A SMALL UPDATE
almost 3 years ago – Mon, Jun 14, 2021 at 05:43:00 AM

Hey Everyone.

As many of you knew, I was on a movie set, acting as a script supervisor for a feature film for three weeks. That has finished, so I am back onto Affinity. 

Actually, I wasn’t entirely away, as I’ve been working on the novelization when I had free moments.

While expectedly it does borrow content generously from the game books, the novel is being expanded in ways that were unexpected and exciting. The narrative format is presented differently, offering a new challenge to potential readers. I plan on getting a bit more done on it before starting on those included adventures, as I want to add them to the playtesting package this summer.

PLEDGE MANAGER

As of this point, 90% of you have completed your Pledge Manager. Unlike CrowdOx, BackerKit does not charge credit cards until we close the manager…which I think…is a little…weird.

As mentioned numerous times by now, the original campaign included three pledge levels for those backers who purchased the original Affinity as part of the 2019 Ultramodern5 Kickstarter that wanted to upgrade to a color and/or a physical edition. There are still a few people who are ineligible for one of these levels that still selected it. I’ve done my best to reach out to those backers, and I am going to make one last bid to get them to change their pledge or potentially lose out on rewards when the pledge manager locks.

We’ll be doing the pledge manager locks in stages, beginning with the top tiers and working our way down. This will start on July 5th, offering everyone a chance to upgrade their pledges if they want.

PROGRESS

The playtest files I am happy to report are done. These files include only rules, no setting content, and have not gone through layout or even a pass from my editor. They will be updated often until we finally reach printing. Obviously, they will also lack artwork.

Feedback can be sent via private message to me through any of my numerous social media connections or on the official Dias Ex Machina discord channel.

https://discord.gg/EJj6sEX

After pledges lock, if BackerKit works like I think it does, you should receive a download link for those three PDFs. Anyone that pledged for already published digital rewards like Ultramodern, Apex, or NeuroSpasta, should receive download coupons then as well.

Have a great and safe summer everyone.

CHRIS

PLEDGE MANAGER LIVE TODAY
almost 3 years ago – Sun, May 23, 2021 at 10:26:19 PM

For some of us, it’s the long weekend.

For some of us, we still have to work.

We are proud to announce that the Pledge Manager is launching this weekend (probably not long after you read this). We ran a smoke test, and nothing jumped out as an issue. None of the test backers came up with any questions.

AFFINITY PRINT NOVEL

More than a few people asked for the option to order a physical book of the Affinity novel.

I guess this became the unlabeled final stretch goal.

Obviously, this cover is temporary, and we should have a revised one down the road.

When you complete your pledge with Backerkit, you will now discover this new add-on.

And as an ADDITIONAL incentive and reward, we have decided that the two LUXURY pledges will include the softcover novel as PART OF THE PLEDGE.

To reiterate, the LUXURY PLEDGES now include the print novel as an additional reward. 

Remember, it’s super easy to change your pledge when you get access to the pledge manager. Upgrading is the first option you’ll see.

For those that already completed their pledge (either as part of the smoke test or later down the road), you can always go back if you want to change. I won’t be closing the pledges for quite some time.

The digital novel is still included with the standard complete pledges.

I seriously don’t know how many people wanted this; those few might have been outliers, but I like the idea of a physical novel anyway.

BTW

I added those new alchemy rules into Paradise, and with the added content from the stretch goals, we officially can claim the entire 3-book Affinity series is no longer 600+ pages.

It is now 700+

(actually, it will be 1000+ plus with the novel but hey, who’s counting...except me)

Thanks everyone.

Chris.

PLEDGE MANAGER BUILT
almost 3 years ago – Thu, May 20, 2021 at 12:06:27 AM

HEY EVERYONE

I am happy to report that the PLEDGE MANAGER will be launching this week. We’re going to start with what is called a “smoke test” where we send out surveys to about 5% of backers. Once we can be certain all the kinks have been ironed out, we’ll expand to the rest.

