I guess I'll start a thread for this one to keep it separate from the general CMON N&R thread now there is a date for the KS.
We didn’t ask for this war. Heck, we didn’t even see it coming. When the aliens attacked, humanity was caught off guard. We had been fighting our own battles for so long, we never expected the real threat to come from beyond the stars. Those first months after the initial barrage were hell. Everything was thrown into chaos, and those that survived were left scrambling to escape the major cities. That was then. We’ve regrouped, reassembled, and now we’re ready for revenge!
Our forces are highly skilled, but also vastly outnumbered. We can’t launch an all-out assault on the aliens. Not yet anyway. We need to focus on smaller strategic strikes to chip away at them, and if we’re lucky, turn the tide in our favor. It’s not much of a chance, but it’s all we’ve got.
Combat happens in a split second. You don’t have time to think out every move you’re going to make. You have to rely on your instincts. Moving fast, shooting without hesitation, killing as second nature, it can be the difference between life and death.
In Project ELITE, you join the ranks of humanity’s last chance. You’ll work together in a series of different missions, with the hopes of reclaiming our home world. Each game you play can be set up in a different way and will have a different Objective. You may be sent out on a Capture or Recon mission where getting into the hot zone and getting out again is your top priority. But there are also Demolition and Extermination objectives that will force you to get your hands a bit dirty. Each game is played out over eight rounds. You’ll have either completed your goals by then, or the human race will have taken one big step towards extinction.
At the start of a game, you’ll choose a Mission which tells you the type of Objective you’re trying to complete and you’ll select the difficulty level of the Mission. You can decide the experience you want to have, from an easy walk in the park to a white knuckle fight for survival.
Each round is broken up into phases. The Event phase reveals new Event cards with a condition that may remain in effect until the card is resolved. Next, the Alien Spawning phase will introduce new extraterrestrial invaders to the board, including possibly Alien Bosses. During the Action phase, we get a chance to strike back.
The Action phase is where the majority of the decisions are made during the game. The only catch is that you only have two minutes to get it done. Once the timer starts, players simultaneously roll their Action dice in real-time. Until the time runs out for the round, they are able to use their results to complete as many actions as possible, like moving around the map, searching for new Items or Weapons, completing Objectives, and of course, shooting aliens. However, every time you roll an Alien Symbol, you have to choose one alien on the board to advance. With multiple players rolling Action dice, things can go south really fast. When the timer runs out, you can still place any dice you have left over, but you won’t be able to roll them anymore.
Luckily, technology has advanced to a degree that we just might stand a fighting chance. We’re able to get our hands on some pretty sweet Weapons and gear that pack a punch. Each Weapon and Item has an activation cost indicated on the card. Some are single use, while others can be tapped into again and again.
During the Alien Ability phase, aliens perform the abilities on their profile card. The only saving grace is that we get to choose the order these abilities are executed in. Then, during the Alien Movement phase, those otherworldly monsters get to advance towards the team.
To end a round, we check to see if the win or loss conditions have been met. To win, we need to have completed our Objectives, and oh yeah, no one can have been killed by the alien attackers. To lose? Well, that’s simple. If the Objectives aren’t completed by the end of the eighth round, if an alien makes it to the starting space of the map, or if even one team member have been killed, we lose.
War (and make no mistake, we’re in one) isn’t pretty. Decisions have to be made quickly. During the Action phase, if an action has been taken, there’s no going back. Mistakes may be made, but you can’t cry over spilled milk. Actions taken are final. Before we start the Action phase, we have to come together as a team and discuss what our goals are for the round. We’re not going to defeat this scum if someone tries to play the hero. Only by working as a unit will we be able to win the mission, complete the Objectives, and live to fight another day.
This battle isn’t easy. The odds against us are long. The chances of us getting out are low, but our future hangs in the balance. Winning or losing, living or dying, this is the reality we signed up for. Hell, if anyone can do it, we can. This isn’t Project ADEQUATE, this is Project ELITE. We’re going to send these monsters back to whatever nightmare they came from, or die trying.
Project ELITE is coming to Kickstarter on October 30 at 3 PM EST. Stay tuned for updates on the CMON Facebook page as the fight win back the Earth approaches.
A native of Norway and veteran of the United Nations Orbital Fleet, Captain Akosha Haugen’s greatest regret is that her repeated warnings about the relatively low strength of the UN Solar Fleet wasn’t heeded until the Proxies entered our solar system. By then, it was far too late. Now, with no fleet left, Captain Haugen leads Project: ELITE’s tactical teams with ruthless efficiency. No other team leader can boast such a high success rate. For her, it’s never too late to turn back the alien tide.
Not all of the aliens that led the attack on Earth came in huge swarms. Some creatures clearly stood on their own in a leadership role. Despite their frenzied assaults, these monsters obviously had an understanding of a hierarchy. The Searsting is just one of the Alien Bosses the Project ELITE team are going to have to face if they want to turn the tide in the war.
The aliens came because their own world was dying. But they weren’t coming to co-habitate the Earth with us. They wanted it for themselves, and they brought their soldiers with them. The Biter is what UN scientists believe to be the baseline Janusian (or Proxie as the troops know them). While its strength, speed, and stamina are comparable to an adult human, its formidable natural weaponry can prove deadly in melee combat. Armor and we
The Naga’s serpentine origins are obvious, and its secondary characteristics mark it as yet another human/animal/Proxie hybrid. While its speed is no greater than normal, its serpent-based locomotion allows it to traverse nearly vertical terrain unhindered. Troops should remain well beyond her arm’s reach. The Naga is just one of the Alien Bosses that the #ProjectELITE team will face in their battle to liberate the world.
As the last defence of Earth, Project: ELITE is only worried about getting the best people for the job. Differences in personalities have to be set aside. For example, Lieutenant Barry ‘Gilgamesh’ Hanson remained at lieutenant rank thanks to his narcissistic bearing and prideful nature, even though his service as an American Delta Force commando is marked with incredible feats of tactical brilliance. When UN scientists developed the first of the new ‘super-soldier’ serums, Gilgamesh instantly volunteered. The results are impressive, and Lieutenant Hanson’s already gifted battlefield prowess has been enhanced tenfold. Unfortunately, his ego grew in proportion with his body. Can he keep it in check for the good of the Earth?
