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We are thrilled to share that all final files for A Forlorn Hope have officially been submitted, approved, and the manufacturer is now working on our physical pre-production prototype.

Before we look ahead to the final steps, we want to be completely transparent about our timeline. We don't make excuses—we want to share the facts. Getting this project across the finish line took longer than anticipated due to unforeseen challenges, including illnesses and family deaths among our contract staff. To ensure the game received the care it deserved, we had to bring on three additional artists and graphic designers to complete the massive workload. On top of that, all the incredible stretch goals unlocked during the campaign required substantial additional artwork and component redesigns.

While our original goal was a fall delivery, which shifted to early winter, our current timeline puts full fulfillment at early next year. Please know that we have learned a tremendous amount from these hurdles and have already built-in new mechanisms moving forward with our future projects to prevent these types of delays from happening again.

Once the physical prototype is completed and delivered to us, the core team—Ryan Heilman, Wes Crawford, Hermann Luttmann, and Dave Shaw—will be huddling away together to go over every single piece of the prototype to make certain it is absolute perfection. At that time, we will be releasing photos and videos of the physical components, followed by a final 2-week window to get in any final pre-orders.

Thank you for your incredible patience, trust, and support as we bring A Forlorn Hope to life. We will share another update the moment the prototype lands on our doorstep!

We have some exciting news to share regarding component organization and storage! LongPack Games sent over the final 3D renders for our custom-designed box insert, and we are thrilled to show off how everything fits together.

To ensure all components sit securely without clutter, we designed a custom two-level tray system:

We can't wait to get this physical pre-production copy in our hands to test out the tray fit firsthand!

Following our recent rulebook share, we have another exciting component update for A Forlorn Hope: the final player aid is now officially live on BoardGameGeek!

You can check out and download the file directly on BGG here: https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/329723/a-forlorn-hope-final-player-aid.

We want to make sure every turn summary, reference table, and chart is as crisp, intuitive, and error-free as possible before everything goes to print. Take a look through the reference sheet and let us know if you spot any tweaks, clarifications, or corrections we should make.

Thank you for helping us cross the finish line on these components while we await our pre-production prototype files from the factory!

While we wait on the final pre-production prototype files to clear our manufacturer, we are keeping busy and taking the next step for A Forlorn Hope: the final rulebook is now officially live on BoardGameGeek!

You can head over to the BGG game page right now to read through, review, and study the complete rules. Because clarity and historical accuracy are everything in a wargame like this, we want to open the floor to our backers and the wider community. If you spot any typos, ambiguities, or areas that could use a touch-up before we lock down print files for the rulebook, please drop your comments, questions, and feedback directly on BGG or in the comments below.

Here is the link: https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/329362/a-forlorn-hope-rulebook-final-verson-10

Thank you for helping us make this the absolute best tactical experience possible. We'll share another update as soon as we have news on the physical prototype!

Hello Backers!

Today, we are diving deep into the table presence of A Forlorn Hope. A great historical game doesn't just need sharp mechanics—it needs physical components that bring the tension to life.

Here is a closer look at five key components on the board and how they shape your gameplay experience!

🗺️ 1. The Battlefield Map

The game board isn't just a backdrop—it is a tightly tuned 9x11 grid that drives every tactical decision you make.

🏃 2. Unit Standees

Instead of flat tokens, your troops are represented by Unit Standees that stand tall in their respective columns.

🪖 3. The Tactics Chits

Momentum is everything in trench warfare. Tactics Chits represent the field-level leadership, sudden opportunities, and quick thinking of your troops on the line.

🧵 4. Draw Bags

To keep the fog of war real and setup smooth, custom Draw Bags are included for blind-drawing components like your chits.

🪵 5. The Scoring Meeple

Tracking your march toward victory (or defeat) is the custom Scoring Meeple, which travels along the outer Victory Point Track.

Keeping the Line Together: Every piece of this puzzle—from drawing chits out of the bag to moving your standees in formation across the color-coded map zones—is designed to reinforce one core truth: you win or lose as a cohesive unit.

What physical component are you most excited to see on your table? Let us know!

Hi everyone,

It’s time for another look behind the curtain of A Forlorn Hope! We have some major production milestones to celebrate, an honest update on our delivery window, and some exciting news about where you can find us in person very soon.

We are incredibly excited to share that the vast majority of our files have been sent over to our manufacturer in China to begin preparing for production.

While we are still putting the final, meticulous polishes on the rulebook, player aids, and the back of the box, everything else is officially locked in. The digital proofs and layout samples we've received from the graphic designer look absolutely stunning. The visual design is incredibly sharp!

Because we have so many beautiful digital assets ready, we’ll be spending the next few updates doing some deep-dive showcases into the art, layout, and component designs so you can see exactly how incredible this game is going to look on your table.

As many of you know, we are a small team, and lately, life has thrown a lot our way. Between unexpected family emergencies and a wave of illness hitting the team, things naturally slowed down.

On top of that, we've been working hard to process and finalize all the incredible additional components and stretch goals you unlocked during the campaign. Making sure those extra features meet our standards has added to the workload, but it's going to make the final product so much better.

Because of this combination of events, we won't be hitting our original September target. Here is where we realistically stand:

We want to make sure we don't rush the final finish line, especially on critical pieces like the player aids and manual.

If you're attending the World Boardgaming Championships at Seven Springs (July 30 – August 1), please come by and see us!

We will have a vendor table set up where we will be:

We'd love to chat, talk shop, and show you what we've been working on in person.

Thank you all so much for your understanding, your patience, and your incredible support. We're getting closer every day, and we can’t wait to start showing off those gorgeous digital samples in our next post!

Best,