James Bell
CREATOR
2 days ago

Project Update: FINAL HOURS: CHECKLIST & WHAT COMES NEXT

Good Morning Good Doggos,

Welcome to the final hours of this campaign! We've had a fun run - funding the book, adding just over 400 barkers to our pack, unlocking almost all of the Stretch Goals - but we're closing in on the finish line very soon!

Will we unlock our final Stretch Goal before the end? We're *very close* to our target, so it's definitely a possibility!


At $17,000 in Funding - VTT Map Pack 
A set of Realms of Pugmire maps suitable for online play via a Virtual Tabletop will be created and will be added as a bonus reward to all backers of this project. 

The most important part of this campaign, though, is that we have successfully funded this project! Thanks to everyone who's come out to support this campaign, we'll be getting this cool book!




FINAL DAY CHECKLIST

Whether you're a rookie pup just setting out for Waterdog Port or a seasoned Badger Basher returning after a hunt, these are some good topics to review over these final hours...

1.  KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SUPPORTING

See the game in action with this Actual Play (ahead of the finale, which will stream later today)

- The Empty Halls Sesson 0
- The Empty Halls Session 1
- The Empty Halls Session 2


Backers can read the entire current draft of the manuscript <HERE>. Please make sure you read the manuscript before the campaign concludes so you know exactly what you're pledging to support.


2. PLEDGE TIERS and ADD ONS

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 just the Pugmire Unleashed PDF (and discounted PoD hardcover), or also the Pugmire Fiction Anthology, or those books plus the Threats and Curs monster book PDF (and discounted PoD hardcover)

Paw-some Pugmire Pledge

This is the reward tier to select if you're only interested in the Pugmire Unleashed supplement. 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 and be able to download at your leisure. In addition, you will get a special code to order a discounted Print-on-Demand hardcover version as part of your pledge rewards.

Pug Life

 This reward tier includes the Pugmire Unleashed PDF (and PoD hardcover discount), as well as the Pugmire Fiction Anthology, which will be a massive 400+ page collection of all the Pugmire fiction written thus far. As with the Pugmire Unleashed PDF, you will receive a special discount code to order a Print-on-Demand softcover version of the Pugmire Fiction Anthology.

Ulti-Mutt Pugmire Pledge

This amazing reward tier includes the Pugmire Unleashed PDF and Pugmire Fiction Anthology, along with the Threats and Curs enemy book PDF. You will also receive a special discount code to order each of these rewards as Print-on-Demand books.

ADD-ON OPTIONS -  The other half of our Reward Tiers update, including information on the second step of pledging. There are a few Add On options that you can add as part of your pledging process, including the Realms of Pugmire core rulebook PDF and the Curious Cats of Mau PDF. If you're backing at the Paw-some Pugmire Pledge tier, you can also add on just the Threats and Curs PDF or the Fiction Anthology if you wish via Add On.

ADD ON selections will be available in the post-campaign Pledge Manager as well.

SO: Ensure that you've selected the Reward Tier you want, and select any Add On options you wish to include. AND - make sure that you are comfortable with the Pledge amount, in terms of it covering everything you want and the affordability of the pledge at this moment!



I'm going to speak against my own self interest for a moment, and repeat something I say at the end of every campaign - 2025 has been pretty wild so far, and there's even more uncertainty ahead. Ensure that your circumstances enable you to afford this pledge at this moment - BackerKit will begin processing payments late tonight after the campaign ends and neither Onyx Path nor I have any involvement in that process. If you are unsure of your financial situation but don't want to miss out, please pledge for a tier you can afford now and know that you will be able to upgrade to open pledge levels in our post-campaign Pledge Manager for some time before the book is completed. There are no refunds for regret, and the funds raised start being spent immediately on paying for the work done thus far and the additional work ahead plus the projects unlocked via Stretch Goal. So please be financially responsible.

  • Choose a Reward Tier You Can Afford
  • Read the Manuscripts and Make Sure You Know What You're Getting
  • Be Aware of the Projected Delivery Date (Onyx Path will try to deliver earlier than this, but the book will take some time to get perfect, and we're dealing with an imperfect world. Schedules sometimes go awry)

3. PAYMENT AND CONTACT INFORMATION

Once you're comfortable with your pledge, please ensure that the payment and contact information in your BackerKit account is up to date and correct. Making sure your e-mail is entered correctly and your credit card isn't expired will speed up the next step process. (I have learned from experience!)



