Make wilderness journeys just as exciting as the destination with this worldbuilding book for GMs - For any fantasy roleplaying game.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Digital Pledge Items Sent - Big Thank You!
about 3 years ago
– Thu, Sep 02, 2021 at 04:14:26 AM
Hello, loresmyths!
Make sure you're sitting down because digital pledge item distribution has started! Our gnomebots are sending out emails to everyone as we speak, so you should be getting your download links shortly.
A Big Thanks!
On behalf of everyone who worked on this project, we wish everyone a TON of fun with your pledge items. We really love how this book and related products has turned out, it's, without doubt, the most beautiful thing we've done to date and we can't wait to hear what you think about it in the comments, and we invite you to post on social media to help spread the love. I'd like to make a special mention of all the 18 people who have worked on this book for over a year, give them a big shoutout in the comments for their hard work!
A huge thank you to everyone!
Writers:
Alex Clippinger
Jeff Lee
JVC Parry
Elf Vesala
Editors:
Patrick Rosenthal
Taylor Horner
Kayla Overbey
Artists
Jens Kuczwara (cover artwork)
Konrad Krogul (color paintings)
Ferdinand Ladera (color paintings)
Jon Pintar (maps)
Daniel Comerci (interior b/w illustrations)
Dean Spencer (interior b/w illustrations)
Jason Vickers (coloring work)
Brent Blyseth (coloring work)
Ralph Stickly (layout)
Management
Christopher Mahon (product dev lead)
Robin Galton (customer support)
Chris van der Linden (the one to blame for the delays and layout)
Digital Fulfilment Launched!
We have hit the send button in Backerkit to launch the distribution of all digital pledge items for this Kickstarter. Please check that you are receiving Backerkit emails in your inbox and they are not landing in your Spam folder. Make sure to keep plenty of happy backups of your files so you can always access them in the future. ❤️
The digital distribution includes pledges that have:
The Wondrous Expeditions - Forests main book PDF
The Wondrous Expeditions - Forests Pocket Guide PDF
The Wondrous Expeditions - Forests Card Deck PDF (Print & Play)
The Wondrous Expeditions - Forests adventure maps
Existing Loresmyth products such as Inns,Shops,DungeonDiscoveries
If you have any questions or need help, please find our support contact below.
Bakerkit Lock Order Date - September 10th
We plan to lock everyone's Backerkit surveys on September 10th. This means this is the last chance to change pledge level, pick add-on items etcetera. We are not charging the credit cards yet, and you will still be able to change your shipping address until we are closer to our actual shipping date.
Charge Backerkit Cards Date - November 10th
We plan to charge the cards in Backerkit for shipping charges and add-on items on November 10th. Before that time, we are having a look at the shipping rates one last time. Please understand we may need to make some changes to reflect the price changes since last year to match today's rates. Your backerkit profile will automatically be updated in case there is a change. Any price increases after November 10 and the actual shipping date are absorbed by Loresmyth and not deferred to our backers. Again, if you have any questions or concerns, please let Robin know at [email protected]
Physical Shipping Date - N/A
As of right now, we are unsure when the physical books are due to arrive at our various shipping hubs around the world. The current COVID situation makes it virtually impossible to make accurate predictions so we won't attempt to, so we prevent any more disappointments. Once we have confirmation of the books being printed and on transport, we can let you know a new ETA. You can continue to change your addresses until we are closer to the actual shipping date.
As you may have seen on our blog already, Chris (me haha) moved into a new office space to mark the start of a whole new chapter for Loresmyth. Check out the whole story on our website blog!
Digital Fulfilment Starts Soon - Vacation Break
over 3 years ago
– Wed, Aug 18, 2021 at 12:25:35 AM
Hello dear Loresmyths!
We are back from a much-needed summer holiday vacation. The past weeks me and our team took turns in having a little breather, spend time with the family, go to a (rare) convention and just soak up what little sunshine is granted us.
Digital Fulfilment Starts Soon
We are finalizing the digital files for all pledge tiers and hope to be able to start sending those out via Backerkit later this week or next week. Please keep an eye out on your inboxes and make sure you are receiving Backerkit emails. It's exciting to have reached this milestone and we can't wait to get you the final version of the book, pocket guide, and card deck!
Once we send the files, please come back to our Kickstarter page here and take a moment to comment on what you think about the product!
Charging Cards in Backerkit & Shipping
We like to thank everyone for the kind words in the comments and on our Discord. It seems the majority sentiment is that most of you don't want us to take on extra costs for shipping out orders piecemeal, and you are also fine with us charging cards in Backerkit a little earlier if needed. We are going to take a moment to see how the timelines pan out with our manufacturers and freight companies, and then let you know our decision. We will not charge the cards just yet if it is not absolutely needed.
We will keep you up to date once we have more accurate information.
