Our Feedback on Your Feedback
almost 4 years ago – Fri, Jun 26, 2020 at 01:13:27 AM

Hey there, Overlords! Yesterday, we took a look at how much stuff we've unlocked so far, and asked what else you'd like to see. We got a lot of comments, including many ideas that came up several times. Today at Brotherwise HQ, we're discussing all of those ideas to determine what's possible now versus what could serve as inspiration for future expansions. Here are some of the requests we heard.

More Bosses: With 16 different people requesting more Bosses, these were the most popular request! Good news: the next stretch goal we reveal will include four new Bosses.

Heroes: About a dozen people suggested that they'd like to see the concept of Heroes incorporated into the game. We've been playtesting some Hero options, but nothing yet has made the final cut.

More Than 4 Players: We've seen a lot of comments asking for bigger multiplayer games. We determined that gameplay is still balanced with a 5th player, as long as everyone’s using the standard (3x4) board. So our next stretch goal after Cloud Islands is to add a fifth board to the box!

New Tokens: You guys have shared some fun ideas for other tokens, but we're reluctant to make changes that would affect the finely tuned balance of the game's "token economy." (Fun fact: in development, Treasure became Crystals and Traps became Minibosses.)

More Terrain Tiles: A few people in yesterday's update (and a bunch in the general Comments) have asked for more terrain tiles. We've been playtesting one more terrain type... stay tuned!

Kickstarter Exclusives: A couple of folks have asked for more Kickstarter Exclusives, and some say it's better to avoid them. We think we can strike a good balance here. We have ideas for how to give you guys some Limited Edition content that won't be part of the main print run (but might eventually be offered at conventions, charity auctions, or retail events).

Component Upgrades: So far, any photos you've seen have been locally printed prototypes. The final production quality will be even better, with nice thickness and heft (1.5 mm tiles/tokens and  boards). We don't plan a linen finish (because it can interfere with the pixel art), but these tiles are big (over 2" across) and beautiful. That said, we're working with a partner on one more component upgrade!

And More: You guys shared a lot of other great feedback, and we've been seriously discussing every comment. Some suggestions are cost-prohibitive, while others could stand in the way of our plans to ship this before the holidays. But every bit of input helps, so thank you!

Speaking of stretch goals, the latest goal we unlocked is to expand the illustrations in the game! Once it looked like we were on track to achieve this goal, our art team started working on the additional images. Here's a look at some of our slimy Swamps.

And now all 8 of our Dungeon Entrances are unique! While all the Dungeons are mechanically the same, it's fun to see the different art styles, including inspiration from some of our Bosses.

We also have new art underway for all the unlocked stretch goals. This game is going to look great on the table, jam-packed with pixel art and nostalgia.

Thanks again for your comments, and for all you've done to support the campaign!

Unlocked and Unstoppable
almost 4 years ago – Thu, Jun 25, 2020 at 06:55:05 PM

Overlords, we are now one week into our campaign. When we look at what's been unlocked, it's crazy to realize how much bigger this game has gotten. Check this out: on the left is where we started, and on the right is where we are now.

And then there's our "The Game" image, which is getting absurdly long. But if you haven't visited our campaign page lately, it's worth a look. Here's everything that comes with the game:

And of course, if you pledged at the $55 level, you get all of that plus the Tower and Market. Whichever level you pledged at, we want to make sure you're getting an awesome value.

We went into this project feeling confident about funding the core game. The version of the game on day one is what we call Classic mode, and it's awesome as is. That's the game Aaron and Kevin pitched us, that's the game we signed, and that's the game we sent reviewers. If we needed to, we could have funded that version of the game without a Kickstarter.

For us, this project has always been about the stretch goals: can we take our expansion ideas and ship them with the original game? Thanks to your support, that hope is becoming a reality.

But because we've expanded so much since day one, we need your help. Let your friends know about this campaign! Let them know that if they haven't checked it out since day one, it has gotten even better! The more we can spread the word, the bigger this can get.

We'd also like your input: what else would you like to see? We have two weeks left and some decisions left to make. If there's something you'd love to see in a stretch goal, let us know by posting in the Comments below!

Circle of Trust
almost 4 years ago – Tue, Jun 23, 2020 at 04:06:04 PM

Greetings, Overlords! We're now headed into week two of our campaign, and what a first week we've had! Since the start of the campaign, we've surpassed 3,000 backers! We've unlocked seven stretch goals. The latest: Summoning Circles!

We started with 68 tiles and 68 tokens. With Summoning Circles unlocked, your game now includes an extra 36 tiles and 33 tokens, a 50% increase! This is a lot of value for a $45 game, and we're hoping to unlock even more.

It's not just about quantity, though: we've unlocked some major upgrades in gameplay. The rules we've shared so far are what you could call Classic mode, a version of the game that you can play with people of all ages and skill levels. In Classic mode, Overlord is as easy to learn and teach as a game like Carcassonne, Sushi Go, or Kingdomino... but with surprising depth.

