BackerKit Pledge Manager Opening
10 months ago
– Tue, Dec 05, 2023 at 11:29:45 AM
Greetings backers!
This is a mini-update to let you know that we've started opening the BackerKit Pledge Manager for this campaign . . . huzzah!
The first step in opening BackerKit Pledge Manager is to send surveys to 5% of backers (selected at random) from each pledge level. BackerKit calls this step the Smoke Test. Once those surveys are sent, BackerKit collates data on the response rate, the proportion of support inquiries received, and the add-on purchase rate to let us know if the survey and pledge questions are working appropriately.
Once we’re sure all is well, surveys will be sent to all remaining backers in batches. This process—from Smoke Test to sending surveys to all backers—will take a few days to complete, so please be patient.
We are at the very beginning of Step 2 as shown on the graphic below, so please make sure to respond to the BackerKit pledge manager survey when you receive it.
If you experience any issues completing your survey, please reach out to us through our
Contact Us page and we will be happy to help you.
Warm regards,
Tammie and Team MCG
The Ritual of the Black Cube Is Complete!
10 months ago
– Fri, Nov 17, 2023 at 06:05:52 PM
Greetings, vislae—
When we set out to summon the Black Cube for a third time, we assumed there were many of you out there, trapped in Shadow, just waiting to be called back into the Actuality. What we didn’t predict is how many of you were out there.
This ritual has drawn the participation of more vislae—by a wide margin—than the original Invisible Sun campaign. And nearly double that of the first reprint campaign. In addition to the Black Cube, your collective support has summoned a fabulous art book—The Darkest Art—and an amazingly envisioned version of The Wellspring. We are humbled and appreciative of your support for this unique game.
IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ the next couple of sections. We have some other info to share after that, but what follows here is critical.
The Immediate Future
Running a big crowdfunding campaign is hard work, and we have a holiday week coming up. We’re going to take a little time off. You may not hear from us for a little while, but don’t worry. Our printers already have the files to the Black Cube and supplements to be reprinted and are waiting on final numbers so they can get started. We’ll post updates when we have something exciting to share.
We’ve delivered on over two dozen large crowdfunding campaigns over the past 10+ years, and we’ll be working diligently on your rewards in the weeks and months to come.
The Next Few Weeks
BackerKit began collecting pledges the moment the campaign closed. But it takes them a full two weeks to release those funds, along with the data on our backers.
In the meantime, we will get the pledge manager fully set up. The pledge manager gives us information we need to fulfill your pledge and lets you manage your add-ons and make any pledge upgrades you want. We’ll notify you when we open the pledge manager, which should be in two or three weeks.
HERE’S SOME SUPER IMPORTANT STUFF:
- The pledge manager is vital to getting your rewards. We CANNOT FULFILL your rewards if you don’t respond to the pledge manager!
- In the pledge manager, we’re going to ask for your email address. YOU MUST provide an address you can use later at the MCG Shop. DO NOT use an email proxy (like Apple Hide My Email), or an address you won’t have access to (like a school-issued address)—or you won’t be able to claim your rewards!
- Later, when your rewards are available, we’ll give you instructions on how to claim them. This process ensures, among other benefits, that we collect your accurate shipping address at the time of fulfillment. DON’T IGNORE OUR COMMUNICATIONS, or you won’t get your rewards!
The Next Few Months
Once you’ve completed the pledge manager survey, we won’t need anything else from you until it’s time to start fulfilling rewards. We’ll be busy crafting your products and rewards in the months to come. We’ll post regular updates, but if you don’t hear anything for a few weeks, don’t fret.
At the same time, please pay attention when you do get communications from us. Our emails and updates include critical information about your rewards.
When Your Rewards Ship
Every time a reward is ready for you, we’ll contact you by email to begin the fulfillment process. Generally, we’ll direct you to the MCG Shop, where you’ll log in, “buy” the product (for free, because you’ve already paid for it through this campaign), and check out.
This is an important part of the process because it ensures we have accurate delivery information for every item we send out. (With thousands of backers getting rewards, it's amazing how many people will change their address over the fulfillment period.) You'll pay for shipping at that time.
Make sure to pay attention to communications from us—don't let our updates or emails go to your spam folder, or otherwise ignore them, because if you do you could miss out on some of your rewards.
