Behold! The Necromolds PPCs have arrived!
9 months ago – Thu, Jul 27, 2023 at 10:15:31 AM

Hi Necromolds backers, supporters, and mold minions!

If you read my last Kickstarter update, you know that earlier this week I received an exciting shipment from our manufacturing partner, Panda Games Manufacturing.

Before we figuratively unbox that shipment together in this update, let's talk about the delivery timeline.

Timeline Update

Last year when I launched the campaign, I thought we'd be fulfilling it in late September/early October. That estimate was built after talking with our manufacturing, freight, and shipping partners, as well as considering the project's remaining art and design needs.

In case you missed it from my earlier updates, the delivery date will be later than originally estimated. Some of the final art/design steps took longer than I had anticipated—but as you'll see in the images below, the project as a whole has benefited from that required time. In hindsight and now with more experience, I understand that the more complex mechanics introduced by the expansion required extra time at all stages of finalization.

It's a bit of insight and experience that I'll carry forward into future projects.

So what is the revised delivery date?

Once we begin mass manufacturing, I'm going to work with our partners to review and update our timeline for fulfillment and delivery. The reason for waiting until mass manufacturing has started is that it eliminates a lot of unknowns, which makes the revised estimate reliable enough to share.

I understand how frustrating it can be to have delivery dates delayed. Along with all of you, I want my hands on the final copies as soon as possible! That way I can play it with my friends and share it with others at conventions and game stores.

I'll update you on the timeline as soon as I can. Thank you for giving the project the time it needs to be done right!

★★★The rest of this update is an optional read and requires no actions for you to take!★★★

And now, without further ado, I present to you...

The Necromolds Pre-Production Copies!

Earlier this week, I did a live unboxing of the shipment I received from the factory. If you'd like to experience the excitement of opening up a PPC—and hear me talk about Necromolds for nearly 2 hours(!)—check out the video below:

Within Youtube, I've added chapter markers in the description for easier navigation!

After unboxing everything live, I grabbed my camera and captured photos of nearly everything included in the shipment. These are just taken on my work table using natural light. Once I receive the final copies, I'll do a full professional photoshoot with studio lights!

Game Boxes

Although it's hard to see in the photo, the Call to Arms box also has a product window. That window will showcase a banner, some artifacts, and the Blood Mump spellbook in the final manufactured copy.

Chaos in vibrant colors. The Necromolds packaging turned out fantastic. There really isn't much to say that the photos don't say themselves. Thad Stalmack II's cover illustrations for Necromolds really pop!

Call to Arms Collectors Sleeve

Those who backed at the "I WANT EVERYTHING" and "GIVE ME THE NEW STUFF" pledge levels will be receiving an exclusive collector's sleeve with their copy of Necromolds: Call to Arms. Harold Richer's whimsical illustrations complement the rest of Necromolds' artwork so well!

You can find full pictures of Harold's sleeve illustrations in this earlier KS update.

To give the collector's sleeve a more exclusive feel, I decided to upgrade it with gold foil. Did that end up costing more? Yes... but just look at how it shimmers when it catches the light!

 Things like this happen when you let a Necromolds collector be in charge of a collector's sleeve!

Monster Packs

Inside each monster pack are two Necromolds spellbooks, four shared play cards, a random Caster Ring, and a container of Spell Clay. The PPC shipment included the empty packages for all six monster packs. The monster pack package design is a huge upgrade over the first print retail packaging!

Booklets

These booklets are printed in full color at 7.5 inches square. The size is perfect for flipping through at the table and can easily be stored in the game box!

As I've mentioned in previous updates, the lore book is something I'm going to keep secret and let you experience firsthand. That said, here is a little bit of info about the lore book:

The Rise of the Necromolds: Written by Zane Messina and illustrated by Thad Stallmack II, this full-color, 44-page book is included inside every Battle Box. It tells the history of the Necromolds, profiles each known Necromold golem, dives into all of the necrocasters and their domains, and more!

Necrocaster Player Cards

In the Call to Arms expansion, you choose and battle as one of six powerful necrocasters! Here they are in their full glory! In the unboxing video, I talk about each and show off their back illustrations.

Soul and Artifact Cards

 There isn't too much new to say about these cards. As you can see, they turned out great!

