Originally released in 2009, Geist: The Sin-Eaters was a sleeper hit for the Chronicles of Darkness, finally bringing “life” to the realm of ghosts and death. And now this game of second chances gets a second edition, with Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition, offering a revised and updated rules system and an expanded setting.
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
Hello Kickstarter Krewe,
We're in the Final 50 Hours of the campaign and racing toward the finish line!
We've had, and will have, a lot of new backers join in during these last few days. I want to take a moment to highlight some key Update posts that new backers may want to check out (and existing backers may want to read as a refresher!).
Tomorrow, July 30 - I'll post the 5th and final Manuscript Preview. Tomorrow's update will also have links to all previous sections, and Backers will then have access to the entire manuscript for Geist: the Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition.
July 27 Update - REWARD TIERS: your best starting point for figuring out which Backer Reward Level to choose to help support this project.
July 28 Update - ADD ONs: the important companion piece to the Reward Tiers topic.
Choosing the correct Reward Tier for your desired rewards, and then filling in any "gaps" with add-ons, ensures that you'll be claiming all of your desired rewards as a thank you for supporting this project and bringing this world to life.
Remember, your TOTAL PLEDGE AMOUNT is equal to your REWARD TIER + SHIPPING + ADD ONS. And we will confirm your Add On selection with our post-campaign pledge manager, Backerkit, a few weeks after the campaign ends.
On July 31st, I'll be posting one further "Final Day" update, covering What Happens Next and outlining what to expect once the campaign ends.
But until then, we're going to hopefully be racing through our final Stretch Goals of the campaign!
Over the course of the campaign, we've achieved an amazing 13 Stretch Goals! And, while you're reading this, we're on our way toward hitting another target!
We celebrated achieving 200% of our funding target by increasing the art budget for Geist: the Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition, giving the art and layout team a chance to add more awesome-spooky art to the project. We've also added an opportunity to fashionably demonstrate your Geist love with a limited edition Geist: the Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition Kickstarter t-shirt, which will be added to Onyx Path's redbubble store in the near future. You will be informed when it's available (it'll be up at a discounted price for a limited time!)
We've created a big bundle of Geist first edition goodies by expanding the Underworld Reflections PDF Bundle to include an amazing 12 PDFs for only $10! The 1e PDF Bundle now includes four Geist-themed Dark Eras setting supplements as well as the entire Geist 1e line:
We've also added a bunch of items that will automatically be added to the rewards list of anyone already receiving the Giest: the Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition PDF at no additional charge! (so, the $25 Geist Reward Tier and higher - Make sure you're included if you want these rewards). If you're getting the PDF, you'll also receive:
Those are some remarkable accomplishments, and your rewards list has likely grown considerably since the start of this campaign. But we're not done, are we? With just under 50 hours to go, we've got a few more targets we can look at hitting, adding even more content to Memento Mori:
At $111,000 in funding - Memento Mori: Haunted Locations & Story Hooks – A section on haunted locations and story hooks will be written for Memento Mori, the Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition Companion.
At $117,000 in funding - Memento Mori: Translation Guide – A section discussing how to update your 1st Edition characters to the 2nd Edition rules will be written for Memento Mori, the Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition Companion.
At $123,000 in funding - Memento Mori: Chapter Fiction – New frightening prose will be written for each section of Memento Mori, the Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition Companion.
And more...?
I know these numbers may seem daunting, but they wouldn't be STRETCH goals if we didn't have to really STRETCH to reach them!
So, as every update concludes: let's keep the enthusiasm rolling! Keep spreading the word and letting others know about this project. They've got fewer than 50 hours to jump in and share the 13 (soon to be 14?) Stretch Goals we've already achieved!
And every backer who joins in as we approach the end is not only able to enjoy the additional rewards already added by the early fans and backers, but also help reward those early backers by expanding everyone's stretch goal rewards!
Remember, only the funds generated during the Kickstarter campaign go toward achieving these Stretch Goal targets, so the time to act is now! Together, we can make great things happen!
- James
Hello Kickstarter Krewe,
We are in the THREE DAY COUNTDOWN, and we've just UNLOCKED ANOTHER STRETCH GOAL! That's LUCKY 13!!
