project-image

Late Pledge Store - The Old King's Crown: A Tale of Royalty, Rebels and Ruses

Created by Eerie Idol Games

Strategic board game for 1-4 players. An empty throne, a crumbling kingdom and the heirs that would claim it. What Crown Will You Wear?

Latest Updates from Our Project:

AUGUST UPDATE: SCHEDULE UPDATE, FINAL RULEBOOK AVAILABLE, LASEROX INSERT PHOTOS, AS WELL AS LOTS OF NEW ASSET AND UPDATE PROGRESS
6 months ago – Fri, Aug 02, 2024 at 09:14:33 AM

Hello everyone!

It's Pablo here, I'll be taking the reins on this August Update!
I hope you’re all having a wonderful summer and to those of you fortunate enough to be heading to/at GenCon this year, I hope you have an incredible time! 

This month’s update is arriving a little earlier than usual as we have several important project announcements that we wanted to cover as soon as we were able. 
This is a big one, so join me and let’s jump right in.

First and foremost is an update to our production schedule and the announcement of a delay to the project. I know delays are never enjoyable and it’s something the whole team here have tried extremely hard to avoid, however once we knew for sure that we’d need the extra time, and had all the relevant information, we wanted to update everyone and get this information out with this earlier than usual check in.

We anticipate this extra time we’re allotting will add an estimated four months to our project timeline. We now anticipate fulfilment to commence around April 2025.
Below are principal factors that contributed to the decision to push the schedule back:

Editing & Proofreading Process - When finalising the game’s written materials we’ve been dedicated to making sure they received as much scrutiny and polish as we could possibly allow for. Alongside our internal team, we've brought on some fantastic contractors including an additional layout artist (whose work on the rulebook we’ll be showing later in this update), several usability and proofreading assistants, as well as a lead editor in Liz Davidson (Beyond Solitaire, Leder Games). 
This process was invaluable and we have no doubt that the end results benefit all players. However, it took longer than I had initially anticipated and whilst the process is nearly at its end, I wanted to make sure we don't rush this final vital stretch.
That said, I hope you enjoy the results in the game’s final rulebook, which we’ll link to later in this update! 

Production Checks - Similarly, myself and the team wanted to extend that extra time to the rest of the project. More time for reviewing art & material samples, finalising box design and inserts and so much more. With this additional buffer we feel confident in being able to commit as much time as we can to quality assurance.

Language Partners & Localisation - With that editorial process taking longer we wanted to make sure this didn’t have an adverse effect on the localised editions of the game. To make sure both ourselves and those partners have enough time to accommodate any unforeseen delays either in the translating process or when submitting to our manufacturer, we’ve added some additional time in the new schedule to accommodate for that.

Scope Increase - After the success of the Kickstarter campaign, we were able to expand the scope of the game to accommodate its ambitions. We’ve touched on some of these in previous updates but here is a quick overview of the improvements we’ve made to the game. 

  • All Factions have received an expanded roster of unique cards obtainable at their Site of Power, allowing for different builds each game, furthering the factions’ asymmetry and providing each with more strategic opportunities. 
  • The previously separate Map, Great Road and Order Track have been consolidated into one single larger Kingdom Board, reducing setup time whilst allowing us to create a visual flow that guides players through a round, alongside new markers.
  • The Court which was previously a single location has been expanded out into multiple Councils, with each Council providing you with unique abilities depending on how many votes you hold it with. 
  • With the continuing guidance and experience of Richard Wilkins/Ricky Royal (Oath, John Company 2nd Ed, Pax Pamir 2nd Ed, Renegade etc) the solo mode has also had further rounds of development and refinement. The Forge system, which lets you design your own solo rivals by altering behaviour, abilities and challenge levels, has been expanded allowing you to create even more diverse and interesting solo opponents to join the expanded roster of pre-built opponents.
  • The design and presentation of information was overhauled to add further clarity to action windows, making it even clearer to players what they can do, and when they can do it during each step of the game. The cutting of keywords, new UI, streamlined round structure and so on.
  • Alongside all the other gameplay and balance improvements that wouldn’t have been possible without our dedicated community, who have been playtesting the game daily for the last eight months.

