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.
Hey! Joseph here.
I'll cut right to the chase. Things have been moving super fast, and we've got a special treat for you. We're ahead of schedule, considerably, and because of that, I'd like to give you all a gift to thank you for helping us with this special project.
But first, here's what we're going over today:
1) Introducing Ruin: Awakening
2) Would You be One of our Reviewers?
3) Mini Delves running RIGHT NOW
4) We need World-builders, STAT
That's a lot to get through, so let's get started...
We've compiled the first third of the Rise of the Liberator into a standalone "Prologue" Ebook. It's being published next week, and we'd like you to have it for free.
In the skies above the fractured lands of Ruin, the crew of the Liberator airship fights a desperate battle for freedom. Led by the daring Captain Alia Rychist, they defy the iron grip of the Prophetess, liberating the Awakened—individuals gifted with extraordinary power—from her sinister grasp.
Their latest mission uncovers Jim, a lone tech scavenger whose raw Awakened abilities could turn the tide of the conflict. But such power is a beacon, drawing the ruthless agents of the Prophetess closer with every passing moment. As the Liberator crew navigates treacherous skies and political stalemates, they must risk everything to protect Jim and prevent the Holy Land’s fanatical resurgence.
Witness the rise of the Liberator and ignite the spark of rebellion.
The Prologue to the Rise of the Liberator will be published on Amazon on the 17th December, and you, our wonderful backers who helped build this wonderful new world, will be sent a link to download it via a much shorter KS update next week.
This will be the illustrated edition too, of course. We can't wait to hear what you think of the story. Honest reviews will be very welcome!
Speaking of which...
Just a quick side-note here mid-update: are you an avid reader?
Would you want to help us out and receive free advance copies of our fantasy and sci-fi books?
If you are, that's awesome! Being on our review panel gets you lots of perks, and as we start releasing more we're in need of a panel of reviewers who love to read and discuss what they like/ don't like, etc.
If you're that person, we'd love to hear from you. You can sign up here. It's just a simple form, after which I (Joseph) will be messaging you about next steps. We'd really appreciate the help.
See you there!
If you're like me in thinking that the Deep Delve was a darn good ride, then you'd be interested to know that Ruin's author Brandon Berryhill is currently running mini-Delves that further explore the world of Ruin! Votes are being held, open discussions had and as per usual, mistakes are punished mercilessly by Brandon's signature authorial bloodlust.
Right now, Delvers are discussing what to do with a mysterious obelisk and whether or not to sell it to the Leslu authorities.
If you want to join in with these Mini Delves and have the high chance of having your character featured within the story, simply head over to the Discord here. Just be warned, although Brandon has promised to hold back in his killing off of participating characters, a post-apocalyptic author can't change his stripes.
One last thing! I made it no secret that we're launching a Tabletop RPG set in the world of Ruin. Alex (our tabletop guru) is hard at work laying the groundwork for this awesome RPG with really helpful input from the Ruin community over on the Discord.
So if you're interested in helping to craft and get your fingerprints on the brand new Ruin TTRPG then you can join the Discord here. There are frequent Q&As as well as open-ended questions for you to voice what you'd love to see. And who knows, maybe you could help build out some of the story content! That would be cool.
Ok, that's all for today! Keep eyes on your inbox for your download link next week. We are so excited for you to finally step foot into the world of Ruin beyond the Delves and can't wait to see what you think of Ruin: Awakening.
If you need anything, let me know. Otherwise, we'll speak soon!
Joseph
Hey friends
The Ruin: Rise of the Liberator campaign has finished and we're back from our weekend of much-needed sleep! Huzzah!
I'll tell you, after nearly two months of writing nightly Delve Stories, running votes, forming consequences, and ultimately weaving together an entire novel's worth of words in such a small time-frame, myself and author Brandon Berryhill were beat. So, we took a blissful weekend off with our families to rest and smile at what an awesome experience we had running this highly unusual campaign of ours.
And that is all thanks to you.
We wanted to say a sincere and heartfelt thank you from the bottom of our hearts. This campaign was quite frankly, wonderful. It was an amazing experience talking with all of you both here on Kickstarter and on the Ruin Discord. Getting to know you all as we ran this ambitious project was a real thrill, and we were deeply moved to see how passionately you all felt about our little Steampunk revolution.
So thank you. You made this happen, and now we get to do all the cool stuff.
Let's talk about that, shall we?
What happens next?
By now, you would have gotten a notification about the campaign's end, at which point Kickstarter would have taken the pledged funds. It will then hold those funds until all pledges are collected before transferring them over to us in approximately two weeks time.
Now that the campaign has concluded, we've already gotten to work on getting the books ready to head to the printers. This is an intense process, especially with books as lavishly illustrated as these Ruin books, but we're up to the task!
