Help us create a beautiful, traditionally printed hardcover of V5 Cults of the Blood Gods and get it into distribution and stores!
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
Hello Bloodthirsty Backers!
We're in the final week countdown of this Cults of the Blood Gods kickstarter project- it ends on Thursday, January 16th at 2:00 PM EST - there's still time to recruit additional backers, but we're definitely getting closer to the finish line. With that in mind, I wanted to touch on some of the basics over the next 5 days to make sure that everyone has all of the information they need to support the project in the way that works best for them.
Review topics to cover over these final days:
Whether you're a neonate backer or embraced this project from day one, these are good items to review to make sure that we all end up where we want to be.
(An aside, if you're a new backer, make sure you check out the MANUSCRIPT PREVIEWS that have been posted - the entire manuscript will be available to review before the campaign concludes).
Like it says right at the top of the campaign page, we've come together to help create a traditionally printed game book featuring the dark religions of the Kindred in Cults of the Blood Gods, an excellent new addition for the Vampire: The Masquerade Fifth Edition game line. To borrow an analogy that I've used in past Kickstarter campaigns, this works similar to the "Viewers Like You" support campaign from your local PBS Station (for those who get American television channels or watched Sesame Street in the pre-HBO era): There are various levels of support that you can pledge to, and these come with various levels of rewards offered as a thank you. Like getting a tote bag or t-shirt when you give money to public broadcasting to fund them doing their thing, you can get rewards for helping Onyx Path work on this project.
Let's review the Backer Reward Tiers to ensure that you've pledged to a Reward Tier that provides all the rewards you wish to receive.
The main reward offered in this campaign is, of course, the main goal of the entire proposition: the Cults of the Blood Gods sourcebook. The first decision you need to make in figuring out your reward tier is whether you want to receive a digital PDF version or if you want the hardcover book.
PDF ONLY REWARD TIERS:
These are PDF-only reward tiers. So, if you're saving trees or saving shelf space - or avoiding the shipping charges that seem to be ever-increasing - these are the reward tier options that you should begin with. The PDF will be fulfilled by our partners at Drivethrurpg.com - when it is ready, you will receive a link to add it to your DTRPG library and be able to download at your leisure.
HARDCOVER+PDF REWARD TIERS:
These reward tiers include the traditionally-printed hardcover version of this book. That means the books are produced in a large print run at one time, and will have the best production values, from color clarity and appearance to binding and materials. In addition, these options also include the PDF version, so you will get a digital copy as described above.
And, yeah, there's also the ANCIENT PREMASCINE Retail Tier if you're a pre-approved retail backer!
The only Reward Tier that does not include the PDF version of the book is the HIRED MUSCLE tier. You should select this Reward Tier if you want to read the manuscript previews posted in the Backers-Only updates (and continue to have access to them after the campaign ends) but do not wish to receive either a PDF or hardcover version of the final book.
You'll note that the middle column - Access to Manuscript Previews - is included in ALL reward tiers. That's one of the perks of participating in this kickstarter campaign!
MANUSCRIPT PREVIEWS – All Reward Tiers include access to Backers-Only manuscript previews. With the exception of the final Manuscript preview (which will be posted on Tuesday January 14), I have posted the entire manuscript across multiple sections. You must be a kickstarter backer to access these previews, as the link will remain in a backers-only update post. The manuscript previews likely will not be available to those who pre-order the book at a later date.
There has been some spiritual exploration performed over this past week - a few Reward Tier adjustments and changes by backers, as budgets changed and parts of the manuscript were released. In these final days it's best to ensure that you've selected the Reward Tier that offers you the options and rewards you want to receive and are ready to lock down. This timing - before the campaign ends - is the absolute most affordable and inclusive these rewards will be, and will save headaches and heartbreaks if fully considered now.
Right! In addition to our "core" Reward Tiers, we've got another area for consideration. These are the Premium Rewards.
Multiple Copies
If you are backing for yourself and a friend (or just want a second copy for your collection), the OLD ANZIANA Tier was designed for you.
