Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere RPG

Pledge Manager FAQ and Walkthrough!
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Oct 04, 2024 at 02:34:08 PM

Greetings, Worldhoppers!

Hey everyone, it's Matt. I have an important update about the pledge manager for this project, because BACKERKIT OPENS NEXT WEEK! The goal of this update is to make sure you're ready when we notify you that the pledge manager is live. If you're new to using BackerKit for pledge management, please read this update from start to finish. There's LOTS to discuss.

When will the Pledge Manager and Late Pledges launch on BackerKit?
We're going to be "smoke testing" the Pledge Manager early next week. In a smoke test, only a small percentage of backers will get surveys. This is our chance to make sure things are working well in the pledge manager before we open it up to everyone. Later in the week, we'll start sending the surveys to everyone, but this will happen in batches, and it's possible you won't get your invite into the pledge manager until the week of the 14th. (There's no advantage to getting your invite early; no rewards are limited and it won't affect when your orders ship.) We'll open the preorder store to late pledges once all backers have access!

You keep using that word. What is the Pledge Manager?
All crowdfunding projects require a central hub to store everyone's pledge information, usually called the "pledge manager" or "PM." At Brotherwise, we've chosen BackerKit as our pledge manager for the Cosmere RPG. In BackerKit, you'll confirm your current address (which you can always change later!), pay shipping, make sure your pledge looks right, add on more fun add-ons, and pay for any outstanding charges from Kickstarter. An important note for those new to crowdfunding: You paid for your pledge in Kickstarter, but that charge did not include shipping. You will NOW need to pay for shipping in BackerKit.

What is a Late Pledge?
"Late Pledge" is a term for any pre-order made after the Kickstarter campaign ends. For this project, we kept late pledges open in Kickstarter for a few days, and NOW folks who missed the campaign will have another chance to make a late pledge on BackerKit. All items, pledge tiers, and timing for product purchased in BackerKit will remain the same as what we offered during the Kickstarter campaign.

What is a Smoke Test?
During the pledge manager phase, a smoke test involves allowing a few randomly selected backers to access the pledge manager. We monitor their checkout experience to ensure that everything is set up correctly. This process helps us identify and correct issues before making the pledge manager available to the public. If you’re included in the smoke test, you’ll get your BackerKit email in the first half of next week. If you're not (and most of you will not be), you'll get your BackerKit invite email later. 

What can I expect from the pledge manager?
You will receive an email with the pledge manager survey link. This link will be sent to the email address you used to back the Cosmere RPG, which is also your Kickstarter account email. Please check all your email folders, including spam, junk, and trash, in case the email was accidentally deleted.

For more details, or if you have any trouble finding your survey link, click on this article. You can also contact BackerKit support at backerkit.com/contact if you need further assistance.

In the next section, I’d like to review what you can expect from the pledge manager survey.

PLEDGE MANAGER WALKTHROUGH 

When you receive the pledge manager invite link, you’ll be directed to your survey, which will look identical to the picture above. Be sure to fill out the correct shipping country and state/region before continuing. 

If you would like to do so, you can switch your pledge level immediately by clicking the tiny blue "Switch your Pledge Level" link below the "Get Started" button, as pictured above.

Once you click the "Get Started" button, you will be asked a series of questions intended to make sure you understand how pledge fulfillment will work. Please make sure to read all of them entirely.

Please remember the following information: If your order is eligible for Slip Cases, they will not be listed as included items. We'll ensure that every eligible backer receives these items.

Depending on your pledge level, you may also receive additional questions regarding your order, especially for those in the ‘E-Reader’ and ‘Reader’ tiers, which require selecting two options among the six available books. The fun part begins once all questions are answered: the Pledge Manager store! 

 

Here, you’ll notice on the right every single item you receive based on the pledge tier you backed during the campaign, including any add-ons that you purchased. In our Pledge Manager Store you can also add additional pledge tiers, individual items, and even some new add-ons for Stormlight completists. Check them out below!

