November 2020 Update
over 3 years ago – Sun, Nov 29, 2020 at 11:37:22 PM

Hello Heroes,

Get ready! It's time to launch our month end updates!

As noted in our last update, this is the first of our regular month end updates, though there's been nothing "regular" about these past several months. Near the end of each month, I will be sending out an update, with status notes on our main project as well as the Stretch Goal project we added. As noted in previous updates, these projects take a long time to put together. You've seen the kickstarter manuscript preview, but there are still many moving pieces and puzzles to solve in turning this into an awesome book. These month-end updates ensure that communication is constant and consistent, and that we're all on the same page with regards to where we stand.

One quick piece of business before we get to our Status Report, though:

PLEDGE MANAGER REMINDER

A reminder for those who haven' t yet completed their surveys. Most of you have confirmed your rewards, selected any Add Ons, and entered your information. No worries on setting shipping info - we'll confirm a bunch by the time we actually approach our shipping schedule, so plenty of time to update as becomes needed. But, it's important to review your pledge and confirm add on rewards.

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://scion-demigod-rpg.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://scion-demigod-rpg.backerkit.com/faq

And now, as noted, let's get a list of our rewards and where each stands. I'll send this list out around the end of each month (it may be a bit earlier in December, just to organize some time off before the year ends) to keep us all on the same page. I'll also let you know which update posts deal with each reward, in case you need to go back and catch up on some information.

REWARD TRACKING - DELIVERED TO BACKERS

• [ADD ON + PLEDGE TIER REWARD] Scion: Origin PDF for Scion 2E (Update #35, Nov 6 2020)
• [ADD ON + PLEDGE TIER REWARD] Scion: Hero PDF for Scion 2E (Update #35, Nov 6 2020)
• [ADD ON] Complete Scion 1st Edition PDF Bundle (Update #35, Nov 6 2020)
• [ADD ON] Scion: Mysteries of the World PDF for 2E  (Update #35, Nov 6 2020)
• [ADD ON] Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook PDF (Update #35, Nov 6 2020)
• [ADD ON] Trinity Continuum Æon Rulebook PDF (Update #35, Nov 6 2020)
• [ADD ON] They Came from Beneath the Sea! Rulebook PDF (Update #35, Nov 6 2020)

REWARD TRACKING - PENDING

• [Pledge Tier]  Scion: Demigod PDF 
• [Pledge Tier]  Scion: Demigod Hardcover 
• [Pledge Tier]  Scion: Demigod Discounted Print-on-Demand Order Link
• [Add On]  Scion: Demigod Storyguide Screen 
• [Pledge Tier]  Scion: Hero Storyguide Screen - to ship with Scion: Demigod Hardcover
• [Pledge Tier]  Scion: Hero Deluxe Dice - to ship with Scion: Demigod Hardcover
• [Add On] Scion: Origin 2E Hardcover - to ship with Scion: Demigod Hardcover
• [Add On] Scion: Hero 2E Hardcover - to ship with Scion: Demigod Hardcover
• [Pledge Tier] Signed Book Insert
• [Stretch Goal] Redbubble T-shirt Link
• [Stretch Goal] Scion: Demigod Digital Wallpaper
• [Stretch Goal] Scion: Demigod Companion PDF
• [Stretch Goal] Scion Second Edition Scenario Trilogy PDF

Well, now we've got a list that we're gonna work through. I'll send an update any time we have a new reward and we'll keep track via these monthly updates. There's still a long road to travel as we work through this phase of the project, but we'll be walking it together and I'll work to ensure we don't stray too far from our destination.

I will continue to post our list of delivered and pending rewards with each monthly 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.

If you have any other questions or concerns, you can post them to the comments for this update, the comment section, or message me via one of these methods:

TO CONTACT ME

• Via E-Mail: Onyx.Kickstarter [at] gmail.com
• Via Kickstarter: Click Rich Thomas under the "Created By" heading on the main page, and then press the "Contact Me" button - the message will come to me!
• Via BackerKit: Click "Need Help?" from your page, and then fill in the Contact Us form. BackerKit will pass your message along to me.

NOW ON KICKSTARTER

A new mega-adventure for the Scarred Lands setting, Dead Man’s Rust contains:

• A complete campaign taking characters from level 1 to 10
• Detailed write-ups of four major locations in central Ghelspad: the Broadreach Horizon, The Gleaming Valley, the Hornsaw Forest, and the necromancer’s stronghold of Glivid-Autel.
• New playable options including races, subraces, and subclasses
• New monsters, magic items, and more!

Check it out on Kickstarter!

