Hello all!
First off thank you for all the kind words and help backing Robert's new game, yesterday was a whirlwind of chaos as you can imagine with funding in just short of 7 hours. That said, I am one of Robert's minions who has been involved with the game since the start, maybe even before the start if that is possible and can answer most anything you need answered about the game.
To touch on what has been asked above here goes... Crunchy Bits 1st and that will lead into Money & Backer Levels
Crunchy Bits! The game is designed to tell stories without the crunch getting in the way of that goal, that being said it is full (very full) of tech for those who want that in the game, but it comes into play as your group levels up. So if you start a game at lvl 0 (you are just joe schmuck) you have a minimum amount of system stuff to fight with to get up and going, as your group levels up to lvl 1 you make a decision about the path you will take (warrior, priest, ect) and that really adds the first layer of complexity to your character. That choice will give you benefits right away, and during the rest of your career - getting more and more crunchy as you go along. As your group continues to level up to 3 and again at 7 you make additional path choices (none of which are reliant on your previous choice/s) that add additional layers of complexity to your character based on what you pick.
If you want to run a game that is full of crunch from day one... start your group at lvl 7, everyone gets all the cool toys, and then instead of gaining a level at the end of each adventure (normal pace for the game) gain a level every 3-4 adventures - and you will still get about eleven adventures (normal amount for the game) out of those characters.
The book in its current form, what has been designed and tested and is ready to send to editing and beyond (what the Kickstarter is covering), is pushing 400 pages of content - the VAST majority of which is system and players options. The actual setting is the smallest chapter because the setting info is instead going to be expanded via stories (adventures) and regional pdf expansions (see current list of stretch goals). This is done for a few reasons, but the main one being that the game is meant to be easy to access - if you have to spend a hours on hours reading about every minute detail for an entire world... well that is not easy access.
Money & Backer Levels! Of those 400 pages of dark and nasty goodness Robert will have to trim until he gets it to fit into whatever size book ends up funding... the initial goal of 128 page soft cover is just that. Initial. Like many Kickstarters have done, Robert is going to be adding tons of content via stretch goals. Some of these are already reveled and others, such as converting the core book to a hardback, and increasing page count, additional stories, locations, and fiction.
$66 is a lot of money, entertainment dollars are tighter than ever and they go less and less far... (here it comes) But is it to much money for what you are getting now (let alone as the stretches hit)? I guess that is for everyone to decide, but for me its a bargain - You get a pdf of a Starter Guide (think mini-players handbook) the full game (at what ever page count it gets to - so the bigger the funding the bigger the book) and a pack of (5) adventures (20-25 hours of play experience)... for 48$!
IF you want a printed copy of the book (again at whatever size it ends up at) you are paying 18$ more... 10$ of which covers your shipping (via a shipping credit - if you dont use it all you can use the balance at the company store for more swag)... so now you are down to 8$ for what could easily turn out to be a 200-300 page hardcover full color core book.
But for now its 128 page soft cover full color (with kick ass art) for 8$ more than just going digital and that is still a really good deal.
If you like the game, if you like what Robert has done in the past, if you just want to play a solid game that is fast to learn but still has the teeth to keep even the most jaded of gamers involved... jump into the Kickstarter, fund at any level - it all helps. Keep up with the goals and the achievements and see how much value is added to what you saw up front. Or wait until the end and jump on then once its all unlocked. Either way you will be happy as hell with your rewards.
Again thanks for posting and I will do my best to check in as often as possible to answer any and all questions about Shadow of the Demon Lord!
~dkheinrich
