Kickstarter - City State of the Overlord by Judges Guild - Update from Bob II

The following is being shared without comment (original here):

Our current situation: All proceeds that have come in from the Frog God Tegel Manor ks, earlier this year has been spent on the Campaign Maps (which are not finished - 3 remaining) and City State artwork, as originally agreed to in 2014. We are still in the process of building funds for printing and shipping of the Books, which have been revised. As there is a totally new version for Pathfinder, and the CS version will need adjustments for that, I am open to suggestions (comments to jgww@comcast.net). I will try to answer all questions in a timely manner. Originally, I had placed a hold on all upcoming Guild products, pending this ks completion, but this seems to have hamstrung our efforts to build funds quite a lot, so I have permitted Aaron Bledsaw (my fourth son) to begin releasing those so that the funds will profit this project also. Another major project, which was to sweep away the problems here fell through (not of the Guild's fault) but just did not come to completion. These are projects that have been on hold since 2016, but unless I get more funds here, the wait will continue. Further, I have continued to ship the miniatures to the backers who ordered them as I can. To save money, I have not attended any cons this year, and have done much to cut expenses. Slow progress, yes, but I have not given up. Much has been added to the City State, using draft materials, and other unfinished works by Bob Sr., which I know will bring much joy. I wish this was over, and I hope you all know that I am doing what I can here. I close by thanking you all again for your support and loyalty to the Guild. If I can be of help in some other way, I would be glad to hear from you at the above email. -  Sincerely, Bob II

News - Bob Bledsaw III Removed from CSIO Kickstarter - Bob Bledsaw II now at Helm

I'll give the long story short - Bob Bledsaw III has been removed from the City State of the Invincible Overlord Kickstarter. Bob II says he "appointed the wrong manager" and the capital was "mismanaged". I think those are both HUGE understatements. The money is, however, gone and then some, so outside funds will be needed to bring this to completion. Oh, and Bob II needs to change the Kickstarter password like NOW. - Tenkar

Below is the update:

Update #97

May 14 2018

Slow but Sure Progress - Change of the Guard (link to original)

There has been a major change made in management of this project.
Until today, it was in the hands of Bob III (my son) and now I finally can take the helm and ultimate responsibility of this important task. In fact, this is my first time logging into the account, and seeing the backers list - all who pledged and what amounts are due. Anyone wishing to reach me can use jgww@comcast.net or facebook.

I cannot ask for time, you all have given that, and your support.

I can only offer candor and truth. The books ARE still in progress. I have already begun sending out the miniatures to those who paid for them. I go into this with none of the capital you pledged, as it was mismanaged. I have had no access to the pledged funds ... and have sunk over 6k of my own funds into the layout and maps (I am not a rich man, or this would have been fixed long ago) ... things WILL get done as I can afford to do them. All JG profits from the Goodman Games/ Judges Guild kickstarter went to this kickstarter layout and map costs.

I ask that you back (publicly if not financially) any other projects JG may do by way of other publishers, as those funds will come here to help resolve this floundering venture as well. I do understand your anger and disgust with all this. I agree with that sentiment; you have all waited far too long, and so have I.

My goal when this kickstarter was first proposed was simply to revamp and produce our original campaign maps... all else was added as an afterthought by the project manager. My short-term goal is to fulfill this kickstarter as soon as possible. My long-term goal is to see as many of JG's classic titles as possible available to the public.

I did not make the decisions that got us to this point, but I failed you all in appointing the wrong manager. I have always strove to make JG look good, and you cannot imagine how sorry I feel at this point. I know that our biggest backers were our dearest fans; those who have bought our products for decades and literally put food on my family's table. My work is ahead of me here, and I will try to get past this to everyone's satisfaction.

Sincerely -
Bob Bledsaw II - Judges Guild
jgww@comcast.net

Why Those Certain Kickstarters are Always "This Close" to Completion But NEVER Cross the Line

Far West has been in layout for years. Just one more chapter to go...

City State of the Invincible Overlord has been in layout for years. If it weren't those nasty tables, it would be done...

