2018 Year End Summary; Digital Reward Distribution
over 5 years ago – Fri, Dec 28, 2018 at 02:01:46 PM

Hello Kickstarter Coterie,

Welcome to our soon-to-be regular month-end summary update, which will double as a year-end update this time! Around the end of every month going forward, I'll send out an update regarding the status of all rewards associated with this campaign, as well as letting you know about any rewards that are available, reminders about Backerkit, the lockdown process when it's almost time to ship, and giving you the inside scoop on any other kickstarters running at the time.

So, topics for today:

1. Digital Reward Distribution
2. Backerkit reminders
3. Reward Status 
4. Why is James dressed like he's from the Black Lagoon?

 
DIGITAL REWARD DISTRIBUTION

Many of the rewards for our kickstarter projects take a lot of time and effort to complete. Usually, the kickstarter is a means of moving the project from an idea (even when it's a mostly-fully-written idea) into the actual channel that turns it into a project/product. It'll be a while before we're ready to talk about delivery on Chicago By Night, and even longer for the projects generated via Stretch Goals (Chicago Folio, Let the Streets Run Red).

That said, there are a few rewards that are available now, as they were mostly add-ons or bundles of existing products, or fun Stretch Goal bonus rewards. And now, we can work on getting those out to you before the year ends.

Digital Rewards Available before December 31, 2018:

- Old Traditions PDF Bundle
- Beckett's Jyhad Diary PDF
- Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition PDF
- Digital Wallpaper: Prince's Gambit
- Digital Wallpaper: Beckett's Jyhad Diary

REWARD DISTRIBUTION  

Your link to claim these digital rewards will be sent out by our BackerKit pledge manager over the next 4 days. Since we are using our partners at DriveThruRPG as the host for this, you will need to set up a DriveThru account if you don't have one already. If you encounter any problems with downloading your rewards, please contact DTRPG's customer service to resolve the matter, they've always been top-rated for customer service. http://www.drivethrurpg.com/contact_us.php

Again, you will receive an e-mail from BackerKit with links for these rewards over the next 4 days if any of them are on your expected list of rewards. I'll be releasing them in waves, so don't panic if you only see Digital Wallpaper links today... the rest are coming.

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

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.

 
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)

REWARD TRACKING - PENDING

I'll post our list of delivered and pending rewards with each update, so that we can track everything that's needed and keep on the same page. Also, 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 (you may see spoilers for my monthly updates, or see what other kickstarter campaigns are currently running).

 
As mentioned in our last update, The Kickstarter for They Came From Beneath The Sea! is now live!  

They Came From Beneath The Sea! is a new tabletop RPG from Onyx Path, encompassing the wonder, horror, thrills, and hilarity of 1950s science fiction. This game evokes all that is great in the B-movies of decades ago, and provides a dynamic, fun experience at the table.  

The players, as humans, live in a world under increasing attack. The attackers? Aliens from beneath the sea, obviously!  

Adventures can range from the one-shot defense of small coastal town, to the lengthier liberation of a cruise ship invested with gill-kin, all the way to a campaign in which characters seize an alien submarine and ride it all the way down to the sea bed to take the fight to the invaders.  

Put down your malt shakes, turn on the jukebox, and prepare your harpoons! You don’t want to be caught unawares when it’s revealed that They Came From Beneath The Sea!

Surveys going out this week!
over 5 years ago – Thu, Dec 20, 2018 at 10:38:00 AM

Hello Kickstarter Coterie,

It's been a bit quiet since the end of the campaign, but that was all about getting ready for the next phase... and here we are!

 
BACKER SURVEYS  

Over the next few days, you’ll receive an email from us with a special link to your BackerKit survey. It’s important to respond to your survey as quickly as you can since we need this information to fulfill your rewards.

 
You don’t need to create a BackerKit account to fill out your survey. When you receive the email with the survey, click the survey link to respond. Answer the questions about your reward preferences, provide shipping information, and purchase add-on items if you like. You don’t have access to this survey link yet, but it will be available soon via email!  