And, if you are a retailer interested in making this available in your store, a special retailer tier, the ANCIENT PREMASCINE tier is open to you upon prior approval from Onyx Path (please email [email protected] prior to selecting this reward to confirm your status).
As noted on the main page of our campaign, shipping outside the US has gotten quite expensive. Splitting the shipping cost across multiple copies in a single shipment is one way to bring the cost per book down, if you're able to coordinate your backing and delivery with friends.
These special reward tiers offer some enhanced interaction with the setting, from submitting a name that will be used for a Storyteller-played Character (SPC) that will be included in a supplemental book (Either Trail of Bone and Ashes or Forbidden Faiths, which we've added via Stretch Goal achievement! If we continue on our pace, we may add a third option - Faithful Undead as well), deciding the fate of a character from the game's history, or proposing an Oblivion Ceremony that will be added to the game! There's even an option to act as a Consulting Developer, and gaining access to Developer Google Groups and Slack channels (or other communication forums and tools) for one of these Stretch Goal supplements. If you listened to Matthew Dawkin's Design Diary podcast, you may have an idea of what that process entails. It's fascinating, and a great way to get more involved with the setting.
Check out the Reward Tier descriptions for each of these options for more information about what these Special Rewards include.
Currently, we have openings in the following tiers:
These options are extremely limited. If you were interested in a premium reward tier that is completely accounted for, keep an eye on them during the final days of the campaign, as there is sometimes movement that opens them up as we approach the conclusion.
So, with all of that said - consider your Reward Tier selection. Are you backing to receive your copy of the PDF or hardcover version of Cults of the Blood Gods? Did you jump on one of the limited premium reward options?
Make sure your Reward Tier matches what you're looking for - or, at least, covers most of what you're interested in. Tomorrow, we'll cover Add Ons and talk about how to tweak your Reward List to ensure you're getting anything that might be missing from your list.
And, with that, we continue the slow approach of dawn. Let's lock in our Reward Tiers and keep working towards growing the project so everyone has a chance to join in. DO NOT MISS OUT! And on to our final week and our campaign conclusion!
Hello Bloodthirsty Backers!
We're in the final week countdown of this Cults of the Blood Gods kickstarter project- it ends on Thursday, January 16th at 2:00 PM EST - there's still time to recruit additional backers, but we're definitely getting closer to the finish line. With that in mind, I wanted to touch on some of the basics over the next 4 days to make sure that everyone has all of the information they need to support the project in the way that works best for them.
Review topics to cover over these final days:
Whether you're a neonate backer or embraced this project from day one, these are good items to review to make sure that we all end up where we want to be.
It should be noted that this campaign has attracted a LOT of new Kickstarter backers! Welcome, everyone! They say having 5% of new-to-kickstarter backers is a sign that your campaign has wide interest and is a great pull. Our metrics show that we've got about 15% first-time backers in this campaign, so that's remarkable! (I also know that some of those are new accounts created so that existing backers can double up on some rewards! Also a sign of excitement!)
(An aside, if you're a new backer, make sure you check out the MANUSCRIPT PREVIEWS that have been posted - the entire manuscript will be available to review before the campaign concludes).
Today, I am going to talk about ADD ON reward options. On Wednesday, I'll share our Stretch Goal accomplishments and reward review, and on Thursday, before the campaign finishes I will post an update with a Final Checklist & What Comes Next.
The absolute best way to ensure that you're getting all of the available rewards you want from this kickstarter is to ensure you've selected the appropriate Backer Reward Tier, as detailed in our Reward Tier Update. Selecting the right Reward Tier covers about 95% of the options available to you. If you want the PDF only, make sure you've selected the correct reward. If you want the hardcover version, double-check your reward tier to ensure it's featured. If you were new to Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition and wanted the PDF of the core rules as well, the Lazarene reward tier has got you covered.
Once you've completed that important step, you're going to want to look at the Add On rewards for any reward "bits" that don't automatically fall into your reward tier. That takes us to the Add On step.