Everything by #ConManKen was always "a few more edits", "pencils are shipping the end of the month" or "all my outstanding projects will be completed by the end of July, 2017" and yet...

That's the setup.

Here's the Kickstarter terms as they are today when it comes to completion:

Kickstarter provides a funding platform for creative projects. When a creator posts a project on Kickstarter, they’re inviting other people to form a contract with them. Anyone who backs a project is accepting the creator’s offer, and forming that contract. 

Kickstarter is not a part of this contract (this is where Kickstarter washes their hands of any responsibility in ensuring the honesty of creators) — the contract is a direct legal agreement between creators and their backers. Here are the terms that govern that agreement: 

When a project is successfully funded, the creator must complete the project and fulfill each reward. Once a creator has done so, they’ve satisfied their obligation to their backers. 

Throughout the process, creators owe their backers a high standard of effort, honest communication (all three of the above examples lack such), and a dedication to bringing the project to life. At the same time, backers must understand that when they back a project, they’re helping to create something new — not ordering something that already exists. There may be changes or delays, and there’s a chance something could happen that prevents the creator from being able to finish the project as promised. (usually this is mis-spent mis-budgeted funds)

If a creator is unable to complete their project and fulfill rewards, they’ve failed to live up to the basic obligations of this agreement. To right this, they must make every reasonable effort to find another way of bringing the project to the best possible conclusion for backers. A creator in this position has only remedied the situation and met their obligations to backers if: 

they post an update that explains what work has been done, how funds were used, and what prevents them from finishing the project as planned; (this requires a breakdown of expenditures - "living expenses" is not a legitimate expense)

they work diligently and in good faith to bring the project to the best possible conclusion in a timeframe that’s communicated to backers; 

they’re able to demonstrate that they’ve used funds appropriately and made every reasonable effort to complete the project as promised; (we know #ConManKen used pencil dice money for film making - he said so himself)

they’ve been honest, and have made no material misrepresentations in their communication to backers; and (look at the above examples - they are poster boys for "material misrepresentation of communications to backers)

they offer to return any remaining funds to backers who have not received their reward (in proportion to the amounts pledged), or else explain how those funds will be used to complete the project in some alternate form. 

The creator is solely responsible for fulfilling the promises made in their project. (again, Kickstarter just takes their cut) If they’re unable to satisfy the terms of this agreement, they may be subject to legal action by backers.

But there's more. If the PDFs are completed or the films are fully edited and are released to backers in digital form, then the physical products become due. When the physical products become due and there is no money to print, press, pack and ship then the accounting of monies is questioned. If funds haven't been used appropriately, the contract is violated.

By never actually reaching the finish line with the digital works they avoid the obligations to supply physical copies for which there are insufficient funds left. The project is "still being worked on" and the contract is technically not violated, thus the game continues. Well, for some more than others. Gareth hasn't updated Far West in nearly 9 months. #ConManKen hasn't updated any of his various Kickstarter projects in over a year. Damn those pencil dice are taking a long time to ship...

Update: Wayward Kickstarter - City State of the Invincible Overlord - Poke the Bear, Sometimes the Bear Poke You!

So, last night I posted about the City State of the Invincible Overlord Kickstarter. It was a much nicer, more reasoned, less emotional post than the one I had initially written. I awake this morning and there is a "Backers Only" update waiting in my email. I loath "Backers Only" updates. As it is my understanding that Bob II is not a backer and doesn't get to read the "Backers Only" updates, I will now share it here - along with some comments and questions.

January '18 Update

Hello all. This has been a hard update to get to. Not because of the matter of the update, but day-to-day life getting in the way. (for the last 4 months Bob III didn't have 15 minutes free to update you) The new job I took starting in October was very demanding with lots of overtime. The money was good, but the work-life balance wasn't great. They weren't willing to work with me for time off for my new-born daughter or for caring for my wife's grandmother. My wife's grandmother has advanced Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and moved in with us just after Christmas. I'm no longer working there as-of January, which means I will have more time to work on this and family matters. (no longer employed, Bob III will need to find money from somewhere...)

