Apocalypse the Risen 5E Compatible + SPINE Powered Campaign Setting (PDF Complete)
8 months ago – Thu, Sep 07, 2023 at 10:25:08 AM

Hello Survivors,

PDF Shipping Complete: Just wanted to share some quick great news. We have finished distributing ALL 5E PDFs to backers and pre-sales. If you haven't already downloaded (and I know some of you haven't yet), check your emails from Drive Thru RPG to complete your download. I wouldn't want to keep this game out of your hands for a minute longer.

Proofs to be Ordered Soon: As soon as I have the Print on Demand export in my hands we will order quality check proofs. As soon as we get those in hand and approved the bulk print run will start. We are now very close to fully delivering your printed books.

Update Your Addresses: Check your Backerkit emails, log into your accounts and update your addresses as needed. Some of you will find your address locked. Send [email protected] an email if you need to update and cannot, we'll get it taken care of. When the proofs are finalized, we will lock addresses again to prepare for final shipment.

GameHole Con: In October, Rusted Portal will be at Game Hole Con in Madison, WI running some classic Apocalypse the Risen adventures and enjoying our fist Con since Covid. We hope to see you there.

Post-Delivery, New Kickstarter in October: Stay tuned, things will be moving very quickly over the next month. Stay in the fight against the Darkness. Thank you for backing, your continued support, and most of all your steadfast interest in Apocalypse the Risen.

Sincerely,
​Donaven Brines | ​​CEO​, Founder, Original Content Creator
Rusted Portal Games

Apocalypse the Risen 5E Compatible + SPINE Powered: PDF & Print Update
8 months ago – Mon, Sep 04, 2023 at 08:37:18 PM

Hello Survivors,

This is the update I have most wanted to send. The Apocalypse the Risen 5E Compatible Campaign Setting + SPINE Powered System is ready to distribute in PDF. 

In the coming days we will upload all email addresses into Drive Thru RPG and send a download link.  As soon as we have sent all fulfillment copies for download we will make the product live for the public.

BackerKit: I have just sent a notice to all backers to update their shipping addresses.

Print: Now that the PDF version is final and being distributed we anticipate an export for Print Proof ordering in the next couple days. As soon as we have that in hand we will order print proofs from Drive Thru. Approval of the Print Proofs will lead to a bulk print run.

Print Copy Distribution: Update your Backerkit shipping address, send us any email to [email protected] with any problems, and we will get your Printed Apocalypse the Risen 5E Compatible hardback shipped to you as absolutely soon as possible given printer and shipping timelines.

Allocation Plan: We will be updating backers of all print levels individually to communicate our allocation plan. As a general statement,5E+SPINE Powered is the system for the Apocalypse the Risen campaign setting. We will make right with all of our backers by ensuring you have a copy of the system AtR will continue to support. And backers who purchased both 5E & Pathfinder or the Leather bound version will also receive a special allocation. All of which will be fulfilled at the same time.

Content: The 5E Compatible Apocalypse the Risen Campaign Setting is a four in one book. You do not need any additional books to fully run an Apocalypse the Risen campaign. Thanks to WOTC All 5E SRD content relevant to running a 5E campaign is included in our book. We also include new Experience Tables for all levels, Treasure (Scavenge) Tables and Treasure Hoards (Caches). And as you already know AtR includes all our own unique monsters. And we rewrote and printed all 5E Spells usable in Apocalypse the Risen. This is a magic rich campaign setting and everything you need will now be at your fingertips.

Four Books in One: For Apocalypse the Risen you will no longer need a separate Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, Monster Manual, or campaign setting. You have it all in the AtR 5E+ SPINE Powered Campaign Setting.

Ongoing Support: We will launch another crowd funding campaign in October after we have fully distributed your AtR 5E Compatible game. That will be the first of a long line of supporting products for this setting and system. It is for that reason that we are getting all North American backers this version of the game in some format equivalent to how you originally backed us.

Thank you, dear Backers. We appreciate that you have stuck with us for the long haul as we designed and produced a funny new multiverse and campaign setting on two very different systems. We learned a lot along the way, the most valuable of which is how great it is to have you in our corner. We hope you stick with us as we continue to grow and put out new content.

