We just had a conference call, and some of the things we touched on were distinguishing Kickstarter from pre-orders, and updating the product info on the site.
Here's a quick rundown:
- Kickstarter backers pledge money before we're even sure we'll do a project. If it raises enough money, we then commit to doing it. Once the Kickstarter ends, their funding system closes and we can't add people; what we can do is take payment outside of Kickstarter, which should properly be called a pre-order.
- Pre-orders are available from us through Game Salute - see http://shop.gamesalute.com/collections/autarch - and are just like buying it normally (same price, etc) ahead of time.
Both backers and pre-orders help us a lot. Any time folks buy direct from us (which is what you're doing when you back a Kickstarter or order through Game Salute) that is a big benefit to a publisher. (Buying at your friendly local game store is also a big benefit; stores are great allies in reaching new players and supporting actual play.) And having money ahead of time instead of after we've already run up costs helps us be more ambitious and less hampered by cash flow.
Some backer rewards, like specifying an art order, will be available only during Kickstarter because it's so early in the game; we'll take pre-orders right up until the books are released, which is too late for new art orders. We talk about crediting our backers in the Kickstarter, but with ACKS we also credited the pre-orders as a way of saying thanks for paying now and receiving later!
I don't see any reason not to give the drafts to both backers and pre-orders. Both are trusting in us to deliver, so one way we can repay that trust is by sharing the goods, and the more feedback we can get during development the gooder they'll be. We are working on making this an automatic download through Game Salute pre-orders; for now, though, forward your pre-order receipt to support@autarch.co and we'll send you download info from our site.
We generally don't give the bonus goal rewards to pre-orders when they're separate things, like the Domains of War PDF that was a bonus for the ACKS Kickstarter. Other bonus goals, like adding classes to the Player's Companion, benefit everyone.
The Player's Companion will be available in PDF in June. (The original target date was May, and the original scope of the book is done in time for that date, but so many bonus goals were funded that adding the promised extras is taking extra time).
So you could:
- pre-order the PDF of the Player's Companion from Game Salute now and get the Word drafts by sending your receipt to support@autarch.co, and then get the final PDF in June when it's released
- wait to order the PDF from RPG.now or Game Salute when it's ready in June
- pre-order the print copy, or get the PDF and then apply its discount to the print copy; you'll get the drafts if you pre-order before it's in stores.