Ryoko Just Made History: Ryoko's Guide Becomes The Biggest 5e Kickstarter Of All Time!
about 1 year ago – Tue, Oct 10, 2023 at 11:49:03 AM

We Actually Did It!

WOW! You are AMAZING! Ryoko's Guide just passed Steinhardt's Guide to the Eldritch Hunt to become the most funded 5e Kickstarter of ALL TIME. This community has just made the history books! Update the wiki articles, someone call Buzzfeed about their next "TOP 10 D&D KICKSTARTERS" listicle, the times are a-changing!

But Seriously...

Thank you so much, from all of us. A project of this scope requires love and dedication from dozens of people on the creation side. From the writing, to the art, to the graphic design, to community management, and everything inbetween, everyone on this team has given everything they can to make this special. We love Ryoko's, and are so grateful to have so many of you with us on this incredible journey. Every member of the team has many people to thank, both in our professional and private lives, who have supported us along the way. 

On a personal note from me, I find myself thinking about the very first words I wrote as Ryoko for this book, an excerpt of her description of the Enkoh, and the strength of community and fellowship.

“There’s magic in this world that goes beyond flashes, bangs, and jets of flame. An earthy magic of food, structure, and fellowship. It’s the magic of a thousand mundane hands raising a city from velvet snow. A magic woven by walking into the cruellest blizzard and welcoming it as your home.

These people understand that magic. The mightest yokai and grandest kaiju might be able to survive here, for a time, but only the enkoh can thrive.”

Ryoko's is the city that we, as a community, raised together. It couldn't exist with all of us, and it's a magic beyond any 9th level spell. We're honoured to be a small part of your story, and the stories you will tell together for years to come!

From all of us, thank you so much! You are awesome!

If you've any questions, you can submit them in the comments to this update, the project updates, or, even better, on the #ryokos-guide-questions channel of the Loot Tavern Discord Server.

Will and the Team

A New Race, A New Subclass, And The Final Stretch!
about 1 year ago – Mon, Oct 09, 2023 at 12:09:20 PM

New Stretch Goals Unlocked!

We're smashing stretch goals like a kaiju smashes skyscrapers! You CRUSHED both the 2.3 and 2.5 million goals, unlocking a fourth Element Bender subclass: The Disciple of Fusion and a new playable race: The fortune-favoured Isetsu!

The isetsu are spidercrab-inspired humanoids with a mighty claws and a sturdy, but brittle, carapace! With versatile core abilities and a bonus action grapple option, they make a great choice for close-quarters combatants, like Monks, Barbarians, Fighters, Rangers, and Benders!

And speaking of benders: Check out the Fusionist!

Perhaps the most explosive Element Bender subclass, this one is all about combining your Elemental affinities to produce ever more powerful effects. Magma storms, showers of ice, dust tornadoes, and everything in between are yours to command!

Bombuku's Notebook of Knowhow Add-On Out Now!

After a little back-end kickstarter kerfuffle, we've got Bombuku's Notebook of Knowhow available as an add-on! It comes free with the Deluxe and All-In tiers, but anyone can add the 64+ page, softcover physical book to their pledge for just $15! Everyone who's picking up the Ryoko's Guide PDF will recieve the PDF copy of Bombuku's for free too!

Projects We Love

We're still amazed and inspired by your incredible support for Ryoko's, and we're also constantly inspired by the epic stuff other creators in the community are making, like the stunning Fablemaker's Deck of Many Things by our friends at Hit Point Press, with incredible art by Yoshi Yoshitani.

The Fablemaker’s Deck of Many Things: An Oracle for Risk and Reward is an oracle deck based on the fifth edition deck of many things. Beautifully illustrated by Yoshi Yoshitani, these cards are perfect for asking yourself challenging questions and prompting reflection, with both Overworld and Underworld cards! Recommended for Tarot, Oracle and 5e fans alike, check them out here! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hitpointpress/the-fablemakers-deck-of-many-things-for-5e?ref=7893rc

We're coming in on the final ~67 hours of Ryoko's Guide now! If you've any questions, you can submit them in the comments to this update, the project updates, or, even better, on the #ryokos-guide-questions channel of the Loot Tavern Discord Server.

