Hello everybody!
Will Savino here. I’m the guy who writes the borough guides, the music, and all these dang Patreon posts. I’m writing this post to update y’all on the future of Borough Bound.
TL;DR
We’re entering a dormant stage. We won’t be actively producing new content in the same manner we have been for almost 5 years. We’ll keep this page open and occasionally post new content, but we’re switching to per-month billing, as Patreon now requires.
The Full Situation
Borough Bound is an expensive operation to run. As the RPG creator market continues to contract from its COVID-era peak, our patronage has steadily fallen for about 18 months. At the same time, Patreon is forcing us to switch from a per-creation subscription model to per-month. Accordingly, James and I have not been able to chart a meaningful way forward where we’re able to support ourselves and our team.
We don’t want to just delete our Patreon, so we’ll be leaving it up for you to keep browsing and downloading the files you need, for new RPG fans to discover our work, and so that we have a place to occasionally release bits of new content over the years to come. While we can’t promise a steady stream of new cities to explore like we’ve been dropping since 2021, we will still pop in to post new maps, music, content bundles, and other goodies.
Tomorrow, we will be clicking the switch that changes Borough Bound from per-creation to per-month billing. If you would like to avoid getting charged, you can absolutely unsubscribe right now. No hard feelings! We’ll continue maintaining the existing catalog regardless. We thank you for your support, but we also understand most of you won’t want to stick around given that our posts will soon be much more sporadic.
A Message from Will
Borough Bound has been the most creatively fulfilling work of my life. When I look back on what we’ve created and the community we’ve built, I can’t help but feel overwhelming pride. I’m biased, yeah, but I truly believe there’s nothing else in the RPG market like Borough Bound. We made no compromises. We built the weird settings we wanted to make. We released system agnostic content in a landscape still so dominated by WotC. In all of our work, there’s a through line of social justice, player empowerment, and a subversion of tired fantasy tropes. I got to compose a bunch of quirky RPG music, imagine zany worlds, and collaborate with an incredible team. It’s the best work I’ve ever done, and I can’t believe how lucky I’ve been.
Stepping away from BB is heartbreaking for me. I really thought that someday we’d be able to grow this company into a big ol’ RPG empire. Unfortunately, building a niche creative studio is hard, and we learned a lot of tough lessons along the way. While I’m incredibly proud of our creative output, I can’t help but lament that we’ll never get to complete Svarnahelm, release a stack of physical books, or pay our team the huge salaries and bonuses they deserve.
To my team, past and present:
I couldn’t have asked for better collaborators. I can’t wait to see what you all make next.
To our fans:
Your support means the world to me. Please stay in touch. And remember:
LIMINA reads the mail for your own good.
If you want to keep following my work, you can always listen to my tunes (under the names Will Savino and Borough Bound, of course!) wherever you stream music. Also, keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming season of Worlds Beyond Number. 👀
-Will
A Message from James
Wow. These last five years have truly been a blessing. I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to do this. When I look back at all our releases, I can’t quite believe how much stuff we’ve made together. None of that would have been possible without each brilliant member of our team and the support of you wonderful patrons. Your interest and excitement for the releases has been the fuel that kept us imagining and creating.
I’m very sad that we have to change how we run things at Borough Bound, but what we’ve created together and the fun and friendships that I’ve gained far outweigh that sadness.
As well as becoming more of a library, I’m confident that in time Borough Bound will be active again in some form or another, and that this is just a well deserved rest for all of us while the storm passes outside. I hope that the love we poured into these cities will continue to prove worth it and that there are still more out there that will discover us and enjoy our work.
Thanks to everyone that has supported us. You gave me five years of a dream job and for that I am ever grateful.
Much love and happy adventuring
-James
Note from Will: Go follow James's TTRPG battlemaps Patreon RIGHT NOW if you want more maps from the man who has led BB's art team since day one. He's opening a discounted "founder's tier," but it's limited to 150 followers. Go subscribe quick!
Support Our Incredible Team!
Matt: Our interior cartographer is the artist behind Fantasy Atlas. If you like Borough Bound, you simply must love Fantasy Atlas as well. His maps are colorful and creative, and they’re the perfect addition to any fantasy campaign. Go support him on Patreon!
Amber: Our variant cartographer used to make maps under the name Amber’s Atlas. We’re hopeful they continue to make beautiful and evocative maps for many years to come. If you want to support Amber, go head to their Patreon!
Jelke: Our layout editor Jelke is one of the busiest creators in this space. He’s always working on gorgeous books and PDFs for so many incredible creators, but we’re grateful he had time for BB throughout it all. He is currently the lead Graphic Designer for Avantris Entertainment. Go check out the stylish trailer for Avantris’s upcoming Kickstarter.
Lethe: When I asked our editor if they have anything to say, they said this:
I mean, most of my feelings are around how wonderful it was working with the team. And if everyone valued editors the way you did, I wouldn't be worried about finding regular work.
Ryan and Jess: Our social media / Foundry team has this to say:
When this project started I was so impressed with what such a small team of driven creators managed to produce with Meddenfirth. My awe has continued with every Borough released since. I hope that these settings and characters live on in your campaigns for many decades to come!
From All Of Us
Thank you for keeping this dream alive for so many years. None of this would have been possible without you. Please reach out to us with any questions, concerns, or comments.
Borough Bound is not disappearing. We’re just becoming a library instead of a studio. Much like the Vyndur dwarves, we have a solemn oath to keep this work available for those brave enough to explore our collection. We hope that our stories and worlds continue to enrich your campaigns wherever and however you play.
Cheers!