Alongside our range of miniatures, we are proud to present and include in our campaign a full set of digital rules and a unique adventure that provides a perfect setting for a great one-shot RPG experience, for absolutely free!
Our rules set contains OGL fifth edition racial rules for creating an intelligent dog, unique canine feats and class options, notes on a canine deity for divine doggies and magic items specially tuned for dog use (which of course, are chew proof as well!).
The accompanying adventure, titled “Who’ll let the Dogs Out?”, is designed to be played either with the characters included in the rules or with any party of equivalent level and tells the fateful tale of sinister magics, dark druids and a chance for some brave dogs to save themselves, their canine cousins and the local village from a terrible fate!
Both the adventure and the rules pack feature stunning artwork from professional illustrator and dog lover April Prime, who’s previous work includes the excellent Baby Bestiary for Metal Weave Games.
So you have seen the minis but what about the rules doc? Well, here is just one example of the art quality thanks to the incredible talents of April Prime! Amazingly, this is still work in progress, but she is working on art for every dog and a few bonus pieces as well....hmmm..maybe art prints should be available...
Here's a small piece of Dungeons and Doggies fiction to enjoy! Every mini will have an associated 'icon character' pre generated in the rules pack,and for the Cleric role we have Cerysse, gentle but determined protector of her friends. Many thanks to Kate, our writer, for providing this and many other story pieces for the project! We will follow up with a rules preview for the Companion Domain soon!
I'm going to need every one of these. Who is doing the Kickstarter?
That's supposed to be a Corgi in the bottom row, right? It looks more like my dog Penelope, who is a Rat Terrier/Chihuahua mix than it does a Corgi. For that reason alone I'll need to back this.
Barzam wrote: I'm going to need every one of these. Who is doing the Kickstarter?
That's supposed to be a Corgi in the bottom row, right? It looks more like my dog Penelope, who is a Rat Terrier/Chihuahua mix than it does a Corgi. For that reason alone I'll need to back this.
PaintingPolygons (https://www.facebook.com/PaintingPolygons/) which looks to be a new venture from Rus Charles who used to sculpt & art for Warlord Games, and Mat (Hart?) who if he's who I think he is from his twitter feed is somebody involved in Steamforged Games
Thanks -- the more miniatures project management experience you (and we!) can find out, the better. I'm a little wary that Steamforged Games is currently running a KS, though.
EDIT: Found Mat Hart's twitter: https://twitter.com/C4RP3R
I guess I have some concerns. First, is that Steamforged is already running a KS campaign for its Critical Role miniatures. Although Steamforged and PP are two different companies, Mat Hart looks to be part of both of them. I prefer for smaller companies to fulfill one project before undergoing another, though, if the two projects can be done simultaneously (eg. casting metal miniatures), then this is less of an issue. Second, is that Steamforged looks to have a negative reputation, as seen on the Critical Role thread.
EDIT: Okay, got a FB reply! Hope to see more info in the KS. : "Hi and yes we will, the short answer is it's a partnership between two of us from the games industry as an indie project. Between us we have worked on and coordinated over 12 kickstarters under other labels
It's another beautiful paint job from Markus Stroh- Tedric the Rogue! Because we think Tedric is awesome, we doubled up and hinted at some of his game abilities as well..
PaintingPolygons
..
TWO days left in our countdown to D(oggies) Day!
It's more stunning art, this time of Montague, Spaniel Bard! A lovely piece from April Prime once again and just one of many lovely pictures illustrating the rules companion!
Meet Monty and the other doggies on WEDNESDAY when we go live at 8pm BST/12PM PSTonly on kickstarter!
If they wanted to offer a more expensive pledge for higher quality collector's versions, I'd be all for that, but I have no issue with it otherwise. Unless I should be concerned? Same material as the new Guild Ball sets, have there been complaints of low quality regarding those?
Yes, but only in the sense that most things attract complaints, especially when they represent a change from something else.
The quality can be a little patchy judging by what I've seen online, personal experience is fine, but based only on one box so far, but it seems each new release has progressively eliminated issues, and they're up to their sixth box when the Falconers Guild drops in August, plus the models from the Kick Off starter.
So I'd say you're almost certainly fine, unless you set your expectations sky high.
I'm fine with PVC. And it makes sense given that it seems to be geared more toward the RPG crowd. I'm sure if they are using a good enough company the minis will be fine.
I put together a little 2 page RPG compatible with this campaign:
if anyone wants a free copy of Doggo Delvers: https://dl.orangedox.com/doggodelvers *************************************************************************************
DOGGO DELVERS
The realm is in grave danger and you can only be certain of these two things:
ONE – This is the outset of the greatest quest the world has ever known.
TWO – You are a VERY GOOD DOG.
I saw Russ posting some info about the Dungeons and Doggies campaign a few weeks ago and hacked this together on top of Grant Howitt's Honey Heist. If you haven't played Honey Heist, it's a lightweight, one-shot storytelling game focused on improv. And all the rules fit on 2 pages!
Hope people enjoy!
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I think it's safe to say that the campaign has been a huge success so far, and there is no motivation like success! I've already begun planning out the next doggies I'll be sculpting up - but what breeds/classes do you want to see?
I've also seen a LOT of comments about cats. No promises, but it's certainly a very cool idea! Cats & Caves...Cats & CATacombs...any suggestions on a name for them?
Dog Cosplay! #DungeonsAndDoggies
Finally, to round out today's update - how would you like your four legged friend feature in the next set of dogs?
Throughout the length of the campaign we'll be running a social media competition! All you have to do is take a picture of your dog, or a friends, dressed in cosplay and post it on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter with the hashtag #DungeonsAndDoggies
for example this adorable doggie
I'll pick my favourite on the final day of the campaign and announce the winner then.
this is doing really, really well (£140,454 pledged of £15,000 goal with 5,135 backers)
the project creators are staying with the orginal plan so far, no stretch goals or additions so they get this done and delivered as planned, but further campaigns in the future look a good bet (Cats and Catacombs anybody?)
The Pdf's are due to be made available to backers in May 2019 alongside the minis.
Pupdate 4 - Doggie Wallpaper & The Good Mother Doggie Deity
HI all, Russ here!
Just a quick update to say we are exactly two days in and over 5,200 of the very best humans (and dogs) have joined us to make this a reality!
