HeroBook GM is the ultimate toolkit for 5E game masters, with a reusable party tracker and tons of resources in a deluxe notebook.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Campaign Wrap-up: NPC Jam & Nerd Wood Giveaway, HeroBook GM On Sale Now
about 4 years ago
– Thu, Mar 05, 2020 at 11:21:02 PM
Fulfillment is complete!
I'm very happy to report that we have arrived at our expected shipping date for rewards - March 2020 - and fulfillment is not just complete, but has been for over a month! The majority of rewards were shipped out right around Christmas and arrived in backer hands from late December through late January. Thank you to everyone who shared photos and posts on social media - I will never not get a huge thrill out of seeing my books in your hands.
If you have not received your rewards, it is because there is some kind of problem with your pledge, backer survey, payment, shipping details, etc. Please message me through Kickstarter, email me at [email protected], or reach out on any of our social media platforms, and we will get it sorted out and get your rewards on their way.
HEROBOOK GM IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR SALE!
If you missed the campaign, or have a friend or party member who's been lusting over yours, I have good news: HeroBook GM is now for sale! I've also added our new dry erase pens and the HeroBook GM matching dice sets to the store, so if you need to restock your accessories - and who doesn't need more dice - you can get those now as well.
NPC Jam & Nerd Wood Giveaway
To celebrate reaching the end of our campaign, I'm holding a little double-giveaway NPC Jam, and I need your help to pull it off! What's an NPC Jam? It's pretty simple:
1) Grab your favorite d20 and use the random tables inside your new HeroBook GM to roll up an NPC.
3) Submissions will be collected into an NPC Compendium PDF resource that will be given away for free to all backers! This handy booklet will give you dozens of unique, memorable characters ready to drop into your game the moment your players throw you the inevitable curve ball.
4) I will select my favorite NPCs from the submissions, and one grand prize winner and three runners-up will receive amazing hand-crafted wood gaming accessories from our friends at Nerd Wood Designs in Portland, Oregon!
Feeling creative? You can submit as many NPCs as you wish, but entrants can only win a single prize. Only backers are eligible to win prizes, but all usable submissions will be included in the NPC Compendium PDF. Entries will close at 11:59pm PT on March 31st, 2020, so get your NPCs in now!
THE PRIZES
The creator of my favorite NPC will receive a gorgeous hand-crafted wood DM screen from Nerd Wood Designs! This prize includes customizations including image, door and hardware options. These beautiful works of art include embedded magnets to hold your notes, and an incredibly useful dry-erase tile rack at the top for tracking initiative.
Three runners-up will receive a beautiful hand-made hardwood dice tower - and I mean hand-made! Nerd Wood handles every step of the process from wood selection, milling, cutting, sanding, assembly, and finishing.
About Nerd Wood Designs
Founded in Las Vegas in 2013 and now based out of Portland, Nerd Wood Designs crafts incredible hand-made wooden accessories, signs and wall art. I met Josh as an exhibitor at Emerald City Comic-Con last year and was enraptured by his DM screens, and I'm thrilled to work with him on this giveaway. Heroes in the Pacific Northwest can find his amazing work at Emerald City Comic-Con in Seattle and Gamestorm in Portland this month.
Have a question for me, or want to stay up-to-date on future Material Components projects? Throw us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, or join our Discord channel!
Fulfillment Update & Rewards Clarification
over 4 years ago
– Mon, Dec 30, 2019 at 11:57:00 PM
Happy new year, heroes. I rise triumphantly from a turkey and holiday baking haze with a quick update on fulfillment, and some clarification on the PDF version and binding!
Fulfillment is in progress!
As of today, over 95% of rewards worldwide have been shipped! The majority of rewards are now in transit, though I have heard from backers all over the world that the books are beginning to arrive. There are a small number of rewards that are still being packed and prepared for shipment - these are mostly from backers who had issues with their pledge that were just fixed in the last two weeks, as well as the most recent pre-orders. All of these have been processed for shipment, so all backers should have received shipping notifications from Blackbox about the delivery of their rewards. If you are expecting a shipment notification and have not received it, and you've checked your junk/spam for it and don't see it, please contact me directly as there is likely a problem with your pledge or shipment details. You can message me through Kickstarter, through social media (see below), or email me at [email protected].
PDF Rewards
I have gotten a bunch of questions about how to get your hands on the PDF rewards. These were distributed via BackerKit on November 15th, so all confirmed pledges should have received an email notification with a link to download the PDF. If you didn't get it, go to this website to access your pledge and download the file. If your pledge doesn't contain the file, there's likely some kind of problem with the order, so please let me know and I can help you sort it out.
