Plastic Miniature Samples arrived!
over 1 year ago – Mon, Sep 26, 2022 at 12:25:47 AM

HOLAAA DRAGONBONDED!

Yes, I'm super excited and that's why I used caps, because after all the ups and downs, I finally have in my hands the plastic miniatures for the Core Game and I wanted to share them with you!

---  Topics on this update --- 

• Plastic miniatures samples
• Translations & Expansions Status 
• Art Segment
• New Season on Tribes
• SHUX'22

---------------------------------

Plastic miniatures samples 

Remember that this are the pre-production samples, so we can make any amendments before moving to mass production. Miniatures look great, the plastic is really flexible and the level of detail reached is just what we were expecting for, overall majestic! Miniatures were approved and mass production officially starts for the base game! 

We are on track for the revised timeline provided by Panda and the games should be ready to ship by December 22nd. 

Remember that each one of them will come in a different color (Nagasha - red, Ferellon - blue, Elyse - orange, Adrael - purple).

Tomorrow we are expecting to receive the miniatures resculpt screenshots for the expansions and if all goes smoothly, the physical pre-production samples for the expansions will follow very soon after.

We also received an update on the wood tokens for the Deluxe components included in the Big Box of Holding (samples sent, will be received by next week).  The picture below show the samples with the paint still drying so we will have to wait until when we receive them to decide if minor color adjustments are needed on the Dragonbond tokens and Lair tokens. 

What does this mean for fulfillment dates?

After talking with Panda GM and seeing daily progress/updates on our projects, we reached an agreement and we deem acceptable what they offered to us moving forward. We have proof of progress being made at greater speed now. 

Base game will be produced first and some of the expansions will be prioritized so we can fulfill as many backers as soon as possible early next year. The rest of the expansions will follow very close behind about a month later.

The plan is to have the base game as many expansions as possible ready to leave the factory on December 22nd. From there freight shipping will take place (about 6 weeks) and it is uncertain the amount of time we'll have to wait for unloading at ports; they have been highly congested during the past years.

Due to the revised timeline on this project, the bright side is that you are still on time to add any extra add-ons you would like. If your order is already locked on Backerkit, please send an email to [email protected] and we can manually add the extras you would like. 

The new date for locking surveys and charge new add-ons will be December 1st.

Go to preorders

Translations & Expansions' Status 

Also, we haven't stop working with our Localization partners and the French version for the core game is complete. We are working on the files to make them available in the upcoming weeks for those who pledged the "Print&Play" tiers.  We know that the Italian and Spanish versions were shared previously but we did minor changes to the rulebook and cards to keep them consistent between each other. We will update those in the PnP files too. 

The German version is taking a bit longer because the team there is about to be at Essen Spiel and you know preparations can be time-consuming. Nevertheless, they are doing all in their hands to get the base game translated before September ends. 

All translated expansions are still a work in progress. We will keep you posted for those. 

Art Segment   

As many of you know, Dragonbond doesn't end with Lords of Vaala, it started time ago, with the Dragons of the Red Moon evolving into the Great Wyrms of Drakha and our goal is to expand the universe to comics, novels, television series and videogames. The universe is full of surprises and, as in previous updates, I wanted to end this update sharing some of the amazing art we are working on, this time from Tyveria:

Tyverians are not only famous for they blood sorcery but for breeding giant insects and riding them! Remember the skorpikons and vespidas? 

New Season on Tribes 

The new season of the Tribes (Sept-Nov) will bring models that will appear in the first Dragonbond graphic novel we are working on "The Rise of Itza". This September, we released Aellas, 3 dream imps from the Fell, and the Weeping Mother from Nahuac.

Coming up in October, we will have 2 ossuary guardians, Itza and Reganna (a Fulgen dragon!). 

Subscribe hereand join the tribe! 

SHUX'22

Will and Moy will be attending SHUX'22 from Friday September 30th to Sunday October 2nd. If you are in the area, come and say hi at the Vancouver Convention Centre Booth #504. 