With just under 3 days left, let's see how much more we can add to Memento Mori, the Geist: the Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition companion.
This is another entry in my final days updates, covering:
Yesterday, I sent an update all about Reward Tiers. I hope everyone has had a chance to evaluate each Reward Tier and decide what the perfect level is for what you're interested in. Today, I'm going to write about small tweaks that you can make to your Pledge to ensure you've got everything covered.
The absolute best way to ensure that you're getting all of the available rewards you want from this kickstarter is to ensure you've selected the appropriate Backer Reward Tier, as detailed yesterday. Selecting the right Reward Tier covers about 95% of the options available to you. If you want the PDF only, make sure you've selected the correct reward. If you want the prestige hardcover version, double-check your reward tier to ensure it's featured. If you want the Underworld Reflections 1E PDF Bundle, make sure your Reward Tier includes that selection.
Once you've completed that important step, you're going to want to look at the extra rewards or any reward "bits" that don't automatically fall into your reward tier. That takes us to Add On rewards.
If you've selected one of the "core" Reward Tiers, you've likely already included most of the rewards you most want. If you have one of the multiple reward tiers, or one of the limited premium tiers, you may want to make sure you've added on any other of the "regular" extra rewards that might not automatically be included (such as Storyteller's Screen or Underworld Reflections 1E PDF Bundle). In addition to the rewards offered as part of the Reward Tier configurations, there is a Chronicles of Darkness core rules PDF add-on, as well as Storyteller's Reference PDF. All Add-On Rewards will be described below.
Each add on includes an extra amount to add on to your total pledge amount. Remember that your total pledge amount includes all shipping charges and not just your reward tier level.
Using myself as an example, my BOUND Reward Tier is a $50 pledge, but my total pledge amount is $60 (inclusive of +$10 shipping charges to Canada).
Reviewing the list of rewards with my Tier, I see that it doesn't include the Storyteller's Screen or Underworld Reflections bundle.
I've decided I'd like to add both of those items to my rewards list, so I should change my Reward Tier to the SPIRIT level, which has those already included. I click the MANAGE YOUR PLEDGE at the top right on the Kickstarter campaign main page, and then CHANGE YOUR PLEDGE to select my new Reward Tier.
That covers all of the rewards I want from those offered by Reward Tier. Note, since I've included the hardcover book, Kickstarter has automatically added shipping costs to my total Pledge Amount.
I've also decided that I'd like one of the Add On Rewards - the Chronicles of Darkness Core Rules PDF. It's a +$5 Add On Reward, so I increase my total Pledge Amount to $85.
Once I've updated my amount, I click CONTINUE, and then double-check to make sure I've entered the correct total.
It's important to note that there is NO PLACE in your kickstarter reward tier pledge to indicate which add-ons you wish to include, or give any reason why you are adjusting your pledge to a new amount. You aren't adding items to a shopping cart in this scenario - instead, you're adding pledge dollars that you will assign once the campaign ends. With this in mind, you may want to make a note of which add-on items and the associated add-on dollar amounts you've included if you're forgetful like I am.
Once the campaign ends and Kickstarter processes the payments, I will send out a survey via Backerkit - a complex system of tools used to manage the back-end of the kickstarter fulfillment process. When you receive the survey, you will confirm your Backer Reward Tier and assign your pledged dollars to any add-on items that you wish to include. I'll repeat and expand on this information in an upcoming post about "What Happens Next?" on the final day of the campaign.
Note that physical rewards (hardcover books, reference screens) can only be added to Reward Tiers that already include the hardcover version of Geist: the Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition, and therefore, appropriate shipping charges.
ADDITIONAL PDF REWARDS (can be added to any Reward Tier)
ADDITIONAL PHYSICAL REWARDS (can only be added to Reward Tiers already receiving a copy of the hardcover edition of Geist: the Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)
Note options for US / Non-US Residents
Again, your first step should always be choosing the proper reward tier. In my example, if I was not interested in the Storyteller's Screen, I would select the Shadow Reward Tier instead. So adding a Chronicles of Darkness PDF would put my total pledge at $75,
Similarly, rather than adding a second copy of the hardcover book to a Bound Reward Tier as an add-on, I'm better off selecting the Doppelgänger multiple copy reward tier, which includes 2 copies of the deluxe book. 90% of the time there will be a reward tier already including the items you want.