If you've selected one of the "core" Reward Tiers, you've likely already included most of the rewards you want. In addition to the rewards offered as part of the Reward Tier configurations, there are a few other possible rewards you may wish to add. All Add-On rewards will be described below.
Each add on includes an extra amount to add on to your total pledge amount. Remember that your total pledge amount includes all shipping charges and not just your reward tier level.
Using myself as an example, my PROXY KISSED Reward Tier is a $25 pledge, and since I'm just going digital with no shipping and have no extra Add On rewards, my total pledge amount is also $25.
I can scroll down or read the kickstarter rewards page to review the list of rewards with my Tier. After seeing the manuscript previews and the artwork that's been shared so far, I think this is a book that will be referenced a bunch and could be passed around my gaming table fairly frequently, so I decide that I want to upgrade my pledge to include the hardcover book as a reward.
Going over the Reward Tier Chart, I see that the Family Head reward tier offers both the PDF and Hardcover version of Cults of the Blood Gods, so that's what I'd like instead.
So, it's time to CHANGE MY PLEDGE. In the iOs app, you can do that by selected the three little dots in the top left corner, or selected MANAGE MY PLEDGE in the desktop version.
And when I Choose another reward, I pick Family Head...
Once I've selected this reward, it displays the Total Pledge Amount before confirming.
So, my Total includes my Pledge Amount for my reward tier (the minimum is $55 that covers the Family Head reward) plus shipping to Canada.
Before I hit confirm, though, I remember there is one more reward I was interested in. You can also get to this point by just choosing to Update Pledge (rather than Choose Another Reward) in the Manage Pledge options.
Cults of the Blood Gods is a book that will get passed around the table a lot, but I think I'd also like a PDF copy of Chicago By Night, Onyx Path's setting book for V5. This is something I'm going to borrow a lot from in planning my group's game, but only I'll need to reference it so the PDF will be perfect.
Looking at the list of Add On Rewards on the main page, I see that Chicago By Night is a +$22 Add On, so I increase my pledge by +$22 to a new total:
I can change the pledge amount to include my Add Ons. My new Total Pledge Amount is now $102:
Once I've done that, I click Confirm (or Updated Pledge or Continue, depending on your browser and interface).
A note for non-U.S. Residents (like me) - all currency show is in US Dollars, so be aware of exchange rates when planning your purchase.
It's important to note that there is NO PLACE in your kickstarter reward tier pledge to indicate which add-ons you wish to include, or give any reason why you are adjusting your pledge to a new amount. You aren't adding items to a shopping cart in this scenario - instead, you're adding pledge dollars that you will assign once the campaign ends. With this in mind, you may want to make a note of which add-on items and the associated add-on dollar amounts you've included if you're forgetful like I am.
Once the campaign ends and Kickstarter processes the payments, I will send out a survey via Backerkit - a complex system of tools used to manage the back-end of the kickstarter fulfillment process. When you receive the survey, you will confirm your Backer Reward Tier and assign your pledged dollars to any add-on items that you wish to include. I'll repeat and expand on this information in an upcoming post about "What Happens Next?" in Thursday's update.
DIGITAL REWARDS
These rewards can be added to any Pledge Reward Tier (including Hired Muscle):
BECKETT'S JYHAD DIARY serves as the definitive book of setting and plot for Vampire: The Masquerade, containing 30 chapters spanning different geographical regions, encountering vampires of every clan, profiling obscure and profound segments of the mythology, and providing countless story hooks on every page. Add this PDF to your rewards list for only $10.
Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition PDF Titles: Add any of these V5 titles to your rewards list. Final title selection will be confirmed via BackerKit survey as mentioned above.
You'll note that adding the V5 Core Book PDF for +$22 to the Proxy Kissed reward tier ($25) is the exact same cost and rewards list as selecting the Lazarene reward tier ($47). That's intentional, of course - we're just trying to give any neonates jumping into V5 for the first time a one-click option to dive right in! My suggestion, if those are the rewards you're looking for, is to always start with Reward Tier choice first rather than building this via Add On options. It just makes everything marginally cleaner.
