Earthborne Rangers

Created by Earthborne Games

A sustainably produced customizable, cooperative card game set in the wilderness of the far future for 1 – 4 players.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Production Update
about 1 year ago – Mon, Mar 06, 2023 at 04:27:09 PM

The Carbon Forge

Hi Everyone!

We have an exciting update today as production is underway and fulfillment is in sight! We've also got some smaller updates to share, including the start of our Playcast videos. Let's jump in!

TL;DR

Topics: Production & Fulfillment Timeline, Deluxe Tokens & Playmats Manufacturing Changes, Our New Playcast & Podcast Plans, and Legacy of the Ancestors Campaign Expansion Progress.

Action Required by Backers: None.

Current Estimated Delivery:  April 2023.

Production & Fulfillment Timeline

Right away, let's talk about production. Frank Jäger, our account manager at Ludo Fact, was kind enough to personally write up a production update for us to share with you all. Take it away, Frank!

"Dear backers of Earthborne Rangers,

I am Frank Jäger and I am the contact for Earthborne Games at Ludo Fact in Germany, where the game is being printed. Since I am several thousand miles closer to the action than Earthborne Games, I know first hand what the situation is and would like to update you directly from the factory.

Looking back I remember that we wanted to print before Christmas 2022.  As you know, that did not happen. But such a delay is not unusual with a project of this size and in multiple languages. Everything is only as fast as the slowest part in the chain, so unfortunately our optimistic plan could not be realized. But being a gamer myself I would rather wait and receive a game with finished development and extensive testing rather than a beta version with inconsistencies, or even worse, real flaws. Having  worked on trading card games I know how quickly that can happen and how annoying even small mistakes can be.

So where are we now? The files were all submitted, with the usual little hiccups like "I did not adapt the inlay when we changed the box size" (me), or "stop the press, there is a mistake!" (publisher) and the earlier "the box is too small" (both of us). There were a lot of changes, adaptations, and corrections, as usual, but we got through them all. On top of that we needed to order the paper and cardboard from our suppliers. We do not order gigantic sheets and cut them ourselves we mostly order sheets in the required size, so whenever we change something we have to change our order as well. Since everything regarding Earthborne Rangers is being done with the environmental impact of the game in mind, that means that we have to order new FSC certified material. And that takes a while until it is delivered.

Let me explain: The supply chain for FSC material starts at the source: the tree. Basically, the tree is cut and documentation of where and when it was cut (and by whom) accompanies the wood to the saw mill or the paper mill. The paper made from the wood from that tree keeps the documentation, expanded by the paperwork from the paper mill, and then it is delivered to the printer, and then to us. That process can take somewhere between six and ten weeks. 

I'm happy to say that the paper has been delivered and we are currently cutting the cards at our factory in Ulm. To apply the small corner radius of 3 mm (that is what most TCGs have) we need to punch the cards after the normal cutting and assembly process, which is done automatically. And while printing is really fast (15,000 sheets per hour) cutting those 15,000 sheets takes more than 15 times as long, and punching them into form takes about the same length of time. With the amount of copies required, which was made possible by you the backers (at this point please stand up and applaud yourself), that takes quite some time.

We are hoping to have everything together for assembly of the first batch somewhere near the beginning of April, and then continue onward. The number of games itself is not the issue, we can assemble up to  80,000 games per day, but the production of the card packs is. So we will likely assemble one language after the other. And hope that the  stickers arrive on time. Stickers, you ask? Yes, the ones that close the  boxes. Because Earthborne will not contain any plastic, the boxes will be closed with printed paper stickers. Except there's an issue: the supplier had a shortage of the ones we want, the ones with a  diameter of 45 mm, which came quite unexpectedly and is now the one item that could delay us in finishing the games.

But we are close! As soon as we have the first copies of Earthborne Rangers fully assembled, I’ll send pictures to Earthborne Games to tease them… that is one of the advantages of working in a games factory, I get to see and hold the games first! (Imagine the sounds of an evil laugh floating to you all the way from Germany…:)

Soon. I promise."

