Reading the Fine Print!
over 6 years ago – Fri, Apr 27, 2018 at 12:04:22 AM

I had this clever little preamble worked out, playing up the bit about how you signed an agreement to get on the island and how Ember Corp keeps modifying the language. Blah, blah, blah. You want to see all the updated game play, I know. First, a couple of reminders for International Tabletop Day appearances.

I will be on the Dice Tower livestream tomorrow (aka ITTD Eve). I'm actually starting at noon EDT with some D&D for the guys, but we'll be playing Fireball Island at around 3:00 PM EDT. The direct link to that stream is HERE. 

Meanwhile, on ITTD on Saturday, JR will be at Common Ground Games in Dallas, starting around 2:00 PM local. And I will be at the CoolStuffInc in Hollywood with the super secret second prototype.

Now, on with the show!

Let's start with the updated rules:

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You'll notice some changes to these from where we started, and there might still be some minor tweaking, such as to specific cards. But the rules are largely where we expect them to be at this point.

I can't say enough about how valuable the Road Trip has been. In addition to being a lot of fun and getting to meet so many of the fans, it has been an unparalleled opportunity for intensive playtesting. Think about it: We've gotten in well over 100 playests with over 500 different players of all sorts of ages, experience, and abilities. So, again, thank you!

Now let's take a look at some new cards, including some of the new types that you've unlocked in the stretch goals:

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You can see a couple of new souvenirs and their effects. Every souvenir will have a cue for when it can be played and a beneficial effect. They are always discarded after they are used. The legendary artifacts are essentially just souped up souvenirs with more intricate effects. We toyed with tweaking how they were acquired, but that just ended up being fiddly and frustrating. I love how thematic the effects are, and I can't wait to show off the rest of them.

The injuries, of course, have negative effects. When you would lose a treasure, you may choose to take an injury instead. But choose wisely, because they'll stay with you the rest of the game. Some of them aren't too bad, but some of them can really mess up your plans.

Finally, we've got a peek at some player powers from Last Adventurer. You'll want to trigger these powers as often as you can, but don't get sidetracked from the real objective. (And I love Jason's idea to put them on t-shirts. And, reminder, none of this art is final.)

We seem to be getting our campaign-ending tailwind a little early, which is great. Keep helping us spread the word, and we'll break through those stretch goals and finish on a bang.

Like a fireball, let's keep rolling along.

The Home Stretch!
over 6 years ago – Wed, Apr 25, 2018 at 11:43:36 PM

The end is in sight. Eight days to go. The rarefied air of $2 million is in sniffing distance. The final, bonkers, last 48 hours is right past the weekend. We've hammered out some exciting stretch goals to put some fuel on the fire. So let's get straight to it. (And make sure you read all the way to the bottom -- we've got some amazing new art to show off.)

Taking a quick look back, we've unlocked the Golden Idol treasure for the Last Adventurer expansion and added Injury and Hangry cards to the Treasure Trove. We'll be posting another update tomorrow with the newest version of the rules and examples of the various mini-expansions.

And now for the new ones:

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At $2.1m, we'll be adding three new items to the base game. We've got the Hello-Copter, where folks can put their minis when they start and finish the game. The Maw of Vul-Kar holds treasures lost to the island and bonus tokens, which opens up some new design space. (More on that tomorrow.) And we've got a handy Cataclysm Tracker that keeps track of the Cataclysm cards as they're played and reminds folks when to add marbles to the Scar.

At $2.2m, we've got a fun new treasure for the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Bees! expansion: honey pots. These treasures are so valuable that you can give just one even when you are supposed to give up more. But they come with a cost, as you'll get a bee sting token every time you receive one.

At $2.3m, we'll be ramping up the meanness of the Crimson Cutlass expansion. Sinister motives give players secret objectives to complete for bonus points at the end of the game. And the Black Spot is a cursed souvenir that is worth negative points, but you can only get rid of it by pawning it off on another player. Additions so mean you'll be begging to parley.

