End of the Month Update: First 100 Pages Near Completion
about 3 years ago – Mon, Mar 01, 2021 at 06:50:26 AM

Hey y'all, we're supremely disappointed to tell you another month has gone by and we're still unable to show you any completed content from the book. But, as always, we want to continue to communicate with you during this process no matter how difficult it has been.

In mid 2020, we decided to effectively start the production process over when the full service publishing company we WERE using to make the book shut down permanently during the COVID Pandemic. Since then we have found talented layout artists and a reliable printing company, but there are still plenty of aspects of production we had to take on which we never expected to.

The process of learning aspects of formatting and layout on the fly has been difficult for us, especially with multiple added complications from our personal and professional lives as indicated in our previous update. All we can do at this point is promise you that we are indeed making progress. The first 100 pages of the book (which is a significant portion of the game) are well under way and we hope to have them fully rendered soon.

Once those pages are done, we'll be sending them as a PDF to all of you so that you can see at least a decent portion of the book to come. We'd rather send you this book in segments than make you continue to wait for the full product to be complete. 

We understand that continued contentless updates are extremely frustrating and disheartening, but we remain committed to finishing this project for you. We're not giving up. And we genuinely appreciate the continued patience and support from our community. Y'all are great, and a wonderful source of positivity in our lives during an otherwise horrible time in human history.

Meanwhile, we will remain in regular contact with our community via the Kickstarter exclusive Discord and our weekly Livestreams on Twitch. And we'll continue to drop monthly Kickstarter updates to let you all know we haven't stopped trying to bring this book to life for you. If you're a backer and not already a member of the Discord, shoot us a message and we'll happily hook you up with an invite!

End of The Month Update: COVID Strikes Back
over 3 years ago – Wed, Jan 20, 2021 at 08:02:18 PM

Hello Backers! Another month has come and gone and while we have been working to complete the layout on the book, COVID continues to throw wrenches in our plans! With the new strain of the virus spreading through the US at a rapid speed, our ability to meet our goals has been stymied.

For starters, COVID struck at our day job in January, forcing us to work overtime hours to cover for quarantining coworkers. However, the bigger effect on our productivity was that our Layout Team also contracted COVID this month. They have continued to work with us in a limited capacity, despite their condition, but it has slowed things down quite a bit. Ultimately our experiences with COVID has been mercifully mild compared to others struggling with the virus throughout the world. While the virus has played havoc with Manifest's production, we are forever thankful for the health and safety of those close to us.

We know it has seemed like nothing but bad news from us, but we're going to keep pushing forward to make this game a reality. With the COVID Vaccine on the horizon promising to relieve pressure on our productivity, and new legislature in the works to help stabilize our lives, we will complete this book! No matter how bumpy the road, Manifest is coming, and we thank you all for allowing it to happen.

As always, you can reach the Waypoint development team via our Backer exclusive Discord, and you can communicate with us directly on the Manifest Live Stream every Tuesday night at 8pm Central (Campaign #2 starts on February 2nd)! We're not disappearing on our community, we love you all so much, and we hope that the last 12 months have been kind to you and those in your life. Hang in there, stay safe, and we'll touch base next month with another progress report!

Production Update: Layout Underway and Printing on the Horizon!
over 3 years ago – Sat, Dec 05, 2020 at 12:48:19 AM

Hello Drifters! We know we've been quiet on the Kickstarter front, but hopefully some of y'all have been keeping in touch with us via the backer exclusive Discord and our weekly twitch streams!

Either way we wanted to hit everyone with an update as we have locked in our new publisher and layout designer! In fact, the layout process has begun! 

2020 has been a difficult year for the entire planet, and we can't express how grateful we are to have found such a loving, enthusiastic, and supportive community in all of y'all. We have finally managed to get ourselves to the point we were hoping to be all the way back at the beginning of the year when COVID-19 hit the US in earnest.

All that pent up energy and preparation has allowed us to jump into the layout process with fervor! What does that mean for you? Well, for one thing, it means that your PDF's are not too far away! As soon as the layout is complete, we'll be sending PDFs of the full rulebook to all applicable backers. From there it's just a matter of time before we go to print. 

As the fiscal year is coming to an end, we're going to have to wait until the beginning of 2021 to start the printing process, but now that things are really moving and shaking, we'll have to much more to talk about! We'll be keeping y'all up to date on all the new progress as it happens. Prior to the book going to print, we'll be hitting everyone up on BackerKit to lock in their addresses for delivery. You needn't worry about that for now, we'll be posting another update specifically to signal boost that process.

For now, y'all stay safe, healthy, and happy while we keep chugging away with our talented layout designer. We'll be dropping updates as the PDF comes together. Who knows, maybe we'll even be able to tease a few finalized pages prior to the PDF's actual release!

Thank you all for a wonderful year, and we are SO excited to be in the final stages of bringing the Manifest Core Rulebook to you. Happy holidays, and you'll hear from us soon!

Critter Sightings: Jackalope and Aatxe
over 3 years ago – Fri, Oct 02, 2020 at 08:16:53 PM

Howdy! We've got some exciting news on the horizon, and we'll posting an update with more details in the near future. However, we've missed y'all, and wanted to end the month with a Folklore Friday update taking a look at two trusty mounts available on Manifest.

Manifest is home to all sorts of fascinating wildlife. Ranging from the curious to the outright terrifying, the native fauna is just one of the reasons the life of a drifter requires immense skill and luck. Only truly talented individuals can survive the wilds between settlements

Jackalope

One of the most prevalent creatures on all of Manifest is the Jackalope. This massive, rabbit-like beast prefers to live either in the treetops of heavily wooded areas or in shallow burrows obscured by thick vegetation. However, the Jackalope is a very adaptable creature and can be found living in all manner of habitats around Manifest save for the Great Salt Flats, where very few creatures can hope to survive.