I sleeved all of my cards. If you plan to sleeve your cards as well, here are links to the sleeves I purchased:

• Artifact Cards and Shared Play Cards (42 cards total): Mini Euro 45mm x 68mm 
• Soul Cards and Reference Cards (11 cards total): Standard Euro 59mm x 92mm 

Their reviews were good and my first impression is positive!

Graveyard Terrain Set

Using the assembly steps in the Call to Arms rulebook, I constructed the included graveyard terrain set. As you can see in the photos, the terrain not only adds to the gameplay but really makes Necromolds' presence at the table over the top!

Note: Although the terrain pieces shown were created using the final punchboard material, they were not die-cut using the final mass-manufacturing tooling. Because of that, you might see some rough edges on the terrain in these photos. These edges will be nice and crisp in the final manufactured version.

The 3D Graveyard terrain set was created in collaboration with Tinkerhouse Games, whose latest crowdfunding campaign for the Vault of Mini Things just opened its late pledge! Full of terrain, maps, tiles, creatures, and more, you'll definitely want to check it out!

Spellbooks

From the original 3D prints to resin prints to the final injection molds, I love seeing how our spellbooks go from idea to final toy! In each step of the process, the Necromold monsters look better and better!

If you want to watch me mold some monsters using the new spellbooks, watch the PPC unboxing video. In the video, I also show each monster close-up after molding it!

Magmass, Kracklings, Gorgoden, Tormurack, and the Blood Mump have never looked better. The vividness of the Spell Clay actually gave my camera some trouble capturing all their details!

  Dice

In the picture above, you can see all of the current Necromolds dice. From left to right: command die, champion die, standard combat die, and weak combat die. All of the dice are engraved and inked—made to the highest quality possible.

Spectral Hero Caster Ring

Thanks to the campaign funding within 48 hours, almost all of our backers will receive one or more of these Kickstarter-exclusive spectral hero Caster Rings! Was this ring variant something I really designed for myself? Of course! I spent a lot of time testing color combinations to find the perfect variant ring for this campaign—so it was exciting to see how great they turned out!

For those who missed the campaign: Post-fulfillment, the leftover Kickstarter exclusives will be bundled on the website or available at conventions (while supplies last).

Can you figure out which monster just got smashed?

Since the Spectral Hero Caster Rings will be randomized, this seems like a good place to plug our Discord community, where we've got a Caster Ring Trade Channel!

Join the Necromolds Discord

Banners, Artifacts, and Wounds

Included in the PPC shipment were all of the final injection molded banners, artifacts, and wounds. Like with the Spell Clay, the photos really don't do them justice. They are just so vibrant!

• The champion banners are a strong yellow color.
• The artifacts are a shimmering, semi-metallic blue.
• The wounds are neon red.

All of these expansion accessories are made from semi-flexible plastic that still allows all of the fine details to show through. Again, I do a pretty good job of showing these off in the unboxing video.

 Glow-in-the-Dark Variant Artifacts

 Those who backed at the "I WANT EVERYTHING" and "GIVE ME THE NEW STUFF" pledge levels will be receiving the exclusive glow-in-the-dark artifacts along with all of the standard artifacts.

 If anything screams "80s/90s toys," it is these artifacts!

Deluxe Distance Tool

The all-new slime green deluxe distance tool comes with a purple wrist lanyard! The deluxe distance tool is used for measuring in-game movement and ranged attacks. It can also be used for sculpting your clay miniatures with its three built-in sculpting tools!

• Use the crosshairs to check line-of-sight during battle!
• Poke out clay from between the legs and arms of your minis.
• Cut off excess clay around the edges of your minis!
• Saw your enemy's monsters in half before smashing them!

It's made from semi-flexible plastic. If you're one of our first Kickstarter supporters who received the toxic glitter rings—the slime distance tool is very similar. And it really pops under blacklight!

And that's basically everything!

Of course, you can't mold a monster without smashing it!

Progress Report and Upcoming Milestones

• ☑ Submit all packaging files to the manufacturer. [COMPLETE]
• ☑ Submit all booklets (rulebooks, lore book) to the manufacturer. [COMPLETE]
• ☑ Receive a pre-production copy (PPC) of all products to review. [COMPLETE]
• ☑ Receive additional plastic swatch samples from the manufacturer. [COMPLETE]
• ☑ Receive prototype dice from the manufacturer. [COMPLETE]
•  ☐ Review and provide feedback on the PPC. [IN-PROGRESS] 
•  ☐ Begin mass production.
•  ☐ Request an updated manufacturing timeline.

