DAY 17: Fateforge Boardgame + New Option: The Butterfly’s Dirge + Sentient House : the Vote + Peacat WIP
about 4 years ago – Sat, Sep 26, 2020 at 05:12:12 PM

Dear all, tonight we have a lot to tell you! It's heavy stuff!

But first of all a word about the fact that you are 5000 backers 0_0 This is quite an incredible number. Your mobilization makes this Kickstarter campaign one of the most popular for a 5th Edition RPG!!

To celebrate this number, we are adding a bonus in the book with our friend Griffin Macaulay, author of The Griffon's Saddlebag: a new magic item! It will be linked to a mythical creature, the Remorhaz, whose illustration is signed Gawain.

Before we get into the heart of this update, a word about the All-In reward tier in preparation. This tier will include all the essential options with an excellent discount. It should be online tomorrow, with the announcement of the last option linked to the 320K mark. Thanks to your support, we can also produce more $170 Fateforge RPG Collector packs. For those of you who caught a $160 pack, we will be preparing a special option that will allow you to keep your initial $10 discount :)

In any case, if you are an early bird and backer the project in the first 48 hours, you can change your pledge in the course of the campaign at no risk to your early bird perks. By changing your pledge, you may not see anymore "early bird" icons but this is not an issue. Your early bird status is based on the time stamp of your very first pledge, not your reward tier.

That being said... let's go for the news of the day!

• CREATURES Boardgame with Mighty Boards ! Hell Yeah !
• New Option : The Butterfly’s Dirge
• Sentient House : the Vote !
• Peacat WIP

CREATURES Boardgame with Mighty Boards!

We are excited to announce plans to work with Mighty Boards to create an upcoming board game in the Fateforge universe, featuring many of the characters and monsters from the book Creatures.

Mighty Boards is a board game development studio based in Malta that strives to create beautifully crafted board games, evoking worlds that generate collaborative and immersive stories.By placing great importance on innovative systems, top quality game pieces, and gorgeous graphics, the Mighty Boards team has created epic games such as Petrichor (late plege open, check this out!), Excavation Earth, and Posthuman Saga, the last of which will be coming to Kickstarter soon with another great expansion!

We met the Mighty Boards crew at GenCon some years ago and we are excited to be making a game within the Fateforge universe with them. We hope you are ready to join us on this incredible upcoming endeavor as well!

New Option : The Butterfly’s Dirge

The Butterfly’s Dirge is one of a rather peculiar scenario, dreamlike and gothic, between reality and nightmares. This scenario highlights the atmosphere before anything else and will take you completely out of your comfort zone.

You can add the printed version of this book (50 pages, full color, soft cover, PDF included) to your pledge for $20.

Now, let the author, Benjamin Diebling, speak.

► Hello Benjamin! Could you introduce yourself to the community?

Hi there, I’m Benjamin. “In real life,” I’m multiclassed as a video game director and RPG writer. Essentially, I have a huge passion for all forms of imagery and narration, particularly interactive ones. On the director side of things, I’ve studied writing and stage engineering in France and Australia. I’ve had the opportunity to work with people that allowed me to progress fast and to quickly become a director. I cut my teeth with motion capture, which I developed a passion for. It’s like playing a roleplaying game, but with actors, a LARP-like aspect, and more technology. Roleplaying-wise, I started very early with my brothers on Heroquest: we’d been through all the quests from the base game and the two extensions we owned, and one summer, out of boredom, we started coming up with our own adventures. That’s how it all began. Since then, I never stopped. I carried on with the Advanced Dungeons & Dragon starter kit, then with Call of Cthulhu a few years later, and finally with Vampire, which I’d been interested in for a long time and which was the first game I GM’d for, at 14. Since then, I’ve worn a lot of hats among the roleplaying community, whether as a club founder, salesman, convention organizer, editor, and finally writer. My very first experience as a writer was for one of my favorite roleplaying games, Crimes, with a very dreamlike scenario. More recently, I’ve been writing scenarios for Tales From the loop, Cthulhu No Kami, Shadows of Esteren, Meute (Pack), and of course Fateforge, of which I’ll be talking about today ;).

