A board game about a brutal, retro vibe TV show! Sign contracts, buy gear, hire players, prepare dirty tricks- make your studio famous!
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Ladies and Gentlemen!
Since quite a few of you have messaged us asking for more information about the characters that were added as stretch goals and were not available when we shot gameplays and reviews, below is a brief characteristic for each of them.
And, of course, some illustrations.
A seasoned street fighter. He makes no effort to hide his affiliation with the "Sons of Monarchy” - a biker gang known for its huge fan base. Sometimes there happens to be more of them in the arena and according to their code, they often fight shoulder to shoulder. And what a fight that is. Give them some fun toys and you’ll see just how much harm they can cause.
A great nurse. With her heart on her sleeve, she will do anything it takes to save the poor people in the Arena. With her efforts she can perform miracles and save even the most hopeless of cases. Unquestionably the best support to the team and a guarantee of a higher survival rate. But in direct combat the bookmakers do not give her good chances.
Ophra joined the Show because she is fascinated by human stories and their behaviour.
And thanks to her abilities, she really has a tremendous impact on others - she can not only convince them to behave in specific ways, but also instil in them an overwhelming desire to do something important. They often don't even realise how effectively she can manipulate and convince them to do something they wouldn't normally do.
She can even influence the producers and successfully convince them that violence is not a good solution.
In summary, the perfect character to mix up plans and bring chaos to opposing teams.
Unfortunately, she is weak and completely unsuitable for combat.
Austrian bodybuilder and multiple "Mister Hellimpia" title winner, known for his participation in action movies. His impressive musculature and strength make him a powerful point of the team. He kills without scruples or mercy.
His immense popularity among fans is often put to the test by continued reports of doping abuse. There is of course a lack of actual evidence but sometimes he really does give the impression of being completely immune to injury.
Kaito is a proud descendant of a samurai family and a professional assassin. His clan has its own production studio but they often hire themselves out as Hunters for other studios as well. If he gets a contract on you - you're basically dead. An extremely effective and dangerous Hunter who every producer dreams of hiring.
However, he is very attached to tradition. Many other representatives of his clan, unable to complete an assignment, honourably took their own lives. Live, of course, with a cheering audience!
A mysterious doctor who continuously proves to be the master of life and death. Sometimes he can save people who in normal medicine would be described as a corpse. But often he loses himself to his love for strange medical experiments that can end tragically.
Regardless of what you think about his medical abilities, he's a fast and ruthless hunter who only few can escape.
Musician-pyromaniac. He fanatically loves fire and will do anything to make sure he can fry other participants. His bottles of gasoline are ready at all times. And it must noted that he can handle them with deadly precision.
Many of his victims thought he was too far away to cause harm. That he wouldn't be able to throw that far. Yet he always manages to surprise everyone. Very dangerous.
Ladies and Gentlemen! Meet our funniest and deadliest clown! Would you like a balloon, little boy? How about one for you, little girl? Or maybe you prefer candy? No, don't be sad - I have a special happiness injection just for you!
Sounds fun? A deadly lover of good humour and magical chemical concoctions. He’ll definitely put a smile on your face - you’ll die laughing!
A rather mysterious character who is only beginning her career as a Hunter. Up till now she worked with the film crew as a make-up artist. However, after just a few appearances, she has proven to be a force to be reckoned with.
You never really know where she is, and whether the character you have met is not a disguised Jessica.
If she picks a victim, their fate is sealed. They often don’t realise that even before the show starts the powder they applied…is deadly.
Here we owe some clarification.
Unfortunately, some complications have crept up on us with the pledge manager. Somehow through no fault of our own - or at least not entirely our own. In any case, we had planned to open the manager at the end of January. And in theory everything was ready.... but during the approval and verification process it turned out that some elements needed improvement. So of course, we sought guidance from the system provider who explained what we needed to correct and how.
Unfortunately, when we made these corrections and sent a request for re-verification.... we received the information that the changes made are wrong and we need to correct them again.
And when we argued that this is what has been told to us - we received no further response.
Anyway, the corrections have been made again. Hopefully this time we will get approval (the request for verification has already been sent) and within a few days the pledge manager will be fully open.
Of course, a small part of you will get access earlier under the so-called smoke test.
As of now, we are following the previously presented schedule.
Admittedly, we have a few corrections for the Spanish and French versions, but we hope we can handle them by the end of March and finish as intended.
The other versions are going according to plan and we should have them ready by the end of March.
