Stretch goals galore: upgraded maps, solo rules, added artwork and more
over 1 year ago – Wed, Jan 18, 2023 at 08:04:15 PM

Now that I'm getting my feet under me after our blowout first two days, I'd like to spend some time discussing the stretch goals we've unlocked so far. I have a lot of fun updates planned highlighting some of the project team members, sharing some in-depth looks at aspects of Cloud Empress, and of course, showcasing the amazing ways stretch goals we're unlocking.

10k - watt gets paid 

As a project manager by day and game writer by night, I'm a pretty risk-averse person. Cloud Empress is by far the greatest financial risk I have purposely taken in my adult life. Since June, I've been commissioning artwork to help me communicate my vision of Cloud Empress. As I've shared more and more artwork people have gotten more and more excited. With the original funding goal of $2,500, I still could have printed the books and likely paid for most of the contracts signed out of the project funds, but it would have been really tight. With the "watt gets paid" stretch goal unlocked I can now reimburse myself for the artwork expenses paid for Cloud Empress over the last 6 months. This is probably not the most exciting stretch goal, but it means so much to my family we can bring back a bit more financial stability to our personal finances. 

20k - Maps by Kharrak 

Okay, let's get in a stretch goal I know you will be excited by. For the original Cloud Empress work-in-progress documents I was drawing the maps. They worked, but I wished the Cloud Empress maps better communicated a science fantasy tone inspired by some of the terminals in the original Star Wars series. With a larger budget, I can now bring on Kharrak (Daniel Halliman) onto the Cloud Empress project to design our maps. 

Daniel Hallinan burst onto the third-party scene with their debut third-party adventure, Bloom, for the Mothership sci-fi horror TTRPG. A succession of projects followed, including writing and art for large community projects such as Hull Breach and Orbital Debris, as well as crafting retro-style maps for both first-party and third-party Mothership adventures.

Take a look at the first map of the Bean Barge introductory adventure Daniel I commissioned as a preview of their future work on the project.

Wow!
There's so much I love about seeing this map! Kharrak/Daniel's distinctive retro/CRTV style is the perfect balance to the inky organic artwork elsewhere in Cloud Empress and makes reading a Cloud Empress map, super easy. 

27,5K Solo rules pamphlet

I love solo gaming when I can get around to it and my last Kickstarter, Hot Stuff on Shore Leave, was an entire solo Mothership module! Early in the Cloud Empress hex map design process, I knew that I wanted to make Cloud Empress an enjoyable solo experience. The Solo rules pamphlet will be a print and pdf pamphlet included in every physical pledge level to share my love of solo gaming with all of you (digital world backers will receive a free pdf)! I'll post an update with more information about the solo rules pamphlet, but know that I'm taking a procedural approach that attempts to model some of the dynamics of a traveling party of PCs. Instead of a single character, the solo player will take the role of the party collectively, watching, nudging, and documenting the party's interactions. The experience intends to be more like the Sims than a game of Ironsworn. 

Here's the WIP cover of the Solo Rules Pamphlet we've unlocked (artwork by the amazing Garin)!

35K More art by pbbeta 

Our most recently unlocked stretch goal allows us to commission 5 more pieces of artwork from pbbeta. pbbeta is the artist behind the two Cloud Empress covers and is an integral part of defining the visual look of Cloud Empress. It has been amazing working with them and I can't wait to see what she makes next! Here's one of my favorite pieces pbbeta has made for Cloud Empress -- a sellsword in living armor.

To preview one upcoming commission, pbbeta will be drawing the lifecycle of the Imago from egg to adulthood!

Bingo bounty card unlocked at 40K

Our next 'locked' stretch goal at 40K will be another physical addition to our Cloud Empress bundles. When we hit 40K in funding, we'll print an NPC bingo bounty card. This postcard-sized table reference is great for reminding players which NPC they are talking to and is modeled after the in-world Cloud Empress bingo bounty cards carried by ruthless treasure hunters (inspired by Naruto for those who catch the reference).

Q2: What future stretch goals would you like to see?

Given, I've talked so much about stretch goals tonight, our second discussion question is: what stretch goals would you like to see in the Cloud Empress Kickstarter? Make sure to post your answer in the comments below or on the main comment thread. 

Cloud Empress has funded! (What a day!)
over 1 year ago – Tue, Jan 17, 2023 at 07:12:16 PM

As you probably know, the first day of a Kickstarter is make or break. I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for Cloud Empress. What started as a little dream of a weird world inspired by some of my favorite Miyazaki movies has become something much bigger. My nervous system is a bit of a wreck watching so many people back the project on day one. 

The Cloud Empress Kickstarter isn't over though, far from it! You'll have to bear with me the next few days as I try and catch up with the many comments, social media shares, press releases, and most importantly...Kickstarter updates (like this one). The first day's activity has far exceeded my expectations and I'm working hard to get us caught up. 

Speaking of exceeding expectations, we've nearly passed our funding goal ten times over! I have a number of really exciting stretch goals I'm eager to share with you. We've already passed a two goals on day one!

Here's the first set of Cloud Empress stretch goals:

As you can see, we've funded the project, we've reimbursed me for the pre-Kickstarter project expenses I've made, we've upgraded all of the projects maps in retro works of art, and we are on the cusp of unlocking a solo rules pamphlet. 

I'll have more details in the next few days about what each unlocked stretch goal entails, and by the looks of the campaign, we'll be hitting quite a few more! 

Finally, with each update I want to prompt some conversation on the page. Here's our first discussion question: What's your favorite Studio Ghibli film (if you have one?).