An Unexpected Wedding Invitation (5e)

Weekly Update and a Goblin Queen!
almost 2 years ago – Tue, Jun 21, 2022 at 03:01:00 AM

Hello friends and rescuers of jeopardised weddings! This is your weekly update about An Unexpected Wedding Invitation!

*** Goblin queen ***
The roads around Eastern Farraway are flanked by dangers, and the adventurers will find that even travelling to a wedding comes with risks.

On their way, they’ll meet a bard in peril. His musical instruments have been stolen by an unusually cunning kind of monster: A goblin queen called Blarga Burgessa the Great! She and her court are causing all kinds of trouble for careless wanderers and they’re currently celebrating their latest raid.

The goblin queen is brought to life in a spectacular fashion by the extraordinary illustrator Alaina Milare! Here’s the queen on her makeshift throne, which is adorned with items looted from unfortunate adventurers. The adventurers are advised to beware of the queen’s crafty skills and curious magical abilities, lest they will end up in the goblins' cooking pot!

*** PDF release ***
We’ll begin the release by starting to send out the PDFs next week! This will include the PDFs chosen as add-ons.

We’ll be releasing the PDFs in batches, as there are just two of us who can answer all emails and questions. So stay super-tuned for details in next week’s update about how to download the PDFs!
We’re also hoping to send the book to the printing company for test printing this week (if all goes according to plan), so the physical books will soon be ready too. Excitement galore!

*** Collector’s Edition ***
We’ve wrapped lots of items over the past week with the help of our daughters, who as usual have taken charge of the packaging in our kitchen. Almost everything has arrived to the Official Midnight Tower Storage Facility (in other words, our cramped bedroom), but we’re waiting for a couple of more items (and the books!) before everything is ready. :)

*** The survey ***
A whopping 90% have filled out the BackerKit survey! Which is awesome!!! If you’ve yet to respond to the survey, drop everything and submit your response now! :D
(Or, probably more realistically, try to find a moment to respond in the days ahead!)

If you haven’t seen the survey in your inbox, please check your spam folder. The survey was sent out on June 4.
Did the sneaky goblins steal your survey? Try the recovery tool at
https://janeaustenmystery.backerkit.com/ or contact us at [email protected].

*** Card charge ***
A quick note: BackerKit will charge cards on Friday for shipping costs and add-ons.

That’s all we had for this week - see you in the next update!

Cheers
Tove and Erik, who are working late in the tower after midnight.

Weekly Update and Fantasy Wedding Outfits!
almost 2 years ago – Sat, Jun 18, 2022 at 09:56:33 AM

Hello all friends and stylish soon-to-be wedding guests! This is your weekly update about An Unexpected Wedding Invitation!

*** Fantasy wedding outfits ***
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a new update means a new sneak peek at the project! :D
This week, we’d like to show off the two first absolutely stunning wedding outfits that your characters can wear at the elven wedding at Argentïs Falls. The wedding outfits are illustrated by the endlessly brilliant Alaina Milare! She is an amazing artist and we’re super happy to work with her!

The book will feature six different elegant wedding outfits, all of them are expertly tailored to turn heads, draw attention, and perhaps even catch the interest of other NPCs.

*** Survey deadline ***
The Backerkit survey has been sent out! :) And 85% have responded so far – thank you so much!!!

We’re locking the survey on Friday the 17th of June, and there are still about 800 people who haven’t yet responded. If you’re one of them, please fill out the survey as soon as you can. It’s super- easy and quick!
(Reward yourself with coffee/chocolate/a good book when you’re done!)

If you haven’t seen the survey in your email inbox, please check your spam folder (the survey was sent out on the 4th of June).
If the survey still is nowhere to be found, you can use the recovery tool at https://janeaustenmystery.backerkit.com/
If nothing works, don’t despair! Email us and we’ll sort it out: [email protected]

That's all we had for this week! See you all soon in the next update! :)

Cheers
Tove and Erik

Weekly Update and a Picnic Map in Disarray!
almost 2 years ago – Sat, Jun 11, 2022 at 06:49:12 PM

Hello all friends and esteemed elegant wedding guests! This is the weekly update about the book An Unexpected Wedding Invitation!

*** The survey ***
The Backerkit survey has been emailed out!Hooray! :D
And 75% of you have already filled in the survey! This is super helpful as we’re currently working on a plan for how to release the books and the PDFs – all while we’re adding the final bits to the book. So there’s a lot of late-night buzzing activity here in the tower!

