We Made Honey In The Stretch Goals' Skull
about 7 years ago – Thu, Mar 07, 2019 at 11:20:59 PM

Ok, finally ready with a few announcements on shipping and stretch goals.

First, the stretch goals.

$60,000 — Book and Editors Upgraded: at this goal we're upgrading the production and compensation quality of this kickstarter. The UVG book is getting a stitched spine and a ribbon (trying to make it purple!). Our editors at the MoonRat Conspiracy, Fiona and Jarrett, are getting their paycheck doubled for all their hard work.

$70,000 - Full Color Ultraviolet: if we get here, we're paying Luka some extra cash to hide in a bunker for a couple of weeks and bring full color to the UVG. This doesn't mean every last page is going to be a riot of color (yes it does —Luka). This one's a bit risky, might bite into our 5 reserve weeks to get everything done, but hopefully will be fine.

Second, the more prosaic stuff about shipping

The numbers are not completely precise yet, because we're covering a range to account for the final weight of book, map, screen, and dice. With just the book, you're looking at the lower end, with the whole bundle, close to the upper end (all prices in USD).

USA: $4–8

UK and EU: $12–21

Canada: $18–25

Australia and New Zealand: $21–25

Rest of the world: $30–45

We're working with the Melsonian Arts Council for distribution in the UK and hammering out details with a couple of other companies to cover Australia, Canada, New Zealand the Continental EU (CEU), because Brexit is looming and we're trying to bring those shipping numbers down for you.

Why does the EU have such a spread? Well, there are 26 or 27 countries in the EU (depending on when you're reading this), each with their own postal service. Once we have the numbers nailed tighter for each individual country, the list will get longer.

--/--

Phew! That was a big announcement to get off our chests.

—Exalted Funeral Press & WTF Studios

Slow Travelling Blues
about 7 years ago – Thu, Mar 07, 2019 at 08:28:29 PM

Well ... we've got good news and bad news.

First, the good news: the first half of the manuscript (more or less, up to area 17 of 30) is layout ready — right up to the point where the editors' #NeedsMore hash tag becomes really insistent that Luka needs to illustrate a cool little map for the Near Moon.

Now, the editors haven't just cleaned up typos and such from the manuscript, they've also cleaned up the entire style and system reference, making something really solid out of the manuscript.

Next step: pushing Luka to start on the layout without procrastinating by trying to decide whether 10mm or 13mm outer margins are more true to the comics he's celebrating. Very delicate questions (not, really not).

Now, the bad news: it looks like we'll shoot past our next planned stretch goal before we manage to post what it is, because we're waiting to make sure we have the final quote in hand from our printer for better bindings before announcing them, just to make sure we don't promise something we can't deliver.

Ok, so, it's not really bad news, but as the [obscure Slovenian] saying [translated crudely into English by Luka] goes, "Nearly never caught no rabbit."

So, in lieu of that, a bit of Luka's art very directly inspired by the album cover of Orange Goblin's Time Travelling Blues (1998). Enjoy.

And if it turns out that today turns into a two-update-day, with more news from Exalted's side, well ... art updates are nice, too.

Cheers,

-Luka (WTF Studios)

Unimaginos: UVG 40K+
about 7 years ago – Mon, Mar 04, 2019 at 11:15:40 PM

Where now in the Sands of Kickstarter?

Well, that was a nice surprise. We'd hit 25K my last day in the office and while I tried to unthread myself from the omnipresent internet on vacation, of course I didn't do it completely; so I watched in a mix of delight, shock, and incomprehension as the UVG climbed and climbed, hitting goal after goal until finally ... we've run out of stretch goals.

But I did draw an extra piece, so it might as well grace an intermediate announcement, right? What's that ... an interouncement?

First, a bit of news from the production trenches: our kind editors of the Moondog Conspiracy, Fiona and Jarrett, have wrapped up with the editing of the main text and started on the appendices. I'm going to start layout on Monday and hammer out some of the last changes with them then. Content-wise we've outlined a few additional tables and charts (and one location) that really should be added to the final book. I'll post details on those as they're added. Yes, this means the final book will have slightly different text than the manuscript, but trust me - this is for your good - things like conversion tables for a few game systems, generators for some of the main creature types and factions. Should work within the planned timeframe, too, which is great.

Second, a bit of further news from the kickstarter scouts. Exalted's been holding the fort well and we'll be announcing shipping costs for Oceania, the USA, and Europe in less than a week (fingers crossed). What, Oceania? Yes! We might be able to provide something bespoke for the Counterweight Continent, too! We've also had a meeting to review our options for further stretch goals. A lot of supporters and fans have chimed in with a lot of ideas, and ... frankly ... a lot of them were better than ours (sorry Backer #1, still no confirmed yoga video in black leather jacket on top of a rock). A key thing we're looking at is adding a bit more quality to the book (yes, sewn bindings and ribbons, things like that), so we need to get some numbers back before we announce it, but it should work fine. The main thing we're avoiding is stretch goals that would make shipping more expensive or delay final production. Anyway, we'll be announcing those next week, too. I can say that we have stretch goals nailed up to $70k. Will that do for the moment? :)

Finally, wow, an unreserved and heartfelt thank you to everyone who's backing the UVG. I loved every minute I was working on it for over a year, and to have it received this way is ... well ... it was unimaginable. Now I find myself in the Sherlockian position of having eliminated the impossible, so I guess it is imaginable.

Cheers,

-Luka

Caravan Beyond Redemption
about 7 years ago – Thu, Feb 28, 2019 at 06:34:51 AM

40K and the screen is unlocked. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

What would you like to see for that mythical 60K stretch goal? Or just some other stretch goals? 

Into the Realms of Magickal Entertainment
about 7 years ago – Thu, Feb 28, 2019 at 06:34:47 AM

Shipping Updates for everyone are coming! I know we said this but we just have to finalize some contracts before we make any sort of official announcement but the folks we are working with are fantastic people you will be very familiar with. As soon as those details are ironed out we will post it but so far the UK, Europe, and AU/NZ are nearly done and that will help with the shipping costs to all you international customers. 

PS looking at all the beautiful dice options today also! 

PSS We are cooking up some more stretch goals! 

THANK YOU ALL