PHYSICAL REWARDS
All physical items that will require shipping (additional books) can only be added to reward tiers that already include a hardcover copy of Cults of the Blood Gods (Reward Tiers of $55+). Your rewards will be sent in a single shipment when the book becomes available.
With the exception of Cults of the Blood Gods, all of the Add On items are currently available in PDF form. About a month after the campaign has ended, I'll launch our post-campaign Pledge Manager to collect information from all backers and confirm which rewards you'll be receiving. At this point, you'll also confirm which Add On Rewards you've paid for. Once we have that information, I'll be sending special redemption links to claim your digital rewards from our partners at DriveThruRPG.com. Clicking these redemption links will allow you to add these PDF titles to your digital library to download anytime.
So, while it will take some time still for Cults of the Blood Gods to move from it's manuscript form to a final product, you won't be waiting a year for PDFs that already exist. (You'll be waiting about 6 weeks or so, just enough time for us to set up the reward infrastructure.)
Physical Books
It's going to take some time to create Cults of the Blood Gods and even longer for the eventual print run. When the book is at the printer, I will be in touch with all kickstarter backers and go over lockdown procedures and confirming addresses one final time.
If you're interested in the other titles listed as digital rewards, most are currently available online or from your local game store. Unfortunately, we are not able to combine all books into fulfillment for this campaign, as eventual ship out is more than a year away, and we cannot predict inventory location or stock levels (and, ya know, not all books are from the same company. That's a challenge!)
You can find Beckett's Jyhad Diary for purchase in Print-on-Demand here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/225322/V20-Becketts-Jyhad-Diary
You can find Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition, the Camarilla sourcebook, and the Anarch sourcebook here: https://www.modiphius.net/collections/vampire-the-masquerade
Chicago By Night will be released soon! Look for it in your favorite game stores in the next few months.
Don't fret if you had forgotten to increase your pledge amount to cover an Add On by the end of the campaign. These Add Ons will be available to select in our post-campaign Pledge Manager. So, if you are undecided at this time, you will be able to hold off until we're closer to the final reward shipment goes out.
Again, your first step should always be choosing the proper reward tier. I've had a few backers ask about adding a second hardcover copy to their FAMILY HEAD reward tier. You are much better off selecting the Multiple Copy Reward tier if you want an additional copy (OLD ANZIANA).
It probably goes without saying that all funds are expressed in US Dollars, although Kickstarter displays the approximate conversion rate.
That should explain the process of Selecting your Reward Tier and increasing your TOTAL PLEDGE AMOUNT to account for any additional rewards you wish to receive. Since increasing your pledge amount increases the overall funding level of the project, add-ons can help us achieve our funding target, so it benefits us all to suggest that you double-check to make sure you're getting all of the rewards you want.
Additionally, this may go without saying, please review your personal budget and ensure you've selected the appropriate reward tier and add ons for your current financial situation. Kickstarter will begin charging your payment method once the campaign ends, so ensure you've budgeted correctly.
As we move through these final days of the campaign, please ensure you've chosen the correct Reward Tier for the rewards you want. And beyond that - please make sure you've adjusted your TOTAL PLEDGE AMOUNT to include the additional funds that will cover any add-ons you wish to receive.
On Thursday, just before the campaign ends, I will send an update detailing the steps that occur after the campaign concludes, including how and when to confirm your add-on rewards.
So, just like every update: Spread the word! Share your excitement on social media! Tell your friends! We're about to enter the rapid race to the finish line, so let's make sure that none of our friends miss out!
Hello Bloodthirsty Backers,
We're in our final 3 days of the campaign. We've shown lots of cool stuff and *most* of the preview manuscript so far, but there's one final chapter that'll be posted tomorrow. One of the things I like most about the games created by Onyx Path is that they're crammed full of ideas and story hooks - you're never left without an idea on what to do with the game.
And this final chapter lays it all out, with a new playable story using the setting material presented in Cults of the Blood Gods. We'll have the full chapter available for backers tomorrow, but for now, here's just a taste...