Review and provide feedback on the PPC: Before we can begin manufacturing and I can build out an updated delivery timeline, I need to finish reviewing and providing feedback on the PPC to the factory. That way they can make any necessary adjustments before starting mass manufacturing.

In my initial review, I haven't found any major issues.

Gen Con (Aug 3-6)

What to see all of the prototypes from this update in person? If you're attending Gen Con in Indianapolis from August 3rd through August 6th, you can!

I'll be at the official Necromolds booth (164) for the entire convention—demoing the game and showing off all of our latest prototypes.

If you stop by the booth, make sure to say hello and let me know that you're a backer!

What's Next?

The next official Kickstarter update will be when we begin mass manufacturing. So far my PPC feedback is pretty minimal. Next week at Gen Con, I'll be meeting with my manufacturing manager in person to go over my feedback and finalize the manufacturing details.

In the meantime, watch for my micro-updates in the comments section of the campaign page for the latest news.

That's all for now!

From the campaign itself to the prototypes I just received, this project has surpassed my original expectations in so many wonderful ways. Although not always easy, and oftentimes quite strenuous, it is so rewarding to see everything finally coming together.

As I've been reviewing the prototypes, I can't help but feel like a kid again—awestruck by how awesome Necromolds looks. Once you receive your copies, I hope you (and your kids) are filled with the same awestruck wonder I am!

- Clint

P.S. Please let me know what you think of everything in the comments!

Monday, July 24th: Necromolds PPC Live Unboxing!
10 months ago – Fri, Jul 21, 2023 at 01:46:35 PM

★★★This update is an optional read and requires no actions for you to take at this time!★★★

Hi Necromolds backers and supporters!

You read this official update's title correctly! On Monday, July 24th, I'll finally be receiving the Necromolds pre-production copies (PPC) shipped straight from our manufacturing partner's factory!

The shipment includes the second print Battle Box, the all-new Call to Arms expansion, the injection molded plastics, and more! To give you an idea of how good the PPCs usually look, check out these pics of the PPCs I received during our first 2019 Kickstarter campaign.

I want to share the experience of unboxing the PPC live with you! It's because of you that we were able to make this all happen, so the least I can do is sit in anticipation staring at these boxes while I wait for Monday at 5 pm CT to go live!

After unboxing and showing off our prototypes, I'll stick around to answer any questions you may have about Necromolds, game design, crowdfunding, or the production process.

PPC Live Unboxing Event Details

When: Monday, July 24th at 5:00 pm Central Time. Check our event page for updates in case of shipment delays.

Where: Facebook Live Event Link (no login or account required)

If you can't make the live event, no worries! I'll keep the video posted on our Facebook page so you can watch it later.

Gen Con 2023

While waiting for the PPCs to show up, I've been getting our Necromolds booth ready for Gen Con 2023. The convention runs from August 3rd through August 6th in Indianapolis.

If you're attending this year, please stop by the Necromolds booth (#164) to say hello and check out the PPC for yourself! I'll be there demoing and sharing Necromolds, as well as selling some rad Necromolds merch!

Late next week, I'll write up another official Kickstarter post, complete with pics of the PPC and more campaign updates.

I hope you can join me Monday for some monster molding and smashing chaos!

- Clint

Download the Necromolds Core and Expansion Rulebooks Today!
11 months ago – Sun, Jun 11, 2023 at 12:59:46 PM

Hi Necromolds backers and supporters!

It's hard to believe a month has already flown by since the last official Kickstarter update. During that time, I've been hard at work wrapping up the Necromolds core rulebook, expansion rulebook, and the Necromolds lore book.

★★★This update is an optional read and requires no actions for you to take at this time!★★★

Progress Report

I'm excited to say that all three books have been completed and sent along to our manufacturing partner. 

You can now download the final English rulebooks using the links below. Of course, the manufactured games will also include printed copies.

► Necromolds Battle Box Core Rulebook

► Necromolds Call to Arms Expansion Rulebook

Note: For full PDF compatibility, it's best to open and review the rulebooks using the latest version of Adobe Acrobat. The PDFs have been compressed for the web, so you may see image compression.

