Cloud Empress: Ecological Science Fantasy Roleplaying

Created by watt

Cloud Empress is an expansive, Nausicaa-inspired fantasy campaign setting for the Mothership RPG.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Cloud Empress: Life & Death back on Kickstarter April 2!
about 2 months ago – Fri, Feb 09, 2024 at 08:37:14 AM

Cloud Empress Back on Kickstarter April 2

I’m excited to announce that Cloud Empress will return to Kickstarter on April 2nd, with the Cloud Empress: Life and Death campaign.

Moving to Kickstarter, I’m excited to announce that every physical pledge will include a Lowland Wastes tuck box. During the last campaign, you requested a Cloud Empress storage solution. I try to make all worlds x watt products “beautifully useful.” I’ve spent the last year thinking about ways to store Cloud Empress and landed on the tuck box solution. The tuck box can be mailed flat to keep the project within a reasonable budget, lower shipping costs, avoid expensive assembly, and we can print the boxes in America. The tuck box will be designed to fit all previous Cloud Empress content in a form fit for your shelf. It should be about the size of a software box (if folks still remember those).

What do you think of the tuck box?

Moving From Backerkit to Kickstarter

Wait, a Cloud Empress: Life and Death campaign announcement sounds familiar? Last month I announced Cloud Empress: Life & Death would launch on Backerkit. We’re moving the campaign back to Kickstarter. What’s changed?

Using Backerkit’s crowdfunding analytics and speaking with a Backerkit staff member, all indications said the next Cloud Empress campaign would make significantly less than the 2023 campaign. I’m not in the ttrpg business to make money. At first, I was willing to take a big risk on Backerkit because I’m excited by the platform and have some issues with Kickstarter. Money isn’t everything, but with the success of the first campaign I was able to:

  • Expand Cloud Empress’ scope through stretch goals and commission more artwork
  • Pay myself a salary of about $15-20 USD per hour for my work
  • Writers were paid royalties based on copies sold
  • Give bonuses to the lead art team
  • Create the Cloud Empress Creators Grant, which funded $1000 worth of new Cloud Empress projects from indie ttrpg creators
  • Fund the creation of the next Cloud Empress: Life & Death books

There’s no certainty launching on Kickstarter will be successful either, but given the new information I had access to, it’s more likely. Ultimately, what helped me make my decision was the voices of the Cloud Empress Discord (join here) and my community of Mothership Creators in the 3rd Sector Discord. Both groups advocated for meeting my financial needs first so I could continue to create games in the long run. They also suggested experimenting with new crowdfunding platforms using smaller projects with less risk.

worlds x watt Roadmap

 

Cloud Empress Discord members encouraged me to share my overall publisher roadmap. I look up to board game publishers Leder Games, Possum Creek Games, Chip Theory Games, and WhirlyGig Games for visions of what long-term success might look like (can you tell I like Cole Wehrle’s work?). These publishers make great games without exploiting crowdfunding FOMO, but creating my ideal crowdfunding experience requires a certain level of stable financial support I hope to build over the next few years. Here are some goals for my future crowdfunding campaigns:

  • Reduce overall crowdfunding fulfillment timeline (ongoing)
  • Remove early bird bonuses (in progress, April 2024)
  • Reduce physical stretch goals, including more game content in beginning pledges to reduce fulfillment burnout and unexpected delays (in progress, April 2024)
  • Move US crowdfunding fulfillment and warehousing to a trusted partner (in progress, 2024)
  • Launch 2 campaigns per year (in progress, 2024/2025)
  • Launch a second setting, likely an Ironsworn hack/setting (in progress, 2024/2025)
  • Diversify crowdfunding platforms moving select campaigns to Backerkit or Gamefound (?2025/2026?)

Questions about any of these goals? Feel free to throw them in the comments and I hope to see you for the next Kickstarter campaign.

Follow the new Cloud Empress Kickstarter page and show your support!

Fulfillment Complete & Cloud Empress: Life & Death Expansions
3 months ago – Tue, Jan 09, 2024 at 07:17:40 AM

Fulfillment Complete

We did it! Excluding a few lost packages and stragglers still filling out their pledge managers, fulfillment is complete! I sent out DrivethruRPG copies in late December, so if you are missing your pledge or any of your digital files, please email me at worldsbywatt [at] gmail.com. I'm thrilled with how everything turned out and so appreciative of your support. When I started working on Cloud Empress in the Summer of 2022, I could not have imagined how many of you would help me make this strange world of magic cicadas a reality.

