Vale of the Failed and the Fallen

Vale: One week to go!
over 1 year ago – Tue, Mar 25, 2025 at 10:26:54 AM

Hey there, Chosen Ones!

We have one week left in this Kickstarter for Vale of the Failed and the Fallen, and the goal is still within our grasp. Thank you all to those who have backed it and shared it! 

Additional Add-On Hardbacks

Earlier today, I went down into our storage and recounted the books I have on hand of my other games. I had thought it wise to hold back some for Origins Game Fair this summer, but no longer! I have created add-ons for the books we are almost out of stock on: Purgatory House and Our Woodland Gods.

Purgatory House has won several awards over the years, and Our Woodland Gods was just nominated as a finalist for the Indie Groundbreaker Awards in the Best Rules category. If you missed out getting these from our past Kickstarters, you can now add them to pledge while our very limited supplies last.

The Best Deal for Vale is Now

As any responsible publisher would do, I have also been exploring options on how to proceed if we don't fund by the end of this kickstarter project. I know inflation is a mess, lots of folks have been laid off, and we really don't know what the future will bring. But ultimately, this game is done and I want folks to be able to play it.

After running all the numbers, many different ways, I can say with confidence that this Kickstarter is your only chance to get a hardback version of this game at the current discounted price. And it is the only chance to get the printed stickers.My printing quotes are good until June because my US-based printer knows they have paper to cover it until then. After that, printing prices will for this book go up.

I have also looked into the possibility of making this game in a paperback. Because of it's page count (224 pages), it's not much cheaper to do that either. As a paperback book, with a standard matte cover, this book would retail right now for $40. But again, that price will go up in June. 

So it is either get Vale of the Failed and the Fallen via this kickstarter as a nice hardback for $46... Or wait for a $40+ paperback later this year.

Don't get me wrong, I am still aiming to hit the current goal. Even though it is clear the Kickstarter mobile apps have been causing issues for us. US backers were blocked for at least a few hours on Day 1, it often doesn't show the funding goal or number of backers, and on Saturday all the actual play videos somehow turned to Rick Rolls. 

Clearly, the powers of evil do NOT want you to get this game! Which is all the more reason I urge folks to keep sharing the link!

Thank you again for your support. You really are the chosen ones!
-Robert

Vale: Day 10 - a game for our time + coasters?
over 1 year ago – Thu, Mar 20, 2025 at 08:45:56 AM

Hello Chosen Ones,

Here we are at day 10, hovering just under 50% funded. I will fully admit, that's not where I hoped to be at this point, but it doesn't mean we won't get there in the end! Everyone that has backed and shared so far is awesome! Thank you so much for your support! 

Doing any kickstarter project is always a gamble, and given the state of the... everything... right now, I completely understand why folks would be hesitant to back anything. But I can tell you what isn't a gamble: when this project funds you WILL be getting your game, it WILL be high quality, and it WILL give you a fun and memorable experience fitting for the current times.

During one of our late stage playtests, I asked my players, "Is this bait and switch? Did I promise doom and gloom, but really delivered too much heroism?" and the answer is no. This is a game about overcoming that doom and gloom. It is ultimately a game about hope. 

As my friend Cubby said yesterday on Nat21's crafting show (which you can watch here!) "This is a game for our former gifted kid generation." Vale is about picking up the pieces of a shattered world and putting them back together. It is about rising to the challenge and overcoming your past fears and baggage. Cubby also has his sparkly purple Mensa card, so I think you can believe him.

Speaking of friends, and playing games, and ideas one has in shower...

I am currently playing in a Mage: the Awakening game at my friends' house. Mage isn't really one of my top-10 games, but it is what my friends wanted to play (after spending months playtesting Vale), and I wanted to hang with my friends, so I stuck around for it. That said, our GM (storyteller) is awesome!

For the second session,  the GM gave us laser engraved slate coasters with the symbols of our magical towers. Is it part of the game? Not at all. But having that cool physical token at the table does remind us that we made a choice and that choice is now etched in stone (with a laser!) Yesterday, I decided that since the choice of playbook in Vale is so important, I wanted to enable a similar experience to the one I had at our Mage table.

I don't have a laser, but I do have a 3d printer, and a long held desire to learn blender... So I am creating coasters for Vale that folks could 3d print (at home or at their public library) to symbolize the choice of magical artifact (which is your playbook) and keep with them at the table. Once we fund, the coaster files will be available to all backers as part of the play-aids packet. Here is a photo of the Shadow one, but I will make them for all the playbooks.

Please, keep the faith. Take care of yourselves in these trying times. Seek out your friends to light the fire of hope and community... and, if you have the spoons, share this project with someone new. You know plenty of people that I don't, and that I will never reach with my advertising, but they might listen to you. Together, this game will get made and you will get an awesome book (and now some printable coasters).

Thank you.
-Robert 

Vale: Day 7 - Maps and Stickers
over 1 year ago – Mon, Mar 17, 2025 at 12:03:36 PM

Hey Chosen Ones!

As promised, I did a little video today to show off the map and stickers part of the player-driven world building in Session Zero. I realize I don't spell this out specifically on the Kickstarter page, but everyone gets a blank map of the realm and the sticker icons as PDFs for your own printing (as part of the downloadable play-aids).

The fancy vinyl stickers add-on are a Kickstarter exclusive and will NOT be generally available after the fact.

So there you have it! If anyone has any questions, feel free to post them below and I will do my best to answer. Thanks again for your support!

-Robert