Hello Cogs in the Machine,
This is not a real update, just a quick note during this weird liminal time in the middle of the holidays before the new year has started and I'm ...
4
0
1
James Bell
about 1 month ago
The Forge has Cooled!
Hello Cogs!
I don't know the correct metaphor, but the campaign has ended! In a triumphant fashion!
Thanks to the support of more than 1,930 backers, Onyx Path will b...
4
0
1
James Bell
about 1 month ago
Final Hour!
One final hour to go!
3
0
7
James Bell
about 1 month ago
FINAL HOURS: CHECKLIST & WHAT COMES NEXT
Hello Machine Cogs,
Welcome to the final hours of this campaign! We've had a pretty great run - funding very quickly and coming up to the end with more than 1,850 backers! W...
2
0
0
James Bell
about 1 month ago
Final Days Review - Stretch Goals
Hello Cogs in the Machine,
We're not quite in the final 24 hours, but getting very close! Within these last hours, I wanted to review some important topics, most especially ...
5
0
0
James Bell
about 1 month ago
Quick Characters - Manuscript Preview #7
Hello Cogs,
At last we come to the final manuscript preview. With this update, the entire current draft manuscript is available for Backers to download and read, before a...
This is not a real update, just a quick note during this weird liminal time in the middle of the holidays before the new year has started and I'm back on the clock. Sort of.
Anyway, I'm posting this because I took a moment and mashed all of the manuscript previews together into one big document to share with you. This isn't a new manuscript and doesn't contain any material different from the previews we had during the campaign - it's just all throw together in one big document, which may make it easier to read? Or perhaps less easy to read, but maybe easier to keep track of?
Either way, if there are any issues - if I missed a section or put something out of order - let me know and I'll hammer on them as we start into January. I'll be back midway through January to launch our Pledge Manager and get the first wave or existing rewards sorted, but until then, here's the re-forged draft manuscript, compiled from all of the pieces we shared during the campaign.
DRAFT MANUSCRIPT PREVIEWS - BACKERS ONLY
Remember, thanks to BackerKit magic, these download links are visible to Backers only - you must be logged in and reading this on the website to have access to the manuscript preview link. So, if you're reading this via e-mail, click that "Learn More" button on the bottom and I'll see you below this title treatment.
I don't know the correct metaphor, but the campaign has ended! In a triumphant fashion!
Thanks to the support of more than 1,930 backers, Onyx Path will be able to develop and print deluxe hardcover editions for Alchemicals: Forged by the Machine God!
Not only did we come really close to 2000 backers, we extended the campaign with a last minute Backer Train taking us into Overtime!! That was cool! It's still a recent feature, but we love testing out new bits and seeing how much more fun we can have with our campaigns.
There's more to celebrate! Not only did we fund the project in the first day, we also unlocked SIXTEEN Stretch Goals. From standard Onyx Path milestone markers to an expanded Companion full of more options for your game!
It came down to the last few days but we managed to hit every Stretch Goal we'd posted and then unlocked ONE MORE STRETCH GOAL in the final minutes of the campaign!
That's right - the backer train at the end took us just past $160,000 and one more special addition to our Alchemicals Companion! Eagle-eyed backers noticed a quiet $160,000 Achievement listed in the Community section without any further details. Well, I don't like to promise things that we may not hit, so didn't really flesh it out until the final minutes, but we managed to add one final expansion...
[ACHIEVED] At $160,000 in Funding - ALCHEMICALS COMPANION:Might of the Machine-Titans - A collection of high-Essence Alchemical Charms designed for colossi, along with the terrifying Collapsing Point of Judgment style, a martial art that only colossi can master.
Our Bonus Reward Collection
Some Milestone Markers
A NEW ADD ON
NEW CONTENT - EXPANDING A SUPPLEMENT
This Alchemicals Companion PDF was expanded via Stretch Goal achievement, with each achieved goal unlocking a new section in the book, and will be added as a bonus reward to all backers receiving the Alchemicals: Forged by the Machine God PDF as one of their pledge rewards.