Henry the Lion was a powerful prince in a time of competing families within the vast Holy Roman Empire when he founded Munich in 1158. But Emperor Frederick I, who in turn granted the duchy to one of Henry’s rivals, Otto I, deposed him. As part of the House of Wittelsbach, Otto’s dynasty continued for the next seven hundred years.
In many ways, Munich isn’t all that different from other Camarilla cities within Europe. Many who claimed allegiance to the Fiefdoms of the Black Cross under the Ventrue Elder, Hardestadt, gathered here during the thirteenth century. This resulted in a series of false prophets, endless wars, and struggles for power. Mostly fought against the Brujah and Lasombra of Italy and the Courts of Love in France, not to mention the pervasive Lupines, the conflicts of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries were particularly violent for Munich. I could provide you with a comprehensive list of Princes — a succession of rulers over the centuries, complete with an exhaustive list of deeds accomplished and contests won. I could do that. But such would do you little good. These names are obsolete. They are the bones and ash on which this praxis now stands.
Regardless of my thoughts though, you should probably know about the first Camarilla Prince of Munich, Jann Berger. The Brujah zealot claimed the title in the early sixteenth century and ruled for the next couple hundred years. Like so many other contemporaries of his day… or night, if you prefer… Berger was a dictator with some fucked up religious beliefs and fanaticism matched only by the Inquisition. Those who didn’t conform, he executed — a.k.a., he branded anybody who questioned his leadership a tool of the devil and staked them for the sun.
During the Thirty Years War, King Gustavus II of Sweden invaded the city. While Gustavus was probably part of some larger Jyhad between the Kindred elders of the Empire and those aligned with the Anti-Habsburg states, I doubt either one of them would claim responsibility for the plague that followed. The younger Kindred residents of Munich tried to take advantage of the chaos and assassinate Jann Berger, but they couldn’t get it done. And so another series of ashy executions followed. It was only after Berger’s own childe smote him that his reign of terror finally ended. That childe was Jaroslav Pascek. You might have heard of him. The former Brujah Justicar?
Anyway, he was a fanatic, too, though I don’t know what his daddy issues were so I can’t say if it was personal or pontifical. And, as is so often the case, Berger’s departure from this immortal coil resulted in a series of violent gambits and failed coups. Few have the fortitude to claim a praxis from a sitting sovereign, but everyone lines up when that Prince trips on a stake. For the next century, Munich entered what you might describe as a transitional period.
But by the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and the birth of the Kingdom of Bavaria under Maximilian I, the city of Munich finally had a stable Prince. Felix Ritter was an Austrian Tremere of some renown. He had served in a series of campaigns against the Sabbat in Eastern Europe and had a reputation for callousness. He was devoid of sentiment, a fact which allowed him to bargain when possible and butcher when needed. The various elders who surrounded Ritter aided his rule in no small part. Munich proved an excellent launching pad for their own agendas and careers within the Camarilla. They included Lethe, Ritter’s Malkavian Seneschal and soothsayer. They included Maris Streck, who served the Prince of Munich as an investigator-for-hire and who later served as the Malkavian Justicar. And they included Josef von Bauren, the Nosferatu of legend who, according to hearsay, spent his days underneath a decrepit and abandoned opera house here in Munich.
It was the golden age of the Camarilla. The Ivory Tower gleamed bright and the city of Munich stood as the paragon of Camarilla dominance within the region. The Court of Munich forged alliances with neighboring cities, the Anarch Movement, and with a German branch of the Giovanni known as the Königs. This period culminated in the Conclave of 1933, held here, which declared worldwide lextalionis against the villainous Kemintiri. And then, a few years later, the mortals reminded the immortals how powerless they really were.
You can’t discuss the history of Munich without mentioning the Nazis. To do otherwise would be to ignore the havoc those assholes wrought and insult the weighty number of lives lost during the Holocaust. National Socialism was born in Munich. They called this city the Hauptstadt der Bewegung, the “Capital of the Movement.” We remember the treaty Neville Chamberlain signed here, and we remember the bombs that decimated us. When the U.S. Army assaulted the city, they took it with relative ease before liberating the concentration camp at Dachau in the process. Most Kindred I know kept their heads down during the whole affair. Ritter survived, and his newly established court assisted with the Wirtschaftswunder – the rapid reconstruction of West Germany. The Tremere continued to rule a rebuilt and prosperous Munich for another sixty years. We said goodbye to the twentieth century and ushered in a new millennium.