We knew that the plastic miniatures were going to be outstanding, it was a long way but it feels so good to see the quality. We recently finished fulfillment (except for UK and AU, which is still in progress) of all rewards from a previous Dragonbond project, Great Wyrms of Drakha, and the response for the plastic dragons has been amazing! Panda really did a great job taking care of the level of detail. I'm proudly showing off my favorite Azhurma, Aureus Fulgen! 

 ** The small miniature at the front is a crossover miniature from our well-known game Dodos Riding Dinos. It is Aureus in the Creature Kingdoms universe, with his dodo, Servit. 

Until next update. Thank you for all your support, patience and trust! 

Panda meeting and new ETA
over 1 year ago – Sat, Sep 03, 2022 at 09:57:56 PM

Hola Dragonbonded!

We're coming to you with not great news but with detailed news and updated dates, you know that communication and transparency are key to us.

As mentioned in previous updates, we have been expecting the plastic miniatures samples from our manufacturer Panda since February, which are needed in order to move to mass production. 

We were told several times that they were on their way to us just to find out that was not the case. The 3rd time that happened was during Gen Con and we have a serious conversation with our project manager at Panda. Last week it happened for the 4th time.  So we escalated our concern with the chief officers at Panda.

This week we had a couple of calls and a lot of messages with the factory. It was a real shock to see that key processes for our games (not only Lords of Vaala) were never started, even though we were told the opposite, multiple times, for a while now. 

After a couple of years working together, we consider many members at Panda as friends and know they are good people, so we don't believe Panda staff lied viciously or with bad intent, but that it was definitely a very bad internal communication issue within their organization, resulting in false information being shared with us.

While Panda dropped the ball on our projects, they acknowledged their mistakes and are committed to rectify things, which we believe is the important thing. They are taking accountability and wanted to share this message with you all.

The good thing is that we finally received accurate turnaround times and transparency on this matter, and we are seeing a significant increase in communication everyday by Panda staff in all our projects. 

This major issue was a terrible hit for us because it means we lost a whole year of distribution sales and a frustrating delay in our projects' fulfillment with you, our beloved backers.

But if there's one thing we are still sure is that you all will receive high-quality rewards because we won't rest until this project is fulfilled –like we have done with several others in the past– and Panda top-quality production will be satisfactory for everyone.

We are getting more hands on deck from the Panda team to get the promised results at the new dates they shared.

LORDS OF VAALA

After receiving the printed components samples of the expansions, all digital proofs for the core game and the expansions in English were approved. The timeline ended up like this:

•  Sample miniatures core game will be sent on September 22nd. Expansion miniature will follow a week later, before the end of September. 
• Shipping will begin on December 22nd.

This means, after our experience with freight shipping and ports, the games will be arriving to their final homes by March/April. NOTE: This only includes the English game, since we are still waiting for our localization partners to finish translations. Here's an update: 

SPANISH

• Core game was translated and the Print&Play shared. 
• Translation for expansions in progress, we haven't received the files.  

ITALIAN

• Core game was translated and the Print&Play shared. 
• Translations of expansions received, we are working on the files to make sure everything is in order. 

FRENCH 

• Core game translation received, we are working on the files to make sure everything is in order.
• Translation for expansions in progress, we haven't received the files. 

GERMAN 

• Translation for core game and expansions in progress, we haven't received the files. 

Other component samples

Another thing we were missing at the PPC were the promo cards (Early Dragon supporter) that you all will receive with an alternate ability for the core generals (Elyse and Adrael) and alternate art for the Dragonbond card. 

 We also received the samples for the sleeves. We are very excited for these because of its design with a see-through window to quickly identify the type of card (back). This is likely to become the standard on our sleeves in future games.

Split and consolidated shipping

We have mentioned in previous updated about the chances to get a split shipping. With this delay, we will not be able to offer that since we will deliver all expansions and core game all together. 

We are following up on translations for the expansions so we are able to produce all of them together but this might not be possible, we will keep you updated. Remember that with the new expansions unlocked in the pledge manager and the amount of stretch goals, the scope for translation time had a significant increase.

Visual guide

We also want to share with you our progress with the art of Dragonbond, remember that Lords of Vaala is part of a universe we are developing: 

As Draco Studios, please rest assured that we will deliver your games, this was a setback but we have always fulfilled our projects (right now, fulfillment for Great Wyrms of Drakha is taking place). 

