Character and Reference Sheet Booklet + Labyrinth Map Add-On
over 5 years ago – Fri, Aug 24, 2018 at 06:41:07 PM

We've had enough requests come in for extras of the character and reference sheet booklet, as well as the $275,000 stretch goal labyrinth map that was unlocked last night, which we have assembled as a $4 add-on item: Both of those in a single polybag! This is an exact duplicate of what will be packed inside the Legacy Edition box, but for those of you who needed extras, now is your chance to add them to your pledge.

Less than five hours!

We're still about $6,000 from that $300,000 stretch goal. Can we make it? Will we shatter that final stretch goal and unlock the Pocket Box edition of Melee/Wizard before the timer runs out? We'll know in less than five hours!

While we wait, be sure to check out the RPG.net AMA thread with Steve which is now open for the final hours of the Kickstarter project. Do you have a question about The Fantasy Trip? Ask in the thread and help us spread awareness of the project!

- Phil Reed

Megahexes, the 14-Hex Dragon, and the Final 24.
over 5 years ago – Fri, Aug 24, 2018 at 01:00:06 AM

Steve and Ben reviewed the megahex sheets today, moving those closer to completion. Please remember that in the finished game, you won't find the megahex "sheets" as actual die-cut sheets. The factory will pre-punch and bag all of these, which lets us fit more into the box and keep the game's weight down; none of us want to pay to ship scrap material that we'll just have to recycle. (We can't use this trick on everything in the game, but we are going to take the approach here.)

And for those of you asking how to get an extra 14-hex dragon, please note that we will bag the dragon with the megahex pieces at the factory. That means that if you choose the megahex sheet add-on, in addition to a second set of the pre-punched megahexes that are in the Legacy Edition box, you'll also get a duplicate of the 14-hex dragon. Get ready for big battles!

One More Day

When we launched this project last month, we had no way of knowing just how much demand there was for The Fantasy Trip. We knew that long-time fans remembered the game, some even playing continuously since the game was released decades ago, but as to exact demand, all we had was our instincts. 

The project has been incredible, and we want to thank all of you for your belief and support in The Fantasy Trip. Months of behind-the-scenes work slammed into reality on July 23, when this Kickstarter campaign went online, and all of you have proven that we're making the right call in bringing this classic fantasy RPG back to the market.

We now have one day to really stretch, to get out there and bring friends to support the project and push us over that $300,000 stretch goal and unlock the Pocket Box game. Can we make it? We'll know for sure in one day, but the one thing we have learned from this project: Never underestimate TFT fans. 

- Phil Reed

$265,000 Stretch Goal Unlocked and Pocket Box Add-On?
over 5 years ago – Thu, Aug 23, 2018 at 08:48:12 PM

And there goes the $265,000 stretch goal! Also, to keep you entertained as we close in on the final hours of the Kickstarter project, we're happy to report that the $265,000 stretch goal article is now online: "My Life and Role-Playing," Steve's article from Different Worlds #2 (first published in 1979).

Pocket Box Add-On?

Some of you have asked about whether or not you can add the Pocket Box to your pledge? If the $300,000 stretch goal is met, and the Pocket Box is unlocked, we will be offering the Melee/Wizard combined Pocket Box game as an add-on item. 

But not yet! First, we need to bring more backers into the project and push us over the $300,000 stretch goal. If you're currently involved in a discussion about The Fantasy Trip at a forum, blog, or elsewhere on the web, please leave a comment with a link to the conversation so that others can join in on the fun.

- Phil Reed

We're gonna need a bigger box.
over 5 years ago – Thu, Aug 23, 2018 at 08:43:45 PM

As we continue to unlock stretch goals, the Legacy Edition box gets more and more packed, to the point that we'll wait until next week to calculate the final depth when I meet with our friends at GPI to go over the final project specs. We started at about a 2-inch depth, but I strongly suspect that we're closing in on about 4-inches, now. Maybe the team at GPI can think of some creative ways to pack the materials so that we can stick to a 3-inch deep box. Maybe.

$260,000 Stretch Goal Down!

Overnight, you unlocked the $260,000 stretch goal, and this is a great thing. We'll upgrade the materials used to produce the Legacy Edition box to a thicker stock, which will better contain all of the components and protect your game for years to come. We plan to slightly over-engineer the packaging; a game this hefty needs a protective shell, right?

Death Test Cover Progress

Rick Hershey, now that he has completed the two 17-inch by 22-inch poster maps that you unlocked earlier, is back to work on the Death Test and Death Test 2 covers. I suspect that both of these will be completed within the next week, and here you can see progress on the Death Test cover (which will also be used for the box; thank you for unlocking that stretch goal!).

Convention Games

We have one opening left for the "play with Steve at Gamehole Con" reward level, and three slots open for "play with Steve at Gary Con," so if you're looking for an exciting convention memory, please consider joining in and taking advantage of those openings.

For a less memorable convention experience, I'll be at TsunamiCon in Wichita, Kansas, in October where I'll be running two demo sessions of The Fantasy Trip, focusing on the Melee/Wizard rules and sending the adventurers into a dungeon in search of treasure. In preparation for the convention, there's a home factory running where the Hirst Arts molds are getting some exercise. Progress photos, below; and we'll reveal the completed set in October.

In addition to my own Hirst Arts project (where my wife, honestly, is tackling 99% of the effort), Eric is constructing compatible terrain at the office using another set of the Hirst molds. Once both sets are constructed, Eric will be painting them all at once so that we have a large supply of terrain options for convention demos.

More convention news as we finalize our 2019 plans!

- Phil Reed

14-Hex Dragon and $250,000 Goals Unlocked, Your Group Here, and Pocket Folder Add-On Now Available
over 5 years ago – Wed, Aug 22, 2018 at 10:09:18 PM

Well, that was fast, When we launched the project back in July, it took over a week for us to unlock the first Facebook goal. Today, when we opened the second Facebook goal, you showed us that you just had to have that 14-hex dragon by unlocking the goal in a matter of hours. Wow! Well, every first printing Legacy Edition box will now include that giant dragon . . . just don't blame us when the dragon annihilates the party!

In addition to unlocking the new Facebook goal, you also cleared your way through the $250,000 goal, adding one 9" x 12" custom pocket folder to the I Want It All reward level. And for those of you who (like me) cannot get enough in the way of folders, we've now opened that folder up as an add-on: Increase your pledge by $3 for each copy of the folder that you want to add to your rewards.

Your Group Here

As Steve and I reviewed the In the Labyrinth layout, we found that we could fit one more half-page illustration into the book, meaning that we opened up one more slot for the Your Group Here reward. This is the perfect reward for a game group that wants to star in the game; see Steve's update about custom art for a better idea of how this will work if you want to feature your group in the book.

Final Days!

We're now closing in on the final two days of the project, so this is our chance to get out there and spread the word. Remember, if we hit $300,000, we unlocked the Pocket Box stretch goal which will drop one copy of the combined Melee/Wizard eighties-inspired Pocket Box into every I Want It All reward. (Also, as you likely already know, we'll make the Pocket Box an add-on when it is unlocked. Because we know you'll want multiples of this classic-style game.)

- Phil Reed