Happy Halloween Update!
about 1 year ago – Wed, Nov 01, 2023 at 02:01:36 PM

Hi Everyone!

There were some printing errors in the paperback and hardcover copies of the books that I didn't catch before, such as a couple of images that came out pixelated, even though they were fine in the PDF version. (See image below.) This is 100% my error, but it has been fixed. When I previously edited the book, a few image frames were accidentally relinked to older images that hadn't been upgraded to 300 DPI.

Life has been a little hectic the last few months, so I haven't had much free time, but after catching the errors, I really wanted to take the time to go through everything again.

That said, I should receive the proofs with the fixes within a couple of days, and then they'll start printing and shipping.

The paperback version will only take ten days to print and ship upon approval.

The hardcover version will take a little longer, just because of the time of year it is with holiday demand.

Apologies for this! I just want to make sure you get the highest quality possible.

I hope you all had a very Happy Halloween!

-Andrea

Locked in Mystery
over 1 year ago – Mon, Aug 21, 2023 at 12:41:08 AM

Shipping addresses for physical copies of The Lost Message lock in just under 48 hours.

You should have very recently received a final reminder email from BackerKit. Please use this email to make any changes to your shipping information if necessary. No action is needed if your shipping information is up-to-date or if your backer tier did not include a physical copy of the adventure.

The ability to make changes to your shipping information will no longer be an option after the evening of Tuesday, August 22.

Everyone should receive their physical copy within 2 - 4 weeks from today depending on your shipping address. Please remember you are responsible for any Custom fees your country may impose.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

-Andrea

ImPrints in the Snow
over 1 year ago – Thu, Aug 03, 2023 at 09:56:44 PM

All Print Editions Ship the Week of August 21th! 

Last Chance to Change Shipping Address!

Hi Everyone!

For Backers Awaiting Print Editions: BackerKit surveys will lock on Monday, August 21st. If you have moved since initially completing the survey, please find the survey link from previous BackerKit emails to update your shipping address. You will also be sent a final survey reminder email the weekend just prior to August 21st which will also contain a link to make any changes. I know it has been a while since the surveys were sent out, so I just wanted to make sure everyone has plenty of notice of the surveys being locked.

After August 21st, shipping addresses cannot be changed as this is the week all print editions will be shipped.

The digital version of The Lost Message has been available for download for a couple of months now. Instructions to download were sent to your Kickstarter email address. Since then, the 5e Supplement has also been made available to download by following the same instructions.

Almost to the finish line! Or, in this case, up the mountain!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

Warm Regards,

Andrea

(In AI Voice) Download Commencing
over 1 year ago – Wed, May 10, 2023 at 03:46:01 PM

Hi Backers!

I have emailed instructions to everyone via Kickstarter Messages on how to begin downloading digital content for The Lost Message.

Apologies for the lack of communication recently. The edits I needed to make after the WOTC OGL situation took longer than expected as, during the process, I received feedback that ultimately led me to rework part of the storyline of the adventure. Everything in general just took a lot longer than expected. I wanted my next update to be that everything was complete, but life got in the way, leaving me only about an hour of free time every day, and more time than I realized had passed. I will do better in the future.

This weekend, you will receive another survey from Backerkit so that you can update your shipping information if you have recently moved or update your email if you no longer have access to your Kickstarter account. You only need to fill out this survey if your information has changed.

I’ll post another update once all digital content has been uploaded to the link provided in the email sent today and once all physical books have been shipped.

Have a wonderful day!

-Andrea

The Wizards
almost 2 years ago – Thu, Feb 09, 2023 at 08:54:24 PM

Beloved Adventurers,

Thank you for your patience while we’ve all navigated the rollercoaster the last month has been regarding WOTC and their OGL. For anyone who hasn’t been following, WOTC had planned major and immediate changes to their Open Game License, including deauthorizing the original OGL, which would have affected The Lost Message, a 5e compatible adventure. Leaks of the new OGL, which was largely considered adversarial, caused a lot of creators to pause their projects indefinitely for legal reasons, and it caused a lot of players to boycott DnD.

I thought I could implement a few quick changes to make The Lost Message game-system agnostic and then all would be well. I was naïve. There was a lot more work involved than I realized. Even the smallest changes were upsetting the equilibrium of the adventure. Plus, there were lingering legal questions as I still wanted to include 5e components.

Since my last update about a month ago, the leaks were essentially confirmed by WOTC when, on January 13th, the day the new OGL was supposed to go into effect, WOTC released a statement explaining their intentions for the changes, which they postponed. You can read that official statement here: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1423-an-update-on-the-open-game-license-ogl

After the release of the January 13th statement, it could no longer be denied that WOTC had aspired to restrict third-party content creators. Releasing The Lost Message no longer felt like an exciting first step into the 5e creator community, but a real legal matter that could have consequences, especially since The Lost Message has a lot of digital content, a thorn in WOTC’s side, based on the updates they originally planned to make to the OGL. Like so many of my fellow third-party creators – here on Kickstarter and elsewhere – I therefore decided to pause The Lost Message until the new OGL was released. At that time, it was hard to distinguish rumor from fact, so I waited for more information to come directly from WOTC.

Finally, on January 27th, WOTC announced they are walking back their decision to update the OGL. The OGL that has been around for years will remain in place. Furthermore, they are releasing their SRD into the Creative Commons. You can read the official statement here: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1439-ogl-1-0a-creative-commons

A huge thanks to you – the DnD community – for standing in support of third-party content creators and making your voices heard. As a community, we’re all one party on a massive adventure together. With hope, WOTC remembers this going forward.

WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE LOST MESSAGE?

I love DnD. I want it to survive despite the mass exodus of players within the last month. I want to create lots of quality content for the game – adventures that are fun and memorable. But though I’m optimistic moving forward, I’m also cautious, because though I’m very happy with WOTC’s decision to walk back the more restrictive OGL, I cannot deny that a shadow has been painted over the future intentions of the company.

The Lost Message will remain game-system agnostic. However, it will be delivered with a 5e supplement. This way, it remains 5e compatible, but should WOTC change its OGL in the future, all I have to do is pull the supplement without pulling the entire adventure.

Due to the changes I’ve made, I'm currently having industry professionals who I’ve connected with over the last month look over The Lost Message before I release it. I have failed to deliver The Lost Message on time, and I acknowledge that. But it’s more important to me that you receive the best adventure possible, because that’s what you deserve. I don’t have an exact date of its release, but now that the OGL controversy is seemingly over, I see no reason why I shouldn’t be able to release The Lost Message by the end of this short month.

As a new creator, the last few weeks have certainly been challenging. I’ve evolved from a somewhat starry-eyed player who saw everyone else releasing all this amazing content and knew I had something special I could also contribute, to a more business-minded individual who had to temporarily shift my focus away from maybe-robot orcs and Time Gods to the real legal implications of being a contributor to the world’s greatest roleplaying game.

I never understood before why Kickstarter TTRPG creators pushed their project release dates so far out into the future. Now I understand. Thank you for taking this journey with me. I apologize once more for the delays. But the next time you see an update from me this month, it will be telling you to check your inboxes for a link to download The Lost Message.

Forever,

-Andrea