Classes Have A Plan. Pledge Manager & Pre-Order Store Is Going Live.
Hey Operatives. Busy month. Let's get into it.
Creative Meetings: We Have A Plan.
We've now wrapped the creative meetings for all the classes, Contractor aside, and we can say with confidence that we know what this game is going to be. Every class has a direction. The Hybrid sessions got heated at points, genuinely heated, but we pushed through and came out the other side with something we're all excited about.
Actual footage from SRGHQ
Across all the classes we've identified 12 roles that each class draws upon in different ways. We're not going into detail on those yet as they'll make a lot more sense once we start releasing actual materials, but they're the backbone of how the classes will feel distinct from each other at the table.
Now that the creative direction is locked we can start designing abilities and doing real game design work in earnest. Once I've had four to eight weeks with the material I should have a much clearer sense of when we'll be ready to release things for public playtesting. We'll keep you posted.
The best part of wrapping these meetings was the feeling in the room at the end. Everyone walked out on the same page about what Night Shift: Devil Division is and where it's going.
Pledge Manager and Pre-Order Store.
The smoke test has gone out, so a select few of you will have already seen your surveys land in your inbox. No issues so far, which means the rest of the surveys are going out today.Keep an eye on your email!
Any add-ons or pre-orders will be charged when you add or order them, exactly like a traditional pre-order.
Shipping is a separate charge and will be collected later, as close to the actual shipment date as possible. International shipping is, as everyone is aware, an ongoing chaos situation and what looks fine today can look very different tomorrow. Charging shipping as late as possible means you get the most accurate costs and we don't end up absorbing unexpected differences down the line. This is standard practice in crowdfunding at this point and nothing out of the ordinary, but we'd rather explain it clearly than have anyone surprised.
Any questions on the pledge manager, hit us in the Discord.
Community Highlight
We're starting a thing where we'll be posting OC Art from the lovely folks over on our Discord. Here's this months by fish.
Welcome to the first of our monthly post-campaign updates. We said we'd go quiet for four to six weeks, we managed about thirty seconds, and then everything sped right back up again. Classic.
So, what have we actually been up to?
Creative Meetings: Classes.
We've kicked off a series of creative meetings covering the classes and the first few have been genuinely great. The format is simple: everyone gets pizza, everyone says what cool things they think players should be able to do, and somehow a game gets designed. It's a good system.
We've got a solid sense of direction for both the NDOs and XOs coming out of those early sessions. Next up we'll be covering Baselines and Hybrids, with the Contractor following once we've got the Devils outlined, since that class is built around what's captured and we need to know what's being captured first.
More detail on specific class directions as things solidify.
Pledge Manager.
We're tinkering away on it steadily and the current plan is to have it open for pre-orders and add-ons by the end of July. We've got a lot done on it already so it may well be done sooner than that just depends how long it takes for our logistics partners to review everything.
More updates to come as the months go on. Hop in the Discord if you want the more day-to-day stuff in between these.
Over £269,000/$360,000 raised in a month. Our biggest project to date, and it isn't close.
Obviously the amount of people and funds raised are amazing but for me personally, the best thing has been seeing our little community grow even bigger. I used to be able to pop into the Discord every day and have a sense of everything that was going on. That's not possible now, and I mean that as the best kind of problem to have.
Being a community led game company has always been our goal. Your feedback, your suggestions, your questions, your arguments in the server about which School is best, all of that is going to be a core part of how this game gets made. The playtesting journey starts with you and we intend to lean into that hard.
What Happens Next
We're going to go a little quiet for the next four to six weeks. There's a lot to plan: the pledge manager needs setting up, the next year needs mapping out, and the team needs a breath before we go heads down into production. We've earned it. So have you, frankly. Our commitment for all our projects is at least one update every month so look forward to them!
That said, the Discord will stay active throughout. If you're not in there yet, come and join us. That's where we'll be.
Thank you to everyone who backed, shared, commented, posted, and dragged a friend in by the collar. Thank you to everyone who asked questions in the Q&A, voted in the polls, and told us what you wanted to see. Thank you to Matt Colville and the MCDM team. Thank you to Tonton Revolver. Thank you to Dushan and the OMM team. Thank you to Grant and Raya. Thank you to Dave Thaumavore. Thank you to everyone who showed up at UKGE and said hello.
Here's to what comes next!
"As long as the Earth, Sun, and Moon exist, everything will be alright."
£250K! We Unlocked Solo Rules and Foundry Is The Final Stretch Goal. Five Hours Left!
Jesus, that was fast!
£250,000. Solo Rules are confirmed and going to be developed for the game. Thank you, genuinely, for the absolutely relentless pace of this final stretch.
New Stretch Goal: Foundry Support at £300K
We heard you all campaign on Foundry and we're putting it on the board. £300K unlocks full Foundry VTT support for Night Shift: Devil Division.
