✨ Happy Holidays! ✨
about 5 years ago – Tue, Dec 29, 2020 at 02:17:52 AM

Happy Holidays!

We hope you and your loved ones had some wonderful times in the last few weeks. We also took a little break to focus on our families. Come the new year, we will be ready to jump back into the project full steam, and hopefully make it one of the best games of 2021—if not the best game.

Since the last update, quite a few things have moved along nicely, and we have some exciting photos from the manufacturer to share with you. So let’s dive in!

Wooden & Resin Pieces

The wooden pieces appear to have turned out great! Of course, we will wait until we actually get them in our hands before we give the final approvals. But from what we can see in the pictures, all of the issues we noted were addressed. Here are some highlights:

• You can see the upgraded idol tokens for the first time. Super cute, right?
   
• The Tree has a bigger base, better coloring, and wider holes in its branches.
   
• The higher contrast on the Butte really makes it pop.
   
• The Arch looks icy cool! ❄😎❄
   
• The Volcano looks much scarier—as it should!
   
• They gave us two sets of screen printed samples of the animal markers to choose from.
   
• They made two slimmer versions of the rafts (8 and 9 mm). We’ll choose the best one once we see them on the table.
   
• And finally, we can see the colors that were swapped between the meeples and megalith tokens. They are now more thematically connected.
   

Monolith

We made up our minds about the final material for the Monolith Landmark. We chose a glossy black acrylic. We also tried two shapes, one with a transparent base, and one without. The single piece (without a base) is steady enough, so we’ll go with that version. There is no need for a base. It looks way cooler and more thematic—almost like something straight out of a sci-fi movie… 🤩

Plastic (PVC) Samples

We received color samples for the miniatures. They look great. For the first time you can see the actual color that the chief minis will be made in. Of course, for the Kickstarter version, the minis will also be washed to have a realistic ivory look.

Playmats

They sent photos of the first playmat samples. These samples will be used to measure the total size and weight of the shipping packages (and we’ll also make sure that the small playmat fits inside the big box). These samples are also good for checking the basic functionality and feel on the table. As we noted before, the graphics will be updated along the way, so don’t worry about the details in the art right now; we’ll finish that part at a later time.

Full disclosure, they informed us that the material is not exactly the same as the final-final version—because the supplier needs to reach the Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) to a sample of those. Nevertheless, they will send us a playmat from another game they mass-produced in the past, to check the final quality. With this, we will be able to compare all the features and have a very clear idea of what to expect.

Pledge Manager

At the time of this writing, the final weight estimations might have already been completed. Panda did an amazing job delivering the blank version of the game, made with all the final component sizes. This means we can now get things settled with our fulfillment partners. We still plan to open the PM at the end of January.

Gameplay Development

We’ve gathered the playtest feedback and suggestions from all of our sources to complete the final leg of development. Stan, Jonny, and Drake will resume work at the beginning of the new year. You can expect to get more extensive info on that side of things in future updates.

What’s Next?

As we go through the final development stages, we will also be updating the cards and layouts, and The Mico will be finishing the rest of the art. After that, we will begin working on the final rulebook with Paul Grogan (Gaming Rules!) and Jim Garner (our graphic designer). If everything goes as planned, the files should be ready to send to our localization partners to begin their translations by the end of February.

 Social Media 

We are happy to see that some content creators included Endless Winter on their lists of best Kickstarter campaigns of 2020. Let’s have a look at them:

🥇 We were blown away that Tantrum House (Studio III) placed Endless Winter as their #1!

We also got some great shout-outs, honorable mentions, and awards from various online groups and content creators: 

Finally, Kickstarter Radio 102.4 included Endless Winter in their Top 8 Kickstarter Board Games of 2020 all under $100!

 🔵 Progress Chart 🟡

We’re glad you liked the progress chart on our last update. We made sure to add some extra info about the meaning of the colors, based on your feedback. Thank you.

We’ve been mostly focused on the component production side of things, so you won’t see a huge difference on the chart just yet. But hopefully this update showed you all what was done. The upcoming two months of gameplay development will certainly make a big dent in it.

Eclipse Phase

Although this year was tough for everyone, we cannot thank you enough for being a huge source of joy and fulfilment in our lives. Your support and positivity is the fuel that drives our motivation. Let’s kick off 2021 with extra excitement, knowing it’s the year that Endless Winter will be on your tables!

Have a Happy New Year—and play lots of board games! 💙

 —Fantasia Games

Let the game begin! :)
over 5 years ago – Mon, Dec 07, 2020 at 03:46:37 AM

Greetings tribe members!

