The Awakened (Gameplay) + KoA's Miniatures Unboxing
over 2 years ago – Sat, Oct 01, 2022 at 01:01:23 AM

Hey Hunters,

today it's time for our monthly update from Thyrea! We are going to talk about gameplay and have a look at some exciting minis, but before anything else, let's start by sharing updated information about the project state.

Everything is proceeding well with the final development stages and in the last few weeks we are mainly working on proofreading texts, writing scenarios and finalizing graphics and layout.

Development Update

Production Update

The mold production is proceeding at full steam for about 2/3 of the models while we work on the last batch of resins with the factory. More miniature photos are coming soon!

The game design and playtest are complete (expansions and stretch goals included) and in the last month we've put finishing touches on all cards that are now undergoing the proofreading. Our playtest team did a fantastic job through the whole process and we couldn't be more excited about the final result.

The proofreading will continue during October (on both cards and rules) and then we will start preparing the final printing files for mass production. Given the current state of work, we confirm our recent estimates:

Estimated Shipping: Q1 2023

Shipping Charge: as already said in previous udpates, we will charge shipping as close as possible to the shipping phase, so we estimate Q1 2023 for this as well (shipping prices will be calculated at that stage in order to get the fairest prices possible). As soon as mass production starts we will set a more precise timeline for the shipping phase. Stay tuned!

 KoA's Prototype Unboxing 

Speaking of the production process, King of Average recently posted a great in-depth unboxing of our resin masters. In case you missed it, go check it out right now! ;)

Michael's consultancy has been so precious during the whole process. In case you were interested in understanding the complexity behind the optimization of the files, in his video he highlights some of the details we worked on in the last months.

The factory is doing a fantastic job with these models so far, we are so proud and cannot wait to send this awesomeness to all of you.

The Epic Finale (Spoiler Alert!)

Let's talk about gameplay! What do you expect from the final boss battle?

Important Note: if you don't want to know anything about The Awakened until you play the game, DO NOT READ THIS SECTION!

Today we want to give you a sneek peak of what awaits you to explore ;)

Let's start from the most visually impactful feature: the extended monster board!

The Awakened will have up to 6 behaviour cards in play at the same time! This unique feature really adds to the epicness of the final battle. The possibility to increase the number of active behaviour is something that builds tension and gives the feeling of a great challenge!

The second board includes a special track, the Primal track, which represents the monster's power. As the track advances, The Awakened increases its damage. If the track reaches 10, the game is over!

We wanted The Awakened to be a memorable finale: 5 stances to complete and a total of almost 500 hit points per player should scary even the most seasoned hunter!

Behaviour Deck & Campaign Path

Another important feature fo the last battle is the construction of The Awakened's behaviour deck. The monster deck depends on the trophies you collected during the campaign. It will count up to 20 cards (twice the cards of a standard monster!) and it will include both base behaviour cards and special behaviour cards associated to the monsters you defeated.

Here below is the component list for The Awakened (cards only). 

Special behaviour cards have been designed to remind of the mechanics of their associated monster while being consistent with The Awakened game plan (they have been intensively tested to keep the challenge balanced in the different configurations).

Evolution of the design

The original idea was to make 3 different configurations for the finale based on the achievements that players unlocked during the campaign (with 20 additional cards unlocked as stretch goals!).

We are happy to reveal that we went well beyond that initial goal: using the increased amount of content unlocked during the KS, we designed the monster deck to have a greater variety of configurations in a way that each quest path will bring to a slightly different monster in the finale!

Why The Awakened's behaviour is related to those monsters? That's one of the lore question you will have to answer ;) 

Alborea's Army: The Ballistas

Another special mechanism we introduced for the final battle is the ballista firing that reproduces the support during combat from the Alborea's forces.

Four ballista tokens will be placed on the board; they feature a charge/discharge cycle and at the end of each round they deal damage to The Awakened based on the sector the monster is facing! This adds a unique tactical layer to the fight with the players moving around the board trying to expose the monster to the charged ballistas!

More to be discovered!

The final battle also features special objective cards associated with story achievements that you might unlock during the campaign. Additionally, players have the possibility to unlock legendary equipment cards specifically designed for this fight. 

Will all this be enough to stop The Awakened? ;)

That's all for now, we hope you enjoyed the udpate and we will be back soon next month.

Until then, have a great gaming time!

Reggie Games

Design Backstage: The Lore + Development Update
over 2 years ago – Thu, Sep 01, 2022 at 12:25:00 AM

Hey Hunters,

Today it's time for a special backstage conversation as we would like to share with you what the lore design process has meant to us.

In the recent months we've put a large effort in developing the narrative content for the game. It has been challenging, incredibly inspiring, and it led us to think deeply about our mission as creators. 

