Last 3 days: new stretch goals, new coin packs
over 1 year ago – Sun, Nov 20, 2022 at 10:58:21 AM

Citizens of Absalom!

Your journey takes you through the quieter residential district of Eastgate. After the hustle of The Coins and the bustle of The Docks you are glad to experience a more homely area of Absalom, but you're an adventurer born and true, and you soon turn south for stranger sights. Ahead of you is the Precipe Quarter, home to the upcoming Radiant Festival.

The project is now 200% funded, so we have added new Coin Packs and amended the contents of some of the existing ones. Details below.

Revised Coin Packs

The heart of this campaign are the Coin Sets (the Inns, Markets, Trademaster and Noble House of Absalom sets) but we are also offering Coin Packs as a way of fine tuning your treasury. With this new stretch goal we have revisited our selection after hearing your feedback. Huge thanks to all who took the time to share your thoughts. Here are the revised packs:

In the Gold range, we have added a new Medium Gold pack. To make this we have moved the 10gp and 20gp out of the Low Gold Pack, and the 50gp out of the High Gold pack. We have also combined the Copper Pack and the Silver Pack into a single Change Pack. The Platinum Pack and Epic Gold remain the same. 

CHANGE PACK (AU $24 ~ US $15): 10 coins 1 cp x4 | 5 cp x1 | 1 sp x4 | 5 sp x1

LOW GOLD PACK (AU $24 ~ US $15): 10 coins 1 gp x6 | 2 gp x2 | 5 gp x2

MEDIUM GOLD PACK (AU $24 ~ US $15): 9 coins 10 gp x4 | 20 gp x3 | 50 gp x2

HIGH GOLD PACK (AU $24 ~ US $15): 8 coins 100 gp x5 | 500 gp x2 | 1,000 gp x1

EPIC GOLD PACK (AU $24 ~ US $15): 6 coins 5,000 gp x4 | 10,000 gp x2

PLATINUM PACK (AU $24 ~ US $15): 10 coins 1 pp x8 | 5 pp x2

New packs of 1-Coins and 5-Coins

Some people wanted to be able to get the single coins, so we will offer 10-packs of the following coins:

• 1-Copper coins
• 1-Silver coins
• 1-Gold coins
• 1-Platinum coins
• 5-Copper coins
• 5-Silver coins
• 5-Gold coins
• 5-Platinum coins

1-COINS PACK (AU $24 ~ US $15): 10 coins choose 1 cp x10 or 1 sp x10 or 1 gp x10 or 1 pp x10

5-COINS PACK (AU $24 ~ US $15): 10 coins choose 5 cp x10 or 5 sp x10 or 5 gp x10 or 5 pp x10

Ten Pack Coin Deal

We have also created a new Add On for backers who want to get a lot of Coin Packs:

TEN COIN PACK DEAL (AU $225): If you order 10 of the above coin packs (excluding the Collector Pack) this deal gives you a small discount. You can choose your packs in the Pledge Manager.

What do you think?

We think this is an improvement and hope you do too. It makes sense to offer Low Gold (1/2/5 gp), Medium Gold (10/20/50 gp), High Gold (100/500/1,000 gp) and Epic Gold (5,000/1,0000 gp), as it's a much better spread. We also think that the Change Pack with both coppers and silvers is a more interesting mix, while backers who really want to go deep on coppers or silvers will be better served by the new single type 10-packs.

We had some other interesting suggestions (e.g. Starting Money, your 15 gp your 1st level character has) but ultimately decided it was better to sell packs with a good mix and let you decide how to use them.

Final Stretch Goals

Here are the final stretch goals. Will we finish our trek through Absalom? Three days to find out!

225% [LOCKED]: Our next destination is the Precipe Quarter. When we reach this goal, a bonus 1 PP coin will be added to the Noble House of Absalom set.

250% [LOCKED]: On to the Puddles. A bonus 5 PP coin will be added to the Noble House of Absalom set.

275% [LOCKED]: A diversion to Fort Tempest. We will pay an AU $500 Artist Bonus to our coin artist Brian Patterson. He has been fully paid for his designs, but we appreciate him and hope you do too.

300% [LOCKED]: We finish our journey at Westgate. A Blond Badger 1 GP coin will be added to each Noble House of Absalom set. This is a limited edition print run of the 1-Silver design in the gold finish. It is exclusive to this Kickstarter, and to the Noble House of Absalom set. Ever since we read about this coin in Absalom City of Lost Omens we've been excited to make it. Only 500 were ever minted in Golarion, so it's rare there too, and highly collectable among the nobility.

Thanks everyone,

Mark, with Andre, Jackson & Maddison

Meanwhile in the Grand Bazaar...
over 1 year ago – Sat, Nov 19, 2022 at 06:26:15 PM

Citizens of Absalom!

You plunge into the Grand Bazaar, the heart of The Coins district. Extraordinary wares from across Golarion are on sale on all sides, from traders of all nations. You could spend days here, and never visit the same vendor twice. You'll have no trouble spending the gold from your next adventure here, in the greatest market in the world. 

