Making the Look of ToV - Cover Art and Wallpapers
about 1 year ago – Wed, May 31, 2023 at 10:05:13 AM

Today we hear from Art Director Marc Radle about the covers for Tales of the Valiant and what it was like creating the overall look and feel of ToV.

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Art has always been an important part of every Kobold Press project, but the art and general look of Tales of the Valiant was even more important, if that's possible!

Since Tales of the Valiant is an exciting new chapter for Kobold Press, we wanted to make sure the visuals reflected that, while at the same time not veering too far astray from our traditional look. It was important to find just the right balance! You can see some of this new look in the free Preview PDF, the updated visual approach we've taken with our monster illustrations, our new logo and ToV sword and shield mark, and certainly the awesome covers of the Player's Guide and Monster Vault!

For these two covers, I worked closely with Hugh Pindur, our fantastic cover artist.

Monster Vault Cover

We worked on the Monster Vault cover first. For the initial idea, here is more or less what we sent Hugh:

•  An awesome, massive red dragon coming at the viewer, breath weapon blazing. We see an adventurer getting toasted to a crisp. A powerful lich is riding the dragon, possibly casting some sort of lightning spell at the adventurer 

Based on that nugget of an idea, Hugh returned with a few concept sketches, and from those we picked the one that we liked best. Hugh then delivered this first color rough work in progress:

Eventually, Hugh sent the glorious final cover:

Player's Guide Cover

And here is where the collaboration aspect of the process really comes into play! While Hugh continued to work on the Monster Vault cover, I needed to come up with a concept for the Player's Guide cover. As I looked at the Monster Vault cover art, I noticed the triangular opening in the side of the mountain from which the wizard had apparently just emerged to confront the dragon and its lich rider. The triangular opening wasn't part of the brief we sent. Hugh just came up with it, and it intrigued me so much! I began to imagine what was inside the mysterious triangular opening, and what the wizard had been doing in there. In short order, I had the idea for the Player's Guide cover! As before, I sent Hugh a basic idea:

• We see the interior of a chamber with a triangular opening in the background (this is the same triangular opening on the Monster Vault cover). Two figures are in the chamber (one up close, the other in the near background).
• The chamber is the lich's lair (the one riding the dragon on the Monster Vault cover). The figure up close is the wizard from the Monster Vault cover. He is excitedly examining all the strange and wondrous items in the lich's lair (a large open spell book on an ornate wood desk, a crystal skull, glittering gems, gold goblet, scrolls and other magical items on shelves around the cramped chamber, etc.) Candles burn around the chamber, eerily illuminating the room and the wizard's face.
• Behind the wizard, we see a halfling rogue pointing nervously toward the opening to something outside (he sees the dragon and the lich flying toward them). This scene is happening just moments before the wizard runs out onto the natural bridge to face the lich and his dragon—to disastrous results!

Once again, we narrowed down initial sketches, and then refined until we had the first color rough:

Although the final cover art is not yet complete, I think you will agree from the most recent WIP that this will be an awesome cover!

Limited Edition Covers

With the concepts for the two books nailed down, we carried that triangular design element, along with the dragon, lich, and wizard over to the Limited Edition covers.

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Want this awesome cover art or the Tales of the Valiant logo on your very own ToV t-shirts, mugs, stickers, and more? Head over to our Teepublic site where everything in our store is on sale for the duration of the Kickstarter!

Prefer digital art? Head over to our website where you can get the Monster Vault cover as a wallpaper for your desktop, tablet, and phone.

Design Diary and Discord AMA
about 1 year ago – Fri, May 26, 2023 at 11:28:46 AM

Today, we have a design diary from the lead designer behind Tales of the Valiant, Celeste Conowitch! This design diary discusses the changes that have happened to Tales of the Valiant since the first playtest packet released in February of this year.

The free preview PDF on the main page of this Kickstarter features content from the first three playtest packets and includes a plethora of changes based on public playtest feedback. For the full changelog from Celeste and to see how the content in the playtest packets changed before becoming the Kickstarter preview, check out the design diary! 

As you can see from the design diary, playtest feedback is very valuable and helps us shape the direction of the game. A feedback form for the preview PDF on the main page will be available soon. We’ll also be opening up more public playtests and Kickstarter backer-exclusive playtests as the summer continues. Here’s the current playtest schedule:

June 2023

•  Public Packet: 1 lineage and 2 heritages TBD
•  Kickstarter Backer-Exclusive Packet: 2 base classes

July 2023

•  Public Packet: 1 base class to level 20
•  Kickstarter Backer-Exclusive Packet: 1 new base class

August 2023

•  Gen Con Playtest: Live community playtesting at Gen Con
•  (STRETCH GOAL) Kickstarter Backer-Exclusive Packet: Warlock and Bard

If you’re interested in playtesting, keep an eye on these updates and on the Tales of the Valiant website!

