Update 33a: Quick clarification on the German translation
11 months ago – Thu, Nov 10, 2022 at 02:16:22 PM

A quick update for our German backers. Apparently the version of the rulebook that I posted was not ready for sharing. That's my fault, I misunderstood what was communicated to me.  I thought it was ready, but apparently there is still work to be done.  I was informed by the translator that there are several typos that need to be corrected which are being worked on now.  Also, our translator has made arrangements to have it edited by a professional proofreader, so the quality should be quite good when finished.

I've pulled the file down to avoid confusion and we'll post an updated version as soon as I'm told it's ready!  If you've already downloaded it, just be aware that it's an early first draft and hasn't been edited to check for typos yet!

Update 32b: Translation add on packs fixed and a clarification on tiles!
about 1 year ago – Sat, Sep 17, 2022 at 07:49:49 AM

Translation Add Ons

Hey everyone, sorry for the multiple updates on the same day, but unfortunately backers were getting an error with the language pack add on.  That issue has been fixed and backers should be able to add that to their pledges now!  Please let us know if you encounter any issues!

World Killer Tiles Clarification

Also, I wanted to clarify my previous comments on the World Killer tiles from the original update since there was a bit of confusion.  Just to be clear, backers are not receiving any less art or variety for the tiles, they are just being condensed onto fewer components.  Since we didn't hit the stretch goals to get additional tile art done, we weren't able to do two sets of tiles with art on both sides.  It didn't make much sense to have two sets of tiles with art on only one side, as opposed to one set of tiles with art on both sides.   So everyone is still getting the same amount of art and variety, they are just getting less cardboard.  Obviously printing less cardboard makes things less expensive for us to print, which is why we added the new miniatures to the expansion so that backers are still getting value for what they paid and we weren't just pocketing the savings.   I hope that makes sense to everyone!

Also, the alternate tile set that will be on the backside of the tiles looks different enough that it should keep things fresh in the campaign.  As an example, the image below shows the same map, but with the two alternate tile sets, so you can see the difference in the feel and look of the tiles (note: there are tokens placed on the maps):

Lastly, one of our backers suggested that we do an add on pack for additional tiles to help pay for the art, and that is definitely something we could consider, although we aren't sure if it would be viable or not, but feel free to share your thoughts on that idea!

Thanks everyone!

Update #32: New art, component changes, translation update!
about 1 year ago – Sat, Sep 17, 2022 at 06:21:00 AM

Hey everyone, we’ve got a lot of information to share and lots to show you in this update, so buckle up! Also, be sure to read the translation update below for those seeking non-English versions of the game! Let’s get started!

Pledge Manager Closing Date

A lot of people have been asking if we’ve firmed up a date yet for locking the pledge manager. The short answer is, not quite yet. As for the reason why, it’s because we still don’t have shipping rates firmed up. What is taking so long on that you ask? Well, we’ve made some changes to the component counts of the game (more on that below), and we are still waiting on a few final pieces of information before everything is final. Once we have those changes finalized with the manufacturer, they will give us revised box sizes and weights. Until we have that revised information, we can’t really get current shipping rates since obviously size and weight of the boxes is what determines the cost.

Once we have those the revised box sizes and weights, we will get shipping rates as soon as we can and post them in an update. We’ll give everyone at least a month after announcing the shipping rates before locking down the pledge manager so everyone has time to verify if they are okay with the rates, or if they want a refund, or if they want to add anything else to their pledge before it gets locked down. Realistically, with it already being the middle of September, we’re looking at closing the pledge manager near the end of November. 

Remember, any add ons, upgrades to a different pledge level, or late pledges that were added in the pledge manager have not been charged yet. When the pledge manager locks down, all of that will be charged along with shipping.

Development Progress

The game is coming along at a good pace. Nearly all art is complete, with our artist Todd Ulrich working hard to get everything finished. He’s currently in the process of putting color to the final gear cards for the core box (which is the last of the art that needs to be done for the core box). After that, we still have a few gear cards for the World Killer expansion and stretch goals, and then the art for the entire game will be complete! Exciting stuff!