Clarification about HeroBook binding
As with our first campaign, I have received a few concerned comments regarding the appearance of the book's spine. I wanted to take a moment to reassure concerned backers that nothing is wrong with your HeroBook if you can see the binding - it's on purpose!
Our HeroBooks are assembled using a technique called smyth-sewn binding. Despite the raw look it is arguably the strongest book binding method available because the pages are literally sewn together with heavy duty thread and the spine is sealed with a thin layer of glue. This is the same type of binding you will find in archival-quality textbooks. This binding was chosen specifically because it allows the book to lay totally flat on your table no matter what page the book is open to, and we have planned to use this specific binding since day one.
Normally, this type of binding is hidden by a hard cover, but any type of wraparound cover inhibits its ability to lay flat. Although it is unconventional looking, you have my word that it is as mighty as it is unique, and will last for many a campaign. Any of our backers who have been using their player HeroBooks for the last year or so can attest that this binding makes for excellent readability at the table and holds up very well to heavy use.
Share your HeroBook GM on social media
Nothing would bring me more holiday joy than seeing all of you incredible backers finally getting your HeroBooks. When you receive your order, I'd love if you shared it via social media - make sure to tag me so I see it, and let me know what you think. Feedback is an extremely valuable currency!
HeroBook GM Fulfillment Begins!
over 4 years ago
– Fri, Dec 20, 2019 at 01:26:48 AM
Happy holidays, heroes!
I won't waste any time and get straight to the good news: fulfillment of HeroBook GM rewards is starting, three months ahead of schedule!
I'm really thrilled to be approaching the finish line early on this project. We have been ahead of schedule for several months now, but I have been hesitant to bump up the official fulfillment estimate because things can always go sideways when you least expect it. But with all of your orders finalized, and 100% of reward inventory delivered and ready to go, my fulfillment partner Blackbox has given me the green light and confirmed that your orders will begin shipping out over the next few business days. Let's take a moment to be thankful for the awesome folks at each of our warehouses working hard to get you your rewards at this crazy time of year.
I want to take a minute to answer a couple of common fulfillment questions, as I will be a bit slower than usual to answer queries over the week of Christmas.
When will I get my rewards?
Rewards will start to ship as early as tomorrow, but it may take several business days to pick, package, and process the over ~2,400 shipments for this campaign. With Christmas being on Wednesday, it is likely that many orders will not ship until after the holiday. Exact shipping times vary by country, carrier, and your distance from the nearest warehouse, but I expect fulfillment to be well under way by the end of December and most rewards to be delivered by mid-January.
Where are my rewards shipping from?
The friendly fulfillment wizards at Blackbox will be shipping your rewards from four different fulfillment centers: Los Angeles (USA), Toronto (CAN), Northampton (UK), and Sydney (AUS). If you're not located in one of these four countries, your order will ship from the one closest to you.
Will I get a shipping notification or tracking?
Yes! Blackbox will send an order notification to the email associated with your pledge when your order is ready to ship. If tracking is available through your local carrier, it will be provided in that email. Please note as mentioned above that it will take several business days to process all of the shipments, so don't worry if you haven't received your shipping notification - it is coming! I will share another backer update here once I have confirmed that all orders have shipped, so you don't need to contact me or Blackbox until then.
Who do I contact if there's a problem with my pledge or shipping?
If there is a problem with your pledge, or any of your reward items, or you have any general questions about the product or your order, please contact me directly - you can message me or leave a comment through Kickstarter, email me at [email protected], or reach me via any of the social media links at the bottom of this update.
If you have a problem specifically with shipping, please contact our fulfillment provider Blackbox directly via the email [email protected].
Share your HeroBook GM on social media!
Nothing would bring me more holiday joy than seeing all of you incredible backers finally getting your HeroBooks. When you receive your order, I'd love if you shared it via social media - make sure to tag me so I see it!
Fulfillment Update & PAX Unplugged
over 4 years ago
– Wed, Dec 04, 2019 at 12:25:12 AM
Happy December everybody! I just have a quick update for you today with some good news about fulfillment and some less good news about PAX Unplugged.
Fulfillment is right on schedule
The process of getting all of our rewards to their respective fulfillment warehouses is well underway and moving along without much issue. 100% of reward items, including HeroBooks and all add-ons (pens, cloths, and dice) are either in transit or delivered to our warehouses. As with the first HeroBook campaign, we are partnering with the friendly fulfillment wizards at Blackbox to ship your rewards from four warehouses located in the United States (Los Angeles), Canada (Toronto), the United Kingdom (Northampton), and Australia (Sydney). If you're not located in one of these four countries, your rewards will ship from the warehouse closest to you.
