Monthly Production Update #5
almost 11 years ago – Fri, May 01, 2015 at 07:45:52 AM

Wow, April. 2015 is just flying by so far, and has certainly kept us busy! There's plenty to share with you this month, so let's get right to it.

PLEDGE MANAGER

I usually leave this section for the end, but it's of critical importance this time out. The Pledge Manager will be closing in a few short days on April 6th, at which time the content of your orders will be locked down. Please log in to BackerKit and make your product selections if you have not already done so, and finalize your order even if your pledge level included no add-ons.

You'll still be able to modify your address after April 6th, but it's your final opportunity to choose your goodies, many of which won't be available through regular retail sale for quite some time. Also, note that any additional charges for items you've added through BackerKit will be charged to your credit card when we lock down.

MINIATURES

You know those photos from the Secret Lab we keep promising to share with you? The stars are now right, and Uncle Mike invites you into his secret lair! Enter at your own peril...

Most days find Uncle Mike in and out of the Lab constantly, heeding the call of his pocket alarm ("The Master", as he calls it) every 30 minutes to extract the last batch of figures and pour another.

And so it goes, day after day. With a few months of this under our belts, we've accumulated quite the pile of models! Here's where we stash some of the finished product under the watchful eye of our Lab Intern. Looking at the photo, I think maybe we ought to feed him a little more often...

Want a closer look inside? Here we have a horde of Fishmen, Hybrids and Cultists, all waiting to be trimmed and bagged.

And here's some models ready for sorting and packing. In the early years of UMW, this board used to hold our entire miniature stock. How times change!

And what has over 3000 mouths and eyes? Why a bin of 100 Shoggoths of course!

There's still a lot of production ahead, but we remain on schedule and will keep heeding the call of The Master until the last model is poured!

THE BLACK GOAT

Those of you that elected to include a Black Goat Box in your haul of goodies, or were already Cult members prior to the Kickstarter launch, got a look at the 2015 Cult Exclusive model a few weeks ago in your Cult newsletter. For those not in the fold, we can now give you a look at all three models included with the Black Goat Box (or included free for pre-campaign Cultists). 

From left to right: The Executioner (2015 Cult Exclusive), The Watcher (2014 Cult Exclusive) and Flamethrower Cultist (Kickstarter Exclusive).

The Executioner will be available with new Cult memberships for the next year, but this is your very last chance to get both The Watcher and Flamethrower Cultist. After April 6th, they're both gone for good.  Don't forget, that Black Goat Box also nets you a lifetime Cult membership and a free copy of Von Unaussprechlichen Kulten, our cult-vs-cult game.

RULEBOOKS & GAME AIDS

The final editing pass on the Rulebook was completed last week, and layout is now underway. We're right on schedule to get the book to the printer by mid-May.

Also in this past week, we received word from Greenman Games that production of the Template Sets is complete. They're now in the mail and en route to us, and we look forward to showing you the final product in next month's update. Until then!

 - Cult Librarian Scott

Pledge Manager Locked Down
almost 11 years ago – Tue, Apr 21, 2015 at 03:55:29 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Monthly Production Update #4
about 11 years ago – Sun, Mar 01, 2015 at 01:31:57 PM

Another new month has arrived, and we're still hard at it pulling together all your goodies for distribution later this year.  Everything remains right on track, though there's still quite a lot of work ahead of us.

MINIATURES

Mike continues to spend just about every free waking moment in the Lab casting models.  We'll have some actual production photos for you in a few weeks.  I know, I know, that's what we said last month, but this time we really do mean it.  It's been a weird month, and a productive one, but for some reason getting a camera into the Lab has eluded us.  For now, we have some fresh greens from Kyla Richards to show you!

First up, the hand cannon-packing Special Weapon Agent, who you unlocked as a free upgrade to the Threshold Booster.

And the rear view...

Remember, if you want to get your hands on this model now you'll need to select a Threshold Booster as one of your add-ons.  The model isn't a Kickstarter Exclusive, but it isn't likely to resurface as part of another release for quite some time.

Second is the Flamethrower Cultist, runner-up in the miniature poll and the Kickstarter Exclusive model for the Black Goat Box. 

And the flip side.  Look at the size of that fuel tank!  Wouldn't want that getting shot - it could explode.  For real.  We just wrote rules for that.

The only way to get this model is through the Kickstarter, so snap up a Black Goat Box and join the Cult today if you haven't already!  Those of you who were members of the Cult prior to the campaign get one of these pyromaniacs for free as long as you backed for at least $40.  ALL Cult members (including those who are joining through the Kickstarter) will be receiving a fresh issue of Fhtagn!, the Cult Newsletter, in a few short weeks.  In those hallowed pages, we'll reveal the 2015 Cult Model - also included with your membership package.

