Dead Man's Rust Interviews
over 3 years ago – Sun, Dec 20, 2020 at 07:00:51 PM

Hey there, Hornsaw Heroes,

Tomorrow, I'm going to start our Final Week Countdown, where I'll go over some of the ins-and-outs of this campaign for backers over our final week. Discussing stuff like Pledge Tiers and Add Ons and stuff like that. So, if you've got a question about how this thing works, I'll hopefully have an answer over the next 7 days. And if not, ask me!

But today, I'm going to share a couple more pieces for those who are still on the fence or already on board but, like me, always enjoy a peek behind the curtain. I love these interviews with the creative team - it really helps shine a light on some of the awesome aspects of this book.

First up, Egg Embry over at ENWorld had a virtual chat with Travis Legge about Dead Man's Rust.

Here's a sample:

EGG EMBRY (EGG): Travis, we’ve talked before, often about Scarred Lands. Let’s keep that tradition going. Let me start by asking the basics about the latest Kickstarter, what is Dead Man’s Rust?
TRAVIS LEGGE (TRAVIS): Dead Man’s Rust is a campaign suitable for new or existing characters that takes place throughout the Hornsaw Forest region of central Ghelspad. The story opens in the city of Leoni where the adventurers meet an aging Broadreach dwarf named Dradoki Bronzeleaf, who is looking for a group to escort him to the Broadreach Horizon, the last pristine region of the Hornsaw Forest, so that he can live out his final days among his people. When the party arrives in the Broadreach Horizon, they discover a foul mystery. A century of hollow legionnaires, dispatched to the area from the Gleaming Valley on a diplomatic mission, has seen several of their members go missing. Their leader, Rivana, seeks help locating her missing soldiers. The investigation takes the party across the Hornsaw Forest and reveals an emerging threat in the form of a magical plague called Legionnaire’s Rust that could spell total destruction for the hollow legionnaires and their hollow knight progenitors. The quest to end this terrible plague leads the adventurers to the cities of the Gleaming Valley and ultimately into the foul necropolis of the necromancers of Glivid-Autel. Each area the campaign passes through is presented as a detailed sandbox filled with threats, story hooks, NPCs, and potential rewards. Aside from events that are directly attached to the core plot, Dead Man’s Rust provides a robust sandbox offering elements that can drive gameplay for countless hours at the table. The book offers a core, linear campaign nestled in a thoroughly developed and flavorful environment unlike anything seen previously in 5e.

Read the whole interview <HERE>

And if you need more, a good portion of the Dead Man's Rust authors sat down with the Really Dicey podcast to talk about the kickstarter! Give it a watch:

 If you've got someone who's been thinking about jumping on, feel free to point 'em to these interviews (and some of the others we've shared) or the actual plays... or just let 'em know they can read the ENTIRE manuscript before the campaign even ends just by joining in now! 

I'll be back tomorrow to start our Countdown process! As this whole campaign has been awesome, I'm gonna guess the final week will be a run ride!

#DeadMansRust

#ScarredLands

Final Week Review - Reward Tiers
over 3 years ago – Sat, Dec 19, 2020 at 05:57:05 PM

Hello there, Heroes of the Hornsaw!

We're in the final week countdown for Scarred Lands: Dead Man's Rust on Kickstarter - it ends on Wednesday, December 23rd at 2:00 PM EST - there's still time to recruit additional members to our party, but we're definitely getting closer to the finish line. With that in mind, I wanted to touch on some of the basics over the next 6 days to make sure that everyone has all of the information they need to support the project in the way that works best for them.

Review topics to cover over these final days:

• Reward Tiers
• Add-Ons
• Stretch Goal Review
• Final Checklist & Next Steps

Whether you're just learning your first cantrips or you've maxed out your abilities and taken a few feats, these are good items to review to make sure that we all end up where we want to be.

(An aside, if you're a new backer, make sure you check out the Final Week resource post. It has links to the manuscript previews, interviews & podcast discussions, Actual Plays, and Scarred Lands deep dives!)

BACKER REWARD TIERS

Like it says right at the top of the campaign page, we've come together to help create a fully developed PDF and traditionally printed game book featuring a mega-campaign and setting lore for the Hornsaw Forest and surrounding area, from the Broadreach Horizon to the Gleaming Valley, and into the darkness of Glivid-Autel. Scarred Lands: Dead Man's Rust is a bold new book for the 5E version of the setting, with tons of stuff for players and Game Masters alike. 

To borrow an analogy that I've used in past Kickstarter campaigns, this works similar to the "Viewers Like You" support campaign from your local Public Broadcasting Station (for those who get American television channels or watched Sesame Street in the pre-HBO era): There are various levels of support that you can pledge to, and these come with various levels of rewards offered as a thank you. Like getting a tote bag or t-shirt when you give money to public broadcasting to fund them doing their thing, you can get rewards for helping Onyx Path work on this project.

