January Update
about 4 years ago
– Fri, Jan 15, 2021 at 12:59:09 AM
Thank you so much for being here and being as excited as we are about Urban Shadows 2E! It’s been so exciting jumping into this content and exploring the changes we’re making for the second edition. We hope you’re enjoying the changes, and we’ve loved receiving your feedback!
For the past few months, we’ve been working on keeping the project rolling through the holidays. Here are some general updates for what we’ve been up to and what you can expect from us in the coming months!
Backerkit
Late pledges are available through Backerkit, so if you missed the Kickstarter you can still late pledge using the button at the top on the Kickstarter page or by directly following this link.
Backerkit won’t be available for backers until we finalize all the weights of the products with our factory. This may happen in May, or it may be later in the year, depending on how COVID delays affect production.
Once Backerkit is available, you will receive an email notification to fill out your Backerkit. Remember that you’ll also be charged for shipping through Backerkit!
The Quickstart
Updates for the Quickstart will continue to happen as we develop playbooks, mechanics, and other revisions. We’re planning on releasing an updated Quickstart by early February, so expect an update on that soon!
Mark and Marissa have been reviewing feedback from backers—as well as information from our Curated Play Program playtests—as well as adding new playbooks and expanding the material on the faction turn mechanics. Once it’s ready we’ll release v2.0 to you with a DrivethruRPG link!
Feedback
Thank you to everyone who’s talked to us in our Discord, on Reddit, or through email about their feedback on the Quickstart! Once the next Quickstart update is released, we’ll begin accepting formal playtesting feedback via a Google form!
In the meantime, please keep sending us feedback through Discord or Reddit or by emailing us directly at [email protected]. We really value your comments and questions, so keep ‘em coming!
Breathing Life into the City
It’s been an intense, harrowing, and difficult 2020 AND 2021. We’re so grateful that you’re part of this project and playing Urban Shadows 2nd Ed. Thank you once again for all your support and excitement!
If you’d like to talk about Urban Shadows with fans in our community spaces, join our Discord or join us on Reddit. We’d love to hear from you about your experiences with the game!
Stay safe, take care of yourself and each other, and play games!
Update #15: WE DID IT! $196,906 FUNDED! & Late Pledges!
about 4 years ago
– Fri, Nov 20, 2020 at 12:27:01 AM
What an incredible moment! Thanks to all of you we have raised over $196,000 to bring Urban Shadows: Second Edition to life! This is an amazing moment for our whole team, and we can’t thank you all enough for making it possible.
But first, our recently unlocked stretch goals...
UNLOCKED - $160,000 PDF City Hub: The Financial District
At $160,000 we’re creating a new City Hub you can add to any campaign of Urban Shadows 2E: The Financial District. Dominated by Power, the Financial District is caught in the grip of the immortal numerologists and financial seers, all vying for control of the city’s monetary pulse. What will you do to seize your destiny when others traffic in your future?
Backers at the All PDFs pledge level and up receive a digital copy of the Financial District City Hub for free!
UNLOCKED - $175,000 PDF New Playbook: The Restless
At $175,000 we’re creating a brand new playbook for Urban Shadows 2E: The Restless (Night):
Regretful and unearthed, the Restless has returned to the city after a long incarceration in the Underworld, seeking redemption for their crimes now in the land of the living.
The Restless is the creation of game designer Alexi Sargeant. We’re so glad to have Alexi join us for the project; his work on the Restless is amazing!
Backers at the All PDFs pledge level and up receive a digital copy of The Restless for free!
UNLOCKED - $185,000 PDF City Hub: The Block
At $185,000, we’re creating a new City Hub you can add to any campaign of Urban Shadows 2E: The Block (Mortalis). A bastion of Mortalis factions, the Block is a working-class neighborhood that takes care of itself, a ‘hood where people get by just fine...even if they never get out. But is there a future here for those who dream of bigger things? Or must dangerous deals be struck with other powers?
Backers at the All PDFs pledge level and up receive a digital copy of The Block for free!
UNLOCKED - PDF New Playbook: The Ancient
As a thank you for all your support throughout the campaign, we’re unlocking our final stretch goal right now, creating a brand new playbook for Urban Shadows 2E: The Ancient (Power):
Divine and dethroned, the Ancient is an old god whose powers have waned in the modern era, a shadow of their former self attempting to still pull the strings of the city all the same.
Backers at the All PDFs pledge level and up receive a digital copy of The Ancient for free!
Campaign Overview
Let’s take a quick look at what all you’ve accomplished over the course of this campaign:
- Funded in Twelve Minutes!