This project is still being worked on. (but obviously not much over the last 4 months) I'm still having so many issues with tables and stat-blocks that we are going to present what we have to a couple other companies to see if they're interested in taking over. (they aren't) The last company alluded to in September's update was unable to take this project on. (quite simply Bob III took over layout so he could pay himself to do layout and does not know how to do layout. But for a company to "White Knight" they'll need to pony up cash not just to finish up layout but to cover printing of the book and maps. Its a losing proposition)

Now to answer a few questions that keep popping up:

Was this an official Judges Guild Kickstarter? Yes. (now THIS is clarity. I've heard this argued that it is and it isn't. So, in the end, Judges Guild is the one holding the bag of mostly empty toys. Or is it? Was this licensed and "official" or run by Judges Guild "Official"?)

Is this still being worked on? Yes. (how much progress was made over the last 4 months? how much work has to be done by a "White Knight" to get this out the door?)

Is this project out of money? No. The project is over-budget, but not out of money. (right. so, all the monies raised - aside from paying for miniature molds and +Rob Conley for his maps - they were paid, right? - the rest of the monies are still there. If they weren't paid and there are still funds in the pot, why weren't they paid? So, just how much "over budget" is the project?) 

Where did the money go? A statement regarding what money was spent and what is left was made back on February 13, 2015. This is why work for the rest of the maps were suspended; it would mean not having the funds to complete the book. (now, I'm confused - this was 3 years ago - why hasn't the book been completed if the monies were there? The two statements don't parse well with each other)

here's the relevant piece from nearly 3 years ago:

Campaign Map Progress: 

For those that don't know, the first 10 maps have been released electronically. We have the first 5 or so in print. We've had to halt progress on the maps until February because not enough people bought into the Miniatures (we lost about $16k on those) (THIS! Don't mix minis with your RPG Kickstarter). We didn't realize this until it was too late due to waiting for all enough of the survey responses to come in. We're still waiting on some final number crunching to give the go-ahead to continue the Campaign Maps.

Have efforts been made to put money back into this project to get the project back on track? Yes.  Bob II has used money received from Goodman Games's JG Kickstarters to pay Christina and Rob for a couple of more maps to be made. Bob III has paid for product to be printed that was being consigned by Blackblade Publishing at various conventions; the proceeds of which went back into the project.

And thus ends our update. Actually, it ends rather abruptly. No real mention of how close this endless book will take to complete (reminds me of Far West) Really, there is little substance to this update

Wayward Kickstarter - City State of the Invincible Overlord - Maintaining Radio Silence in the Hope We All Go Away (Guess What Bob III? We Won't)

I had this big post written after reading the last 3 months of comments on the City State of the Invincible Overlord Kickstarter page. I was all piss and vinegar. I was channeling the backers. I'm a backer too.

I was angry and it showed. It wasn't pretty. Actually, its embarrassing.

Thankfully, some friends that got to peek early told me to step back and sit on it for a few hours, and I did. I reached out to a few folks, including Bob Bledsoe II. I asked questions.

I'm still pissed, but my focus is where it needs to be. Solidly on Bob Bledsoe III, the one who ran this horror of a Kickstarter. The one who has a Kickstarter with no funds left to complete.

Bob III is the one that is not communicating. Bob III is the one that took $1k from his father to pay someone to layout the project, only to claim to be doing layout himself. Bob III is the one hoping we'll all simply go away.

Bob II is still putting money into the project, hoping it completes. Monies made from licensing Judges Guild IP are being put aside to complete this project.

In truth, it won't be enough.

Bob II isn't totally blameless - he put his trust in Bob III, and Bob III is doing his best to ruin the legacy that is Judges Guild.

My suggestion? Follow the lead of +Rob Conley . Release the PDF of the book and the maps to backers. Give the backers "at cost" codes to "Print on Demand" the book and the maps at RPGNow. Salvage what you can. Offer partial refunds as monies are raised by sales of the PDF and maps to non-backers and from 3rd party licensees of Judges Guild IP.

