Boardquest: Tales of Liria

Pledge Manager & Development Updates
6 months ago – Fri, Mar 29, 2024 at 12:46:22 AM

Pledge Manager is Open

Hello folks, we have now started sending out surveys through our Pledge Manager, Backerkit. Only 5% of you would have received the invitation so far. This is a commonplace smoke test to check that everything has been setup correctly. The rest of you should get your survey link within the next couple of days.

We will be asking you to use Backerkit to finalize your pledge: choose the language version of the game and submit your shipping details and fee. 

Backerkit is open for everyone who pledged at least $1: you will be able to upgrade your pledge to the premium edition of the board game and the discounted SUPERSAVER option. The video game, the mini pack, and additional game copies are available as add-ons. 

We've applied a flat shipping fee of 20 EUR to all orders of 4 game boxes or more, regardless of your location. If you've been planning on a collective purchase this might be the time!

Please send us an email to [email protected] if you have any questions about the Pledge Manager.

The Pledge Manager will close on June 1st.

Production Updates

On the game development end, a number of work streams have been put in motion:

– Rulebook review & visual updates

– Scourge of Liria Storybook development & testing

– Game elements review & visual updates

– Game box art update

– Miniature development. We have amplified the team to 4 (incredible) sculptors to parallelize the work. All minis will be developed in supervision of Pedro from Yedharo Models.

We can't wait to share the results of this work with you. The revised Rulebook should come out in the next two weeks and for all the video game backers there will be an invite to our first backer-only online tournament! Get ready by playing the demo version of Boardquest on Steam.

Behsaad & Iwona

Psst... Remember about our open call for Game Mods! We're awaiting your submissions until April 10th.

Thank you!
6 months ago – Wed, Mar 13, 2024 at 06:02:04 AM

After 3 weeks of a steady campaign we reached 170% of funding! Thank you to this fantastic community for believing in us until the end of the campaign. Thank you to our family and friends that jumped to support us on day 1. We cherished every pledge and message or comment you wrote. Boardquest is becoming a reality thanks to you.

We'll open the Pledge Manager in about 2 weeks time for you to complete your order and provide the shipping details. You will be able to add additional copies of the game or upgrade your pledge. For the $1 backers, you will get access to the Premium version of the board game, the video game, and the miniatures pack. The bundles, discounts and other game editions will not be available at this point. The Pledge Manager will be open until end of June in case you need to make any adjustments to the provided information.

Going forward you can expect monthly updates about the project development. Our immediate plan is to take a week off to recharge our batteries. Next, Iwona will be doing the final review of the rulebook and a card update while Behsaad focuses on completing the Demon Scourge storybook. This should be done before the end of April, so that there is plenty of time in May and June to translate all materials to Spanish and German. In the meantime Pedro will kick off another workstream: sculpting the outstanding minis. In 1-2 months all video game backers should receive a link to our early access multiplayer version and an invite to participate in our online tournaments. You will get regular updates as we roll out these deliverables and announcements.

As to final thoughts, Kickstarter has been a success for us. On a personal level, it's challenging to put your creation out there: we did it, and we have succeeded, a rare victory for indie projects. We reached our funding goal within 48 hours and then almost doubled the collected amount by maintaining a steady daily growth. We loved the interactions with our backers (you can still write us anytime!). 

Boardquest has always been a long-term project for us and we are committed to seeing it through. The first print of Boardquest is due November this year. Next year we plan to work on producing our first expansion – already fully drafted – that will introduce Undead and Dwarves to the game, add a unit per faction, new items, monster, summons, and snow-covered terrain tiles. 

We are yet to see where this journey takes us, but we do hope all of you will tag along.

Behsaad & Iwona

Solo Mode Explained
6 months ago – Fri, Mar 08, 2024 at 03:05:52 PM

Boardquest has been designed with Solo Mode in mind from the very beginning. Since its first version in late 2022 the Solo Mode went through many iterations and playtests to arrive where it is today. We’ll be dedicating some time post-campaign to additionally flesh out the scenarios and, as already committed, finish the second campaign book, The Scourge of Liria.

Solo Mode Overview 

So, how do you play Boardquest solo? The Solo Mode follows a story campaign. Players immerse themselves in the world of Liria: as they go through different chapters they experience the history of the continent first-hand and learn about the faction dynamics. Every scenario is a mini (but epic!) adventure that can be played on its own, repeated, or even skipped.

We will be delivering two Solo Campaigns with the game box, totaling about 15-20 hours of gameplay. As a more experienced Solo player you will squeeze additional content out of the books if you like to challenge yourself with replays at higher difficulty settings.

The core rules of the PvP mode still apply in the Solo Mode, with a few small adjustments. 

Automa

The Automa rules for the Solo Mode are easy to learn and execute, yet flexible enough to provide varied and captivating scenarios. The characters controlled by the Automa have their Attack Preference, Initiative Value, and Focus Rules. Together they define the characters’ behavior, movement, and who or what they attack or defend. For example, the Automa might be defined to attack the closest enemy – or a specific one, to conquer the closest fort, defend position, or guard an ally. The Automa is fully controlled by the game rules. No game master is required.