I’ll stop here for my introduction. I know I’m a chatterbox, and if I go on, I’ll start talking about Italian or salty sweet cooking, about Beksinski, about Bloodborne as the greatest game ever, about Easley Island whisky, about Sandman, about Alan Moore’s unpublished works which transfigured my vision of the world, about learning through play, about dark chocolate, about the Blast comic, etc.

► You are the author of The Butterfly’s Dirge. Could you tell us about your work and your choices in relation to atmosphere and game design?

The story begins almost four years ago now. Nel contacts me to offer me to write for Studio Agate’s newest project and to provide a scenario side by side with people I have a lot of respect for (Ed Greenwood, Fabien Fernandez, and Eric Nieudan). Of course, I immediately accepted, though I had a small request: writing dark fantasy. Being a great fan of Ravenloft and other settings with mature visuals and themes, I wanted to try my hand at a scenario matching what my tastes had grown from. Said scenario is far from a classic and features several original elements. The first scene in particular has the players control a different party: heroes of legend.

In addition, some characters may not experience the same adventure as the rest of the party, and the whole adventure can actually be played without physical confrontation. There are other unique aspects, like the scenario’s antagonist, but I can’t say more without spoiling it. All of these aspects can be influenced by what the characters will do, and they will have to deal with several dilemmas of great consequence, which will steer the adventure in very different directions.

In addition to working on this project as a writer, I also requested to be involved in its artistic direction, considering such an aspect as an integral part of an author’s work. With the support of Iris and Nel, and thanks to the illustrators’ magnificent work, I was thus able to express a complete vision of the scenario and to visually give life to the concepts I had come up with. I may be biased due to my work as a director, but the visual aspect of a roleplaying game is one that I give a lot of attention to and which, to me, is a vital element to communicate a vision of a scenario. I hope that storytellers will be inspired!

     ► What have you been working on lately?

Lately, I have been working on several things RPG-wise. First, a short Shadows of Esteren scenario, intended for a future supplement, which has given me the opportunity to work on another face of horror, inspired by expressionism and Italian gialli. The scenario is complete and we’ve gotten started on the art. I’m also working with two authors on a new RPG named Mir. It’s an RPG of horrific and psychological investigation where you play as agents of the MIR, a religious group tasked with safeguarding mankind in a post-apocalyptic medieval world. Many great things to expect. On that note, you can follow the game’s Twitter or Facebook page to get news. And finally, speaking of RPGs, I’ve been working alongside a few other Frenchies on a VTT platform called Let’s Role, which is still in alpha (if you want to have a look, check this page). More news soon! Other things with Agate are brewing… But you didn’t hear it from me ;).

Those are the things I can tell you about RPG-wise without getting hunted down, bur there are other very nice things on the way. On the side of movies and video games, I really can’t tell you anything, but there too, awesome projects are underway, which will keep me busy for at least a couple years!

► One last word?

I’m very happy to be part of the beautiful project that Fateforge is. I’ve definitely fallen in love with this game, in no small part due to its visuals and themes. My thanks go to the whole team for their support, in particular to Clovis and Iris for how invaluably helpful and welcoming they’ve been! If you want to chat about the project, don’t hesitate to hit me up on Twitter @theoldben ! See you soon!!

Sentient House : the Vote !

Here is the result of the vote: concept number 2 is well ahead! In front of concept 1, Damna will start the colouring, we'll keep you informed :)

Peacat WIP

Let’s finish this update with some wonders. Chane worked hard all day on the peacat... look at this :) We are preparing the contest that will allow one of you to win the original art. Let's cheer her on! Go go Chane !!

See you tomorow :)

- Nel

DAY 16: 300K Goal and Beyond!
about 4 years ago – Sat, Sep 26, 2020 at 02:46:20 PM

AMAZING! It's done! We've passed the 300K mark ! 

From now on, we are clearly entering the unknown, we hadn't planned to go that far... the last week looks incredible with a lot of surprises :)

So let's move on to the main course: the 300K goal! As we told you, it's not directly related to the book Creatures... it's a studio project that we'll be happy to share with you...! Let us introduce you to...