Despite the delay we want to assure everyone that we have never been more excited by the game and where it has finally landed and it is really that we want to avoid fumbling in this home straight!

With that in mind our next milestone for the project is the final lock for all text files. As we’ll cover shortly, the rulebook is already wrapped, along with almost every other piece of text in the game. With that complete, we can prepare, package and handover all of our files to our international language partners to begin their localisation process. 

All this is ongoing, we're working alongside our manufacturing partner, Panda, to continue development and lock of our language-independent components such as the wooden pieces, metal coins, box inserts & art prints (including metallic foil treatment!). This will include full reviews of print proofs and physical samples, allowing us to minimise the time between receiving our language partners’ files and the commencement of the manufacturing process.

As mentioned above, one of the biggest milestones since wrapping the campaign was the development and completion of the final feature complete rulebook for the game. 

And we're happy to announce that it is now available!  

The past eight months of development time has all been folded into the pages of this book and myself and the team are just so excited to finally be able to share it with you all. We’ve expanded the visual examples of each phase of the game as well as providing a comprehensive glossary, allowing players to quickly reference rules and clarifications during play. Additionally we’ve introduced a new mode to the game: Skirmishes. These are designed to allow you to play a shorter game of The Old King’s Crown, for when you and your table want to claim the kingdom before dinner.

Finally, for those who already have a few games of The Old King's Crown under their belt (or who are comfortable diving into the increased complexity), the included Advanced Setup Rules, allow you to begin the game in more developed and asymmetric positions (note - Skirmishes and the Advanced Setup Rules can used at all player counts, including in the Solo Mode!)

We’ll be updating our public-facing Tabletop Simulator mod with this latest version very soon so you can try out the final version of the game before it makes its way to you. Following closely behind the main rulebook, we’ll also be making the solo mode and Wild Kingdom rulebooks available to preview. 

Have a look at a sample of some of the page spreads of the rulebook below, or if you would prefer to read the full rulebook, click this link here.

We mentioned in our last update that we’d have more to share from Laserox about their deluxe insert. We’re very excited to be able to reveal the images of their final design, designed to accommodate the final version of the game.
I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s looking spectacular!

As you can see from the images below (note, all components used in the photos aside from the insert itself are placeholder, we won't be sending you grey discs and blank bits of wood, we promise!)

  • Each faction has their own bespoke tray, featuring a transparent cover to keep cards protected and locked in place during transport, whilst also allowing for easy identification so you can grab your favourite faction and start playing right away. 
  • Loose components such as Influence and Lore tokens are kept organised with their own removable trays that can be placed around the board for even faster setup. 
  • The solo mode has also been given its own custom tray that accommodates all of its associated components, allowing you to set it up easily whilst keeping it separate from the multiplayer pieces.
  • And the best bit: The entire insert holds both the Base Game and Wild Kingdom expansion contents, all whilst accommodating sleeved cards.

With the extension of the Pledge Manager (covered at the end of this update), there’s still time to add the insert to your order if you were on the fence about purchasing it! 

With all the latest developments, it’s also been a little while since we’ve shown off some of the latest artwork you’ll be seeing in the game. Whilst we won’t be showing every piece of artwork in the game (we want to keep plenty of surprises for you all when you first lift the lid on your copies), it's always fun to be able to share a sample of some of the art work I've completed in this march to completion! 

