Kickstarter Back on Kickstarter: Places by the Way, a series of modules for D&D 5E

[doogx]

There was a hiccup with one of the rewards that necessitated rebooting the campaign, but Places by the Way is back on Kickstarter and better than before! The new reward structure features PDF and autographed print copies of a special, Limited Edition of The Village of Darkharrow, the OGL version of the module, that will be distributed to Kickstarter backers only. This Limited Edition is distinguished by an Easter Egg-like bonus to one of the encounters that will not be present when The Village of Darkharrow goes on sale to the public in February.


Here’s the text of my original announcement:


“If you have played Legend of the Five Rings RPG (3rd Edition), Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition, Lord of the Rings RPG, Decipher’s Star Trek RPG ir Rolemaster, you may have come across my work — check and see if the name Douglas Sun shows up in the credits. I haven’t written for roleplaying games in a while. But the open license for D&D 5th Edition inspired me to get back into it, and I’m turning to Kickstarter to help launch a line of short modules compatible with 5E, called Places by the Way.


“Places by the Way will describe locations and mini-adventures that you can drop into your campaign like a glittering mosaic tile and give your player characters a brief, but memorable break from the main story. Each product will have two versions, one set in the Forgotten Realms and available exclusively through Dungeon Masters Guild; the other will keep the setting details as generic as possible and comply with WotC’s Open Game License. The latter will be available through both DMs Guild and DriveThru RPG, and a PoD copies


“ will also be available through other online outlets, including Amazon. Everything will be published under the Ramen Sandwich Press trade name.


“For more details, take a look at [URL="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/660432492/places-by-the-way-a-series-of-modules-for-dandd-5e?ref=creator_nav"]the details of my campaign[/URL], and if you decide to pledge: Thank you!”

 

[Morrus]

You still have a Forgotten Realms reward, which was the issue you ran into with the previous Kickstarter. If I pledge for the FR reward, how do I get it?

 

[doogx]

You're referring to the t-shirt with the cover art from In the Shadow of the High Forest? That is legit — Dungeon Masters Guild restrictions do not cover original artwork from the products in question, so we are free to sell reproductions of the cover art in any form we like, wherever we like.

 

[Morrus]

Ah, I see. I read it as "a t-shirt featuring Kimberly Unger's evocative cover art for In the Shadow of the High Forest, the Forgotten Realms version of the module," being a list of two things - a t-shirt and a FR module!

 

[doogx]

Week 1 of the Kickstarter campaign to launch Places by the Way went quite well, and now seems as good a time as any to build on that initial success.


I have just announced an informal stretch goal of $2500 to support the creation of Places by the Way #2, a shipwreck mini-adventure. The Forgotten Realms version will takes place on a reef near Waterdeep, and it will be titled The Bitch Queen's Prize. The OGL version will be called A Treasure on the Rocks. To help reach that goal, I have introduced 8 new rewards, 4 of which involve the sale of naming rights in Places by the Way #2. Yes, you read that correctly: If you are the first backer to claim that particular reward, you will get the right to name an NPC or an important object in that module! For more details, check out Update #1 to the campaign,

 

[doogx]

The Kickstarter for Places by the Way has just nosed over its stretch goal, and there are still 11 days left to go! I thank everyone who has pledged so far Assuming that no one cancels their pledges and knocks me back below that stretch goal (or that I can keep adding pledges to negate the effect of any backsliding), I can now proceed with confidence and start working on Places by the Way #2 (The Bitch Queen’s Prize/A Treasure on the Rocks).

But the series isn’t supposed to end there, and with enough support, it won’t. I won’t set an actual new stretch goal, but all pledges from now to the end of this campaign will be banked toward Places by the Way #3, which will describe an idyllic coastal village with a touch of evil lurking in its midst. I don’t have titles for the modules yet, but the Forgotten Realms version will be set in the Moonshae Isles and both will link up with Places by the Way #2, so that you’ll be able to use it as a sequel, if you like. If we can keep this assembly powered up, I’ll publish it in Summer 2017.

Finally, let’s not forget that this campaign, which ends at noon PST on December 18, is your only chance to pick up a copy of the Limited Edition of The Village of Darkharrow. This item, with its message of thanks to my Kickstarter backers and little Easter Egg tucked into one of the encounters, will not be sold to the general public and I will not offer it again on Kickstarter. Based on pledges received to date, Im only going to order up 45 PDF and 36 print copies, so they’re bound to be collector’s items. Claim one now, put it up in the auction at GenCon later!