Draconis

Draconis is the universe of Chane, whom you know as the illustrator of Fateforge and who is currently making the famous Peacat ! Chane is an independent artist, like us, whose universe you can discover here. It wasn't planned to be announced right away but here it is ! You deserve this exclusivity :)

Our studio will translate Chane's artbook into English. We don't know yet if it will be an identical version to the French version or an updated version. There are two artbooks that develop this world of dragons : Draconis and Draconis : Sparks, which both hold some nice funding records on Ulule, the French crowdfunding platform. 

To thank you for your huge support, we will send you all the PDF of the first artbook Draconis ! While waiting for the Kickstarter campaign scheduled for somewhere in 2021 :)

 🇫🇷 Le PDF de Draconis sera également disponible en français, vous choisirez la langue au moment du pledge manager :)

Chane has prepared a gift for you! A first preview from her world... it's in French but let your imagination run wild :) To download this preview, click the image below:

Here it is ! We hope you will like her work as much as we do. These are her first official steps on the English-speaking scene.. and on Kickstarter! Welcome Chane :D

To finish this update in beauty, what could be better than a shameless teasing of the 320K mark ? Cheers!! - Nel

DAY 15 : And the Winner is + New Vote !
about 4 years ago – Thu, Sep 24, 2020 at 03:04:48 AM

Hi everyone! We're heading straight to the 300K goal! It's huge! We've prepared a lot of really nice surprises for this final stretch of the campaign... we can't wait to share all this with you :D

In the meantime, here's tonight's news...

And the Winner is...

First of all, here is the sketch that received by far the most votes for the Peacat by Chane:

It will be the illustration of this original creature, which will be added to the book thanks to your support :)

Chane is going to start the creation of the illustration, with inks and watercolours... and one of you will win the original! We are going to organize a small contest which will have as main purpose to make this Kickstarter page known before the end. More info very soon!

New Vote : the Sentient House

And here is the new vote, with Damna's sketches for the Sentient House. Damna is one of Creatures' talented illustrators and you can discover his work on his Artstation and website. Social networks are not really his thing so the vote will take place here in the comments section of this news. Post the number of your favourite sketch! The vote will ends tomorow, midnight PST, Friday morning 10am Paris time!

What's great is that you can follow the process of creating an illustration ... Soon we will also post the authors' design work for the technical part. In the end, it's still a long work each time, which explains why the book CREATURES took us almost 4 years of work in total...!

Project FAQ

We receive some questions. Here is some FAQ. You can check more of them here.

I am an early bird and I will get my 2 Metal Dice. I want to change / upgrade my pledge level, do I risk losing them? No, do not worry :) You can change your pledge in the course of the campaign at no risk to your early bird perks. By changing your pledge, you may not see anymore "early bird" icons but this is not an issue. Your early bird status is based on the time stamp of your very first pledge, not your reward tier.

I am a backer at Creatures: Collector Pack or Fateforge RPG Collector Pack level. How can I select the covers I want for my books? You will choose between Standard or Red Dragon editions during the pledge manager, after the Kickstarter ends.

Can I upgrade my reward during the pledge manager ? Nope, you will not be able to change it during the pledge manager phase; only to get add-ons. If you want to updgrade your reward tier, you must do it during the Kickstarter campaign.

That's it for tonight.... When we cross the 300K mark, it will also be the beginning of the final stretch of this project which promises to be epic!

Cheers everyone!!

Nel

DAY 14: 280K Goal Achieved + About Next Goals + Summary of Add-ons
about 4 years ago – Wed, Sep 23, 2020 at 02:27:34 AM

Dear all,

A new goal has been reached and we are entering the last ten days of the campaign. What an epic adventure! We are more than 4600 now... welcome to all those who join us :)

Tonight, here is the menu:

• 1/ 280K goal : The Griffon's Saddlebag
• 2/ Next Goals
• 3/ Summary of available options
• 4/ Project We love

280K goal: The Griffon's Saddlebag!

