The smoke test has been sent for the Backerkit surveys! This means about 5% of backers just received an email with a link to their survey. So long as no one runs into issues, the remainder of the surveys will be sent shortly.
Here are a couple things to know about the surveys:
#1: You can change your pledge level
If you backed at the digital level but have since decided you want a physical copy of Death of the Author, simply click the hyperlink on "$8 - Digital".... ....then click "Switch Pledge Levels?".
#2: You can add-on extra items to your pledge
After answering a couple questions, you'll be brought to the add-on page. Here, you can add any of the following items:
An additional physical copy of Death of the Author
A physical copy to donate as a community copy
A minor arcana card with options for game Defiances written on its face (there's a limited number of these cards remaining)
Physical or digital copies of Anamnesis, my solo tarot game about rediscovering yourself after memory loss (Death of the Author is based on the system I created in Anamnesis)
Physical or digital copies of The World We Left Behind, my upcoming 1-5 player game about traveling across an alien planet and unraveling the mystery of what happened to its now-missing sapient species. Players draw and write on a deck of poker cards as they play. NOTE: This game is scheduled for release in November, so adding-on a physical copy may delay shipment of your items to November.
If you already added add-ons during the campaign, these will show on your list of items to the right.
If you run into any issues with your survey, or have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].
Production Update
The test print arrived, and it looks wonderful!
Ignore the scratch marks at the top - I was carrying it around in my backpack!
I ordered the full print run, which is scheduled to arrive on Thursday. If all goes well, I'll be starting to mail out copies the week of Oct 14th to backers who have completed their surveys.
I'll be distributing the PDF version very soon - ideally within the next week. I originally said I'd be distributing the digital files over Itchio - this is still true, but I'll also now be distributing them via Backerkit. Once I have this set up, everyone who has completes their survey will receive an email with a link to the download page.
I'm still working on the digital extras (gameplay tracking sheet, audiobook, etc.) - I expect these to be ready in November.
Tarot Card Extras
I've been working on creating the tarot card extras, both the major and minor cards. During this, I decided to ditch the silver sharpie and instead use a black permanent marker to write on the cards. This is for a number of reasons:
I can fit more writing! I realized there was too much I wanted to say on these cards, and it would've been difficult to fit it all with the silver marker.
It's WAY less time-consuming. When I made the cards for Anamnesis, I often had to go over them multiple times to make sure the silver showed well enough. No need to do that with the black marker!
I can make some fun decisions about where to write on each card. I'm not showing an example image since each card is meant to be one-of-a-kind, but often the writing curls around different elements of the card art, as if it's hidden within the art itself.
There are still a handful of minor arcana cards available as add-ons. If you're using the Rider-Waite deck (illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith) to play, you can actually substitute this card into your deck and use it during gameplay.
That should be everything! If all goes smoothly, you should have digital and/or physical copies of Death of the Author in your hands by the next update. Thank you for your support!
