BIG Update & Project Timeline
about 3 years ago – Thu, Dec 02, 2021 at 09:21:43 PM

Hey Hunters!

Today we are going to share many details on the current state of the project. We cover development, current challenges, miniature production and timeline changes. We decided to wait before making any announcement until having concrete data about our new schedule for the manufacturing front. 

It is a big update, so... let's begin!

Game Development

Let's start from the game itself by saying that the development, despite some slight delays, is proceeding very well. In the last months we have been working on refining hunters mechanics and all card interactions in the game. The design of the core game is almost complete, with all the monsters currently being refined and tested. Intensive playtest sessions have been running efficiently for several months now (more on that in the next section). 

General Rules Improvement

During the development we also made some changes to the rules that really improved the game flow and the overall balance of the game. Here below is a list of highlights and changes that can give you an insight on the overall design progress. 

Monsters' Life Track

The new life point track system we introduced for the monsters brings more elegance and simplicity to the game, also reducing the book keeping aspect. 

All monsters now have 10 Wounds (same number as the rounds in the game) that are tracked on the monster board. Players deal damage and convert it to inflict a Wound based on the Toughness value of the monster. The Toughness is shown in the monster's Stance cards and it changes between both Stances and levels. 

 The Toughness value scales with the player count and it really streamlines the math involved, keeping the numbers low and reducing the amount of tokens on the board. 

When the monster reaches a number of remaining Wounds indicated on the card (the icon on the right), it gets to the next Stance!

Another advantage of this system is that from the Monster board you can see at a glance how much life the monster remains, so you can easily have a reference about the state of the game.

Character Level Up System

Speaking of hunters and character development, we worked on improving the level up system in the campaign mode. Instead of just getting pre-determined cards during the progress of the campaign, we designed a proper upgrade tree for each character in the game. This way, every deckbuilding direction is balanced and viable from the beginning. 

Here is a scheme example for Dareon to show the idea:

The characters level up using a milestone system during the campaign. Each time a character levels up, the player unlocks one step along a direction/branch of the tree at their choice. Each branch is built around synergies with a specific Mastery card (but it is not only restricted to that) and each upgrade step offers two new Action cards (plus the Mastery card at the end of the branch) to be unlocked and added to the player's card pool.

Characters will have a limited number of "level up moments" during the campaign, so every choice matters: which Mastery branches should you unlock? In which order?  Which card better suit the equipment you want to craft?

Unique Hunter Mechanics

Another important improvement we made is related to the hunters' unique mechanics. Basically, after collecting feedback and running many playtest sessions, we decided to spend the necessary time to enhance the characterization of each hunter. In facts, we realized we wanted to add/expand the mechanics to make each character even more different from the others in terms of playstyle and personality. 

We do not deny that the process of refining and balancing new mechanics and abilities took us more time than what we expected since it involved delicate changes on both character decks and equipment. Anyway, at the end of the process, we are very satisfied of the results so far. 

Here below we want to give you a quick overview of the updated mechanics and playstyle features for each character in the core game (please, keep in mind that some minor changes could still be made by the end of the playtest process).

Thanks to the characters revision, Dareon is now able to unleash his fury and enter in a "berserker" state. To represent this idea we introduced the Berserk keyword: everytime you deal damage, you may reveal a card with the Berserk keyword from your hand to draw 1.

A single keyword can change the character (with equipments and upgrade cards being redesigned accordingly). It not only adds to the theme, but it also help giving Dareon a crucial draw engine to accumulate stamina for some high cost cards, like Dragon Strike, in his deck. However, do not forget that in Primal your deck is a measure of energy connected to your vitality; so, drawing a lot also means hurting yourself in the long run... more on that below ;)

Additionally, some Dareon's cards, like Reactive Guard, have now the Resilience keyword. Resilience is another ability that has been introduced during Dareon's deck design. It works similarly to Berserk, but it triggers when you suffer damage: everytime you suffer damage you may reveal a card with the Resilience keyword from your hand to draw 1. This not only is a great addition to the deck's draw engine, but it also gives consistency to the character's theme recreating the idea of a fighter getting enraged and more dangerous as it suffers wounds.

