Important Update - Survey Launch, Shipping Information, and More!
almost 4 years ago – Wed, Jul 01, 2020 at 12:26:08 AM

Hello everyone, I hope you are all well and safe where ever you might be. This update is rather important, so if you're going to read any of them, then please read this one. The update outline is below:

• Smoke Test
• Total Survey Launch
• Shipping Information
•  Charging Cards  
• Backerkit Stretchgoal
• Add On Breakdown
•  Moving Forward 

First of all, for those who do not know what a smoke test is:

What is a Smoke Test?

• A smoke test sends surveys to 5% of backers from each pledge level in your campaign.
• It’s a simple way to catch any errors in the survey and make sure everything runs smoothly.
• Once the smoke test has been completed, you can send surveys to the rest of your backers.

So, really this is a good way of testing the waters and making sure that it runs as smoothly as possible, and honestly, it is one of the best reasons to use Backerkit. We have nothing to do with the selection of who is allowed to do the smoke test. So, if you get selected, then please help us out and let us know how everything goes. 

Hopefully, we will get both domestic (United States) and international supporters for the smoke test, and we will be quite literally launching the smoke test as soon as we post this update. 

This should be an email from Backerkit and you may or may not need to check your spam folder, search with the keyword Backerkit, but with any luck, it will be in your main inbox. 

It is in the evening here and we want to give enough time for everyone who gets the smoke test survey to have time to complete it. So, the rest of the surveys will be going out on 7/1/2020 and somewhere around 24 hours or so from now. 

Do not worry if you get the smoke test survey and do not get to it till later, you will still be able to do so after the rest of the survey launch. 

Timeline for Backerkit surveys:

•  Soft Cap - July 15, 2020 - When we would like the majority of the surveys to be complete.
•  Hard Cap - July 29, 2020 - When we would like all surveys to be complete.
•  Digital Cap - August 8, 2020 - Digital add on files sent out.
•  Preorder Cap - October 15, 2020 - Backerkit preview store closed.
•  Shipping Cap - October 25, 2020 - Final notice before address lock.
•  Final Cap- November 1, 2020 - Incomplete surveys refunded and shipping preparation.

Ok, now that is a nice timeline, but just give us a shout if you got something going on or need more time. This is more of a general timeline and hard times that we would really like to stick to. 

•  Softcap - This is important because this will help us finalize our international shipping costs and finalize those numbers.
•  Hard Cap - This is important because this should allow us to update our inventory for both Kickstarter products, add-ons, and exclusives. 
•  Shipping Cap - This is important because you will be able to easily change your address at any time up to this point through the Backerkit Survey. You do not have to message us or let us know, but simply change it as you need to. 
•  Final Cap - This is an important date due to the fact that if you have not let us know about any issues you will be refunded and will not get your reward for supporting this awesome book.

If your an experienced supporting of Kickstarters, then you know that dates are somewhat fluid but as we progress we will update you. If anything gets pushed back or forward, we will let you know asap but other than that we will more than likely only be updating once a month or as needed.

Ok, so here is the strange part and 100% my least favorite part of any of this. We are getting rather experienced at these projects and we hard-learned a lot. The majority of shipping any sort of package is comprised of two components:

• Weight
• Dimensions

This means that these two different things can drive up the cost, but we prefer to go with the one that we can eliminate the majority of variables from. We use USPS and have had a really good relationship with them thus far and have only lost a handful of packages over the years. 

Another good point of this is why we ship everything priority shipping and that is simply because of the ability to provide every backer a tracking code. There have been a few times where we have had some small issues where we shipped at the lowest cost possible, but that typically does not come with a tracking code. We would rather allow for both us to know that the package arrived saved and sound and you can be sitting at the door with open arms. 

If you are in the United States then you will be happy to know that you will have the lowest cost of shipping. This will start at $7.75 and go up to $15.00 with the rewards as they are but one thing to keep in mind that as you add additional addons and items, that you are adding additional weight and dimension to the package that we will be sending you. 

Hello all my friends from around the world and thank you for joining us. We have really been trying to keep the cost down but in projects past, we have had to eat more cost than we are comfortable with. As everyone else who does any type of shipping, this is one of the hardest things to do until you have done it enough to know. The trick to international shipping is:

• Numbers
•  Friendly Shipping 

You might be wondering what this means and this is really simple:

• The numbers are based on the different countries where an international border is not present. The more numbers that a particular country has in total, the more it makes sense to do this type of shipping. 