Let's review the Backer Reward Tiers to ensure that you've pledged to a Reward Tier that provides all the rewards you wish to receive.

Exploring Your Options: Digital Only or Hardcover + PDF

The main reward offered in this campaign is, of course, the main goal of the entire proposition: the Scarred Lands: Dead Man's Rust book. The first decision you need to make in figuring out your reward tier is whether you want to receive a digital PDF version or if you want the hardcover book.

PDF ONLY REWARD TIERS:

• HOLLOW LEGIONNAIRE
• HOLLOW KNIGHT

These are PDF-only reward tiers. So, if you're saving trees or saving shelf space - or avoiding the shipping charges that seem to be ever-increasing - these are the reward tier options that you should begin with. The PDF will be fulfilled by our partners at DriveThruRPG.com - when it is ready, you will receive a link to add it to your DTRPG library at no cost and be able to download at your leisure.

HARDCOVER+PDF REWARD TIERS:

• HERO OF THE HORNSAW
• CENTURION OF THE VALLEY
• SCRIBE OF LEGEND
• ETCHED INTO LEGEND
• AN EPIC TALE
• SUMMON SCRIBE

These reward tiers include the traditionally-printed hardcover version of this book. That means the books are produced in a larger offset print run at one time, and will have the best production values, from color clarity and appearance to binding and materials. In addition, these options also include the PDF version, so you will get a digital copy as described above.

And, yeah, there's also the MERCHANT and MERCANTILE MASTER Retail Tiers if you're a pre-approved retail backer!

The only Reward Tier that does not include the PDF version of the book is the ADVENTURER tier. You should select this Reward Tier if you want to support the project and maybe participate in the Pledge Manager but do not currently wish to receive either a PDF or hardcover version of the final book.

PLEDGE MANAGER ACCESS - After the campaign is over we'll launch BackerKit, our post-campaign pledge manager, and invite the backers to set up their rewards via survey. This allows you to confirm your pledge and add on anything that you might have missed, as well as possibly increasing your pledged reward tier, should you choose to expand your reward selection. This option will give international backers additional time to investigate shipping options, should they choose, knowing they can confirm a physical reward at a later date. Funding collected in BackerKit after the campaign does not count toward any campaign Stretch Goals, however.

You'll note that the third columns - Access to the Manuscript Previews - is included in ALL reward tiers. That's just one of the perks of participating in this kickstarter campaign!

MANUSCRIPT PREVIEWS – All Reward Tiers include access to Backers-Only manuscript previews. With the exception of the final chapters (which will be posted on Monday), I have posted the entire manuscript across multiple sections. You must be a kickstarter backer to access these previews, as the link will remain in a backers-only update post. The manuscript previews may not be available to those who pre-order the book at a later date.

OPTIONAL "AT COST" PoD VERSION –  For Scarred Lands: Dead Man's Rust, backers who pledge to the HOLLOW KNIGHT tier and higher will have the option of using DriveThruRPG.com’s Print-On-Demand service to purchase a physical, digitally printed copy directly from their PoD partners at a discounted cost (this cost is not included in your pledge, and you do not need to increase the cost of your pledge to use this option). When the PoD versions are available to order (which may be some time after the book has gone to print), you will receive links to purchase these versions of the book from DriveThruRPG.com at this specially adjusted cost. You DO NOT need to take advantage of this PoD offer as it does not affect in any way your pledge rewards.

SCARRED LANDS: DEAD MAN'S RUST PDF VERSION - The digital version of Dead Man's Rust, fulfilled by our partners at DriveThruRPG.com. Kickstarter backers will receive a redemption link for an early version, before it goes on sale to the public. This initial "Backer Version" will be used to get feedback from the fans to make the final version the best that it can be. When it has been updated to the final version, it will be automatically added to your DriveThruRPG library and available for download at your convenience.

SCARRED LANDS: DEAD MAN'S RUST HARDCOVER VERSION - The main goal of this campaign is to fund the creation, production, and print run of this awesome book. Note that all Reward Tiers that include the Hardcover version also include the PDF version as a bonus. Additional shipping charges are automatically added to your pledge by Kickstarter, based on your delivery location.

Choosing Your Reward Tier

There has been some churn over this past week - a few Reward Tier adjustments and changes by backers, as budgets changed and people have seen the game in play. In these final days it's best to ensure that you've selected the Reward Tier that offers you the options and rewards you want to receive and are ready to lock down. This timing - before the campaign ends - is the absolute most affordable and inclusive these rewards will be, and will save headaches and heartbreaks if fully considered now.