Now that you have your copies of Cloud Empress, it would mean a lot if you could review Cloud Empress: Land of Cicadas and the Cloud Empress: Year One Adventure Bundle on DrivethruRPG. Social media shares and reviews are extremely helpful for supporting the long-term health of the game! 

Cloud Empress: Life & Death Launching April 2nd

I've had several backers already ask what's next for Cloud Empress. On April 2nd, 2024 we'll return to the world of the Hereafter headed to the Land of the Living and the Land of the Dead!

Follow along here!

The Land of the Living, will be a 50-page, stand-alone setting hexcrawl expansion where players explore a shifting landscape pushed and pulled by huge spore towers and ongoing rifts in the Slip. For this book, I've also brought on co-author Em Matson to help expand and explore the lives of indigenous communities in the world of Cloud Empress. We're also creating exciting new movement-based spores inspired by the Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, in addition to new NPCs, relics, and spells.

The Land of the Dead, will also be a 50-page, stand-alone setting hexcrawl expansion where players explore a landscape of ash navigating the destruction from the impact of a fallen cloud city. 

Both expansion books are set a few months after the events of the Cloud Empress: Land of Cicadas, and we'll uncover Prince Bug's broken tower, finally revealing the man behind the myth. 

Follow along here! 

Early backers will receive a free adventure called Funeral Fit for an Anti-Saint. I will also be limiting the print run to about 2200 crowdfunding copies to ensure another successful fulfillment. 

Follow along here! 

Questions or comments? Post them below or email me at worldsbywatt [at] gmail.com

CA Shipping Updates, Weekly Scroll Interview, and Closing the Creators Grant Applications
3 months ago – Mon, Dec 18, 2023 at 12:14:25 PM

Majority of Canadian Packages in transit

I have good news regarding Canadian fulfillment! The vast majority of Canadian pledges have been shipped (about 10-12 to go, mostly due to address conflicts I need to resolve tomorrow). I apologize for the communication delay on this matter. I've been a bit in the dark myself while waiting for a detailed update from our CA fulfillment partner Ratti Incantati. I set a goal of updating you all today with or without information and thankfully I heard back from them on Friday. 

My current understanding of the Canadian shipping situations is that you will likely not receiving tracking information, but I have access to tracking numbers. If you are expecting a pledge in Canadian and would like a tracking number email me at worldsbywatt (a) gmail.com or comment below. I've also had a report of a package being left out in the rain by the delivery company. 

Regardless of where you live, if your copies have any damages you'd like replacements for, simply reach out and we'll get it sorted. 

Cloud Empress Creator's Grant Applications Closed

Given the high volume of Cloud Empress Creator's Grant applications, I set a cutoff for 12/15/23 to close. This week I'll be selecting the 2023 receipants. Thanks to everyone who shared the opportunity and those who spent the time to submit their ideas. 

Keeping trust during crowdfunding 

Last week the Weekly Scroll podcast interviewed me about the Cloud Empress crowdfunding process. If you'd like to hear more about my crowdfunding philosophy of leading with trust and making the campaign experience as important as the end product itself, you can watch the video below. I hope you have had a enjoyable campaign experience and that these beliefs were translated through my actions during this campaign.  

DriveThruRPG Codes

I've uploaded the Rulebook, Land of Cicadas setting book, and the Year One Adventure Bundle in DrivethruRPG. My goal is to send out your DriveThruRPG codes to your free PDF copies by the end of the week. 

Future Cloud Empress Content

Although the Cloud Empress bundles are hefty, I've already received a few questions about the future of Cloud Empress. We've got more expansions planned for next year I can't wait to share. Once we've finish getting the last Canadian backers their games, I'll be sharing more!

Questions, comments, concerns? Post a comment below or email me at worldsbywatt (a) gmail.com.