1. International friendly shipping simply means that the rewards are shipped from within the country or region, thus avoiding import fees and taxes. These fees are actually paid by us instead of you the backer and you actually end up paying less than if we were to ship the package straight to you from our warehouse. The rewards are priced low enough that they don’t apply to import fees and taxes. The VAT threshold in the EU is roughly $23 and note that each country in the EU has different rules and regulations you must be aware of when shipping to those countries from outside the EU–the low price by itself isn’t enough to make it EU friendly. This adds to the difficulty of trying to be as price-friendly as we can, but we are really trying.

So, before you freak out at the cost of the shipping on the survey, remember we are working on this exact thing and the price will drop after the Softcap deadline. The Softcap deadline is especially important to international backers, because if you do not get your survey in by this day. Then everyone in your area will end up paying a bit more for shipping because of this. So, help your fellow backer out and really try to complete the survey in time. 

This is for the majority of the European countries and we have a shipping/fulfillment company in Europe where we send everyone in this area packages to. This does a number of things:

• We get billed for VAT fees by the shipping company.
• We get billed for additional local shipping costs.
• It can save everyone a significant amount of funds.

Obviously, it costs a ton of money to ship a huge package across the pond but if the number of backers is large enough, then it can lower the overall cost of shipping per backer by $25 to $30 on average. Again, this comes down to having the numbers for this type of shipping to make it feasible. The large box, VAT fees, and local shipping costs have to be more than what it would cost to ship the content individually. So, get those surveys in and wait until the soft cap to see the final shipping costs.

We as a company are grateful to have the wonderful Dan as one of the writers behind the content for The Mineralogy Manual. Yet, I personally am glad to have him because we are rather kindred spirits who really enjoy writing for tabletop role-playing games. 

As you may or may not know, Dan is from Australia and has over half a decade of experience writing campaigns and producing modules for himself and other DMs. Dan is the writer of the five dungeons and four towns featured in The Mineralogy Manual and we are so excited by the level of engagement and detail he puts into all his campaigns. All the backers in Australia will be thankful to have him aboard because this allows us to save you backers there around $35 to $40 if all goes well. 

So just like the European countries, this will be handled in a similar fashion as the professional shipping company. The wonderful Dan will receive a large shipment directly from our warehouse and then be able to ship from within Australia to save everyone involved some dollars. 

This does a number of things:

• We get billed for VAT fees by the shipping company.
• We get billed for additional local shipping costs.
• It can save everyone a significant amount of funds.

Obviously, it costs a ton of money to ship a huge package across the pond but if the number of backers is large enough, then it can lower the overall cost of shipping per backer by $35 to $40 on average. Again, this comes down to having the numbers for this type of shipping to make it feasible. The large box, VAT fees, and local shipping costs have to be more than what it would cost to ship the content individually. So, get those surveys in and wait until the soft cap to see the final shipping costs.

The wonderful northern neighbors of the US, we normally do not have too high of a cost with this shipping and have never had to do look for a shipping agency in Canada. Yet, the overall cost of shipping is not in a place where I am happy with it, and we will soon be doing some research to find a shipping/fulfillment company in Canada. 

This will hopefully allow us to cut the average shipping cost to each backer in half or more and we will update everyone when we find a reputable company. This will be almost 100% exactly like we ship to Europe but only if we find a trustworthy, reputable, and experienced company to work with. 

EVERYONE ELSE - So, more than likely the costs for shipping for everyone else will not change unless we find a large number of backers in a particular country. We always want to save you the most amount of money as we can, and will keep working for you while we can!

NOTES - FOR ALL INTERNATIONAL BACKERS

• The current shipping cost is the worst-case scenario
• Hopefully, cheaper costs will be revealed after the soft cap.
•  No cards will be charged until after we let everyone know that we have made changes.
•  Pre-orders can add to the numbers, so tell everyone you know to preorder to help this out.

The most important thing to this is numbers overall, the more we have in your country the better off every backer in your country will be. 

This section of the update pertains to the charging of cards during the Backerkit survey. There are benefits to doing a number of ways, but we prefer to try to be a clairvoyant as possible with this type of content. So, when there are several areas in which you sit during the completion period of the project and below I will explain those just a bit:

Incomplete - This is where you sit before you complete your survey and will remain in this section until you complete the survey. Backerkit will send you reminders via your email about completing the survey at certain times that they deem appropriate. 

