Vote: Born from Ice as Most Anticipated TTRPG of 2025 (and Happy Holidays!)
over 1 year ago
– Thu, Dec 19, 2024 at 08:41:57 AM
Hi everyone!
Quick end-of-year update for you all. Born from Ice has been nominated for Most Anticipated TTRPG of 2025 at EN World! (Thank you to everyone who nominated us!) Voting is open until January 2nd, and you can cast your vote by clicking here.
I hope you're getting good use out of Beta 0.2, which we released earlier in the month. Your feedback has been wonderful. Keep it coming - every bit helps make the game better (there is a handy Google form you can use to easily submit feedback).
Looking ahead: January will be pretty quiet on the update front (I will still post something, but there won't be any major announcements), since we just had our big Beta 0.2 release. Our next internal milestone is in February, when we'll study the new D&D Monster Manual release. We'll likely roll those findings into a Beta update sometime in March.
From my family to yours - happy holidays! Thank you for making 2024 such an amazing year for Born from Ice. Here's to 2025!
— Loren Small
Designer, Born from Ice
December 2024 Update - BETA V0.2 Now Available!
over 1 year ago
– Mon, Dec 09, 2024 at 12:00:13 PM
Hello Born from Ice Backers,
As we close out the year, I'm excited to share a fresh update about all things Born from Ice! It’s been a busy month, and I've got some fantastic news to share, including the release of BETA 0.2, our ongoing development roadmap, and holiday wishes to all of you.
BETA 0.2 Is Here!
The newest update to the in-development version of Born from Ice is live, and available to all backers who have a pledge that includes either the Player's Guide or Core Book! This release adds new content and refinements based on your feedback and our ongoing design work.
Here's what’s new in BETA 0.2:
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Two New Totem Paths: Explore the cunning of the Viper Totem and the tenacity of the Wolverine Totem!
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Exploration and Travel Rules: New rules for this core pillar of the game. Backers whose pledges include the Core Book will have access to a version that includes Exploration Challenges in this section.
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Resting Rules: Revised to align with the Exploration mechanics.
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Rules Glossary: A new addition for easy rule lookup, including new and unique mechanics.
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Revised Ability Score Math: Updated to better reflect the +2/+1 standard for Point Buy and Standard Array.
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Carrying Capacity Update: Adjusted for gameplay balance.
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Advanced Training: "Expertise" in Strategist, Intuitive Sage, and Silver Tongue has been renamed "Advanced Training" to avoid confusion with the core rule.
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Mighty Champion and Unbreakable Survivor Tweaks: Adjustments to Mighty Champion - "Broad Shoulders" and Unbreakable Survivor - "Ready for the Day" to add Supply benefit.
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Minor Feat Adjustments: Minor adjustments to several Feats to clarify wording or bring in line with rules.
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PDF Improvements: Bookmarks are fixed, along with typo corrections and wording updates.
Feedback Form
Thank you for your feedback—it’s helping make Born from Ice the best it can be. If you have feedback on this new version of the Beta, there is an easy to use Google Form that helps gather all of the data in one place. Please use it to report your thoughts!
Download Beta 0.2
To download Beta 0.2, log in to your Born from Ice BackerKit page: BackerKit Login
Need help? Check out our BackerKit project FAQ here: BackerKit FAQ
Development Roadmap
Here’s a look at where we are in our project development:
Completed
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✅ COMPLETE - D&D 2024 Player's Handbook Review: We’ve completed our review of the 2024 Player's Handbook, and integrated ideas from it into the rules of Born from Ice.
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✅ COMPLETE - D&D 2024 DM's Guide Review: We’ve completed our review of the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide. While it hasn’t required major adjustments yet, it’s given us ideas for future content and fine-tuning.
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✅ COMPLETE - Full Rules Available in Beta: The game is now rules complete (barring minor adjustments) as of BETA 0.2. This means it is now fully playable, with all systems working, and future development now is focused entirely on content. If you encounter any bugs or have thoughts about the rules, please use our Google Form to report them!
Q1 (January - March) 2025
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BETA 0.3: Coming Q1 2024, this update will expand the Core Book, including setting details and GM tools.
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February 2025: With the release of the D&D Monster Manual, we will evaluate the new monster guidelines and work to implement as needed within our Bestiary.
Q2 (April - June) 2025
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BETA 0.4: We hope to release our Bestiary in BETA 0.4 in early Q2.
