2019 Year End Summary
almost 5 years ago – Mon, Dec 30, 2019 at 02:44:22 PM

Hello Kickstarter Coterie,

With these final days of 2019, I wanted to do a quick spotlight on our campaign, check in on where we are now, and a look at Onyx Path's journey over this past year.

Rewards from 2019

Summer 2019 saw the initial backer release of the Chicago By Night PDF, and the response was tremendous. 

Great things are in store for 2020! I'm just waiting final confirmation (holiday timelines threw a wrench into the works, as noted in the last update), but our fulfillment partners should be ready to start packing up orders once the calendar turns and everyone's back to work. The books will be shipping - finally - soon!! I'll send updates whenever I have new information and confirmations.

Also, special note to our Brazilian backers - your import rules are changing effective Jan 1. I'll be sending you an e-mail with additional instructions tomorrow. Basically, we'll need you to update your shipping information to now include your Tax ID. More details soon.

REWARD TRACKING - Completed Rewards (Sent to Backers)

• Old Traditions PDF Bundle (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)
• Beckett’s Jyhad Diary PDF (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)  
• Vampire 5th Edition PDF  (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)  
• Digital Wallpaper: Beckett’s Jyhad Diary (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)
• Digital Wallpaper: Prince’s Gambit (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)  
• Redbubble T-shirt Link (Update # 42, May 16, 2019)
• Chicago By Night Backer PDF  (Update # 46, July 25, 2019; Final PDF Update #51)

REWARD TRACKING - PENDING

• Chicago By Night Hardcover 
• Chicago By Night PoD Coupon
• The Chicago Folio PDF
• The Chicago Folio PoD Coupon
• Let the Streets Run Red PDF
• Prince’s Gambit Card Game 
• Digital Wallpaper: Chicago By Night

So, many great things ahead for 2020! And even more Vampire goodness on the horizon... check out our latest kickstarter!

ONYX PATH ON KICKSTARTER IN 2019

Kickstarter continues to be an important part of the process for Onyx Path, and looking at the long list of projects in the works on the Monday Meeting Notes blog, it certainly looks like that’ll be the case in the new year.

I mean, check out the Onyx Path 2019-2020 Publishing Brochure for a taste of all the things they've got going on!

Rather than just take pre-order for an upcoming project, Kickstarter has allowed Onyx Path to gauge interest in game lines (to see if they should develop additional projects beyond those offered during the campaign), and sometimes even add additional projects to a game line immediately via Stretch Goal achievements. More importantly, it’s a chance to interact with the community and for everyone to get involved from the earliest stages.

Looking at 2019, Onyx Path had 7 Kickstarter campaigns funded, as well as teaming up with Handiwork Games on a successful campaign for the Scarred Lands 5E Creature Collection.

• THEY CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA!
• LUNARS: FANGS AT THE GATES
• CONTAGION CHRONICLE
• PIRATES OF PUGMIRE
• TRINITY CONTINUUM: ABERRANT
• DEVIANT: THE RENEGADES
• MUMMY: THE CURSE Second Edition

And, though the campaign is only halfway along and will finish in 2020, the recent Cults of the Blood Gods for Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition funded in under an hour, which technically makes it funded in 2019!

Thanks to your support during these campaigns, Onyx Path was able to introduce the following additional projects:

• Monsters of the Deep for They Came from Beneath the Sea!
• Tales of Aquatic Terror for They Came from Beneath the Sea!
• Heroic Land Dwellers for They Came from Beneath the Sea!
• Many-Faced Strangers – a Lunars Companion for Exalted Third Edition
• A Lunars-focused novella for Exalted Third Edition
• A Lunars-focused cloth map of Creation for Exalted Third Edition
• The Contagion Chronicle Player’s Companion
• Global Outbreaks for the Contagion Chronicle
• An Adventure for Pirates of Pugmire
• A Pirates of Pugmire-focused Guide Screen
• Releasing You Are Not Alone on DrivethruComics
• Scanning and releasing the “Lost” PDF titles from Aberrant 1stEdition
• N!WE for Trinity Continuum: Aberrant
• Proteus Nova Compendium for Trinity Continuum: Aberrant
• Novas Worldwide for Trinity Continuum: Aberrant
• 2 Aberrant-focused novellas
• Brand new Duke Rollo fiction to support Trinity Continuum: Aberrant
• The Clades Companion for Deviant: The Renegades
• The Devoted Companion for Deviant: The Renegades
• A Deviant novella
• The Book of Lasting Death for Mummy: The Curse Second Edition