It probably goes without saying that all funds are expressed in US Dollars, although Kickstarter displays the approximate conversion rate.
That should explain the process of Selecting your Reward Tier and increasing your TOTAL PLEDGE AMOUNT to account for any additional rewards you wish to receive. Since increasing your pledge amount increases the overall funding level of the project, add-ons can help us achieve stretch goal targets, so it benefits us all to suggest that you double-check to make sure you're getting all of the rewards you want, and maybe think about Add-Ons like the Underworld Reflections bundle (12 PDFS for $10!) and the Chronicles of Darkness core book PDF!
Remember, you must have the Geist: the Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition PDF as one of your rewards in order to automatically receive most of the additional rewards added via Stretch Goal (including the Jumpstart, Ready-Made Characters, and Memento Mori). We'll talk about all of those rewards in an update about Stretch Goals that'll be posted tomorrow.
Additionally, this may go without saying, please review your budget and ensure you've selected the appropriate reward tier and add ons for your current financial situation. Kickstarter will begin charging your payment method once the campaign ends, so ensure you've budgeted correctly.
As we move through this final days of the campaign, please ensure you've chosen the correct Reward Tier for the rewards you want. And beyond that - please make sure you've adjusted your TOTAL PLEDGE AMOUNT to include the additional funds that will cover any add-ons you wish to receive.
On Sunday, I will send another update detailing some information about Stretch Goals and what we've achieved so far, and what we hope to achieve in the final few days. Just before the campaign ends, I will also send an update detailing the steps that occur after the campaign concludes, including how and when to confirm your add-on rewards.
So, just like every update: Spread the word! Share your excitement on social media! Tell your friends! We're about to enter the rapid race to the finish line, so let's make sure that none of our friends miss out!
- James
Hello Kickstarter Krewe,
The theme of this week seems to be endings. We've got 3 days left in the kickstarter campaign, and we're *this* close to unlocking another Stretch Goal - the Jumpstart for Geist: the Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition. From that point on, we'll have some additional sections to add to Memento Mori. We've been on quite a roll over the past few days, and I think we're going to finish quite strong!
Unfortunately, all good things do come to an end. And today, I'll be sharing the final post on our Geist chapter fiction, A Brighter Morning.
Our Story So Far (link to previous chapter)
Trisha Patel knocked on the community center door and relished the sensation. Two weeks had passed since she lost both her sister and father to a world that lay beneath her feet, and her sense of touch was slowly returning. When her mother found her sobbing in the hotel shower, she had told her that she was still in grief. This was only partially true. The real reason she started crying was that she could finally feel the heat of the water.
The official reports had said that it was a freak foundation collapse. The house was too old to be on the market, too fragile to be in anyone’s care. An insurance investigator told her that the house should have been demolished years ago. When she asked him why no one had, he told her it was a matter of red tape. He didn’t elaborate, and from the pained look on his face as he answered, hoped she wouldn’t make him do so.
Despite her mother’s concerns, Trisha visited where the house had been as soon as the city would allow her. According to civic records, the hole that her entire life sank into was 20 feet deep. Not a single brick of the building remained. The family lamented that there were no bodies to recover and nothing they could use as a memorial. Watching them mourn and not being able to tell the truth never stopped hurting. The world below had numbed her body, but not once did it numb her heart.
Her mother was adamant on what would come next: Trisha would have to come back with her to Wisconsin, somewhere far away in a new, more stable house. She set down Trisha’s future while they were waiting for their meals at a fast-food place, as if it was just another errand to be done. While her mother assured her that she could easily pick up a school’s curriculum in the middle of the year, the ghost of an old man wandered through the restaurant’s kitchen, running a projector that did not exist.
She could see the ghosts clearly now. She had always been sensitive to shadows where there should not have been or movement just out of eyesight, but now the lingering dead mingled with the world around her like line art on projector paper, placed on top of the world. It reminded her that she had not yet gotten closure. So, after a clandestine phone call, Trisha found herself at the door of the Church of the Brighter Morning.
Leah, the woman who saved her life, opened the door. The creature with the gray eyes stood beside her.
