pretend to be familiar with them. It is high on my priority list to figure out if it will make sense to do so by the end of this campaign and I will let everyone know if I make that change so that you can upgrade your Pledge if you so chose. Never the less, I thank every single Backer outside of the US for your support and, at the very least, hope that the ability to perhaps pick it up later from a retailer is some type of consolation.
TLDR:
I promise to research it before the end of the campaign.
Ya'll are important to me!
Stretch Goals and Project Goals: So, all my Stretch Goals (Achievements) have already been obliterated and I am not going to be doing anymore. I am avoiding "scope creep" like the plague especially as a new creator and I hope everyone can understand and respect that. That being said, we hit all my targets for the extra art and higher quality print I wanted - couldn't have done that without the amazing support of the past couple days. That being said, I do have a sorta mini-stretch goal still ongoing involving the cross-collab with Syndicate Wastrels. Every 100 Backers (after the initial 150) between the two of our projects will net an additional bonus Bounty Card. I'll be updating that every day or so as needed.
We still have basically a month of funding before everything closes - that means I don't have the funds to start certain things until about two weeks later (just before Christmas). I am of course still aiming for as very very swift timeline (as I outlined in my Story) but just want to be upfront about what the process looks like a bit. All the little wheels only start turning when the money comes in! So keep that in mind - this is only day 2!
I am so humbled and honored by this process. I can't wait to proudly deliver this module (as humble as it may be) to everyone as quick as possible. Thank you all again!
-RANNE
P.S Seriously, use the discussion board as much as you want. I'll be around!
Hi, I'd love to support where I can, but could you provide more details on what you have in mind for the dice? $40 for two dice and a patch is pretty steep, will they be resin dice or something else?