4. OVERTIME MODE

Overtime Mode extends the campaign past its original end time to give backers a final chance to make their pledge and adds an interesting twist to the end of the campaign. How long will it extend? That’s entirely up to backers: The campaign will keep going for an additional 10 minutes as long as pledges keep coming in – a chain of back-to-back pledges is called the Backer Train. The campaign will end only when the Backer Train stops after a period of 10 minutes passing without any pledges.

You’ll know we’re in Overtime Mode when the campaign’s Backer Train counter displays a bright rainbow border and a new countdown that resets to 10 minutes after each new backer joins that final Backer Train ride.

So, we've scheduled the campaign to conclude on July 17th at 2:00 PM Eastern Time, but it'll be extended in 10 minute chunks as long as backers keep pledging. Will we add an extra 10 minutes? An extra 20? Or will it all finish up as planned? Who knows, but we'll find out together! Full steam ahead!

WHAT COMES NEXT?


5. AFTER THE CAMPAIGN ENDS

First, we celebrate. The campaign page will subtly change, locking out the ability to pledge and showing the final totals. We'll give socially-distanced high fives and digital fist bumps in the Community section and over on Discord.

Then, the BackerKit payment process begins. Starting late tonight and continuing over the next week, Backerkit will begin charging your payment methods for the total amount you've pledged.

If there is an issue with your payment method (expired credit card or incorrect number or pre-paid Visa awaiting funds, for example), BackerKit will keep trying to process payment during this time.

Once this step is done, which will likely be by the late July, BackerKit will confirm everything with Onyx Path and I can begin to set up the project in the Pledge Manager and load in all of the campaign data.



In addition to providing the crowdfunding platform for this campaign, BackerKit is also Onyx Path's regular Pledge Manager partner.

BackerKit provides a robust fulfillment integration and pledge management program that will allow us to work with all of the data and distribute the rewards to you. It will take me about a month to set the project up. Once I've got it all entered and built, the team from BackerKit will review to ensure I didn't mess anything up too badly, and then I'll make any changes they've suggested and we can move on to the Survey stage.

6. BACKERKIT SURVEYS

Once BackerKit says I'm good to go, I will send out a survey to all backers. This is why confirming your e-mail is important!

The BackerKit survey is both a verb and a noun - it will collect data for the analysis of some aspect of a group (enabling Onyx Path to set schedules, prioritize new projects, and fine-tune future campaigns), as well as providing a general review or summary of the reward tier you've chosen, confirm all of the rewards associated with that reward tier, and confirm your total pledge amount.

I expect Surveys to go out before September 2025.

During the Survey period, you can choose to increase your reward tier and add on additional options. If you've found $20 in your spring coat or found an alternate income source and decide it's time to trade up to the Fiction Anthology or Threats and Curs tiers or include another add-on, you can do so at this time. Note, you will not be able to reduce your reward tier selection, only increase.

If you selected Add On options, they'll be added to your reward list automatically.

Note that you'll be able to upgrade your pledge tier for quite some time - until we're getting ready to distribute the PDF codes for the backer PDF. So don't feel pressure to have it all figured out right away - we'll make sure there's plenty of time to get it all sorted before the books go out.

I'll also use the Survey to confirm details for the premium reward tiers.

7. REWARD DISTRIBUTION

Once the surveys are up and running, I'll prepare fulfillment for the existing rewards - the Add On options that are all currently available, like the Realms of Pugmire core rulebook PDF, Monarchies of Mau PDF, and Threats and Curs PDF. Depending on how smoothly the Pledge Manager process goes, those should be out fairly soon after the survey stage starts. So, let's say the existing PDF rewards will be out to you by mid-September. That's only the beginning, though.

This is a long process, but I will send out regular updates (usually at the end of the month) to keep you up to speed on Onyx Path's progress. There will be strings of updates that are just "still working on it," but I will share new artwork or information when I can.

Eventually, we will have a completed PDF of Pugmire Unleashed. Onyx Path will take some time to distribute, review, and compile any errata or corrections that need to be made. When they've made any necessary changes, they'll make an updated version of the PDF available in your DriveThruRPG digital library and then begin creating print-ready files for the Print-on-Demand hardcover version.

It's yet another long road ahead, likely full of twists and turns and surprises, but one that we wouldn't be undertaking if not for your ongoing support.

So - one final time - please spread the word to any potential backers and fans, and thanks so much for a great campaign!

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