A neat little thing might be coming soon O_O (bc we are over $900k!)
almost 5 years ago – Mon, Jan 27, 2020 at 02:15:49 AM

As of when I'm writing this, we are over $940k...

I keep saying I'm trying not to get ahead of myself, but if I'm being totally honest, this is me right now watching the campaign numbers tick upwards:

O_O

O_O!

O_O!!!!!!!

O_O!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

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But before I get ahead of myself, we did already unlock another SG since the update this morning!

These new Challenge cards will be added automatically to every pledge that includes the Kickstarter Exclusive Edition of Here to Slay. Each gives an advantage to the player playing the challenge card with an extra +3 to their roll, but they each require you to have a specific class of Hero or Party Leader in your Party.

I also wanted to announce that our next stretch goal will be the last "official" stretch goal of the campaign. That doesn't mean we are going to just stop here, but we are going to just shift the way we are doing things.

•  For every additional $10k, we will draw another backer's Party Leader request. If you haven't submitted one yet, please leave one in the comments! All you have to do is describe your character, and we'll do as many of them as we can! (And if you have submitted one, we've logged every request that's come in so far.)
• Social stretch goals will be announced in the coming week and will give additional goals to reach.
• I'm going to try to add a few more upgrades to the campaign before it ends if possible even if they aren't by means of traditional stretch goals.

Oh, and btw, that next stretch goal is $1M O_O 

This project has been an absolute dream. I could've never imagined something like this when we were in the early concept stages, coming up with character concepts and testing mechanics.

We've come a really long way, and it's been a wild ride. Thank you for making this possible. Seriously.

So many answers (and more new stuff on the way!)
almost 5 years ago – Mon, Jan 27, 2020 at 01:09:02 AM

Hello :D

We've gotten a ton of questions in the comments throughout the campaign, and we've done our best to address as many as we can as they've come up. We've also made some changes to the project (such as the new tiers) to address concerns that have been raised. 

I went through a lot of the questions we've received and consolidated them to provide as much information for you as possible in one place. I know it can be tough to keep up with everything in the campaign and the comments, so I hope this helps clear a lot of things up. Throughout the update, I also have added little previews of artwork from the game that I hope you'll enjoy :D

So let's jump in!

Q: The campaign mentions over 40 unique heroes- does each have a unique effect too, or are there duplicates?

A: Each Hero card has a unique effect (no duplicates!) - Later in the campaign, I'll post an update with a lot of the Hero cards in different classes to give you a better familiarity of the game and the types of effects it includes.

Q: The new KSE Party Leaders are have two classes- how does this work in relation to the 6-class win condition?

A: As they are currently worded, you can choose at the beginning of your turn to switch the class of the Party Leader between the two, but it will not be both at the same time. This gives you flexibility with your strategy without making them overpowered in the game.

Q: With the addition of the Dragon Sorcerers, do the rules now require seven classes to win or still six?

A: The addition of the Dragon Sorcerers class does not change the win condition requirement of collecting 6 classes. Adding this expansion slightly expedites gameplay (since reaching 6 classes can happen a little bit more easily), but as a house rule, you can also choose to remove a different class from the deck if you prefer and just pick your 6 favorites for any given game.

Q: Will the Dragon Sorcerers receive their own color scheme and meeples?

A: Yes! The Dragon Sorcerer class has its own color (black), symbol, and meeples to match :)

Q: The campaign mentions that steps have been taken to increase the consistency of game times. How was this done?

A: I’m going to address this question in reference to Unstable Unicorns. UU is a game where a lot can change in an instant. Friends can pile up on a single person, which really makes it anyone’s game throughout. In some games, depending on play styles of the players at the table, this might mean a lot of destruction and less forward momentum while other games might end much more quickly. UU is intended to lean into that chaos a bit, while Here to Slay provides a little more specifically forward momentum.

There is still an element of sabotaging your friends involved, but as you slay Monsters, they can’t be taken away from you. Here to Slay still has a lot of interactions between players with challenges, modifiers, items, magic cards, and hero effects - they just serve as a layer within a game with more options and more forward progression. If a player chooses to focus primarily on slaying Monsters, they will make forward progress throughout the game that can’t be reset back to zero.