As this is always a very busy time of year for shipping, I am still unable to provide an exact timeline for reward delivery, but I can say with confidence we are in great shape with respect to meeting or exceeding our March 2020 estimate. As soon as I have more concrete details from Blackbox, I will share them with you here.
PAX On, PAX Off
Now for the bad news: I am disappointed to share that we have unfortunately had to withdraw our participation from PAX Unplugged later this week. Although our booth displays and HeroBooks were scheduled to be delivered to the show without issue, we experienced problems entering the United States on our way to Philadelphia. I won't bore you with the details but suffice it to say we still have some things to figure out about our Canadian company doing business in the US. This news, while frustrating, is totally unrelated to the status of the fulfillment of Kickstarter rewards, so you need not worry. We will still be around the convention as attendees, but I regret that I will not have copies of HeroBook GM on hand to show off as we had to cancel our shipment and send everything back home. I apologize to anyone who was planning on checking out the book at PAX, and we hope to be there in full force next year.
Progress Update - Manufacturing Complete, PDF Version
over 4 years ago
– Sat, Nov 16, 2019 at 12:25:05 AM
Hello backers! Today's update is an exciting one and a big step towards shipping out rewards. Let's get right to it.
There's so many I can't get into the back of my storage unit - this is less than half of all the books!
Manufacturing is complete!
Left: Detail shot - this thing is kinda hard to photograph! Right: Size comparison between original HeroBook (yellow thread) and HeroBook GM (black thread)
I have received the full shipment of HeroBook GMs in Vancouver and am thrilled with the final product. The books look and feel great - the extra pages compared to the original HeroBook really add some nice extra heft, and it still lays beautifully flat on every page despite the thicker dimensions. I have one sitting on my table coffee table and every time I walk past it, the graphic details catch and reflect the light from the window beautifully. I'm really happy with it and I hope you will be too.
Left: Glamour shot! Right: An adorable piece from Haley Boros (IG: @hihaleyboros)
And now, more good news!
PDF version now available to all backers!
My second bit of good news: the PDF version of HeroBook GM has been released through BackerKit to all backers whose payments have successfully processed. BackerKit will be sending out emails shortly with a link to download the file, and you can also access it by logging in to BackerKit directly. If you do not receive it within 24 hours, check your spam folder. If you don't see it, there is most likely an issue with your pledge - please send me a message through Kickstarter or our website to get it sorted out. I hope the PDF gets you hyped for the real thing! I'd love to know your thoughts - make sure to leave a comment below and let me know what you think.
What's next?
It's time to move into the first stage of fulfillment, which is getting the books and all of the accessories from our home base in Vancouver to our four Blackbox fulfillment warehouses in the United States (Los Angeles), Canada (Toronto), the United Kingdom (Northampton), and Australia (Sydney). Accessory items have either already arrived in Vancouver (pens & cloths) or will be arriving within a couple of days (dice). As such, things are moving very smoothly here and all of our items should be delivered to fulfillment warehouses within a few weeks. Because the Christmas season is obviously the busiest time of year for our fulfillment partner, I do not yet know exactly when fulfillment will begin, and there is always a chance of a delay due to customs or some other unforeseen problem. I have had a few backers ask if the delivery will be in time for Christmas, and although it is possible that fulfillment will begin in December, I am not comfortable adjusting our delivery estimate until I have a firm start date for shipping. Of course, the moment I get an updated ETA from Blackbox, you'll be the first to know.
Shipping addresses will be locked on November 30th!
In order to prepare for final fulfillment, I will be locking shipping addresses on the last day of November. That means if you need to update your shipping address, you have 15 days from now to do so. To update your shipping address, log into your BackerKit account that you set up to answer your backer survey. If you forgot your login or still haven't filled out the survey, go to this link to send yourself an email with a login link.
Material Components @ PAX Unplugged
PAX Unplugged is three weeks away! I'm incredibly excited to get back to Philly for our second year at this awesome convention. Come and get your first look at the finished HeroBook GM, which we will have several copies of on hand for your viewing pleasure. As backer fulfillment will not be complete by then, HeroBook GM will not be for sale, but we will have all of our original HeroBooks and lots of accessories available. If you're a backer of this or our previous campaign, I would love to meet you and thank you in person for your support, so please stop by and introduce yourself.
