Legends Untold

Post production, Games on boats, Fulfilment, Addresses
about 5 years ago – Sun, Feb 03, 2019 at 12:39:05 AM

Hi guys,

This is a big update, I have a few things to cover today:

Production complete

Production proofing spots - additional cards

Games are on boats / Fulfilment and how it will work

Addresses

Production complete

It is done.

Finally!

Please see the photographs below of the games being packaged up for shipping to you.

Importantly (you will see from the video below) for Kickstarter backers and pre-order clients direct from IG we have included the Boosters inside the Caves box to make things far less likely to get lost in fulfilment. A sticker has been attached to the clingfilm to clarify this.

Druid Booster set

Note post-production cards added to the back of the Druid Booster (explained below).

Lots of Caves!

For those that backed the Sewers!

For those that added the Dragon Dice!

Let the adventure unfold!

Production proofing spots - additional cards

We've never claimed to be experts, we've always been open and up front that this is our debut game. We will, however, do everything we can to sort things when we can do so. When I received the production sample for the Sewers and Boosters packs a few weeks ago there were a few errors that we spotted. Note there were no production sample errors found in the Caves,  this makes sense, unlike the Sewers and Boosters we had had the Caves sample for months.

The errors are as follows:

Sewers Deck

Location Card

Please don't worry about the grainy quality here, this is just a clip from a massive sheet of cards sent in reduced resolution. This is called an eproof. It's why we need final production samples!

The important thing to note is the icons on this card. 

Please compare it to the one below. You can see the final non grainy production quality.  Also note the additional Pathways icon. This icon is telling you that this is an appropriate point to jump from the Sewers set to the Caves set if you want to play a Multi Environment Giant Adventure (MEGA) game.

Loot card

This card has incorrect wording. I can see what happened. Originally the Old Trident was going to be a 'throw to do one damage effort'. When we added in weapon tables to let you use improvised weapons (old trident, pickaxe etc) the first line should have been changed.

Please see the correct card below:

Druid Booster

Somehow we have duplicated the Weapon Talent Family icons (a layer horizontal flip) on the Weapon Talents for the Club in the Druid Booster.

If you look at the top left of the card below you can see the issue.

Here is the revised card:

To make this right we have added post-production cards to the games for you.

So if you purchased the Sewers set you will receive two extra cards in it.

All of you will receive four extra cards attached to the back of your Druid Booster.

We have removed the redundant Weapon Family icon, and given that we were changing it anyway we have lightened up the club a little bit to make the wood contrast better with the shadow).

This has been replicated across all three Weapon Talent cards in the Druid Booster.  Furthermore we have lightened the Club card and given you another copy of that too. 

I totally get that it would have been ideal to get the booster cards in the Druid set swapped out, however there was just no time and we would have missed CNY. By doing it this way you will all receive an extra copy of the Club and all of the Weapon Talent cards that go with it.  So if one of you can live with those extra redundant icons on your cards you are effectively getting two whole sets of the club rather than one!

I'm sorry we've had to do it this way but we would rather sort the issue in post-production now than wait until you all get the cards. This worried me to the state that I got in touch with our major distributor Asmodee UK. They confirmed that they were impressed that we were sorting this in post-production and thought it more important to get the games out now.

I hope this is clear, please let me know if it is not.

The video here shows the games being assembled and the post production cards we are giving you.  It's been a long time coming but I'm really pleased with the way the boosters work with the core boxes.  One thing I can assure you of is that you are not going to open these boxes and think 'wow that's a lot of empty space!'

Games are on boats / Fulfilment and how it will work (well depends when you read this)

OK, let me explain.  Creating lengthy updates actually takes a fair bit of time to do them right. If I have videos to do or graphics to create these are often done in stages before assembly in the final update.  I uploaded the video I did for product assembly to YouTube the other day (in advance of this update). Some of the canny IG followers on YouTube spotted it and that is why there has been people asking if the games are on boats.  I don't want to delay the update any further so I will let you know what I know right now:

All games have been produced and packaged up. We are using OTX as our freight handler, diligence was carried out via other publishers who recommended them.  My first call with the representative involved a conversation that went along the lines of:

'So Kickstarter, tabletop games, do you know what I mean when I say tabletop?'