The Wendigo sculpt is also nearing completion, and we'll hopefully be able to share it with you in the next update, along with a picture of what almost 100 Shoggoths in a box looks like.  That's roundabout 3000 mouths - creepy...

BOOKPLATES

The design of the Kickstarter Exclusive bookplate was finalized last week, and we've already seen a proof from the printer.  We elected to punch up the size of Nat Jones' artwork to showcase the piece a bit better.  Each and every Strange Aeons rulebook purchased through the Kickstarter will feature one of these horrors on the first page, waiting for your name to be proudly emblazoned upon it.

ARTWORK

Everyone seems to enjoy getting a look at our new art, so if you haven't seen these pieces already through our Facebook page, here's a peek:

Shambler, by Nick Gucker

Elder Thing, by Toren Atkinson

PLEDGE MANAGER 

There's only just a little over a month left before the Pledge Manager closes on April 6th.  At that point, we'll put through charges for any added items (of which there have been quite a few - thanks to everyone that's upped their contributions!) and lock down your orders.  No changes will be possible afterwards, so it's your last chance to both get your hands on any of the Kickstarter Exclusive upgrades unlocked over the course of the campaign and take advantage of duty free shipping.  And the Canadian dollar remains weak against the US Dollar, Euro and Pound, if that helps you with any of those pesky on-the-fence decisions about adding extra products.  Still haven't filled out your survey?  Even if you don't want any additional items (or are purchasing nothing at all), please head to http://strange-aeons.backerkit.com/ and confirm your order.  The more we have completed, the sooner we know our final production requirements.

And that wraps up the update for this month.  Until next time!

Monthly Production Update #3
about 11 years ago – Thu, Feb 05, 2015 at 01:10:02 AM

For the past few months, you’ve been hearing from Uncle Mike at the Secret Lab as he presses on with getting all your models molded and cast. That process is chugging along nicely, and Mike has a smoothly operating system in place that’s turning out miniatures by the bushelful. We’ll have more on that for you next month, along with some looks at more completed models. Motherhood isn’t keeping our lead sculptor Kyla Richards away from her tools, and newcomer Justin McKenzie is also slaving away on some eldritch horrors for us.

For our February update, I’ve been tasked with filling you all in a bit on some of the non-miniature elements of the 2nd Edition. As the editor and graphic designer for all elements of the game, I have quite a few projects to complete over the next few months, and it’s time to share my current progress with you.

THE RULEBOOK

This past week, we completed what we’re referring to as the Beta Edition of the new rulebook. All the rules we plan to include are now present in the book, and we’ll be using this copy to do a final round of playtesting before locking down the content sometime in March. After that, it’ll be time to move everything into our final document template and add all the glorious artwork we’ve been accumulating. On that note, here’s a sneak-peek at some cool new pieces we’ve recently received.

Wolfman, by Nat Jones

Nat is currently best known as the artist for ’68, a zombie comic set in the midst of the Vietnam War. He’s providing about half a dozen pieces for the new book, including a really nifty rendition of the previously-unpictured Night Stalker.

Flying Polyp, by Nick "The Hat" Gucker

 We came to know Nick through our past association with Strange Aeons Magazine, and are pleased to have his work now adorning our own pages.

Along with all this lovely new art, and all the great pieces we’re carrying forward from the 1st Edition, we’ve decided to make the move to full-colour photos in the 2nd Edition book. While I was initially resistant to this, being a big fan of the old sepia-styled photos, my early passes at the new page design have sold me on the colour images. It makes for a much brighter and more vibrant book, which draws your eye to the images and also makes for easier reading with a less busy page background. What you see here is by no means final (the photos, in particular, are likely to be changed), but it gives you a rough idea of the look and feel we’re aiming for with the new book: familiar, yet distinctly new. 

So far, only some of the Lurker profile sections have been placed into the preliminary template. Based on what we’re seeing so far though, our estimated page count of 180-200 pages looks to be holding true. This is going to be a monster of a book! Our timelines aren’t set in stone, but we’re aiming to have the book completed and off to the printer at least 6-8 weeks before our fulfillment target in August. Once we have the files to the printer, I’ll immediately set to work on preparing the PDF for distribution to those of that purchased a rulebook in either print or digital format. This means you should all have your hands on the PDF rules at least a month before the books ship!

TEMPLATES & TOKENS

We’ve placed the order for the template and token sets, which are presently in production by our friends at Greenman Games. As the prototypes were extremely well received, we made only minor adjustments to artwork. Font sizes on the tokens were increased for better readability, some elements were aligned more accurately, and we changed the Face Up/Face Down tokens to a double-sided opaque version - much easier to just flip the token rather than having to dig out a completely different one. We also made some very slight adjustments to a few shapes to improve their durability. We look forward to showing off production samples to you when they arrive!

