Colostle - A Solo RPG

2000 BACKERS CROSSED!!! Quick reminder of where we are!
about 5 years ago – Tue, Feb 09, 2021 at 12:53:12 PM

Well would you look at that! We did it! 2,000 of you awesome people! Thank you so much. Truly, I am stunned, I am reeling as if I have been punched by a Rook... phenomenal.

So, I thought a good update might be one that makes it clear to all you backers, both old and new, where we are now, what everyone is getting and where we stand post campaign. So...

The rewards table on the campaign page is accurate. Refer to that instead of the pledge reward descriptions as I cannot update the pledge reward descriptions with the stretch goal stuff.

Digital Rewards - EVERYONE, from £3 Digital reward tier upwards, will receive the following as a digital download pack:

• Colostle - Complete Edition (PDF) - containing base rules, all stretch-goal expansion modules, illustrated world map, full colour illustrations, journal cover image and illustrated items gallery.
• PnP Deck of cards (PDF) - all cards artwork for you to print yourself.

Paperback Rewards - All reward tiers that are for Paperback copies will come with 1 paperback base rulebook, 1 paperback expansion modules book and 1 blank journal. (Except for the 2x paperback reward tier, which will come with 2 of each of those items). They will also come with all digital rewards mentioned above.

Hardback Rewards - All reward tiers that are for the Hardback version will come with 1 blank journal as well. The hardback contains the expansion modules, the world map, the full colour illustrations and the illustrated items gallery.

---

Backerkit - After the campaign ends, I will be moving the management of the rewards over to Backerkit, a post campaign pledge manager. This will allow you all to add add-ons to your pledges in any quantity you like. If you want 3 extra blank journals added on, no problem! If you want a paperback version as well as your hardback version, no worries! The add-ons will be charged as additional items (with additional shipping) but then all items (original pledge rewards PLUS add-ons) will be shipped to you as one delivery.

---

I hope all that makes sense. As always, if you have any questions at all leave a comment below or on the campaign comments tab and I will reply, I'm endeavouring to reply to every question so hopefully I won't miss yours. You can always check the FAQ too to see if your question is answered there.

I'm sorry it has got a little messy and complicated. I assure you that this is only because I want the best for all you guys and this thing grew so far beyond what I had planned for that I am constantly playing catchup! A lovely problem to have, but still can be tough at times! 

I hope you will be patient with me as it is just me working on all this (with a little help from my lovely wife!)

---

Finally, as a reward for reading through all of this, I leave you with a sneak peek of the artwork for the Cities expansion module. It's not finished yet but I'm really happy with how it's coming together, some of my best work I think! (you can see more WIP artworks on Colostle and my other artwork at my Instagram @nichangell)

When the campaign is over I will continue to update here as regularly as before, with artwork, sneak peeks and general project news so you know what is going on.

This will probably now be the last update before the end of the campaign, so let's sit back and see how high this ride will go before the end!

Thanks again you guys, you're the best!

Nich x

JOURNALS COVER DESIGN + 12,000% funded!!
about 5 years ago – Sun, Feb 07, 2021 at 08:58:21 AM

WOOOOOOOW!!!! You guys! 12,000%??! WHAT THE WHAT?!?

Thank you again. The support on this has been insane and you have made my 2021, and it has barely even begun! I am truly blown away, I can't wait for Colostle to find its way into all your hands.

By the by, I have completed the design for the covers of the Blank Journals:

This will be a foiled finish to match the lettering on the cover of the paperback copy. It features mysterious lettering from an ancient lost language, the central glyph presumed to signify the Colostle itself with battlements subtly referenced at the top of the figure. The background is a slate-like rock texture that makes the book like it is hewn from stone...

I wanted to create something that looked like it had come from the world itself, maybe you found your journal in a cave or some ruins, or maybe it was passed down the generations in your tribe, filled with stories and myths of heroic figures in your tribe's past.

The inside covers will have some quick reference tables in them for when you're playing and the back will likely have some more info too so it's all quick to hand. The pages will be a dot-grid as requested by a few commenters.

I hope you like the design!

---

We're in the final 5 days now so even though we have done better than I could have ever hoped, its final push time! If there's someone you've been thinking might love this, now's the time to let them know so they don't miss out! We're nearly there guys...