The Naga and Gilgamesh got a redesign and new minis. The new digital ones have lost some of the character of Remy's sculpts. Odd choice to reuse them but change the art and sculpt. The preview from the Expo showed the original sculpts
No this is a relaunch of Project Elite which apparently was a solid game with poor minis. CMON are now publishing and have a lot of the unused Sed Wars minis and designs from the unreleased Arms of Sorrow game so they are using them here (or so I thought as even the Sed Wars stuff is getting further redesigned). Sedition Wars is dead it's not coming back.
Least favorite: inflatable heavy metal concert scorpion.
Honorable mention: why does snake monster have boobs? It didn't even retain a human face? The boobs were the line that the redesign couldn't cross? Whatever. Still better than the monsters from Zombicide Invader.
So in the game the aliens have been nicknamed “Proxies.” I can only presume that the alien invasion smashed through the fourth wall upon arrival on Earth.
Prestor Jon wrote: So in the game the aliens have been nicknamed “Proxies.” I can only presume that the alien invasion smashed through the fourth wall upon arrival on Earth.
Hahahahaha! That was clever.
The humans seem to be very static. It must be the sculptor, as they have about the same amount of movement as a sculpture of a tree. It is the same problem most of the survivors had in Zcide Invader.
I thought the name sounded familiar. I remember those original minis that looked like melted wax figures, was a shame it ended up like that. Nice to see they are coming back with a vengeance.
Prestor Jon wrote: So in the game the aliens have been nicknamed “Proxies.” I can only presume that the alien invasion smashed through the fourth wall upon arrival on Earth.
Hahahahaha! That was clever.
The humans seem to be very static. It must be the sculptor, as they have about the same amount of movement as a sculpture of a tree. It is the same problem most of the survivors had in Zcide Invader.
The more I look at them, the more they look like they are posing, as in for a picture they aren't enthused about. The two humans' facial expressions also seem off. Did CMON can their previous sculptor?
Being an original project ELITE backer, I'll vouch for the gameplay.
A lot of that came down to enemy variety though. By the end of the kickstarter we had quiet a varied lot. Special enemies, advanced grunts, bosses of all sorts with crazy rules...
Plus on top of all that were the mega bosses who were quite large by board gaming standards and really packed a nasty punch. They're the ones I'm really hoping we see new models for.
If CMON can replicate the variety, and maybe offer up an extra board or two, we'll be golden.
One of my biggest complaints were the original Shooters and Biters were a bit similar. Hoping they can rectify that this time. Sad that it seems we're moving away from the dino looking xenos this time around.
Hopefully the rest of the Proxies are more like the Biter and less like the Searsting. "Mouths in places where mouths don't usually appear" is a concept they've well and truly ridden into the ground at this point, and one of the reasons I refused to pledge for Death May Die.
Can't say I'm too bothered by the departure from the Not-Tyranids aesthetic, but I do understand if that's a grievance for some.
As long as they don't bugger up the yet to be revealed designs, I might consider this to replace the Zombicide: Invader pledge that I'll flip as soon as it arrives.
This will be entertaining to watch. I'm not sold on the miniatures so far, whether they're brand new (like the Biter and scorpion thing) or digital re-sculpts of unreleased Sedition Wars minis. Not awful, but I don't see any "must haves" yet.
Seems like a lot of these are from seduction wars you unreleased sequel. That game was unplayable. The figures are fine. I won’t be buying in until I learn a lot more about who is writing the rules.
The rules are already published and you can see the gameplay and rules in the videos above.
Essentially CMON took a game with good miniatures and awful rules and a game with good rules and awful miniatures and combined the good parts in a new package.
I am more worried at the Andriansmithication of the models than any minor changes the rules may have.
Yep rules are already written by Artia Games as linked above barring any second edition updates they should be similar. This has no connections rules wise to Sedition Wars it's a totally different game it's just using some of the miniature designs left over from that game but I guarantee this will come over and over again in the next month or so
Capsule thoughts:
1. This is better looking than Zombicide: Invader
2. The original minis are goofy bad
3. Nice to see the SedWars stuff getting made, hope it's different material!
4. Glad it's using the P:E game engine, rather than awful SedWars engine and stats!
The minis will still be PVC but CMON have come along way since the original Sedition Wars minis. I can see why the SW:AoS minis have had a redesign for this as the originals just wouldn't transfer to PVC well it can be seen in the new Gilgamesh mini that they've beefed up the sculpt to allow for PVC shrinkage which wasn't allowed for in the originals (it wasn't a known issue until after they produced them).
Another CMON kickstarter. Boardgame with PVC miniatures. Playing it safe with releasing an existing game, thus with an existing fanbase and let the community advertise itself.
Lots of folk are going to think this is the perfect KS (assuming the cost is right),
Decent CMON minis for the value crowd + an already well regarded rule set for the boardgamers that's already been out in the wild and had plenty of testing
Earth is far from the only habitable world in the galaxy. Several have turned their attention to the pale blue dot and wanted to send help against the Janusian attack. Kinje Prime originally only cared about having the best guns and hunting down the biggest trophies. But when the Terran Conflict began and reports that truly horrible Janusian monsters were being unleashed, Kinje booked the first cruiser to Earth. Project: ELITE took quick advantage of the kills she started racking up with her twin-slugger pistol and gutting blade, naming her an honorary specialist!
I wish they'd make the aliens more alien. For modern sci fi, you could describe her as a human with fairly conservative body mods. Heck, for modern reality, she'd just look like she's into cosplay or some indie band or something.
So far CMON hasn't come up with any aliens anywhere near Mantic's Sorak or Teratons, or Medge's Gnolti. Come on, CMON, get with the times.
Soo, what percent of stretch goals will be alternate or sendup survivors? I'm very tired of that M.O. For example, there just wasn't enough monster in the box for me to justify Death May Die.
To be honest, the monsters give me more a vibe of demons from a Doom game than actual aliens. And I'm fine with it, really.
Renders are nice and I know CMON does a good job usually with their PVC miniatures, but would sure be nice to see a production test during the campaign.
Shooters are essentially baseline Proxie Biters, though engineered for deadly hand-eye coordination and cybernetic plasma cannons that draw power from the Shooter’s own metabolism.