Here at Fantasia—after recharging our batteries for a few days—we jumped right back into action. Truth is, we’ve missed chatting with you, and we’re happy we can now resume through this update. 😅

You might be wondering if anything actually happened in the last few weeks—or were we just chillin’ next to the campfire?

Many things happened! So let’s check them out together here. 👀

Wooden Pieces

As you know, when our Kickstarter finished, we received a package from Panda with wooden and resin sample pieces. We spotted a few things to change, revised the files, and sent them back. Now we’re just waiting for new (and possibly the final) samples to arrive. Some changes:

1. Making the Volcano taller and more realistic with different colors. Hot! 🔥
    
2. Changing the color for Arch to get an icy look, similar to the box cover. Cool! ❄
    
3. Changing the base color of the Butte for higher contrast.
    
4. Widening the Tree’s base so it’s more stable. Plus we changed to colors to look more like an actual tree trunk.
    
5. Reducing the thickness of the Rafts to 8-9mm (the sample we had was slightly too thick, as some of you noticed).
    
6. Swapping some of the colors between the tribe meeples and Megalith pieces for more thematic combinations (ie the arrow icon with the arrow-holding meeple; red meeple with fire; and so on).
    

Chief and Village Minis

All of the miniatures looked great, so we can move right ahead and create their molds. After that, we will get the next batch of samples in the final color (and washed!). Having the minis approved so early is a relief since it can be a very time-consuming process.

Playmats

We’re happy to announce that after doing some work on the Large split playmats, we made one of the pieces into a square. This means you can set the two pieces vertically—or horizontally—and they will align perfectly!  

 Besides that, we resized the Small playmat just a bit so it can fit inside the Big Box (37cm x 29cm).

We already sent the playmat files to Panda to get samples. We will check the overall quality, durability, and colors. Before we begin mass production, we can still make some minor changes and adjustments to the artwork.

Iconography

We updated the game’s icons based on the feedback we’ve collected so far. Here are some before/after examples:

Pledge Manager

In the following week we will send all of the cardboard cutout files to Panda to make a sample of the game with all the final sizes (as blank pieces). The main reason is to get a close weight estimation of the full game (for shipping rates). Plus, we can check if everything works as expected with the inserts/trays. After that, we can begin to finalize things with our fulfillment partners.

 Once all this is done, we can finish setting up our Pledge Manager. As we mentioned before, we expect to open the PM by the end of January. And that’s still the plan!

Gameplay Development

The development team is already working off the feedback and notes we gathered from our internal tests, TTS demos, and BGG Forums. Our goal is to really stress-test the game in the following three months (until the end of February). Of course alongside this, many other aspects of the game will be worked on in parallel. Some of the current development tasks are:

• Balancing the starting decks even more (to better compensate for player-order and initial hands)
   
• Adding variability to the core game’s Animal cards (since many testers requested more sophisticated abilities—other than simply getting Food/scoring sets).
   
• Adding more in-game points (since most of the scoring has been at the end of the game).
   
• Testing all the modular expansion content in every combination—and making sure it’s all compatible with the solo mode.
   

What’s next on the list?

Since we are nearly done with the minis, wooden components, and playmats, the main things left are the die-cut pieces, cards, and the rulebooks. Plus, The Mico is finishing the art list. All of this will take some time, obviously, but we’re 100% dedicated to delivering Endless Winter to your table as soon as possible.

 We’ve mentioned before that we’d love to ship the game sooner than December of next year, but we don’t want to make any promises we can’t keep. This is a massive campaign for a first-time project creator, so our top priority is quality. We will not rush anything if it puts the game at risk; we want the final product to be as good as it can possibly be.

Play This, Not That — Dune Imperium vs. Endless Winter vs. Lost Ruins of Arnak

We are happy to share a video comparison from BoardGameCo of Endless Winter next to two other great games. We wouldn’t want to spoil the result, so have a look and let us know what you think. 😉

Progress Chart

We find the charts that Stonemaier Games uses in their newsletters quite effective. We thought it would be a nice idea to implement a similar approach for the progress of each of the Endless Winter products. We will add this kind of chart to the end of our future updates, so you can get a clear sense of the game’s progress. We hope you like it!

Eclipse Phase

Since our next update will be on the 28th of December, we would like to wish you and your loved ones a happy holiday season. This year was especially challenging for all of us; if we somehow succeeded in bringing a bit of joy to your life—as you have done for us—we are more than grateful.

   Stay safe, and play lots of board games! 💙

   —Fantasia Games

Oops... Resin Scoring Markers!
over 5 years ago – Sat, Nov 21, 2020 at 12:23:10 PM

P.S. It seems that someone lost the party! :) 

Well there you have them... Resin scoring markers are in the house! 

