From the Trenches to the Apocalypse: The Brilliance of Hermann Luttmann
Wharf Rat Games community,
When we partnered with legendary game designer Hermann Luttmann to bring A Forlorn Hope to life, we did so because we love his ability to weave deep historical narrative with high-stakes, gripping gameplay.
That signature "Luttmann flair" is on full display right now, as Blue Panther LLC has just opened worldwide pre-orders for the Dawn of the Zeds: Designer's Edition collection! Running from June 2nd through June 30th, this is a fantastic opportunity to see how Hermann handles a tense, cooperative zombie survival crisis.
We are incredibly proud to have Hermann's name on a Wharf Rat Games box. Seeing the excitement for Dawn of the Zedsonly makes us more eager to get A Forlorn Hope into your hands. Our team is working hard behind the scenes to keep our Fall shipping timeline right on track, ensuring the premium linen finishes, custom dice, and dual-layered battalion boards live up to the masterful gameplay Hermann has designed for us.
Huge congratulations to Hermann and the team at Blue Panther on the launch! Head over and check out their pre-order, and thank you all for your incredible, ongoing support of A Forlorn Hope.
Final Art incoming, Manual focus, & Summer Conventions! ☀️🎲
Hi everyone,
We have a massive update for you today as we transition from the design phase into the concrete steps of manufacturing and fulfillment!
🎨 Artwork is Nearly Done!
We are at the finish line for the visual assets. We will receive the absolute final art images this week! Once those land, our primary focus shifts entirely to finishing up and polishing the rule manual.
🏭 Next Stop: LongPack
As soon as the manual is finalized, we will be sending the complete file package over to LongPack to manufacture our physical pre-production prototype. Seeing the digital files transform into physical components is always one of the most exciting milestones in a project!
🚢 Fulfillment Planning
We are officially working with Quartermaster Logistics to build out our shipping and fulfillment plans. They are top-tier in the industry, and partnering with them ensures that A Forlorn Hope will get from the factory floor to your gaming tables as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
📋 Survey Status: Down to 15!
Thank you to everyone who jumped on their surveys after the last update. We have whittled the list down from 21 all the way to just 15 people left with incomplete surveys.
If you think you might be one of the final 15, please grab your link and finish it up so we can accurately lock in your shipping details: 👉 https://a-forlorn-hope.backerkit.com/
⛺ Wharf Rat Games on Tour: Summer Conventions!
We are hitting the road soon and would love to see you in person. We have two major convention appearances locked in:
1️⃣ Origins Game Fair (Columbus, OH)
Where: Wargame HQ
When: Thursday, June 18 – Saturday, June 20
What: We will be running demos for both A Forlorn Hope and our next upcoming title, Urgent Commands: Battle of the Bulge! Come by, roll some dice, and see how the systems are playing.
2️⃣ World Boardgaming Championships - WBC (Seven Springs, PA)
Where: Vendor Area (Look for the Wharf Rat Games table!)
When: Thursday, July 30 – Saturday, August 1
What: We’ll be running demos of both games, hanging out, and hosting some fun games and prizes. Plus, we will be selling new, excellent titles from our friends at Compass Games and Fortress Games.
Thank you all so much for your continued support, enthusiasm, and patience as we piece together the final blocks of production. We're getting closer every day!
We are deep in the trenches getting A Forlorn Hope ready for the manufacturer! We wanted to give you a transparent look at where the project stands today.
🖌️ Artwork & Content Update
We are currently finalizing the massive amount of files required for production. To be transparent: we are running a bit behind our original internal schedule for submitting final art.
Part of this is simply the "cost of success!" Because we unlocked so many great stretch goal, specifically the 7th scenari, there is a significant amount of additional artwork and balancing that needs to be perfect before we hit print. We want to ensure this extra content meets the high standard of the rest of the game, so we are taking the extra time to get it right.
This means digital proofs will be slightly delayed, but the trade-off is a much more well rounded game!
✨ A Glimpse of the Progress
The good news? The components that are finalized look incredible. I’ve included some samples below to show you what’s coming your way.
