Apocalypse the Risen 5E Off to Layout & Much More!
6 months ago – Mon, Sep 19, 2022 at 03:04:41 AM

Greetings Survivors,

This is an update I've wanted to share with you for weeks.  Apocalypse the Risen for 5E has officially gone to layout. After all of the work done and the work we are still doing, it is so exciting to finally get to this point. Yes, I hear you, underscore finally. However, you will find that this is hands down the best version of AtR and there are a number of reasons why. In the following, I will give you insight into AtR 5E progress, content, and goals, the reorg and gains of Rusted Portal,  and some exciting news about our future.

The thing we are most excited about is that we've got some very awesome backers, players, and GMs. You know, what we always call Survivors. Thank you, we appreciate you and look forward to your tales of battling the Darkness while scavenging the ruins of society.

AtR 5E Off to Layout:

What this means is that our amazing layout artist Simeon Cogswell has the edited chapter files in their talented grasp. Okay, it's metaphorical! The files are in our shared team folders for their visual direction talents. Yep, you heard it here first but more on that in a minute.

Content Highlights:

We have added new rules and tweaked others to fine tune the already fantastic 5E system to better fit the post-apocalyptic setting and multiverse narrative. 

This includes (among other things):

* Proficiency rules of Familiarity, Mastery, and Expertise. These are modifications to how proficiency bonus, advantage, and disadvantage are utilized by GMs and players to better illustrate life in a survivor culture.

* Spell and spell effect duration of Linger for effects requiring concentration.

* New damage types such as Purified, Tainted, Ability, and Smoke. This also comes with a new condition, Inhalation. Smoke Stone is the physical form of Supernatural magic and in its purest form deals this damage type and may cause this condition.

Spells & Magic:

* As noted in earlier updates, AtR 5E was given a complete facelift to spells and how they work in this multiverse.

* Also included is a full list of known magic items that use known magic. To bring you this detail we include a build your own magic item system, a new type of minor magic enchantment called Aspects, and expand on known Oddities (beneficial, Unusual, and Regrettable. When we say build your own, that's for the GM toolkit because magic items cannot be made in Apocalypse the Risen, they just happen. Typically through heroism or tragedy, but sometimes just in the wild. The rules reflect that and so do all the new curses. Curse ranges include minor, major, greater, Epic, and Mythical (they're bad, mmmkay).

When Treasure is a Can of Chili:

* None of this would be possible if we did not also provide your GM toolkit with brand new Magic Item tables (Alpha through Lota) and the Scavenge Tables (Individual and Cache). We designed completely new (treasure) Scavenge Tables at all challenge ranges so GMs can help you find resources on your scavenge runs, useful equipment, and maybe some of those aforementioned magic items (newly pre-generated or entirely random).

Hierarchy of AtR Beings:

* Your GM Toolkit for Chapter 9: Narrating includes a summary list of creature types from Post-Rise Earth, the Inner, Outer, and Transitive Planes. 

* You will also learn how the Hierarchy is applied to greater beings and insight into how you can and may not want to interact with them. Let's take the Infernal Overseer on the Lower Realm for example. The excommunicated Arbiter or Shepherd does NOT want to meet this being. But now you know they exist. Unlucky.

I could go on and on, but let's not spoil the book. Instead, I'll go back to helping the team deliver!

Apocalypse the Risen 5E Delivery Goals:

* Since we are now in layout, we are on track to deliver you the PDF version of AtR 5E by the end of the year. 

* With that PDF delivery we anticipate GOING TO PRINT by the end of the year as well. 

* The PDF delivery schedule should be pretty close to on lock (at risk of overpromising). The Print schedule on the other hand is at the mercy of our printer. What I do know is that once the PDF is delivered, we will be on the schedule with our printer and deliver as soon as their schedule allows.

The summary is, we are now very close to being able to deliver our faithful and appreciated backers the game you've been wanting. And by that I mean OVERDELIVERYING on our content promises. As frustrating as it has been for some of us (me included), the amount of high quality content I require from this company to deliver to you will always be prioritized above speed. You are getting the very best high quality content and product when we deliver you Apocalypse the Risen 5E. And we've learned how to do it faster in the future. And what a future we have on your tables, conventions, and online where possible.

Rusted Portal Reorg:

The Rusted Portal team has gone through some exciting changes since we last spoke. If you haven't seen the team about page, click to meet the Rusted Portal Team or just read the following summary.

