Yeld: 2nd Edition Store

April update
6 months ago – Thu, Apr 18, 2024 at 04:10:02 PM

Hi, everyone. I hope you're having a nice Spring. Nick and I have been running silent, since we've been putting all our effort into finishing up the Yeld: 2nd Edition book so we can get it to our printer. We don't have much new to share with you today, but lets go over the schedule and a few other things.

Schedule: Things have been going pretty well, but I was sick for about 3 weeks in April, and that set everything back a bit. Right now we're working hard to deliver files to our printer at the beginning of May. That's in about 2 weeks. We have a lot to do before than, including finishing up art and layout, applying proof reading corrections, creating book design elements and more. The last few weeks are always a crunch. Because I was sick we may ask the printer for a little more time. We don't think that will effect our overall schedule too much.

Right now you can take a look at some of the pages right from the book. These are still a work in progress, so they may look a little different in the finished product. We're also still catching typos and other errors. If you see an error, let us know!

PDF Release: We expect to have the Yeld: 2nd Edition PDF available for all of you to download in the 2nd half of May. Probably closer to the end of the month. The book has grown to 400 pages, which is pretty dang big. The first version of Yeld was 260 pages, and during our Kickstarter a few months ago we told you the new book would be between 330-340 pages. We've really stuffed a lot in this new book, and we think you're doing to like it!

We plan to release the PDF for sale on DrivethruRPG.com, itch.io and Yeldstuff.com in June.

Other PDFs/Books: As soon as we get this book to the printer we'll be turning our attention to the other new Yeld releases from the Kickstarter. This includes the Freelancer Job Guide, The Elves of Yeld, Fight School and Royal Academy of Magic. Each of these is already a work in progress. We will be releasing each of these to you as PDF files as we finish them. Of course, you can also wait and download them from Backerkit this Fall when we start shipping books.

Older PDFs (basically anything we released before this year) will also be updated over the Summer, and made available to download when we start shipping books. All print versions will match these updated PDFs.

Backerkit: We plan to launch our Backerkit in June. We'll have a full walkthrough for those of you using Backerkit for the first time. In Backerkit you'll be able to adjust your pledge and add anything you missed. We'll also be charging you shipping through Backerkit. People who missed the Kickstarter will also have a chance to pledge. We plan to keep the Backerkit open through August.

Shipping Rewards: Despite a few small delays we believe we're still on schedule. We expect to receive books from our printer in August, and start shipping rewards in September. If this schedule changes we'll let you know.

That's it for now. We'll talk to you again next month!

- Jake

March update: Surveys, schedules and more!
8 months ago – Fri, Mar 01, 2024 at 11:19:15 PM

Hi everyone! Time for a quick early March update!

Surveys: We've just sent out the Kickstarter surveys this evening. In addition to requesting your shipping address we've included a few optional questions that we hope you'll answer. Fill these out as soon as you can!

Schedule: So far everything is comfortably on schedule. This week Nick and I have been finishing up the Yeld 2nd Edition text to send it to our proof reader. The process has mostly been compiling and editing, with lots of back and forth about last minute changes. Of course, there's also been some new ideas too that we squeezed in at the last minute. Its a tedious process, but also satisfying in its own way. The book has really taken shape and I'm eager to get started on layout to see it all come together.

PDF release: We plan to release the PDF version of the Yeld: 2nd edition rulebook shortly after we deliver the book to the printer. Right now we think that will be in either late April or Early May. We'd like to have you all playing this Summer!

Backerkit: Several of you have asked when the Backerkit will be open. Right now we're focusing on getting the book to the printer, and after that releasing the PDF. Our Backerkit will be open after we meet those two goals. Most likely in early May. You'll be able to adjust  your order at that point, including adding the last few unlocked stretch goals! So if you missed the Royal Academy expansion or the Loot Deck you'll still have a chance to get them!

Monster Parade: We unlocked 17 Monsters for our Monster Parade! Its going to be a big PDF! Here's the list of Monsters that our Discord community voted for:

Round 1: Lizard Wizard 
Round 2: Goblin Math Diver 
Round 3: Knight of the Moon Court 
Round 4: Loh Tabeth Haunter 
Round 5: Sleep Sheep 
Round 6: Calamity Slime 
Round 7: Crane Tribe Tea Master 
Round 8: Adjunct Professor of Combat Magic 
Round 9: Sugar Queen 
Round 10: The Spelling Queen 
Round 11: The Greatest Frog 
Round 12: Hermit Titan 
Round 13: Surprise Elemental 
Round 14: Broccoli Leviathan 
Round 15: The Kardyroth 
Round 16: Stained Glass Assassin 
Round 17: Gloria, Prince Dragul's #1 fangirl!

That's it for now. We'll have another update for you later this month!

- Jake

February Update
8 months ago – Sun, Feb 18, 2024 at 11:17:29 AM

Hi everyone! Its been a week since the Kickstarter ended, so its time to check in. Nick and I were exhausted, and really needed a few days off. But now we're back to work. And oh damn, we have a lot to do!

First of all, something important. If you've backed one of our projects before you know we send out a LOT of updates. So many! We know most people never check their Kickstarter updates, but we have a lot of important things to tell you! So here's the deal. Updates that we mark with *IMPORTANT* are the ones you HAVE to read. These will include important information about schedules and shipping or other things we need you to know. The rest of the updates? We'd love you you to read them, but you can skip them if you have to.

Here's what we're covering in this update:

- Backer Survey
- Production Schedule
- PDF release date
- Backerkit and Shipping
- Monster Parade
- Conventions

Backer Survey: We'll be sending out our Kickstarter Backer Survey this week. This will just contain a few questions, but we'd appreciate it if you'd answer it as soon as you can!

