It's been nearly two weeks since the campaign ended and I've got some updates for you.
1. The few of you with failed payments have until tomorrow, 3/13/26, to correct them, per BackerKit rules!
2. Progress - Work on the book continues forward! I'm ironing out all the nitty-gritty details with the printer and will soon have proofs to make sure everything looks the way it should. Bringing the book from digital to physical has been quite a fulfilling process as a book sicko.
Here's a peek at the current version of the full cover:
I'm also working on the pledge manager to hopefully send out surveys soon to lock in addresses and allow access to the beta pdfs. Keep an eye out.
3. One of the things I'd like to do is have painted edges on the pages, akin to the pink or green of Eat the Reich or blue of Break!!. This is where you all come in. Take a look at the cover above and decide what painted edge would work best with it. Cast your vote in the poll below!
Zinetopia is officially over and I am so proud of this project! Thank you all for believing in it, from not just the bottom of my heart, but every teeny-tiny corner it possesses.
So what's next?
The Nitty Gritty BackerKit is gradually collecting funds for projects and should release them to me in 2-3 weeks. The second I can pay the printer, I'll get that process started (and send the team their raises!). As we get closer to shipping, I'll send out surveys via the pledge manager and collect shipping costs. I'll send the UK/Europe books to my shipping partner in the UK, and fulfill the rest of the world myself. Apologies in advance to my wife, as I plan on consuming the dining table with books and shipping supplies.
Beta pdfs, play aid pdfs, and the VTT will release to everyone in a few weeks. They'll be pretty close to the final versions, so you can start playing immediately.
I plan to update as we hit major milestones, certainly less often than during the campaign because wow did I get a lot of emails and I'm sure you did, too.
Early Birds and Designer Commentary The core book, play aids, and VTT have my main focus. The bonus manifestations and designer commentary pdfs will be sent out after. The bonus manifestations are already written, I just need to lay them out. The designer commentary needs to be written, but laying it out and getting it done *should* be relatively simple. I'm honestly excited to write loads on a subject matter that I am intimately familiar with. Both should happen relatively quickly after the main stuff is finished.
Cross-Collab I will soon start playtesting for the cross-collab class written by Ella Watts, The Palace. Once I feel assured that it won't break the game, I'll work on laying that out and sending it to people who backed both Blightfall and The Deepest Dark.
The Stretch Goal I'm honestly amazed at how close we got ($315 dollars away!). I'm still going to release Crowns and Swords at a later date, but the how and why will be decided later. Since I'll already be doing a playtest for the cross-collab class, it wouldn't be hard to playtest all the Crowns and Swords content as well. They do pair very nicely together. Once I have a plan, I'll let you all know.
Got Questions? If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know! You can comment here or email me at matthew.ayers.rpg AT gmail DOT com.
As promised, here is the link to watch The Weird Place's upcoming livestream, featuring me and more Zine Month creators than you can shake a stick at: https://www.youtube.com/live/sDalXw_IDfU
I'll be on at the 8 PM EST time slot, but there are so many incredible creators and guests that will be featured! I plan to watch every free moment I can, hoping no one at my job gets mad at me. They probably will!
It would be remiss of me not to mention that the hosts of this stream, The Weird Place, are launching their own Zine Month project, Residue! It's a solo survival, sci-fi-horror game with an art-style that is slick as hell. Check it out: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/weirdplace/residue-rpg
Also, it's the last 2 days of Zinetopia! Where did the time go?
I can't thank you all enough for your support and I'm so excited to get this game out to you. Whether we hit the final stretch goal or not, I'm astounded by how far we've come (500% FUNDED?) and how strong our TTRPG community is. Zine Month is incredible!
It's the final week of Zinetopia and I'm excited to finish this crowdfund strong! We are nearing the last stretch goal for the bonus supplement, Blightfall: Crowns and Swords at 6k USD. I keep having ideas for things to add to it, so this supplement keeps getting better and better. If you know someone who might be interested in Blightfall, please share it so we can make this stretch goal happen!
