New Belkar Bitterleaf prequel story (plus Don't Split the Party) in PDF from Gumroad

[The Giant]

Looks like it's that time again.



Don't Split the Party Digital Edition and Uncivil Servant (Starring Belkar Bitterleaf) Digital Edition are both available for purchase on Gumroad.

If you haven't heard of Uncivil Servant, it's the first of the short stories I wrote especially for Kickstarter backers. They've had it for a little over 3 years, so I thought it's about time to bring it to a wider audience. It's a 12-page black-and-white prequel story about Belkar from before he was a member of the Order of the Stick, and it's available for a special pay-what-you-think-is-fair price (since I have no idea what's a fair price for a short work like this).

A new bulleted list of features:

• PDF format that works great on the tablet of your choice!
• Art is still in its native vector format, allowing you to zoom in with no loss of quality!
• Updated lettering to match last year's Blood Runs in the Family and current strip dialogue!
• Don't Split the Party features all-new 8-page essay, "The Sourcebook That Never Was (But Might Have Been)", looking back on my ill-fated attempt to produce a d20 campaign sourcebook for OOTS back in 2007. Features art, mini-comics, and excerpts of text (but not actual game rules for anything).
• Fully bookmarked and hyperlinked to each strip referenced in the commentaries!
• No digital rights management—just a single watermark on the front cover!
• Some typos fixed, others almost certainly introduced!
• Digital delivery allows lower prices! Just $17 for Don't Split the Party, and Pay-What-You-Want for Uncivil Servant].

A lot of questions about the PDFs have been answered in the previous three threads about the release of DCF/OTOPCs, NCFPB, and WAXP/SOD, respectively, but if you have any additional questions or concerns (or technical issues), then feel free to ask them here. Thanks!


Expected FAQs!
I can't figure out how to buy them!
You can get to the new books by clicking here for DSTP or here for Uncivil Servant, or on the big cover pictures above, or you can get to the Giant in the Playground profile page at Gumroad (which lists all the products we have one page) by clicking here.

Will the rest of the books be coming out?
Yes! Unless sales really fall off a cliff or something, I have every intention of releasing all the regular books in the series as PDFs, eventually. (Snips, Snails, and Dragon Tales will probably remain an Ookoodook-exclusive until we sell out of the last paper copy.)

When will the rest of the books be coming out?
Uncertain, as I need to juggle the relettering with other work, but my goal is to get the rest of the series out before the end of the year, if not sooner. Obviously, these two books came hot on the heels of the previous one, but don't necessarily expect the next release to happen so quickly.

How do I get my PDFs?
You'll get an email with a download link a few minutes after ordering. Keep an eye on your spam folder, just in case.

What does the watermark look like?
It's on the first page (the cover), and it's a small grey ribbon-shape with the Gumroad "G" logo, next to which it says "Sold to" and then the email address that you gave when you purchased the book. So don't buy using your top secret email.

Why does the listing say that Don't Split the Party is 284 pages when the print versions is 272?
The page count includes the front and back covers, inside and out, plus the 8 pages for the essay about the d20 sourcebook.

Why did you reletter the old comics? I like Comic Sans!
For the same reason I relettered Blood Runs in the Family—because they were created on an old version of Adobe Illustrator, and updating to the new one caused them to burst their balloons slightly. Since I had to touch each one manually to fix it, I decided I might as well use the current font.

Did you make any other corrections to the art?
A few really egregious errors that had slipped by, though I probably missed some yet again. Not much else.

I'm a Kickstarter backer and I never got my free copy of Uncivil Servant!
You must have missed the update with the download link. You can download the story for free from your Kickstarter account by going to the pledge drive's page and looking for Update #57 from February 21, 2013. You'll need to be logged into your account in order to view that update.