Discord AMA

This afternoon (at 3pm Pacific, 6pm Eastern), we're hosting a Tales of the Valiant ask-me-anything with Celeste Conowitch, Wolfgang Baur, and Sebastian Rombach. If you have any burning questions about Tales of the Valiant, they will do their best to answer those questions (keep in mind: they might not be able to answer some questions). For those that can't attend the AMA live, don't worry! We'll have the AMA available on our Youtube Channel sometime after the AMA ends.

To participate in the AMA or simply to toss your question into the AMA channel for discussion, join our Discord.

What is the Labyrinth? How Can You Contribute?
about 1 year ago – Thu, May 25, 2023 at 10:03:24 AM

You continue to blow through stretch goals and leave our little kobold heads spinning! Thank you so much for your support!

Yesterday, you unlocked stretch goals about the Guide to the Labyrinth PDF and backer world summaries for that guide. Today, we’ll take a closer look at what these stretch goals are and how you can contribute.

What is the Labyrinth?

“The Labyrinth” is the collective term for the magical, labyrinthine pathways that connect all worlds together in a winding web. Various factions know and control those paths and the spaces between the worlds, and some of them also protect those worlds from the incursion of the Void. Other groups seek to control the Labyrinth or destroy it. There’s much more detail on these groups and the planar connections in the Guide to the Labyrinth itself.

As a multi-world concept, it helps us share the many worlds we know and love, including worlds created by backers who have built their own rich and unique settings for their players. These are among the “Ten Thousand Worlds” of the Labyrinth.

What Are Backer Contributions to the Labyrinth?

Since any world or reality can be part of or connected to the Labyrinth, we want to give our backers the opportunity to add their worlds to a “Sample Worlds Within the Labyrinth” section of the PDF. These are short descriptions or summaries of worlds that one might stumble upon while walking the Labyrinth’s pathways, and they should serve as a font of inspiration for any Game Master reading Guide to the Labyrinth.

Wait, I Have to Give You My World?

Not at all! The contract with each backer whose world is chosen will be a rights-for-purpose contract. This means that you will be paid, and we buy the right to publish that text ONLY in the Guide to the Labyrinth and nowhere else. The backer retains all other rights. We want to help you showcase your world; Kobold Press won’t own it.

Okay, So How Do I Get My World in the Guide to the Labyrinth?

For those familiar with Kobold Press Kickstarters, you might have seen us run similar open submissions from backers of our other books, such as the Deep Magic or Tome of Beasts series. After the Kickstarter ends, we will post submission guidelines to all backers of this project in an update like this one, allowing each of you the option to submit a summary of your homebrew world for consideration.

These submissions will remain open for about a week. Once they are all in hand, your name is temporarily removed from the entry, so that a panel of anonymous judges with a wide variety of backgrounds, preferences, and gaming styles can review the submissions blindly, without any idea of whose world is whose. The judges will narrow down those submissions to the 50 “slots” we have open for backer-submitted worlds, and we will announce those winners a few weeks after the submissions close.

To be eligible to submit a world for consideration, you must back at the $48 pledge tier or higher—the same parameters that make you eligible for a free copy of the Guide to the Labyrinth.

What Can I Do Now to Prepare for Submitting My World for Consideration?

Great question! Each of the Sample Worlds should be no more than 150 words and should give a reader a solid grasp of the overall theme and feel of your world. Think about the world or setting descriptions that immediately ignited your imagination—these are the kinds of descriptions we’re seeking. Here’s an example of how we might describe our world, Midgard, in one such writeup:

•  Midgard Campaign Setting: A world of dark roads and shadow magic, Midgard is home to masked gods, powerful ley lines, and ancient fallen empires. Its unique people include the clockwork gearforged, the rock-ribbed bearfolk, and a clever strain of mining and urban kobolds, as well as a dragonborn empire ruled by ancient drakes. Its greatest cities are the magocracy of Bemmea, the elvish ruins of Dornig, Per-Bastet, the City of Cats, and Harkesh, capital of the Dragon Empire. Threatening Midgard are the forces of a ghoul empire in the darkened depths, as well as hellish gnomes, various cultists of deranged gods, Baba Yaga, and an array of elder aberrations from the Wasted West. When visiting Midgard, heroes can expect to empower their magic with ley lines, travel swiftly on shadow roads, and confront hostile fey, gnomish assassins, or members of the Emerald Order, a group of illuminati seeking world domination.

What If My World Isn’t High Fantasy?