[ACHIEVED] ALCHEMICALS COMPANION: The Lost City of Tekun - The disappearance of the metropolis Tekun is a mystery to the Eight Nations — but now, the truth is revealed. Cast though the Seal of Eight Divinities, the lost city has survived deep in the vast underground caverns of Creation. Its people still preserve the Octet’s culture and faith despite their isolation from the Machine God, a flickering light of hope amidst the many perils of the deep.
[ACHIEVED] ALCHEMICALS COMPANION: The Forge of Legends - Additional Storyteller advice and plot hooks for Alchemical campaigns, whether in Autochthonia or Creation.
[ACHIEVED] ALCHEMICALS COMPANION: Beyond the Eight Nations - An expansion of Autochthonia’s reaches and those who dwell within: tunnel folk societies, Alchemical outcasts, and gruesome horrors born of the Blight.
[ACHIEVED] ALCHEMICALS COMPANION: God-Machinery of Exalted Power -A panoply of Alchemical Charms and submodule upgrades, as well as Light-Sharpening Blade style, a martial art that makes use of beamklaves.
[ACHIEVED] ALCHEMICALS COMPANION: The Ever-Spreading Blight -Quick Character traits for Apostates, those Alchemicals corrupted by Autochthon’s Blight, and the lesser gremlins that stalk the Realm of Brass and Shadows. [ACHIEVED] ALCHEMICALS COMPANION: Industrial Assembly of the Chosen -Quick Character traits for Alchemical heroes from across the Eight Nations — and Creation.
[ACHIEVED]ALCHEMICALS COMPANION: Ramos-Autrama, Riven by War - Once, Ramos-Autrama was not one city, but two: one from Yugash, and one from Sova. In the wake of the bitter War of Ashes between the two nations, the two war-torn metropoli found themselves forced together by Autochthonia’s theotectonic movements, isolated from both nations. Now, only the intervention of foreign powers keeps the city’s divided populace from turning on each other and restarting the war.
[ACHIEVED] ALCHEMICALS COMPANION:Servants of the Machine God - Quick Character traits for a variety of machine spirits found in the Realm of Brass and Shadow. [ACHIEVED] ALCHEMICALS COMPANION:Gods from the Machine - Expanded information on the Eight Divine Ministers, the Third Circle souls of Autochthon, as well as the Alchemical machine saints who serve the Divine Ministers in pursuit of their agendas.
[ACHIEVED] ALCHEMICALS COMPANION:Locust Crusades and Grasshopper Diplomacy - A Storyteller guide for playing out the first contact between Autochthonia and Creation and the myriad scenarios that might unfold once the Seal of Eight Divinities has been broken.
[ACHIEVED] - ALCHEMICALS COMPANION:Might of the Machine-Titans - A collection of high-Essence Alchemical Charms designed for colossi, along with the terrifying Collapsing Point of Judgment style, a martial art that only colossi can master.
That last one was an amazing surpise!
SIXTEEN STRETCH GOALS
I'm so happy that we were able to unlock the last section for the Companion! I'm really looking forward to seeing how Danielle and the team can expand on the options we've already got, and then add more fun stuff for our characters to do! And if bigger is better, then that last one really makes things awesome!
And all of that is, of course, on top of our main purpose here - the creating of the actual book itself! This is the real reward - everything else is a bonus!
So a huge congratulations to Danielle and Chazz and Vance and the team on this project, and to all of the backers who've joined in to make this possible. I'm happy about the goals we hit and rewards we introduced, but I'm also always amazed and excited about having more than 1000 backers join in during this campaign, and we nearly doubled that dream target! Exalted fans are always a delight, and I'm happy that I get to share in the excitement and enthusiasm in my own little corner of the project!
AN EXTRA THANK YOU!
So, thank you to all the backers who supported us and made this happen. And an extra thanks to everyone who participated online, either in the Community comments section of the campaign, and on social media around the web. Thanks to everyone who talked about the project on the Discord and thanks to the Onyx Path team who answered questions and provided insight.
