They have shipped out about a quarter of the physical copies now, well on track to finish by the end of October.
They dropped a couple previews of some additional supplements for backers, thst will likely be on sale soon as well:
"Stormlight Scenarios includes seven easy-to-run adventures in...
Sounds nice: I am a "like, subscribe,and comment" listener of the podcast, but I understand that price-gsting it probably does keep things more civil and manageable.
Pretty much the exact opposite audience: that is a historical reference document as well as game aid for the experienced, this is a toolbox for new players.
The base game has moved away from XP, so no surprise the intro is, too. Large discrete goals leading to another stage of gameplay, like Milestones, are a more common element in complex board games, too.
My understanding is that the higher number modules in any series tended to sell less and see less play, as a rule, which is why TSR eventually stopped the numbering system.
Or not even use modules: both Moldvay Basic and Cook Expert seem to expect homebrew Adventures the same as OD&D, wirh suggestions and procedures to do so.