- $196,906 Funded
- 3,775 Backers
- 15 Stretch Goals Unlocked
- A GM Screen, Urban Shadows Dice, Circles Pin-set, Campaign Notepad, Dice Tray, and Journal Pack!
- 10 Additional Playbooks: the Vessel, the Scholar, the Revenant, the Anointed, the Immortal, and the Dragon—all revamped—and all new playbooks including The Angel, The Witch, the Restless, and The Ancient.
- 4 Additional City Hubs: The Docks, Skid Row, The Financial District, and The Block
Thank you for your support and excitement! This is such an incredible success and you made it all possible! Urban Shadows is our #2 most-funded Kickstarter of all time, behind only Root: The RPG from late last year. We cannot believe how much this fanbase has grown, and we’re so honored by your support. Thank you so much!
Late Pledges
We know the pain of missing out on a Kickstarter campaign by just a few hours, so we’ve set up a late pledge preorder store through Backerkit that will stay open through the start of 2021.
To join the campaign as a late pledge, follow the link here and fill out your order:
https://urban-shadows-second-edition.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
If you backed during this Kickstarter, you don’t need to do anything here—we’ll let you know when it’s time to fill out your surveys in Backerkit! The late pledge option is only for people who want to make a late pledge because they missed the end of the campaign.
Next Steps
Our team will be taking a quick break to renew and regroup after running such a thrilling Kickstarter! Since Thanksgiving is next week here in the States, we’ll be out of the office until the start of December.
Then we’ll dive into the work of writing, creating, and playtesting over the next several months. As we make progress, we’ll share with you here all we’re working on so you can see the game as it develops.
Don’t forget you can start playing the new edition right now by downloading the Quickstart. We’ll be refining and expanding these materials as we go, so they won’t be the final product. You can download the quickstart here:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/333500/Urban-Shadows-2nd-Ed-Quickstart
To ensure we keep you up to date without overwhelming you with updates, we’ll be posting one update a month. These updates will fill you in on our progress, show you what we’re currently working on, and give you new play materials as we go.
An Amazing Journey
Urban Shadows was an important milestone in our journey as designers and creators. From its earliest design in 2013, to the release of the book in 2015, now to its incredible second edition, our passion for Urban Shadows has never waned. It's inspiring to see that your passion hasn’t either.
Because of you, we’ve been able to revise our work, add amazing new content, and reimagine how we play Urban Shadows. Your feedback, excitement, and ideas always help us build strong games, and this project is no different! You’ve made Urban Shadows 2E possible in so many ways, and we appreciate all of your support.
Over the next few months, our journey with Urban Shadows will continue! We’re so excited to share with you everything you’ve funded through this campaign, and we can’t wait to get your feedback on new playbooks and mechanics as we release them. The shadows of the city are calling. We can’t wait to hit the streets and see what we find together!
Update #14: Pin Set Unlocked and New Stretch Goals!
about 4 years ago
– Tue, Nov 17, 2020 at 01:55:46 AM
Wow! $150,000!!! What an incredible achievement. Thank you so much for your amazing support and excitement. We never dreamed we could get this far from our first edition in 2015 to where we are today!
Many folks have asked us for ways to show off their Circle, so we’re proud to present...
UNLOCKED - $150,000 Urban Shadows Pin Set
At $150,000, we’re creating a full set of four Circle pins! For each Circle, we’ve created a unique symbol to represent that community, one that members of the Circle might use to mark a building as a place of power or tattoo on themselves to show their allegiance to a supernatural group. Showcase your devotion to Mortalis, Night, Power, or Wild...or you can wear all of them to keep your admirers guessing to which Circle you belong.
Backers at the Core + All Stretch Goals pledge level and up receive the Pin Set for free!
Upcoming Stretch Goals
Now that we’re so close to the end, we’re announcing FOUR new stretch goals for this week, featuring two new City Hubs and two entirely brand-new playbooks!
LOCKED - $160,000 PDF City Hub: Financial District
At $160,000 we’ll create a new City Hub you can add to any campaign of Urban Shadows 2E: The Financial District.
Dominated by Power, the Financial District is caught in the grip of the immortal numerologists and financial seers, all vying for control of the city’s monetary pulse. What will you do to seize your destiny when others traffic in your future?
Backers at the All PDFs pledge level and up receive a digital copy of the Financial District City Hub for free!
LOCKED - $175,000 PDF New Playbook: The Restless
At $175,000 we’ll create a brand new playbook for Urban Shadows 2E: The Restless (Night):
Regretful and unearthed, the Restless has returned to the city after a long incarceration in the Underworld, seeking redemption for their crimes now in the land of the living.
The Restless is the creation of game designer Alexi Sargeant. We’re so glad to have Alexi join us for the project; his work on the Restless is amazing!