In the recent years boardgame industry has seen a significant increase in titles that aim to offer rich stories and well designed campaign. In many cases the narrative element is an integral part of the experience, well intertwined with the gameplay. We think the evolution in the game design space that has been going on for some time is fascinating and it is leading to a scenario where telling meaningful stories is becoming more and more important. 

But, here is the question: why designers do that and... what are games trying to accomplish?

 Why the lore matters? 

The gameplay is the heart, the absolute cornerstone of a game.

That said, a compelling story and a rich lore undeniably add a unique value to the game experience. But, what exactly does the narrative bring in? Why we, as designers or players, should be interested in that content?

Without pretending to be exhaustive, here are some points that are important for us:

•  A story speaks to our human side. The gameplay stimulates our logic, it aims to open the player's mind to new reasoning schemes and challenges with which to test themselves. A story, on the other hand, is there to inspire new ideas and thoughts about people, about the real world, about us. An artificial intelligence may learn to play a game much better than a human, but it is not able (until proved otherwise!) to comprehend the deep meaning, the emotions and the suggestions of a story.
•  The lore is connected to every aspect of the design. A great story can be the founding stone of a project and puts the basis for the theme and the feelings that the gameplay aims to recreate. How can we put quality in character or creatures design without having a well designed context to place them in? How can we consistently design card effects, abilities, equipments, monsters' behavior without having clear references defined in the narrative?
•  A deep lore teaches complexity. The events that occur in our real world are vastly complex (that's right, the lore of the real world is amazingly deep!). When we experience a layered structure in a fictional world that lives in our imagination, we train, in a sense, to appreciate and explore the beautiful complexity of humans and reality.

All of us have the desire to tell and hear stories because they allow to communicate our values and are able to inspire discussions about them. That's why creating and exploring narrative content in games is important and fascinating to us.

 What is Primal's story about?

Primal, in its essence, is about a human civilization that faces an unknown, ancestral force that is awakening and threatening their whole existence.

The main story and all the elements that complement the principal narrative in Primal are centered around the dualism between humans and beasts. The concept of monstrous creatures in Thyrea is there to reinforce the idea of humanity and to inspire reflections about it. Everything that is violent and feral in the setting aims to reflect what is brutal in the human being.

Comprehending Thyrea's nature and its complexity represents an important aspect of the game. Why is nature becoming hostile... what exactly is the Awakening?

The background story aims to go far beyond the simple series of monster fights/hunts. We developed the narrative experience around two main ideas:

•  A story that spans through ages. The lore sinks its roots in events that go back to thousands of years in the past of Thyrea, when ancient civilizations inhabited the island. The discovery of this stratified past is the core drive that keeps the narrative moving. What was Thyrea like at that time? What happened to those people? All these questions will lead to find helpful resources as well as to uncover the truth about the Awakening.
•  Two different levels of exploration. The discovery of the lore is accomplished on two different levels: on one side we have the exploration of the wild lands of Thyrea (the actual scenarios), where brutal fights occur and must be resolved through swords and blood; on the other side, players have the possibility to explore the ancestral past through mystical arts and visions (narrative pieces that are unlocked throughout the story). The mystical dimension is something that is buried under the depths of the setting. It's something that enhances the sense of mystery and marvel; it's the element that allow players to access hidden information and that make the lore unleash its full potential. 

By design, the main pillars of the storyline cannot be changed by the players. However, their choices matter: the quest-path they choose vastly impacts the gameplay experience (more on this in future updates on the campaign mode gameplay). Also, the different pieces of information the players collect will unlock specific knowledge of the past that will determine a unique configuration and setup for the epic finale.

 ELO Cross-overs: a living project 

The opportunity to expand the lore of Primal allowed us to draw a bigger picture that had the potential to embrace ideas from the past and potentially the future of our creative journey.

In facts, some ELO Darkness characters have been revisited to have their origins intertwined with the world of Thyrea. Primal becomes the main storyline that explains those characters' background and powers.

The way the lore has expanded made us reflecting on how the whole project has amazingly grown in value during the course of the development. We are so proud of this journey and so grateful for your incredible support without which all of this wouldn't have been possible.

Development Update

Now, back to our monthly workflow update, let's talk about the project's state of art.

August has been a very productive month: when you're heading to the finalization of the process and every task converges and connects to the others, things can easily end up taking more time than expected, but we are happy to confirm we're on track with our recent plans.

Miniature Production. We are excited to say that the mold production has started for a large part of the models. After the detailed work we did on files and samples in the last months, we have large confidence and great expectations on the final result. In case you missed it, have a look at the samples we received from the factory in our previous updates (Update #37 - Update #36)

Proofreading. In a few weeks we will have all texts in the game undergoing a professional proofreading process that will help polishing and finalizing the wording of all cards and rulebooks.