'We did Feudum.'

'OK then!'

The games will be split into one of four shipping lanes:

Lane 1, Oceania, covering AU, NZ and PF. 

The games are being shipped to Adelaide where VR Distribution will handle fulfilment. The vessel had an ETD of 1 February 2019. Please note this is a part load container so I wait confirmation on exactly which vessel and when it will arrive in Adelaide.

Lane 2, Americas, covering AR, BR, CA, CL, KY, MX, PE, PR and US 

The games are being shipped to Jacksonville, FL where Quartermaster Logistics will handle fulfilment. The container is on CMA CGM DALILA. It left port on 31 January. I will let you know when it will arrive in Jacksonville in due course.

Lane 3, Asia, covering AE, BN, CN, HK, ID, JP, KR, MY, PH, SG, TH, TW 

The games are being collected by VFI Asia (Longhi, Fuijan) after CNY and will be fulfilled by them shortly thereafter.  VFI anticipate collecting the games by 20 February.

Lane 4, EU and RoW covering everywhere else (pretty much Europe, South Africa and Nepal.

The games are being shipped to Grangemouth (UK) and will be fulfilled directly by Inspiring Games. The container is on Al Zubara, it is due to leave port on 3 Feb (hence my caveat above but I didn't want to wait any longer).  I will let you know when it will arrive in Jacksonville in due course.

I have created a map here to try and explain it all - I hope it helps!

Question - Why are we doing European fulfilment ourselves when we said before we would use Gamesquest?

The weight of Legends has gone up considerably since we first launched. Those of you who handled the game at UKGE agreed it is a bit of a beast.  This will hit us on shipping. For those who bought Caves and Sewers (about 60% of you) the game is right on the cusp of the magic 2kg number that is so important in Europe. To be clear, this is fine, we want you to get the very best game we can give you! However we are trying to find ways of obviating the increased weight penalty and this is something that we can trade our time on to save those costs.

You will note I am not commenting on Gamesquest's performance as a fulfilment house (or indeed any other European house for that matter). I'm saying that we have the know how to do this and will be working in unison with several Indy publishers nearby (Dream Big Games, Bad Cat Games, and One Free Elephant). Three of us have ships arriving from China in short order, we are going to share resources and collectively do our own fulfilment for all of you. There will be a short production line, we will know exactly who is getting what and we can get them out the door to you ASAP. 

I hope this is clear, we are working with publishers and friends who have already done this.  A system is in place folks!

Addresses

I continue to receive requests to change addresses.  There have been a huge number of them.  I am continuing to work through them, you will receive a personal email from me when they have been made.

I will confirm more likely dates of game receipt when I know more however I'm told about a month for Asia, 6 weeks for Adelaide and 10 weeks for Jacksonville/Grangemouth.  Please note that is not the expected shipping time, this includes transfer and fulilment time also.

I hope that answers a lot of questions folks.  Best wishes to you and all your families!

Cheers

IG

Updating addresses!
about 5 years ago – Sun, Jan 27, 2019 at 01:31:05 AM

Hi guys,

well I'm glad I asked!

We have been inundated with last minute requests to change delivery addresses.

For the Hitchiker fans out there Don't Panic!

It will take us some time, but please rest assured that yes we have received your emails and are processing all of them for you.

I just wanted to give you that reassurance as a huge number of you have been in touch. 

I will get an update out soon about fulfillment and how it will all work. 

In the meantime I thought I might share a tiny bit of the lore for you.  Hopefully these little excerpts will all start to help bring the world to life for you.

As the Brethren would say:

'May the blessings of the Three Dragons shine upon thee today!'

