The life of a kobold is a hard one. Fierce but small, they must summon all of the wits, cunning, and tenacity they can manage to survive in dungeons filled with bigger, meaner, well-established creatures. And don’t get me started on the groups of armed jerks who periodically invade their homes intent on mayhem and robbery.
How tough does a kobold have to be to survive even one year in such an environment?
With that in mind, I take some pride in the fact that Sunday, March 20, marks the fifth anniversary of my best crazy idea ever: Open Design, a game company run under the patronage business model where gamers themselves can be a part of the design process. Here’s the post that started it all, followed by the dawning realization that this could work.
I’m so giddy that in yet another lapse of good judgment, starting today I’m celebrating by discounting a ton of books, adventures, and magazines in the KQ Store for ONE WEEK. Yep, it’s Mad Wolfgang’s Anniversary Sale! (Note to self: next business venture = used car lot.) And there’s a special giveaway item, too!
From Friday, March 18, through Thursday, March 24, you can loot the KQ Store to your heart’s content.
- Special Anniversary PDF: Spend $50 (US) or more in one purchase, and you will get a special free 5th Anniversary PDF chapbook that collects the best artwork featuring our beloved kobold mascot Jiro throughout the years! This 24-page volume includes new full-color images and the secret origins of Jiro.
For our sale, we’re offering 50 % off these items:
- Kobold Quarterly issues #1 through #16 in PDF
- All gazetteers and adventure books in PDF
- Print copies (while supplies last) of Sunken Empires (Pathfinder RPG), Dwarves of the Ironcrags (3.5E D&D), Iron Gazetteer (4th Edition D&D)
- Print copies (while supplies last) of Kobold Guide to Game Design vol. 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3
ALSO:
- Buy any print item in the Store and if there’s a PDF version, you get the PDF free!
This sale is my way of thanking all of you for your support over the past five years. By definition, Open Design could only succeed with your participation. So to all the patrons who helped create our sourcebooks and adventures, and the folks who bought the finished products…thank you very, very much for this wonderful five-year ride. I look forward to continuing on with you to our glorious 10-year mark, and beyond.
Thank You Wolfgang for your flash of brilliance! Hoping for many more years of fun!
Cool – congrats Wolfgang!
Here’s to MANY more years of awesomeness!!!
So, what is the special giveaway item? I didn’t see anything in the store …
Never mind :) Looks like plenty of additional info just appeared as if by magic!
Squeeeeeeee!
Congratulations!!!
I’ve enjoyed watching this grow–perhaps not from birth, but at least since it was an infant.
Didn’t KQ1 start with only 16 pages? Or was it 32?
Kobolds grow up so fast!
I believe it was 32 pages, of which I wrote an embarrassing percentage.
Paizo publisher Erik Mona, KQ Web editor Scott Gable, and Advanced Feats maestro Sigfried Trent also make appearances in that first issue!
If i didn’t already have nearly everything, I’d buy it again in heartbeat.
I was going to pick up some back issue PDFs, but I’m having some problems with the store.
Some of the back issue PDFs aren’t showing up at the sale price in the Shopping Cart. (Like KQ1.) It’s showing the sale price on the product page, but it shows full price in the cart.
I’m also getting an error:
“Product Name: Kobold Quarterly Issue #1 (PDF) … Quantity Units errors –
You ordered a total of: 1 Units: 1000 *Mixed Options Values is OFF
Max: 1”
Arazyr, thanks for that error code! I think I have fixed the issue for KQ#1. Let me know if you see if for any others.
The Store is being a bit tempermental.
Yeah, 3, 5, 8, & 10.
And most of the issues (that I want, at least) are still showing up at $5.99 in the shopping cart: 1-5 & 7-9.
That’s…. Bad. Because at this point, they all show up as $2.99 in the back end.
I’ve done some tinkering to fix it, but if that doesn’t work, I recommend making the purchase and noting which issues are affected in the Notes space.
We’ll make sure you are credited with a refund pronto for the overage.
Trying to buy every KQ issue but 10 and 11, and issues 1-9 all show up in the cart as costing $5.99….while showing $3.00 as the price….I don’t know if I want a refund/hassle. I’ll be back later to buy whatever is priced right.
I want to order all PDF issues from 1-15. The bundles you have (those are PDF only, right) are not on sale and I’m not sure if they’re supposed to be. When I add individual issues, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10 all show as $5.99.
Also, for issues 10 and 11, I get the following:
Please update your order …
Product Name: Kobold Quarterly Issue #10 (PDF) … Quantity Units errors –
You ordered a total of: 1 Units: 1000 *Mixed Options Values is OFF
Max: 1
Product Name: Kobold Quarterly Issue #11 (PDF) … Quantity Units errors –
You ordered a total of: 1 Units: 1000 Max:
Congratulations for your 5 year! Long Live Kobold!
Happy 5th Birthday! Hope there’s many more to come!
MaxKaladin, zaukrie, and Arazyr: Thank you, after some false starts, I’ve found the issue, tested it, and think I have it fixed for all KQ PDF issues. Many, many thanks to you for reporting it with issues #s and error codes. Let me know if I’ve missed an issue anywhere.
Jarrod and Christina, thanks for the best wishes! We’ve a happy kobold hive, and definitely looking forward to an even bigger bash 5 years on!
LOOKING FOR BACK ISSUES? Pick up Year 1 of Kobold Quarterly at a discount!
http://www.koboldquarterly.com/kobold_kqstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=39
Above is giving me an error. Was thinking about buying all/lots of print back issues w/free pdfs.
Found elsewhere in the store, looks like pdf only… any chance print back issues could see discount?
Indeed: Happy birthday, Kobolds! :o)
I’m glad that you had the courage to try the crazy idea of basing a business model on patronage, and even happier about the great stuff we patrons get ever since.
I intended to grab all three Guides to Game Design, but 30 bucks shipping costs to europe is a bit too much. :o(
Is the special anniversary pdf supposed to appear in your account downloads if you spent the requisite amount of money or more? If, so mine didn’t. Or is it something you send out separately?
And the most-awesome Shelly answered my question, so disregard.
Uninvited Ghost, looks like you found an old link. If you remember where it was, please let me know.
FWIW, all the back issues are listed in the store under Issues. Hope you find the ones you need, they are all running a bit low these days!
Er, and I forgot to answer the second question from Ghost. As it happens, we can’t discount the print magazines, mostly because we just don’t have enough.
On the contrary, prices for issues from the first couple years are going up again soon.
If I buy some print magazines, will there automatically be a link to download the pdfs?
The broken links were within the pages for early print issues of Kobold.
I’m going to place an order, and hope the downloads of the magazine/guide pdfs and the Special Anniversary PDF work out. :)
I’m glad Christina got her answer, but following my purchase I’m wondering how to get the Special Anniversary PDF.
Uninvited Ghost, they will email you a download link.
Wolfgang – Thanks! Looks like it worked. I just purchased all the KQ issues I didn’t already have. (1-9 & 12-13)
Congrats kobolds and thanks for the sale! I’d been on the edge for getting your Zobeck, Imperial and Margreve pdfs and couldn’t decide. With this sale I didn’t have to choose! Enjoying them muchly, very appreciated! Sadly couldn’t spend $50 to get the anniversary kobold goodness pdf but what I could get is great esp. for 50% off!
Also got KQ16 through my FLGS and found it so useful I plan on getting the previous issues still available through Alliance ASAP and looking up back issues after that. Looking forward to the next issue and hope to patron Midgard when I can spare the funds.