Happy New Year! Final production steps and project wrap-up timeline
over 1 year ago – Wed, Jan 04, 2023 at 07:58:55 AM

Hello everyone - 

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and a great start to the New Year. We had some great progress right before the start of the holiday season, so this update will cover some of the work that was done and our planned timeline for finalizing the project.

Books and PDFs

All books and PDFs should now be shipped for both systems. If you have not received one yet, or at least a shipping notification, please let me know right away. Likewise, if you had any issues (packages lost, arriving damaged, etc) the sooner you let me know the sooner I can help resolve it. 

Bookmarks and Stickers

Bookmarks and stickers finally arrived to me just before the holiday, and they look great! They will be shipping out shortly, but are being sent out by hand by me, so will take a little bit to get all the orders together. I'll post another update when they start shipping but should be soon!

Digital Toolsets

Our final product in production is the digital packages for Foundry and Roll20. Foundry should be ready by the end of the month at the latest, though likely much sooner. Roll20 will be completed shortly after, but no set timeline at the moment. Take a look at some of the sample tokens completed so far!

As always, thank you all for the support and patience with this project. I hope by now everyone has had a chance to enjoy their leshies, and I hope to have even more leshy content coming out soon!

- Matt

5e books are shipping!
over 1 year ago – Fri, Nov 18, 2022 at 09:57:16 AM

Hello all - 

Our 5e books are finally shipping! Both Hardcover and Softcover versions are going out, which means all of the books and PDFs are now available and fulfillment is near complete! Additionally, orders can be placed soon for 5e physical copies on DriveThruRPG, though final approval is still pending. And of course, PF2e copies are available and we are nearing the Silver Tier!

Final production

At this stage we are down to just a few final items to finish up - 1) Bookmarks and Stickers and 2) Digital Assets (Roll20/FoundryVTT and other platforms). Bookmarks and Stickers I hope to have shipping within the next month, but processing has been slow and I suspect will be slower as we approach the holidays. I will give an update as soon as I have the stickers in hand, and if delays continue will ship out the bookmarks alone so at least that isn't delayed further.

Digital Asset development is in full swing, and will be made available soon! At the moment we are focused on Roll20, FoundryVTT, and Pathbuilder, but if there is another system you would like to see, please let me know and we will try to make it happen! This will likely be a rolling development, as we then need to support some of these facets on their various platforms, but should go fairly quickly once the first piece is complete. 

Thank you all again so much for your support (and patience) of this project! I feel honored to get to create something like this and share it with all of you, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it. As always, if you are looking for more leshy/plant fun, check out my twitter or our discord. We have a lot of exciting things planned, including our recently finished second Kickstarter, and I am immensely grateful that all of you and a bunch of leshies have helped make this a reality.

- Matt

5e updates, more books shipping, new project launch date
over 1 year ago – Sun, Oct 23, 2022 at 06:54:39 PM

Hello again - 

Hope everyone is doing well! We have a few updates to cover today, including the 5e release, softcover books shipping, and an updated timeline for final campaign rewards. There is a bit to cover, so lets get to it!

5e release and updates

As mentioned in our last update, the 5e PDFs have been available for download for about a week now. If you backed a 5e PDF and haven't received an email from BackerKit, please let me know and I will get it fixed right away. So far the feedback on the 5e PDF has been pretty good, and while we will have an update to the PDF later this week, it looks to be far more minor than the PF2e errata! If you have any questions, concerns, or spot any errors in the book please let me know right away so it can be addressed in the update. As usual, the best way to do so is through a Kickstarter message, our discord, or my twitter. 

The 5e PDF will be updated in a couple of days, and submitted for approval to the printer at the same time. Since we have done this already for the PF2e version it should be a simple process, and once the Hardcover and Softcover proofs arrive (Should be two weeks, but could be delayed from USPS) then we can place the order to ship them out to you! So in short, PDF update this week, proofs ordered this week, assuming no issues with proofs then books will ship in 1-2 weeks to backers!

Finally, the 5e PDF is currently available for purchase on DriveThruRPG. If you missed getting a PDF, or have a friend who wants one, check it out! 

PF2e Softcovers shipped

After some cover-related delays, the softcover copies of the Bestiary for PF2e are now shipping! They look and feel great, and I hope everyone who has been waiting enjoys their arrival. As usual, if you have any issues please let me know! With the rewards shipping, softcover orders are also now available on DriveThru.

Timeline for remaining rewards (Digital and Physical)

With the book rewards filling, we are now shifting our focus to the remaining physical and digital rewards. Specifically the bookmarks, stickers, and Digital Assets for Roll20 and FoundryVTT. Bookmarks and stickers will be shipping around when the 5e books ship, and may arrive before the books do, depending on shipping times. The digital assets are currently in the works, and will likely be completed for Foundry first, then Roll20 (though hopefully with a minimal gap). No exact timeline at the moment, though if it looks like it will take a while we will make the raw art available for quick insertion into the VTT platforms. Tentatively aiming for a mid-November release for these.

New project launches Oct 24th!