If you like the idea of high risk/high reward you will be definitely intrigued by some Dareon's deck synergies and builds! Ready for some fiery weapon?

Mirah was already one the most chracterized hunter in the game. Her base playstyle is centered around the idea of throwing arrows to the monster while keeping safe from its Attrition damage. What helps making the huntress with the Great Bow really unique, is the Volley mechanics. So, first of all, we further built synergies around it. 

 Here is how it works: everytime you play a card with Volley X  keyword  (ex. Volley 2) you have to discard X cards from the top of your deck (ex. two cards in case of Volley 2) and deal damage to the monster for each Attack card discarded this way. Ready to fill the monsters with your arrows?

 That being said, during the characters revision, we also worked on highlight another Mirah's important ability, which is Blind. This ability gives her playstyle a touch of control (it actually lays the foundation for an interesting "control build" for her). Basically, when you Blind the monster, you consider now all Peril cards in play to be blank until the start of your next turn. It can be really good against some monsters that have powerful passive abilities in the form of Peril cards. 

Playing Thoreg is a lot of fun since the Stun ability that characterizes the bearer of the Hammer is probably one of the most interesting abilities in the game. When you Stun the monster not only you disable an active Behaviour card in play (it cannot trigger for the rest of the round), but you also have an ally of your choice dealing damage to the monster. In fact, you choose an ally to reveal any number of attack cards from their hand and deal damage for each card revealed this way. That's huge and it opens to a great opportunity of team-play and cooperation.

 Then, we further improved Thoreg's options by introducing another status condition he can now apply to the monster: Confused. How does it work? 

First, when a monster is Confused it immediately turns to a sector at players' choice (that's a great way to control the board state). In addition, all Behaviours' boost effects are prevented until the end of the round (however, the monster still spends struggle for them!).

Despite the Hammer is very suited for a control deck, we also gave him different deckbuilding options for some damage oriented builds. 

Devastating Strength is a good example of a strong card that focuses on damage output. This card is particularly interesting because it also allowed us to introduce a new mechanical perspective on the Mastery activation. Basically, every round, at the start of your turn, you may decide to activate it by receving a Strain token - that will weaken your hand for the next turn. Then, at the end of the round the Mastery loses focus (that is to say: you deactivate it!) so that every round you make a tough choice between having more stamina or receiving a big damage buff!

Ljonar is designed to be a support character and it is also a great choice for players that wants to build a defensive/tank deck. Given the many opportunities of teamplay in the game, playing a support role can be very satisfying in Primal: you can set up strong synergies with other characters, assist your allies and make great plays possible for your team.

With that in mind, we added a thematic ability that characterizes this hunter: Taunt .

Taunt works similarly as Assist: out of your turn you may discard the card to let your ally draw 1. However, Taunt also forces the monster to turn to your sector. This can be a very strategic resource in many situations - for example when the players must hit a specific monster's flank. 

Also, many cards that requires Ljonar to be in the Front sector (for example, the Volcano shield below) really shine and synergize with when is in the Front sector the Taunt mechanics.

Additionally, Ljonar has been equipped with the Retaliate ability. We introduced it to make a tank more efficient and fascinating. When you suffer damage, the Retaliate ability lets you deal damage in return to the monster by revealing specific cards from your hand.

 Combining Taunt and Retaliate with the Resilience keyword and some interesting control elements (see Block or Bulwark below for some examples), Ljonar has become a very flexible character with an interesting variety in the deckbuilding options. 

Playtest

In the last months we have been putting a large effort in the playtest process to stress every mechanics and find the sweet spot in terms of difficulty for each monster. We aim to make every fight in the game balanced, but also different, fun and thematic. 