For more information, you can study the Automa rules for The Defenders of Liria campaign published on our website. 
 

Sample round

Here’s a quick overview of how to set up and play our scenarios.

The setup phase consists of the following: 

• Construct the scenario map. Place the map pieces according to the depiction for the scenario. The map pieces are numbered to make this step easier.
• Populate the scenario map. Place all friendly and enemy characters as depicted on the map, including their level – use the Upgrade tokens, or the Leveling Tracks – and equip them with items, as depicted in the storybook.
• Prepare the item cards. Place the treasure chests on the map and set aside the preselected item cards.
• Choose your difficulty level. Buy items and upgrades based on the available gold.
• Assemble your heroes’ skill decks. Choose advanced skills to include in your heroes skill decks.
• Assemble the enemy heroes' skill decks. Shuffle the cards and put them face down next to the hero boards.
• Read all special rules of the scenario and prepare accordingly.

A scenario round goes as follows:

• Move all player characters in any desired order.
• Move all enemy characters based on their initiative and their specific rules. Characters with a lower initiative value move before characters with a higher initiative value. When it is an enemy hero's turn draw the top card from their skill deck and use it as described in the scenario skill Automa for that hero.
• Repeat steps 1-2 until either a win or lose condition is reached, as per scenario.

Winning and losing conditions are specific to each scenario. Sometimes you’ll win by defeating the enemy hero. Other times you win by fending off enemies until their heros' skill deck is empty. Sometimes you will lose if you fail to defend an important ally.

Beyond the Solo Mode 

You might decide to create your own scenarios, too! Because of the modular terrain and our extendable game system the possibilities for custom scenarios are truly endless. We are so excited about Solo Mode because it will unlock endless ways to be creative and experience adventures in the world of Liria. Each expansion will push the system further: think of new map pieces, units, heroes, monsters, abilities, and items! We can’t wait to share more details with you all.

Our future plan (out of scope for this year) is to publish a tool in our video game for players to create their own board game scenarios and share them with the Boardquest community online for easy print and play.

As always, we’d like to thank this community for your ongoing support. As a backer of our Kickstarter campaign you will get exclusive information about the game development and the possibility to provide feedback for any upcoming expansion. Stay tuned for the updates after the campaign!

Creator‘s Corner

We’d like to use this opportunity to bring your attention to a campaign by a fellow creator from Berlin – already on its finish line! The Catacombs of Candarlin is a fantasy gamebook that follows the tradition of gamebooks like Lone Wolf, Fighting Fantasy and Fabled Lands. This interactive book uses modern game mechanics to create the most varied and enjoyable game experience possible. In the story you investigate rumors and carry out research to thwart the murderous plans of your opponents. Available in English and German. The rules of the game are intentionally kept simple so you can start playing quickly. All you need is two six-sided dice (2d6) and a pencil.

Another project from a German creator – Heroes of Xhandar – is now open to Late Pledge on Gamefound. Heroes of Xhandar is a trick-taking duel game, designed for 2 players but playable with up to 5. It's a fast-paced, 30 minute game, light on rules yet brimming with tactical decisions. Set in the fantasy world of Xhandar, your goal is to find shards of knowledge - the shattered remnants of magical crystals. The game is available in German in English.

Boardquest Game Mods
7 months ago – Tue, Mar 05, 2024 at 02:56:33 AM

Boardquest is not just a game but a game system that can be extended.

Some of you have contacted us with ideas for rule modifications and although it is unlikely that we will change the base rules of the game, we have planned for a Mods section in the Rulebook that features a list of game modifications that have been playtested and approved by us. Mods ensure that you can enjoy Boardquest in your preferred playstyle.

Open Call for Game Mods

Have a Game Mod idea? Contact us directly via a Kickstarter message or shoot us an email to [email protected] with your suggestion. We will review each one of them, have it play tested and, provided it works well with the rest of the game, added to the Rulebook and credited to you.

Note that this Call is only available until April 10th and open exclusively to our Board Game (Standard or Premium) or Video Game backers that pledged during the Kickstarter campaign. 

Base rules:

– a mod should not require any additional components (the scope for the components for the game is already closed to ensure a timely delivery after Kickstarter)

– a mod should preferably be combinable with other currently published mods so we can keep the game system modular and extendable.

Current Mods

Here are the mods we have approved so far. Please note their testing is still ongoing so the list is subject to change:

Market Hall | Credit: Stefan, Board Game Burger

Before every player turn add 2 random items to the shop. They are available for purchase only that turn and get shuffled back into the item pile afterwards. 

Fog of War | Credit: Stefan, Board Game Burger

Monsters only appear when you stand next to an undiscovered monster tile. When you spawn monsters, roll for their rarity as usual and then mark monster tiles with damage tokens representing that rarity (-1 common, -2 uncommon, -3 rare) instead of spawning the actual monster yet. Spawn a monster only when a character moves to an adjacent, undiscovered monster tile. Remove the damage token and randomly choose a monster of the marked rarity and place them on the tile. You may immediately attack the monster.

Cross-Faction Starter 

Each player selects 3-6 units in alternating order from any faction before the game starts. The units will be available for recruitment in any of your forts during the game, regardless of their associated faction.

