DC20 Pre-Orders

DC20 - We did it! + Thank You + Fulfillment Outline
5 months ago – Tue, Jul 02, 2024 at 08:11:57 AM

We Did It!

I am sitting here staring at a text box... looking for words to express the overwhelming gratitude I feel... I've cried publicly (and privately) multiple times, and that is tears of joy, relief, appreciation, and excitement for what is to come! I genuinely hope yall see and feel the appreciation, both with my words and actions of how much value this project packed into each tier! This community is truly amazing and unstoppable! We did it!!

Thank you for bringing this game to life in a way that I had NEVER thought possible... what started off with me typing out rules alone on a borrowed school laptop... has now turned into a Multi-Million Dollar TTRPG... Thank you!!

Fulfillment Outline

Digital Fulfillment

Here is how the digital fulfillment works:

1. 1) Kickstarter ends, your cards will be charged for the pledge amount
2. 2) The project passes from Kickstarter over into Backerkit. This process takes 3-5 days.
3. 3) Once I can access Backerkit I will be able to send out digital rewards that are ready to be sent out
4. 4) You will receive an email from DriveThruRPG with the PDF inside and able to download.
5. 5) This is how it will work throughout the fulfillment journey for each resource. Once the PDF is ready, you’ll be sent an email. This is also true for UPDATES, any PDF that gets an update in any way will also be sent out to yall automatically!

This link here will be important in the future, (pin it / save it somewhere) but it will take your to the EXACT inbox that your Digital Rewards will be at (once they are there).

This will have NOTHING in there right now: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/account_notification_inbox.php

TLDR: You get your PDFs emailed to you automatically once they are available

Digital Fulfillment Timelines

So each reward will have its own development timeline that can all get started now! Each resource will be ready at different times and sent out as soon as they are ready (see above). Here are general estimates for how this will look for each resource:

• DC20 Core Rules: This is the BIG one of course. The 0.8 Rules will be sent out by July 6th, and then each update to the game will be sent as it develops (see Beta Roadmap below for more).
• DC20 Monster Starter Pack: Beta 0.1 of this PDF will be sent out on July 6th, then more updates over time as more monsters are added
• ALL Other PDFs: The rest of the PDFs are at different stages of development. Something like the starter adventure has already been outlined and the story and plot points completed, but the more specific things still have to be written and art commissioned, etc.. but each of these PDFs will most likely have two times when they are sent out. You might get a beta 0.1 of each of these PDFs as soon as they are ready to be sent out and played with. Or you might just get the final version when it is done (the Digital Art Collection for example). we will be working hard across all of these different PDFs to get them to you guys as soon as possible, and you’ll be updated once a PDF is getting closer to release! The monster collection would be a good example of a PDF that will have a beta 0.1 release That has a few monsters and maybe some art, but at least you’ll be able to get the monsters sooner rather than later, and THEN you’ll get an updated FINAL version of the PDF.
• 5e → DC20 Conversion Guide: I know this one is super important to get out so that y’all can start converting things over! But keep in mind that we do have to develop the actual game itself in order to know what that conversion will look like. So this is another example of a PDF that will have an early version that goes out that has some helpful tips, just like the early version of the monster starter pack, then as the game gets updated, there will be more updates to this guide as well.

Physical Fulfillment Timelines

Everything revolves around the completion of the Core Rules of DC20. I have not said a release date (kickstarter forces me to... but thats it lol). BUT DC20 will be done... "as soon as it is ready", I will only finalize the game once I feel like it is truly complete and "done". I dont want to rush out the CORE RULES of a game system, and at the same time I won't be a perfectionist and have some wild 2 year development. So my GOAL is to finish the Core Rules 1 year from now, send out the "Final" PDF and then let the community play with it for 1-2 months, find any errors / typos / issues / try and break the game / etc, THEN fix those things and THEN print the books. You will be kept up to date along this process monthly (see Updates section).

So with that also come the Physical Fulfillment of ALL Physical rewards. So the dice, action trackers, etc will all be shipped TOGETHER at ONE time, there will not be multiple shipping runs where you get sent things one at a time. You will get ALL physical rewards in ONE box at the same time. So will it be painful to wait for the dice and action trackers? YES, but that also gives me time to dial in the designs, colors, look, materials, etc of each one! This is also true for Alkanders Almanac, yes that book is completed, but I am doing print runs at the same time as the DC20 book, and also will need to be packaged together physically like I said above.