All of that is in addition to the usual backer rewards, like T-shirt designs and digital wallpapers.

So, thank you for coming with me on this journey, and I hope that 2020 allows all of us to continue to enjoy and build these communities!

First Kickstarter of 2020: Cults of the Blood Gods

In all of Vampire: The Masquerade's history, there's never been a book wholly dedicated to the diverse faiths and cults among Kindred, the ways in which they practice, their relationships with each other, and how to utilize religion in your chronicles as a force of hope and destruction.

Cults of the Blood Gods is the book you want, if you're interested in incorporating ecclesiastical horror in your games. This book contains everything you need to have each Kindred in your coterie establish a cult, cleave to a unique faith, and establish domains in the name of an ancient methuselah, being of myth, or even the Kindred protagonists themselves.

Not only that, it provides the tools necessary to play members of the Clan of Death, once known as the Cappadocians, then the Giovanni, and now the Hecata, as well as new powers for members of a large number of cults, rules for creating your own religions, and an entire story set in Munich with ready-made characters, so you can play immediately upon receipt of the book.

Already funded and now focused on Stretch Goal supplements, you can check it out on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/cults-of-the-blood-gods-for-vampire-the-masquerade-5th-ed/

November 2019 Update - with an update on Shipping
about 5 years ago – Tue, Nov 26, 2019 at 06:41:08 PM

Good morning, Kickstarter Coterie,

I've finally got some information on the shipping schedule for our books, so I'm combining it with the November update to get everyone on the same page.

SHIPPING UPDATE

This is not good news.

This is not bad news, either - there are no disasters or catastrophes. The books exist, and will be going out to backers. 

Just not on the schedule we were anticipating / working toward.

This project is obviously very important to Onyx Path, and very very important to the license holders and partners, since Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition is a crown jewel in their portfolio. We're working diligently with multiple fulfillment houses on two continents to get the books out as quickly as possible. But, unfortunately, in order to have time for receiving, processing, picking, packing and shipping within the month of December, the books needed to deliver to the fulfillment warehouses before the end of November (which, I guess, has become November 27). Understandably, this is just an extremely busy time of year, not only for our fulfillment partners, but for their partners - their shipping affiliates, truck drivers, warehouse staff, etc. 

So, the good news is that there's no issue with the Chicago By Night hardcover book - it exists, I'm told it's gorgeous, and will be delivered to all backers. But, a series of events slightly delayed the printing, which took slightly longer than projected, and then slightly delayed the shipment from the printer to the warehouse, and adding up all of those slight delays has meant the schedule slowly slipping away in front of my eyes. 

Bottom line: it doesn't look like the books will be delivered in December as expected / planned for / hoped for. I'll continue to follow up with all parties, and our fulfillment partners will shift schedules as they can, but baring any unexpected magic, the books will not be in your hands until the new year.

If anyone needs to revise their address for delivery in January, please contact me at onyx.kickstarter @gmail.com (without the space) and I'll update your shipping info.

That's the disappointing news. But, there's good news, and exciting news as well. Hopefully, the fun bits take the sting out of the delivery delay a little bit...

FINAL PDF

Standard practice has Onyx Path loading up the final PDF for release to DriveThru when they're ready to flip the "for sale" switch. That means they've got the Print-on-Demand proofs reviewed and approved, and the final PDF and PoD versions are loaded up and can be launched with one major update.