This is simply to say thank you, and reaffirm that as well as working on getting the project looking its absolute best, we will be sharing some fantastic snippets and other cool stuff in the coming days so stay tuned!
Once again, your support means the world to the team working with me on this and we will make you all proud!
Symbol of The Good Mother
The Good Mother - Deity of Dogs
The Good Mother may be worshipped by divine canine adventurers instead of an existing deity. Her symbol is that of a mother encircling a sleeping pup and she is the embodiment of protection, nurturing and companionship. Her followers are devoted to a strong belief in the importance and power of familial and friendship bonds, the strength found in cooperation and the enrichment of companionship. They are also fierce in their protection of those they see as their pack.
All awakened doggies know of the Good Mother. This is an instinctive understanding and memory of the nurturing they received as puppies. This well-known aspect of the Good Mother is known as She who Nurtures, and has been adopted by Clerics, Bards and some Druids.
However, as more doggies awaken, more aspects of the Good Mother are being discovered. Canine whispers of She Who Hunts or She Who Protects are slowly entering the world of dogs...
Shrines to the Good Mother
Some Doggies have come across Shrines to the Good Mother. These cannot be seen but must be sniffed out. What may appear as a normal, unassuming patch of ground to other races is a fascinating hidden way to a spiritually uplifting place of power for dogs connected to the Good Mother.
It is said that if a Doggie discovers a Shrine to the Good Mother, she may enter it by bowing, or offering a paw. Once inside this mysterious sanctuary – usually constructed of natural ma-terials and with the lingering scent of a recent litter – the doggie feels refreshed and replen-ished. If some time is spent in the shrine, concentrating on the aspect that the Doggie feels closest to, sometimes a boon is conferred. Doggies have reported their coats feeling shinier and softer, their claws sharpening, and their bite strengthening.
Sample Cleric Ability: Aspect of the Amicable You gain the ability to cast Charm Person once per short rest. You also gain proficiency in persuasion.
Download Dungeons & Doggies Wallpaper!
I've made up some wallpaper for you to use, if you're so inclined, just thought it would be a nice way to further support the campaign in your own little way. It's available to download below:
Download here (well visit the campaign update then click here)
Pupdate 5- 5000+ Backers, dogs in YOUR game world and alignment chart
HI everyone! Russ here with another Pupdate for the weekend and, my goodness, what a few days…
We are now a canine community of over 5000 people ready to let the dogs loose in their game worlds! That is incredible, there is no other word for it! Again, and sorry to sound like a stuck record, but I am truly grateful at the faith each of you has shown in the project
(continuation of the update text, for some reason dakka won't take it pasted in a single block)
So…how DO you release dogs into your game world?
The core idea behind the rules we are creating for Animal Adventures: Tales of Dungeons and Doggies is that you can run a whole canine world if you wish, BUT we intended to make it really easy to incorporate dog characters into standard D&D campaigns and parties, fighting and adventuring alongside their elven, dwarven and other kindred souls.
To that end the companion contains a series of hooks and ideas for the impact that intelligent dogs might have on a world, from the deity worship we touched on yesterday to blacksmiths who specialise in dog-compatible armour and weapon modifications! We also touch on languages, as players can determine the means by which their dog communicates- do you speak on Common, or are you just REALLY good at letting people know the kids have fallen in the old well?
It is our intention that you can decide how common or otherwise dogs are in your game. My own campaign has them as rare, but around in enough numbers that you could have several in one party. But if you chose to make your doggy adventurer the first of her kind, that’s supported as well.
The magic items we are including will reflect this as well- some of them are useful but utilitarian items but there are a couple of legendary items which could seed the origin of intelligent dogs into the foundation of your world’s lore. The emphasis really is on you using the information as best suits your own needs.
In support of this, we have introduced a new Character Background, the Awakened Animal for creating characters. We present the initial playtest version this below and welcome any feedback you have. This could be adapted to other animals over time but has a distinctly doggy flavour right now!
Background : Awakened Animal
You are a self aware, fully sentient member of a species usually only recognised as possessing ‘animal level’ intelligence. How did such a thing occur? Some animals are exposed to arcane or divine elements that change them, some may have been deliberately altered or experimented upon, whilst others may simply be born... Different.
Regardless of the exact circumstances of your awakening, you have determined that the life of a mute companion and pet is not for you. The one place in this world where the unique and extraordinary have a chance to realise their ambition and seek answers is the path of adventure, compelling you out into the wider world.
You still retain a deeply held desire to be of use and benefit to those around you. Now, equipped with a perspective on the world few of your kind ever possess, you have set your paws on an incredible journey...
Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Persuasion Languages: any one Equipment: An object relating to your awakening, such as the worn scroll you slept under as a puppy or a locket with the image of the family you were born to. A well chewed toy. 1d6 gp of scrounged valuables.
Feature: A friend by every fireside.
You can use the vast and often unregarded population of dogs that is found throughout society to your advantage. You are always aware of the local canine population and can seek information about the locality and goings on from the many dogs you encounter. By sniffing popular places and scents, you can learn instantly limited information about a place such as quality of water and food supplies, population levels, general mood and atmosphere. Furthermore, you can usually find a friendly local dog who can help you seek safe and welcoming accommodation, food and shelter.
Suggested personality traits.
Dogs, awakened or otherwise, are shaped by their history of development alongside the sentient races as companions and allies. Your personality is likely to reflect this history and your ideals will tend towards selflessness and the maintaining the welfare of those you see as your pack, as well as an instinctive desire to aid and comfort. Your bonds are often people or favourite objects that have great value and meaning. Your flaws may be related to being overprotective to the point of jealousy, or a deeply buried resentment at the way dogs have been treated by some unsavoury aspects of society, which conflicts with your other drives and emotions.
Personality trait 1d8
1. I tend to the dramatic, as a creature of impulse I have few middle gears and often narrate my circumstances with great flair and florid expression. 2. I dislike conflict and try to be a calming mediator, seeking common ground in conflict. 3. I have a tendency to diffuse tension with humour and love doing silly tricks to make people like me. 4. When in a new place, I have a need to... Establish my ownership... 5. I am the one who charges into every situation with gusto, rarely stopping to think about consequences. 6. I get bored easily if I'm not the centre of attention. 7. I love to play more than anything, be it racing around with children or more cerebral fare. 8. I'm constantly delighted by fooling people into thinking I'm a normal dog, and I'm not against using this to my advantage.
