Limited international shipping options added
almost 3 years ago – Sun, Jun 27, 2021 at 06:17:52 AM

Hi all - 

Since launch the most common request has been to add international shipping options. I have held off on this because international shipping is currently absurdly pricey. However, with so much demand I have added options for the Softcover, Softcover Bundle, and Hardcover tiers to ship to the EU, UK, Australia, and Canada. The books will be shipped via USPS International Flat Rate Bubble Envelopes, as a parcel brought the price back over $80 to ship a single book. By using the bubble mailers, the shipping comes down to $30 for Canada and $40 for the EU, UK, and Australia. In addition, because only one book will fit in the Bubble Mailers additional copies cannot be added for international backers.

For the sake of transparency, if you are not based in the US, backing a physical product during the Kickstarter will likely be more expensive than after the campaign due to the shipping costs. The Print-on-Demand sites should be around $20 shipping internationally, as they have a printer based in the UK and can ship much more cheaply than I can. But now the option is out there.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. With less than four days remaining I will be quick to respond and monitoring everything closely. Thank you again for all your support and patience as I worked out this problem.

- Matt

Last day, another stretch goal, and other updates
almost 3 years ago – Sat, Jun 26, 2021 at 07:35:17 PM

New stretch goal!

Late update but last night we unlocked another stretch goal, the Digital Compendium. This adds a free digital compendium to all orders, allowing you to easily use the Botanical Bestiary in your favorite Virtual Tabletop. Exact details on this are still being worked out, but most likely this will work for Foundry VTT and Roll20. With this goal reached we only have two remaining, the next one unlocking a die-cut leshy sticker as an add-on (and a free inclusion for physical backers!)

Last 16 hours!

So close to the end now. We have ~16 hours left in the campaign, so if you want to make any adjustments to your pledges (or convince a friend to pledge!) now is the time. As always I am around to answer any lingering questions or to help however I can. With stretch goals being reached and feedback from other backers there have been adjustments to the add-on options, so make sure to double check!

Post campaign timeline

With the campaign ending tomorrow at noon, I am finishing set-up for the discord server and prepping post-campaign surveys. Expect to see a survey about 5e vs Pathfinder 2e selections about a week after the campaign ends, along with a link to the discord. We will then post updates throughout the year to the discord, leading up to publication and shipping (updates will be provided, less frequently, through Kickstarter as well). 

We are all very excited to get to work on the Bestiary, and Sita and I have been working on new designs already. Thank you all for making this project possible, it is honestly a dream come true.

- Matt

Final week and first stretch goal!
almost 3 years ago – Sun, Jun 20, 2021 at 10:15:39 PM

Hi everyone - 

We are now into the final week of the campaign and things are heating up. As you may have noticed, we just unlocked our first stretch goal! This goal adds 10 heritages, written by Linda Zayas-Palmer, to the book, so we can all play as crazy leshy variants (we will have a system to adopt these for the 5e backers as well). I am so excited to work with Linda, and equally excited that the book is going to have this new content. Thank you all for helping to make the Bestiary the best it can be.

The final 2 days of a Kickstarter tend to be the most active, so I am very hopeful that we will hit additional goals as we near the end of the campaign. The next goal adds a new physical reward/add-on: a bookmark containing the stat block and illustration for the Three Leshy in a Trenchcoat. Personally, I really want one, so I hope we get there!

As we are approaching the end of the campaign (and the start of the real work), please feel free to reach out to me via Kickstarter, Reddit, or Twitter with any questions or concerns. I will also have more information about the upcoming Discord channel shortly after the campaign ends. Thank you all again for the support and for helping us get this far. Just a short way left to go!

- Matt

We hit our goal!
almost 3 years ago – Tue, Jun 15, 2021 at 06:59:51 PM

100% Funded!

We have just broken our funding goal! Since I just sent an update I'll keep this one brief. Just want to thank all of you again for the support, both in backing and in spreading the campaign around. I am amazed that we hit the goal with nearly two weeks left to go, and thrilled that the book is now going to become a reality. Still a lot of work left to do (and always hoping to reach some stretch goals) but in the meantime we can rest a little easier.

Again, and sincerely, thank you.

- Matt

Two weeks left and 10% to go!
almost 3 years ago – Mon, Jun 14, 2021 at 09:47:51 PM

Hi everyone - 

We are now two weeks into our campaign and we are now 90% funded! With less than $900 left to go and another two weeks to get there we are very confident about reaching our initial funding goal and are pushing for as many stretch goals as we can. We really want this book to be the best we can make it, and that includes cramming in as much content as we can. As a reminder, our first stretch goal (a measly $1900 away!) will add ten Leshy heritages written by Linda Zayas-Palmer to the book, because who doesn't want to play as a Leshy? 

Onto some quick updates:

Design-a-Leshy

At the moment we have a single slot left in the Design-a-leshy tier, which lets you help design a leshy for inclusion in the book. We have also added a second pledge class for non-US residents to back this tier without a physical book. Feel free to ask any questions or clarification about this tier if you are interested!

I have also already begun talking with some backers about what kind of Leshy they want to include from this tier, and I am really excited about their ideas! It is going to make for some weird, flavorful options!

Early Bird is gone!

All of the Early Bird tiers are now sold out! Thank you all for being supportive of this project so early on. It helps with Kickstarter's algorithm and really shows the enthusiasm for the project. 

Social media

Old news to many of you, but you can get more (free) Leshy content on my Twitter (@TTRPGHomebrew) and Reddit (u/orfane) accounts. There is a Facebook account and page as well, though far less active than the other two. Each Friday I release a new Leshy stat block for Pathfinder 2e, with 5e posts a bit more sporadically (for now). Today I unveiled the Grape Leshy, which I think is just adorable. Note that the Leshy already released/to be released may or may not end up in the Botanical Bestiary, and may be greatly changed for inclusion in the book. This is because we want the Bestiary to have a good spread of levels, types, styles, and themes between all the creatures, and not just 50 variants of crops, for example.

Discord

Personally, I love watching projects come together. Shortly after the campaign ends we will be launching a Discord channel for backers to get peaks at the design process, weigh in on stat blocks and balancing, and maybe even vote on a Leshy or two! Hopefully, once the book is out, this will also be a place to share how the little creatures are being used in home games!

Thank you all so much for your support. I had high hopes going into this adventure but am still amazed as the amount of love and excitement we have received. 

- Matt