project-image

Fool's Gold: Into the Bellowing Wilds

Created by Hit Point Press

A 5th edition campaign setting based on the hit Youtube series by Dingo Doodles and Felix Irnich.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

February/March Update + Letter from PM Graeme + Art Preview
about 1 year ago – Wed, Mar 08, 2023 at 07:13:08 AM

Hey backers!

We have a really important update from the team this month which is why it took some extra time to put together for you. This is your combined update for February and March and will start with a member of the team who would like to speak to you directly. After you hear from him, additional update information will follow. 

Meet Graeme!

This is Graeme. He has no body in real life, either. Probably. I haven't seen it since 2020.

Hi all!

My name's Graeme, and I'm the project manager at Hit Point Press charged with shepherding the behemoth of a book that is Fool's Gold: Into the Bellowing Wilds across the finish line!

I wanted to be the one to write to you in this update to chat about what we've accomplished, what we are currently working on, and what is left to wrap up in the coming months. As you all know, while we have been hard at work battling with cryodon stat blocks in the writing room and fighting against foreclaimers with art utensils, we certainly have some catching up to do. 

Because of that, it's with a heavy heart that I have to let you know in this update that we aren't going to be able to meet our anticipated PDF release of Q1 2023. We simply need more time to finish editing the book, and I'd like to break down for you in more detail how we got here and what we're going to do about it.

To be put rather bluntly, we underestimated just how much time it would take to meet the promises that we announced for the book itself during the Kickstarter campaign. And as you've seen, it's had a significant impact on how much we have been able to complete within the expected timelines. Writing a whole campaign setting, then adding an adventure that spans 10 levels, +35 Creatures, 30 Spells,+30 Magic Items, 8 subclasses, 4 new races, 3 backgrounds and more, all lovingly packed inside of 1 book? I'm getting dizzy just typing it!

That said, our writing team have been true champions, working daily to craft, finesse and assemble all of the above under the fantastic guidance of the Fool's Gold team.

And they made it happen! It took longer than we hoped it would, and we added many, many, many more pages for you all to enjoy, but they made it all fit.

So, what comes next?

Now, it's time to wrap up the final editing pass and hand it over to the design team. To expedite this as best we can; we are supplementing the editing team with additional editors to get us through this phase. Meanwhile, the design team has already begun working ahead wherever they can, taking the text the second it's finished its review.

Next, as soon as the design team aligns the final text block and places the last remaining art piece, we will launch into one final review of the PDF to ensure it's in tip-top shape before delivering it straight to your inbox. We now expect this to be completed by End-June.

Upon releasing the PDF, the book's physical production will begin. We have been quoted a 70-day production time; however, we also know that these dates can't always be taken at face value *cough cough, Heckna production*, and the last thing any of us want are further unfortunate delays. As such, we anticipate the production on all items should be completed by the end of September.

The next step involves shipping everything from the manufacturers to our distribution partners. We've been told that shipping between these two destinations typically takes 40 days. Again, however, as we are looking to account for all negative possibilities, we expect products to arrive from across the ocean before the end of December.

Finally, but most importantly, the last stop is your gaming table. Shipping will begin from our distribution centers in January of 2024. I know this date is much later than we hoped, and I want to stress that these dates are estimates. However, I assure you that we are working hard at every turn, without cutting corners, to beat these estimates and ensure that you are adventuring in the wilds as soon as possible. All items from your rewards will ship together, but in light of the delays, we’ll do what we can to make arrangements with our fulfillment partners to ship out complete reward packages based on what has arrived to the warehouse. This means that if you have a tier that doesn’t have physical book content (like the Tarrasque tier), it would not be tied to when the books arrive.

Personally, it felt important to me that I be the one to reach out to you all during this update. As "The Scheduling Guy," I wanted to acknowledge and own that this hasn't gone as planned and let you know on behalf of all of us at Hit Point Press that we never make these changes lightly, and it's disappointing for everyone when it becomes necessary.

As a small token of our gratitude for your continued patience, we are making our ENNIE award-nominated collection of Big Bad Booklet PDFs, Issues 1-6, available for all backers to download via Backerkit later today. We know this isn't the content you've been waiting for, but we hope it will be an enjoyable bonus in the meantime!

You can bet I'll be back in the next update and every update after that until Fool's Gold: Into the Bellowing Wilds ships to ensure you know exactly how things progress each month.

Sincerely,

-Graeme. 


Reward Progress + Preview

Thank you, Graeme! Now back to your regularly scheduled disembodied voice to break down rewards. 

To reiterate what Graeme discussed above, here are the expectations regarding book distribution and production. 

  •  Delivering the PDF: The end of June.
  •  Physical production: From the end of June to the end of September
  •  Freight to distribution partners: From the end of September to the end of December
  •  Shipping to your home: Shipping begins in early January 2024.  

Physical rewards not tied to book content continue to undergo quality assurance (including the tarrasque! I know lots of you are super eager to see pics, and we'll share them as soon as we've got 'em!). 

Everyone that pledged for the digital STLs should by now have access to the pre-supported versions as well. 

Art is still coming in, so please enjoy the sneak peeks below!

