We are funded! A huge thanks to everyone who backed and/or promoted us!
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90% funded and 24 hours to go
@ theneofish - as Zaister says, the kickstarter is pdf reward only, but each backer gets 'at cost' options to print the books they have pledged for (although the bonus exclusive encounter - the Cancer Pit will not have a PoD option at this stage). The print books vary in cost by quality, but I believe the standard quality colour books from the first kickstarter (5 books) would set you back around $25 dollars, while the premium set was around double that. This KS has three books - with length undertermined as yet (but approximately similar), but I would assume it'd be around 3/5 of that, maybe less.
Final Days! We've entered our final 48 hours and are 80% funded. We only need a handful of backers to get over the line but this one is going down to the wire! Cheers Micah
Thanks Zaister I appreciate the support.
Hi all, I'm not really great at self promotion, but if you've ever considered supporting us now is the time. With 1 week to go we are 2/3 of the way there. Cheers Micah
Day 6 and we're 52% funded The initial rush is over and we settle in for the 'grind' period - the two weeks in the middle where pledges trickle in slowly until the final rush of the last week. We're in a stronger position than KS 1 at the same point, and looking to push a little harder this time. If any supporters want to help spread the word please follow us on Facebook (link above) or twitter @pyromaniacpress. Cheers Micah
Just passed the 2 day mark and we are 41% funded! Even if you didnt back the first kickstarter there is a 'catch up' pledge level that nets all the previous material at a price that is significantly less than retail. Cheers Micah
Pyromaniac Press has launched its second kickstarter to fund the continuation of the What Lies Beyond Reason AP for Pathfinder and 5e The Kickstarter campaign is live. You can follow us on facebook. And you can read Endzeitgiest's reviews of the previous products (all rated 4.5 stars+) here. Thanks for your support Micah
thanks Enz and tumbler I currently do have an exclusive distribution deal with Driverhrurpg, but I've been considering changing it. It does take some time for that to occur, however, so I can't offer any of the current adventures here just yet. That being said I'll look to make that change and migrate these and future products to here when the transition period ends.
Hi tumbler, To be honest I hadn't really considered it, though it's a matter of convenience more than anything else. Drivethrurpg is a good fit for me because I publish in Pathfinder and 5e, and it means I only have to manage one distribution platform. Is there a particular reason you prefer it?
Some things just make your day (or week) as a writer. Reviews like this are exactly that kind of thing. Not because or the endorsement (though that is pretty nice), and not because it adds external validation or value (I am proud of all my work, regardless of reviews or ratings) but because it shows you that "what I intended" and "what I actually produced" intersect exactly as they are supposed to. This review gives me that 'nailed it' moment that keeps me wanting to write. This is the adventure I was most pleased with while writing, and yet most worried about, because as Thilo indicates 'haunted houses' are tough to get right in RPG adventures. It's nice when a plan comes together (even if he doesn't like my magic items!)
Fantastic review as always. Setting aside my delight at the rating, the detail of these reviews always gives me (and I hope others) a real insight into the product. The fact that this is my product allows me to see it from a valuable critical perspective. That, and a front row seat to the masterclass that is Richard Develyn's writing (more on that later) is what helps me improve. While I genuinely tried for this to be an optional value-add book to the AP (and I still believe it can be run successfully without it) if you want to get the best out of the material the adventures have to offer this is the book to do it with. Nothing in this book is 'needed' but everything in this book is relevant. If you want to know what I intended with the story, and all the little 1% things that can really glue it all together, this is where you'll find it. It was also a surprisingly hard book to write, given that it's a complication of lots of disparate fringe elements rather than a cohesive whole. It includes a lot of material that just couldn't fit comfortably into the adventures themselves. Plus it gave me a chance to work with and learn from two very proficient and established authors. If you follow Thilo's work, you will know exactly who Russ Brown and Richard Develyn are. Russ' monsters are elegant, and add more than you might think. The way they were constructed actually forced me to rethink how they were to be used. The adventures they appear in are the better for it. And as for Richard, he's the man that regularly makes (and tops) Thilo's annual top ten lists. It's a lofty perch that he's more than earned. His so-called side trek, which is longer than many full adventures, is slick and clever. It's a double edged sword for me. Fantastic as an inclusion for the AP, but sets a high bar and kicks my already highly active drive to improve up a rung. Honestly though, it's a win-win for anyone buying this. At double the page count for the same price (as the other AP books) it was already pretty good value. Richard's adventure alone is worth the cost if you use nothing else, though in my humble opinion there's a veritable cornucopia of other cool things in there as well.
