(Frog God Games) The Lost Lands: Bard's Gate Kickstarter

[Gerald]

Ive backed everything the Frogs have done, but I am mystified why they have went radio silent of this particular KS. I would have assumed this would have been one of their "big" releases and would be supporting it with a ton of updates, etc. I'm disappointed.

[Qu0zl]

I'd also like more updates. I know the Frogs try to avoid any appearance of spamming about their kick-starters, but I enjoy reading about them and would always like more info :)

I've still backed it, and I also have something around 180$ in their Blight KS. Combined it's a lot of money to have with one company, but it's not just one person - the Blight is Richard Pett (mostly) and Bard's Gate is more Skeeter Green, et al., I think. There are common elements like Chuck on layout, Greg Vaughn on canon and Bill like an evil toad lurking in the background, but in my experience they've not been generally reliable in the past - they've been completely reliable and I love their stuff.

[davrion]

Still $11k to go, with the campaign ending Saturday the 9th. Was hoping to see this funded by now, but it looks like it will come down to the "reminder email surge" of the last 48 hours.

[Shem]

I think this will not be a problem. Most of the FGG kickstarters have come down to the last few days and then a mad rush which puts it way over the mark.

[Bill Webb]

Hey guys--a lot of the radio silence has been 2 conventions, Chuck's leg, vacations, and nose to the grindstone on the Blight and this release.

Sorry about that. This book actually might be the most important Lost lands canon book in existence.

I did a big update (several of you will get it several times, so pardon my spam) on our prior kickstarters and here as a "State of the Onion".

Oh, and that huge map is spectacular:)

BW

[davrion]

Here's a link to the update

[Wolfgang Baur]

I'm ready to back it just for the map. Looks great!

[Qu0zl]

That's great news that the Bard's Gate PDFs may be ready by the end of the Summer. My players' stated intention - which sometimes does predict their real actions, and other times bears no resemblance - is to travel to Bard's Gate via FreeGate now that they've left Endholme.

They are currently distracted by being deep under-ground struggling their way out of Demonspore and The Pod Caverns of the Sinister shroom naked and unarmed. So with some real luck they may be delayed long enough for the PDFs to arrive :)

Particularly as I'm pretty sure that where they struggle their way out to won't be an easy trip back to civilization :)

Is there much information on Free Gate in the Bard's Gate book?

[Qu0zl]

I'm also really keen to see The Blight come out. I intend to use The Between, and the weird way that the Blight extends tendrils of its physical self into distance locations as an interesting way to allow fast movement around the Lost Lands, as well as its own adventuring location of course.

Kind of like a creepier mono-planar version of Sigil.

[Sqn Cdr Flashheart]

The bards gate stuff from the update:

Bard’s Gate actually has all the art and maps done (Skeeter got a head start), and ongoing work is primarily focused on conversion and final editing. While this one needs to print in China (its color), we may actually have the pdfs ready fairly early (like end of summer), and all indications are that this one will be on time.

So have no fear, we will deliver and it will be to our standards of quality—we just have slipped behind on a couple fronts. As a bonus—this gives you time to reinforce your bookshelves before the books get there!

Ok, so Bard’s Gate and the pitch. Those of you who know the Lost Lands know the name Bard’s Gate. It’s basically the hub centerpiece city of both the wilds of Akados and the Sinnar Coast. This place is integrally linked to Rappan Athuk, The Sword of Air, Stoneheart Valley, The Borderlands, Barakus, The Sundered Kingdoms and about a dozen of the Quests of Doom adventures. Heck, it’s the starting point for Sword of Air. Anyone playing in the Lost Lands will benefit greatly from this book.

If you don’t play in the Lost Lands, but just need a city, it works for that as well. Ok, time to do a Grognard check—how many over 40’s used the City State booklet for every city in every area of their game world? The best part about a book like Bard’s Gate is that you can grab bits and pieces of it for use as a city adventure or you can use the whole as canon material—your choice. After all, who doesn’t want to visit Tenkar’s Tavern or Thilo’s Scriptorium? There are Easter Eggs galore throughout the city, and dozens of side quests and adventures that can be tailored for low, medium and high level player characters at the GM’s discretion.

Skeeter and Casey have done a wonderful job of expanding and re-imagining the work that Clark Peterson and I produced back in 2003-2004—this city is much bigger and better than it was before—this is not just a window dressing of the existing material. We have modified most of it and added over 120,000 words of new material.