Ideal 1d6
1. Selflessness. I believe in self sacrifice and unhesitating action to improve the lives of others. 2. Aid. My skills are a gift to the world and I must assist in endeavours where I can be of use. 3. Family. Nothing is more important than the people we love. I'd do anything to keep family together. 4. Comfort. I cannot stand to see a creature in pain and will act within my power to provide succour and lift spirits. 5. Knowledge. I have a unique gift and perspective, and I must share that, and further my knowledge of the world so maybe more like me can follow. 6. Change. My enhanced understanding of the world shows me many injustices. I have a deep desire to enact change within the world order, one day at a time.
Bond 1d6
1. The magical writings of my lost master gave me this gift, now I bear them to the place they must be laid. 2. The one who did this to me did not expect me to escape. But my return will be even more shocking. 3. When the one who made me this way set off on their long quest, they were ignorant of what they had given me. I will find them and together we will achieve greatness. 4. I made a promise that the child I knew as a pup would always be safe. I work towards that still. 5. This object may look like junk, but it is the last tie to a lost past. One day I will return that past to the world. 6. There are others like me, for I am their kin. I will seek them out no matter what.
Flaw 1d6
1. I cannot escape the loneliness I feel as a singular intelligence among animals and long to meet another like myself. 2. Deep down, I am angry at the way my species is treated and I am easily offended by condescending attitudes or perceived cruelties. 3. I fear losing my companions and so I can react to strangers with mistrust and even aggression. 4. I regard myself as a superior version of my kind, and I am prone to forcing non sentient dogs into submission. 5. I've never let go of my basic instincts and can be the cause of social awkwardness with my canine behaviour. 6. My willingness to trust and follow people, even strangers, means I am easily led into compromising scenarios.
And lastly, one of our lovely backers, Monica, shared this brilliant dog alignment chart with us! Whilst I am not POSITIVE this will make it through playtesting, I thought you would enjoy seeing it as it made all of us chuckle! (see above)
*Tries to imagine a husky as a paragon of virtue, obedience, discipline, honour and general good paladin stuff*
Well if nothing else I can imagine a Paladin husky being REALLY popular, but yeah as to the rest, nope can't imagine one of those crazy hyper nuts dogs as a paladin Well barring a crazy nuts hyperactive paladin!
Have to say really neat to see this fund so fast and so well! And hope that they do stick to their guns and keep the campaign simple and deliverable (even so they'll have a lot of orders to fill). I can easily see them using this to boost a few more themed animal sales or even expand the doggy retinue to other dogs.
Speaking of the same people, with Critical Role KS, Steamforged Games has three open KS projects. D&D will make it a fourth. While some companies can handle this many KS projects, Steamforged has yet to show to me that it can do so, and I'm seeing some criticism on BGG about how late Dark Souls is with their SG's. I'm also not willing to pay $5 for a plastic miniature until I've seen production casts. I did pledge $300 for KDM 1.5, but this was a "second run" KS whose game and miniature quality was known. If D&D is delivered satisfactorily, I'm sure they'll have another KS, and there's nothing proprietary about the genre. So I'm sure there will be another similar KS sometime in the future (certainly before I clear out the miniatures in my painting queue...).
While it's fair enough not to back if your not convinced,
I have to point out that this isn't a Steamforged games project,
its a genuinely different company, yes it's gone one member of the Steamforged team, but it's also got somebody associated with Warlord Games and their illustration artist who I think is indepepndant
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Hi all, Russ here! Wow, when I wrote Pupdate 5 we had 5000 supporters- at Pupdate 7 we have over 7000! That’s just crazy amazing! Once again you have my utmost thanks for your faith in the project and please know, we are all working on further ways to make things even more awesome for you all!
Colouring Cornelius!
So, it is the start of the summer school holidays here in the UK (and presumably around the world as well
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images from above since if I include them dakka seems to delete most of the text..... and it's done so again, so visit the ks to read it, I give up
So, at the time of writing this pupdate, we are at over 7.5k strong in our dog pack! That is just amazing, and everybody connected with the project couldn’t be happier, prouder or more thankful to you all.
But wait! Who ARE these people connected with the project? Well, outside of Painting and Polygons, some great collaborations have gone into making this project a reality and I thought it would be good to share that with you all and give our wonderful friends the spotlight they deserve!
April Prime
Twitter: @April_Prime
April is our amazing, talented and hugely enthusiastic artist! A fellow Critter, it was a chance encounter with her that planted the seed of Dungeons and Doggies and she has been with us every step of the way, designing characters, discussing ideas for dog equipment and creating the beautiful art that we have already shown. She is going to be the person most responsible for making the rules companion look stunning, as she will fill it with fantastic art.
April works as a concept artist in Canada and, as you can see from her portfolio of work up above, is a very diverse talent who can turn her hand to anything! We are very lucky to have her on board and I am personally excited to see what else she can create with Painting Polygons in the future!
Kate Charles
Twitter: @kwolseleycharle
Kate is responsible for the fiction and lore within the companion and is the author of the excellent stories we have shared about the dogs in our countdown to launching the project. Kate is currently working on developing exciting elements such as the tenets and beliefs surrounding the canine deity of the setting and it will be her prose that ties the rules together and brings the mechanics of the game to life!
Kate is a very easy collaborator for me because she works in the room next to mine, on account of us being married. When Kate isn’t writing for the project, it is usually down to her to run interference on Monty the spaniel so that I have enough time to get the minis sculpted!
Markus Stroh
Markus is the person who has painted the stunning minis that you can see on the campaign page. Markus approached us early in the project and offered to paint some of our test minis. When we saw the quality of his work, naturally we jumped at the chance! Markus has produced stunning work and I look forward to the time that he can show a complete set of doggies painted to his high standard.
Markus has examples of work for a variety of game systems on his page- including some miniatures I have sculpted for other projects in the past!
