The Neverling - a 5e & system agnostic Zine Quest adventure
Created by Darryl Jones
Will you brave the catacombs under the clockwork tower? 4 maps to explore, unique monsters, NPCs, magic items, & more, all hand-drawn.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Beta Proof Delivered & Help Edit The Neverling - Google Form ✍️
12 days ago
– Tue, Mar 11, 2025 at 07:54:28 AM
Beta Proof of The Neverling is in Your Inbox Now! 🎉
As of publishing this update, the beta draft of The Neverling is going out via backerkit. If you didn't receive a copy, just shoot us an email ([email protected]) or comment here on the KS, and we'll sort it out for you. We know that this took way too long to get delivered, but we think it is really good! We'd love to hear your thoughts, so give it a read-over and let us know! 😃
First Page of The Neverling
There are a handful of illustrations that are being finished right now! Plus a few more tokens. Once those are done we'll send out the final copy and digital assets for VTTs. It shouldn't be long.
Errors or Typos? Check the Neverling - Google Form ✍️
In the meantime, we've made a Google Form for any errors or typoes you find. It has been proofed and edited, but things still slip through.
On the Google Form's home page, there is a place for your name and email address, because that's the way google forms work.
Once you've done that, there are 10 optional pages to submit suggestions. Please include:
1) what page can we find your edit
2) what needs to be edited
Of course, you don't have to make 10 suggestions. Just let us know what you find, if any. Then click through to the end to submit it. Filling the Google Form isn't a requirement from any of our backers, but we appreciate your ever-diligent eyes!😊
Shipping and Backerkit Charges
We'll be finalizing shipping and other Backerkit charges in the next few weeks and get that finalized. Another update will go out before anyone's cards are charged, but if you want to get ahead of the game, make sure your cards in Backerkit are current.
Thank you all,
Devin, Community Manager
and, Darryl T. Jones
The Neverling is Nearly Finished + Sharing Art from The Neverling
3 months ago
– Mon, Jan 06, 2025 at 06:23:13 AM
The Final Tasks for The Neverling
Hey All,
Hope you're all warm and safe in the midst of this winter storm. We got hit pretty hard, but no major damage.
Sorry that this update is long overdue and that the project is not finished. I kept prolonging the update because the project has been close to being done for a while now, and I have just wanted an update that says, "Hey! The project is finished!" But there seem to always be other things popping up, either with this project or other projects we have going on, that have caused the finishing touches on The Neverling to be pushed back.
The good news is that we are nearly done! There are only three tasks to finish before we can put a bow on this project and call it finished!
First, we need the art for the main map to be finished.
Second, I have to make a few more tweaks to the layout of the book. I wrote a little too much and need to keep trimming it down for the final draft.
Third, have The Neverling printed and shipped out for you all!
Art from The Neverling
Timberborn
Giants Tomb
Digital Version Coming Soon
Keep a lookout in you mailbox for The Digital Version of The Neverling! I should have it sent within the next week. I'll make sure to make a comment about it when I do!
Thank you all,
Devin Donohue, Community Manager
and, Darryl T. Jones
Recapping The Neverling @ GenCon
7 months ago
– Fri, Aug 23, 2024 at 05:58:41 AM
At GenCon, We Play-Tested The Neverling!
During my last update, I shared that sessions of The Neverling were going to be played at GenCon. All of the sessions of sold out, and I was able to get some great feedback from the players.
How did the sessions go?
Over the course of Gen Con, I ran four different sessions of The Neverling. During each of those sessions, I actually ran 4 slightly different versions of the game. Here are some quotes from the players (they will be unnamed):
"Wait, how big did you say the spiders were?"
"Dead enemies tend to do less damage."
"The only way to kill that beholder-tree thing is clearly to burn the whole forest down!"
"How was I to know the (spoilers) were (spoilers). I didn't mean to drop the lid of the crypt on them!"
What I learned
I learned that there are several things that I'd like to edit and tweak. Also, each version of the game had its positives and negatives. I am in the process of editing all of it right now as we speak.
To wrap up, I just want to say that everything is going very well with developing The Neverling, and I can't wait to share it with you!
