Ptolus: Monte Cook's City by the Spire

Have YOUR Character Illustrated in Ptolus. Plus: Want More Handouts?
about 6 years ago – Thu, Mar 05, 2020 at 09:54:57 PM

Greetings, delver—

What an exciting campaign this has been. We’re in the depths of what we here at MCG call “the doldrums”—the middle part of every Kickstarter campaign, when things slow way down for a few weeks. But so far, these are the least “doldrumy” doldrums we’ve ever experienced. Day after day, even in this slowest phase, we’ve seen dozens of new backers join the campaign. The march toward new stretch goals has been relentless!

Here’s a way we can keep up this momentum as we move into the back half of this Kickstarter. And even better: it’s a chance to have your character immortalized in the new versions of Ptolus.

Check out this raffle. There are ten ways to enter, and you can do as many of them as you like. Each item gives you additional entries into the raffle. And each item helps spread the word about this campaign, so we’ll reach new gamers, bring in new backers, and hit new stretch goals. It’s chock full of win—and it’s super-easy!

Enter the raffle here to win your character illustrated in Ptolus!

An Extra Set of Props, Handouts, and Game Aids

We receive a lot of inquiries, in the comments and by direct message, about new options for backer rewards or add-ons. Not all of them are practical, but one suggestion we’ve heard a number of times seems like a no-brainer. Several backers have asked for a way to get a second set of the hand-outs, props, and play aids, in print, that are included with Ptolus.

So let’s do it!

Today we’ve added a new add-on. It’s the same set of props, handouts, and game aids that are included with the Ptolus book. There’s nothing in this packet that isn’t included with the book. But if you want a second set, or if you’re getting the book in PDF but want the physical extras, this is how you get them.

To purchase an add-on, click the Manage Your Pledge button on the right-hand side of the Kickstarter page and increase your pledge by the amount listed for the add-on. (In the case of the Extras Packet, you’d add $20 to your pledge.) That’s all you have to do for now. After the campaign closes, we’ll be using a service called Backerkit to collect your information, and at that time you’ll specify what the additional funds were for.

The Votes Are In: It’s Back Up the Spire!
over 6 years ago – Sat, Feb 29, 2020 at 11:34:57 PM

Greetings, delver—

Yesterday we unlocked the Ptolus Character Portfolio. Then, as we do each time, we opened voting for the next stretch goal. Voting has come to an end, and you decided to take us up the Spire again! Visits to the Spire are fraught with peril, and the further up we go, the more experience we’ll need to make it there and back successfully. But when we do, we’re rewarded with great new Ptolus content.

So if we get to $490,000, we’ll unlock another adventure. Famed RPG designer and original Ptolus campaign player Bruce Cordell will collaborate with Monte and with Sean Reynolds (also an original player) to pen a hefty, all-new Ptolus adventure. Having played there in multi-year campaigns, Bruce and Sean are intimately knowledgeable about the city, its dungeons, and even the Spire—not just the locales, but the factions, forces, creatures, and NPCs that make Ptolus such a unique and dynamic adventuring environment. As a renowned adventure creator, you can bet that Bruce will bring Ptolus to life in a thrilling and challenging adventure!

This adventure will be added, in PDF, to the rewards of everyone at the RESIDENT level and higher!

Character Portfolio Unlocked! Where Shall We Go Now?
over 6 years ago – Fri, Feb 28, 2020 at 11:49:37 PM

Greetings, delver—

Our excursion into the city of Ptolus is complete. We have upgraded the character sheet that is included in Ptolus, and created the new Ptolus Character Portfolio!

This 24-page, full-color booklet will give you everything you find on a character sheet. Plus it gives you loads of extra room for notes, ideas, sketches, maps, connections to NPCs and the other PCs, thoughts on places you’ve been, clues and information and contacts you’ve picked up, and so on. It’ll be printed on a nice, heavy matte paper that takes pencil and eraser nicely, and it’ll be perfectly sized for the game table and your bookbag.

Everyone at RESIDENT and above will get the Ptolus Character Portfolio in PDF. And you’ll get two versions—one optimized for printing out, and the other fully form-fillable and optimized for use on devices.

Everyone at HERO and above will a pack of five Character Portfolios in print. That gives you enough for the entire party!

The Ptolus Character Portfolio will also be available (also in a pack of five) as an add-on. Whether you’re getting it as a reward, or an add-on (or both, if you want more than five!), you’ll tell us in BackerKit whether you want the 5e or Cypher System version.

Where Should We Go Now?