Great review. From the beginning I felt "A Simple Job" was one of the biggest risks in the AP at the individual adventure level. 'Railroad' adventures tend to evoke very strong reactions in many players, who guard their 'agency' with a fanatical fervor. So much so that the foreword is dedicated to trying to allay these fears (or at least address them head on). I think most adventure styles can be fun if given a chance, and the AP is almost a showcase of (nearly) every way you can write and run an adventure. This adventure will be the 'low point' of the AP for some, but a huge amount of groundwork is played out here, offering the players much greater control going forward once the elements of the city are established. Thilo correctly points out that Difficult Circumstance and A Simple Job are both tightly linear, although through tone alone they are very different experiences. They are the first, last and only 'railroads' in the AP, although arguably "A World in Shadow" has some boundaries to player choice. The rest of the AP is off the rails. How far off is really up to the PCs...
Great review! As per usual plenty of takeaway ideas improve my writing and story cohesion. Interestingly, I initially conceived the prologue as a purely optional 'scene setter' to form a new party from disparate adventurers in a meaningful way to the overall story. Very quickly it became the unofficial first module that, as you point out, carries significance for the later modules that would seriously suffer for its lack. Also I agree that the brooch is a powerful item - perhaps unbalanced. It was conceived with the AP context in mind however, as the difficulty spikes upward sharply from here on. It and a few other items are meant to offer a partial balance to this, particularly in situations where 'save or suck' could greatly disadvantage the PCs with a few poor rolls. This is an AP thematically tied to madness. At first the PCs are going to be observers of, then (unwilling) 'participants' in, this trend. That being said, I always suggest GMs should take a scalpel to the adventures and use what works for them.
Looks like somehow the 'preliminary' statblock for the Lava Queen made it into the module rather than the 'final' version. I've updated and await feedback. It's worth mentioning Russ has some of his monsters peppered through several of my products, and one that I've still got up my sleeve. They are great flavorful additions to any game. Cheers Micah
Hi Thilo, Thanks for the in-depth review. I always find one of the most difficult aspects of writing is to gauge how well the concepts are conveyed to the reader. It all makes perfect sense in my head, but translating this for external consumption and use is a fine balance between providing 'enough' information and 'too much' (or too little). Additionally staring at hundreds of pages of text (across multiple products) tends to have a dulling effect on my ability to self check. The true value of your reviews is the depth of the critique, from mechanics to layout to story and even typos/glitches. It gives me a lot to work with (and toward) going forward. Cheers Micah
Congrats. Looks great!
Congrats on completion. Can't wait to see it
I hope everyone had a merry 3rd partymas! I'd like to thank Taig for once again organising this, and all who contributed and participated. Going back over the winners, I have made a list of those who I believe were winners, but have not contacted me for their free Pyromaniac Press PDF (and one winner who did contact me, but has not provided an email address). If you believe you have been missed from the list please let me know who you are and which day/roll you won. lorathorn
Remember, select the product you'd like from the Pyromaniac Press catalogue on Drivethrurpg (in the ruleset of Pathfinder OR 5th edition) and then PM me with an email address I can send a download link to. Happy Holidays!
Knowing the twisted spirit of the Paizo RNG I should be a lock to win my own PDF back from Tacticslion
Thanks! Like all 3rd party publishers a huge amount of work and care went into these, so I love to hear any feedback - good or bad - that lets me know how I'm going. On the campaign guide, in addition to my work, there is a full length adventure written by Richard Develyn (4 Dollar Dungeons)and some pretty cool monsters from Russ Brown (Rusted Iron Games). These guys have been great supporters of me, and it you aren't familiar with their work you should check it out - it's outstanding.
Lair of the Lava Queen is the first, and currently only, product in the Encounters series, though the second one - The Tidus Tomb - is just waiting on cartography alterations and should be released soon. The plan (time and commitments permitting) is to release these at about 1/month going forward. The rest of the products are sequential adventures and a campaign guide for an ongoing adventure path - the current catalogue makes up about 50% of the full AP. The remaining 50% should be rolled out next year (most likely via KS to pay for the art).
Hope this helps you make a decision. Micah
Anyone getting a 1st place, 2nd place, roll of 13, roll of 3, or roll of 1 may also contact me for a Pyromaniac Press PDF of their choice. Just select what you want from the OBS site and PM me your choice and download email This is a one-per-person deal. Cheers Micah
And thank you so very much, Pyromaniac Press~! :O You are welcome. Think of me as the lazy santa. There's way too many of you for me to PM (I'm lazy) but if you decide what you like and PM me (remember to include your download email) I'll have my slightly singed elves run it right over. Also - i'm in Australia, so if I don't get back to you for 12 hours or so it's 'cause i'm sleeping . Or out riding my kangaroo.
You started this mess with your forethought and generosity. Now you must also accept the blame. No good deed goes unpunished.