At $2.4m, we've finally worked out something for all those folks that really wanted to bling out their game. This specially designed Maker Kit comes with a clear set of island trays of the same quality as the base game, an extra Vul-Kar, and blank cardboard scrims. Now, you can make a game that's all yours. Go silly or serious. Turn the island into a ravaged hellscape of death and despair. Give Old Vulkie googly eyes and a bad comb-over. Add a smoke machine. It's all up to you. You can add this optional buy to your pledge for $40.

At $2.5m, we'll be giving every backer a nice fat discount to buy Fireball Island branded goodies (and other stuff) in our upcoming merchandise store. This discount will essentially let you purchase these items at cost. We're busy designing all kinds of neat stuff, including shirts, towels, and more. We're also thrilled to announce that we've worked out a deal with The Broken Token, makers of some of the most amazing inserts and box treatments you'll ever see. You'll be getting a discount on whatever cool thing they dream up for this game. More details on both coming soon.

We hope you are as excited about these new stretch goals as we are. We've worked hard to come up with interesting, fun, new ideas to offer value and add to your experience. (And, if we happen to bust through these too? Well, we're still workin'.)

We're also thrilled to be able to show off the cover art for the Last Adventurer and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Bees! Check out this work by George Doutsiopoulos:

Now, you probably didn't notice because we only had sketches until now. But if you just so happen to slide those two covers together....

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If you'd like to download the image to use for your desktop (or just check out all the amazing detail), you can find it HERE.

Like a fireball, let's keep rolling along.

Hello, Gorgeous!
over 6 years ago – Tue, Apr 24, 2018 at 01:18:33 AM

We're heading into the home stretch. If we finish as strongly as we've started, well, you folks will have been part of something truly special. We've already broken through $1.8 million and 15,000 backers! The Hangry mini-expansion and cooperative mode are in sight.

As we bring this thing home, we'll be posting a bit more frequently -- putting a bow on some things that we've talked about during the campaign. Today, we're taking a look at the board art. It feels like the number one comment I've typed out during this campaign has been: "It's a hand-painted prototype board. The production copy will have great art and less glare." We are wrapping up the production files to make sure we hit our target ship date, and Jason just finished off the board art. So, without further ado:

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And some close-up shots of some fun details you'll discover on your visit to the island:

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Jason was kind enough to give us a little look into his process with this time-lapse video of some work on the board art:

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The Hotness

One of the things that would help as we head into the final stretch is keeping things hot over at Board Game Geek. If you haven't already, please hop on over to the Fireball Island: The Curse of Vul-Kar entry and:

• Become a fan on the main page
• Add it to your collection ("pre-ordered" if you've backed the campaign)
• Head into the Images and Videos and give a thumbs up to as many as you can
• Post in the forums

Every bit helps.

International Tabletop Day

This Friday is International Tabletop Day Eve. I'll be heading down to the Dice Tower HQ for some live play. At noon EDT, we'll be doing our sequel session of Dungeons & Dragons. Then, at 3:00, we'll be doing a live playthrough of Fireball Island with Tom and the rest of the crew. Be sure to tune in to their YouTube channel -- should be a fun time!

And J.R. keeps rolling along with the Road Trip. We've been getting some amazing crowds full of excitement and energy. Thank you for that. On ITTD, he'll be spending the day at Common Ground Games in Dallas from 2:00 PM local til closing. But if you're around any of the stops, come by and check it out:

• 4/24 - Pieces, St. Louis, 4:00
• 4/25 - Game Goblins, Little Rock, 6:00
• 4/26 - Collected Comics, Fort Worth, 7:00
• 4/27 - Madness Games, Plano, 7:00
• 4/28 - Common Ground Games, Dallas, 2:00 (ITTD)
• 4/29 - Emerald Tavern, Austin, TBD
• 4/30 - SUPER DUPER TOP SECRET EVENT!
• 5/1 - Vigilante Games, Austin, TBD
• 5/2 - Knight Watch Games, San Antonio, 3:00
• 5/3 - Coral Sword, Houston, 7:00

(all times tentative)

Like a fireball, let's keep rolling along.