Backers at the All PDFs pledge level and up receive a digital copy of The Restless for free!
LOCKED - $185,000 PDF City Hub: The Block
At $185,000, we’ll create a new City Hub you can add to any campaign of Urban Shadows 2E: The Block (Mortalis).
A bastion of Mortalis factions, the Block is a working-class neighborhood that takes care of itself, a ‘hood where people get by just fine...even if they never get out. But is there a future here for those who dream of bigger things? Or must dangerous deals be struck with other powers?
Backers at the All PDFs pledge level and up receive a digital copy of The Block for free!
LOCKED - $200,000 PDF New Playbook: The Ancient
At $200,000, we’ll create a brand new playbook for Urban Shadows 2E: The Ancient (Power):
Divine and dethroned, the Ancient is an old god whose powers have waned in the modern era, a shadow of their former self attempting to still pull the strings of the city all the same.
Backers at the All PDFs pledge level and up receive a digital copy of The Ancient for free!
Last Chance to Get the Word Out
We’re so grateful for all your support and excitement as close in on the end of the Kickstarter! We have just a few days left before the close of the campaign on Thursday! Let’s spread the word and try to hit these next few goals to unlock even more amazing things!
Update #13: AMA with Mark Diaz Truman
about 4 years ago
– Fri, Nov 13, 2020 at 09:12:51 PM
We are so excited to see how far we’ve come! We’re so close to our next stretch goal and can’t thank you enough for your support. We never could have imagined this kind of excitement for the second edition of Urban Shadows!
Just a brief update today!
We’re Live: AMA on Reddit!
Join Mark Diaz Truman on the Magpie Games subreddit today to answer your questions on Urban Shadows 2E or anything Magpie Games! He’ll be there today from 12 pm - 2 pm Eastern! Come ask your burning questions and see what others are eager to know!
You can check it out here: https://www.reddit.com/r/MagpieGames/comments/jsx7ye/urban_shadows_2e_ama_with_mark_diaz_truman/
Thanks so much for all your support and we hope to see you at the AMA!
Update #12: AMA and Design Diary
about 4 years ago
– Wed, Nov 11, 2020 at 07:26:42 AM
Thank you for your continued support! We’re moving ever closer to our next stretch goal of a Circle pin set! Which Circle are you part of? Whose symbol will you wear?
In the meantime, we have a few announcements that will help you dig into Urban Shadows even more.
Design Diary: Morality vs Mortalis
Join Marissa Kelly, co-founder of Magpie Games, and one of the core designers behind Urban Shadows for a designer diary. In this diary, Marissa discusses the change from Mortality to Mortalis!
You can check out the diary here: https://www.reddit.com/r/MagpieGames/comments/jru3ed/design_diary_mortality_vs_mortalis/
AMA with Mark Diaz Truman
We know you have burning questions and we’re excited to get you answers! This Thursday at 12 pm Eastern we will be hosting an AMA with Mark Diaz Truman. Mark is the co-founder of Magpie Games, designer of Cartel, co-designer of Zombie World, Urban Shadows 1st Ed, and one of the core designers of Urban Shadows 2nd Ed.
Join us on the Magpie Games reddit, Thursday, November 12th to ask questions and have them answered by one of the main designers of Urban Shadows 2nd Ed!
Log on to our subreddit here: https://www.reddit.com/r/MagpieGames/
Places to Play
We’re excited to hear people are trying out the Urban Shadows 2nd Edition Quickstart! If you haven’t started your campaigns yet, here are a few ways to get connected with a group to play!
Our Discord community has a games day on Nov 14th. The Urban Shadows games are currently filled, but there is a waitlist available! Our community regularly has games happening, so stop by, play some games, discuss the game, and run games with us if you feel like GMing!
Discord: https://discord.gg/RUFWCbC
Our Curated Play Program also regularly features Urban Shadows 2E games every two weeks. Try out a game run by paid professional GMs who receive training! We release a new schedule twice a week and often have Urban Shadows two-shots and campaigns!
Curated Play: https://www.magpiegames.com/curated-play/
And now, our upcoming stretch goal:
LOCKED - $150,000 Urban Shadows Pin Set
At $150,000, we’ll create a full set of four pins for you to showcase your devotion to Mortalis, Night, Power, or Wild...or you can wear all of them to keep your admirers guessing to which Circle you belong.
Spread the word and help unlock these amazing Circle pins.
Backers at the Core + All Stretch Goals pledge level and up receive the Pin Set for free!
Get the Word Out
We can’t thank you enough for all your excitement and support! Because of you we can create a new, refined game with more hubs, playbooks, and content! Thank you for being here, being awesome, and spreading the word! Let’s keep it up!
