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The King's Poisoner

Created by V2S Games

The King's Poisoner is a thrilling pick-up-and-play tabletop roleplaying game of court intrigue, romance and murder. With no prep or games master required, 3–8 players can open the box and create a memorable experience in 1–2 hours!

Latest Updates from Our Project:

👑Locking Orders Soon & Motives Revealed!
over 1 year 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…
over 1 year 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%!
over 1 year 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!
over 1 year 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  

👑Lighting the Castle Fires! Pledge Manager Launch and Backer Surverys on Their Way!
over 1 year ago – Sat, Jun 22, 2024 at 06:38:43 PM

Dear Backer,

The 'Smoke Test' is about to begin!

Soon, you’ll receive an email from me with a special link to your BackerKit survey. It’s essential to respond to your survey as quickly as possible since I need this information to fulfill your rewards.

 ✍️After you respond to your survey, you can go back later and change your responses at any time before I close the surveys to finalize orders.

Please read below for:

  • Activating your survey
  • Answering rewards questions
  • Purchasing add-ons (other V2S Games products now available!)
  • Confirming your address
  • Placing your order
  • Reviewing your survey
  • Getting help

Activating Your Backer Survey

When you receive the survey invite email (image below), please click the survey link to respond. 



Answering Your Questions

You'll be asked a few questions about your rewards, please answer as best you can.



You'll then need to confirm your pledge level and any add-ons you purchased during the campaign. If you see anything missing or incorrect, please contact support at https://the-kings-poisoner.backerkit.com/faq#contact-us

Purchasing Additional Add-ons (Other V2S Games Products Also Available!)

You'll be able to purchase additional add-ons, if you wish. Some of these may not be available after fulfillment.



Other V2S Games products are also available for purchase. You can find these using the drop-down filters at the top or by scrolling to the bottom of the add-ons.



🌏Printed (physical) copies are only available for shipping to Australian addresses at this time.

Confirming Your Address

Please provide your shipping information so that I can send you your rewards. You can update this any time up until addresses are locked—you'll get a reminder to confirm before shipping!



🚢Shipping & taxes will be charged at a later date. Shipping will be entered & charged a month or two before fulfillment once better estimates of shipping costs are available. You'll receive an update once shipping is finalized & before your card is charged in your BackerKit survey. I will keep you informed at every step along the way! 

Placing Your Order

Now you're ready to confirm your order!



🔔Once you Place Your Order, the pledge manager will immediately charge your credit card for any funds due.

Reviewing Your Completed Survey

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 at https://the-kings-poisoner.backerkit.com/


Didn't Receive Your Email?

Roughly 5% of backers will receive their invites today and tomorrow. If all goes well, the rest of the invites will follow within a few days. Thank you in advance for your patience!  

If you used your Facebook credentials to log in to your crowdfunding account, the BackerKit survey is sent to the email address associated with your Facebook account. 

If you Signed in with Apple ID, your email address might be a private relay email address. You can learn more about your email hiding for your Apple ID here.

Unless you hear otherwise via a backer update, if you haven't received your invite from the pledge manager by Friday, June 28th—please contact support and select "I can't find my survey" to let us know (please see below).


Problems?

If you:

  • haven't received your invite, 
  • have another email address that you prefer to use, 
  • need help finding your survey, 
  • would like to upgrade your pledge or 
  • run into any other problems with your survey, 

For non-survey related questions, please be sure to contact the BackerKit Support team for help.

Late Pledges close June 30th!

Just a reminder that late pledges close on June 30th, so please be sure to tell your family, friends and socials about The King's Poisoner and the discounted crowdfunding price!

Next Update🎺

The next update will follow in a couple of weeks with more news & info. Looking forward to sharing more then!

Many thanks and best regards,

Jonathan
V2S Games