Project Updates for Mechfinder Universe of Mech and Magic Pathfinder 2e & D&D 5e on BackerKit Page 1

Everybody! Mechs! Mechs! Mechs!
about 2 months ago – Tue, Oct 01, 2024 at 05:38:07 PM

Hello everyone! It's James Beck with another update! This update is pretty short as we've been in the editing zone! Let us just dive right in!

Edits!

Our editor, Victoria Sullivan (amazing person btw) has been in the trenches when it comes to editing. Currently, they are working on the factions of the universe which our lead PJ Megaw wrote a lot to populate the universe with different factions you can join. We brought on another editor to help Vic out in getting through the work, focusing more on the mechanical side of the game. A lot of the project right now is in the editing room, hence new playtests recently as the mechanics are done, we just want to make sure you can get the best product possible! We are still coordinating with our foundry freelancer to make sure we get the VTT module as fast as we can. The good news is, the first half of the module is ready to go! To be as transparent as we

New Writings!

We decided to do 2 fundamental changes to some of the early text. We are rewriting chapter 1 to introduce you to the galaxy of Arvaxim and to really hook you into the book. We are also rewriting chapter 3 to try a new attempt to introduce you to the mech classes. Because each class is an already existing class in both Pathfinder/ToV, we decided to change the format to be more asking you questions about your mech and how it interacts with the galaxy! When we get closer to the end and looking at our budget, we might add kineticist, animist, and exemplar into the book as last minute additions. We are also in talks about publishing a short mythic document to talk about how to use mythic Pathfinder 2e rules in Mechfinder and what it could mean in the context of the hack.

Art!

Last thing I wanted to update y'all with is new art sketches are in and the inventor mech art!

Hope you all have a great rest of your day and have a happy new year if you're celebrating!

Mechfinder Update for August!
3 months ago – Thu, Aug 08, 2024 at 11:51:12 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Ashton Sperry
5 months ago – Mon, Jul 01, 2024 at 05:39:26 PM

Hello everyone, it's James Beck once again. I regret to inform you that Ashton Sperry, known as The Gamer Raccoon or @WhoTweetedThis passed several days ago.

Ashton was a very close friend of mine and someone who I considered not only to be a close friend but someone who I'd consider family and a mentor. I will miss them dearly. They were always a bastion of support for everything I did and helped create Mechfinder to get it to the point where it is today.

With this heavy heart, I say this means we have to readjust our timeline. We don't have any solidified dates yet. This update is more of a check-in for total transparency. Ashton's assignment had just started and that was to review lore and work on our planets for Arvaxim. They were a crucial part of the project. We are talking to our freelancers to see where they can take some of the responsibilities that Ashton now leaves behind. We're still working on figuring out what to do. This was all very sudden and has hit our staff very hard. Some of us were close to Ashton or worked with them many times. I want to make sure we all have the time to grieve properly. I want to make sure the mental health of our staff, freelancers, and even myself are well enough to take on work.

For those who don't know Ashton, I encourage you to look into their work. They wrote some of my favorite parts of official pathfinder lore. The art below is a list of what they worked on with some amazing art they made.

If you wish to support Ashton's family, there is a GoFundMe to cover funeral costs and other bereavement.

I also wish to let you know that we are dedicating Mechfinder to Ashton's memory. They will have a forward at the beginning of the book from staff and freelancers. None of this is written yet as we've been processing everything. I hope the final product is something that'd make Ashton proud. They supported every crazy idea. Every new option for PC's, GM's, and lore.

I will miss Ashton's presence. They truly meant a ton to me. I hope they are happy wherever they are now.

Thank you.

Developer Update
5 months ago – Thu, Jun 20, 2024 at 02:38:56 PM

Hello! It's me, James Beck, with another developer update. I want to continue keeping everyone in on the loop of content that's being worked on, even if it's relatively minor. We're going to start off on the big news and then go small.

I'm Tired.

I know, big statement, let me explain. I have been working on Mechfinder since January of last year. It's been a year and a half of development (insane to me). I have wrapped up all of the mechanics of Mechfinder in terms of developing new systems, new archetypes, the mech building system, creatures, etc. I am personally not the biggest fan of world-building. That's not to say I hate it, it's just now we've left the developmental stages of the setting where we're testing new ideas and testing new implications and have entered a state of solidifying concepts and expanding on the ideas. For instance, I love coming up with each of the gods you'll find in Mechfinder but actually writing each section out isn't where I find the most fun in the project.

What does this mean in terms of development? I'm going on break! Yes a break. Something I never thought I'd be saying. I am still going to be project manager, watching over the other leads and freelancers to make sure work is being developed but in terms of writing, I'm going to be taking a break to let the other leads take on some more responsibilities and focus on other EOG related projects (Book of the Cosmos Kickstarter, other experimental mechanical projects, and some more secret stuff I can't say). I'm not going to be absent from the project, it's more of needing to step back from managing it every day to do something that makes me happy which is test out new mechanics for other projects that I hope you will enjoy. I will still be working on getting playtests out whenever we have a playtest to share with you! I'm planning on this break being a month-long, the pathfinder remaster definitely ate up a lot of developmental time as we had to basically sit and watch what was going to be updated. Now that we know what's coming in Player Core 2 a bit, that's eased up some concepts.

What's actually been worked on?

Great question! We're going through the planets right now to expand them to make sure you have content to play with as a GM or player! We're also wrapping up our gods. One thing that was holding the deities back was what domains they'd have access to in the Pathfinder 2e side. We're still not sure what's in Player Core 2 in terms of domains if there are going to be any but we will update our god's domain list once we find out with y'all. Currently, our lead editor Vic is reviewing the factions that our lovely PJ Megaw wrote and has been hard at work on the Collover's Code.

Last update we said that our freelancers had turned in their work and we're still seeing what the layout looks like for some like the kaiju template or the new skill feats with the mech trait. We're hoping to show you in a playtest soon.

Art?

Yep! I got some more art to share with you! I will leave you with art as always but thank you for letting me work on Mechfinder up to this point! It's been such a fun ride and I can't wait to show you more!