Unfortunately, the test castings showed that we need to improve a few elements in the models and adapt them better to the process.
This will definitely cause about 2 weeks of delay. But it shouldn’t significantly affect the production start date. In any case - we would rather make sure that the models are OK and won’t cause problems in production as well as generate unnecessary delays and additional corrections.
We will keep you updated on the next stages.
We know that you’re still waiting for our game and that not everything in this project has worked out exactly as we would like it to. However, some of you have already played the Horror Game Show during our meetings in Essen or at other conventions and fairs.
But the rest of you haven't even had the opportunity to do so.
That's why we thought that maybe we could change that?
And so we came up with the following idea:
We still have some prototypes (new ones) which are a completely playable version. Admittedly, they are the version we sent out to reviewers, so they don't contain all the improvements we made to the game since then.
But maybe in the name of good cooperation, any of you backers would like to get such a "beta" version and share your impressions?
Let's say for only the cost of shipping.
Maybe someone could view it as a valuable piece for their collection - to not only have the released game, but also a prototype signed by the authors (with only 40 copies produced!).
And of course we don't mean "first come, first served” - if you think the idea is OK, we will find some cool way to make it fair. Maybe some kind of contest?
Let us know in the comments what you think - a silly idea or would it be something you could have fun with?
Take care!
Sebastian
Ladies and Gentlemen!
Here are a few words about the latest add-on and an update on production and delivery plans.
As you may remember, the "Easy Money" add-on introduces new mechanics to the game and gives you new ways to earn money. Because why would we not use the opportunities given to us by our opponents? Or maybe we should all get along and make money together?
Of course, as long as you trust someone enough to bet your money. I mean, you never once thought about betrayal, right?
This add-on introduces gambling elements to the game based on events happening in the arena.
Each player has their own 10 tokens, with which they can bet on certain aspects of the Show.
The first one being the fate of individual characters in the Arena. A player can bet on whether a character will survive or die during the Show by betting one of their chips on the chosen option. These bets are settled when the character dies or at the end of the Show.
And this causes you to up the ante by adding new chips each round - which increases the winning pot, but also increases the risk of someone messing up your plans. This allows you to build long-term investments but makes them increasingly risky. However, the rewards are definitely considerable!
Or maybe you’d like to bet on something else? For example, how many players will die during this round? Will a spectacular execution occur in this round? Or will the Hunter die?
These types of bets are implemented by Betting Cards. Every round, the bookmaker offers a different bet and the players can bet on whether it will be realised or not by placing their chips on the corresponding red or black box.
The rewards here are smaller, but so is the risk which gives you more control.
Each winning bet not only brings the player a win in the form of money, but allows them to recover tokens that can be used for other bets. But if the player loses the bet - the tokens are lost for good and cannot be recovered.
The last item to be included in the add-on are the Outstanding Elimination Cards.
These cards contain special dice combinations which, if rolled during a fight, enable a spectacular execution that, in addition to crowd euphoria, will give tangible benefits to the owner of the fighter who performed the elimination.
It’s important to point out that these elements do not require any extra commitment of attention or time, so they operate without distracting from what’s most important - the Arena.
They can however strongly heat up the atmosphere and give space for even more "over the table" plays.
Just a quick bit of info here: as we reported earlier, the Pledge manager should be open by Sunday. It is there that you’ll be able to enter your shipping address and use other necessary options.
We are finishing the configuration at the moment and will announce the opening in a separate update.
As we begin the production process, we would like to give you an idea of what the schedule is going to look like.
We know that - unfortunately - we failed to meet the original deadline for delivering the game to you. As of today, we know that we quite underestimated the amount of time we should have included for polishing the game.
We wanted to maximise the number of new ideas that emerged during the campaign as well as during the later tests. We wanted to check them out and, if they made sense, introduce them into the game. We don't regret this approach, because it worked out well for the game itself.
And looking at the project today we know that without your comments and ideas it would have simply been lacking.
However, this has cost us much more time than we originally anticipated.
The fact that this is our first campaign does not excuse us in the least.
We are very sorry and apologise for that. And hope you won't throw tomatoes at us during meetings at trade fairs and conventions.
However, regardless of the delay, the project's development is moving forward.
And what will the rest of our work look like?
Stage 1
First of all - we are now finishing the translations and preparing the files for the factory.
This will take us about 6 to 8 more weeks. And taking into account the Chinese New Year Holiday which lasts from Jan 30th to Feb 20th, during which the factory is not working, we give ourselves time until the end of March.
