Just a quick update to let you know that surveys have been sent as of this morning. Also, the proofs of the physical books have arrived and are in the process of being examined. So far so good (which is a huge relief - fingers still crossed). There are four books for a total of about 1200 pages so its just taking some time.

If all goes well with the proofs, our goal is to get rewards shipped out by next week or so. If anything comes up to present delays, I will let everyone know. So far we are on target to get rewards shipped and emailed by our delivery date of November. 

Thanks for your patience. Looking forward to receiving your surveys and getting your books to you.

 

Latest update on where things stand with the recent Kickstarter project:

Funds have been transferred. Proofs were ordered as of a couple weeks ago and we are still waiting for their arrival. We are confident the proofs will be final versions (fingers crossed). All of the digital book versions are completed as are all of the stretch goals. The FAL digital generator is one of the stretch goals and will be a continually updated thing, but the core is finished and contains a level-0 character generator, level-1 character generator, level-1 random character generator, build generator featuring towns, villages, and dungeons, and an encounter generator that allows users to choose level and environments to randomly generate encounters. 

Like I said, this is the core of the generator and changes will be made in future versions. We have a lot of thoughts as to what will be included in the generator, however, we feel good about what is there right now for the initial release. We think it is a great tool fro GM prep and quick character creation to get a game up and running in very little time. The generator is a series of HTML files and is intended to be used on a large screen (we aren't going to be worried about mobile devices right now). 

As soon as the proofs arrive, we will be making final checks and hopefull y getting rewards to backers shortly after. Thanks for the patience on all of this. We are really excited to get the books to everyone as we are really proud of them.

 Well, that's it. Thanks to all of you who backed our Kickstarter project. It was the most successful Far Away Land KS ever, both by total backers and $$. Now it's on us to fulfill our promises. We are excited to get the books and stretch goals to everyone. In the coming weeks we will post updates as to where things are with the project. Right now...

The books are finished and we are awaiting physical proofs of all four books. This is due to some small revisions and edits made after the previous proofs. 

The bestiary images, creature stat card pdfs, and map icon stretch goals are ready to go, they just need to be cleaned up a bit and organized so they can easily be delivered. The text app is done on a basic level and is already ready to go as well. However, the plan is to do some cleanup on that as well and add a couple new features before we release. 

We set our delivery date of November because so much was already completed on this project. The wait times for us now are on receiving proofs and making sure these final proofs are good to go. Once that is done all of the rewards will be sent out. A lot of time has been spent to ensure these books are in good shape so only one more rounds of proofs are needed. I am confident we will have everything sent to backers by the delivery date promised. Fingers crossed. 

Regardless if things go smoothly or if there are hiccups, we will be transparent and communicate and let everyone know where things are. 

Again, thank you all for supporting this project!

 Earlier this summer I took a bit of a trip and just before I left I ordered “So You Want To Be A Game Master” from my friend Jeff Bezos’ website. I’ll say this, for any Game Master starting out, the best way to get used to running a game and attempting to herd a group of players is to simply start playing. That being said, I really think this is a fantastic book for both new and veteran gamers. On a long flight from New York to Munich, I was able to spend some time in Justin Alexander’s words and I found a great amount of content that, while I may have known about and implemented it before, I may have never articulated it to myself or others the way Alexander does. I found it wonderfully helpful to have simple things illustrated on the page. For new GMs, this is totally worth a read. For experienced GMs, I think it makes a great resource.

FAL Secone Edition Kickstarter Update

 Just a quick update on the Kickstarter! 

We are halfway through the project timeline with over 100 backers! Thanks to everyone who has backed this project. The 10K stretch goal is just around the corner and I have no doubt it will be unlocked. 

The Book of Lore is in the final editing stage (and content check) and my expectation is to send out for the proof by this weekend. With the recent additions to the book it comes in at 308 pages (originally it was 280 pages). Here is a bit of a breakdown of specific content in the book...

• 60+ short stories focused on the Spheres and events in Far Away Land.
• Maps of all continents on FAL along with location descriptions
• Maps of the Spheres along with location descriptions and histories
• Timelines for FAL history and universe history
• Extensive history of FAL
• Extensive history of the universe
• Hierarchies and major characters in the Spheres and FAL
• Appendix of FAL texts, interviews, and other written works
• Index

 Wow! The 2nd Edition Kickstarter is almost to $10K and we have over 100 backers. I don’t think I can express how great that feels. Thank you! Hitting $10K seemed like it might be a bridge too far when we launched the KS, but now it’s within reach, which means that we may be unlocking the final (???) stretch goal soon. The HTML generators that will be released are great tools that have gone through multiple version testing and work great as quick-start tools or as prompts. I like that latter function especially because I’ve found that new players sometimes don’t know how to approach character creation (especially with so much content unique to FAL) and having the generators there to provide PC names, races, backgrounds, etc., can be a good way to spur them into telling their own story. A player may not always know where to start, but most have some idea of the kind of character they want or don’t want and a few helpful hints can help their imagination take off, resulting in a character that feels truly their own. Of course, you can also use the characters and other elements created just as is. And if you’re about to jump into a Level 0 grinder, it’s easy to spin up 3-4 quick PCs to toss into action before devoting too much time to figuring out their story. I hope we hit this next goal and everyone gets a chance to use these tools. And if you haven’t shared the KS with your friends and fellow gamers, now is the time!

 I have mentioned this in the past but I thought I might talk about it again as it is something that has really driven me in my approach to the aesthetic of Far Away Land. I really wanted an art style that stood out from other styles that dominated so many gaming books. I wanted a more cartoony, animated style that was hyper-colorful and simple opposed to so much game art that strives for realism or gritty darkness. It’s not that I dislike those styles in games like Pathfinder D&D, or darker games like Mork Borg, it’s just that I wanted something that felt more like Saturday morning, something that would help FAL stand out visually. Tabletop RPGs have been around for over 50 years and in that time there have been countless games and countless clones. While Far Away Land is very much in the old school gaming vein, I hope that people find the artwork, the mechanics, and the world both familiar and unique.