Goodbyes: We part ways and wish the best to former colonists Chad Matson and Jeff Carter. Chad was our Pathfinder developer, responsible for many great convention adventures and encounters and our Pathfinder 1E design approach. Jeff was responsible for early establishment of the company logistics. In both cases, we wish them the best on their ongoing adventures.

Exciting Addition: Since we first signed our awarding winning layout magician Simeon Cogswell to craft the look of our Pathfinder 1E design, they've been a great fit with the company. In addition to numerous small press like Rusted Portal, Simeon has also designed celebrated visuals for Delta Green from Arch Dream Publishing, Chaosium, and most recently the Marvel Multiverse RPG. Yep, thems some chops but now Simeon calls Rusted Portal home as partner. That's belief in our future and we're happy to have them on the team. So here's the roster:

Me, Donaven Brines: Original Content Creator, Founder

Jason Stolberg: Narrative Director, Co-Founder

Reid Finucan: Operations Director, Co-Founder

Simeon Cogswell: Visual Director

Take the above changes to Rusted Portal and the following upcoming projects as representation that we are not going anywhere but onto your gaming table. We will also be making the convention rounds again in 2023 once we have published AtR 5E and wrapped this Kickstarter.

Upcoming AtR Lineup: Along those lines, we wanted to take an opportunity to assure you that we are here to stay with lots of products down the line. While personnel, life, Covid, and having a big big project has taken longer than expected, we've learned what we needed to learn to delivery high quality content much faster going forward. So here's what's coming (working titles/themes):

AtR Expansion I: Defiled

Showing players the Darkness.

* Includes a number of one-shot campaign series adventures we call Incidents with a Lower Realm focus.

AtR Expansion II: Exalted

Offer salvation from Darkness with The Light.

* Overarching strategy of 3 campaign series incidents and some one-shots with an Upper Realm focus.

AtR Expansion III: Lost Souls

A return to the Grey’s influence on Earth.

* Incidents with a focus on influences from the Transitive planes and Purgatory.

AtR Expansion IV: Madness

Walk players into the Hollowed Madness of the Void.

* Yeah, you guessed it, chaos. Our Void is unlikely any you've seen. Their influence on the multiverse is strange and disturbing. They want you Hollowed. Incidents pits players against these creatures or even captures their humanity for entertainment.

AtR Expansion V: Primordial

Give players hope of redemption in the Transitive and powers of the Prime Collective.

* Adventures will introduce the nefarious and often treacherous Fey creatures of the multiverse. Players will discover the horror of the Hunter's Moon, some Matters of Trust, and of course Fey Foolery. Do not be alarmed, all adventures still pursue the greater survival of the player's colony.

AtR Expansion VI: In Parallel

Open the curtains wide for exploration into the Worlds of the Portal Multiverse

* Deeper insights into the mind breaking scope of the Worlds of the Portal multiverse through the lens of Apocalypse the Risen characters.

* Learn in detail what the Prevention Bureau is all about and what happens instead if the Paranoia Corp gets ahead of multiversal events.

* Incidents, Hunts, and Expeditions all themed around the Parallels of Humanities fate on Earth and other human populated planets in the multiverse.

Yes it is true that yours truly has framed out all of the above and more for what is just the tip of the iceberg in Apocalypse the Risen. What lies beneath the surface is a massive multiverse with interwoven campaign settings connected by one of two common threads: The Light versus the Darkness and Chaos versus the foundations of the very fabric from which the multiverse is built.

Rollout Schedule: We believe going forward we will be able to deliver on at least one expansion and related supplements each year. You will have a whole lot of content available, we hope to see you at our tables in 2023 and this time with two books on hand.

Rest assured that Apocalypse the Risen 5E is on the way, which will deliver on everything promised in this Kickstarter and so much more.

Sincerely,

Donaven Brines | Rusted Portal Colony

In Light of Recent TTRPG Events: an AtR Update
9 months ago – Sat, Jun 18, 2022 at 09:29:42 AM

Greetings Survivors,

Appreciation: The Rusted Portal Colony wishes to take a quick moment out of your day to remind you that you and our contributors are dearly appreciated. In light of recent events, know that first we will deliver all aspects of this project as has always been promised and that we promptly pay all contributors for their delivered work (artists, writers, etc.). This industry relies on the creative endeavors of many talents. We keep as much in-house as we can (an ever-growing list), and the work outsourced valued and paid for immediately.

Quality over Timeliness: As a company, we have gone through many changes, especially over the last three years, which will be detailed in the next update. And since this Kickstarter, have learned lessons you cannot buy through means other than just doing the thing. As much as that learning is a gift to us, the results of that gift will be delivered to you 10-fold. We make no light over being much later than we ever thought possible. However, we also know that greatly shifted timeline will be the thing that builds fans for a lifetime of gaming joy and insanity. The reason being that the product we deliver will be the best Apocalypse the Risen game you could ever have expected.

