Pledge Manager Info
over 2 years ago – Thu, Nov 23, 2023 at 08:00:56 AM

Hey folks!

I'm sure you'll be relieved to hear we made it out of the Sunken City in one piece, and (after two weeks hiatus while Kickstarter collected funds) have been busy building the Pledge Manager to finalise orders. We've chosen BackerKit as the platform.

The Pledge Manager has now been built and there is just a clearance of fees and review by Backerkit support staff to go before we can release the platform to you. 

All being well, you can expect to receive an email from Backerkit next week with your unique link to confirm all options, add-ons, complete your address, and settle balances. Once launched, the pledge manager will be open for approximately six weeks and it is essential that you do complete it so that we know exactly what you want, and where we need to send it!

We're aware that the run up to Christmas can be a hard on bank balances and so, any amount due when you complete your Pledge Manager will not be charged until February 2024. This should mean a couple of pay cheques can come in after Christmas, before the cost of any further add-ons we may be able to tempt you with are taken for.

We will post another Kickstarter Update after the BackerKit pledge manager invites have all been sent with support details should you encounter any problems. In the mean time, there is a mini-FAQ at the bottom of this update that may answer common questions you may have at this stage.

But it's not been all work and no play since we last spoke, oh no! In fact there's been rather a lot of play(testing) going on. Most characters have now been updated several times since the previews with our main focus on new player accessibility and fluidity of play.

We are actually way ahead on this front than I thought we would be at this stage, with several unique styles of play seeming well balanced (in terms of power and complexity) against existing factions.

We also have three sculpts at the work in progress stage at the moment. We're looking forward to sharing the finished results in a later update, but in the mean time here's a little tease to keep you going!

Pledge Manager Mini FAQ

Q How do I get access to the Pledge Manager?

A. You will receive an email from BackerKit, with a unique link. This will be sent to the email address registered with Kickstarter. Your pledge level, add-ons and available funds have all been imported. You may be asked to login with your Kickstarter credentials. 

Q When will I get the email?

A. All being well, you will receive your invite next week. Once all pledge manager invitations have been sent, we will post another update to confirm.

Q. What do I do if I don't receive an invite?

A. Hang tight for the next few days while we pass the final checks. If you see on our next Kickstarter Update that all Pledge Manager invites have been sent, and you haven't had yours, then please check your junk folder and if its not there then let us know by emailing [email protected].

Q. I'm a Mausoleum backer. Is there an easy way to take the Leshavult side of that pledge up to everything in that faction, or perhaps even go all-in and get everything you can possibly offer for Moonstone in one click?

A Yes! If your pledge level is Mausoleum (or you change up to it) you will see two add-ons right at the top of the list that do exactly those things. :)

Q. When will my card be charged for extra Add-ons chosen in the Pledge Manager?

A. Although we need to know the quantities of add-ons as soon as possible so that we can place the right orders with our suppliers, no payments for add-ons or postage will be taken before 1st February 2024 (at the earliest).

---

Well there you have it. I thought I was getting the hang of Tom Greenway's made up words but apparently there's a 'Backerkit' coming too and we can looking forward to seeing it paraded through the streets any day now... 

Angerboda looks pretty fine though I must say, though I’ll bet her feet are awful cold in bed. Back to you in the studio Bob.

Drawpin Eaves, Brawdol Gazette

The Grateful Fundead!
over 2 years ago – Thu, Oct 26, 2023 at 01:23:28 PM

That's it folks, the Shades of Moonreach Kickstarter has concluded and The Forgotten King's full force of despicable horrors will now be unleashed upon Tauber! We hope you're all very proud of yourselves? ;)

We just wanted to say a huge thank you for your support and trust placed in us during this campaign. Without Kickstarter backers, Moonstone would never have existed and you mean the world to us. We can't wait to see the minis on your paint-desks and tabletops! 

What happens next?

Many of you are Kickstarter veterans, but for just as many this may be your first time, so we wanted to write to let you know what to expect next.

It can take up to two weeks for Kickstarter to process your payments. Please update your payment details if prompted and pay attention to messages from your bank over the next week along the lines of 'unusual payment blocked'. Payments that are blocked by your bank will unfortunately result in the pledges being cancelled. If you're unsure about anything please do contact us so that we can assist you.

Next, we will build the Pledge Manager, which is likely to be a very popular third party application called Backerkit (its far more powerful and configurable than the free one built into Kickstarter and has worked well for us in the past). For those who haven't used one before, a Pledge Manager is a lot like the lovechild of an online store and a questionnaire, that will be pre-loaded with your pledge funds and pledge level selections. It will ask a few short questions, most important of which is your delivery address, and allows you to add additional items. Then it'll present your final bill that covers any additions plus postage calculated from your delivery address and the size/weight of your final order (minus the amount you've already paid via Kickstarter).

You can expect an email (to the email address registered with Kickstarter) in around 3.5 weeks time with a unique link that you can click on to enter the Pledge Manager. It will ask you to sign in with your Kickstarter username and password the first time you visit to confirm your identity.

This might all sound daunting the first time around but its actually quite quick and painless. As always, reach out to us if you're unsure of anything at all.

We will continue to update you (from the safety of Goblin King head quarters!) as we hit production milestones, so you can expect to hear from us a couple of times a month from now until all pledges are shipped.

And one last time for luck, thank you all again!