We’re also including our brand-new Mistborn Deckbuilding Game; but remember, it won’t ship until the second half of 2025! If you live in the US, we recommend you purchase that game on its own (at Barnes & Noble, your local game store, or DragonsteelBooks.com) when it releases next month. We’re offering it on BackerKit primarily for international customers who want to save on shipping costs by combining it with their RPG order. The game will include five holofoil promo cards (also available when you purchase the game via Dragonsteel).

Once you’ve chosen all your add-ons, you will then move on to submitting your shipping information. The shipping information is very important to submit, but if ever you need to change it you can do so by editing your order in BackerKit. We'll keep that option open until we're just about ready to ship, so you've got a while to make adjustments. If you need assistance changing your address, don't hesitate to reach out to BackerKit for support! 
 

FOR PAYMENT: 

Note that even though you'll be entering your payment information here, you will NOT be charged for shipping or these extra add-ons until later this year. (We will update you all in a future official update with this exact date, but for now, it’s too soon to schedule.) NOTE: PAYPAL will not be an option for payment with this pledge manager.

Once you have submitted your shipping information and payment, you will be greeted with this completion screen!  PRO TIP: BOOKMARK THIS PAGE

It's a good idea to bookmark the completion page so you can easily access the pledge manager. In the top right corner, you'll see "Edit your Order," which is vital if you need to make changes after submitting your information. You may need to update shipping details and payment information or edit your pledge responses before the pledge manager closes.

And that’s it! You have successfully completed your pledge manager, and you can leave the rest of the work to us! At this time, we do not have an exact date as to when we will close the pledge or take payment for shipping. Rest assured, we will post those precise dates in a future update. We will focus on launching and assisting with any help requests for now. 

Contact BackerKit regarding your pledge if you need any help. Their team has been so excited to help with this project and has even increased support to assist with its scale! We cannot thank them enough! 

The Next Step
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Sep 27, 2024 at 09:08:52 AM

A few weeks ago, this campaign shattered records as the #1 RPG, #1 game, and #3 all-time campaign on Kickstarter. Since then, we’ve been hard at work behind the scenes. Today, we’re sharing a short update to ensure everyone’s ready for what comes next.

BackerKit is Coming!

The next step of this project is to open the BackerKit pledge manager, which you’ll use to confirm your add-ons, pay for shipping, and enter your address. Once it launches, the pledge manager will remain open for several weeks. Here’s a sneak peek at that interface:

We’ve been taking extra time to ensure that BackerKit is set up correctly, and this campaign has a lot of moving parts! To avoid any mistakes, we’re extending this process by a few more days. We’ll send another update next week with exact timing and detailed pledge manager instructions.

Development Update

In the meantime, the Cosmere RPG team has been working hard to get our Stormlight files ready for the printers! The Stormlight Handbook is in layout and currently being reviewed by proofreaders. The Stormlight World Guide has just progressed through Dragonsteel approvals and is now moving to layout.

The success of this Kickstarter has meant we’ve been able to expand content and art! The Stormlight Handbook, for example, was originally planned for 256 pages. We’ve been able to add 100 pages of content, including expanded examples and GM guidance. That also means more art! Here’s an awesome new piece by Lie Setiawan, featuring Nale and Lift:

And here’s another two-page spread from that chapter, depicting an example endeavor. Our original Elsecaller, Willshaper, and Edgedancer characters are illustrated here by Antti Hakosaari.

We’re doing our best to add this content while sticking to our schedules, which means the team has been hustling! It’s a busy but exciting time, with half the team focused on final Stormlight prep while the rest of the team is focused on Mistborn design.

Always the Next Step

We can never say it enough: thank you for everything you’ve done to make this project possible. This project is a huge undertaking, with new problems to solve every day, but working on it is truly delightful. On any given day, we might be learning new details about Fused from Brandon, playtesting different Twinborn combinations, or admiring new illustrations from our favorite artists. We’re so excited to get this game into your hands so you can experience all of that joy for yourselves!

