Update #13 - Samples on their way
over 3 years ago – Sat, May 01, 2021 at 09:25:56 PM

Hello to everyone out there in the Every-Verse! We wanted to do another update to let you all know where we are in the process.   This is another light update, but the heavy stuff should be starting with the next update when we begin to have components to show off!  First things first though:

Pledge Manager Closing

   We will be closing out the pledge manager tomorrow.  If you have yet to complete your survey, please make sure that you do that now.  We don't want to see any of our backers suffer delays in receiving their rewards for silly things like us not knowing the delivery address.  Most backers have already completed their surveys but for anyone who hasn't please do so today.  We will also be sending a final reminder through backerkit as an extra nudge.  

Manufacturing

    We are going back and forth, and back again with our manufacturing partner checking and editing the final files for the game.   In fact, we are expecting the proof miniatures to arrive at our door step in the next week or two, which mean the next update should have some exciting imagery of the game really taking shape!  We've already seen pictures from the manufacturer of the proof samples and they look great so we can't wait to see how they look sitting on the table!

   We have moved on to working with them on all of the other components and preparing them for the manufacturing run which should be begin by the end of the month.   It is a slow and tedious process, but we want to make sure that we get them just right.  

Game Edits

   A lot of the time since the campaign has ended has been spent working on getting the print files ready, but we have also been working on tweaking the game itself.  We have done many quality of life improvements to the game system and presentation, the biggest being a total re-work of the lay out the rulebook and all the extra game mode variations we are including.  We have also done another balance pass on the champion abilities and added some little things that take into account some of the feedback that we have received from all of you.  We also decided to get some new art done for the back of the champion cards and fixed a few icons along the way.  We feel the presentation of the game is the best it's ever been and we're excited for when the prototype arrives so everyone can see what it looks like.

Timeline

As of right now we are firmly on track to have fulfillment begin on time so that most of our backers will have received the game by the end of summer.  That said, many of you have most likely noticed from other campaigns that global logistics is suffering quite a bit, especially shipping out of China where Fray is being printed.  We expect to be able to overcome any delays by making up time in production but we'll be keeping a close watch on how quickly things move at this point and keep everyone updated on delivery.

- The Brain Sandwich Team

Pledge Manager Reminder! Production Updates
over 3 years ago – Sun, Mar 14, 2021 at 04:41:49 AM

Hi everyone,

Just a few quick reminders and updates.

Don't Forget to Complete the Pledge Manager!

The Pledge Manager has been open for awhile now.  67% of our backers have finished their surveys but that means quite a few of you have yet to complete the checkout process.  Everyone should have gotten a survey so if you're missing the one sent to you please check your spam folder and look for an email from our pledge manager partner Backerkit.  If you've never received a survey, or simply can't find it, please click the link below and request another survey to be sent to you.  

 Request Another Survey 

If you are still having problems you can email us at [email protected] or message us here on Kickstarter.  

For those of you new to Kickstarter and dealing with Pledge Managers, without completing the pledge manager process we won't be able to ship you your reward so please don't forget!  We are planning on closing the pledge manager by early April, but never fear, we'll send out final warnings before that happens.

Local Pick Up Available

Speaking of the Pledge Manager we have now enabled a local pick up option.  Please note the local option is only available in Brielle, New Jersey.  If you live close by and want to pick up locally to save on shipping we'd be happy to hand off in person but you still need to fill out the pledge manager survey and select the local pickup option.

Production Update

Right now our manufacturing partner Eastar is hard at work doing final verification on all the models.  Some of the sculpts weren't able to be printed exactly as designed so a few minor changes are being worked on it.  (For example, Captain Redbeards hat feather now hangs off to the side instead of falling backward).  The models will still look very much like the images you saw on the campaign but this process is crucial for optimizing the sculpts for final printing.  Our manufacturer has an excellent track record when it comes to miniature quality so I think everyone is going to be please once the game, and those paintable minis!, get into your hands.  

Next update we should have some pictures from production to show off.  In the meantime if you have any questions for us please reach out either here or on social media.

