Update #23 Objective Complete!
almost 3 years ago – Fri, Mar 25, 2022 at 03:59:59 AM

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!

You are all amazing!  This project has been a tremendous amount of work and it's incredible that we've reached this stage!  It still seems unreal!  One of the best parts of this whole thing has been the positive attitudes of you followers and backers.  Other than a few outliers here and there, everyone has been so positive and supportive that it made us all feel good.  Seriously, you're all great and we appreciate you very much!

Final Stretch Goal

We didn't quite hit that last stretch goal, but you all gave a good run at it!  As long as we raise enough funds in the Pledge Manager, we'll unlock this last stretch goal. Believe me, I want it as bad as all of you! :)

That Pesky Social Stretch Goal

We didn't hit this one either, but that's mostly my fault.  I tried to do something a little different and it ended up being a bit confusing (or outright impossible for some backers).  So, you all will be receiving those last cards for that stretch goal and you can consider them added to your pledges!  And for all of you out there that tried to help explain how to click the like button on Kicktraq, thank you! :)

Moving Forward

First thing we're going to do...is take a break!  Haha, seriously, we're exhausted and need a mental break, so we'll take a few days to unwind and get some sleep!  After that, we'll be finalizing details with the manufacturer and our partners and getting our timeline nailed down, which we will be sharing with all of you as things develop.  First step will be to get the late pledges up and running so we can get more recruits and unlock that final stretch goal!  We just might have another surprise if we do well enough in the Pledge Manager.  We juuuuust might ;)

Also, you can all expect regular communication from our end, giving you regular updates a minimum of once a month (likely more often).   Having backed as many campaigns as I have, I know how important communication is, and how utterly frustrating it is when you don't get it.  That will not be the case with us!

On the design side, we are going to be continuing the playtesting, especially the expansion missions and stretch goal Operatives.  We'll also be working on streamlining some of the rules (without compromising the gameplay at all), especially the stealth system and ventilation shaft movement, both of which will benefit from some tightening up.  

We're excited for the future and the possibilities ahead! We have big plans! And not only for this game, but other games in this same setting as well!  We didn't want to talk too much about our future plans because this project needed to succeed or fail all on its own, but I can tell you this, our next project (which is in this same setting) is a big idea.  In fact, its safe to say that it will be a first of its kind in the board gaming world!  But that's down the road. First we need to deliver this game with all of the quality and gameplay that you are expecting (and deserving).  The future won't mean anything if we don't deliver you a great game that will make you want to join us for the next project!  So stay tuned, this is just the beginning!

Until next time, watch your six!

Update #22 New Daily Unlock and Final Stretch Goal!
almost 3 years ago – Thu, Mar 24, 2022 at 08:55:24 PM

We're in the final stretch!

With just about 24 hours to go, we still have a few exciting things to share!  First up, is the new (and final) daily unlock, the much talked about storage box!  Now, since you are all wondering, no, this box will not fit EVERYTHING.  It is designed to hold all add ons, including the campaign trays, as well as the stretch goal items.  Your core box and expansion box will need to remain in their own boxes however.  A box so large that it could hold all content in the game would be quite large indeed, and simply not feasible.  Please note, these images are just a work in progress with placeholder art and a rough render sent from the manufacturer. 

Final Stretch Goal!

Something that we've wanted for a long time, and something that many people have asked for, is sculpted bases for our miniatures!  It will cost a decent amount of money (the sculptor has to make the base, cut the old base off, and then reattach the new one for each unique miniature in the game), so we need to make sure we have the funds to get it done!  Therefore, if we can raise $210,000, each miniature in the game will get a sculpted base (excepting minis without a base, like the hovering drones and World Killer). Note: the images below are works in progress and are just samples of what we will be doing.

The best way to ensure we get this stretch goal unlocked is to spread the word as much as possible!  Sharing our page to the various Facebook gaming groups is probably one of the fastest ways to generate some attention, so go out there and post in those groups, and be sure to comment and like other people's posts that you see!  Also, be sure to visit the Kicktraq page at least twice today and be sure to go back to the KS page through the Kicktraq link!

Let's make it happen team!

Update #21 Final Add On, All-in Pledge Tier, New Unlock, and Language Clarification!
almost 3 years ago – Thu, Mar 24, 2022 at 02:12:39 PM

Welcome to the final stretch!  We have roughly 48 hours to go!  I have a slew of information for you, so let's get started!  Important: if you have an Early Bird pledge, be sure to read this info carefully so that you don't make a mistake in your selections!