We will rise and next year will bring dragons and armies to your gaming table with tons of fun! 

Preproduction copies from the expansions + Oversized Mat!
over 1 year ago – Sat, Aug 06, 2022 at 03:28:00 AM

Hello Dragonbonded! I'm so happy to share with you that I received the preproduction copies of the oversized rubber mat and the printed components of the expansions (all the expansions!). 

You might be wondering, what about the plastic miniatures? I've been in talks with Panda, and with Gen Con I needed to travel to my parents house (Will went to Gen Con and I didn't want to stay alone with my pregnancy) and the minis were rerouted here, I'll have them soon hopefully. But as promised, I will not wait to have everything to post an update and I wanted to share the excitement. 

Oversized rubber mat

We loved the board, looks great from both sides and we were able to display the 3d printed miniatures we use for demos for Battles of Valerna and check how crowded the game feels. From our perspective, it doesn't feel crowded, once the plastic minis from the rest of the expansions arrive we will tested again but until now, feels great! Check by yourself! 

Preproduction copies - Expansions

I confess that I was so happy when the package arrived, I thought the minis were here with a lot of protection and then BOOOM! A lot of boxes! Wasn't what I expected but I was happy with it! I had a quick check through all the printed components and seems there will not be a lot of changes (I might say there will not be changes at all), I'll just wait for a second pair of eyes (Will) to take a look. 

In the meantime, judge for yourself, here are some photos:

For Armies of Blood and Dreams, you will have the Vaala cards of Eldai and Baryen and their character cards. As for the rest, are Battles of Valerna components to start your wargame experience! Also, Armies of Blood and Dreams includes the lorebook "Valerna: An Introduction" to get you a bit more into the world of Dragonbond!

All box will come with an interior design!

Finally, on Monday 8th at 12pm CT we will be doing a livestream via Facebook and Youtube showing a bit more of the components. If you can't join us don't worry, we will be sharing the link in the next update. 

Gen Con

The biggest surprise at the convention - Elyse came to life thanks to Michi, from MIMI Painting Studio and we are truly impressed with the cosplay! She was stellar! 

Of course, Lords of Vaala is present having demos!

We are also running demos from Battles of Valerna (included in your Armies of Blood and Dreams' box) and players are really enjoying it! 

If you are at Gen Con, come to booth #664, the team would love to say hi!

Tribes in MyMiniFactory

And talking about awesomeness, have you seen what's included in this new month from our Tribes? 

We are 640 tribers and counting! Join here!  

August is the last month of the season in the Scourge Triumvirate before moving to the Fell and Nahuac with some surprises coming too! 

Expect an update as soon as I have my hands in the plastic miniatures!

Entering to mass production for the base game in August
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Jul 29, 2022 at 05:49:34 AM

For your convenience, we mark in bold some texts in this update for speed reading and also include here the TL;DR summary of the whole update:

•  Oversize mat material will remain as rubber (neoprene)
• We will enable split shipping (entirely optional) for the base game to arrive before expansions
• Gen Con
•  Pledge manager will remain open until August 30th 
•  Pre-production copy - YouTube Video
•  Project status: Base game in all languages (except German and French) ready to enter to mass production. Expansions under translation. ETA of base game November. ETA of expansions February 2023.

––

Hello Dragonbonded!

First of all, we all want to offer a HUGE apology for this update being long overdue. We planned to post this update with pictures of the plastic miniature samples but entered into a loop with our manufacturer.

Full detail:

• The miniatures samples were supposedly sent 3 months ago when we received the PreProduction copy of the game. But they didn't arrive. 
• We checked with our manufacturer some weeks after that and they told us they would check. Some weeks later they mentioned the miniature samples were indeed not produced and sent but that they would send 2 weeks afterwards. 
• We got the notice of the miniatures being sent and waited again (this time requesting tracking number every week). 
• Time passed and 2 weeks ago we got notice that there was a miscommunication and the samples were not sent again. 
• At this stage we were VERY frustrated. So we had a serious call with the factory. 
• This time, they assured us the minis have been sent and arriving next week. We are still waiting for tracking number of that parcel, but this time we received tracking number for the other updated samples we requested after our revision on the PPC. 