Yes, we have five hours left on the clock. Yes, we also have Overtime. We're not ruling anything out. You've surprised us at every single milestone of this campaign so let's see what you've got for the finale. Share the page, upgrade your pledge, make some noise, and let's go out with a bang.
Overtime — Live Now / Starting Soon
We're live streaming the Overtime Period from 10am PST / 6pm BST. Come hang out, ask questions, watch the counter move, and help us push toward £300K in real time. Watch either on the BackerKit page or over on our YouTube channel.
NEW ART: Shibuya Scramble
Check out this new art from our environment artist, Hachio! Shibuya Scramble and it's UT-Zone counterpart.
Apologies for the slight delay on these. I wanted to iron out a few minor issues and dot some i's before putting them in front of you. I've almost certainly not caught everything, so if you spot any mistakes or have questions, come find us in the Discordand we'll sort it out.
These are a work in progress and deliberately slimmed down. They are not feature complete and they're not a full picture of what the two main books will contain. That said, there's still 100 pages of content in here and more than enough to get a real feel for how the game plays. Dig in and enjoy.
The final stretch of this campaign has been something else. We cruised past the custom music stretch goal which means battle tunes and original music in the style of the trailer are coming. Speaking of the trailer, it's just crossed one million views. One million. That's fucking ridiculous and we're still processing it.
Solo Rules are the next goal and they are within reach if we can keep the pace up through these final hours. It was one of the most requested additions we saw throughout the campaign and we'd love to be able to confirm it.
Share the page, send it to one more person, and let's see if we can get there
On Foundry: we saw the requests and we hear you. It's not a current stretch goal but it's something we will endeavour to support down the line. We wanted to acknowledge it rather than leave it unanswered.
OVERTIME — Tomorrow, We Go Live
Just like in the World Cup, when the clock runs out we're going to extra time. Tomorrow we'll be live streaming the Overtime Period right through until the backer train pulls into the station. It could be ten minutes, it could be longer. Either way we'll make those ten minutes count.
Come by, ask questions, chat with us, and let's close this thing out together. The stream link should be live on the page and will go live at 10am PST/6pm BST.
Games We Love: Nine Tails
While we were at UKGE I had the pleasure of meeting a lovely couple from Japan who run a board game shop in Shinjuku. They have a new board game launching on Kickstarter soon called Nine Tails and it looks brilliant.
You are an ancient yokai spirit, friend and mentor to the forest foxes. Help your foxes improve their skills, use tricks upon rival foxes and villagers, and earn the nine tails they need to ascend to heaven.
They're a small outfit and they'd genuinely appreciate the support. We'll be backing it ourselves. If that sounds like your kind of thing, give them a follow and keep an eye out for the launch.
First, an apology. I fully intended to post an update from UKGE and it just didn't happen. We were flat out the entire weekend and by the end of each day there was nothing left in the tank. So, sorry for the silence.
That said, UKGE was brilliant. It was genuinely great to meet so many of you and talk Ronin, Berserkr, and Devil Division across the weekend. We also had some exciting meetings that we're hopeful will turn into something real down the line. More on that when there's more to say!
Anyway. You're not here for the UKGE debrief. You're here because we hit £200,000... which is a bonkers thing for us to write, haha!
The Starter Rules Will Be Out Before Thursday
We've been working on getting these into a shareable state and they're nearly ready! We wanted to get them out today but I'm being a picky bastard and fixing some last bits before we let you download them. So blame me (Sacha/Slightly).
A quick note on them: the Starter Rules are a condensed version of the rules that will feature across both main books. They're a work in progress and they're intentionally streamlined, designed to give you a functional sense of how the game plays. Think of them as a taster.
The £200K Stretch Goal: A Devil Division Manga
I wanted to post this in anticipation of hitting the milestone and instead I get to post it as a confirmation!
The £200K stretch goal is the first volume of a manga set in theDevil Division world. I'll be handling the writing and collaborating with a manga artist to build something that extends the lore and gives people a real sense of what Operations and Engagements look like from the inside. What it actually feels like to be a Red Crow. What the UT-Zone looks like when you're exploring it.
It's early days. This will come after the game itself is finished and in your hands, and we'll share more details as they develop. What we can tell you now is that it's included for all backers at £115 and above, and will also be available as an add-on in the pledge manager for everyone else.
OMM VTT Support — Unlocked. And We Met Dushan
One More Multiverse support is confirmed and unlocked. On top of that, I got to chat with Dushan from the OMM team at UKGE this weekend and it was a genuinely great conversation. Talking through ideas in person made us even more excited about what we can build there. More to come on that front.
Reminder: backers at £115 and above will get their choice of a free VTT code, Codex or OMM. You pick whichever platform suits your table.
Crystal Maggie Dice — Production Samples
We finally got images back from production and they are looking very slick. See for yourselves below.
A Genuine Thank You To Matt Colville and the MCDM Team
A lot of you recent Operatives found your way here through Matt's video and we want to acknowledge that properly. Without the MCDM team's support, and without Draw Steel as the foundation we're building on, this campaign doesn't look the way it does. So thank you to Matt and the whole team. It means a lot and we don't take it for granted.