Nord Games Fulfilment
We are happy to let you know that we are finalizing an agreement with Nord Games in the USA to handle all of our pledge and web-order shipping. This will alleviate a lot of pressure on our small company which is not set up to warehouse and ship a range of products effectively worldwide. Nord Games has grown to be quite a formidable partner in this regard, and we think it's going to provide our customers a much better experience in the future, as we will be able to ship from multiple hubs, at the best possible rates. Loresmyth will remain the customer-facing brand, so in most cases, you as our customer will not outwardly notice the change, as much of it happens behind the scenes and is purely a practical/logistical change.
A Nightmare in Sutradain
Our friends at FAE Games are in their final hours on their Sutradain Kickstarter campaign, which may be interesting to you. We always love supporting creators who have just started out, so head on over and check out their project!
That's it for today's update. We will be back with you shortly to update you on the digital pledge fulfillment status. In the meantime, you can join our Discord channel to talk!
Trying something new on Youtube!
over 3 years ago
– Mon, Jul 19, 2021 at 10:22:54 AM
Hello, dear Wondrous backers!
Many of you expressed their excitement over the behind-the-scenes live streams I've been doing the past months, showing you how our products get made and sharing insights into what goes on making RPG products. One of the things I always had on my mind was to do either an e-book or a video series on this vast topic of developing and publishing your own books/games.
The past few days I've worked on a first experiment to try the waters with this, and you may like it! Consider sharing it online to help spread the word.
If you enjoy this kind of thing, comment on Youtube, and I may feel inspired to do a bunch more!
Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Chris van der Linden
Book submitted to manufacturer - Big Updates!
over 3 years ago
– Fri, Jul 16, 2021 at 12:49:50 AM
Hello, dear Wondrous backers!
We took a little longer to come to you with this update because we felt it was better to push on a bit and not get distracted. We've put together an extensive update below in both video and text format. Thanks for your continued support in this challenging time. We really are blessed with such an awesome community.
Files submitted to the manufacturer 🌟
After our bombshell update back in April that this project was experiencing serious delays, we really rallied and turned our process around to get things back in shape. Myself and our team has worked so incredibly hard, in a matter of months we worked our way through what feels like a year's work. It was a very demanding crunch period but I am really proud of how things turned out and just how quickly we;ve been able to steer things into the clear.
As of yesterday, all files for the main book, pocket guide, and card deck have been submitted to our manufacturers and they are being scheduled for production. This is a big milestone and I like to thank everyone again who has helped making this book.
The hardback cover spread
Covid printing delays and rising costs
As you are likely aware, covid has resulted in many changes in the world and one of them is rising manufacturing and shipping costs. This has not only affected us in the RPG market but everywhere from housing construction to other industries. We like to take a moment to clarify a few things in particular for the coming period. As of now, most printing manufacturers are experiencing delays of 1 to as much as 6 months, which does not even include transportation of the products to the shipping warehouses. Thisis completely beyond our control.
Back in April we already told you that we estimated physical shipping to be able to start in May 2022. This has been very sad news and understandably upsetting. For this reason, we actually decided to cancel our second Kickstarter of this year, (which is setting our fledgling company back as much as 200.000 in gross revenue) in order to focus on getting the development of Wondrous Expeditions finished at full speed. The bitter irony is that after the initial delays we've actually managed to turn things around dramatically and get this project ready for manufacturing sooner than we thought. If it wasn't for Covid delaying printing and transportation as it is right now, we would actually be able to start shipping in a few months from now as opposed to sometime next year. But, with the current delays at the manufacturers who struggle to get paper and card stock, it is unsure how things are going to pan out exactly.
Digital Fulfilment Starts Soon!
With all of the materials ready, we are preparing to start sending all backers their digital files within the next couple of weeks. Keep an eye on your inbox and make sure you are receiving emails from Backerkit. If you have any questions please reach us at [email protected]
Physical Shipping Update
Please the video update for a complete detailed rundown, but here's the breakdown. At this moment because of covid, we are unable to say exactly when physical goods are arriving at our warehouse. It could be next year. The card deck , book and pocket guide all come from a different manufacturers who are each facing their own hardships in getting materials. We are committed to get your products shipped as soon as possible, even if this means shipping some items in advance of others. Normally we don't do this because it incurs a massive extra cost, but we are willing to cover those expenses in order to keep you guys happy.
Charging of Credit Cards in Backerkit
Normally we only charge the credit cards in backerkit very close to the shipping date, but since this has been a tremendously impactful year with a canceled Kickstarter and increasing costs, that we may ask your forgiveness in charging the cards a little sooner. Currently, there's over $50.000 in funds tied up into backerkit that we can't access, but could really put to good use in continuing our business. Let us know what you think.
Phew, it's a lot. Despite the ongoing pandemic challenges we are incredibly excited about reaching this milestone. Everything turned out really great and we honestly can't wait to show you everything!
