This is going to be a big pictures update! The first two copies of each game have arrived and I'm so excited to share a sneak peek at them.
As you look at these, remember the amazing talent that made them real:
For Rise, Wizards! - Robin Ekberg wrote the words, Samantha Leigh edited them. Helena Bia did the illustrations and J Strautman designed the book's layout.
For All's Fair - Dillin Apelyan wrote the words, Samantha Leigh edited them. Caro Asercion did the illustrations and Brian Flaherty designed the book's layout.
Sample Spreads
The colors in these books are beautiful
Hold on, is that a centerfold?
Layflat binding and reference flaps? Some kind of sicko was behind these decisions
I am so proud of these books and I can't wait for you to have them in your hands. I've just paid the final deposit which means they should be in transit to the states any day now. We're still on track to have games in hand by the end of September with fulfillment underway in early October. Digital editions of both games will be out to you before the end of the month!
Shipping Reminder
A reminder that you have not yet been charged for shipping. I'm locking in the last of those details so you should see those charges in the coming weeks when we lock orders and charge cards.
We've gotten all files to our printer and had a look at the proofs which means we are all systems go.
Timeline Update
I was a bit ambitious with my original plan to fulfill during the summer. It is looking like we will fulfill in earnest in early fall.
From this point, it will take ~2 months to get the games here to the states. So we should have games in hand by late September/early October. Fulfillment will begin right away so you should have your pledges by October for US backers and by November/December for international backers (depending on where you are).
Digital fulfillment will likely be a bit earlier. We're eyeing late August/early September.
First, my sincere apologies for the delay. It's never ideal to have to add time but I can assure you this delay came from these two games being bigger and more beautiful than I knew they could be when we first set out to make them. There are a couple fun production goodies in each that are adding time but also making the games the best version they can be. I'm excited to share more when we have the first copies in hand later this summer.
I'm so excited for you to get these games. Thank you for your patience. I assure you it will be worth it.
-Elliot
p.s. if you are going to be at Gen Con, come say hello! I'll be at booth #449
The smoke test has been sent so a handful of you should see your survey in your inboxes. If no issues emerge in the next week, we'll send the full set of surveys out some time next week!
Your survey will allow you to confirm what items you pledged for, change your pledge if you'd like, and purchase any add-ons you would like to ship with your pledge. Addresses are not locked at this stage so don't worry if you have an upcoming move, a separate email will let you know when those are going to lock.
Layout Previews
We're almost ready to hit print! Brian and J are hard at work to make these books look as good as possible, weaving Caro and Helena's art with Robin and Dillin's words into two beautiful games. Take a look at these sample spreads:
Layout by J Strautman, Art by Helena Bia
Layout by Brian Flaherty, Art by Caro Asercion
Layout by J Strautman, Art by Helena Bia
Layout by Brian Flaherty, Art by Caro Asercion
Shipping & Timeline Update
We will be charging shipping later this summer, closer to when games are ready to fulfill. So, you will not yet see a shipping charge on your survey but this will be added later on. This ensures we can get as accurate a shipping cost as possible. I'm speaking with our fulfillment partners in the coming weeks to begin locking down those rates.
On timeline, we should be able to send games to print by the end of the month which means they're likely to be in our hands by August, then shipped out to you by September! I will let you know if any unforeseen delays come up.
First, apologies for the lack of updates. I realized yesterday that I never sent the "We did it!" celebration update at the end of the campaign so...
We did it!
Thank you so much for supporting these games. We couldn't make them without you.
And with that, we have been hard at work to bring these two games to life!
Status Report
We are on track with the planned production schedule. Sam has finished development editing with Robin and Dillin and we're about to move into the final edit for both games.
In the meantime, Caro and Helena have been finalizing art for the interiors of both games. Which means I have some fun previews to share!
Check out the first three rooms for Rise, Wizards! by Helena Bia!
And we have the first destroyed version of one of our rooms, the observatory for when your tower falls.
What's next?
Once we finish with interior art and final edit, the games will be passed to our layout designers J and Brian to get files ready for print! Hope to share some interior spread samples in my next update.
And we are thrilled at how it has gone so far. We are rapidly approaching our second stretch goal: Everyone Gets a Raise!
Rise, Wizards! on the One Shot Podcast
You can now listen to the first part of the Rise, Wizards! actual play on One Shot!
Projects We Love
There are a number of great projects funding right now that deserve your support! Check them out below.
The Endtimes Trilogy - our cross-collab partner is on its way to its goal but could use your support to get there! PLUS if you back both projects, you get a special bonus game written by Dillin, Robin, and Adam. That's 6 total games!
Axolotl with a Gun - These folks are so so close to reaching their goal! Take a look at the art, fall in love with that little gun-toting lizard, and help them get there!
Punderworld- Fellow NYC locals Twice Rolled Tales are funding a tabletop wordplaying game that is perfect if you were obsessed with The Phantom Tollbooth like me (plus I, Elliot Davis, am a stretch goal writer if they reach $5k in funding!).
GOBZ - A game that is so in the spirit of Zine Month that I can't help but smile about it. Plus there's some delightful little dexterity mechanics in here.
Barbabianca- A collaborative storytelling game for 3-4 players about treacherous memories and poisoned words. About how hard times and easy answers can destroy a community. The vibes are intriguing and NessunDove does great work. Plus this is a bilingual campaign being printed in english and italian!
More Soon
We are currently working to line up an exciting potential actual play for before the campaign wraps up so stay tuned!
As always, if you believe in the project and want to support us beyond backing, telling a friend or sharing on socials is an easy and effective way to help us make these games as good as they can be.
