Important Update
4 months ago – Tue, Jan 30, 2024 at 07:52:43 AM

Dear Backers,

I hope this message finds you well.

We appreciate your ongoing support and commitment to our project.

Given some recent discourse, I want to provide an honest update on where things are at.

Over the last eight months, our company has unexpectedly faced several heavy blows, creating something of a perfect storm. We want to be fully transparent with you and our greater community on the reality of the situation both to manage expectations in terms of timelines and provide reassurance for any concerns.

We continue to progress projects as quickly as we can against the rising costs since Covid and other challenges. For example, as you might already be aware from other updates and our newsletter, our Facebook ads accounts were disabled, our website was deleted, and social media content and platforms were destroyed in Q4 2023. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

We are a family-run business based in Ireland with a small team and these challenges have knocked us off balance to say the least.

Things have been made even more difficult by individuals formerly associated with the business jeopardizing the livelihoods of our small team of employees and the fulfilment of our projects.

Luck of the Irish? Not here…

In some ways, it would be easier to admit defeat and shut everything down.

But that isn’t who we are!

We’ve committed to these projects (and to you), and as long as it might be taking, we ARE bring open projects to completion.

But first, we need to get things back on track after the year that was 2023.

Our small team is working tirelessly to recover and I couldn’t be prouder or more grateful to be surrounded by such incredible people.

To ensure we can deliver on our promises and close out open projects, we’re dedicating February and March to regrouping and figuring out the details for how we’ll proceed for the rest of 2024. During this period, we won’t have as much time to respond to comments/emails, but please understand that this decision is crucial for the long-term success of open projects.

Our commitment to transparency means that we will provide a detailed breakdown of our plans and strategies for 2024 by the end of February. 

We know we’re talking about less communication for a little while when communication hasn’t exactly been stellar in the first place. But focussing on regrouping will ensure we honor our promises and deliver on our commitments.

We want to express our gratitude for the understanding and grace our creative partners and the community have already extended. We acknowledge that frustrations can run high, especially concerning slowness in closing out projects. However, we want to assure you that we fight diligently to preserve what we have built over the years, and we refuse to let those seeking to undermine our efforts succeed.

 Aizendore's Vault of Tragic Treasure Update

We continue to work with manufacturers and almost all items are ready to go to manufacturing. There is some adjustment needed on the GM screen and one or two minor tweaks on a couple of the other physical rewards.

Order of Elemental Chaos Update

We are finally nearing completion of this adventure book. I will uploading a sample of this in the next week or two after the sample has had a final review. Once ready, samples will be ordered and the print specifications finalised.

*Keep an eye on your notifications as I am sending out a digital bundle of some of our one shots to thank you for your patience. 

Thank you again for your continued patience and support.

Kayeigh and Team Penny Dragon

First Look at Manufactured Samples
6 months ago – Fri, Dec 01, 2023 at 10:56:46 AM

Hey folks,

I tried uploading this directly to Kickstarter a few days in a row but Kickstarter didn't like it. I think because it was so big.

So I ended up dropping it on YouTube which I wanted to avoid because I don't really have anywhere for videos like that to live.

It's nothing fancy, just a look at the 3 different bindings of Aizendore's Vault, dice (stand-ins), dice vaults, dice trays, GM screen, magic item cards, posters, player mat, and a few other items.

It's fairly long as there was a lot to cover and I wanted to get you an in-depth view on where we're at and what we need to change, improve, etc.

Anyway, you can watch the in-depth update on the items in the following video:

This update is short because almost everything you need to know is in the video.

One point I didn't touch on is that we're still experimenting with the GM screen and will be getting another landscape one manufactured. For some reason, these have beenthe most difficult thing to source so far and we've had issues with them one way or another. This time it looks absolutely amazing. However, US Letter size isn't what we wanted originally (I tested it in a game with my kids and I wasn't convinced) so we'll try for another landscape design.

We also have 3 gloss covers arriving as the covers in this video are matte which was not what we requested. It's a small change, but we do need to see how they look before hitting the big red button.

Those were supposed to arrive yesterday actually, but it looks like there is a delay and they'll arrive on Monday...possibly a customs issue? 

We haven't had that with sample orders before.

Anyway, I'll chase Fedex on Monday if we don't have any movement then. We'll keep you posted on GM screens and the gloss covers.

Given we're now in December, wishing you and yours seasons' greetings!

Cheers,

Paddy

P.S. We hear you. Weekly updates is probably a bit overkill. So we'll aim to update twice a week at most and once per month at least. But we might add a few additional updates if anything important comes up.

We have Samples!!!
6 months ago – Mon, Nov 27, 2023 at 03:06:58 PM

Hey there!

Glad to be sharing another update.

This time I'm super excited to share a whole bunch of sample products we got manufactures.

I've put together an in-depth video. I hoped to have it posted today, but it's still saving out.

So a quick update today and a more in-depth one tomorrow. 

