Fri Aug 5 '22 Announcement
over 1 year ago – Fri, Aug 05, 2022 at 08:39:41 AM

Hello Chosen of the Little Gods,

It's been a few weeks since we started the Backerkit survey process, and we've just passed the 85% response threshold so I've got some real data to look at and orders to start fulfilling. We use BackerKit to fulfill all of our rewards, so please fill out your survey and start your BackerKit Exigents: Out of the Ashes page if you haven't already.

If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://exigents.backerkit.com/

• BackerKit How-To: Reviewing and Updating Your Information <Download PDF Here>
• BackerKit How-To: Claiming Your Digital Rewards <Download PDF Here>

DIGITAL REWARD DISTRIBUTION

Many of the rewards for our crowdfunded projects take a lot of time and effort to complete. Usually, the Indiegogo campaign is a means of moving the project from an idea (even when it's a mostly-fully-written idea) into the actual channel that turns it into a project/product. It'll be quite a while before we're ready to talk about delivery on Exigents: Out of the Ashes, and even longer for our projects generated via Stretch Goals (the Companion supplement, the VTT token packs, the jumpstart, and the rest).

That said, there are a few rewards that are available now, as they were mostly add-on PDFs of existing products. And now we can work on getting those out to you over the week.

The following Add On Rewards Will Be Distributed This Weekend:

• [Add On] Arms of the Chosen PDF
• [Add On] Dragon-Blooded: What Fire has Wrought PDF
• [Add On] Exalted Third Edition Core Rulebook PDF
• [Add On] Lunars: Fangas at the Gate PDF
• [Add On] The Realm
• [Add On] Fiction Bundle 
• [Add On] Music Bundle

Yeah, you remember those Add Ons durign the Perk selection phase of your pledge! These were the Fiction and Music bundles...

Good stuff! 

If you want any of these and didn't add them on during the campaign, you can still update your BackerKit page and add them to your rewards list. See the BackerKit How-To instructions above.

REWARD DISTRIBUTION

Your link to claim these digital rewards will be sent out by our BackerKit pledge manager over the next few days. Since we are using our partners at DriveThruRPG as the hosts for these, you will need to set up a DriveThru account if you don't have one already. If you encounter any problems with downloading your rewards, please contact DTRPG's customer service to resolve the matter, they've always been top-rated for customer service. http://www.drivethrurpg.com/contact_us.ph

The best way to ensure these redemption codes work smoothly is to log in to your DTRPG account first, and then click (or copy) the link shown in your BackerKit.

Again, you will receive an e-mail from BackerKit with links for these rewards over the next 2 days if any of them are on your expected list of rewards. I'll be releasing them in waves, so don't panic if you only see a couple links at first... the rest are coming. (We're in a digital world, but there are still a lot of manual processes. And there are many links to go out!!)

The easiest way to see if you've got digital downloads available is to login to your backerkit account: https://exigents.backerkit.com/

MONTHLY UPDATES

We're still in the earliest stages of this post-campaign, where projects make incremental movements along the progress path. A lot of months will be pretty similar, just a quick note to let you know that the Onyx Path team is still working on it. Any time we have a new reward or something of interest to share, I'll include that as well.

At the end of each month, I'll include a summary of our rewards and their current status (they'll either be delivered or marked as still pending, possibly with additional details if I know more). I'll also list any relevant Update posts, in case you want to go back and check into something.

So, I'll be back with our first Month End update in three weeks. Until then...

TO CONTACT JAMES

• Via E-Mail: Onyxpath.ks [at] gmail.com
• Via Indiegogo: Click "Ask A Question" under the Onyx Path logo on the main page; the message will come to me!
• Via BackerKit: Click "Need Help?" from your page, and then fill in the Contact Us form. BackerKit will pass your message along to me.

If there are any issues you find with the Pledge Manager, please contact me as soon as possible to let me know. It rolls out in waves so that I can correct issues on the fly and make it work as best possible as people come on board. Indiegogo campaigns set up a bit differently than I'm used to in the Pledge Manager, so there's a strong chance that there are a few bits and bobs that may need to be corrected.

