👑 PAX & SXSW 24 Success!!🎉Digital Release ETA November, Lock Orders Extended 1 Week!
17 days ago
– Wed, Oct 30, 2024 at 04:42:40 AM
Dear Backer,
Wow, what a month! Melbourne International Games Week, PAX Australia & SXSW Sydney were incredible and thanks to friends and fans of V2S Games, ARC, Pony Dog Productions & Awakened Fables, The King’s Poisoner and its stage adaptation—The King’s Poisoner LIVE 🎭 —were both a big hit!!
Thanks to these wonderful events, hundreds of new people who’d never heard of The King’s Poisoner have now either played the game, or watched it being played or performed!
I’ve included the link to a sneak peek of the intro/trailer separately, as it’s exclusive to backers only. Hopefully I’ll have a video that’s publicly available for sharing soon!
Digital Release ETA November 📜
With all the time and energy that’s gone into the preparation and production of the stage show and live events, progress on pre-production this month has been slower than anticipated. I had hoped to be able to make up for much of this over the last few days, but there are still several files that need updating, correction or revision.
As a result, the Full Digital release will now be in November, with more details to follow asap. My apologies to all Friends of the Court and digital only backers, please know that I’m doing my utmost to get you the PDFs as quickly as possible.
Though production will now extend into January, I’m hopeful that the delivery ETA for both the Standard & Deluxe Edition boxed sets will remain unchanged and I'll be working with Panda GM (who have been great!) over the next couple of weeks to confirm the timeline.
Locking Orders Extended to November 7th! 🎺
I’ve extended the deadline so that everyone has a little more time to finalize their orders and take advantage of the crazy discounts.
Remember, once orders are locked you won’t be able to make any changes or pick up extra copies or backer-only accessories for delivery as a part of this campaign.
If you’d like to know more about locking orders, please see the 2nd half of the
last update for more details.
Threat Cards Reveal🫣
In addition to the video, here’s another sneak peek: the
Threat Cards from the boxed set (both editions), which are used to help the king choose a threat to their kingdom that’s been occupying their attention—oh dear!
Also, rumor has it that a 🏆 King of King’s Poisoner tournament-style event is in the works, more info on that coming soon!
There are still a few surveys yet to be completed. If you haven't completed your survey yet, please do so as soon as possible so that I can fulfill your rewards.
If you have any questions or run into any issues, please refer to the 2nd half of this
update.
🔔 Remember, If you need to review your information after your survey has been completed, you can return to it by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page.
Thank you very much for your patience and support! I look forward to sharing more of The King’s Poisoner news & progress with you asap!
Best regards,
Jonathan
V2S Games
👑Locking Orders Soon & Motives Revealed!
about 1 month ago
– Mon, Oct 07, 2024 at 11:09:42 PM
Dear Backer,
In light of the busy period that's now upon us, this update will be a little quicker than the last!
Pre-production continues to go well and is still expected to be complete by late October.
Preparation for the The King's Poisoner Live On Stage🎭 is in full swing with the cast meeting later this week.
Interest is already looking strong for sessions of
The King’s Poisoner at
PAX AUS at the Table🃏 —starting 11am everyday from Oct 11–13th (Fri–Sun) at MCEC—so be sure to get in early to book your seat at TTRPG HQ!
Motive Cards Reveal🫣
Time for another sneak peek: this time it’s the
Motive Cards from the boxed set (both editions), which are used to provide each character with a motive for murdering the king, though they may choose to do otherwise—you’ll have to play to find out!
Locking Orders October 31🎺— What Does This Mean?
At the end of the month, I’ll be flicking the BackerKit switch to lock orders to finalize exact item counts in time for production and shipping. After orders are locked, you won’t be able to make any changes or select additional add-ons for fulfillment as part of this crowdfunding campaign.
Prices available to you through your surveys are heavily discounted (in some cases over 30%) and are unlikely to be seen again! Some accessories may also be unavailable in the future except as part of the standard or deluxe edition boxed sets. So if you want to pick up extra copies or backer-only accessories at these low prices, this may be your last chance!
Don’t worry though, you still have a little over 3 weeks to make your final selections, and there will be a reminder sent 48 hours prior.
Once orders are locked, your credit card will be charged for any additional purchases that haven’t been paid for already.
Addresses won't be locked and shipping won't be charged yet, that will be done closer to fulfillment to give more time for you to confirm your shipping details and for me to provide accurate pricing.
If you haven't completed your survey, please do so as soon as possible so that I can fulfill your rewards.
If you have any questions or run into any issues, please refer to the 2nd half of this
update.
🔔 Remember, If you need to review your information after your survey has been completed, you can return to it by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page.
