Pledge manager locked, cards charged, please check
about 1 year ago – Wed, Mar 01, 2023 at 04:21:26 PM

Citizens of Absalom!

As promised we have locked our Pathfinder Coins of Absalom BackerKit pledge manager today and charged your cards for postage and Add Ons. If you used PayPal, you were charged at checkout.

You can still login to change your address, but you can no longer change your order.

But, if you do want something extra, message us and we'll sort it our for you.

Now that we know what you all want, we'll begin manufacture!

Credit card errors

31 credit cards were declined, about 10% of you. If this happened, you will receive an email.

This often occurs because an over-protective* computer system at your bank sees an unexpected charge in AUD (Australian Dollars) and declines it because you're not travelling in Australia. Please contact your bank and give approval to this transaction, or try a different card, or another method like PayPal. If you need help, please email us or BackerKit and we can work with you to sort it out.

Due to painful past experience, we cannot send your coins until all add ons and postage are paid for. We're sorry about this. Blame that One Guy we were nice to that time, and never heard from again.

*  Note: Banking computer systems only seem to get over protective about small hobby transactions. If you're running an $8 billion dollar cryptofraud, it'll probably work out fine.

Speaking of robots...

The Paizo and Artificial Intelligence announcement went out today.  Everything you see in every Paizo book will be by a human, and AI-generated content will not be allowed in community publications.

As we are getting ready to make the coins, Jackson has been building product pages on our website. (These won't be visible until they go on sale, which won't be until we have shipped yours.)

To show you how pernicious AI is, Jackson plugged the descriptors into the inbuilt Shopify AI bot. Here is its description for the Markets of Absalom set:

Needless to say, we won't be using this. Jackson was just winding me up.

If you ever, ever see us saying that our coins will "unlock the wonder and bring an unforgettable atmosphere of a whole new dimension of excitement to your roleplaying sessions", you'll know that Skynet got us.

Please send Arnie. It's what we would have wanted.

Best,

Mark, with Andre, Jackson, Maddison, and the goddam Shopify AI Bot.

Pledge Manager locking on 28 Feb
about 1 year ago – Thu, Feb 23, 2023 at 05:07:05 PM

Adventurers!

Here's the final reminder: We'll lock the pledge manager and charge your cards on 28 February.

Thanks so much to the 90% of you who have completed their survey. You can still go in and make adjustments before next Tuesday (last chance ever to get the Absalom Hero Point Token!), but otherwise, you're good to go. 

If you're in the 10% who have not done the survey, if you can do it this weekend, we can guarantee we'll make your exact coins.  But, if you need a little more time, email us when ready and we'll work it out.

You can log in to your survey at this link:

https://pathfinder-coins-of-absalom.backerkit.com/

We will collate the orders and start manufacture next week.

Treasure Vault

Treasure Vault is out now for Pathfinder. When I first heard about this book and saw that amazing Wayne Reynolds cover, I thought "This will be amazing to use with the coins, the timing is perfect!" I've now done a Scrooge McDuck dive into the PDF, and it's everything I wanted and more: so much cool stuff for your adventurers to spend their loot on. Treasure Vault is a must-have for both players and GMs. I can't wait for my physical book to arrive.

(And, if you're not on the Pathfinder train yet, the incredible Humble Bundle deal is extended to 2 March.)

Project We Love

Allan from Type40 is a huge friend of ours on the Australian scene. Type40 is a dedicated team of creatives with a shared vision, from prop makers to illustrators, editors, writers, and designers, producing the highest quality in-world artefacts for gamers, collectors, and enthusiasts across both the physical and digital spaces. We love their Call of Cthulhu work, so were thrilled to learn that Type40 has partnered with Paizo. Behold, the first reveal of the Wayfinder, with an inset Ioun Stone!

To stay in touch with Allan's plans, join the Type40 mailing list.

That's all

Thanks everyone. We're keen to get your coins into production next week.

Best,

Mark, with Andre, Jackson & Maddison

Enter the Badger
about 1 year ago – Tue, Feb 07, 2023 at 04:36:56 PM

Citizens of Absalom!

