It’s been a minute since our last update, and I want to start by thanking y’all for your patience and continued support. A lot has been happening behind the scenes to bring High Noon to the next stage, and I’d like to take a moment to walk you through where things are, what challenges we've encountered, and how we're tackling them head-on.
🏗️ 3D Building Kit Production
One of the major hold-ups has been in the production of the 3D building kits. While our prototypes were created using The Game Crafter, the factory manufacturing the final products uses entirely different industrial machinery – machines capable of printing and cutting from large sheets, not standard 8.5x11" paper.
This is how a Game Crafter template looks
Because of this, the templates I initially provided from Game Crafter didn’t translate directly (or at all). The factory has spent a considerable amount of time trying to recreate these templates to fit their format, and I only became fully aware of the complications a few weeks ago – right before leaving for a long-overdue family vacation.
To help, I spent several nights reworking the templates to match the factory’s specs.
This is how the factory's template looks
That’s when we hit the second snag: the original artwork lacked bleed. This was because Game Crafter’s proprietary software generates bleed zones automatically – something our artist, who was working in 3D for the first time, didn’t need to account for at the time.
In hindsight, I should have anticipated this, but I made a call based on the assumption that the Game Crafter templates would be used directly by the factory. Unfortunately, a year later, that assumption has cost us valuable time.
Now, we’re left with two options:
Ask our artist to go back and add bleed to every piece (a massive lift, especially since he's freelance and working other projects), or
Let the factory's in-house designer handle the bleed based on what they already have.
We’re going with Option 2. The designer is full-time, trained for this exact kind of work, and has access to both the artwork and the updated templates. I’m also taking steps to speed this up: I’m shipping them full retail-ready Game Crafter prototypes to use as physical references. Just like sending out original Loot cards helped with card printing (more on that below), this should help accelerate final QC and alignment for the buildings.
🃏 Card Size Discrepancy & Replacement Plan
Another item many of you have flagged is the size difference between the Starter Set cards and the Expansion Loot Vol. 1 cards.
This happened because I used a different factory (one I’d worked with before on paper products) to keep costs down. Their QC samples were perfect… but unfortunately, the final run came out slightly off-size, and we didn’t discover the issue until after fulfillment.
At that point, I had two choices:
Reprint the Expansion cards to match the Starter Set
Reprint the Starter Set cards to match the Expansion cards
I chose the latter, even though it means reprinting 5,000 copies of the Starter Set cards. Why? Because the original cards already had a few issues in terms of clarity and balance that needed fixing anyway. Once complete, every single High Noon owner will receive a free replacement deck. That’s a promise I made, and one I intend to keep.
However, I ran into a snag when my previous card printer went silent – no responses for months. Whether they closed up shop or moved on, I had to accept they were no longer an option.
That put me back at square one, hunting for a new partner who could match the exact specs of the Expansion Loot Vol. 1 cards. After working with multiple factories, spending months and several hundred dollars in QC samples, I’m proud to say:
👉 We found a new factory who not only matched the specs exactly, but came in at a lower cost.
👉 To ensure accuracy, I shipped them a copy of Vol. 1 from our international fulfillment warehouse, so they’re working with the real thing – no guesswork involved.
👨👩👦 A Personal Moment – Living the Dream
During our family vacation this summer, I had a powerful moment that brought everything full circle. As many of you know, I created High Noon in the aftermath of a painful divorce – it was a light in a dark time and a dream to one day sit down and play this game with my son and my father.
That dream became real.
My dad taught my son how to play, and together – with my cousin and his son – we had an epic shootout during our annual trip. My son almost beat me, but we ended up teaming up to wipe out the rest of the posse. 😄
That moment – three generations bonding over something we built together – was the reminder I needed of why this has all been worth it.
Three generations of High Noon in one photo
The faces before annihilation!
🆕 Expansion Loot Vol. 2 – Sneak Peek
On that same trip, we playtested the Expansion Loot Vol. 2 cards, and… y’all. The level of gameplay it added was bonkers. This pack may have flown under the radar during the campaign, but it radically upgrades the tactical options on the table. I can’t wait for you to see what’s inside.
You don’t have to wait, though. The full set is already live and playable on Tabletopia. Just hop in our Discord and join the posse to try out the new Loot and the Bounty Missions expansion as well!
🏁 Next Steps
Factory is working on 3D buildings with help from prototype references
New card factory is preparing Expansion Loot Vol. 2
Expansion Loot Vol. 2 is ready for playtesting now
More updates soon. We’re turning the corner here, and I can’t wait to start delivering on these long-awaited promises.