Did you find an error in the rulebook? Although we've been very diligent in proofing and reviewing both rulebooks, there is always the chance that a mistake snuck through. If you catch any errors, please message me! I'll be able to fix them during the PPC review process (which I'll mention later in this update).

In the coming months, we'll be translating these rulebooks into German, French, and Japanese. These translated rulebooks will be released as digital PDFs on our website.

At this point, ALL files have been delivered to the manufacturer. I know this is a smaller update, but I can't overstate how BIG of a milestone this is. It is a milestone that I've been working toward daily since the end of the Kickstarter campaign!

Let's take a look back at those "Upcoming Milestones" from the last update to see where we're at:

Upcoming Milestones

• ☑ Submit all packaging files to the manufacturer. [COMPLETE]
• ☑ Submit all booklets (rulebooks, lore book) to the manufacturer. [COMPLETE]
• ☐ Receive a pre-production copy (PPC) of all products to review and approve for mass manufacturing.
•  ☐ Receive additional plastic swatch samples from the manufacturer. [INCLUDED WITH THE PPC]
•  ☐ Receive prototype dice from the manufacturer. [INCLUDED WITH THE PPC]
•  ☐ Begin mass production.
•  ☐ Request an updated manufacturing timeline.

So what happens next?

The next milestone is to receive pre-production copies (PPC) of all the Necromolds products from our manufacturing partner Panda. I learned last week that they are almost finished tooling out all of our custom plastic molds. These are the steel molds used to mass produce the new spellbooks, artifacts, banners, and wounds. Once the tooling is complete, they will have everything they need to create the PPC.

What is a PPC? A PPC is a final prototype from the manufacturer that represents what the final mass-manufactured product will look like. It includes everything from packaging to plastic components.

To give you an idea of how good the PPCs usually look, check out these pics of the PPCs I received during our first Kickstarter campaign.

The PPCs take approx. 10 to 14 days to create, so my hope is to receive them by the end of the month.

Once I receive the PPCs, I'll review them looking for any mistakes. Once I send my feedback to the manufacturing team, they make any necessary changes and begin mass manufacturing!

Timeline Update?

Once we begin mass manufacturing, I'm going to work with our partners to review and update our timeline for fulfillment and delivery. The reason for waiting until mass manufacturing has started is that it eliminates a lot of unknowns, which makes the revised estimate reliable enough to share.

That said, I'm sure the revised delivery date will be later than the initial estimate given during the Kickstarter campaign last year. Some of the post-Kickstarter pre-production steps took longer than I had anticipated—but the project as a whole and the expansion have benefited from that time. Although I thought I was overestimating the time required, in hindsight and now with more experience, I now see that the more complex mechanics introduced by the expansion required extra time at all stages of pre-production. It's a bit of insight and experience that I'll carry forward into future projects.

That's all for now!

With the manufacturing files all delivered, I can now turn my energy and attention to finalizing fulfillment details with our freight and shipping partners around the world. This upcoming week I have a number of meetings already scheduled with these partners.

Well... you've scrolled down this far, so now it's time for something fun! Check out the final, never-before-seen cover of the new Necromolds lore book, titled The Rise of the Necromolds!

Written by Zane Messina and illustrated by Thad Stallmack II, this full-color, 44-page book is included inside every Battle Box. It tells the history of the Necromolds, profiles each known Necromold golem, dives into all of the necrocasters and their domains, and more!

Thank you again for staying up to date with our campaign. The most exciting moments are ahead of us—from final prototypes to that coveted final mass-manufactured copy!

Have a great week and I hope you're looking forward to what's ahead as much as I am,

- Clint

A MagMASSIVE Necromolds Update!
about 1 year ago – Tue, Apr 25, 2023 at 05:33:33 PM

Hi Necromolds backers and supporters!

It’s been a while since my last official Kickstarter update, so tonight's update is going to be a big one. For me, official updates are like meals: they’re important, filling, and can’t be missed! After working non-stop for the last several months, I finally have enough to fill your plate and am ready to share all the progress that I've made.

But first, for those who don’t want to read through the full update, here is a quick overview of where the project is currently at. 