VTT Integration Timelines

These will largely depend on the companies themselves and the developers that are working on the systems. Now that everything is official and all the stretch goals are unlocked, I can begin to have more specific talks with each of these companies and developers to See what the timeline is looking like. I will give my best estimate below for each one, but please keep in mind that this is an estimate, and this one specifically will be probably the least accurate since I have the least amount of information since all this just happened.

• DC20 Digital Character Creator and Compendium: this has been in the works for months already, but we are a matter of weeks (maybe 1-2 months tops) away from releasing the early beta of this to Early Bird Backers. Then, once we polish off some more kinks and continue its development, more will become available to everyone over time.
• dScryb: Although this is technically not a VTT, you use it when you play, so I am putting it here lol! I will have the 90 day FREE Trial code sent out in the FIRST Backer Only Update (next update) in about 5 days (once I can send out the 0.8 PDF)
• Alchemy: they have started work on DC20 right now will only be about 1 to 2 months before we could possibly already start to see some things that we can play with!
• Foundry: as I showcased in the live stream last night, the development for this has already been in the works by a part of my own team, and then with the addition of Bailey Wiki onto this project, expect to see something in the next couple of weeks!
• Demiplane: This requires a LOT of work to get up and running since there is an entire UI and interphase with ART, much less the rules and automations. So this will be a bit longer process, but still something you will DEFINITELY be able to see THIS year!
• Fantasy Grounds: I will continue talks with Fantasy Grounds and they will go through the process of finding a FG developer to work on DC20 and once THAT first task is accomplished, then I can get a better timeline estimate for you!

Receiving VTT Rewards: You will be emailed a code to be able to redeem on your account. You do not need an account RIGHT NOW, but you will be able to either get your 50% off code or the FREE Code depending on how you backed. Remember, ALL Backers get 50% for Alchemy and Foudnry, and $95 Tier Backers and above get them for free.

Backerkit Surveys

This is something that you do not have to worry about yet. Like I described in the last update, you will be able to add PHYSICAL rewards in Backerkit but NOT digital ones or VTTs. Digital products will be available on the dc20.com website once they become available if you want to add on anything that you were not able to get during the Kickstarter. These survey need to be completed, but there is no rush right now, I will send out more information on Surveys at a later time.

Monthly Updates

From this point on, I will be sending out MONTHLY updates to all Kickstarter backers to keep yall informed along the way. Each of these updates will have all the info you need to stay informed on the progress of the campaign. If you want even more updates then make sure to check out the Discord and Patreon communities to get the news as it happens. Either way, backers will always be in the loop with where the game is at and be given heads up on what comes next and exactly where the game is at!

Beta Roadmap

Here is what is planned for each beta release. These are the BIG pieces that will be added at each phase, but for every single phase, there will be a sprinkling of rule changes, tweaks updates, and fixes. In these updates, I will also keep this concept updated as we add things to this list and can better see when each piece will be released.

• Beta 0.8: Spellblade, Weapons Rework, Class Table / Talents Rework
• Beta 0.9: Level 3 Subclass Features for each Class. Each Class will get 3 Subclass options in the Core Rules
• Beta 0.10: Spellcasting Rework (Spell Lists, balance and tweaks to all current Spells, plus 100+ new Spells. Potentially Level 5 Class Features as well.
• Beta 0.11 and Beyond: This will for sure include Level 6 Subclass Features for each Subclass, but I don't want to declare what else would also be involved here until we get other updates out.

DC20 Magazine

The DC20 Magazine is a monthly PDF of DC20 Content that is available for Patrons (along with other rewards they get). These magazines are a GREAT place for me to have a way to give the community content that fills in gaps and gives early access to things we might not see for months or even years (depending on releases of expansions etc). 

FIRST Issue is the Psion Class + Psyborn Ancestry (both shown in the image). This is a perfect example of what you can look forward to with DC20 Magazine because I genuinely don't know when the Psion will be released in a Hardcover book... BUT I can release it to yall NOW to get your hands on it, play it, give feedback, etc! 

This is just one of MANY rewards that Patrons get for making it possible for DC20 to do bigger and better things on a monthly basis!