Secure this neutral ally to turn your Faction's heir into a potent threat as you siege entire regions. 
Orchestrating ordinance!
Visiting the Midnight Market each Spring allows you to essentially convert other factions' abilities to your own. This one card can be used to create wild builds throughout the course of a game (better make sure no-one steals it ; ) 
This card can be used to great effect if kept out of harm's way, holding Councils and generating lots of delicious Lore! 
...hello?
One of the Nobility's Basic Faction Cards. 
Abandoned Estate - "I leave to you a sea of grass and that impossible place"
Rumours in the Dark - "Come closer, out of the light"

Additionally, the Solo Mode has received a series of visual improvements with new unique card back designs and an overhauled Simulacrum Board.

The Simulacrum in full swing, occupying Kingdom Cards, accumulating resources and preparing new threats in the fog.
Detail of the solo bot's player board.
These Carvings may be relatively weak but they are plentiful and pave the way for larger and stranger foes in the fog.

 
Thanks for bearing with us this far. This is our final bit of news. Previously we set today as the cutoff date for accessing the Pledge Manager.
However, to accommodate the delay we covered earlier in the update, we have decided to keep the Pledge Manager open for around another three months. This allows backers to modify their pledges if they would like to, and allows anyone that missed the campaign to Late Pledge to the project. 

This means the Pledge Manager will not be closing today and we will not yet be charging your cards. 

In our future updates we will keep you informed as to how the schedule is progressing as we get closer to the final closing date. 

That’s it for this month's update! 

Whilst I had hoped to not have to announce this delay, this additional development time has allowed us to make The Old King’s Crown into something that is true to the ambitions and vision we had set out to make. We will of course keep you all updated as the production process continues, and as always, if you have any questions about the project, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. 

We’ll be back soon with another update soon to share the latest TTS build as well as further news on the development progress. Rather than wait another months this update will likely be in the next few weeks! 

We’ll also be featuring a series of new overview videos and demos of the game in action, including of the solo mode with the help of Ricky Royal so you can see how all this development has improved and polished this game that we care so much about! 

I want to thank you all for your patience and understanding. 
Have a lovely weekend and we'll speak again real soon! 

Pablo
 

July 2024 Development Update - Pledge Manager, Art Print Vote Results, LaserOx Insert news
7 months ago – Thu, Jul 18, 2024 at 08:07:30 AM

Hello everyone, we’re back, this time with our July update! 

We’ve hit several important milestones on the project this month, so let’s dive in and discuss what we’ve been up to. However, before we begin we have an important Pledge Manager update. 

In last month’s update we announced that the Pledge Manager for The Old King’s Crown campaign would be closing on July 26th, however, there are still 18% of backers who have yet to complete the Pledge Manager and finalise their order. So, to ensure we give those people time to complete this we will be extending the closing date by two weeks. 

The new deadline for completing the Pledge Manager survey will now be August 2nd.

It is vital that everyone who has backed the project completes their survey, and pays for their shipping and VAT. Without this information we cannot send you your pledges.

If you have not received your invite, please follow this link to be sent another link. https://theoldkingscrown.backerkit.com/

As a reminder, payments for shipping and VAT have not yet been charged. Cards on file will be charged when the Pledge Manager closes. If you need to update your payment details you can do so via the Pledge Manager by following the link above. 

For those who haven’t completed the survey, we have put together a step-by-step guide on how to complete your survey. You can find this at the bottom of this update. Additionally, if you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Don’t worry if you are planning on moving house and need to change your address in the near future, you will still be able to do this via Backerkit right up until the moment that fulfilment from local distribution centres begins. 

Now, with that out of the way, on to the fun stuff!


That’s a wrap on the Art Print vote!

What an exciting couple of weeks. Thank you so much to everyone who took part in the vote. The competition was fierce, with over 500 of you casting your votes on what you’d like to see included. And now we’re excited to reveal the final eight pieces that will be making their way into the Art Print pack, joining a few additional surprises that we’ll be revealing in due course.

