[Kickstarter] Kaidan campaign setting (PFRPG)

[MichaelTumey]

The Kaidan: a Japanese Ghost Story - Campaign Setting Kickstarter has begun!

Kaidan is an archipelago of islands, but has it's own cosmic properties making it very much like Ravenloft, being a land of oriental horror, karmic curses and a spiritual trap. It is heavily influenced by Japanese history, religion, legends, folklore and traditional ghost stories. Some reviewers even say it's a step beyond Ravenloft.

Our goal is to create 3 campaign books: a Kaidan GM's Handbook (150 - 200 pages), a Kaidan Player's Guide (150 pages) and a Kaidan Bestiary (number of monsters depend on total amount collected, with goal of 3 pages per entry, each illustrated by Mark Hyzer).

The GM's Handbook would cover all the 'secret information' not known by the general public/PCs with subjects on government, religion, reincarnation, karma, honor, diseases, curses, drugs, hazards, haunts, special terrains. Additionally a full gazetteer of all 17 provinces of the 3 main isles and many of the smaller islets.

The Player's Guide would contain all player character options: traits, archetypes, alternate classes, feats, spells, equipment. Additionally the Player's Guide will contain false information and half-truths - truths to be discovered by the PCs during play.

The Kaidan Bestiary would contain a B/W pencil illustration of each monster by Mark Hyzer, and 3 pages of content for each monster including stat blocks.

Authors: Jonathan McAnulty (Coloseum Morpheoun, Kaidan: Curse of the Golden Spear trilogy), Trevor H. Gulliver (#30 Haunts for Kaidan), Michael K. Tumey ("me", soon to be released #30 Ancestral Relics of Kaidan), with design assistance from Will McCardell.

These are intended as soft bound printed books with full color covers and B/W interior.

Please help us make this a reality, sign up today - anything from $1 to $1000 would be greatly appreciated.

Link to Kickstarter Project

[Blackest Sheep]

I came across the project while browsing and pledged already. Looking forward to it.

[MichaelTumey]

I came across the project while browsing and pledged already. Looking forward to it.

Thanks for signing up.

Well its been less than a day since the start of this Kickstarter, and we are already more than 25% to the Tier 1 goal!!!

We might be adding a few more goal posts between the $100 and $1000 contributions - and may be giving away all the PDFs from the Kaidan collection so far, and perhaps offering signed copies of the trilogy of adventures, The Curse of the Golden Spear.

I hope the rate of sign-ups keeps up and we reach our goals.

Michael

[MichaelTumey]

We're almost halfway to Tier 1...

What would you like to see as far as malevolent mechanics included in the setting guide?

Already, we are looking at more curses, cursed items, haunts, hazards, special terrains, drugs, medicinal herbs, traps, and poisons. While we aren't looking at insanity point systems, though we will expand on insanity for certain in some fashion. Is there anything else we should be looking at?

Michael

[Jester of the FoS]

Be sure to bump this thread in early September when I start my job again and can evaluate my funds post-GenCon.

[MichaelTumey]

I'll definitely bump this thread along the way, and in early September too!

OK, many of you have seen the various maps I am doing for this project, but most of you haven't seen the work from the various Kaidan artists (beyond cover art).

Mark Hyzer has been doing monster illustrations in pencil for the Kaidan project for 2 years now. If we manage to fund the Bestiary, our plan is that all the monster illustrations are from Mark. Mark has worked for Wizards of the Coast creating paintings for Magic the Gathering, among other commissions.

This is an illustration of a Same-Bito (shark shapechanger):



This one is weird one, a Karakasa-obake, which is an normal crafted item that would normally have a short life span (such as a pair of straw sandals) surviving for over a century. The spirit energy absorbed by the item from it's crafter comes alive and the object is animate - this one is of an umbrella, if it isn't obvious:



And this is my favorite yokai being, the Tengu (I've loved tengu since I was a kid):



Michael

[Scipion_Emilien]

That seem interesting project.

This remind me that I was a Bronze patron for the last project of Kaidan. What happenned with the pdf of last time? I would like to get the result of my precedent contribution before making a new one.

[MichaelTumey]

That seem interesting project.

This remind me that I was a Bronze patron for the last project of Kaidan. What happenned with the pdf of last time? I would like to get the result of my precedent contribution before making a new one.

The Curse of the Golden Spear was released, and as 3 PDFs. If you did not get your copy, please send me a PM with your Email address, or just contact Steven D. Russell of Rite Publishing directly, if you still have his Email. We have shipped printed copies and thought we sent out all the PDFs. If we have not, we certainly apologize.

We've got some new Tier bonuses to add to the Kickstarter, as well as information on what patrons get to do in the creation of this content - will probably make an update sometime today.

Edit: looks the update is coming on Wednesday - I'll let you know as soon it's up.

[Scipion_Emilien]

Thank you! I received everything and I liked what I saw. I'll take a look at the new tiers option and see what I can do for you.

[MichaelTumey]

Regarding the Tiers in existence so far (we are updating more stuff tomorrow):

1. The lowest payment tier that provides some bonus material, is less than the previous one at $15, which provides PDF copies of all materials produced by this Kickstarter.

2. The primary benefit at the $40 range is access to POD printed versions of all published material.

3. The best lower payment tier is probably the $45 level which provides the same as a $15 pledge, plus you get all the PDFs so far produced for Kaidan (The Curse of the Golden Spear trilogy of adventures, In the Company of Kappa, In the Company of Henge, In the Company of Tengu, Way of the Yakuza, Way of the Samurai, and #30 Haunts for Kaidan.)

