Steinhardt's Update v0.9 & Potential Delays
over 1 year ago – Tue, Feb 07, 2023 at 12:44:10 PM

Hello fellow hunter,

This update is going to be a bit longer, so let's jump in.

Delays

The book is progressing at a good rate. Unless a major roadblock appears, we should be able to give a complete PDF in March / April , tilting towards April.

The only thing I could see slowing us down is the rate at which the art for the book is made. I've taken steps to minimize this by hiring additional artists on the team.

The issue is with the physical delivery of the book.

Let me explain:

To create a book, you need to send a first draft to the manufacturer, which prints the sample and sends it back to you. 

This dance takes a couple of tries, minimum, because there is always something that will go wrong somewhere (for example problems with: the formatting, the image grading, the structure of the book, etc...), and the shipping takes at least 10 days each time.

I've already sent samples to be made, for almost everything (the dice, GM screen, boxes, canvas, posters, character sheets, tarot moon cards, item cards, field notes, hunter badge, cloth map).

I'm waiting on these items to get back to me, BUT there are 3 things I couldn't send: The book itself, the GM Cheatbook, and the Artbook. As you can imagine these are the most important to get right, but they aren't completed as of yet, so I can't make a sample for them yet.

This means that once the PDF is completed, there will be a period of roughly 1-2 months where we make sure the products are perfect, before we start the shipping.

My goal with 'Steinhardt's Guide to the Eldritch Hunt' is first and foremost to give you the highest quality product possible.

This means that I will delay the shipping a bit to make that we get the product right, rather than deliver an underwhelming experience.

A PDF I can always change later, but a book that is in your hands is not something I can modify, so we have to get it right from the get go, and I'm taking every step possible to ensure that.

I will make sure to keep you updated every step of the way.

Now,

Update Alpha 0.9.

After all the serious talk, let's take about the new content - something far more exciting in my opinion.

This new update is called 'Steinhardt's Alpha Preview 9', and you can find it in Backerkit.

I made sure to create a new name this time around (I didn't realize that the name you see, and the one I have access to are different in Backerkit.)

As you know with the OGL madness that happened a bit ago, I had to rush out some unpolished content, to make sure that the book wouldn't be affected.

This is no longer a worry, so I've removed all the unfinished content. This is is why the number of pages in this update PDF is lower than the previous update.

Notably I removed all the pages with only art and no content, this is to prevent confusion, as many have asked me what were those pages with only art. I also removed the 'Streets of Terrors' adventure. It will be re-releasing next week, as soon as it's been proofread.

And of course all the other content will be coming back as well.

So what does this update contains?

- 7 New Monsters

- 32 New Spells

- Completed 'Echoes of Madness' Adventure

- Proofreading across a large chunk of the book.

- Balance changes for multiple subclasses and the Jaeger. (balance changes to Jaeger Focus and Momentum, buff to the Heretic Subclass, buff to monk, barbarian)

What's Next?

What's coming in the next update I hear you say?

Well, as I mentioned above, the 'Streets of Terror' Adventure is coming along with a massive redesign. 

We have one more adventure to make for the book after that, and it will be a level 20 one, because I can, and because you will need to be at least that level to kill a god.

There are still five subclasses remaining: Bard, Barbarian, Rogue, and 2 for Ranger. Expect to see one of them next update.

The Bard and Barbarian are almost done, with the torturer ranger soon to follow. The last one will be the Lunar Ranger, because it requires all the moons to be designed first. 

Now that most of the player options have been laid out, we are shifting the focus towards writing more lore (I know quite some people are curious about it), and create a badass world for you to explore.

I really appreciate your patience and can't wait for you to experience the guide in its full glory!

Take Care!

Evan | MonkeyDM

PS:

My good friend Kibblestasty, the man I hired to create the Jaeger Class, is currently running his own Kickstarter, it's a massive book: 50+ subclasses, for every single base class, and 4 new epic classes! An absolute ton of well designed spells (250+), 30+ feats, and more!

I know Kibbles to be an incredible designer for 5e, so if you want to add more unique options in your game, I cannot recommend his book enough. This is not a paid sponsorship or anything, just me giving a praise to a deserving person.

Jaeger Class Update and Feedback Form + Upcoming content
over 1 year ago – Wed, Jan 25, 2023 at 12:40:52 PM

Hello fellow hunters,

Let's jump right in! 

Jaeger Class

The team has been working hard on the Jaeger Class and I'm excited to announce that it has now been edited and re-released.

You simply need to go in Backerkit and download the file called "Steinhardt's Big Update" again to view the changes. 

Along with the release, I'm also including a feedback survey for the class: 

https://forms.gle/sudoQ5Tpe2S8JYhd7

I'd love to hear your feedback on the class to help me balance it going forward.

I have taken into consideration all the suggestions and feedback I have received in the past and have made changes accordingly (although not all changes are visible as of yet, I have a lot of documents to go through haha).