Are there any differences between this version of Uncivil Servant and the file I received three years ago?
Yes, but only slight ones. This new PDF uses the same vector art as the recent PDF releases—the kind that looks crisp at any magnification. The original file used raster art that gets fuzzy as you zoom in. Also, this file has the new post-Blood Runs in the Family typography. The story is unchanged.

Why are you using Gumroad instead of (insert name of other company)?
Because they charge the lowest commission, which means I could lower the price more. Plus, most other companies that offer a watermark service add it to every single page, which seemed like overkill to me. One page is enough.

If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or technical difficulties, feel free to post them here (though I don't know how much help I can be with the technical stuff; we may have to wait for Gumroad customer service for that).

[The Giant]

Also, comic is coming once I get all this stuff sorted.

[littlebum2002]

I finally get to read the kickstarter pdf's!!!!!!!!! BEST OOTS NEWS EVER!!!


EDIT: Also, fellow non kickstarter backers, if you are thinking "what is a fair price to pay for these PDF's?", just remember that there are 8 7 scheduled PDF's (O-Chul, Belkar, Therkla, CPPD, Julo, Dim Sun, Sir Francois, and Haleo & Julelan). Assuming all of these will eventually be released through Gumroad, and remembering that Kickstarter backers had to pay $10 to get these, I would say that we should pay at least $2 apiece, or more if you want to support Rich more.

EDIT:

O-Chul will definitely NOT be released this way. It's almost as long as On the Origins of PCs and will probably get a full book release of some sort (i.e. print and PDF).

Oh wow, you are just making sure this is an amazing day. We get a full length O-Chul story, too?!!!

[The Giant]

O-Chul will definitely NOT be released this way. It's almost as long as On the Origins of PCs and will probably get a full book release of some sort (i.e. print and PDF).

[Fitzclowningham]

A d20 sourcebook? That would have been amazing.

I'm curious why 4ed prompted you to drop the project. 3.5 is still relevant to a lot of people, and might be the most popular version. Is there any chance you might pick it up again?

Thanks for everything.

[Quild]

YAY, Kickstarter PDF, finally.

Now I can't complain anymore!
The Pay-What-You-Want thing is interesting enough.

O-Chul will definitely NOT be released this way. It's almost as long as On the Origins of PCs and will probably get a full book release of some sort (i.e. print and PDF).

*tears of joy*

[factotum]

I thought for a second that "New Belkar Bitterleaf prequel story" meant it was another one, over and above the one that already went to us Kickstarter backers...because you've got loads of time spare to create these things, right?

[The Giant]

A d20 sourcebook? That would have been amazing.

I'm curious why 4ed prompted you to drop the project. 3.5 is still relevant to a lot of people, and might be the most popular version. Is there any chance you might pick it up again?

I go into in the essay, but the short version is that when 4e was announced, I had no reason to believe that 3.5 would continue to be played at all considering that 2e and 3.0e had been pretty much dropped as soon as the next version came out. By the time it was apparent that 3.5 would continue to be something of a going concern, it had been 2+ years and I had other things to work on.

There is almost no chance of me picking it up again, as my interests have moved on. If I was going to write a D&D book, I'd probably do something 5e and something not specifically OOTS.

[The Giant]

I thought for a second that "New Belkar Bitterleaf prequel story" meant it was another one, over and above the one that already went to us Kickstarter backers...because you've got loads of time spare to create these things, right?

Yeah, I went back and forth on how best to describe it. It's not technically new, but it's new to the people who are going to buy it and hopefully anyone who pledged to the Kickstarter will recognize the name and not buy it again. Unless they really want the vector graphics, in which case who am I to argue?

[Jaxzan Proditor]

Oh my, this is fantastic news! I'm very excited to know that people like me who missed the Kickstarter will get a chance to see the prequels! Huge thanks to The Giant!

[Armitage]

Yeay! Bought DStP.
Oh, and I just read that the PDF for Uncivil Servant ist different (better) than the one I already got as a Kickstarter backer, so I have to get that one as well, right?


