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Pre-Order/Late-Pledge Store for When the Stars Cried Despair! Witch Pleas Publishing

Created by Witch Pleas Publishing

First chapter in the Castle Whiterock tie-in campaign, Descent of the Ancient Fane, When the Stars Cried Despair is an unforgettable funnel/1st-level adventure with all-new mechanics for rich backstory and bonds between PCs.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

🏤 Shipping Surveys Coming! PLEASE TAKE 30-SECONDS TO ANSWER 🏤
2 months ago – Sat, Dec 20, 2025 at 04:27:20 PM

We're shipping When the Stars Cried Despair soon, so it's time to find the BackerKit survey in your inbox and answer it!

The holiday schedule of the printer set things back somewhat, so their 1-week turnaround turned into 2, but we expect to have the books arrive no later than the first weekend of the year.

That means we'll want to charge for shipping right before New Years, 12/30.

And that, in turn, means you've got 10 days to answer the shipping address survey with your current address and details, to ensure timely delivery.

We know that was a lot of "this, then that," but it comes to down to this:

Look in your inbox, searching if you must, for the BackerKit survey! It just sent out and it takes about 30 seconds to a couple of minutes to complete.

When you complete it, thank yourself, from us! We want to make sure When the Stars Cried Despair reaches your gaming group right away, so that you can dive in, experience this one-of-a-kind funnel, and set the stage for Descent of the Ancient Fane and Castle Whiterock in April!

We won't keep you any longer - off to the survey now, with thanks!


📧Surveys Coming Tomorrow, Pre-Order Store Open and More Updates! 📧
2 months ago – Thu, Dec 18, 2025 at 07:00:42 PM


When the Stars Cried Despair is off to the printer!

Things are moving fast, beloved backers, so we'll keep this update fast too. Only the greatest hits here!

  1. Surveys for your shipping info are heading your way tomorrow. Fill them out so that we can ship to you before the New Year!
  2. The Pre-Order Store is open for any who missed out on this campaign - and Add-Ons will be available with your shipping survey!
  3. The PDFs for digital backers will be sent next week, so that you can enjoy When the Stars Cried Despair in your DriveThruRPG stocking, along with Bride of Baal for early followers!
  4. The backer session of When the Stars Cried Despair, run by author, M.C. Funk, is officially scheduled for January 18th. 
  5. And the Big Event - the Megadungeon that When the Stars Cried Despair leads to - Descent of the Ancient Faneis only a few months away. Follow now if you haven't already, to enjoy early follower rewards!

So keep an eye on those inboxes for your shipping address survey, print edition backers. They'll send tomorrow, so that we can ship right before the turn of the year.

For shipping costs, check our FAQ. They're estimated to be $8 domestic (within the US), $30 for Canada and Mexico, and $40 for other international packages.

Most importantly, thank each and every one of you, and may you have a most merry holiday season!

📚Missed Out? Pre-Order Store Open and PDF Complete!
2 months ago – Sun, Dec 14, 2025 at 02:27:02 PM

When the Stars Cried Despair backers needn't shed a tear for missing out:

We launched our Pre-Order Store today!

So, if you missed out on When the Stars Cried Despair, or want one of the Witch Pleas Publishing adventures at a discount - like our classic, narrative-focused campaign, A Tale of Two Sisters - head over to the Pre-Order Store.



And don't forget to follow Descent of the Ancient Fane! Its Follower Count goes a long way to making this ambitious project, the most hellish megadungeon ever, a success. Plus, you'll enjoy exclusive Follower and early Backer rewards, like Delicious in Whiterock, the exclusive cookbook survival guide companion to a Castle Whiterock campaign!



In other news, we completed the final version of the PDFs for print and digital today. That means we're poised to send it to the printer and to your DriveThruRPG accounts, later this week!



Most importantly, may your holiday season be merry and bright, friends! We appreciate each and every one of you!

✌️THANKS - Plus FREE GAMES and Next Steps! ✌️
3 months ago – Thu, Dec 04, 2025 at 11:55:06 AM


We did it, folks! When the Stars Cried Despair is a fully funded reality and only weeks away from being sent to the printer.