Now back to those address updates!

Cheers

IG

Manufacturing news, address changes, and a glimpse of the future
over 5 years ago – Tue, Jan 22, 2019 at 07:37:13 PM

Hi guys,

a super quick update from me.

1) The games are made and are being loaded onto ships now! One ship for Australia, one for Europe and one for the US. I shall give you more details on this shortly, I am just waiting on the cargo ship details from the freight company.

2) Addresses.  I have updated the addresses for those that got in touch recently. If you are moving address in the near future please get in touch IMMEDIATELY either through messaging me here or via email at: [email protected].

Please note I have a dozen or so unclaimed pledges (many from Superbackers), I can not arrange to send you your pledge if I don't have delivery details. If you have received a message from me please respond! 

3) We are now in distribution in Asia. If you are in Asia and are interested in stocking the game please get in touch with VFI.

4) A special thank you to all of you who have nominated us in the 2019 Anticipated Game awards on BGG.  In particular I want to thank all of you who have sent us messages of support and to hear of your eagerness for the game.  I want you to know that this kind of support means the world to us. It has been a long road and a massive learning experience for us but making content for you guys is an absolute pleasure.

Sincerely - a massive thanks from all of us at IG on this point!

5)  Many of you have asked to know more about the future of the game and of the lore of Mor Nadar.  What I want to do is to reassure you just now that our focus is on getting those games onto ships and getting them out to you.  When I know that you all have the game then we can explore details of future plans, with your feedback duly taken on board. I will share of our design notes on Mor Nadar in a future update, to help give you a feel for the lore that many of you have asked about.  For now though I shall simply leave you with this teaser image.  You guys are the first to see this.  Please note that the Firewalker image is deliberately a silhouette. 

I shall share more details on shipping in a wee bit. In the meantime I hope you enjoy a glimpse of the future and look forward to hearing your theories on what is going to happen next!

Best wishes to you and all of your families.

Speak soon!

IG

Merry Christmas from IG
over 5 years ago – Thu, Dec 27, 2018 at 12:36:55 AM

Hey guys Merry Christmas to you from us at IG!

This is a nice straightforward update - lots of photographs and confirmation that manufacturing remains on track. We are on schedule to get the game on the boat before Chinese New Year at the end of January with fulfilment to you up to 10 weeks after that (depending on where you are in the world).

I received this sample of the SKUs the other day. I have been checking every one carefully to make sure that it is all correct. Please note this is the first time I have seen the Dragon Dice as a package or any of the Boosters in their packing myself. I have to say I was pretty excited when it turned up!

The usual caveat goes with these guys - I have done my best with my home lightbox but do not claim to be a great photographer!

Here is the Final version Sewers box still in shrink wrap.

And the Caves:

And for the first time here is the Druid Booster in its packaging.

 And the Alchemist Booster in its packaging:

 And the Treasure Booster in its packaging:

 And for those of you who added on the Dragon Dice I can now show you how they will look as a foursome in their packet:

 Here is a collection of all of the Novice Rank items in their packaging:

 And to give you an idea of the scale of the Booster sets (as I know this is the first time any of us have seen them). Here is a shot of the three boosters lined up against the Caves Set:

 Against my hand:

 And finally against a single poker sleeved goblin card who has overindulged at Christmas:

 Hopefully you will agree that those Boosters you helped us unlock in the Campaign are really going to add something special to the game. I'm certainly really happy with the way they have turned out and what we are able to deliver for you.

I will be in touch soon when I hear more from the manufacturer.

In the meantime, I wish all of you and your families an amazing break wherever you are.

Our very best wishes to you from all at IG.

Dice competition results and a brief look at Dun Mordhain
over 5 years ago – Sat, Dec 01, 2018 at 08:45:12 PM

Hi guys,

Dice Competition winner
Sketches from Dun Mordhain
Future Developments

wow - lots of entries into the dice rolling competition but technically (I use that in loose terms as this is a bit like me pushing pause on the music as we play musical statues) I make it that a double dragon was rolled at 40 seconds.