WAIT! What about special reward tiers?!

Right! In addition to our "core" Reward Tiers, we've got another area for consideration. These are the Premium Rewards.

Multiple Copies

If you are backing for yourself and a friend (or just want a second copy for your collection), the CENTURION OF THE VALLEY Tier was designed for you, with two copies of all rewards included in your pledge. As noted on the main page of our campaign, shipping outside the US has gotten quite expensive. Splitting the shipping cost across multiple copies in a single shipment is one way to bring the cost per book down, if you're able to coordinate your backing and delivery with friends.

And, if you are a retailer interested in making this available in your store, two special retailer tiers, the MERCHANT and MERCANTILE MASTER pledge tiers are open to you upon prior approval from Onyx Path (please email [email protected] prior to selecting this reward to confirm your status).

Premium Reward Tiers

These special reward tiers offer some enhanced interaction with the setting, from submitting a name that will be used for a NPC  worked into the setting, the opportunity to submit reference photos and serve as an art model for an interior illustration, an invitation to an online game session set in the Scarred Lands, or even coaching on a community content project from Travis Legge!

These options are extremely limited, so grab them while you can!

Check out the Pledge Tier descriptions for more information on these reward tiers and how they'll be handled for this project.

Summary

So, with all of that said - consider your Reward Tier selection. Are you backing to receive your copy of the PDF or hardcover version of Scarred Lands: Dead Man's Rust?  Did you jump on one of the limited premium reward options?

Make sure your Reward Tier matches what you're looking for - or, at least, covers most of what you're interested in. Tomorrow, we'll cover Add Ons and talk about how to tweak your Reward List to ensure you're getting anything that might be missing from your list.

And, with that, we continue our exploration of this creepy forest! Let's lock in our Reward Tiers and keep working towards growing the project so everyone has a chance to join in. DO NOT MISS OUT! And on to our final week and our campaign conclusion!

#DeadMansRust

#ScarredLands

Backers Only - Manuscript Preview #4
over 3 years ago – Mon, Dec 14, 2020 at 06:58:31 AM

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

The Lore You Know...
over 3 years ago – Sun, Dec 13, 2020 at 08:55:14 AM

Hey there, Hornsaw Heroes,

One of the challenges of playing in any pre-existing campaign world is digging into the lore and setting details so that everyone feels like they know the world around your characters. Scarred Lands has been around long enough that there are some players who've literally grown up with the setting. 

Dead Man's Rust does a great job of mitigating some of these challenges by having the characters travel to a new location, so that players and characters can be discovering the area at the same time. But, if you  have players that want to get to know the Scarred Lands a bit better and beef up their in-game knowledge, these deep dives from the Wanderer's Haven Publications team are definitely the way to go!

I've previously shared some of their videos, but here are a few more related to our weekend topic of the Scarred Lands pantheon. This time, touching on demigods and the planes.

Even as I began sharing some of their many MANY Scarred Lands videos, Sarah, Fran, and Jeremy were covering the Hornsaw forest, which should be of particular interest to all Dead Man's Rust backers!

If you've got players - or potential players - who want to learn more about the Scarred Lands, or even if you need a refresher or two or just want to fill in some gaps - this is a one-stop shop for Scarred Lands deep dives and interesting discussion. It does pick apart some of the themes and issues and how some of those have evolved over the decades. Good stuff! Check 'em out or pass them along!

The Lore You Know: Scarred Lands videos <link>

And once you've passed along those links, remember to tell your friends about this campaign! Tomorrow, we'll be sharing Chapter 4 of the manuscript - backers will be able to read the entire setting and adventure before the campaign concludes on December 23rd! So, join know and hit the ground running! And let's see if we can't get up to $20,000 in funding over the next week!

#ScarredLands

#DeadMansRust

#TheLoreYouKnow

The Gentleman Gamer on Clerics and Druids in the Scarred Lands
over 3 years ago – Sat, Dec 12, 2020 at 07:37:36 AM

Hey Hornsaw Heroes,

As mentioned yesterday, we're going to be looking at some of the divine side of Scarred Lands over the weekend. Today, we're going to get another brief from the Gentleman Gamer, looking at Clerics and Druids in the Scarred Lands.

And then I'll add two follow ups from our friends at Wanderer's Haven Productions, who can add more to the discussion about the Divine War that influences so much of the Scarred Lands...

There are a ton of great videos in The Lore You Know archives, including some recent stuff (like, just yesterday!!) covering the areas we're exploring in this adventure. I'm going to share more tomorrow and I'll point you to extra goodies then! 

#DeadMansRust

#ScarredLands