Starting with the piece that received the 8th most votes, right up to your number one choice, let's reveal reveal what the community picked:

Number 8: The Boatman
This mysterious figure is one of the many kingdom cards you’ll be able to recruit in the game, whose flavour text reads: ‘We all come to that crossing in the end’

Number 7: The Stag 
One of the enigmatic captains belonging to the Gathering faction. ‘A cloven hoof, bent against airs & arts. A glaive gone blood-searching’

Number 6: Hall Upon the Waves
This card supports from the waves as the Clans launch their raids on the kingdom.
‘A people marching on the shoulders of the sea’

Number 5: The Printing Press
The Uprising’s site of power, from which you can recruit new powerful cards.
‘Spread the message, spread the cause’

Number 4: Shield Mavens 
This card, and others of its archetype, are particularly strong against being eliminated and are great for undermining dangerous agents.
‘Mother to daughter, the shields pass on’

Number 3: The Old Sentry
Another site of power, this time belonging to the Clans faction. This sun-bleached wreck stands watch over the mountains and the waves. 
A wild eye, all sea, all sky’

Number 2: Airship Docks
Once you occupy this card it allows you greater mobility to move your cards around different areas of play. ‘We’ll get you where you need to go'.

Number 1: A View of the Kingdom
Part of the kingdom you’ll be clashing over. Deploy cards to its regions and claim individual locations for vital bonuses.
‘A place of statues of stone that see and remember all, palimpsests of those who rose and fell so very long ago’ 

With the eight pieces of art decided upon, our next steps will be to complete the layouts for the cards receiving foil treatments. We’ll make sure to update you all with all the resulting shiny-shinies.


We’ve got some exciting news to share regarding the LaserOx Insert!

We know that many of you were waiting to hear more information about whether the base game material and Wild Kingdom expansion would all fit together into the base game box when using this insert before adding this to your pledge. 

We are delighted to confirm that the LaserOx insert will allow the base game and Wild Kingdom expansion content to all fit together into the base game box, including sleeved cards! 

Laserox have been hard at work developing a final completed version of the insert that accommodates the latest component modifications we made to the game, including the new Kingdom Board and additional Kingdom Cards. The insert they have designed provides each faction with their own bespoke storage box, allowing you to easily pick a faction and begin playing even faster. We’ll be able to share further images and renders of this soon. If you haven’t added the insert to your order yet, there is still time to do so in the Pledge Manager. 

Progress is ticking along nicely, and over the past few weeks we have been working with our manufacturer, Panda GM, to move through the approval process of our print files. This allows us to identify any manufacturing issues that might arise during production before we send our files off to our language partners. We’re happy to announce that this has nearly concluded with only minor adjustments being required. 

Whilst we prepare the files for the localisation process (and indeed once they are sent for translation) team will be working on the following:

  • An updated public Tabletop Simulator build that contains all the materials from the base game and expansion, including the final shiny and layout complete rulebook.
  • Continuing to complete any remaining pieces of art work for the base game and expansion.
  • Reviewing the samples of our language independent pieces such as the wooden components for the Wild Kingdom Expansion as well as the metal influence tokens and Active Player marker. 
  • With our component count now locked, final development on the moulded plastic inserts for both the base game box and the Wild Kingdom expansion can be completed. We aim to share some renders and prototypes of these very soon.

That’s all from us at the Eerie Idols studio for now, but we’ll be back next month with further development updates and the final rulebook ready to read so you can brush up on the final rule set! 

Thanks from Andrew, Pablo & The Eerie Idols team.


 

The following will provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to complete your Pledge Manager survey. There is also a guide on how to check whether you’ve already submitted your survey as well as information on how to change your address if required.

COMPLETING YOUR SURVEY

If you still need to complete your Backerkit Survey, first start by clicking the following link: https://theoldkingscrown.backerkit.com/

From here insert the email address you use for Kickstarter and click "Get my Survey". Check your emails for your survey link which should have now been resent to you. 

Insert the email address you used for Kickstarter and click "Get my Survey".