I've paused the video at 39 seconds and the dice are still moving.

Which means err...nobody won!

However, James Philips had 39 seconds and Tim Reid has 41 seconds.  I have therefore added a free set of dice to both your pledges - thanks to everyone for entering and well done guys!

Here is the video for those that want to see dice being rolled - is that a thing?

Perhaps more usefully you can see that I roll:

10, 5, 10, 11, 9, 9, 7, 7, 12.

I can assure you that I had the blessings of the Three Dragons (it's a Brethren phrase) that day!  My regular gaming buddies will happily attest that I know what it is like to get sucky dice rolls on any given day :)

Please bear in mind this was just meant to be a bit of fun - nothing more than that folks!

Sketches from Dun Mordhain

For this update I thought you may like to see some of the sketches of Dun Mordhain. This is part of an ongoing project I have to map out Dun Mordhain in 3D.  This is a big task (Dun Mordhain is truly huge). However this helps me make sure that the canon remains tight and that the world building lore we will share with you remains linked to the 3d model (if I write about it - you should be able to visit it at some point).

Please bear in mind these  are sketch quality - nothing more than that!
This is a street from the Clifton district which sits high up on the cliffs looking over the bog you will be travelling through to gain access to The Great Sewer. The architecture here is a mixture of the Newcomer preference for curves with the Brethren style of monumental columns and scale. This is a very wealthy district, effectively colonised by The Newcomers after the Treaty of The Peoples. Those Newcomers who have settled in Dun Mordhain have bought up the land and are imposing their own feel in this part of city. The avenue leads down to Glassrock Hill Sanctuary which is the area behind the gated section:

This is that same district but viewed from the acropolis right at the top of the city. You can see the edge of the bog of to the left beyond the cliffs and Far Gate way off in the distance on the horizon. In the foreground you can see Henge Hill:

 The reverse view here lets you look up at the Acropolis and the geography of Clifton:

Finally this image here lets you see Dun Mordain from high above. Note that the Eagle Bridge and Floating Castle that some of you may remember from the initial Kickstarter image would be off to the left of this picture. The models will be joined in due course:

Future DevelopmentsI have been getting asked a lot recently about expansions and so forth. I'd like to copy something I said on BGG on the matter:

There can be no quick launch for ASID (A Step Into Darkness). As you can see the most challenging part we have with Legends is it's vision 'All the depth of an RPG with the speed of a card game - no GM required.' For 3,500 people this means different things.

I have had people ask us to make it more simple, a basic hack n slash dungeon crawl with much lighter rules. I have also had people ask us to raise the complexity level further - why can't we also do x,y,z?  

For us this becomes a real challenge as it is impossible to meet the requirements of every single gamer. The advice we received from backers on the last update was to stick to our vision - to give you the depth of an RPG but the speed of a card game.

The challenge we have is that to do this we are trying to condense the typical core rules of an RPG (say 500+ pages) into a small document. The core Legends rulebook is c.60 pages of A5 so that makes it 30 pages of A4. This is a fraction of the typical RPG books you would have to read, however we are trying to encapsulate that level of depth for you in the Legends game design ethos.  

However, there is no getting away from it, to provide the depth that we believe the game warrants, and that we sold it on in the punchline, requires us to have that depth in the rules. The difficult part is of course that unlike many RPGs there is no GM to tell you what to do. This is why we got Paul involved to help streamline the mechanics and to blind test the game.

What we need to do is to get that game to you and see how it lands. It may be that 'all the depth of an RPG' is indeed too deep! In preparation for any potential future launch, all we can do just now is work away at the things which we think will improve the game for you. We think we have some ideas that will add a lot of interest but there is no point in us launching ASID until we get some feedback on the core game.

Best wishes to you all folks.

IG