Writing. The scenario writing is progressing well and it is expected to take about 4-6 weeks from now to be finished and fully translated into english (the translation from italian to english is already in progress).

Artwork and Printing Files. Some slight delays may occur during the finalization of all the files, but we are currently on track with our schedule and we expect to have most of the material ready for the printing component production in the first half of October. 

BackerKit and Shipping cost. We think it's useful to repeat this information again, given the unique circumstances of global shipping. Considering the shipping crisis situation, we decided that the best thing to do for everyone is to calculate shipping fees (and charge for shipping on BackerKit) once we are as close as possible to the moment that the games are picked up from the manufacturer. So, considering our roadmap, this means we will not charge for shipping until the first months of the next year. All of this, let's repeat for clarification, is to get the best prices possible. Of course, we know it is important for you to be notified about the charge date in advance. You can be sure we will communicate our plans in advance (1-2 months) so that you can be prepared.

Delivery Estimate. The delivery is realistically expected for Q1 2023. As usual, these are the current estimates, we will constantly keep you posted here and, as already said in previous updates, we will share more details as soon as mass-production starts.

 That's all for today! We hope you enjoyed the update and we will be back next month with more news from Thyrea.

 Until next, have a great summer-time!

Reggie Games

The Dragon's Landing! - New Resin Samples
over 2 years ago – Sun, Jul 31, 2022 at 05:05:54 AM

Hey Hunters,

July has flown by here in Thyrea as we step closer to the mold production process. Today it's time for a quick update as we are super excited to show you some huge models that invaded our offices! Let's jump right into the pictures ;)

Framing the Hunting Ground

Here below are some new awesome resins (white samples) we received in the last few weeks from the factory. The updated version of Vyraxen, Felaxir and Sirkaaj are here as well as Heleren and plants from the terrain box... but there is more...

The Awakened landed here!

We imagined this dragon years ago: the initial concept, the box art, the first 3D sculpt, the background story... and the monstrous size! It easily became one of the icons of the entire project.

We were so eager to see the physical print and having it in our hands for the first time has been truly amazing. 

We hope the images below will give you the idea of how powerfulis this miniature.

 Behind the scenes of Thyrea 

Here is a brief overview of what lies behind the scenes of the development this month.

NARRATIVE DESIGN - Our creative team is working hard on the scenario writing. We are loving how the setting is coming to life through the pages of the scenario book. We've set a very ambitious goal with the lore and the campaign story. The main narrative plot spans across thousands of years in the history of Thyrea and lots of details may be uncovered only through specific quest path during the campaign. A great background lore not only enhance the game experience but it lays the foundations for a deep setting to be further explored in the future.

ENG TRANSLATION & PROOFREADING - The english translation and proofreading of the narrative content is proceeding at full speed in parallel with the writing. We expect this process to take about two months from now, ending around the end of September when every piece of lore will be ready for printing.

CRAFTING SIMULATION - On the game design front, we have finalized the crafting system that includes both the Forge (equip crafting) and the Alchemist (potion crafting). We are putting the system to further tests via simulations of the campaign mode to make sure that all classes are balanced in terms of crafting options and all the resources are well distributed and accessible during the campaign. 

TEXTS FINALIZATION - These weeks we are also polishing all texts in the game and putting finishing touches on some cards that have already been discussed in the final stage of the playtest. 

ARTWORK - The work on extra art is proceeding as well. The new illustrations are meant to visually introduce important characters and locations that plays a crucial role in the campaign. Sneak peeks coming soon ;)

That's all for now, we will be back with our next monthly update from Thyrea.

We hope you are having a great summer time,

Reggie Games

Resin Samples & Development Update
over 2 years ago – Mon, Jul 04, 2022 at 07:45:31 PM

Hey everyone!

Today it's time for a special update since we received the first batch of resin samples from the factory and... they are amazing!!! :)

We are so excited to show you some pictures, so let's jump right into them:

After so much work in the design and the optimization of the files, it's really a special feeling to have all these wonderful - I mean, monstrous! - creatures in our hands.

The factory is doing a great job, we are very satisfied with the quality and the level of details that we managed to achieve.

Our team is now inspecting each model to make sure everything is perfect and ready for the final approval.

Expect more pictures as everything comes along in the next few months ;)

State of the Development

With the development being in its final stage, today we want to share with you some highlights from our activities of the last few weeks.