Once you have opened the email click on the ‘Click Here to Respond” Button. This will open your Pledge Manager page in a browser page. From here you should see the pledge-level you backed on Kickstarter listed. Click "Get Started!" to continue.

Click "Get Started!" to continue.

The first page is an information screen that will explain that your shipping cost will be correctly calculated once you have input your address at a later step. Select the “Got it!” radial button. If you backed the project at the £1 Supporter level on Kickstarter, clicking next will take you straight to the add-ons page where you can choose a pledge level to select (you will be able to select your desired language once you have added a game to your cart).

Click Got It! and then the "Next" button at the bottom of the page to continue.

If you backed at the base game or above pledge level on Kickstarter you will first be asked to choose your desired language for the base game and the expansion. You may choose from English, French, Spanish or Polish. Once selected, click "Next: Add-ons" to continue.

Select the language you would like your game to be in and click "Next" to continue.

On this page you will see a list of add-ons that you may add to your order. These include the LaserOx wooden insert, the card sleeve pack, as well as additional copies of the base game, expansion and Art Print Pack. When you have added any further items you wish to include in your order click the “Next” button. You may simply click “Next” to skip this step if you do not wish to include any add-ons in your order. 

Choose any add-ons you would like to include in your order. If you do not want to add any add-ons, click "Next" to continue.

On the following page you will be asked to fill in your shipping information. This will then calculate the correct shipping price for your country. You will be able to change this address at a later date if you expect to move house between now and when fulfilment begins. Once you’ve input your details, click the "Next" button.

Insert your shipping information and click "Next" to continue. 

Finally, on the last page you will be asked to enter your payment details. Your card will not be charged immediately, instead will be charged a little after the Pledge Manager closes. On this screen you should now see your updated shipping fees and VAT. Click the “Place my Order” button to confirm your pledge.

Insert your payment information and click "Place My Order" to finalise your order.

That’s it! You’ve now confirmed your pledge and there is nothing further that you need to do. 

If you do still encounter any issues, please get in contact with our fulfilment partner at [email protected] who will be able to assist with any problems.


HOW TO CHECK THE STATUS OF YOUR PLEDGE

If you think you might have already completed the Pledge Manager Survey but aren’t sure, follow these steps:

1. Click the following link to retrieve your survey: https://theoldkingscrown.backerkit.com/

2. Input the email address you use on Kickstarter and click the “Get My Survey” button.

3. A link to the survey will be sent to your email address which will allow you access to your Pledge Manager. Click the link in the email sent to you to be taken to your Pledge Manager.

4. From here you can check the status of your survey as well as options to modify your order with any add-ons, as well as change your address. If you haven't completed your survey, you will be prompted to complete the steps listed in the above section. 

ART PRINT VOTE GOES LIVE TOMORROW
7 months ago – Sun, Jun 30, 2024 at 08:13:51 AM

Hello everyone!

We hope you're all doing well. We're back with a brief update to let you know that the community vote to decide the pieces of artwork that will be included in the Art Print Pack will go live tomorrow!

This vote will allow our incredible community of backers to select eight pieces of art to be included in the All-In pledge Art Print Pack. From these eight, the team will select some to receive a further premium metallic foil treatment. The Art Print Pack pack will include the eight A4 prints selected by the community, along with a few of our own surprises that we’ll be revealing in a later update!

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of all the artwork in the game, but rather a selection suitable for larger scale A4 printing. Please also be aware that these pieces may also undergo some minor adjustments and alterations before they are submitted for print.

The vote is open to all backers who pledged at the All-In level during the Kickstarter campaign as well as those of you who late-backed the project via Backerkit at the All-in pledge level. If you’d like to upgrade your pledge level to get your hands on this Art Print Pack, there’s still time to do so via your Backerkit pledge manager. Doing so will also gain you access to the community vote. 