You guys are amazing,

Will (and the team)

Bombuku's Brilliant Book Bonanza - now with FREE DICE!
about 1 year ago – Thu, Oct 05, 2023 at 03:30:11 PM

Look, we couldn't hit $2.1m without giving you all a little something extra...

Free Dice for Everyone!*

*Who orders a hardcover book and wants them!

Okay, you heard it here first, everyone who backs at a physical tier (Book, Game-Ready, Core Box, Deluxe Box, or All-in) or adds a hardcover book addon during the Kickstarter campaign gets a free D20 and a free 2d6 from the Yokai Dawn line. That means, if you backed early or got them as an addon, you know have 2d20 and 3d6. Smash through obscene ACs with your advantaged rolls and get that level 5 sneak attack with perfectly matching stabbiness!

Digital Deluxe Tiers. Don't worry, we haven't forgotten about you! Y'all can't add physicals books in Kickstarter, because of how the system works (Kickstarter gets funny about digital-only tiers).  But fear not, when you fill out your pledge manager (this is Backerkit and happens 2-3 weeks after the campaign fulfils), you will have the option to add one of the hardcover books (Ryoko's Guide, Wrath of the Kaiju, or The Art of Ryoko's Guide) which will come with the free dice!

Here are the rules! To get these dice you must become a backer during the Kickstarter campaign. Then either:

(A) Back at any one of the physical tiers during the Kickstarter campaign;

(B) Back at the PDF tier and add a hardcover book;

(C) Back at the Digital Deluxe tier and add a harcover book during your pledge management.

Thank you for helping us surpass $2.1m and continue to soar like a sky bison! You guys are the best!

Bombuku's Notebook of Knowhow - New Player-Facing Book

We know how much you cherish your beautiful, hardcover books. Doubtless, you already have a Ryoko's-sized, felt lined gap out of direct sunlight on your bookshelf waiting for February 2025 (just me? Okay...). Well, what better way to keep your book in pristine condition and your game nights flowing nicely than by giving your players (and their grubby mitts) their own reference guide to use mid-game?

Introducing Bombuku's Notebook of Knowhow!

This ~64-page softcover contains all the information your players might need to quickly reference when it's not their turn in combat. (Note, players: when it's not your turn! Plan your turns ahead of time!). The current plan (subject to change) involves including the following key sections from Ryoko's:

• The harvesting and crafting rules
• The rules on scaling kaiju and the Brace action
• The combo attack rules and options
• The newly unlocked advanced weapon fighting mechanics

Basically, it's all the stuff that players might want to check in a beautiful, convienent package. Quickly reference these new mechanics and pole vault over an enemy, spin into a Whirling Combo Strike, and then craft up a nice pair of slippers from the remains of the Ogre you just slaughtered!

Bombuku's Notebook of Knowhow is in the Deluxe Box and All-In Tier at no extra cost, but anyone can grab their copy as an add-on if you want one!

If you've any questions, you can submit them in the comments to this update, the project updates, or, even better, on the #ryokos-guide-questions channel of the Loot Tavern Discord Server.

You guys are amazing,

Will (and the team)

Okay, You Asked For It... Announcing the All-In Tier!
about 1 year ago – Mon, Oct 02, 2023 at 09:35:56 AM

Introducing the Ultimate Tier!

So many of you asked for the VTT and Ascendant Dragon Mini to be available in a physical tier, so here it is. The All-In Tier features both the Dragon, the VTT and EVERYTHING else! 

It also includes twelve stunning posters showcasing the gorgeous art of Ryoko's Guide, a spectacular canvas wall hanging measuring 450x1270mm (that's almost as big as a human!), and an exquisite slip case to protect and store all three books.All in, this tier represents more than $400 of savings over buying the addons separately! Here's the slip case up close!