Thanks again for all your support! I look forward to seeing you at one of the exciting upcoming events and sharing all the news with you in the next update!
Best regards,
Jonathan
V2S Games
👑Role Card Reveal, Stage Adaptation & More…
about 2 months ago
– Tue, Sep 17, 2024 at 09:51:16 PM
Dear Backer,
I hope this update finds you well!
The pre-production files are progressing steadily closer to completion, with everything on track to commence production and digital release mid-late October.
The first samples are also expected in the coming weeks—I'm particularly excited for the Deluxe Edition Superior Crown!
Speaking of October…
The King's Poisoner Live On Stage!🎭
I'm excited to announce that, in partnership with
SXSW Sydney, a stage adaptation of
The King's Poisoner is preparing to feature as a live performance at the international Game Showcase on
Thursday, October 17th.
This will be part of the SXSW Sydney 2024 week-long festival, which follows almost immediately after Melbourne International Game Week (MIGW) & PAX Australia!
PAX Australia 🇦🇺 🌏
The King's Poisoner will also feature at
PAX Australia! If you're in Melbourne from
October 11–13th (Fri–Sun), come down to the Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre (MCEC) and join us for up to 10 sessions (that's right!) of
The King's Poisoner, thanks to Dale, Richard, John & the fantastic folks at the Australian Roleplay Community (ARC)!
In the meantime…
Role Card Reveal🫣
Here's a sneak peek at the
Role Cards from the boxed set (both editions): these are used to create your character and determine their position in the king's court at the start of play.
You might be wondering about the additional text on the cards? Each role has a
Unique Advantage, which is one of the
Advanced rules detailed in
The King's Poisoner's Survival Guide. This provides a special way for each character to secure an additional advantage during
Act II: Plotting & Scheming and add more spice to the story.
Survey Reminder
There are still a few surveys that are incomplete or missing. If you haven't completed your survey yet, please do so as soon as possible so that I can fulfill your rewards.
If you have any questions or run into any issues, please refer to the 2nd half of this
update.
🔔 Remember, If you need to review your information after your survey has been completed, you can return to it by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page.
My thanks again for your wonderful support—it continues to inspire me and I'm incredibly excited for a busy month ahead!
Looking forward to sharing more news with you in early October and best regards,
Jonathan
V2S Games
👑New Card Design, Summer Knights Success & Backer Surveys at 92%!
3 months ago
– Fri, Aug 09, 2024 at 07:06:56 PM
Dear Backer,
I have exciting news!
In addition to preparing the pre-production files, I've been hard at work investigating alternate design options for The King's Poisoner Custom Playing Cards, as requested during the crowdfunding campaign.
Playing cards that are suitable for every game of The King's Poisoner, no matter the setting or time period, is both essential and a challenge.
After scouring other card games, tarot decks, print and wood block designs, I've arrived at alternative I think will not only make The King's Poisoner playing cards more unique and thematic, but will also enhance gameplay—perhaps even for other roleplaying games as well!
New Playing Card Design🎺
Not only does each card have a NEW DESIGN but each of the game's four themes (LOVE, LOYALTY, AMBITION & MURDER) has been allocated to a suit (hearts, diamonds, spades & clubs) to keep them front of mind during play.
In addition, each card has optional graphic and written prompts to inspire storytelling and act as a visual aid!
Written prompts for other cards include: Allegiance, Beauty, Betrayal, Chaos, Compassion, Competition, Conflict, Corruption, Darkness, Dependence, Devotion, Discipline, Distress, Dream, Duty, Expansion, Exploitation, Exploration, Faith and more…
The design is still sufficiently traditional so that the embellishments aren't too restrictive or obtrusive, allowing the game to flow as it should, and the deck can be used for any other game that requires standard playing card elements e.g. one-eyed jacks, suicide kings, man with the axe, flower queen etc.
Finally, the prompts for each of the Kings can also be used to inspire your game's setting & guide world building. Simply separate them from the rest of the deck and draw a king at random to determine the type of setting in which you're going to play!
Meet the Four Kings
The King of Hearts, depicted as Charlemagne during the latter half of Henry VI's reign, is now also the king of fantasy with a dragon soaring above. A Targaryen, perhaps? Do you have a favourite monarch from the screen or literature? Rewrite their story or use it to inspire a new tale of love or betrayal!
The King of Diamonds, looking like Edward II but historically Julius Caesar, is also the king of the past with an hourglass evoking the passage of time or a bygone era. Set your story in any period throughout history or prehistory, from ice age tribal migrations to the chaos and strife surrounding the world wars! Draw from real world events to inform your narrative or provide a backdrop for your plotting & scheming.