For this 280K goal, we are very happy to welcome Griffin Macaulay, author of The Griffon's Saddlebag, as our guest :) He gave us a first concept for his magic item : a Bulette Shield ! We already have in the book some new magical items and new spells related to creatures and we can't wait to know what Griffin is going to imagine. And here is the picture in the bulette. You will find this mythic monster in the book with some surprises…

Next Goals

The next goal on the list is the 300K mark... and that's not the least! Well, we hadn't planned to tell you about this project now... ; it's not directly related to the book Creatures, at least not directly. It's a studio project that we'll be happy to tell you about! And of which you will be the first to benefit in PDF format :)

Here are some hints about the upcoming goals... Remember that we have already achieved all the goals we had prepared. We have been working hard for the last days to set up new ones. Some of them will give you a preview of what we are preparing after Creatures. And first of all: the Encyclopedia! More information soon...

Summary of available options

We have updated the project page with all available options. We still have a few options to reveal, after which we will probably propose you an All In with the best possible offer :)

•  GM screen +$20 (print & PDF). Three full-colour, horizontal, rigid panels [link] 
•  Set of 4 Battlemaps +$15 (print & PDF). A2 size Battlemap (420 x 594 mm or 16.5 x 23.4 in) gridded for the use  of 28 mm miniatures (the Copper Dragon, the Lord of the mighty ice  devils , the Vampire Lord, and the Lich) [link] 
•  Set of 2 Advantage Metal Dice +$10. Either  with a matt silver or antique bronze finish. You will choose your color  during the peldge manager. Each set is designed to play the Advantage  and Disadvantage rolls. [link] 
•  The Chronolith +$20 (print & PDF). The  Chronolith is an original 50 page adventure by Eric Nieudan. It is  compatible  with any game making use of the 5E rules, and has been  designed to be  played autonomously, sandbox-style, offering great  freedom and many  possible twists. Intended for characters of levels 1-5,  it will take  the party on a dizzying trip through space and time, and  pit them  against dangers both mundane and extraordinary from many ages! [link] 
•  Fateforge Core Books +$40 / each (print & PDF). With  this option, you can get Adventurers (player's book) and Grimoire  (spells and magic), the two core books for Fateforge. Red Dragon editions cost an additional $10, or $50 each. This update gives  you a lot of infos about hese books: [link] 

How to add options? Click  “Manage my pledge” and add the amount corresponding to your option(s).  You don’t need to change your chosen reward tier; just edit the amount  you are pledging to account for any add-ons you want. When we send you  the survey after the end of the campaign, you will tell us what  option(s) the extra amount is for.

Project We Love

Tonight we want to support this project:

"An Afrofantasy world to explore both as an isometric MMO built for in-character roleplay and as a 5E-compatible tabletop setting."

The Wagadu Chronicles looks really great and we encourage you to check it out!

See you soon for more news :)

Take care!

Nel

DAY 13 : Battlemap upgrade + Griffon's Saddlebag Magic Item + Options : Fateforge Core Books + Next step!
about 4 years ago – Tue, Sep 22, 2020 at 12:10:46 AM

Hello all!

Our project has just been chosen by the Kickstarter team and becomes a "Project We Love" :D

This is a great way to start the week! In a fortnight, we've reached all our goals and we're on our way to new ones.... We worked really hard last week to concoct new surprises. Can't wait to tell you more!

But for now... Let's go for this Monday update!

260K : Battlemap upgrade

Thanks to this new stretch goal, all battlemaps will now be double-sided. The front side will represent a specific place linked to one of the 5 Lairs. The reverse side will be a neutral paving, on the whole surface of the A2 format, taking up the design of the Lair.

Josselin has worked hard last week on the first Battlemap Lair to give you a preview of what it should be in the end. As a reminder, all backers with a $40 reward tier or more will receive this battlemap as a gift :)

Next goal : Welcome our Special Guest Griffin Macaulay !

You probably know Griffin Macaulay, author of The Griffon's Saddlebag. We are very pleased to welcome him as a special guest on our book. Griffin is going to create a unique magical object, related to one of the creatures in our book. We can't wait to find out what it will be like :) In the meantime, you can discover Griffin's work on his Kickstarter page and especially his Patreon page.

