NEW ADD-ON ANNOUNCED (Game Master's Notebook)
almost 4 years ago – Sun, Jun 14, 2020 at 11:56:39 PM

Hi everyone,

Exciting news! With the level of support this project has received, I have been able to expand the Roll & Play products available with something new I have designed. Today I can reveal the 94-page game master's notebook! Like the core Roll & Play book it is A5 and wire-bound, specifically designed to lay flat when you need it to and save you space behind your GM Screen. I have created this notebook with GMs totally in mind, it includes:

• 3 pages of character reference boxes
• 62 pages of lined paper with purposeful margins for your session notes
• 8 pages of quarter-inch hex paper for large-scale maps
• 8 pages of half-inch hex paper for smaller-scale maps
• 12 pages of squared paper for dungeon/room planning
• 1 page for quick reference notes at the back

Also, another fun feature that I really wanted to add was a fully customisable cover – because of the paper stock, you can decorate your notebook in any way you want! Check out the end of this update to see how my wife customised her cover. All pages (including the cover) will be printed on thick paper to limit any bleed-through.

Notebook Content

In the front of the notebook you will find 3 pages of character reference boxes. There are 12 boxes in total where you can store key information about your players' characters, or NPCs, or big bad evil guys. They are at the front of the book so you can quickly reference them or update them mid-session if you need to.

The central core of the notebook contains 62 pages of lined sheets. The margins are split in a very intentional way here. In the first margin you can write any helpful footnotes, in the central area you can keep track of the story and how it progresses, and in the two final margins you can easily track turn orders, hit points, money totals or anything else which is useful to your RPG system!

The next section is full of hex paper. Draw out large-scale world maps and continents with 8 pages of quarter-inch hex grids, or create islands and smaller scale regions with 8 pages of half-inch hex grids. Having all of your maps and session notes in one place is going to limit how much you need behind your GM Screen, and help you to save room for your essentials.

Up next we have 12 pages of squared paper for all of your dungeon crafting/interior building needs. Did your players just discover a cave, get teleported to a strange abyss, or decide to explore an ancient catacomb? No problem, just whip out one of your pre-made dungeons and it'll be a breeze.

At the back of the book there is also 1 page of simple, lined paper for any important notes that you might need to quickly reference during a game.

Customise Your Cover

Your game master's notebook is totally customisable! Every games master is different, and I really wanted this notebook to reflect that. The front cover will be printed on thick, uncoated paper stock so you can colour it and customise it how ever you want to! Paint the cover, colour it in with markers, go crazy with glitter and sequins, it is 100% up to you. My wife got her hands on one of the samples and was pretty happy with the way that it turned out (see below), she went for maximum impact!

This will definitely be a product I will use at my tables when I am running a game, I hope it helps you out too. The notebook isn't tied to a particular pledge level, so if you want a copy make sure you add it to your pledge when filling out your BackerKit survey (surveys will be sent to you within 2 weeks of the campaign ending). All backers will be able to add this product onto their pledge if they would like to (max. 3 per backer), and it will cost £8.00 plus shipping. If you are already pledging for a physical copy, there will only be a small increase in your overall shipping cost to reflect the slightly increased weight of the package. Boxes in multiples of 10 will be available for retailers and cost £50.

All the best, keep rolling,

Sam.

Pledge Add-Ons and Upgrades (7 DAYS TO GO!)
almost 4 years ago – Fri, Jun 12, 2020 at 01:37:28 AM

Hi everyone, I hope you are well.

Over the course of the project I have had a number of people ask me what will be available as an add-on once the campaign is finished. Now we have BackerKit on board as a pledge manager it has given more flexibility and options in terms of what backers can add to their pledge at the end of the project. Please see below!

End of Project Add-Ons

• Backers who have pledged for physical books will be able to add extra physical copies and extra sets of bookmarks to their orders (max of 3 extra for each item). There is only a small increase to shipping costs for any items added, so if you team up with friends and split the shipping costs you could save a lot on shipping overall!

• If you have pledged at the digital eBook level, you will be able to upgrade to a physical copy if you would like to.

• All backers will be able to add extra eBooks to their order (max 3 copies per backer), these are great for gifting to your game master friends.

• Backers at Hobgoblin, Royal Griffon's Hoard, Beholder and Mind Flayer levels will be able to add extra sets of the 5 exclusive generator cards to their orders (max 3 extra sets per person).