TLDR: We've got samples of the following: Aizendore's Vault hardcover book (standard, alt, and premium faux leather with gold leaf), Aizendore's Dice Vault and dice, Penny Dragon tray and dice, magic item cards, map prints, monster prints, player mat, and GM screen.

We're overall delighted with what we've got. The quality is outstanding. Most samples require changes, mainly we want to see the standard covers with gloss laminate, not matte (this was what we originally requested but there was a miscommunication with the manufacturer). We'll have those in about a week and will post another update when they arrive. There are a few other little bits that need addressing such as some borders being off, so smudging on the gold leaf on one of the books, but this is why we get samples before committing to a full production run.

Sorry again these are taking so long. It's still slow going, but I promise you that it IS going. A few people noted how surprised they were by the last update since they assumed this project was never going to happen. I can't say I blame anyone for feeling that way because I'd feel the same.

But, these are getting to you. It's no a matter of if...it's a matter of when. We don't have a solid date yet (those always change anyway). I would love to say Q1 2024, but I don't want to promise anything until the full print run is under way.

Anyway, that's just the bones of it. In the video I review each sample and talk about what we like/don't like and what we'll change. I think you're going to love the lat covers and the premium leatherette covers in particular.

I'll post the video tomorrow!

Chat again soon.

Cheers,

Paddy

P.S. Kay (my wife who runs PDG with me) and I are going to work really hard to put out weekly updates going forward. Minus some choppiness during Christmas and holidays of course.

P.P.S. We had our first Penny Dragon AGM today. You can see a whole bunch of the samples we have including those for other projects. Some of those projects are still available on pre-order in case you're interested. Check em out by clicking on the image below if you're that way inclined. And in case you missed it today is the last day to get 30% off our website for Black Friday which we won't be offering again for a LONG time :) https://www.pennydragon.games/shop/ 

Your NEW Update for Aizendore's Vault
7 months ago – Fri, Nov 03, 2023 at 02:34:53 PM

Hold on Tight

We’ve got a thorough update for you! As you well know, this project has experienced significant delays, for reasons spanning from covid related paper shortages and the knock-on effect of covid leading to the tripling of manufacturing and shipping costs. Throw in the fact we were a brand-new company that underestimated the cost of such a project. This hit us hard.

Despite all the obstacles of recent years, we are dedicated to bringing this Kickstarter to its full completion.

We deeply appreciate your patience and understanding throughout this journey. We understand that our communication hasn't always met your expectations, but we've implemented a new system to ensure improved communication going forward. Recognizing the importance of transparent updates, we are committed to addressing this more effectively.

I guess that’s a fancy way of saying I’m going to be around more going forward.

I’m also going to be real. I’ve shied away from updates on this project. Not for the lack of work that continues to go into it, but for the disappointment in myself as the creator for not having been able to fulfil this by now.

And it WILL be fulfilled.

Please bear with me as I fight my demons and provide you with the kinds of updates you deserve.

Aizendore’s Vault & Order of Elemental Chaos

Aizendore's Vault of Tragic Treasure is now available in PDF format, with sample prints already approved.

Order of Elemental Chaos, the companion book, is currently in the capable hands of our design team. We anticipate finalizing the PDF and delivering it to you soon.

This project has been a labour of love, and since its inception, we've made significant strides in learning and improving. These advancements have led to fine-tuning and enhancing the book to reflect these improvements (including several rewrites, cover art changes, updated interior illustrations, etc), and it's nearly ready to be unveiled.

How about a look at some spreads from OoEC?

Manufacturing of Physical Rewards

Regarding manufacturing, both the premium and alternative cover samples for Aizendore's Vault are currently in production. We expect to receive samples in the coming weeks. In addition, the remaining physical reward samples are scheduled to arrive around the same time frame. We’re eager to see how the GM Screen in particular turns out because this has been through several iterations, and we hope it’s right this time.

We’re also super excited to see the magic item cards!

Here's the final design file that was sent for the sample manufacturing:

These design images are nice and all, but as soon as we have the physical sample in hand, I’ll share proper pictures images and videos on another update.

Speaking of magic item cards, would you like to receive these in digital form?

Our team is packaging them and you will begin receiving them early next week via backerkit.

If I've missed anything or anyone has any questions, please comment below and I will answer them.

See you in another update soon.

Take care,

Paddy 

☀️ Updated PDF, Samples on the Way
8 months ago – Sat, Sep 30, 2023 at 04:04:50 PM

Good news!

For those who have the PDF edition of Aizendore's Vault of Tragic Treasure, you'll find an amended PDF uploaded and redistributed to you through Backerkit. Check your inbox: You should have received an email earlier after the update was initially distributed. 😊

Project Status

We’re currently pushing ahead with the final few rounds of sample orders for AVoTT. 

Despite the delays we've experienced, we're still here, showing up every day to work on this project as a team. We're still as excited as ever to share the fruits of all our labor with all of you.

Take a look at our approved dice box: 

Looking Ahead

The Alternate and Special Edition cover samples are heading our way now, and we'll share more about that as soon as we receive and approve them. 

Thank you all so much for your patience, encouragement, and support. 🙌