The thing about Absalom is that there is so much to do, what with the taverns and shops and occasional outbreaks of terrifying monsters, the time just gets away from you. But after a memorable visit, it's time for you to make your way out through the Sally Port on the western side of the city.

Before you leave, there is one more stop to make in Westgate. You ring the shop bell at the Fierce Stripe. You're here to see a gnome about a badger.

Thanks so much everyone for your prompt response to the survey. 75% of you have filled it in, which is amazing.

With the extra Add Ons (thanks very much) the project is now Over 300% Funded, so we are unlocking the final Stretch Goal. We're so pleased to bring this coin to you. You deserve it.

Blond Badger coin unlocked

Each Noble House of Absalom coin set will now include the limited edition Blond Badger coin. This is the same design as the 1-Silver coin, but we will make a unique version with gold finish. We will never reprint this coin, and it is only available in the Noble House of Absalom coin set.

This coin is listed in the Famous Rare Coins list in the Coinage section on p.51 of Lost Omens City of Absalom:  “the blond badger, a silver coin design accidentally used to stamp about 500 gold coins that made their way into circulation.”

Please complete Surveys before 28 Feb

Please continue to fill out your surveys. The sooner you're done, the sooner we can start our manufacturing.

We will lock and charge cards on 28 Feb as promised. You can still continue to adjust your Add Ons until that date. We'll give you a warning beforehand.

Preorders will also be open until the end of the month. New backers can get the expanded coin sets and Kickstarter exclusives:

https://pathfinder-coins-of-absalom.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders

Pathfinder Humble Bundle

So You Wanna Try Out Pathfinder is an absolutely stonking deal right now on Humble Bundle. For US $5 you can get PDFs of the Pathfinder 2e Core Rulebook, Beginner Box and Bestiary, and the higher tiers just keep adding more and more PDFs. The top tier gives you 28 PDFs for US $25, worth over $400. If you're here for the coins but have not yet actually played Pathfinder, this is a fantastic way to check it out. (You'll be glad you did! It's an outstanding game.)

Thanks all

Here's the final map of Absalom. We made it clear across the city, at last.

Best,

Mark, with Andre, Jackson & Maddison

Pledge Manager emails are going out today
about 1 year ago – Fri, Feb 03, 2023 at 09:15:24 PM

Citizens of Absalom!

Thanks for your patience. The Pledge Manager is now ready. We are working with BackerKit on this campaign, and they've been lovely. Your survey emails will be sent out shortly.

Please complete your survey as soon as you can. We will charge your credit card on 28 Feb.

In the pledge manager you can choose which coin sets you want, finalise your Add Ons, and pay your shipping costs. Your shipping costs are based on the exact weight of your order. If you have any questions, please let us know.

We have already sent out a smoke test to a small number of backers, just to see that everything is working correctly. So far so good.

In this email we'll talk about stretch goals, shipping, taxes, and project delays.

Add Ons will count towards the final stretch goal

Remember the Blond Badger coin? If we reach 300% funded (Kickstarter funds, plus new Add Ons, excluding postage) we will release the badger, and add this exclusive limited edition coin to all Noble House of Absalom coin sets. We'll let you know if it happens!

You can change your pledge level

If you wish, you can change your pledge level. This is especially worth doing if you want more coin sets. You save money by choosing the right Coin Sets pledge level, rather than buying extra sets as Add Ons.

The link to switch your Pledge Level is directly below the green Get Started button.

Preorders are also live

New backers can join our campaign! Here is the link to the preorder store:

https://pathfinder-coins-of-absalom.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders

Delivery is now planned for June

With sincere apologies, we now anticipate you will receive your coins in June, rather than April.

This is because I've been largely off work for two months. I'll talk about why below.

But first, let's talk about shipping and import tax:

Coins will be shipped from Australia

All of the coins will be shipped from us in Australia. We found it would actually be cheaper for you if we did it ourselves. All costs are as per our predictions in the Shipping section of the Kickstarter. We will send you tracking numbers when the coins go out.

As we are shipping from our usual mail room, we have been able to increase the Pathfinder Add Ons we can offer you. In the Pledge Manager you will find our full range of Pathfinder Hero Point Tokens, and our new Pathfinder Society Pins.

Import taxes will apply to some countries

The tax information we put on our Kickstarter page bears repeating:

You will be responsible for any local taxes when your coins arrive.