 This is highly unusual because we have worked with Panda for many years now and they have been overall a fantastic partner with outstanding quality for the games we have produced together. 

But these plastic miniatures samples delay has been going on for the past 3 months! And with it, a delay in this update. We are so deeply sorry for that. Today they mentioned to us that our project is at the top of the queue once we get the minis and approve them so that production moves fast and they will try to compensate for the time lost. 

Believe us when we say that this is very frustrating for us because it is such a simple thing that caused a 3-month delay and we really really want to have the games ready for the holidays so you can play and retailers can count with their copies too. 

What we can assure you is that the wait will be worthwhile. We always strive for the highest quality and this game is a keeper.  Just give us a bit of patience and you will love your rewards!

In any case, we have still made progress in other areas of the projects, so here are the news.

Translations and expansions

Our localization partners have been working on the translated files from the core game. Italian, Spanish and English are versions already done. They are available in the Print and Play and will enter to production with the base game in a few weeks. 

German and French are still in progress for the base game.

All expansions are being translated too in Spanish, Italian, German and French.

The English version for the expansions were completed a while ago and we approved all digital proofs. We are receiving the PPC and miniatures for the first expansions in August!

Thanks you so much for your input!

Will and I took the time to read and consider every single comment from the previous update.

We want you all to be delighted and amazed when you receive your rewards, and to achieve that, it is very important for us to learn about your preferences and concerns so we can offer you the best experience in this Kickstarter.

Here are the decisions made taking into account your feedback from the previous update.

Cloth vs Neoprene Mat

We hear you! We decided to stick with the neoprene mat.

This was the preference from the vast majority of backers who commented in the previous update, even though it will be stored separately from the big box of holding. 

If you preferred the cloth option, do not worry. In future print runs,  we will go with the cloth mat so we will share info about how to get the foldable cloth mat once that happens.

This means that the rubber mat will remain as a Kickstarter exclusive item. We tend to steer away from exclusives but since this is not a gameplay item and just a deluxe material upgraded component, we believe that is ok. And we still have a few spare or leftover copies after fulfillment. 

We received pictures from the factory and we can't wait to receive the mat and lay it on our table with its huge size.

Split Shipping vs Consolidated Shipping

We will be offering split shipping and consolidated shipping since we will receive the base games before the expansions. 

Split shipping is entirely optional. When the date is closer we will share a list of retailers who will serve as hubs for local pickup. If there are no stores near your address, but you still want to split your shipping to get the base game faster, you will be able to pay (via PayPal) the base shipping fee (as shown in the shipping section from the campaign description) to get your base game first!

By default, everyone will be considered in consolidated shipping with the base game shipping once the expansions are ready. Expect a survey in a future update to let us know if you prefer to split your shipment. 

Pre-production copy 

A while ago we received the pre production copy with all the printed components (except for the plastic miniatures) and we were super happy with it. We already tweaked minor details with Panda and are a few steps away before moving to mass production. 

We decided to upgrade the player mats to a thicker material (1mm) 

Here's the video with the unboxing for more details: 

Pledge manager

We have been receiving a lot of questions regarding when the cards will be charged and deadline to add items to your order. 

• Deadline to include add-ons: August 30th
• Charge credit cards: September 2nd

 Gen Con

Next week we will be back to conventions after 2 years without a booth. Last month we were at a local convention in Mexico and had the chance to run some Lords of Vaala demos and show the PreProduction copy with our own 3D printed miniatures. It was great to hear so much praise for the game!

We would love to meet you in person! Please come and say hi to booth #664. We also have some seats available to play our demos! Check our events for Gen Con here.

Once again, please excuse us for the delay (in the project and the update), this was a strong reminder for us to commit on 1 monthly update at the very least, even if we don't have all the info we panned to have. 

Thank you so much for your support and comprehension! I'll work in the next update as soon as the plastic minis arrive next week :D 

Until next time! 