And then, for a second time, we were powerless in the face of organized mortals.
Grenzschutzgruppe 10, Germany’s new secret police and part of the global war-on-the-damned, took out half of Munich’s Kindred population in one day. Within the span of a single sunrise to sunset, we experienced what I might call a tactical cleansing. They say Ritter and his childer were the first to die. They exterminated the entire Giovanni presence within Munich, and most of the Anarchs fled. By the next day’s dawn, the bulk of us were dead, deep underground, or long gone.
Possibly a rumor, but they say there were some discussions within the Inner Circle of abandoning Munich altogether. I can’t speak to its truth. Thankfully, one young Ventrue managed to pull our stomped-on asses from the fire. Ursula Eisenstadt was a fresh-faced twenty years dead when she planted her flag in Munich and called it hers. Who was here to stop her? She instituted security protocols, confiscated electronics, and kept us hidden from the Second Inquisition.
What I think is the most interesting aspect of her ascension to the throne is she didn’t abandon the old ways of thinking. Not entirely. It was more like an old-meets-new adaptation. She treated these modern threats as both real and immediate. As Prince, unlike so many of the elders, she recognized these dangers weren’t momentary storms, but life-long realities.
Tonight, the city of Munich is prosperous once more, leading Germany into the twenty-first century. We’re undoubtedly cautious and never too paranoid, but we’re also proud of what we have. This city is the heart of Germany and a center for art, culture, technology, and finance that elevates all of Europe. We are Kindred, after all. It’s not enough to simply survive.
— Gerhard Röhrich, Sheriff of Munichented
Hello Bloodthirsty Backers!
So, we've passed $136,000 in funding, and that seems like a good time to show you the just-approved Hecata symbol!
If you want something a little more classic-looking...
Or, on occasion, something a little more modern:
Both symbols are, and will be, used by the Hecata and appear in Cults of the Blood Gods (and Let the Streets Run Red, an upcoming supplement for Chicago By Night!)
We are into our final countdown and looking to unlock our final Stretch Goals. How many more can we achieve before the end of the campaign on Thursday at 2:00 PM EST?
I know this stuff changes rapidly, especially at the end of the campaign, so wanted to note that we currently have
We're currently working on adding another new supplement for Cults of the Blood Gods, entitled FAITHFUL UNDEAD.
At $138,000 in funding - FAITHFUL UNDEAD - UNDEAD DISCIPLES: Help us fund a new supplement, featuring a section that contains new Storyteller-played Characters to act as supporting characters and antagonists in a new chronicle. All backers receiving the Cults of the Blood Gods PDF will automatically have the Faithful Undead PDF added to their rewards list.
At $145,000 in funding - FAITHFUL UNDEAD - CULTISH COLLECTIVES: Help us fund a new section of sample coteries tied to different cults, with ready-made characters in each, and uses included SPCs as sample members of each coterie.
WE CAN DO THIS!
Believe me - just over a year ago, we ran the kickstarter for Chicago By Night (being boxed up to ship to backers this week!). We had *SO MANY* backers join us via pre-order after the campaign had ended, and they missed out on automatically adding all of the Stretch Goal supplements to their rewards*. That tells me that there are always more people ready to join our campaign, they just haven't heard about it or are still on the fence!
So, keep spreading the word! Share this campaign in your social media and in your social circles! Let's get some Faithful Undead to join our cult!
And tomorrow, I'll have a new Final Days update where I review all of our Stretch Goal accomplishments so far, and maybe - maybe- add one more to our Stretch Goal list to see if we can really stretch by the end of the campaign.
*Don't worry if you missed out on the Chicago By Night kickstarter. The supplements that were added via Stretch Goal will be released for sale at a future date.