Onyx Path Cancels LegendLore Kickstarter Partway Through Citing COVID-19

Half-funded, Onyx Path has cancelled the Kickstarter for its upcoming D&D 5E version of the LegendLore comics because of the current pandemic sweeping the world.

James Bell says in a Kickstarter post: "We even thought that we could run this Kickstarter like normal since it's online, our crew is online, and you folks and other potential backers are all online. But we really can't do much of anything normally these days, and trying to push forward with this KS in the face of the seriousness of how all our lives have been affected seems like trying to dive into a tidal wave while hoping to swim out the other side."

There have been multiple convention cancellations and postponements due to the Coronavirus, and it seems this is now spreading to game production itself. Critical Role suspended broadcasts, UK Games Expo is postponed, GaryCon has been cancelled, as has Steve Jackson Games' FnordCon. Fantasy Flight Games has suspended all Organized Play. Asmodee US has delayed all new releases until May 1st, including those from Fantasy Flight Games.

PaizoCon and Origins are still going ahead at present.

Onyx Path will be relaunching the Kickstarter later in the year.

 

[Cergorach]

Many of these Kickstarters will also depend on how printing in China is going, since a large portion of bookprinting was outsourced there years ago, to save money. (Remember how tariffs impacted prices and the bottom lines for companies?)

I'm getting reports from most KS projects that production in China either has returned to 100% capacity or should shortly do so. So production in China isn't the issue. An issue might be that products are shipped to the US/EU and due to the lockdown companies won't be able to ship product, product can't be picked up from port and containers will sit there for weeks or months, this costs tons of money.

If they do production in the US/EU, almost everything non-essential isn't working on a factory level (working from home just doesn't work with those jobs). So you have the same issue, no product getting to customers.

 

[Morrus]

Yep, it sounds like China is opening up for business again, but many places elsewhere are locked down. I'm not too clear on how shipping and stuff is affected - I'm still getting mail - and postal services are usually considered key infrastructure. I guess it varies by country.

 

[Paragon Lost]

Realistically China's about to get hit with the second wave of the virus, so don't put to much stock in things returning to normal on that front. Not trying to be a glass half full sort, just bluntly realistic in my approach based on my years in the military and working around governments.

 

[Morrus]

Realistically China's about to get hit with the second wave of the virus, so don't put to much stock in things returning to normal on that front. Not trying to be a glass half full sort, just bluntly realistic in my approach based on my years in the military and working around governments.

Yeah, it looks like they would have been better off if they hadn't opened their borders yet. They're getting people brining the virus into the country just after they got it under control.

 

[Paragon Lost]

Yeah, it looks like they would have been better off if they hadn't opened their borders yet. They're getting people brining the virus into the country just after they got it under control.

Exactly. It's gonna be a rough 12 to 18 months. Both of our countries have people in charge and making choices that are starting to feel criminal to me. Max Brook's did an interview that I thought was well done and a lot of his points matched up with my own experiences during the 80's and 90's in the military. Concern, but not panic should definitely be emotions we should all have currently.


Anyhow, again apologies for coming off so gloom and doom, I just can't ignore what I'm observing. Oh and again thank you, Peter and Darryl for the podcasts, I really enjoy them.

 

[Garthanos]

I noted quite a few in the recent Monte Cook Games Ptolus Kickstarter canceling their pledges, apologizing for the need to do so, but it was because of the virus. :/ A worldwide economic downturn is here, now to see whether or not a true depression hits. I'm hoping all the countries of the world get their act together and do what needs to be done in order to nip this epidemic in the bud.

Sadly my own country appears to be doubling down on stupid, so if I were a betting person I'd not bet for the best/fastest outcome. As it is they want to drop the very piecemeal measures that we've seen here in the USA by Easter. More stupid around here than I thought possible. ((sigh))

Yeh its pretty bad ... the "they" are selfish greedy and fired 700 CDC Pandemic Response staff 2 years ago (and then underfunded and never rehired) who might have actually helped they are personally responsible for a slow national response and take "no responsibility"

this will be better in the summer when hotter temperatures should help to stop this epidemic.

I drove by a park on a recent sunny day and kids out of school to avoid encountering dozens of kids in close proximity were playing with dozens of kids in close proximity. I do not know of any scientific reason hotter temperatures should help do you? Because the only sources for that thought I have heard are careless politicians.

 

[Morrus]

I do not know of any scientific reason hotter temperatures should help do you? Because the only sources for that thought I have heard are careless politicians.

Nobody can know that. However, flu and similar viruses tend to be seasonal. That doesn't mean COVID-19 will be, but it is something to hope for.

 

[Paragon Lost]

It's more hope at this point due to what they're seeing in areas where it is warmer. Lets keep our fingers crossed, knock on wood and bang the drum that it proves to be the case.