On the miniature side we sent all of our feedback to LongPack based on their suggested changes and they made additional tweaks based on our requests. There are only a few minor things we’re still working out with them, but that should all be wrapped up very soon. 

The main thing slowing down development is the writing and testing of the latter missions. We are working hard to get the missions tested thoroughly but it’s taking longer than expected. Testing each mission with each different Strategy card and different mixtures of Operatives takes time, but we're working on it as fast as possible. Luckily, manufacturing can begin while the writing and testing is still being done because the cards and books can be sent to the manufacturer last since it requires the least amount of preparation on the part of the factory. Once we’ve locked down the pledge manager and given the green light to LongPack to begin manufacturing, we’ll have a better idea of the overall timetable for the project completion and delivery (we’re still hoping to be on track for delivery May-ish).

Did Someone Mention Art?

As mentioned above, we’ve continued to receive that last pieces of art needed to complete the game, and we’re very close to having it all finished.  See below for some of the new stuff we've received!

Specialists

The last three Specialist cards are complete, which you can see below. Specialists are special rewards you can gain by completing Special Op missions. For those that don’t know, Special Op missions are side missions you can unlock by hacking Enemy databases during a regular campaign mission. Once you’ve successfully hacked a database, you will draw a card from the Special Op deck during the HQ phase to gain one of these special side missions. By design, the majority of Special Op missions are much more condensed and shorter than a full campaign mission, but tend to be more difficult and give better rewards. Specialist cards are just one of the many things you can gain by running Special Ops.

New Tile Art!

We recently received new tile art from the super talented Henning Ludvigsen, who is the best tile and board artist in the business (in our opinion). However, being so good at your job often means being quite busy, and we’ve been trying to get onto Henning’s schedule since February, but it was worth the wait! Check out some of these new tiles for the core box below, including a Med Bay, a Server Room, R&D Lab, and two 6" x 6" tiles that combine to form a 6" x 12" Barracks:

Below you can see new tiles for the World Killer expansion. Each of the first two tiles are 9” x 9” for larger fights, but the backside of those two tiles combine into one massive 9” x 18” tile where you will face the World Killer himself. A massive boss deserves a massive place to fight him in!

World Killer Expansion Component Changes

Speaking of tiles for the expansion, this brings us to an important point. When creating the game, our goal had always been to include a set of double-sided tiles in both the core box and the expansion, which would give a nice variety for players to run missions on. However, we never hit the kind of financial milestones needed to justify two sets of double-sided tiles (they would have been stretch goals but we never got there). 

So, that left us with a dilemma. Do we have a set of tiles in the core box and a set of tiles in the expansion, with both of them only one-sided? Or do we have one set of double-sided tiles in the core box and remove most of the tiles in the expansion? It just seemed strange to have two sets of tiles with art on only one side instead of one set with art on both sides, so we made the decision to have one set of tiles in the core box with art on both sides, and a few special tiles in the expansion for specific missions (pictured above). That decision would change the expansion contents from 18 tiles, to 2.

But I paid for those tiles! Why are we paying the same money for less content! Obviously this is something we thought about right away. We definitely don’t want anyone to feel like they paid for something they aren’t getting (same money, less content is never a good selling point). However, we came up with a solution that we hope everyone will be happy with. We did some consulting with the manufacturer and we are able to squeeze another miniature onto the existing mold plates that we can include in the expansion to compensate backers that purchased it. This seemed like a good compromise so that no one was getting shorted.

We have several Enemies in various conceptual stages that are planned for future releases, so we picked one that was the most mechanically developed and got our artist to put together the character art for this new threat. Enter, the Thought Reaper! You can see the art for this frightening new opponent below, along with the new Enemy and Spawn cards for him:

The Thought Reaper gains strength from Operatives having negative conditions or injuries.  But what if the Operatives don't have any of those things?  Well, unfortunately for the players, the Thought Reaper all but ensures that Operatives will have some negative conditions when it spawns...