Shipping Updates, New Art Bluesky, and Cloud Empress Creators Grant opens
4 months ago – Mon, Nov 27, 2023 at 02:50:12 PM

Hello Cloud Empress backers!  It's been a massive undertaking shipping out about 1800 orders from my small basement over the last month, but the finish line is in sight. It's been gratifying to see your messages and pictures of the pledges as they arrive in your hands. 

Fulfillment updates

  •  US BACKERS If you're a US Backer, you should have your physical pledge in the next five days (at the latest)! As of this morning, I have shipped out the last of the US orders!

  •  UK & EU BACKERS Iglootree packed all UK orders which will be picked up this Wednesday, 11/29. UK orders will arrive in 2 days, and the EU orders should arrive about a week later.

  •  CA BACKERS Cloud Empress boxes with Ratti Incantati have cleared customs, FedEx will pick up the orders shortly and deliver them to Ratti's main fulfillment location to send out the orders. The pledges should begin shipping this week unless there are any FedEx delays. All the shipments will be tracked and Ratti will send emails with tracking details to CA backers. Ratti is confident that everyone will receive their pledges by mid-December at the very latest.

  •  REST OF WORLD BACKERS All packages have been in the mail for some time. If you haven't received your copy yet, be on the lookout in the next two weeks. 

  •  DrivethruRPG Fulfillment I aim to have Cloud Empress: Land of Cicadas and the Cloud Empress: Year One Adventure Bundle on DrivethruRPG by the end of the week and distribute the files to all relevant backers in the next two weeks. 

If you have any questions about your order, experience any issues with your delivery, or anything else fulfillment-related, email me at worldsbywatt (a) gmail.com.


Find the newest Cloud Empress content on Bluesky 

If you've received your pledge, I'd love to see pictures of it! My central social media platform is now Bluesky and you can follow me here: https://bsky.app/profile/worldsbywatt.bsky.social

You can also join the Cloud Empress Development Discord here: https://discord.gg/bUDshcdZ

In the next few months, I'll be sharing images and information about upcoming Cloud Empress books planned for 2024. 


Cloud Empress Creators Grant applications open

Finally, one of the most exciting stretch goals on this project (for me at least) was the creation of the Cloud Empress Creators Grant. I've set aside money to support the independent creation of Cloud Empress content. You can review the full details of the grant and application process at: https://cloudempress.com/cloud-empress-creators-grant/

How To Apply to Receive Grant Funding

  1. Draft an idea for a project related to Cloud Empress.
  2. Fill out the Cloud Empress Creators Grant application, checking to make sure it fits with our Values Statement (see below).
  3. We’ll review your application and we’ll send you an email if you are selected, and at what funding level. (If you are not accepted, we will notify you too).
  4. You reply to that email within 2 weeks with a signed contract that covers the project, and a method for us to pay you.
  5. You start creating your work!

Ideally, I'll be selecting some of the first recipients in late December/early January. Please consider applying and sharing the opportunity with the creative ttrpg folks in your life! 


Questions? Post them in the comments or below or email me at worldsbywatt (a) gmail.com.

Physical Fulfillment has Begun!
5 months ago – Wed, Nov 08, 2023 at 05:58:54 PM

Hey all, physical game books fulfillment is underway! 

US Fulfillment Underway

US

I am assembling games and sending them out 100 at a time through USPS. US backers should receive a shipping notification from PirateShip with tracking information. With my current speed, I should have US orders all shipped in November (some folks might receive their games in early December, but I'm hoping everyone gets their game in November if I can pack fast enough!). 

Canada

All Canadian orders have been shipped to ratti incantati who should have received the games today. Fulfillment will begin for all Canadian backers shortly.

EU & UK

All EU & UK orders have been shipped to Iglootree who received the games earlier this week. Fulfillment will begin for all EU & UK backers shortly. EU backers, remember that customs are not prepaid and additional charges may be required for your game to clear customs or upon delivery depending on your country's customs rules. 

Rest of World

I have shipped the worldwide orders (not in one of the categories above) this week. Pirateship worldwide shipping estimates 1-3+ weeks delivery. Remember that customs are not prepaid and additional charges may be required for your game to clear customs or upon delivery depending on your country's customs rules. 


That's it for now, I'll be back in a few weeks with a fulfillment update and the opening of the Cloud Empress Creator's Fund stretch goal!