In the interest of clarity and going by their post above, I think Forest Guardian Press is giving prizes to everyone who gets 13 each day, not 13 in a tiebreaker roll-off. (If there was any confusion there.) I think you are right. There is definitely some confusion about in the various wordings used. It's a bit hard to keep track at times. This is Chaos masquerading as Law. Thanks Rednal for trying to keep a semblance of order. I'll amend my above statement to - If you win something via the slightly obtuse rules of the 3rd partymas giveaway, you can also select a PP product of your choice. Merry Xaosmas everyone!
Hi all, Just a reminder that all winners are welcome to select a Pyromaniac Press product. Just send me a PM with your selection, and an OBS download email address. So, anyone that gets;
EDIT - I will limit this to one product per person if you happen to be lucky enough to end up in one or more of these categories across the 12 days. Also, in all the excitement I forgot to put myself in to the draw. Taig can you please add me. I want free stuff too!
Once again - fantastic initiative Taig. Any winners may also choose from any of the Pyromaniac Press offerings found here on OBS . Merry Xmas everyone.
Hi all, Reviews are starting to come in, and so far the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Don't take my word for it. See for yourself at the above links. Also - for those that downloaded the free Players Guide in the past and felt a little underwhelmed (it's ok, me too) I urge you to check out the updated version. It has new content and art, and it's a much better reflection of the quality of the other products we produce. Cheers Micah
Pyromaniac Press has released four adventures and a Campaign Guide for its new Adventure Path What Lies Beyond Reason These new products were funded through a Kickstarter campaign, and constitute around half of the total material for the adventure arc. Work has already commenced on the next instalments! These modules and supplemental material can be found here on OBS, including a free player’s guide as an introduction to the setting. Cheers Micah
This open call is now closed. Thanks to all who showed interest.
Pyromaniac Press is looking for a couple of freelance artists to support our primary artist in completing the current project workload. Pieces would relate to a dark fantasy adventure module.
Approximate art tone/style we are seeking is dark/gothic, but all submissions will be considered, and artists with range are preferred.
Massive props to Taig (Mike) for setting this up. Fantastic idea that has generated a lot of goodwill this season. I can't speak for the other publishers (though given what we've seen here I suspect they feel the same), but I'd love to see this even bigger and better next year (if that's even possible)! Happy holidays everyone.
Firstly, Mike this is a fantastic idea. To offer to cover the costs yourself is highly commendable. I'll throw my hat in the ring too. Pyromaniac Press only has one product available at this time - an adventure prologue for our upcoming adventure path, in PF or 5e. Winners are welcome to consider it among the many options available to you if your number comes up. Cheers Micah
Thanks all. Now the hard work begins!
Funded! Thanks to all who have pledged, advised, encouraged and just generally taken an interest. Cheers Micah
The Prologue is a little long - by the xp rules (as I understand them) the experience gained should place the characters 'into' 2nd level (beyond the minimum) if the numbers are being adhered to strictly. There's also a level of interpretation as to when, where and how much 'story' xp to assign. Some readers may disagree with the way I have assigned it (which is fine). The AP has a level of variability to it. All the core adventures aside from this first two (prologue and adventure 1) will be set for a small 'level range' rather than a specific level. The campaign is designed to have 'side-treks' slotted in between core adventures, which will vary the available xp and wealth. These side treks are not required to run the AP, but they do cover peripheral story material and allow the campaign more freedom (it's not a sandbox, but it offers players a chance to explore some additional elements if they wish - and provides GMs material for when players inevitably take that unexpected tangent). To appropriate a great quote - "They are more like guidelines than rules" Cheers Micah
Thanks EZG!
Thanks for the support Malwing!
Thanks for the support Morgan.
Final Days! I'll make one last pitch. More than 500 copies of the free Player's Guide have been downloaded. A huge amount of work has gone into this, and over the last 30 days this project has been shaped further by a number of community members that have very graciously offered help and advice. I have been very fortunate to get Russ from Rusted Iron Games , and Richard from 4 Dollar Dungeons on board as contributors, and Lorathorn for the 5e conversion. I have received (and acted upon) some outstanding advice from Oliver and Thilo (Endzeitgeist) to improve this product. While no official reviews are available (as it has not yet been released), we've had very positive feedback and Thilo has been very generous in his comments on his Kickstarter showcase. If you are considering pledging, but are on the fence, feel free to have a look at the updates/comments on the Kickstarter Project Page, or ask questions there or PM me here. I'm always happy to discuss my project. Thanks to everyone that has helped get us this far - hopefully we can get over the line. Micah
We've received a mention in Endzeitgeist's Kickstarter Showcase, and Russ and Richard have been endorsed as well. If you are interested it can be viewed here ENZ My discussions with Thilo have been very useful, and a review of the Prologue is expected within a few days.