• This will affect backers in Canada, the EU, and other parts of Europe.
•  USA backers, the value of your shipment should be well below your local limit for import tax.
•  UK backers, we must by law collect 20% VAT on your original Kickstarter pledge plus any add ons. This charge will appear in the pledge manager. However, if your total order is over GBP £135 (around AUD $230), there will be no tax charged by us, instead you'll have to pay VAT from your local post office.
•  Australian backers, no import tax will apply.
•  Other countries, import taxes will be as per your local laws.

If anyone has any concerns, please get in touch.

That's all the official stuff. On with the personal.

Concerning Hobbits

I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my mum. That's an obvious thing to say (none of us would be), but I wouldn't have my love of reading and fantasy without her, which lead directly to gaming as a teenager, and my career as a writer and game designer. I can't underestimate the impact of her giving me The Hobbit when I was eight years old, and her unwavering support. (Well, strictly speaking she wasn't thrilled when I flunked university after majoring in Dungeons & Dragons, but it worked out in the long run).

After 93 years of near perfect health, my mother died peacefully on 10 January after two months' illness. We were able to nurse her at home for as long as possible, and spent many hours together. We all needed each other as a family when my older brother died in late November, just as this Kickstarter funded. Like all older brothers, he was so cool. He introduced me to King Crimson and Pink Floyd, and we shared fantasy book series recommendations to the end.

The day after mum died, I caught Covid. I still can't quiet believe that happened, but three positive RAT tests the day after were pretty conclusive that this was more than just being rundown.

I'd avoided Covid for the whole pandemic, and was sick for nearly two weeks. Truth told I'm not fully better yet but I'm good enough I guess. I got back to work late January and started on the backlog.

This all seems intensely personal to be sharing with you, but the nature of Kickstarter is you need to be fully transparent about delays. So, that's why we are two months late; I found it nearly impossible to get any work done. I'm really sorry about this, but when you're going through it, family really is the most important thing in your life. Condolences and love to anyone else reading this who has lost a parent.

It is however nice to be able to honour mum by telling you about her. She was really thrilled about the success of this campaign, and loved the sample coins.

Like I said above: unwavering support. Thanks, mum.

I'll finish with a photo of me in the backyard, trying to use sunshine to cure Covid (well, that and the four immunisation shots in me), and thinking about mum. I'm reading The Hobbit and listening to Mike Oldfield'sTubular Bells, which she had in her record collection, along with Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Centre of the Earth. I was an inside kid growing up in the country, but within my mind, I had a life of adventure.

Best,

Mark

Pledge Manager in early 2023
over 1 year ago – Tue, Dec 20, 2022 at 10:40:46 PM

Citizens of Absalom!

Once again, thanks one and all for supporting our Coins of Absalom Kickstarter. The funds have cleared, and we look forward to making these for you.

Pledge Manager opening early 2023

We are late launching the pledge manager, as I've barely been at work since the campaign closed. I am a primary carer for my senior parents and we have had some sad events and health issues which have required all my attention and love. I'll tell you more about the wonderful people in my life next year.

However, I'm pleased to say that Jackson has since made a start on BackerKit and got a fair amount done, as he can fit in between running the website and shipping parcels on his two days per week.

We will launch the pledge manager by mid-January, and close it in early February so that we can start manufacture as soon as our production team return from the Lunar New Year holiday. In the pledge manager you will be able to choose your exact sets, finalise your add ons, and pay for postage.

Manufacture will be finished in early March, and then we will send the coins to fulfillment. I anticipate that this delay will move back our delivery to you to June 2023, depending on how long freight takes. We'll keep you updated.

I'm sorry about this, but I need to focus on family right now. I hope you understand.

Final Pathfinder Compass

I wanted to finish with something nice: yesterday I received the photos of the revised Pathfinder Compass. We changed the centre of the 3D side to make the Glyph of the Open Road bigger and allow for more green enamel. We kept the 2D side the same, as it still looks quite cool. This side by side comparison shows the exactly change. The iris around the glyph has been replaced with a thin ring, and the glyph made much bigger.

From all of us, we wish you a peaceful and happy holiday season.

Best,

Mark