Thank you, Frank! Now, what does this mean for fulfillment? Well, as Frank mentions, assembly will go quickly once stickers arrive and printing/cutting is finished. We are looking at sometime in April for fulfillment to begin. This also means that we will be charging shipping this month (March). If you are unsure of shipping costs, you can see your shipping costs by signing into Backerkit and looking at your current balance. If you've fully paid for your add-ons (if any) and taxes (if any), the balance you'll see is your final shipping cost. We will charge shipping on March 15.

Deluxe Tokens & Playmats Manufacturing Changes

The Tokens: Due to a misunderstanding between us and the factory with whom we were working on the deluxe wooden token set, the production with them fell through. But fear not! Ludo Fact was able to come to the rescue, and the tokens will be manufactured on schedule. As a result, however, we needed to change the colors of the progress and general counters. The general counters are now a natural wood grain, and the progress counters are a little bit darker blue as you can see below:

New Deluxe Component Colors

The Playmats: We're excited to be working with another German company, Kraken Wargames, for production of the Valley and Ranger playmats. The samples we've received look amazing, and they share our vision for more sustainable manufacturing in the tabletop industry. You can see these playmats in Episode 1 of our Playcast @3:24. I've linked the video below to that timestamp:

Our New Playcast & Podcast Plans

We officially launched our new Playcast where we leave our individual podcast microphones behind and meet up in person to play Earthborne Rangers! We've started off with Evan and Anders playing the prologue of the game and jumping into their early days of adventure in the Valley. In the future we may try to play specific sections of the game, or even pull out some games we worked on in the past, before Earthborne's inception, and play them while sharing our experiences and memories they conjure up. We'll see what the future holds!

What does this mean for the podcast, you ask? Well we plan to continue the Podcast with the regular bi-weekly schedule, and the Playcast will fill in the usual off-weeks. So each Friday we plan to post a Playcast or Podcast, alternating between them each week.

If you'd like to follow along with the Playcast, you can do so with the videos below. (SPOILER WARNING: This is early game content but some minor spoilers may appear.)

Episode 0

Episode 1

Legacy of the Ancestors Campaign Expansion Progress

Last but not least, we wanted to make a quick mention on the campaign expansion progress. We mentioned in a recent podcast that Luke Eddy (recently of Stonesaga fame) has jumped onboard and is working on campaign design; that is, the mission framework and cards specific to those missions. Design and testing are pretty far along, and we are very excited about where it's headed.

We've also begun commissioning art for the expansion, and have been creating a lot of wonderful concept art! Here's a few concept art pieces to get you all excited for what comes next: 


As always, if you’d like to stay as up to date as possible with the development of Earthborne Rangers, we invite you to check out our podcast. Here are the last couple episodes:

Episode 24

Episode 25

That's all we have for now, but we'll be in touch as soon as we prepare for fulfillment and hear more from Ludo Fact.

Thank you for your time, folks!

-Cory

New Year Update
about 1 year ago – Thu, Jan 19, 2023 at 11:28:41 AM

Hidden Trail

Hi Everyone!

My name is Cory DeVore and I'm the Marketing Director at Earthborne Games. Like all of us at Earthborne, I wear many hats. I've been helping with some graphic design, art treatments, and just whatever needs done, but I've been taking on more and more marketing related tasks over the last six months. Formerly, I was the Sculpting Lead at Fantasy Flight Games for about four years, and worked at Atomic Mass as a Senior Plastic Engineer for a little after that. I'm incredibly excited to be on the Earthborne team, working with people I've missed from our time together at FFG, and I'm looking forward to helping get our game out into the world and help keep you all informed! 

A new year is upon us, and as '22 passes the torch to '23 it's fitting that we've handed off all of Earthborne Rangers to the factory for production. It's been an incredibly busy couple of months for us as we scour files for issues and make sure everything is exactly as it should be. The physical printing itself has not yet begun, but it will very soon. We'll let you know the specific dates of manufacturing and assembly once we learn them ourselves.

TL;DR

Topics: Production Timeline, Pre-order Store Closing (and how that affects pledge management), New Playable Demo, and Expansion Progress.

