Kickstarter is Complete | What's Next?
almost 2 years ago – Thu, May 26, 2022 at 06:51:31 PM

We did it! The campaign is officially over - and thanks to you, we raised almost 200% of the funds needed to bring Spirit Duels to life. You unlocked every stretch goal and social goal and have exceeded expectations every step of the way. I am blown away by your support. Three years ago, when I first started dreaming of Spirit Duels, I never imagined we would get this far. Thank you, a million times over.

So, what's next? We have a pretty big update today with a lot of important information packed in, so be sure to stick with me till the end. First off, the voting results of Phase II are in!

Phase II Voting Results

We actually ended up with a very close final vote count between the Snail Line and the Snake Line. The Snake Line had a lot of votes towards the middle and end of voting, but Snail's early lead was enough to last till the end. With that, the Snail Line is the official winner and will be the Toxic/Arcane Class Spirit!

The final vote count was:

• Snail: 63
• Snake: 54
• Moth: 23

Now, if you voted for Snake, I've got some good news for you! We have an Ice/Toxic Spirit Line opened that needs a design... and if we tweak some colors, I think the Snake Line will make a perfect fit. It's honestly just too close to leave them out of the game. So, the Snail Line will be Toxic/Arcane and the Snake Line will be Ice/Toxic.

But, what about the Moth Line? While we don't have any room to fit them into the base game, the designs are just too solid to not make it into the world of Spirit Duels. If you voted for the Moth Line, rest assured that they will find their way into the world of Spirit Duels in a future expansion.

Up next, we will need to decide on the names for the Snail Line. In Phase III, we will collect name submissions on social media, similar to how we've done our name contest in the past. Then, in Phase IV, we will vote to decide which names become the final names.

Anyone, backer or not, is welcome to submit their name ideas for the Snails during Phase III. However, only backers will be able to vote on which name submissions become the final names in Phase IV!

Phase III will begin later this week! Be sure to follow us on Instagram so you can submit your name ideas!

Production & Development Timeline

I wanted to share with you all a Production & Development Timeline, so you have an idea of what all needs to be done, and how long those things are estimated to take. Global freight and shipping are nightmares right now, so I have allotted some extra time in certain places to account for expected hiccups. This timeline is a loose estimate, and should not be taken as 100% accurate.

Late May: Kickstarter ends.

June: Balancing and art continue.

October: Game finalized and art complete.

November: Begin manufacturing!

January 2023: Chinese New Year Holiday.

March 2023: Manufacturing Complete!

May 2023: Games arrive at warehouses.

June 2023: All games shipped!

I want to go into a bit more detail about "Balancing and art continue".  As you should know by now, a good bit of the art for Spirit Duels is incomplete. A major part of why I needed to crowdfund the game was not only to cover manufacturing costs, but also art. We have 9 Spirit Lines left to artistically design and illustrate and about half of the card illustrations left as well. Over the next few months, we will be working full speed ahead to finish the remaining illustrations. While our illustrators work hard on finishing the art for the game, I'll be continuing to develop, balance, and fine-tune the 27 different Spirit Lines found in the game. You can never have too much balancing right? 

My goal from the beginning was to use the community to help in this balancing process. My plan is to launch an "Open Beta" phase where you can playtest the game on Tabletop Simulator yourself and provide direct feedback to me.  We'll use our Discord server to plan and host matches. We're even planning a few Open Beta Tournaments!

If all that sounds interesting to you, be sure to join our Discord server!

That's it for today's update. Once again, thank you for a successful campaign. I can not wait until the game arrives at your front door!

See you in the next update!

- Daniel

New Stretch Goal Revealed | Phase II Voting Begins!
almost 2 years ago – Tue, May 24, 2022 at 07:46:05 AM

We have an exciting update today! We've got a new stretch goal to reveal and the start of Phase II of our Community Designed Spirit Line! Let's get straight into it!

Dice Upgrade Revealed!

As you probably know by now, the fourth stretch goal is an upgrade to the dice. I am excited to finally reveal exactly what that upgrade is! At $19,000 each die in the game will be upgraded from a solid color acrylic to a beautiful pearlescent swirl acrylic. Here are examples of each color die found in the game:

As always, this is a stretch goal I am very excited about. These dice will really make Spirit Duels shine on the tabletop!
 

I've had a few questions about the dice that I'd like to answer now. Regardless if we hit this stretch goal or not, all dice in the game are 16mm and have rounded corners.
 

Now, without further ado...