CURRENTLY CROWDFUNDING 

Fri Jul 22 '22 Announcement
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Jul 22, 2022 at 12:43:52 PM

Hello Chosen of the Little Gods,

I had expected the Pledge Manager to be set up by the end of the month and surveys to go out in the first few weeks of August... but I'm running a bit early! That won't happen often, so let's enjoy it while we can!

Starting in August I will send out the first of our regular month end updates. Near the end of each month, I will be sending out an update with status notes on our main projects as well as the Stretch Goal projects we added. As noted in previous updates, these projects take a long time to put together. You've seen the manuscript preview PDFs, but there are still many moving pieces and puzzles to solve in turning these manuscripts into awesome books. These month-end updates ensure that communication is constant and consistent, and that we're all on the same page with regards to where we stand.

That's info for the end of August, though. Let's talk about this now instead, because...

I will be sending out the BackerKit Pledge Manager surveys over the next 4 days!

But, before we begin all of that - I hope everyone's keeping safe and managing through our current times as best possible. I don't know how things will look as the world continues to change, but hoping the best for all of you.

BACKER SURVEYS

Over the next few days, you’ll receive an email from us with a special link to your BackerKit survey. It’s important to respond to your survey as quickly as you can since we need this information to fulfill your rewards, including our compile draft manuscript.

You don’t need to create a BackerKit account to fill out your survey (although that may help keep things organized if you've got multiple projects going.) When you receive the email with the survey, click the survey invitation link to respond. Answer the questions about your reward preferences, provide shipping information, and purchase add-on items if you like. You don’t have access to this survey link yet, but it will be available soon via email!

The e-mail will look something like this:

After you respond to your survey, you can go back later and change your responses at any time before we close the surveys and get our final counts, and that won't happen until the books are printed and we're preparing to ship.

If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://exigents.backerkit.com

If you used your Facebook credentials to log in to your Kickstarter account, the BackerKit survey is sent to the email address you use for your Facebook account. If you have another email address that you prefer to use, please contact support at https://double-feature.backerkit.com/faq

If you have any other questions or concerns, you can post them to the comments for this project or message me via one of these methods:

TO CONTACT JAMES

• Via E-Mail: Onyxpath.ks [at] gmail.com
• Via Indiegogo: Click "Ask A Question" under the Onyx Path logo on the main page; the message will come to me!
• Via BackerKit: Click "Need Help?" from your page, and then fill in the Contact Us form. BackerKit will pass your message along to me.

If there are any issues you find with the Pledge Manager, please contact me as soon as possible to let me know. It rolls out in waves so that I can correct issues on the fly and make it work as best possible as people come on board. Indiegogo campaigns set up a bit differently than I'm used to in the Pledge Manager, so there's a strong chance that there are a few bits and bobs that may need to be corrected.

Please send me an e-mail (to the address above) if there were any tweaks or changes that need to be made to your BackerKit survey that we talked about during the campaign. I have aged about thirty years during the past few months and my memory is... not as good as I'd like.

Within the BackerKit Survey and Pledge Manager, you can:

• Review your Pledge Tier Selection and Perks
• Upgrade your Reward Tier Perk selection
• Confirm Add On selections
• Set up payment information to pay for any new Add On options selected.

When you click on your BackerKit invitation link, you should see something like this...

From the BackerKit welcome page you can choose to

• Review Your Pledge Level and Perks
• Start Your Survey, confirming pledge rewards, confirming or selecting new Add On options, and confirming any shipping and payment info that may be needed
• Switch Your Pledge Perk

If you've pledged to a reward tier that includes physical rewards, you can enter your shipping country at this stage to line up those terrible shipping costs.

If you select your Pledge Level, you will see a list of all items included in your Perk Rewards, and also have the option to switch your Pledge Level, in case you've decided to get the hardcover instead of just the PDF for example.

Once you've confirmed that your Pledge Level is correct and where you want it to be, you can GET STARTED with your BackerKit Pledge Manager Survey.