More DC20 Content, News, Livestreams

There are a few places where you can go to get even more connected to this community than you already are!

Click each Image to learn more!

• Behind the Scenes Livestreams, DC20 Magazines, Early Access DC20 Content, DC20 Campaign Liveplays of my home games, Personal Campaign Binder access, one on one coaching, VTT rewards, and even possibly playing in DC20 one shots with me.

• The central hub for DC20 with links to all the things we have to offer!

• Weekly Videos on all things DC20!

• Place to chat, discuss, learn, and hang out with the DC20 Community

• Get sent news, extra mini videos, coupon codes, and more!

DC20 - ALL Stretch Goals Unlocked + Backerkit Tier Questions
5 months ago – Mon, Jul 01, 2024 at 01:38:43 PM

I feel like I am annoying yall with these updates at this point... BUT WOW YALL!!! We broke through the last (real) Stretch Goal and with that you have WON the DC20 Kickstarter, you did it ALL! I will now be able to deliver DC20 to you all in the exact way that I would have ever DREAMED! 

Now here are some answers to the most popular questions:

Backerkit Tier Swap Questions

I have seen a lot of questions about Backerkit and how upgrading pledges / addons will work. I have talked with Backerkit and I now have all the answers (I will talk more in the livestream tonight too if you have more questions still). The best way for me to answer the questions is to just explain clearly how things will work... I have Good News and Bad News...

The Bad News: Today (July 1st) 11:00pm CST is your last chance to change your Reward Tier. Once the KS ends, you are LOCKED IN at that reward tier, you will NOT be able to change your TIER. 
- Example: If you are at the $30 Tier, you will NOT be able to upgrade to the $95 Tier at a later date. You will not be able to upgrade to something like the Legendary Tier either. All Tiers are LOCKED.

When the Kickstarter Ends your card will be charged automatically for the current pledge level you have selected and your tier will be locked. If you want to add on additional items through Backerkit it will only be possible to add on the following PHYSICAL Items:

• DC20 Core Rules Hardcover 
• DC20 Core Rules Limited Edition Hardcover
• DC20 Metal Purple Dragon Scale Dice Set
• DC20 Action Tracker x1
• DC20 Action Tracker x4
• Alkander's Almanac of All Things (5e Expansion Book)

These will NOT come with any digital PDF rewards like they do in the Kickstarter, they are only the physical product. They will still be at the lower/ reduced prices like they are in the Kickstarter. There will be ZERO Digital Addons for DC20 on Backerkit. 

So how do you get digital rewards (such as PDFs / VTT stuff) after the Kickstarter ends?

VTT Stuff
The Good News: I have talked with Alchemy and Foundry VTTs and they both agreed to give out a 50% discount code to ALL backers that they can use after the KS ends. So now instead of being "screwed" from not being able to get the VTT stuff at all, and having to pay full price... it will now be 50% off for ALL Backers. It is still free for all Tiers at and above the $95 Tier, but now people who cant upgrade now will still have a reward to reduce the price of those VTT Integrations. 

PDFs
ALL PDFs will be available on my website (dc20.com) after the Backers get access to them. So once the Backers get sent the PDFs that they got as part of their pledge, I will also add that PDF to my website. It might be an early access "Beta" version of the PDF, or the complete and full PDF. Either way it will be available to purchase on the website. Whatever PDFs you purchase will be updated for free along their development. 
- Example: So if you really want to pick up the Monster Collection PDF a few months down the road when you see it is available and was sent out to backers...  you can get it from the website at that point.

Why do I have to do it this way?
With 20,000 Backers now... anything that is done manually becomes an absolute NIGHTMARE, and that is how things would have to work through backerkit. They are working on integrations to be able to charge people automatically during the late pledges, but that is not in place right now. And I just don't have the team or customer support staff enough to be able to handle this type of task, so instead I was able to get a 50% discount code for yall instead so that you can still pickup a great deal on the VTTs.

Why Can't I ADD Physical Products as Addons?

This is a mistake I made when creating the PDF Tier and the Digital Only Tier... if you have EITHER of those tiers... then you are NOT allowed to add ANY physical products... that is a MISTAKE. 