Quick Progress Report

Major Production Milestones (Completed)

• ☑ Playtesting has been completed and all game design tasks have been finished.
• ☑ All plastic component files have been submitted to the manufacturer.
• ☑ All print component files have been submitted to the manufacturer.
• ☑ Custom dice designs have been submitted to the manufacturer.
• ☑ Digital plastic proofs have been received from the manufacturer and approved.
• ☑ Physical plastic prototypes have been received from the manufacturer and approved.
• ☑ Plastic swatch samples have been received from the manufacturer and feedback has been provided.
• ☑ Tooling of the steel molds used in the injection molding process has started.

Upcoming Milestones

•  ☐ Submit all packaging files to the manufacturer. [IN PROGRESS]
•  ☐ Submit all booklets (rulebooks, lore book) to the manufacturer. [IN PROGRESS]
•  ☐ Request an updated manufacturing timeline.
•  ☐ Receive additional plastic swatch samples from the manufacturer. [IN PROGRESS]
•  ☐ Receive prototype dice from the manufacturer. [IN PROGRESS]
•  ☐ Receive master manufacturing prototypes of all products to review and approve for mass manufacturing.
•  ☐ Begin mass production.

No actions for you to take at this time.

Kickstarter Backers and Late Pledge Supporters

• Immediate actions: Nothing at this time.
• Upcoming actions (est. late summer): Finalize shipping information.

Retailer Backers

• Immediate actions: Nothing at this time.
• Upcoming actions (est. early summer): Receive shipping estimates and finalize order details.

As always, watch for more official updates in the future so you don’t miss anything important.

★★★The rest of this update is an optional read!★★★

Now for the good stuff! Loosen that belt and get ready to stuff your face with updates!

What have I been up to? Why has it been a while since the last official update?

At the time of my last official update back in February, I was working on finalizing and submitting our files to our manufacturing partner. I had hoped to have all of that completed by early March, but that final 10% of finalizing proved to be quite tedious and time-consuming. Every day since missing that goal, the pressure I’ve put on myself to catch up has been at an all-time high.

“Don’t let perfect get in the way of getting done” is a phrase I think about constantly. That said, when you’re ordering thousands of each product, you want to make sure it’s as close to perfect as possible! I put a lot of care and time into writing these official updates, so I like to make sure I'm in a good place to write them. In the meantime, I've been leaving short micro-updates on our campaign page and our discord channel.

The success of our Kickstarter campaign isn’t something that I take for granted. You’ve all given me the unique opportunity to make something really special. Your trust and support have been critical to the success of Necromolds so far and have vastly improved the quality of the game.

That’s what makes these crowdfunding campaigns so special. I hope your excitement for having such an impact on this project, as you'll see in the previews below, matches how honored I am to have you along for the ride!

Nerdmolds? Neromolds?

One big task I began back in December of 2022 was to address some readability issues with the original Necromolds logo. This next print run is focused on growing the Necromolds community and expanding the game’s presence at conventions and in retail. The logo being difficult for some to read was a barrier I wanted to remove without losing everything I loved about the original logo.

To help me in this task, I worked with artist Andrew Kolb. Andrew is an extremely talented illustrator and roleplaying setting designer. Maybe you’ve seen his beautiful OZ or Neverland roleplaying books? Andrew is also a fan of Necromolds and reached out to me over a year ago to share his interest in working together.

Looking through Andrew’s portfolio, what really stood out to me was his ability to capture the essence of various design periods in his illustrations. I knew with his assistance I’d be able to revise the Necromolds logo without losing its creepy and dangerous qualities.

After a lot of exploration, critique, and refinement, the Necromolds logo has never looked better! The revised logo will help us reach new players and allow us to grow the game. When I look at it, I see a more realized version of what I set out to create back in 2019. I couldn't be happier with how it turned out and look forward to using it for years to come!

Necromolds Symbols

Another big task over the last five months has been to design a unique set of game symbols.

As Kenny and I were designing the Necrocaster abilities in the new expansion, we realized that the text was getting too small and space was getting tight. We needed a robust set of icons that could be used to shorthand the written game language. The icons also needed to be identifiable in small print sizes.

To help me spearhead this task, along with helping me finalize the expansion cards, I worked with graphic designer Katherine Boils. Katherine’s worked on a number of board games including Gatefall, so I knew she’d be a great fit for the project!

After a lot of research, design work, prototyping, and playtesting, we finalized the set of icons as seen on the reference card above.

The icons have allowed us to design more interesting and fun abilities in the expansion!