Hot off the presses! One of our sculptors, Marco R Sassi, has been hard at work turning the Thought Reaper into a 3d sculpt and we just got the images back today!  I was waiting to post this update until these images came in because I really wanted to show it off.  Keep in mind that this is a work in progress and is still having some finishing touches put on (such as some details for the hands and the gun):

Each backer receiving the World Killer expansion will receive two of these Elite Enemies along with the Enemy card. 

Hopefully everyone that purchased the expansion is happy with our decision to replace most of the tiles in the box with two new figures, but if you aren’t for whatever reason, please let us know!  And if you skipped the World Killer expansion previously, you can still upgrade your pledge to get the World Killer expansion along with this new figure if you want!

Language Translations

After reviewing the poll we did last month along with several DM’s where people shared their opinions, here is where we stand regarding language translations:

1. German and French: These backers can purchase an add on pack to have the game translated into their native language. The cost is $25 for Incursion pledges, and $30 for Invasion or Extinction pledges. If a backer doesn’t wish to purchase the add on but still wants the game, they will receive an English copy with a PDF translation (all cards and books).

2. Spanish and Italian: These backers that still wish to receive the game will be sent an English copy with PDF translations (all cards and books).

Also, these translations are being worked on by native speakers and aren’t being done by something like Google Translate or anything like that. In fact, the rulebook is being translated in each of the above languages right now! 

The pledge manager has been updated with the language add on packs, so if you want a printed copy in German or French, be sure to make that selection before we lock down the pledge manager sometime in November.   To do so, just log into your BackerKit account, go to your survey, then to the Add Ons tab, and select the appropriate add on (see below). 

As before, if anyone isn’t happy with these options, please email us a [email protected] and we will get a refund processed for you if that is what you prefer.

Whew...that was a lot of information! Hopefully everyone is happy with the direction the game is going, but please post in the comments to let us know what you think! 

Until next time, watch your six!

Update 31a: Quick update about the language add on packs!
about 1 year ago – Sat, Sep 17, 2022 at 06:03:03 AM

Many of you have pointed out that the language packs are giving an error when selected.  We have BackerKit looking into this, but they are apparently very busy today so we're not sure if this will get resolved today or not until Monday.  Everything looks good on our end, so we aren't really sure what the issue is, but as soon as BackerKit lets us know things are working correctly, we'll let everyone know! Thanks for your patience!

Update #31a, additional info regarding language translations!
about 1 year ago – Sun, Aug 14, 2022 at 11:48:22 PM

Hey everyone, after our last update, several people in both the comments and direct messaging have asked about the option of translated add on packs. This is something we weren't sure people would be interested in, but clearly some people are!  

Before we could offer this as an option, we of course need to verify if there is enough interest in such an add on.  To be transparent with everyone, the cost to have a full translation printed is over $6,100 per language.  That does NOT include the cost of paying the translator.  The $6,100+ is just the cost the manufacturer requires to do what they call a "plate change".  We, as a company, would be willing to eat some of these costs for printing the material, but we can't absorb all of it.  That's where the language add on packs would come in.  

Spanish and Italian

It doesn't look like we will have enough backers from the Italian and Spanish speaking regions to offer an add on pack, unfortunately.   At this point the best we can offer Spanish and Italian speakers is the PDF translation, or a full refund if a PDF won't work for you. 

German and French

We should have enough backers from German and French speaking regions however, as long as enough people are interested in the add on packs.

For German and French speakers, we have put together a poll below to gauge interest in the add on packs.  Note that these are cost ESTIMATES, but they should be pretty close.  Please keep in mind that this is just a poll to see how much interest there is, it's not a guarantee that we will be able to offer any of these options. 

Here are the options we are looking at, please post your selection in the comments:

A. I would pay for a translation pack for all components and books in the game (approximately $30 USD)

B. I would pay for a translation pack of all components with PDF books (approximately $20 USD)

C. A PDF translation of all components would be fine with me

D. I don't want to pay for an add on pack, and a PDF won't work for me, therefore I would like a refund.

If more than one option would apply for you, list each one that you would be okay with.  For instance if you would settle for a PDF but would be willing to pay for a full or partial translation if that was available, you would put options A, B, and C.

Please let us know if you have any questions, or if any of this isn't clear.  Thanks!