Dark Venture - BATTLE of the ANCIENTS

May Update: Writing, Writing! Editing! Also, More Writing!
almost 3 years ago – Fri, May 28, 2021 at 06:33:41 PM

Hello Backers!

We have made a lot of progress over the past month!

EDITING: Now that the 4 books in the core game are content complete, they are being EDITED. Editing a project as text-heavy as this is a time consuming process. Not only are the books being reviewed (in multiple passes) for grammar, spelling and (arguably, most difficult of all) punctuation, the CONTENT is being checked and double checked for consistency and accuracy. There's also a focus on making rules both easy to read and concise. In addition to this, I'm (constantly) reviewing game balance, testing and re-testing scenarios, and making slight changes. After all the text is edited into a final draft, I'll typeset it into the books (again!) and *that* will be reviewed/edited several times (to make sure that nothing was accidentally cut off,  forgotten, or changed). Currently we are on schedule.

WRITING: In tandem, while working with the editor on the core game, I'm writing the adventure scenarios and finalizing the faction-specific rules for the "Beasts and Eggmen" and "Kings and Heroes" expansions.

Being able to play the BASIC SETUPS of the new asymmetric factions in a VICTORY GAME is great, but the co-op ADVENTURES are something altogether unique. The adventures are SOLO to 6-player open-world experiences. My goal is to create play sessions (with objectives that take about 2 hours to complete) where players explore the world, battle monsters, activate events, and generate their own stories, while immersed in the weirdness that is Dark Venture.  

MORE ITEMS: I have completed the art and design for all the ACTION and ITEM cards in the expansions (and a couple extra items for the core game). Minor lore spoiler: In the original 'Dark Venture: Adventure Card Game' there was a quest that begins with your hero stumbling over the dying body of a powerful warlock. This warlock curses your hero, then dies. Your 'heroic quest' is to break his curse. In 'Battle of the Ancients', one of the new weapons in the game is the enchanted head of this dead warlock!

MANUFACTURING: On the manufacturing front, we are expecting to see the 3D components (fences, walls, Fallen Star) in mid June.  I'm looking forward to showing them off! We are starting to get the game components (all those tokens!) print-ready, which can take some time.

That's it for now,  got to get back to work. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Rob

BACKERKIT orders to be Locked and Processed on Friday, April 23rd!
about 3 years ago – Wed, Apr 21, 2021 at 07:18:58 PM

Hello Backers!

I'd like to remind everyone that all BackerKit orders will be locked and processed (for games, add-ons, and shipping) this FRIDAY, APRIL 23rd, 2021.  We're finalizing our manufacturing numbers next week and require an accurate count of what will need to be produced. 

A short (and EXCITING!) PROJECT UPDATE: The CORE GAME books are 100% content-complete (all rules and scenarios have been written). Now that the writing is done, I can safely say that this game has a lot of content. The 'SCENARIOS A' book filled up quickly (it is packed with standalone scenarios that can also be played in order as a 'campaign'), so we've added spreads to the FACTION GUIDE containing additional scenarios (half is the FACTION GUIDE, flip it over for the other half, SCENARIOS B). 

...But the big news today is that we're adding 1 ADDITIONAL BOOK to the CORE GAME!

There was not enough space to fit all the game content into 3 books. I assumed that this might be the case (and had quoted a price for an additional book with the manufacturer), but wanted to write and typeset everything before confirming the 4th booklet. The 'UNDERGROUND ADVENTURE' will be printed in this separate book which will also include a series of event tables, an alternate 'BASIC SETUP' for the Underground map, and a 'bonus' play mode (utilizing the tables and the Underground map).  

I'm very happy with how everything is turning out.

That's it for now. Thanks, and stay safe!

Rob

Hex Dice Trays SHIPPING!
about 3 years ago – Tue, Apr 06, 2021 at 05:02:35 PM

Good morning!

A quick note to say that we are shipping all HEX DICE TRAYS right now. We started over a week ago, and will be finished sending them out by the end of this week, so if you receive a shipping notification, it's not the game...it's the dice tray! 

I'll share a bigger production update later this month (the UNDERGROUND ADVENTURE scenario is content-complete!!), looking forward to letting you know more about how things are going!

Thanks,

Rob

Update to the Update! The REAL Box Insert
about 3 years ago – Fri, Mar 12, 2021 at 05:37:58 PM

Hello Again!

That was quick. There was a slight mix-up with the images of the box insert in the last update, here are the correct ones (along with Matt's explanations/descriptions). Enjoy!

Overview:

The prelim design is shown below. So, keep in mind that this design is NOT final. The manufacturer has not seen it yet.  

Cards and Dice

The bottom section of the insert is for the card and dice storage. The bottom of the left well is for the dice. The poker sized cards fit on top of the dice and act as a lid to keep the dice in place when stored or transported vertically. The wells on the right are for the mini cards which will be stored vertically. The middle compartment will hold all of the un-sleeved cards. Since I wanted to make sure that the insert would accommodate sleeves, I added the compartment on the right to accommodate the added thickness of sleeved cards.