To reach the quality we need, we decided to work together with a professional team of playtesters. We are happy to announce our collaboration with Play Up Games Studio (PUG Studio), an italian company based in Reggio Emilia, which offers a specialized playtest service. 

PUG's members are passionate game designers and experienced playtesters that collaborated on many different titles with both italian and international publishers.

With their help we are doing an extensive and in-depth playtesting with hundreds of sessions divided in multiple phases to analyse each monster at different levels and player counts. The test is proceeding smoothly so far and it will continue through the beginning of the next year.

In the last months we've already done a large amount of work on the core game content. However, stretch goals and expansions introduce new equipment, new monsters and also two additional characters, affecting the overall balance in deckbuilding and crafting. For this reason the test of the expanded content already started in parallel to the core game and a significant part of the playtest in the next months will be focused on testing and finalizing the extra content from stretch goals and expansions. 

Thyrea - Lore Development 

For a project like Primal, game design is not only about mechanics and mathematical models, but it also involves the process of creating an entire game world and an original narrative background.

To give life to the world of Thyrea, we started a lore division assembling a dedicated creative team in charge of further developing the lore, the secrets and the history of this setting.

The Expanded Lore content we unlocked during the KS added quite a lot of extra work, but at the same time it gave us the possibility to explore the past eras of Thyrea developing deep connections with the main plot. 

It's really a passionate work that we cannot wait to share with all of you.

In the meantime, the artwork is proceeding hand in hand with the lore development. Many cool additions, like legendary weapons and items we unlocked during the campaign will be shared in the next few months as we finalize the legends of Thyrea.

Pledge Manager and Shipping 

We are gratefull to all of you that participated to the survey completion on BackerKit. It has been important to us in order to finalize data for the manufacturing and fulfillment plan. 

The global situation of shipping is still in development, and this crazy situation caused us many concerns and slowdowns in the past months especially for the Pledge Manager opening. Anyway, thanks to your feedback, we really made the right decision by postponing the collection of shipping. In facts, despite the general unpredictability of these times, we are confident we will be able to offer shipping rates in line with our estimates on the KS page.

Talking about freight shipping delays, as you can guess it is very difficult to make predictions at this point, but we are positive we will find a better situation once we approach the shipping phase later in the next year (more on this in the Timeline section below).

Manufacturing 

Primal is a product on which our company will focus for a long time in the years to come. Thus, we are making a big investment on the production, with no compromises on quality.

For this reason we took the necessary time to do research and evaluate the best solution for the manufacturing of the game. In particular we focused on the miniatures quality to achieve the monstrous level of details that these models deserve.

During the last 4 months we received many samples from different manufacturers and we want to say that all of them provided us with good solutions. That being said, some of the models we received, turned out to be spectacular and perfectly aligned with the quality we need for this project.

We evaluated not only the quality of the model itself, but also the overall quality control process and the attention put by the factory during the file modifications.

After an accurate analysis we are happy to say we are about to pick the manufacturer for the production with the aim to start the tooling creation within next month.

The models you see in the pictures above are 95% representative of the final production. We are very excited to see such an amazing level of details and we look forward to showing more images as we progress through the tooling creation. 

Updated Timeline

The research for the right manufacturer, the slowdowns for the PM - due to the shipping crisis management - and the extra amount of work we put on the game development, necessarily lead us to an update of the project timeline.

In facts, for all the reasons above, unfortunately the project experienced a delay with respect to our estimates. Comparing to our initial plan, we are sorry to announce that we accumulated a total of 5-6 months delay.

Here below we want to share with you all the details about our new updated timeline:

We are very sorry to be forced to stretch our delivery estimates. It's a tough announcement to make and we hope you will accept our sincere apologies.

Throughout the entire process, we have been constantly choosing to make no compromises on the quality of the game, from the components to the design and the gameplay itself. Our company is fully devoted to this project and every choice we make is for the best of the game.

