I've got a lot to go over today, but before we get into it, let's celebrate! Because we've unlocked another Stretch Goal! We've also managed to complete our most recent Backer Recruitment mini-game! These were the two targets that were shared in our Final Week Countdown last Thursday!
ACHIEVED! - At 975 Backers - NEW ADD ON: AT THE GATE LOGO and SIGIL PINS - A single hard enamel screen-printed 2" At The Gates logo pin will be available as an Add On option for $14, and five different soft enamel 1.5" sigil pin designs will be available as an Add On option at $10 each or the set of all 5 for $45. Single pin selection will be confirmed in the Pledge Manager. Fulfillment will be handled by NerdyKeppie.com and additional shipping charges will be collected at time of fulfillment.
ACHIEVED! -At $55,000 in Funding - JUMPSTART PDF - An introductory scenario designed to welcome new players to the game, along with ready-made characters and a basic rules overview, will be created as a Jumpstart PDF supplement and added as a bonus to the rewards list of all backers receiving the At The Gates PDF.
With that, it's time for two more Stretch Goals to be unveiled! Will we be able to unlock these before the end of the campaign? Stay tuned!
At $60,000 in Funding - AT THE GATES STREAMING OVERLAY - A set of overlays for your online game will be created, for your use when streaming your At The Gates session. This reward will be added to the rewards list for all backers.
At $65,000 in Funding - AT THE GATES Companion - Legendary Weapons - The concept of Legendary Weapons will be introduced and explored in the Companion PDF, with examples and guidance to introduce your own to your game. All backers receiving the At The Gates PDF as one of their rewards will have the Companion PDF added to their rewards list as a bonus!
That's right! We'll unlock some thematic overlays for online gaming, and then back to the Companion PDF to expand the supplement! You know you want more content, so let's keep working on it!!
Chibi Pin Concept
Chibi Pin Concept
We're in the Final Days countdown for this Crowdfunding campaign. At The Gates finishes the crowdfunding campaign on Thursday, June 6th at 2:00 PM EDT. There's still time to Inspire others to help explore Everend, 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.
Final Days Schedule
June 2 - Reward Tier & Add On Review (That's today!)
June 4 - Manuscript Preview # 5 - Adversaries!
June 5 - Stretch Goal Review
June 6 - Final Day Checklist & What Comes Next
Whether you're a veteran of many daemon summonings or just learning your first Art, 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, podcasts, and a ton of Actual Play sessions.)
PLEDGE REWARD TIERS
Like it says right at the top of the campaign story page, we've come together to help create a fully developed PDF and standard and deluxe hardcover versions for this great new tabletop roleplaying game, At The Gates. Many of you have already explored different games using the Storypath system, but this is the one of the first games designed from the ground up to use the refined expression of the Storypath Ultra rules set. Danielle and the team have had At The Gates in mind while developing the system, so it works amazingly well to bring Everend to life!
PLEDGING YOUR SUPPORT
To borrow an analogy that I've used in past campaigns, this process we're a part of works similar to the "Viewers Like You" support campaign from your local Public Broadcasting Station (for those who get American television channels or watched Sesame Street in the pre-HBO era): There are various levels of support that you can pledge to, and these come with various levels of rewards offered as a thank you. Like getting a tote bag or t-shirt when you give money to public broadcasting to fund them doing their thing, you can get rewards for helping Onyx Path work on this project.
Let's review the Backer Reward Tiers to ensure that you've pledged to a Reward Tier that provides all the rewards you wish to receive.
Hardcover Book or PDF Version
The main reward offered in this campaign is, of course, the main goal of the entire proposition: the finished book for At The Gates. The first decision you need to make is what form your rewards will take. Do you want your main rewards in digital form and are going for the PDF rulebook? Or do you have space on your shelf for the hardcover book? Or, better yet, do you go all in with the limited deluxe edition? (Note - both hardcover versions include the PDF as a bonus!).
With that decision in mind, we've got three key reward tiers to choose from:
DIVINER: 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.