Oh, and forget about the Pathfinder version, at least for now. I'm sure the current document is written for the JG Universal System. Take what you can get and move on.

Attention Backers of the City State of the Invincible Overlord Kickstarter - Some Good News!

Reposted with permission:

I am Rob Conley one of the cartographers on the Wilderlands Maps. I wish I knew more about what going on but I haven't had any communication with Robert Bledsaw III for a while. I do have some good news for the backers of this kickstarter. As you all know I got the City State map and my Wilderlands maps done in late 2016. It now been a year and nothing has happened.
In addition to doing work for this Kickstarter, I have a business relationship with Bob III's father Robert Bledsaw II through my company, Bat in the Attic Games. I have a limited license to produce material for my take on the Wilderlands known as the Majestic Wilderlands. So I decided to talk to Robert Bledsaw II about the maps. There are things that could effect the Wilderlands maps so I can't do anything at the moment with them. However that not the case with the City State map. So we talked and came to a license arrangement. I have permission to release the map as a Judges Guild authorized product for the Wilderlands of High Fantasy through Bat in the Attic Games.

I am not responsible for what happened with the kickstarter nor do I have any financial stake. But we are a small hobby and the Judges Guild name has been dragged through the mud because of the mismanagement of this kickstarter. That effects what I do with my work as Bat in the Attic Games. I feel what is right is to offer each and every kickstarter backer a complimentary coupon for the release. Understand it is PDF only. RPGNow/DriveThruRPG are not able to print poster sized maps through print on demand. I think you will find that the City State Map PDF package to be a nice one.
Now for the logistics. this Friday I am going to post a code in the comment section of the September 2017 backer only post. You can use that code to get your complimentary copy. I would ask you spread the word to any other backer you know. So you know the number of times the code can be used is limited to the number of backers (965). I will be posting my email address in the comment so you can contact me if there are any issue.

As for the Wilderlands maps, if there no movement by March 2018, then I will talk again with Robert Bledsaw II and see what can be done.

If you are a backer, go here:  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/judgesguild/city-state-of-the-invincible-overlord/posts/2001214

Wayward Kickstarter - City State of the Invincible Overlord - Full of Excuses and Not So Invincible

Hard to believe its been nearly a year since I last shed light on the fiasco known as the City State of the Invincible Overlord Kickstarter. No, really. Here's my last post on this train wreck.

Now, let me forewarn you. I'm high on decongestants and fighting a sinus headache. I'm in no mood to be nice.

CSIO is nearly 3 years late. While not quite at the level of Far West in that category, the excuses are an embarrassment. We know all of the maps are done and have been done for ages. All we need now is to finish layout. Well, and money to print and ship.

Say what?

Just like Far West is financially bankrupt (and likely refuses to complete the PDF as there will be a demand for physical product that there is no money to either print or ship) I suspect most if not all of the $85k raised by CSIO has been long lost. Again, finishing the PDF will put demands on physical product and associated shipping costs - shipping costs that have had three years to increase. Yeah, the picture isnt pretty.

So, how about some of the excuses:

Yep, weekly updates six weeks apart. Weekly updates since the end of March have been monthly at best.

Oh, and nearly two months since the last update. I guess monthly isn't working out either.

Progress? Please! Layout isn't going at a page a day or a page a week. Maybe 2 to 3 pages a month?

But wait! Look at that! A hint of a better future!

Its an illusion though. If there were a better future we wouldn't be without an update nearly two months later. What is this in reference to? There've been rumors that Kickstarter fulfillment had been shopped to two or three of the more sizable old school publishers in the hobby. Aside from the goodwill of the backers there is little upside to such a deal for any publisher - the cost to fulfill would be on them and profits (as well as costs associated will making the Kickstarter backers whole) would rely on a retail market that is geared to 5e these days and not so much Pathfinder.

Where does that leave us? I do mean "us", as I'm in for $145 myself. I fear we are left with little hope without a "white knight" publisher coming to the rescue and I fear that the costs associated with such a rescue are cost prohibitive for most.