V Lee Illustrations
If you have looked into the dungeons and doggos web comic to enjoy the exploits of Tonka and his friends, you’ve been reading the work of V Lee Illustrations. I was unaware of the comic when I first started showing the minis online and it was fans of the comic that first made the connection and got us talking. It was quickly apparent that our mutual love of dogs and fantasy roleplaying meant that we just HAD to collaborate! One thing led to the next and we quickly ended up with Tonka the Bard as our exclusive Kickstarter mini and our characters appearing in the comic to aid the heroes in their quest…
If you have not yet checked out the Dungeons and Doggos comic, there is a new episode every Friday and the action both in game and at the table will feel all too familiar to anyone who has either played a game of D&D or ever owned an excitable hound!
In other news, I was fortunate to chat with the fine folks at the Rocks Fall podcast today and Devon, my host, is aiming to have the interview out by tomorrow. If you would like to have a listen, you can pick up the episode and others by following the link below!
Okay that’s it for today’s Pupdate! Tomorrow we will be looking in more detail at how the dog creation rules are working and show an example character from our playtest…until then, keep spreading the word and bearing the torch for our canine adventurers!
Automatically Appended Next Post: ah ha, I've finally figured out what the problem with pasting these updates has been, a pesky emoticon hiding in the text, anything after that was dissapearing
They're exploring post KS options for retail as a group and as singles (from an answer to somebody on facbook) but haven't committed to anything yet. I guess while there is clearly a market whether enough distributors/retail stores will be interested with only a single product, and if they don't sell via distribution whether any of them has the time/inclination to run a webstore with all the time shipping/packing that's going to take alongside their other jobs
the only things that will be ebay (etc) only for certain is the KS exclusive Tonka who's a tie in from the dungeons & doggos webcomic
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interesting to see the power of a well placed story, Kotaku picked up on the KS on the evening of the 25th and pledge numbers which had been falling as seen in any normally KS have spiked again
Pupdate 11: Nearly TEN THOUSAND supporters! Plus, Nightingale’s Story and sneak peek at the Cosplay Gallery!
Hi everyone, Russ here!
Well, the last 36 hours have been crazy! Most projects have a natural rhythm to them, and usually the middle of the week is where things are a little quiet. Not for you fine people though! You have spread the good word, shared comments and pictures, and been excellent ambassadors for our canine characters and as a result, I am staggered to announce that we are close to ten thousand strong now! Not in my wildest imagination did I expect such a positive response and, with the rules reveal and some excellent feedback yesterday, we are convinced that every one of you is contributing to making the best project possible- and helping lay the foundations for more to come in the future!
Nightingale’s Tale
Just as yesterday was our longest rules spotlight, today is our longest lore reveal as we delve into Nightingale the Monk’s tale. This one is a little more shaded than the other fiction you might have seen. I think Kate did an amazing job on capturing a more conflicted past for a character…enjoy…
The sun was bright outside, Nightingale could tell. Golden rays filtered through the fretwork of the window coverings, tiny dust motes dancing in the light illuminating the soft, embroidered pillows and artfully draped silk hangings. Nightingale reclined against her little sofa watching her mistress and master as they laughed and conversed and sipped iced sherbet, or played with the tiny birds with their bright plumage as they sang in their piping voices in their silver cages. Servants slipped in and out, tending to the needs of Nightingale’s master and mistress, and her too, as the treasured pet of these two beautiful humans, the young and happy couple. They brought her titbits of lightly roasted meats and delicately peeled fruits, and sometimes her mistress even fed her with her own hands, if Nightingale’s tricks - standing on her hind legs and yapping in time to the hidden musicians’ tunes - pleased her. At these times, Nightingale was so happy to please her kind mistress, to be so loved, so cared for.
Nightingale opened her eyes, and breathed in deeply, savouring the cool night air of the temple. She repositioned herself slightly on her woven mat and laid her paws on her bo staff to ground herself.
Now to see things as they had really been.
The sun blazed down on the workers outside in the fields, sapping their strength as they were forced to toil in the heat, to earn a few rations. This wasn’t visible, however, through the fretwork in the windows of the prison cell in which she and her mistress dwelt. Their room was decorated with costly fabrics, sewn by half-blind children, draped across bare walls of a room that contained nothing that could be used to do harm to oneself. That pleasure was reserved for their master, who visited in the late afternoon, and usually stayed until late in the evening. At these times, Nightingale’s mistress desperately tried to please him, telling stories and dancing to the hidden musicians, and commanding Nightingale to show off the tricks that her mistress tearfully begged her to learn in the early mornings, feeding her the scraps that she’d saved from her own rations. Nightingale’s love for her mistress kept her blind to all of this though, until the evening with the shouting, and the screaming, and the final crash. The next morning, Nightingale crept out from under her sofa, shaking and whining, but her mistress would not be awoken.
Nightingale opened her eyes once more. She would not relive the desperate escape, the weeks of wandering, starving and crying, the arrival at the temple and begging scraps from petitioners with her tricks and her adoption by the monks, slowly learning their ways.
She would instead reflect on the morning she awoke at the foot of the huge statue with new thoughts, thoughts that replaced her grief with calm, and a new determination to bring protection to all who were in need of it. Her resolve renewed, Nightingale rose with the new day’s sun, and walked down the steps leading out of the temple for the last time. She did not look back.
Cosplay Gallery
At the beginning of the campaign we asked you to share your Doggy cosplay with us and use the tag #dungeonsanddoggies so we could find them. You did not disappoint! We will reveal the full gallery this weekend (to give folks a little more time to participate if they want to) and we hope everyone enjoys these delightful puppers in their costumes! Thank you to everyone who has taken part so far and remember, these pictures are our best inspiration for any further doggies that we release!
Doggie: Alfred - Owner: Henry South
[/img] Doggie: Bex - Owner: Ryan Napier
Doggie: Hercules - Owner: @Rachelguarr
Doggie: Itzl - Owner: @PhryneMe
Doggie: Toby - Owner: @Poidae
That’s it for now but please remember- we have a LIVE PAINTING STREAM today at 9pm UK/1pm Pacific on our twitch channel, https://www.twitch.tv/paintingpolgyons
Mat will be painting a doggie character and we will both be thee chatting and answering your questions. If you can make it, great! If not, don’t worry as the video will be available on demand through the channel for your viewing pleasure at any time!
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Pupdate 12: Painting Guide and video link!
Hi everyone Russ here!