Ready to Lock - After you fill your survey out, you will sit here until the Soft or Hard Cap. After the soft or hard cap hits, you will receive a Final Notice email from Backerkit that gives you a certain amount of time before the survey auto locks. This would be a good time to make any changes, add additional content, or change your address.

• Look out for Final Notice Update
• Double Check Information 
• Do not forget the add ons

Charge Cards - After the orders lock you then go to this section and at that point, we are able to charge the card you put on Backerkit for shipping, addons, or stretch goals (if unlocked). After the soft or hard cap hits, you will receive a Final Notice email from Backerkit that gives you a certain amount of time before it charges your card. This would be a good time to make any changes, add additional content, or update your payment method.

A few dates where we know we will be charging cards and those are at:

• Soft Cap
• Hard Cap
• Pre Order Cap
• Final Cap
• Look out for Final Notice Update

After the Hard Cap, we will be charging cards every Friday until the Digital cap. After that, we will be charging cards as we check the Backerkit and the hope is, you are not suddenly surprised in 4 months when your card suddenly gets charged for some reason. 

Lock Addresses - This is when we are getting ready to ship and need to begin getting stuff locked down.  After the shipping cap hits, you will receive a Final Notice email from Backerkit that gives you a certain amount of time before your address is locked. This would be a good time to make double check your address, change your address, or let us know of an issue. 

• Look out for Final Notice Update
• Last chance to change address without reaching out to us 
• If you need to change your address, just let us know if you have not gotten a shipping notice

Start Shipping - After the address is locked you go to this section and will stay there until your package is shipped. Upon shipment, you should receive an email from Backerkit letting you know that your package has shipped. At that point, you just need to sit back and relax. 

So, the funds arrived from Kickstarter and while we have been hard at work the entire time, we can now really get to work on this project. Sadly we lost around 5k to 6k worth of backers due to whatever reason they had, but we still had enough funds to hit the 75k stretch goal. 

That being said the final put us around only 19k away from hitting 100k but after we had quite a few backers drop off we are actually around 25k from that goal. Yet, if we can add 20k to this Backerkit stretch goal then we shall add the final stretch goal that was meant to be unlocked during the campaign. If we do not get the 200 backers of this addon to unlock the stretch goal, then this will it will be deleted and NO ONE will be charged for adding this on. 

There will only be 200 of this level of content available and by selecting this add on you get: 

•  Enamel Pin Sets - This is a total of 8 pins.

•  Exclusive Named Credit - Your name in the special thank you section of The Mineralogy Manual. 
•  Exclusive Art Print - signed by the writers, artists, and everyone else involved in the project. 

•  Exclusive Fantasy/Earthen Necklace - An exclusive Clear Quartz Crystal Ball Necklace by Overton Family Jewels  

Stretch Goal Information - So, if we get the 200 backers to support this stretch goal, then a new chapter named Organizations of the Earth will be added to The Mineralogy Manual. This introduces three fascinating new guilds who pursue crafting and creation with the primary components included in this book. Your character can join one or more of these guilds and gain certain benefits, advantages, and loyalties due to this joining. Also in this chapter, we will be adding sections like religious organizations, geopolitical organizations, secret organizations, and more!

So, if you are new to Kickstarter, during the survey you will have the ability to add additional things, and these add ons can be a number of things:

• Older Content in the form of books, card decks, and PDF's.
• Exclusive items that will only be available for those who backed or preordered.
• Kickstarter Stretch Goals 
• Swag in the form of clothing, tabletop accessories, and decorations

The adding of different add ons can get you some really awesome content and additionally it helps us start the next project, support other writers and artists, and stay afloat (especially with the current world situation and the shut down of conventions). While we hope you will consider adding things to your check out, there is absolutely no reason you have to, but if you really like a particular item or want our other works. Then this is a good time to get it all in one go and in some aspects, you can even control when we will charge you for it by when you complete your survey. 

So, naturally, you will be able to add on all the SWAG items from the Kickstarter and even upgrade your reward tier via the Backerkit survey. However, if you were hoping to get the Mine Owner reward, you will have to add all the items that were included on that level separately. This is really to give back to those awesome backers who pledged at the highest individual level and allow them to get the most bang for their buck. 

