The Door Locks Behind You is an upcoming TTRPG by first-time designer deldon, with art by Ben Fox and layout by Cenza Della Donna. The zine is Risograph printed by Risolve Studio in Lancaster, PA. Original Soundtrack by Jesse Myers Music.
Hello Backers!
Cenza here, I am working hard on the layout, currently in it's second draft. Overall we're about 75% of the way done with the game's final layout. I've printed it out and am editing by hand!
Anyway, we're thankful for your patience, this is hard and we're doing our best.
Hello backers!
July has been a busy month of back and forth on the layout between Cenza and I. We're currently looking at 48 total pages (including the 2 covers) for the zine, giving plenty of room for the Dungeon chapter to breath. Here's a preview of the first two pages. (note that the page numbers are not yet updated)
I'm currently in conversation with our printer on when we can slot into their schedule. They are closed for the month of August, so we're trying to get in for late September. I'll post an update when we have a better idea of the exact turnaround. For now though, the BackerKit Pre-Order store and Pledge Manager will remain open through August. If you haven't filled out your surveys yet, please do so!
More than a few of you have messaged me about updated addresses. Rest assured that you will be able to update your address right up until we lock orders, charge cards, and purchase shipping. We will give ample notice and several reminders as to when that will happen.
That's all for now! Thank you for your extended patience!
Hello backers!
As per the last update, Cenza is still hard at work on the game's layout. It's coming along great, and we're confident that the next revision will be a final print-ready file. As such, we've pushed back the deadline to finish the Pledge Survey to August 1st, 2023. All backers have the rest of July to finish filling out the pledge surveys, of which 83% of you have already done so! Thanks!
Our UK/EU/ROW shipping partner, Peregrine Coast Press, is scaling up their fulfillment capabilities! We're very excited for them, as they have been hugely helpful in getting our shipping costs down to the majority of the world, and in their general support of the indie TTRPG scene at large. With the change does come a slight increase in shipping costs. I am still working with them to sort out the exact details, but most backers will see a slight increase in shipping costs, of about £0.20-0.50. One of the reasons we have not charged shipping yet is this exact scenario. We want to be able to charge the cheapest possible rates at the time of fulfillment, and not a moment sooner!
As part of the layout process, we've added 4 pages to the zine in the Dungeon Building chapter! The text of the manuscript hasn't changed at all, but we're able to include more art and helpful diagrams to really elaborate on the concepts in this chapter! I like to think of this facet as the game's core, so getting it right on the page is paramount. I'm very excited to see Cenza's next revision!
That's all for now!
Hello Everyone!
Cenza here- so far so good on our progress making this booklet. We really appreciate everyone's patience, especially considering this is my first time as a graphic designer making a full booklet from start to finish (and I have two other jobs). Here's a sneak peak at what the pages are looking like, there's some wonderful illustrations along the way I can't wait for y'all to see. Happy gaming, we'll keep you updated as we go!
In the near future you will receive an invite to complete your Pledge Survey on BackerKit. For many, this may be directed to your spam folder, so be on the lookout.
Hello backers!
Thank you for your continued patience. It has been a particularly hectic couple of months on our end, but we are settled now and work on the game is back in full swing.
The Pledge Survey will take you through the process of paying for the shipment of your rewards, as well as give you the opportunity to upgrade your pledge level, if you so choose. Additionally you will be able to order more copies via the add-on store. If you did not order physical goods, BackerKit is still the fastest way to receive your digital downloads, as they will be made available once all of the cards are charged.
Many folks who missed this campaign have been asking me when and where they will be able to get a chance to purchase or pre-order the zine. In addition to handling all of the shipping charges and pledge upgrades, there will also be a Pre-Order store linked through this Kickstarter page. If you are a Kickstarter Backer please do not use this pre-order store, as it will charge you duplicate for your rewards.
NOTE: Some backers have already received an invite to the Pledge Manager. This is part of the Smoke Test, where 5% of backers from each pledge level are invited to ensure that everything runs smoothly. If you've already received an invite please be sure to fill out your survey so we can be sure that everything is up to snuff!!
We have partnered with the good folks over at Ratti Incantati and Peregrine Coast Press for easier shipping rates for international orders. For those in Canada, Ratti Incantati will be handling your orders, and most people will only have to pay US$8. Peregrine Coast Press from the UK is handling the rest of the orders. For most folks in the UK, shipping is US$5, for the EU it is US$6, and the rest of the world will be charged US$8.
Import Tax Information:
Canadian, UK, and US orders will be sent from within the respective country's borders and will not incur any import taxes. For backers in Germany, France, The Republic of Ireland, Portugal, The Netherlands, Austria, Cyprus, and Malta, Delivery Duty Paid (DDP) will be charged at the point of checkout. For the rest of the world, please check with your local state's import laws to know what (if any) customs duties you will have to pay to receive your goods. Unfortunately we are too small of an operation to offer any further help in the payment of import taxes.
The Pledge Surveys and Pre-Order Store will be open until July 1st at midnight EST, at which point we will lock orders and charge cards. We want to make sure that everyone who backed the game gets a chance to fill out their survey, so we are allotting 7 weeks to do so. Once the funds from the store have cleared, we'll be able to order the print run, which should take 3-4 weeks to produce. After that I'll be full-time packing orders and sorting them for shipment.
US orders are expected to go out on August 1, and international orders will take longer depending on when the packages arrive at our fulfillment partners.
As always, these dates are subject to change based on life events that are beyond our control.
The finalized, edited manuscript is available to backers in the Google Drive. This is the full game's text, edited and ready for play. Also in this folder you'll find character sheets and item cards . The item cards are formatted for print on 11x17 paper, and the character sheets are 5x8", so you should be able to fit 2 on a standard letter sized paper.
Cenza is making daily progress on the layout, but unfortunately the file format for printing via our partners makes mockups very difficult to read on a digital screen. Instead of redirecting any time to generating visible mockups she is instead focusing on finishing layout. Don't worry, we'll have something to show you all before the game is in your hands.
I've talked with Jesse and we've decided that we're going to try to fund the production of cassettes of The Door Locks Behind You Original Soundtrack. Ben is onboard for the cassette's sticker art, as well as the case's sleeve art. Here's a mockup of what the cassette might look like, subject to change.
The cassettes will sell for $15 each, featuring full art on both sides of the crystal case's sleeve and stickers. If we can secure 75 copies ordered, we'll have enough funds to greenlight the project and produce as many as are ordered. These will be available in very limited quantities at a select number of retailers after the BackerKit Pledge Manager and Pre-Order store closes, so the best way to ensure that you get one is to pre-order it now.
That's all for this update, thank you so much for your continued support and patience. We're very close to finishing this project and finally getting the game into your hands. I hope you're all as excited for this as we are!