Finally, our next Kickstarter Campaign launches this week! The Gardener's Guide to Gaming will have all sorts of additional plant fun for your TTRPGs, including new player options, spells, items, and of course leshies. We will even have an all-leshy one-shot adventure written by Hijinks!

As always, thank you all for your support in this project. You have helped launch not only a book but multiple products, a company, and paved the way for future projects. We couldn't have done it without you, and I hope you enjoy the outcome!

- Matt

5e PDFs are out now!
over 1 year ago – Sun, Oct 16, 2022 at 04:26:22 AM

It is here!

After far too long, the 5e version of the Botanical Bestiary is now being distributed! If you backed for a 5e PDF you should be receiving an email from BackerKit with the download shortly. If you run into issues or do not receive your download please reach out at let me know!

As with the PF2e release, this PDF will be updated prior to printing to address any errata or errors that are encountered in this first version. The upside to digital is that it isn't yet etched in stone (or paper) so we can adjust as needed. That being said, I hope there are minimal changes! Our discord remains the best place to discuss the book, as well as @TTRPGHomebrew on twitter or emailing [email protected]. Current goal is to have an errata'd version available next week and the PDF up on DriveThru shortly after. Getting a hardcover/softcover proof after that will take about another week, and then the physical copies will begin shipping.  

We will have a more detailed update next week, once some of these moving parts settle down. In the meantime, enjoy the book!

Finally, huge shoutout to Dagonzo for converting all of these creatures into the 5e formatting while keeping things balanced.  Looking forward to having some more fun with them on the next project!

- Matt

PF2e shipping and a 5e timeline update
over 1 year ago – Wed, Sep 21, 2022 at 02:07:16 AM

Hello!

Another month means another big update. Mostly good, though some delays persist. My sincere hope is that we are only 1-2 more updates away from completing the project entirely!

TL;DR Pathfinder 2e copies are shipping, bookmarks and stickers shipping separately, softcover shipping soon, 5e PDF by end of the month, new campaign launches mid-October.

Hardcover PF2e Shipping

As many of you have probably noticed, hardcover copies of the PF2e version have begun arriving to mailboxes! These are being shipping through media mail, making the tracking a little hit or miss, so keep an eye out! Once they arrive, feel free to share pictures, reviews, stories, etc., I love seeing how the books look in hand and how they are being used in the wild. Our discord continues to be an active place of discussion as well, especially as more copies get delivered. Also, so far most are arriving unscathed, but a few have been damaged in shipping, so please reach out and let me know if you run into issues. 

Softcover Timeline

For those who ordered softcover versions I am expecting shipping by the end of the month. The cover template was rejected by the printer (issue with aligning the text on the spine) so some corrections had to be made before it could be shipped. I have fixed that issue, and am waiting for my proof to arrive. Assuming it arrives without issue, the softcover PF2e versions will begin shipping right away! I will keep everyone updated on any progress or delays there, but with the hardcover shipping going fairly smooth I am hopeful softcover will be easy as well.

Stickers and Bookmarks

Shipping directly from the printer and using media mail has greatly reduced the shipping time and carbon impact of the project, but also means the stickers and bookmarks are being shipped separately. The bookmarks have already arrived, and we are just waiting on the stickers to arrive as well. Once they do, both will be shipped out to all backers together. We are even including a bonus surprise sticker! I will make another update once they arrive from the manufacturer as we prepare to ship.

5e update

I am very sorry about the delays to the 5e version, but I am hopeful that we will be through that bottleneck soon! My intention is to have the 5e PDF out by the end of the month, with the physical books shipping shortly after. Luckily, we were able to troubleshoot the cover and formatting while ordering the PF2e copies, so the turn around from PDF to physical books should be much shorter. I will still have to wait for a proof to be delivered after the PDF is done, but I do not expect multiple rounds of proofing as we did with PF2e since only the text and some formatting will differ between the two. Unfortunately there isn't much else to say at the moment, just that I again apologize for the delay and hope the wait will be worth it!

Pre-order store, DriveThruRPG, and new campaign

With addresses locked and orders shipping, we have closed the pre-order store for now. There are no immediate plans to reopen the storefront, though that could change in the future. If you or a friend are looking to order additional copies, the PF2e PDF and hardcover books are currently available on DriveThruRPG (where we are already a Copper Tier bestseller because we have the best fans in the world!) And if you do grab a copy from DriveThru, please leave a review and a rating! They are incredibly helpful in generating additional traffic and helping others find our awesome book. The 5e version will become available there as well after we complete shipping of the backer and pre-order copies. 

Finally, don't forget to follow our next project, The Gardener's Guide to Gaming! Sita and I return, along with a team of new artists (such as Marcel Budde and Laura Galli) and writers (including James Beck and Jess Redekop) to bring you a plethora of plant-based gaming resources, including new creatures, items, spells, and player-options. And yes, there will be more leshies!

That is all for now, planning to be back with another update in a week or two regarding the 5e PDF and shipping! Thank you all again for your support (and patience) in helping this project come to life. I hope as we cross the finish line you enjoy our creation, and I look forward to seeing the many adventures it will bring!

- Matt