Spirit Island

More New Art!
about 8 years ago – Fri, Mar 04, 2016 at 05:45:45 AM

Time for your first-Tuesday-of-the-month update!

This time, I have even more new art for you! Now, I know what you're thinking: "We got art last month, too. Where's the talk of process?" Well, that's what these art updates are. One of the major production concerns of this project is the sheer amount of unique art from so many artists. If you've played the game yet or looked closely at the components, you'll see just how many cards there are. Every time you see new art, that's one more step toward the project being ready to go to the printer.

This month, we have art from a couple artists you may not have seen much from yet. First off, we have Cari Corene's fantastic work.

 Next up, we also have a bunch of evocative pieces from Joshua Wright!

 I hope you enjoy these! We'll be back with you in a month!

Preorders are now available on our web store!
about 8 years ago – Tue, Feb 02, 2016 at 07:28:55 PM

Hey, everyone!

We've reached the slow time of board game production, otherwise known as Chinese New Year. That means I have less to share than usual. As soon as I have something to say, I shall!

This makes for a great opportunity to let you know that preorders are live on our web store. If you're reading this update as someone who didn't back for the game, or you know someone who missed the Kickstarter, you can find the preorder for Spirit Island here, and the expansion here.

Also, there's a new gameplay video up! Rahdo took some time to make up a very nice video, and he gives some of his thoughts. If you're really jonesing for some more Spirit Island goodness, this may tide you over.

Thank you all so much!

New Art? New Art!
over 8 years ago – Thu, Jan 21, 2016 at 04:20:48 PM

Hey, everyone!

It's been way too long since an update, and for that I'm truly sorry. Things are still definitely on track, but there hasn't been much exciting to say. Such is game production.

I didn't want you waiting any longer, however. We have some new art I want to share, because it's very fun! Without further ado, I give you Shadows Flicker Like Flame!

 Truly a figure to inspire fear in the hearts of Invaders, no? I know I'd be terrified if I saw that behind me.

Thanks, everyone! Stay tuned for more updates in the future!

What a rush!
over 8 years ago – Sat, Oct 17, 2015 at 09:47:02 PM

 $84,176

1,178 backers

We are pleased as can be. I know I've said it a lot through the campaign, but every one of you is amazing. We could not have done as ambitious a project as this without you.

From here on out, we won't be doing daily updates, but we're still on the other end of the line. When there are things you need and want to see, I'll definitely be showing them off!

A really great place to talk about Spirit Island is our forums. Eric is there a lot, and he's always happy to answer questions about the game. I'm also active there, and I can answer questions about production status.

Thank you all again!

Wow! $80k, and Scenarios!
over 8 years ago – Sat, Oct 17, 2015 at 06:37:23 AM

Just when I think crazier things couldn't happen, you all go and blow away two stretch goals in less than 24 hours!

So now, not only will there be new Scenarios in the mini expansion, but it will also have two Spirits!

We got some questions about Scenarios yesterday, so Eric has written up an explanation for you.

---------------

The question has been asked: What are Scenarios?

The short answer is that they're gameplay modifications which change one or more of: how the spirits work, what they're trying to accomplish (for victory), or what's going on in the game at large. That's a maddeningly vague reply, because Scenarios can do a wide variety of things, so let's look at some concrete examples:

Dahan Insurrection is a Scenario that puts more focus on the struggle between the Dahan and the Invaders. Dahan raid the Invaders whenever they move (for any reason!) - but the Invaders send troops to search out the Dahan each time a building is destroyed, threatening any who stay still for too long. The normal Victory conditions are replaced with ones which look at the balance between Invaders and Dahan.

  The Insurrection makes Dahan movement much more important. Your Spirits' other Powers and strategies are still quite relevant, but Dahan-based Powers become much more desirable picks when gaining new Power Cards, and there are new consequences to consider when attacking the Invaders - their counterstrike may harm the Dahan, who in this Scenario are your only hope of victory.

By contrast, Blitz is a much simpler Scenario. It changes the dynamics of the game so that all Powers are Fast, eliminating the distinction between Fast and Slow Powers.

In playtesting, it came out that a reasonable minority of players quite liked the game, but didn't enjoy having to postpone resolution of Slow Powers. Some didn't like having to remember what it was they were planning to do with them; others didn't like that things during the Invader Phase could change the board situation before their Powers resolved. While they were a minority, there were still enough of them (and unified enough in their message of "except for this one thing I think the game is great") that I explored ways to shift play to accommodate that set of preferences, on the theory that a similar proportion of buyers might feel likewise and would appreciate a tested, in-the-box way to go all-Fast.

Mind you, even if like most testers you enjoy the planning and thematic uncertainty of the Fast-Slow split, it's still a fun Scenario to break out on occasion - an interestingly different sort of experience.

Since we hit $75K, the expansion can include punchboard Scenario tokens, which will allow for Scenarios both strategic and adventure-y.

Ward the Shores changes up the core objective of the game. Instead of just focusing on the current conflict, you're taking the long view and warding the shores of Spirit Island for long-term safety. Of course, that current conflict is going to get in the way of setting up the wards, and could wreck the island with Blight before you're finished:

Powers Long Forgotten leaves the core structure of the game intact, but adds a discovery component. There are lost sources of power on the island, and whichever side finds them first will gain an advantage! How much effort do you want to spend on getting to them first vs. containing the Invaders?

As you can see, there are a lot of possibilities for Scenarios!