As we prepare to head into the weekend, you have one more day to get pictures to us via a message on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/PaintingPolygons/ or on twitter with the tag #dungeonsanddoggies because tomorrow we will show off the dogs who have bravely put their best paw forward for our cosplay gallery! One more day to join the fun…
Painting Video and Guide
Many thanks to all of the people who were able to join us last night for our painting stream video! Despite the heat causing some technical issues with the camera, we have a great time and it was really nice to be able to chat and answer people’s questions about the project. If you missed it or were unable to watch live, don’t worry- the video is available below and we will be sorting out a permanent archive of videos on YouTube once we are back from Gen Con…
Plenty of people asked Mat for a written insight into the process of selecting the paints that he uses in the video, Although he shows at the end, he has also provided this overview for easy reference:
Mat’s words about Painting “Nightingale” – the Pomeranian monk.
"As with most of my painting, I wanted a simple paint scheme that really put the focus on the face of the model…its just so cute!
To create this simple colour palette, I used a mixture of Reaper Master Series Paint (MSP) and Games Workshop (GW) washes. I like Reaper Master Series because the paint formula has a fraction more matte medium in it, which means the paint takes a little longer to dry than Vallejo paints for example. The way I paint means this longer ‘window’ is extremely helpful…as you can see on the stream, I do like the wet blend on the miniature itself.
Alternative paints to look at are the aforementioned Velljo paints, excellent quality and available pretty much everywhere. Much the same story for the entire Games Workshop range of paints and washes. Games Workshop have specifically designed their paint range to support the base colour -> wash -> highlight method which is brilliant for people in the earlier stages of their painting careers.
For the fur:
* MSP Blonde Shadow for base colouring
* GW Seraphim Sepia wash
* MSP Blonde Hair & Blonde Highlight for the highlights For the jacket/belts:
* “Midnight Blue” from a paint range I’m developing, but you can use GW “Dark Reaper” instead.
* Highlights were with “Midnight Blue” lightened with MSP “Tusk Ivory”
For the jewellery:
* GW “ Retributor Armour” for the gold base colour.
* GW “Reikland Fleshshade” for the wash
* Then highlight with the “Retributor Armour” after you have finished the model.
Eyes/nose/tongue:* MSP “Pure Black” for the nose
* MSP “Blood Red” for the tongue
* MSP “Blackened Brown” for the eye sockets, then MSP “Tusk Ivory” for the whites of the eyes followed by a dab of “Blackened Brown” again for the pupil
And that’s it, simple colour schemes look super effective when you combine the warmth of the honey fur with the cool off-black blues of the jacket and the richness of the gold jewellery. Can’t wait to see everyone’s painting when these puppies hit your painting tables!"
The next Live stream!
Mat and I enjoyed the streaming this week so much that we are going to stream again this Sunday, that is at 9pm BST/ 1pm Pacific and hopefully even more people can join us for a weekend stream. This time, though…you have a choice! Mat can paint any one of the following three doggies: Cornelius, Monty or Tedric….please head over to this (almost as tiny as last time) survey and choose a dog- the most popular choice will be LIVE painted on Sunday for your viewing pleasure!
Wow! Like WOW! So, we are entering the final 24 hours of the campaign with over TWELVE THOUSAND of you amazing people choosing to support the project! That is truly humbling and we are now at a level of support so far beyond what I imagined that I am struggling to find the words to describe it! I promise that we are working right now on the art, graphics, production and behind the scenes stuff to ensure that we justify your faith in us- and I cannot wait to start sharing the post- campaign updates as we move towards the day we put the minis and rules in your hands!
Last night was had another very fun stream over at https://www.twitch.tv/videos/290719309 in which Mat painted Cornelius (winner of the painting vote by a comfortable margin) and I chatted with both him and April Prime, the amazing artist who has brought our characters to such vivid life. We talked about gaming, art, painting, Linda Hamilton and many other strange subjects. It was really fun having April involved and you can expect more of her in the future! If you were unable to listen and watch live, the link above is live for a few weeks to come and we will archive it to YouTube very soon.
On the note of ‘very soon’, I am about to turn off my PC, head out the door and start the long journey from my home in the UK to GEN CON!!! Gen Con looms pretty large in the gaming calendar and I am super excited to be representing Steamforged Games at the show and talking about my work on Critical Role and other projects. I will be on booth #2827 with my SFG colleagues. Sadly, no doggies there (THIS year at least) but I am sure my benevolent overlords wouldn’t mind TOO much if you wanted to find me and chat about canine fun as well as my day job
Mymearan wrote: What a great project. Sculpts are amazing and full of character. Would certainly be backing this... if it wasn't PVC. I'm sad :(
I know PVC is has historically been a poor material for miniatures, but the Guild Ball stuff I've seen in the material has been pretty good. As this seems to be using the same manufacturer, I don't see why the quality would be a problem.
In the previous pupdate, I explained the tooling and revision process where I was commenting on the minis as they got set up for production. Well, since then our manufacturing partners have tooled up and sent the first plastic prototypes through!
I am super pleased and very happy to be able to share with you these first images of the minis in the material and quality that you will receive! I am sure you would agree that these look absolutely amazing! They capture all the character and detail I hoped we would see on the minis.
The only significant change now is that these are in a neutral grey, the default for when miniatures are being checked for detail quality. The final versions will be in a different colour, but other than this, what you’re seeing is what you’re getting!
Furthermore we have settled all of the packaging designs and the tooling on the boxes is beginning as well. I am waiting on a built box to share this, but I assure you, the box looks really great and evokes the upbeat atmosphere of the project really well. I hope to reveal this soon, and I am really pleased to be at this stage before Christmas- it puts us in a great place for delivery next year.
Until next time, enjoy the pics and may your dice always roll high!
Russ
Due to popular demand (once the minis were shown) they've reopened late pledges for a week
We’ll be sending out a ‘final notice’ via our pledge manager CrowdOx tomorrow, Wednesday February 13th. The final notice will be sent out as an email to all backers and will mark the final 48 hours to change your addresses. Once these48 hours have passed your address will be locked in, and that’s the address your pledge will be shipped to.
We anticipate fulfilment to our wonderful backers to be starting between early March and the middle of April, so please make sure your address is accurate to the address you’ll be at around this time. As we get closer to this timewe’ll be updating with more accurate dates, likely broken down by the different regions that fulfilment will be happening in. If you’re unsure of exactly where you’ll be, we recommend you enter an address that you know won’t be changing such as a family, friend,or workplace.
