Stormlight Collectibles December Update
over 3 years ago – Fri, Dec 16, 2022 at 06:42:37 AM

With the end of the year just a couple of weeks away, we thought this would be a good time to share an update on Stormlight Premium Miniatures. We've been working hard to get your rewards ready, and getting ready for a Cosmere-ific 2023! Here's the latest.

The Merchant and the Herald

In our last two updates, we gave you sneak peeks of the sculpts for Rysn and Taln. Because Rysn was a very last-minute addition to the campaign, and Taln went through a major change in direction, these are the last two characters we need to lock down before we can go into production on unpainted miniatures.

We're still making some final tweaks and adjustments, but here's a sneak peek at Rysn and Taln!

We put a lot of time and detail into Rysn's chair, working with the Continuity team at Dragonsteel to consider how she'd use it. This was also a chance to explore Chiri-Chiri's design and Rysn's Thaylen eyebrows and clothing... lots of small but important details to ensure a fully canonical design!

Brandon wanted to make sure Taln's armor was something a warrior would have worn during the Desolations of millenia past. We love the Bronze Age-inspired outfit that Ben McSweeney designed, and the final sculpt is going to be fantastic.

What's New at Brotherwise

In addition to these sculpts and final tweaks to some others, our focus since the end of the campaign has been getting everything ready for engineering. We've been working with our factory partners to ensure the best possible quality, even when that has meant increasing costs above initial estimates. This process is lengthy and tedious, but we've made great progress and have started the Engineering phase for key items like our painted figurines. The BackerKit pledge manager is still live and 89% of you have completed your transaction. We'll keep it open until mid-January to make sure everyone has that chance!

Behind the scenes at Brotherwise, we've been getting ready for a big year ahead. We've been hiring some new team members, and currently have a junior Marketing Designer opening that we're hoping to hire by the end of the year. We're also reorganizing our company to ensure a steady pipeline of Cosmere games and collectibles in the coming years! Going forward, the O'Neal brothers will be wearing different hats...

Johnny (the guy with the temporary Bridge Four tattoo) will now be dedicated to upcoming Cosmere projects. In the years ahead that will include the Stormlight RPG, more miniatures, and some standalone tabletop games. Chris (in the King Croak crown) will lead original Brotherwise brands like three exciting new releases we have planned for next year's 10th anniversary of Boss Monster. The brothers will continue to work closely together, but they'll each have a dedicated team to ensure that every project receives undivided attention.

Speaking of original Brotherwise projects, we have another campaign called Empire's End that's now in its final hours on Kickstarter. It's an original (no relation to The Final Empire) civilization-themed game by esteemed designer John D Clair. If you like games that reward smart planning and tense decision-making, this one's a gem.

Journey Before Destination

There's still a long time to wait before we can be ship Stormlight collectibles, but there has never been a better time to be a Cosmere fan! We're currently just four days away from Brandon's birthday blog, when he'll lay out plans for the year head. The Year of Sanderson, with new novels hitting every three months, is just a few weeks away! Meanwhile, we're hard at work on exciting new projects for 2023 and beyond. Thank you for helping make 2022 our best year ever, and here's to the exciting times ahead!

Action Required: BackerKit is Now Live!
over 3 years ago – Tue, Nov 15, 2022 at 04:47:17 AM

The time has come to make your choices. Our pledge manager is live right now and you'll be receiving your invitation to complete it sometime today (though it may take a few hours for yours to arrive)! All backers of any tier must complete this survey to be able to receive your rewards. If your survey is not completed, we will be unable to fulfill any of your rewards.

How to Use BackerKit

Check your inbox and spam filter for an email from BackerKit ([email protected]), or follow this link and click on “Get My Survey.” NOTE: invitations will roll out over the next 12 hours, so yours may not arrive until this evening.

Follow the onscreen prompts to confirm your pledge level. If you’d like to upgrade your pledge level, click on the small “Switch your Pledge Level” link at the bottom of the first screen: 

For some pledges, you’ll have the chance to select certain item variants. For the Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, and Oathbringer pledge levels, you will select the miniatures pack(s) you want. For the Figures & Miniatures pack, you will select the painted figurines you want. Make sure to double-check your selection before hitting Next.