MAGE: This reward tier includes the standard 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.
If you're really excited to take the journey into At The Gates and want to really impress your gaming friends, we're also offering a special edition Deluxe At The Gates hardcover book.
WARRIOR: This reward tier includes the limited edition deluxe version of At The Gates hardcover book, with a leatherette cover, special cover design, and bound-in silk bookmark. 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.
An important reminders at this stage:
Shipping Costs: 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 story page) so be forewarned, but we’ll cross that enormous bridge when we get to it.
In addition to these primary reward pledge paths, we also offer the following options:
EVEREND EXPLORER: Not ready to commit, or just looking to offer general support? This pledge tier is for you. This does not include our primary reward, but allows you to select some digital optional Add Ons, as well as participate in the post-campaign Pledge Manager as a backer. You'll also be able to read the draft manuscript of At The Gates that we post throughout this campaign.
HARRIER / WARLORD / MARR / CHARIS / RAELL / AARAMUS: Some premium Pledge Levels offer special limited rewards in addition to the basics, including an option to supply a name to be used by an NPC included in a supplement, an opportunity to provide inspiration for a new Art, a chance to add a character description to an interior illustration brief, and more! Check each of the Pledge Level descriptions for more details.
Those premium reward tiers have limited slots, but we're not quite at the end, so there's still plenty of room right now. Things usually tighten up as we get into the final days and hours and budgets are calculated and pledges locked down, so act quickly if you're thinking about a premium reward tier.
After the campaign is over we'll launch our BackerKit Pledge Manager and invite the backers to set up their rewards via survey. This allows you to confirm your pledge and add on anything that you might have missed, as well as possibly increasing your pledged reward tier, should you choose to expand your reward selection. This option will give international backers additional time to investigate shipping options, should they choose, knowing they can confirm a physical reward at a later date. We will also use BackerKit's Pledge Manager to charge actual shipping costs for orders when we're approaching order fulfillment. Funding collected by BackerKit after the crowdfunding campaign does not count toward any campaign Stretch Goals, however.
You'll note that two rewards - Access to the Manuscript Previews and Participation in Post-Campaign Pledge Manager - are included in ALL reward tiers. That's just one of the perks of participating in this crowdfunding campaign!
OPTIONAL DISCOUNTED PoD VERSION – For this At The Gates campaign, you will have the option of using DriveThruRPG.com’s Print-On-Demand service to purchase a physical, printed copy of the PDF directly from their PoD partners at discounted cost (this cost is not included in your pledge, and you do not need to increase the cost of your pledge to use this option). When the PoD versions are available to order (which maybe some time after the books have gone to print), you will receive links to purchase these versions of the books from DriveThruRPG.com. You DO NOT need to take advantage of this PoD offer as it does not affect in any way your pledge rewards.
AT THE GATES PDF VERSION - The digital version of At The Gates, fulfilled by our partners at DriveThruRPG.com. Crowdfunding backers will receive redemption links for an early version of this book before it goes on sale to the public. This initial "Backer Version" will be used to get feedback from the fans to make the final version the best that it can be. When it has been updated to the final version, it will automatically be added to your DriveThruRPG library and available for download at your convenience.
AT THE GATES HARDCOVER BOOKS - The main goal of this campaign is to fund the creation, production, and print run of a standard and limited edition deluxe hardcover editions of this book. Note that all Pledge Levels that include the physical hardcover version also include the digital PDF version as a bonus. Shipping costs ARE NOT included in the cost of your pledge. You will be charged for shipping after the campaign through the pledge manager.
Choosing Your Reward Tier
There has been some churn over this past week - a few Reward Tier adjustments and changes by backers, as budgets changed and people have read the manuscript previews. In these final days it's best to ensure that you've selected the Reward Tier that offers you the options and rewards you want to receive and are ready to lock down. This timing - before the campaign ends - is the absolute most affordable and inclusive these rewards will be, and will save headaches and heartbreaks if fully considered now.