Rich, what are your plans for the PDF of BRitF and are you willing to share them with us?
Will you release that one as well once it's finished, or are you planing to hold it back a bit so that it doesn't affect the sale of the paper version?

[SaintRidley]

O-Chul will definitely NOT be released this way. It's almost as long as On the Origins of PCs and will probably get a full book release of some sort (i.e. print and PDF).

Well this is crunchy and delightful news.

[The Giant]

Rich, what are your plans for the PDF of BRitF and are you willing to share them with us?
Will you release that one as well once it's finished, or are you planing to hold it back a bit so that it doesn't affect the sale of the paper version?

It's been out for 2 years, so I'm not worried about that really. But I have no idea of the timetable for release, nor do I have the slightest clue what (if any) bonus stuff I might stick in there.

[Peelee]

O-Chul will definitely NOT be released this way. It's almost as long as On the Origins of PCs and will probably get a full book release of some sort (i.e. print and PDF).

Giant, you're a saint.

[Asmayus]

O-Chul will definitely NOT be released this way. It's almost as long as On the Origins of PCs and will probably get a full book release of some sort (i.e. print and PDF).

I haven't seen anything suggesting that the other pdf's will be released as a print book. (Granted, I wasn't a kickstarter backer, so maybe I missed an update). Obviously it's early days but do you intend to eventually do a print book for these stories in the vein of Snips, Snails and Dragon Tails? I'd love to own a physical copy.

[Jasdoif]

I haven't seen anything suggesting that the other pdf's will be released as a print book.

When asked "Do you know how the KS stories are being put in print? One book or dispersed?", the response was "That will depend on their length and whether or not I have a better place for any given story. So, no idea yet."

[Asmayus]

When asked "Do you know how the KS stories are being put in print? One book or dispersed?", the response was "That will depend on their length and whether or not I have a better place for any given story. So, no idea yet."

Ah excellent, thank you.

[The Giant]

Everything is up in the air, except that the O-Chul story is large enough that it will probably be a book on its own or matched with something else to form a book. How well this Belkar story sells will play a part in that decision-making process.

[Porthos]

I'm a Kickstarter backer and I just chipped in $5 for Uncivil Servant. Partially because I want to see the rest released in some fashion (provisos about O-Chul notwithstanding) for everyone, but also partially because I love me those Vector Grahpics.

Vector Grahpics, muhhhHHHhhrghhhuuuuHHHggrruhhhHHhh
/Homer Simpson

But that's just me and my disposable income talking.

EDITED:

And just finished the campain sourcebook material.

WOW!!!!


Yeah, that would have been good.

*pours out a Carbonated Bevarage of Choice on floor for the fallen hero sourcebook*

I can see why it hasn't and probably won't see the light of day. But as an old fan of Paranoia (which took a radically different approach to the idea of the comedy campaign), I can only weep that circumstances caused this to never come to fruititon.

Thanks for sharing what you did share though. Utterly fantastic!

[ti'esar]

I'm actually way more excited to hear that the O-Chul story will be nearly book-length than I am about anything else here, but still, pretty cool news.

[CoffeeIncluded]

I already have the print copy of DStP. Will there ever be any other way to see the campaign notes?

And thank you for the O'Chul update!

(Also I don't know where else to put this so I just want to say that the bonus strip in Blood Runs in the Family with Elan, V, and the Sphinx cashier had me doubled over in laughter and I used it to hopefully get a friend into the comics.)

[The Giant]

I can see why it hasn't and probably won't see the light of day. But as an old fan of Paranoia (which took a radically different approach to the idea of the comedy campaign), I can only weep that circumstances caused this to never come to fruititon.

Some of my best gaming memories from growing up were in Paranoia. In a sense, it's not really that different; having 6 clones to spare is just a way of teaching you to not get too hung up on your character winning or losing, and to lessen the penalty for trying something stupid. Both of which were key points I made in that passage.