Sweeping Machine Gun Fire Event Card
Communications Disrupted Event Card
Rain of Grenades and Mortars Event Card
📋 Survey Check-in: 21 Left!
Our surveys are now locked so we can finalize our manufacturing counts. However, we still have 21 "stragglers" who haven't finished their surveys.
To keep our timeline aligned with our production progress, we will be moving the collection of shipping and tax charges to late summer. We’ll give you plenty of notice before those charges are processed.
Thank you for your patience and for helping us make this game even bigger than we first imagined. We’re excited to get these final files across No Man's Land and into production!
Surveys Locked + A Bonus Game & Two Final Surprises! 🎁
Hello everyone,
Now that the April 15th survey deadline has passed, we are officially moving into the next phase of the project. To celebrate, we have some massive news and a little something for your inbox!
The "Failing Upward" Bonus
While we technically finished just shy of our final two funding milestones ($45k and $50k), we’ve decided to go for it anyway.
Every copy of A Forlorn Hope will now include the Custom Internal Insert and the Spiral Bound Rulebook!
Your support made this project a reality, and we want you to have the best version of the game possible.
Bonus Game: Summer in Sarajevo
As a "thank you" to everyone who completed their surveys on time, we have just sent out the digital files for our postcard game, Summer in Sarajevo!
How to get it: Check your inbox for a link from BackerKit, or log into your BackerKit portal and check the "Digital Downloads" section.
What’s Next?
With surveys locked, we are finalizing manufacturing counts. We are still on track for Fall fulfillment and will keep you posted as production proofs begin to arrive!
9 Days Left! ⏳ 85% of Surveys Complete – Action Required
Hello everyone!
We are officially in the home stretch. As of today, 487 out of 570 of you have completed your surveys. That’s a stellar 85% completion rate!
We have 9 days left before we lock orders on April 15th. If you haven't finished yours yet, please take a moment to finalize your selections so we can keep our fulfillment timeline on track.
Can’t find your survey or want to invite a friend?
We are moving right along! As of today, 441 of 570 surveys have been completed. A huge thank you to everyone who has already locked in their shipping details and add-ons—it’s great to see so much progress as we head into April.
The Important Date: April 15th
If you are among the 129 backers who haven't finished your survey yet, please take a moment to do so. All surveys will officially lock on April 15th.
Why this matters:
Shipping Accuracy: We need your finalized address to ensure your copy of the game gets to the right place this Fall.
Production Totals: Finalizing surveys helps us confirm our exact production counts.
Action Required: Check Your Survey Status
All survey invites have now been sent out. If you don't see yours in your inbox, please search for "BackerKit" or "A Forlorn Hope."
A Note on Payment Issues: If you had a "hiccup" with your initial credit card processing during the campaign, your survey was still sent to you! However, you must go through the survey to update your payment method. Once your payment is resolved within the survey, you’ll be able to finalize your shipping and any add-ons.
If you’re having any trouble accessing your survey or have questions, just send me a message or drop a comment below. We’re excited to keep the momentum going as we head toward our September shipping goal!
When we partnered with legendary game designer Hermann Luttmann to bring A Forlorn Hope to life, we did so because we love his ability to weave deep historical narrative with high-stakes, gripping gameplay.
That signature "Luttmann flair" is on full display right now, as Blue Panther LLC has just opened worldwide pre-orders for the Dawn of the Zeds: Designer's Edition collection! Running from June 2nd through June 30th, this is a fantastic opportunity to see how Hermann handles a tense, cooperative zombie survival crisis.
We are incredibly proud to have Hermann's name on a Wharf Rat Games box. Seeing the excitement for Dawn of the Zedsonly makes us more eager to get A Forlorn Hope into your hands. Our team is working hard behind the scenes to keep our Fall shipping timeline right on track, ensuring the premium linen finishes, custom dice, and dual-layered battalion boards live up to the masterful gameplay Hermann has designed for us.
Huge congratulations to Hermann and the team at Blue Panther on the launch! Head over and check out their pre-order, and thank you all for your incredible, ongoing support of A Forlorn Hope.
We have a massive update for you today as we transition from the design phase into the concrete steps of manufacturing and fulfillment!
🎨 Artwork is Nearly Done!