We are 180% funded, and so we will add a bonus 1 gp coin to each Markets of Absalom set (KS only). 

Coin of the District

The coin from The Coins (see what we did there) is the Hall of Commerce, seen on the 20-Gold coin.

The Grand Bazaar

Pathfinder Lost Omens: The Grand Bazaar is such a great book, full of interesting shops, fascinating merchants and intriguing items. We were so excited when we saw it announced. What a fantastic trilogy of books for a campaign using coins: the Abomination Vaults megadungeon for adventure, the Absalom book for the city, and The Grand Bazaar for shopping. And since then, Treasure Vault has been announced. Pathfinder is perfect for play with coins.

Go get that gold, adventurers, storekeepers are standing by.  

Coins & Compass on the Table

I ran the Pathfinder Beginner Box on Saturday night (shout out to backers gz33 and Alex who were also running it last weekend). We had a late start; it's been ages since we've been together so we had a feast first.

When we finally got down to it, they only explored two rooms (!), but it was great fun. The coins delayed the acton because they inspired a shopping session in Otari, with a deep dive into the Crafting & Treasure chapter of the rulebook. Valeros got new armour, Ezren some spell scrolls, and Kyra some healing potions and more rope. Merisiel hung on to her gold, as rogues do.

I used the Inns of Absaloms coin set and a Markets of Absalom coin set, and the treasury worked really well. The only time we broke the bank was when we tried a four-way split of the second room's loot. In hindsight we should have kept it as a party fund, and split it at the end of the level, not the end of the session.

The compass was great. Knowing which is the South West corner is important in one room, it was brilliant.

Dice We Love

Here's how some of us rolled on Saturday night: 

Jackson used PRIMUS Sharp Edge Dice, on Kickstarter right now.  The dice were perfect for Ezren's Ray of Frost, which he used to solve a puzzle in an ingenious way. PRIMUS are a lovely family company who play games together, and make the dice they want to use. They dice are slightly over sized and sharp edged. The Kickstarter has two weeks to go, and every backer will get an Adventure Pack with one of our Classic Fantasy coins as a bonus.

Vincent used his brand new Witcher Hybrid Dice from Q-Workshop, a pickup from PAX AUS. These are exquisite luxury dice, combining wood and metal. My GM Screen trembled every time Merisiel stabbed a kobold once that metal D20 thumped into the dice tray!

My weapons of choice are always the Pathfnder Adventure Path sets from Q-Workshop. I picked up the Return of the Runelords set at PAX AUS, such a nice clean design with excellent Pathfinder flavour. 

Next stretch goals

Thanks so much for the great response to the new Absalom Hero Point Token from the last update.

Our next destination is the Docks. At 190% funded, we will add a bonus 5-Platinum coin featuring the hippocampus to each Markets of Absalom set.

And, announcing our 200% funded goal: more Coin Pack Add Ons to help you customise your treasury.

This is a new stretch goal inspired by your suggestions and requests. What new coin packs would you like to see, which coins would you like to get more of? Perhaps the most useful and popular coins in ten-packs? Additional curated mixes like the ones we are offering now, perhaps splitting into Low Gold / Medium Gold / High Gold? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Cheers,

Mark, for Andre, Jackson & Maddison

Down by the Docks
over 1 year ago – Sat, Nov 19, 2022 at 02:02:29 PM

Citizens of Absalom!

You wander down to the Docks, where ships from far places unload their cargo, after paying the due amount of tax to the Harbourmaster. The taverns heave with sailors ashore for the first time in weeks, and the air rings with hammers from the shipyards as their vessels are repaired for the next voyage. Out in the harbour the tangled masts of the Flotsam Graveyard hint at sunken treasure, and beyond the tall spire of Absalom Lighthouse welcomes all to the City at the Center of the World.

We are now 190% funded, so you have unlocked the next stretch goal: we will include a bonus 5-Platinum coin in each Markets of Absalom coin set (Kickstarter edition only).

Coins of the District

The Absalom Lighthouse stands on Pilot Island, south of The Docks at the entrance of the Absalom harbour. The Absalom Lighthouse is shown on the 5-Gold coin, complete with seagulls.

The story of the Hippocampus

The Mother-Sphinx has been on the 1-Platinum coin since the 2009 Guide to Absalom. For the 5-Platinum, the Hippocampus felt like a good choice, and continued the theme. It's another legendary beast, and the reliable watery steed of the Wave Riders, the seaborne cavalry who protect Absalom Harbour.

In 2020 we moved back to my hometown of Bendigo, in Victoria, Australia. This is where I discovered roleplaying games in high school in 1980, when Miss Jones our school librarian got in a copy of Traveller. (She was so rad. She also put Avalon Hill's Dune on the shelves.) That got me and my friends going, and soon enough we got our hands on Holmes Basic D&D. Forty years later I'm still playing. Being back in Bendigo is both deeply weird and kinda wonderful, like returning to the Shire after years away in Rivendell.