If you’re one of the remaining people who haven’t yet responded to the survey, please do so as soon as you have a moment to spare. The survey will be locked on Friday the 17th of June, so that’s is the deadline for responding. But there’s no time like the present, so the sooner you find time to respond, the better! :)

Also, if you haven’t seen the survey in your email inbox, please check your spam folder (the survey was sent out on June 4) and see if its hiding there.

*** Picnic map ***
We’d also like to share a look at the finalised version of the picnic fantasy map that Tove has drawn, from its first conception as a rough sketch to the finalised inked-and-coloured artwork!
This scenic picnic spot is situated close to Silver Lodge where the wedding will take place. Many of the guests – and perhaps the players’ characters – have travelled here for a lavish picnic with all the trimmings. Crumpets, tea, lemonade and more!

But as seen on the map, something’s gone terribly wrong: All the blankets are muddied and in disorder, and strange footprints cross the site. What has happened during the picnic? Are the guests safe? And can the characters stop the day out from becoming a complete disaster…?

*** The PDFs ***
A couple of backers have been in contact and wondered if the add-on PDFs will be released before the book and the main adventure. We’re currently planning the book release, but we’re looking into if it’d be possible to send out the add-ons before the main release of the adventure. However, we’ll have to wait at least until the survey deadline has passed, just so that we don’t make any mistakes and cause lots of confusion.

That’s all for this week – see you in the next update!

Cheers
Tove and Erik

P.S. Fill in the survey and reward yourself with a nice:
a) Cup of coffee
b) Chocolate bar
c) Any random reward that you can think of

Well done! :)

Weekly Update and First Surveys!
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Jun 03, 2022 at 05:47:32 AM

Hello friends and daringly dashing wedding guests! This is your weekly update about An Unexpected Wedding Invitation!

*** Backerkit survey ***
Today we're sending out a "smoke test" survey! This means a small numbers of backers will receive an email from Backerkit with a link to the pledge manager.
This is to test and make sure the survey is set up correctly. Once we know that everything is working as it should, the survey will be sent out to everyone else! :)

This is the first time that we're setting up a pledge manager with Backerkit so we've worked days (and occasionally nights) fine-tuning all the features, which is why our weekly update is a little bit later than usual. If you have any questions about anything in the pledge manager, Backerkit's support will be able to help you out (and we're always here to answer questions too!).

••• Finalised artwork ***
An update isn't an update unless we also share some new artwork from the book! :)
Here is a look at Dark Realms Maps’ beautiful map of Silver Lodge as it's evolved from Tove’s rough sketch to the finished artwork. The main part of the adventure will take place at Silver Lodge, and there are plenty of rooms to search for clues in the old hunting lodge.
And of course, the various NPC are hiding just as many secrets..!

That's all we had for this week! See you soon again in the next update!

Cheers
Tove and Erik

Weekly Update and a Fantasy Map Sketch!
almost 2 years ago – Wed, May 25, 2022 at 05:40:12 AM

Hello friends and cheerful cavaliers! This is a new weekly update about An Unexpected Wedding Invitation!

*** Silver Lodge map ***
Our cartographer Toby at Dark Realm Maps has just sent us his first sketch for the map of Silver Lodge! This is the wedding venue where much of the adventure and its intrigues will take place. Silver Lodge is a grand, old hunting lodge. It has largely been renovated and refurbished in an elvish style, and it’s full of atmospheric rooms for the characters to meet NPCs and search for clues.

Toby draws, inks, and colours his maps by hand, including all the countless tiny details (and sometimes Easter eggs) that are found in them. We’re extremely happy that he’s drawing Silver Lodge for our book!We’re huge fans of his amazing artwork, and his maps are featured in many of our other books.

*** The book ***
This week we’re setting up everything for Backerkit’s survey that will be sent out to all backers before the release! It’s the first time we’re creating a survey of this kind, so we’re checking everything we can think of to make sure there are no hiccups.

The work with the book is moving forward as well, we’re currently working on editing and design. It’s exciting and amazing to see it all coming together! :)

That’s all for this time! See you again next week!

Cheers
Tove and Erik

P.S. If you’d like to see more of Toby’s maps, he’s running a Kickstarter for a 5e adventure right now called The Zombie Crypt!

The project is fully funded and they’re unlocking stretch goals!