We are at the finish line for the visual assets. We will receive the absolute final art images this week! Once those land, our primary focus shifts entirely to finishing up and polishing the rule manual.
🏭 Next Stop: LongPack
As soon as the manual is finalized, we will be sending the complete file package over to LongPack to manufacture our physical pre-production prototype. Seeing the digital files transform into physical components is always one of the most exciting milestones in a project!
🚢 Fulfillment Planning
We are officially working with Quartermaster Logistics to build out our shipping and fulfillment plans. They are top-tier in the industry, and partnering with them ensures that A Forlorn Hope will get from the factory floor to your gaming tables as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
📋 Survey Status: Down to 15!
Thank you to everyone who jumped on their surveys after the last update. We have whittled the list down from 21 all the way to just 15 people left with incomplete surveys.
If you think you might be one of the final 15, please grab your link and finish it up so we can accurately lock in your shipping details: 👉 https://a-forlorn-hope.backerkit.com/
⛺ Wharf Rat Games on Tour: Summer Conventions!
We are hitting the road soon and would love to see you in person. We have two major convention appearances locked in:
1️⃣ Origins Game Fair (Columbus, OH)
Where: Wargame HQ
When: Thursday, June 18 – Saturday, June 20
What: We will be running demos for both A Forlorn Hope and our next upcoming title, Urgent Commands: Battle of the Bulge! Come by, roll some dice, and see how the systems are playing.
2️⃣ World Boardgaming Championships - WBC (Seven Springs, PA)
Where: Vendor Area (Look for the Wharf Rat Games table!)
When: Thursday, July 30 – Saturday, August 1
What: We’ll be running demos of both games, hanging out, and hosting some fun games and prizes. Plus, we will be selling new, excellent titles from our friends at Compass Games and Fortress Games.
Thank you all so much for your continued support, enthusiasm, and patience as we piece together the final blocks of production. We're getting closer every day!
We are deep in the trenches getting A Forlorn Hope ready for the manufacturer! We wanted to give you a transparent look at where the project stands today.
🖌️ Artwork & Content Update
We are currently finalizing the massive amount of files required for production. To be transparent: we are running a bit behind our original internal schedule for submitting final art.
Part of this is simply the "cost of success!" Because we unlocked so many great stretch goal, specifically the 7th scenari, there is a significant amount of additional artwork and balancing that needs to be perfect before we hit print. We want to ensure this extra content meets the high standard of the rest of the game, so we are taking the extra time to get it right.
This means digital proofs will be slightly delayed, but the trade-off is a much more well rounded game!
✨ A Glimpse of the Progress
The good news? The components that are finalized look incredible. I’ve included some samples below to show you what’s coming your way.
Sweeping Machine Gun Fire Event Card
Communications Disrupted Event Card
Rain of Grenades and Mortars Event Card
📋 Survey Check-in: 21 Left!
Our surveys are now locked so we can finalize our manufacturing counts. However, we still have 21 "stragglers" who haven't finished their surveys.
To keep our timeline aligned with our production progress, we will be moving the collection of shipping and tax charges to late summer. We’ll give you plenty of notice before those charges are processed.
Thank you for your patience and for helping us make this game even bigger than we first imagined. We’re excited to get these final files across No Man's Land and into production!
Now that the April 15th survey deadline has passed, we are officially moving into the next phase of the project. To celebrate, we have some massive news and a little something for your inbox!
The "Failing Upward" Bonus
While we technically finished just shy of our final two funding milestones ($45k and $50k), we’ve decided to go for it anyway.
Every copy of A Forlorn Hope will now include the Custom Internal Insert and the Spiral Bound Rulebook!
Your support made this project a reality, and we want you to have the best version of the game possible.
Bonus Game: Summer in Sarajevo
As a "thank you" to everyone who completed their surveys on time, we have just sent out the digital files for our postcard game, Summer in Sarajevo!
How to get it: Check your inbox for a link from BackerKit, or log into your BackerKit portal and check the "Digital Downloads" section.
What’s Next?
With surveys locked, we are finalizing manufacturing counts. We are still on track for Fall fulfillment and will keep you posted as production proofs begin to arrive!