We designed this book to be used, not to sit on the shelf (ok, the metal one is designed to sit on the shelf, it weighs too much to use at a table I fear). Care was taken to make it so you as the GM can easily read, find and follow plot lines and connections within the book and thereby maximize its utility. After all, since the player characters need to return to a city after killing the dragon and rescuing the princess, you might as well have something waiting for them that wants to kill them!

[cycnet]

I would love to see some snippets and tidbits like we got from the Blight. This has been a really quiet KS for sure!

Love the Frogs - first day backer here, I want this to do really well. I do think the infrequent updates have had a dampening effect.

After "the state of the onion" we've had some momentum over the past few days, hope it continues.

This is a book I am REALLY excited for - it really is the lynch-pin of the Lost Lands.

[Greg A. Vaughan]

Quick update for Bard's Gate (and The Blight):

I'm about 80% through the development of Bard's Gate (a significantly lower percentage through development of The Blight - though other than a few odds and ends Alistair Rigg is still tinkering with, the manuscript for it is 100% in). This is just a perfect storm where products from two different arms of FGG ended up on my desk at the same time. Considering BG was about 50% a previously released and formatted book and I did the developmental groundwork for the new parts in spring 2015, it's just much faster work in progress than The Blight. I've just basically living under a rock since North Texas Con cranking on both of them. :)

So by way of update on The Blight, it's still going. It just has a lot more complexity and moving parts to it. That said, I hope to have some Tome of Blighted Horror art previews for you next week. :)

But enough about that for now. I came here to talk Bards Gate for the moment. Why should you get Bard's Gate?
Well, if you know the original, then it's got everything you liked about it refined, updated, expanded, and improved. Everything you didn't like about it has been fixed, revamped, and integrated. It's got a coherent, long-term history of the city and valley. No more guesswork about whens and how things fit together. Plus, as has been mentioned it's a lynch pin for the entire Gulf of Akados and Sinnar Coast regions and all of the books we've made to date that fall within that massive geographical area.

If you don't have the original, well then this one is worth a look because it's a big awesome city book with hundreds of keyed encounter areas, beautiful maps, a ton of built-in adventures, and gorgeous full-color art by Artem Shukaev and Colin Chan.

A few more tidbits that make this a must have:
In addition to an expansive ToC this book has
An index of important people, places, and groups;
A chapter fully describing the various guilds, military organizations, non-military organizations, and secret organizations (including hidden cults) that gives info on leaders/key members and meeting locations;
A complete city directory breaking down all of the city's locations into categories such as: city government, religious, craftsmen, hospitality, entertainment, comestibles, dry goods, services, magical services, illicit services, and much more. Basically if your PCs need to know where to find something, this handy directory makes finding it (or more likely the multiple options for it) right at your fingertips;
Two new city districts: Underhill and the Catacombs;
The long-missed Citadel of Ravens (first mentioned alongside the famed Citadel of Griffons in the original book and then mysteriously absent beyond that single mention);
Ethnographies of the various types of inhabitants of the city tying them in with the many other FGG and NG products including such classics as The Grey Citadel, fan favorites like Sword of Air, and even forthcoming products like Mountains of Madness;
Finally an explanation of what's the deal with the Duchy of Waymarch and what does it have to do with the city;
The back stories of Tomb of Abysthor and parts of The Slumbering Tsar Saga, The Northlands Saga Complete, and Shades of Gray;
And an explanation of who the heck the Bandit King was;
And much, much more.
Plus it's got so many shout-outs, Easter eggs, and tributes to 4 decades of gaming packed into it that you'll want to punch us in the face before you're through. ;)

And if all that doesn't sell you on it, you're probably a soulless zombie. In which case did I mention the City of Ashes and Cult of Orcus…

Greg

[Sqn Cdr Flashheart]

Copying to ENW and RPG.net. CAN'T WAIT!

[cycnet]

Yes! It does sound amazing.

[Qu0zl]

16 hours until the 3 day reminder emails go out. That's always my favourite bit of a Frog God kick-starter - it's exciting to see which stretch goals we can reach during the final rush :)

[davrion]

Under $3k to go until funding with 3+ days to go and the reminder emails still to go out. Get ready to knock down some stretch goals!

[cycnet]

I am a bit concerned about the failure to hit the funding goal so far. I am sure Massive Darkness coming out around the same time isn't helping. I know that I felt a pull to put some cash into that one, though they do allow access to backerkit for $1 so... that is what I went for.

