Making Tlon Update - it's good news!

Hi everybody,

sorry for the spam today, but I wanted to post as soon as possible this update on the future of Making Tlon.

Starting from September:

- your subscriptions will be less expensive, going from 11.50$ to 7$ (6$ for early subscriptions) both on Patreon and on MMF Tribes. (These subscriptions are exactly identical, so choose the platform you prefer.)

- the release will get a bit smaller, more curated and easier to print.

In theory, this should be good news all around!

Long story short: smaller releases mean that I will have more time to experiment with stuff, come up with cooler designs and make models easier to print and more refined, especially by cutting the more time consuming (and less frequently printed) parts of a set.

New releases will be structured like this:

- There will always be at least one Objects & Props sets (e.g. this month's Throne Room).

- A second set will either be more Objects & Props (e.g. this month's Dwarven House) or a complete building/dungeon set (e.g. last month's Hunters' Hall).

- A third set will be a stand-alone terrain piece or a small set (e.g. Dwarven Statue, Cannons set, Eldritch Altar, etc...)

In other words, if we take the current month as an example, for 7$ (6$ for early subscriptions) you'll get the Dwarven Throne Room Objects & Props, the Dwarven House Objects & Props, and the incoming Dwarven Statue. With the current system (August) I am also making a Dwarven Halls OpenLOCK Tiles set, which would not be present in future releases, or which would take the place of one of the two Objects & Props sets.

These sets take approximately the same amount to make, but test printing and cleaning tiles takes a lot more than doing so for other STLs. Now that in Making Tlon’s library there are a few complete and really modular tile sets I want to experiment with new terrain! With this I am not saying that I won't be making tiles anymore, but that I will not "force" tiles in all the releases. If the release theme calls for them, I'll make them: I still want to do that Labirinth that never gets voted for! XD

Considering that the subscription cost gets reduced by a third (or almost a half if you are not currently an early subscriber) while only a quarter of the current volume of a release is cut, this should mean a better cost-value for you!

Why am I doing this?

I won't lie: this is the largest change since I started Making Tlon, and so it is quite scary. Reducing the pledge costs means a big cut on my income, but I think this is a healthy change for the page right now.

This does not mean reducing the scope of this page, only its “volume output". Doing less in volume means having more time to study, practice and improve my skills and Making Tlon's models. 3D always has new tools and techniques to try, and by testing new tools and new designs, models will get better - although it will mean a smaller number of them coming out each month. You can see how much the quality of the STLs I release has increased from the very first Boasting Cock Tavern set back in 2020. I love it, and it is the building I use for all the sudden tavern brawls that my friends start in our gaming sessions, but training and experience has improved the details and printability of later models a lot.

I often get carried away while designing these sets and end up making titanic buildings (Hunters' Hall, Viking Church, etc...) that are cool and I think inspiring, but are also very, very large projects. One of the aims of this change is to make releases that anybody can actually print and use with two or three printer plates, a luxury that 3D sculptors who make monsters and characters have!

The extra time will also enable me to go back to previous releases and update them (e.g. updating the supports, or adding a few quality of life options that you ask for, such as the extra T wall I made for the Castle set after receiving your feedback!). In general, this should make for a better page which is more user friendly and more curated.

The time I currently put in the expansions to the Welcome Pack Carts will be put towards new and cooler 3, 6 and 9 month rewards. This is another thing that I have been postponing for a while because I had absolutely no time to put into it. With these changes these projects will finally come to life!

The lower subscription cost should also attract more people, which, if that works, may enable me to get more help. Right now I'm doing this alone, but if the page gets a larger following I should be able to set up a few things that right now I simply don't have time to manage (e.g. the much requested Discord server).

Finally, this change will happen from September: 

Bad news is, Patreon and MMF Tribes don't have a simple way for me to do this change, and you'll have to do it by hand. August will be the transition month: I have prepared the new tier - First Makers - which is already available for you to switch to. As a way to say thank you for yoursupport up to this point, all the current patrons will be able to join it at 6$. Since you are currently subscribed at a higher tier, this will cost you 0: it just tells Patreon to charge you only that amount the first day of September. Since you have subscribed to the current Azsir tiers this month, you’ll still get the complete release for August, which includes the models I just posted, a new Dwarven Statue and the Dwarven Halls OpenLOCK Tiles mentioned above.

People that join the new Early Maker tier this month will also be charged only 6$, but that means they will not have access to the tiles once they are ready. I will share them only with those who pledged at the current Azsir tier. If you are a new subscriber and you want the tiles too, you can still join the Azsir tier and then change to the Early Maker tier before the end of August. If you do so, I ask you to send me a direct message so that I don't lose sight of you and can share the tiles directly with you!

I have thought about it for a while, and I think this is the easiest and fairest way to approach the change.

From the 1st of September the “regular” Maker tier - 7$ - will be visible, and the current Azsir tiers will be hidden, and then deleted.

If you remain in the Azsir tier, you'll be paying more than you should, and so I'll do my best to refund you via shared models (easiest way) or the website tools. In case you want to support the page and me with more bucks, I thank you a lot, but I still have to ask you to change the pledge to the Maker tier and, in case, choose a higher amount there. I will be decommissioning the current Azsir tiers to avoid issues with link sharing and such, and having no people subscribed to them will help. There is plenty of time to do the change, so take your time, and thank you!

I am sorry this took long to explain, but I tried to be as clear as I could! I really think this change will improve everybody's experience with our terrain making journey :)

As always If you have any questions, send me a direct message: I'll do my best to answer asap and help you.

That's it for now! I will be re-posting this bit in future posts, just as a reminder of the changes happening.

Thanks again - and really a lot! Thanks to your support Making Tlon has grown a lot in the last year, and seeing your printed models always fill me with joy: I hope you’ll keep finding cool stuff to print and put on your tables!

Once again, I wish you a happy hobby time :D