Staff Spotlight: Welden Bringhurst

We’ll end tonight’s update with one more Staff Spotlight! Welden is our specialist in stress-testing mechanics, finding broken combos, and applying statistical analysis to combat math. While we’ve processed thousands of playtest reports during this campaign, Welden takes testing to the next level as a valuable member of our development team.

Welden Bringhurst is a hapa game designer, writer, and business analyst. After reading Mistborn he instantly developed an obsession with the Cosmere and has been a stalwart fan ever since. His past work in the TTRPG space includes Adventures in Rokugan and Tomb of Iuchiban. Welden loves breaking games almost as much as he enjoys playing them. He specializes in game mechanics and combat systems. In his free time, he enjoys spoiling his nieces and nephews, fencing, reading, creating overly complex spreadsheets, and coaching high school Esports.

There's No Stopping the Cosmere RPG!
about 2 years ago – Thu, Aug 29, 2024 at 10:30:35 PM

Worldhoppers, we've done it! With over 50,000 backers and $14.5 million raised, the Cosmere RPG is now the #1 game campaign of all time and the #3 Kickstarter of all time! For 23 days, this project has felt unstoppable.

And at the moment, it literally is. Late pledges were supposed to start tomorrow, but they seem to have kicked in shortly after the campaign closed. This wasn't intentional, but we'll go ahead and roll with it! We're happy to add more folks to the Cosmere RPG community.

And what a community it has been. Thanks for such a positive, high-energy, exciting campaign! Cosmere fans are truly the best, and from the very first day to tonight's livestream, this campaign has been a heart-warming experience.

On September 22 we'll share a Kickstarter update that shares everything you need to know before our pledge manager goes live during the week of the 23rd. Between now and then, Kickstarter will be charging credit cards and beginning to transfer funds. The pledge manager will be live through October and into November.

That's all for tonight! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for starting this journey with us. This is just the beginning.

The Final Countdown
about 2 years ago – Thu, Aug 29, 2024 at 11:01:58 AM

Wordhoppers, we’re almost there!

Thanks to your amazing support, the #1 RPG Kickstarter of all time is now one of the biggest crowdfunding campaigns ever. We’re grateful for the passion of the Cosmere community and for your trust in our vision.

We’re also working hard to live up to that trust. Today we’re keeping it short and sweet, with three pieces of news to share.

Solo Update

A week into our campaign, we announced that we’d be adding a solo mode to our “level zero” adventure, The First Step. Since then, we’ve been looking very carefully at what a solo mode would entail. Here’s what we can say:

• The Cosmere RPG solo mode will have its own rulebook, but our goal is to make it cross-compatible with other Cosmere RPG sourcebooks.
• That book won’t be included in this campaign, and will be released after our Mistborn core sourcebooks, but will be in development as early as next year.
• Solo mode design will be led by the RPG industry’s foremost solo designer, Shawn Tomkin (designer of Ironborn, Starforged, and Strider Mode for The One Ring).

We didn't want to rush this, but after some discussions with Shawn, we’re feeling very excited about the potential for this system to provide a fully-realized solo mode. This is also a perfect example of community feedback making a difference, so thank you!

The Final Stretch

About half of the stretch goals in this campaign were things we planned in advance and hoped we could achieve if things went well. The rest have been added over the course of the campaign, through a combination of backer requests and team brainstorming. We thought we were done yesterday, but we’ve decided to add one final stretch goal!

These custom slipcases will be included in any pledge that includes three hardcover sourcebooks. That includes the GM and Collector, but also the Roshar Pack and Scadrial Pack. This is just a first look at the designs, which will likely undergo some adjustments for the final slipcases.

Closing Livestream

Let’s celebrate the end of this campaign together! Dragonsteel and Brotherwise will be together tonight from 7-9 pm Mountain time. Watch here to join the party:

The livestream will include some live Q&A, art previews, and more. Thanks for everything, and we can’t wait to celebrate the end of this momentous campaign!