Upgrading Your Pledge

• All backers will have the opportunity to upgrade their pledges to either a Hobgoblin level (which includes a signed copy, an eBook, 5 exclusive generator cards, 3 bookmarks and digital wallpapers) or a Royal Griffon's Hoard (which includes everything in the Hobgoblin level, but gives you 3 physical books instead of 1) or a Griffon's Hoard (which includes 3 physical books). Hoard levels are the most effective way to save on shipping.

• All backers will be able to upgrade their pledges to the retailer levels of Wyrmling's Hoard (x20 books), Black Dragon's Hoard (x50 books) or Golden Dragon's Hoard (x100 books) pledge levels. 

Important Information

> All backers will be able choose their desired cover colour at the end of the project, once the backer surveys have been sent out within 2 weeks of the project finishing.

> The eBooks are viewable on your digital devices only, and are not printable. Please bear this in mind when you are considering whether to commit to physical or digital copies.

> Roll & Play will have a Pre-Order Store for anyone that might come to this project late, but still want a copy of the book. They will be able to place an order for the 2nd print run of Roll & Play, which I hope to send out in the first quarter of 2021.

I hope that is all clear, and I hope this helps those of you around the world who can now split the shipping with a group of your friends, and get access to Roll & Play!

All the best,

Sam.

End of Week 4 (3000 Backers, and A New Sneak Peek!)
almost 4 years ago – Thu, Jun 11, 2020 at 05:35:10 PM

Hi everyone,

Well, last week was really something special. Roll & Play now has over 3,000 backers and almost 10,000% funding. The response to this project has been breathtaking, I CANNOT WAIT to get this book finished, printed and posted to each of you! Given the scale of this project I have now signed up to BackerKit as a pledge manager. As well as making the fulfilment process more user-friendly, it also means that backers will have some more possibilities when it comes to end of project add-ons and pledge level adjustments. Stay tuned for the update on this, coming soon.

The content for the 5 exclusive generator cards and the 10 additional pages of the book were announced this week, if you missed the update, check it out here. The project's producers came up with some really creative ideas, and I think the generator cards especially are going to really enhance your games – I for one can't wait to roll on the weather generator every time my players start a new day!

I also launched a competition this week. You could be in with the chance of winning a whole host of cool Roll & Play loot (including rainbow, pearlescent, METAL dice)!! Check out the project's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts for the full details of how to enter.

For anyone who has pledged at eBook level, or if an eBook comes with your Hobgoblin or higher pledge levels, I wanted to point out that the PDF of Roll & Play will be non-printable and non-sharable (in case you were hoping to buy the PDF and print Roll & Play at home). This restriction is in place because without it Roll & Play is exposed to increased risks of piracy and copyright issues, I hope you understand. If this does not suit you, there is still plenty of time in the project to adjust your pledge to a physical copy instead of an eBook if that is what you would prefer.

To wrap up, I wanted to share a very special couple of features that the project has received this week! The wonderful people over at EN World featured us in their RPG Crowdfunding News alongside some brilliant projects, and they also featured us during their podcast! It was a lot of fun to hear what they thought of the project, Roll & Play is featured around the 35:00 mark if you wanted to give it a listen.

And finally, here is a sneak peek at some more Roll & Play sample pages. Have you got a keen botanist or druid in your group who is always foraging? Or, maybe you have an eager wizard who is always trying to create their own spells? These two pages are packed with content which will easily satisfy both of these players, and help you to build exciting lore and stories along the way!

All the best, have a great week,

Sam.

COMPETITION TIME! Free dice!!
almost 4 years ago – Sat, Jun 06, 2020 at 12:00:30 AM

Hi everyone, as promised, today I am launching a giveaway for Roll & Play – if you enter the competition you will be in with the chance of winning some great prizes!

What can I win?

Your pledge will be upgraded to a FREE Royal Griffon's Hoard, you will not pay for your pledge. That includes:

• 3 copies of Roll & Play with either the sunset orange or arctic blue covers
• 5 exclusive generator cards
• 3 bookmarks
•  A copy of the digital eBook

Your pledge will have FREE shipping.

You will win three Roll & Play themed sets of DICE, which you can either keep all to yourself or share with your gaming friends! This includes:

• a set of orange glitter dice with white printing
• a set of blue shimmer dice with silver printing
• an awesome set of METAL, pearlescent, rainbow dice... I have been tempted to order another set for myself, as I really don't want to give them away now I have seen them!
• orange, blue and black dice bags

How do I enter?

Go to our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages and follow the instructions in the competition announcement post which will involve following us on social media and sharing the competition with your friends.

You can enter on all three social media platforms, and this will give you more entries!