Usually, this takes place after the kickstarter hardcovers have delivered. After all, you backers are the ones who supported these efforts and helped bring this project to life - it's only fair that you're first to hold the results of all the work.

And Onyx Path wants you to have the final version PDF - the one that matches the final print version and is based on the same files used for the hardcover print run - so they're putting in extra effort and updating early.

The final version of the Chicago By Night will be available shortly on DrivethruRPG for backers.

Thanks to the redemption links sent out to backers via BackerKit (if you haven't redeemed yours, check Backerkit for your digital rewards, as explained in Update # 46), only backers have had access to the Chicago By Night PDF and been able to add it to your library at DriveThruRPG.com. Shortly, the version in your library will be updated and available for you to re-download.

If you've opted in to e-mail communications with DriveThru, you'll likely get a notice when this happens. Regardless, you'll be able to see the updated version in your library by searching for "Chicago By Night" and checking the "Updated" date, or filtering your library to Updated Titles Only and scrolling down to find Chicago By Night.

If you haven't yet used your digital redemption code provided by BackerKit, you'll be downloading the most recent version, and you can confirm by checking the "Updated" date on your listing.

CHICAGO FOLIO PREVIEW

Nobody wanted the Chicago By Night hardcover in your hands this year more than the Gentleman Gamer himself, developer Matthew Dawkins. Despite the shipping delay, he knows that backers are just eager to see the shadowy world of Chicago manifested for V5. With that in mind, he's compiled a large manuscript extract from the upcoming Chicago Folio supplement, additional content we launched via Stretch Goal achievement.

Your link to download the Chicago Folio sample content PDF will be sent out by our BackerKit pledge manager over the next day. I'll be sending that link out to all backers set to receive the Chicago Folio PDF as one of their kickstarter rewards. Please remember, as with the manuscript previews during the campaign, this is just the manuscript in it's roughest form, so expect a few edges that need to be smoothed down.

The easiest way to see if you've got digital downloads available is to login to your backerkit account: https://chicago-by-night-v5.backerkit.com/backer/digital_rewards and it'll show anything available. Your backerkit account should also confirm all rewards that you should expect from your reward tier selected.

If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://chicago-by-night-v5.backerkit.com

If you used your Facebook credentials to log in to your Kickstarter account, the BackerKit survey is sent to the email address you use for your Facebook account. If you have another email address that you prefer to use, please contact support at https://chicago-by-night-v5.backerkit.com/faq

And now, with all of that out for review, I'll continue our standard practice of keeping us up to date with our reward delivery:

REWARD TRACKING - Completed Rewards (Sent to Backers)

• Old Traditions PDF Bundle (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)
      • Beckett’s Jyhad Diary PDF (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)  
      • Vampire 5th Edition PDF  (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)  
      • Digital Wallpaper: Beckett’s Jyhad Diary (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)
      • Digital Wallpaper: Prince’s Gambit (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)  
      • Redbubble T-shirt Link (Update # 42, May 16, 2019)
      • Chicago By Night Backer PDF  (Update # 46, July 25, 2019; Final PDF Update #51)

REWARD TRACKING - PENDING

• Chicago By Night Hardcover -> Projected to ship Jan 2020
      • Chicago By Night PoD Coupon
      • The Chicago Folio PDF
      • The Chicago Folio PoD Coupon
      • Let the Streets Run Red PDF
      • Prince’s Gambit Card Game -> Projected to ship Jan 2020
      • Digital Wallpaper: Chicago By Night

I'll post our list of delivered and pending rewards with each update, so that we're always on the same page as to where all rewards and projects stand. Feel free to check out Onyx Path's Monday Meeting Notes posts (linked here) which will give you a weekly status report on ALL of the projects Onyx Path has on the go.

If you check it out, you'll see that despite the delay on the fulfillment side of this V5 project, that hasn't slowed down the creative team... and we'll be seeing Onyx Path's next V5 project, Cults of the Blood Gods, coming to kickstarter soon!