Not the legacy Judges Guild wished to leave us with but a legacy none the less.

Yep, I'm a fuck when I'm sick.

Kickstarter - City State of the Invincible Overlord - Not so Invincible Anymore

City State of the Invincible Overlord (reprint / revision) Kickstarter - everything was fine until it actually funded.

Lost main author? Check

Maps taking longer to produce than expected? Check

Spent money on add on miniatures before setting aside enough funds to actually produce the funded project and stretch goals? Check! (minis are a money sink - only one man can pull them off successful as part of a non-mini project. He's named below)

Senior generation calling out the younger generation and assigning blame? Check and check.

Spent money on hookers and blow? Er, no. At least, not yet. Give it time. Wait, project is in the red. Do they take credit? Edit - direct reference to a statement made by Tavis Allison in regards to the Dwimmermount fiasco. Said in jest then, said in jest now. Just adding context for those who might need it. 

I've seen melt downs on Kickstarters before, but I'm ready to wash my hands of this one.

As of February 2015, it was already potentially 12k in the RED. Shipping has only gone up I'm sure. And why does anyone except for +Zach Glazar include minis with their Kickstarter? It's insane!

Then there was Bob II and his quasi public posting last week criticizing Bob III.

Out of context? That's what they say. It's also a severe case of hoping that folks understand that Goodman Games is running the current reprint Kickstarter for Judges Guild, not Judges Guild themselves. BTW, from what I've been told the Bledsaws are fine folk. It's just that Kickstarter is a dangerous mistress that can turn on one without warning. Boon and curse, it's all one and the same. Sometimes you need money just to lose it.

Goal was $28k. Over $85k was raised. If they'd raised less money, maybe the amount of red would have been less.

Kickstarter Update - City State of the Invincible Overlord - Mini Overdose and More

It seems like few Kickstarters escape intact when meeting their enemy - reality.

Here's the latest update from the City State of the Invincible Overlord Kickstarter. I'll comment at the end.

Update #49CSIO Maps, Minis, and some Bad NewsPosted by Judges Guild 

Hello Backers,
There going to be a lot to this update, so I apologize for that. This is going to be visible to anyone (the last few have been for Backers only) so I want to bring everyone up to speed. 

Campaign Map Progress: For those that don't know, the first 10 maps have been released electronically. We have the first 5 or so in print. We've had to halt progress on the maps until February because not enough people bought into the Miniatures (we lost about $16k on those) (emphasis mine). We didn't realize this until it was too late due to waiting for all enough of the survey responses to come in. We're still waiting on some final number crunching to give the go-ahead to continue the Campaign Maps.

***Please let me know if you still have yet to receive PDF versions of the Maps*** 

Miniatures Progress:
The Miniatures are brilliant. We had a sample to bring to Gen Con last year. Everybody loved them. The quality is really superb. Despite the hit we took on them, we are still happy that they were made. Mick Leach with Eastern Front Studios has confirmed that a number of them have been received already from the casters mid-December. I'm awaiting word from Mick as to when the rest of the models will come in so we can start shipping those with the maps, etc. 

CSIO Book Progress:
Murphy's Law: "Everything that can go wrong will go wrong." In July, we basically needed to do the finished layout with all the art. We still had a good 3 months to get this to the printers, and 4-5 months to fulfill, so we thought it would be great to bring in James Mishler, a walking encyclopedia of Wilderlands knowledge (seriously, his knowledge (Wilderlands) skill is +18), to collaborate with Bob III on expanding even more of all four parts to this book: the City State, Wraith Overlord, Thunderhold, and Modron. 

We knew we were taking a gamble. Everyone was willing to support this if it meant getting a nice, polished, expanded expansion of Wilderlands goodness. We jumped in with both feet and were off to a great start. In September, James' wife had to have surgery. It took her a good 6 weeks to recover and for James' to be back in a position to press on. We've since had to push back the deliver date twice. Which brings us up to today. 