Why Stretch Alone When You Can Stretch Together!
over 6 years ago – Fri, Apr 20, 2018 at 01:59:46 AM

Let's get right to it: We're talking stretch goals! For starters, we've got the updated graphic.

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We're awfully close to hitting $1.7 million -- still am not used to saying those kinds of numbers. That unlocks the golden idol treasure. JR is playing around with this new treasure on the Road Trip. As it stands right now, it's worth 7 points (same as the Heart of Vul-Kar), and if you get knocked down, you must give it up if you have it. ("Throw me the idol; I throw you the whip.") We're working on the physical design of it as we speak and should have something to see before the campaign is over.

Speaking of the Last Adventurer, we've got some more news on the minis front. We've tweaked the paint direction on the painted minis add-on. Here's a render of the new look:

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You'll notice we've painted the bases to match the figure's main color. Something else you might notice is that we've altered the sculpt on the Last Adventurer. Let's talk about that for a sec.

Chad Hoverter finished the design on the minis in early February, and we didn't circle back to them until we started getting the assets together for the Kickstarter campaign. I'm sure you are all aware that, in the interim, the Stoneman Douglas shooting occurred. I was at GAMA when Jason sent out the composite render of all the minis, and it hit me right in the gut: that gun. I should mention that I live about 20 minutes from the school and know people who lost friends and loved ones in the tragedy. But even on a general level, it just sat wrong with me. I was really upset. I knew we couldn't change it at that late date without messing up our production timeline. I didn't want anyone else on the team to share my consternation, so I just sat on it. But a couple of weeks ago, it came up again, and I just threw it out there. And now is when I get to point out how awesome our team is. Not only did they agree it should be changed, but Chad agreed to make the immediate correction, and Longshore was able to change the tool on the fly without messing up the production timeline. And, of course, the torch is a perfect fit in its own way -- probably a lot more useful when exploring those dark caves on the island. It's a minor detail in the grand scheme of things, but it speaks to the thoughtfulness and dedication of the team. I couldn't be happier.

We've also revealed the next two stretch goals. At $1.9 million, we're adding 4 more Hangry cards to the Treasure Trove, which will take us up to a whopping 48 bonus cards for backers. We're still testing, but they add some serious but strategic "take that" to the game, moving your opponents into hazardous positions, grabbing treasure, and so on. Mostly you'll be trying to find the perfect opportunity to maximize their pain and your benefit.

But the biggie is, appropriately enough, at $2 million: cooperative mode. We've really just started working on this in earnest, but we've got enough of an idea that we're comfortable we can make it work. Keep in mind this mode won't be done in time to show up in the rulebook, but it will be available to download on our website and in the app itself. We recently used the same treatment with Stop Thief!, and folks have been raving about it.

As for play, our current concept is to let the app control Vul-Kar, interrupting players' turns with his own dastardly plans. This keeps the players guessing. (We'd even be able to tweak his effects via updates.) Most likely, players would be racing around the island to gather certain treasures and get off before it all goes kablooey.

Speaking of kablooey, that's what happened to my brain when I saw the amazing cake cooked up by the incomparable Sugar High Score for our special event out in Washington last week, featuring a working Vul-Kar and fireball chute.

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So, like a fireball, let's keep rolling along!

RETAILERS: Pledge Level Explanation and Information
over 6 years ago – Wed, Apr 18, 2018 at 01:47:06 AM

This update is just for retailers. It outlines all of the information you need to know in one spot. We’ll also treat these comments as an open FAQ. So, if you have questions, please ask them here, and I will answer. If you need further assistance, you can message me or contact me via email, [email protected].