October 2019 Update
about 5 years ago – Thu, Oct 31, 2019 at 09:50:51 PM

Happy Halloween, Kickstarter Coterie!

I'm sneaking in on the final day of the month to send out our regular update! It'll be super-quick, as I'm spending most of the day changing costumes! It's like a Concierge fashion show!

PREPARE FOR BACKERKIT PAYMENT PROCESSING TOMORROW

We've locked in our rewards and have provided final numbers to our printing and shipping partners. Now, we've got two more key steps before fulfillment of the hardcover book:

1. CONFIRM ALL PAYMENT INFORMATION - For any additions you made in BackerKit, or any payments that did not process at the end of the Kickstarter campaign, please ensure your payment information is up to date, valid, and ready to be processed by NOVEMBER 1, 2019. Tomorrow, I will instruct BackerKit to lock down and process all outstanding payments.

2. CONFIRM SHIPPING INFORMATION - Please ensure your shipping information is up-to-date with your expected address for December 2019. Please ensure that this information is entered and correct by NOVEMBER 8, 2019. In one week's time, I will take the shipping information we have for you in BackerKit and provide that to our fulfillment partners, so they can start picking and packing orders, with plans to begin shipping by the end of November and early December.

ADDRESS CONFIRMATION & DELIVERY OBLIGATIONS.

Consider this the (at least) four-weeks-from-fulfillment warning to update your information, after which point, you agree that our responsibility to you is to ship your order as listed in our pledge manager system to the address listed in BackerKit, that title and risk passes to you upon delivery to a common carrier for such shipment, and you are responsible for import duties or any other duties that may be payable to the relevant tax authorities, providing correct address information and ensuring this address is deliverable by normal methods. Failure to confirm mailing address prior to November 8, 2019 will be taken as agreement that all obligations have been met and no further action or effort is required on the part of Onyx Path.

(Of course, if you're getting digital rewards only, you don't need to worry about your address. This is just for the physical books and screens).

If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://chicago-by-night-v5.backerkit.com

If you used your Facebook credentials to log in to your Kickstarter account, the BackerKit survey is sent to the email address you use for your Facebook account. If you have another email address that you prefer to use, please contact support at https://chicago-by-night-v5.backerkit.com/faq

REWARD TRACKING - Completed Rewards (Sent to Backers)

• Old Traditions PDF Bundle (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)
 • Beckett’s Jyhad Diary PDF (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)  
 • Vampire 5th Edition PDF  (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)  
 • Digital Wallpaper: Beckett’s Jyhad Diary (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)
 • Digital Wallpaper: Prince’s Gambit (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)  
 • Redbubble T-shirt Link (Update # 42, May 16, 2019)
 • Chicago By Night Backer PDF  (Update # 46, July 25, 2019)

REWARD TRACKING - PENDING

• Chicago By Night Hardcover
 • Chicago By Night PoD Coupon
 • The Chicago Folio PDF
 • The Chicago Folio PoD Coupon
 • Let the Streets Run Red PDF
 • Prince’s Gambit Card Game
 • Digital Wallpaper: Chicago By Night

I'll post our list of delivered and pending rewards with each update, so that we're always on the same page as to where all rewards and projects stand. Feel free to check out Onyx Path's Monday Meeting Notes posts (linked here) which will give you a weekly status report on ALL of the projects Onyx Path has on the go.

COMING TO KICKSTARTER ON NOVEMBER 5TH...

In Mummy: The Curse, players take on the characters of the Arisen, humans who were subjects of the greatest magic ever worked by mortal hands, the Rite of Return, in the long-lost Nameless Empire. As part of the Rite, they underwent ritual death, and their souls were eternally bound to their mortal remains. Consequently, while the Arisen can be killed, they will always return, their bodies reforming anew.

Mummy: The Curse Second Edition includes all the rules you need to play as one of the Arisen: Decrees and Pillars that reflect the transformation by the Rite of Return, Utterances and Affinities as the powers you wield and the price you pay for them, magical relics and vessels for use or sacrifice, and all manner of antagonists from immortals to Shuankhsen and others besides.