COMMUNICATION
So, as noted in today's earlier update, starting in January I'll be sending out updates once a month and whenever we've got a new goal, survey, or other item to cover. If you have any questions or need clarification on something related to the campaign, feel free to get in touch. I may take a bit to answer as I recover from these past four weeks and take some time off until the New Year, but I'll eventually have an answer!
I'll also see if I can sneak a compiled draft manuscript out to you maybe in the final week of the year. Nothing changed, just smashed together in order.
TO CONTACT ME
Via E-Mail: Onyx.Kickstarter [at] gmail.com
Via BackerKit: Click "Need Help?" from your forthcoming survey page, and then fill in the Contact Us form. BackerKit will pass your message along to me.
ONYX PATH DISCUSSION CHANNELS
If you've got questions about the rules or setting, or just want to discuss this game with other fans (as well as the Onyx Path writers and developers!), you can check out these Onyx Path discussion zones:
Backers make it better! That's the real Alchemy happening here.
The Discord is particularly lively, and I loved seeing the thoughts and jokes as the chapters came out bit by bit.
BackerKit will begin collected pledges and processing payments later tonight, so be ready for that.
I hope everyone has a great holiday and year end and I'll be in touch quickly in a few weeks and then for real in January!
High fives all around in the comment section and on the Discord, and you'll hear from me again in a month-or-so when I've got the pledge manager set up and ready to roll out!
We're not quite in the final 24 hours, but getting very close! Within 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. Alchemicals: Forged by the Machine God finishes the crowdfunding campaign on Thursday,December 12th at 2:00 PM EST. There's still time to assemble a few more backers, but we're definitely getting closer to the finish line. With that in mind, I wanted to touch on some of the basics over these final four days to make sure everyone has the information they need to support this project in the way that works best for them.
Whether you're the size of a Metropolis or are just rolling off the assembly line, 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. In fact, I've got one more new podcast episode for you to listen to...
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, 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 deluxe hardcover edition (which comes with bonus PDF version).
POPULAT HERO
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.
ALCHEMICAL CHAMPION
This reward tier includes the deluxe 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.
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 a ton of key Exalted Third Edition books and supplements, plus the Storyteller Screen that we unlocked during the campaign.
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 Tripartite Overseer 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 27 (almost 28?) days as we've worked through this campaign, we've not only funded the book but also unlocked FOURTEEN Stretch Goal targets! That's right - we've unlocked a Stretch Goal that was just announced yesterday!
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 new content that will be featured in an Alchemicals companion supplement. 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] BACKER SHIRT DESIGN - An Alcehmicals-themed Backer shirt will be hosted on Onyx Path’s Redbubble store for a limited time. Backers will be notified when the shirt becomes available for purchase. [ACHIEVED] ALCHEMICALS Digital Wallpaper - Awesome Alchemical Exalted 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] ALCHEMICALS VTT Token Pack – Digital assets will be created to support online play for Alchemcials, including key character and creature tokens from the book. This online asset pack will be added to the rewards list of all backers. [ACHIEVED] ALCHEMICALS STREAMING OVERLAY - A set of overlays for your online game will be created, for your use when streaming your Alchemicals session. This reward will be added to the rewards list for all backers.
A NEW ADD ON
Our very first Stretch Goal victory added another option to our Add On menu.
[ACHIEVED] NEW ADD ON: ALCHEMICALS STORYTELLER SCREEN - A three-panel Storyteller Reference Screen with charts and information for running an Alchemicals game will be created and offered as an Add On to any hardcover reward tiers for +$25.
NEW CONTENT - EXPANDING A SUPPLEMENT
Alchemicals Companion - Starting with our $50,000 Stretch Goal reward, a new Alchemicals supplement will be added as a bonus reward to all backers receiving the Alchemicals: Forged by the Machine God PDF as one of their pledge rewards. This Alchemicals Companion PDF will be expanded via Stretch Goal achievement, with each achieved goal unlocking a new section in the book.
