Arcana of the Ancients, a 5e science-fantasy sourcebook

Adventure Unlocked!
about 5 years ago – Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 09:22:56 AM

 It’s been an exciting couple of days—so much so that we’ve knocked out another stretch goal. We’re upgrading the page count of Arcana of the Ancients to include an additional adventure Monte will write for the book. Every backer getting Arcana of the Ancients in print or PDF (and that’s almost everyone!) will see their book improved by this stretch goal.

So what’s next? We’d really like a deluxe version of this book, so that’s what we’ll do!

Although the full specs aren’t completely worked out, the deluxe version will likely have a debossed leather cover, gilded page edging, cloth bookmarks, and similar features. It’ll be comparable to the deluxe versions we’ve done for some of our corebooks, and they’ve turned out beautifully. And of course it will include the newly unlocked adventure, along with any other content upgrades we unlock before the end of this campaign.

If you’re backing at EXPERT OF THE ANCIENT PAST, PLAYTESTER OF THE ANCIENT PAST, or TRUE FAN OF SCIENCE FANTASY, the deluxe version will be added to your rewards (so you’ll get both the standard and deluxe version). We’ll make this happen if we hit $185,000.

We’ve been rocking this campaign so far. Let’s all spread the word, keep up this great momentum, and unlock this stretch goal quickly. We have weeks to go in this campaign, and plenty of other great ideas for stretch goals!

A Sample Monster You Can Use Right Now
about 5 years ago – Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 09:22:39 AM

We had a really nice weekend, and we’re well on the way to our next stretch goal. Please keep boosting the signal—particularly to your friends who love 5E but might never have heard of Monte Cook Games or this Kickstarter.

As we climb toward that next stretch goal, here’s is a sample of a monster you'll find in Arcana of the Ancients. Feel free to use it in your game this week!

Deluxe Edition Unlocked—Now Let's Unlock the Ninth World
about 5 years ago – Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 09:22:28 AM

We’ve done it: We’ve unlocked the deluxe edition of Arcana of the Ancients. Every backer who is getting all the books in print—that is, everyone backing at EXPERT OF THE ANCIENT PAST or higher—will get this book among their rewards. If that doesn’t include you, you can add it on, or upgrade your standard edition via add-on. But frankly, if you want the deluxe edition, it’s a much better deal to simply upgrade your pledge level to EXPERT OF THE ANCIENT PAST and get it that way, because then you’ll get all the other books unlocked in this campaign as well.

Speaking of which, let’s talk about our next stretch goal. In fact, let’s talk about the next two.

We recently showed off a handful of items, examples of ancient tech devices you might discover when playing a campaign that includes the arcana of the ancients. We already intend to include a pretty big selection of such items in Arcana of the Ancients, but we think the book will be improved by even more. So we’d like to expand the page count and include a large number of additional weird science fantasy tech items to the book. This will be a significant increase in the page count of the book, expanding its value and content. We’ll make it happen if we get to $210,000.

But wait, that’s not all! We’ve seen a lot of comments, requests, and questions, here on this Kickstarter and in places like EN World and reddit, regarding the Ninth World setting of Numenera. A lot of people have expressed interest in using Arcana of the Ancients to run a Numenera campaign using the 5e rules. To be honest, that’s an idea we’ve been interested in, too. So let’s make it a stretch goal.

Beneath the Monolith will convert the award-winning Numenera setting (Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Game; multiple ENnie awards including Best Setting and Product of the Year, and others)—the Ninth World—for use with 5e.

There have been eight previous worlds. You may refer to them as ages, aeons, epochs, or eras, but it’s not wrong to think of them as truly individual worlds. Each stretched across vast millennia of time. Each played host to a species whose civilizations rose to supremacy but eventually died or scattered, disappeared or transcended. During the time that each world flourished, those who ruled it spoke to the stars, reengineered their physical bodies, and mastered form and essence, all in their own unique ways. 

Each left behind remnants. 

The Ninth World is built on the bones of the previous eight. Reach into the dust, and you’ll find that each particle has been worked, manufactured, or grown, and then ground back into drit—a fine, artificial soil—by the relentless power of time. Look to the horizon—is that a mountain, or part of an impossible monument to the forgotten emperor of a lost people? Feel that subtle vibration beneath your feet and know that ancient engines—vast machines the size of kingdoms—still operate in the bowels of the earth. 

Each of the prior eight worlds, in its own way, is too distant, too different, too incomprehensible. Life today is too dangerous to dwell on a past that cannot be understood. Some people excavate and study the marvels of the prior epochs, just enough to help them survive in the world they have been given. They know that energies and knowledge are suspended invisibly in the air, that reshaped continents of iron and glass—below, upon, and above the earth—hold vast treasures, and that secret doorways to stars and other dimensions and realms provide power and secrets and death. They sometimes call these things magic, and who are we to say that they’re wrong?

We will unlock Beneath the Monolith, add it in print to the rewards of every backer at EXPERT OF THE ANCIENT PAST and above (and in PDF to the EVERY PDF! level), and bring the rich, fascinating Ninth World to 5e, if we hit $260,000. There are still weeks left in this campaign. If we all help spread the word to reach new backers, we have plenty of time to make this stretch goal happen—and perhaps unlock several more!

Don't Poke the Ravage Bear!
about 5 years ago – Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 09:19:23 AM

Can you believe we’re closing in on the deluxe version of Arcana of the Ancients? As soon as we hit it—which could easily be as soon as this evening—we’re going to announce not just one, but the next two stretch goals. We’re very excited by these, and we think you will be, too. Please take a moment to hit social media with a link to the campaign and a few words on why you think it's cool—if we all did that, we'd hit this stretch goal in a matter of minutes!

In the meantime, here’s a sample of a monster you'll find in Arcana of the Ancients. (If you’re new to the campaign, check out the previous update for another one.) Feel free to use it in your game!

Beasts of Flesh and Steel Unlocked!
about 5 years ago – Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 09:18:34 AM

You did it! You’ve already unlocked our first doozy of a stretch goal: Beasts of Flesh and Steel will be a reality.

This hardcover will include well over 100 new monsters based on or around the strange technology of the ancients. These science-fantasy monstrosities will add a whole new level of weirdness and imagination to your existing game. If you’re backing at the EVERY PDF! level, you’ll get this book added to your rewards automagically. If you’re backing at EXPERT OF THE ANCIENT PAST, PLAYTESTER OF THE ANCIENT PAST, or TRUE FAN OF SCIENCE FANTASY, you’ll get it in PDF and hardcover. If you aren’t backing at one of those levels, you can get the book as an add-on for $45.

This campaign has a long way to go, and if we keep spreading the word we can hit many more stretch goals. So let’s make the next one a new adventure. If we get to $135,000, we’ll add another full-length adventure to Arcana of the Ancients. No matter what your backer level, your copy of the book will get significantly bigger and you’ll get more great ways to integrate the wonder (and sometimes terror) of science fantasy elements into your 5E game.

Remember to help spread the word, so that we can hit this stretch goal and who knows how many more in the weeks to come!