OK, Enough Business—Now Some Fun Stuff
First, some thanks:
While this campaign was underway, Monte and the design team (Sean, Bruce, Shanna, and Dominique) have been working on our current projects, including the It’s Only Magic, Cypher System Starter Set and The Magnus Archives Roleplaying Game. And Monte’s started initial work on The Wellspring.
Bear, supported by Javier (and the many great illustrators they work with), coordinated the artwork and handled the graphic design of this campaign, while they were also busy getting titles like Rust and Redemption off to press.
Teri and Tammie wrangled words and logistics of this campaign, and Jen, Olivia, and Kate provided answers and support to you, our wonderful community, here and everywhere gamers congregate online. The man behind the curtain of this campaign is Charles, who has planned and run this campaign.
All of us at MCG want to express our thanks to the many wise vislae—you—who blew us away with this campaign. Your support will introduce thousands of gamers to the Actuality!
Overheard in a recent MCG playtest: "Well, that's something you don't see a Texas longhorn do very often."
Thank you so much for your support!
—The Monte Cook Games team
The Wellspring Has Reached Its Full Potential!
10 months ago
– Thu, Nov 16, 2023 at 09:50:25 AM
Greetings, vislae—
Thanks to you, we’ve hit the milestone of more than 2,177 vislae supporting this campaign. We’ve exceeded the number of backers of the original campaign by a wide margin, and this reprint will be much bigger than the first reprint—huzzah! And it is all thanks to you, vislae, for your support and sharing the news of this campaign with your friends.
We’re excited to make The Wellspring live up to our most expansive vision for it—it’s going to be a supplement equivalent to Book M, The Nightside, and Enchiridion of the Path in terms of its production splendor.
The Wellspring, props and handouts, sticker sheet, and other components will now be delivered to you in an elegant box that will be an asset to your Invisible Sun collection all on its own. It may provide a handy place to organize all of your props—the additional ones you unlocked for this product, the props that come in the Black Cube, plus those of the Prop Set 2 (if it's one of your add-ons). Perhaps it will be perfect for storing your copy of The Guiding Hand and other gaming essentials, so that you are always prepared to journey into the Actuality. We're still working out the final form, but regardless, it will be as beautiful as it is useful.
At this point, there’s nothing else we can promise with confidence that we’ll be able to deliver to you in a reasonable timeframe. We’re working on so many cool things, for all of our game lines, that our schedule is absolutely packed, and we don’t want to compromise any of them to squeeze in another title. This means no more stretch goals for this campaign. You absolutely exceeded our loftiest expectations, and we're astonished, pleased, and grateful that you unlocked so many great stretch goals!
And, wow, have we learned something about the demand for Invisible Sun! It's as though we ourselves have stepped out of Shadow and into the Actuality, and been amazed at what we discovered. This new understanding will definitely influence our vision for future products. We couldn’t be more excited about what’s to come!
Thank you so much for your support!
—The Monte Cook Games team
You Have Unlocked The Darkest Art
10 months ago
– Sat, Nov 11, 2023 at 08:25:20 AM
Greetings, vislae—
Thanks to your tireless efforts, we have drawn more than 1,846 vislae out of Shadow and into the Actuality. With this milestone, we surpass even the number of vislae who called forth the Black Cube in its first conjuration. As a result, we are bringing The Darkest Art into existence.
As we described
when we announced this goal,
The Darkest Art will be a hefty, high-quality hardcover. Its final form is not yet discerned, but it will be lavished with deluxe features, including perhaps foil stamping, an elegant dust jacket, interesting edge treatments, or other becoming decorata.
It will contain art from Invisible Sun, its supplements, and The Darkest House (which isn’t an Invisible Sun product per se, but, given its genesis in Monte’s personal Invisible Sun campaign, has many similar themes).
It’s possible you’ll discover a few hidden elements in The Darkest Art. It will certainly give you a look at some aspects of Invisible Sun art that can’t be seen anywhere else. For example, you may get a detailed look at the entirety of the vislae party scene, a fragment of which opens each chapter in The Key, The Way, The Gate, and The Path (the four hardcovers contained in the Black Cube). Perhaps even multiple variations, since there is no single version of that amazing illustration.
You’ll also have a chance to closely examine some of Invisible Sun’s most detailed art, which is often replete with hidden elements not entirely obvious at their normal print scale. Some of these pieces reward the scrutiny this book will enable.
And you’ll see complete versions of the images created for the Sooth Deck, portions of which are not fully visible on the round cards.