Staff Spotlight: Jillian Ross

We've been saving an important spotlight for our final day: Jillian! This project might seem like it was destined to succeed, but Jillian's marketing has been driving it to ever-higher heights. For months, she's been working days on this project while earning her Digital Marketing certification from Northwestern University at night. She's been a superstar all year long, so please congratulate Jillian as her title changes to reflect her growing role as Marketing Manager for Brotherwise Games!

Jillian Ross is a designer, marketing professional, and social media guru based in Columbus, Ohio. She started professionally in the board gaming industry in 2020 after graduating from DAAP at the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Fashion Design. Jillian has been a board gamer since she was a child, and she even designed board games for fun with her brothers growing up! Even though fashion has nothing to do with games and marketing, she attributes her work ethic to her two-year experience as a fashion design intern. 

She enjoys horror movies and TTRPGS – better yet; she loves horror TTRPGs! When Jillian isn’t gaming (which is pretty rare), she is usually trying out new food with her partner of 10 years, or cuddling with her two cats. Either way, she feels right at home with the Brotherwise team, and is happy to be a part of the Cosmere community!

The Right Crew
about 2 years ago – Wed, Aug 28, 2024 at 09:20:55 PM

Tonight’s update will be a little different. So far, all of the updates for this campaign have come from the team as a whole. This time, I’d like to address you more directly and thank you personally for backing this campaign.

So, hi! I’m Johnny O’Neal, Creative Director for the Cosmere RPG. Here I am with my big brother Chris. We co-founded Brotherwise Games eleven years ago, and have had the good fortune to work with Dragonsteel for about half of that time.

The story of how we built this partnership with Dragonsteel is one I’ve already shared, but tonight I want to talk about our approach to the RPG project. Spoiler alert: this update references a scene from early in the first Mistborn novel.

What Would Kelsier Do?

I love the Cosmere, and it’s very hard for me to pin down my favorite book or character, but I have a clear favorite scene. In chapter six of The Final Empire, Kelsier gathers his crew around a blackboard set atop an easel. It’s the kick-off meeting for a pretty big team project: killing a god.

I know Kelsier isn’t meant to be a role model, but something about that scene has always inspired me. In the seven years since I first read that chapter, I’ve tried to apply Kelsier’s approach to the biggest problems in my professional life. When we first started to plan the Cosmere RPG, I specifically asked myself, “what would Kelsier do?”

Lesson 1: Set Your Hopes High

Kelsier’s plan is incredibly audacious: to overthrow a tyrant who has ruled for a thousand years. In our case, we set out to compete with some of the biggest and most experienced companies the RPG industry. When we met with industry experts to propose our development plan, we heard more than once “what you want to do isn’t possible.”

We listened to those experts, and we changed some of our plans, extending our timelines and increasing our budget. But we didn’t take all their suggestions (like “it’ll go a lot faster if you don’t try to build an original system”) and our optimism for the Cosmere RPG never wavered.

Lesson 2: Break Down the Problem

The real magic of Kelsier’s brainstorming session comes when the team starts breaking down the steps they’d actually need to take to overthrow the government. That’s when Vin realizes they’re serious:

And yet, the group regarded their list of “problems” with determination. There was a grim mirth about them—as if they understood that they had a better chance of making the sun rise at night than they did of overthrowing the Final Empire. Yet, they were still going to try.

For us, breaking down the problem meant working backward from our objective – awesome game books in Cosmere fans’ hands – and through all the required steps. We created project plans to understand those steps and all the different roles required.

This schedule wasn’t much more detailed than Kelsier’s chalkboard plan, and a lot changed between this and the final project plan. (We ended up adding about six months to the overall development timeline!) But it helped us get started.

Every time we encountered another seemingly insurmountable task, we followed the same process: work backward from a goal and break down the steps until they didn't seem impossible anymore.