After that, all the elements will be in the hands of the factory.
Stage 2
After about 1-2 weeks, we should receive a set of proofs samples from LongPack. Their verification will probably take us about a week. And we give ourselves a week to make any corrections and adjustments.
Stage 3
After approving the corrections, we start production.
Here, according to the factory's statement, the time needed to produce the assumed quantities is about 25 days. Then about 3 days of assembly.
But there may be some variation during this stage, as several publishers from different countries are interested in orders, so small discrepancies may appear (if the number of produced copies somehow significantly increases).
Stage 4
It will take about 5-7 days to prepare shipping. Then, the games move to the logistics centre, which will be sending out shipments to individual backers. The estimated time for the games to arrive from the factory to the centre is about 30 days.
And then a few days for the shipment to travel by courier.
If all the mentioned deadlines are taken into account, the game should reach you in early July.
Having learned from experience, let us leave another 3-4 weeks for any possible unforeseen delays.
Therefore, you should be able to enjoy the game in late July/early August at the latest.
And now we're back to work - because we feel a little pressure from John, who would like to meet you at the Arena as soon as possible! :)
Take care,
Sebastian
Ladies and Gentlemen!
Since there was no opportunity previously - I will start by saying thank you for all the meetings, shared "high fives" and all the games played with us during this year's SPIEL 2023 in Essen.
We were able to not only play with you, but also to talk about the game and listen to your comments and opinions. To every and each one of you - a huge thank you!
The first thing I’d like to mention is the long-promised material on changes to the game's mechanics. By watching reviewers' videos of the game or by testing it with us during meetings at various conventions and festivals, you had the chance to learn about the game’s rules. However - as you probably noticed, our work on the game went on and on (and in some aspects - it still does!). We tested, checked the players’ reactions and opinions and listened to your comments. So what changes have we made? You'll read about them below.
Contracts
Contracts are an important part of the Horror Game Show. Not only do they allow you to score points, but they also allow you to define the goals a player has to achieve, as well as who is an ally and who is a victim.
However, during many tests, it turned out that the game caused some players' contracts to practically fulfil themselves, whereas other players had almost no chance of fulfilling them.
Therefore, we decided to modify this element of the game.
We want it to be more controlled and give the players a sense of agency.
That's why we decided that contracts will be an integral part of the characters that a player recruits for their team.
Each character will have their own specific contracts and their execution will be related to the character's specificity and personality. However, they will have different variants and it will be up to the player to decide which one will be completed.
Characters
With the introduction of the Solo mode to the game - each character received two modes of functioning. First, which was used before and which allows players to control them, and the second - autonomous. But sometimes certain cards, events or other situations require the "reaction" of the character - and until now this was decided by the player.
Now, the game will already have a mechanism for those instances which will allow the character to "make a decision" on their own - and sometimes surprise their own player.
This also applies to beasts and other animals we added to the game.
The handling of beasts and NPCs in the arena will be operated by the same rules and logic - so you won't have to remember "different" rules for those elements.
In addition, it will also allow for the beasts to maintain different characters and different behaviours (an angry doberman will act differently from a hunting tiger).
Another change we made to this section is the way of recruitment. During testing, players pointed out that sometimes - when they lost most of their team, there was little they could do about it and they had less fun playing. Sometimes they just wanted more contestants and not just Hunters.
And since the add-ons will introduce new characters - it would be nice to use them, right? It would be nice to introduce "reserve" contestants at the right moments.
That's why the Action Cards that allow you to recruit will now give you a choice and allow you to add not only Hunters, but also new contestants to your team. You will be able to expand your deck of Action Cards with the cards of these new characters as well.
And the last modification - characters will get an additional ability when moving. They will be able to push other characters. If it ever crossed your mind to push your opponent into a trap or a sinkhole, now you’ll be able to do so!
We know many of you were disappointed that this wasn’t an option before.
We thought about it, developed the appropriate (and simple!) rules and all we can add is - have fun :)
Action Cards
This will just be a summary of what we wrote about in the earlier updates: an additional "Stop" symbol. Only this symbol will force the end of a given player's round. The "Pause" symbol that was present before will change its effect and will now end the action of the player at that specific moment. But the player who plays a card with this symbol will be able to return to the action when it’s their turn.
This prevents excessive "downtime" and allows other players to react better to their opponents' actions which were started (but are not yet finished).
Weapons
Here we also made some significant changes that will probably please many of you. We are introducing a rule that allows you to throw objects. As well as weapons!