There seems to be a mash up of a lot of CMONs other games here, a bit Sedition Wars (Gilgamesh, Kara, Akosha, Voker) a bit Zc:Invader - the designs could be invader left overs.
THE HEROES OF PROJECT: ELITE - HUMANITY'S LAST CHANCE
Oct 16, 2018
Ladies and gentlemen of the council, you’ve asked me here today to update you on Project: ELITE. What I have for you is a brief bio of the top six individuals in the program. They represent our best hope to turn the tide against the aliens and secure the Earth for humans once more. Please hold any questions until the end.
Lights please. Bring up the first slide.
Starting out, we have Captain Akosha Haugen. A native of Norway and veteran of the United Nations Orbital Fleet, Captain Haugen’s greatest regret is that her repeated warnings about the relatively low strength of the UN Solar Fleet wasn’t heeded until the Proxies entered the solar system. By then, it was far too late. Now, with no fleet left, Captain Haugen leads Project: ELITE’s tactical teams with ruthless efficiency. No other team leader can boast such a high success rate. Her insight will be invaluable in the times to come.
Next slide!
Lieutenant Barry “Gilgamesh” Hanson. While his service as an American Delta Force commando is marked with incredible feats of tactical brilliance, he remained a lieutenant thanks to his narcissistic bearing and prideful nature. When UN scientists developed the first of the new super-soldier serums, Gilgamesh instantly volunteered. The results are impressive, and Lieutenant Hanson’s already gifted battlefield prowess has been enhanced tenfold. Unfortunately, his ego grew in proportion with his body. I can see some of you have concerns. I assure you that we have taken steps to make sure he is able to work with the other members of the team.
Next slide, please.
Sergeant Kara Raimes began her military career in the British Royal Naval Marines and rapidly transitioned to their orbital corps. When the Proxies invaded, hers was one of the only ships to successfully subdue an alien vessel. This action was in no small part due to Raimes’ unflinching savagery in combat. While not much of a “planner”, Sergeant Raimes can make the most out of any battle, usually by going straight through the nearest enemy line. Such a bold member of the team will be a definite asset on the field, and she’s already had victories against the Proxies. Hopefully there will be many more.
Next slide.
The next member of Project: ELITE is Rake Voker. He’s the only Mars-born member of the team. He was deployed to a mission on Earth when the Proxies came and destroyed the Mars Colony. Ever since that dark time, Voker has been utterly devoted in figuring out the Aliens’ technology in order to use it against them. He always carries the latest and greatest tools of war with him into battle, and nothing satisfies him more than when one of his “new toys” is used against its former owners. His knowledge with alien tech is invaluable, as theirs tends to be more advanced than ours. And, he certainly has a thirst for revenge against the Proxies.
Next slide!
Here we have Sergeant Gherid Bennett. He was critically injured during the Siege of Boston, but the Project: ELITE medical corps kept his broken body alive inside the fusion-flamethrowing Flare MkIII exoskeleton. Gherid was shattered, but ELITE psychologists used experimental processes to erase the mental trauma and re-program it with a dedicated soldier subroutine, the “Flattop” series veteran combat protocol. Now, Gherid gleefully sends Proxies to a fiery grave, and doesn’t care at all that he lost everything just a few months ago. We will be using him as a baseline for using these procedures on others, as we can’t afford to lose a single good fighter against the invaders. And having veterans who have faced them before will only include our chances of winning.
Last slide!
Finally, that brings us to Kinje Prime. Yes, a true alien helping with the fight, one of the few who have chosen to do so. We must remember this in the future if we have to deal with the Centaruians again. Anyway, Kinje Prime is something of a “big game hunter” who is mostly interested in bringing home the biggest trophies. When the Terran Conflict began and reports of truly horrible Janusian monsters were being unleashed, Kinje booked the first cruiser to Earth. Here at Project: ELITE, we took quick advantage of the kills she started racking up with her twin-slugger pistol and gutting blade, naming her an honorary specialist. While she’s not fighting for her homeland like we are, any help in this effort is greatly appreciated, especially when they’re as skillful as her.
Members of the council, these six individuals will be a part of the team that will try to win back our home world. I know that several of them don’t fit the traditional mold for soldiers, but they are more than capable of the task we put ahead of them. I have total faith in their abilities, and trust that Project: ELITE will turn the tide against the Janusians.
… We have to trust them, otherwise it’s all over.
Project ELITE is coming to Kickstarter on October 30 at 3 PM EST. Join the team and pick up arms against our alien oppressors, or sit back and watch the world burn.
JohnHwangDD wrote: I completely don't understand why Zombicide Invader was launched at all. This is the exact same game.
because of $$$...they barely had to invest time to gameplay part of it, just throw some plastic, slap zombicide name on it, and people will throw cash at you.
The Reanimate Harrier variants retain some knowledge of their former human brains, able to form words and sentences, which has a horribly disconcerting effect. As with most lesser aliens, troops should gun them down at range
Weird. Given that the designs are based on the unreleased Sedition Wars Arms of Sorrow miniatures, I expected better.
Maybe they're redesigned so that they can be thrown around the board ?? The aliens seem to be arbitrary and not have a cohesive design. Maybe this would make them more distinguishable on the board, but you can just cast the monster types in different colors of plastic.
Speaking of Adrian Smith, I picked up The Others, and can say that CMON can create monsters can be picked up and thrown around the board, as well as have a cohesive design (too cohesive, as comments from boardgamers about the monsters not matching well with the "7 sins" theme, although the art came before the game concept). So I don't see why the aliens should be random nightmare fuel.
The only alien shown so far that’s from Sedition Wars is the Naga. The Biter, Shooter and Reanimate are new designs for this project (or redesigns of old Project Elite designs) I have most of the design artwork and rules from Arms of Sorrow for the new Strain and these don’t feature in them.
Phaedrus Siren appeared in the first promo image and the Thraex and Medusa minis were shown at the Expo (back row middle and right). I think the Gut slug is in there as well but it's not clear.
ced1106 wrote: Speaking of Adrian Smith, I picked up The Others, and can say that CMON can create monsters can be picked up and thrown around the board, as well as have a cohesive design (too cohesive, as comments from boardgamers about the monsters not matching well with the "7 sins" theme, although the art came before the game concept).