« Beholder got you down? Brigands and bandits keeping you up at night? Perhaps you need something new and exciting to give you an edge.

I design new items for your D&D campaign every single day, complete with mechanics, illustration, and flavor. They're distributed daily on Reddit and Instagram, with many free items available here, and with the support of the community I make sure that these items are fun, balanced, and ready for your game. »

New Options : Fateforge Core Books

Today we open two new options : Adventurers and Grimoire, the two core books for Fateforge !

« Powered by the 5th Edition ruleset with the addition of many original options, Fateforge features Eana, a brand new campaign setting for your adventures. Following the sword & sorcery tradition, the adventurers will travel through grandiose landscapes and interact with exotic, colorful civilizations. By dint of skill, bravery, or cunning, they will overcome increasingly challenging ordeals, and perhaps find their way to the mythical Fateforge and ascend to godhood. »

« Powered by a very robust and highly polished ruleset, Fateforge offers a heroic fantasy universe with a unique French touch: poetic and epic, with a rich lore and in-depth characterization. Dice » Everywhere

Do note these two books are already included in the $160 and $170 reward tier. Of course, you can add more copies to your pledge with these options. In any case, by taking the printed version, you get the PDF version as a gift.

🇬🇧 🇫🇷 Books available in French and English. You will choose your language during the pledge manager phase

Option: Fateforge Adventurers

With this option, you can get Adventurers, one of the two core books of the Fateforge series. Contents include:

• The complete 5E rules for character creation, combat, and adventuring, beautifully illustrated, with a completely original design.
• An overview of the world of Eana, Fateforge’s setting.
• Many original additions: twists on species and subspecies, new backgrounds and rules on creating your own backgrounds, an entirely new list of feats, details on adventuring and trading, and more!
• New archetypes for every class, as well as a new class: the scholar.
• A modular system: Do you want your adventures to be dark? Gritty? Heroic? Handpick suited rules via a convenient system of icons to tailor the game to your campaign’s intended  tone!

You can add this hardcover book of 400 pages to your pledge for $40 instead of the retail price of $50. An opportunity to grab!

•  ► Fateforge Adventurers, print & PDF: $40. During the pledge manager, you will be able to freely choose between the Standard or Red Dragon Edition. Enjoy!
•  ► Fateforge Adventurers, PDF only: $20. PDF delivered at the end of the KS.
• ► Download for free the Player’s Guide to get some excerpts  

- -

Option: Fateforge Grimoire

With this option, you can get Grimoire, one of the two core books of the Fateforge series. Contents include:

• Original rules, tips, and suggestions to customize spells and stress their influence on the world and characters, thus truly making magic a unique, wondrous thing.
• Rules on the Awakening, a feature of Fateforge that determines whether a character’s mind has opened to wielding magic.
• Geomagic: large-scale magical phenomena that can affect entire regions.
• The dangers of Corruption, the mark of Canker, Eana’s arch-nemesis.
• 360 spells, including many original ones!
• Modular magic: the modular system lets you tailor the game’s magic to your favored playstyle, from epic, unbridled fantasy to a more subdued and down-to-earth atmosphere.

You can add this hardcover book of 330 pages to your pledge for $40 instead of the retail price of $50.

•  ► Fateforge Grimoire, print & PDF: $40. During the pledge manager, you will be able to freely choose between the Standard or Red Dragon Edition. Enjoy!
  ► Fateforge Grimoire, PDF only: $20. PDF delivered at the end of the KS.
• ► Download for free the Spellcaster’s Guide to get some excerpts 

Later this week we will sum up all options available. We are also working on some « all in » reward tiers including some nice discount and bonuses for those who want everything and support this project with passion !

Next step

Here's a hint on the 320K mark. This one comes directly from ideas proposed by the backers! We are already working on first mock up and prototypes, we hope to have pictures soon :)

See you soon for the next steps of our crazy adventure ! Oh! One last little thing. We have a post up on Reddit, help us push this :)

Thank you all!!!

cheers

Nel