- The Brain Sandwich Team

Update #11 - Pledge Manager & More!
almost 4 years ago – Wed, Feb 17, 2021 at 01:59:12 PM

As always we want to start by saying a big thank you to all of the backers for this project as we could not have possibly done it without you.  Your continued support and encouragement drives us to make this project the best possible game that it can be.  We have spent this time since the close of the campaign refining the rules, tweaking the champions ever so slightly, testing, testing, testing.  We have also been working to verify files, work with various partners on the finishing touches on the final designs and so much more.   We have been busy, and I think that you will all be happy with the result.  

Manufacturing Partner!

With the current state of the world, as many of you are already aware, manufacturing costs are not what they were anticipated to be.  Shipping times are in turmoil, materials are less readily available etc.  We have had the unexpected step of having to "re-verify" everything that we thought we knew, and we are very happy to say that... nothing has changed.   

Earlier this month, after bouncing back and forth with the STL files for a spell, we have locked in and committed to Eastar Games as our manufacturing partner for Fray - Champions of the Every-Verse.  We could not be more excited about this one.   They have some great games on their credit roll, and we think that those of you who are familiar with some of their projects will be excited that the miniatures will be in their hands.   With some gorgeous games like Nemesis and Tainted Grail under their belt, and a great reputation, we are beyond excited to be working with them.

The Pledge Manager

At long last, we are launching the pledge manager now!   Keep an eye out for your invitation to the pledge manager from BackerKit.  We spent some extra time in the smoke screen stage as there were a few glitches in the shipping charges that we wanted to get squared away.   There should be no to very little issue now.  If or any reason you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected]   We will be keeping it open into April, and are happy to say that we have not had to make any adjustments to any shipping estimates from the campaign!

Timetable

One of the things that we are most excited to talk about, is the fact that in regards to changes to the timetable, we have absolutely nothing to say.  At all.  So far everything is right on schedule as we expected, and manufacturing is anticipated to be done on time.   There are certainly still obstacles to overcome.  If our proof copy needs too much in the way of correction, that could complicate the timeline.  We have a little bit of extra cushion left built in for that, and are obviously not anticipating a problem.  

The other big question is the shipping itself once manufacturing is complete.   We have already begun to line up shipping reservations for the late summer, so we are hoping that we can avoid any delays.  As many of you know, shipping has been a bit tricky for a lot of campaigns lately and we are doing our best to avoid or minimize any potential delays there.  Right now, we are looking good. 

Fine Tuning

The team has been hard at work fine tuning the game.  Cleaning up some of the language, laying out the rulebook to be even more intuitive and 'balancing' the champions as much as possible.   The flavor of the champions has always been unbelievably important to us.  We have gone back through with some minor adjustments to the champion abilities to do our best to make sure that not only do each of them have a great chance of winning, but that each of them just 'feel' right.   I can say with confidence that the game is more refined, more challenging and more fun than it has ever been.  

Most of the tweaking has been on solo mode.   We are planning on releasing a lot more information on that in a future update - the rule preview, a playthrough etc.  Solo mode has taken on a life all to itself.  It is a contest of survival against all odds to be named the ultimate champion of the arena.  We are excited to get it out to you, and even more excited that there is no need to PDF it, it will be right in the rulebook!

Thank you all again!  We are really excited about the progress that we are making and are looking forward to upcoming updates as we start to see 'things' from our partners and can share them with you all.   

The Brain Sandwich Games Team

Preparing for Printing, General Updates
almost 4 years ago – Sat, Jan 30, 2021 at 08:53:44 AM

Hello everyone!

We hoped everyone had a nice holiday season and a strong finish to the apocalyptic year that was 2020.  The Brain Sandwich team started 2021 off on a good foot, finishing up all the important little details that are going into Fray and getting it ready to start the manufacturing process.  Here's a run down of some of the stuff we've been up to.

Pledge Manager will be live this week

Many of you have asked about the Pledge Manager.  We didn't want to open it too early since the manufacturing process takes a bit and we won't be shipping until the summer time.  That said, we're going to be launching it within the week so all the surveys will be going out very soon.  We just finished up on our side and in a few days something called the 'smoke screen' will start, where surveys are sent out to a handful of backers to make sure everything is working properly.  From there everyone will get their survey.  Expect to see your survey sometime between now and the end of next week.   

