February 2023 Update
about 1 year ago – Wed, Feb 15, 2023 at 05:18:57 PM

Thank you for your patience while we delayed our print order due to the OGL issues in January. Your support for all third party developers of Fifth Edition content is much appreciated. The good news is we're in the home stretch!

Printing & Shipping Update

• Our files for Under the Seas of Vodari are with our printer.
• The printed hardcover books are scheduled to arrive in our warehouse in late March 2023. 
• All of the other printed rewards are already printed and in our warehouse.
• Packing and shipping is scheduled to begin in late March/Early April 2023.
• If there are any delays or issues, we will let everyone know in our next Kickstarter update.

Note: The files sent to the printer are using the Creative Commons license to access Fifth Edition SRD content. We are no longer using the OGL 1.0a. 

Rewards Fulfillment Update

We have fulfilled the following digital rewards:

• Undersea World Map
• Under the Seas of Vodari Quickstart
• Undersea Character Sheets
• Undersea Digital Character Art & Tokens
• Undersea Digital Map Pack
• Undersea Pre-Gen Character Sheets
• Under the Seas of Vodari (PDF and low-ink PDF) v1.1
• Hero's Guide to Vodari v1.2 (PDF)

Printing Completed: 

• The Seas of Vodari Hardcover
• World Maps, Posters, Stickers, and Thank You Cards

Printing Underway:

• Under the Seas of Vodari Hardcover

In Development:

• The Hunt for the Undine - Stretch Goal Adventure (PDF)

Vodari Newsletter 

If you'd like to keep up to date on future Vodari publications after this Kickstarter is fulfilled, make sure to sign-up for our newsletter. Each month we'll let you know about any Vodari related news such as Patreon releases, blog posts, new PDF/Virtual Tabletop (VTT) products, and future crowdfunding projects.

January 2023 Update
over 1 year ago – Sun, Jan 15, 2023 at 10:22:12 PM

Open Gaming License

Initially released in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast (WotC), the Open Gaming License (OGL) is a legal framework that allows creators to use the rules and ideas of roleplaying games in their own works. The OGL 1.0a has become a pillar of the tabletop gaming industry and allowed third-parties creators to help make 5th Edition the most successful version of D&D ever. It has recently come to light that WotC/Hasbro wants to replace the OGL with a version that will make it much harder for third-party developers to release content for D&D (such as the Seas of Vodari campaign setting). This change has been widely unpopular in the TTRPG community, and WotC has delayed releasing its latest version of the new OGL due to incredibly heavy pushback. In addition, Paizo and other third-party publishers have banded together to create the Open RPG Creative License (ORC). Finally, there have been announcements by Kobold Press, MCDM, and others about creating their own RPG systems. We stand with our community of players and third-party creators against the actions by WotC/Hasbro to make our hobby less inclusive, diverse, and open.

The Impact of the OGL on Vodari

Until the new OGL is released, none of us know for certain how published books and future publications will be impacted by a potential new OGL license. But here is where we currently sit:

• As the OGL controversy progresses, we have become confident that a book that is already published, such as The Seas of Vodari (2020) or Under the Seas of Vodari (2022), will not be impacted by a new OGL.
• We have delayed sending our order to our local printer. While we want to get this book to the printer, we believe it is prudent to hold off our hardcover print run just a little longer so that we're able to see an updated version of the OGL from WotC. We still expect to send our order to the printer this month and begin shipping later in Q1 2023. 
• We are continuing to develop The Hunt for the Undine, our stretch goal adventure. What exactly will be allowed for publication by WotC is up in the air. Whatever happens, we'll release an adventure that's as compatible with 5th Edition rules as allowed.
• Once the Kickstarter is fulfilled, we plan to continue to support the Vodari campaign setting via Patreon, online bookstores, VTTs, and even future Kickstarter campaigns. Exactly what the future holds will take shape once the OGL dust has settled. We love creating content for Vodari and want to keep working to support your games above and below the waves.
   

Rewards Update

COMPLETE DIGITAL REWARDS

• Undersea World Map
• Under the Seas of Vodari Quickstart
• Undersea Character Sheets
• Hero's Guide to Vodari v1.2
• Under the Seas of Vodari (PDF) v1.0
• Undersea Digital Character Art & Tokens
• Undersea Digital Map Pack
• Undersea Pre-Gen Character Sheets

 THIS WEEK

• Under the Seas of Vodari (PDF) v1.1

 Q1 2023

• Stretch Goal Adventure (PDF)
• Shipping of hardcover books, maps, posters, and other physical rewards

Typos / Errors

If you have noticed any typos or errors while reading v1.0 of Under the Seas of Vodari, please send an email with details to [email protected] or provide a comment below as soon as you can. When v1.1 of Under the Seas of Vodari is released this week, it will contain a number of typo/formatting fixes and some minor tweaks we decided to make while rereading the book. If you catch something we missed, we'll make sure to get the fix into v1.1.

December 2022 Update
over 1 year ago – Sat, Dec 17, 2022 at 06:06:29 PM

I hope everyone is enjoying Under the Seas of Vodari so far. If you notice any typos or errors, please email [email protected]. I'm looking forward to sending the final PDF off to the printer in January 2023 once we make any required edits. 