The available items that were included in some part during the Kickstarter are:

•  The Mineralogy Manual - DIgital, Hardback, and KS Exclusive
•  The Earthen Dungeons - Five Earthen & Dwarven Inspired Dungeons
•  The Decks of Casual Characters - Miners Deck 1 - Digital and Physical
•  The Decks of Casual Characters - Miners Deck 2 - Digital and Physical
•  The Decks of the Arbitrary Athenaeum - Dwarven Tomes 1 - Digital and Physical
•  The Decks of the Arbitrary Athenaeum - Dwarven Tomes 2 - Digital and Physical
•  Fantasy Earthen Battle Maps - 10 Battle Maps - Digital and Physical
•  Fantasy Earthen Map Assets - 100 Dungeon Map Assets - Digital 
•  Fantasy Earthen Dungeon Maps - Digital
•  Underground Enamel Pins - 4 Exclusive Pins - Physical
•  Dwarf Clan Enamel Pins  - 4 Exclusive Pins - Physical
•  Earthen GM Screen - A 3 Panel Custom Screen - Physical
•  Dwarven Inspiration Coin - A Exclusive Dwarf Inspired Coin - Physical
•  The Crystal Cavern - Exclusive Fabric Banner - Physical 
•  Rock & Roll Shirt - An Awesome D20 Tshirt

The available items that were not included in some part during the Kickstarter are:

Dwarven Sacrifice Shirt 

• A Slimmer D20 Tshirt 
• Physical

Blood & Stone Shirt

• A Dwarven Themed Shirt 
• Physical

Blood & Stone Hoodie 

• Winter is on the way 
• A Dwarven Themed Hoodie
• Physical

Earthen Fabric Banners 

• 7 Different Exclusive Fabric Banner
• Physical

The Decks of Dangerous Devices 

• Never Before Seen
• 4 Explosive Decks of Content
• Digital & Physical

Earthen Posters 

• 5 High Definition Posters 
•  Physical

Dwarven Currency 

• Real Metal Coins 
• Physical 

Niwri's Marvelous Menagerie of the Multiverse 

• Animal Themed Book 
• Digital & Physical

The Weavers Writings on the Wilds 

• Wild Survival Themed Book  
• Digital & Physical

Harold the Halfling's Herbology Handbook 

• Plant Themed Book  
• Digital & Physical

The Decks of Curious Consumables

• Consumable Magic Items
• 4 Decks to Choose From
• Digital & Physical

Diception - Gamblers Gambit

• Dice Games for your Games  
• Digital & Physical

Diception - Carnival Conquest

• Dice Games for your Games  
• Digital & Physical

Diception - Trials of the Gods

• Dice Games for your Games    
• Digital & Physical

D20 Status Effect Deck

• Huge Game improver  
• Digital & Physical

Seven of Seven: Pantheon of the Chain

• 56 New Deities 
• Digital & Physical

The Decks of Boon & Bane

• Divine Blessings and Curses
• 2 Decks to Choose From  
• Digital & Physical

The Tome of Magical Mystery

• Wild Survival Themed Book  
• Digital & Physical

The Decks of Magical Mystery 

• Level Appropriate Magic Items
• 4 Decks to Choose from
• Digital & Physical

The Heroes Hoard

• Class-Based Magic Item Collection  
• Digital & Physical

The Decks of the Heroes Hoard

• Magic Items 
• 12 Decks to Choose From by Hero Type
• Digital & Physical

Real Alehorn Mugs

• Handmade 
• 3 Different Sizes  
• Digital & Physical

Stone Dice Set

• 10 Varieties of Beautiful Stone Dice 
• Physical

Also, please remember that adding on items may or may not add more cost to the overall shipping cost but after the soft cap we will know more. We really worked hard to get you're a ton of exclusive items to have available to you and we really hope you will enjoy them.

 Pre Order 

If your not a current backer and are checking out this update then you can click here to be taken to the preorder store on Backerkit. 

In addition, please feel free to share the below link with friends, on social media, or anywhere else. This will get the voice out about the project, help us drop shipping costs, and bring amazing content to more people.

 https://the-mineralogy-manual.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders 

If there are any issues with the pre-order side of things just reach out to us and let us know and we will fix as soon as possible.

What is next you might be wondering? You might also be wondering if we have a plan to completion?. Well, we have amazing amounts of information just for that specific question and this part of the update is where you need to look for that information.

