Want to learn more about Ion Heart's creative origins? Look no further than this interview with our very own Ben Alexander! Learn about Ben's process in creating the world, visual style, and designing stunning pieces of artwork. Hosted by the wonderful Epic Adventure Podcast, make sure to give it a listen below:
Want to see how the game is played? Make sure to check out our cosy playthrough, where our band of Pilots and Mechs try to herd and protect a group of gigantic sheep.
Just in case you missed it on the campaign page, Cosy RPG Reviews did a fantastic review of Ion Heart Solo and its world, as well as a preview of the Ion Heart Multiplayer. Check it out here:
We wanted to take some time to shine a light on some of the items in this release in a bit more detail, tell you more about them, and open the floor to any questions you may have. First up is the Token & Map Pack!
While adventuring in the Astral Union, you and your Mechs will face a vast array of Encounters, from performing peaceful favours for locals, to protecting them from environmental disasters and other more dangerous threats. To keep track of your Mechs and their objectives at your table, the Map and Token pack allows you to do this with ease - so what does it include?
The Map
This foldable 12x10 hex-grid map is a compact and transportable option for tracking your Encounters. Lightweight and with a durable coating, it is designed to survive travelling to all of your game nights. For ease of play, the grid references used for setting up pre-written Encounters are printed onto the map to make tabling an Encounter as fast as possible.
Thanks to the overwhelming support we’ve received already, through stretch goals, we’ve been able to make this map double-sided! Now one side will be for Encounters on solid ground, while the flip side of the map is an expansive starfield, designed for adventures in space as you explore and dogfight with other mechs amidst the cosmos.
The Tokens
This double-sided A4 sheet of pop-out tokens allows you to populate your table with all the wonders the Astral Union has to offer! There is a variety of token types in the pack, including:
Enemies: A selection of enemy Mechs, Nephellim and other enemies you may encounter.
Allies: A series of NPC tokens to represent your allies on the map.
Objectives: From Settlements to protect, to artefacts you need to retrieve, these tokens can be used as objective markers.
Terrain: Show off what kind of world you are playing on with terrain tokens, from lush forests to rocky mountains.
Environmental Hazards: Sometimes the threat is nature itself. Lava flows, raging waters and swirling tornadoes are some of the environmental hazards you may encounter.
The token and map pack comes in any reward level Astral Citizen and above, or can be purchased separately as an addon! Have any questions or want to know more? Drop us a comment on this update or join our Discord server here.
Thank you again, everyone - we can't wait to explore the galaxy with you all!
Today we have unlocked another amazing Stretch Goal! With this goal, another chapter is being added to The ARK, the Community PDF that all backers will get access to!
This chapter explores the Gardens of the Cerulean Moon! A lone Kirvae lives on a desolate moon with no others, carefully tending their gardens, ensuring they do not disturb the delicate ecology around them. Who is this peaceful and mysterious stranger, and what is their story?
The next target in sight is a Print & Play Token sheet filled with Mechs and encounter items to bring your games to life on your tabletop!
We'd also love to hear in the comments below any tales from your games of the Quickstart!
Due to overwhelming demand, we're making the ION Heart Pins available as Add Ons to all physical pledge levels!
The ION Heart Pin Set Returns!
Lancer Pins are Now Available!
If you missed out on our ION Heart Pins crowdfunding earlier this year, now's your chance to grab them! Likewise, if you weren't a returning backer, and you really wanted an exclusive Lancer pin, here's your opportunity!
Wear your ION Flare when you're out defending the Astral Union, or just chilling in the star system. Either way, make sure you're blasting off in style.
Another stretch goal has been reached - this one is awesome too as we will be making the map double-sided and adding a Starmap to every Token & Map Set! The battle map is available in all Pledge Levels Astral Citizen and above - or you can grab it as an addon.
This hex-map means you can play battles in space, as well as on solid ground adding a whole new dimension to your battles.
The next stretch goal we are chasing will see another chapter being added to The ARK - our community PDF available for all backers - adding more lore and gameplay content to your game.
NEW STRETCH GOAL REVEALED There are more unrevealed stretch goals that can be achieved too! The £100k stretch goal will see Map & Token Set being added to The ARK as a Print & Play set!
