The dust has settled from the somewhat dramatic conclusion to our crowdfunder, and we can see the road ahead. It’s actually a pretty spectacular view: Mina’s close to finishing the new material, we’ve got our editors lined up, and we don’t think tariffs are going to screw us too badly.

Read on for slightly more detail on what’s happening when, and what you can expect over the next few months.

Famous last words, eh?

Delivering Voidheart still won’t take long, but it will take a couple of months longer than we thought. The stretch goals added a bit more writing, which adds a bit more editing, and there will be two stages of editing as Grant Howitt shouts “MORE GAME! BIGGER! SPIKIER! WEIRDER!” and then Maz Hamilton gently sculpts the results into a book people can use. I (Chant) am really keen to hold time for Mina to keep experimenting with layout. Oh, and global freight takes a really long time. 

All told, our timeline currently looks like this: 

(And, given recent events, we think it’s wise to  leave a couple of extra months in the timeline in case of unexpected tariffs, or lack of tariffs, that make global trade more complicated even than it normally is.)

We’ll be setting up the pledge manager by the end of April and sending out surveys in early May. We’ll charge shipping as late as we possibly can - probably once the books are in our warehouses on multiple continents and ready to send out to you.

Most backers’ payments have already been collected; a few failed (which is very normal for any crowdfunding project). Backerkit will keep trying to take payment until April 17th. If they haven’t succeeded by then, you’ll still receive your survey but it’ll show you as having paid $0 and you’ll be asked to pay in pledge manager.

It is impossible to say how much new US tariffs will affect any TTRPG project that is currently underway. That’s because the tariffs are currently changing daily. So we reserve the right to revise our estimates of just how bad this could get as the situation develops. 

However, based on our current understanding: 

In other words, nothing we’ve heard yet changes our plans for Voidheart. We do think shipping’s going to get expensive this year, because there’s a lot of competition to move goods as fast as possible before tariffs get even more unpleasant (and currently to take advantage of the 90 day window before they come into effect). If we’re right, we will have to pass at least some of the cost of shipping on to you. It’s too early to say how much, and we will of course keep shipping as affordable as we possibly can while still ensuring your books get to you in a reasonable time, and in good condition.

We don’t do a lot of manuscript previews for our crowdfunding, but this one’s going to be a little different. Mina’s graphic design is experimental, and the new content is both exciting and conveniently formed into bite-sized pieces: new hideout rules, new playbook, overhauled digital playbooks, and so on. So expect plenty of behind-the-scenes updates, and opportunities for feedback, as we progress towards a finished book.

That’s already a lot of logistical info for one update, so I’ll stop there. From this point on, Mina or I will send updates roughly once a month to help you keep on top of what’s happening and share some little design treats.

Talk to you next month! 

Chant