We’re breaking our usual 30 day update cycle because… this one’s just too epic not to share!
🎥 Paul from The Dicey Review just posted a how to play video for Hercules and the 12 Labors. If you’ve been craving a deeper dive into the gameplay, mechanics, and why this solo adventure is epic, this is the video to watch. 👉 HOW TO PLAY VIDEO Backer Survey are 90% complete! You all are absolutely crushing it.
If you haven’t completed your pledge yet, or if you backed at the $1 level to keep an eye on things, this is your sign to jump in! The game is getting a ton of love, and we’d hate for you to miss out on the Exclusive Promo card. 👉 https://hat12l.backerkit.com/
Thank you all for the continued support! If you’ll be at Origins next week, swing by booth 1130 to check out a live demo of Hercules and the 12 Labors, we’d love to show you the game in action!
Thank you all for participating in the voting, and I'm looking forward to getting these cards out to you! My current plan is to kick off artists once I get back from Origins Game Fair and send out surveys in July so I can get final counts for ordering.
There's more details here in today's Dev Log update:
We are on track in making A Land Once Magic a reality! We have just locked the manuscript after Ru's edits which means the next step is layout! I can't wait to see how Luna brings this book to life and will share some preview spreads in our next update.
More Art!
With our stretch goal unlocked, we were able to get more incredible art from John Gagne to use in the book. Here's a preview of some of the additional pieces you'll see in the final product.
All Illustrations by John Gagne
Viditya and I have been in love with John's art from the beginning of working together on this project and we can't wait to fill these pages with more of his unique imaginative style.
Timeline/Fulfillment
We are on track for Fall fulfillment! We should be heading to production by July which means books in hand hopefully in September/October. I know there has been a lot of uncertainty when it comes to tariffs but as far as we have been advised so far, this project should be exempt from the elevated tariffs. If anything changes on that front, we will let you know immediately and transparently.
That's all for now! Hope to have some more exciting peaks into the book to share in our next update. We will also be getting surveys out between now and then. If you or a friend missed out on the campaign, we are currently accepting preorders.
More soon!
-Elliot & Viditya
p.s. Check out these awesome crowdfunding projects happening right now!
First, I'm delighted to say that the final part of the puzzle is in place - Blood In The Margins has arrived!
Blood In The Margins, in the flesh!
I've spent this morning setting up the pledge manager with correct weights for all the items and I've sent it off to review. As soon as that's approved by Backerkit - which they say can take up to 2 days - I'll be able to send surveys out. These will allow you to select any add-ons you might want and provide your shipping address.
Once surveys are out I plan to leave them open for two weeks to give people time to fill them out. I'll send out reminders. Once they close I'll charge for shipping, and then I'll be able to get the physical books out to you.
Thanks again for your support on this project! I'm really excited to put these books in your hands.
And secondly, we heard the feedback that our communication needed some work, we are now doing monthly (at the minimum!) updates on all projects, and we are always active on our Discord (which you should all come and join!). As part of this, we want to give you an update on all our projects, as we are shifting some announced projects back, and we are anticipating a minor delay on one project.
After an amazing 2024, the start of this year has carried on at a pace. We’ve released our first Starter Sets for Shiver, made several hundred unique items for Don’t Play This Game at a company retreat, and along with you all managed to fund SISTERHOOD. It's been a wild, crazy time and the team are flat out making our games as awesome as we can.
In the background, the team are tireleslly working to get your games to you from our outstanding crowdfunding campaigns. Don’t Play This Game is currently being fulfilled - admittedly, this is running a few months behind schedule. Delivering late is never our aim, Don’t Play was an ambitious project for us with some unexpected issues but we hope the wait is worth it!
We are on track with Sisterhood and will be ready to punch demons in 2026! We wanted to give you something to keep you all excited so have prepared a Sisterhood Lore Primer that gives you some more background on the Sisterhood, their Orders, and also the Cults of the Five Horsemen!
Lore Primer Cover
Over the next few months we'll have more updates rolling out as we have bits ready to share. We plan on sending monthly updates through backerkit to keep you up to date. If you have other questions we are more active on our Discord Server so this is the best place to get a response.