Shipping was not included in your original Kickstarter payment. It will be calculated based on your Kickstarter profile's country/geographic zone. If you change your address, the shipping total will update accordingly.

Before processing your payment, you’ll have the chance to purchase great Add-Ons like the Taln miniature and Official Paint Set!

Your total cost (with shipping) should update as you select any Add-Ons. Once you’ve made your final selections, hit “Next” and confirm your address. On the final screen you’ll enter your credit card to cover the balance of any shipping and Add-Ons, which completes this process.

Questions Answered

Here are some questions you might have, and some quick answers:

If I’m a $1 backer looking to move into a higher pledge, what do I do? Follow the instructions above to Switch Your Pledge Level.

When will the pledge manager close? We plan to close the pledge manager in mid-January, but will send another update before doing so.

How do I update my shipping address if I move? For now, you should complete your BackerKit with your current mailing address. In about six months, BackerKit will send another email (and we’ll send another update) notifying you that it’s time to lock in your address.

Do shipping prices include VAT? Yes, for every one of our “friendly” shipping zones: US, UK, EU, Canada, and Australia.

Will choosing an Add-On increase the shipping price? Yes, but usually by a small amount. Add-Ons will add size and weight to an order, which impacts the shipping cost. A couple of smaller Add-Ons might add $5 to the shipping price. The Clashing Storms statue could add $50 (or more, in some countries) due to its size and weight. Whichever items you order, we’re doing our best to keep prices reasonable. We’re subsidizing a portion of every shipment and working with local partners to keep shipping efficient.

When will items ship? All items are shipping at the same time, in Summer 2023. (That includes the Deluxe Edition of Call to Adventure: The Stormlight Archive, which is currently available in the US at Barnes & Noble, so don't add that on here if you're hoping to play it right away!)

Are product images final? No. While the BackerKit storefront shows the latest package and product renders for every pledge reward, there will be changes between now and production.

Herald of War

On BackerKit you’ll notice that a handful of characters are still shown in silhouette. We gave a preview of Rysn in our last update, and Zellion in the update before that. Our last secret character is Taln.

We decided a Taln miniature would be a fun way to tie this project to the Secret Novels campaign. A free Taln miniature will be included in the Stormlight-themed swag box for that campaign next November. We know there’s a lot of overlap between the two campaigns, but we also wanted to make sure backers of this campaign wouldn’t miss out. So we’ve made the individual Taln miniature available as a $3.50 Add-On.

We’ve partnered closely with Isaac and Brandon to make sure our miniature is a truly canonical version of Taln. We’re very excited to share the final design, but in the meantime we hope this sneak peek is enough assurance for you to trust that the final miniature will be awesome!

Thank You!

Thanks again for your incredible support during this campaign. Everyone at Brotherwise and Dragonsteel is grateful for the excitement and positivity you’ve shared every step of the way. If you have any questions, please let us know! Most challenges with the pledge manager can be resolved with an email to [email protected], but if you have any trouble, please send us a Kickstarter message and we’ll work to resolve any issues.

Pledge Manager Coming Soon
over 3 years ago – Sat, Nov 12, 2022 at 03:29:40 AM

The Brotherwise and Dragonsteel teams have been very busy during the past few weeks, and we're approaching the next big step of this campaign. Next week, you should be on the lookout for an email from BackerKit, which will give you access to the pledge manager.

Using a Pledge Manager

BackerKit is a service that streamlines the process for shipping and Add-Ons. This is a complex project, and the pledge manager allows you to specify exactly what you want. Its interface is similar to a standard e-commerce storefront, and it manages the data in a way that helps ensure smoother fulfillment.

The BackerKit team is currently reviewing our setup, so we expect to be live sometime early next week. After an initial “smoke test” (an email to a small portion of backers), the email will go out to everyone. At that time, we’ll send another update with detailed instructions.