That’s okay! All worlds can be connected via the Labyrinth, but that doesn’t mean all worlds have to be high fantasy. Some worlds might be science-fantasy, low-fantasy, or include no magic at all. As long as your world can in some way be connected to the Labyrinth’s magical pathways, whether or not its inhabitants are aware of the connection, then you’re good.

We look forward to seeing the worlds you create!

-The Kobold Crew

Addon Talk: Partner Pack and Dice...and a Character Sheet??
about 1 year ago – Wed, May 24, 2023 at 10:06:11 AM

In today’s update, we take a deeper dive into the big add-ons in this Kickstarter: the Partner Adventure Pack and dice! And we include links to download the form-fillable Tales of the Valiant character sheet you unlocked in yesterday's stretch goals!

 Partner Adventure Pack ($25)

This PDF includes 9 adventures produced by some of our Valiant partners. These adventures will use the Core Fantasy Roleplaying rules that appear in Tales of the Valiant, making them compatible with all your ToV games. Each adventure will be its own PDF that is at least 16 pages long.

The Partner Adventure Pack add-on includes PDFs of all the following adventures:

•  Banner of the Bull (level 1 characters). This adventure is from Lazy Wolf Studios and written by Lou Anders. Synopsis: A trelleborg on the edge of Norrøngard has gone silent, and the Jarl of Bense sends adventurers to find out why. But what they find just might be the tip of an invasion, not from another country, but another plane.
•  The Penumbral Vestibule (level 1 characters). This adventure is from Ghostfire Gaming. Synopsis: This 16-page Grim Hollow adventure takes the adventuring party to an ancient mausoleum to find a relic of a long-forgotten necropolis. Little do they know they are about to meet the lost realm’s most fearsome necromancer...
•  Treasure of Shipgrave Reef (level 1 characters). This adventure is from Ghostfire Gaming. Synopsis: Shipwrecked on a remote island in the Aethereal Expanse, the adventurers must band together to survive. Can they endure the challenges of Shipgrave Reef, uncover its secrets, and find a way to escape?
•  We All Fall Down (level 1 characters). This adventure is from Ghostfire Gaming. Synopsis:This 32-page adventure based in the world of Arora takes adventurers to a post-apocalyptic setting, where they must help a community survive and resettle after a seismic event destroys their village.
•  The Undead Gala (level 3 characters). This adventure is from The Vineyard RPG and written by Luna P. Giannotta, Nathaniel Kreiman, Yorsy Hernandez, Runesael Flynn, Matt Duckett, Kienna Shaw, E.R.F. Jordan, and Friday Strout. Synopsis:You are invited to attend a gala put on by the Vineyard only to become players in an irreverent murder mystery game where the suspects have been dead for 100 years. Perhaps some secrets are best kept buried.
•  The Eyes of Hovchu (levels 1 to 4 characters). This adventure is from Koboa and is written by Adrián Mejía. Synopsis: Adventurers delve into an abandoned temple to reclaim an ancient relic before the neoconquistadors claim it as their own.
•  Taverns and Tricksters (levels 4 to 8 characters). This adventure is from Steamforged Games Ltd and is written by Chris "Shep" Shepperson and Richard August. Synopsis: The trickster god, Tromono, fell many years ago, now he seeks to restore himself to godhood by draining the joie de vivre found in good taverns throughout the inns of the multiverse. Your adventurers must stop him, before every tavern is drained of hope...and where would your party rest and recuperate then?
•  The Magic Syphon (levels 5 to 7 characters). This adventure is from Necromancer Games and is written by Zach Glazer. Synopsis: A scholar’s retreat has opened after many centuries of slumber, and skeletons trouble the idyllic fishing village in the valley below. It turns out, they are but an invitation to help the scholar regain her power. But with your cunning and strength, you can thwart the scholar's plans and put an end to her undead army.
•  Encounters in the Under Realms (levels 1 to 10 characters). This series of short adventures is from Frog God Games and is written by Zach Glazer. Synopsis: Encounters in the Under Realms is the ultimate collection of terrifyingly thrilling combat scenarios that will have you on the edge of your seat. This incredible addition to the Tales of the Valiant RPG is designed to challenge players and give game masters everything they need to create a truly immersive underworld-themed adventure.

Dice by Fanroll

The dice available as add-ons for this Kickstarter were created by Fanroll. Fanroll sent us the following details and pictures about the dice and tray available as add-ons:

35mm Blue Sharp Edge Mega d20 ($15)

Our handcrafted, sharp edge resin dice are hand polished to keep their beautiful sharp edges. This 35mm sharp edge d20 is custom stamped with the official TOV mark.