Community Designed Spirit Line | Phase II

If you aren't familiar, we started a series of backer-exclusive polls where you and other backers can vote to help design a full Spirit Line! If you're a new backer, don't worry! You've only missed the first poll (Phase I) that decided the Spirit Line's Classes! We had a lot of votes, and in the end, Toxic/Arcane came out on top! You can check out  Update #2 to learn more about the whole process!
 

In Phase II, you and other backers get to vote on the final designs of the Spirit Line. As promised, Robert Schilling (Lead Illustrator) has come up with three different designs to choose from. You will cast your vote to decide which of these Spirit Lines will make it into the final game! Here they are:

Awesome, right?! I personally love all of them. Again, only one of these designs will make it into the final game as the Toxic/Arcane Spirit Line, so choose wisely!

Here are the rules for voting:
 

• Voting begins today, as soon as this update goes live!
• To vote, simply comment below: Moth, Snail, or Snake!
• You may only vote once.
• Voting ends on Tuesday, May 24 at 11:00 AM EST.

That's right. This Phase will last until the campaign is over. I want to be fair and give every backer an opportunity to vote in this Phase, regardless of how late they come on board.  That means that Phase III and Phase IV will happen in post-campaign updates.
 

Okay! That wraps up today's update! I can't wait to see which of these designs makes it into the final game! 

See you in the next update!

 - Daniel

A Look at Additional Formats...
almost 2 years ago – Tue, May 24, 2022 at 02:14:56 AM

Well, first off... you did it! Spirit Duels is not only fully funded, but we've unlocked every stretch goal! I'm continually amazed at this campaign and our incredible backers. The community that is forming around this game, the Spirits, and the world they live in has me very excited!

Today, I wanted to take a quick look at the different ways we're all going to be able to play the game! Let's get into it!

Additional Formats

If you are a part of our discord server, then you know we have plans for additional formats for Spirit Duels. If you are not part of our discord server - well, what are you waiting for?! We have a growing server full of people like you, who are excited and passionate about the world of Spirit Duels! Join our Discord!

So, what are these formats? First, I'd like to mention that Spirit Duels is a work in progress. Anything you read here is subject to change as we continue to develop the game.

There are two different parts to any format for Spirit Duels: the Team Size and the Game Mode. The Team Size determines the number of Classes and Spirits players will use to form their team and build their decks. The Game Mode determines the specific rules for how players choose their Classes and Spirits before a match begins.

There are two different options for the Team Size:

•  Standard (3v3): each player uses 3 different Classes to build a team of 3 Spirit Lines and a 30-card deck. (45 mins average playtime)
•  Blitz (2v2): each player uses 2 different Classes to build a team of 2 Spirit Lines and a 20-card deck. (30 mins average playtime)

There are three different options for the Game Mode:

•  Draft: The primary way to play Spirit Duels. I won't go into the details for the Draft Game Mode - as you should be familiar with it by now. If not, our campaign page covers it in detail under the "Overview" section. (Recommend copies of Spirit Duels: 1) 
•  Constructed: In this Game Mode, each player brings their own pre-constructed team of Spirit Lines and deck to play with, following the basic rules for building a team and constructing a deck (each Spirit Line chosen for your team must be from a different Class, while your deck consists of the Basic Cards from each of those Classes and well as the Special Cards from each of your Spirits). (Recommend copies of Spirit Duels: 1 per player) 
•  Competitive: In this Game Mode, each player brings the amount of Spirit Lines needed for the determined team size, plus two more Spirit Lines. For example, if you are using the Standard Team Size (3 Spirit Lines), then you will bring a total of 5 Spirit Lines to play. Before the match, you and your opponent will reveal to each other your roster of 5 Spirit Lines. Then, players take turns banning Spirit Lines from their opponent's roster. When a Spirit Line is banned from a player's roster they must remove that Spirit Line from play and may not add it to their team for this match. Once each player has banned two Spirit Lines from their opponent's roster, they will use their remaining Spirit Lines to form their team and build their deck of cards following the basic rules for building a team and constructing a deck (Recommend copies of Spirit Duels: 1 per player) 

That covers each of the Team Size and Game Mode options we have rules for at the moment.  I'd like to think that Spirit Duels creates a solid foundation for numerous potential formats. The possibilities are endless really. Do you have any ideas for potential Game Modes that I didn't cover here? I'd love to hear your ideas!

I've had quite a few people ask about a multiplayer format. While I have written each card in the game to allow for multiple opponents, there are no current rules for more than two players. However, it is a possibility in the future.