Once you get the survey from Backerkit they'll explain how to go in and essentially "check-out", i.e. pay for shipping, upgrade your pledge, take a look at some of our other cool stuff, etc.  Don't worry about timing, we promise to keep the pledge manager open a while and we'll be periodically checking back with everyone to remind them to complete everything before the game ships out.  

Retailer Verification 

When the surveys all go out, we will begin reaching out to those who pledged at the retailer level with more information as well.

Manufacturing process to begin in February

We are finishing off the final files now, which includes an entirely revamped rulebook (some small rule changes but mainly a total reformatting for clarify and simplicity).  We are working towards an early February hand-off of the files.  Chinese New Year will mean that some of the verification work will get pushed to later in the month but by the end of February the printing process should be in full swing!!  Before our printing partner starts mass production we'll be getting our hands on a pre-production prototype to sign off on.  We'll be sure to send out an update with pictures so everyone can see whats in store.  

Tabletop Simulator

With the COVID pandemic still alive and well, coupled with the fact that our team members and playtesters live all over the place, we've been using Tabletop Simulator on Steam to finish playtesting both the core and solo modes included in the final rulebook.  Eventually, we plan to release the final version of Fray on TTS for everyone to access.  We expect this to happen closer to fulfillment but when the time comes we'll make sure its available for every backer if they want to try it.  

Here's a screen shot we took during one of our play sessions

You'll hear from us soon

Our plan going forward will be to do updates once a month.  The next update will probably be when mass production begins.  In the meantime, we constantly monitor both the kickstarter page and all of our social media accounts so if you have any questions just drop us a line, we love hearing from all of you!

- The Brain Sandwich Team

End of the year progress update!
almost 4 years ago – Thu, Dec 24, 2020 at 02:56:40 AM

Hi Everyone,

There's a few updates we wanted to share before we close out the year (bye bye 2020).  Let's dive right in!

Pledge Manager 

We've had a lot of questions come in about the status of the pledge manager.  For the record the pledge manager has not gone live as yet.  We are planning to launch after the holidays, so early/mid January.  Don't worry about any additional time being added to the project, we are moving along right on schedule.  Which brings us to...

Final Design has Concluded

We've been working hard putting the final touches on design and layout and taking into consideration all of the valuable feedback we received before, during and after the campaign.  The main game design work is complete and we have finished design on solo mode and variant rules for play, as promised.  The variant rules are pretty fun, they allow for an alternate way to resolve round initiative that makes the game even more cutthroat and ratchets up the strategy and decision making. We also included a way to play the game with your own scenery, tabletop/battlemats.  We thought it would be cool to bring your home-brewed visions to life so now you can use whatever you have in your collection from other hobbies and wargames and place it right in the Every-verse.  Of course the biggest rule addition is...

Solo Mode - AKA Survival Mode

We worked hard on getting this right and we think that our fellow solo gamers are going to love it.  Solo Mode in Fray takes the form of survival, where a single player is pitted against multiple automated enemies (AE) whose only goal is to relentlessly seek and destroy you.  Victory conditions include turning the tables on your foes and defeating them before they defeat you or sometimes just simply surviving before the bell rings.  There are 3 different difficulty levels and a Tournament of the Watchers where the player's champion can ascend to Godhood and take their place at the Watcher's side to hold tournaments for all eternity.  It's all very punishing and not for the faint of heart.  We'll be making the rulebook with all the updates available online in the near future and we can't wait for everyone to check it all out.  And finally...

Meet the Necromancer

 We wanted to show off the sculpt for the necromancer.  Please meet Eldric, Lord of the Fallen.  

He's sporting some fun abilities, including raising his zombie to use as a meat shield, taking damage from the strain of tapping into his dark powers but potentially healing from that damage by siphoning the souls of his opponents, all while his zombie is shambling around the battlefield looking for...you guessed it...brains.  

Well that's it for now.  We hope that everyone has a happy, healthy and safe holiday season.  See you all next year!

- The Brain Sandwich Team