“Hi.” Trisha leaned to look inside. The Church of the Brighter Morning held their service in a classroom with dimmed lights and computer-printed esoteric symbols taped to the walls. The desks were arranged into tight rows, and most of the people who filled them wore bandages and casts. The non-injured ones carried instruments. Ghosts stood in the empty space, in various states of injury and illness.
Mark, the man who had given her first aid, walked past carrying a large chocolate cake. A creature with a gaping throat wound bounded behind him. “As you can see, we’re in a bit of a…transitional period.”
“We work with what we have,” Leah added.
Trisha took a seat at one of the empty desks in the back. A ghost missing the right side of her body gave her a polite smile. Trisha returned it with a half-smile of her own.
Oumil, the woman who had carried her to safety, came in with a photo album. A naked, waterlogged woman floated ahead of her. “I’m glad you could make it, Trisha. Do you have the photos?”
“Yeah.” Trisha pulled out two pictures from her purse. Like the symbols on the walls, they too were printed from a computer. One was a picture of her family on a trip to the zoo last year, taken from a social media page. The other was harder to find: She lost her phone in the chaos, and she had only sent the picture of Oliver’s handprint to two friends. Only one still had the picture with them.
“Good, good.” Oumil pulled a purple robe over her clothes. “Then we’re all set. I’ll let you know when we need them.”
Mark and Leah donned black robes, and the service began. Mark led a litany that switched between English and a language that Trisha could not place. From what she could gather, they were all blessing the cake he had brought. The ghosts, to her surprise, ate the cake. All at once, they became as solid and alive as any one of the living.
One of the churchgoers strummed a tune on his guitar. A woman with a fiddle played to his melody. Another man played a low bass harmony on a trumpet. Some of the injured members kept time by clapping their hands. Leah led a call and response in the Church’s language. From the exuberance of the crowd, Trisha felt that she was the only one unfamiliar with it.
When the music reached a fever pitch, Leah and her cloaked friends danced with their spectral counterparts. It was a kind of square dance, each member occasionally swapping with their partner. The rest of the living and the dead stood and joined the dance. The bisected woman, now whole, offered Trisha a dance. She turned her down. Jade had always been more of the dancing type. The woman gave a curt nod and found another dancing partner.
When the dance ended, the living came up to the classroom desk in groups of two. They placed photographs they carried into the album on the desk. Oumil gestured for Trisha to come forward. She came up to the desk, paired with Leah. Trisha looked over at the single glossy photo she had, a picture of Leah with her arm wrapped around an olive-skinned man with a radiant smile. Behind them, the man with the large gray eyes and a woman with a hole in her head where her face should be watched.
Leah slipped her picture into the album with shaking fingers. Trisha’s pictures were too big, so she tucked them in between the pages. Oumil shut the book. With her right hand, she drew a hexagram over it.
“Leah?”
“Yes, Trisha?”
“My father’s still down there.”
“I know.”
Oumil addressed the Church. She placed her hand on the album. “These are the Remembered.” She gestured to the crowd. “You are the Remembered. We will not spend our eternity in the Perilous Night. The Brighter Morning will touch us all, as it will for everyone.”
“Everyone.” Trisha crossed her arms. “Hmm.”
“That includes your father,” Leah said. “We will find him and we will set him free.”
Trisha pressed her hands together, taking in a sensation she once took for granted. For a brief moment, she thought about Wisconsin. She cast it away.
“You will,” she said, “Because when you do, I’ll be there.”
The End
Hello Kickstarter Krewe,
We are about to officially enter the 4-day countdown! It's been an awesome journey and we've hit a dozen Stretch Goals, and there are still more to come!
I'm expecting things to pick up even more over these final days as we approach the end of the campaign. With that in mind, I wanted to touch on some of the basics to make sure that everyone has got all of the information they need to support the project in the way that works best for them.
Over the next few updates, in addition to the final manuscript preview and A Better Tomorrow epilogue, I'll be covering:
Like it says right at the top of the campaign page, we've come together to help create a prestige hardcover version of Geist: the Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition. To borrow an analogy that I've used in past Kickstarter campaigns, this works similar to the "Viewers Like You" support campaign from your local PBS Station (for those who get American television channels): There are various levels of support that you can pledge to, and these come with various levels of rewards. Like getting a tote bag or t-shirt when you give money to public broadcasting to fund them doing their thing, you can get rewards for helping Onyx Path work on this project.
