Books Have Arrived!
over 1 year ago
– Fri, Dec 09, 2022 at 12:17:43 AM
Hey!
Real quick update, the books are here! They showed up a day earlier than expected, and were a fun surprise to find when I took my dog outside for a walk.
Here they are:
I've check a few boxes just to make sure, and they are looking good so far! I'll be loading them into my house and starting the packing process this weekend. Addresses are getting locked very soon, and cards are being charged, so go check your survey! Keep an eye out for shipping updates, and the digital release next week.
-Spencer
Shipping Update, Charging Cards Soon
over 1 year ago
– Wed, Dec 07, 2022 at 03:43:35 PM
Hey everyone!
Just got the shipping notification for the big order! The books are estimated to arrive at my door THIS FRIDAY, December 9th.
When that happens, here's a rundown of what to expect:
1. I'll pull my back carrying the books inside.
2. I'll start packing all the books as fast as I can. Thankfully my winter break will have started then, so the packing will be a nice distraction from grading final papers/exams.
3. I'll be dropping off books in waves at my local post office. Keep an eye out on shipping updates and tracking info in the future.
4. The officially digital release will take place, and the game will go up on itch. You all will get your itch keys that will allow you to claim your PDF copy of the game plus the Realm Atlas.
5. I will sleep for 1000 years.
In order to pull this off, you need to fill out your Backerkit survey! We're sitting at 91% filled out, which is great, but obviously I would love to get everyone their book so get those surveys done.
IMPORTANT: I will be locking orders and charging cards in 72 hrs. That will give time for the payments to get processed, fix any errors, and get the funds in my account to pay the shipping by the time the books arrive and are all packed up. PLEASE CHECK TO SEE IF YOUR INFORMATION IS CORRECT.
Ok, that's everything for now. I'll update you with pics of the books when they arrive!
-Spencer
Quick Backerkit Update
over 1 year ago
– Sat, Nov 12, 2022 at 09:03:28 PM
Hey everyone!
The RUNE Backerkit survey was just sent out to everyone. Make sure to check your spam folders in case it got caught there.
Fill this out as soon as you can! I want to make sure that I can send your books to you, and I can only do that if you fill out the survey, providing your shipping address and funds.
I've had a couple questions about things, so I thought I'd share the info with everyone:
How do I change my digital pledge to a physical pledge?
There's a little link just below the "Get Started!" button that is for switching your pledge level.
How do I do local pickup for PAX?
You'll need to click the Local Pickup option in the countries list. If you do that, it shouldn't charge you for shipping. As a reminder, please select this soon so I can set aside enough copies to give to you at PAX!
Why is non-US shipping so expensive?
I have absolutely 0 control over international shipping costs. I wish it was not so expensive to ship books outside the United States, but that is the reality of the world we live in today. Sorry!
What if I have a different question/issue?
Email me! That's honestly the best way to get the answer to you. Any questions should be sent to gilarpgs at gmail dot com, and I'll make sure to help out as soon as I can! Remember, I'm just one guy doing all this, so I might take a second to get back to you.
Ok, that's it for now. I'm off to write Realms and anxiously await the arrive of the books in about a month!
-Spencer
Big November Update!
over 1 year ago
– Sat, Nov 12, 2022 at 12:16:25 AM
Hey everyone!
This one is a long one, so get ready. We're talking about the print proof, Backerkit surveys, PAX, and delivery timelines.
Print Proof
The print proof arrived today, and it looks so good!
I've already made the necessary adjustments, as well as added in things that weren't present or correct in the previous PDF preview I sent you (things like page numbers/references, the table of contents, etc.). Which means, THE BOOK IS READY TO PRINT!!
This is the biggest book order I've ever made with a printer (thank you all so much for your incredible support). I've just placed it, after taking a couple breaths to calm myself down.
That means I have an estimated delivery date for them arriving at my house. The books should arrive around DECEMBER 5!
Backerkit Survey
I've had Backerkit review everything on their end, and they gave it all the thumbs up. In fact, on Wednesday I deployed the "smoke test" of the backer survey. A very small percentage of you will have received your survey, as sort of a test run to make sure everything looks good. Once the smoke has cleared, I'll be sending the survey out to everyone! I'm probably going to be sending it out in the next day or so. So if you've been wondering about that pledge manager, it's coming very very soon. You will also be able to upgrade your pledge to a physical copy using the Backerkit survey, if the pic above has convinced you!
It is super important that you fill this out as soon as you can. If you are getting a printed copy, make sure to get that shipping information and payment taken care of so I can get you your book!
PAX Unplugged
I'm going to be at PAX Unplugged! Not only am I attending, but I've got a table (Booth 4125). I am super excited about this, as it will be my first time tabling at a convention, and I can't wait to see what it's all about.