Introducing Unstable Commands

One design challenge that I wanted to solve was how to elegantly indicate when a command can only be used once by a single monster per round. One of the few errata rules released at the launch of the first printing was to clarify that Mongeragon’s magic ability can only be used once per round.

The solution: Unstable commands. These command slots, easily identifiable by their broken and jagged borders, are commands that can only be used by one monster per round.

Unstable commands have already opened up the game’s design space in new and exciting ways for future monsters! Just check out Tourmurack's spellbook card further down in this update.

Three All-New Souls

Remember the three new artifacts and artifact cards that we showed off in a previous update? Well, Thad drew up three soul illustrations to go along with them. Kenny and I decided to design some unique abilities to go with the illustrations so we could include them in the expansion!

Artifact Cards

The final artifact cards have received subtle visual and game design improvements from what they were during the Kickstarter.

Necrocaster Boards

The necrocaster is the golem-summoning sorcerer you’re playing as in the expansion. Each of the six necrocasters are important characters in the Necromolds universe. You’ll read all about them in the new lore book that's included in the second printing of the Battle Box!

The front of each necrocaster board features the unique abilities the character can use during the game. Small design improvements have been made to the final boards to make them easier to visually navigate.

The backs of the necrocaster cards are really amazing! Not only has each been fully illustrated by artist Thad Stalmack II, but they also feature character-specific lore written by Zane Messina.

Objective Markers and Terrain

The objective markers were unlocked as a final stretch goal during the Kickstarter campaign. During the game, your champion can capture an objective on the gameboard to gain its hidden reward: anything from gems to power to even a bonus artifact!

I’ve even included four extra objective markers (A,B,C,D) that you can use for your own mission or campaign gameplay!

 Finalizing all of the print components for manufacturing included working with Tinkerhouse Games to design the 3D terrain punchboards included in the expansion. I can't wait to receive prototypes of these punchboards so I can assemble them and show off the final graveyard terrain set!

Final Series 1X Monster Abilities

After a lot of playtesting, Kenny and I finalized all of the Series 1X monster abilities. They are a ton of fun and a great addition to your growing Necromolds armies!

Magmass can permanently blow its top during battle, trading its powerful ranged attack for a better melee and defense combo.

The Kracklings can become more powerful when battling smaller enemies.

Gorgoden is a well-rounded golem with the unique ability to turn smashed monsters into extra gems.

Tormurack has the frightening ability to pull monsters (friendlies or enemies) toward it! In one playtest Kenny and I did, I used Tormurack’s ability by moving a monster that was shielding the enemy champion. With the enemy champion exposed, I was able to hit it with a barrage of ranged attacks!

Notice that Tormurack has an unstable move command, which makes for some interesting gameplay decisions.

And finally, there is the Blood Mump! This dangerous golem is powered by the carnage of battle, gaining rerolls for nearby wounded friendlies and enemies! It makes for a great mid-game monster!

Next Steps

A lot has been accomplished over the last several months. Now, let’s look at some of the upcoming milestones in more detail.

The Necromolds Lore Book

The Necromolds lore book is really something special. It’s not just a history of the Necromolds' spellbooks, but it's also a history of the land of Argil and the power-mad sorcerers who control it. It's a world that you’re thrown into and one which I can’t wait to expand upon!

If there's one thing your support has really enabled, it's how awesome the final production of this 44-page full-color book has become. With all of the print component files completed, I can now turn my attention to finishing off the lore booklet, which is in the finalization stage.

Plastic Prototypes

While I was designing and managing all of the components shared above, I was also working with our manufacturing partner on moving forward with the plastics. I learned during the first printing that prepping plastic components usually takes the longest, so I prioritized them in our production process.

Since receiving our 3D files in January, our manufacturer has reviewed and revised them. First, they sent me digital proofs to review. A couple of weeks ago, I received the physical prototypes to review.

These prototypes are 3D printed and painted grey. The goal of this step was for me to confirm that all the components and their sizes look as expected. I'm happy to report that they all look fantastic!

 Since receiving these samples, I’ve approved them and the manufacturing team has started creating the steel tools used to injection mold the final plastics. The next plastics I receive should be samples created from the actual injection molds!

It's one of the most exciting steps of the manufacturing process!

Plastic Color Samples

Included with the prototype plastics were plastic color swatches. These color swatches represent the various new plastics used in the expansion, including the Kickstarter-exclusive spectral hero caster ring!