Once we've got a fair response to our survey and collected a reasonable amount of info, I'll be working on fulfilling rewards that are available now - like the PDFs of the titles included in our Add On section (for example, the Exalted Third Edition core rules, the fiction bundle, the audio bundle, and more). THAT will be coming around mid-August. 

Before that, likely early next week, I'll be sending out the combined draft manuscript preview link. It will come via BackerKit, and have a link for a consolidated preview manuscript PDF. There won't be any changes from what you saw during the campaign, it'll just be all mashed together.

So, in summary:

• Look for an e-mail invitation to BackerKit sometime over the next few days
• Get Started on your survey
• Confirm your Pledge Level (or SWITCH your Pledge Level if you want to change it)
• Confirm and Select Any Add On options
• Confirm Your Shipping Information (if needed)
• Confirm Your Payment Information (if needed)

I will post an update in mid-August as I begin outlining the delivery of our first Add On rewards (the existing PDF titles, as noted above) and beginning distribution of those PDF rewards.

CURRENTLY CROWDFUNDING 

Fri Jun 24 '22 Announcement
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Jun 24, 2022 at 12:02:59 AM

Hello Chosen of the Little Gods!

What a campaign! I'm not just delirious because it's 3 AM where I am, but also from the excitement of this past week! This campaign has been humming along the entire time, and this past week has been no exception! What a wild ride! Right down to the wire!

But, most importantly,

WE FUNDED THE BOOK!

Together, we petitioned for the spark of Exigence that will be used to develop and produce Exigents: Out of the Ashes, creating a deluxe hardcover edition of the book.

And not just that! Working together during our amazing journey, we've unlocked SEVENTEEN Stretch Goals, opening up some fun celebrations, adding some online play tools, adding a jumpstart PDF, and most exciting of all - adding some additional Exigents content in a companion supplement that we kept expanding with new Stretch Goal achievements!

SEVENTEEN STRETCH GOALS!

I honestly thought that final one would be just beyond our reach, but we unlocked it this evening! Amazing!

We watched this campaign GoGo the entire time! From the amazing Day 1 launch right up to these final few days, this exciting toolset for Exalted Third Edition has really got fans excited to see what they can build.

And what a toolset! Huge congratulations to the creative team on this book for making an exciting and interesting addition to Exalted! I'm so impressed by what they've put together for this project, and even more excited to see what amazing Exigents and Exalted others will build with this project!

THANK YOU

So, thank you to all the backers who supported us and made this happen. And a personal thanks to everyone who participated online, either in the comments section of the Indiegogo, and on social media around the web, to everyone who braved the sometimes clunky Indiegogo interface and journeyed through this unusual terrain with us. Thanks to everyone who's joined us on this campaign!

There's obviously a lot going on in the world right now - a lot of new and ongoing challenges to be dealt with - but it's been really great to see the community come together to support this project and turn it into a success.

COMMUNICATION

So, as noted in today's earlier update, I'll be sending out updates once a month and whenever we've got a new goal, survey, or other item to cover. If you have any questions or need clarification on something related to the Indiegogo campaign, feel free to get in touch. I may take a bit to answer as I recover from this past month, but I'll eventually have an answer!

I will begin working on the BackerKit set up in a few weeks and be in touch as soon as it's ready to go. I'll likely be a bit quiet while that happens, recharging my batteries a bit, but you will get to see my glorious avatar again in the near future!

MORE PLACES TO TALK ABOUT EXALTED

If you've got questions about the rules or setting, or just want to discuss this game with other fans (as well as the Onyx Path writers and developers!), you can check out these Onyx Path discussion zones:

• Onyx Path's Exalted Forum
• Onyx Path's Exalted Discord
• Exalted on Reddit
• Onyx Path's Facebook

TO CONTACT JAMES

• Via E-Mail: Onyxpath.ks [at] gmail.com
• Via Indiegogo: Click "Ask A Question" under the Onyx Path logo on the main page; the message will come to me!