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Adventure Path Development: Work continues on our Adventure Path, with updates planned for next year, and a preview version in either late Q2 or early Q3.
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OGL Review: Pending an announced date of the revised OGL from Wizards of the Coast, we currently have this scheduled as a review pass in Q2.
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Survey for Name in Credits: We will send out a survey asking what name you want to appear in the book credits, if you backed at a level that provides that as a reward.
Q3 (July - September) 2025
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Books to Printer: Early Q3 is roughly when our books will go to the printer.
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Digital Books Available: Final versions of the PDFs will be available once the books are locked and ready for printing.
Q4 (October - December) 2025
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Books Shipped to Fulfillment Partner: After printing, books will ship to our fulfillment partner warehouses in Europe and the US. This process can take some time depending on time at sea, clearing port, customs, etc.
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Pledge Manager Closes: We will close the Pledge Manager once all books are at the warehouses and ready to be shipped. This is also when final shipping and any applicable sales tax/VAT will be charged.
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Roll20 Version Releases: The Roll20 version of the game will be released roughly at the same time the books ship.
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Physical Books Ship: Books planned to ship to backers in late Q4.
Finish Your Pledge
About 92% of you have completed your pledge on the Pledge Manager. If you haven’t completed your Kickstarter pledge, now is the perfect time! Head to the Pledge Manager to secure your rewards and access the latest Beta. Full instructions on how to complete your pledge are available in our May 6 update.
Preorders Are Open
If you missed the campaign and want access to the Beta, preorders are available—don’t miss out!
Happy Holidays!
As we wrap up 2024, I want to thank each of you for being part of this journey. Your support, feedback, and enthusiasm have made this year unforgettable. Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful holiday season and a fantastic start to the new year.
Stay warm, stay adventurous, and we’ll see you in 2025!
— Loren Small
Designer, Born from Ice
Request: Nominate Born from Ice for "Most Anticipated RPG of 2025"
over 1 year ago
– Tue, Nov 26, 2024 at 11:24:31 AM
Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends! We hope your holiday is filled with warmth, gratitude, and plenty of food. For our international friends, we wish you a fantastic week as well, wherever you are.
We have a small favor to ask: nominations are open for EN World's Most Anticipated RPG of 2025, and we'd be incredibly thankful if you'd consider Born from Ice. A nomination would mean so much to us. You can nominate us here: EN World Nomination Thread.
A full update is coming in December, but for now, thank you for your support—you’ve already given us so much to be thankful for this year. Stay safe and cozy!
November 2024 Update
over 1 year ago
– Fri, Nov 01, 2024 at 06:03:03 AM
Hello Born from Ice Backers,
As we ramp up to the holiday season, I'm thrilled to share an update on the progress we're making with Born from Ice.
Current Status
Born from Ice BETA Release v.01 - Oct. 2024
We released our first BETA of the Born from Ice Player’s Guide last month. Be sure to check out that update for information on how to access it.
D&D 2024 DM's Guide Review Process
The Dungeon Master's Guide for the 2024 D&D rules just dropped on D&D Beyond. We’re already into our review process, examining how it might affect Born from Ice. Our aim is to ensure compatibility while maintaining the unique feel of our setting, so we are looking closely to see if we need to adjust any of our content. We expect this to be a much lighter process than comparing the Player's Handbook, as the DMG has significantly less rules and focuses more on guidance and larger concepts.
Roadmap
2024 - December - Player's Guide BETA Verion 0.2
We’re planning on releasing Version 0.2 of the Born from Ice Player’s Guide in our December update. This update is expected to include:
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Two New Totem Paths – Adding even more character customization options for your clan members.
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Exploration and Travel Rules – Designed to elevate the adventure and survival aspects of the game.
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Resting Rules – A revision of Resting rules tailored to fit the setting, integrated with the Exploration Rules.
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Ability Score Adjustments – We’re making some tweaks to Ability Score calculations to better reflect the +2/+1 calculation already being included in the math.
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Technical Fixes – This update will bring fine-tuning of the PDF layout and functionality, including functional bookmarks and various text edits and typo corrections.
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Weapons Table Update – We’ll be revising the spears in the weapons table for more differentiation.