CARD DECKS

The Twisted Fate deck is finalized, and some preliminary design samples are shown below. These aren’t final, and are likely to change before we go to print. As indicated during the campaign, each deck will contain 39 Fate Cards (3 each of 13 possible effects). Artwork isn't finalized, but this first-pass look will give you an idea of what to expect:

This deck also includes two sets of Zener Cards for activating psychic powers. We were quite fond of our old design, so have adapted it to the planned new style of card back in this preliminary version.

The Solo Play Deck has proved to be a much more involved project. The preliminary rules, created by our long-time collaborator Elton Lawes, were handed over to me a few weeks ago, and I’ve been actively testing and refining them since. Elton’s core mechanics are extremely solid, and I’ve been endeavoring to add a narrative element to help solo players create a game experience that’s as entertaining and satisfying as possible. So far, definitely so good! My draft of the deck, containing 48 Action Cards to direct Lurker movement, targets and activities, will be completed this week and head into the testing phase immediately. While that’s going on, I’ll finalize the card design such that we can send the decks off for printing as soon as we’re completely satisfied with the rules. 

FLIPBOOKS

These are scheduled to be the last item on my design plate, as we want to wait until the rulebook contents are finalized before proceeding with the condensed versions. I’ll have more details for you when we hit that stage, but you can expect the design to be in the same vein as the rulebook itself.

PLEDGE MANAGER UPDATE

Over 75% of you have now filled out your BackerKit surveys, for which we are most grateful. This has provided us with enough info to extrapolate our production requirements with a great degree of confidence. If you haven’t completed your survey yet, please log in at strange-aeons.backerkit.com, where you’ll be able to enter your shipping address and select your desired add-ons. The Pledge Manager will remain open for another two months (closing April 6th), but the sooner you enter your order, the more precisely we know what we need to produce. Even if you don’t want anything apart from the base items included at your pledge level, completing your survey is helpful to us. And you’re free to modify your selections right up until April 6th, even after your survey is submitted.

On the subject of modifying orders, the Canadian dollar (which happens to be the currency we charge in) has been in an epic nosedive the past few weeks thanks to falling oil prices, election talk, and all variety of other factors. The end result of this is increased buying power for many of you. A $50 CAD Box of our miniatures now costs roughly $40USD, €36 or £27 – that's a 10% savings vs. the period we ran the Kickstarter campaign in (still $50 AUD though – sorry guys, seems our currencies are stuck in lock-step!). Coupled with the free (or reduced) shipping – and also EU friendly, don’t forget - you’re already benefiting from as a backer, this makes for one heck of a deal on any additional items you choose to add to your existing orders through the Pledge Manager. Note that any Pledge Manager balance is charged to your card when the program closes on April 6th, not when you add the items to your order.

And that’s what we have to share with you this month. There’s still lots and lots of work ahead for us, but everything has moved along very smoothly so far and we’re confident in our ability to remain on schedule for our delivery target. Now then, back to the grindstone! 

 - Cult Librarian Scott

Monthly Production Update #2
about 11 years ago – Tue, Jan 20, 2015 at 03:48:45 AM

Many of you reading this now are still recovering from the holidays. Too much rich food and too many flagons of ale have left you muddled and groggy. Not so for us here at Uncle Mike's Worldwide, who toil ceaselessly to provide you with a new and horrifying version of Strange Aeons for this New Year. While the revelers are out and about we go on with our unclean machinations. As it is the start of another year a roll call of sorts seems appropriate, wherein I will keep you, dear backers, informed to the various goings on of our nefarious little gang...

Firstly, I would like to congratulate our long time sculptor Kyla Richards on birthing a beautiful baby girl who shall be known as Raven. Not as many tentacles as I’d have thought, but her adorable smile makes it so you hardly notice! Kyla has a light workload for this month as she will be looking after the bundle and her beleaguered husband as well. Best of luck! 

Production, of a sort, has begun in the secret lab, although we aren’t in full swing just yet. The machines are humming away and several molds are in regular rotation. Special thanks to Cultist #66 for helping out on the shop floor with assorted casting and mold making duties and to Cultist #5 for all the help trimming and sorting the figures; I am indebted to you both for your hard work and dedication. You are an inspiration for cultists everywhere and, obviously, out of the sacrifice lotto, this year at least…

I myself divide my evil time between mold making, casting, and working on the rules. I am working on getting all three activities up to full steam by mid-month. Once I have figured out how much can be produced in a month I can make any changes and tweaks to the production schedule moving forward. The machinery chugs along and I am quite pleased with the results thus far.

Lastly I would like to thank all of you backers who have already filled out your wish lists, letting us know what we need to produce…and for those of you who have not, well, there is still time. Head over to strange-aeons.backerkit.com, log in using the same email address you used for Kickstarter, and pick out your goodies. And remember, you can still change your selections or make additions right up until we lock everything down in early April.

This January is an exciting time for our modest company as we grow and expand and I thank you all for being a part of it! 

Best Regards,
Uncle Mike