---

"As I stand on the borders of the Forsaken Forest once more, I reflect upon the horrors I've seen within. I can never un-see that jester's ventriloquist act, or the Psychopomp that turned inside out whenever it got wet. My captivity in the cells aside, I think it was the second most horrible experience of my life, and all you 'backers'; who are voluntarily gettin' involved with this lot are sure to come to a sticky end. A well deserved one. I'm off to find a warm teacake and a horn of Norse mead. 

I've been Drawpin Eaves, and this, was the Shades report. C'mon Slim, let's be off."

The beetle has landed!
over 2 years ago – Thu, Oct 26, 2023 at 02:31:40 AM

Its a giant leap for beetlekind as we crash through the 1,000 backer barrier in the final 24 hours of the campaign!

A huge thank you to everyone who helped us reach this goal by sharing the campaign! If you want a beetle knight for yourself, he's now listed in the add-ons menu, or you can find him in the pledge manager after the campaign ends. 

As mentioned previously, this miniature will come with a 'Counts as: Viscount de Faulte' stat card, meaning he can be fielded alongside either Shades or Dominion troupes without affecting the competitive balance of the game. We will update you with sculpting progress as soon as we have 3D renders but this is sure to be a magnificent centrepiece miniature in either faction!

We've decided that this will be our last stretch goal. As tempting as it would be to add more, we remain very conscious of speed to fulfilment and wouldn't want to risk jeopardising our delivery estimates by stretching too far. You never know though, some of the alternate sculpt ideas shared earlier in the campaign could make an appearance as seasonal specials later. :)

---

Well it's certainly a relief to hear that nobody else is getting stretched, but otherwise complete gibberish from Mr Greenway as normal. I’d get more sense out of the giant beetle. Behind me. H-hi there, I d-don’t suppose y-you have a few words for our v-viewers at the Gazette? N-no? Okay then. I’ll just b-be off then… Tom, you may want to start running…

Drawpin Eaves, Brawdol Gazette

Reaching for the moon
over 2 years ago – Wed, Oct 25, 2023 at 05:00:34 AM

“Thanks for that Bob! Drawpin Eves reporting once again from the Sunken City of Moonreach, and things do indeed appear to be reaching some sort of conclusion here. In his latest act of eccentricity, local madman Tom Greenway has been seen throwing silver coins at unwary members of the undead this morning. He had this to say when approached:"

---

Hey folks,

We've entered the last stretch of the campaign now, and talking of stretches, another goal has been unlocked! 

One Kickstarter commemorative 30mm metal coin, emblazoned with the Shades faction symbol, will now be included automatically for free with Tomb and Mausoleum pledges. It's also available as an add-on to any pledge, priced at £6.

At the time of writing, we just need 75 more backers to jump onboard before the end of the campaign to unlock our final stretch goal! 

If you want to help us make beetle Eric a reality, then please do share the Kickstarter page link with any gaming groups you're part of, and give any friends who are still on the fence a 'gentle' shove. It's going to be close and one or two extra backers could make all the difference!

Let's Moonreach that target!

---

"Utter nonsense of course, but that’s not a bad coin if I say so myself. Nice to leave town with something for my troubles! Now back to Bob Bobbington in the studio.

Drawpin Eaves, Brawdol Gazette"

A real moon-shot
over 2 years ago – Mon, Oct 23, 2023 at 10:20:06 AM

Drawpin Eaves, once more reporting. 

King Chernitt has been distracted today by the huge effigy of himself currently being erected in the centre of Moonreach, allowing me to slip out of my… suite.. and get the word on the street - as fresh as it gets! So I’ll leave you with the freshly clothed and hopefully sedated Tom Greenway:

---

The campaign has been going from strength to strength and we're pleased to say we've now unlocked a free image pack of digital wallpapers to adorn your desktop and mobile screens (or maybe just to hunt for spoilers?). The pack will contain some brand new full colour scenes, which we can't show you I'm afraid as they haven't been commissioned yet, but it should be a nice surprise in your inbox a few months from now, regardless of your pledge level. 

With our top stretch goal unlocked yet again, we've had to put our thinking caps on for what else we can stretch to as we enter the final days of the campaign.

Commemorative coins are great collectors' pieces, and this one will be scaled to 30mm in diameter, giving it a practical use as a 'proxy base' too (if you want to check range or spacing before committing to moving a miniature). If unlocked, it will be free to backers at Tomb pledge level and above, or available as an add-on to any pledge for £6.

Now, this last stretch-goal is our 'moon shot'. In the summer of 2022, we held an interactive campaign to decide the 'Fate of Eric'. Hundreds of players around the world submitted their game results to decide which path our hero, Eric the Squire, would take in what will be an epic adventure, affecting the outcome of all Tauber (in our future books). The winning faction was Leshavult and resulted in the creation of the Eric, the Enlightened miniature.  At a close second came the Dominion faction, and some players were disappointed not to see how a Dominion Eric knight might have turned out.. 

So... if (and this is a big if), we can reach 1,000 backers by the end of the campaign, we will create a limited edition 'Eric, the Exalted' miniature!

The miniature would be available for add-on to any pledge, priced at £26, and would come with a 'counts as: Viscount de Faulte' stat card, allowing the miniature to be used in games either as part of a Shades troupe or a Dominion troupe, without conferring any unfair advantages.

---

So there you have it. Apparently the word on the streets is "there may be a ruddy great beetle-knight coming to town!?!". But only if we see some more "backers" first. I can only assume "backers" must be some other 'orrible things from the Deadlands we've yet to meet... Stay tuned for more developments.

Drawpin Eaves, Brawdol Gazette