Action Required by Backers: If you'd like to add any last-minute items to your order, please do so by January 31, 2023. To add an item to your order please contact Backerkit at [email protected], and they'll be able to help you out.

Current Estimated Delivery:  March/April 2023.

Production Timeline

We've sent files to Ludo Fact (our factory) for their review, and have given everything one final proofread to make sure it's all exactly how we want it. This process has kept us, and our partners, very busy. Thankfully, we are incredibly happy with how everything is looking and, so far, we have had very few notes from Ludo Fact concerning our print-ready files.

This week Ludo Fact let us know that, based on our current schedule, manufacturing will be completed at the end of February. That's an optimistic estimate, but we sure hope that's the case! This would place fulfillment in March and/or April, as currently estimated.

Pre-order Store Closing (and pledge additions)

Back in October we opened up a pre-order store on Backerkit for folks who missed the Kickstarter but still wanted in on the initial print run. We will be closing the pre-order store on January 31, 2023, so if you know anyone who'd like to pre-order Earthborne Rangers but hasn't yet, please let them know.

Additionally, although we closed the pledge manager last April, you have from now until January 31st to add any last minute items you would like to your order. If that is something you'd like to do, you can contact Backerkit at [email protected], and they'll be able to help you out.

Please note: There will still be time to modify your address on Backerkit after January 31st. Additionally, you should receive an email to confirm your shipping address once we're closer to fulfillment.

New Playable Demo (TTS & PnP)

At the end of November we made the full rulebook available for all of you to dig into and we've loved seeing all of your excitement! On December 13th, we followed that up with a newly updated demo of the game, which is available as a mod for Tabletop Simulator and as a set of Print & Play PDFs. This demo will remain available for the foreseeable future, so if you'd like to play a reasonably spoiler-free, preview version of Earthborne Rangers before your printed copy arrives, please do!

Click image for more information

Legacy of the Ancestors Progress

Even though we've been busy finalizing the core set files, we've been working on the Legacy of the Ancestors expansion for the better part of a year! A lot of development work has been done, including work on the campaign structure, new path sets, and new locations. Campaign development and art is currently in progress, and we'll have more to share about all of it in the coming months.

As always, if you’d like to stay as up to date as possible with the development of Earthborne Rangers, we invite you to check out our bi-weekly podcast. Here are the last few episodes:

Episode 21

Episode 22

 Episode 23

That's all we have for today, but we'll be in touch as soon as we can say "it's printing!"

Thank you for your time, folks! 

-Cory

November '22 Update
over 1 year ago – Fri, Nov 25, 2022 at 09:11:57 PM

The Northern Outpost

 Hi everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you’re all doing well.

This month, I’m happy to report that––at long last––we’ve completed all work on the print files for the core game. Proofreading is complete, changes have been implemented, and we’re set to deliver our first round of files to the printer next week. This puts a cap on several months of revisions, answering rules questions and fielding suggestions from our localization partners, and fine-tuning the campaign guide and the rulebook. It’s been a tremendous team effort, and I’m tremendously relieved to have finally reached this milestone.

Our localization partners have painstakingly reviewed and scrutinized every last word of the game in an effort to make the foreign language editions as faithful to the vision as possible, and in so doing, have made the English-language edition all the better for it. We’re extremely grateful for the many, many hours of work that our partners have put into Earthborne Rangers. They’ve treated the project with care and reverence, and I’m confident that their skillful work will come through in the localized editions.

Speaking of which, I was able to see a print-on-demand version of the Italian edition last month at Lucca Comics & Games in Lucca, Italy, and it looked fantastic. Fantasia printed everything but the tokens and the box, so all the cards were there as well as the rulebook and the full campaign guide. It was the first time that I had seen the rulebook printed and bound, and just holding it in my hands filled me with joy. The cards, which I’ve grown accustomed to seeing printed on Fischer’s home printer on standard printer paper, also looked amazing.

The view from the back of the Fantasia booth at Lucca Comics & Games.