Monster-Madness | Credit: Stefan, Board Game Burger

The monster turn is now taking place after a random player turn – the order is decided with a dice roll after every monster turn. Additionally, at the end of their turn, every player can move a monster by one tile. Monsters don't return to their original tiles with this mod.

Tower Defense 

In this Mod, captured forts can attack enemies once per turn (22 Attack, 2 Damage, Range 2). The forts do not not attack characters that stand on them.

Reincarnation

Spend 10 gold per level to revive heroes and units at 5 HP. Spawn them onto any of your forts on the map. They keep all their items, upgrades and XP. Losing a hero is not a losing condition in this Mod.

Closed Hand

Don't show the skill cards in your hand to other players in this Mod. Only reveal them when you play them.

Sanctuary Forts | Credit: Bryan

Conquered forts heal a friendly character standing on them 1 life per turn. Healing occurs at the beginning of a player's turn.

Single Dice Rolls

For all attack rolls roll one D6 instead of two D6 and add 4 to the outcome. No critical hits or critical failures will happen in this Mod.

High Income

Increase fort income to 2 per turn. Maximum income is capped at 12.

Ragnarok | Credit: Stefan, Board Game Burger

Every turn a random map piece will receive 2 damage. Mark the center hex of the map piece with a damage token. If the piece accumulates 6 damage it will be removed from the game permanently together with all forts and characters on it. If there are no more pieces on the map the game ends in a draw.

Thank you notes

Thank you to this community for all your enthusiasm and contributions so far, together we are truly bringing Boardquest to life. We'd like to extend special thanks to two contributors: Stefan from Board Game Burger and Bryan. Stefan has done an excellent preview of Boardquest (available here in German) and provided many Mod ideas during a call with Behsaad in December 2023. Thanks to Bryan for his continued support on social media and for his suggestions for game modifications and extensions. We are reviewing them as we go.

We can’t wait to see your creativity at work!

Behsaad & Iwona

Boardquest Mini Production: A Look Behind the Scenes
7 months ago – Fri, Mar 01, 2024 at 02:56:04 AM

Many of you asked about our miniature production process, plans, and budgets: few things make us happier to talk about, so for all of you eager to learn more, here's a detailed look into how the figure development has been progressing so far.

Underlying technology

Early on when designing the game we were very clear that we want it to include miniatures. We believe minis give the game a personality and add so much to the overall immersion.

To produce the minis, we are partnering with SiOCAST. In their own words, SiOCAST is "a unique solution for injection molding technology in silicone rubber molds, bridging the gap between 3D printing and traditional industrial injection". Exactly what we've been looking for: a technology built specifically for producing game miniatures that offers great quality, durability, high detail, and it's additionally non-toxic.

Other known brands have been embracing SiOCAST too: here's a good sneak peak of what the technology can achieve along with some commentary from Creature Caster, Kraken Wargames, and Titan Forge, among others:

Best thing for us: as SiOCAST is a Spanish invention, we had a pool of know-how locally that we could tap into, a choice of manufacturers and sculptors with years of experience with SiOCAST. 

Prototyping

Our first batch of figures came from the SiOCAST HQ in Barcelona themselves about a year ago. We were beyond happy to see the quality we were able to achieve: the figures from that mold are in play to this day and have stood the test of time. 

The impressive thing about SiOCAST is that the injected plastic can be colored: meaning, we'll be able to give identity to all factions and have them easily distinguishable on the map. Each faction and monsters will come in their own color: Elves – brown, Humans – dark blue, Orcs – dark green, Demons – dark red, and Monsters – anthracite. Those players who like to paint their minis can still do so, and for everyone else the figures are ready for play out of the box!

Since then, we went through a couple of iterations on the figures, added bulk and increased their stability. Currently we have already sculpted and printed 17 figures: the whole Human faction, the Orc faction, Raegar the Demon Lord, 2 Elves, and 6 Monsters (Mountain Troll, Alaria, Balthasar, Desert Scorpion, Hippogryph, and the Kickstarter Exclusive, the Minotaur). We're about to start the sculpting of the outstanding figures: it will be done in an exclusive collaboration with Yedharo Models, leading experts of designing figures for SiOCAST. The production will be done by Miniaturas Alemany, the inventors of the SiOCAST system with commercial experience in delivering minis.

The figures are the only outstanding part that needs to be created before we hit that "print" button and the game manufacturing can start. All cards and cardboard elements are essentially ready for production and they will only require some minor updates before print. We're very happy about the look and feel we achieved with the latest prototype, which has been reflected by the feedback we received from our reviewers. To quote Cody from the Discriminating Gamer, "this is one of the best produced prototypes we have explored here on the show". 

Financing

With the support we received from this community we are essentially covered to have the outstanding miniatures sculpted and start the production of the game. With the 12.000 EUR minimum collected any additional funds are a nice-to-have but not a requirement to finalize the project as we have also allocated personal funds to cover the entire production. 

Boardquest is a passion project of ours and we are committed to have the game land on people's tables around the world. Your contributions now make that goal achievable, and we are continuously moved by your support <3