We know delays are the most annoying part of the Kickstarter experience; we have backed so many projects ourself and we know very well that unpleasant feeling. We want to truly apologize for that. 

Primal is a gigantic and ambitious project, we say it in a positive and proud way. When we started it several years ago, we knew we had a long way ahead that would have demanded us a lot in terms of sacrifices, risks and hard work. But this journey is worth every single moment and you can be sure our effort is entirely dedicated to deliver you what it aims to be one of the best game experiences in the genre.

Once again, thank you for being part of this community and for supporting our vision.

We will be back next month with a Christmas update from Thyrea.

Until then, stay safe everyone.

Reggie Games

Pledge Manager closes in two days!
about 3 years ago – Wed, Oct 27, 2021 at 02:06:43 AM

Hey Hunters!

Welcome to this very quick update about the pledge manager closure!

Most of you have already completed the survey, we want to say a big thank you for that!

As previously announced in the Update #27, the deadline for the Pledge Manager is October 28.

If you already completed your survey, you could ignore this update, otherwise please, be sure to complete your survey within October 28. Your order information is very important for us to manage the next steps of the process.

In case you missed the survey email or never received one, you can get your survey at this link: https://primal.backerkit.com/

Feel free to reach out to us via private message or email in case you need any help. Also, if you need a step-by-step guide through the survey and PM, please check out our previous update (Update #26 Survey Guide).

 FAQs - Pledge Manager closing

Here below is a short list of FAQs to help you figuring out any doubt regarding the PM closure.

Will I be able to change my address, change my billing information and edit my order (add/remove items) after October 28?

Yes, you will still be able to make changes to your order after October 28. The PM closing date is necessary to us to collect information for logistics and production purposes. You will be able to make last-minute changes to your order until we approach the “shipping phase”. 

When will my credit card be billed?

Your credit card will be billed only at a later stage, as we approach the "shipping phase", if everything stays on track, in the late winter.

At that point, the shipping fee will be added to your order, and you will have the time to do last-minute changes. Then, your card will be billed (items and shipping fee all at once).

The community will be informed about the charging date through Kickstarter updates and our social media. Please, consider that given the situation of worldwide shipping, this procedure aims to get you the best shipping rates once things will hopefully return to normal. In case you missed it, feel free to check out Update #26 - Delayed Shipping Costs for more info.

Can I use PayPal as a payment method instead of credit card?

Yes, but please consider that if you select "PayPal" as a payment method you will be billed instantly from the BackerKit system (we can't avoid that). 

That’s all for now! We will be back next month with a full overview of the project state talking about game design, playtest schedule, miniatures production and the overall project timeline.

Until next time, have great game nights and stay safe everyone!

Reggie Games

Design Progress + PM Update
over 3 years ago – Fri, Oct 01, 2021 at 01:45:49 PM

Hey Hunters!

Today we focus on gameplay giving you a little preview about some interesting monster mechanics we are playtesting in the last weeks. Also, we are going to show new art and talk about the Pledge Manager which is open on BackerKit till the end of October.

Let's start with a selection of cool new monster mechanics :)

Monster Design

The design of Ozew is centered around its affinity with the electricity and its ability to generate thunderstorms that hit the sectors on the board. 

Charge tokens

Ozew accumulates charge tokens to indicate its charging process. First of all, as the monster gets charge, it becomes more dangerous and can activate more effects on the Behaviour cards (see Electro Shield below as an example).

Then, once it gets to a certain number of tokens (depending on player count) it unleashes a violent attack which affects all sectors on the board. Thunderstorm is a special Behaviour card that always stays in play and triggers everytime the monster completes its charging.  

Players can remove tokens thanks to the objective card that represent the attempt to disrupt the charging process by hitting the monster's horn. This way, the charge mechanics add an interesting 2nd monster resource (together with Struggle) that players need to manage and care about.

