An asymmetric battle royale deckbuilder with two paths to victory.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
April 2023 Update
about 1 year ago
– Mon, Apr 17, 2023 at 01:40:40 PM
It's been quite a month. Last update, I was excited to share with you the schedule and milestones for production.
Not 24 hours after that update I got an email from my project manager at the factory saying that they were leaving the company, and Unition was being handed off to a new project manager.
Overall, this is a good thing. The new project manager has been very responsive and a good communicator. The bad news is that a lot of knowledge was lost in the handoff. The previous project manager didn't properly relay information and it resulted in serious issues in getting the final sample delivered for approval. It took three separate deliveries and many, many emails before everything finally arrived and the new project manager was properly brought up to speed.
Of course, that now means that the schedule posted last month is no longer accurate and we've been delayed yet again. The good news is that the latest samples look great and everything has been officially signed off on. We are ready to move into production and the factory is getting the final paperwork in place to begin manufacturing. Once everything is complete, I'll post another update (before our next monthly) with the new schedule.
In the meantime, here are some images of the final components that arrived. The first image has the plastic insert with all the cards and tokens in place. The only difference is the final will be in the white plastic (the second image), to better match the box. The insert was designed with extra space to accommodate folks who will be sleeving their cards, plus extra space in the box for any... *ahem* future expansions.
Box insert with cards and tokens in place
The box insert as it will look for production in white plastic.
Also, here's a look at the linen finish on the cards-- it adds a really nice texture to the feel of each card and helps better protect the surface from wear and tear.
Again, thank you all for your patience. I know this delay is disappointing; it has certainly has been disappointing for me as well. As a small thank you, I wanted to add a bonus upgrade to the game (without delaying things further), and so the player screens are going to have the same linen finish as the cards for some added durability.
Looking forward to giving you all some good news soon. Stay tuned.
Mike
March 2023 - Schedule Update & Logistics
about 1 year ago
– Mon, Mar 13, 2023 at 11:23:59 AM
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
February 2023 Update
about 1 year ago
– Tue, Feb 14, 2023 at 01:05:33 PM
Hello everyone, and welcome to the February update. It's a week later than when I usually like to post, but for good reason. Things have been BUSY.
Physical Samples!
Yes, the physical samples finally arrived. It was truly exciting to see Unition in a higher fidelity than the prototypes I've been working with for the last year or so.
The box is bigger than the prototype, yet still a little smaller than an average board game box. UV coating looks so nice, too.
And I'd never had the gameboard prototyped, so it was really great to see it in person for the first time.
With the gameboard, I wanted to explore a different fold option than what I usually see: a 'crease' instead of a cut, but with a quad-fold board like this, it isn't a good idea. There needs to be at least one cut, and it creates an issue where the crease starts to split after very little use.
If the board just folded in half, (or was a tri-fold) the crease folding could work better, but in this instance, we're going to go with the industry standard of cut folds instead.
Of course, there were some other issues to correct. There were some issues with color-- things looking too dark, or too muddy, which should be fixed now that we've coordinated color profiles. They also didn't include the linen finish on the cards and plastic insert (where all the components fit) in this batchwhich I still need to see and approve. So we're going to do one more proofing round of all the components again before moving into production.
This does mean another delay, and for that I apologize. It's tempting to tell the manufacturer to make the fixes and start production without doing a second round of proofing to save time, but I really need to see the final product in hand before I sign off on it. I want to confirm that they got it right and it's 100% ready to print. So again, thanks for your patience. I know I've been saying that phrase again and again in the last few updates, but I do truly mean that. With this being my first board game, there's been a lot to learn about the whole print and manufacturing process, in addition to working with a time difference and global pandemic. We're almost there!
Shipping
Now that I have a relatively final physical copy, I've been able to get a better estimate on weight, so i should be able to get an answer on shipping prices for everyone by our next update. Stay tuned.
Lore Book
The Unition sample revisions kept me away from this for the last few weeks, but I'm excited to get back to it. The first full draft is complete. This includes a world overview, a section on each clan, and an additional, mysterious, secret section. What does that mean? Who knows!
I'll be sending out copies to beta readers soon, and then will be working on the additional illustrations while I wait for feedback.
That's about it for now. See you in March!
