Is this an update of the D&D 3.5 Empire of the Ghouls? Or the 1996 "Kingdom of the Ghouls" from Dungeon magazine?
It is more the first than the second. The magazine “Kingdom” piece shares an author and themes with the Empire from 3.5, but the two are otherwise entirely separate adventures.
This version roughly doubles the page count of the 3.5 version, and uses a similar underdark map. However, it assumes that the ghouls failed in their plots of the 3.5 version, and presents an entirely new storyline, new monsters, new magic, and new twists. At the time of the 3.5 version, Kobold Press was a very new company, and so that work is also only modestly illustrated in B&W.
Basically, this uses the same locations and the same ghoul culture, but tells and entirely different story on a much larger scale and with much better design, editing, playtest, and graphics.
Familiarity of the prior version of “Empire” is not required in any way to run this campaign.
Last updated: May 13, 2019 10:00
Why don't I get all of my PDFs at the same time?
PDF fulfillment will occur in two stages. For the products that are already released and purchased as add-ons, we will fulfill those immediately through BackerKit. However, for PDFs that are part of the Empire of the Ghouls KickStarter (the Empire Settings Guide PDF, Underworld Player’s Guide PDF, and Underworld Lairs PDF), we will be fulfilling those through the Kobold Press Store after they become available, which will align more closely to when we ship our printed products of the same item.
Last updated: January 10, 2020 09:25
Why does my shipping cost jump when I add an additional item?
For US shipping, costs increment per printed item. For non-US shipping, there are two cost categories, 1.81 kilograms (64 ounces) and under and then everything else. In this case, 65 ounces and above can see a significant price increase.
Last updated: January 10, 2020 13:30
Why am I being charged $1.25 shipping for a digital only order?
From time to time, we try new approaches to address pain points in earlier Kickstarters. For Empire of the Ghouls, we are implementing one such change. To enable better support and new deliver models for digital assets (for example, partial fulfillment through BackerKit), we’ve applied a small $1.25 charge to digital orders. This charge shows up as a shipping fee in BackerKit at checkout time. However, it is a fee to cover fulfillment and customer support.
A similar $1.25 fee is rolled into products that physically ship, but backers will not see it as it rolled into the calculated shipping fee. This fee allows us to cover packaging and handling, which is so critical in the delivery of print products. It also allows us to more precisely align our shipping costs in the US, which often results in lower shipping costs.
Last updated: January 17, 2020 10:33
What is BackerKit?
BackerKit is a service that crowdfunded project creators use to keep track of hundreds to tens of thousands of backers—from shipping details, pledge levels, preferences and quantities, whether they have paid or had their card declined, special notes, and everything in between!
The BackerKit software and support team is independent from the campaign’s project team—BackerKit does not handle the actual reward shipping. For more information about the preparation or delivery status of your rewards, please check the project's updates page.
How does BackerKit work?
After the campaign ends, the project creator will send you an email with a unique link to your survey. You can check out a walkthrough of the process here.
I never received my invitation. How do I complete the survey?
The most common reasons for not receiving a survey email is that you may be checking an email inbox different from the email address you used to sign up with Kickstarter, Indiegogo or Tilt Pro account, or it may be caught in your spam filter.
Confirm that the email address you are searching matches the email address tied to your Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or Tilt Pro account. If that doesn’t work, then try checking your spam, junk or promotions folders. You can also search for "backerkit” in your inbox.
To resend the survey to yourself, visit the project page and input the email address associated with your Kickstarter, Indiegogo or Tilt Pro account.
How do I update my shipping address?
BackerKit allows you to update your shipping address until the shipping addresses are locked by the project creator. To update your address, go back to your BackerKit survey by inputting your email here.
When will my order be shipped, charged or locked?
That is handled directly by the project creator. BackerKit functions independently of the project itself, so we do not have control of their physical shipping timeline. If you want to check on the project’s status, we recommend reading over the project's updates page.
I completed the survey, but haven't received my rewards yet. When will they arrive?
As BackerKit does not actually handle any rewards or shipping, the best way to stay updated on the shipping timeline would be to check out the project's updates page.