Marked sectors

As the game progresses, players also have insights about where the lightning might strike. The monster places markers on the sectors (see Bouncing Bolts below). This way, hunters can anticipate and avoid attacks (for example, from The Call of the Storm at the end of the round) through tactical positioning on the board.

Insect Swarm - Minion cards

Yes, you got it right, Ozew summons little annoying insects, as part of the swarm! These creatures engage the players and become a secondary target for the hunters' attacks. They are represented by Minion cards that are assigned to the players... no more spoilers about that, you will directly face it on the battlefield!  ;)

Hurom, a giant lizard monster with solid metallic scales, is a fast and reactive creature that provides a very dynamic challenge. The key element in Hurom design that makes it really unique, is the mechanics of the floating stones. 

Floating Stones

The true amazing feature of Hurom is the ability to generate strong magnetic fields that in allow the monster in the game to lift off the ground magnetized stones and move them into different sectors during the fight. The stones disrupt the hunters' attack and protect itself from damage!  

Not only the monster places stones on the board, but thanks to Floating Stones, everytime a Rock terrain is destroyed, a stone comes into play, making it even harder to damage the monster!

Shield and Resistant

If you are wondering if the metallic scales are somewhat important, well the answer is yes ;)

Hurom belongs to the metal element category, therefore it has two special defensive keywords: Shield, which works as a damage reduction (elemental independent!) and Resistent which removes all damage in excess when passing to the next Stance! 

Monsters that belongs to the coral element category have the ability to regenerate wounds and have a very special bond with the ocean tides. The fight against Korowon is a race against time!

Raging Tide

As you reach the final Stance, the water level on the battlefield starts getting dangerously higher! As the board gets floaded by water terrains, the round marker rapidly accelerates towards the 10th round, which marks the end of the game.

The Shell

Another interesting gameplay aspect that characterizes the monster design is the fact that the second Stance can be completed only by destroying the monster's shell (by completing the associated objective card).

You, hunters, have spotted a critical vulnerability! That's the only opportunity you have to defeat the Korowon... and remember: don't waste too much time!

You might think it is not a very difficult task at first. However, you will soon discover that Korowon can suddenly turn to face the active player thanks to its short crab legs, defending its precious yet vulnerable shell. You will have to move a lot on the board and possibly use abilities that let you draw the monster attention!

Artwork & Lore

New artwork and illustrations have been developed as our team keeps expanding the world of Thyrea and its lore. Here below you can find the design for a new type of potion which comes in different color variation, corresponding to different effects.

In Thyrea potions are emblem of knowledge and power: they play an important role in the game, both gameplay and lore-wise.

Speaking of gameplay they are an essential strategic resource for the players, offering the opportunity to recover health, increase your potential damage, control your deck and more.

In the game narrative, potions represent an intriguing element of the human culture.  From the ancient civilizations to the alboreans, the use of alchemical mixtures and weapon oils has always been a tradition that brought humans closer to the magical aspects of Thyrea. All civilizations considered alchemy as a way to embrace the arcane secrets of the ancient world.

As different scenarios and rewards are developed, we are designing special potions related to lost receipts, ingredients and ancient knowledge you will have the opportunity to discover during the campaign. 

"The excavation had lasted for three days in the clayey sands of the canyon, when suddenly, deep into the earth, we found it. One of the scariest monster bones I had seen.

Aike thought of an ancestor of the Felaxir and I immediately knew he was right. We easily identified the creature's fan-shaped nine tails with the vertabrae being incredibly preserved. We extracted the fossil remains and accurately examined them: between the vertebrae, in the cavity of the creature's spine, we discovered powder of semi-precious stones, brightly colored in red, as if the decomposed marrow had been filled with it. The same crystalline material emerged in different locations of the skeleton aggregated in the form of gems.

When the crystals faintly lit up in front of our eyes, the tome of creatures, from the ancient civilization of Teclis, echoed in our mind. They believed the vital energy of a Felaxir could be encapsulated and reflected by its crystals. 