So now that the Kickstarter has reached its funding goal, while we did take a bit of breather. We have been hard at work with the logistics, building quotes, communicating with other artists, writers, and content creators. We are currently working on the stretch goal content like the Sapper class, the Geomancer Wizard subclass, the fossils, soils, and general uniformity throughout the book. Yet, while we are still doing odd writing here and there, writing editing and layout will not be affected by this and will soon start.

The PDFs will be the first item to be sent out as soon as the final layout and editing are complete, plus any other digital content (older digital content to be delivered on the digital cap). We have estimated the delivery of the book in November 2020, but are aware that delays may happen but we are hoping to get it to you all before Christmas at very least. 

A very general and basic timeline is below:

•  Mid May - Kickstarter launches. 
•  Mid June - Kickstarter completes. 
•  Early -July - Funds from the Project arrive and are distributed. 
•  Mid August - All initial content created for Kickstarter sent for editing and layout. 
•  Early -September - Any additional changes, edits, or new art (including unlocked Stretch Goals) will be complete by this time for final editing and layout. 
• Early October- Final PDF complete and sent to Backers, and sample prints of Hardcover Books ordered.
•  Late October - Books arrive and all shipping completed by end of the month. 
• November End - All backer rewards sent in the mail.

Again, this is an estimated timeline, and hiccups do happen. We will keep you updated on our progress and any changes through Kickstarter updates. We will also be editing the Kickstarter Page so you can always check the latest status there.

A less hard fixed timeline is below:

Phase 1 - Dungeons

• Editing and Simple Layout - Dungeon - A Return to Mullodar 
• Playtesting Dungeon Sent to Backers for Feedback
• Appropriate changes made to the dungeon
• Editing and Simple Layout - Dungeon - The Pit of Gnawed Bones
• Playtesting Dungeon Sent to Backers for Feedback
• Appropriate changes made to the dungeon
• Editing and Simple Layout - Dungeon - Mesmerizing Ice Cavern
• Playtesting Dungeon Sent to Backers for Feedback
• Appropriate changes made to the dungeon
• Editing and Simple Layout - Dungeon - Qannesdam
• Playtesting Dungeon Sent to Backers for Feedback
• Appropriate changes made to the dungeon
• Editing and Simple Layout - Dungeon - Skyfall Tradition
• Playtesting Dungeon Sent to Backers for Feedback
• Appropriate changes made to the dungeon

We start with the dungeons first because we want you backers to have plenty of time to look it over and provide some feedback if you wish. Let's face it, games get canceled all the time and usually for a variety of reasons. 

Phase 2 - Additional Playtesting 

• Editing and Simple Layout - Crafting Rules & Content
• Playtesting Sent to Backers for Feedback
• Appropriate changes made to the crafting rules
• Editing and Simple Layout - Crafted Items
• Playtesting Sent to Backers for Feedback
• Appropriate changes made to the items
• Editing and Simple Layout - Classes
• Playtesting Sent to Backers for Feedback
• Appropriate changes made to the classes

We move on to other playtesting types of content because we want you backers to have plenty of time to look it over and provide some feedback if you wish. The additional content usually requires a lot less work to fix and change then the dungeons, so it is 2nd its level of priority.

Phase 3 - Storytelling & World Building Elements

• Editing and Simple Layout - Treasures of the Earth
• Proofreading and check for connectivity 
• Appropriate changes made to this section
• Editing and Simple Layout - Hallowing of the Earth
• Proofreading and check for connectivity 
• Appropriate changes made to this section
• Editing and Simple Layout - Children of the Earth
• Proofreading and check for connectivity 
• Appropriate changes made to this section

This is the final stage of the core editing and layout because this content is more of the elements of storytelling, world-building, and while it is the meat and potatoes of the book. It is not restained by large amounts of mechanics or world breaking content, so it is given the 3rd level of priority.

Phase 4 - Finalization

• Pages like appendixes, chapter introductions, and acknowledgments completed
• Final Table of Contents created
• Final layout & editing for card decks created
• Finalization of PDF and preview PDF sent
• FInal PDF prepared & sent out
• Files organized and sent to printing for check
• Test prints for card decks & books ordered
• Final Simple Tweaks
• Final order placed with the printing company
• Delivery 

ONE THING  TO REMEMBER IS THAT PREVIEWS ART NOT FINALS AND CHANGES CAN BE MADE - These will be delivered in much lower resolution, the tabs are not in, and there are no clickable links. We will have all that done in the end. We want to make all of this incredible for you all, and to make this journey with you all. So if you have any questions, you can:

• Email me
• Message me on Kickstarter
•  Post on an update 

I hope everyone is safe and sound and doing well. We are excited about this direction because we might actually get the chance to do a convention in July, we are not holding our breath, but we want to survive the year 2020 like everyone else!

