I'm trying to get this update out a bit earlier than normal since we're in the final hours of the campaign and I wanna make sure you've got what you need before we reach the finish line.
As I post this, we've got just over 5 hours to go until the end. The past few days have been pretty awesome, unlocking those two final Stretch Goals. But really, the whole run has been great! We funded in just over 4 hours and had a great pace right up until the end.
At this point, I don't really need to push to hit any final Stretch Goal, but I do wanna make sure the word gets out so that all potential backers who would love this project have heard about it and get a chance to join in and receive the draft manuscript and can receive the unlocked stretch goal items as bonus rewards. So if you think of any other Trinity Continuum fans who haven't yet joined, please let them know there's still time... but it's fading fast!
Whether you're a seasoned field agent for Alert Status 1 or a rookie recruit for the LRE, there 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 manusript previews, interviews, podcasts, actual plays, and fun fiction.)
If you've spent inspiration and are backing at incredible speed and don't have time to read all of that (you should still go through those posts), here are some key highlights:
This book is an expansion to the Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook and requires that book to make full use of the rules and options contained within. If you don't already have the Core Rulebook, there are two pledge tiers that include it alongside the Trinity Continuum Player's Guide(Les Fantômes for PDFs or Polyphemus for the hardcover books). You can also simply add the Core Rulebook to your rewards list via Add On option.
Despite focusing on the contemporary Trinity Continuum, this book contains options rules (covering bits like momentum spends, static defense, and path advancement), new Gifts and Edges for Talents of any era, artifacts, vehicles, equipment, rules and structure for chases, conspiracies, and investigations, as well as guidelines for time travel, dimensional crossovers, planetary hopping and more) so you are certainly able to adapt bits from the book for your TC: Adventure!, TC: Aether, TC: Anima games.
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 front page) so be forewarned, but we’ll cross that enormous bridge when we get to it.
All backers pledged to receive the Trinity Continuum Player's Guide PDF will have the unlocked Stretch Goal supplement, which adds even more gear and gadgets as well as streamlined crafting rules with examples, added to their rewards list automatically as a bonus. Backers who pre-order at a later date will not receive this as a bonus reward.
Backers are able to read the entire draft manuscript today - before any pledges are processed or payments collected. Know exactly what you're supporting before fully committing your funds.
Refresher Course
April 17 Update - PLEDGE TIERS - your best starting point for figuring out which Backer Reward Level to choose to help support this project.
Your key decision: Go Digital with the PDF only or go Hardcover + PDF?
La Révolte Éclatante: This is the PDF-only reward allegiance. 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 options 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 and be able to download at your leisure.
National Office of Emergency Research: This reward tier includes the PDF as well as the hardcover version of the book. It'll look amazing on your shelf, especially if they're placed next to your other Trinity Continuum books, but may incur shipping costs depending on your location. As noted, international shipping charges will be calculated later and charged in the 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 LRE tier and upgrade to the NOER tier once the shipping costs are known before we lockdown orders.
Alert Status 1: If you want access to the manuscript previews but don't yet know if you want the PDFs or hardcover rewards, this tier also grants you access to the Pledge Manager after the campaign so you can upgrade your pledge in the future.
ADD ON REWARDS- the other half of the Reward Tiers update, including information on the second step of pledging. There are several Add On options that you can include for as part of your pledge process. including the other Trinity Continuum books and related supplement bundles.
ADD ON selections will also be available in the post-campaign Pledge Manager.
STRETCH GOALS- bonus rewards and options for those who supported this campaign! Check out this update for our big list of unlocked rewards and that final one we unlocked overnight.
1.Pick Your Pledge
Choosing the correct Pledge Level 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 + optional ADD ON FUNDING 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 Alert Status 1 tier now and then simply upgrade your pledge later to include these bonus rewards.
SO: Ensure that you've selected the Pledge Tier you want, and maybe add funds for any Add On options you wish to select during the Pledge Manager phase. 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 myself one last time - 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 later tonight 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)
2. 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.
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 April, 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 a few weeks 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 kickstarters), 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 late May 2023.
During the Survey period, you can choose to increase your reward tier and add on additional options. If you've found $20 in your spring jacket 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 the 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. 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 May. 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 Trinity Continuum Player's Guide. 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 unexpected challenges, 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!