If you’re an All-In backer, you’ll be sent an email with a link to the voting form. This will be sent to the email you used for your Backerkit survey. These emails will roll out over the next few days, so don’t worry if you don’t see yours tomorrow. If you haven’t received your invite by the end of Wednesday, let us know, and we’ll make sure to send you another invite.

Keep an eye on your inbox for an email with the subject header: The Old King’s Crown Art Print Vote

Note: If you backed the campaign at the All-In pledge level directly through Kickstarter, you'll also receive a message directly from us on Kickstarter with a link to the voting form. 

If you were a £1 backer and upgraded your pledge, or late-pledged via Backerkit we unfortunately aren't able to send you an invite directly through Kickstarter so please keep an eye on your email inbox for your invite. 

Once you receive your invite, follow the included link to the voting form where you will find the list of artwork which you may vote for. You can select up to eight pieces that you’d like to see in the final Art Print Pack. After making your selections, click the submit button at the bottom of the page to confirm your choices.

The community vote will be open for two weeks and will close at 4pm (UK time) on Sunday, 14th July. After this point the form will be locked and no further votes will be counted. 

Once voting ends, we’ll tally up all the votes and announce the eight pieces chosen for the Art Print Pack via email and as an update here. We know that some of you are waiting to see what pieces will be selected before deciding if you would like to upgrade your pledge so we will ensure we reveal the final selections before the pledge manager closes on July 26th.

We'll be back early next month with our normal scheduled update. Until then, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch.


Thank you all, and we can’t wait to see what you choose!

Andrew, Pablo & The Eerie Idols Team.
 

June 2024 Development Update - Pledge Manager Closing Date Announcement, New Rulebook Layout & a Small Surprise
8 months ago – Thu, Jun 13, 2024 at 07:50:05 AM

Hello everyone, we hope you’re all well! 

Things have been rapidly moving forwards with our work on The Old King’s Crown and we are still working to the same schedule as outlined in our April update. We have a few important things to discuss in this month's update. Let’s jump straight in!
 

The Pledge manager will be closing on July 26th.
We’ve been able to keep the pledge manager open for much longer than we’d originally anticipated and we’re delighted that more people have been able to get their hands on the game when it starts shipping as a result. 

As a reminder, if you have not yet completed your pledge manager survey, please do so as soon as you can. 
If you haven’t yet received a link to your survey, please check your junk folder as the invites can occasionally be flagged as spam. If you still do not see your invite, please get in contact with [email protected] who will be able to forward on a link to your survey. 
We will make sure to send a bespoke email (or three ;) to make that any final folks who have yet to submit their shipping details are able to do so!

As a quick reminder to those that have signed up to Kickstarter via Apple ID, we  cannot send your invite to you directly via your Apple ID. Please send an email directly to our fulfilment team at [email protected] with the subject line: The Old King’s Crown Apple ID. This email should be sent from the email address you used to sign up for Backerkit.

For all backers who pledged for the Art Print pack, we’ll be launching the community vote on  July 1st. 
The vote will run for two weeks and at the end we’ll reveal the art pieces that have been selected for inclusion in the art print pack. We know that many of you were waiting to see what pieces of art would be selected and included in the final version before modifying your pledge, and as we were able to keep the Pledge Manager open longer than anticipated, we’re delighted to be able to offer this. More information will be provided on how to gain access to the vote very soon via a further Kickstarter update. 

Both of our rulebooks (multiplayer & solo) are now going through their final comprehensive editing pass to ensure consistency & readability throughout. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have been able to bring on the help of Liz Davidson, in a role as Lead Editor, who has been ably assisting us with this task. Liz is known for her wonderful Youtube Channel: Beyond Solitaire, but, in addition to this she is currently working as an editor on The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era and is developing her own game, Night Witches, with the extremely talented David Thompson.
Also contributing fantastic work on additional editing duties and usability testing has been another freelance contractor, Miguel Conceição. He has, amongst other credits, worked as an editor on a number of Stephan Feld games - and was recommended to us by the generous Paul Grogan.