The spine was taken to Alborea and it was finally crafted to become a deadly whip in the hands of anyone worthy of the strength of an ancient spirit..."

Each scenario will reveal something new about the lore of Thyrea. There will be a lot to be discovered about monsters, human civilization and the strange phenomenon of the Awakening.

We never asked you: what kind of monster do you think "The Awakened" is? Do you have an idea of what its origins might be?

We would love to hear your thoughts and hypothesis! Tell us in the comments ;)

Pledge Manager

We want to thank you all of you who already completed the survey, your response has been great!

The deadline for the Pledge Manager is October 28. Please, if you haven't yet, be sure to complete your survey as soon as possible providing us with the information we need about your pledge, add-ons and shipping address. 

Feel free to reach out to us via private message or email in case you need any help. Also, if you need a step-by-step guide through the survey and PM, please check out our previous update (link: Update #26 - Survey Guide).

In case you missed the survey email or never received one, you can get your survey at this link: https://primal.backerkit.com/

That's all for today, we will be back next month with a reminder of the Pledge Manager closure.

Then, in November we plan to share with you a full overview of the project state with a focus on development, miniatures production and project timeline.

Until next time, have great game nights and stay safe everyone!

Reggie Games

Pledge Manager and Late Pledge Opening!
over 3 years ago – Thu, Aug 26, 2021 at 03:55:16 AM

Hello, Hunters!

The Pledge Manager for Primal: The Awakening is now officially open! In the next few days you will receive an invitation via email with the link to the Survey (all emails will be sent out by the system within 4-5 days from now). From there you will be able to access your Pledge Manager account on the popular BackerKit platform to finalize your order.

Basically, you will be asked to

• indicate the rewards you chose on Kickstarter (i.e. select any add-ons you already paid for during the campaign);
• enter your order information;

and you will have the opportunity to

• upgrade your pledge by adding expansions or cosmetic add-ons to your order.

Delayed Shipping Costs

As already mentioned in the last update, global shipping conditions are currently hectic and the freight costs are much more expensive than usual (you can check out Update #25 for more info about that in case you missed it).

For this reason, we decided to postpone the collection of shipping costs to a later stage, when the freight situation will hopefully return to normal. According to this plan, we are opening the Pledge Manager without including the shipping cost. You will see 1€ as a non-zero temporary placeholder fee - which is required by the system. Then, if everything stays on track, during this winter we will reopen it to add the shipping fees and collect them by charging all cards. So, you won’t pay for shipping until closer to delivery, when things have hopefully calmed down.

This way, the final shipping prices are expected to stay the same as the shipping tables presented in the KS campaign (see the "Shipping" section for reference).

 Survey: Step by step guide 

STEP 0 - Get Started!

After you click on the link in the email, you will land on the Pledge Manager starting page. Here you will be asked to confirm the information of your pledge level and enter your country.

By clicking on "Get Started" you will confirm your pledge.

 STEP 1 - Questions
To proceed you will be asked to flag “I understand” to the question/alert that warns about the postponed collection of the shipping costs to a later stage.

STEP 2 - Add-ons
   In this section, you will find all the available add-ons for the project:

  Here are some information based on the specific pledge levels:

•  Thank You / 1€ / No Reward Pledge: you will be able to get all the pledge levels and add-ons.
   
•  Core Pledge: you will be able to add all the add-ons to your pledge. You can also add an additional pledge to your order adding one or more “Additional Pledges”.
  
  How can I raise my “Core Pledge” to the “Gameplay All-In” pledge?
  Add to your pledge the “4 Expansions Bundle” to get the same components of the “Gameplay All-In Pledge”, the final price will be the same.
  
  How can I raise my “Core Pledge” to the “Everything Primal Pledge”?
  Add to your pledge the “4 Expansions Bundle” and the “Cosmetic Bundle” to get the same components of the “Everything Primal Pledge”, the final price will be the same.
   