I already have the print copy of DStP. Will there ever be any other way to see the campaign notes?

Well, the main point of putting them in was to give people an extra perk for buying it, the same way the additional commentaries were in the previous volumes (there are no "looking back" commentaries in this book). I tried to pick something that would be of interest but was not actually part of the story or anything; that's why I haven't added any new bonus strips, for example. Plus I'm sure there are already people who are buying the whole book for those pages and it would be a bit rude of me to later release them solo for much cheaper. I guess I can't rule it out, but I don't have any plans.

[Lissou]

I bought Don't Split the Party. I'm slightly disappointed there won't be any "looking back" but it makes sense as the story is still relatively recent. I'm looking forward to the campaign stuff, though.

Since I've already read Uncivil Servant, I'm passing in it for now. I would totally buy a print book of all the Kickstarter stories together though, if that ever happens. And I might still buy Uncivil Servant eventually, so all my PDFs are in the same place. I think it's great that it's being released for the people who didn't get a chance to pledge!

[Peelee]

I'm a Kickstarter backer and I just chipped in $5 for Uncivil Servant. Partially because I want to see the rest released in some fashion (provisos about O-Chul notwithstanding) for everyone, but also partially because I love me those Vector Grahpics.

Wait, was the version sent out to Kickstarter backers not Vector Graphic'd?

Also, if the PDF book releases catch up to the hard copy books, will they be available as a bundle as well as individual sale? Book 6 hard copy + PDF for less than what it costs to buy both separately?

[Porthos]

Wait, was the version sent out to Kickstarter backers not Vector Graphic'd?

Also, if the PDF book releases catch up to the hard copy books, will they be available as a bundle as well as individual sale? Book 6 hard copy + PDF for less than what it costs to buy both separately?

Are there any differences between this version of Uncivil Servant and the file I received three years ago?
Yes, but only slight ones. This new PDF uses the same vector art as the recent PDF releases—the kind that looks crisp at any magnification. The original file used raster art that gets fuzzy as you zoom in. Also, this file has the new post-Blood Runs in the Family typography. The story is unchanged.

Yeah, I went back and forth on how best to describe it. It's not technically new, but it's new to the people who are going to buy it and hopefully anyone who pledged to the Kickstarter will recognize the name and not buy it again. Unless they really want the vector graphics, in which case who am I to argue?

Mind, the raster graphics are still good when blown up. But not as good as vector.

It's something I had already noticed when the first vector PDFs came out so I'm glad to throw a few bucks Rich's way to get them for myself at super high quality.

[Peelee]

Mind, the raster graphics are still good when blown up. But not as good as vector.

It's something I had already noticed when the first vector PDFs came out so I'm glad to throw a few bucks Rich's way to get them for myself at super high quality.

Ahhh, reading details. My arch-nemesis, it appears.

[dmc91356]

Having whiffed on the kickstarter, I am very happy to see this come out and will gladly pony up my few shekels for each and every one of these. Bought it, read it, enjoyed it.

Thanks Rich - made my day and its 100 degrees of heat a little bit cooler.

[DaggerPen]

Oh my god, Uncivil Servant is mine at last! I couldn't participate in the Kickstarter, so while I'm very grateful to everyone who did, I'm also so glad I got to see this!

(I just paid $1.20 for it? That's $0.10 a page, and most 24-page digital comics vary between $0.99 and $3.99, so I figured that was fair.)

[LunarDrop]

Rich, I got bad news today but this news makes me really happy. Thank you. I'm going to purchase the pdf now.

[SaintRidley]

Wait, was the version sent out to Kickstarter backers not Vector Graphic'd?

Also, if the PDF book releases catch up to the hard copy books, will they be available as a bundle as well as individual sale? Book 6 hard copy + PDF for less than what it costs to buy both separately?

I remember Rich saying something to the effect of being unable to offer vouchers or anything of the sort for Gumroad, which would impede if not outright negate any ability to actually do that.