Pre-Engineering Updates

In the meantime, we’ve been busy finalizing all the sculpts and getting ready for production!

A key step has been making pre-production sculpt adjustments. Because this started as a visual development project, there are some differences between our “Hollywood” models and our engineering models. During this stage we’ve made certain elements more robust (like Shallan’s Shardblade), exaggerated some details to ensure they show up at miniature scale, and adjusted all characters to ensure consistent scale.

During this process, we’ve also made adjustments to ensure that every miniature is ready for tabletop play. During the campaign, some backers questioned whether these miniatures might look too large next to standard D&D miniatures. At that time we provided some comparison photos to answer those concerns, and we’ve also made revisions during this pre-production stage. We want miniatures large enough to show great details, but which look right at home next to other miniatures you own.

Design Updates

During the campaign there were a handful of designs we never revealed. We can now provide the first look at our Brandon-approved sculpt for The Lopen!

We’re delighted with the final version, but getting here was a journey. We tried at least seven meaningfully distinct versions, and in retrospect we were trying to make Lopen look a little too goofy. When Brandon saw the almost-final version that led to this design, he replied with one of our favorite lines from this project: “Lopen is actually an attractive man, and I really like this Lopen.” There you have it, folks. When Lopen calls himself handsome, he’s being canonically accurate!

We’re also making great progress on two characters that were added very late in the campaign. Here’s a look at a work-in-progress, not-yet-approved version of Rysn:

 Our team is making some final adjustments to Wit, Zellion, and Taln. Otherwise, we’re nearly past the design stage of this project!

Keep an Eye Out

Look for another update from us next week! We’ll send it as soon as the BackerKit pledge manager is ready for you. If any of you are at Dragonsteel con next week, please stop by and say hello. We’ll have a booth, we’ll run some game events, and Johnny will be part of the “Coming Soon from Dragonsteel” panel at 11 am on Monday. Cosmere fans have a lot to celebrate in the year ahead, and we’re honored to be a part of the “Year of Sanderson!”

Our Final Hours!
over 3 years ago – Mon, Oct 17, 2022 at 11:42:19 AM

We're now into the last three hours of this campaign, and still can't believe how amazing it has been. To everyone who’s already supporting this campaign, including thousands of new backers in the past 24 hours, thank you! To anyone who’s been watching this Kickstarter and waiting for the right moment to join in, now’s the time!

The teams at Brotherwise and Dragonsteel are absolutely thrilled with the results of this campaign. More than 21,000 of you have united to pledge nearly $4 million. We’ve unlocked over a dozen stretch goals, bringing great value to every pledge level. We’ll be able to invest in quality materials and ensure that everything's lined up to deliver an awesome line of Stormlight collectibles.

So as we bring this campaign to its thrilling conclusion, here are answers to a few pressing questions:

What’s in every pledge level?

Here’s a chart that shows the physical, digital, and stretch goal rewards available in each pledge level:

Every book-themed miniature set ships as a 7-pack, including the 6 original miniatures plus the unlocked Bridge Four miniature. Nale, Rysn, Zellion, and the Bridge Four Display stand are all exclusive to the $100 pledge level and above.

The Painted Figurines Set pledge level is focused on giving you the best price for all six painted figures, and also ships with the bonus Shardbearer miniature. For any other rewards, such as the set of four art prints, you’ll be able to use the “add-ons” option in BackerKit.

The All-In pledge level contains all six painted figurines (instead of the four in the Figurines & Miniatures pack). It does not include the Official Paint Set being manufactured by The Army Painter, or the Taln miniature that we're sending to all merchandise box backers in the Secret Novels campaign. However, both of those will be available as add-ons in BackerKit! 

What happens after the campaign closes?

Credit cards will be charged right as the campaign closes. Kickstarter will retry failed cards for up to a week, so keep an eye out for emails about that.