Solution: You will be able to add in physical items through Backerkiet (as shown above). You cant add anything physical through Kickstarter (because they dont allow it)... but you CAN add on extra physical products (hardcovers, dice, action trackers) once the Kickstarter moves over the Backerkit. AND you can even wait months before you add in physical items, you add them whenever you want and you only pay for them at the END of the late pledge window (like 1 year from now). 

In Summary

Once the KS closes your cards will be charged for your CURRENT pledge and your tier will be locked... then you can add PHYSICAL items if you want... but NOT digital. If you DO want digital items, then go to my website or the respective VTT to do so!

Next Update

The next update I send out will be more logistical and give specific instructions on the following things:

• How and when you will get the DC20 Beta 0.8 Core Rules
• How all digital rewards will be issued
• How Backerkit works
• How Updates will work over time
• Where to go to get more news, content, and all things DC20

Fun Stretch Goal

Now I get to make this Stretch Goal just for FUN! I purposefully set it at a WILD amount and just did a GOOFY Stretch Goal of making Penguin-born because of all the inside joke stuff that has came from the Livestreams... so that is this crazy communities fault there!

DC20 - Biggest Reward YET - Full VTT Announcement - 12 Hours Left
5 months ago – Mon, Jul 01, 2024 at 08:57:46 AM

VTT's are HERE!

BIGGEST Announcement YET! I have been hard at work behind the scenes. Yall have BLOWN this entire Kickstarter out of the water... (im tearing up as I type this...) BUT to give back to yall and thank YOU for the love and support you have given DC20... I have bundled ALL VTT Stretch Goals together at the 2.1M mark! 

So in a few hours when we hit 2,100,000... that will unlock ALL FOUR VTT Stretch Goals!!! 

HUGE thank you and props to Alchemy, Foundry, dScryb, Demiplane, Roll20, and DriveThruRPG for coming on and working with me on this to bring this all to life in RECORD time. So really show them some love too because if they didn't step up to the plate here, then we wouldn't have been able to get things done so fast! I feel like Captain America (Fighter that uses a "Shield" Weapon with the returning property) that stepped out and said "VTTs... ASSEMBLE!!!" and they did! So again, a big thank you to each of them!

VTT Confusion Clear Up Video

I made a video specifically for VTT Confusion! I also am looking into Backerkit Pledge Manager Questions and trying to see what options I have for yall there as well, I will post another update about that specifically too!

Final Hour Livestream

Lets CELEBRATE together!

All VTT Stretch Goals Bundled at 2.1 Million

Aaaaaaaaand Thank You AGAIN!

I already was hit with a WALL OF EMOTIONS about 10 minutes ago when I started writing this, so I stopped to film a thank you video... BUT... You all have changed my life... and you have changed the landscape of TTRPGs as we know it! So again, thank you!

DC20 - VTT Reward Answers - 36 Hours Remain!
5 months ago – Sun, Jun 30, 2024 at 07:29:25 AM

This will be the most simple update EVER to clear up a bit of confusion. 

The VTT Reward Stretch Goals of Foundry and Alchemy would be FREE to all Backers at the $95 Tier AND ABOVE. 

There has been many people downgrading their pledge in order to get that tier, which also hurts us be able to reach that Stretch Goal in the first place! I stated in all of the YouTube and Discord posts and it is in the Graphic Images that it is "95 and ABOVE" but there was a line in the update that I did not include the "and above" like, which has caused all the confusion, so that is my fault there.

Time Line Estimates

Timelines are estimates and with the wild world of development, you don't know what kind of setbacks might pop up. But the ESTIMATES of when people will start to see these Digital Integrations is within 1-2 months for some of the lighter weight integrations, and even the more complex integrations we could see them as soon as November! I will speak on more specifics on these time lines in the Livestreams (linked below) and when these Stretch Goals are hit, I can talk more specifics and give a better estimate!

Livestreams

Here are the Livestreams that I will be talking about ALL things Kickstarter in the first few minutes, then open it up to Questions! Come hang out and celebrate! Lets hit these Stretch Goals!