Pupdate 26: The Incredible Journey Posted by Russ Charles (Creator)
Hi all, Russ here!
We have a heap to get through with this update… so let’s get started!
Shipping Update
We have a few different hubs which will be sending out your doggies. From this point forward we’ll be breaking down each region based on the hubs which will be sending out pledges to our wonderful backers. All backers will be receiving tracking information via email!
Australia, Asia, UK, EU & RoW – Sent by the UK Hub
We anticipate pledges to the above regions to begin fulfilment toward the tail end of the week commencing March 18th and the start of the week commencing March 25th, with fulfilment completed by the end of this month.
USA – Sent by the US Hub
Fulfilment on pledges to backers in the US are starting today, which is super exciting! Keep your eyes peeled on your inboxes for dispatch notifications. Fulfilment should be completed by the end of this month.
Canada – Sent by the Canadian Hub
We anticipate pledges to Canada to begin fulfilment toward the tail end of the week commencing March 18th and the start of the week commencing March 25th, with fulfilment completed by the end of this month.
A Thank You and an Announcement
Throughout the process of making this project a reality I’ve had a huge amount of support from Steamforged Games Ltd (SFG). SFG have been my employer for a long time now, and they’ve been amazingly supportive in bringing something I personally wanted to do to our tabletops!
SFG have helped with customer support, project management, production, graphic design and the distribution of Dungeons and Doggies and I truly couldn’t be happier with the result! Alongside all of this, SFG will also be bringing the product to retail! Assuming all goes to plan *crosses any limb that can be crossed* all backers are set to receive their pledges ahead of our initial estimation… which is fantastic!
I’m really looking forward to continuing this partnership with future projects, we’re all friends here so I guess I can leave you all with a sneak peak as to what one of those might be!
I hope you’ll all join me in thanking all the folks at SFG for their hard work with this project, I simply couldn’t have done it without them!
Content Sneak Peeks!
While I’m in the habit of showing shiny things off let’s look at some samples from the pdf rulebook! The rulebook is still in layout, so some of the look may change slightly between now and when the pdf is put online. The pdf is likely to go up in the next few weeks, rest assured you’ll be the first to know when it’s ready!
This is a work in progress sample of one of many pages in the rule book! Isn’t it beautiful!
I mean, what more is there to say… LOOK HOW CUTE IT IS!
Thanks, as always, for your support with this project! We’re so close to the end now, and what a journey it’s been!
Since it sounds as if it's being taken to retail by Steamforged probably any place that offers guildball or their other stuff, there should be plenty of places to get them
Bit of a bump, but I got my figures in today and I have 0 regrets backing this kickstarter. The details are fantastic, the art prints are adorable, and the production value is top notch. Now if I can just remember where I put my PDF links...
streamdragon wrote: Bit of a bump, but I got my figures in today and I have 0 regrets backing this kickstarter. The details are fantastic, the art prints are adorable, and the production value is top notch. Now if I can just remember where I put my PDF links...
streamdragon wrote: Bit of a bump, but I got my figures in today and I have 0 regrets backing this kickstarter. The details are fantastic, the art prints are adorable, and the production value is top notch. Now if I can just remember where I put my PDF links...
I also got mine, and have NO issues whatsover..
really nice figs..
There's fruit in the box as well as miniatures? That's an unexpected bonus.
porkuslime wrote: I swear there better be a rule in there for all cats to have a component of Neutral alighnment to represent that they just dont CARE..
Or a "selfish" mentality..
(Yes, I am a dog person, but also have cats too)
They cannot undertake a quest unless it’s to find food, the litter box oa Sunny was window ledge.
Note there is a fairly long list of places they're not shipping to
Unfortunately, different import laws and customs mean we are unable to ship pledge rewards to the following countries:
Afghanistan, Argentina, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Republic of Guinea, Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Gyana, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, Libya, Mali, Martinique, Mexico, New Caledonia, North Korea, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Reunion Island, Somalia, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, South Sudan, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, The Republic of Maldives, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yemen, Zimbabwe, the Canadian province of Quebec and American State of Rhode Island.
including a couple of surprises Rhode Island (I wonder if they have a physical presence there and would have to collect tax on it?) and Quebec (maybe they'd need to do it all in French too?)
streamdragon wrote: Bit of a bump, but I got my figures in today and I have 0 regrets backing this kickstarter. The details are fantastic, the art prints are adorable, and the production value is top notch. Now if I can just remember where I put my PDF links...
How's the quality of the plastic and details compared to other hobby plastics (eg. GW), boardgame plastics (eg. CMON, FFG), metal, and resin?
Oh the higher end of board game plastic (so recent CMON etc), although a bit harder to see/photograph as the dogs were done in brown rather than grey plastic
minimal mould lines in most places although they are a bit more noticeable in spots
plenty good enough to paint up well
Edit: the one thing to say is they're going to be small, I'll get a comparison shot up as soon as I can find a camera with a charged battery
pox walker 25mm base, one of the smaller dogs 20mm base (probably going to be comparable to the cats), deathguard on 32mm base
Russ here with a new communi-cat-ion. There may not be one of these every day but I wanted to update you all on some developments and also share some of the world lore for Cats too…
A Tale of Tails
Several commenters have noticed that Sonja didn’t look very fluffy for a Maine [see forum posting rules], especially her tail…after reviewing her, I decided that I agreed with this! So I have spent time today reworking some of her details to make herbigger, floofier and more imposing as a mini. I think the new version does her justice!
Isn't she lovely?
I hope you’ll agree that she is looking more impressive than her original incarnation- we want all our kitties to look their best, after all!
The Welcoming Dark
The rules companion for Cats will introduce the concept of the Welcoming Dark, a special place for Cats. This excerpt reveals some of the nature of this strange demiplane and its effects on feline adventurers…soon we will reveal howthis also influences some of the adventuring paths cats may choose…
The Mark of Twilight, used by cats in reference to the Welcoming Dark
Cats, although they welcome contact with others, have a low threshold for the noise and chaos of other beings and require time alone to recharge. This need is served by frequent visits to the Welcoming Dark. Brought into being bythe collective will and power of feline kind, this is a place cat go to replenish themselves when they sleep. It is a collective space that all cats can access.
