Playmat Lineart and Important Reminder
almost 7 years ago – Tue, Jul 25, 2017 at 12:28:23 AM

First off- important reminder:  Fill out your Backerkit Surveys!  

And those who already have, a note- we will be charging cards for Add-Ons around August 1st, so finalize your order info prior to that date to make things as smooth as possible.  Winter is coming.

Phew- the art for the Playmat got.. Quite involved, it may be one of the most complex backdrops I've ever drawn.   Having a blast, and getting lineart for original Tendril and Bast deck cards in the pipeline now.

In other news- UberQuest, another comic published by Vivid, has launched a Kickstarter for their second book.   If you're interested, check it out here:  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/839048152/uberquest-volume-ii-call-of-the-relic

Thanks again for backing SKIRMISH- more art samples to come as the art continues to roll out!

Desktop Art #1- Blues
almost 7 years ago – Thu, Jul 13, 2017 at 10:10:25 PM

 Blueline sample of the art for the first Desktop- featuring all 10 unlocked characters.

Vi is going to be dealing with Tendril in the foreground- blasting him with her power, as he snips the ammo belt on her cannon.  Which she is aiming with a leg, in the attempt to give Igrath some support while he fends off an army of Sandmen from Scuttles.  Meanwhile Lilith is on the verge of being murdered by Ravat- until Scinter springs his trap.   And Tinsel is sending Wisp to deal with Vi- but noticing that she's nearly been scorched, as Bast is dealing with more Wisps in the background, and an attack just grazed her position.

Whew! 

Wanted to share the early art before we set up the voting for the Mob Rule desktop, so everyone knows what we have in the pipeline already.

Also, speaking of voting- three poses each for Tinsel and Scinter are blued, I'll set up a vote in the coming days so you can decide what would look best on their character cards.

SKIRMISH Public Use Policy
almost 7 years ago – Wed, Jul 12, 2017 at 01:20:57 PM

SKIRMISH Public Use Policy 1.0  

A crop of questions has sprung up in regard to SKIRMISH, and how much latitude readers & gamers have to generate their own content.  

We've drafted this Public Use Policy to try and answer those questions broadly and comprehensively. Despite the language in this policy, we still formally retain all intellectual property rights, trademarks, and copyrights in regard to SKIRMISH.

Longtime readers are familiar with the somewhat permissive policy surrounding the Dreamkeepers graphic novel series, and third-party commissions & fanart. Because a game presents unique issues that require more specifics, we ask that you review this policy carefully.  

One of the prime concerns with SKIRMISH content- many games sell individual cards online, directly or between consumers in an aftermarket. We must ensure that customers can see without confusion which cards are actual developed, balanced, playable and intended components of the official game, versus cards that are fanart, and not components of the game.  

Fanart / Customized Cards  

To avoid confusion all fanart, personal, custom, commissioned, or other player-generated cards, digital or physical, must use the template we provide. ( https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-nsNunMwFGYVmJmaGVpZGdQNFk/view?usp=sharing )  

This template uses the correct proportions and looks aesthetically consistent, while clearly signaling to other players that the card is not an official component of the game, clearing up any potential customer confusion.  

While gamers are welcome to create and play with their own original personal content- cards, decks, alternate modes of play- all content must use the designated template to ensure casual players are not subject to confusion.  

Furthermore, fanart, commissioned card art, and other personalized content may not be presented to consumers in a commercial manner, monetized, or with multiple units manufactured for sale.  

Apps and Secondary Features  

Though the campaign didn't attain funding for an official app, some coders have expressed an interest in developing apps for SKIRMISH that enable long-distance play, or other features.  

We want to permit personal effort and creativity, but lacking direct involvement and oversight on all reader-driven and personal efforts, we also wish to protect consumers from low-quality or potentially malicious products. In the effort to attain this balance, we will require the following guidelines to be implemented with all indie SKIRMISH, EPF, Vivid, and Dreamkeepers apps. (The word 'apps' in the following guidelines is meant to encompass apps, alternate rule systems and modes of play, downloads, and any other text, programs, or systems which modify consumer interactions with the SKIRMISH core game.)  

(1) Unlicensed apps may not use or display official branding or logos- specificially the SKIRMISH trademark, the Dreamkeepers logo, the Vivid Publishing Logo, and the EPF Games logo.  

(2) Unlicensed apps may not be monetized or used commercially.  

(3) Unlicensed apps must state prominently that they are not an officially licensed SKIRMISH product.  

It may be possible for unlicensed app developers to approach Vivid and EPF for a licensing agreement which, if completed and signed by all parties, would lift these restrictions for the particular parties involved in the licensing agreement. However, we cannot provide assurances in advance that all, or any, development work will lead to licensing agreements. EPF and Vivid are not liable to compensate or recognize any work conducted by unlicensed developers.  

We may return to this SKIRMISH Public Use Policy and revise or update it as circumstances require. We hope these rules can provide the clearest and best possible experience for both casual players, and for the creative community.

 

Survey notes and Playmat Preview
almost 7 years ago – Thu, Jul 06, 2017 at 07:55:46 PM

Surveys are going out today!   

Expect something from Backerkit- there will be Add-Ons for those interested, and a few questions to answer.    

Note:  If you were in the group that got early sample surveys, we added one question that you need to hop back in and answer.

Another note- things were getting tricky, so for the Tiers that could choose a T-shirt *or* a hoodie, I assumed most would want a hoodie because they are fancier.   But if you'd prefer a T-shirt, just let us know in the 'notes' section of your order.  There's a spot where you can add custom instructions.   Then fill out the rest of the survey like normal, and I'll check the notes before nailing anything down.

Meanwhile- drawing has been happening.   We have the blueline sketch of the Playmat ready to share:

 This thing was a beast to draw- the tilting perspective gave me a tussle, but in the end I figured out that what we wanted was a central axis with opposing vanishing points, and that they flipped at a middle point.   

I think once we have the shadows and lighting tying the whole thing together, it'll be pretty epic!  

Also today- top level backers, I'm going to be pestering you in the Kickstarter messaging system here about your cameos, as we're gearing up for card art.   

Backerkit Surveys next week
almost 7 years ago – Wed, Jun 28, 2017 at 10:55:25 AM

Strap in- we plan to send Backer Surveys via backerkit next week, July 5th.    (A small percentage of backers may receive their survey early, so we can test the system and gather feedback.)

To fill out your survey and gather rewards, I believe you will have to opt-in to backerkit's system- but no worries, they're on the level.

A couple noteworthy notes to take note of:

Backerkit will let you play with add-ons and make changes with your order.   However, August 1st the order details are locked in so we can order the proper quantities of merchandise.  

Also, Backerkit will allow you to change your address right up until we begin mailing rewards- so if you have a move coming up, it's okay to plug in your current address for the time being.    We'll send a reminder to finalize your address before we start mailing rewards.