Final Add On: Plastic Tokens

Many of you have been asking for it, and here it is!  This token pack replaces the player components with nice plastic components!  This set includes 12 Order tokens (3 for each player), 12 Movement tokens (3 for each player), 24 Action Upgrade tokens (4 of each type), 40 Focus tokens (8 of each type), and 4 Overwatch tokens (1 for each player), for a total of 92 plastic tokens! Note: we did not replace all tokens in the game because the cost would be prohibitive for both us, and you backers (there are over 400 tokens in the game), however, we may offer additional plastic token packs in future campaigns!

Add On Bundle

With the final Add On revealed, we also have a new Add On Bundle which includes all Add Ons in the campaign, (with the exception of the Operative Add On Pack which is already included for Invasion pledge level backers) for a $10 discount!  This Add On Bundle is for those with Early Bird pledges and backers that do not want it all.  For Early Bird Pledges that want it all, make sure you select this bundle to add to your pledge instead of selecting the All-In Pledge Tier, because you will lose your Early Bird bonus!  We can fix that in the Pledge Manager for you, but let's try not to have that happen! For those that do not have an Early Bird pledge level but still want it all, the following is for you!

All-In Pledge Level!

It's finally here, the All-In Pledge Level!  This gets you all of the content the game has to offer in a single pledge level at a $15 discount!  Remember, if you have an Early Bird Invasion pledge and you want it all, don't select this tier!  Instead, add the Add On Bundle option to your pledge!

Language Clarification

We wanted to clarify a few things from yesterday's update about language support.  We will most likely be having a full German translation because outside of the USA, our largest number of backers comes from Germany, so we should have plenty of orders for that region to make it cost effective to offer a full translation.  Also, while we will definitely offer a full refund to any backer in a region that doesn't get full language support if they want one, those backers will have to have a pledge tier of Incursion or above.  That is just to avoid having to make 100 refunds of $1.  Hopefully that makes sense and seems fair!

Daily Unlock

Today's unlock increases the Enemy difficulty by introducing new Spawn cards with some nasty effects!  The base game comes with a card for each Spawn deck called the "Unknown Threat" card that spawns a random Enemy based on the roll of a Red die.  This card was created to avoid players being able to accurately guess what was coming up in the Spawn deck (especially when the deck starts getting low in cards).  These new cards are meant to replace that card as the campaign progresses to add even more danger to your missions!  

Final Stretch Goals

We've still got a few more reveals for everyone, starting tomorrow with an Enhanced Armory unlock?  What could that be you ask?  Most of you will have it figured out before the reveal ;)

Until next time, watch your six!

Update #20 Unlock Roundup, new add on, language support!
almost 3 years ago – Wed, Mar 23, 2022 at 08:25:45 AM

Unlocks, add ons, and language support!

We've got a lot to cover today, including all of the unlocks revealed since our last update, a new add on, and an explanation on language support!  Be sure to read through if any of these are important to you! 

Unlock Roundup!

You've got several new unlocks since our last update, including four new Operatives and a slew of new Tactics cards!  First, let's cover the Operatives (each of these will be covered in more depth in later updates).  Each backer at the Invasion Level or purchasing the Operative add on pack (see below), will receive each of the following Operatives:

Mama Bear Moss

Mama Bear is a Team Leader that specializes in Tactics cards with the Ongoing trait.  Ongoing cards stay in play until the end of the round, and each Operative can have a maximum of two in play at once (if playing a third, you must first discard an existing one).  However, Mama Bear's Ongoing cards have the Aura trait, which means her Ongoing cards remain in play until replaced by another Ongoing card!  Managing her Auras so that you have the right ones in play at the right time is the key to success when playing Mama Bear!  Even better, all of her Ongoing cards are focused around buffing nearby Operatives, making her a great choice as a team leader!

Cain

If you're looking for sheer brute force and killing potential, none can outperform Cain who is a true killing machine!  Cain focuses around a unique mechanic that allows him to gain Rage which he can use to power up his Tactics cards, generating more powerful effects for each Rage he has accumulated!  Cain may seem like an odd choice for a covert mission with his low Stealth stat, but what he lacks in subtlety, he more than makes up for with his sheer willingness to beat a Xethan to death with his bare hands!

Dr. Usman

The Doctor is in the house!  But not just any type of Dr. , but a Dr. of cybernetics!  Usman's cards focus around gaining (and giving) Enhancements to herself or other Operatives.  When Dr. Usman plays some of her Tactics cards, they increase in power based on the number of Enhancements on the target!  