 Even better was the fact that the game was so well received. The demo tables were always full, and – at least in the two days I was at the booth – everyone who had the opportunity to play seemed to enjoy the game immensely. The Fantasia booth staff was amazing, and Andrea and Bruno, who conducted the majority of the demos, did a fantastic job. I wish I spoke Italian so that I could have been more helpful, but I did have a lot of fun talking with content creators and a few delightful English-speaking attendees who were more than happy to translate my description of the game for their Italian-speaking friends. It was a lot of fun, and I left the show looking forward to finally being able to give demos of the game (in English) at conventions in the States next year.

On the first day of the show, Andrea of Fantasia and I demoed the game on IoGiocco’s livestream. I thought the host asked some great questions throughout the demo. You can check that out here. Most of it is in Italian, but my answers, of course, are in English.

Lastly, in celebration of finishing our work on the core game, I invite you all to explore the final version of the rulebook. Enjoy!

As always, if you’d like to stay as up to date as possible with the development of Earthborne Rangers, I invite you to check out our bi-weekly podcast.

Episode 17

Episode 18

 Episode 19

 Episode 20

 If you have any questions, concerns, or if you’d just like to say hello, please send us an email at [email protected] or send us a DM on Kickstarter.

Until next time!

Much love,

Andrew

Add-On Update
over 1 year ago – Fri, Oct 14, 2022 at 10:43:42 AM

Hi everyone!

I have a very short update for you today that applies to any backers who meet the following criteria:

  • Ordered the Deluxe Energy Tokens add-on
  • Ordered the Valley playmat add-on

If you don’t fall into either of these categories, then please feel free to stop reading now, and have a beautiful day!

If either of the above apply to you, then please continue!

Deluxe Energy Tokens

In working on the deluxe energy tokens with our manufacturer, I decided that I wanted to make the deluxe energy token add-on into a full set of tokens instead. To that end, we’ve added progress, harm, and general counters to the set. The counters are 15 mm wooden dice, embossed with the progress, harm, and general icon in place of the “1.” There are five of each included in one set of tokens.

Valley Playmat

In playtesting, we found that the Valley playmat, which was originally designed to be approximately 2’ x 2’ was much larger than it needed to be, unnecessarily taking up a lot of table space, so we reduced the size (and the price) to match our Ranger playmat. If you’ve ordered a Valley playmat, you’ll receive a $10 credit in BackerKit. There’s no action that you need to take. The $10 credit will effectively turn into a $10 discount on shipping once we charge for it.

That’s it!

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] or send us a DM on Kickstarter.

Much love,

Andrew

September '22 Update
over 1 year ago – Tue, Oct 04, 2022 at 04:32:54 AM

Stoneweaver Bridge

Hi everyone!

I hope you’re all doing well.

I have a short update for you this month. Our deadline for final, print-ready files is just a few short days away, and all written material for the core game is in the hands of our proofreaders.

I’m currently in the process of setting up our pre-order store, so if you know anyone who’s been waiting for an opportunity to pick up a copy for themselves, they will be able to reserve one very soon.

Conventions

Essen Spiel is this week, and our German partner, Frosted Games, will be at the convention demoing full prototypes of their localized edition of Earthborne Rangers. If you’re planning on attending the show, please stop by and check it out! Their booth number is 1-D116.

There’s also another big convention later this month: Lucca Comics & Games in Lucca, Italy where our Italian partner, Fantasia, will be demoing a prototype of their localized edition. You’ll be able to find their booth nestled within the Padiglione Carducci. Plus, you’ll also be able to find me there! I’ll be working the booth and helping with demos on Friday and Saturday (October 28 and 29). I’ve always wanted to attend Lucca, and I’m incredibly grateful to Fantasia for providing me with the opportunity to do so. If you find yourself in Lucca, Italy at the end of the month, then I hope to see you there!

If you’d like to stay as up to date as possible with the development of Earthborne Rangers, I invite you, as always, to check out our bi-weekly podcast:

Episode 15 

Episode 16 

If you have any questions, concerns, or if you’d just like to say hello, please send us an email at [email protected] or send us a DM on Kickstarter.

Enjoy the change of seasons!

Until next time!

Much love,

Andrew