If you do not have access to social media, take a screenshot of you sharing a link to this project in a different way (eg. WhatsApp, email – hiding any personal details) and send it to [email protected].

The winner will be drawn and announced shortly after the end of the project.

In true Roll & Play style, the winner will be selected by a random generator!

Best of luck,

Sam.

Introducing the 5 Generator Cards (+10 Pages of Extra Content!)
almost 4 years ago – Wed, Jun 03, 2020 at 05:26:41 PM

Hi everyone,

I wanted to update you on what the content will be for the 5 exclusive generator cards that will be included in all pledges of Hobgoblin level and higher, and the 10 extra pages that will be included in everyone's copy of Roll & Play (as we unlocked the More, More! stretch goal).

All of these ideas have been suggested by one or more of the 30 producers who pledged at Beholder and Mind Flayer levels. The content that was chosen for the exclusive generator cards were all things which will be really handy reference tools once paper-clipped to your GM Screen. Each of them will add flavour and richness to your session – your game can work without them, but they will take the players' experience to an even more immersive level. Any ideas which I felt filled a gap in the book or would be essential for all game masters were saved for the additional 10 pages.

 Card 1. Weather Forecast 

Weather was a suggestion put forward by multiple producers and as soon as I read it, I knew it would be perfect for one of the cards. Although basic weather conditions like rain, sun and clouds aren’t difficult to improvise, mixing up mundane clear skies with an unexpected weather phenomenon is a great example of how you can add a whole new dimension to your game. Rather than throwing in a round of combat with a sneaky bandit as your players make their way to a nearby town, why not see how they navigate through a sudden, thick, enveloping fog…?

 Card 2. Tavern Food and Drinks Menu 

As you’ll have seen from the sample pages, Roll & Play includes some helpful content that will have you whipping up a lively tavern in seconds. But once your players have sat down and got comfortable in the warm inn, they’ll inevitably ask to order some food. If the last three taverns all served the same bread, soup and nameless beer, players may start to question why all taverns have the same suppliers! The Tavern Food and Drinks Menu generator card is a great way to overcome this, and to help spice things up with some real meal options ranging from tasteless slop to elegant hors d'oeuvres.

 Card 3. Vehicles and Mounts 

How do your players travel from one place to the next? Speaking from my own experience, the answer is always 'buy a horse'. In a fantasy world with endless possibilities, let's switch it up! Maybe the stable is run by goblins that sell the players a tamed cockatrice to flap them to their destination? Maybe instead of a getting a ferry from one side of the sea to another, the players can stowaway on a military galleon and travel in style (and in fear of getting caught)? Also, magic carpet anyone?

 Card 4. Puzzles and Challenges 

Riddles, puzzles and challenges were also awesome suggestions, the satisfaction that a player can get from solving their way out of a tricky situation where the answer isn't 'hit it with a club' can't be matched – but this kind of thing takes thought and planning so isn't easily made up on the spot. Well, now it can be! Roll on the table and describe the challenge, and get your players to find a creative solution. Possible solutions will be included on the card but the challenges will not have 'correct answers' per se as player originality can be rewarded, because of this you can also continue to use the challenges in different situations again and again.

 Card 5. Simple Side Quests 

Your players' biggest problem right now might be trying to stop that powerful magical artefact from falling into the wrong hands, but the villagers of your world have other priorities. Simple side quests add depth to the world around the players, and can lead to some really memorable moments! Perhaps a local farmer’s prized cow has escaped into a nearby swamp, or a town's water supply has been contaminated after an unfortunate alchemical accident. Simple side quests may not have the glamour and drama of a big boss battle, but they lead to creative interactions between the players and the world which they inhabit.

10 Additional Pages (More, More! Stretch Goal)

It was really exciting to unlock this stretch goal, and I'm really glad that I have been able to add some extra content for you all! The 10 extra pages will include generators for: alchemical backfires, potion tastes and descriptions, strange otherworldly corruptions, how the party first meet, magical encounters and phenomenon, cave names and descriptions, charlatan scams, global developments, conspiracies and rumours, guild names, and local economic/political make-up.

I'm sure you will agree that the 5 exclusive generator cards and 10 additional pages of content are going to really enhance the original Roll & Play book! If you haven't got access to the generator cards, but would like a copy of them, go ahead and click 'Manage My Pledge' on the project page and upgrade to Hobgoblin or above. They won't be available as an add-on or digital PDF at the end of the project, so this could be your only chance to get your hands on them!

Let me know what you think of the new additions in the comments below, which ones are you most excited about trying?

Have a good one,

Sam.