This is just the first step, however, in completing your pledge for this campaign. Funds for additional extras can be added to your pledge by selecting Add On options and increasing the overall funding and maybe getting us closer to a Stretch Goal.
First Step: Reward Tier
To summarize the first part of this post, the absolute best way to ensure that you're getting the primary rewards you want from this crowdfunding campaign is to ensure you've selected the appropriate Backer Reward Tier. Selecting the right Reward Tier covers about 95% of the options available to you. If you want a PDF only, make sure you've selected the correct reward. If you want the hardcover version, double-check your reward tier to ensure the proper option is featured. If you're going digital now but want the option of getting a discounted Print-on-Demand copy later, make sure you've got a reward tier that includes it.
Once you've completed that important step, you're going to want to look at the Add On rewards for any reward "bits" that don't automatically fall into your reward tier. That takes us to the Add On step.
Step Two: Add-On Options
Once you've chosen your pledge tier, you've likely already included the main rewards you want. In addition to the rewards offered as part of the Reward Tier configurations, there are a few other possible rewards you may wish to add. All Add-On rewards are described in our Add On menu below.
You can select an Add On option, which will increase the amount of your pledge by the listed amount. Add on options will be selected and confirmed again in the Pledge Manager when that's up and running.
At The Gates Storyguide Screen - a three-panel cardstock screen, with vibrant and ethereal artwork on one side and charts and tables to make running the game a little easier on the inside. Can be added to any tier that includes a hardcover book (and therefore will have shipping options). Additional shipping charges may apply and will be charged in the Pledge Manager once the books are being printed.
At The Gates Bookmark Set - A set of 6 At The Gates cardstock bookmarks to your rewards list to mark your place! Can be added to any tier that includes a hardcover book (and therefore will have shipping options). Additional shipping charges may apply and will be charged in the Pledge Manager once the books are being printed.
At The Gates Chibi Pins - Five different soft enamel 2" pin designs available as an Add On option at $14 each or the set of all 5 for $60. Single pin selection will be confirmed in the Pledge Manager. Fulfillment will be handled by NerdyKeppie.com and additional shipping charges will be collected at time of fulfillment.
At The Gates Profession Sigil Pins - Five different soft enamel 1.5" sigil pin designs will be available as an Add On option at $10 each or the set of all 5 for $45. Single pin selection will be confirmed in the Pledge Manager. Fulfillment will be handled by NerdyKeppie.com and additional shipping charges will be collected at time of fulfillment.
At The Gates Logo Pin - A hard enamel screen-printed 2" At The Gates logo pin available for $14. Fulfillment will be handled by NerdyKeppie.com and additional shipping charges will be collected at time of fulfillment.
In addition to these At The Gates items, Onyx Path is also offering items from the recently completed The World Below crowdfunding campaign. The World Below is another entry in the Earthbane Cycle line of games, somehow-related-but-not-directly-essential to At The Gates.
The World Below is a game of adversity, heroism, terror, and awe. Your characters will overcome or be defeated by terrible beasts, environmental calamities, and Kaos storms ravaging their surroundings and the souls around them. They will chart their journeys, chronicle their tales, and pass their stories down to their descendants, who will in turn become your characters when your old ones perish or retire. The World Below has many facets, from exotic settlements to abandoned temples and dungeons inhabited with monstrous predators and glittering wonders. Caverns ripped from alien worlds and portals to bizarre dimensions are hidden just behind a wall, down a pit, or buried within a lost city. New magics, technologies, treasures, and secrets await discovery.
The World Below PDF Version - Add a copy of The World Below PDF to your rewards list. Currently projected to be available in October 2024. You will receive the draft manuscript and an optional discount link for the Print-on-Demand version once available.
The World Below Hardcover Book - Add a copy of the standard hardcover book for The World Below to your At The Gates hardcover shipment. Additional shipping charges may apply, and will be charged in the Pledge Manager once the books are being printed. You will also receive a copy of the PDF version once available, and the early draft manuscript.