The King of Clubs, once Alexander the Great, is also the king of the present with a globe of the world hanging over his shoulder. There are still a number of kings in the modern day and many leaders who act like them, which is fodder for compelling fiction and circumstances that are at once familiar and strange.
The King of Spades, traditionally the Judaean King David of biblical renown, is also king of the future with an android or artificial life form looming behind. What kind of kings, queens, autocrats or machines might rule in 10, 100 or 1000 years' time!
These can also be used as prompts in play: what FANTASY torments your heart? Which PRESENT would earn you favour? How can the PAST be used to your advantage? Who's FUTURE are you fighting for? Not to mention the images of mythical creatures, time, worlds and AI to fuel your imagination.
Please show your support for the new design in the poll attached below!
Summer Knights A Success!🎉
The King's Poisoner was played to stellar reviews and the online convention doubled its initial goal, raising over $2,800 for World Central Kitchen!
A big thank you to Good Games for a Good Cause, Games on Demand Online, RPG Alliance Con, The Dungeon Alliance Inc, and Trevor in particular, for putting on a wonderful event, congrats!
If you missed out on Summer Knights, The King's Poisoner will also feature at:
Conquest Games Market, a one day event on
August 31 designed to showcase local game developers, vendors, suppliers, makers, and artists to the Melbourne Tabletop and Roleplaying gaming community.
The Shared Hearth, an online open gaming weekend held by Open Hearth Gaming from September 5–8th.
Sign-ups open
12pm EDT, August 20.
92% Surveys Completed
We're getting ever closer to completion! 92% of backers have filled out their surveys and contributed an additional $788 to the campaign!
If you haven't completed it yet, please do so as soon as possible as I need this information to fulfill your rewards.
If you have any questions or run into any issues, you should find everything you need in the 2nd half of this
update.
🔔 Remember, If you need to review your information after your survey has been completed, you can return to it by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page.
Thank you again for all your support and please let me know what you think of the new design in the poll attached below.
Looking forward to sharing more developments at the end of the month and best regards,
Jonathan
V2S Games
👑Backer Surveys at 89%, Late Pledges Closed, Pre-production Underway & Exciting Events!
4 months ago
– Tue, Jul 16, 2024 at 08:50:04 PM
Dear Backer,
I hope this update finds you well!
89% Surveys Completed
A huge thank you for completing your survey! 89% of backers have already filled it out and contributed an additional $630 to the campaign, which is fantastic!
If you haven't completed it yet, please do so as soon as possible as I need this information to fulfill your rewards.
If you have any questions or run into any issues, you should find everything you need in the 2nd half of the
last update.
🔔 Remember, If you need to review your information after your survey has been completed, you can return to it by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page.
Late Pledges Closed, Pre-orders Open!
Late pledges were extended until July 15th, but are now closed. However, your family, friends and colleagues can still order a copy or purchase exclusive add-ons & V2S Games zines at the
Pre-order Store!
🏪
Pre-orders will be delivered before The King's Poisoner becomes available in other stores and are still discounted from the recommended retail price.
Prices for NEW backers/pre-orders will likely increase soon however, so if you know someone who's planning to pre-order a copy, please tell them to pre-order TODAY to get the best discount!
Pre-production Underway🎺
The Bill of Materials is being finalized with our manufacturing partner and preparation of the pre-press design files is underway. These files must be constructed and formatted correctly to ensure speedy verification and pre-production quality and every care is being taken to make sure they meet the necessary requirements.
Alternate design options for the King's Poisoner Playing Cards are being investigated as requested and carefully considered—I'll have more to share about this very soon!
Exciting Events🎉
The King's Poisoner will feature at a number of events in the next several weeks, including
GoPlay NW,
Summer Knights Online Charity Con and
Conquest Games Market. Keep an eye on our
Discord and
X for more info and events!
GoPlay NW 2024
GoPlay Northwest is 3 days of indie-focused tabletop gaming in Seattle, Washington from
July 26–28. A game of
The King's Poisoner will be hosted online for those who can't attend in-person. Join the GoPlayNW Discord from their
website to sign up and play!
Summer Knights Online Charity Con
Summer Knights Online Charity Con is three days of online gaming from
August 2–4 in support of World Central Kitchen. Come join me for a game of
The King's Poisoner and support Good Games for a Good Cause!
Conquest Games Market
The King's Poisoner will be at
Conquest Games Market! It's a one day event on
August 31 designed to showcase local game developers, vendors, suppliers, makers, and artists to the Melbourne Tabletop and Roleplaying gaming community. Hourly sessions will be hosted from
10:30am by yours truly. If you're in Melbourne, hope to see you there!
That's it for now. Thank you again for your incredible support and I'm excited to share more developments with you in the next update!
Best regards,
Jonathan
V2S Games