Thu Jun 23 '22 Announcement
almost 2 years ago – Thu, Jun 23, 2022 at 09:51:31 AM

Hello Chosen of the Little Gods,

Well, after yesterday's wordcount-busting updates, I'm back a day later for our last campaign update. And what an action-packed day it's been - we've unlocked two additional Stretch Goals since our big summary yesterday!

UNLOCKED! - At $150,000 in Funding - Exigents VTT Token Pack

Digital assets will be created to support online play for Exigents: Out of the Ashes,  including key character and antagonist tokens from the book. This online asset pack will be added to the rewards list of all backers.

UNLOCKED! - At $155,000 in Funding - Exigents Expanded Content: Bearers of the Spark #2

More patron gods for potential Exigents, including some of Creation’s stranger gods and some returning fan favorites.

I honestly thought we'd be hitting these goals around the close of the campaign tonight! But here we are, with SIXTEEN Stretch Goals achieved and just about 14 hours to go until the end. Can we sneak one more Stretch Goal in there?

At $160,000 in Funding - Exigents Streaming Overlay

A set of overlays for your online Exigents game will be created, for your use when streaming your game. This reward will be added to the rewards list of all backers.

And with that final target ahead of us, let's do a quick review on our final day to make sure we're all on the same page as we approach the end. I'll try to keep it brief and watch my word count!

Refresher Course

We've had, and will have, a bunch of new backers join in during these last days. I want to take a moment to highlight some key Update posts that new backers may want to check out (and existing backers may want to read as a refresher!).

MANUSCRIPT PREVIEW - We've released the entire draft mansucript in a few downloads throughtout the campaign. If you scroll back a few updates, you'll find all of the Chapters available to be read before we finish up. Making the manuscripts available for review before the campaign ends ensures that everyone know exactly what our goal is - making these books - and are on board with our aims for this project. Thanks for your support, we're all in this together!

PLEDGE PERKS - There are three primary Perks for this campaign:

1. Petitioner of the Spark - Choose this Perk if you want to support the campaign, but aren't interested in either the PDF or deluxe hardcover version of Exigents at this time. You can select Add On perks with this reward, and you'll have full access to the post-campaign Pledge Manager, should you wish to update your options in the future.
2. Bearer of Heaven's Flame - Choose this Perk if you're staying digital - either saving trees or saving shelf space. This Perk is built around the Exigents PDF, and you can select Add On perks and have full access to the post-campaign Pledge Manager.
3. Chosen of the Little Gods - Choose this Perk if you're interested in the limited edition Deluxe Hardcover version of this book. This Perk also includes the PDF version, and you can select any additional Add On perks and will have full access to the post-campaign Pledge Manager.

There are also several Premium Perk levels with limited availability. These premium perks are expensive, but offer an additional level of interaction with the setting and lore of Exalted, from submitting a character description for the supplement artists to incorporate into their work to providing a name to be used by the writers for an NPC to suggesting a custom Charm that the developers can add to our supplement. Many of these Perks are currently accounted for, but shifting pledges over these final hours sometimes open things up, so if you're interested it's worth checking in over the next day.

1. Choose Your Pledge Perk Wisely

Choosing the correct Perk for your desired rewards, and then filling in any "gaps" with add-ons, ensures that you'll be claiming all of your desired rewards as a thank you for supporting this project and bringing this world to life.

Remember, your TOTAL PLEDGE AMOUNT is equal to your PLEDGE PERK + ADD ON PERKS + SHIPPING. You will also be able to select Add On options in the Pledge Manager after the campaign, but remember that only funds added during the campaign count towards Stretch Goal funding targets.

Also to note, only those who participate during the campaign are able to have Stretch Goal rewards added automatically to their rewards lists. If you're waiting to pre-order at a later time, it's better to pledge to the Supporter tier now and then simply upgrade your pledge later to include these bonus rewards.

Shipping is calculated automatically by Indiegogo, based on your location. Remember, Add On rewards are listed in the second stage of your pledge process (before you confirm your pledge), and will also be made available to add on in the post-campaign pledge manager sent out in about 6 weeks.