Mike
January 2023 Update
over 1 year ago
– Tue, Jan 10, 2023 at 12:20:53 PM
Happy New Year, folks! Time to kick off 2023 with the first update of the year.
Physical Samples
When we last left off, the manufacturer had planned to have the physical samples complete before the end of the year. However, as many are aware, China lifted its zero-COVID policy in December. The result is the biggest outbreak of the virus yet, over 250 million cases, with a rate of about a million new cases a day. It's staggering.
Of course, this is affecting every aspect of life for the people living and working there, so it's no surprise to learn that the factory has been affected. My point of contact and the team there all had the virus, and while they have now thankfully recovered, other members of the staff are still sick. So there has been an understandable delay. The new schedule is to have the samples finished by the 20th of this month, right before Chinese New Year. The factory will have a week off for the holiday, and resume work on February 1st. While they're off, I'll be spending time reviewing the samples and compiling a list of needed changes for when they return to the factory. While I'm sure I'll have changes to make, if things are perfect, we can begin mass production as soon as they return. Fingers crossed.
Lore Book
I've been plugging away on this, and the first draft of all each clan section is completed. I'll be tacking on two more mini-sections, and if there's time, a fun extra bonus as well. I'd like to also add in some new additional illustrations exclusive to the book. I don't want to share anything just yet, but things are going well on this front and I'm looking forward to sharing it soon.
Shipping
I'm still waiting on the physical samples before I send final weight estimates to fulfillment centers and determine shipping costs. I know it's been a while, but I'll have an answer next update.
So all in all, things are still moving, albeit slower than I'd expected. I had really hoped to be able to share the physical copies with everyone this month, but that time will come soon. Thank you all for your patience, and hoping to have better news for you all in February.
Happy 2023!
Mike
December 2022 Update
over 1 year ago
– Thu, Dec 15, 2022 at 10:07:28 AM
Wow, it's December already? One last update to finish out 2022!
Like I mentioned previously, progress is now in the hands of the manufacturer, and we've unfortunately hit our first snag, at the digital proof stage. The manufacturer had a hard time handling and prepping the the files I'd sent. This is partially my fault. I'd sent them the original Illustrator files to give them the most amount of control to adjust if things weren't the way they wanted. Turns out, that just led to more confusion, and in some cases, issues where their computers weren't able to open the files because they were too large. In the end, it was better to export all the files as basic jpg images. It was one of those situations where more work (and longer emails explaining all the extra files) doesn't necessarily mean better results. Sometimes it's best to keep it simple.
So what does that mean for the timeline? Something that should have taken two days took about three weeks of very prolonged troubleshooting. So now we're likely about three weeks to a month behind schedule. While I'm incredibly disappointed that it couldn't be resolved faster or more efficiently, this is one of the downsides of manufacturing overseas with a 12-hour time difference. Always factor in more cushion than you expect.
The good news is that those digital proofs are now approved and we move onto the next phase: physical samples. This is the one I'm most excited about, where we'll be able to get our first look at a copy of the game to make sure that all of its components are at the right level of quality. It also functions as one last content check to make sure that all files made it to print without any errors. This sample copy should be arriving just before Christmas so expect a whole lot of photos in our next update. Fingers crossed!
Additionally, once we have the sample, we'll also have the actual weight of the product and then can start getting the shipping numbers together for fulfullment.
Lore Book
For those of you who ordered the Lore Book, things are progressing on that front as well. I've completed a written draft of the Gloop's entry and have started on the Stompede. My goal is to have the rest of the written copy complete by our next update.
The direction that the Lore Book is taking is a wry, encyclopedic study of each clan. All of the game cards are given a little more background as well as a look at the clan's culture as a whole, and what they've been up to in the world at large. More to come as things continue to take shape. All of the card art is going to be included as well, and if time permits, maybe a little extra, too.
Thank You
2022 was a great year. Back in January, I would have been ecstatic to learn that not only would the Kickstarter be successful (and then some!) but that we'd have everything over to the factory and be waiting for samples to review. There's still a lot more work to be done in getting everything delivered and fulfilled, but I'm so happy to be where we are now. So, a big THANK YOU to all of you for your excitement and enthusiasm, and for being a backer. Your support got us here, and I'm very grateful.
That said, I want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a happy and peaceful end to the year. I'll see you all in 2023!