DC20 - HUGE VTT News + Final 48 Hours
5 months ago – Sat, Jun 29, 2024 at 09:52:49 PM

The Home Stretch

This is the FINAL 48 hours and home stretch of the DC20 Kickstarter! I have been scrambling HARD for yall and been in talks with a lot of BIG names in the TTRPG space (as you can see with these new Stretch Goals). The WILD and unexpected success of DC20 has given us some attention and opportunities that never would have been available. So are these Stretch Goals late? Yes... BUT we would never have even had this opportunity in the first place if yall didn't support DC20 on day 1. So you all created this opportunity for us to add some NEXT LEVEL Rewards for both Backers and the DC20 community.

Stretch Goal Breakdown

I will give some more info on each one and then post the image from the Kickstarter to show you all here in one place, ! All of these Stretch Goals will be set much closer to each other and there will be no more BIG jumps between them. This is all SO exciting and I cant wait to see what these last 48 hours will get us to!

Mass VTT Integration + dScryb Bonus Reward

This has 2 parts: 

• First dScryb is throwing their hat into the ring by giving everyone a FREE 90 day Trial to ALL Backers! Also this is funds that will be spent direct
• Second is this is direct funding for ALL VTT development. I have already committed to bringing DC20 into ALL VTTs and this would just speed that process up across all 5 of them. You will see more goals below that are for SPECIFIC VTTs and also add value to reward tiers, give free content, and more!

DC20 + Alchemy VTT

This is a BIG and quickly growing VTT that I have LOVED the more I learn about it. The amount of features this VTT has is truly something special. This Stretch Goal gets you access to Alchemy for FREE to jump on and try it out! You will be able to play with the 0.8 Beta Rules and play the One Shot of "The Hunted" ALL for FREE. Then if you like what you see, you can buy the Full version of the Game on Alchemy... BUT if you want that for FREE too, then all "Digital Only" Backers ($95 Tier) get access to EVERYTHING on Alchemy... (all Collection PDFs, Monster Starter Pack, the Starter Adventure, and the FULL Core Rules) for FREE!!

DC20 + Foundry

The VTT Avalanche CONTINUES! I will be partnering with Baileywiki to bring DC20 to Foundry! If you don't know, Baileywiki is one of (if not the TOP) creator on Foundry and will be joining the DC20 team to FULLY integrate DC20 and ALL of its parts into Foundry. You can find Baileywiki on YouTube as he documents the entire development process! 

Foundry will also have a FREE version available to the public to get their hands dirty with the system, then the rest will be paid content... BUT again... for all $95 Tier Backers, you will get EVERYTHING Foundry has to offer for FREE!!! A truly INSANE value!

DC20 + Demiplane

Yes, that's right we have the chance to be added into Demiplane... the NUMBER ONE Digital Character Creation Tool there is! WILD! DC20 just existing on this platform is going to be huge for DC20 and will make character creation even more seamless! They will be onboarding DC20 and giving access to the Beta 0.8 Character Creation (only levels 1-2) for FREE to everyone, along with other Monsters and The Hunted One Shot for FREE as well. The rest of the DC20 Kickstarter content, and the Complete game will be available for purchase on Demiplane... BUT this time ALL Backers get a 50% Off Discount Code that they can use to Unlock each piece of DC20 Content on Demiplane. This is the best solution with it being this late in the Kickstarter. So instead of having it be an Addon that you have to purchase through Kickstarter, you can just get it for an even better price with this Discount Code.

DC20 Kickstarter Final Livestreams

I will keep doing my Tuesday 8:30pm CST Livestream Q&A's, but I wanted to have 1 DC20 Livestream on each of the last 2 days!

DC20 Kickstarter Q&A #5 

Sunday, June 30, 2024 1:30pm CST
Livestream that will talk about ALL of the NEW VTT announcements that have been rolling out!

DC20 Final Hour Livestream 

Monday, July 1, 2024 9:30pm CST
This is where we all get together for a celebration and send off party as we close out the Kickstarter TOGETHER!!!

Next Update

The next one of these will explain how you are getting your Digital Rewards and how the next 2 days will look! Spoiler Alert... DriveThruRPG is going to be handling the digital fulfilment and it will be the SMOOTHEST digital delivery... EVER!

Thank You Again!!!...

I cant say it enough... Thank you SO MUCH, none of this VTT or digital character sheet options would be available if it wasn't for YOU ALL! This community getting behind DC20 and pushing it into peoples attention is why we have this opportunity that we have now... so lets see what happens next!!