Enhanced Tactics

You've also gained several new Tactics cards!  Each Operative in the game will receive two Tactics cards each for levels II, III, and IV!  Note: only backers at the Invasion Pledge level will receive the Level IV cards since you need the expansion in order to progress to Level IV.  In order to not make this update too long, we'll go into more detail on these new cards in a future update, but suffice to say that they continue the mechanics introduced with the new Level I cards that were unlocked a while back.  These cards give each Operative whole new build options and ways to focus your gameplay in different ways to increase replayability!

New Add On: Operative Pack

For those that don't want to upgrade their pledge to the Invasion level, but still want the new Operatives, then this pack is for you.  You get all six Operatives along with their dashboards and 30 card Tactics deck!  Obviously if you are backing at the Invasion Level, you will not need this Add On pack since you are already receiving these with your pledge!

Final Add On and the All-In Pledge

We were hoping to unveil both of these today, but we were waiting on one final clarification from our manufacturer.   We didn't receive this info in time to put the add on up today, but we'll have it ready for tomorrow morning!  Stay tuned!

Language Support

I know many of you have been waiting for clarification on our language support, including what all will be translated, if it will be digital or print, and if there will be a delay in shipping.  The short version of the story is that we've been waiting to see how many backers we receive from each region to see what level of support we can afford to provide.  Our goal is to do a complete translation for all books and cards in each language, but that may not be possible if we don't receive enough backers from a given region.  If we cannot offer full translation of all components for a region, we will offer all backers from that region whatever option we have available, such as a digital only version, or just the rulebooks translated, etc.  Once we've determined what level of language support we can provide, we will offer any backer from a region that does not have full language support a FULL refund (we will not subtract Kickstarter fees).  That way, no backer from any of these regions is in any risk of receiving a product that do not want.   We had hoped there would be enough backers from each region by this point in the campaign that we would have clarity on what we can offer, but unfortunately we don't.  We are still hoping we will get enough backers from each region before the Pledge Manager closes, but if not, any backer from those regions will be offered the full refund.  

Whew!  That was a lot of info!  Buckle up though, not only is the final add on coming, plus the final pledge level, but the final 48 starts tomorrow as well!  

Until next time, watch your six!

Update #19 New Daily Unlock: Stalkers! New Add On: 3D Terrain!
almost 3 years ago – Thu, Mar 17, 2022 at 06:40:04 PM

Daily unlock!

Today's unlock is a new Basic Enemy to plague your missions!  Each backer will receive 6 Stalker miniatures, 3 Spawn cards, and 1 Enemy card!   

Stalkers are hunters that can cause some serious problems for players.  Their attack applies the Mark and Tracking Device trait to any Operatives hit and, as you can imagine, that's not good!  An Operative with a Mark automatically fails all Defense checks, and if there are any Operatives with a Tracking Device during the Enemy Movement step, all Enemies move +1 zone!  Yikes!  Luckily, both of these negative conditions can be removed by a Science check and/or an effect that specifically removes negative conditions! Somebody call a medic! 

Stalkers also have a defensive ability that can counteract rolling large numbers of White dice against them, so try and attack them with red dice and keep those rerolls handy!

New add on: 3D Terrain!

Finally, the much requested add on is here!  3d terrain!  With this add on players can take their game to a whole new level!  Packed with 32 terrain features, your board will look more beautiful than ever!

 Normal doors are present in missions in abundance, and these will make your game really stand out!

Security doors are usually used in missions to block entry to a boss or armory and can only be opened by a successful Sabotage check, so keep those science-y types handy!

The Xethan love their short range teleportation technology, and these portals are their preferred method of entering the board.  Of course knowing where the enemy will appear as its advantages, especially for someone more Espionage inclined...remote explosive devices anyone?

Turrets are present in some missions as additional obstacles for players.  They're no fun to fight...but sometimes...just sometimes...players may get to turn the tables on the Xethan and use these against them!

And before you ask, yes, the doors open!  

To add the 3D Terrain set to your pledge, simply click the "manage my pledge" button and select any add ons you want!

Social stretch goals

You also continue to unlock the social stretch goals! Great job team!  Only a couple left!  After that, there may be yet one more objective to claim...

Moving forward, we will only be posting updates every couple of days, and we will summarize the daily unlocks in those updates, so keep your eyes on the main page for the daily unlocks, and every other day for summary updates!

Until next time, watch your six!