Like I mentioned in my previous update, all original backers will be able to upgrade their pledge if they so desire, ensuring the lower Kickstarter pricing. New pre-orders (from people who didn’t back the campaign) will notice slightly increased pricing given the number of stretch goals we crossed.

Rewards should start going out as early as mid-June, though these will be the digital rewards already created (Ultramodern5, NeuroSpasta, Apex, etc). I also hope to have the playtest rules ready as early as then, meaning backers will get a chance to dive into Affinity as soon as four weeks.

GOLEMS

The big addition to Conestogawas the massive “tree-power”-based class the maker. Paradisealready had a class in the abecedarian, but the big addition that got unlocked for that book fell to golems.

Now, dedicated RPG followers will know that within the core rules of 5E, golems are limited to a half-dozen materials, all humanoid shape. If you look at expanded rules, this extends to over a dozen, double that of you look at 3rd party content. So, I am not treading on new ground here.

Even the idea of a golem race has been covered, though I could not find one that perfectly replicated the idea I had.

The first thing to address with golems in Paradise was to make golem creation faster, easier, and cheaper. After that, the rules expanded to offer the option to create a golem to look like basically any monster, even those canonically not within the Paradise setting. There are no dragons in Paradise, so maybe you’d like to make one out of clay.

Taking inspiration from Osamu Tezuka’s Dororo, I then added the ability for golem creators to implant modifications, like hidden blades, cannons, and other special enhancements, up to and including the magical illusion to make a golem appear and feel as a living being.

That’s when I thought, “hey, this could be a cool alternative to cybernetics in a fantasy setting,” taking a page from Full Metal Alchemist. I already created an expanded set of rules regarding potion brewing (12 pages worth, mentioned in a previous update) so I figured what the heck, why not offer magic users the ability to create artificial magical limbs.

Golems can be constructed from clay, sand, flesh, brass, bronze, chromium, copper, gold, iron, silver, stone, tin, and wood—each one offers their own set of unique advantages. Both golems and incanetics can benefit from specific enhancements (as mentioned above).

There’s about 50 of them in total.

The golem race option is called an Eidolon, and it is a specific Medium-sized humanoid golem made from any of the previously mentioned materials and wrapped in a glamour so they can pass off as human in a world that wishes their destruction. I then added the eidolon drifter background and a bunch of new feats just for that race.

In all, this new addition adds a whopping 30 pages onto the final Paradise book.

And I still have golem monsters to add.

Next update I should be going into some of the new concepts going into Torus.

CHRIS

Potions and Pledge Manager
about 3 years ago – Mon, May 17, 2021 at 01:01:41 AM

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

WE DID IT!
about 3 years ago – Fri, Apr 30, 2021 at 11:58:28 AM

HEY EVERYONE

WE DID IT!

Having raised just over $107,000 CDN, we have CROSSED EVERY STRETCH GOAL.

The last one!

Yes, the downloadable adventures have been unlocked.

PLEDGE MANAGER

The first week, well, nothing happens. I am working on content right now, waiting for Kickstarter to coordinate payments and transfer everything to the Pledge Manager.

I then have to build the manager, where people will be able to finalize their purchase, upgrade their pledge, acquire add-ons, and confirm their address.

While the upgrade pledges for those that purchased Affinity as part of 2019’s Ultramoder5 Kickstarter will still be available, people need to be aware that closing a pledge charges your credit card. So be sure if you are shifting your pledge to another level to make sure you are eligible for it.

A few people that pledged for one of these levels still have not gotten back to me with an email confirming eligibility.

If you have gotten this far, after reading the pledge levels, the campaign, my numerous posts, and my direct messages, and still committed to a pledge you are not eligible for, there is very little that can be done. All you can really do is change your pledge to a higher level.

PLAYTEST

Now that the seriousness is out of the way, the first release will be the playtest files, which should hit backers as early as JUNE. The digital release is expected in the fall, and since every pledge level includes digital rewards, backers will be able to enjoy Affinity as early as that.

My door is always open for people with ideas and comments. So don’t be shy. I can’t wait to see the fruits of all our efforts.

Thanks again from my family to you for all your support in this project. I won’t let you down.

Chris.