We are pushing the estimated delivery for this project back to Q4. Some workflow overlaps combined with wanting to give the game some extra polish before printing means we are moving the estimated delivery back to Q4. Whilst we are nearly there with the game (with some items already in manufacture), we anticipate missing the delivery by a few weeks. Alongside this, the digital files delivery we are now estimating for Q3 - we can’t wait for you to get playing, so we will be releasing this as soon as we are able.
We are ahead of schedule! We are aiming to have this to all our backers in Q3, ahead of the Q4 aim. We were aiming to deliver Classified before the Corporate campaign, but will miss this by a few weeks. We will be delivering the digital versions before this, however!
What if the worst job you've ever had was autopsying aliens, babysitting monsters, and constant death in an endless cycle of imperfect cloning? And at the end of the day they didn't even pay you? A darkly comic expansion for the award winning SHIVER RPG.
A new Shiver setting bringing all the comic Horror of the Workplace into your TTRPG.
Shiver: Corporate launches in July as planned, and if you follow now you can get a free quickstart guide (including a playable adventure!) for you to test the game out straight away.
Explore the galaxy in your mech with your friends in ION Heart Multiplayer. After the rave reception that ION Heart received we wanted to let people explore the Astral Union with all their buddies. Assemble your companions and take your mech friends into the stars!
We are pushing back to Q1 2026. With so many projects on we have some more development work on this before we launch the project. We are hoping to start the dev diary over summer to keep you up to date with our progress!
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You might have noticed a secret title squeezed onto that tracker in between Shiver: Corporate and Ion Heart: Multiplayer. You do have sharp eyes! The necessity of moving Ion Heart: Multiplayer back has allowed us the opportunity to release a new title (or is that titles?) that we have been really excited about for a while. Look out for an announcement very soon!
Tariffs
The situation sucks. We have friends who have lost employment already due to the ongoing tariffs, and are seeing widespread trouble throughout the tabletop industry, which is only going to get worse the longer this continues.
With the majority of our products being produced in Europe as a business we are quite well insulated from the Tariff issues on the majority of our lines. However we are not entirely protected from this huge industry disruption. Our dice, screens, and box sets are all produced in China. Specifically we have the full run of Ion Heart Dice and Mech’s Toolkits currently in production in China, estimated to be completed in the coming weeks. The tariffs on these items alone are substantial, and as a small company make a real dent into our ability to operate.
With the additional delay in delivery for Ion Heart we’ll be taking the time to review all our options and hoping that the situation is resolved by the time at which we need to make a final decision over the coming weeks. Once we have a clearer picture we will do an update specifically on this project.
Sisterhood is in a similar position, but further down the road.
In addition to this, we are now out-of-stock of some items in the USA and will not be able to resupply them until this.
As a business it is clear we stand firmly against the tariff situation, and support the actions of companies such as Stonemeier Games in trying to support the industry in these tough times. As a small company we are feeling, and will continue to feel the pain from this situation, and we can only hope for a swift resolution. We encourage all of our customers to reach out to their representatives, but we also empathise with the real-life effects that you are feeling from this situation not only in regards to games. We hope it will get better, for everyone.
On A Nicer Note!
I don’t want to leave this update on such a negative point, so let’s look at some of the other fun going on in and around Parable Games at the moment!
We currently have a Don’t Play This Game play-along on our Discord Server! Get a weekly prompt and join #TeamParable as we discover what the entity has in store for us all…
Next Month sees us attending TWO incredible conventions (UK only SORRY!)
Matt, Barney & Adam will be at MCM Comicon London on 23rd - 25th May
The WHOLE Parable team will be at the UK Games Expo where we are also hosting our FIRST EVER EPIC. Come and experience Shiver: Corporate early with 50+ other players in one mega game.
Our Patreon continues to release awesome monthly content - both for Shiver and new systems. With a FREE tier you can keep up to date with all the fun goings on.
We recently launched the Shiver: Director’s Club, offering FREE GM resources and rewards for players who want to run Shiver at their local store or convention. We’ve already been blown away by the response, but there’s always room for more Director’s here!
Let us know any other questions in the comments below or join our Discord Server. We’ve got a busy few months ahead, but it’s a really, REALLY, exciting time!
After a couple of weeks of planning and doing my taxes, I have decided to slow down and not rush into things.
I hate rushing into things. I've spent a lot of my life planning for the right time to do things-- Just for some force out of my control screw with it. However, after thinking about it, I think it would be more of a mistake to have a game completely manufactured, and then have to pay rent for storage overseas if things got worse.