The World Below Deluxe Hardcover Book - Add a copy of the limited edition deluxe hardcover book for The World Below to your At The Gates hardcover shipment. Additional shipping charges may apply, and will be charged in the Pledge Manager once the books are being printed. You will also receive a copy of the PDF version once available, and the early draft manuscript.
The World Below Starbearer Glow Dice - includes ten 10-sided dice and a velvet dice bag. These are resin Elixir liquid core dice. Elixir dice are infused with glittery liquid cores that swirl when rolled. Each set is handcrafted and polished to keep their beautiful sharp edges.
Beyond the Earthbane Cycle, Onyx Path is also offering three "starter bundles" for their other Storypath game lines. These bundles include the main rulebooks for each line, plus Jumpstart scenarios designed to introduce your group to the setting and rules set.
The Trinity Continuum is a tabletop roleplaying game about possibilities and human potential. In the continuum, you will portray characters who can act and achieve even the most outlandish goals. Talents are people who have the ability to unknowingly reach into the continuum and change their own circumstances, appearing to be extremely lucky or very skilled individuals.
Scion is a game about Gods and humanity, and everything in between. It's a game about mythic deeds and the reasons people talk about those mythic deeds.
They Came From presents dramatic and farcical tabletop roleplaying game encompassing the wonder, horror, thrills, and humor of 1950s and 1960s science fiction B-movies or the dramatic, hammy, and humorous Hammer, Amicus, and Roger Corman horror films of the 1970s.
Pick a Pledge Tier, then Add On Options
Ready to join in? If you're backing for the first time, you can click BACK IT and select your Pledge Tier and finalize funding amount in the next menu.
Using myself as an example, I'm loving this world and the Storypath Ultra system and have decided to splurge and get the deluxe edition hardcoverto sit proudly on my gaming shelf. Once I click BACK IT, I see my pledge level options. If I want to know a bit more about each level, I can click Learn More, or if I know what I'm looking for, I can click Back It.
The three main Pledges focusing on At The Gates are the $25 Diviner for PDF only rewards, the $60 Mage Path for the hardcover book, and the $100 Warrior Path for the limited deluxe edition hardcover book.
Clicking "Learn More" expands the Pledge Level info. For example, clicking "Learn More" on the Warrior tier gives you...
This is the reward I'm choosing, as it exactly fits my needs for this project.
Once you're ready, you can click that BACK IT button and go right to Add On options.
For example, I've decided on the $100 Warrior path, so I select BACK IT for that tier, and then I want to add on aa few of the optional Add On extras to my rewards list. I'm going to add the Storyguide Screen to my pledge, as well as the bookmark set and the Chibi pins.
My total is $200.00 USD. That's $100 for my Warrior pledge path, +$25 for the World Below Storyguide Screen Add On option +$15 for the At The Gates bookmark set +$60 for the At The Gates Chibi Pin set
It may be weird, but I go through a lot of bookmarks. I think I have pages marked in about 30 books on my shelves, so I've been using receipts and utility bills to mark my spot in the books I've been reading. I need to get some real bookmarks, and I love these. And the Chibi pins!
When everything is correct, click NEXT and then Confirm Your Pledge. You'll get an e-mail confirmation of your choices.
If you're already a backer but want to update your pledge or Add On choices...
Select Manage Your Pledge at the top of the campaign page, and then you can Edit Your Pledge
Select "Manage Your Pledge" at the top of the page, and then "Edit Your Pledge" on your listing, and then...
You can select a new Pledge Level from the available option menu, or Change your Add On selection.
As before, you'll confirm all of your choices, and then receive an e-mail confirmation once that's done.
And with that, my pledge level and Add On options are set for your pledge. At this time, you don't need to worry about setting shipping information.
You should also be aware that any available Add On options will be made available in our BackerKit pledge manager, so if you're unsure about adding on something at this point, you will be able to adjust your pledge in the post-campaign phase.
Pledging to the campaign also opens up the Stretch Goal rewards as thanks for your participation. We'll review our Stretch Goal accomplishments on Wednesday, but it's important to note that backers who wait and Pre-Order At The Gates at a later date will not have any Stretch Goal rewards automatically added to their rewards list. The Stretch Goal rewards will only automatically be added to the rewards for those who participated in this crowdfunding campaign.