Dice and Diversions: I'll be at the Dice + Diversions convention in Atlanta, GA all weekend running Blightfall! If you're in the area and want to give it a go, now is your chance! Last night's game was awesome. The players crafted a post-apocalyptic land in the remnants of a magical World War 2-era society, their characters infected with blight via ultraviolet radiation. They discovered a colony of vampiric ants that worshipped and fed an invisible monster beneath a decrepit government building and took it to task. But poor character Bruce, after finally coming to terms with the only family he had left, lost all of his humanity and became something ... abominable.
YAAAAY!
Cross-Collab Achieved: Our cross-collab partner, The Deepest Dark, funded! That means that the bonuses for backing both projects go into effect. For Blightfall you'll get a new class called The Palace, representing all that is right and wrong with leadership. For The Deepest Dark, you'll get a solo-mode to delve into those dark and harrowing caves alone (that doesn't sound terrifying at all).
Printing: I'm excited to get this process started once the crowdfund completes and I have access to the funds. I've specifically chosen a reputable printer that can do high-quality work and add some flourishes to the physical, because I am a book sicko. Especially for backers, I want to make the book as special as it can be. I'm excited to share more details as I get things confirmed!
The Weird Place:
One of my favorite Youtube/RPG creators, The Weird Place, are hosting a Live Zine Showcase on Feb 25th at 12-8 PM EST and I'll be appearing sometime during the 8 PM slot. I'll share the link on the 25th, but I'm excited to watch as a viewer and participate as a creator! They've got some great guests lined-up (including our cross-collab partner, The Deepest Dark). Learn about some of the amazing games funding this month!
It's been a week since the last update announcing the new stretch goal (Blightfall: Crowns and Swords, a bonus supplement pdf at 6k!), so I wanted to check in and keep you all informed on the latest happenings.
The BackerKit creator community has been fantastic to connect with, and I'd love to keep spreading the word on their awesome projects:
Here's the pitch: you work at a magical bookshop.
That's literally all I need to get excited. Books and bookshops are so cool. But if you're not a book sicko like me, then I'll also share that it's a solo game where you collect stories and worldbuild through dice, tarot cards, and journaling. They've got a lot of neat bonuses via stretch goals as well!
This art style is so sick. It's a tactical TTRPG mixed with cyberpunk horror. It's a dystopian metropolis setting in unreality. And it's being criminally slept-on. Wake up the masses, fight the power, and back this game.
Look at these fearsome creatures. Look at them. I'm going to pinch all their cheeks they're so cute. I can't even stand it. It's more beasties for an already cool system, and if you look at the page you'll see layout that charms and wows.
This is the very first time I've ever mentioned this game.
... Okay, this is the twentieth time I've mentioned this game. They are SO CLOSE to funding and the project is so cool. Think Ten Candles, think The Quiet Year, think The Descent, think of backing it. They've even got an actual play on twitch to watch featuring the creators and a stellar voice cast.
We got some bang for your buck right here. Not one, not two, but three games, all finished and ready for printing, all about that punk energy and attitude. I could tell you about all these games, but I'm not going to. Instead, I'm going to focus on the coolest thing I've ever seen. One of the games is being printed on toilet paper. That's not a joke. Check it out.
I've been onboard the Great Hexpectations train from the beginning, when I read the wild and clever text on their teaser page. And yes, we all need hex maps to keep our bellies full and stay warm at night, but shouldn't you be filling your life with top-of-the-line hexes instead of bottom-feeder polygons? Treat yourself.
For all the 5E baddies out there, we got such a neat project that takes druids to the next level. Why limit yourself to shapeshifting into animals, when you could shapeshift ... into yourself (brain explosion emoji)? Yourself from another dimension, I should say. Such a cool idea.
A solo game that combines my two great loves, mechs and heartbreak. You play the mech, you journal your time with your pilot ... and then the pilot stops piloting you. Every story comes to an end. What happens in between? Who pilots you next? Can this mech learn to cry? Probably.
Oh look. A pamphlet box set for Mothership. If you've listened to the Talk of the Table podcast I linked above, you'll know how I desperately would love to own the Mothership Deluxe Set. And you'll know exactly who I blame for not owning it. But IF I OWNED IT I would certainly be overjoyed to get this series of worm-themed horror scenarios.
Thanks again for all your support and keep playing games!