A Word from James:  

Folks,

It’s never easy to admit to defeat; it is more than doubly-so when one has failed twice at the same endeavor, as I have with working with the City State of the Invincible Overlord and the Wilderlands of High Fantasy. 

But at this point I have to admit to defeat, in the case of re-writing the City State of the Invincible Overlord for the Judges Guild CSIO 2014 Kickstarter. I have tendered my regrets and apologies to the Bledsaws at Judges Guild, and wish to do so now to you, the fans and supporters of the Kickstarter. 

There are all sorts of reasons I could mention here; all explanations rather than excuses. Suffice to say that my days of working with Judges Guild, the Wilderlands, and the City State in my past should have remained there, in the past. 

Unfortunately, I thought I could return to those glorious days when I published under Adventure Games Publishing; sadly, the truth was I needed an exorcist to rid me of the haunting ghosts of failures past, rather than a resurrectionist to dredge up the bodies of the unquiet dead. Every attempt to go further with the manuscript resulted in an avalanche of dreadful memories and unpleasant thoughts, and brought all advancement to a screeching halt. My joyful expectations were overwhelmed by the potent recollections of previous failures. 

And so, after a brief if glorious surge of creativity, my ability to work on the manuscript died a hideous, ignominious death. In fact, my desire to do much of anything with gaming sunk to lows I’d not experienced since the end of AGP. 

Once my wife recovered from her operation, and I’d gotten new, regular hours at work, I’d hoped things would change… and though I was able to write once again, every time I turned back to the CSIO manuscript, the whole world crashed in again, and turned hope to ashes. 

I have delayed the inevitable long enough. 

I wish Judges Guild nothing but the best of luck, in this and all future endeavors.
To the fans and supporters of the Kickstarter I say, nil desperandum! Do not despair! One small man’s failures do not bring down the whole, not when there are heroes ready to leap into the breach. Though there will be further delays, I am sure that the City State of the Invincible Overlord Kickstarter will complete, and Judges Guild will go on to even greater things. And as the maps that have already shipped have proven, their new works will awe and amaze you. 

As the works of Bob Bledsaw and Bill Owen once did for a previous generation… 

James Mishler
02/10/2015 

So, yeah. That happened.
This has completely taken us by complete surprise. In fact, we are still at a loss for words. We are going to have a meeting this weekend to revise our action plan and divvy up some additional responsibilities among Bob II, Bob III, and some of the other family members here. We are too far into this to let yet another stumbling block cause us to fail. As requested by backers, we are definitely going to be making the PDF version of the CSIO book available ASAP. We will add a spreadsheet on Google Docs to allow you all to add any corrections you find on each page (brilliant idea Bevan Anderson!). Tentatively, we have not decided to push back the deadline further. Once we convene on an action plan this weekend, we will update all to that effect.

There's a whole shitload to digest in that, but the one thing that really stands out to me is that they lost $16k on the miniatures. Holy shit! That is a huge loss that should have been run as their own Kickstarter. I'm not sure if that's $16k worth of lead that can possibly sell down the line or if it's $16k pissed away in the wind and all over one's pants leg.

As for James leaving the project, his wife's health issues were / are significant. Her recovery is ongoing. It's a hell of a load to bear, and the Mishler's are in my prayers.

Looking at the lateness of the Kickstarter itself, it's barely a month and a half late, which in Kickstarter terms means it isn't even expected yet, especially with all of the stretch goals hit.

I'm stuck wondering why they even offered miniatures in the first place? Didn't Reaper Bones I & II produce enough inexpensive plastic to saturate the market?

Judges Guild has a City State of the Invincible Overlord Kickstarter to Update the Original

Judges Guild is going to rerelease City State of the Invincible Overlord via Kickstarter and +Rob Conley doing some of the maps?

Holy sh!t! Where do I sign up?

Seriously, this is damn cool and I already signed up, although only for the soft cover book and map - so I have the cash available to add new maps as stretch goals are hit - and they will be. Oh, they will be...

Alright, enough of me fanboi-ing.

Actually, not enough yet. This is dreamy ;)