Thank you all,
Darryl T. Jones (aka Splattered Ink)
Bookmarks & Player Mats are Order and Play the Neverling at Gen Con!
10 months ago
– Tue, Jun 11, 2024 at 07:12:37 AM
Orders are Placed!
Bookmarks and Player Mats are order! Now we are waiting for manufacturing to begin. Once it's up and going, I should get some pictures that I will share with you. I definitely took your feedback into consideration when I made the play mat, and I think you are really going to like it. My goal was to make something that had a lot of visual appeal and usefulness. I didn't want to make something that had a visual appeal but no practical use, and I also didn't want to make something that looked ugly. I think the mat is going to be a great mix of the two!
The Neverling is Coming Along and You Can Played It at Gen Con
The work on The Neverling is humming along. In fact, in the next update, I should be able to share a preview of the book! It's progressing so smoothly that I even have sessions of The Neveling at Gen Con. At the time of writing this, there is only one slot left for The Neverling session! If you aren't able to sign up for that, then don't worry because we have plenty of sessions of Seeds of Decay available: Something Rotten in Oak Den, The Sting of Decay, and The Plaguewood Spider.
Something Rotten in Oak Den - A crack has formed in the darkness, leaking rot and decay. Strange and unnatural creatures have been seen in the shadows. The forest needs heroes! Find the cause of the spreading rot and stop it before it's too late! Seeds of Decay Session 1.
The Sting of Decay - Giant, rot-infected bees terrorize the forest. The honey is spoiled with rot poison, and the queen has been twisted into a terrible creature of decay, a bee-hemoth. Can the farm be saved? The party must act quickly to save the farm and stop the rot from spreading further. Seeds of Decay Session 2.
The Plaguewood Spider - Your party must track down a mysterious creature that has been terrorizing the farms of Lytewick. Your only clue is a young goat that has been turned to stone. Seeds of Decay Session 3.
The Neverling - A corrupted awakened tree has covered the town of Timberborn in nightmarish clockwork insects. The only way to stop it is a secret lost in catacombs under a clockwork tower.
Further, if you like playing games in peace and quiet, then we got more exciting news, GenCon has granted Splattered Ink Games 2 private rooms for our games, one table per. That means you won't have to strain to hear over 5 other games going on next to us.
March was crazy! It's hard to believe how much was packed into one month. After a short visit to see my grandmother (who raised me), I was of to GAMA in Louisville, then about a week at home then off to Gary Con. Following that we had Easter, which for our family, is also a big event. Last week was Spring Break for my kids and then the Eclipse this past Monday. Just a few miles from my home was the epicenter of eclipse activity, where totality had the longest duration. NASA, Good Morning America, and literally thousands of scientists were in the area, using SIU as the hub. Reports suggest 200,000 people visited our region. Thankfully we only had 16 at our house to watch it. :)
Needless to say, I'm looking forward to a few weeks of quiet and routine to focus on the projects that you amazing people have paved the way for me to do.
Progress is on Schedule
Before the end end of the month, I should have the writing polished and edited. Next month's update will include specific details and the first bit of content.
Surveys from Backerkit
As soon as the admins at Backerkit approve our pledge manager setup, I'll send your surveys. This will start with the Smoke Test.
Smoke Tests
A small percentage of backers will get their surveys first. The feedback from that test will tell me if there are any errors or issues that need to be addressed before sending surveys to everyone. Please note: only 10% of backers will get the smoke test, so don’t panic if you are in a later batch! The smoke test should go out within a few days and the rest in about a week. Keep an eye on your inbox!
When the surveys go out, I ask that you complete them as soon as possible so I have the most accurate numbers for production. I want to get 80% of the surveys filled before production starts.
Commonly Asked Questions on BackerKit Surveys
Can I upgrade my pledge through the survey?
Yes! When you get your survey hit the button below "Get Started". This will enable you to up your pledge tier in case you've decided you want a different deal!
My payment didn’t go through and I was dropped from the Kickstarter. What do I do?
Don’t panic! You should still receive the BackerKit survey and you’ll be able to pay for your pledge there.
I missed the campaign. When will preorders be open? They're now live!
Preorders are now live! If you had a friend or colleague who missed out share this link with them!