The problem with the Others is that you basically got 1.7 Sins worth of flavor and theme from the monsters, not 7 properly distinct and correctly-themed flavors of Sin. For the most part, you could proxy any Sin for another Sin, and never feel like you had selected the "wrong" set of models. I think the conceptual design of the Others was fundamentally flawed, that the game was rushed to production for a KS window
The Mars colony was one of the first casualties in the war. Most colonists were killed instantly. One survived and has decided to fight back. Rake Voker was born on Mars, but was deployed to a mission on Earth when the Proxies came and destroyed the Mars Colony. Ever since that dark time, Voker has been utterly devoted in figuring out the Aliens’ technology in order to use it against them. He always carries the latest and greatest tools of war with him into battle, and nothing satisfies him more than when one of his “new toys” makes the Proxies go boom! Help him get revenge on the aliens as part of Project: ELITE.
It clearly phases through the thigh armor when they walk. The circle in the middle needs to be painted bright red so the Contra guys can identify the weak spot to shoot at.
JohnHwangDD wrote: BTW, what's with the giant metal codpieces? Seems like it'd be super uncomfortable to move in. Especially the one on the latest dude.
PsychoticStorm wrote: I agree the products look so similar there is an actual possibility someone buying one for the other.
Good for you looking out for the illiterate board gamer. That is an under-served group that needs representation!
I am not, if they want representation, such an odd concept, they can represent themselves.
There is a lot to be said about brand identity, diversification of product and the artwork, at the moment, CMON's latest product all look the same and this is going to be bad for them in the future, especially since they are not belonging to the same universe.
In any case this is the second game under Andrian Smith art direction of X vs aliens were at least a part of the potential buyers base thinks it is daemons and not aliens.
Only concept I've seen so far that I like is the woman in the green armor with the minigun. She looks like Smith was trying to make a female version of Doomguy and left the helmet off. Speaking of, I really wish they'd give us some faceless army dudes wearing helmets. Why is that such a hard concept? I don't want to see some dude's scruffy beard or stupid hair. Helmets! Cool looking helmets!
The Janusians are masters at bio-engineering. They can create a creature for any situation. When their regular troops were proving to be too slow, they worked on new hybrids. The Runners are mutations of the baseline Proxie form, designed for incredible bursts of speed, often exceeding those of a horse at full gallop. While they sacrifice some strength for this capability, their mouths are lined with serrated teeth capable of severing a limb with ease. These vicious monsters are best kept at a distance. Too bad their speed means they’re not distant for long. Yet this is not the end of the horrors you’ll fight in Project: ELITE. More briefings to come
the artwork looks more hound like but the sculpt is looks more like a pig
The Janusians are masters at bio-engineering. They can create a creature for any situation. When their regular troops were proving to be too slow, they worked on new hybrids. The Runners are mutations of the baseline Proxie form, designed for incredible bursts of speed, often exceeding those of a horse at full gallop. While they sacrifice some strength for this capability, their mouths are lined with serrated teeth capable of severing a limb with ease. These vicious monsters are best kept at a distance. Too bad their speed means they’re not distant for long. Yet this is not the end of the horrors you’ll fight in Project: ELITE. More briefings to come
the artwork looks more hound like but the sculpt is looks more like a pig
It looks like they thickened the legs and neck of the miniature compared to the artwork. That's probably for the best given the material it will be cast in.
"You don't frighten us, English pig-dog! Go and boil your bottoms, son of a silly person. I blow my nose on you, so-called Arthur-king, you and your silly English K...kaniggets."
Yeah, I can imagine my players saying that every time one of those aliens hits the board.
PsychoticStorm wrote: I agree the products look so similar there is an actual possibility someone buying one for the other.
Good for you looking out for the illiterate board gamer. That is an under-served group that needs representation!
I am not, if they want representation, such an odd concept, they can represent themselves.
Woosh!
PsychoticStorm wrote: There is a lot to be said about brand identity, diversification of product and the artwork, at the moment, CMON's latest product all look the same and this is going to be bad for them in the future, especially since they are not belonging to the same universe.
Maybe, maybe not. Smith is the lead designer for CMON, so it stands to reason the artwork will look similar among their products. And that is a form of brand identity as well.
But, you stated that there is a possibility someone will mistake one game for the other, and that absurd situation can only happen if said person can't read. Basically, you are making an outrageous argument.
No, not really one looking at the pictures without examining the product, you do not need to read to pass a judgement can assume easily they are related products and pass on because they did not like for example zombicide invaders.
I am afraid claiming only illiterate would be confused shows a disregard in the arts of graphic design and marketing, on your side, or a sad contempt to the literate disabled people making jokes at their expense...
In any case visuals is the first line of engagement with a potential customer and the one that will shape the understanding of the product before they ever bother reading the "title" similar visuals give a franchise connectivity, either in theme or in product, since neither game is set in the same universe and they are two completely different style of games using the same visuals is a bad idea and people in this thread complaining they look the same are right.
My previous criticism in drastically changing the artwork and atmosphere of Zombiside with Zombicide Invaders is similar it shattered its brand identity and follows the same patters since they hired Adrian Smith as lead artist, everything looks the same, I hope their recent hiring of Kopinsky and Guiton will revert their in house production art back, but for at least some projects in the future Smiths artwork of boxed humans and daemons (whatever they are supposed to be) will follow CMON....
It is bad in my opinion because while for the 7th sins and Hate Adrians artwork was fitting, for the two recent projects ZCI and the upcoming Project Elite, it mostly fails to fit.
PsychoticStorm wrote: No, not really one looking at the pictures without examining the product, you do not need to read to pass a judgement can assume easily they are related products and pass on because they did not like for example zombicide invaders.
Ah, but that isn't what you said.
You said:
PsychoticStorm wrote: I agree the products look so similar there is an actual possibility someone buying one for the other.
You claimed that the art design is so similar someone couldn't recognize the difference between Project Elite and Zombicide: Invader, and mistakenly buy one for the other. That just isn't true. You very well know each game box would have the name of the game prominently displayed on every side of the box. The branding you are so concerned about means that the games have different logos, and will likely have different fonts. So, your scenario of someone accidentally buying one game when they meant to buy the other is laughably unrealistic. And you making that assertion as a reason for one game not needing to exist at all is even more ridiculous.