Anyway, I'm crossing my fingers that we cross the funding goal today and have a couple days to get some add ons. I am really looking forward to the vellum map.

[Qu0zl]

It's funded now and 3 days left for stretch goals :)

[Shem]

I just looked at it and it says 6 days left.

[davrion]

You might be looking at a cached page. It ends in 60 hours, which is 12am Saturday morning EST.

[silverhair2008]

588 backers
$71,121 pledged of $70,000 goal
60 hours to go

[Skeeter Green]

Thank you all so much for keeping the faith and seeing this through. We're funded, and now we're knocking on stretch-goal doors!

[cycnet]

Skeeter Green wrote:

Thank you all so much for keeping the faith and seeing this through. We're funded, and now we're knocking on stretch-goal doors!

Thanks for your fantastic work! I am so beyond excited for this.

[buzzqw]

Backed! (100$ level)
i will pay too much for shipping (to Italy) but this book is well worth the price!

BHH

[cycnet]

And first stretch goal is passed! I think you did it Buzz!

buzzqw wrote:

Backed! (100$ level)

i will pay too much for shipping (to Italy) but this book is well worth the price!

BHH

Welcome to the frog god cult!

[Qu0zl]

Last 12 hours of the kickstarter. It's less than 1k away from the 2nd stretch goal.

[Endzeitgeist]

Posted my review of Cults on my site, including a link to the KS, hopefully gathering some last-second interest!

[davrion]

Under 12 hours to go, and we're $130 from unlocking the first bonus module as an add-on (stretch goal #2)

[Bill Webb]

Thank you all! two goals passed, let's get 2 more!

BW

[Sqn Cdr Flashheart]

I'm hoping for some money magic to get us the vellum map stretch goal!

[Bill Webb]

It costs a few grand to make the first one Flash:(--so tough one unless we make the number

[Steve Geddes]

Yay! Bards Gate plus a first visit to NTRPG con.
Looking forward to this one a lot. :)

[Sqn Cdr Flashheart]

Really looking forward to this, in colour! Another successful ks:)

[Skeeter Green]

Just want to let everyone know: all 3 versions of the product (Pathfinder, 5E, and S&W) are all in layout as of today. Well on our way!

Skeeter

[Steve Geddes]

Awesome. Thanks, Skeeter.

Can I ask if you have any clear idea on the likely timeline with this and the Blight? Are they likely to be finished around the same time? Will this one be finished first, maybe?

[Sqn Cdr Flashheart]

wooty tooty!

[Skeeter Green]

Steve-
Afaik, Bard's Gate will be to the printer before the Blight. I do not believe Greg has done the full development on it as of yet (he got pulled to help with BG). But I am shifting gears to help on Blight, if he can use my meager talents :-)

I do not know the turn time on either, but I believe BG is planned to get here before end of year. More info as I know it.

SG

[Steve Geddes]

Thanks, Skeeter.

[Dragnmoon]

Just ran into one of your old editors here in Anchorage, Dawn. Reminded me how much I love this company! I am sooo looking forward to this and the Blight! Hopefully soon I will be able to move into my house and get all my books out of storage so I can start running some Frog God Games! Also looking forward into joining Dawn's S&W game!

[Dragnmoon]

Have we seen the Backerkits for this and the blight yet?

[Sqn Cdr Flashheart]

The Blight yes, long time ago. My CC was charged in April. The Bards Gate within the next week, I think, from KS comments section

[Dragnmoon]

Ahhh Found it.

[The Herald Frog]

Greg posted a huge update on the Blight KS page. Here is the link.

[Dragnmoon]

You are missing two of the Add-ons in the Backerkit from the Stretch Goals reached during the kickstarter.

You are missing the following:

Bonus B&W Modules #1
Tales Pack #1

[The Herald Frog]

Chris is adding the missing items.

[Bill Webb]

Books to printer--Chuck doing post processing with them now.

[cycnet]

Oh gee I guess I better pay my shipping on my next paycheck then.

[cycnet]

I got my pdf link! It's SO GOOD folks. Check your promotions folder etc.

[GM Rednal]

Ah! I'll need to start going through it soon. XD

[Sqn Cdr Flashheart]

Wooty tooty got my PDF! Awesome on my quick skim, now back for a proper read :-)