Greetings everyone,
 
Obsidian Entertainment will give us a "Black Isle" for free in the game. They also supported us in founding a pirate crew on this community called the "Black Isle Bastards". And this thread is about making the "Black Isle Bastards" come true in the game.
 
One of the biggest points of criticism of backer content has always been that it breaks immersion and does not fit into the game. To avoid this, we will give Obsidian Entertainment only a very rough idea of what the Black Isle Bastards are about. We will let them then work out the details to make sure the Black Isle Bastards do fit SEAMLESSY into the game.
 
And in order to decide on that "rough idea" that is what this poll is for. The options in the poll are not necessarily mutually exclusive and yet I do not allow multiple options because I would like to see the most favorite options. Also the vote is not anonymous because I might consider the votes of members who actually pledged for this cause to be more important than the votes of those who do not support this cause.
 
Note: I might sometimes update the poll options. I will try to do it as rarely as possible. But please make sure to come back here regularly and check if your vote is still valid!
 
Before you donate for this cause, be absolutely sure to have read and understood  the F.A.Q. at the bottom of this post! Feel free to pose questions any time! Also the F.A.Q. may be expanded upon, so be sure to check on it regularly.

 

Disclaimer: I am the sole person who is collecting the funds and who is responsible for the donations. Obsidian Entertainment is not involved in these donations in any way, however they are fully supportive of this project. Donating here will NOT give you a copy of the game (an exception may apply for one of the most generous donors as specified in the F.A.Q.).
 

 

 

(Note: The purpose of this image is only to support this crowd funding. Obsidian Entertainment alone decides on the design of the Black Isle. And it is going to be a much much smaller island. The map was created with: http://fantasynamegenerators.com/map-creator.php Credits for the font used on the map go to Raymond Larabie: http://www.1001fonts.com/vinque-font.html#license  Credits for the kraken in the image go to lolien on the Beamdog forum)

 

F.A.Q.:
1.) What exactly would I be pledging for?
A: You would be helping us to crowd fund a pirate crew who call themselves the “Black Isle Bastards” for Pillars of Eternity 2. Donating here will NOT give you a copy of the game (exceptions may apply as seen under question 9, 10 and 11).
 
2.) What does the term "bastard" mean in the lore of the game? Has that term even been established yet?
A: The term "bastard" has not been established yet in the lore of the game, however, it would have the same meanings as in our world.

3.) How do you make sure that your backer made content fits into the game world and does not break immersion?
A: We are going to give Obsidian only a rough idea on our pirate crew. We will let Obsidian Entertainment then work out the details themselves to ensure that our pirate crew fits seamlessly into the game and its lore.

4.) Will there be a Black Isle in the game?
A: Yes, that has already been confirmed.

5.) How large in size is the Black Isle going to be?
A: It is going to be a tiny island. And it would only be able to support one structure on it at most. A ship does count as a structure in this context.

6.) I saw that there is an option to pledge an additional 8$ to get a "Black Isle Bastards" forum badge. Is that money used to crowd fund the pirate crew in the game?
A: No, it is not used that way. The "Black Isle Bastards" forum badge is funded independently from the "Black Isle Bastards" pirate crew that we would like to incorporate into the game.

 

7.) Why do the $8 for the BIB forum badge not count for the crowd funding of the Black Isle Bastards?

Originally we had planned on crowd funding an island. We would have had to raise $5000 for the "Black Isle" but then Obsidian decided to give us, their community, the "Black Isle" for free, as a gift. The BIB forum badge serves as a token of appreciation and a thank you to Obsidian for giving us an island for free.

8.) How much money do you have to raise to incorporate the “Black Isle Bastards” into the game?
A: 5000$

9.) What happens if you reach more than 5000$?
A: We are going to try to fund an item for the Black Isle Bastards for which we need to raise additional $750. If we don't manage to collect these $750, then we will use the surplus money to buy additional game copies and put them into a lottery for our donators.
 
10.) What happens with the other rewards (other than the pirate crew and the ship) on the tier "Build a Pirate Party" on the Fig campaign?
A: By default we will pass up on them. Only if there is a very generous donor to our cause who donates considerably more than any others then he or she will get all the additional rewards.

 

11.) What happens with the other rewards on the tier "Create an Item" on the Fig campaign?

The additional rewards from that tier go to the donator with the second highest amount. If there are multiple donators who are close to be the second highest donator they can share the additional rewards but only if they can peacefully reach a agreement on who gets what.
 
12.) Is Obsidian Entertainment bound to the results of this poll?
No, they are not. The results of this poll serve as suggestions. However, Obsidian Entertainment can deviate from them if they think that that would be to the overall advantage of their game.