Art is subjective, so there is plenty for you to criticize about the aesthetic of the game without creating stupidly insincere arguments like "people won't know the difference between two games because the same artist worked on them." Again, only someone lacking the ability to read would even possibly fall into that trap. It is a stupid argument. Unless you are worried about illiterate board gamers, which you aren't (and that was my joke which went sailing over your head). Instead, you are just being hyperbolic and crapping on another CMON/Smith project, which is your prerogative, but at least make good faith arguments while doing so.
There have been many casualties during the war with the aliens. Sergeant Gherid Bennett was critically injured during the Siege of Boston, but the Project: ELITE medical corps kept his broken body alive inside the fusion-flamethrowing Flare MkIII exoskeleton. Gherid was shattered, but ELITE psychologists used experimental processes to erase the mental trauma and re-program it with a dedicated soldier subroutine – the ‘Flattop’ series veteran combat protocol. Now Gherid gleefully sends the Proxies to a fiery grave and doesn’t care at all that he lost everything just a few months ago. Help him send the Proxies to a flaming end in Project: ELITE
The mini looks cool, even without a helmet to match that armor, but the background is just uninspiring. It also seems like this entire conflict is confined to Earth, a shameful waste of the potential scope and scale implied in a sci fi game with aliendemons. Demaliens? Bubblegum-textured monsters.
Maybe, maybe not. Smith is the lead designer for CMON, so it stands to reason the artwork will look similar among their products. And that is a form of brand identity as well.
But, you stated that there is a possibility someone will mistake one game for the other, and that absurd situation can only happen if said person can't read. Basically, you are making an outrageous argument.
Well, gotta remember PsychoticStorm is also the guy who defended nipples on the Infinity Riot Grrls as "armor attachment points"!
I'm also thinking some of you aren't familiar how the game plays.
The game has predetermined paths that the aliens follow marked on the boards. There are very deliberate choke points set up and the way the game worked previously was that aliens traveled down those paths toward an end zone that if it took too many hits, you lost. Any alien pushing into another alien's squared bumped that one along the path, and you took damage every time one bumped you. It would very much start a domino effect quite often with new guys spawning.
Maybe, maybe not. Smith is the lead designer for CMON, so it stands to reason the artwork will look similar among their products. And that is a form of brand identity as well.
But, you stated that there is a possibility someone will mistake one game for the other, and that absurd situation can only happen if said person can't read. Basically, you are making an outrageous argument.
Well, gotta remember PsychoticStorm is also the guy who defended nipples on the Infinity Riot Grrls as "armor attachment points"!
They are, you can see the same fibre muscle attachment points above the waist anchoring the leg fibre muscles, I still do not see the relevance for something I said quite a few years back in association with the art direction of CMON been essentially the same in their last KS miniature boardgames regardless of theme or genre or preexisting art direction of the products line and this coinciding with Andrian Smith becoming lead designer.
The Gutslug received its designation from a field scientist that remarked that it resembled an intestinal parasite. Indeed, given the Proxie habit of utilizing Terrain samples for their horrific creations, it may well have been based on some Earthly creature caught alongside its human host.
This one is a redesign of a Sedition Wars AoS mini.
Facing a foe like the alien invaders, sometimes the straight-forward approach is the most practical and effective. Sergeant Kara Raimes began her military career in the British Royal Naval Marines and rapidly transitioned to their orbital corps. When the Proxies invaded, hers was one of the only ships to successfully subdue an alien vessel. This action was in no small part due to Raimes’ unflinching savagery in combat. While not much of a ‘planner’, Sergeant Raimes can make the most out of any battle, usually by going straight through the nearest enemy line.
THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF PROJECT: ELITE
Oct 23, 2018
The world we know is gone. It’s fallen into the hands of an invading alien force, and humanity is holding on by only a thin thread of hope. There are few brave enough, skilled enough, and foolhardy enough to take on this mission. If Project: ELITE fails, we all go down with it.
This sets the stage for one of the most exciting, innovative, and at times, stressful games in recent memory. Project: ELITE made a huge impact when it first hit Kickstarter in 2016. With its cooperative missions and real-time game action, players were thrust into a tense battle for survival with the entire human race hanging in the balance.
The Design and Development of Project: ELITE
“Project: ELITE was in development for about one and a half years, from conception to the first release of the game,” said Tsantilas. “The CMON edition has a lot of new content which was not included in the first version, content which we have been working on since 2017. We have also improved many aspects of the game. We’ve been working closely with the CMON development team and have perfected this content for the latest edition of Project: ELITE.”
Due to the real-time mechanics of the game, both Tsantilas and Kokkinis faced some interesting design challenges unique to this style of game.
“When you're developing a real-time game, you have to find that sweet spot where the game is simple, but also interesting,” explained Tsantilas. “It must be simple enough to be easy to play in real-time, but also interesting enough to keep the player involved. Personally, I think that one of the most successful elements of the game is that we made sure to give the players ‘time-outs’ between the 2-minute-rounds of explosive action. That gives them a chance to compose themselves and strategize for the next round.”
Despite being a game that relies heavily on a frantic, speedy mechanic, the designers didn’t want to leave out the theme. Project: ELITE is a game with a rich backstory and an almost cinematic feel to its presentation. They drew upon their love of science fiction movies and books to create the world the game is played in.
“The Alien universe definitely influenced the theme of the game. I'd also say Starship Troopers and Ender's Game certainly played a part in the conception of the theme.”
A huge factor in transporting players into this world was the new high-quality art and miniatures that are an expected element from any CMON title. Making players feel like they were in the middle of a desperate situation was a top priority for everyone on the project.
“Playing Project: ELITE feels like you're playing a video game or starring in a movie. The art and the miniatures play a very important role in the player's immersion,” said Tsantilas.
A constant theme throughout Project: ELITE is teamwork. You need to have it to survive different missions, and it was crucial in the design process as well.
“Me and Konstantinos have designed New Dawn together, and we will release another game later this year,” explained Tsantilos. “I think working on a project together with people makes game design way more fun, as long as you and your partners work well together. Good teamwork plays a big part in reaching a desirable result. That's exactly what's happened with me and Konstantinos. We ‘click’ and we work very well together, and that's what I think makes the end product so much more successful than if we had been working separately.”
Just like the design process, the missions in Project: ELITE are going to test the synergy level of your team.
