Week 4: STRETCH GOALS 3!
over 1 year ago
– Tue, Jun 27, 2023 at 07:00:38 AM
Like last time: fun stuff first, then the business.
Yep: more games! Now you get 5 Games, 14 Missions, and a replayable adventure module, to be precise. At no extra charge.
Inspired by our extremely positive experience with the Stabilize All Realities Jam so far, we started some conversations with other indie creators and figured out this plan. You get some incredible games to play right away while you're waiting for the final book, and we get some amazing stories told in the Triangle Agency world over the next year.
Some more details:
- The Liminal Horror mission is ready to go, and the Company one is cooking now. Both of those are single missions playable in both systems built by the creators of both games!
- THE HOUSE EDGE is a card crawl, a replayable "dungeon" primarily for FIST set on one of the most important days in Triangle Agency history. We're working with B. Everett Dutton to fill this game with interesting bits of TA lore that can influence your campaign...and an interesting set of character who can show up any time near your Branch. We've been talking about this game conceptually for a while, but it will start real development later this year. You should see it early 2024.
- Triangle Agency: Architect is a unique solo game made by Alfred Valley that can inform and connect to your Triangle Agency game, but is intended to be a solo experience you can enjoy while you're looking for a play group. You'll be learning about The Vault as a new hire, designing the rooms holding Anomalies and the products crafted from their power. Alfred Valley is busy at work right now on the new Citizen Sleeper solo RPG, so this game will likely be finished after fulfillment of the other parts of this campaign in 2024. You'll receive it digitally when it's ready, but it is going to be a ways out.
How are we managing scope?
Like we've said several times, our goal is to keep scope manageable within our timeline and make sure the team is paid. As is probably obvious, each of our additions this week involve new team members making separate projects or games that are already complete. We want to thank you for your support in boosting Triangle Agency, but also keep our promises reasonable.
- THE HOUSE EDGE and ARCHITECT are being funded by Haunted Table as new projects. Their creation does not disrupt the revenue sharing for Triangle Agency or The Vault, and it does not delay additional pay for those teams. We've decided both of them are worthwhile investments to grow the world of TA and provide different modes of play for the folks who want them.
- The teams behind Liminal Horror, The Company, and FIST are allowing us to share their games with you for free! This is an extremely generous move on their part, and we hope you'll consider purchasing some of their other adventures or physical editions if you like what you see. Each of these games contributes something different to the paranormal and horror space, and we think if you like Triangle Agency you'll like at least one. (Many of you probably already have at least one!)
- The timelines for Triangle Agency, The Vault, The House Edge, and Architect are staggered so that the Haunted Table team will have time and energy to review, edit, and finalize each of them as they come through. During 2024, while fulfillment is being handled by our partners, Caleb & Sean will be developing Three Weeks Notice (see this update) while moving these projects across the finish line. It'll be at least one full time job, but it's why we wanted to do this in the first place.
So, a solo game...but not solo rules for TA?
Not yet. Triangle Agency is designed for a really specific kind of play, and trying to make it all work for solo players would mean a reimagining of how the entire book is written and approached. It's also not something Caleb & Sean can outsource comfortably right now.
We know a ton of people love playing games solo, and we hope we'll be able to publish something that lets you be a Field Agent solo one day, but trying to squeeze that in would take time and energy away from the Core Rulebook. We hope you'll enjoy this compromise. (And if you haven't played one of Alfred Valley's games yet, you should go check one out in the meantime. Seriously.)
What if I already have these games or missions?
Liminal Horror, Fist, and Company are being given away for free. You're not paying extra for those, and if you already have them in your collection: awesome! Thank you for supporting those creators! There aren't any discounts or refunds being offered for those.
For One Night at the Shelterwood Inn, proceeds for the game go directly to the Liminal Horror team, and if you'd like to leave your purchase in support of them we appreciate it! If money is tight and you do need a refund, we recommend you go through the typical Itch.io procedures and we'll make sure the LH team still gets paid.
Oh, and also: more Ripple Guns!