Basic Terms

You must be a brick-and-mortar retailer to qualify for this pledge level. If you have a question as to whether or not you qualify, please contact me via message here or via email at [email protected].

You must have a shipping address in the US, Canada, the EU, or Australia. It is okay if your store is outside those regions as long as you have a freight forwarder or similar service with an address within one of those regions.

You only pledge $20 now. You do not need to set your order or pay for it now. You will pick all of the items for your order and pay for them in the pledge manager after the campaign is over.

At the time you pledge, you will pay 50% of the MSRP of each base game and expansion and the full cost of any optional buys. (Note: We recently increased the MSRP of the game to $75 for retail; however, we are honoring the $70 MSRP we originally announced.)

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You will automatically get all of the free items and have access to all of the optional buys. You will get one copy of each free item, such as the Treasure Trove expansion, for each base copy of the game you order. You can add on any number of the optional buys.

You will need to order a minimum of 3 copies of the base game. You can order additional copies in multiples of 3. You may order any number of expansions or optional buys in addition to whatever number of games you buy.

If you end up not placing an order through the pledge manager, you will forfeit the $20 pledged during the campaign. If you end up canceling your pledge and ordering through regular distribution, please understand that you will not be able to get the Treasure Trove expansion or optional buys through regular distribution.

We cannot guarantee shipping prior to the street date because there are some variables outside our control, e.g., hurricanes. However, we pledge to do everything we can to deliver your games prior to the street date and no later than Black Friday.

All products will be shipping from our fulfillment partners, Quartermaster Logistics for the US, Canada, and the EU and Aetherworks for Australia. All shipments will be coming from within their respective territories, so there will be no additional VAT or customs due.

Shipping

Please note that we have worked with our manufacturer and fulfillment partner to optimize the shipping procedure and costs. As a result, we have updated how we are handling shipping for retail backers. In most cases this will result in the same or lower charges than you would have incurred in distribution.

Most importantly, the base games will be coming from the manufacturer in cartons of 3, and we have confirmed that we can flip those cartons directly into regular shipping without repackaging, saving additional costs, which we have passed on to you.

Retailers will pay a flat charge for shipping for every 3 sets of the base game and a separate flat charge for every 3 sets of any “extras” ordered. “Extras” include: Wreck of the Crimson Cutlass, The Last Adventure, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Bees expansions, and all optional buys, such as painted miniatures, card sleeves, and any others unlocked during the campaign. The Treasure Trove expansion is included with the base game and is not considered an “Extra” even though it might be sent in a separate package.

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Total Amount

So, to calculate the total additional amount you will spend in the pledge manager, you will:

1) Multiply the total number of base games you have ordered by $35.

2) Take the total number of base games you have ordered. Divide that number by 3 and round up. Multiply the result by the Base Game shipping rate for your region.

3) Multiply the number of Extras you ordered by the Retail Pledge Amount for each item.

4) Take the highest number of any one extra you have ordered. Divide that number by 3 and round up. Multiply the result by the Extras shipping rate for your region.

5) Add up the totals from each of the first four steps for the total amount owed (less the amount of your initial pledge, i.e., $20).

Example 1 (US)

You want to get 9 copies of the base game, 6 sets of all the expansions, and 3 sets of the painted minis and sleeves each. In the pledge manager, you pay a total of $675, which is calculated as follows: (9 x $35) + (6 x $20) + (6 x $12.50) + (6 x $7.50) + (3 x $10) + (3 x $15) + (3 x $15) + (2 x $10), less the $20 already pledged.

Example 2 (non-US)

You want to get 9 copies of the base game, 6 sets of all the expansions, and 3 sets of the painted minis and sleeves each. In the pledge manager, you pay a total of $700, which is calculated as follows: (9 x $35) + (6 x $20) + (6 x $12.50) + (6 x $7.50) + (3 x $10) + (3 x $15) + (3 x $20) + (2 x $15), less the $20 already pledged.

If you need help calculating exactly what your charge will be, please contact me.