And don't worry, we'll show you all the new artwork as we go, and maybe some excerpts to whet your appetite ;)
Important: If your pledge did not go through for whatever reason, Kickstarter gives you one week to fix it or it won't complete. So if you get a notification saying that the payment didn't go through, please fix it. I wouldn't want you to miss out!
What you can expect from us going forward
We don't want to develop this in a vacuum. As you saw from the Deep Delve event we ran, we like building things in plain view and getting feedback as we go. So, we're going to be doing the same for everything else too.
Updates will come regularly, and the next one will come before the end of this month, so keep an eye out for that! Expect a lot of behind the scenes about production as well as brand new announcements for upcoming projects which we'll reveal in due course. Exciting stuff!
Meanwhile, if you want to be even more involved and informed with all things Ruin, the Ruin Discord Server is the best place to hang out. There's always activities going on there, and who knows, you might get whiff of the next Delve event being planned...
One last thing... You can still Late Pledge!
A new addition to Kickstarter this time round is Late Pledging! That means you can still jump on board if you didn't get the chance to during the campaign.
This is a really valuable change for us as it allows us to continue to gather new fans and supporters as we publicly develop Ruin for you all. So, if you didn't get the chance during the main campaign, there's still time to join the community!
Simply back the project as you normally would, and you can get your rewards locked in!
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Anyway, that's all from me for today.
Thank you again for putting your faith in our small team and our big project. I can't wait to share more with you as we go forward.
If you have any questions at all, just let me know in the comments :)
Speak soon!
Joseph & the Authocracy Team
We're at the final stretch! Can you believe it? This campaign has just flown by, wow!
So this is it. If you want to upgrade your pledge tier or add on any more add-on items, then now is the time to do it!
If you're a backer of the Reader's Trove and want the map alongside it, go grab it! Likewise, if you are a digital backer and want to grab your campaign exclusive Rise of the Liberator embroidered badge, then add it on! Now's your chance :)
Oh! And did I mention that this is the LAST TIME the First Editions will be in circulation? After this campaign is complete, that will be it! Same with the Collector's Cards... So get them whilst you can! They're exclusive to this campaign only...
Quick reminder that backers who participate in the Delve event are getting sketched into the Expedition Journal by our amazing concept artist, Ben Mills. So if you want to get your face or character immortalised in Ruin lore, then jump onto the Ruin Discord Server before the Deep Delve event ends and get a vote in!
The sketch is yours to keep, of course :)
We've made it no secret that Ruin is anti-AI art. We believe strongly that there is still immense value in human creation, and that view is expressed in everything we do here, from the way we designed this campaign to every single piece of lavishly detailed art included in the final books.
This project is a celebration of the ability of artists and fans to create something wonderful together. That is what being a part of this campaign is ultimately about.
So thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of this journey with us. We are immensely grateful to you for giving us this opportunity, and know that you're going to love the end result.
We are nearing the finale of the Deep Delve Expedition, and what a ride it has been!
Our backers have battled clockwork-augmented fanatics, encountered terrifying environmental challenges, uncovered long-forgotten technology and even managed to bend it to their will.
But a few big challenges await in the final days, with difficult choices to make.
Let's see how far we've come as we head into the final two days of the Deep Delve.
Hmm, I don't like the look of this Slumbering Hermit character...
If you haven't joined in yet, why not hop on over? It will be great to have you as we enter the finale of the story!
Sidenote: I'm sure we'll do another Delve-like adventure in the future. Creating this Backer-directed narrative has been an absolute blast. Anyone up for an adventure about an Airship crew? That idea got thrown around the Discord.
We're in that final stretch and we have just crossed the mark to include RPG Journey Starters in every Digital Trove. Now everyone can begin their own adventures within the world of Ruin with friends! Woo!
There's only one more stretch goal to unlock. Can we make it do you reckon? Can we get that gold embossing on the front cover of Rise of the Liberator? That would be amazing, wouldn't it?
A quick appeal from us: If you've enjoyed your time in Ruin, then please tell your friends about it! It helps us to continue to build this amazing community and create even more awesome projects for all of us to escape into. So please, if you know of anyone who may enjoy what we've been building here, send them the link to this campaign! And if you do, let us know. Who knows, there might be an extra special something turn up in your pledge ;)
Let's check in with artist Brandon Ellis' awesome Loot Pile.
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And that is it from me this side of the finish line! Thank you all so much. This campaign has been immense fun, and you have made the year of our small team. I can't wait to see what we get up to in the final few days as we conclude the Delve.
The next update will be after the campaign closes. As always, I will be in the comments if you want to say hello :)
Speak soon!