Boss cards, Command cards, and the new tilesets kick Overlord into high gear. You can bring any or all of these into Advanced games, and challenge even the most serious tabletop gamer. Summoning Circles are a good example: when one hits your board, you can swap the monster on that tile (or any adjacent tile) with any monster in the market. They can really help you fine-tune your monster bands or achieve Boss card scoring objectives.

Next up, we have a component upgrade: more illustrations! This stretch goal allows us to double the number of unique illustrations in each tile set. Here's what that would look like for Forest tiles:

Based on what we've unlocked so far, that's 32 new illustrations, but it will increase if we unlock additional terrain types like Cloud Islands. The pixel art is in this game is top-notch, so this is a great upgrade!

Thanks again for everything you guys have done to spread the word. We've seen you posting about this on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and we really appreciate it! Or if you see one of our posts on social media, tag it or share it with a friend. Anything you can do to let people know about the campaign is a huge help.

Have a great week, and stay tuned for more updates!

The Gloves Are Off
almost 4 years ago – Sat, Jun 20, 2020 at 11:25:27 PM

Good morrow, Overlords! We've had another strong day of pledges, unlocking Solo mode! Our next stretch goal will bring in something that a lot of backers have asked for: a greater degree of player interaction and cross-table play. We call them Command cards, and they can turn the game from a friendly competition to an absolute bloodbath.

So how do these work? Command cards are dealt face-up, and are available to all players. Each card shows a particular pattern of terrain tiles. If you build a set of matching terrain tiles, you get to execute that Command on ANY player's board (including your own) by discarding that card and activating its power.

•  Intimidate: If you build two adjacent matching tiles, you choose one tile-and-token set and move it one square.
•  Demolish: If you build three matching tiles (in the pattern shown), you can destroy any tile-and-token set. The owner immediately replaces it with a set of their choice from the market.
•  Overthrow: If you build four matching tiles (in the pattern show), you can swap the placement of two tile-and-token sets on the same or different boards. That means you can even steal a set from an opponent, giving them something you don't want! 

A well-timed Command can completely reverse the course of the game. Because the game already includes so many different considerations to balance, this is an optional game mode that is recommended for advanced players. It is not recommended for first dates, family Thanksgivings, or for anyone with a propensity to flip the table. It's a truly cutthroat experience ...but we know that's exactly what some of you villains want.

More to Come

We recently revealed our next three stretch goals on the main campaign page. After Command cards, we have the chance to unlock another all-new set of terrain tiles. Summoning Circles, with Sorcerobe monster tokens and a matching Crystal token, are another fun way to shake up the game. If we unlock these, the game will have 50% more content than we had at the start of the campaign!

Bosses Needed!

We're reaching a point in the campaign when things typically slow down, as fewer people are finding out about it for the first time. If you want to help us buck that trend, please let your friends know about this campaign! If you use the tags #BossMonsterOverlord and #BrotherwiseGames, we'll try to find you and thank you. But even if we don't, anyone you can bring into the campaign is someone who can help us unlock more stretch goals! We've unlocked so much stuff that a lot of people might want to take a second look at the campaign, so do your friends a favor and let them know about this game! Here's a nice square image you can use for a Facebook or Instagram post, if you're into that kind of thing.

Thanks for everything, and we hope you have a great weekend!

The Conquest Continues!
almost 4 years ago – Fri, Jun 19, 2020 at 03:38:32 AM

Greetings, Overlords! It's been another successful day, with another big stretch goal unlocked. Thanks to everyone who joined today and helped us unlock the Volcano terrain tile set! Place a Volcano for 4 points, but remove every adjacent monster or Miniboss token! Powerful but deadly, the Volcano is definitely a choice for more advanced players who have played through the game a couple of times. Play cleverly and you can negate their drawback ...or even turn it into an advantage.

 The next update is a big one, and probably the biggest request that's come our way since the beginning of the campaign. We've always known that Overlord could lend itself to Solo play. In a Solo game, you treat the Market like a conveyor belt: every turn, after drafting your tile-and-token pair, you destroy the rightmost terrain tile and move the others down. Plan ahead and try to maximize your score!

But Aaron and Kevin didn't want to leave it at just that. They designed a solo campaign that you can play over the course of many games, balancing your high score against unlockable Achievements for pulling off certain combos. The exact details of this mode depend on exactly how many tile sets and Bosses we unlock in this campaign, but we'll share more details closer to the end of the campaign.

When we weren't checking the campaign or answering comments, we had a few other things going on at Brotherwise HQ today! We revealed some new Vault of Villains cards on the Brotherwise blog, we were picked as a "Projects We Love" by Kicktarter, and we had an AMA with Aaron and Kevin at /r/boardgames.

So thanks for another great day, and for all of you who have been sharing this campaign on social media. Here's hoping for a strong day tomorrow so we can get closer to that Solo mode stretch goal!