We're not quite in the final 24 hours, but getting very close! With these last hours, I wanted to review some important topics, most especially our current Stretch Goal situation! Let's get reviewin'!
We're in the Final Days countdown for this Crowdfunding campaign. Storypath Ultra Core Manual finishes the crowdfunding campaign on Thursday, September 26th at 2:00 PM EDT. There's still time to get others to join us on this path, but we're definitely getting closer to the finish line. With that in mind, I wanted to touch on some of the basics over this final day to make sure everyone has the information they need to support this project in the way that works best for them.
Whether you've chosen three Paths and selected all of your Edges or are just assinging your first dot, 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, podcast and panels, and other helpful information.)
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 shippingcharges 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 interviews.
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, plus two new example settings that will be added to the final version. But, you can consider it most of the way there and a good representation of what you'll get in the final book. 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 hardcover edition (which comes with bonus PDF version).
STORYPATH ULTRA PDF REWARD
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. As a backer, you will be able to vote on new content during the crowdfunding campaign.
STORYPATH ULTRA HARDCOVER REWARD
This reward tier includes the 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. As a backer, you will be able to vote on new content during the crowdfunding campaign.
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 pre-ordering three of the Onyx Path games that use the SPU rules and two bundles of products that use the original Storypath system that planted the seeds for SPU.
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 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 Storypath Support tier now and then simply upgrade your pledge later to include these bonus rewards.
Tomorrow 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, let's review our Stretch Goal success story!
Over the past 23 days as we've worked through this campaign we've not only funded the book but also unlocked SIX Stretch Goal targets! That's right - we've unlocked all of the Stretch Goals that had been planned for this campaign!
Our Stretch Goals have been a mix of regular "milestone markers" that helped keep our pace and allowed me to plan out the rest of our campaign, as well as some new Onyx Path SPU license prioritizing and procedures, and an online game aid. Let's review and see what we've accomlished by coming together to Crowdfund this project!
MILESTONE MARKERS
Monitoring our pace during the mid-campaign, 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.
ACHIEVED - DIGITAL WALLPAPER - Sensational SPU 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.
ACHIEVED – STORYPATH ULTRA SHIRT ON REDBUBBLE – A Storypath Ultra-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.
ACHIEVED – VTT TOKEN PACK - Digital assets will be created to support online play for Storypath Ultra games, including key character and creature tokens from the book. This online asset pack will be added to the rewards list of all backers.
CREATE YOUR OWN CONTENT
In addition, we had two Stretch Goals that helped Onyx Path prioritize and plan for your ability to use the Storypath Ultra system in your own creations. The book itself is a toolbox designed to facilitate you creating your own homegames, but with these two goals new options are set up to share your work with the world.
First up, Onyx Path has had the STORYPATH NEXUS community content program running for a while, allowing creators to build and sell material for games like Trinity Continuum and Scion within some limits. Adding new material and opening new books has taken some time, though, as Onyx Path builds resources for creators and carefully outlines which material is available to use. Our first Stretch Goal in this section bumped the SPU Core Manual to the head of the line, though, and let Onyx Path know there was indeed a great eagerness to get some SPU material out into the Storypath Nexus for creators and fans!
ACHIEVED - COMMUNITY CONTENT PROGRAM - Onyx Path will expedite adding Storypath Ultra material to the Storypath Nexus Community Content Program.
For the next Stretch Goal in this section, Onyx Path will come up with policies and procedures to handle bigger projects that may sit outside of the scope of the Storypath Nexus program. If you've got a big game that you want to create using the SPU system, Onyx Path will develop a way to officially license the SPU material for approved partners.
ACHIEVED – APPROVED LICENSING PROGRAM - Onyx Path will develop guidelines and a review process for approved publishers to create material using the Storypath Ultra system outside of the Storypath Nexus community content program.
All of these are now works in progress, and I don't know more than what has been written here, but I look forward to see where the Onyx Path team take these new paths...
ONLINE GAME TOOLS
This final Stretch Goal was just introduced within the past week, and I thought might be down to the wire. But our Final 48 Hour notice rallied the fans, and we've unlocked it with time to spare! If you're like me, about 99% of your gaming involves Discord over the past few years, so any tools designed to make it easier are very welcome in my world!
ACHIEVED – DISCORD DICE BOT - Onyx Path will work with an external developer to create and maintain a Discord Dice-Bot for Storypath Ultra.
YOUR REWARDS!
That's right! You backed this project to help make and publish the Storypath Ultra Core Manual! 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 a digital wallpaper, some online tokens, and an opportunity to add to your wardrobe, plus you'll get to see the new material that comes from the community!
An Ultra Achievement
This campaign has exceeded expectations, and we've unlocked all Stretch Goals with more than 24 hours to spare! Now, some may consider coasting in to the conclusion of the campaign tomorrow, but we've still got one major task ahead of us!
VOTE FOR OUR THIRD EXAMPLE SETTING
In total, the SPU Core Manual will contain three example settings and games to demonstrate how you can build your own game with the systems provided. The first of the included example settings, Pinfall from Grace, Body Slams from Hell, has now been shared in it's entirety with backers.
It not only offers a complete game set in the parallel version of the year 2000, but also illustrates exactly how Story Path was implemented and adjusted. We have plans to write two more, and as a backer you'll be able to vote on which ones you prefer.
For our Sci-Fi example, backers have chosen "An experimental space flight flings the player characters into a distant galaxy full of strange and alien sights."
For the final poll, you'll be voting on a Fantasy setting example. Your options:
A cozy fantasy game where explorers look for ingredients to help heal their sick dragon friend.
A war-torn world ripped apart by a devastating magic war, and a few surviving wizards try to prove who is the best among them.
A group of young heroes are blessed with magical armor and weapons in order to defeat an evil sorcerer queen seeking to destroy their land.
Voting will run until the Crowdfunding campaign ends on September 26th. You must be a backer of this project to vote for this setting.
Our current results, with just over 27 hours to go...
Option 2 is still holding it's lead, but it has slightly diminished by fractions of a percent! And we've still got about 600 Backers who haven't voted yet!
Make sure your vote is counted before the end! Even if you decide by rolling a die! Let's see if we can't get to 700 votes before the end of the campaign!
STORYPATH ULTRA CORE MANUAL enters OVERTIME MODE on Thursday, September 26th at 2:00 PM EDT.
We will finish up as soon as our backer train ends after that point! So let's see if we can't hit 700 votes and then keep that train running for an extra 10 or 20 minutes!!