PreProduction Copy on its way!
about 2 years ago – Thu, Apr 28, 2022 at 12:49:53 AM

For your convenience, we have marked in bold some texts in this update in case you prefer speed reading. Please take 2 minutes to read the 'Feedback needed! Proposed changes' section (scroll down).

Hello again dragonbonded!

We have several updates and a couple of questions where we would highly appreciate your feedback. 

The most relevant update for the project is that the factory has sent us the Pre Production Copy (PPC) for the Base Game in English —which is intended for a last check before we move on to mass production. We expect to receive the PPC within the next few weeks and we will share pictures with you (and might do a livestream as well).

For the past months, we have been playtesting, reviewing, balancing, editing, and proofreading the files over and over again. Design was locked a couple of months ago, so our focus in the past few months have been spell-check, terms consistency and layout (prepress).

Here's a full project status for all rewards:

In summary...

•  Lords of Vaala (base): Waiting on translated files by localization partners. PPC of the English version and component samples should arrive soon. If approved, we can move to mass production.
•  Legends of Valerna: Digital proofs for the English version received today. Almost ready to start PPC and sampling. Localization partners will start translating in May.
•  Creatures of Valerna: Same as above. 
•  Scourge of Valerna: Waiting for Digital proofs of the English version from the factory. Approval should be quick and ready to catch up in a few days with the same status as Legends of Valerna and Creatures of Valerna.
•  Armies of Blood & Dreams: We decided to do a last proofreading to the lorebook and also to the rulebook of the standalone game. The graphic team is finalizing these changes. This expansion is about 2 weeks behind the rest of the expansions.
•  Armies of Nature & Light: Same status as Scourge of Valerna. 
•  Big Box of Holding: We are adjusting the packaging design for the deluxe components and the design of the big box itself (more info below). 
•  Oversized Mat: The file is ready but we are discussing with the factory a change in materials and packaging to offer you, our backers, a better experience (more info below).
•  Custom Sleeves: Same status as Scourge of Valerna.

Feedback needed! - Proposed changes

Given that you were able to fully unlock the stretch goals to make Armies of Blood and Dreams a standalone game on its own, and also unlocked the new expansion (Scourge of Valerna), the scope of the project drastically increased. 

This is mostly seen in the translation process because of the language dependency of the game.

In order to keep healthy finances on the project and complete our promises to you, we need to achieve our target to produce the minimum print-run quantity required by the factory. This is no major problem for the base game, which will also go to retail. But it is a lot more complex for the expansions, which are produced in much lower quantities because the base game is the one going to mass distribution. 

The paragraph above means that all language versions need to be produced at the same time in order for us to reach the minimum quantity required. So all language versions for the expansions need to be bundled when entering to print.

An example here: the factory's minimum print-run quantity is 1500 for EACH expansion in all languages. In total, 1318 copies of Legends of Valerna were taken by backers. That's 1318 combined from all languages (1036 English, 93 French, 92 German, 57 Spanish, 40 Italian). With a low-cost plate change fee, we can produce the minimum print run of 1500 copies of Legends of Valerna in different languages. What we can't do is printing 1500 copies of Legends of Valerna for EACH language. Other expansions have even lower numbers, such as Scourge of Valerna which had 832 copies taken by backers, but we still need to produce a minimum of 1500 copies and use the leftover copies for conventions or special events, because it is the base game the one that distributors request first (when it comes to new titles in the market).

WE WANT TO ASK YOU FIRST FOR YOUR THOUGHTS AND PREFERENCE WITHOUT COMMITTING ANY CHANGES TO THE PLAN.

• 1st proposed change: Production & Fulfillment split + consolidated

Fulfillment of the whole project with all expansions is officially delayed, we estimate the current fulfillment date is December 2022 but we are still awaiting timeline confirmation from the factory.

However, we can split production (and fulfillment) in 2 waves. 

 — First, the base game in English –along with any languages that are ready once we approve the English PPC. Most certainly Spanish and French. But even German and Italian could make it on time. 

— Second, producing the rest of the expansions in all languages and any other pending language of the base game.