Lesson 3: Find the Right Crew

This was Kelsier’s most important lesson for Brotherwise. Ambitious goals are just chalk dust without the right people to back them up. I can confidently say that my most important role on this project was putting together an awesome team: not just great designers and art directors and editors, but great people, and people who love the Cosmere.

Dragonsteel and Brotherwise have been posting a lot of interviews with our team members. I mean, look at all these!

Just seeing all these video thumbnails together, it's hard not to get a little misty-eyed. I don't think I can put into words how proud I am of this team.

Every member of this crew is a specialized expert, someone as skilled in their way as Breeze or Dockson. What they have in common is how much they care. That’s where I think Brotherwise had the edge on larger companies that could have taken on this project. We weren’t just putting together the biggest Cosmere fans on an existing staff. We pulled together the best crew for this job, hand-picking the right experts from across the industry.

Lesson 4: Fake it Till You Make It

One of my favorite storytelling tropes is “we become what we pretend to be.” From Don Quixote to Galaxy Quest, from Spiritual Lightweaving to Kelsier starting his own religion, this is a theme that gets me every time. Professionally, I love to create a vision and move toward it.

“Faking it till you make it” isn’t about being inauthentic. It’s about pushing past impostor syndrome, about putting anything on a blank page to get your creative momentum going. Consulting Designer Max Brooke had us employ this technique in playtesting. For example, when we first started working on Mistborn talents, he instructed us to “make a character and write down your talents as if we’ve already designed those paths.”

This philosophy also helps when you’re launching a Kickstarter, and you’re relying on people to trust the vision for something that won’t be tangible until a year from now. If Kelsier was a real person, he'd probably be really good at crowdfunding.

Lesson 5: Keep Smiling

He forced himself to smile—not out of pleasure, and not out of satisfaction. He smiled despite the grief he felt at the deaths of his men; he smiled because that was what he did. That was how he proved to the Lord Ruler—and to himself—that he wasn’t beaten.

Anyone who reads Mistborn will notice that Kelsier smiles a lot, but something that I picked up when re-reading the series is how often he smiles with purpose. He smiles to inspire others, to show defiance, and to lift his crew’s spirits when the going gets tough.

This project may seem inevitable in retrospect, but there were some real low points along the way, when we questioned our ability to deliver a game worthy of Brandon’s writing and this fandom’s passion. There were times when I smiled my way through challenges to keep the team’s spirits up, and other times when my brother or my coworkers did the same for me.

In conclusion, while Kelsier has some tendencies that I definitely wouldn’t want to emulate, he’s been a great source of inspiration for every step of this project. Come to think of it, Kelsier is great at weaving intricate plots, finding the right playgroup, making stuff up, and keeping things fun… I want Kelsier to be my GM!

Stretch Goal: Welcome to Scadrial

We’ve now unlocked every stretch goal we planned for this campaign, and several more that we hustled to create in response to this project’s record-breaking success. Here’s one that we created in response to fans who asked for Mistborn content.

So we end as we began, with a “Welcome to…” stretch goal that’s meant to bring new folks into the Cosmere. This softcover booklet will come with every Mistborn World Guide, and it’s meant to provide everything that new players need to jump straight into the Mistborn campaign setting!

Staff Spotlight: Johnny O’Neal

Alright, let's wrap up this lengthy update with a quick bio!

Johnny O’Neal is the co-founder of Brotherwise Games. Prior to working in board games, he led product development and marketing for licensed toy lines like WWE, How to Train Your Dragon, Star Wars, Paw Patrol, and Bluey. His first foray into game design was twenty years ago, when he got a couple of articles published in Dragon magazine. He’s the designer of Boss Monster, Call to Adventure, The Dragon Prince: Battlecharged, Super Boss Monster, and Adulthood.

Johnny’s favorite activity is spending time with his wife Beverly and their three sons. When he’s not playing or designing tabletop games, he also enjoys tennis, biking, drawing, karaoke, going to indie rock concerts, and collecting comic books.