As we unlock stretch goals we’re asking you to choose the directions in which we explore. To recap:

• Roam the city to expand and improve the Ptolus book itself.
• Delve into the dungeons to unearth related treasures—separate items that benefit your Ptolus game.
• Or ascend the Spire to unlock entirely new content and products. But beware: the Spire is not for the meek. The further up the Spire we aim, the more experience we’ll need to gain in the other regions beforehand.

With each new stretch goal, we’ll open a survey to poll you, the backers, about this choice. The poll will be open for a limited time, after which we’ll tally the results and announce which way we’re headed—and what the next stretch goal will be.

You can vote for this stretch goal now! This poll will be open until 5 p.m. EST (2 p.m. PST) Saturday.

Once we have those poll results, we’ll announce them on the Kickstarter page, so be sure to stop by and see what’s next. Whatever the result, we’ll unlock the stretch goal when we get to $490,000.

We can’t wait to see where you take us next!

Vinyl Maps!
over 6 years ago – Tue, Feb 25, 2020 at 09:30:51 PM

Greetings, delver—

Back when the original Ptolus was first launched, one accessory that was briefly available was a vinyl map of the city. It was released in two sizes: Large (roughly 32” x 48”—the size of a very large poster) and HUGE (roughly 48” x 72”—six feet long!). We’ve always thought this was pretty cool, the sort of thing an all-in backer would really like, so we included a vinyl map in the EMPEROR level. 

Well, we weren’t wrong—except, perhaps, in underestimating the demand. Since the campaign launched, we’ve had dozens of requests for the vinyl maps in the comments, in direct messages, and elsewhere. And why not? The map is beautiful and incredibly detailed. Printing on vinyl gives it a wonderful luster, keeps it free of folds and wrinkles, and makes it really durable. It’ll look great on your wall or your game table.

So today we’re rolling out the map as an add-on. Or two add-ons, really, because we’re offering it in both sizes. And here’s even better news: We’re able to add it at an even lower price than the original versions! (Unlike book printing, the cost of printing on oversized vinyl has gone down over the past fifteen years.) This may be a Kickstarter exclusive—we don’t know if we’ll be able to offer it for sale after the campaign—so if this looks cool to you, your best bet is to grab it now!

You can find instructions for add-ons under Add-Ons graphic on the Kickstarter page.

EMPEROR backers: You get the map as one of your rewards already. You can choose which size. We assume most backers will want the really big one (because it’s so huge and shiny), but some people may not have room for a map that big, or would prefer to use it at the game table rather than hang it on the wall, so you can choose the smaller one if you want. (You’ll tell us your preference in BackerKit). 

You Have Voted: We Head into the Streets!
over 6 years ago – Mon, Feb 24, 2020 at 11:36:39 PM

Greetings, delver—

Over the weekend we hit another stretch goal, unlocking Grip of the Ebon Hand. We also rolled out some exciting news about who gets that product, and other stretch goals. If you missed it, check out the last update.

In the meantime, voting was open for the direction in which we next explore. The poll is now closed, the results are in: you want to explore the city. So let's talk about what’s next!

The original Ptolus: Monte Cook’s City by the Spire included a custom character sheet. Built for 3e characters, it had a beautiful Ptolus look and room for some Ptolus-specific types of info. We are, of course, going to update that character sheet, in two versions—for 5e and for Cypher System. And because we always do it, we’ll make two files for each version. One file will be optimized for printing out, and the other will be optimized for use on devices, and be fully form-fillable. And of course the packet of handouts that comes with the print book will include a print version of the character sheet, too. 

When we reach $440,000, we’ll unlock another way of recording your character: The Ptolus Character Portfolio. This 24-page, full-color booklet will give you everything you find on a character sheet. But it’ll also give you loads of extra room for maps, sketches, and notes on NPCS and the other PCs, places you’ve been, clues and information and contacts you’ve picked up, and so on. It’ll be printed on a nice, heavy matte paper that takes pencil and eraser nicely, and it’ll be perfectly sized for the game table and your bookbag.

We’ve made similar portfolios for some of our other games, and they’re really, really cool. So much so that once you’ve used one, you’ll never want to go back to a tatty old laserprinted character sheet again. Here’s a look at a couple of our portolios for our other games, to give you a sense of what they’re like. 

When we reach $440,000, the Ptolus Character Portfolio will be added, in PDF, to the rewards of everyone at the RESIDENT level and higher. (Like the regular character sheet, your PDF will include both a print-optimized version, and a screen-optimized, form-fillable version.) Everyone at the HERO level and above with get a pack of 5 portfolios in print—enough for the entire party!