Playtest 2: Races & Subclasses - it's Here!
3 months ago
– Fri, Mar 17, 2023 at 04:29:02 AM
Hey everyone!
Thanks so much for your patience. Elementara's 2nd playtest document—Races & Subclasses!—is here! This PDF contains seven unique new races and seven entirely new subclasses, one of each for each element. You'll be able to spice up your elemancers even more with these options, or use them outside of elementara's magic system to add a touch of elemental flavor to your characters. I'm looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks!
How do I get the PDF?
If you're a backer of any reward tier or have pre-ordered the PDF of the book, you can download the playtest PDF by logging into your BackerKit account and clicking on the Elementara project in your list of projects. There, you can click on “Get Your Digital Downloads'' to download the playtest PDF. You will also receive an email that’ll contain a link to access the playtest.
If you haven’t made a BackerKit account yet, you can create one using the same email you used on Kickstarter. Once it's all set up and activated, you should see Elementara in the project list and be able to download the PDF by following the steps above.
Got Feedback?
If you test some of the options found in the document and have some feedback, be sure to head over to bit.ly/elementarafeedback2. I'd love to know what you think!
What I've Been Up To
The last few months have been quite hectic for me, both relating to this project and outside of it. I've got quite a bit done outside of this playtest, including organizing more art, the starts of playtest 3, lore for the final book, and more. You can likely expect more art in the next update, which will hopefully be for the races that are detailed in this playtest.
That's all for today—hope everyone has fun with this playtest!
Have questions? Leave a comment, shoot me an email at [email protected] or join the Discord!
Cheers,
Zac
Quick Progress Update + New Art
4 months ago
– Mon, Feb 13, 2023 at 03:30:32 AM
Hey everyone!
Quick progress update today, and I've got some new art to show off as well.
Playtest 1 Feedback
Huge thanks to everyone for the awesome feedback on the first playtest. Lots and lots of great stuff that will help immensely in refining the mechanics and making the gameplay of elementara as fun as possible. I have been playtesting quite a bit in my home game and it has been a lot of fun for the group—I hope everyone else is having as much fun as we are! If you have any thoughts and feedback on the first playtest, be sure to head over to bit.ly/elementarafeedback to let me know what you think.
Playtest 2 Progress
I've been working a bit on the next playtest, which will include the new races and subclasses, though I will say I have been taking a bit of a mental break in the past few weeks—the whole OGL situation had put a bit of a dent in my enthusiasm, but with the latest news on that and the fun I've been having with elementara in my home games, I'm excited to get back to work. Thanks everyone for your patience, I will ensure the time is put to good use and will make sure Playtest 2 is high quality. I'm aiming to get it out around the end of this month, or early next month.
Here's some new Art!
Ozan has been hard at work creating more and more fantastic pieces of art for the book, which I'm super excited to show to you all. Here are some new illustrations intended to go in the introductory sections of the book:
And that's all for today, more coming soon. Thanks everyone!
Have questions? Leave a comment, shoot me an email at [email protected] or join the Discord!
Cheers,
Zac
Playtest 1: Create your Elemancer - it's Here!
5 months ago
– Fri, Dec 30, 2022 at 11:16:00 AM
Hey everyone!
I'm very excited to announce that Elementara's 1st playtest—Create your Elemancer—is here! This 59-page PDF contains everything you’ll need to element-ify your 5e characters, including a total of 200 new spell and technique options to choose from, split between the seven elements. It also includes seven entirely new spell lists, and the essentials to reworking and flavouring your elemancer, which will be expanded on in the final book.
If you were wondering where the races and subclasses are, you’ll find them in the next playtest—I was, unfortunately, sick for the better part of this month, so I was unable to get the races and subclasses to a state I was happy with in time. That being said, I have completed a few of them and have a basic outline for the rest, and I will continue to work on them in the early months of 2023 and include them in the next playtest.
Regardless, I’m really looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks about these options, and I hope everyone enjoys trying some of them out in their games.
How do I get the PDF?
If you're a backer of any reward tier or have pre-ordered the PDF of the book, you can download the playtest PDF by logging into your BackerKit account and clicking on the Elementara project in your list of projects. There, you can click on “Get Your Digital Downloads'' to download the playtest PDF. You will also receive an email that’ll contain a link to access the playtest.
If you haven’t made a BackerKit account yet, you can create one using the same email you used on Kickstarter. Once it's all set up and activated, you should see Elementara in the project list and be able to download the PDF by following the steps above.