With this step nearing completion, we’re now adding the final copy into our new Rulebook templates. These have had a big redesign since our last public rulebook build. The design goal with these templates was to ensure that clarity was front and centre. To that end, we’ve revisited how we present each phase and step within the game. Gameplay examples have more robust diagrams and information can be referenced more quickly whilst playing. We’ve given every element a little more space to breathe so as not to overwhelm new players with lots of new concepts. 

We’ll have the full PDF version of the rules available for download very soon along with an updated Tabletop Simulator module with the final build of the game. Take a sneak peek at some of the latest rules spreads: 

Our new Setup page. Each element is now displayed in 3D space to  allow players to more easily identify components and spaces on the board. NOTE - The red line indicates the fold line of the pages. This is still technically in prototype and will likely see a further round of amends and improvements but serves as a good indicator of the overall "vibe" of the final book.
A sample of our new Summer Phase spread. Each element now has more space and prominence. Our diagrams now include more visual depictions to help you understand the core concepts more easily. NOTE - also still technically a prototype.

As development of the game has continued, we had team and playtester favourite cards that we had initially cut due to time and component limits. However, with everything moving smoothly, we saw an opportunity to make the call and include these cards in the final collection.

We’re excited to announce that we’ll be increasing the number of Kingdom Cards in the base game from 45 to 51 cards. These six new cards are all thematically linked to character of the old king. Each a personal belonging, now a relic left-behind, that provides significant advantages to the player that controls them. The King’s Spear, for example, allows you to turn one of your cards into a "deadly" card for a round (adding the ability to augment regular cards with this powerful elimination effect) before the card is discarded. The King’s Helm on the other hand protects one of your cards from being eliminated, allowing them to fight another day, however sacrificing the Helm in the process. Others interact with the Lost Pile, recoup Supporters and allow to get very tricksy with you hand management. These six new cards will be included, free of charge, inside all copies of the base game. 

The Old King's Spear. This is one of six new Kingdom Cards being added to the base game.

LaserOx have now received the white box sample. We know that some of our backers were waiting for confirmation as to whether Laserox will be able to produce an insert that will allow you to store all of your Wild Kingdom content within the base game box. We should have confirmation from them very soon, and certainly before the pledge manager closes so you can make an informed decision on whether you wish to add the insert to your pledge.

A final note is that from our own manufacturing development concerning the full and final components, and the box insert, it is looking like both the base game and the expansion materials should all be able to fit in the base game box, if you wish to consolidate all the components into a single box (we increased the base game box size a bit in response to the final full size board and this as certainly helped in this regard!). We still need to do final designs and amends but it is looking likely (despite the increased amount of components in the final game).

That’s all for this month. 

Now, back to editing, editing, editing! 

Thank you all for your support!

Andrew, Pablo & The Eerie Idols Team


 

May 2024 Development Update - Solo Mode, New Art, White Box Sample
9 months ago – Thu, May 09, 2024 at 07:26:09 AM

Hello everyone! We hope you’re all doing well!
Work on The Old King’s Crown has been moving forward at a rapid pace as we push into the final development stretches of the game. We’re still very much on track with the schedule laid out in last month’s update. We’re excited to share more about what we’ve been working on so without further ado, here are some of the latest updates.

We’ve been working with our manufacturer Panda GM, to develop a white box sample of the game. This is essentially all of the game components but without any of the art or text and is used to ensure that all components can fit in the game box correctly. Additionally, it allows us to finalise our insert design! This is where we can catch any problems with the physical manufacturing of any of our components. Fortunately, we have already tested and refined many of our wooden components before the Kickstarter campaign began so this should allow us to move through the approval process much faster. 

The white box sample is now complete and is making its way to us and our partners, such as LaserOx who will in turn begin their final designs for The Old King's Crown deluxe wooden insert add-on. We are excited to see see what they come up with, as we were blown away by their initial prototype design. We'll make sure to update you all with any updated details and images the moment we have them! 