Digital Reward Distribution - Existing PDFs going out this week!
over 3 years ago – Sat, Nov 07, 2020 at 04:09:24 AM

Hello Heroes & Good Day Demigods,

It's been just over a week since we launched out BackerKit Post-Campaign Pledge Manager, and most of you have visited, set up your Add On rewards, and confirmed your reward selections. With that information, I've been able to set up and start allocation on some of our existing rewards (i.e., the Scion: Origin and Scion: Hero PDFs and many of the other Add On titles). 

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 Scion: Demigod, and even longer for our projects generated via Stretch Goals (Demigod Companion, Scion Scenarios).

That said, there are a few rewards that are available now, as they were mostly add-on PDFs of existing products. And now, we can work on getting those out to you during the weekend.

The following Add On Rewards Will Be Distributed This Week:

• [ADD ON + PLEDGE TIER REWARD] Scion: Origin PDF for Scion Second Edition
• [ADD ON + PLEDGE TIER REWARD] Scion: Hero PDF for Scion Second Edition 
• [ADD ON] Complete Scion 1st Edition PDF Bundle
• [ADD ON] Scion: Mysteries of the World PDF for Scion Second Edition
• [ADD ON] Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook PDF 
• [ADD ON] Trinity Continuum Æon Rulebook PDF 
• [ADD ON] They Came from Beneath the Sea! Rulebook PDF 

REWARD DISTRIBUTION

Your link to claim these digital rewards will be sent out by our BackerKit pledge manager over the weekend. Since we are using our partners at DriveThruRPG as the hosts for these, 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.ph

Again, you will receive an e-mail from BackerKit with links for these rewards over the next 3 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 a handful of links at first... the rest are coming. (We're in a digital world, but there are still a lot of manual processes. And there are A LOT of links to go out!!)

The easiest way to see if you've got digital downloads available is to login to your backerkit account:

https://scion-demigod-rpg.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.

Which is a good reminder for those who haven't yet logged in to BackerKit, and also those who will want to revisit and/or revise their survey (maybe you've decided to take another look at the Add Ons, now that they're going out?)

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://scion-demigod-rpg.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://scion-demigod-rpg.backerkit.com/faq

OK, that's a lot of stuff for an update after the longest week of the year. I'll be back at the end of the month with our regular, ongoing status check-ins. Keep an eye out for reward e-mails (coming over the next few days), and revisit your survey if you want to review your pledge rewards and confirm your Add On options.

TO CONTACT ME

•  Via E-Mail: Onyx.Kickstarter [at] gmail.com
•  Via Kickstarter: Click Rich Thomas under the "Created By" heading on the main page, and then press the "Contact Me" button - the message will come to me!
•  Via BackerKit: Click "Need Help?" from your page, and then fill in the Contact Us form. BackerKit will pass your message along to me.

Surveys Going Out This Week!
over 3 years ago – Thu, Oct 29, 2020 at 09:48:56 AM

Greetings, Demigods!

Starting next month, November 2020, I will send out the first of our regular month end updates. Near the end of each month, I will be sending out an update with status notes on our main project as well as the Stretch Goal projects we added. As noted in previous updates, these projects take a long time to put together. You've seen the manuscript preview PDF, but there are still many moving pieces and puzzles to solve in turning this into an awesome book. These month-end updates ensure that communication is constant and consistent, and that we're all on the same page with regards to where we stand.

That's info for November, though. Let's talk about this month instead, because...

I will also be sending out the BackerKit Pledge Manager surveys over the next 4 days!

But, before we begin all of that - I hope everyone's keeping safe and managing through our current times as best possible. I don't know how things will look as the world continues to change, but hoping the best for all of you.

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 invitation 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, and that won't happen until the books are printed and we're preparing to ship.

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://scion-demigod-rpg.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://scion-demigod-rpg.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 message me via one of these methods:

TO CONTACT ME

•  Via E-Mail: Onyx.Kickstarter [at] gmail.com
•  Via Kickstarter: Click Richard Thomas under the "Created By" heading on the main page, and then press the "Contact Me" button - the message will come to me!
•  Via BackerKit: Click "Need Help?" from your page, and then fill in the Contact Us form. BackerKit will pass your message along to me.

If there are any issues you find with the Pledge Manager, please contact me as soon as possible to let me know. It rolls out in waves so that I can correct issues on the fly and make it work as best possible as people come on board.

Please send me an e-mail (to the address above) if there were any tweaks or changes that need to be made to your BackerKit survey that we talked about during the campaign. I have aged about thirty years in 2020 so far and my memory is... not as good as I'd like.

Within the BackerKit Survey and Pledge Manager, you can:

• Review your Pledge Tier Selection and Rewards
• Upgrade your Reward Tier pledge selection
• Confirm Add On selections
• Set up payment information for any failed payments from the Kickstarter campaign or to pay for any new Add On options selected

When you click on your BackerKit invitation link, you should see something like this...