[ACHIEVED] ALCHEMICALS COMPANION: The Lost City of Tekun - The disappearance of the metropolis Tekun is a mystery to the Eight Nations — but now, the truth is revealed. Cast though the Seal of Eight Divinities, the lost city has survived deep in the vast underground caverns of Creation. Its people still preserve the Octet’s culture and faith despite their isolation from the Machine God, a flickering light of hope amidst the many perils of the deep.
[ACHIEVED] ALCHEMICALS COMPANION: The Forge of Legends - Additional Storyteller advice and plot hooks for Alchemical campaigns, whether in Autochthonia or Creation.
[ACHIEVED] ALCHEMICALS COMPANION: Beyond the Eight Nations - An expansion of Autochthonia’s reaches and those who dwell within: tunnel folk societies, Alchemical outcasts, and gruesome horrors born of the Blight.
[ACHIEVED] ALCHEMICALS COMPANION: God-Machinery of Exalted Power -A panoply of Alchemical Charms and submodule upgrades, as well as Light-Sharpening Blade style, a martial art that makes use of beamklaves.
[ACHIEVED] ALCHEMICALS COMPANION: The Ever-Spreading Blight -Quick Character traits for Apostates, those Alchemicals corrupted by Autochthon’s Blight, and the lesser gremlins that stalk the Realm of Brass and Shadows. [ACHIEVED] ALCHEMICALS COMPANION: Industrial Assembly of the Chosen -Quick Character traits for Alchemical heroes from across the Eight Nations — and Creation.
[ACHIEVED]ALCHEMICALS COMPANION: Ramos-Autrama, Riven by War - Once, Ramos-Autrama was not one city, but two: one from Yugash, and one from Sova. In the wake of the bitter War of Ashes between the two nations, the two war-torn metropoli found themselves forced together by Autochthonia’s theotectonic movements, isolated from both nations. Now, only the intervention of foreign powers keeps the city’s divided populace from turning on each other and restarting the war.
[ACHIEVED] ALCHEMICALS COMPANION:Servants of the Machine God - Quick Character traits for a variety of machine spirits found in the Realm of Brass and Shadow. [ACHIEVED] ALCHEMICALS COMPANION:Gods from the Machine - Expanded information on the Eight Divine Ministers, the Third Circle souls of Autochthon, as well as the Alchemical machine saints who serve the Divine Ministers in pursuit of their agendas.
I've got to say, I've loved the stuff that I've read in the manuscript, and as always, the book makes me hungry for more! And the Companion supplement that we've assembled - forged - via Stretch Goal achievement looks to deliver on a lot of the stuff I want!
But... more?
We've got one more Stretch Goal target on the horizon. I though this was gonna be one we'd have to run a long backer train for, but it certainly seems within grasp over this final day!
At $150,000 in Funding - ALCHEMICALS COMPANION:Locust Crusades and Grasshopper Diplomacy - A Storyteller guide for playing out the first contact between Autochthonia and Creation and the myriad scenarios that might unfold once the Seal of Eight Divinities has been broken.
YOUR REWARDS!
That's right! You backed this project to help make and publish Alchemicals: Foged by the Machine God! Our primary reward - the big thank you that we'll send out in appreciation for your support - are PDFs and/or deluxe 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 in our expanded Companion supplement!
NOT MUCH MORE TIME
Unfortunately, we seem to continue to move forward at a regular pace, and our campaign will some come to the inescapable end. We've achieved our primary goal of funding the book, but there is still one possible Stretch Goal reward that is almost within grasp! I know this last funding target may seem a challenge, but it wouldn't be a STRETCH goals if we didn't have to really STRETCH to reach it! It's certainly within reach, but won't be easy, so let's keep at it!
So, as every update concludes: let's keep the enthusiasm rolling! Keep spreading the word and letting others know about this project. They've got this final day to jump in and share the Stretch Goals we've achieved!
And every backer who joins in as we approach the end is not only able to enjoy the additional rewards already added by the early fans and backers, but also help reward those early backers by maybeunlocking thatfinal Companion section!
