I'm pretty much aimed right at Decurion, so I can't say with certainty whether the rest is sufficient, but up to Decurion seems right to me. I might re-word "Complete Text" under Legionary to "Text Only," as the word "complete" may stop people from reading down to later rewards.
Tavis wrote: All backers will be acknowledged in the finished books according to reward level, as we've done with ACKS and the Player's Companion. Should this be called out specifically, or can it be assumed to be part of the standard KS reward by now?
I would call it out unless you expect exactly the same crowd to fund this one. There are always newbies.
Tavis wrote: The thing we're inviting D@W backers to help perfect is the Auran Empire Campaign Setting, since in addition to being a gazetteer of the fantasy world that's the default setting for ACKS, it's also an exemplary setup for playing D@W:Campaigns. Should this be mentioned in the first reward level or discussed in the main text?
Reward level. Given how much you have to convey, the main text is going to be pretty busy already.
I may have some bias, however, since I don't watch the videos or find them useful, which means the text organization matters more to me.
Pre-ordering through Game Salute might be the safest way to use PayPal - every time we do it ourselves there's a risk of it falling through the cracks. We might need to work out a better system for it though to allow people to add extras after the KS closes.
Make everything as clear as possible. Assume the reader is either new to ACKS or is a little leery of supporting you guys after the Dwimmer delays, and give them no reason to doubt you.
Can you expand on how “helping to perfect the Auran Empire campaign setting” benefits the supporter? Do we get a preview version to read/download? Is this anything like how the Open Design guys do it, or something different?
Dave the Centurion (or Primus Pilus, depending on how the pricing shakes out)
I know this is fairly nerdy, but I think the most exciting bit about the whole deal is the sneak peek at the Auran Empire setting and getting a chance to discuss the gazetteer in advance.
I’d probably be pledging for the soft cover books anyway (centurion, I guess) but that clinches it.
Will there be “add-ons” to add-on/purchase specific components?
Regarding CEASAR and AUGUSTUS, I know D@W is focused on domain-level conflict, but what reward game will be played outside the context of a domain-level campaign? Will D@W include scenarios for learning how to play before implementing into one’s game?
If so, might CEASAR or AUGUSTUS include an Autarch-crafted custom scenario (ideally to be included in D@W)?
It sounds to me like backers will be able to play test and discuss a draft version of the Auran Empire, but the actual book and PDF will be a future Kickstarter.
I've been an Open Design patron and definitely find Wolfgang's approach inspirational. Our version isn't as formalized - we haven't used surveys in the past, although you can see us asking for opinions in the forums like whether the Auran Empire should be one book or two - but the idea is similar and will involve sharing drafts and previews for feedback.
Please remember to include shipping costs (preferably not too expensive for international backers. The recent Fate RPG kickstarter embedded those costs right into their reward levels.
Yes, there will be options to add books (ACKS core and the Player's Companion), the counters and map, the vinyl map, and the army tracker, both by adding to the pledge and after the campaign closes.
D@W: Battles has basic and advanced introductory scenarios. We felt that setting up a scenario for D@W: Campaigns required so much explanation of the campaign background - the supply centers and markets, high-level characters' stats and strongholds, etc that it made sense to do this as part of the Auran Empire book which'll present that kind of info.
Crafting a scenario might be a good high-level reward, but it'd probably be a PDF extra. We really want to avoid delays in shipping this one, so that things which won't get underway until funding closes are best not put into the main text where they could hold up layout, printing, etc.
No, Domains at War and the Auran Empire are separate releases. The relationships between D@W and AE are:
AE will present the kind of detailed setting backdrop that goes into using D@W: Campaigns. You won't need the AE book to use D@W: Campaigns though; you'd naturally build up this backdrop through play by the point you get to PCs leading armies, or you could create it from scratch using the worldbuilding section of ACKS.
D@W backers will get previews of AE to help make sure it does satisfy their need for a campaign setting ready to use in D@W play.
The only thing that we can't give PayPal backers is access to the Kickstarter updates. (Everyone can read the public ones, but backers are notified when they come out and have access to backers-only ones). Since I've often used backer-only updates to provide notification of new drafts (since this often involves reminding people how to access them), it's harder to keep people informed outside the system.
There's been a lot of requests for a hardcover. We want the softcovers to be the main event - in this case we think they're more useful in play at the table - so we're thinking about doing the HC as a special deal, signed by Alex and maybe with some deluxe printing options we haven't had the chance to indulge before now.
Yes, the wipe-erase map will be available separately with any reward level. Shipping is a big headache, I'll look at how Fate Core handled it - learning from Evil Hat has always been a good strategy :)
for international backers. The recent Fate RPG kickstarter embedded those costs right into their reward levels.