I believe that this class is now in a much better state than it was before, especially when it comes to understanding it, but I am always open to hear from you to make it even better.

What's Next?

I'm happy to report that the book is advancing at a good pace. In the next update, you can expect to see a corrected version of the Echoes of Madness adventure, new monsters to go with said adventure, and - if the editors are done with it by then - 32 new spells! 

The 4 remaining subclasses (2 Ranger, 1 Barbarian, 1 Bard) are also almost done, I'm at a point where a lot of the content is almost ready, but we need to sit down to balance it properly. 

I want to make sure the book is the best it can be for all of you.

aaaand that's it,

Take Care!

P.S: I just want to take a moment to thank you for your unending support, especially in these strange times. You're the best!

Update on the state of Steinhardt's Guide to the Eldritch Hunt
over 1 year ago – Tue, Jan 17, 2023 at 12:30:20 PM

Hello fellow hunters,

I wanted to provide a quick update on the progress of Steinhardt's Guide to the Eldritch Hunt. 

I've updated the preview content and it contains 207 pages (so far) 

Please keep in mind that most of this content is considered alpha and is subject to change as we continue to develop and refine the story. But I'm pleased to report that the book is advancing at a good pace. 

I recently hired additional team members to help us move along due to the *waves hand around* current interesting situation we are in with the OGL. 

We are working hard to bring you the best possible book and I can't wait for you to read the final version.

Take Care!

Evan | MonkeyDM

P.S.

If you are enjoying the book so far, and have friends who would be interested in it too, it would help us out tremendously if you could direct them this way. 

As I mentioned before, I'm not sure how long we can keep selling this content, so I want to get it into as many hands as possible before it is too late.

Steinhardt's Guide to the Eldritch Hunt and the future
over 1 year ago – Mon, Jan 09, 2023 at 10:46:53 AM

Hello everyone!

Hope you are doing well,

Let's get the elephant out of the room first:

Will the OGL 1.1 it affect Steinhardt's Guide to the Eldritch Hunt?

Regarding the OGL 1.1, my team and I have taken advice from counsel and we don't think it affects the development of Steinhardt's Guide to the Eldritch Hunt. If/when other products are affected, we will let you know.

That being said,It might affect my capacity to sell the book through my website in the future, depending on the changes to the license (if any).

So if you're on the fence about getting the book, now might be a good idea, as I may not be able to sell it later.

If you want to read my stance on the OGL, you can do so here.

The TL;DR is that I'm strongly opposed to it, for a multitude of reasons 

Big Alpha Release

You may have received an email from Backerkit today.

We released a big update for Steinhardt compiling everything we released so far in in one big 158 pages document + a big puppy.

You can head on to Backerkit to download it there, simply log in to your account and you should see it.

Pre-order store going forward

Today I've charged all the pre-orders, and I'll charge going forward will charge new pre-orders each Monday.

If you experience any issues with the payment, contact Backerkit support, they will help you out.

I apologize for the lack of communication lately, but the whole OGL 1.1 did put a wrench in my plans.

The development of Steinhardt remains unaffected for now.

Take care everyone!

Best,

Evan | MonkeyDM

Steinhardt's Preview 7 - A Holiday Break is upon us
over 1 year ago – Sat, Dec 17, 2022 at 12:32:15 AM

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all doing well!

Sorry this update is a little late! I was under a tax audit, and had to get a lot of papers in order, which took time away from writing content. All good now though! 

So, let me jump right into the announcements:

New Playtest Content

If you check your emails, normally you should have received a message from Backerkit letting you know there is some new content. (Alternatively log in to Backerkit, and you'll see the content there)

What is that content I hear you say?

A new class! The Jaeger, complete with 5 subclasses.

The class right now is in version 0.8, meaning that it is a playtest version and not the finished product.

I don't have a survey for it, because we're still running some internal playtesting, but if you have some feedback to give me, you can always hop on the Discord and let me know there. (https://discord.gg/ndQP8ym3tz).

To be completely honest with you I'm really enjoying the class and playing a character with it right now haha.

A big thank you again to Kibblestasty for helping design this class, he did an amazing job!

Backerkit Update

I have been in contact with Backerkit, most of the payments that failed have now worked, but if yours still isn't working, feel free to reach out to Backerkit Support, and/or to me directly by mail at [email protected] 

A brief word on Pre-orders (meaning people that have ordered the book through Backerkit, not Kickstarter.) 

I haven't charged your card yet, this is intentional. 

I will do so in January, when we are closer to shipping everything.

Next Update

I do intend to spend a bit of time with family during Christmas, but afterwards I shall bestow more content upon thee.

I intend to read all the feedback you've given me, and use it to correct the previous content during the holidays. 

In about 2 weeks I'll release an updated version of all the content that was released until now (except for the adventures, cause my family would still like to spend time with me (the gall on these people I swear ;) 

That's it for me!

Take Care!

Evan | MonkeyDM