Well, I think that is about it, and while you may not hear from us. Rest assured we have been hard at work in the background as always but reach out to us anywhere you can and we will get back to you as soon as possible. A quick conclusion/reminding list is below:

• The current shipping cost are not the final shipping cost
• Timely completion of your surveys is imperative
• Your support is incredible and let us know how we can improve always
• Do not forget the amazing add-ons via your Backerkit survey
• Your feedback and playtesting is more useful than you know
• Surveys coming for everyone else in around 24 hours
• DO NOT FORGET THE ORGANIZATIONS OF THE REALMS STRETCH GOAL VIA BACKERKIT

I really hope you found the information in this update useful, informative, and while it is a bit dry, enjoyable. I spent around 5 hours writing this update, and honestly want everyone to be as informed as I can. I appreciate each one of you very much and we could not do this without you and you will never find anyone who will work as hard for you as I will, I think I have gotten around 5 to 6 hours of sleep in the last 3 days. So, I need a good rest and just give us a shout if you need anything. 

That is all for now, we will update you as we continue! Take care, everyone!

Deep Dungeon Games

Smoke Test Surveys Coming Soon - Quick Update
almost 4 years ago – Tue, Jun 30, 2020 at 04:20:10 PM

Hey everyone, I got everything loaded up to the backerkit and designed for the most part and thus we will be launching the smoke test as soon as they approve the survey.

What is a Smoke Test?

• A smoke test sends surveys to 5% of backers from each pledge level in your campaign.
• It’s a simple way to catch any errors in the survey and make sure everything runs smoothly.
• Once your smoke test has been completed, we can send surveys to the rest of you amazing people.

So, if you are randomly selected for the smoke test and find errors, the PLEASE POST ANY COMMENTS OR CONCERNS RELATIVE TO THE SMOKE TEST ON THIS UPDATE.

Seriously, your feedback is very important and you are our favorite lab rats! MUAHAHAHAHA

Ok, that is all for now, but we will update again when we send the full survey out to everyone.

Deep Dungeon Games

General Information and content update for surveys
almost 4 years ago – Thu, Jun 18, 2020 at 09:46:45 PM

Hello Backers,

BAM, and just like that, we come to the end of another campaign, and truly it is one of our favorite projects thus far. The creating of content or running any business is scary enough and every time we launch a project there is a ton of fear and anxiety for rejection and failure but then we get another great boost of support from you folks. It's awesome, you are all awesome and you inspire us and we hope you will keep letting us create for you.

We set out with the goal to at very least get the writings of myself edited and a few pieces of art to form a book, but with your help, we've created so much more. You've helped us to enhance the content, expand our customer base, and grow our business.

THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!

Also if you ever think your pledge does not matter, we lost around 8k in backers dropping out during the project, so just remember that your pledge means more than you think! Of course, we understand but you are all part of the project and together you all make it happen!

Ok, so now below you will find the outline for this update:

• Work to do
• Surveys
• Addons
• Timeline

Work to do

So, what happens now?

We have a lot of work ahead of us but at this point, almost all the writing has been complete (excluding a few of the stretch goals). We have a few things going on, this includes Father's Day Orders and tons of writing for future content and more. So much to do always, but we love being able to create for everyone and we will be rolling out content as we can. 

Writing - So at this point, we are really done with the majority of the writing other than small edits, stretch goals, and writing that we were waiting on art before writing. The writing on this book actually began in January 2020 and we are around 95% done with this writing and as soon as we are ready, we will push it to edit.

• One thing we really want to get correct is the crafting rules, so expect many playtesting updates about those! 

Artwork -  The artists have been working in the background without anyone but myself really knowing about it. The total art list includes 326 planned illustrations of elements, minerals, rocks, NPC's, crafting items, and more. This of course does not include the maps, which the majority of the maps are actually complete. 

Editing  - The editor should be able to get started on this after we are happy with the flow of the words and the majority of the editing that we can do as writers is complete. This is basically the last step before we go to playtesting and layout and hopefully we can find any other issues or editing that needs to be done after you all have done some playtesting.