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Rules Glossary (If all goes as planned) – A big addition we’re excited about! This first draft of the Rules Glossary will provide a handy reference, as well as the unique rules changes that help make our setting work. While it's a big piece we're working hard to complete, its inclusion will depend on whether we can wrap it up in time for this release.
2025
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February 2025 – D&D Monster Manual will be released. We will evaluate the new monster guidelines and work to implement with our Bestiary. Some time after this, we will introduce our first pass on the Bestiary in BETA release of the Core Book.
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Core Book Development – Core Book BETA is expected to release in early 2025 with setting details and tools for GMs.
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Adventure Path Development – We also continue to work on the Adventure Path, and will have updates on it next year.
Complete Your Kickstarter Pledge
If you haven’t yet completed your Kickstarter pledge, please do so in our Pledge Manager:
Kickstarter Pledge Manager
You can adjust your pledge, choose add-ons, and update your delivery information through this platform. This is also where you’ll be able to download the Beta! Full instructions on how to complete your pledge are available in our May 6 update.
Thank You!
In America, November includes our Thanksgiving holiday—a time to reflect on all we’re grateful for. This year, for me, that includes all of you. Thank you, as always, for your incredible support and feedback.
Happy Thanksgiving!
— Loren Small
Designer, Born from Ice
October 2024 Update - BETA Player's Guide V0.1 is Now Available!
over 1 year ago
– Fri, Oct 11, 2024 at 02:07:38 PM
Hello Born from Ice Backers!
Sorry for the delay to mid-month. Between the recent flooding in Western North Carolina (I wasn’t impacted directly, but had family there) and wrapping up this major update, I’m running a bit behind. I think you’ll find it was worth the wait!
BETA Player's Guide V0.1 is Now Available!
I'm excited to announce that Version 0.1 of the Born from Ice Player's Guide is now live! This Beta version includes everything from the Kickstarter playtest, plus a host of new features and content for you to explore. Here’s a breakdown of what’s inside:
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Level 1-20 Progression for each class
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New Totem Paths to expand character options
- Playable Neanderthal Species
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New Feats and Epic Feats for even more character customization
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New Backgrounds
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Herbalism and Poisoncraft crafting systems
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Equipment - including weapons, armor, tools, and items
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New Dynamic Initiative rules to keep combat fast and unpredictable
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Initial compatibility revisions with the 2024 D&D rules
- Plus, a wide range of general tweaks and adjustments to improve balance and gameplay
Roadmap
We’ve got some big plans for future updates. Here’s what you can expect in upcoming revisions to this document, leading to final release next summer:
Player's Guide & Core Book:
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Exploration Rules to enhance the survival and adventure aspects of the game
- A Rules Glossary for quick reference
- A Back of Book Index to improve navigation
- A World and History Primer to quickly get players up to speed on the Born from Ice setting
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Revisions to correct mistakes and refine the content
- Continued revisions for 2024 D&D compatibility as new information comes out
Core Book Only:
- A Bestiary of unique monsters and foes
- Full Setting Information to bring the Born from Ice world to life
- A Session 0 Guide to help kick off your campaigns
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Adventure Building Tools for GMs
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Environmental Challenges to test your survival skills
- An optional system for Injuries to keep combat and survival tense
Our next major revision will follow the release of the 2024 D&D DM's Guide this November, expected sometime in December or January. This will depend on how much work the compatibility updates require and how the holidays affect our timeline.
Of course, we are also working on the Adventure Path, which will get it's own updates in the future.
Download Your PDF of the Beta
To download the Beta Player's Guide V0.1, log in to your Born from Ice BackerKit page:
BackerKit Login
Need help? Check out our BackerKit project FAQ here:
BackerKit FAQ
Complete Your Kickstarter Pledge
If you haven’t yet completed your Kickstarter pledge, please do so in our Pledge Manager:
Kickstarter Pledge Manager
You can adjust your pledge, choose add-ons, and update your delivery information through this platform. This is also where you’ll be able to download the Beta! Full instructions on how to complete your pledge are available in our May 6 update.
Now Available for Pre-Order
Finally, Born from Ice is now available for pre-order! If you know anyone who missed the Kickstarter, now's the perfect time to let them know they can still join the adventure. We also offer pre-orders for copies to donate to libraries!
Check out the pre-order store here:
Born from Ice Pre-Order Store
Thanks again for your support and patience! We’ve got some exciting things ahead, and I can’t wait to share more with you soon.
— Loren Small
Designer, Born from Ice