Metal Polyhedral Dice Set ($40)

Upgrade your gaming experience! Made with solid zinc and plated with shiny-polished silver, these 16mm metal dice sets are heavy in your hand and are built to last. This is a full-sized 16mm polyhedral dice set that comes with 7 dice: d4, d6, d8, d10, d10 (00-90), d12, and d20. We recommend rolling any metal dice on padded surfaces, like our padded dice trays.

Tales of the Valiant Dice Tray ($20)

The Tales of the Valiant folding dice tray protects your gaming surface while controlling your rolls! Never worry about your gaming table or dice again. Our high-quality, velvet dice trays fold flat to fit into your folder or backpack, and they easily snap into place when you’re ready to game. Each tray measures 8.5″ x 11″ when unfolded.

How to Adjust Your Pledge

Interested in adding the Partner Adventure Pack or dice to your pledge? It’s easy! Go to the top of this page and click on the blue “Manage your pledge” button.

• From there, click on the blue “Change your pledge” button, which will show you the different pledge tiers available.
• Click “pledge” on the tier you want (the tier you already selected should be at the top of this list, so you can click “pledge” on it to keep your same pledge tier).
• Now, you’ll be on a page that shows you all of the addons that are part of this Kickstarter. Click the “Add” button next to each option you want to add to your pledge, then click “Continue” to confirm your details just as you did when you first pledged.

Please Note: You can add on dice to your pledge ONLY if you live in the US or Canada and if your pledge includes physical rewards. If your pledge includes only digital rewards, you will be able to add on dice to your order after the Kickstarter closes in the BackerKit stage of the process (details for how to access and use BackerKit will be included in a future update).

What is Not an Add-On?

In recent stretch goals, you unlocked the Cavern of the Spore Lord adventure and the How to Speak Draconic and Guide to the Labyrinth PDFs. All of these are standalone PDFs that will be available, for free, to all backers who pledged at the $48 pledge tier or higher in rolling releases starting in late Summer. You will not need to add these stretch goals to your pledge to receive them, provided you pledge at the appropriate tier or higher before the Kickstarter ends. 

What's This? A Character Sheet?

That's right! The kobolds were so blown away by how many stretch goals you unlocked yesterday that we worked tirelessly (well, there might be a few levels of exhaustion among the kobolds) to finish up the character sheet just for you! You can find that form-fillable character sheet on our website or on DriveThruRPG. Now you can have your very own Tales of the Valiant character sheet while playtesting this summer!

Stay Tuned!

We are very excited to be working with all of these partners to bring Tales of the Valiant and the Core Fantasy Roleplaying game rules to life. We hope you will consider supporting them through the Partner Adventure Pack addon, through the dice addon, or simply through each of their websites.

And be sure to keep an eye on these updates, as we have plenty of fun sneak peeks, actual plays, and previews in store for you as the Kickstarter continues!

Unlocked Stretch Goals on Day 1!
about 1 year ago – Tue, May 23, 2023 at 10:24:38 AM

Not only did we fund in less than half an hour, you have unlocked several exciting stretch goals! Here are details about a few of them.

Caverns of the Spore Lord

Caverns of the Spore Lord is an introductory adventure for 1st-level characters. It is a cavern adventure by designer Kelly Pawlik (Inbar’s Guide to the Northlands, Tales from the Shadows, Tome of Beasts 3, Tome of Heroes), and it introduces Valiant PCs to classic, dungeon-crawling adventure. With a rich map, new creatures like the Spore Lord and the Sporeborn, Caverns of the Spore Lord is a romp with some bigger story elements, and it’s just the first of many, many adventures to come!

Character Sheet

The second unlocked stretch goal was a form-fillable, Tales of the Valiant-themed character sheet to record all the information you need to play a Valiant hero! The character sheet features our Valiant blue and silver along with the sword and shield icon. Here's a teaser preview of part of the character sheet. The full sheet will be available for download before the end of the Kickstarter.

 How to Speak Draconic 

That’s right! The $300k stretch goal was a PDF teaching you how to speak Draconic, so you can bring your kobolds, dragons, and other scalykind to life in your games. Curious how Draconic sounds? Here's a sample:

How is it that we are sharing this complete language with backers as a stretch goal? We were lucky enough to meet a linguist by the name of Jonathan Anders, and he is working on constructing the whole language. Who is Mr. Anders, you ask? He’s a Ph.D. linguist who has done work on constructed languages for video games and who has a broad background in fantasy tabletop RPGs. To learn more about Jonathan and to see the full Draconic text of the above phrase, check out our interview with him! 

Once we hit this stretch goal, the How to Speak Draconic PDF reward will be included with every pledge of $48 or more.

Thank you for helping us reach our funding goal and unlocking so many stretch goals in the first few hours!