Three Days Left. What Do You Want To See?
The campaign has blown past every expectation we had going into it. With three days left we think there's a real chance of clearing at least one more stretch goal, maybe two. Before we decide anything internally we wanted to ask you directly: is there anything you'd like to see us explore?
We can't make guarantees and we'll be talking it through as a team, but your input genuinely feeds into those conversations. Drop your thoughts in the comments below. You made this campaign what it is, so it feels right to ask.
We've now wrapped the creative meetings for all the classes, Contractor aside, and we can say with confidence that we know what this game is going to be. Every class has a direction. The Hybrid sessions got heated at points, genuinely heated, but we pushed through and came out the other side with something we're all excited about.
Actual footage from SRGHQ
Across all the classes we've identified 12 roles that each class draws upon in different ways. We're not going into detail on those yet as they'll make a lot more sense once we start releasing actual materials, but they're the backbone of how the classes will feel distinct from each other at the table.
Now that the creative direction is locked we can start designing abilities and doing real game design work in earnest. Once I've had four to eight weeks with the material I should have a much clearer sense of when we'll be ready to release things for public playtesting. We'll keep you posted.
The best part of wrapping these meetings was the feeling in the room at the end. Everyone walked out on the same page about what Night Shift: Devil Division is and where it's going.
Pledge Manager and Pre-Order Store.
The smoke test has gone out, so a select few of you will have already seen your surveys land in your inbox. No issues so far, which means the rest of the surveys are going out today.Keep an eye on your email!
Any add-ons or pre-orders will be charged when you add or order them, exactly like a traditional pre-order.
Shipping is a separate charge and will be collected later, as close to the actual shipment date as possible. International shipping is, as everyone is aware, an ongoing chaos situation and what looks fine today can look very different tomorrow. Charging shipping as late as possible means you get the most accurate costs and we don't end up absorbing unexpected differences down the line. This is standard practice in crowdfunding at this point and nothing out of the ordinary, but we'd rather explain it clearly than have anyone surprised.
Any questions on the pledge manager, hit us in the Discord.
Community Highlight
We're starting a thing where we'll be posting OC Art from the lovely folks over on our Discord. Here's this months by fish.
Trying to complete my survey, and I am struggling to find information on what the VTT options entail, and how to make an informed decision. Can someone point me to the info?
Welcome to the first of our monthly post-campaign updates. We said we'd go quiet for four to six weeks, we managed about thirty seconds, and then everything sped right back up again. Classic.
So, what have we actually been up to?
Creative Meetings: Classes.
We've kicked off a series of creative meetings covering the classes and the first few have been genuinely great. The format is simple: everyone gets pizza, everyone says what cool things they think players should be able to do, and somehow a game gets designed. It's a good system.
We've got a solid sense of direction for both the NDOs and XOs coming out of those early sessions. Next up we'll be covering Baselines and Hybrids, with the Contractor following once we've got the Devils outlined, since that class is built around what's captured and we need to know what's being captured first.
More detail on specific class directions as things solidify.
Pledge Manager.
We're tinkering away on it steadily and the current plan is to have it open for pre-orders and add-ons by the end of July. We've got a lot done on it already so it may well be done sooner than that just depends how long it takes for our logistics partners to review everything.
More updates to come as the months go on. Hop in the Discord if you want the more day-to-day stuff in between these.
Over £269,000/$360,000 raised in a month. Our biggest project to date, and it isn't close.
Obviously the amount of people and funds raised are amazing but for me personally, the best thing has been seeing our little community grow even bigger. I used to be able to pop into the Discord every day and have a sense of everything that was going on. That's not possible now, and I mean that as the best kind of problem to have.
Being a community led game company has always been our goal. Your feedback, your suggestions, your questions, your arguments in the server about which School is best, all of that is going to be a core part of how this game gets made. The playtesting journey starts with you and we intend to lean into that hard.
What Happens Next
We're going to go a little quiet for the next four to six weeks. There's a lot to plan: the pledge manager needs setting up, the next year needs mapping out, and the team needs a breath before we go heads down into production. We've earned it. So have you, frankly. Our commitment for all our projects is at least one update every month so look forward to them!
That said, the Discord will stay active throughout. If you're not in there yet, come and join us. That's where we'll be.
Thank you to everyone who backed, shared, commented, posted, and dragged a friend in by the collar. Thank you to everyone who asked questions in the Q&A, voted in the polls, and told us what you wanted to see. Thank you to Matt Colville and the MCDM team. Thank you to Tonton Revolver. Thank you to Dushan and the OMM team. Thank you to Grant and Raya. Thank you to Dave Thaumavore. Thank you to everyone who showed up at UKGE and said hello.
Here's to what comes next!
"As long as the Earth, Sun, and Moon exist, everything will be alright."