A Mammoth-sized Success! Thank You!
over 5 years ago – Sat, Nov 21, 2020 at 07:40:58 AM

Greetings, Winter Tribe!

First, we’d like to thank you for your patience. It took us a moment to settle in and realize what really just happened... Wow. What an incredible few weeks! And what a grand finale! 😁

When we first started this dream project, there was one basic guideline: we will do whatever it takes to make Endless Winter: Paleoamericans an evergreen game. Obviously, it’s still too soon to tell, but we’re feeling very confident so far. Seeing the Kickstarter reach over $910,000 (€767,000), almost 12,000 backers, and over 40 unlocked Stretch Goals is a strong sign! Plus, the campaign broke the Top 100 KS board games with the most backers of all time (#93). 

Pretty amazing, right? These accomplishments aren’t something you experience every day. But honestly, the numbers mean much less to us compared to the love you’ve shown for the project and Fantasia Games. Each one of you is special to us, and we will do everything we can to meet your high standards. We’re in this together. You’re now part of the tribe. And we look forward to sharing the rest of the journey with you. 💙

Updates and Contact Info

We want to keep open communication going each step of the way—from pre-production to manufacturing to fulfillment. You can expect an official KS Update from us every 3 weeks from here on out. We feel three weeks is the right interval: it’s not so short that it will distract us from production, but not so long that you’ll feel left in the dark. We will aim to post on Mondays, three weeks apart. And if there is anything pressing, we will post even sooner.  

That said, we won't be extremely active in the general Comments page, but we will reply in the comment section below each new Update, in the days immediately following the post. We will also answer all of your KS inbox messages, emails, and social media account messages. You can expect a reply from us within 1-2 business days (if not sooner). 

Credit Card Failures

Some backers had credit card payment failures. It's okay; it happens. We contacted each backer that had an issue so far. Please double check your messages in case you somehow missed a notification. We still have a few days to fix it. If you have questions, please send us a message, and we’ll be happy to sort it out.

Late Pledges

We’ve been really impressed with how helpful you’ve been in the comments section—offering friendly advice to other backers 24/7. Again, it shows us what a great community we’ve created together. The next thing we will be adding is a Late Pledge option for people who missed the campaign. We would greatly appreciate your help spreading the word about it, and to extend our kind courtesies to the newcomers.

Pledge Manager

Over the next few months we will calculate the exact weights of all the products and accessories. Then we will finalize everything with our shipping partners and set up the Pledge Manager. This process will take some time, thus we estimate the Pledge Manager will open towards the end of January. And it will remain open for a good window of time after that. We will fill you in with details in the next updates, as we learn more. For now, you can relax and enjoy the beginning of the winter season… ❄

Playmats & Big Box

We’ve had a lot of questions about the playmats. Please trust that we will work on their layouts and graphics so they come out correctly. And we will show you examples along the way. Please note that the small add-on playmat will be reduced a bit to fit inside the Big Box.However, this cannot be done with either of the large playmat versions (one-piece or split). The large playmats are too big to fit inside the Big Box.A good storage solution will be to keep them rolled separately. You will be able to select which version of the Large playmat you want in the Pledge Manager (and you can choose to upgrade to the Big Box as well). 

🤔❔ Can we fit the resin pieces AND the wooden pieces inside the Big Box? 

Yes, you can fit both sets of pieces inside the Big Box. You can use the extra space for the future expansions, or you can keep one set in a bag below the tray. 

🤔❔ Can the cards from the modules and Ancestors expansion fit inside the standard, core box? 

The modules can fit inside the core box, but the cards from Ancestors cannot. We recommend upgrading to the Big Box, so you can store all of the expansion content in one convenient place.   

Add-ons

Besides the add-ons offered during the campaign, we might offer a couple more. One possibility is custom card sleeves. But we need to look into it further before we can commit 100%. We will keep you updated between now and when the Pledge Manager opens. 

Language Selections        

You will be able to select any of the languages that our publishing partners offer in the Pledge Manager. Besides English, you may choose: German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Korean, Chinese, Italian, or Polish. We do not have plans to offer any other languages at this time. 

Sneak Peek 👀 

We just received the master sculpts of our minis! We couldn't resist sharing them right away. Please keep in mind gray is not their final color. 

Special Thanks 

Before we sign off, we’d like to give a special shout out to our designers Stan Kordonskiy, Jonny Pac, and Drake Villareal. And our legendary artist The Mico. Endless Winter wouldn't be what it is without their brilliant creativity and ongoing dedication. Please follow them on social media if you’d like to see what other amazing projects they’ve worked on—and what’s in store! 