Currently, 80% of backers have completed and locked in their pledges in the Backerkit Pledge manager.  

We know many of you are awaiting confirmation from LaserOx as to whether the Wild Kingdom expansion materials will fit in their storage solution for the base game. We should have confirmation of whether this will be possible soon, however, rest assured, we will not close the pledge manager until we have this confirmed to allow you to decide on whether to add one of these inserts to your pledge. 

We will endeavour to keep the pledge manager open as long as we can to allow for upgrades to pledges, as well as any further pledges from late backers. 

Once the pledge manager locks, the community art print vote will go live, allowing all backers who pledged for the Art Print to vote on which pieces of artwork they would like to see included. 

We announced last update that we have partnered with Galakta to offer a Polish version of both the base game and Wild Kingdom expansion. So, if you’d prefer this version of the game, remember to update your pledge via Backerkit. 

As always, Pablo has been hard at work on even more illustrations for the game. Here is a small sample of some of the latest work. 

The Nobility's Knights of The Pasture - 'let us ride out together, one last time.'
The Nobility's Master of Arms - 'Death & I have met before. We no longer dance but stroll like old friends.'
The Adventuring Party is one of the many Kingdom Cards in the game. Each of these unique neutral cards can be acquired throughout the course of a game, allowing you to build out your Faction's toolkit in new strategic ways. This card's effect may be simple but it is strong! GO ADVENTURING PARTY! 

With the core rules for the base game locked in place, the team, including the wonderful solo designer Richard Wilkins/Ricky Royal (Pax Pamir/John Company Renegade etc) have been busy putting the final development touches to the solo mode and so bringing it in line with the latest improvements found in the multiplayer game. We’re excited to share that we will be including some new components as standard within the game to make setup and moment to moment gameplay more streamlined and enjoyable. 

We’ve introduced a new bespoke Simulacrum tile board which acts as its headquarters of sorts, housing all of the components, and allowing for a more organised play space for the Simulacrum. 

Additionally, we've added a number bespoke Simulacrum tokens that allow its presence to be felt across the game board. 

The new Simulacrum board set up. (Please keep in mind that this is still in prototype and may be subject to further amends).

Finally, we've been hard at work finalising the contents of the Forge and its cards. This system (previously nicknamed "mods" if you followed any coverage of the solo mode) allows you to create your own solo "archetypes" (alongside pre-built ones we've designed for you) using Forge Cards. These allow you to alter not only the difficulty of your solo rival but to fundamentally change their behaviour and play style, forging your own ideal opponent as you go. We cannot wait to see what wild creations players come up with!

Here's an example of two of the very simplest Forge Cards. Cards in blue will aid the player through benefits and boons, whilst red cards will increase the difficulty, often by making the Simulacrum more powerful, or by adding a disadvantage to the player. 
And here is an example of a slightly more complicated Forge Card. Perhaps you want to challenge yourself to overcome a solo archetype that has this card and Blockade. Now you're facing a scarcity of resources in the early game and an rival opponent that thrives on out-bidding you for valuable Kingdom Cards. This is a just a sample two-card example of a simple twist you can create in the Forge. From that point on, the options and abilities granted by the Forge cards get MUCH wilder!  

If you fancy challenging the Simulacrum (and even test building your own solo archetype using a selection of Forge cards), head on over to our Discord where you can gain access to the beta version of the Tabletop Simulator Solo mode. A public version of this mod will be going live soon if you’d prefer to wait for the finished build. 

That’s all from us for this update, we’ll be back next month as we finalise all of our files for our localisation partners and put the final touches on the game. As always we'll have more news to share, more art updates and plenty of details on the remaining portions of the project!

All the best from us here to you there. Thank you so much for your continued support, enthusiasm, kindness and input! 

Andrew, Pablo & The Eerie Idols team