Production Schedule: Nick and I are deep into this project. Here's a rough schedule:

April: Our book files go to the printer.
May: Printer delivers proofs
August: Books arrive in Portland! We start packing and shipping
September: We'll probably still be shipping in September.

That's how we HOPE it will go. In the past we've hit delays, so this schedule could end up stretched further into the Fall. We'll keep you posted!

PDF release date: We expect to have the Yeld 2nd Edition rulebook PDF available for release in mid to late April. So you'll be playing pretty soon! We'll initially release the PDF to you through Dropbox downloads and Drivethru links. It will also later be available as a download through Backerkit.

Other paid digital rewards (like expansions) will release in July or August. Free digital rewards (like the Monster Parade) will release as we finish them.

Backerkit and Shipping: We'll be using Backerkit for this project. For those of you who don't know, Backerkit is a tool for organizing and facilitating Kickstarters. Backerkit is very easy to use, and when the time comes we'll walk you through it. Here's the important parts:

- We'll be charging you shipping through Backerkit. We didn't charge you for shipping during the Kickstarter because we wanted to wait until close to our shipping date. This allows us to charge you the most accurate (and hopefully cheapest) rate possible instead of trying to estimate it months in advance. So in July you'll get a bill through Backerkit for your shipping costs.

- Backerkit allows us to take late pledges! This means that people who missed the Kickstarter will be able to still get in! It also means that you can add extra stuff to your pledge if you want. Were you thinking about upgrading from the hardcover book to the box set with all the extras? You'll have that option! We're considering introducing some special stretch goals for Backrkit as well.

Monster Parade: As part of our stretch goals we unlocked 17 monsters for our Monster Parade. These monsters come complete with new art, stats and special items, and will be collected in a special PDF that will be free to all backers! We've been voting on the monsters over in the Yeld Discord. Here's a list of the first 14!

Round 1: Lizard Wizard 
Round 2: Goblin Math Diver 
Round 3: Knight of the Moon Court 
Round 4: Loh Tabeth Haunter 
Round 5: Sleep Sheep 
Round 6: Calamity Slime 
Round 7: Crane Tribe Tea Master 
Round 8: Adjunct Professor of Combat Magic 
Round 9: Sugar Queen 
Round 10: The Spelling Queen 
Round 11: The Greatest Frog 
Round 12: Hermit Titan 
Round 13: Surprise Elemental 
Round 14: Broccoli Leviathan

Conventions: We're looking for conventions to attend this Fall! If you have a local con that you'd like us to visit please let us know!

Thats it for now. We'll have another update for you next month!

Jake

And we're done! Thank you all so much!
8 months ago – Sat, Feb 10, 2024 at 10:53:40 PM

Hi everyone! The Kickstarter is over. Its been a long 4 weeks, but we're finally done! Thank you all so much for your support. Presenting a big project like this is always a gamble, and Nick and I weren't sure how a new edition of Yeld would be received. Is that something our players really wanted? Would new players be interested? Thankfully the answer is clearly yes and yes! We're so excited about our new book, and we have so many plans for the next 3 years. Thanks to all of you, we're going to be able to make those plans happen!

We came ridiculously close to our final stretch goal, so we've decided to honor it. Everyone will receive a free digital version of the Loot Deck, and you'll be able to add a physical version of the deck to your pledge in Backerkit later this year.

We want to say thank you to a few people!

Rina Amaranthine is our Media Mage, and did a fantastic job planning our promotion strategy, getting the word out and keeping me from melting down! Thanks Rina!

Maia is a new staff writer, but has been with us for a few years as part of Yeld's promotions team, and the co-producer or YeldPlay! Maia has been all over the community, hyping this Kickstarter and making new community members feel at home. Thanks, Maia!

Emmavoid produced all of our videos, and more and more I think of her as the voice of Yeld. She's also the co-producer of YeldPlay!. Our Kickstarter video had a higher percentage of views than any other project I've worked on, and I know that's because of Emma's hard work. Thanks, Emma!

We'd also like to thank our own Yeld group, Mic, Greymalken, Glucifer, Asa and Maia. We've been playing together for a few years, and so many great ideas have come directly from our games. For example, the Elves of Yeld (in all their cat-like awfulness) sprang directly from a game Glucifer ran! Thank you all for your support over the last few years!

Later this week we'll have a big update unpacking what will happen next, and the road to delivering your books. For now, Nick and I are both pretty exhausted (I'm sure the rest of the Yeld team is too) and cold use a few days off. 

Again, thank you all so much. Get some sleep. We'll see you next week!

-Jake and Nick

New expansion unlocked! Royal Academy of Magic!
8 months ago – Sat, Feb 10, 2024 at 04:21:53 PM

With just 5 hours to go we've unlocked a new Yeld expansion! The Royal Academy of Magic will be a free PDF for all backers. You can also get the book version as an add-on for just $12. Hurry, the Kickstarter ends soon!

Royal Academy of Magic (Full color/magazine sized/32 pages) is a brand new expansion, and will be available as a free PDF for all backers or as a $12 book add-on once it is unlocked.

The Royal Academy is Yeld's foremost school of magic. Enroll your Friend for a Season to sharpen your magical defenses, train against seasoned professors or unlock new Advanced Jobs! Or start your adventures as a student at the Royal Academy in a brand new school themed quest! This expansion includes new Advanced Jobs, Spells, Special dice, Mentors, Monsters and Monster Titles and a brand new way to play Yeld!

(Not final cover)