A place of quiet whispers, padding feet and swishing tails in the almost silence, the Welcoming Dark is where they can be their true selves and recover from the demands of the world. All cats instinctively know of this place, butonly Awakened cats consciously draw upon its power. To do so brings them serenity, energy and solace. Some have delved deeper into its shadowed paths and found new, strange ways to use its power…
That's all for today! Keep sharing your ideas and suggestions and tell everyone you know about our Kitty Committee! It's nearly the weekend but between some much-needed catnaps I will be around the comments!
Russ here once again with another look into the work going on behind the scenes for Cats and Catacombs!
Firstly, we now have over 6000 people in our Kitty Committee and that is amazing! Once more, on behalf of everyone working on the project, I thank each ad every one of you for helping us write the next chapter in the story of Animal Adventures.
Next week I will be sharing some exciting news about the artists that are joining us on this project. Thanks to April's efforts, we really outstanding art incoming and I can't wait to talk about it a little more!
Today however, I thought it would be fun to share one of the stories that will appear in the Rules Companion for Cats and Catacombs. And, seeing as we spotlighted changes to her miniatures earlier this week, it felt only natural to take a look at Sonya's story.
I hope you enjoy this little slice of adventuring life and that it whets your appetites for the other great tales that will appear in the Companion...
Sonya's Tale
"What will you spend yours on Sonya?”
The skinny half elf with a straggly blond beard loitered by the crossroads, relieving himself into a bush. The rest of the party, two dwarves with heavy axes, a halfling in leather armour and daggers, and a silent, hulking figure in rough furs and a sword waited a little further on the road to the city. All of their bags were weighed down with gold, the reward for clearing out a nest of gnolls in the mountains.
As usual, they were returning to their base in the city to invest in their latest venture - a tavern called the Raider's Rest.
“Catnip and Toms!” One of the dwarves shouted, to general laughter. Sonya pretended to be offended, then ran up to the dwarf, jumped, twisted in mind-air, and landed all four heavy paws on his stomach, knocking the air out of him.
“I know what you should spend yours on,” she called, landing nimbly on her feet. “A diet!” More laughter.
The group, easy in each other’s company from long hours in battle, and buoyed up from their recent successful adventure, continued on their way.
Early the next morning, in the dawn’s faint light, no-one noticed Sonya slipping away from the Inn out of a back window. Stripped of her heavy fighter’s armour, and without her weapons, Sonya looked just like a normal cat - apart from a small pouch fastened to one shoulder. She was large, being a Maine [see forum posting rules], but her lithe form slipped easily in and out of alleyways and over walls until she reached her destination.
The cottage with the well-tended back garden was obviously poor, but neatly kept, with flowery curtains, and a little rocking chair on the back porch. Sonya was aware of other cats gathering, although they all kept their distance from her. Sonya was used to this - unawakened cats could sense her difference, had done so since she could remember. She was used to it and paid them no mind.
There was movement inside the cottage, and the cats sat up, more alert, some purring in anticipation. Despite herself, Sonya felt the stirrings of old feelings, the memories of a first home and hearth.
The back door of the cottage opened, revealing the diminutive form of an elderly human woman, her grey hair pulled back into a tight bun, an old, faded housecoat drawn over her woollen dress.
“Puss-puss-puss,” she called, shaking a bucket, “Puss-puss-puss.”
As one, the cats, nearly a dozen, scrawny, with ragged ears from lives lived on the street, jumped down and began circling her legs, mewling and crying.
The old lady chuckled and began handing out fish heads, throwing them to the more hesitant cats who dared not approach too closely. The mewling turned to purrs, as each cat set about their breakfast. Sonya stayed in the shadows. She did not need this lady’s kindness for herself - not now.
Sonya waited until the old lady returned inside, and jumped carefully down from the wall. She retrieved the small but heavy pouch from her shoulder, biting the knot to free it. She tucked it into a corner of the door, then, her duty done, she headed quickly away.
She found the tumble of kittens in the old barrel at the end of the garden. They lifted their heads at her approach and mewed in recognition. She saw that their bedding had been freshly changed, and that water and food had been left for them. They were weaned, almost old enough to leave here, but still reliant on the kindness of the elderly woman. She gave a silent prayer of thanks, and turned to go, but something stopped her.
She turned back, and met the eyes of one kitten, hiding at the back of the barrel. His gaze was steady and knowing. Sonya’s breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t dared to hope that one of her litter would be like her. Slowly she approached the stout, but tiny form.
“What is your name?” She breathed quietly, still not quite believing. The kitten regarded her coolly.
“Dale.” He mewed, in a high, quavering voice. “My name is Dale. Mother.”
Joy surged through Sonya, tempered with emotions she couldn’t quite name. Steadily, she returned the serious gaze, giving respect where it was requested.
“Good.” She replied. “Dale. I greet you.” She nodded and turned to leave.
“Wait.” The kitten betrayed his first doubt. “I...I want to go with you.”
Sonya turned back to him. “My life is hard and dangerous.” She paused, “But I will return when the moon is full. Then show me what you have learned.”
The young cat nodded, accepting. Sonya paused a moment longer. “Look for me in the Welcoming Dark.” She said, “I will be there for you.”
We’re into the final days of the campaign and at over 1000x funded we’re, quite simply, gobsmacked at the support you’ve shown! Every retweet, share, comment and like has meant the world to me and the team.
Kate has been hard at work putting the finishing touches on the kittie’s backstories and thought it would be nice to give them to you to get your creative juices flowing. If you’ve got any ideas for your cat’s backstory then put them in the comment section and we’ll have a read through!
Right, enough from me. Hope you enjoy the story!
Russ
The room was full of books, spilling out of the bookshelves onto the simple wooden tables and chairs, even in one or two cases onto the tiled floor. It lent the room an air of chaos, but looking more closely, it was clear that each of these books related to the others in the stacks or shelves, and each and every one of them was spotlessly clean, free of dust, and, aside from a little wear and tear on the older tomes, pristine.
Hesta could have put her claw onto any book she wished to in an instant. She knew the location of each and every one of her treasured volumes, every spell component, the levels of ink in each well, and exactly how many quills she had, and in what state of sharpness each of them was.
