Pledge Manager is Live + Early Concept Art
8 months ago
– Wed, Jul 30, 2025 at 08:44:30 AM
Good news everyone (Professor Farnsworth walks in) the Pledge Manager is now live!
Following a successful smoke test last week, everything is up and running. If you’ve been waiting to confirm your pledge, grab add-ons, or join us via late pledge, now’s the time. Head in and go nuts.
Early Concept Art
We’ve started receiving early concept art for Densetsu, and I’ve attached a couple of exciting early sketches below.
Vacuum Blade – One of the new Techniques from our expanded Ways.
The Thorn-Tied Promise – A visual from one of the Tales, brought to life by our Japanese artist team.
More art is on the way, and we’ll continue to share previews as the visual side of the project develops.
Writing and Travel
Writing continues to go well. The framework for the Tales is solid, and now game development is continuing smoothly and I'm looking forward to starting internal play-testing in the coming months.
I’ll be travelling back to the UK next week after a very productive period in Japan. I’ve had some excellent meetings and made real progress on long-term plans. Perhaps even a trip to GamesCom in Cologne on the cards. More on that in the future...
Stay Connected
If you have any questions for me or Dom or just want to see more behind-the-scenes updates, be sure to join the Discord.
Thanks again for your support, and we’ll see you in the next update.
Sacha & The Slightly Reckless Troubadour
Pledge Manager Delay, Writing Progress, and Artist Reveal
9 months ago
– Fri, Jun 27, 2025 at 07:53:22 AM
Hi Wanderers,
Pledge Manager Delay
First off, sorry for the delay in launching the Pledge Manager. We know many of you are eager to confirm your pledges, grab some add-ons, or jump in through late pledges. While this delay is not affecting production in any way, we still want to acknowledge it and keep you informed.
The delay is due to some additional work required on the fulfilment side. We’ve partnered with a fulfilment provider who is handling much of the backend in BackerKit. This partnership has allowed us to offer significantly better shipping rates than we could otherwise, but it does mean we’ve needed to update a number of SKU codes and shipping profiles to match their system.
The good news is that everything on our end is complete. We’re just waiting for final reviews and shipping profiles to be confirmed before we can hit publish.
Again, we really appreciate your patience and apologise for the hold-up. We are now aiming to go live with the Pledge Manager in July.
Writing and Worldbuilding Progress
On the creative side, things are moving smoothly. The tales for Densetsu are now finalised, and last week I had the chance to visit Goryokaku Fortress in Hakodate, a key location featured in one of the tales. It was surreal to see it in person after spending so much time writing about it.
We’ve also now locked in our Japanese artist roster for Densetsu. Each artist has been assigned their respective tale and has begun early concept work. Some of you might recognise their names from other projects. Fans of Magic: The Gathering may know them from the Japanese Mystical Archive Bonus Sheet in Strixhaven or the woodblock-style art treatments in the recent Final Fantasy set. Not often I get to talk about MTG in these updates, so that’s a fun one.
The Book of Yō and Beyond
The briefs for The Book of Yō have also been sent out. That book is following Densetsu in terms of the production schedule, with the Starter Set and other peripherals planned for the final stage.
So, what’s Next?
Keep an eye out for the Pledge Manager in July and thanks again for your support and patience. I’ll see you in next month's update!
Sacha & The Slightly Reckless Bunch
Pledge Manager Incoming & DriveThruRPG
10 months ago
– Wed, May 28, 2025 at 12:25:03 AM
Welcome to the first of our monthly updates.
Current Status
There is not a huge amount to report just yet. The funds have cleared, and we are working through the usual post-campaign tasks like processing platform fees and confirming backer details.
We are also deep into setting up the Pledge Manager. It involves a lot of data entry, but progress is steady. Our current target is to go live on June 13th.
If you missed the campaign but want to get involved, make sure to sign up to our mailing list so you will be among the first to know when late pledges go live. Oh, and join our Discord.
PDF Delivery Through DriveThruRPG
If you have any of the already released Rōnin material in your pledge, we'll be sending you a link to get it on DriveThruRPG, today! It also includes anybody who's bought digital items from our online store.
Content Progress
Writing is going well! The core game elements for Densetsu are complete. I am now shaping them into the various tales that will be included in the book. These are coming together nicely and I am looking forward to sharing more down the line.
What’s Next
Here is what to watch for:
- Pledge Manager launch on June 13th
- Pledge confirmation surveys also going out on June 13th
Live from Japan
As many of you know, I’m also currently in Japan working on something new and very exciting... a project based on a well-known IP. I had a fantastic meeting with the team last week and will be catching up with them a few more times before I return to England.
If all goes to plan, we’ll be able to announce the project in October 😄
Thank you again to everyone who backed the project. We are excited to keep this moving and will be back next month with another update.
Until then,
Sacha & The Slightly Reckless Herd
Smashed It!
11 months ago
– Tue, May 06, 2025 at 09:01:27 AM
Wow. What a final few days.
We absolutely smashed it and unlocked the World Map stretch goal! That big push at the end was just...
About the World Map
Every Kickstarter backer will get the digital version, and we’ll have a physical version available in the pledge manager for those who want to hang it up, fold it into their books, or just admire the world in all its glory.
Thank You All So Much!
In total, we managed to raise £142,996 in just three weeks, and it’s been a wild ride from start to finish. From secret pledges to unlockable soundtracks, and some of the best community support we’ve ever had… thank you.
So, What Now?
We’re going to take a couple of weeks to decompress, collect funds, and reset. We’ll be back in June with the pledge manager and pre-order store, where you’ll be able to confirm your pledge, grab any add-ons you missed, and lock everything in.
And you know what?
Fuck it. We’re doing the videos.
Even though we didn’t hit the £150k stretch goal, we’ve decided to go ahead anyway. The Rōnin video series is happening, full of lore deep dives, character creation guides, and rules explainers to help new and returning players get the most out of the game.
Once again, Thank You
Whether you backed on day one, jumped in during the final 48 hours, or just shared the campaign with a friend, we’re so grateful for your support.
Come hang out with us in the Discord while we work behind the scenes and get everything ready.
Cheers,
Sacha & The Slightly Reckless Band
The Final 24 Hours – Let’s Finish Strong
11 months ago
– Mon, May 05, 2025 at 09:24:47 AM
We’re down to the final 24 hours of the campaign.
It’s been an incredible ride, but we’re not done yet. Let’s do one final push and see how many of those last stretch goals we can unlock before the clock runs out. Every share, post, and last-minute pledge helps push this campaign even further.
New Interview: Game Development with Modern Mythology
I recently sat down with the team at Modern Mythology for a deep dive into the game development process behind Rōnin: Densetsu. We talked about how the project came together, what makes it tick under the hood, and the lessons learned along the way.
It was a great conversation and a chance to go beyond the usual surface-level stuff. If you're into design talk or curious about what goes on behind the scenes, give it a listen.
They also recently did a live play of a third-party module, The 13 Demons of Akuma Saizo (by John Ossoway), which we highly recommend checking out if you're looking for inspiration for your own campaign.
Heading to Japan
Some of you already know this, but I’m flying out to Japan later this week for a three-month stint working on an as-yet unannounced collaboration project with a well-known IP.
I can’t say more just yet, but it’s a big one.
That said, I’ll still be around. I’ll be active in the Discord, and I’ll continue posting monthly updates here and on the Berserkr Kickstarter. So even with this adventure ahead, you can expect things to stay on track. And if all goes well, keep your eyes out for a major announcement later this year.
Thanks for sticking with us to the very end. Let’s make these final 24 hours count.
Sacha & The Slightly Reckless Corp