“The missions are designed in such a way that teamwork and strategic planning are demanded of the players.” Little missteps can occur, and in the pressure of real-time, that’s when everything can go to hell. “Critical thinking is one of the first things to fall apart during the real-time phase of the game and it’s instead replaced by yelling and panic all around the table. But that is one of the things that make the game so enjoyable.”
Players familiar with the original edition will be happy to know that they are able to experience the same game as before. However, the CMON edition comes with some exciting new elements that will be revealed as the Kickstarter campaign continues.
Project: ELITE is all about coming together as a team to get the job done. From the original design partnership between Tsantilos and Kokkinis, to the work Artipia Games and CMON have done to update the game, to the teamwork you’re going to have to display to win a mission and keep hope alive for another day. You can choose to fight together as a unit, or die alone. The choice, and the fate of the world is up to you.
Another AoS mini (The Retiarus) this time no redesign used exactly as it was originally sculpted
Although the Dreadspit seems to have a head, its primary sensory organ is the tentacular protrusion emerging from its digestive tract. #ProjectELITE will have to face this Alien Boss when the Kickstarter launches on October 30 at 3PM EST.
The Mindeater appears to be two beings: the outer “shell” of muscle, chitin, and cybernetic weapons, and the inner “core”, believed to be yet another merging of human and Proxie DNA. The beast may have been intended as a liaison between Terrans and Proxies, but any diplomatic overtures are now impossible, as if we would ever want to parlay with the invaders... In battle it is famous for coordinating Proxies with deadly efficiency.
Redesigned Phaedrus Chirurge I get that the finer details had to go but the new arms are the very definition of hamfisted the old arms less the finer tentacles were fine no need for the changes
All those tentacles and spindly bits are going to be a problem once that thing is on the board and the timer is running. The game gets FRANTIC.
Things get knocked over and pushed out of the way with little regard. That was one advantage the more blobby figures had. You didn't have to worry about them breaking!
The Thraex appears to “see” via vibrations in the air and ground. Smoke grenades, flashbangs, and other sensory-assault weapons appear to have little effect. It moves with remarkable speed for a creature its size, and its claws have been recorded slicing through even tank armor with ease. #ProjectELITE will have to face this Alien Boss when the Kickstarter launches on October 30 at 3PM EST.
No change here from the SW:AoS mini even the name stays the same.
He throws his claws up in the air sometimes, saying, "Hey yo, baby let's go!"
I remember when the resin came out and we were trying to decide whether he was tripping over his own feet or afraid of a mouse.
Automatically Appended Next Post: That's not to say he (can't be a she because there are no exposed human breasts) isn't a well designed monster. A bit of boiling water, a twist and an ice plunge should help the pose a bit.
Automatically Appended Next Post: I also thank you for showing the SWAOS pictures next to the Prject Elite Omega Protocols pictures.
No problem Bob and John I think it's worth having a compare and contrast speaking of which
Part of the new board art the layout is clearly the same just with updated graphics I assume the grid just hasn't been added yet as that's an important part of the board and the aliens movement. It's hard to tell if the orientation has been moved off the diagonal without a bigger image or the grid..
NEWSTHE ALIEN BOSSES OF PROJECT: ELITE - THE HIERARCHY OF EVIL
THE ALIEN BOSSES OF PROJECT: ELITE - THE HIERARCHY OF EVIL
Oct 25, 2018
Ladies and gentlemen of the Committee, I want to once again thank you all for coming. I have gathered you together to halt the rumors about different strains of Proxie creatures being spotted among the rank-and-file Swarms we’ve talked about before.
Those rumors are true.
Calm down, please. We all knew this was inevitable and it is something that Project: ELITE has created contingency plans for. The Janusians are highly adept at creating hybrids between different creatures in their spawning vats. We have identified several distinct varieties. The troops out on the field denote them as Bosses and combat programs have been created for dealing with them. But in the interest of keeping the Committee fully informed as to the threat we face, I have put together a small presentation about the kinds of Bosses we’ve encountered so far. Note that the names used for these creatures are what the troops commonly call them. Please excuse the informality of them.
The Alien Bosses of Project: ELITE - The Hierarchy of Evil
Lights and first slide, please.
Starting out, we have the Searsting. It may well be the first attempt by Proxie scientists at merging their DNA with a Terran sample, in this case, a scorpion, obviously. Despite the many legs, the Searsting only moves at a jogging pace, but its stinger can puncture even the toughest body armor.
Next slide.
Here is the Naga. Its serpentine origins are obvious, but its other characteristics mark it as yet another human/animal/Proxie hybrid. While its speed is no greater than normal, its digestive system allows it to spew a unique slime that facilitates locomotion to traverse terrain unhindered.
Next slide, please. And I must warn you, the images continue to grow more disturbing, but please try and remain in the room. This is important.
Janusians have been kidnapping humans for their experiments for quite some time. Heaven help those that fall into their hands, as they may end up like this. The Reanimate Harrier variants appear to retain some knowledge from their former human brains, able to form simple words and sentences, which has a horribly disconcerting effect. Its third leg provides exceptional stability and speed. As with most lesser aliens, troops should gun them down at range.
Next slide.
Counselor, please remain seated.
This is the Gutslug. It received its designation from a field scientist that remarked that it resembled an intestinal parasite. Indeed, given the Proxie habit of utilizing Terrain samples for their horrific creations, it may well have been based on some Earthly creature caught alongside its human host.
Next slide, please.
The Janusians seem to be adapting to some of our tactics and are compensating for them. For example, the Thraex appears to “see” via vibrations in the air and ground. Smoke grenades, flashbangs, and other sensory-assault weapons appear to have little effect. It moves with remarkable speed for a creature its size, and its claws have been recorded slicing through even tank armor with ease.
Next slide, please.
Here we have the Dreadspit. Although it seems to have a head, its primary sensory organ is the tentacular protrusion emerging from its digestive tract. As one scientist put it, the beast is like “human and Proxie DNA put through a blender.” The results are a creature of minimal intelligence but armed with a potent caustic bile that it uses as a weapon on the field.
Next slide.
This is the Mindeater. It appears to be two beings: the outer “shell” of muscle, chitin, and cybernetic weapons, and the inner “core”, believed to be yet another merging of human and Proxie DNA. The beast may have been intended as a liaison between Terrans and Proxies, but any diplomatic overtures are now impossible, as if we would ever want to parlay with the invaders... In battle it is famous for coordinating Proxies with deadly efficiency.