REWARD DELIVERY
About 6-8 weeks after the campaign has ended, I'll launch our post-campaign Pledge Manager to collect information from all backers and confirm which rewards you'll be receiving. At that point, you'll be able to review your rewards and also also adjust any Add On Options that you may have missed. Once we have everything confirmed, I'll be able to deliver any rewards that are currently available - like starter set bundles. Backers who have pledged for these options will be sent special redemption links to claim these digital rewards from our partners at DriveThruRPG.com. Clicking these redemption links will allow you to add these PDF titles to your digital library to download anytime. I'll send an update when all of that is happening, though, so you are aware every step of the way.
So, while it will take some time for At The Gates to move from manuscript form to a final product, you won't be waiting a year for PDFs that already exist. (You'll be waiting about 8-10 weeks or so, just enough time for us to set up the reward infrastructure.)
Physical Books
If you're waiting to see the International shipping costs before upgrading your PDF pledge to any of the hardcover reward tiers, you'll have lots of time for that. We won't close the Pledge Manager until the books are ready to print and we know what shipping costs will be, so you'll be able to go back and adjust your pledge tier at that time.
It's going to take some time to create the final PDF for At The Gates and even longer for the eventual print run for the hardcover books. When the books are at the printer, I will be in touch with all backers to outline timeline for pledge adjustments, as well as lockdown procedures and when we'll be confirming addresses and processing BackerKit Add Ons and Shipping payments. That's a long time away, and we'll cover that as we get closer to that part of the process.
Don't fret if you had forgotten to select additional rewards by the end of the campaign. These Add Ons will be available to select in our post-campaign Pledge Manager for those who participated in our campaign and have full access to the Pledge Manager. So, if you are undecided at this time, you will be able to hold off until we're closer to the final reward shipment goes out.
Step 1: Pledge Tier
Step 2: Add On Options
Again, your first step should involve your main reward selection, and your Add On Options will build upon that. If you selected the PDF-only tier, you can investigate PDF and digital options. If you select a hardcover tier, you will be able to add physical reward options. You should not add on additional physical rewards (like the Storyguide Screen) if the At The Gates hardcover book is not included in your pledge tier reward list, but these Add Ons will appear in BackerKit if you later adjust your pledge choice.
Note that all funds are expressed in US Dollars, so take into account your conversion as needed.
It Adds Up!
That should explain the process of Selecting your Reward Level and adding Add On options and confirming your TOTAL PLEDGE AMOUNT. Since increasing your pledge amount increases the overall funding level of the project, add-ons can help us achieve our Stretch Goal funding targets, so it benefits us all to suggest that you double-check to make sure you're getting all of the rewards you want.
Additionally, this may go without saying,please review your personal budgetand ensure you've selected the appropriate reward tier and add ons for your current financial situation. BackerKit will begincharging your payment methodat midnight the day the campaign ends, so ensure you've budgeted correctly. Choose what works best for you now and is affordable at this time, knowing that you can upgrade your pledge level or choose Add Ons in the Pledge Manager at a late date.
Conclusion
As we move through these final days of the campaign, please ensure you've chosen the correct Pledge Level for the rewards you want (at least at this point). And beyond that - please make sure you've investigated and selected any add-ons you wish to receive. If you have any issues with the Pledge process, either selecting the reward tier or figuring out the Add On options, you can reach out to me or to the support team at BackerKit. I've found them to respond quickly and offer great support.
On Thursday, just before the campaign ends, I will send an update detailing the steps that occur after the campaign concludes, including notes about our Pledge Manager and the communication plan going forward.
So, just like always: Spread the word! Share your excitement on social media! Tell your friends! We're about to work on our final great delve into the dark, so let's make sure that none of our friends miss out!
And I'll be back on Tuesday with the FINAL manuscript section for At The Gates, making the complete text available for all backers to review before the campaign ends!