Previously, this was only a special ability of some characters, but since you guys asked so nicely we decided to give in.
And we have to admit that the fun of throwing is amazing. Especially when Marika throws her explosive Bunny ;)
Some weapons also got an additional modifier for the critical hit.
From now on, heavy axes, pickaxes, hammers and chainsaws become even more dangerous.
Traps
We have simplified and standardised the operation of traps. You should no longer have problems with remembering how they work - the only issue to consider will be their strength and effectiveness.
Arena
This one is a very important change: the order of elimination of different parts of the Arena will no longer be predetermined. Its individual sectors will be annihilated by the program director in sequences that change for each game. It is worth mentioning that the players will know the sequence only after their contestants are placed.
From now on, there are no more "safe" areas in the Arena and it is no longer possible to hide a character in a sector that will "surely survive"!
Gameplay time
The last change I want to mention in this update is gameplay time. The game will no longer last 12 - but only 6 rounds.
This makes the game much more dynamic, avoids unnecessary "downtime" and limits gameplay time in its final phase. It works a lot better!
As we are nearing the completion of the project, the frequency of updates will be as follows:
1. Final look at the rules and the changes we made (you're reading it right now)
2. Production schedule and cut-off dates for the various stages
3. Discussion regarding the add-ons and their contents
4. Opening of the Pledge Manager
5. Presentation of figurine samples
6. Production deadlines and expected delivery dates
And finally, just an update on the production progress and deliveries
Next week - an update on our plans about the timing of production.
Take care!
Sebastian
Ladies and Gentlemen!
First things first,
The SPIEL 2023 board game fair in Essen starts in a week. Of course our crew and the Horror Game Show couldn’t possibly miss it.
We'd be delighted if, while you're at the fair, you could visit us and drop by to exchange a few words. And maybe you’ll also find time to stay longer and play. I can reveal that we'll have some cool gadgets for our backers.
You’ll also have the opportunity to get acquainted with our new game, a special edition of which we have prepared for this year's SPIEL 2023 - namely "Kings of Chicago".
During the Kings of Chicago gameplay, the players will take on the role of gang leaders competing for control over strategic locations in Chicago. They will smuggle barrels of alcohol into various locations, gradually gaining infl uence. It will be crucial to adapt to the prevailing conditions of the city and to the movements of the competition. The one who earns the most money from those schemes wins.
Look for us in Hall 2 at booth 2E128. See you there!
I am pleased to announce that we've completed the graphic work on the basic version of the game.
I know that the works of our illustrator Jacek were to your liking, so you’ll be pleased to learn that only in the basic version of the game you’ll find more than 70 of them. And the whole game will have more than a 100!
Graphics for additional characters, add-ons and campaigns are in the final stages. As long as no catastrophe happens, the work on illustrations should be finished within the next 2 (max 3) weeks.
Here are some recent works:
Additionally here are some new sketches:
The "Cat Issue"
Another thing, we received multiple requests concerning the "cat illustration".
And even though we believe that the game should maintain its unique vibe and poke fun at all types of slashers and horror movies, we also decided to avoid showing any portrayals of animal cruelty. The game won't suffer any particular loss and we don't think it would be right to make fun of animal abuse.
Multi mode and Solo mode
The standard mode is only undergoing some final adjustments and balance corrections at the moment.
We are focusing and working intensively on the solo mode and should also finish this work soon.
We’ve also finished collecting the list of NPCs for "Nasty Business". Thank you so much for the callbacks! We’ve received quite a lot of amazing character ideas!
The work on it is also in progress and we’ll try to show you one of the scenarios soon. The October update will be devoted only to this campaign and will discuss the solo mode further.
Production plan
At the moment we're working on the 3d models and preparing them for test prints.
Together with our production partner, the LongPack company, we're making some final adjustments to the production schedule and other issues. After these agreements are finalised we will present you with the plan, so that you know what to expect.
In early October I also expect to pick up a prototype of our dice tower, which will be a part of the "Easy Money" add-on. Once that's sorted, we'll try to show you the contents of the whole expansion.
And finally, the most important thing:
We were not able to launch the "Late Pledge" option earlier, but it will happen later this week. Before Essen Spiel 2023 will start.
Additionally, we will be launching the Pledge Manager in November.
Therefore, all those who would like to change the address, select an add-on or fine-tune some other elements - you'll be able to do it there.
In the meantime, we are preparing to meet you at the Essen fair. See you there!
Take care!
Sebastian