4. Right now the $125 level provides everything, including a signed soft cover print of the Core book, but also POD at cost - this means that you can purchase additional printed books at 20% the retail cost. I suppose if you're an FLGS, participating at this level means more profit for Kaidan products in your inventory.

We are looking to update this page with more benefits which will be happening tomorrow. Just for some hints, we are looking at making POD printed hard covers available (right now hard cover is only available at $1000 pledge - and whose going to do that?) We have pledgers who have mentioned they'd be interested in the available of hard covers and they would pay the patronage difference.

Also, Jonathan McAnulty the lead designer/writer of this project created two demo games for last year's Origins convention, one of which has since been released as a free one-shot adventure, Frozen Wind, released last Halloween. Jonathan created two more one-shot adventures that he ran at this year's Origins. The two new one-shots are being considered as giveaway material at certain pledge bonus levels (not yet determined - well, at least I don't know yet, I think Steve has already decided). These will be exclusive adventure releases to Kaidan pledge makers only. And Jonathan is even creating more one-shots for additional bonus material.

Additionally, as mentioned in a previous post, if we get the green light on this project there will be many opportunities for patrons to participate in the design of the final products. Lower level tiers get to vote on polls as new material is presented, or choices needed made for varying content - all patrons get to particpate at this level. Medium level tiers get to participate in art orders - they get to look at artist sketches based on art orders and help select which should go be finished. The highest level tiers get to pitch ideas towards the project, which is then put to vote by the entire patronage community - if it should pass vote, the opportunity exists for you to even write/design your suggested pitch and get your name in the credits as an assistant writer.

Even if you don't think you might have something to contribute to a Japanese horror setting, I beg to differ, we are looking at the possibility of something like a Dark Powers check, or possibly a Taint system. We also want a better subsystem for insanities. We will be adding curses, diseases, poisons, narcotics and much more - things that normal Ravenloft fans might have better ideas than non-horror RPG gamers.

Anyway, I'm very happy with the pledgers so far, and how far we've come, but we've got more to do people and we need more pledges if we hope to make this project come to fruition. I will be more specific regarding what is updated tomorrow... tomorrow.

Edit: Update coming on Monday!

[MichaelTumey]

Steve Russell still hasn't updated the Kickstarter page - though he said he'd do it on Wednesday (he's very busy, so I'll excuse him for now.) Stuff is coming, however.

For good news, the Kickstarter has reached 88% to goal for a total of $3526 with 90 backers, or 50% to Tier 2, and (just hope here) 24% to Tier 3. We should reach the Tier 1 goal next week.

As a side benefit, the Kickstarter seems to be pushing the existing line of Kaidan products in front view. Some products we released last year is #2 in their category at the Paizo store, and this is in multiple categories, so Kaidan sales is picking all over the place - which is a good thing.

Hopefully the extra bonuses will be updated on the Kickstarter page soon...

[alhoon]

I certainly like the pics!

[MichaelTumey]

I certainly like the pics!

Mark Hyzer, the artist, is an amazing talent. What's interesting is that many of these Japanese monsters depicted in their original style just doesn't invoke horror to the western mind - really almost silly in some instances. Mark is able to take the idea of the monster then turn it into something foreboding. The Karakasa-Obake for example, the idea of it, an animated umbrella chasing you sounds almost pre-school. That illustration makes me think, I sure as heck wouldn't want that following me around!

Mark has done about 21 illustrations for me, of which only a few are shown above, and in the Kickstarter video. We hope to feature only Mark Hyzer art in the Bestiary, with other examples in the other Kaidan guide books. He's not the only artist, we have two more working on the project. But Mark was my find about 3 years ago, and I've brought him with me to Rite Publishing - and is doing a ton of work for Rite, besides Kaidan.

Here's another oddball Japanese monster, the kama-itachi. This is a small weasel-like supernatural animal, with two long, very sharp scythe-like forelimbs. When encountered this being spins at incredible speed, while moving towards you, and being rendered almost invisible, except for the leaves and debris flying around it (just like the Tasmanian Devil cartoon character). When it attacks you are struck by a dozen sharp blows leaving wounds all over you, until it passes by - this is featured in Dim Spirit, the second adventure in my Curse of the Golden Spear adventure arc.

[MichaelTumey]

We've reached our Tier 1 goal of $4000, and are on our way to Tier 2! Hurray. Thank you all contributors so far!

We've added some new incentives to the Kickstarter page (look at the update tab to view it all). All patrons paying $40 or more will receive free, exclusive one-shot adventures as we cross each tier goal. Since we've surpassed Tier 1, that means all qualifying participants are owed one one-shot so far!

We've added a $200 payment tier for all $125+ pledgers to opt for a hard cover instead of a softcover.

At the completion of Kickstarter funding, the patron participation is just beginning. All patrons will get access to the Kaidan private area of the Rite Forums, where they access to design discussion, view completed art and maps, and the chance to poll vote on any design decisions.

Patrons of signed book level ($100+) get access to more in-depth discussion, acess to rough draft material as it's completed, and able to pitch your own ideas into the project. If your idea is accepted by patron vote, you get the opportunity to design and write the material yourself, and get name credits in the published guide books.

We've come far, but still have further to go - we hope you can join as pledgers, if not, we hope you can help spread the word!

[DannWyrm]

Congratulations on getting funded! Hopefully I'll be able to pitch in soon, but you know how bills can be!