Let Us Build a Tower: A Mythic Bronze Age Adventure in Babel

Gamex Recap + Production Progress + PDFs Coming Soon
6 months ago – Fri, Jul 05, 2024 at 10:06:47 AM

Hi all, and happy holiday weekend to those in the USA!

Strategicon Gamex was another huge success. It was such a pleasure meeting more of you and playing LUBAT together, along with other upcoming Sojourn adventures. For those who missed the fun, Strategicon Gateway 2024 is right around the corner this August 30 – September 2. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on our event schedule. 

If you can’t make these conventions in person, I can tease that in the near future we’ll be launching an official Discord server! There you’ll be able to join online games of LUBAT run by yours truly, chat with other members of the community, and swap your own stories and strategies for Tower ascension.

As for the game itself: development on the backer rewards has taken longer than I estimated. In the process of building Mythic Shinar, we’ve continued to revise and tune the rest of Let Us Build a Tower too. The upshot is that physical books will not be printing and shipping this month as originally projected. I apologize for the delay, which is entirely a result of my own capacity. I’m eager to get your books to you in their best form as soon as possible and will keep you apprised of their production progress.

That said, the digital PDF version of LUBAT will be available to backers in just a few short weeks! This PDF is a backer-exclusive pre-final version and not yet hyperlinked, but it contains the complete game so you and your friends can start playing as soon as you’re ready. Tower-building mechanics, encounters, Throne-Seeker player options, and Mythic Shinar are all here for your exploration. You’ll also receive your private access token to the Tower Generator web app beta.

This means that we will be locking down orders on Backerkit shortly. You will receive an email next week with advance notice before that happens. This would be a good time to make sure your Backerkit order includes all the add-ons you want and that we have your correct email on file—as well as your correct shipping address and payment information, if your pledge includes physical books. 

If you’ve lost your Backerkit survey email, don’t worry: You can generate a new one by visiting https://let-us-build-a-tower.backerkit.com/. As always, don’t hesitate to message me if you encounter any issues.

Progress Update + LUBAT at Strategicon
8 months ago – Fri, May 10, 2024 at 10:06:21 AM

Hi all, just wanted to let you know where we’re at with Let Us Build a Tower stretch goal production. April progress was a little slower than expected on account of my wedding (😁) and some nasty bouts of recurring illness. I’m mostly recovered and off to a strong start with May’s production. Mythic Shinar: Adventures Beyond Babel is nearly ready for playtesting with a wilderness trek system, entries for numerous city-states, generators for royal tombs and antediluvian ruins, and a dynamic d100 events & encounters table. 

If you’re interested in giving it a shot, sign-ups are now live for LUBAT at Strategicon’s Gamex 2024 convention over Memorial Day weekend (May 24-27)! You can head to strategicon.net and click “Events -> Event Sign-Ups” to reserve a spot at our table after registering. If online sign-ups are full, don’t worry—there will be additional spots available for in-person sign-up at the con. I will also be running several new adventures for Dungeons & Dragons (Original Edition) over the weekend, so if that’s your jam, feel free to sign up for those as well.

Stretch Goal Production Progress + More Chances to Play LUBAT in Person
9 months ago – Tue, Apr 02, 2024 at 12:07:55 PM

Happy Akitu to all who celebrate! Let Us Build a Tower revisions and stretch goal production continue to make strong progress. I’m excited to say Mythic Shinar: Adventures Beyond Babel has taken on an expansive life of its own. No longer just a guide to “Wilderness Adventures,” you’ll now find cities and urban adventure hooks here as well.

100% of the original art commissions are now complete. LUBAT really has become a treasure trove of character, creature, and locale illustrations I can’t wait for all of you to have in your hands. In the meantime, check out these finished pieces by some of our fantastic artists:

Speaking of stretch goals, a beta version of our character sheet has seen play at conventions and local tables. We’re striving for a clean, clear, beginner-friendly design, and from early feedback it sounds like we’re hitting the mark! I can say from personal experience that the Referee Screen inserts are proving quite handy at the table too.

And speaking of tables, more opportunities to playtest LUBAT are coming soon. At Strategicon’s Gamex 2024 convention over Memorial Day weekend (May 24-27) in Los Angeles, I’ll be running Let Us Build a Tower along with an upcoming D&D adventure. Event registration should be live in just a few weeks. Don’t hesitate to say hi if you see me at the con! 

BackerKit Surveys Are on Their Way
11 months ago – Fri, Feb 02, 2024 at 02:11:18 PM

The first wave of BackerKit surveys has been sent! If you’re a backer, you should see a survey link in your email inbox soon. Responding to your survey as soon as possible will ensure we have your shipping address for physical rewards, any extra items you’d like to add to your rewards, and the right email address for us to deliver your digital rewards to. 

If you haven’t received your BackerKit survey link yet, don’t worry. The rest will be sent out in waves over the next few days. If you don’t see one in your inbox by next Friday, February 9, please message me so I can make sure you get one.

Play LUBAT at Strategicon + Backerkit Surveys Coming Soon + Elsewhere on Kickstarter
11 months ago – Thu, Jan 25, 2024 at 11:36:42 AM

Several of you have reached out about opportunities to play Let Us Build a Tower in person. The next chance is coming soon! Strategicon recently announced their event schedule for Orccon 2024 on Presidents Day weekend in Los Angeles. I’ll be there running games of Let Us Build a Tower each day the weekend of February 16th-18th. Limited pre-registration slots will be available online starting this Saturday, with more slots reserved for in-person sign-ups at the convention. Hope to see you there!

In Kickstarter news, I’m happy to announce we received nearly all the LUBAT pledged payments. Development of stretch goal materials is under way. Next week, keep an eye out on your inboxes for a Backerkit survey to collect delivery addresses and shipping fees for those receiving physical LUBAT books. As mentioned, we’ll also be using Backerkit to deliver digital reward downloads. 

Elsewhere on Kickstarter, there’s one day left to back short indie horror film The Fort. I’m honored to say I played the tiniest part in bringing this haunting little tale to life as an associate producer. Directed by Victoria McDevitt (whose past crew credits include Dark Waters and The Killing of a Sacred Deer), The Fort is based on Alan Lastufka’s short story of the same name. It stars Callie Haverda (That 90s Show) and Armani Jackson (Wolf Pack). The Fort reveals the story of two friends whose lives split in starkly different directions after they rediscover their childhood hideout in the woods has begun to grow and change into...something new.

Backer rewards include exclusives like a 7” vinyl single of the film’s original songs, a production book, custom LEGO set, and tickets to a private screening. 160 backers have helped The Fort nearly meet its goal!