Behind the scenes of the last month

PLAYTEST - We are glad to say the third phase of the playtest has been successfully completed. All the tests on monsters and characters are complete. In particular, the final boss, The Awakened, has been refined and put to the test in its different configurations (which are determined by the achievements you unlock during the campaign). It is a very unique and epic fight... we will have a dedicated update for it soon ;)

Being at the end of the process, we are so proud of all the work that has been done. The best thing is that after hundreds and hundreds of fights, we are still eager and excited to play every single time :)

NARRATIVE DESIGN - Along with the playtest, in the past few weeks our team has continued to put a large effort in the development of the narrative content: scenario scripts, writing and design of all the story branches. The game it's huge counting around 50 scenarios plus all the additional lore in the campaign book (narrative achievements, expanded lore, bestiary and more).

TRANSLATION & PROOFREADING - In parallel with the scenario writing, a professional translation of the narrative content has started with two steps of revision in order to achieve the best quality.

ART - We are developing additional pieces of art that will be included in the campaign book to enhance the immersion in the narrative. Also, in the last few weeks we are refining the graphics based on the feedback from the last playtest sessions.

NEW OFFICES - Yeah! That's not specifically about the game, it's more about us :) but it's definitely a highlight of this month: new headquarters, new collaborators and a lot of energy channeled into this incredible project!

What's next?

Here are the main activities for the weeks to come. It will be a super hot summer-time!

ART, WRITING & TRANSLATION: It will be another month full of creative work: we'll design more narrative content and keep directing artwork (pictures coming soon!), as well as writing and translation process.

CRAFTING SIMULATION: We plan to simulate multiple runs of the campaign mode to fine-tune the resource drop of the monster to balance the experience and the crafting opportunities for all characters.

FINALIZING ALL CARDS: This is an important milestone. With the end of the playtest, we will be putting finishing touches on all cards. The process will also include a double check of the wording and an overall polishing of all texts in the game. Once done, everything will be ready to undergo the final proofreading process. 

MINIATURES & PRINTING FILES SETUP: Our team will start preparing the files structure according to the guidelines from the factory. In the meantime, the back and forth for the mould production will continue as we expect to receive the second batch of minis to be approved.

Tell us in the comment what is the next models you are most curious to see :)

What about the timeline?

Speaking of production schedule, we are working to have all the stuff ready for mass-production to start around the end of summer. This means we aim to have the games shipped from China within Q4 and with everything going smoothly the fulfillment will start in the first months of the new year. That being said, please, consider we are in the middle of the finalization of years of work, we are now experiencing a crucial step of the process and thus we want to be very cautious with delivery estimates which eventually may incur a delay. With that in mind, we will provide a more detailed fulfillment timeline as soon as we get through the finalization and we enter the printing process.

We know it is a long time, we are sorry for that, but we have no doubts that it will be worth the wait. 

Our team is fully committed to this project and we will bring you with us all along the way. 

Primal is an epic journey and we are so grateful to have all of you on board.

See you next month with more updates from Thyrea!

Until then, have a great summer-time,

Reggie Games

Miniatures - Red Wax Samples
over 2 years ago – Wed, Jun 01, 2022 at 01:42:53 AM

Hey everyone,

Today we have some exciting behind the scenes pictures to share with you!

While the back-and-forth with the factory continues, in the last few weeks we went through the red wax printing for all 3D models to check for any possible issue before the mold production starts. This step is part of a meticolous procedure and it is an important test in order to approve final modifications and make any eventual correction to the 3D files.

Seeing the results so far, we are very satisfied with the work done. Important improvements have been made to optimize the sculpts and make sure every part of the design come out properly in the final minis. 

Red Wax Samples

Here below are some photos of the red wax samples! Hope you will enjoy them ;)

About the Shipping Crisis

As you might have heard from web and social networks in the last weeks, the global shipping situation is currently very serious. Since you might be worried about this scenario, we feel the responsibility, as creators, to spend a few words on this topic today. Not to worry anyone or make any kind of announcement, but simply to talk about that openly and give you insights on the situation.

Companies that are currently shipping their products (and international business in general) are facing crazy freight shipment costs and increased worldwide rates. Things fluctuate rapidly in this period and quotes vary significantly from month to month (even from week to week in some cases). The fact is that it's difficult to predict the evolution of the current scenario.

So, what can we do to face this situation? What we are doing is researching, staying informed and reaching more companies to be in contact with. We will constantly receive updated info in the next months evaluating different partners and solutions. One thing that is important to mention (once again) is that, hopefully, time works on our favour. Considering that the schedule has been stretched, there is the chance that things will calm down a bit by the last part of the year when the project is expected to enter the shipping phase. For this reason, by postponing the collection of shipping in the Pledge Manager we will be able to provide the best solution possible for shipping costs. This kind of situation goes beyond our control, but we are positive that we will find the best way to handle the situation and we will continue to share details and updates as things evolve along the way.

That's all for today, we will be back with more game content soon!

Until next, have a great gaming time.

Reggie Games