Digital Rewards Update

COMPLETE

• Undersea World Map
• Under the Seas of Vodari Quickstart
• Undersea Character Sheets
• Hero's Guide to Vodari v1.2
• Under the Seas of Vodari (PDF) v1.0
• Undersea Digital Character Art & Tokens
• Undersea Digital Map Pack

DECEMBER 2022

• Undersea Pre-Gen Character Sheets

Q1 2023

• Under the Seas of Vodari (PDF) v1.1
• Stretch Goal Adventure (PDF)

Stretch Goal Adventure

Here's a quick preview of the stretch goal adventure. I'll provide additional previews and updates in the new year.

The Hunt for the Undine
This adventure for four 5th-level characters is set in Vodari but could be placed into any setting with minor changes. When the heroes receive a tip that a prototype aquatic warship, the Undine, is concealed in an underwater ruin, they have a 24-hour head start on teams from all over Vodari, above and below the waves. Whoever claims the Undine will have a major strategic advantage as conflicts between Vodari's nation-states come to a head. This adventure takes the PCs into an underwater dungeon crawl with puzzles, monsters, and enemy adventuring parties - all of which pale in comparison to the secrets of the Undine itself.
 

Under the Seas of Vodari (PDF) v1.0 Released
over 1 year ago – Sat, Dec 03, 2022 at 10:43:18 AM

Under the Seas of Vodari (PDF Version)

Version 1.0 of the Under the Seas of Vodari PDF has been sent out to all backers who pledged to recieve the PDF (this includes late backers via Backerkit). I've been waiting to send out this update for a while now, and it's very exciting to have finally reached this point. Thanks for your patience, and we all hope you really enjoy the book.

If you have any issues with accessing your copy of the PDF, please reach out to [email protected].

Some details about the book:

• 300 pages long (The Seas of Vodari was 268 pages)
• 12 racial options
• 18 subclasses
• 32 magic items and 35 undersea-themed spells
• 71 monster stat blocks

We'll be tracking any typos and issues as they are found and will make those revisions and send out v1.1 to everyone and our printer early in January 2023. Please send your feedback and any issues you find to [email protected].

Digital Rewards Update

Complete and Distributed

• Undersea World Map
• Under the Seas of Vodari Quickstart
• Undersea Character Sheets
• Hero's Guide to Vodari v1.2
• Under the Seas of Vodari (PDF) v1.0

Early/Mid December 2022

• Undersea Pre-Gen Character Sheets
• Undersea Digital Character Art & Tokens
• Digital Map Pack

Q1 2023

• Under the Seas of Vodari (PDF) v1.1
• Stretch Goal Adventure (PDF)

December Update

We will send out our regular monthly update on December 15, 2022. 

November 2022 Update
over 1 year ago – Wed, Nov 16, 2022 at 01:29:57 AM

We're closing in on the end of this Kickstarter! Thanks for your patience.

• Last month, all chapters for Under the Seas of Vodari were handed to our layout team. 
• All maps and art are complete and have been placed into our rough documents. 
• We're still on track to deliver the Under the Seas of Vodari PDF v1.0 to all backers by late November 2022. 
• I decided to keep all of us focused on the book, so some of the other digital rewards have moved from Late October 2022 to Late November 2022.

DIGITAL REWARDS

Complete and Distributed 

• Undersea World Map
• Under the Seas of Vodari Quickstart
• Undersea Character Sheets
• Hero's Guide to Vodari v1.2

Late November 2022 

• Undersea Pre-Gen Character Sheets
• Undersea Digital Character Art & Tokens
• Digital Map Pack
• Under the Seas of Vodari (PDF) v1.0

Q1 2023 

• Stretch Goal Adventure (PDF) - see What's Next section below

HARDCOVER REWARDS

I just talked to our local Canadian printer. I'm working with the printer to finalize our updated quote (prices have gone up a bit since we first quotes before our Kickstarter), set our print window, and set a delivery date for when the books will arrive in our warehouse. When I have these dates, I will send out a special update. We're using the same printer as we used for The Seas of Vodari, so we have a pretty good idea of what our timelines will look like. 

Here is our current estimate on timelines, which I will update as we get more information or anything changes.

November

• Under the Seas of Vodari PDF v1.0 sent out to all backers (late November)

December 2022

• Collect feedback and make revisions (typos, errata)
• Under the Seas of Vodari PDF v1.1 sent out to all backers
• Under the Seas of Vodari PDF v1.1 sent to the printer

January 2023

• Prepress and approvals
• Print run

February 2023

• Delivery to our warehouse
• Shipping begins

All of the other physical rewards (maps, stickers, and postcards) have already been printed and are in our warehouse.

WHAT'S NEXT

Stretch Goal Adventure

Now that our writing team is done with Under the Seas of Vodari, we've moved to outlining and writing the stretch goal that was unlocked at $85k. This new adventure will take PCs on a voyage above and below the waves. I'm hoping to be able to share more details in our next update. All backers will receive this adventure at no cost in PDF format.

Vodari Voyages

Once the "Stretch Goal Adventure" is complete, we're planning to start releasing new content for the Vodari campaign setting. We're looking at releasing content on a regular basis (monthly/quarterly) via Patreon (or a series of short Kickstarters).

We're looking at providing content such as:

• player options (subclasses, backgrounds, feats, spells, etc.)
• a short adventure
• magic items and other treasure
• NPCs and monsters with stat blocks and tokens
• vehicles and crews
• rules and advice for gamemasters
• expanded details for existing settlements (maps, locations, NPCs, etc.)
• locations to visit (undersea ruins, undiscovered islands, etc.)
• new artwork