Got Feedback?
If you test some of the options found in the document and have some feedback, be sure to head over to bit.ly/elementarafeedback. I'd love to know what you think!
What I've Been Up To
In the past month, I've mostly been working hard on completing this playtest. But, I've also been further refining the overall structure of the book and organizing the creation of many new illustrations. I'll have some new art to show in the coming updates.
Thanks, everyone! I really hope you have fun with this playtest, and I hope everyone has been having a great holiday season. See you all in 2023!
Have questions? Leave a comment, shoot me an email at [email protected] or join the Discord!
Cheers,
Zac
Orders Locking Soon & Playtest 1 Progress Update
6 months ago
– Fri, Nov 25, 2022 at 11:39:08 PM
Hey everyone!
Today's update is on surveys, a reminder that orders will be locking soon, what I've been up to in the past few weeks, and my progress toward the first playtest.
Firstly, a quick update on the surveys — 85% of you have already completed your survey, which is great! Thank you. If you haven't yet completed your survey and have lost your link, you can request it again at elementara.backerkit.com.
Completed Surveys are Locking in 48 hours
In 48 hours, all completed surveys will be locked (you'll still be able to edit your address up until August 2023). This is your last chance to finalize any add-ons.
Also a reminder that for all locked orders, cards will be charged on November 30th. Digital rewards for Crystalpunk add-ons will also be distributed at this time.
If you have not yet completed your Survey, you'll still be able to after this first wave of locking orders. I will continue to lock orders and charge cards periodically in the coming months, as more surveys are completed.
What I've Been Up To
In the past few weeks, I've been hard at work organizing everything I need to finalize Elementara. The structure and planned contents of the book have now been finalized and all of the artwork required has been organized, plus work on the art has already begun. I've also completed the donation to the Eden Reforestation Projects, and of course, I have also been working on Elementara's first playtest...
Playtest 1 Progress
A lot of the work for the first playtest was already completed before the Kickstarter. In the past few weeks, I have mostly been organizing all of my ideas into a properly structured form, and reworking things that I think needed a bit of work (such as the Elemental Techniques system). It's been fun, and I'm very excited to continue working on it.
I am aiming to include all of the character options that will be found in the final book in this playtest, including all of the spells, spell lists, elemental techniques, races, and subclasses, plus a full guide to creating an elemancer using these options. There will be a second playtest after this one with the remaining mechanical options available to GMs (stat blocks, the elemental monster system, and optional rules)
At this stage, it's looking like I will have the first playtest finished and released around mid to late December. It will be available to all backers and everyone who pre-ordered, and will be distributed through BackerKit.
Here's a little behind-the-scenes snapshot of my progress—the spreadsheets/documents I use to organize everything. It's not formatted just yet, I still need to transfer everything over to InDesign.
And that's all for today! Thanks everyone.
Have questions? Leave a comment, shoot me an email at [email protected] or join the Discord!
Cheers,
Zac
BackerKit Surveys!
7 months ago
– Tue, Nov 08, 2022 at 02:33:55 PM
Hey everyone!
Here comes your BackerKit surveys—they have been fully prepared and should appear in your inbox soon.
Right now, I've just released a smoke test, sending surveys to 5% of backers to see if there are any errors in the setup. I'll be monitoring these surveys to see if any changes are necessary. Either way, the rest of the surveys will be sent out later today, so keep an eye on your inbox!
In your surveys, you'll be able to enter your shipping information, pay for shipping, and select any add-ons. If you need assistance with completing your survey, a short guide can be found here.
After you respond to your survey, you can go back later and change your responses at any time before the surveys close. If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on the BackerKit project page at elementara.backerkit.com
Here's Some Key Dates to Keep in Mind:
- Locking orders (continuous): November 25th 2022
- Charging cards (continuous): November 30th 2022
- Locking addresses: August 2023
Survey FAQ
Can I upgrade my pledge tier through the Survey?
→ Yes! When you receive your survey, hit "Switch your Pledge Level »", which you can find below "Get Started!", to switch your pledge tier.
When will pre-orders be open?
→ Pre-orders are currently live on BackerKit! Follow this link to head over to the store: elementara.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
My Kickstarter pledge was declined. What do I do?
→ You'll be able to pay for your pledge through your survey instead. Keep an eye on your inbox, as you'll still receive a BackerKit survey for this campaign.
And that's it, thanks everyone!
Have questions? Leave a comment, shoot me an email at [email protected] or join the Discord!
Cheers,
Zac