Finally, let’s not forget the astonishing art from The Darkest House!
This is a substantive product that will be made to the highest standards. Were it to be available to the general public, it would carry a price tag of roughly $60. But to celebrate this milestone—and to thank you for helping reach it—we’re offering it to you for a special backer price of just $27. This is
a limited add-on—only one per backer at this highly discounted price.
Let’s Make One More Upgrade to The Wellspring
Wise vislae, there is little doubt that the summoning of The Wellspring, through this campaign, is an immeasurable boon to all our narratives. And as we have drawn additional vislae to our ritual throughout this campaign, the form taken by The Wellspring has evolved and improved, bringing even more resources to our aid.
We believe it has not quite reached its greatest potential, however. So let us continue that ritual, and conjure The Wellspring in its fullest form.
Here you see two Invisible Sun items: the slipcase that houses Book M (shown here with corebooks from the Black Cube) and the Vislae Kit. In both cases, the “box” is more than mere packaging—it is a sturdy, useful, and elegant container that serves not just the product that came within it, but also other Invisible Sun items, on your bookshelf and at the game table. These are practical and beneficial beyond their primary role as mere boxes.
We would like to package The Wellspring similarly. This envisioned box would contain the book and props, but be useful for much more. Perhaps you will organize all of your props within it—including those from the Black Cube and Prop Set 2 (if you obtain that add-on). It might be a convenient place to store your copy of The Guiding Hand, or general gaming supplies such as pencils and notebooks. Peering into the future, we cannot discern its exact final form, but its utility and elegance is without doubt.
But that’s not all. Note that the Vislae Kit shown above is used by an apostate. It’s been marked as such with a sticker that distinguishes it from the Vislae Kits belonging to other players. We’d like to add such a sticker sheet to
The Wellspring, and perhaps some additional physical components that add similar utility as you delve into
The Wellspring to launch a campaign—and support it as it grows.
This ritual requires the participation of 2177 vislae. It will be unlocked when we hit that many backers.
As has been true throughout this campaign, wise vislae, it is your outreach that helps others find their way out of Shadow. Continue this effort with renewed vigor—share a post on social media, or comment on EN World, reddit, or other gaming sites—and we will surely see The Wellspring reach its full potential!
Thank you so much for your support!
—The Monte Cook Games team
Let’s Bring Back the Supplements
10 months ago
– Fri, Nov 10, 2023 at 12:20:36 PM
Greetings, honored vislae—
When we launched this campaign, we offered two pledge levels that included bundles of existing Invisible Sun supplements: Book M, The Nightside, Teratology, Secrets of Silent Streets, Enchiridion of the Path, and The Threshold. These were offered out of our existing supplies which were limited. We quickly ran out and took down the pledge levels.
Since then, we’ve seen the extraordinary demand from vislae hoping to obtain these titles. Conjuring them into existence is an arduous and costly endeavor, but it seems this demand warrants it. We have reinstated the pledge levels and will reprint these supplements for you, our backers.
Here are some items of note:
- We are reprinting the supplements in limited quantities. They may be available through the MCG Shop once reprinted, but we cannot guarantee it. Your most reliable way of obtaining these supplements is definitely via this campaign.
- We initially promised to deliver these to backers as soon as we close the pledge manager (in December). That remains true of Phase 1 backers—those who pledged on or before November 1st. Delivery to all other backers (Phase 2) will be in the late spring of 2024, when the reprint is complete.
If you’d like these supplements and are new to Invisible Sun, upgrade to the
Walk the Path of Suns pledge level. It includes the Black Cube and
The Wellspring, as well as the supplements.
If you already have the Black Cube, you can get all six of the supplements via the
Expand into the Actuality pledge level. You’ll also get
The Wellspring, but the Black Cube is not included.
If you’re a retailer backing at the Traffic with the Black Cube pledge level, we’ll have a special add-on in the pledge manager, reflecting our retail discount, for the supplements.
It’s immensely gratifying to have reached this point—we did not foresee, when we launched this campaign, that demand for the entire Invisible Sun line would be so intense. It’s wonderful to have this opportunity to bring not just the Black Cube, but the entire line, into print.
In other news, we're currently about 60 backers or so away from unlocking
The Darkest Art. That's fewer than the number of backers we've been adding in an average day this week—so we're within striking distance. Please take a moment to help spread the word, and let's unlock this wonderful new book!
Thank you so much for your support!
—The Monte Cook Games team