That's all I have for today. We are closing in on the final stretch of the campaign! So like always, please don't forget to cast your vote in Phase II of our Community Designed Spirit Line!

See you in the next update!

- Daniel

Playmats are Now Available | Final Stretch Goal Revealed!
almost 2 years ago – Fri, May 20, 2022 at 11:26:22 AM

Today's update may just be our biggest one yet! With only one week remaining for the campaign, we have a lot happening! Let's dive right in!

First off, we hit $20,000! I'm honestly speechless. I know I've said it a lot, but I just can't say it enough: thank you for your support! I am truly so excited to bring this world and these characters to life for us all to enjoy!

New Add-On: PLAYMATS!

Okay, okay. I've heard you loud and clear. You want playmats. Honestly, so do I. I wanted to have them available from the beginning. I just needed to make sure they were perfect and that they wouldn't hinder our number one priority: "to make the best game we can and have it delivered to your door as fast as possible." After checking with the factory and fulfillment center and ensuring we could safely add them to the campaign, I am proud to announce that not one - but TWO playmats are now available to add to your pledge.

Each playmat is available for $20, plus shipping. Just head over to the campaign page and click the "Manage your pledge" button at the top to grab yours!

Final Stretch Goal Revealed!

Our final stretch goal is a Radiant Stretch Goal unlocked at $21,000. If we can hit that amount, every Radiant Pledge will be gaining three additional Radiant Foil Spirit Lines: Binx, Wolf, and Pawnite. The Wolf Line has yet to be named ;) Unlocking these three Spirit Lines will give backers of the Radiant Pledge a complete Radiant Foil set of the "Pure Class" Spirit Lines. Pure Class Spirits are Spirit Lines that do not gain a secondary Class through evolution.

Without further ado, here they are in all their Radiant glory:

These three Radiant Lines are some of my favorite and I hope we can get them unlocked! The "fox" colors for the Wolf Line just pop - and both Pawnite and Binx are sporting a bit of a darker side in their Radiant colors.  Here they are compared to their standard versions:

But wait, there's MORE!

As a special thank you, if we can hit this final stretch goal we will also unlock one additional bonus reward for fully funding the game and hitting all of our stretch goals! At $21,000 we'll also add a Caster Achievements section to the lore and art book. Caster Achievements are a way for you to keep track of different goals and achievements you hit as a Spirit Caster. For example, every time you win a match with a Fire Spirit Line on your team, you can track that progress. Once you win one match with each Fire Spirit Line, you'll hit the Novice of Fire achievement. If you can win five matches with each, you'll hit the Master of Fire achievement. Win a match with every Spirit Line found in the base game and you'll gain the Master of Avasol achievement! These achievements add even more replayability to the game and allow you to compare your journey as a Spirit Caster with other Spirit Casters.

Okay, that's all I have for you today! We only have one week remaining in the campaign so be sure to head over to Update #7 and cast your vote in Phase II of our Community Designed Spirit Line!

See you in the next update!

- Daniel

The Radiant Pledge is even more Radiant!
almost 2 years ago – Mon, May 16, 2022 at 06:17:34 PM

We've got a quick, but Radiant update today! Let's get right to it!

Radiant Stretch Goal Unlocked!

In case you didn't catch it, over the last few days we hit $18k, unlocking the first Radiant Stretch Goal! That means that EVERY Radiant Pledge has now gained two additional Radiant Foil Spirit Lines: Tadgar and Pruni! Hooray!

Next Tuesday, I'll be revealing the final Radiant Stretch Goal! Although, I think all the pieces are there for you to figure out what it will be. ;)

A New Radiant Add-On!

A few backers have requested this, so I've recently added the option for you to grab an extra set of all Radiant Foils available in the campaign! This add-on includes:

• Radiant Foil Tychomp Line (Kickstarter Exclusive)
• Radiant Foil Toppu Line (Kickstarter Exclusive)
• Radiant Foil Lumi Line (Kickstarter Exclusive)
• Radiant Foil Hurtchin Line (Kickstarter Exclusive)
• Radiant Foil Tadgar Line (Kickstarter Exclusive)
• Radiant Foil Pruni Line (Kickstarter Exclusive)
• PLUS any additional Radiant Foils unlocked through Stretch Goals!

Don't forget that these are Kickstarter Exclusives! So this campaign will be the one and only time these Spirits will ever be available as Radiant Foils.

Okay, that's all for today's update! Short and sweet!  Don't forget to vote in Phase II of our Community Designed Spirit Line! I hope you have an amazing weekend and I'll see you in the next update!

- Daniel

PS - Playmats are coming. ;)