Thanks again, more from me soon!

Nich x

CHEAPER SHIPPING ANNOUNCEMENT
about 5 years ago – Wed, Feb 03, 2021 at 09:31:17 PM

Hi all! 

As promised I have been working hard on finding a cheaper shipping option for the top 3 reward tiers. I have managed to find a new solution that will drop the 'Rest of World' cost to £15 for the £20, £26 and £40 tiers. 

Due to Kickstarter's restrictions I have had to create new reward tiers that have these cheaper shipping costs as an option. These new reward tiers are IDENTICAL to the others that they share a reward value with, EXCEPT for the fact that when you select 'REST OF WORLD' as your shipping option you will get the reduced rate of £15.

So, I would encourage everyone who has backed at the £20 tier or higher to manage their pledge and change it to the 'CHEAPER SHIPPING' equivalent tier. There will be no advantage to having the more expensive option as I will be sending all packages by the same service. (If you do stay at the current/higher shipping tier then that extra money will go into supporting the campaign and helping the book production. Thank you!)

I apologise for the confusion and the messiness of the reward structure now. I didn't want to do it like this, but its more important to me that you guys get the best shipping deal possible, and this is the only way I can do it.

If you have any questions at all, please send me a message or leave a comment and I will do my best to get back to everyone.

thanks,

Nich x

GAMEPLAY VIDEO
about 5 years ago – Sun, Jan 31, 2021 at 08:47:46 PM

Hey guys! 

A few people have asked about getting a clearer sense of how the gameplay works and some idea of the sort of prompts they might see in the book, so I figured I would kill 2 Rooks with one stone (ha!) and make a video that shows what a typical Exploration phase and Combat phase look like in Colostle.

I apologise for the quality of the video, this was shot on webcams so that I could get that 2-angle magic to work! Hopefully it's good enough to understand what I'm going on about!

Feel free to ask any questions about the gameplay in the comments and I will try and reply to as many as I can. You can view the video on YouTube here or click on the image below:

In other news I have been drawing more Colostle art and thought I would share with you my character! You've already seen her, as she is on the cover of the book and also the covers to Oceans and Battlements, but I wanted to realise her fully, as a sort of face for Colostle.

Her name is Mere, and she is one of the Armed, having been attuned to a large Rook arm still carrying its huge sword. She is tough, a bit bullheaded but she has a heart of gold!

Ok, I promise that postage update is coming soon, and I have some additional exciting news coming too, so stay tuned!

Thanks team,

Nich x

Stretch Goal #2 - Battlements
about 5 years ago – Sun, Jan 31, 2021 at 11:40:24 AM

Well CRIKEY MALOY! Just as I finished the artwork for the Oceans module for Stretch Goal #1 and came here to post it, I see that we have crossed the £3,000 threshold for the NEXT stretch goal!! I can't keep up with you absolute legends! So, I'll get into that in a second... but first...

This full colour illustration will appear in the now upgraded base book.

Stretch Goal #2 - Battlements - What happens when you reach the mythical 'roof' of the Colostle? Well that is up to you, and your character certainly won't be getting there anytime soon, but when you make it and your story needs more advancement, then this is the section for you.

The Battlements module includes new prompt tables for what you might find exploring the rooftop battlements of the Colostle. It also includes rules for a new kind of Rook, Astrolithic Rooks. These behemoths seem to fall from the sky above, blazing with fire and smashing into the Colostle battlements. On top of that this module adds yet another class, The Within. (I won't explain the details yet but maybe you can guess!) This class isn't available when starting a new character and will only be available to seasoned and experienced adventurers who make it to the Battlements! So something to look forward to on your quest!

This module will add another 8-12 pages to the base book to add these new rules to the game and will include another new full colour full page illustration, and a few additional black and white ones!

Stretch Goal #3 will be the Blank journal for you to write your adventures. This will be added to all those backing at the Physical version of the book or higher. The threshold will be £5,000! We can do this team!

If we're still going strong after the Journal then I'll be back here with more Module ideas, don't you worry! I already have one in mind!!

Thanks again for your eye-watering support, I am over the moon! I cannot wait to bring this even bigger book to you all!

Nich x