Sincerely,
​Donaven Brines | ​​CEO​, Founder, Original Content Creator
Rusted Portal Games Colony

Apocalypse the Risen 5E+SPINE Powered
9 months ago – Sat, Aug 05, 2023 at 11:39:05 PM

Hello Survivors,

This is the closest thing to the update you wanted to hear. We have received the review draft of the AtR 5E+SPINE Powered PDF. 

 Our layout artist is enjoying Gen Con as I'm hopeful many of you are as well. Rusted Portal will certainly be back next year. 

When Layout returns they will have in their hands our requested updates (minimal), work up the cover, and be able to export a PDF for Distribution and for assigning to a Printer Printer for Proofs.

We will first get printer proofs from DriveThruRPG (also where we will distribute the PDF). Depending on the time frame, we may get printer proofs from another printer as well.]

This is all to inform you that we are now very close. Images included in this update are to show pages from the final chapter 13 Magic Items as well as the very last page of the book for an idea of how stuffed with content this book really is.

We will distribute the PDF to the email addresses on file. There will be a request from Backerkit to update your account for shipping as the print job gets closer.

Stay tuned, stay close. We are just about there and we hope you stay with us for the long run. Future Kickstarter campaigns will be much closer to final before we launch. The content will continue to fill books for a long time to come. So we hope that content fills your tables with GM and players alike.

 Thank you eternally for helping make Apocalypse the Risen a reality. Rusted Portal Games will stick by you with the same tenacity as you have stuck with us.

sincere Thanks! 

Donaven Brines | Rusted Portal Games - CEO

Soon to be just you, me, and the Crypt Keeper. Cheers!

Apocalypse the Risen 5E+SPINE Powered
10 months ago – Wed, Jul 12, 2023 at 08:41:43 PM

Hello Survivors,

I received a request from one of our faithful backers so I'm just dropping a very quick note to tell you where we are at presently. I've dropped a few screen captures of the layout draft PDF for your reference.

Our layout artist is still working through the final chapter and 1/2 of this behemoth of a book. At the end of the day, AtR 5E is actually a larger and more complete tome than was the Pathfinder predecessor. 

AtR 5E is essentially your new Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual. This book includes EVERYTHING you will need to play and GM Apocalypse the Risen. This one book replaces all 3 other books. You will have all of the spells, gear, monsters, and magic items needed to enjoy a complete Apocalypse the Risen Campaign.

We have already received and provided notes on the first 12 layout chapters. We will do the same for the last 1.5 chapters very quickly once we receive the export. We are desperately pushing layout to have the PDF published before Gen Con, and to be on the printer's schedule at that time.

You will be the very first to know when we hit that threshold. In the meantime, because we are at the mercy of layout finishing the campaign setting, we have written much of the next book AtR 5E+SPINE Powered Setting & System Starter. This next book provides new Ancestry options, 8 new playable classes, and 14 additional creatures. All intended to expand and further advance your AtR 5E+ Campaigns.

Not only written, but we've also commissioned nearly all of the art for that book. We will be prepared to run a Kickstarter for that book AFTER we fully deliver on this project. This is to let you know that AtR will continue to be fully supported.

We will only run the new Kickstarter when we are ready for layout. We have learned how to do this better and faster going forward.

The book that you have been patiently waiting for is the most complete, thoroughly designed, and fun Apocalypse the Risen Campaign Setting we could have hoped to bring to your table. And it's getting closer by the day. At page 503 as we await the last 1.5 chapters. Yeah, this is your monster.

Thank you so much for your continued support.

We look forward to overdelivering on content and fun.

Sincerely,

Donaven - Rusted Portal Games

Apocalypse the Risen: 5E+SPINE Powered Update
11 months ago – Mon, May 15, 2023 at 01:23:12 PM

 Greetings Survivors,

This message brought to you by the Rusted Portal Colony. We are at your mercy for the ongoing timing of final delivery of your 5E Compatible Apocalypse the Risen Campaign Setting. There are a few key reasons for this latest and hopefully final delay. I have detailed those following. First, this is where we are at as of this writing.

 What We Have & What's Outstanding:

I have received the first 12 chapters out of 13 + a rules addendum. I am including a few screen captures of layout final pages for your reference. I submit these pieces as proof of concept that we are where we say we are today.

* The rules addendum (previously known as the 5E System Reference Document) is being included in its entirety as it relates to Apocalypse the Risen. This is still in layout as it was a late addition (more later) but it is relatively short and without images.