Depending on their environs, Jackalopes range from the size of a large dog, as seen with the pygmy jacks of the Wastes, to the enormous size of a shire horse in the lushest parts of the Garden.

Despite regularly being considered prestige animals predominantly owned by the wealthy, Jackalopes also have a more practical use. They are one of the most reliable and swiftest animal transports available. They are often used by courier services transiting valuable letters and packages that would otherwise have to be subject to the route and schedule of a Nomad pack. 

Jackalopes also commonly accompany Drifters with a knack for animal handling. Because a Jackalope is better equipped for danger than most other mounts and can save a Drifter’s life with astonishing speed and agility. Their inherently playful personalities also make Jackalopes amusing companions on otherwise long and lonely journeys.

These springy antlered animals have been known to jump as high as four times their height and a whopping 12 times their length when moving at full speed, which can reach up to 50 miles an hour at a sprint.

This fleetness of foot has led to a variety of sports on Manifest involving the use of Jackalopes. In fact, arguably, the most famous sporting event on Manifest is the Antler Cup. This renowned competition puts teams of up to three Jackalopes through three main events: Racing, Jumping, and Dressage. The Antler Cup travels to a new Factory Town every third year and draws in thousands of competitors, spectators, and athletes.

Jackalope breeding and wrangling is gaining momentum as the newest career path that allows lower-class individuals to brush shoulders with the privileged and elite, and bankrolling the winning team of the Antler Cup is undoubtedly a feather in anyone’s cap. Despite the steep punishment for the possession or trade of stolen livestock in most territories, the demand for genuinely exceptional Jackalope stock has brought many a rustler a fair bit of spurs in recent years.

Whether they are considered a wise investment or a cherished companion, the Jackalope is a fine critter that anyone on Manifest can rely on.

Aatxe

As the fastest land animals on Manifest, reaching speeds of up to 80 miles an hour, there's nothing quite like the sight of an Aatxe herd on the move. Native to the Badlands, the Aatxe is a beast with blinding physical speed and a temperamental flare that demands respect. In fact, Aatxe were thought to have such a wild and ungovernable temper that many used to believe they could never be domesticated, and that using them as beasts of burden or mounts was no less than a pipe dream. Even today, there is some truth to that sentiment, except for a small number of extremely gifted ranchers and wranglers. 

Those who have a great desire to own one of these magnificent beasts have two options. They can attempt to catch, wrangle, and train their own wild Aatxe, or they can head into the badlands, south of Tobias Station, towards Ghost Creek to Red Mane Ranch, the only known successful Aatxe ranch on all of Manifest. There the Areny family presides over acres of land dedicated to the four Aatxe herds that they have raised and semi-domesticated. After the prospective new Aaxte owner selects a yearling, the Arenys, with their head trainer Ennio, will train and domesticate it, readying it for delivery or pick up in about two years' time. 

Many have tried to discern how the Arenys are able to tame and manage entire herds, but the art of the Aatxe is a closely held family secret passed from generation to generation. No one thus far has been able to suss out their method.

There are few individuals with the skill and determination to domesticate even a single Aatxe, and accomplishing such a task is a mark of skill among wranglers. However, there have been sightings of a previously unlocated Naturalist tribe called the Eudialyn Clan, which reportedly rides Aatxes as their primary mode of transport. There's speculation that the Areny Family, which has been located in the same area for generations going back to the Factory Wars, may either be descended from the Eudialyn or work closely with them to cultivate the Aatxe population on Manifest.

People are naturally wary of omnivorous and occasionally cantankerous Aatxe, especially when one canters into town with a Drifter atop. And to a degree, they are right to be so, an Aatxe herd unheeded can bring ruin to a camp or caravan, and a single Aatxe can run an unwary traveler through if it or its herd are threatened. Even Nomads will mark the typical path by which the Aatxe herds move, specifically to avoid any run-ins. 

This nigh-universal respect of the Aatxe's place in the world is why when a foolhardy individual intentionally goes looking for trouble, the people of the Badlands have taken to saying 'they might as well try milking an Aatxe' for all the danger they are putting themselves in.

But what most people don't realize is that once domesticated, while still dangerous, these giant critters are fiercely loyal. Unless those the Aatxe would consider its adoptive herd are threatened or in need of protection, a well trained Aatxe tends to be stoic and as well behaved as bidden by their handler. 

While these speedy beasts have proven to be wonderful mounts and better companions, they are expensive to acquire, train, and keep. It takes a brave soul to befriend these critters with tempers as hot as their fur is red, but the rewards can be great in magnitude. Not only will a Drifter acquire a pack beast, mount, and protector, in an Aatxe, they will also find a lifelong companion.

Expanded Quick Start Guide AVAILABLE NOW!
over 3 years ago – Fri, Sep 04, 2020 at 07:38:02 PM

You heard about it in the Discord and on our Livestream, but today's the day! We've rolled out an update to the Quick Start Guide!

The Quick Start Expansion adds new content for GM's and players to utilize at your table. With 10 more pages of rules, gear, monsters, and NPCs, there's plenty for you to explore while Manifest's core rulebook is stuck in production. 

With the Expanded Quick Start Guide, we're releasing two new pre-made characters for players to try out. Those new characters, and all 8 of the original pre-made characters, can now be played all the way to Level 9! That's a cumulative 728xp worth of character progression now at your finger tips!

All this extra character progression comes with the premiere of our Official Character Sheet designed by the wonderful Bradley Beeker!

We have sent an email with the subject line: "New Manifest Expanded Quick Start Guide" to everyone who qualifies for this reward. So open up that email and find the link to the page where you can download all this new content! If you have any issues, shoot us a message on Kickstarter. Otherwise, keep drifting!