SO: Ensure that you've selected the Pledge P erk you want, and select any Add On options you wish to include. AND - make sure that you are comfortable with the Pledge Total amount, in terms of it covering everything you want and its' affordability.

I'm going to speak against my own self interest for a moment, and repeat myself one last time - though 2022 has been a bit better than the past two years, the world is still unpredictable and some futures are a little less certain. Ensure that your circumstances enable to afford this pledge at this moment - Indiegogo allows you to cancel your pledge right up until the final moments of  the campaign, but neither Onyx Path nor I have any involvement in that process. If you are unsure of your financial situation but don't want to miss out, please pledge for a perk you can afford now and know that you will likely be able to upgrade to open pledge levels in our post-campaign Pledge Manager for some time before the book is completed.

• Choose a Pledge Perk You Can Afford
• Read the Manuscripts and Make Sure You Know What You're Getting
• Be Aware of the Projected Delivery Date (Onyx Path will try to deliver earlier than this, but the book will take some time to get perfect)

2. CONTACT INFORMATION

Once you're comfortable with your pledge, please ensure that contact information in your Indiegogo account is up to date and correct. Making sure your e-mail is entered correctly will hel the next step process go smoothly. Your contact info doesn't have to match any previous BackerKit pages at this point, but it does have to be something you've got access to and can review in the future.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

3. AFTER THE CAMPAIGN ENDS

First, we celebrate. Indiegogo may send out a virtual "Hooray!" email confirming the campaign ended with final totals. For those who are awak, we'll give socially-distanced high fives and digital fist bumps in the comments section. I may not return high-fives until tomorrow morning, depending on how much coffee I've consumed after midnight!

Then, the Indiegogo info collection begins. Over the next few weeks, Indiegogo will begin consolidating all of the information with this campaign in preparation for passing it along to Onyx Path.

Once this step is done, which will likely be in the first week of July, Indiegogo will confirm everything with Onyx Path and I can begin to set up the project with BackerKit and link it to the campaign data.

BackerKit is a robust fulfillment integration and pledge management program that will allow us to work with all of the data and distribute the rewards to you. It will take me a few weeks to set the project up. Once I've got it all entered and built, the team from BackerKit will review to ensure I didn't mess anything up too badly, and then I'll make any changes they've suggested and we can move on to the Survey stage.

4. BACKERKIT SURVEYS

Once BackerKit says I'm good to go, I will send out a survey to all backers. This is why confirming your e-mail is important!

The BackerKit survey is both a verb and a noun - it will collect data for the analysis of some aspect of a group (enabling Onyx Path to set print runs, prioritize new projects, and fine-tune future capaigns), as well as providing a general review or summary of the pek pledge you've chosen, confirm all of the rewards associated with that reward tier, and confirm your total pledge amount.

I expect Surveys to go out by mid-July 2022.

During the Survey period, you can choose to increase your reward tier or add on additional options. If you've gone back to work or found an alternate income source and decide it's time to trade up to the hardcover version of the book or include another add-on, you can do so at this time. Note, you will not be able to reduce your reward tier selection, only increase.

The survey will ask you to confirm your shipping address, even though it'll be some time before we ship out the final product. Do not worry about moving before shipping begins - you will be able to update BackerKit right up until the point that we begin fulfilling the final book. We will send out a notice prior to lock down so you can update any information.

I'll also use the Survey to confirm some details for the premium reward tiers.

5. REWARD DISTRIBUTION

This is a long process, but I will send out regular updates (usually at the end of the month) to keep you up to speed on Onyx Path's progress. There will be strings of updates that are just "still working on it," but I will share new artwork or information when I can.

Eventually, we will have completed PDFs of Exigents: Out of the Ashes. Onyx Path will take some time to distribute, review, and compile any errata or corrections that need to be made. When they've made any necessary changes, they'll send out updated copies of the PDFs and then begin creating print-ready files for the Print-on-Demand and the hardcover versions.

There's still a long road ahead after this first big step, but we wouldn't have even been able to start this journey without your faith and support! 

So, with a final 14 hours to go, please continue to spread the word, and let's see if we can't land another Stretch Goal before 11:59 PM PDT tonight!