Mohsnian Playable Race - Sneak Peek

Here is your first look at the playable race known as the mohsnians! Sometimes called crystal golems, mohsnians are people whose bodies are made entirely of living crystals. Mohsnians are known as some of the sturdiest folk in Ambria. They can regrow shattered limbs and repair their bodies with gold.

An opal mohsnian druid, ruby mohsnian barbarian, and an amethyst mohsnain bard explore a cave system. Art by Derek Murphy.

Mohsnians carry an inner light within their gemstone bodies, which helps them excel in all sorts of adventuring escapades. Here is a mohsnian Oath of Survival paladin, an exciting new subclass that focuses on keeping yourself and your allies alive by channeling primal energies. Perfect for the dangerous jungle of the Bellowing Wilds!

A sapphire mohsnian Oath of Survival paladin refuses to surrender. Art by Derek Murphy.

Perhaps you recognize similarities between the mohsnians and your favorite kilt-wearing barbarian, Gorthan? He is actually a half-mohsnian. That’s all we can say for now…

Gorthan slinging swords. Art by Aviv Or.

 Have questions? Reach out!

Leave a comment, e-mail us at [email protected] or join the Hit Point Press Discord!

Cheers,

A wild update appears! Fool's Gold: Dice, Death & Dating
about 1 year ago – Wed, Feb 08, 2023 at 01:49:36 PM

Woah, it’s not time for the next Kickstarter update yet; what is this?!

Well, guess what! Felix & Dingo have been working on one hell of a new project while Hit Point Press continues to run the Kickstarter across the finish line: A D&D-INSPIRED DATING SIM BASED IN THE FOOL’S GOLD UNIVERSE! 

Say hello to Fool’s Gold: Dice, Death & Dating.

Fool's Gold: Dice, Death & Dating is a TTRPG-inspired dating adventure game in which you, a daring adventurer, dive into the world's deadliest jungle to get a hot date for the annual Bundariko Ball.

Your adventure will take you through a deadly jungle before you find your way to the town of Bundariko, a ramshackle little dive full of adventurers, cultists, and single bachelors. 

Who will you try to woo? The druid? The magical girl? The monster? Or others? Well, perhaps first try to make sure your choices don't get you killed and THEN worry about the smoochin'.

And, of course, don't trust the monkey. 

But that's not all; there’s already a free demo for you to play! We've sent you a copy via Backerkit so check it out!

The game is PG13, so don’t expect anything raunchy, just fun, kooky, weird stuff just like D&D! We got dice-rolling mechanics, death, puzzles, and extremely vicious bushes. It’s dumb, it’s fun, and it’s a great way to celebrate Valentine’s Day!

Speaking of which, we’re also releasing a bunch of Fool’s Gold Valentine’s Day cards for free!

 Send warm wishes from Sips to your date/enemies, or use the blank cards to make your own. Go nuts!

If you want to stay up to date on the game, make sure to follow @CryodonGames on Twitter and sign up for our Newsletter!

We’re excited to hear your feedback!

Love,
 The Fool’s Gold Team

January Update + Subclass Preview!
about 1 year ago – Thu, Jan 19, 2023 at 12:14:12 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

December Update
over 1 year ago – Fri, Dec 23, 2022 at 09:30:59 PM

Hey backers!

We hope everyone is staying safe and warm during this holiday season! Here is the last update for 2022.

Writing + Editing

Writing is and continues to be the main focus for the entire team and this past week, we’ve hit a major milestone! Writing for the campaign has wrapped and is undergoing review by editors and sensitivity consultants. No previews to send out this month, as the team is hard at work implementing edits from the reviews.

Art + Design

Reference mapsand battle maps are being worked on and the artists are making their way through our list of pieces! Check out some below!

Cebranith by Alyse Stewart
Emerald Throated Hoaxer by Alyse Stewart

Production + Manufacturing

Now that sets 1-8 of the miniatures have been approved, the next step is to focus on the packaging design! The Tarrasque continues to undergo QA approvals and we have begun to receive production samples for Ohio Jack’s notebook and the Fool’s Gold coins, with even more samples on the way.

Digital Rewards

For those that have been eagerly awaiting the rest of the digital miniatures, we are so excited to announce that the second batch of Fool’s Gold STL files are ready for release!

We’d also like to announce that we’ve heard your requests for pre-supported miniatures, and we’re working with Tableflip Foundry to make that happen! The work is currently underway, and we expect to see it completed near the end of January after all files have been test printed. Both versions of the files will be distributed to backers expecting STL files.

That being said, we will be releasing the miniatures without pre-supports shortly via BackerKit if you would like to get started printing or even just viewing the models!

Official Fool’s Gold Discord Server

There is now a dedicated Discord server for Fool’s Gold fans!

As the server is run by Dingo and Felix themselves, we ask that if you have Kickstarter questions, please use the support emails provided or leave a message in the Fool’s Gold channel in the Hit Point Press server. We’ll help you out there!

Join the server!

Have questions? Check out our FAQ!

Leave a comment, e-mail us at [email protected] or join the Hit Point Press Discord!

Cheers,

November Update + Rewards Progress
over 1 year ago – Tue, Nov 29, 2022 at 12:12:43 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.