Critical Kit

Hey there,

Happy Friday!

First up, Simon and I did an interview with the Soloist a couple of weeks ago and it's now available to read halfway down his latest update.

We've had a few requests to make the card punch outs available as an add-on, which makes sense as they are currently only available in the top pledge tier, but they are useful for playing the game in general.

So, it gives me great pleasure to announce that they are now an add-on! Here's a mockup of what you will get -- with the exception that both boards on this lovely image crafted by Simon are the same. That's because we (Simon) have to draw the remaining artefacts. Still, this is a good representation of the A5 boards you will receive. I also think we can trust he will do a good job on the rest of them if this is anything to go by.


They will be printed on sturdy board and contain the following punch out tokens:

I shouldn't be telling you this, but we are also working on a stretch goal to include a little draw bag that will be added to this add-on and to the Wanderlust pledge level. Do not repeat that, and if anyone asks I will deny ever mentioning it.

You can grab the punch outs as add-ons right now in the pledge manager.

That's all I have today. Next week, I'll be shifting the updates to less about the campaign and more about the game and how it plays. I'm also working on a little video to show you the game set up and general play.

Hope you have a lovely weekend!

Tim

(This message is approved by Simon. Well, not officially, but I think know he trusts me).

Hey there,

I'm a bit later than usual with today's update. That's because I've been busy writing some exciting things.

So, after yesterday's little poll about dice inks, it became clear that a good few people were interested in a green set -- yes, I do read the comments.

Well, I am excited to announce that we have added a sneaky little stretch goal that is tantalisingly close. If we hit 80k, we will add a third dice colour option. Drum roll.....

It's green... but you probably guessed that already.


That means that whether you back a pledge that includes the pair of dice, or you pick them up as add-ons, you will be able to choose which two colours you would like. They can even be the same colour. You, do you, as they say. Do they say that? And who are they?

Focus.

We may add more colours going forwards, so feel free to chip in below in the comments.

That's all for this little update. I hope it met your expecations.

I'll be back tomorrow with another little surpirse.

Until then, take care.

Tim

(& Simon, of course.. yes, he does exist and is definetly not some alterego I have made up).

Hey there,

Congrats on making it halfway through the week. Hope it's treating you well.

Today's little update is to tell you a little more about the official Wires in The Woods dice. If you have already played the quick start, you will know that, as well as a deck of cards, the game uses two six-sided dice (2d6 in the parlance of TTRPGs).

<Engage shouty bold marketing mode...>

BUT FIRST, THESE ARE NOW AN ADD-ON THAT YOU CAN PICK UP WHEN YOU PLEDGE OR ADD TO YOUR EXISTING PLEDGE!

</Disengage shouty bold marketing mode...>

Here are the official dice (we're not fully decided on ink colours yet, so please do put in your tuppence by means of the attached poll!).




There's a few things to say about these dice, other than that they are cubes with numbers on them.

Firstly, they are a two piece set, cast in different colours primarily because Wires in The Woods uses several d66 tables in the prompts. That's to say you will need to roll 2d6 and one will act as tens and the other as units.

Here's a close up that kind of highlights that effect:


Of course, you can always use any other d6 you have to play the game. We always recommend taking the dice out of your Mo[REDACTED]ly set and throwing that game away.

As far as the ink colours go, please do chime in on the poll and let us know any other thoughts you have. 

That's all for now, other than a quick thanks for how far you've all helped bring this project. Enjoy the rest of your day!

Tim 

(& Simon <-- one day he will hijack these updates).

... because I've already sent an update today, so I'll keep this one short.

Anyway, hey there,

We did it!

15 minutes shy of our campaign being a week old we hit or fourth stretch goal of 70k.

Here's one of those unlocked padlocks, hand drawn by Simon, to celebrate that achievement:


All backers will get five pieces of forager art (pdfs for digital backers) complete with detailed backgrounds.

Next up we have beautiful autumnal-themed printed ribbons added to the book. I love that word... autumnal... I'm going to say it again... autumnal...

Alright, that's getting weird, so, moving on, take a look at our next stretch goal.



Once again, thank you for your support. We are truly blown away and we can't wait to keep making this project even better than it already is for you.

Tim 

(& Simon, of course!)

P.S. Autumnal.

Hey there,

We are exactly one week into our campaign and this is already well on the way to being our most successful creation of all time. That's if you define success by the capitalist point system.

Regardless of that, I've enjoyed the level of community involvement on this project. I love reading comments, seeing the results of polls and answering any questions you have about Wires in The Woods. Keep them coming, please!

On that note, someone posted the following comment over on Facebook or the likes...

I was cordial in my response but, just in case there is any doubt, all of the artwork in this project is created by the hand of Simon J. Curd. All of the writing is done by my brain box sending electrical impulses down to my fingers which hammer away at a keyboard. We are both humans (unless this is just a big simulation). That should hopefully prevent any embarrasing questions or comments about our work being AI entering the chat again.

I even put it in bold, just to make sure it's clear. Zero AI to see here. Thank you.

Now, let's get on to the meat and potatoes (I'm actually vegetarian, so I'll take mine sin carne, por favor). I wanted to introduce the settings of Wires in The Woods for you. Lord, it takes me a long time to get to the point and this is not helping, is it?

You can play the game in 4 different settings -- all based on an abandoned earth circa the late 80s / early 90s. There is a stretch goal for another settings called the headlands which is a slight detour, pretty weird and a lot of fun. Here are the base settings you can explore along with a brief "vibe" synopsis.

- Empty Streets is an urban sprawl where you will explore backyards, parks, trash cans and shopping malls. Like everywhere in this world, nature has become the town planner.

- Tangled Branches is a forest setting, not dissimilar to the Pacific Northwest. Think Twin Peaks, douglas firs, abandoned lodges, empty waterparks and secret nooks behind powerful waterfalls.

- Fresh Snow is vast expanses of tundra, chill winds, remote research stations and glacial caverns. Hopefully your fur will keep you cosy.

- Misty Lake is eerie waters, remote tree covered islands, muddy banks and dilapidated jetties. You may occassionally need to swim, or try your paws at rowing.

Each setting will have 52 location prompts with telling details to help you craft your own vision of this world. Simon's artwork will also feature throughout to give you inspiration for each setting.

Oh, I am soooo excited to see what stories you will come up with!

And, finally...

We are closing in on our 70k stretch goal which sees backgrounds added to the free artwork that all backers receive! Our next stretch goal brings some amazing new features to the book, including a printed ribbon.



Hopefully, we can hit that 70k today to round off our first week!

I've waffled for way too long now, so I am closing this one out with a big thank you to everyone who has backed so far. If you are on the fence, I hope those settings tickled your curiosity and, if you are not in a position to back it, tell a friend who you think might like it and you can always read their book when they get it.

Thank you so much for supporting our creative endeavours!

Tim

(& Simon in the background).