Backers would be able to receive their base game first (and only the base game) by choosing local pickup (free) with us in any convention we are present or in some FLGS that partner with us for local pickup; you could also choose to split your shipping in 2-waves for an extra cost, as commonly done with other KS projects. Or you would also have the option to wait for consolidated shipping (no extra charge!) with all expansions once they are printed and ready to fulfill.

Splitting shipment would not be mandatory, it would be completely optional.  

We know announcing delays is far from ideal, but we are committed to delivering products of outstanding quality and amazing gameplay rather than rushing work and delivering subpar products on time. We thank you for your undying support and patience. 

Please let us know if you would be ok with us having that as an option, even if you would still choose consolidated shipping with all the expansions for no extra charge. Be certain that we will not rest until all our promises are fulfilled, so a small delay won't stop us from sending your rewards.

It is important to note that expansions are being printed in very limited quantities, and while they might make it into mass distribution in future years, you will have in your home a very special collection of this game.

• Speaking of which, the 2nd proposed change is about the Big Box of Holding and the Oversized Mat 

We have received many questions and requests about the oversized mat to make it fit in the Big Box of Holding. 

Our team has been working on the engineering for storing everything in the Big Box; all the expansions, deluxe componentes, and base game (with sleeved cards) in the big box. But also the Oversized mat (which is HUUUGE: 3'3" x 1'7" / 1 meter x 50 cm).

We originally offered a rubber mat (neoprene) with print on 1 side. 

Then, you asked it to have print on both sides (color in the front, and muted colors in the back).

Then, there was some debate in the comments about stitched edges or not.

The issue is, that rubber mats are hard to store, and when folded, they crack.

After a lot of consideration and brainstorming, we figured that all problems could be solved if we change the material from rubber to cloth. 

We are aware the perceived value is typically lesser (which, to be honest, was already low cost for you at $10 or even free for returning backers). But considering it has print on both sides and stitched edges, cloth mat of that size and specs is well worth its value. Plus, we would include a storage solution in a very nice tuck-envelope so you can easily store it not only in the Big Box of Holding, but also in the Base Game box if you are not getting the Big Box of Holding. 

Folds in cloth mats of the material we are looking can be removed after a few minutes of placing objects, also by steaming. In comparison, folds to neoprene mats are harder to remove or might even crack the material. We have shipped rubber mats in past projects, and struggled with how fulfillment partners or freight companies handled them, even when we asked rubber mats to lay flat or rolled up, never folded, some suppliers still folded them and they arrived cracked to users.

We can guarantee that the cloth material, print, and packaging will be worth of the change, but again, we would like to ask you first if you would trust us with this decision. Let us know! 

 Tabletop Simulator + Print and Play

The base game and the expansions have new assets on Tabletop Simulator. Print and Play files in English are ready in MMF. If you need any assistance, please send us an email to [email protected] with the subject "LoV Digital rewards" and we will gladly help you out!

New Dragonbond 3D models

Every month, we release new 3D-printable files with 5e statblocks, art and lore. By joining our Tribe you can expando your collection of Dragonbond miniatures. If it is your first time in our Tribe, you also get an intro pack with playable characters, heroic NPCs from Valerna riding on their dragon and a fearsome daemonic enemy for your party to face. We still have Early Dragon seats for just $4 USD per month (and you can cancel anytime if you are no longer interested... but we will make sure you are always excited!).

Every three months, you also get a new RPG adventure set in Valerna, all of them playable using the fifth edition rules of the world’s most famous role-playing game. 

This season The Sepakis Process takes place in the frozen waters of Sikaria. April's rewards (last days!) include the sky dwarves, the shaba watu muser and the gemstone golem, unique members of the Nwoda sky clans, who also participate in the running adventure. 

May's rewards (coming next week) include units from the realm of Sikaria: Siren enchantresses, Pankratei Crabfolk, and a Seabear Marauder.

Also, as a member of our tribe you get a monthly code to claim a 50% discount on our whole store in MyMiniFactory.

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That's all for now, we look forward to reading your comments and thoughts. Thanks so much for your patience and support, we will be back soon with exciting pictures of the PPC!

Stay tuned to our social media for more news or join our community on Discord!