Pledge to help us create and get this Second Edition of Chronicles of Darkness' Mummy: The Curse into stores! The Kickstarter rises from its tomb on Tuesday, November 5th at 2pm Eastern time!

Survey Review & Lock Down
about 5 years ago – Fri, Oct 11, 2019 at 05:00:51 PM

Hello Kickstarter Coterie,

As mentioned briefly in the last update, it's time to start the LOCKDOWN PROCESS!

IT'S TIME TO LOCK DOWN THE SURVEYS AND PREPARE FOR SHIPPING!!

Just to pause a moment in the middle of celebration, I ask that everyone reviews their BackerKit survey to confirm rewards and lock in information. Look for instructions below on how to access your Survey again, but key follow-up steps are:

1. CONFIRM REWARDS - I'll be locking down all Reward Lists, so if you wanted to add any additional rewards, please do so by OCTOBER 18, 2019. In a week's time, I will lock down all reward lists and you won't be able to adjust or add anything after that time.

2. CONFIRM ALL PAYMENT INFORMATION - For any additions you made in BackerKit, or any payments that did not process at the end of the Kickstarter campaign, please ensure your payment information is up to date, valid, and ready to be processed by NOVEMBER 1, 2019. In three weeks time, I will instruct BackerKit to lock down and process all outstanding payments.

3. CONFIRM SHIPPING INFORMATION - Please ensure your shipping information is up-to-date with your expected address for December 2019. Please ensure that this information is entered and correct by NOVEMBER 8, 2019. In four weeks time, I will take the shipping information we have for you in BackerKit and provide that to our fulfillment partners, so they can start picking and packing orders, with plans to begin shipping by the end of November and early December.

ADDRESS CONFIRMATION & DELIVERY OBLIGATIONS.

Consider this the (at least) four-weeks-from-fulfillment warning to update your information, after which point, you agree that our responsibility to you is to ship your order as listed in our pledge manager system to the address listed in BackerKit, that title and risk passes to you upon delivery to a common carrier for such shipment, and you are responsible for import duties or any other duties that may be payable to the relevant tax authorities, providing correct address information and ensuring this address is deliverable by normal methods. Failure to confirm mailing address prior to November 8, 2019 will be taken as agreement that all obligations have been met and no further action or effort is required on the part of Onyx Path.

(Of course, if you're getting digital rewards only, you don't need to worry about your address. This is just for the physical books and screens).

SHIPPING UPDATE TO COME

This is all in anticipation of shipping around the beginning of December. I will send another update when the books are actually ready to go and will begin shipping, but we need to have this information locked down prior to that stage. If you find yourself in an unusual circumstance or your residence unexpectedly changes between November 8th and the date I send out the shipping update, contact me to see what I can do at that time.

BACKERKIT REVIEW

If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://chicago-by-night-v5.backerkit.com

If you used your Facebook credentials to log in to your Kickstarter account, the BackerKit survey is sent to the email address you use for your Facebook account. If you have another email address that you prefer to use, please contact support at https://chicago-by-night-v5.backerkit.com/faq

I'll continue to monitor the comment section for this campaign and answer any questions that come up. If you have any issues or problems with other aspects of the project, you can let me know here and we'll figure out a solution. Additionally, I'll be forwarded any important questions that are sent in via the CONTACT ME button under the Rich's creator link on the main page.

I will send out our regular month-end update with progress on all rewards noted, as well as a reminder about BackerKit information lock down dates. Until then, continue on with the celebration and parades!

September 2019 Update
about 5 years ago – Sat, Sep 28, 2019 at 11:29:13 PM

Hello Kickstarter Coterie,

This is the calm before the storm - no major announcements in this update, but we're getting ever closer to our big reward.

Pre-Review Review

The files for Chicago By Night have been sent to the printer. There are still a lot of steps involved, including reviewing printer proofs and making final corrections/tweaks before the actual print process is unleashed, but we're on the precipice of moving into a major phase of the campaign.