Middle Section

The middle section holds the 1 inch and ½ inch circular tokens.

Faction boards, Booklets, minis, ¾ inch tokens

The top section is for the remainder of the components. There are 245 ¾ tokens that will be stored in the bottom of the well on the right. The booklets then sit on top of the tokens, the large cards sit on top of the booklets. The well on the left holds the minis. Finally, the faction dashboards and points track sit on top of everything.

Game Board: Finally, the game board will sit atop the other components. It will act as a lid and will help to keep the parts in place if the game is stored vertically. This does not mean that vertical storage is guaranteed to keep everything in place, but the board/books and dashboards will help.

That's it! Please let Matt know if you have any questions, he will be monitoring the comments.

Thank you,

Rob

Locking Dice Tray Orders on March 15th and the Box Insert Design!
about 3 years ago – Fri, Mar 12, 2021 at 03:41:28 PM

Hello backers, I hope you are well. 

There are three main parts to this update:

1. On MONDAY, MARCH 15th, 2021 we're locking and processing BackerKit orders that include DICE TRAYS and T-SHIRTS. All additional Backerkit orders and charges (for games, add-ons, and shipping) will be processed on FRIDAY APRIL 23rd, 2021.
 

2. We have received prototype DICE and WOOD TOKENS!
 

3. Special guest MATT HEALEY is going to talk about the CORE BOX INSERT!
 

First, DICE TRAY ORDERS: We will be locking and processing the BackerKit orders that include the HEX DICE TRAYS and T-SHIRTS next MONDAY, MARCH 15th. If you would like to add either to your order, now is the time as we are calculating the exact number (with very few extra) that we will need, and will be confirming our final manufacturing order next week.

The dice trays are being manufactured by C4Labs in the USA, and unlike the game and expansions (which have EU, AU, CA, and US friendly shipping), the trays will be shipped out of the US (as originally noted on the Kickstarter, for the dice trays, other import taxes may apply to the shipping price when shipped outside of the US).

I’m really happy with the prototype dice tray, I use it every single day to test Dark Venture, Battle of the Ancients, and to play other tabletop games and RPGS, when I can find the time!

All additional Backerkit orders and charges (for orders with only the games, expansions, other add-ons, and shipping) will be processed APRIL 23rd, 2021. Shipping addresses will be left open until we are ready to fulfill orders.

Secondly, we have received the initial ACTION, ATTACK and DEFENSE DICE, and WOOD TOKEN prototypes! The tokens look great, judge for yourself!

They help to differentiate the units from the other tokens in the game, augmenting the gameplay in a way that I didn’t initially consider (for example, you can easily see when a unit is carrying a resource, and can quickly count the number of units on a space). 

For the third section of the update, a deep-dive into the BOX INSERT, say hello to Matt Healy. He designed the initial insert and will be working with us and the manufacturer to create the final production design! Take it away Matt:

Over the past several weeks I have been working with Rob to develop a custom insert for Dark Venture: Battle of the Ancients. At this point we wanted to share the initial design. Please keep in mind that this is a preliminary design and has not been approved by the manufacturer and is subject to change. Also, I want to say this upfront and in BOLD because I always get questioned about it: YES, IT WILL ACCOMMODATE SLEEVED CARDS.

Overview: The prelim design is shown below. So, keep in mind that this design is NOT final. The manufacturer has not seen it yet.

 Cards and Dice: The bottom section of the insert is for the card and dice storage. The bottom of the left well is for the dice. The poker-size cards fit on top of the dice and act as a lid to keep the dice in place when stored or transported vertically. The wells on the right are for the mini cards which will be stored vertically. The middle compartment will hold all of the un-sleeved cards. Since I wanted to make sure that the insert would accommodate sleeves, I added the compartment on the right to accommodate the added thickness of sleeved cards.

Middle Section: The middle section holds the 1 inch and ½ inch circular tokens.

Faction boards, Booklets, minis, ¾ inch tokens: The top section is for the remainder of the components. There are 245 ¾ tokens that will be stored in the bottom of the well on the right. The booklets then sit on top of the tokens, the large cards sit on top of the booklets. The well on the left holds the minis. Finally, the faction dashboards and points track sit on top of everything.

GameBoard: Finally, the last parts of the game, the game board sits on top of the other components. It acts as a lid for the other components and helps to keep the parts in place if the game is stored vertically. This does not mean that vertical storage is guaranteed to keep everything in place, but the board/books and dashboards will help.

So, that is the preliminary design. As is my usual custom, I will monitor this update and answer as many questions as I can. I hope that this insert makes setup and breakdown easier and contributes in some way to your enjoyment of the game. Personally I am eagerly awaiting my copy.

Rob here again, thanks a lot Matt! That’s it for this update. I wanted to reiterate the first point, that we are LOCKING ORDERS WITH DICE TRAYS this MONDAY, MARCH 15th. If you’d like one, please add it to your order before then.

Again, thank you for backing the game. Until the next update, stay safe!

Rob