We've spoken with Cute Monster Props and added 3 more Ripple Gun rewards to the tier. If you missed out on the prop and really want one, now is your chance! It's likely to be the last time we add any for this campaign.
That's all for now!
Keep an eye out for an announcement of the second half of our Vault Artist team before the campaign is over, and please keep telling your friends about the game! We've been doing really well, but hitting $300,000 is not at all a given. We're so grateful for your energy and support.
Let us know if you have any questions!
-Haunted Table
Week 3: New Artists Announcement! $175,000 raised!
over 1 year ago
– Tue, Jun 20, 2023 at 07:01:45 AM
Introducing: Artists of The Vault!
The Vault is growing! With all the stretch goals we've unlocked for the Core Rulebook, our existing art team won't be able to do every Anomaly as originally planned. So we've gone all in: 12 different artists for 12 different writers! Each of these artists will illustrate one of the Anomalies in the endless rooms of The Vault.
As you can see already, we're leaning into the wild and bizarre possibilities of Triangle Agency's Anomalies by combining a wide variety of styles and perspectives. We reached out to some of our dream collaborators and are so thrilled at the final list. We'll announce the other half of the Vault team later on in this campaign.
If you'd like to learn more about these artists, you can check out their work here:
All their individual bios will be on the main page later today!
A Triscendent Future
We are almost at the end of Stretch Goals 2. But we know, at the Agency, that following a two must always come another number. A stable number. A number we hold above all others. All this time we have been striving toward that number. Will we reach it?
Please keep spreading the word about Triangle Agency! This game, and these books, are extremely improved by the success we've had...and they were going to be great already!!! All of our success is being poured back into the game's future, as we hope you can see, and there's even more we can do.
Your help sharing the game has been a huge part of our success. Tell somebody new about the game today and make sure we have plenty of players for every table.
Agency-Approved Digital Decorations
We've used some of our team's creations to put together a pack of phone and desktop wallpapers, and Zoom/Discord virtual backgrounds, that you can download for free! Check them out here.
Shipping and Progress Updates
- We have several meetings this week to see our options and lock down our UK and EU distribution!
- Australia & NZ still have a little ways to go before we can work with a dedicated partner, so it's especially important to share with your friends in those regions!
- Several Vault Writers & Core Rulebook Artists have already begun work on their part of the project to get a head start! Will Jobst on the Vault side and Ryan Kingdom on the Art side have been putting in a ton of work organizing the guidelines and timelines for those teams.
Keep an eye on our Twitter and join the Haunted Table Discord for daily updates on the campaign, interviews, news coverage, actual plays, and more!
Thank you so, so much. Let's make the second half of this campaign even stronger than the first.
-Haunted Table
WEEK 2 BEGINS: New Stretch Goals! New Team Members!
over 1 year ago
– Tue, Jun 13, 2023 at 07:10:54 AM
Greetings, Agents.
First: Stretch Goals 2!
If you're just here for the new Stretch Goals, here they are. Then we'll get to the details of how and why, for those of you who love to read about planning.
They fall into two categories: new illustrations for the Core Rulebook, and new playable content for The Vault. The images in the triangles on the left are to help you reference which artist is related to that goal!
Our plan with these stretch goals is obvious: this is going to be the most gorgeous and massively illustrated book it can possibly be. Every single one of these illustrations is something we dreamed about but cut from the initial plan when we thought our creative budget would need to be much lower.
Some of the descriptions are a little vague to keep things surprising, but know that we have very clear concepts for all of these illustrations, and in some cases artists have already begun early ideating! Beyond this there's more artwork, and we'll update with a new one each time one is complete. Let's get these things unlocked!!!
Next: two new team members making this possible!
Well, Ben was already on the team, but now his job has expanded.
Ben Mansky is taking over the layout for both books, and Will Jobst is going to be editing and helping to organize The Vault: Missions for Triangle Agency! Both of them are extremely talented folks you might have already heard of, and we're confident they'll help us keep Triangle Agency on track and on time.
So...New Stretch Goals! How? Why?
