A metal bookmark tier ($10), add-on for one metal bookmark ($10) and a pair of both Sakura and Hops bookmarks ($18) add-on have been added to the campaign already due to an unexpectedly large amount of backers saying they would want one! (57% out of a pool of over 100 already) For those pledging to just the bookmark tier with no pins, you can add an additional metal bookmark as an add-on for $9 of your choice (exclusive to this tier) since I'll be able to save some on shipping by using a flat mailer instead of a box.

Printed Bookmarks will likely still be added, but I will only be adding them if I have time to complete the art before the campaign ends. I will update if/when that happens. If you want to vote on which designs will be added if I can first do Iris, Cornflower, Chrysanthemum, and Foxglove... you can do so at this Discord link HERE where I already have a poll running.

Howdy y'all!

I've had a couple discussions with my manufacturer on how to handle some logistical issues, including another order of Mead (standard) pins. So I've added Mead as a choice in the Pledge Level for "A Toast!" of two standard pins. (I went ahead paid for them now, so they'll arrive before anything else from this campaign. For a short period I can have a Mead horde!)

I also... really wanted to lean in on the Mango and Hawaiian Hibiscus themes and made a new pin banner to reflect. (I hope to do a Hawaiian+Tiki themed pin set featuring smaller sized pins in the future anyway so...) Anyone who picks up a pin banner will have a choice from these three designs.

It went from cold and rainy straight to too warm and muggy here practically overnight.

The campaigns close Friday evening, so I wish you all a lovely week and will Update again then. As always, I'm super grateful for your support and am happy to answer questions.

Cheers!

Hello everyone!

On this fine Saturday, we are very pleased to announce Erol Otus' new cover art for The Monster Alphabet oversized edition!

And let's look at this beauty as "just the flat art":

Another fantastic image from Erol Otus in his long career making amazing D&D illustrations.

If you haven't already done so, you can add this book to your existing pledge here.

Tell us in the comments what you think - and what is YOUR favorite Erol Otus illustration from over the years?

Happy Monday, everybody, and get ready to RUMBLE! Today we're bringing you TWO fights - both semi-final rounds on the same day! In one arena is a fighting fey against mechanical might! And in the other is a canistered cerebellum fighting a bewildering beast! Two of them move forward to the final matchup tomorrow, but which two will it be?

But before we get there, some exciting news. Steve Jackson and Mike Mearls are also joining the party! They'll be contributing essays to How to Write Even Better Adventures! This book just keeps getting better!

Now, on to the day's fights!

Both of these contenders have had lop-sided wins and close calls, so they are prepared for whatever awaits them in battle today! The fey-spawned Babaw is a creature of shadowy vapor that is capable of stealing away people or things, but it has to be in contact long enough to do so! How quick can it take something that is ever-vigilant?

The Mecharachnid on the other side of arena doesn’t care where you’re from. It’s only interested in protecting its programming. It will fight until it is destroyed, never wavering or resting, it will use its venomous bite and sticky webs to take care of any challenge!

This could go either way! It might just depend on which combatant makes the first mistake! Either way, this is going to be an epic clash in the arena!

Click here for the poll to cast your vote on match 1!

In our other fight we’ve got the overall favorite against a dangerous challenger. Don’t sleep on the Misalvras in this fight, either! There might be more to that menace than you think! And thinking is what this fight is all about!

The BIAB is riding high after demolishing its first two foes. From it’s protective glass enclosure it will lash out with its psychic dagger to stagger its enemy before finishing them off with their magical spells. They might appear to be helpless, but they are anything but! It’s a brain with an agenda!

Which means that it is right in the Misalvras wheelhouse! This beast is loaded with dangerous attacks! It’s got a confusion gas that it breathes out, a sonic attack that steals memories, spells of its own that it can cast, and on top of all that powerful claws and a devastating bite! The BIAB is coming in looking at an easy fight, but the Misalvras isn’t going down so easy!