Realistically, the amount of time a game takes to play will always be influenced heavily by play styles of the players at the table (and even just how long each player takes thinking about each of their moves). That said, in play testing, we found the range of times to be a lot narrower for this game with fewer anomalies since the game rewards players who move (primarily) in a forward direction.

Q: It seems like it would be easier to collect the 6 classes rather than slay three monsters. Is that true, and is there anything in the game to prevent that from being the case?

A: Based on our play tests, some players express a preference for pursuing one win condition over the other, but neither is specifically "easier" to achieve. The Monsters come with an inherent risk and have requirements in order to be able to attack them, but collecting the 6 classes also has its own challenges. One is just around probability of drawing all of the classes you need early enough in the game, since you need six that are specifically different (rather than just 6 Heroes). The second is that there are card effects that target Heroes, which makes it possible for other players to set you back in regards to that win condition (whereas slain Monsters can't be taken away from you). 

Q: Any chance for a 2v2 or 2v2v2 mode?

A: We haven't planned something like this, but the game could potentially lend itself well to an option like this. I will think on it more, but no promises at this point!

Q: Do I need the meeples and standees to play the game?

A: The game is playable without these items, they're just designed to make the game more fun and immersive while enhancing the experience. They also (in my humble and only slightly biased opinion) are super cute :D The meeples were designed to be used to signal to other players what classes you have in your party at any time during gameplay. However, you can also feel free to use them in place of standard meeples or figurines in all your favorite games and RPGs. The standees are designed to be used during gameplay to show off your chosen party leader and its class (but they also make great desk toys!)

Q: Any plans to replace the standees with figurines?

A: We are not planning to do this for this project, but we are definitely willing to look into figurines for a future project :) 

Q: Are 3 packs of standard sleeves and 1 pack of oversized sleeves enough for everything?

A: Short answer here is yes, and by that I mean I will make sure that it's enough. Or, put another way, the cost to sleeve everything in the game won't go up, and any tiers that include sleeves will end with enough sleeves to cover the game, all expansions, and all exclusives. What I'll likely do is slightly increase the number of sleeves per pack to make sure everything is accommodated based on the final card counts of each type, plus include a couple of extras in the pack to be safe.

Q: Will the box fit all of the cards sleeved?

A: The Kickstarter Exclusive Edition box will accommodate all cards from the game, all the expansions, and all the KSE cards in sleeves :)

Q: Are there plans to create a huge collector’s box like the one from the Control & Chaos campaign?

A: Currently, no, but I’m looking into solutions for the play mats rather than just having them loose. I don’t want to make any promises here yet since we haven’t confirmed something feasible, but I’m hoping we can find a simple solution here that I can update you on later in the campaign.

Q: Can backers purchase multiple sets of pledge tiers?

A: You can’t add multiple pledges (or multiple of the same pledge) while the campaign is running, but you’ll have the option to do so in BackerKit. These extra pledges will come with an additional shipping cost that we’ll calculate and load up before BackerKit goes live.

Q: Can I change my pledge in Backerkit once the campaign is over?

A: I believe that you can change tiers in Backerkit. If you change upwards, you can just pay the additional funds within Backerkit. If you reduce your pledge, you'll get a credit that can go towards add-ons since KS will have already charged you at that point. I will confirm and make sure this is the case, and if I'm mistaken here, I'll clarify in a future update (and otherwise, you can assume this information is accurate). 

Q: Will it be possible to buy the individual play mats separately?

A: The 6 Party Leader play mats will only be sold as a complete set, but the other play mats (for the Dragon party leader and the 3 KSE party leaders) will be available individually as add-ons, so if you’re looking to just pick up a few, you can select from those individual play mats :)

Q: Will it be possible to add on other previous games (like Unstable Unicorns) at the end?

A: Yes, with the caveat that we don’t have plans to allow for purchase of Control & Chaos as part of this project. I will post more information later in the project about all of the add-ons that will be available in backerkit so you can plan accordingly :)

Q: Are retail pledges an option?