From the BackerKit welcome page you can choose to

1 - Review Your Pledge Level and Rewards

2 - Switch Your Pledge Level 

3 - Start Your Survey, confirming pledge rewards, selecting Add On options, and confirming any shipping and payment info that may be needed

If you select option 1, your Pledge Level, you will see a list of all items included in your Pledge Rewards, and also have the option to upgrade your Pledge Level, in case you've decided to get the hardcover instead of just the PDF, or want to choose a multiple copy reward.

 Once you've confirmed that your Pledge Level is correct and where you want it to be, you can GET STARTED with your BackerKit Pledge Manager Survey.

Once we've got a fair response to our survey and collected a reasonable amount of info, I'll be working on fulfilling rewards that are available now - like the PDFs of the titles included in our Add On section (Scion: Origin PDF, Scion: Hero PDF and other existingPDFs). 

So, in summary:

• Look for an e-mail invitation to BackerKit sometime over the next few days
• Get Started on your survey
• Confirm your Pledge Level
• Select Any Add On options
• Confirm Your Shipping Information (if needed)
• Confirm Your Payment Information (if needed)

I will post an update in another week or so, outlining the delivery of our first Add On rewards (the existing PDF titles, as noted above) and beginning distribution of those PDF rewards. And, you'll hear from me again at the end of November as I begin our regular month end status updates.

FINAL DAYS ON KICKSTARTER

Backers Only - New Compiled Manuscript Link
over 3 years ago – Tue, Oct 13, 2020 at 11:35:40 PM

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

FINAL HOURS: CHECKLIST & WHAT COMES NEXT
over 3 years ago – Wed, Oct 07, 2020 at 07:27:44 AM

Hello Champions of the World,

Welcome to the final hours of this campaign. What an amazing ride this project has been! These past 4 weeks have been epic, starting with a great first day and continuing that enthusiasm and excitement right up until the end. We gained backers and support throughout every step of the campaign, which has just been great!

As I prepare to post this, we are just about SEVEN HOURS from the end of this campaign, and approaching an amazing finish!

Great job, everyone!

Refresher Course

We've had a lot of new backers join in during these last days. I want to take a moment to highlight some key Update posts that new backers may want to check out (and existing backers may want to read as a refresher!).

MANUSCRIPT PREVIEW - As noted, the complete Preview Manuscript is available for you to review prior to the conclusion of the campaign. If you're a backer, you'll have access to this preview manuscript after the campaign. Remember, though, there are still some minor edits, development and proofing that need to be done. But, you can consider this about 96.8% finished. Making the manuscript available for review before the campaign ends ensures that everyone know exactly what our goal is - making this book - and are on board with our aims for this project. Thanks for your support, we're all in this together!

Maybe even more important - it allows you to provide  your feedback at the earliest stage ever! You can use the Scion Feedback Form to help Onyx Path while they forge the raw material of the manuscript into a legendary PDF

September 26 update - REWARD TIERS - your best starting point for figuring out which Backer Reward Level to choose to help support this project.

September 27 update - ADD ON REWARDS - the important companion piece to the Reward Tiers topic, including information on how to increase your pledge amount to maybe add the Storyguide Screen or maybe Scion: Origin and Scion: Hero to your list of rewards.

September 30 update - STRETCH GOALS - and check out all of the above and beyond rewards we're getting thanks to the community! AND, WEVE HIT TWO MORE STRETCH GOALS SINCE I POSTED THAT!  can we add one more before the end?

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.

I'm going to speak against my own self interest for a moment, and repeat myself one last time - the world has become a bit more unpredictable and some futures are a little less certain. Ensure that your circumstances enable to afford this pledge at this moment - Kickstarter will begin processing payments after the campaign ends and neither Onyx Path nor I have any involvement in that process. If you are unsure of your financial situation but don't want to miss out, please pledge for a tier you can afford now and know that you will likely be able to upgrade to open pledge levels in our post-campaign Pledge Manager for some time before the book is completed.

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 sociallly-distanced high fives and virtual fist bumps 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-October, Kickstarter will confirm everything with Onyx Path and I can begin to set up the project with BackerKit and link it to the Kickstarter data. 

BackerKit is a robust fulfillment integration 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 BackerKit survey is both a verb and a noun - it will collect data for the analysis of some aspect of a group (enabling Onyx Path to set print runs, prioritize new projects, and fine-tune future kickstarters), as well as providing a general review or summary of 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 by early November. 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 gone back to work or found an alternate income source 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 in the process.

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.

I'll also use the Survey to confirm some details for the limited and premium reward tiers.

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 Scion: Demigod. 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 Print-on-Demand and hardcover version.

It's yet another long process ahead, but one that we wouldn't be on if not for your faith and support.

#ScionDemigod

#ScionSecondEdition