Digital Fulfilment Update + Social Survey
over 3 years ago
– Tue, Jun 29, 2021 at 08:10:39 AM
Hello, dear Wondrous backers!
A question we have been getting a lot is whether we can "ship" certain digital items in advance of when the Kickstarted product is ready. For example, you have pledged a bundle that includes some of Loresmyth's existing products, why can't you get those immediately, while waiting on the Wondrous material to be ready? Strap in for a long post (if it interests you) and have a look at our plan going forward!
Can I get some digital items in advance of the rest?
It's a logical question and over the years we looked into various ways how to best handle this. Every time we looked into it we realized there wasn't a great clean way to handle it. Sure enough, on the surface, it seems like something very simple, but in reality, it has many moving parts and annoying things that make it very labor-intensive and prone to mishaps. Most creators use the Backerkit pledge manager to handle their pledges, including digital fulfillment, and it is the separation of Kickstarter and Backerkit that actually causes the complication. Allow us to explain the problem. And then we like to offer a solution.
The Problem™
At the end of the 30-day Kickstarter campaign, your cards are charged for the pledge item amount. Your credit cards are charged and voila, you paid! But the pledge price does not include shipping charges. In the period after, which sometimes takes 6-12 months, we use Backerkit to allow people to finish and modify their pledges.
Pending Credit Card Charges - Many add optional add-ons to their pledge that tack on costs that were not included in the Kickstarter pledge that was already paid for. In the majority of cases, the required shipping charges are also added because the pledge includes physical items. This means that there are "pending" charges to be collected before we can start shipping.
Charging Credit Cards the 2nd Time - Out of courtesy to backers this "2nd" credit card charging moment is delayed until very close to the actual shipping date of physical pledges. We basically don't want to take people's money when we are still a year away from shipping their rewards.
ALong Wait - The period it takes from when the 30-day Kickstarter campaign closes to when we charge the remaining pending costs, and start shipping all rewards, can take anywhere from a few months to a year. In this period backers who picked a bundle that contains physical and digital goods are waiting a long time, which is very unfortunate. Backerkit advises to not ship anything when pledges are not "locked" and "pending" charges are still due. A piece of logical advice because backers can still adjust their pledges at this moment, so it is a bit prone to abuse.
The Complexity
Solutions we considered were to divide backers into multiple segments, depending on a number of variables, including whether people had only physical goods or a combination of physical and digital goods. We then also needed to filter again whether those backers had any pending charges or not.
This resulted in a few segments where we could theoretically ship out digital goods to a portion of people who would meet those requirements. However, after distributing once, it got trickier to do it a couple more times once more and more people paid pending charges, and met the requirements. In Backerkit, things are designed to "distribute" once. Making the segments and keeping track of it is also a lot of manual work that we have to do for each project.
Other solutions were to not offer bundled pledges anymore and only offer those products as add-ons in backerkit later. But bundled pledges are one of the most popular thing that helps our funding, and it wouldn't solve the issue of having "pending" charges until we are very close to the physical shipping date.
What appears to be a really simple premise on the surface, turns out to be quite complex to practically execute.
It's a monstrosity!
Our Solution™
Having discussed it many times with our team, and looking through the lens of trying to give our customers a great experience, we came up with the following plan. We are going to test-drive it and see it as a little experiment. If we like it, we can keep doing it, but we are keeping our options open.
Going forward we will:
Send digital items as soon as we can, regardless of people having pending charges in Backerkit
Digital items we can send early are existing products, not the ones still in development
This means many people can already enjoy some of their pledge contents "immediately", while waiting on the ones that are still in development like everyone else
WHY DO IT LIKE THIS?
Having looked at it from all angles, we ultimately figured that all initial payments are charged after the Kickstarter campaign ends. This pays for all goods (physical + digital) that are part of your pledge.
"Digital backers", unless they add physical add-ons in backerkit, don't have pending shipping charges and should be able to get their items immediately (except for products that are still in development). Essentially the campaign ended for them directly after the Kickstarter, and the Backerkit period is not so relevant to them. This is only a small portion of the backers though.
Backers with physical + digital items (the vast majority) usually have pending shipping charges and maybe some extra add-ons yet to be paid for. We also like to send these backers their digital items immediately though, because our reasoning is that sending them digital items in advance is not likely to cause them to change their pledge in a way that is going to compromise us financially or otherwise.
WHEN DOES THIS START?
We are currently doing some final checks. Keep an eye for an email from Backerkit with your download links - This will only contain download links for existing Loresmyth products that are already available, NOT the products that are still in development.
WAIT! There's more :)
We wanted to ask your attention for one minute more. We have a survey running to poll you about your social media preferences that will help us improve our social media strategy. Take a minute to fill out the survey if you can!
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Wow! There we go this was a lengthy and complex update to write. We hope we managed to explain it in a clear way. Let us know if you have any questions!
