Art!!!!
about 2 years ago – Wed, Sep 07, 2022 at 12:38:37 AM

Hey All 

It feels like this Kickstarter just finished but that is just how 2022 seems to be flying past at pace.

In terms of progress we have art streaming in for the project which means that in the next few months we will be ready to start putting the final product together. For those of you craving here is a taste of the art coming to you in Bergins Book of Beasts.

Currently we are on track to meet our delivery dates and could not be more excited to get this out to all of you.

Till next time

Cheers

Kyle

PS what are you most excited for?

Backerkit Update
over 2 years ago – Tue, Aug 02, 2022 at 08:49:21 PM

Hey All 

So all of the Backerkit surveys have now been sent and in addition the free copies have now been fixed and should be sorted. If there are still issues please feel free to drop an email to: 

[email protected]

with the subject line of Bergins Book of Beasts - Firestar Missing

Till next time

Kyle Gray

Backerkit Is Going Live
over 2 years ago – Tue, Aug 02, 2022 at 06:05:36 PM

Hey Everyone,

A few updates regarding the Pledge Manager and Production:

Backerkit Update

Backerkit is currently undergoing the smoke test. Which means around 200 surverys have been sent. The rest should go out over the next few days, providing everything is working fine.

Please bear with us as we work through a few issues:

• We need to manually add Firestar Falling for a few people manually if they backed in the first 72 hours. If you don't see it in Backerkit, rest assured it will be added in there over the next few days whether you've already completed your survey or not.
• Shipping rates have increased considerably for some regions. We've managed to keep the US down, and we've done what we can for other areas. But some of our other bigger regions like the UK and EU are still higher than we'd like. This is down to the increase in fuel costs and for the UK Brexit has also had an impact.

That said, if things seem extortionately high, please do let us know!!!

We have had problems in the past where the default (anywhere) is applied until you enter your address. We have also had the problem where the shipping was doubled due to an error in the pledge manager.

If you see anything suspicious, please flag it in the comments here.

We'll be monitoring the comments on this update closely. 

If you post a comment or message elsewhere, chances are it'll be a while before we notice...and we might even miss it!

Again, please bear with us. 

We'll work as hard and fast as we can to get everyone sorted :)

Production Update

As mentioned in a previous update, the writing is done on Book fo Beasts.

I'm wrapping up the final stages of several other projects, then I can knuckle down with the editing in September.

And we'll be wrapping up the writing for Firestar Falling in the next month or two.

I have a meeting with the lead writer regrding Firestar Falling next week to plan the final few parts and we should get a few writing sessions in together too.

Art Art Baby

We hit a big backlog on the art side of things because I just couldn't handle everything else and also write art briefs and manage comissions.

But Darren Millar recently joined Penny Dragon as art directory and he's been blasting through that backlog like nobody's business. We hope to get the art ball rolling again on these two books again in a few weeks.

I'll be seeing Darren next week, and it's already on the agenda.

As soon as a few more art pieces land on my desk, I'll share them on here, so you can see the level of quality going into this book!

Once we've edited and proofread the books, we'd love the community to beta read them.

As Penny Dragon grows into a Young Dragon, we need to grow our beta reading team too.

We already have a bunch of great folks on the team and they continue to help us make improvements.

Not only do they have a meaningful impact on our content, they also get to see our books before anyone else.

If you're interested in beta reading either Bergin's Book of Beasts or FireStar Falling (or both), drop a comment below and let us know.

That's it for now. If anything else comes up in the next week or two I'll post about it here.

Otherwise I'll continue monthly updates.

Cheers,

Paddy

Pledge Manager & Shipping
over 2 years ago – Fri, Jul 01, 2022 at 05:38:04 PM

Hey everyone!

Posting updates around once a month is the best I can manage at the minute.

As I settle down after uprooting my family and moving country and progress the project, updates should become a little more regular.

I appreciate your patience!

Shipping Rate Delays

For now, we're still working on shipping rates before opening the pledge manager.

It's taking longer that usual because...as I'm sure you're aware...the shipping landscape has changed significantly in recent months due to increasing costs of fuel, inflation, and various world events.

That meant going back to the drawing board and getting more quotes.

We're currently gathering these in an attempt to provide the best shipping rates possible.

After putting your trust in the projects, the last thing I want to do is hit you with a huge shipping bill.

So, we're working hard to reduce shipping as much as possible.

Production

As you know Book fo Beasts is written and most of the art is done. We continue to fill in the gaps. It's still too early to tell when the PDF will be ready, but we're ahead of schedule and we plan on staying ahead.

As for Firestar Falling, we're continuing writing and refining as we go.

We still have A LOT of art to work on for this one. But I prefer to save art until the writing is finished. That way we can remain consistent.

The add-ons will follow on the heels of the writing and art.

I did hope to have a few samples to show by now (dice and cards) but those will likely be here in August at the current rate.

If I get them sooner, you'll be the first to know of course.

That's it for now.

But we should have a more solid update on the pledge manager in the next 2 weeks.

Any questions, as always, let me know.

Cheers,

Paddy

We Are Well Underway!
over 2 years ago – Sat, May 28, 2022 at 03:12:59 PM

Hey folks,

First up, sorry for the lack of updates. This kickstarter ended on the heels of our first D&D convention in Dublin (a roaring success to be repeated next year), a house sale, and our moving country!

Not that any of that excuses my lack of communication.

Hopefully some good news makes up for it...or makes up for part of it.

BBoB Progress

I had a meeting with the lead designer on BBoB and I can inform you that the writing is done. When I say done, it's a fair draft. We still have to edit, playtest, and clean it up. But we're WELL ahead of time on this project.

What about Art?

Well, we've already got about 40% of the art. For the rest, our art team is currently clearing a backlog on several other projects before picking up the reigns again, but I foresee that happening in July.

Firestar Falling Progress

Firestar Falling is plotted and partially written. Being an adventure module, it's a little more complex, but we've ironed out most of the details and it's shaping up to be a real beauty. If I had to put a number on it, I would say writing is about 20% done, but mainly because we're still mapping out plot, character development, and mechanics unique to the campaign. By the end of the summer, we will be full tilt on writing and nearing a wrap up on that front. Art is at a similar stage to BBoB. 

I'm traveling at the minute with poor connection to our drive, but I'll post another updates soon with some art samples, sketches, etc.

Just a short one for now.

Sorry again for the long wait.

And thank you again so much for supporting this project. It means the world to PDG and our team. We're a small indie company and we're really passionate about creating great content for the community. Thank you for making BBoB and FF a reality.

Another update coming to an inbox near you soon.

As always, any questions, shoot!

Cheers,

Paddy Finn

CEO, Penny Dragon Games

P.S. We should have samples of the dice from the manufacturer in July. I can't wait to get my hands on those!