13.) How can I pledge for this?
A: Have a look here
You may need a PayPal account for this.
 
14.) Is there a deadline for when you need to have raised  $5750 ?
A: Yes, the deadline is 25th April 2017 23:59 PM (GMT+2)

 

15.) What does Obsidian Entertainment think about your project? A: See for yourself:

 
16.) How much money have you raised so far for your cause?
Base goal: $5000 / $5000 (100% funded)

Stretchgoal ("Create an Item"):  $414.68 / $750 (55% funded)

 

overall: $5414.68 / $5750

66 backers
biggest donation: $1665

donation on average: $82.04

 

17.) Will there be any ingame recognition for the donors of this project?

Currently, that is up for discussion. We are looking for creative, easy to implement ways, to give our donors recognition in the game while that must in no way break the fourth wall/immersion. Feel free to share your ideas on this!

 

18.) How are you going to contact the donors of this project?

For cases, that I need to reach donors specifically, I would send an email to the email address the donors provided on PayPal. If you have donated please make sure to always check that email address until this whole campaign has ended!

Edited April 15, 20178 yr by Fluffle

Death to Mutineers!

Every dollar counts?

Every dollar counts?

 

Every dollar counts!

I'm so excited!

So, my thoughts is that given the history as a shut-down division that eventually founded their own developer, it would be pretty humorous to have them be former slaves. As to how we should encounter them, I voted for tough, optional encounter, but I'm fine with anything.

Alright, donated some moneh (a pretty small sum, but hey, every grain counts, right?). Any idea as to how we can keep track of the sum donated thus far? If at all?

Alright, donated some moneh (a pretty small sum, but hey, every grain counts, right?). Any idea as to how we can keep track of the sum donated thus far? If at all?

Good thing to know. This may be a Catch-22 but I wouldn't want to donate if the funds won't hit a definable goal.

New F.A.Q. item has been added showing our current funds. Will be updated irregularly

Some of the options in the poll don't seem to be mutually exclusive. Would it be ok to combine two or more of them after the poll is over and there are no clear winners? For example: the BIBs could fight for the common people and still be bastards of noble families. Stuff like that. Or would that be too narrow in the end? What do you think?

Edited February 14, 20178 yr by Boeroer

Hey, I've donated half of the funds so far! Uhh... Yay me? °_°

Not any more...

Moneys inbound.

I need to wait until Thursday night/Friday before I can make a decision on how much to commit. Followed.

Some of the options in the poll don't seem to be mutually exclusive. Would it be ok to combine two or more of them after the poll is over and there are no clear winners? For example: the BIBs could fight for the common people and still be bastards of noble families. Stuff like that. Or would that be too narrow in the end? What do you think?

 

I said so in the opening post that the options are not necessarily mutually exclusive. If some options do make sense combined I would propose that to Obsidian after consulting with you guys on this. However ultimately it is Obsidian's decision.

 

But, yes, it is clear that you can combine certain options.

Edited February 14, 20178 yr by Fluffle

I really need to read more carefully. Especially text...

There better be an eternal lightning storm going on on that island :B

And a looooot of meta-humor and injokes :D

Pin it, if possible

​

 

 

​As for the Poll, I took:

The player helps the Black Isle Bastards with some kind of problem

 

 

And:

other (please specify in the comments)

 

​​​

Crew is stranded on an island, and ship is either a wreck or captured. Player helps find their ship or recruits them into their own crew (generic crew/hirelings). Timed quest. If the Player arrives too late, they'll all be dead, and if the Player arrives too soon, they might not even be there (yet).

​Or, Eothas broke their ship, and now they're stranded, and they have some "Pirate Ship" equivalent treasure/schematic/Elite Personel reward (Upgrades for the probable Watcher/Player ship).

Edited February 14, 20178 yr by Osvir

A small purse chucked in the pile of loot!

~snip~ I thought I was editting the other post but I had accidentally pressed "Quote" xD

Edited February 14, 20178 yr by Osvir

I just donated 25$. It's a fun idea, and I'm happy to help Obsidian create more great games no matter whether we fund the pirate crew or not.

Well, I promised I'd donate at least $100. All hail the Bastards!   Now I just need to ponder over what to vote for in the polls...!

Ok, just donated $20. Might do more later, if this picks up steam.

Okay as a note: I will sometimes update the poll options. I will try to not do it too often because this would lead to wrong results.

Please come back here and check regularly the poll options, and check whether your vote is still valid. You might want to change it.

 

Also updated the OP with this information.

What's the plan if it doesn't reach 5000?

 

Will you go for the Super Pet or some lower tier?