While thinking about this project, I walked past the amazing yet ridiculous Alexandra Fountain. They found a lot of gold here in the 19th Century, and had to spend it somehow I guess. Behold: my hometown Hippocampus, spewing water for 140 years. I was immediately taken with the idea of using this as the reference for the 5-Platinum. I discovered roleplaying games here, so it felt great to bring a little bit of Bendigo into Absalom, even though we're more than 100 miles from the sea.

Except... it didn't quite work. Brian did a fine design based on my photo of the statue, curling that powerful horse into the rectangular shape of the coin (all our 5s are rectangles, so that you can identify them). But, it's such a hefty beast that it's not immediately obvious as a seahorse. More horse than sea, really. We didn't nail the 3D sculpt either, to be honest. It's very muscly for a fish.

So, I asked Brian to design a new version which was more of a classic seahorse, with those Golarion finned hooves. Freed to draw what he imagined, the result is much better, and he was happier with it by far. It's an excellent companion to the sphinx coin. Placed side by side, they look as though they are conversing.

Sometimes coins turn out perfectly first go, sometimes you have to tweak them. It's definitely given me a fondness for Absalom's oceanic equines, so my players will be meeting some Wave Riders before too long.

New Coin Packs are coming

At 200% funded, we will unlock new Coin Pack Add Ons.

We're still collecting ideas for the extra packs, but must lock them in soon. A Medium-Gold Pack feels like a good addition for starters. So, last call: Anything else you would like to see?

Best,

Mark, with Andre, Jackson & Maddison

Live Stream on Band of Badgers starting now!
over 1 year ago – Fri, Nov 18, 2022 at 04:59:08 PM

Citizens of Absalom!

I'm live right now on Twitch with Dave and Steve from Band of Badgers talking about the coins. Swing by and ask questions if you're free! (It will be on YouTube later.)

https://www.twitch.tv/bandofbadgers

A full update is coming tomorrow: new coin packs, new stretch goals, it's all happening.

Best,

Mark

Absalom Hero Point Token unlocked!
over 1 year ago – Sun, Nov 13, 2022 at 01:40:48 AM

Citizens of Absalom!

"Perched atop a perilous pillar of rock at the center of a vast pit in the heart of the Ascendant Court, the Starstone Cathedral is the most famous building in Absalom, its towered silhouette standing in as an internationally recognized symbol for the city itself—an association enhanced by the wide spread of Absalom’s gold measure, which features an imprint of the building on one side.

Every year, hundreds of would-be gods seeking divinity or common thrill‑seekers hunting a challenge pridefully attempt to delve into the Starstone Cathedral and lay hands on the Starstone..."

- Ascendant Court chapter, Absalom, City of Lost Omens

The campaign is now 170% funded so we have unlocked the Absalom Hero Point Token.

This is a Limited Edition Add On which will only ever be made for this Kickstarter campaign. We will never reprint it. You can add it to your pledge for AUD $8 (~US $5).

About the Absalom Token

The front of the token is designed by Jake Lane and shows the Starstone, as seen on the cover of Pathfinder Lost Omens: Gods & Magic. The reverse designed by Terry Lane is the same as all of our Hero Point Tokens, and shows the Pathfinder "P" logo in a seven-pointed pattern. The token is one-inch diameter, and stacks flat. 

Pathfinder Hero Point Tokens

We are incredibly fond of our Hero Point Tokens. Terry designed them for the release of Pathfinder Second Edition, as with the new Hero Point mechanic it was a perfect time for us to make something metal that would see action in every single Pathfinder session. The regular token shows the Glyph of the Open Road on the front. These have been out for a while, but if you'd like to see them as an Add On, let us know.

It's fun to mingle a single special token like the Absalom one facedown into a stack of regular Hero Point Tokens, and give it a special bonus when drawn randomly. Players get very excited to flip it over when they get a hero point and see if they got lucky. Ideas include:

• Counts as two Hero Points
• Can be used to force the Gamemaster to reroll, as opposed to a player
• Allow a player to adjust a level of success up or down

That last one is a ridiculoulsy powerful house rule (free crits, woohoo!) but also pretty damn exciting if you're just slinging dice for fun. That said, I am still salty that Jamie used the Agents of Edgewatch token in our last Absalom session to downgrade my perfect crocodile bite (20 to hit, max roll on the d12, 36 points damage) to a boring old regular hit. I'll get you next time, dwarf!

We've been releasing a token for each Adventure Path. The brand new one is for Strength of Thousands featuring Old-Mage Jatembe. It's available from us now, and very soon from Paizo.

Next Stretch Goal: The Coins

As you can imagine, our favourite district in Absalom is The Coins, the home of the Grand Bazaar.

When the campaign is 180% funded, we will add a bonus 1-Gold coin to each Markets of Absalom coin set.

Have a good weekend, everyone! We are gathering our Campaign Coins campaigners together this Saturday night to play the second half of Menace Under Otari, the excellent adventure in the Pathfinder Beginner Box, complete with Syrinscape audio. We'll be using full coin sets and the compass at the table for the first time, so get ready for some photos next update.

Are you playing anything this weekend? We'd love to hear about it.

Cheers,

Mark, with Andre, Jackson & Maddison