Wed Jun 22 '22 Announcement
almost 2 years ago – Wed, Jun 22, 2022 at 07:29:49 AM

Hello Chosen of the Little Gods,

In our last update (or half-update), I showed the FOURTEEN GOALS that we've already unlocked via Stretch Goal achievement with this campaign. In fact, we've done so well that I used up all of my Indiegogo Update word count, had to mash some images together, and still have this whole update to share with you!

FOURTEEN STRETCH GOALS!

Phew! That's a lot! And some extra excitement for me while typing this up, as Indiegogo has no draft save mechanism for these updates and rolling brownouts will likely hit our area as the temperature skyrockets today. But I've made it this far.. and let's see if we can keep it going!

With just over 40 hours to go, let's see if we can't add another Stretch Goal or two before the end. We've spent the past week alternating between "Milestone Markers" on the "0"s and Expanded Content goals on the "5"s, and that's a pattern that allows us to properly fund the new content while keeping our momentum and marshaling our forces in-between big goals. So, let's keep with that pattern and add these next goals...

At $150,000 in Funding - Exigents VTT Token Pack

Digital assets will be created to support online play for Exigents: Out of the Ashes, including key character and atagonist tokens from the book. This online asset pack will be added to the rewards list of all backers.

At $155,000 in Funding - Exigents Expanded Content: Bearers of the Spark #2

More patron gods for potential Exigents, including some of Creation's stranger gods and some returning fan favorits.

Now, realistically, I think those two will be our final goals within reach, and will be the ones I've set up to achieve on our main page. But I'm gonna be away from my computer for much of the day and working mobile... so let me set up some outrageous final targets, in the wild chance that we bring in a ton of new backers today and exceed all of my dreams. I think these are longshots, but let's aim for the stars...

At $160,000 in Funding - Exigents Streaming Overlay

A set of overlays for your online Exigents game will be created, for your use when streaming your game. This reward will be added to the rewards list of all backers.

At $165,000 in Funding - Exigents Expanded Content: The Torchbearer

A design seed for the Torchbearer, detailing the scholar-Exigent's history and nature while providing traits and sample Charms to use as a beginning point for designing a full Charm set for yourself.

It feels a bit bold, or foolish, or maybe arrogant, to even list those two extra goals, but Exalted fans have proven to be a magical group again and again, and I'd rather have some more targets to work towards in these final days than spend the final hours scrambling on my phone to come up with something! I'll leave them off the front page for now, we'll keep this just between ourselves and only pull it out if needed! ;)

YOUR REWARDS!

That's right, you backed this project to help make and publish Exigents: Out of the Ashes. Our primary reward - the big thank you that we'll send out in appreciation for your support - are PDFs and/or hardcover copies of this book. BUT AS A BONUS, you may also have the Expanded Content supplement, the jumpstart, a digital wallpaper and mobile screen, an opportunity to buy an Exigents shirt, and more... added to your rewards list!

Not Much More Time

We've achieved our primary goal, the funding of this book, and unlocked 14 additional rewards so far in this camapign, but there are two possible Stretch Goal targets that are still almost within grasp! I know these last funding target may seem daunting, but it wouldn't be a STRETCH goals if we didn't have to really STRETCH to reach it! I'm confident that we can add another goal... and maybe two... though it won't be easy. I'm sure we'll be watching right up until the end of the campaign, but it is completely within our grasp!

So, as every update concludes: let's keep the enthusiasm rolling! Keep spreading the word and letting others know about this project. They've got this final day to jump in and share the Stretch Goals we've achieved!

And every backer who joins in as we approach the end is not only able to enjoy the additional rewards already added by the early fans and backers, but also help reward those early backers by maybe unlocking those VTT Tokens! And maybe more Bearers of the Spark?!

Remember, only the funds generated during the Indiegogo campaign go toward achieving these Stretch Goal targets, so the time to act is now! Together, we can bring these gamse to life and make great things happen!

THIS CAMPAIGN ENDS AT 11:59 PM PDT on THURSDAY, June 23rd, 2022!