It was irritating therefore, that Maven kept stealing things.
The raven stood before her now, in a huff, the offending item lying accusingly between them. The bird shifted slightly in what passed for the Corvid version of guilt.
“Look at me, Maven.” Hesta tried again.
The bird met her gaze for just an instant, then looked away again. It’s clawed foot moved ever so slightly towards the coin, then curled and moved away again.
“I know you like it, Dearest, but it’s an important part of the spell, and I need it.” Hesta reached out with an ethereal hand, picked up the coin, and inspected it once again, ensuring that it was not scratched or dented after its adventure in the raven’s secret stash. The ritual spell, which was to be enacted that evening, would use the coin to ascertain the whereabouts of the evil Goblin King’s Castle. The adventuring party of which she was an occasional member had tracked his minions to a cave and had liberated this coin, one of the Goblin King’s prize possessions, from their corpses.
“Once we’ve done the spell and the Goblin King is dead and burned, you can have it forever.” Hesta offered, her soft heart breaking for the raven’s obvious distress. She reached out her paw, and with one claw extended, scritched the raven exactly where he liked it the most, just at the back of his head. His claws uncurled, and his shoulders unhunched. He began purring in pleasure, the coin temporarily forgotten.
That evening, after hours of battle, an elven cleric, a dwarven fighter, a genasi rogue with fires dampened, two human rangers, and Hesta, stood over the vanquished form of the Goblin king, his minions either dead or fleeing. Hesta leaned on her staff, breathing heavily. She was out of spells, the last of her slots being spent on the decisive blast of a lightning bolt. But the Goblin King was dead, and although his goblin hordes would take some clearing out of their hideaways in the hills and caves of the surrounding valley, the core of the threat was gone.
“Hesta!” the Genasi rogue called, “Look what I’ve found for Maven!” He poked his head out of the side room they’d missed in the heat of the battle with a grin.
Hesta limped over - she hadn’t quite managed to skip out of the way of a barbed goblin arrow - and looked. The Pile of treasure was enough to astound even her. She marvelled at the amount of gold coins - no-one would miss one or two, and they would look splendid in Maven’s secret stash.
So here we are, the update many of you have been waiting for… Dungeons and Doggies is now accessible on D&D Beyond! A massive thanks to Doggies’ fan and amazing human being, Luke Schoener, for his heroic efforts creating this content.And our play testers who have created many doggies in the last few weeks to ensure a smooth experience for all your character creations!
The most important thing to note at this point is that to be able to use the Dungeons and Doggies content in the D&D Beyond character builder, you have to own a subscription of Hero Tier or higher. Unfortunately, free accounts don’tallow users to use public Homebrew content from others.
There are some limitations within D&D Beyond which make adding all of the Dungeons and Doggies content to your collection a little cumbersome, so we’ve made every effort to make it as easy as possible for anyone that wishes to createdoggies characters using it.
Anindex of all of the Dungeons and Doggies content can be found here, if you just wanted to be able to view content while playing using pen and paper, this index is a great resource to have. If you have chosen to subscribe to use the character builder, thengoing through this index to add each piece of content to your homebrew collection is probably the easiest way of doing so.
If you wish to create Dungeons and Doggies characters on D&D Beyond just follow the steps below!
2) Sign in using an existing Twitch or Google account. If you don’t have an account you can create a new one.
3) Once you’re signed in you’ll need to subscribe to the Hero Tier or higher, a link to the subscription page can be found here.
4) Once subscribed you’ll need to add any Dungeons and Doggies content you wish to use to your Homebrew collection. As mentioned earlier in the update the easiest way of doing this is following the links providedin the index, link to the index can be found here. To add a piece of content to your Homebrew collection simply click the ‘Add to Collection’ button just below the entry.
5) With the Dungeons and Doggies content now added to your collection you’re ready to create some characters. Head to the My Characters page and then click ‘Create a Character’, which can be found in the top right corner of this page.
6) You’ll now be greeted by a screen asking you to select a Character Creation Method, click standard and you’ll be shepherded on to the next step.
7) Now we’re on the home screen on the character builder. A lot of the information required here is down to personal preference but make sure that Homebrew Content is enabled in the Sources section. Once you’re finishedhere, click the blue ‘Next’ arrow on the right-hand side of the page.
8) Congratulations if you’re still with us, we’ve made it to being able to choose our race! It goes without saying here, we’re choosing a Canine! And once again clicking the blue ‘Next’ arrow!
9) Now it’s up to you to fill out all the information and finish creating your very own pups!
The full racial rules, feats and magic items systems are all present. Please note that we had to make a few adjustments to allow for the D&D Beyond toolset: •The three types of dog are present as separate races. This is because the Homebrew tool set does not support sub-races at this time. Adding the ‘Canine’ race will add the three dog races to your character builder automatically. •A few abilities and feats are slightly adjusted to work around limitations on how D&D Beyond can calculate things like Armor Class bonuses or DC numbers. However these are very small changes and not noticeable without a side by side copy of the PDF anda magnifying glass!
We think that Luke has done an amazing job with the digital conversion of the rules and have already had a lot of fun making our own digital Doggies!
In time we will take advantage of any updates to the toolset that affords us new functions and options. Future versions of the Rules Companion will also be adjusted to make sure the rules are 100% consistent across all versions.
Have a Question for the Support Team?
If you have any questions such as you’ve received your pledge and it had missing or damaged components please submit an enquiry request by clicking the button at the bottom ofthis page.
Downloadable Digital Files
Linksto the digital downloads can all be found on this page. All backers should have received an email on March 27th containing a link to the digital files, but we’ll pop it up again here just in case anybody missed it!
Thanks for all of your support, it’s been a real journey! We’re super excited to have the Dungeons and Doggies content on D&D Beyond!
Gen con insanity done! Doggies was the most fun thing ever to run games for and we revealed these new characters coming to retail (not kickstarter) early next year! Plus,
we just got word that there's a whole new shipment of doggies to head out to stores arrived in the UK hub and USA hub these last few days! So expect to see dogs hitting store shelves in the next couple of weeks...
And some content updates coming soon as we find ways to release the adventures, maps and maybe even bad guys from the event!
Well barring a crazy nuts hyperactive paladin!