Remember, only the funds generated during the Crowdfunding campaign go toward achieving these Stretch Goal targets, so the time to act is now! Together, we can bring this game to life and make great things happen!
ALCHEMICALS: FORGED BY THE MACHINE GOD enters OVERTIME MODE on Thursday, December 12th at 2:00 PM EST.
We will finish up as soon as our backer train ends after that point! So let's see if we can't hit a final Stretch Goal and then keep that train running for an extra 10 or 20 minutes!!
At last we come to the final manuscript preview. With this update, the entire current draft manuscript is available for Backers to download and read, before any pledges are processed or any payments collected.
We've actually had the bulk of the setting and Charms for a few weeks, plus the Martial Arts, Sorcery, and Artifacts all came to us last week. With this final section of the manuscript, we get to see all of this come together in the character write-ups of some of the movers and shakers in the world of the Alchemicals!
Chapter Eight: Quick Characters provides traits for Alchemicals, machine spirits, and gremlins, including information and templates that Storytellers can use to create their own machine spirits.
As a reminder, the developerswant your feedback! These manuscript previews are of the current draft manuscript – the document in its latest, approved form. This may not be the final form after editing and any additional development, but you can consider it about 95% finished, so keep that in mind.
In fact, you can help guide the team through the next stages of development by providing feedback on these manuscript previews! The Onyx Path team has set up a special Feedback Form just for campaign backers for this very purpose: https://forms.gle/TNemGoMirkKR4h8U6
You can use this Feedback Form to share your thoughts directly with the Exalted creative team to help guide them through the next rounds of development and editing.
Shipping Costs will be Collected in the Pledge Manager
First up, it's amazingly expensive to ship, especially from Onyx Path's home base in the US. And that's as of today - we're all in the dark about how things will look in 2 years. We get that, but there's not much we can do at this time. Onyx Path is in a difficult space where the company is big enough that they're not saving money by fulfilling out of Rich's garage, but small enough that they haven't been able to set up ongoing international partners to handle portions of the fulfillment. So we are where we are - for now.
The best we can do at this point is to plan carefully, advise everyone up front that international shipping will likely be expensive (see our projections on the main page) and only charge what it costs us when the time comes. 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. If you live outside the US and aren't sure you want the hardcover or other physical items, you can pledge to the PDF tier now and upgrade your pledge in the Pledge Manager once we know the final shipping costs.
Final Stretch Goals
We'll have a full review of our Stretch Goal achievements over the campaign coming tomorrow (along with a new podcast link and a review of key information as we close in on our final day), but if you like the write-ups from the Quick Character chapter and want to see even more information on the Third Circle, we're getting close to another key Stretch Goal that will expand our Companion book (which will be added as a bonus reward to all backers receiving the Alchemicals PDF as part of their pledge).
At $145,000 in Funding - ALCHEMICALS COMPANION:Gods from the Machine - Expanded information on the Eight Divine Ministers, the Third Circle souls of Autochthon, as well as the Alchemical machine saints who serve the Divine Ministers in pursuit of their agendas.
Beyond that, we've got one more shoot-for-the-moon goal that may require a pretty long Backer Train to reach, but looks pretty awesome and I'd love to get there!
At $150,000 in Funding - ALCHEMICALS COMPANION:Locust Crusades and Grasshopper Diplomacy - A Storyteller guide for playing out the first contact between Autochthonia and Creation and the myriad scenarios that might unfold once the Seal of Eight Divinities has been broken.
Again, we'll go over the Stretch Goal rewards tomorrow! We've already unlocked many expansions to our bonus reward, but a few tantalizing possibilities sit within our grasp!
DRAFT MANUSCRIPT PREVIEWS - BACKERS ONLY
Remember, thanks to BackerKit magic, these download links are visible to Backers only - you must be logged in and reading this on the website to have access to the manuscript preview links. So, if you're reading this via e-mail, click that "Learn More" button on the bottom and I'll see you below this title treatment.