Once the proofs are approved and actual printing has begun, I will begin our lockdown phase, where I solidify the orders and quantities and lock in everyone's order in BackerKit. We'll then process any outstanding payments (either stuff that didn't process correctly on Kickstarter or payment for Add Ons from backerkit, or pre-orders), and then I'll get everyone to confirm their shipping addresses.

If you want to get out way in front, you can review your information in BackerKit - make sure your order is correct and includes any Add On information that you needed to provide, payment information is updated and ready (if required), and your shipping address is current - or current to where you'll be in late November and December 2019.

Again, we're not *quite* at that stage yet, but it's not a bad idea to give everything a once over now, so it's all good when the time comes. When I get the green light, I'll be sending out a 6-week timeline that will break these steps into bi-weekly deadlines, so you'll have plenty of time to re-review!

If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://chicago-by-night-v5.backerkit.com

If you used your Facebook credentials to log in to your Kickstarter account, the BackerKit survey is sent to the email address you use for your Facebook account. If you have another email address that you prefer to use, please contact support at https://chicago-by-night-v5.backerkit.com/faq

If you have any other questions or concerns, you can post them to the comments for this update, the comment section, or contact the team via the Contact Creator link on the kickstarter page and Rich will forward it to me.

ONYX PATH PROJECT STATUS

Information about products of interest, taken from the Monday Meeting Notes

Post-Approval Development:
 - Cults of the Blood Gods (upcoming V5 project)

Editing:
 - Let the Streets Run Red (V5 Chicago Kickstarter reward)

Post-Editing Development:
  - The Chicago Folio (V5 Chicago Kickstarter reward)

Files Sent to Printer:
 - Chicago By Night (V5 Chicago Kickstarter reward)

REWARD TRACKING - Completed Rewards (Sent to Backers)

• Old Traditions PDF Bundle (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)
 • Beckett’s Jyhad Diary PDF (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)  
 • Vampire 5th Edition PDF  (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)  
 • Digital Wallpaper: Beckett’s Jyhad Diary (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)
 • Digital Wallpaper: Prince’s Gambit (Update # 37, Dec 28, 2018)  
 • Redbubble T-shirt Link (Update # 42, May 16, 2019)
 • Chicago By Night Backer PDF  (Update # 46, July 25, 2019)

REWARD TRACKING - PENDING

• Chicago By Night Hardcover
 • Chicago By Night PoD Coupon
 • The Chicago Folio PDF
 • The Chicago Folio PoD Coupon
 • Let the Streets Run Red PDF
 • Prince’s Gambit Card Game
 • Digital Wallpaper: Chicago By Night

I'll post our list of delivered and pending rewards with each update, so that we're always on the same page as to where all rewards and projects stand. Feel free to check out Onyx Path's Monday Meeting Notes posts (linked here) which will give you a weekly status report on ALL of the projects Onyx Path has on the go.

A NEW game enters the World of the Chronicles of Darkness...

You woke up… different. Someone changed you: on a slab, an operating table, an altar. By luck or by fate, you escaped. Hunted by your creators, they hold all the cards, and it seems they might recapture you. Except, what they don’t understand is they’ve stoked the fires of vengeance; what they did wasn’t right. What they don’t know is that now — you’re hunting them.

Deviant: The Renegades presents a game where the victims of experiments band together to bring down the monolithic organizations that twisted and warped them. Now funding Kickstarter from Onyx Path - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/deviant-the-renegades-a-tabletop-roleplaying-game

Also: More Monsters for that OTHER 5th Edition Game...

Onyx Path has teamed up with Handiwork Games to update and expand the legendary Creature Collection for their Scarred Lands 5th Edition setting! Right now, gangs of monsters are battling each other to see who gets to be included in the book! Join in and root for your favorites!

Kickstarter Campaign Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/339646881/scarred-lands-creature-collection-for-5th-edition-rpg