Playtesting - It's been very exciting to send backers previews of our content and for backers to be some of the first individuals to get eyes on the content for our books. That being said we will be doing that with this book as well and everyone will be able to see this content and have an opportunity to playtest it, help us find errors, and drool over the wait for the final product. The more eyes on the product will help us make a better product overall and ensure that it is everything you want it to be.

Layout - It really is the last step for pre-production, so when we move to the layout we are very close to the completion of the project! 

Production - After the layout is done and moved to the printing company then we will do a test print of the book, and trust me this is something that 100% should be done by any company. So we use a US-Based production facility to ensure that we are able to get this book done for you, and this is the same for the books and the decks. We will keep you informed of any progress we make and we are looking for quality above all else.

Surveys

Just a quick heads up to keep an eye on your inbox for your Backerkit Survey invite and some of you will be the first as part of the small "Smoke Test" to begin with to make sure things are working correctly, then we will be sending all of the surveys later today or tomorrow.

We will be sending out the Backerkit surveys as soon as Kickstarter releases the funds in around 10 days.

In that survey, you will have the option to add on any additional items you wish as well as verify your shipping addresses. Please take the time to fill out the survey that was sent to you in messages so that we can add your input on future projects like this.

Switching Your Pledge - On the first page of the survey below the big green button that reads "Get Started" you'll see a link that reads "switch your pledge level ". This is how you'll change from one pledge level to another. For example, if you pledged for the PDF during the campaign but decided you want the physical book instead, you can use this link to switch to that pledge.

Locking Down Orders - During the Backerkit we will have to manually go in and close out the orders and wrap up the orders. This means we will be locking down orders and charging cards on a regular basis, perhaps weekly. This way you aren't charged for shipping and add ons just before your order is fulfilled and then wonder what the charge is for. Basically the purchase was fresh in your mind so you know to expect the charge. You can refrain from completing your survey for as long as you want before fulfillment if you don't want to be charged immediately, that's no problem. Additionally, if you do fill out your survey but end up changing addresses or wanting to modify your order, just let us know and we can unlock your order or make the changes manually for you.

The next update we send out will be when we start sending out surveys

Addons

Small Books – 40 to 80 pages

This includes Diception: Gamblers Gambit, Diception: Carnival Conquest, Diception: Trail of the Gods, and Seven of Seven: The Pantheon of the Chain.

• Hardback - $20.00
• PDF - $10.00

Large Books – 100 to 250 pages

This includes the Tome of Magical Mystery, The Heroes Hoard, Harold the Halflings Herbology Handbook, Niwri's Marvelous Menagerie of the Multiverse, and The Weavers Writings on the Wilds.

• Hardback - $40.00
• PDF - $18.00

Card Decks – 52 Card Decks

This includes The Heroes Hoard Decks (12 Different Available – Class-Specific Magic Items Decks), Decks of Magical Mystery (4 Different Available – Magic Item Decks by Power Level), Decks of the Compelling Consumables ( 4 Different Available – Magic Consumable Items like potions, poisons, naturally occurring, and cooked), Decks of Boons, Deck of Banes, Status Effect Deck, Decks of the Arbitrary Athenaeum, and the Decks of Casual Characters.

• Physical Decks - $15.00
• Print & Play PDF – $7.50

Ok, I know that is a lot to read, but just remember

• Small Books - $20/$10
• Large Books - $40/$18
• Card Decks - $15/$7.5

We will also be offering all the items on the Kickstarter page like enamel pins, t-shirts, banners, the different versions of The Mineralogy Manual, stickers, and playmats. Things you may not see that could be add-ons if you choose are Real Ale Horn Mugs ($25/$40/$60), Dice Towers ($25), Dice Boxes ($30), Dice ($7), and plenty of other add-ons that we will let you know about as we go along.

Also, a ton of levels have add-ons that are already included, so look to see what you’re already getting! Please, do not hesitate to reach out to us!

Shipping

The part I hate the most is shipping, and I really wish I did not have to charge for it at all! Yet, it is part of the whole process and we always want to bring you the best prices. We have gotten good at planning this part out and have places in Canada, the United Kingdom, the EU, and one of our writers can even ship from within Australia. This is all of course based on numbers to make if feasible. For instance, if we only have 10 backers in Australia, then it would not make sense to ship the packages in bulk rather than individually from the US. Whatever the outcome, just know that we will send your purchase in whichever way we can save you the most amount of money. So, the below prices are the minimum you can expect to pay:

First-Class Package Service - Starting From $2.74

First-Class Package International Service – Starting From $12.25

The requirements for this are a maximum weight of 70 pounds, maximum combined length and girth (girth is the distance around the thickest part) of 108 inches, and when sealing a Flat Rate Envelope or Box the container flaps must be able to close within the normal folds. That does not mean that if your order fits the above criteria that these costs are only the minimum. Once we know the absolute final page count (or damn close) then we know the weight and we can plan accordingly. This is all really to give you an idea of where to start.

