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Just wanted to say hello and give everyone a quick update on where things stand with the Special Edition.

The prototype for the Upgrade Pack, including all of the revised cards, has now been ordered and should be in my hands shortly. Once it arrives, I’ll do one final round of playtesting with the physical pack and go through the actual process of swapping those cards into the original game to make sure everything lines up correctly, looks right, and works exactly as intended.

Once that is approved, those finalized cards will be incorporated into the Special Edition itself. I’ll then receive one final prototype of the complete game with the updated cards already included. Assuming everything checks out there, we should be ready to move into final production.

The good news is that the rest of the game is already where it needs to be. The main box, insert tray, and components are all finished and approved. The new card-back illustration included as part of the stretch goals is also complete. I’ve also added one final last-minute illustration that is currently being finished, and once that is done, all of the artwork needed for production will be complete.

At this point, the revised cards are really the final piece we’re waiting on. Once those are approved and incorporated into the full game prototype, we should be very close to wrapping up the production side of things.

I’m also working through the process of setting up the BackerKit surveys. My plan is to have those sent out to everyone by the end of next week.

I’ll share another update as soon as the Upgrade Pack prototype arrives and I’ve had a chance to put it through its final checks.

~Greg

I leave you with a peek at the rough scribbles for the cardback just completed.

And that’s it! The Spire’s End: Volume 1 Special Edition campaign has officially come to an end. We didn’t quite reach 2,000 backers, (like WOAH, 1998 - so close!!!) which means I regret to inform you that the Mad Baroness of SeaCrest will not be issuing pardons. The good news is that the Festival of the Eclipse will proceed exactly as planned. The Baroness, for one, is delighted.

Your names remain on the Festival of the Eclipse program, the pillories are being reinforced, and I’m told the executioners have been asked to remain on standby.

But enough about that.

What matters is that this campaign turned into something far bigger than I expected when it began. The Special Edition is happening, packed with everything we unlocked along the way: the reworked finale, new Ending Story Card, alternate cards, Stretch Goals, Marge Merriwether’s celebration card, and plenty more.

And Marge is apparently wasting no time. She’s already gearing up for the planned Spire’s End celebration at Solemn Oath Brewery next spring and, from what I understand, has quite a few ideas for the occasion. All of them should be greeted with immediate enthusiasm and showered with praise. It’s simply safer that way.

I also want to thank my good friends at Solemn Oath Brewery in advance for their interest and enthusiasm. There are still plenty of details to work out, and I’ll share more as plans come together.

Of course, I know most of you won’t be able to make it to Chicago for the event. That’s exactly why every Special Edition will include the alternate Marge Merriwether card, so everyone who backed the campaign gets a little memento of the celebration wherever you happen to be.

More importantly, thousands of you showed up for a game I first released years ago and gave me the opportunity to revisit it, rebuild parts of it, and give the story that started Spire’s End another life.

That means a hell of a lot to me.

There will be plenty of production updates ahead as everything moves toward manufacturing and fulfillment. For now, I’m going to enjoy this one.

Thank you for backing it, sharing it, talking about it, and helping push this thing as far as it went.

The Special Edition is happening. Everything we unlocked is coming with it.

As for the Baroness...I’d enjoy the Festival of the Eclipse while you can.

I’m sure everything will be fine.

~Greg

Another achievement down! We’ve officially reached 1,750 backers, which means the new card-back artwork is unlocked and will be added to the Spire’s End: Special Edition.

I wanted this edition to feel special from every angle, not simply updated on the fronts of the cards, so I’m very happy to get this one across the finish line. And with that, there’s one final Backer Achievement to reveal.

📜 2,000 BACKERS: PARDONS FROM THE BARONESS

For the Festival of the Eclipse, the Mad Baroness of SeaCrest has decided an additional layer of festivities is in order for this historic day. Her contribution? Two thousand or more lucky citizens will be placed in the pillories and subjected to a variety of ritualistic unpleasantries as the eclipse begins. Entertainment was harder to come by back then, and the Baroness has always had a particular taste for cruelty.

But fear not.

If the campaign reaches 2,000 backers, the achievement is unlocked for everyone. Every boxed copy of Spire’s End: Special Edition will include a physical Pardon from the Baroness as a special insert, including copies backed after the 2,000-backer mark is reached.

The names of all campaign backers, not just the first 2,000, will be printed upon it, creating one final memento of this campaign to keep as part of the game.

This is the final Backer Achievement of the campaign, so let’s see if we can keep everyone out of the pillories.

That means the alternate Marge Merriwether celebration card is officially being added to the Spire’s End Special Edition.

Behold: Marge in all her glory, as she’ll appear on the card commemorating next spring’s Spire’s End release celebration at Solemn Oath Brewery.

Bertho Horn originally created this wonderfully cheeky artwork for the brewery collaboration, and now every Special Edition backer will get a little memento of the event, whether you can make it to Chicago or not.

A word of caution should you ever encounter Marge in person: she is a powerful woman, but also a sensitive one. Compliment her profusely, preferably while maintaining a respectful distance, and everything should be right as rain.

But we’re not quite finished yet.

There are still two Backer Achievements on the table before the campaign closes:

1,750 BACKERS • NEW CARD-BACK ART
Unlock brand-new card-back artwork for the new Ending Story Card.

Less than 48 hours remain. Let’s see how far we can take this thing.

~Greg

As part of the release celebration for the Spire’s End Special Edition next spring, Solemn Oath Brewery and I are planning a special Spire’s End beer for the event, tentatively a pale ale brewed specifically for the collaboration.

Marge Merriwether made her debut in Maren’s Collection, the bridge expansion between Hildegard and Spire’s End: Volume 1, worth checking out if you haven’t already.

Marge felt like the natural choice for the collab. She’s already an accomplished cook for the Baroness, so apparently adding brewmaster to her résumé wasn’t much of a stretch.

For the occasion, Bertho Horn created a special piece of artwork just for the can.

A quick note on what you’re seeing below: this is the first draft of the label, not final production artwork. Planning meetings have already taken place and the collaboration is very much in motion, but there’s still plenty of work between now and next spring. The artwork, copy, beer itself, can size and format, and other production details may all evolve as the final release comes together. Solemn Oath and I want the creative freedom to make the finished beer exactly what it needs to be.

The artwork is wonderfully cheeky, completely in the spirit of the brewery celebration, and I figured: why not make a card out of it too?

Only a small number of backers will be close enough to Chicago to experience the release celebration in person, so I wanted there to be a little piece of the event that could make its way to everyone who helped make the Special Edition happen!

So, if we make it all the way to $125,000, I’ll add this alternate Marge character card to the Special Edition as a memento of the Solemn Oath celebration and one last toast to the campaign.

Let’s make it a full round. Drinks are on Marge ~Greg