That said, I'm in a pretty ok position at the moment, I haven't given any money or images to Longpack yet, so I can hold off on doing the manufacturing for now. Instead, I'm going to focus on what I can do right now, which are:
- Paying my Illustrator - Sending out surveys - Purchasing Packing Materials - Finishing up the TTS and PnP versions of the game.
Which isn't much, but it's what I can do at the moment. On the bright side, the game's been "Done" for quite a while now, so there's no need to wait for things to get tweaked, so when (Knock on wood) it is time to print, I'll be ready. Whenever that is. I appreciate your understanding at this time.
First, I think its important to address the elephant in the room: The Gaslighter-in-Chief's new insane tariffs.
There is a LOT to say about these tariffs, but people much smarter than I am have already written about them, so I'll link to some of the best articles so far on the matter:
For now, I, Brother Ming Games, is taking a wait and see approach. I currently have a small project mid manufacturing that will be ready to leave China in 2 months. If the Tariffs are still in effect by then, I'll just have to eat those costs.
I am hoping POND will be ready to leave China between 8 to 12 months from now. However if 54% Tariffs are still in effect by then, then I will be doing the following:
Shipping costs for US customers will be increasing a bit from $12 -> $18.
A new sticker pack will be available as an add on for anyone who wants to contribute some additional support.
How Tariffs and AI art trends has me feeling (screencap from Totoro)
Ok depressing news out of the way, what's next for POND?
First, thank you so much to everyone who participated in the first playtesting program! We got a LOT of valuable feedback and playtesting data from it.
I will be added 3 and 4 player modes to Tabletop Simulator and Screentop by the end of the month and opening up a second round of the playtesting program for people who still want to earn a free shirt to participate!
The pledge manager for POND will also be opened by the end of the month. This will let you confirm your cart items, pick your designs and sizes for t shirts, or adjust your pledge levels. Shipping and taxes will be not included however. When the project is closer to fulfillment (Sometime between 8 and 12 months from now), the pledge manager will be sent out again to everyone to re-confirm their shipping address and shipping fees and taxes will be added then.
Finally, the artist of POND is currently under the weather, and therefore we weren't able to get the enamel pin designed for ya'll mid campaign. That said, she is releasing two new friends to her collection of plushies TODAY so if you want to cheer her up, go adopt her adorable new friends!!!
Road to Production for POND
Currently we still have some assets that needs to be finished before POND can go into production, plus I want to do a lot more playtesting, so here is our road map for the next 2 months:
Create custom icons for dice and resources (they're all royalty free icons right now)
Add custom art for the long fwooog cards for each faction
Create the art for the card shop playmat
Create a blind test ready rulebook and physical prototype
If everything proceeds smoothly, I am hoping to have polished prototypes ready to show off at Gen Con (I do not have a booth, I'll just be doing ticketed event demos).
I'll be posting monthly updates around the 5th of each month to keep you all up to date~
Thank you all so much for your support. POND received alot more support than I had originally estimated, having even more backers than my first game Re;ACT, despite a HUGE pivot in theme, though for people who have played both, I think you'll still feel my design philosophies of high player interaction with asymmetric gameplay across both games.
Super excited to see us unlock the 40k stretch goal increasing the quality of cards just a bit more! Thank you everyone who has supported, you're all making this a truly epic journey!
Now that cards have cleared, we're able to share with you the first version of the Prototype PDF!! You can download it now by going to the "Backer Exclusive Content" section under this update - if you're seeing this over email, then you'll need to click through to see that backer exclusive content.
What's In the Prototype PDF
We believe in getting our backers something that we know is interesting before doing the crowdfunding campaign. To ensure that, we make sure our projects are content complete and playable before planning funding. Here's a breakdown of how complete everything in the book is:
Core Gameplay (100% - COMPLETE)
Playtesting (80%)
Non-Essential Writing (60%)
Stretch Goals:
Modules:
Solo Rules (80%)
Special Character Arcs (20% - Not Included)
Death Game Sheet Collaborations:
Backers (80% - Not Included)
Rippile (70% - Not Included)
Tokimekiwaku (30% - Not Included)
Little Lab Design (20% - Not Included)
Viveros (50% - Not Included)
Jun Kakeru (5% - Not Included)
Typo/Grammar Fixes (30%)
Art Assets (20%)
Formatting and Design (40%)
Appendix / Rules Resources (10%)
Print Assets (15%)
Currently, the PDF is 102 pages (including the cover), but based on our current estimates, you should expect the final version to be between 134 and 152 pages depending on how much space rules resources take up.
