Kickstarter-funded by 275 backers, the Ruin: Rise of the Liberator Collector’s Edition is almost gone. Our illustrator has almost finished his work, the typesetting is almost done, and we're getting ready to roll the printing press on our first Collector's Edition volume. Each edition is printed in limited numbers and will never be reissued. With only a handful of copies left, this is your chance to own a piece of Ruin history before it disappears. Ships November 2025.
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
Hey everyone!
Joseph here. I hope you've had an awesome September.
I've got a big update for you today. I know, I know, I do long updates. But I've always thought more information is better than less, especially with so much going on.
Here's a table of contents to help you navigate:
1) Pledge Manager Rolling Out Today
2) The Next Delve Event has Begun
3) The Printing Process
4) Daily Behind the Scenes
Oh, and just a quick one before we get started...
For those of you who missed out on this campaign, our new Pre-Order Store on Backerkit has just 30 copies of the Ruin: Rise of the Liberator Collector's Edition left as of writing this. That's all that remains of this Kickstarter print run. So now is your chance. After those have gone, they're all gone.
You can get your copy here.
Let's get started!
After a long road of figuring out the best option, the Pledge Manager will finally open today!
This took WAY longer than I had originally expected, and I wanted to be transparent with you as to why. Many of you may not know this, but pledge management has become increasingly difficult (and expensive) for smaller creators.
Since we are unable to use Kickstarter's inbuilt pledge manager yet, we have to go through a third party for this one, and somehow the per campaign fee is inversely proportional to the size of your campaign. Some even charged a whopping $4000 upfront to use their manager. Craziness.
So this time round, we've opted to go with BackerKit for our Pledge Manager and absorb these extra associated fees ourselves rather than pass them onto you.
I won't lie, it’s tough right now for creators of all sizes - with rising costs, new tariffs, and added platform fees. Companies like ours often get penalised for “smaller” campaigns, even though our communities are fiercely loyal and supportive.
If you’re in a position to increase your pledge or pick up an add-on when the pledge manager opens, it would make a huge difference and help offset these extra costs. But only if you genuinely want to AND are in a financial position to do so - your support already means the world to us.
You will get an email from BackerKit soon about completing your pledge. This will be done in stages, so keep an eye out - and don't panic if it doesn't arrive immediately. It rolls out slowly sometimes. And if you need any help with any of it, just let me know in the comments for pop me an email at: [email protected]. I'll be there to help out.
The Pledge Manager will remain open until November, and I’ll send reminders before it closes so no one misses out.
This next one is a fun one.
Those of you who took part in the Deep Delve last year will remember how fun it was to embark on that epic fan-decided adventure into the Clockwork Bastion. We certainly had fun running it, and it determined the path of the Expedition Journal reward during the campaign.
Well, in the leadup to Ruin: Rise of the Liberator's release, we're doing another one
The Delve is back. This time it’s bigger, bolder, and we're featuring more fan characters than we did last time.
And yes - if you took part last time and Brandon killed you off… you can politely request a little more mercy this round. 😉
Last week, the Delvers had to decide how to deal with a pack of approaching Landsharks...
Remember, these are live votes. Where we've planned most eventualities, the story is quite literally being formed up by the fans and how they react to things. Brandon Berryhill (Ruin's author) literally writes these daily. So if you're curious as to how to get involved and hang out with us, then you can learn more about the Delve below.
👉 Start here: Delve 101
That page has everything you need: a refresher on how the Delve works, examples from last year, and the Discord link where you’ll meet fellow Delvers and cast your votes.
This Delve will run until mid-November.
In our last update, I showed you more of the gorgeous art created for the Collector's Edition of Ruin, and also asked your opinion on the dark pages. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed towards that discussion. You're awesome, and it was great to see your love of this process too. Bookmaking is an absolute pleasure, and I can't believe we're at this point where we're about to send this to print.
We’re now at an exciting stage of the production process where almost all of the illustrations are complete in rough, and our artist, the amazing Brandon Ellis, is putting the final touches on the last few pieces. Very soon, every spread will be fully polished and ready for print.
At the same time, typesetting has officially begun. Working closely with our printer’s technical specifications, we’re locking the text, maps, and artwork together into the final design. This stage is where the book truly takes on its shape as a finished, cohesive volume.
Once typesetting is completed, the files will be sent straight to our chosen printing partner, Gutenburg in Malta. Their production cycle takes about three weeks, after which the books will be ready to ship out. We’re very close now, and the finish line is firmly in sight.
OH! And here's the paperback edition cover. Take a look!
REMINDER: The Collector’s Edition is a strictly limited run, and once these copies are gone, they will never be reprinted in this form. Like I mentioned before, we've got a limited number of the Collector's Editions left and they're over on the pre-order store on BackerKit. After they're gone, the standard paperback edition will be the only version of Ruin: Rise of the Liberator available on the market.
That just makes these Kickstarter copies all the more precious.
Here're some more excerpts from inside the Collector's Edition.
I hope you enjoyed that insight into the printing process. I cannot wait to get this project into my hands, as I'm sure is the case for you too.
We’re sharing more than just updates on here - we’re posting daily progress on Ruin and The Delve across our social channels.
👉 Follow us here to stay close to the action: Instagram & Facebook
This is where you’ll see the most frequent updates and sneak peeks - so if you want the full Ruin experience, that’s where to be.
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And that's all for today
None of this would be possible without you. You’ve not only brought Rise of the Liberator to life - you’re helping us push the boundaries of what publishing can be with The Delve.
We can’t wait to see what you vote for during The Delve Event and thank you again for your continued support as we bring this book into your hands.
Speak soon!
Joseph & the Authocracy Team
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.