We anticipate taking the BackerKit pledge manager live in November before Thanksgiving. In BackerKit you’ll be able to:

• Make pack and character selections (such as choosing which four characters you want in your Figurines & Miniatures pledge level)
• Purchase add-ons (such as spending $20 for your fifth and sixth figurines)
• Calculate and pay for shipping (based on your final total after any add-ons)

The BackerKit store is a lot simpler than the Kickstarter interface, so all this should proceed very smoothly once the pledge manager is live. As we get closer to that date, we'll send an update with more detailed instructions.

When will we see color models of Wit, Lopen, and Rysn?

As this campaign ends, we’re still finalizing those three characters. Wit is such an important character, to the Cosmere and to Brandon personally, that we’re not stopping till he’s perfect. The same goes for Lopen! We hope this gives you a sense of how much quality and accuracy matters to this campaign; getting them exactly right is more important than revealing their character models today.

We look forward to showing them off, along with Rysn and Zellion, in the coming weeks. That’s just one more reason for you to check any updates we send after the campaign closes!

Who’s that Shardbearer?

Yesterday, we teased you with an image of a new character who’s appearing in this campaign before they appear in an upcoming book. Today, we’re giving you a closer look at Ben McSweeney’s concept art for Zellion.

It’s been very fun seeing all the theorizing over the past day, and hopefully these images will spark a fresh round of speculation!

Will we get to $4 million?

We’re close… tantalizingly close! If you anticipate getting some add-ons in BackerKit, like the $25 Official Paint Set, now’s a great time to add those funds to your pledge. The same is true if you want to pay off some of your shipping costs now; any money you spend on Kickstarter can be allocated however you like in BackerKit.

Whatever our final total, this has been a phenomenal campaign. From the beginning, we’ve said that this is more than a merchandise Kickstarter; it's also a visual development project to create official character designs for more than 30 characters. Now that it’s been such a success, this campaign paves the way for gorgeous artwork and high-quality components in upcoming Cosmere tabletop games, including the Stormlight RPG.

Thanks for making our dreams come true, and here’s to all the excitement that’s still ahead. Journey Before Destination!

Another Secret
over 3 years ago – Thu, Oct 13, 2022 at 02:32:05 AM

On Monday we announced that the Bridge Four Display stand would be our last stretch goal. Since then, we've seen an incredible surge in backers. As we write this, more than 18,000 people are pledging over $3.5 million for Stormlight collectibles. That's mind-blowing, and we think it calls for one more bonus reward. So today's update is all about secrets. 

The Final Stretch

During our last trip to  Dragonsteel HQ, we talked to Isaac and Brandon about adding characters that weren't previously planned. Our Nale and Rysn miniatures both came out of that trip. During the same conversation, Brandon said, "let's add Zellion."

"Who?" we asked. We know the Cosmere very well, and Zellion was not a name we'd ever heard. Brandon just smiled and gave Isaac a knowing look. Isaac told us he'd work with Ben to get concept art to us as soon as possible.

So today we're sharing our secret stretch goal:

This is really the final stretch goal. Zellion will be an unpainted miniature included in every Rhythm of War pledge level (and therefore also included in the Figurines & Miniatures and All-In pledge levels).

Who is Zellion? To quote a great man, "Read and find out."

Unite Them (or Don't)

Today we're also revealing one more secret. Since the first day of our campaign, we've shown you imagery of the showcase-quality resin statue that's included in our All-In pledge level. However, it's more than a single statue: it's two.

This is the statue in its default display mode, showing Kaladin and Szeth with blades crossed as they duel in the skies. But when we first discussed this statue, Brandon asked for it to have the option to display the characters separately, making it two statues in one. So today we can share a hidden feature: you can separate the statues and show each on its own ...no Surge of Division required. 

Each 1:10 scale statue has its own robust resin base, allowing you to pose Kaladin and Szeth at a distance... such as on opposite ends of a bookshelf. Whether they're together or apart, we think you'll love these these epic and hyper-detailed versions of two of The Stormlight Archive's most iconic characters.

Thanks again for your amazing support of this Kickstarter. We'll be back tomorrow with your final update before the end of the campaign!