A: We are exploring options for this. If you're interested in a retail pledge, send an email to [email protected] and tell them Ramy sent you ;)

Q: What are Lv 2 and Lv 3 stretch goals?

A: Some of the stretch goal rewards are added to every Kickstarter Exclusive tier, while others are only added to Lv 2 and Lv 3 tiers. The new KSE play mats are part of lv 2 rewards, and the acrylic standees are part of Lv 3 rewards. The items that are included as part of Lv 2 and Lv 3 tiers will be available for everyone else as add-on items.

Q: Any chance of making a Hero/spell/modifier generator too?

A: Because the Party Leader cards don’t get shuffled into the deck, they can be designed online and printed or brought to the table on a phone and still be fully playable in the game. With hero/spell/modifier cards, it’s a bit tougher to do this without getting custom printed cards, and so at this point, we don’t have plans of releasing something like that.

Q: Will there be a bonus for returning backers?

A: Short answer, yes :) We have something planned, and I will get an update out on this when we’re ready!

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We've also hit yet another 2 stretch goals since the last update! We're inching (/rocketing) towards a neat little thing...I'm trying not to get ahead of myself, but I'm having trouble containing my excitement!!

As mentioned in the last update, all pledges that include the Kickstarter Exclusive Edition of the game will automatically get the new Party Leader card. Backers of the Hero's Set will also automatically get the play mat, and backers of the Ultimate Collector's Set will automatically get the play mat as well as the acrylic standee of the character!

The new Party Leader artwork is still in progress, and I'll show it off in a future update (along with its corresponding play mat and acrylic standee)

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In the coming week, you can expect:

• Social stretch goals
• A bonus for former backers
• Previews of more cards from the game (including the third KSE Party Leader that was just unlocked as well as the Dragon Party Leader)
• More photos of our prototypes (cards, play mats, standees, meeples)
• An update on the Kickstarter Exclusive box design
• Other things (probably)

Thank you for your patience, your questions, and for being a part of this project (and for reading this massive update!)

<3

More stretch goals! (a relatively short update)
almost 5 years ago – Sun, Jan 26, 2020 at 02:08:57 AM

Hello everyone :)

This update is going to be relatively short- I am still in the process of pulling together an update with a lot of answers to questions (which I plan to post tomorrow), but I wanted to at least jump in to announce a few more stretch goals! 

First, we hit another SG last night! We are going to work on designing the foil detail for the KS exclusive box cover next week, and I'll share the progress in a future update :) 

The project has been flying, and we've had multiple stretch goals that we've crossed before I've even had the chance to announce them, so I hope it's not too presumptuous to announce the next several now...

-

Since there has been confusion related to tiers and what's included with various SGs, I wanted to provide clarity on the $775k goal (which we are very close to reaching!)

As with the two former KSE Party Leader card SGs, we will design an accompanying play mat and acrylic standee to go with the character.

• If you backed any of the tiers that includes Here to Slay: Kickstarter Exclusive Edition, you'll automatically get the Party Leader card added to your pledge.
• If you backed the Hero's Set ($109 tier), you will get the Party Leader card in addition to the play mat automatically added to your pledge.
• If you backed the Ultimate Collector's Set ($149 tier), you will get the Party Leader card, the play mat, and the standee all automatically added to your pledge!

So, in other words, if you're in the highest tier now, you'll get all the perks from this SG added on automatically- if you're in any of the other tiers, you'll still have the opportunity to get the extras as add-ons.

Thank you for everything you've done to help make this project amazing and for being a part of this journey with us.

Cheers!

New tiers demystified, new SGs unlocked, new artwork...(and almost 9000 backers!!)
almost 5 years ago – Fri, Jan 24, 2020 at 11:03:34 PM

We're approaching 9,000 backers on the project, and our entire team couldn't be more excited and proud. This has been such an incredible ride already, and I can't believe it's only been 3 days. Thank you again for your support on this project! This is basically our whole team right now working to keep up (except with coffee):

We've unlocked an additional 2 SGs since the last update (bringing us to 11 total!)- This new KSE Magic card + 3 additional KSE hero cards will be automatically added to every Kickstarter Exclusive edition of the game :)

In a future update, I plan to show these cards (and many more!) with their effects to give you a chance to see more of the game, but for now, enjoy the new artwork :D

Our next SG (which we're already well on our way to crossing!) will add foil detail to the cover of the Kickstarter Exclusive Edition box. We are still in the process of finalizing the artwork to make sure it looks really stellar in the final version.