Let's review the Backer Reward Tiers to ensure that you've pledged to a Reward Tier that provides all the rewards you wish to receive. And, to make it fun, let's use terms right out of Geist to help illustrate the points!
The main reward offered in this campaign are, of course, the main goal of the entire proposition: the Geist: the Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition rule book. The first decision you need to make in figuring out your reward tier is whether you want to receive a digital PDF version (remain a geist) or if you want the physical hardcover book (bind a geist to your corporeal form).
PDF ONLY: Geist, Ghost, Haunt, and Phantom are PDF-only reward tiers. So, if you're saving trees or saving shelf space, these are the reward tier options that you should begin with. The PDF will be fulfilled by our partners at Drivethrurpg.com - when it is ready, you will receive a link to add it to your DTRPG library and be able to download at your leisure.
HARDCOVER+PDF: Bound, Spirit, Shadow, and Wraith include the traditionally-printed physical hardcover versions of this book. That means the books are produced in a large print run at one time, and will have the best production values, from color clarity and appearance to binding and materials. In addition, all of the hardcover versions will also include the PDF version, so you will get a digital copy as described above. (see... binding a non-corporeal spirit [PDF] with a physical body [hardcover book]... it kinda works, right?)
The only Reward Tiers that do not include the PDF version of the book are the Castoff and Lemure tiers. You should select these Reward Tiers if you want to read the manuscript previews posted in the Backers-Only updates but do not wish to receive either a PDF or prestige hardcover version of the final book.
Once your primary decision between PDF-only or hardcover + PDF has been made, it's time to consider which additional rewards you wish to receive. To continue our analogy, let's call these Mementos.
There are 4 Mementos available to include with your main reward choice, available in a variety of configurations. The additional rewards/Mementos are:
MANUSCRIPT PREVIEWS – All Reward Tiers include access to Backers-Only manuscript previews. By the end of the campaign, I will have posted the entire manuscript in 5 sections. You must be a backer to access these previews.
UNDERWORLD REFLECTIONS (1E PDF BUNDLE) - A bundle of relevant PDFs from the first edition of Geist: The Sin-Eaters, the Underworld Reflections bundle can provide inspiration and ideas for your Geist game. This bundle includes the following titles
PDF Rewards will be fulfilled by DriveThruRPG. Previously-released titles are the ones currently available from DrivethruRPG.com and were created as best they could be depending on the state of the files. So quality may vary from title to title. Note that this is also the first time that Dark Eras: Foreboding Lands has been available on it's own, outside the Dark Eras Companion; this will be a special PDF carved out exclusively for Geist: the Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition kickstarter backers, but the content will be the same.
STORYTELLER SCREEN - a sturdy three-panel Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition screen featuring evocative Geist art on the outer side, and a selection of charts and other info on the inside to make the Storyteller's job a little bit easier. Because this is a physical item, it can only be included in reward tiers that already include the hardcover book, and thus have already included additional shipping cost considerations.
"AT COST" PoD OPTION – As noted, all PDF products will be fulfilled through our partners at DriveThruRPG.com, the largest RPG download store. For Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition, you will have the option of using DriveThruRPG’s Print-On-Demand service to purchase a physical, printed copy directly from their PoD partners at as close as we can get to the cost of printing and shipping (this cost is not included in your pledge, and you do not need to increase the cost of your pledge to use this option). When the PoD versions are available to order (which will be some time after the hardcover has gone to print), you will receive links to purchase these versions of the book from DriveThruRPG.com. You DO NOT need to take advantage of this PoD offer as it does not affect in any way your pledge rewards.
While the Reward Tier options include various Mementos, we've also successfully conducted a ceremony to automatically add EVEN MORE REWARDS to ALL REWARD TIERS RECEIVING A PDF COPY of Geist: the Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition. Thanks to our Stretch Goals, all backers at the Geist Reward Tier level and higher (base pledge amount of $25+) will also be receiving:
Right! In addition to our "core" Reward Tiers, we've got two other areas for consideration. These are Multiple Copy rewards and Premium Rewards.