* Chapter 13: Magic Items is the final chapter in the book. This is a chapter heavy with charts/tables to make it easy for the GM to randomly determine the occurrence of magic item in the wild or for treasure. However, as the last chapter in the book we are hopeful completion does not take but a couple weeks.

 Cause of Delays:

Quantity: We have a huge amount of quality content, resulting in even more pages than the AtR Pathfinder Campaign Setting.

Layout Timing: The WOTC debacle combined with competing freelance priorities for our layout artist to delay the book by several months. We are hopeful those freelance priorities have cleared out enough to finalize the book in the next few weeks. At least we can say this, our layout artist freelance work was for the Mouse and the Marvel RPG looks amazing. Congrats to them for fantastic work for such a huge client.

WOTC & the OGL: As some (perhaps all) of our backers know, Wizards of the Coast leaked a draft new OGL which would have significantly hampered our ability to publish Fifth Edition content. As we were awaiting the fallout from that Hasbro mistake I began fast tracking development of our system, the SPINE Powered Game System. When the SRD was dropped into Creative Commons ending the immediate threat, we rewrote the majority of the 5E rules and updated some terms to SPINE Powered. That means we actually updated rule terms for all 13 chapters of the book plus added the rules addendum. What you will receive will be the Apocalypse the Risen 5E+SPINE Powered Campaign Setting, completely compatible with Fifth Edition.

 What that means going forward: 

You will only need to own the AtR Campaign Setting to play ALL Apocalypse the Risen products. You will not need a Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, or a Monster Manual. All the rules, all the spells, many magic items, and a large selection of monsters are included in the Apocalypse the Risen 5E+SPINE Powered Campaign Setting.

 Delivery Timing:

I must stop giving you specific dates for things out of my control. However, this is what I know. We are going through the first 12 chapters with a eagle eye final edit to try and catch those little mistakes that cause even big companies to release 6 or 7 updates to the same book. We are using as much time as possible for what layout needs on the final chapter to make the very best possible game for you to enjoy.

What I think: I believe we are a few weeks away from releasing AtR 5E+SPINE Powered on PDF and immediately going to print. We will get print proofs from Lightning Source who printed AtR for Pathfinder (through Drive Thru RPG) as well as an international printer. Once we have proofs we will get on the printer's schedule and deliver as soon as printing and shipping allow.

What you Are Getting:

You will receive a roughly 600 page AtR 5E+SPINE Powered Campaign Setting complete with everything you need to run a great AtR campaign.  We will deliver this campaign setting to all backers who paid for a hardback product. The reason for this is because THIS is the system now and into the future for Apocalypse the Risen. We want you to have the best, most complete, and most supported product for your campaigns.

The Future:

We have learned a great deal over the course of developing two high quality and content heavy Apocalypse the Risen Campaign Settings. As I have awaited delivery of layout product to move the campaign setting forward to our faithful backers I continued to develop future content. I am more than half way through TWO additional AtR books and have already begun commissioning new art for those books. Here's a brief of each.

AtR Setting & System Starter. This is a starter set to help you and new backers ease their way into Apocalypse the Risen. We introduce new conditions that simplify how complex dangers affect survivors (mutations, insanity, radiation exposure, etc.). This new book also takes the 8 NPC classes found in the campaign setting and builds them out to PC classes. You will also have 14 new creatures added to your GM Toolkit, a new Session Zero, and 3 new adventures intended to get your PC Alternates to 5th level. From there you will have the option to multiclass those alternates to a 2nd level PC class.

AtR Defiled. Previously mentioned and still in progress. AtR Campaign Setting Class iconic artist Raven Mimura returns to illustrate the Venator: Demon Hunter (complete with Grim Kit tools for harvesting demon parts).

And a lot more content support for AtR after. Importantly, we will deliver those books much faster, more timely, and return to convention play to show off supporting adventure paths.

You will see more changes to the Rusted Portal Colony team after we publish. What you won't find is me going away. I am here for the long haul and will continue to deliver product after product. Thank you so very much for the many supportive messages I've received both in person and digitally. I am here because I love this community and these games.

I've finished writing, so at this point I'm going back to drop in art. Excerpts from the AtR Campaign Setting and one piece for fun from the Setting & System starter.

Sincerely,

Donaven, CEO - Rusted Portal Colony Leader