Goal: We will be delivering all chapters and art to layout by the end of July. With that timing, our hope is that going to print by the end of this calendar year is within reach. This goal is not a reach or over-promise, but one in which we believe possible at this time. The next update we deliver will be me telling you we have gone to layout and describing all of the exciting changes to the Rusted Portal Colony since we formed and kicked off this project.

Thank you: Again, we offer you our thanks and sincere appreciation for backing this project and sticking with us for the long haul to delivering a product we can be proud of and you can enjoy playing. And we take this time again to tell you that we stand with the freelance contributors we have employed and those who continue to make this a thriving, supportive, and fun community. As much as I am guilty of trying to do it all myself, I am so very aware and thankful for the insights and talents of those who've contributed to Rusted Portal being this far towards successfully delivering on what you have backed. Can you see an exhaustive list of contributors on the credits and backers pages in the PDF, or on the Drive Thru RPG products page for AtR PF. We appreciate, pay, and credit all involved.

Sincerely,

Donaven Brines-Founder & CEO (Rusted Portal Games)

AtR 5E Design Share & Progress Update
over 1 year ago – Sun, Sep 26, 2021 at 12:23:07 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

AtR PF Shipment Complete!
almost 2 years ago – Mon, May 03, 2021 at 06:39:57 PM

Greetings Survivors,

Unless you are one of a few people that received communication from me directly, ALL Pathfinder 1E AtR deliveries are in progress. Some are starting to be delivered, all Europe plus shipments (outside US and Canada) are shipping directly from the UK printer and will arrive a couple weeks later. We took great care in packaging but of course, things can happen in shipping. Let us know if you've got any issues and we'll figure it out promptly. However, the US and CA shipments were fulfilled by hand so each book was manually inspected before being shipped and looked good!

Thank you all, can't wait for the next.

- Donaven, Rusted Portal Games

Apocalypse the Risen Shipping & Update:
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Apr 30, 2021 at 09:30:38 AM

Faithful Survivors,

The Rusted Portal Colony stands firm and we're here to share some fantastic news. Despite the odds and doubts, we are very excited to let you know that progress and delivery is ongoing. Split update below for AtR Pathfinder and AtR 5E backers. It is good and we're stoked to be spending this time with you. Enough fluff, here's the good stuff...

AtR Pathfinder: Shipping!

All US and Canada shipments of Apocalypse the Risen for Pathfinder 1E have been shipped! Expect delivery in about 10 days, depending on your location. The further from the US West coast the longer. Please let us know when they arrive and mark as delivered. We appreciate you and can't wait for you to start digging into these books. And even better, hearing about you getting your first campaigns started. Looking forward to sharing in that with all of you. If we don't have your address, we can't ship. If you don't get a book, double-check backerkit. That's only a small handful of you, so many shipments out the door!

All European plus shipments will be drop-shipped directly from the printer beginning next week. We'll be sending those one-off instead of bulk, delivery timeline will be about 10 days longer.

Special Delivery - Donaven Brines

While the team was helping deliver AtR PF1E, I was "helping" my wife deliver our first child. Please share in our joy. Blessings and happiness all around. Getting it done, friends!

AtR 5E Progress: The first three chapters of Apocalypse the Risen 5E, including the very important Classes chapter is right now being handed off to editing. Despite delays and complaints, we continue to work hard and will be delivering all of this AtR action to your door. I (Donaven) am happy to take part of the blame for the delay, because without a doubt a few major updates early made a big difference in the final quality. We are designing a much bigger and better version of the game than we promised during the Kickstarter, and frankly I refuse to feel bad about that. I know you will all be happy with this game and rest assured again that it is coming. By the time you get it, we'll also have supporting content launching soon after to drive some awesome campaigns. Frankly, just in time for gaming to get back to some proper table time as (hopefully) this pandemic gets handled. 

Refunds: As noted in comments recently, we will also not be issuing any further refunds now that printing and shipping has started. Be part of the fun and enjoy the rewards as we deliver them, just know that is exactly what is happening. We stand by our product content and quality, which is very much real. And let's be real your campaigns are going to be epic. Just make sure to tell us all about them later. Just like real life, the Apocalypse is meant to be shared. Carry on and keep your ear tuned for Truth Transmissions.

Thank you,

Donaven - Rusted Portal Games