We never want to miss an opportunity to express our profound gratitude for each and every one of you supporting this project. We hope it's even more awesome than you might imagine.

And as we just wrote to a friend and backer, we can hardly wait to get a printed copy in your hands and on your gaming tables, so that you can bring the story to life before Descent of the Ancient Fane arrives on BackerKit, along with Castle Whiterock, in April 2026.

For now, we've got next steps below.

But first, free games!

Witch Pleas Publishing participated in the TTRPG Bookmark Jam, a nifty creative event where creators develop new games or tools for TTRPGs that fit onto a bookmark.

This year, we submitted a pair so far, and they're yours to enjoy right this moment:

Three Sisters, A Game of Fates - Use rock, paper, scissors to determine heretofore unknown stories.

The Wandering Monster Backstory Bookmark - Find out why the wandering monster wanders.

They're totally free, though you can donate whatever you'd like when you download. The most valuable gesture you could make would be to leave a supportive comment. That'll help spread the word and get these cool tools out there.

We'll likely develop print versions of these for both Descent of the Ancient Fane and our upcoming campaign setting project. For now, let's talk the printing and shipping process of When the Stars Cried Despair!

  1. On December 13, we'll have the printer-ready PDFs all set, and will set up the gifts and digital downloads.
  2. That way, as soon as possible, we will lock addresses and charge cards. That can happen on December 19, possibly December 18, so be sure to have your address and email all set! We'll send out an update right before that, with the latest shipping costs based on the most current postal rates and shipping material costs.
  3. On December 19, the digital copies distribute and the order is put in to the printer.
  4. It's usually a 12-day process, but we'll keep updating you throughout, sharing the print proofing steps and announcing when the books have shipped to us and have arrived.
  5. We'll then pack them all up and ship them out right away, ideally on the last week of December and first weekend of January!
  6. Then, you can inflict this astounding starter adventure on your unsuspecting players in the months leading up to the big event, Descent of the Ancient Fane and Castle Whiterock.

As we said, we'll keep you posted. For now, we can celebrate together! Thanks for helping carve the keystone of what we hope to be an epic megadungeon campaign, Descent of the Ancient Fane, and an outstanding starter adventure in its own right!

Thanks to you, it's time for When the Stars Cried Despair!

⏰TIME TO ACT - 24-Hours to Go and SO CLOSE to A Stretch Goal⏰
3 months ago – Wed, Dec 03, 2025 at 01:01:14 PM

Backers, supporters and Witch Pleas Publishing followers, this is it:

The last 24 hours to back When the Stars Cried Despair! It all ends tomorrow, December 4, 2025, at 11:11AM PST.

If you've backed it already, thank you - and thanks for spreading the word on this final 24- hour period! Here's a handy link to the BackerKit page to help you do so.

How can you spread the word? We've learned:
  • The most effective way is by personal message, like a Discord chat, DM or SMS
  • The second most effective is by general posts on communities you're part of, like Discord servers and Reddit, or even Facebook Groups
  • Then comes Facebook, Bluesky, X, or whatever your platform of choice is

We appreciate anything and everything you do!

So thank you in advance for going that extra country mile for When the Stars Cried Despair.

And if you're a follower seeing this message, now's the time to pledge!

Why would you? Here's a few reasons:
  • It's the prequel for the huge megadungeon tie-in that we're doing for Castle Whiterock in April 2026, Descent of the Ancient Fane
  • Its D&D 5e version was converted by Chris Doyle, the original Castle Whiterock author
  • It's got unique rules for backstory that actually affect game mechanics and are terrific tools to kick off a party of PCs
  • It has tons of content, with 15 magical items and strange magics that can warp characters in thrilling ways

So, to those who haven't pledged, check it out and pledge!

For those who have, tell your friends! We're less than $1,500 away from the stretch goal that will allow us to offer the Funnel Bundle level as printed books, including the DCC Day 2025-exclusive All Roads Lead to Conquest!

To all of you, thank you so much!