[A SotA Public Forum post by Starr Long]
Greetings Avatars,
Please read this entire message, as well as the linked instructions and known issues.
Thank you for being a loyal backer and follower of Shroud of the Avatar. Release 20 access for all backers at First Responder level and above, as well as attendees of Classic Game Fest, begins this Thursday, July 30 at 10:30 AM Central Time (16:30 UTC). If you signed up at 
Classic Game Fest for weekend access, please be sure to create an account on our website as soon as possible in order to gain access for the weekend.
This continues to be the most amazing community I have ever worked with. It also continues to be the most amazing process of development I have ever experienced. We are truly co-developing this game together in a completely transparent and iterative process, and it is humbling and thrilling all at once. Thank you so much for supporting us with your funding, your content submissions, your community run events, your suggestions, and of course your critique. You make this project possible, and you are making it better.
While we are getting closer to launch, we are still in a constant state of change, and we do not yet have in-game systems to inform players of these changes, or to share ways to help them to explore new content and systems. This means we rely entirely on this message, and the linked instructions and known issues to convey the current game state. We regularly have to answer questions or filter bug reports because some players elect not to read this valuable information. By taking a few moments to read through this information, a great deal of our time and efforts can be redirected to focus on new “unanswered” questions, and addressing critical issues impacting each release. We greatly appreciate you taking the time to review this post, and for all the truly valuable feedback you continue to provide.
Release 20 is probably one of the biggest releases we have made so far. It includes a wealth of new content that gets us that much closer to Alpha. The Troll expands our ability to support very large creatures, and therefore, more thrilling combat. That thrilling combat is expanded with Taming, allowing players to harness the power of wild animals. And the creativity of our players will certainly shine in Player Owned Towns, thanks to the incredibly flexible Dynamic Lot Placement tool. The Player Driven Economy is also taking real shape as we push more content towards crafting and away from Merchant sales, while at the same time providing Player Owned Vendors for pledge holders.
We know many of you have been waiting for more visible focus on the story versus the simulation. As we have said before, we have to build the entire simulation first and then put the narrative over that foundation, so the story has had to wait until that time. And we know that the length of time it has taken us to reach that stage is frustrating for many of you; and we completely understand! We are frustrated too! 
The good news is that we are now within sight of the time which story progress can begin in earnest. Now, the only remaining issue is creating the spaces for the story to happen in, and that is why you have seen us ramp up hiring. For R20, we focused our story energies on the Tower of the Shuttered Eye. We hope that the mystery, challenge, and detail there will reflect well on how we want the whole game to be.
Also, remember that while we are providing new content with each release, our community is working overtime to make new events for you to enjoy. So, be sure to check out a couple of the Community Events Calendars run by our community members (via in game book or the player run websites Avatars Circle Community Events and Events of the Avatars calendar).
Without further ado, here are the R20 deliverables.
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