We spent a lot of time this weekend discussing what was possible for us. Most importantly, we want to improve the books to meet the level of energy y'all have brought while staying on track for fulfillment and making sure our team is taken care of. Through discussions with the artists and writers on the team, these goals are what we hit on.
Haunted Table uses a revenue-sharing system with everyone on the team. The artists, the writers, everybody. Because we have a relatively large group, many of us had room for additional work. As the creative team's revenue share increases, we've asked the people with time whether they'd be willing to match some of that with additional work to improve the book. We got tons of positive responses and are set to add a huge amount of art & writing when we can afford it!
These goals add two major challenges:
- More art means more layout work, which takes time, and also more pages. (We're okay to afford a few more pages.)
- More writing means a bigger lift editing & organizing. The Vault, especially if we increase its word count, is shaping up to be a novel-sized tome written by 12 different people.
So, we've added Ben and Will! For the Delta Test, Caleb handled the layout with Michael's assistance, shared the writing with Sean, and organized the team. Caleb and Sean are also handling the business side of Haunted Table. By sharing the layout and editing work, we're able to handle the increased fulfillment, content, and management challenges smoothly.
And if you loved the look of the Delta Test, don't worry. Ben understands the story we're telling, and Caleb & Michael will be heavily involved in developing the mood and style! Ben is much faster, brings a great design sense of his own, and is much more experienced with the software that will make the text function perfectly on books and screens.
Who knows what the rest of this campaign will hold, but we're confident we're ready to match the gift we've been given. Thank you all so much.
If you have any questions, as always, let us know!
- Haunted Table
EU/UK Shipping Partner on the way - AUS/NZ Shipping Update
over 1 year ago
– Mon, Jun 12, 2023 at 07:58:11 AM
Hi, everyone!
Wanted to give a quick update on shipping:
We've crossed the threshold for finding a dedicated shipping partner in the EU/UK and are actively looking for one.
We don't know exactly how much shipping prices will change yet but they are likely to lower some. As we've said before, we won't take shipping payments until closer to fulfillment time, which means you'll get the most up-to-date costs then.
We are about halfway toward the number of backers needed to find a dedicated shipping partner in the AUS/NZ region.
We're starting the process of contacting one just in case, but it's a great time to tell your friends and try to get shipping costs down!
Bigger update tomorrow with some plans for week two of the campaign. Thanks so everyone for your support, thanks to those of you backing internationally for your patience, and let us know if you have any questions! (Or fulfillment partner suggestions.)
-Haunted Table
$99,999. PROJECT 3WN.
over 1 year ago
– Fri, Jun 09, 2023 at 02:56:37 PM
Triangle Agency: Three Weeks Notice is the first expansion game for Triangle Agency. A standalone story told in the same universe, 3WN will investigate what happens to those outside of the Agency's control who bond with Anomalies and have to fend for themselves. It is a sitcom, a reality show, and a deadly struggle to survive all at your table.
In addition to being a standalone experience, it will be designed as a place characters can go once they reach the end of their careers as Field Agents. Not every character qualifies for Three Weeks Notice, but many of them will. Exactly how that happens will be discovered during play.
Stay tuned.
---
Thank you so, so much. We genuinely did not think we would make it here.
What this $99,999 stretch goal represents for us at Haunted Table is confidence in the future. 3WN is the clearest expression of our goals: this world has more stories to tell, and we will be supporting this game to keep it fresh at your table for years to come.
3WN isn't being added to this campaign; it's a future project with its own life ahead. But we want you to know that we are ready with a plan to match your faith in us with a path forward you can get excited about, too.
And also, we're in day four!!! Y'all, what!!!!!
We're in conversation to see if there are ways we can spice up the rest of the campaign for you, but from this point we are hoping to focus on getting to work and making sure the team can feel this success, too. We are already giving you what we believe is the best version of this game, and don't want to overburden it.
Please join us in our celebrations, find a play group, or join the theorizing crew on the Discord. Let us know how you're feeling about the Delta Test, and point folks our way so we can start saving up a budget and building our team for 3WN.
Thank you again. From the bottom of our triangular hearts.
-Haunted Table