Final slide, please.
Last of the variants for this presentation, we have the Ashar. While most Proxie soldiers are genetically designed for their specific role in the invasion, there is one strain of Janusian warrior that is vat-grown to be nothing less than a combat machine. The Ashar is armed with monomolecular-bladed gauntlets and plasma-particle pistols. Its entire existence is indiscriminate slaughter. Thankfully, we think the Ashar strain is difficult to successfully recreate for the Proxies, otherwise the ELITEs would suffer greatly on the front lines.
Lights, please.
As I said, I am here to dispel any rumors you might have heard. Yes, these aliens exist and we are fighting them out on the front lines as best we can. Only by learning more about them, studying their tactics, and discovering their weaknesses can we overcome them. Project: ELITE has the resources to deal with them, and I will keep you updated if any more alien variants are seen in the field.
Thank you.
Project: ELITE is coming to Kickstarter on October 30 at 3 PM EST.
The Ashar from SW (same name in both) as it's the only one not shown yet and it remains to be seen if it stays as is or is modified. It was originally intended to be a Bounty Dog not Strain.
I saw the prototype at essen Spiel yesterday. I can confirm there is a grid on the map. (an arrows for the alien's movement too)
The map as well as the player boards and minis looks real nice. The minis were resin prototypes but having a few CMON games in my collection I can imagine how the plastics will turn out.
My only complaint for this new version would be the lack of a campaign or story that links the missions. But that might be revealed in the near future. I'm a big fan of the original, but it kind of lost it's appeal after you won a mission type once on each map. Just raising the difficulty didn't make it attractive enough to replay it for my group.
One thing I noticed, was that heroes now have more life points (used to be 3 or 4). Now its 7 or 8, with dice locking after losing 3 and 6 live points lost. So I guess there have been some tweaks in difficulty overall, since you "need" more live points to have a chance at making it out alive.
Well, I really only like two of the alien designs, so this is probably a pass for me.
The designs just feel like they lack consistency with all of them being some combination of human, machine, crab, alien style A, alien style B, alien style C, etc.
One of the things I liked about the main Zcide Invader aliens is that with the exception of the abominations, I felt like they had a coherent design and all shared some similar motifs.
Gallahad wrote: One of the things I liked about the main Zcide Invader aliens is that with the exception of the abominations, I felt like they had a coherent design and all shared some similar motifs.
Like mouths in their naughty bits?
This is propably a pass for me too. The heroes look very similar to Z:Invader heroes. The monsters too.
So, unless all the heroes and monsters happen to get Zombicide Invader card so that they can be inserted in that game too, I'm not that interested.
Mebbe CMON will need show us a group shot to show that the miniatures are coherent, like they did for SW. :
Still, within a few weeks, we'll have several miniatures games to choose from:
* Omega 7 - ends October 31
* Deep Madness - starts October 29th
* Project Elite - starts October 30th
* Claustrophobia - starts November 6th
* Assassin's Creed - starts November 13th
* Reichbusters - starts November 20th
It looks like they rotated his right arm to make the mini flat easier to cast. I'll have to see it in real life, but there is a noticeable difference in the motion of the two variants.
I’ve just had a look at the resin one the right arm joints at the shoulder all they’ve done is rotate it slightly to make it easier to cast but the details are exactly the same.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Well that confirms they got rid of the diagonal grid and went for a standard left/right up/down grid.
The crawler is almost so awful it's charming. More alarming to me is how consistently the sculptor misses the expressions, tilting/shifting of weight and details that make the character designs not completely lifeless. Vicky looks like a blank waiting to be posed.
I think I'll save up for Z: Night of the LIving Dead. I guess I prefer fantasy and horror of established monsters, including Cthulhu and zombies, rather than arbitrary horror.
Too bad that Massive Darkness and SMOG: Rise of Moloch weren't better received. I liked those sculpts very much!
Max on BGG:
> SWARM ALIENS (Alien Soldiers)
>15 of each in the box, compared to 20 of each in the original; stretch goals appear to make this 20 in new version
I like Vicky. And the Matriarch. And the Krogan. And few of the other heroes.
But so far this KS isn't pushing any of my buttons hard enough to getting me back it.
I bet if these heroes/monsters could be used in Z:Invader, that'll be enough for me to jump in.
Since CMON has been adding crossover packs into other of their KS'ers, it is a possibility here too.
@Col Hammer, that is a good point. I’m not backing currently as the monsters are just not my thing, but the hero sculpts look great... very SedWars. If they do a crossover, that may be the incentive I need to jump in.
Elite is also somebody elses game so bolting on stuff from one of CMONs games may not be straight forward depending on how the licence they're operating under
If there is no cross-over pack to Z:I , I might still back this in the end. There are some heroes I wouldn't mind having.
I plan to use the Z:I heroes in other sci-fi games, so why not P:E heroes too. At least the sculpting style and the armor design is very similar between these games, so the figures would mix together well (assuming the scale is the same...)
Better Alien boss there. I also find it funny that they've started putting the artist name on the artwork Bounty is by Saeed Jalabi and Robert is by Karl Kopinski.
Zombicide Invader crossover pack they got this out quick P:E seems to get he better end of the crossover.
For $15 this Kickstarter Exclusive Optional Buy not only brings all the Survivors, Workers, Hunters, Tanks, Machines, and the Abomination from Zombicide: Invader to Project: ELITE but also ports all Heroes, the Biter Swarm and 2 Bosses from Project: ELITE into Zombicide: Invader! It contains 60 cards plus 6 cardboard Hero Dashboards! Please note this Crossover Set will not be available on retail.
The Crossover set comes with 6 Survivor ID Cards to bring Project: ELITE Heroes as Survivors for Zombicide: Invader, where they all function as Soldiers:
The Crossover set comes with 18 Xeno Cards to port Biters as a new type of Worker, as well as Thraex and Gutslug as brand-new Abominations:
The Crossover set comes with 6 cardboard Hero dashboards to bring the Survivors from Zombicide: Invader as Heroes for Project: ELITE
Finally, the Crossover set comes with 34 cards to bring Workers, Hunters, and Tanks as Swarms as well as the Abomination as an all-new Boss:
and from the Zc:I update as someone's likely to ask.