•  Gameplay All-In Pledge (Early Bird 24H): you will be able to add all the cosmetic add-ons to your pledge. You can also add an additional pledge to your order adding one or more “Additional Pledges”.
  
  How can I raise my “Gameplay All-In Pledge (Early Bird 24H)” to the “Everything Primal” pledge? Add to your pledge the “Cosmetic Bundle” to get the same components of the “Everything Primal Pledge”. The final price will be the same and you will keep the 10€ Early Bird discount.
   
•  Gameplay All-In Pledge: you will be able to add all the cosmetic add-ons to your pledge. You can also add an additional pledge to your order adding one or more “Additional Pledges”.
  
  How can I raise my “Gameplay All-In Pledge” to the “Everything Primal” pledge?
  Add to your pledge the “Cosmetic Bundle” to get the same components of the “Everything Primal Pledge”. The final price will be the same.
   
•  Everything Primal Pledge: you will be able to add an additional pledge to your order adding one or more “Additional Pledges”.

When you have finished your selection, click "Next".

STEP 3 - Shipping
In this step, you will have to fill the fields with your shipping information. Make sure those are accurate. In case you will move and you will need change those info, don’t worry, we will notify all backers before locking orders, to let you manage last-minute changes. Also, we will be able to change your address before the starting of the fulfillment phase.
 

 When you have finished click "Next".

STEP 4 - Confirm your information

Here you will have a summary of your Survey and you will have to enter your credit card details.
NOTE: your card will be billed only once, at a later stage, as soon as we approach the fulfillment phase, and we have added the shipping costs to your order.
When you are done, just click on "Place My Order".

Congratulations, your survey is completed! :)

You will receive an email notification that confirms your information has been successfully collected.

Late Pledge

Together with the Pledge Manager opening, our store on BackerKit is officially open as well (you can check it out here: Late Pledge link). For a limited time it is possible to pre-order the game as a late pledge. Feel free to spread the word with your friends who might have missed the KS campaign :)

The Pledge Manager and the Late Pledge will remain open for about 2 months. Then, we will close it and we will reopen it later, at the “shipping” stage.

If you have any questions or need more assistance, don't hesitate to contact us via email (at [email protected]) or private message here on Kickstarter.
 

That's all for today, be sure to check your in-box (and, eventually, your spam folder) in the next few days for the BackerKit survey ;)

We hope you have a great end of summer!

  Until next, stay safe everyone
  Reggie Games

New Artwork + Pledge Manager Date!
over 3 years ago – Sat, Jul 31, 2021 at 02:31:29 AM

Hey Hunters,

Here we are with the monthly update from Thyrea ;)

Today we have some more progress and artwork to share with you. Let's start by showing the last plant model that completes the list of 3D terrains in the Terrain Expansion:

SYNAEREA & TERRAIN DESIGN

In a recent update we mentioned we were developing a new Plant to be added to the game. Here above is its final design and 3D model! Synaerea joined the roster of the terrains :)

At the current stage, all the designs for the terrains are ready to undergo a file finalization in view of the mould making process. Here below is the full content of the Terrain Expansion!

ART FROM THE FROST EXPANSION

Two new artifacts from the Frost Expansion have been recently illustrated! Will you uncover these relics going through the path into the far icy region of Nevheim?

These are unique pieces of equipment you will be able to unlock and use to create synergies with your deck and gear.

"That's the place!" Thoreg pointed to the entrance of the sanctuary. It was leading us to the underground into the depth of the Ice Chambers. A blue light shone through the mass of snow and ice above us and lit up the room. We saw them: rows and rows of towering pillars covered in frost.

The sound of our footsteps echoed in the chamber. How long it had been since anyone was here?

Thoreg approached a pillar and scrubbed its surface. A glassy pair of eyes responded to his gaze. Each icy column preserved a frozen body, dressed in their richest armor. Some of them wore funeral masks or triumphal helmets. All their strength was sealed in those ice pillars many centuries ago. 