The full details can be seen with this link to USPS shipping rates.

A FULL LIST WILL BE BETTER OUTLINED IN THE SURVEY OUT UPDATE

Timeline

So, below is our approximate updated timeline from the timeline on the Kickstarter page:

• Mid June - Kickstarter completes.
• Early -July - Funds from the Project arrive and are distributed.
• Mid August - All initial content created for Kickstarter sent for editing and layout.
• Early -September - Any additional changes, edits, or new art (including unlocked Stretch Goals) will be complete by this time for final editing and layout.
• Early October- Final PDF complete and sent to Backers, and sample prints of Hardcover Books ordered.
• Late October - Books arrive and all shipping completed by end of the month.

This is an estimated timeline, but hiccups do happen. I once had to babysit my grandmother's goldfish and ensure it did not drown (just kidding). We will keep you updated on our progress and any changes through Kickstarter updates. We will hopefully be done way before the September date and you all will be the first to know.

We also want to take this moment to tell everyone with kiddos HAPPY FATHERS DAY! I grew up in a very interesting fashion, and while traditionally this holiday is to recognize fathers, there is more to it!

So, if you are the classic definition of a father, a dad who never had to take the role of father, a dad with kids of their own and kids that are not their own, a single parent doing both jobs, grandparents that adopted their grandchildren, a nontraditional family, or anything else. The important thing is that this holiday is for anyone out there teaching their kids how to ride a bike, how to reel in that first fish, how to turn a wrench, showing the tough and soft sides of growing up, and I know there are so many things that father figures do that the list would be massive. The main point is, make the holiday yours and enjoy the future of the planet! I have two wonderful little kiddos and so from my family and I am sure everyone else involved in this project! Happy Fathers day! 

I Will update again soon and do not forget to love one another! 

Deep Dungeon Games 

Incredible finish! Thank you!
almost 4 years ago – Mon, Jun 15, 2020 at 01:22:18 AM

Hey everyone, 

We are going to put something a little more official together but this is more from me personally. I want to take this time and tell you all thank you so very much. We all have hopes, dreams, ambitions, and everything in between, and while it might be cliche, this business started in a tiny 14' by 12' shop that moved later to a basement. 

This is what makes the days with no sleep, stress, and consuming anxiety worth it. When this many people come together and tell you that, hey you really are making something we want to see more of. There are probably quite a few on here that know me in the real world and while most of you do not know me, they all know from where in life I started. I deserve none of this, and am truly humbled by you all! I hope that one day I give 10x back to what every one has given to my business and myself. 

I really hope to meet each and every single one of you someday, and I will make sure to buy you a beer, glass of wine, or just give you a handshake or hug. Seriously, everyone, this means the world to my family, my kids, and myself. Thank you for being a part of my life and this project!

Ok, enough of the hearth felt sobbing, IM NOT CRYING YOUR CRYING!!!! We will get send out another update in a day or two about what is next and everything!

Hobie Hill - Deep Dungeon Games

75k Unlocked - Quick Update
almost 4 years ago – Sun, Jun 14, 2020 at 01:05:02 AM

Expanded Treasures & Crafting - Unlocked

• We will add soil varieties to the treasures of the earth section like a tempest, argil, sowers, fey, fel, and verdure to The Mineralogy Manual. These soils will further breakdown the origins of the elements and give examples of how they add details to your world.
• We will add 10 varieties of fantasy-themed fossils to the crafting of the earth chapter of The Mineralogy Manual. These fossils will breakdown the origin, lore, and magical crafting possibilities with them.

Thank you all so very much! We hit the 75k mark with hours left in the campaign. This is so very important because this expands the crafting rules into the soils of the realms. This then can be translated to plants that grow in the soils, the creatures that eat the plants, and the things created from plants and creatures. I really think this is going to add a whole lot of potential for the crafting rules! 

We will be posting a much larger update after the Kickstarter is complete! THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH AND let's FINISH STRONG! 

Deep Dungeon Games