A Bounty of Voices, New Patreon Adventures, and a Personal Note
11 months ago – Sun, Feb 11, 2024 at 04:41:38 PM

Hello, wonderful backers and adventurers,

As the pages of our journey together continue to turn, I'm excited to share with you the latest chapters of our story. So, grab your favorite drink, find a comfy seat, and let's dive into the updates!

🌟🎙️ VoxStoria: A Chorus of New Voices 🎧🌟

Our digital tapestry, VoxStoria, is now richer and more vibrant than ever. We've added 23 new voice-overs, adding even more liveliness to our NPCs. While we aim to add more, next week will see a cozy addition of 10, rather than 20. I’ve discovered a fair number that have pickup lines that weren’t incorporated or just need some audio engineering magic to clean up their takes.

Here’s who’s new to VoxStoria:

Achu Windwhisper, Albadore Abadorre, Alkrieth, Aunt Berry, Brakav Hargrok, Doolb, Edgar Philidor, Ekee, Finnean Drake, Georgette Lillet, Gunther Roth, Gurdak Athanor, Jiman Sjivak, Kathereene Minolta, Mama Zeb, Mehta Daduwan, MK, Patricio “Guapo” Camancho, Phirth Guntherson, Sam Tsui, Tevantha Gitshire, Valkrath Fantvox, Zia

I'd love if people posted their favorites! I'm really curious!!

✨📜 Our Patreon Page Is Live! 🏰✨

Exciting news! Our Patreon page has officially opened its doors. While the shelves are being stocked with wondrous content as we speak, joining right now, today as a “free member” will ensure you're the first to know about the magical items, intriguing NPCs, and other fantastical resources we're preparing for you. Also, it will help me not be quite so anxious and nervous! lol

This month, get ready to meet:

• Lady Desdemona, the dangerously charming half-elf Madame.
• "Sully", our brawny yet tender-hearted street vendor of favors.
• Tilly, a halfling barmaid with dreams and a love for city adventures.
• Renny, a lupin with a knack for finding (or causing) trouble.

Plus, we're introducing a Matchmaker NPC stat block and a Player feat, "Master Matchmaker," for those who want to be more adept in the art of negotiation, insight, and forming partnerships of all kinds.

🛡️ New Magic Items Unveiled 🗡️

Also in our Patreon this month are three unique magic items:

• Heartstone Armor: A guardian of your mind and revealer of hearts.
• Binding Ties: Bracelets that forge and protect bonds.
• Betrayal's Kiss: A blade that exacts a devastating toll in moments of critical need.

Check out our Patreon here and add all of this amazing stuff to your story!

📖 "Tales of Adventure" - An Update 📖

Our "Tales of Adventure" compendium is on the cusp of being shared with you. Our layout wizard, recently beset by a minor bane (a bout of illness), is now back at her desk, weaving the final threads of this adventure. Expect an email from DriveThruRPG by week's end with your exclusive link to the tales that await.

A Personal Note on My Mom

Lastly, I want to extend my deepest gratitude for your continued support and understanding during a challenging time for me (and my mom). My mom seemed to be improving, but went south this week. She’s currently battling a severe C. difficile infection in the hospital, which has necessitated another pause in her chemotherapy. We’re staying positive, and focusing on taking things one step at a time. I’m hopeful that when she’s feeling better we can record a little video thank you for all of your patience, well-wishes, and support.

Your kindness and patience mean the world to us. Together, we're not just building worlds of fantasy but also supporting each other through the very real challenges of life.

Thank you for being part of our journey. Here's to the adventures that lie ahead, both on the page and off.

With heartfelt thanks,

 Jamie

A Helluva Update: Adventures, Voices, and a Dash of Sorry!"
12 months ago – Sun, Feb 04, 2024 at 06:58:53 PM

A fair amount of news to share, so saddle up and buckle in! (Wait. I think those are two different metaphors?)

Big News (and a Little Mea Culpa)

Side note, I'm low-key obsessed with "Hazbin Hotel" and almost titled this section "It Starts With Sorry."

ANYWAY, I originally planned to announce that “Tales of Adventure” has been released, but it turns out there’s so much content that our layout person is still knee-deep in the trenches. Part of that (okay, most of it?) is my fault. You might remember we trimmed some adventure content from “Tapestry of Lives” due to page count constraints. Knowing we'd integrate everything into “Tales of Adventure,” what no one could have guessed (though in hindsight, totally should have expected) is that I’d find a way to pile on more work (yes, by adding more content).

I pretty much completely re-envisioned “Dread Shadows of the Past.” It was our underdog adventure with epic potential. It's not quite where I dream it to be yet, but it's grown from a three-page summary to a beefy 16 pages (pre-layout – and we know how much magic our layout wizard can work). It’s solid now, AND it comes with a pretty kickass Archfey stat block too! So, silver linings, right?

Our project manager/layout wizard is on track to wrap up this week, just dotting the i's on some deadly stat blocks for “The Hunter Hunted.” The Tales of Adventure PDF is looking more like an epic at over 130 pages.

Tapestry of Lives

I've dived back into edits for Tapestry of Lives. Ideally, I'd be done in two weeks, but full transparency, I've been juggling consulting projects where I can (because every month some jerk sends new gas, water, electricity, and other bills. WTF?! Every month?!). The consulting has been eating into my time. However, I'm dedicated to working on this and have blocked  dedicated time for edits. Once those are done, unfortunately, we then have a few layout adjustments to squeeze everything into the printers' specific templates. Once THAT's squared away, I can give you a solid timeline on printing.