We arrived at the end of the chamber to find the statue of a warrior king, decorated with powerful weapons, as if the sculpture was ready to come alive and fight. It held a round shield on his arm decorated with a sky-blue stone, so intense in colour to be hypnotic. At the height of the waist there was an icy dagger, whose bluish blade seemed to share the same soul with the shield stone.

I felt as if all that blue was alive and pulsated beneath the surface of the stone.

"Come here!" Thoreg called us and read loud the words of an inscription on the base: "May you come back in a thousand years and save us again, great King Nehal".

"Does anyone knows who King Nehal was?" Mirah asked without receiving any answer. She immediately looked at us amazed: the inscription had been engraved by someone who spoke our same language. 

After a brief moment of silence, Mirah’s question was answered by a cascade of raging hisses and a rhythmic noise of sharp claws on the icy floor. A herd of beasts guarding the temple: they were coming for us!

DEVELOPMENT STATE

Before talking about the Pledge Manager, here is a brief recap of the current state of the development on the design and production fronts. We will enter into more details in future updates, but for now we wanted to give you a quick update on these:

Game Design: these months are intense as our team is working hard on all the game development fronts: monster design, characters development, but also crafting, campaign design, levels structure and balance. This is the stage where we are exploring all the possibilities in the design space to add variety, test creative ideas and refine the whole game experience.

Graphic Design: along with the development on the gameplay front, some graphic elements have been consequently improved as well; our team is working on refining any card interface and graphics in the game.

Lore & Narrative Design: while coordinating our team of writers we are investing time in the world-building going deeper and deeper into the lore of the game. While the gameplay is primarily focused on the boss fights, we are putting a lot of work to make the setting emerge scenario after scenario. As the players gradually explore the narrative, mysteries and questions will arise about the creatures, the ancestors and the orgins of the human civilization in Thyrea.

Manufacturing: in the first week of August we are going to receive the last miniature samples from the factories we are in contact with. At the current stage, we are taking the necessary time to evaluate different options and to pick the best partner for this project. For now, all the samples we received have a great detail level and quality. We couldn't be more excited thinking about the final miniatures. We will share a selection of images from the different samples soon to fill you in during our final decision process (probably next month!).

 Pledge Manager Update

We are happy to say that we are going to open the Pledge Manager on August 24! Around that date you will receive an invitation via email with the link to the Survey for the project to access your pledge manager account on BackerKit. 

Shipping costs

As you already know, the global situation of freight shipment is a bit crazy (you can check out Update #23 for more info about that, in case you missed it). After going deep in the issue this month, we realized that if we had to collect shipping now, that would be inevitably much higher than expected. On the other hand, as you know, we need to open the PM because the process of collecting your pledge information is crucial for us in order to proceed to the next steps of the project.

So, as many of you also suggested in the comment section, we decided to go with the solution that we think is best for both you and us: we worked with BackerKit in the last weeks in order to postpone the collection of shipping costs to a later stage, when the freight situation will hopefully return to normal.

By doing that:

• on our side, we don't incur in any risk that involve making estimates during this unpredictable situation. At the same time we manage to collect the pledge information we need at this stage.
• on your side, since there are reason to think the situation will calm down by the time we get to the fulfillment step of the project, you are sure you will get the best shipping cost.

So, here is the plan:

1) We are going to open the PM next month without including the shipping costs (you will see 1€ as a non-zero temporary placeholder fee - which is required by the system). 

2) Then, we will reopen it during this winter, if everything stays on track, to add the shipping fees, collect them and charge all cards.

Since this is a special solution for a special situation, we will repeat this again in the next update which will be dedicated to the PM launch! At that time, before you receive the invitation via email, we will also give more details about the Survey and how the PM works in general to help first time backers going through the process.

That's all for today, while waiting for more in the upcoming month, we hope you have a great summer!

Until next, stay safe everyone

Reggie Games