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There have been a number of questions about our new tiers and what's included where, so I made a little table to help track everything- I hope this is helpful, but if you have any other questions about the tiers, please let us know! 

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Another question that has come up is regarding the central play mat- thus far, this play mat was included as part of the set with the 6 individual player mats, but there have been a number of requests to separate it out and make it available as its own add-on.

As of now, the central play mat will, in fact, be available as a separate add-on for $7 (in addition to being included with the set) for anyone who wants to add it separately.

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We've been working on more of your party leader requests and adding them to the Party Leader Customizer Tool online :) Here are 4 character requests that were recently added! We are tracking all of the requests that come in through the comments, so if you haven't already submitted one, feel free to do so now :D

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I am going to do my best to go through our comments today so I can start preparing answers for as many of your questions as possible for a future update. I want to thank you once again for your patience- our team is doing our best to keep up with everything and make sure the project continues to run smoothly, and I know some of you have been waiting for a few days to get answers to your questions about the components, gameplay, etc., and I want you to know that I'm actively working on getting you the answers you need! We also are still working on an exclusive for all former backers, so I don't want you to think that's been forgotten. We just need a few more days before we'll be ready to announce it :)

In the meantime, please enjoy this adorable little thief cat:

(Thank you!! <3)

New tiers unleashed (and so are the dragons!)- major update #2 of the day
almost 5 years ago – Thu, Jan 23, 2020 at 10:54:20 PM

Hello again :D

Here to Slay has been up for under 60 hours, and we've already sailed past the $500k mark. O_O!!!!!!

Needless to say, it's been a crazy day, so let's jump right in!

New tiers are live!

Now that we hit our $500k stretch goal, we've unlocked the Dragon Sorcerers expansion pack (as well as the box upgrade to accommodate all cards in sleeves, including all expansions).

I decided to add 3 tiers to the campaign now that we have the 2 expansions (and a lot of exclusive add-ons) in the mix. I know the tiers are getting a bit complex now, so please take a look at the details and graphics below to help select the tier that's right for you!

The first tier is identical to the Kickstarter Exclusive Edition tier except that it also includes the KSE Monsters expansion and the KSE Dragon Sorcerers expansion:

The second tier, called the Hero's Set, is similar to the Adventurer's Set (but with quite a few upgrades). This new tier includes the KSE Monsters expansion, the KSE Dragon Sorcerers expansion, the new KSE Dragon Party leader play mat, and the 2 new additional play mats that accompany the 2 KSE Party Leaders (The Shadow Defender and The Brutal Bow). If we release another KSE Party Leader before the end of the campaign, this tier will also automatically get the accompanying play mat as well.

The third tier, called the Ultimate Collector's Set, includes everything in the Party Leader's Set + a lot more. In addition to all of those rewards, it includes the KSE Monsters expansion, the KSE Dragon Sorcerers expansion, the new KSE Dragon Party leader play mat, the 2 new additional play mats that accompany the 2 KSE Party Leaders (The Shadow Defender and The Brutal Bow), the acrylic standees for the Dragon, Shadow Defender, and Brutal Bow Party Leaders, and a Dragon class of meeples (for a total of 7 classes).

Please note that the Hero's Set and the Ultimate Collector's Set have additional pieces in their "applicable stretch goals" - this is why they say (Lv 2) and (Lv 3) on the actual tiers.

One other important note- ANY tier that includes card sleeves will include enough sleeves for the base game, all KSE cards, and both expansions. With the recent upgrade to the vac tray in the KSE box, you'll be able to fit all of those cards, sleeved, in the actual game box.

I realize this was a lot of information all at once, so thank you for taking the time to read this update!

And as a final note, here is an update on the in-progress Dragon Expansion pack artwork!

<3