Joseph
Hey friends! Joseph here.
I wanted to ask you a question that's been thrown around the Ruin Discord lately. Since not everyone is on there chatting with us, I didn't want to leave anyone out!
What's your favourite Steampunk series?
Steampunk has a long and well-established legacy, and as Ruin is a new entry into the genre, myself and Ruin's author Brandon Berryhill are always eager to hear what made people fall in love with Steampunk.
For him, a video game called LuckCatchers made him obsess over Airships and strange tech, whereas for me, I had my start in films like Treasure Planet and Atlantis: The Lost Empire before diving into the likes of Mortal Engines and Perdido Street Station.
So let us know! We'd love to hear. What brought you to Steampunk and what grabbed you?
Now let's get on with today's update. Strap in! It's a big one...
In our last update, we were on the verge of unlocking our third stretch goal, our mystery Ruin project, and you did it! We got to unlock a personal favourite of mine to be added to everyone's pledges: Henry's Odyssey (more on that later!)
Three more stretch goals have now been revealed, allowing us to upgrade and expand our backer rewards like never before!
Let's check in with the handy Loot Pile drawn up by Ruin's incredible artist, Mr Brandon Ellis.
So, not only have we unlocked a brand new Ruin production in the form of Ruin: Henry's Odyssey but we're now also able to upgrade the quality of paper in both the main Rise of the Liberator special edition, and the Expedition Journal! Hurrah!
That means that all books will be that little bit thicker too, which I like. That of course increases the manufacturing costs, but thanks to you helping us reach that stretch goal, we can afford to upgrade it!
And now, because of that £9,000 threshold, we can now dive into a very exciting project, penned by myself and Brandon (ever-writing) Berryhill.
Ruin: Henry's Odyssey...
A novella set 20 years prior to the events of Rise of the Liberator, Henry's Odyssey follows the exploits of the Liberator's eccentric quartermaster during what can only be described as his... swashbuckling-era. What follows is a rollicking adventure across the dangerous war-torn empires of Ruin, as Henry takes it upon himself to guide a lone escapee from the Holy Land to her home in the North.
But I haven't gotten to the best bits yet!
We'll get it out in time for the digital release next year.
AND
We're including it in EVERY Digital Trove, so everyone gets it.
Henry's Odyssey also gives us the opportunity to work with the incredibly talented Kevin Hinkle again, which is very exciting for both of us.
I simply can't wait to see where this journey will take us, so THANK YOU for making it a reality.
As you know, for a few weeks Backers have been deciding the fate of an in-world dungeon dive called "The Deep Delve." Despite Brandon Berryhill's eagerness to kill their characters off for their problematic decision-making, this soon-to-be-canon-event is proving really good fun so far.
So if you want to join in and get voting on the direction of the story, then you can join the Ruin Discord Server here. It will be great to have you!
Let's see where the Delvers have reached so far on the Delve Map...
We're reaching the end of the Deep Delve now, with all the peril that comes with that. The weirder tech of the Clockwork Bastion is starting to rear its head, along with some forgotten foes...
So this is a reminder. If you want to jump in and have yourself featured within the Expedition Journal reward, then join us over on the Discord and make your character a hero in Ruin lore!
You are likely familiar with Ruin by now. You know about the community-led lore, the vast histories, the cultural intrigue. Well it all starts here in the Rise of the Liberator campaign...
By helping us fund this project, you are helping us start a brand new franchise, with community at the centre. A fan-led enterprise made for US, rather than any corporate overlords.
It all begins with this book, the author, the illustrator, and our backers. You. This campaign is our love letter to Steampunk, and our love letter to our fans who make it all possible.
So what more do you want to know about the world of Ruin? Brandon is always answering lore questions over on the Discord, but is there anything that stands out about what we're doing and what we're building that you want to know more about?
Let me know! I'd love to hear about it. I'm always lurking around in the comments somewhere.
Oh, and I couldn't resist giving a quick shoutout to my friend Madeleine Holly-Rosing over at Boston Metaphysical Society. If you're a Steampunk fan, then you should definitely check her project out.
Boston Metaphysical Society Vol. 2 Special Edition Hardback features our four standalone sequels in one volume, plus new pin up art, and a new 10 page story.
If you are new to the series, the original six issue mini-series is about an ex-Pinkerton detective, a spirit photographer, and a genius scientist who battle supernatural forces in late 1800’s Boston.
That's another thing I love so much about this genre. There's such diversity in its settings.
You can find Madeleine's campaign here.
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And that's all from me for today. Thank you all so much for helping make this ambitious project a reality. I need to get back to the Deep Delve now. We're 40k words in, so there's a lot of editing to do ha!
Speak soon, and I'll see you in Ruin!
Joseph