What/When to Expect (in) the Next Update
We're currently planning to release an update to the prototype PDF every two weeks - give or take a couple days depending on the local situation and amount of work we've been able to do. This next update will be distributed through the Pledge Manager, and that means you'll need to complete your pledge manager to access the next update.
As for what you can expect to be included in the next update:
Updates to formatting and art assets.
Complete versions of both the Backer Death Game (The Purgatory Express) and Rippile's Death Game (Lockdown Livestream).
Updates to existing content based on further playtesting and feedback.
Additional rules resources and non-essential writing like the "Who is Usashi" section.
I've Noticed an Error / Want to Give Feedback
Brilliant! We're a small team and it's impossible for us to catch everything. Your feedback, whether it's about a gameplay issue, unclarified detail, or typo - is something we value deeply. If you want to give feedback, the best place to do so is through our Discord server. We'll be opening a "Feedback and Errors" channel in the coming days where you can submit issues so we can resolve them between updates.
A Note on Tariffs
As many of you are very aware, the US Government has recently instituted some very heavy tarrifs on shipments from out of the country. Compared to other companies in the field, we're in a rather lucky situation since we have plenty of time to adapt and plan to these changes. We're doing our best to find ways we can avoid the impact of these costs. However, this is a continually updating situation and it's difficult to know exactly what the future will look like. We'll keep in touch with you all and update you so we can figure out what's best. It may mean some additional shipping costs or delays on production depending on what we can sort out, but we want to make that as minimal as possible.
-- Thank you for your time and I hope you have a fantastic time playing Despair Dilemma!! Nora Jean Haynes
Hello everyone!! It's been a week or two and suddenly we're in the home stretch!! The campaign ends this Thursday, April 3rd!
Why pledge now?
Get early bird pricing on the game and add-ons!
Get access to exclusive freebies and add-ons that won't be available after the campaign!
Support an independent game designer and artist! 🐸💚
Thank you all again so much for your support so far, now on to a juicy update!!
1. NEW Community Goal: 500 backers! As of the time of writing, Underleaf is at 443 backers, we're so CLOSE to 500!! :0 If we make it I want to include a free premium 4x6 print of the box artwork with every game pledge to celebrate! Share the project link or any of my instagram posts to help spread the word!!
2. NEW XL Playmat Add-On I spent a lot of time thinking about game upgrade orientated add-ons for Underleaf and settled on committing to making an awesome playmat/desk mat with the custom leaf shape! Underleaf already has upgraded card stock, spot UV detailing on the upgraded cardboard box, premium tokens and card sleeve sets so focusing on this one big upgrade felt like the right plan.
After reviewing the poll and some very good comments concerned about the playability of the oak leaf shape, I spent a lot of time tweaking the design this weekend to keep it recognizable as a leaf while leaving plenty of space for the player collections. The play-mat will be 32"x18"! The artwork is still not 100% final but I'm going to make sure there's lots of lovely texture just like the card sleeves and card backs in Underleaf. I am still quoting with manufacturers and will be getting samples so stay tuned for photos of that! The playmat is available in the add-on page for $50 CAD and will retail for $65 CAD after the campaign. 3. NEW Sticker Set Add-On For the frog art fans I wanted to add a little 3" matte vinyl sticker set featuring the card art for the three frog cards! This sticker set is available in the add-on page for $10 CAD and will retail for $15 CAD/$5 ea. after the campaign.
4. NEW Clear Cards Included with Card Sleeves Free Upgrade If you've read through the rules for Underleaf (no worries if not lol) you'll know that when you purchase a frog card, it gets assigned to a category - mushrooms, beetles or berries. During play, you have to keep these frogs in their respective piles to remember. To take out the remembering part, I'll be adding some clear assignment cards to the card sleeves! So now when you buy a frog with a mushroom you just slide the clear card over top to mark it as a mushroom! Since you need the sleeves for this to work, I'll just be including them with the card sleeves.
Clear card set will be included in the All-In Pledges.
Clear card set will be included with the Card Sleeves and Game Upgrade Bundle add-ons.
Thank you again and again for all the love, support, shares and comments! Lets get to 500 backers!! Laura