P.s. And just before we publish this update... a package from Panda arrived. We couldn't resist to take some photos and share them with you. There will be some changes in the landmarks, and some other minor issues but all in all we think those samples are amazing! :) 

The Epic Finale!
over 5 years ago – Sat, Nov 14, 2020 at 11:01:25 PM

Greetings everyone!

This is it! This is our last update before the end of the campaign. And it's a biggie 🤩

What we are covering:

•  The final set of Stretch Goals 
•  A special story about the Idol board 
•  The large playmat layout solution 
•  New videos
   

Stretch Goals 

We were really excited to announce our final Stretch Goals. And we hope you like them as much as we do! 

• At 525K we will add two beautiful pieces of art from The Mico inside both halves of the Core and Big Box.

• At 550K we will add a Fish token module to the Rivers & Rafts expansion. It was suggested by our community in the comments, and we loved the idea so much that we decided to bring it to life. Thank you! We will begin gameplay development on it right away, but in short, players will be able to gain fish tokens from the river terrain tiles for various benefits. (And aren’t those Kokanee Salmon cute?)

• At 580K we will add a new supply of Tribe cards (Painter) to the Cave Paintings expansion. (These cards can only be played with the expansion.) They allow you to build your deck to specialize in painting!

• At 610K we will add another new supply of Tribe cards (Warrior) to the Rivers & Rafts expansion. (These cards can only be played with the expansion.) They allow you to have more direct interactions with your opponents on the map. Be warned! 

• At 645K we will make all the Megalith tiles dual-layered, which will hold the Megalith blocks perfectly in place. This is a Kickstarter Exclusive. (The Megalith tile inside Cave Paintings will be upgraded too.)

• At 680K we will add a Mammoth mini expansion module. This is a Kickstarter Limited item. We will also allow backers to buy additional Mammoth minis in the Pledge Manager as add-ons. We figure you might want a little herd to decorate your game room or office with! 🐘🐘🐘💨 

We truly hope to unlock all these awesome SGs—and if by chance we unlock them faster than expected, we will roll out a few more. The fun must continue! 😅

Thematic Idol Board 

Last week a cool surprise appeared on BGG. A Swedish gamer and artist named Nikolaj Cyon uploaded a very thematic piece of concept art for the Idol board. We instantly fall in love with it! Soon thereafter, we contacted him to make arrangements to have The Mico adapt it for the game. The rest fell into place perfectly, and now you get to see the amazing result! 🔥

We would like to thank Nikolaj for his wonderfully creative concept. Please be sure to check out his work here: www.cyon.se

Playmat 

The last few days there was a lot of talk about the vertical layout of the large playmat. Once again, we heard your voices and are trying to respond with the best solution. 

There was an unofficial poll on BGG (that soon became almost official after Jonny encouraged the original poster to make a second poll, with a third, split-map option). In these polls, the two ideas that stood out the most were: 

• Change the layout to horizontal (landscape) orientation 
• Split the map in two pieces (so players can arrange the playmats however they wish)

After the second poll was posted, most people seemed to like the idea of splitting the playmat. Though this idea is tempting as a single solution, we cannot underestimate the 2.700K+ backers who already backed the large playmat as it is. We really don't want to disturb them this late in the campaign. So, this is what we decided: we will keep the current playmat format as is (vertical orientation), AND we will offer a second option with a split playmat (bundled in two parts). All backers will be able to select the format they want in the Pledge Manager . 

We are aware that this solution will raise our costs and make logistics harder, but when it comes to providing you with the best gaming experience possible, we will gladly take the extra steps to make it happen. We will absorb the extra costs and effort, and offer the split playmat with no additional fee. You can simply select which version you want in the Pledge Manager (either a vertical one-piece OR a two-piece bundle). 

New Videos 

We were thrilled to see the new Crowdsurfing video from The Dice Tower. Tom, Zee, and Mike shared some awesome comments about Endless Winter. Then they went even further and placed it in their top picks for the week. We are honored that Mike selected it as his Pick of the Week! 

Have a look here:

Finally, we were delighted to receive another beautiful preview from Cardboard Rhino. If you enjoy her work as much as we do, be sure to follow her channel. Enjoy! 

Whats Next? 

As we said above, until the end of this campaign we do not intend to post another update. Instead, you can find us in the comments section answering all of your questions. 

Now, let’s enjoy these last days of the campaign—and get ready to celebrate a great finale! 

With Endless gratitude,

—The Fantasia Games team, and all of our partners 💙