One Week Left - Massive Update!!!! We've still got a way to go, but I'd like to thank a number of community members for their correspondence and advice over the last few weeks. Oliver Volland has been fantastic with his review and feedback on the Prologue. I’d also like to thank N. Jolly and Megan R. for reviews on the Players Guide. And while it was not originally intended to be the case, several contributors have come forward to help take this project to greater heights. Thanks to Ismael Alvarez (aka Lorathorn) we are now offering the products in the 5th Edition ruleset as well as Pathfinder. Finally, Russ Brown of Rusted Iron Games, and Richard Develyn of Four Dollar Dungeons have offered to contribute to the project as well, adding some significant experience and talent. I'm sure everyone here is aware of their work, but if not I urge you to check out their material. For anyone new to the thread, the Kickstarter can be found HERE, and the free Player's Guide can be found HERE
There is also a book layout preview on the Kickstarter page - Update #7
Way up the page, Garnath asked for an NPC preview. Image code isnt available here, but an image can be found on the kickstarter page under updates (Update #6). Damien Anthilas Damien is the last scion of Anthilas Merchant House, a once powerful trading concern now splintered into small factions and interests, its assets picked off by the other merchant houses of Anduria like vultures over a carcass. The family is cursed, so the rumours suggest, and the history of misfortune is plain for all to see. At the height of its powers, some 15 years ago, the house commanded over three dozen galleys, and held properties in all the world’s major ports. Prior to the rise of the Peregrine Trading Corporation, House Anthilas commanded the greatest position in the Trade Guild. The patron of the house, Barrus Anthilas, was respected and feared, and held a seat on the ruling council of the city.
First it was mould and pests in grain and other perishable assets, then an entire trade house was wiped out by plague in a far port. A freak storm destroyed several galleys containing a consignment to a foreign prince, and House Anthilas’ reputation was deeply damaged. Trade agreements began to fall through, and opportunities dried up. Barrus himself took to the seas again to personally carry the flagging business, trusting his own reputation and instincts. Six months later he was dead, assassinated in a port half a world away. The business fell to the adolescent son, Damien, as uninterested and unprepared as a successor could be. He ceded his responsibilities to his father’s advisors as he pursued his own interests in the Arcane. Over the next decade infighting, backbiting and corruption eventually saw the house undone, the advisors lining their pockets and jumping ship as the debtors closed in. Assets were liquidated to clear debts, and the house was left as a shadow of its former glory. Still the heir did nothing. Local gossip insinuated that maybe the son made the same devilish deals as the father. A handful of years ago, just after the untimely death of Damien’s mother, the Anthilas manor house in The Retreat burned down, witnesses swearing it was consumed in a conflagration of unholy fire. A number of the manor staff were killed that night. Arrested and tried for numerous crimes, including practicing dark magic and murder, Damien was acquitted due to a lack of evidence, and – as the tavern tales tell it - the influence of some of the still loyal city elite. Financially and politically ruined, Damien still seemed to care nothing for the loss of reputation and fortune, delving deeply into the mysterious, and his own obsession with alchemy. To date he is regarded as one of the city’s foremost experts in the occult, but dark clouds hang over him and his legacy. When the Characters arrive in the city, desperate and in need, Damien offers assistance, apparently for the good of the city and its people. Affable and wise, he champions the characters against some of the more aggressive factions. What are his motives? Is he the genuine but maligned sage plagued by ill fortune that he appears, or is he actively engaged clandestine machinations? Has he made pacts with dark creatures, or is he a victim of the choices of others? Damien is a major campaign NPC introduced in the prologue adventure Difficult Circumstances.
Hi Scary Harpy Aether is not specifically connected to the greek mythology in the literal sense as the individual, but neither was it chosen without purpose. There is something to the name's meaning/usage that ties in to the AP. Despite being 'struck down' three hundred years ago, Aether has a role to play in the AP (in a fashion) so I dont want to reveal too much. Aether's story is slated for Part 3 of the AP. I've been giving a lot of thought to requests for more information, and I have to admit I'm torn. On one hand I dont want to be too mysterious and offer nothing, but on the other I'm concerned about spoiling 'big reveals' for player's and GMs alike. I'm more than happy to answer questions or reveal general story or mechanical elements, but i'm going to evade questions that might tread close to major plot spoilers.
Hi Lorathon, Yes, the plan is to make all of our products PF/5e compatible eventually. However, the current Kickstarter products are only PF at this time. The 5e conversion on the initial products is to follow, and eventually we'll release in both formats simultaneously. I'm not prepared to put a timeframe on it just yet though. Micah
Thanks for the replies - I'll send a few PMs
Thanks for your support Oliver!
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