After you respond to your survey, you can go back later and change your responses at any time before we close the surveys and get our final counts.

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.

MONTH END UPDATE SUMMARY

Starting with our month-end update next week, I'll post our list of delivered and pending rewards with each update, so that we can track everything that's needed and keep on the same page. Also, 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 (you may see spoilers for my monthly updates, or see what other kickstarter campaigns are currently running).

Speaking of which...

THEY CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA!

They Came From Beneath The Sea! is a new tabletop RPG from Onyx Path, encompassing the wonder, horror, thrills, and hilarity of 1950s science fiction. This game evokes all that is great in the B-movies of decades ago, and provides a dynamic, fun experience at the table.  

The players, as humans, live in a world under increasing attack. The attackers? Aliens from beneath the sea, obviously!  

Adventures can range from the one-shot defense of small coastal town, to the lengthier liberation of a cruise ship invested with gill-kin, all the way to a campaign in which characters seize an alien submarine and ride it all the way down to the sea bed to take the fight to the invaders.

Put down your malt shakes, turn on the jukebox, and prepare your harpoons! You don’t want to be caught unawares when it’s revealed that They Came From Beneath The Sea!

Backers Only - New Manuscript Link
over 5 years ago – Tue, Dec 11, 2018 at 02:55:31 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Final Hours: CHECKLIST & WHAT COMES NEXT
over 5 years ago – Wed, Dec 05, 2018 at 11:21:07 AM

Hello Kickstarter Coterie,

Just over 4 hours left... what a ride it's been!

We've had a ton of new backers join in over the past few days (hi, new backers!), and many backers adding on to their rewards or changing their reward levels. I wanted to  review the overall method to ensure you've set up your rewards, and then talk about what comes next.

1. REWARD TIER, ADD-ONs, PLEDGE TOTAL  

Please ensure you've selected the Reward Tier that best represents your desired rewards for this project. An update breaking down all of the Reward Tier decisions is HERE <link>, summarized by this chart:

Once you're sure you've selected the correct Reward Tier, double-check to see if there are any rewards that you want to include via ADD-ON, as described in the update HERE <link>.  

Your REWARD TIER determines what your base rewards are - you must select a Reward Tier to receive those rewards. Again, your reward list is based on your Reward Tier, not your total pledge amount.  

Your PLEDGE TOTAL is the sum of your REWARD TIER + SHIPPING + ADD-ONs.

Shipping is calculated automatically by Kickstarter, based on your location. Add On rewards will be selected in the post-campaign pledge manager sent out once payment processing is complete. 

SO: Ensure that you've selected the Reward Tier you want, and included funding for any Add Ons you wish to include. AND - make sure that you are comfortable with the Pledge Total amount, in terms of it covering everything you want and its' affordability.

 
2. PAYMENT AND CONTACT INFORMATION  

Once you're comfortable with your pledge, please ensure that the payment and contact information in your kickstarter account is up to date and correct. Making sure your e-mail is entered correctly and your credit card isn't expired will speed up the next step process. (I have learned from experience!)

 
WHAT COMES NEXT?

3. AFTER THE CAMPAIGN ENDS  

First, we celebrate. Kickstarter will send out a "Hooray!" email confirming the campaign ended with final totals. We'll give kindred high fives in the comments section.

Then, the Kickstarter payment process begins. Over the next week, kickstarter will begin charging your payment methods for the total amount you've pledged.

If there is an issue with your payment method (expired credit card or incorrect number or pre-paid Visa awaiting funds, for example), Kickstarter will keep trying to process payment during this time.

Once this step is done, which will likely be mid-December, Kickstarter will confirm everything with Onyx Path and transfer the funds over to them (less the Kickstarter fees, of course!).

Once the payment is confirmed, I can begin to set up the project with BackerKit and link it to the Kickstarter data.

 
Backerkit is a robust fulfillment and pledge management program that will allow us to work with all of the data and distribute the rewards to you. It will take me a few weeks to set the project up. Once I've got it all entered and built, the team from BackerKit will review to ensure I didn't mess anything up too badly, and then I'll make any changes they've suggested and we can move on to the Survey stage.