Click here for the poll to cast your vote on match 2!

Four beasts enter, two come out! And tomorrow we’ll see a champion crowned! This is what it’s all about, folks! Welcome to the penultimate battle of Monster Madness!

Greetings Backers!

It appears that the BIAB cannot be stopped--except by the glass on the beaker. Or the stopper at the top of the beaker, which is actually stopping it in a literal sense, I suppose. Nonetheless, the BIAB (that's Brain in a Beaker) cruised to a landslide victory over the Banelash in the final quarterfinal matchup of the Monster Madness tourney! And the BIAB seems poised to be the favorite moving into the semi-final round! But as a wise man once said, "it ain't over until the cows come to sing!" ...or something like that. Look for the semi-final matches on Monday as we inch closer to the finish!

Last night we unlocked another Stretch Goal: The Xx-xtchx Beetle. These are beetle-like humanoids with an unpronounceable name, and a flurry of leg attacks. But if it brings them all to bear on the hapless characters, it suffers some drawbacks. Plus that art....

Today we pull back the curtain on Advanced Advantage! Most backers of this campaign will get Advanced Advantage Playtest Packet #2. Advanced Advantage is our in-house 5E Rules Enhancement we've been distilling in the Goodman Games 5E Game Labs for nearly two years. Backers of our previous campaign received Packet #1 (also available as an add-on during this campaign). We plan to release two more packets this year.

Naturally, Packet #2 will focus on monsters. In addition to a mini-manual of monsters using Advanced Advantage rules, we would like to introduce the Battle Box! Back in previous editions, we often talk about "economy of words". How did game designers cram so much action into an 8 page book (see the classic giant's adventures, for example)? Well, one of the ways using "shorthand" to convey lots of game rules. In those old classic adventures, a monster's stats were typically 2-4 lines long. And you still had everything you needed to run the encounter.

And over the decades the stat boxes got bigger and bigger. Here is a picture of a Troll stat box from The Temple of Elemental Evil (1E):

It's not even 4 lines long! Now, here is a Troll stat box from the 5E Monster Manual:

So, one of the design philosophies of Advanced Advantage was the return of monster/NPCs rules information presented in a shorthand form. This requires many fewer words, and takes up much less real estate on the page. At the same time, we want to make sure its still functional at the game table. Nobody enjoys flipping back and forth to access needed game stats during a heated combat. Or worse, having to pause the action, to consult a different book.

I offer to you fine backers, the Battle Box, as presented in Advanced Advantage, using the Troll as an example:

As you can see, our Battle Box takes up roughly 4 lines in a book (and it's in a box!). Yet nearly all of the relevant information is (at least) listed. Sure, you need to know what Keen Smell does, and it doesn't include all of the regeneration rules. But in the heat of an encounter, it's enough to remind the GM, "trolls have excellent smell, they regenerate 10 hp/turn, and have one Bite and two Claw attacks per turn". You could "wing" the rest at the game table, or look up the relevant details of these traits before the session begins.

Now, is this the perfect solution? No. Not yet. That is our final goal. But we feel it's a step closer to where we want to be, as opposed to more rules sprawl. Since Advanced Advantage is very much evolving, and backers get a chance to provide feedback during the process, we expect a few more tweaks before we arrive at the final Battle Box.

Granted, the above example is a relatively simple creature. How does this apply to a complicated creature, such as a dragon? Well I'm glad you asked! Here is the Battle Box for an Ancient Bronze Dragon with innate spellcasting, Legendary Actions, and all!

It looks like we are right back to rules sprawl with this one. But take a look at the Ancient Bronze Dragon stat box in the Monster Manual. Its easily 3/4 of a page and clocks in at 585 words. Our stat box is a mere 169 words which is about 30% of the original. We feel this is progress in the right direction.

What changes would you like to see? How can we make it even better? Tell us in the comments. Or better yet, pick up a copy of playtest packet #2, and participate in the playtest!