Vox Storia

Finally, like, actually finally! They’re not all up yet, but we have 25 voices on Vox Storia. If you pledged at the $68 level or higher, you should have access to the Vox Storia app, where all the NPCs and their voiced monologues await. I believe you’ll need to navigate to the marketplace in the app and select the packs (City, Town & Village, Farmlands, Coast, Wilds). You shouldn’t have to pay (and please don’t if it asks you to).

I personally haven’t had the chance to test it myself, but I've been assured it works, and voices ARE live. If you encounter any snags, please shoot me an email at [email protected]. 

Below is a sneak peek of the NPCs currently available. We’re adding at least 20 every week until we’re all done:

In other news….

We’re Launching a Patreon!

There’s a treasure trove of content that didn’t make it into the books. A lot of my creations took a backseat to highlight our fantastic contributors, leaving a wealth of NPCs, Magic Items, and Locations yet unseen.

Patreon is the perfect platform to share this bounty with you, especially since it allows for immediate access to brand new downloadable content.

Another reason for this venture is to continue supporting our talented illustrators and project manager. Times are tough, and continued work from us means a lot to them. They do stellar work, but without more content for people to enjoy, it's hard to keep the lights on. We're setting tiers as low as $2/month!

Speaking of Art

We’re even offering custom art commissions at the highest tiers (slots are limited), because who doesn't love seeing their characters brought to life!

February marks our Patreon debut, and to celebrate the season (and our launch), we're going all out with four (yes, 4!) romanceable NPCs, three magic items, three romantic locations, and even a commoner NPC stat block (because who doesn’t love a little matchmaking chaos?). Plus, for those looking to add a bit of romance to their campaigns, we’re introducing the “Master Matchmaker” feat. 

If you're considering a one-month fling with our content, February is the month to fall in love.

March warns to beware the Ides, with content themed around betrayal, including a couple of backstabbing villains. April will spotlight charlatans and entertainers, while May brings urchins aplenty. As for June, July, and August… well, let's keep some mystery alive, shall we?

I'll post an update when the Patreon goes live.

It’s now 9:30 pm, and after an 11-hour workday, it's time to call it a night. But stay tuned! I'm aiming for another update by week's end.

As always, your patience, support, and enthusiasm are what keep us going. Thank you, truly. I'm grateful for you.

• Jamie

Gifts of Magic Released Today! Happy 2024!
about 1 year ago – Sat, Jan 06, 2024 at 01:18:50 PM

First, I want to thank everyone for their kind messages and words of support in response to the Backer Only updates about my mom's extended hospitalization and everything we were going through. I'm grateful. I am happy to report my mom has been out of the hospital for a few weeks and was able to go back to her apartment, with the help of supportive home healthcare nurses and other therapy/healthcare providers. I'm also grateful that even after the many weeks off of chemo because of her surgery complications, she's still responding well to the treatments now that they've resumed. I'm crossing my fingers that this bodes well for the next few months at least. :)

Gifts of Magic is on DriveThruRPG

I just sent links for complimentary copies to the email we have listed for you in Backerkit. If you think you should have gotten a link, and you did not, first check your spam. If it's not there, please reach out to [email protected] 

To date, we've released the following Digital Rewards on DriveThruRPG

• Anansi's Tapestry of Lives PDF (Early Release)
• Anansi's VTT Tokens: City, Town, Village
• Anansi's VTT Tokens: Farmlands, Coast Wilds
• Anansi's Journal of Common Places PDF (Early Release)
• Anansi's Gifts of Magic PDF

If you pledged for any physical products, we also sent a link to a complimentary copy of our Commoners Token Pack as a thank you for your patience. If DriveThru asked you to pay, that's an error. First check to ensure you're logged in to DriveThru using your backerkit email address. If it is still asking you to pay, send a help request and/or email me at [email protected]. I can resend the complimentary copy link.

If you feel like you're missing any of these rewards, please email me at [email protected]. Please be sure to include your name and your Backerkit email address, so we can quickly look up your pledge info.

We have several products still pending. I'm in Las Vegas (for work) for the Consumer Electronics Show next week. I'll have limited ability to respod to messages but will do my best. After I return, we'll be able to provide an update on some of the product timelines.

In the near term, we're uploading NPC VO files, so expect a message about those soon. We are also finsihing up Anansi's Tales of Adventure." More news on that soon.

I do want to share the good news that we got some really great print quotes. I want to give a special thanks to Brandon Tharp from Cantrip Cast, who hooked us up. Brandon was also a contributor on the book, providing the adventure that goes with Anton Thrisk. He's also the voice for the NPC Jeremiadon.

Stay tuned for print timeline updates in the coming weeks.

In other, unrelated news, I'm available for marketing, business development, content, creative, art direction, design and other consulting - inside our outside of the TTRPG industry. Reach out to me at [email protected] for more info, project examples, resume, etc. Reasonable rates, and fine with short-term or long-term projects.

Thank you again, everyone. I really appreciate your support and patience.

Best,

Jamie

Thank you for your support. Plus your thank you gift.
about 1 year ago – Thu, Dec 14, 2023 at 06:03:54 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Update on November Progress. Updated Timeline Coming Soon.
about 1 year ago – Tue, Dec 12, 2023 at 04:27:22 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.