Critical Kit

Hi everyone, Simon here, I thought it was about time I said hello to prove I’m not just a figment of Tim’s imagination.

As you’ve probably gathered, I draw the creatures and places that you can play and explore in Wires in the Woods. I’ve been making this sort of art for quite a few years and it’s a huge honour to now have it brought to life in RPG form.

I'm often asked about the inspiration behind my work, which is hard to answer properly because I really just like to doodle stupid little critters. 

But I suppose the other ingredients are nostalgia for the decades I grew up in, a fondness for wilderness and how it consumes forgotten places, and finding cosiness amidst dereliction and decay.

One reason I think this collaboration works so well is that Tim understood all of this right from our chance meeting at a comic con a couple of years ago, and I’m so excited to experience it all as a player (and complete newcomer to RPGs!)

If you have any questions about the artwork that you’ve seen so far, ask away in the comments. I like to keep certain aspects of the lore vague and elusive, which leads to some weird and wonderful interpretations that I’m always happy to hear.

I’ll try to pop up a couple more times before the campaign is over, but want to say thank you for the incredible support so far, it gives us a lot to live up to and I can’t wait to get the illustrations finished and see what you all think.

Thank you!

Simon (and Tim, who I hope is enjoying a day off)

Hey there,

Hope you had a great weekend, whatever you got up to.

First news of the week is that we made the sneaky 80k stretch goal which means that new green dice colour will be added as an option.

I've had a few people ask about how the dice colours work. Well, here's the answer... When the surveys go out, you will be be able to choose the colours of dice you would like. You will also be able to pick up more dice (in sets of two), again choosing the colours of each. The combination is entirely up to you.

Morever, we are now hurtling towards our next stretch goal, which will see a printed ribbon added to the physical rulebook. The ribbon will be in autumnal (groan) orange and will feauture Simon's specially designed wires and woods icons.


But there's even more good news. Rather than having to wait all the way to 100k for the next stretch goal, we are adding a sneaky little one at 95k. Once we hit that funding, we will add a special Wires in The Woods draw bag to the Upcycler and Wanderlust pledge levels.


Isn't it cute. A lovely drawstring bag to hold your dice, tokens and cards. And, you can use it to randomly draw artefacts when you come across them. And look at that lovely artwork that Simon has created to tie in with the game's overall vibe.

But that's not all!

If Upcycler and Wanderlust are not for you, we still have the bags available now as an add-on for a fiver. You can add them to your pledge any time between now and the end of the campaign!

I know a few of you have been asking for this little bag as an addition, so Simon and I got our heads together and delivered.

Right, that's all for this update, otherwise it could all get a bit overwhelming. I'll be back tomorrow with more news!

Take care,

Tim 

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(and Simon! Did you think I forgot?)

Hey there,

Hope your weekend is going well! I've been busy fixing all the changes my proofreader came back with for my most recent game, Punk is Dead. That one is going out to backers next week in PDF format, and Iill also be releasing a "barebones" version on my Patreon.

Here's a small bit of marketing for my Patreon and then I promise I will get to the meat of this update:

It's only £3.50 and you get a game each month. As well as that, there are random updates from me, like the ones you get here, a chance to playtest Beta stuff I'm working on and the jump on any new games I create. You also get exclusive access to a Discord channel. You can also AMA, which I believe is young people speak for shoot questions at me. But please don't ask me just *anything*. Keep it focussed as I really don't have all the answers.

So, I love getting your comments and questions. I love it so much that I am going to start soliciting them more often and I am starting off with a double bill.

First up is a poll. I've previously asked you all, which forager you are most like (you can still get involved with that). Today's poll looks at the settings I outlined in a previous post. Which one of the following settings would you most like to explore?:

The poll is attached to this email.

Next up is a quiz!

Ready?

That wasn't the question. This is it:

We have a stretch goal at 150k for a new setting called Headlands. What do you think that setting is?

The winner gets 657 points. If there is more than one correct answer you will have to figure out how you share the points between yourselves. Unfortunately, I won't reveal what The Headlands are until we hit the stretch goal or the campaign ends; whichever comes first. Put your guesses in the comments.

Here's the small print for the quiz. It's the smallest I could make it.

Okay, that's me done for today. That quiche isn't going eat itself.

Have a wonderful remainder of the weekend. I'll be nipping in and out to read/answer your comments and questions.

Tim

(& Simon, currently selling his art somewhere in Leeds).

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).