Going from left to right in the image above:

• The first two swatches are for the spectral hero caster ring.
• The middle swatch is for the artifacts. It's hard to see in the photo, but the plastic has a slight metallic quality to it.
• The yellow swatch is used for the banners, reroll cubes, and champion die.
• The red swatch is used in the wound markers, weak combat dice, and the last stand cube. 

 Our manufacturer is working to provide me with some additional plastic samples, so I'll share more about them in a future update!

Custom Dice

I’ve also recently submitted the final dice layouts for the creation of our custom dice. I should be receiving dice samples along with additional plastic color samples in the near future.

Odds and Ends

Runner-up title: The Joys of CMYK Printing

While working on all of the above, there are some other improvements made to the products that many of you will be receiving:

• The 4-Player Upgrade packaging has been upgraded from a poly bag to a tuck box.
• The 4-Player Battle Box Upgrade now includes four “turn order” cards. These cards make it easier to determine and track turn order in games with more than two players.
• Through playtesting, Kenny and I fine-tuned the design of all the expansion abilities. There have been so many small changes made that I won’t go into them here, but just know that the extra playtesting time led to important streamlining and improved gameplay. It was already fun before, but it's even more fun now!

Less exciting visually, but extremely important to the final quality of everything we produce, we've been working on moving all of our card assets from Photoshop to InDesign for text management. By using InDesign, the text is delivered in a vector format which leads to sharper printing. It also will enable me to easily create digitally translated versions of the game's cards in the near future!

Even less exciting was the tedious task of making sure all of our final illustrations and graphics were compatible with the limitations of CMYK printing. Unlike the RGB color space which is digital and essentially limitless, the CMYK color space is physical and very limited.

CMYK printing is a lot like the process of screen printing, where layers of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink are layered on top of each other one at a time to create a fully printed image. It's a style of printing used in the mass manufacturing process.

I went through each card design and make small adjustments to the colors and ink levels to make sure they will look as beautiful and vibrant as possible when printed! Our pre-press expert at our manufacturing partner Panda has already reviewed and approved the files!

Final Thoughts

Keep in mind that everything you’ve seen above has been happening simultaneously over the last several months. By working together with various designers, I’ve been able to keep the project always moving forward. There are additional collaborators I haven’t mentioned in this update, but I’ll be sure to introduce them in future updates when I show off more from the project!

As a game designer, artist, and fan of Necromolds, it’s so important to me that everything is done to the best of my ability and of the highest quality possible. Although the finalizing process has taken longer than anticipated, I’m proud to say that the final product has improved in so many ways from what was shown during the campaign - and again - that’s all thanks to your support!

Thank you all so much for reading this MagMASSIVE post and for following along with our campaign!

- Clint

BackerKit Payments Will Process February 23rd!
about 1 year ago – Thu, Feb 16, 2023 at 02:37:51 PM

Hi Necromolds backers and late pledge supporters!

This update will be on the shorter side because I'm neck-deep in finalizing digital files. You can read more about my progress after these important messages...

Payments Process February 23rd

On Thursday, February 23rd, I will be processing any outstanding balances in BackerKit. These payments will be processed using the payment information you provided to BackerKit via your pledge survey.

These payments cover:

• BackerKit add-ons
• Failed Kickstarter payments
• Late pledges via BackerKit
• Taxes

There are 1,895 backers who will have their cards processed. Retailers will not be charged at this time.

Reminder: Shipping will be charged later this summer when we finalize costs and prepare your orders for fulfillment.

Retailers

If you are a retailer and pledged at the retailer level, you will NOT be charged for any outstanding balance in BackerKit at this time. 

Because of the size and weight of your orders, I will hold off on processing your payments until I can provide you with accurate bulk shipping estimates. That way you can finalize your orders with the most accurate cost information available.

Outstanding BackerKit Surveys

As of posting this, there are 51 backers who still need to complete their mandatory BackerKit survey. Completed surveys were due and locked on February 1st.

Last week, I sent each outstanding backer a direct message via Kickstarter and email.

Didn't receive a BackerKit survey link?

Please try recovering your survey using this link: https://necromolds-call-to-arms-expansion.backerkit.com/

If you have any issues or questions, please send me a message on Kickstarter.