4. BACKERKIT SURVEYS  

Once BackerKit says I'm good to go, I will send out a survey to all backers. This is why confirming your e-mail is important! The survey will list the reward tier you've chosen, confirm all of the rewards associated with that reward tier, and confirm your total pledge amount.

I expect Surveys to go out near the end of December. If you opted to include any Add-On rewards to your pledge, this is the point where you will select them. BackerKit will deduct the cost of your reward tier (+shipping) from your total pledge and show you how much you have to allocate for add-on purchases. You simply select the ones you want and proceed. From that point forward, those add-ons will be included in your list of rewards.

During the Survey period, you can also also choose to increase your reward tier. If you've managed to get a winning lottery ticket and decide it's time to trade up to get two copies of the book or include another add-on, you can do so at this time. Note, you will not be able to reduce your reward tier selection, only increase.

If there was an issue with payment to Kickstarter, you should also be able to address that at this point.

The survey will ask you to confirm your shipping address, even though it'll be some time before we ship out the final product. Do not worry about moving before shipping begins - you will be able to update BackerKit right up until the point that we begin fulfilling the final book. We will send out a notice prior to lock down so you can update any information.

5. REWARD DISTRIBUTION

This is a long process, but I will send out regular updates (usually at the end of the month) to keep you up to speed on our progress. There will be strings of updates that are just "still working on it," but I will share new artwork or information when I can.

Eventually, we will have a completed PDF of Chicago By Night. We'll take some time to distribute, review, and compile any errata or corrections that need to be made. When we've made any necessary changes, we'll send out updated copy of the PDFs and then begin creating print-ready files for the hardcover version.  

It's a long road ahead, but one that we wouldn't be on if not for your support.

#ChicagoByNight

#DawnApproaches

CHICAGO BY NIGHT! CHICAGO BY DAY!
over 5 years ago – Sun, Dec 02, 2018 at 08:48:01 PM

Hello Kickstarter Coterie,

We did it! We funded a new edition of Chicago By Night and brought the Lasombra into Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition! What happens with them next is up to you...

And, while we may have wanted to hit one more Stretch Goal, our accomplishments have been outstanding! TWENTY STRETCH GOALS ACHIEVED! Two supplements for Chicago now on the drawing board! Digital wallpapers for every computer in your house! Add On opportunities, new DOG MIGHT Game Gear, and just a lot of fun!!

This is a setting about exploring the dark places and shadows of Chicago, and over the past 30 days we dug in and looked around as well as anyone could have predicted! We got together to fund this project and expand it's scope and add opportunity! Really great job, everyone!

 
THANK YOU!  

So, thank you to all the backers who supported us and made this happen. And a personal thanks to everyone who participated online, either in the comments section of the kickstarter or on social media around the web. If you look at the comments, you'll see the passion of the Vampire fan-base and the joy at meeting old friends in a new edition. Beyond that, this is a setting that's going to grow over the next years with two new supplements and lots of game play - I think we're just seeing the start of something big! I've also enjoyed tweaking my avatar to reflect my true vampire nature! One last use:

 
COMMUNICATION  

So, as noted, I'll be sending out updates once a month and whenever we've got a new goal, survey, or other item to cover. If you have any questions or need clarification on something related to the kickstarter, you can leave it in the comment section - I will be notified with every addition. Or, you can find the Contact Creator button and Rich will forward your message to me.

For setting stuff and questions about the game itself, it's probably best to post to the Onyx Path Discussion Group here http://forum.theonyxpath.com/forum/main-category/main-forum/the-classic-world-of-darkness/vampire-the-masquerade

So, thanks to everyone for helping build this community and a game celebrating the shadowy city of Chicago! Like the characters we'll be creating for our Chicago chronicles - we've made it through the night! Now on to Chicago By Day...

So, vampire high-fives all around! And now to collapse and rest... in much needed slumber...

#ChicagoByNight

#ChicagoByDay

#VampbassadorForever