What's more, the All-In tier will automatically include all future stretch goals! Everything unlocked as a part of this Kickstarter (like the upcoming Player-Facing Book Stetch Goal) will be auto-added to this tier at no additional cost!

The All-in tier also includes the Yokai Dawn resin dice set (alongside the sharp-edge resin and jade dice sets), which means even if you missed the Yokai Dawn dice in the first 72 hours, you can pick them up here. If you did get Yokai Dawn set as an early bird backer, you'll get a second set! 

A New Stretch Goal Unlocked!

In the meantime, we crushed another stretch goal, unlocking the beautiful top-down, punch out cardboard tokens for the yokai and familiars in Ryoko's Guide! With the kaiju tokens already unlocked, we're now making every creature that appears across all the books as a token both physical and digital! Everything you need to play, the way you choose to play!

Next Stretch Goal! $2m: Advanced Weapon Mastery!

We're very close to $2,000,000 now, at which point we're unlocking the expanded, advanced Weapon Mechanics to enhance martial characters with incredible options and flexibility! Skill trees and awesome new abilities for both in and out of combat, added to the core book Ryoko's Guide to the Yokai Realms and available to everyone getting the book or PDF. We'll be sure to update you all if we crack that stretch goal before the end of the campaign!

If you've any questions, you can submit them in the comments to this update, the project updates, or, even better, on the #ryokos-guide-questions channel of the Loot Tavern Discord Server.

You guys are amazing,

Will (and the team)

A Secret Stretch Goal Unlocked!
about 1 year ago – Tue, Sep 26, 2023 at 10:35:26 AM

A Secret Stretch Goal Unlocked (You Are Amazing)!

We never believed we’d have the support to do this! With almost 2,000 of you getting the Deluxe Box, we are able to make a deluxe cover for Wrath of the Kaiju, the adventure book that accompanies Ryoko’s Guide to that box at no extra cost. Check out this mockup by the incredible Sinlaire!

Grab this luxurious dark faux leather cover embossed with gorgeous red and gold foil fit for a dragon’s hoard, and take your players to the edge in the five epic adventures within.

The deluxe tier gets this upgrade for free and other tiers can choose to upgrade their standard adventure book cover once we move to Backerkit.

Deluxe Box vs. Digital Deluxe

A few people have been asking about what's included in the Deluxe Box vs. the Digital Deluxe tiers. The Deluxe Box includes a ton of physical products (like the card packs, the art book, and, of course, the new Deluxe Adventure Book!) and also includes the digital versions of those products. If you're backing a physical bundle, you'll get the digital versions of the products in that bundle as well.

As such, there is some overlap with the Digital Deluxe pack, which is the tier for EVERYTHING digital. That means it includes digital copies of the card packs, Ryoko's Guide and Wrath of the Kaiju PDFs, Digital Handouts, etc. However, the Digital Deluxe tier also includes the Ascendant Dragon STL, the VTT Bundle, and the Digital Assets Bundle, which don't appear in the Deluxe Box (but you can also pick any of these things up as add-ons if you'd like!)

Digital Asset Bundle. This is all the art in both books—Ryoko's Guide and Wrath of the Kaiju—in multiple file formats: both hi-res and std-res indexed JPG/PNG and WebP. Want a wall paper? That's the hi-res export. Want to make your own VTT? That's what the standard-res indexed JPGs and PNGs are for. This wasn't supposed to contain the digital handouts and cards but, due to a clerical error, it now does! That means that, if your purchase the DAB during the Kickstarter, you get the digital handouts and cards as a bonus!

VTT Bundle. This let's you run games online with minimal prep. That's means all the new races, subclasses, items, spells, creatures, maps, and adventures set up, organised, and ready to play in your VTT of choice from Roll20, Foundry, or Alchemy Enhanced! 

If you ever want to double check exactly what is offered in a tier, you can check out the Detailed Pledge Breakdown table above or on the campaign page.

If you've any questions, you can submit them in the comments to this update, the project updates, or, even better, on the #ryokos-guide-questions channel of the Loot Tavern Discord Server.

You guys are amazing,

Will (and the team)