Updating Shipping Addresses

Prior to fulfillment this fall, you will have an opportunity to update your shipping address - so you don't need to worry about that at this time.

Important Dates/Next Steps

•  February 23rd - Process Payments: Using the credit card info you provided, I will process any payment balances as shown in your BackerKit survey (excludes retailer pledges).
•  June/July - Update Shipping Costs: I will update BackerKit with the final shipping costs and notify you. This method allows us to provide you with the lowest shipping rates we can based on your location and order size/weight. This will also be your final chance to easily update your shipping information. 
•  July/August - Process Shipping Payments: Using the credit card info you provided, I will process the shipping payment balances as shown in your BackerKit survey.

After that, the survey's pledge and address information will be used by our fulfillment partner once the inventory is ready for shipping.

★★★The rest of this update is an optional read!★★★

So what have I been up to?

The last month has been extremely busy and productive! If you recall from my last update, I have been working full-time on finalizing all of the digital files required for manufacturing. Here is a copy of that task list:

• Expansion Iconography [DONE] 
• Necrocaster Cards [95% COMPLETE] 
• Soul Cards [95% COMPLETE] 
• Artifact Cards [95% COMPLETE] 
• Expansion Rulebook Design [40% COMPLETE] 
• Lore Book Design [80% COMPLETE] 
• Series 1X Spellbook Ability Cards [95% COMPLETE] 
• Packaging Design [75% COMPLETE] 
• 3D Terrain Punchboard Design and Layout [DONE] 

To complete all of these tasks, I've been working with a number of talented artists and friends over the last two months. We're all still working hard to finalize everything, but I'd say we are on track to be finished within 3 weeks! Next week we should be finished with all of the [95% COMPLETE] tasks, and the final 2 weeks will be focused on finalizing the Lore and Rulebook InDesign files.

Once complete, everything will be sent to our manufacturing partner! I can't wait!

Unexpected Fulfillment Challenges

In mid-January, I received an email from our fulfillment partner, Funagain Logistics, stating that they'd be closing their business in April 2023 - meaning that they would be unable to fulfill this Kickstarter as originally planned. 

Funagain Logistics successfully provided fulfillment for our first Kickstarter campaign. They've been in the industry for 25+ years, so this news came as quite a shock.

Immediately upon reading that email, I began reaching out to other fulfillment companies. By the end of the day,  I had meetings scheduled with 5+ logistics providers.

Freight logistics/ fulfillment is the second largest expense (with manufacturing being the first). When you think of fulfillment, you might picture a package being shipped from a warehouse to your front door. In actuality, freight/fulfillment is much more complex because it also includes:

• Ocean Freight
• Customs/Duties
• VAT/International Tax Compliance
• Domestic Shipping Rates
• Packaging Solutions

The cost and complexity of freight/fulfillment are why I worked closely with Funagain to estimate our costs prior to launching the Kickstarter. 

Finding a new fulfillment partner was a big challenge and required a lot of research and analysis. When you're dealing with 3,500+ backers, one small mistake or oversight can be costly.

As of right now, I've narrowed the search down to two trusted and capable fulfillment providers. I'm in the middle of doing a careful analysis of estimates and will have a decision made by the end of next week.

As you can imagine, having a setback like this happen has taken away time I had planned to spend finalizing the manufacturing files. It is also why I pushed back processing the BackerKit payments. Luckily my friends have been able to keep things moving forward while I've been sidetracked by this unexpected fulfillment task.

Call to Arms Collectors Sleeve Art

In the last update, you might recall seeing the black and white inks for the Call to Arms collector's sleeve illustrated by Harold Richer. Well, Harold has completed work on the color versions! Check them out!

Mud Mumps! Veggitoads! Petripods! Igneous! Hirana! Artifacts! Golem battles! What else can you spot in these whimsical illustrations?

I think they turned out fantastic! Harold and I would love to hear what you think, so please leave a comment!

That's all for now!

Thank you again for following along through these official updates and through the micro-updates I leave in the comments section. 

The fulfillment setback has definitely put the project a few weeks behind my planned schedule. That said, seeing everything come together has been so rewarding. Every aspect of the game has been improved from what we showcased during the Kickstarter. In the next update, I'll be able to show off these improvements and talk more about the process! Until then, I'll be hard at work finalizing these files!

As always, please message me if you have any questions!

- Clint