Why am I telling you this? A few reasons! First, if you're at PAX, come say hi!
Second, and this is something I wanted to be fully transparent with you about, is that I will be selling RUNE at PAX. I was able to order a second, smaller, order of RUNE books, specifically to bring to PAX. To be clear, these are not your books that I'm selling. As I said above, your books are getting printed as we speak and will arrive at my place on December 5th.
I thought it would be right to let you all know that while I am in the process of getting fulfillment done for you, I'll also be selling the book at PAX. I'm an independent creator, and conventions are so so so important for getting my games out there in the public eye. I also understand that some folks might be thinking "Hey why am I not getting my book first??" I understand that! I also hope that you all understand that I'm just one guy trying to do it all, and part of my ability to be a successful indie designer is selling games at conventions like PAX. So, you all have been so incredibly supportive throughout this whole process, I hope you can be supportive of this decision too!
Oh yeah, the third thing. If you're going to be at PAX, you can get your copy at the booth! In fact, that local pickup option will be there in your Backerkit survey. If you're at PAX, and want to save a little on shipping, just select that option and I'll happily hand you your book at the table! If you do plan on doing this, make sure to fill out that survey so I can set aside your copy!
Delivery Timeline
If you won't be picking up your book at PAX, when are you getting your book? Soon! Like I said, the books arrive at my house on December 5th. At that point, I'll rest my back after carrying them all inside, and then get to stuffing mailers. It's a lot of books, so it might take me a little while to get them all packed and labelled, but I'll start shipping them out in waves as soon as I can. Which means we're still on track for a December fulfillment!
As for the final PDF copy of the game, alongside the Realm Atlas. That will follow soon on the heels of distributing the book. I've still got some Realms to write, and I want to give you the Atlas at the same time as the core game, so that you have lots of RUNE to play.
Wrapping Up
Phew, like I said, this was a long one. I want to once again thank you all for your incredible support for this project. And I'd also like to preemptively thank you for understanding and supporting my ability to sell the game at PAX and show it off to the world. You all have been so wonderful, and I can't wait to get the game in your hands.
There will probably be more frequent updates moving forward, because I'll want to let you know about major events happening (like the books arriving). I'll talk to you all soon!
-Spencer
Print Proof Ordered!
over 1 year ago
– Thu, Nov 03, 2022 at 02:55:10 PM
Hey everyone,
I spent last weekend working on layout for RUNE. With the edits that Will asked for taken care of, the text is complete and just needed to be assembled. I've finished that now, which means the print proof has been ordered! It should be arriving soon. When it arrives, I'll take a look at it, make sure things look good, and make any necessary adjustments. After that, the big book order takes place, and we wait for them to arrive!
What does that mean? Two things:
- I'll be focusing my efforts on getting the Realm Atlas written and laid out from here on out, now that the rulebook is done. As a reminder, the Realm Atlas is a PDF supplement to RUNE that you all get, that includes 6 Realms for you to explore after you've read the rules and tried the realm included in the book. I'm having a lot of fun writing the realms, and can't wait for you to see them.
- I can share the near-complete PDF version of the rulebook with you! This version is what I sent to the printer for the print proof, so it might be slightly different than the final final PDF you'll get after any changes are made.
A few things to note before I drop the PDF links.
- First, this is not the final version of the PDF you will get for fulfillment. When the PDF is finalized, and RUNE is released completely next month, you'll get the official final version as released through itch.io. This version will be very close to that, but you'll want to use the itch version when the game fully releases.
- Second, the table of contents is COMPLETELY WRONG. Ignore it, don't even bother with it. That, and a bunch of places have references to PAGE XX. This is because I'm not updating any of that text until we know for sure where the pages are going to be in the final version. So don't sweat anything in the realm of page numbers or references, that's all in limbo for another week.
- Finally, in looking at the PDF, if you notice any spelling mistakes or things out of place, feel free to reach out. Will and I are both human, so it's entirely possible we missed something that you catch! If you do want to leave feedback about that sort of stuff, please email it to me at gilarpgs at gmail dot com. Note, I'm not looking for feedback like "you should X to the game" or "I don't like the art on page X", because we're really happy with the content and look of things, and at this point we're making sure the text is completely solid before the big print order.
Ok, enough preamble, here are the links to the PDF.
Please do not share these links around, as these are intended for backers only. I can't wait hear what you think, and to have the print proof in my hands soon to show you what it looks like!
I'll be posting a few other updates throughout the month:
- Pledge manager stuff (expect that once the proof is in hand)
- Print proof pics and impressions, and creating the final version PDF
- Realm Atlas updates
Whew! That was a long update. Enjoy this nearly complete version of RUNE!
-Spencer