You will need a base pledge of Project: ELITE to be able to purchase it.
I like the original sculpt and it came with an alternate “Mandalorian” type helmeted head but it was in that super fine scale that SMV used for later SW minis so I’ll be happy to have the alternate as well.
SW minis that have yet to show up
Phaedrus Psiren
Commodore Grist
Tumult
Zorya
Plus any of the originals could get a redesign like Barker has
and then there’s the Firebrand range as well.
Uriah and Gemma would be an odd fit for either side but the Jaggernat Heavy would fit as a boss.
Better Alien boss there. I also find it funny that they've started putting the artist name on the artwork Bounty is by Saeed Jalabi and Robert is by Karl Kopinski.
This fella was supposed to be a bounty dog in Sedition Wars.
No idea sorry but the images from Essen Spiel and in the Dice Tower video they look to be the same size as before all except the Gutslug which increased size and is largely a new sculpt.
You can see the original Gutslug (front row second from left) in this image which also reminds me that the Medusa hasnt appeared yet either.
4 Boss figures
15 Swarm figures
4 Boss cards
1 Swarm Stat card
10 Swarm Spawn cards
7 double-sided Game Tiles
15 tokens
1 Rulebook
Backers who get the Alienship Rescue expansion during this Kickstarter campaign will also get the Kickstarter Exclusive Heroine Sarah Morgan, including her figure and dashboard!
So Cyclops is a close combat Jaggernat posted above
Faun and Worm is a redesigned Phaedrus Psiren
And Sarah was originally a Castellan Medic (Heavier armoured Samaritan)
That left arm looks really bad in the new position. However, if hot water won't fix it, a knife and glue will, so overall a pretty good monster.
Might have to do something about that chest, though. I'd be pretty embarrassed putting that mini in the table with friends or family. They just barely take the hobby seriously as it is.
Well there's Tumult and Zorya I won't post the originals again scroll up the page to see them. Tumult had some lovely fine detail work but it would never survive the transfer to PVC.
I'm a bit drained when it comes to these CMoN boardgames. A more substantial Z:I crossover pack probably would have gotten me on board despite all of that, but it's pretty underwhelming.
Automatically Appended Next Post: (And yes, I will replace heads with helmets because people wearing massive power armor should not expose their thinkmeat balloons to enemy fire.)
I hope CMON realizes that it is OK to actually support their real mini wargames (Wrath of Kings and Dark Age) too, rather than KS Cash Grab only these days.
Probably not though, as I think that with how poorly they supported/support WoK and DA, even this 'mediocre' KS campaign might net them more...
Why does CMON hate helmets? I've come to accept that if I have to convert a miniature before I want to paint/play with it, it dramatically reduces the odds of it ever making it onto my painting desk.
I used to love converting, but I've gotten more picky about my miniatures quality and that sucked all the joy out of it. "It has to be the perfect headswap! etc."
JohnHwangDD wrote: Is it just me or are the minis just really cartoony? Like what a little kid would think should be scary?
More like what Dr Freud thinks you find scary about your mother.
Automatically Appended Next Post: I'm not sure why the runners are posed at the most boring part of their running gait. It's not like artists have been struggling for decades to find a way to make running look exciting. But at least their tongues are lolling out, so still a plus!
1) This campaign is hyper boring to me, for some reason.
2) Damn them for making that stupid R.O.O.K. team an add-on for this game. I've been waiting 5 years for those Gnosis suits and now I'd not only have to back a game I don't want even a little bit to get them, but as an added cost to that game.
ROOK team are not KS exclusive and are expected to go to retail - but CMON have been using KS orders of add ons to gauge interest in them and have pulled planned retail releases due to lack of KS orders.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Speaking of the ROOKS they have now been added to the Zc:I pack and the Black Ops get added to P:E
We are including the following components to the Zombicide: Invader Crossover Optional Buy without any addition to the cost:
6 Survivor ID Cards to bring R.O.O.Ks Heroes as Survivors for Zombicide: Invader
6 cardboard Hero dashboards to bring the Survivors from Zombicide: Black Ops as Heroes for Project: ELITE
1 card to bring the Juggernaut Abomination as a new Boss
2 cards to bring the XN35 "Crawley" Bot and the Meteor Sentry Gun from Zombicide: Black Ops as items in Project: ELITE
For $10, the Kickstarter Exclusive Ammo Pack Optional Buy brings a new set of rules, to emerge in the battlefield, and a new type of equipment!
The Ammo Pack comes with:
6 Grenade Equipment cards, 2 of each type of grenade:
- Explosive Grenades
- Smoke Bombs
- Repellant Gas
2 Ammo Crate tokens
36 Ammo tokens
9 Smoke tokens
9 Repellant tokens
When we reach $500k we will unlock for all backers the Kickstarter Exclusive Double-sided Adrenaline Map.
Note that as an unplanned Stretch Goal, the map shown is only a mockup art of what you will be receiving in the future.
I get feeling they had parts of an expansion but not enough to do a full one so some is add on and some is SG.
And I agree that the main game's aliens are the best. Most of the bosses have been pretty off putting. If the stretch goals aren't improved soon to be worth the extra cost, it might be a better deal to wait for discounted retail rather than spend more now.
I think people are voting with their wallets. While some of the sedition wars rehash is good, this looks like too much of a hodgepodge of different games and styles. Sort of what’s left in the cupboard? Right well give them guns and we will kill aliens.
A shame too, because the original was a lot of fun.
The highlight were the bosses and mega bosses, both which seem to be lacking still. There were a lot more in the original game, and we haven't even seen any mega bosses yet.
Interesting that the adrenaline map is a stretch goal though. The original was an entire expansion with new characters and basic alien types.
The core pledge extras are still looking vary sparse alright compare that to Zc:I and there's very little
Unless it picks up in the last 48 I'll probably drop to $1 I'm more interested in getting the SW stuff and well I actually have most of it from the limited resin run. The ROOKS are retail anyway. There are 1033 $1 backers 24% of all backers
I went ahead and backed it for the Z:I crossover stuff. I was and am a huge fan of Sedition Wars, so being able to use the ROOKS in Z:I was the tipping point. I don’t have much interest in the actual game...I’m viewing it more as a $150 expansion set for another game.
Sacredroach wrote: I don’t have much interest in the actual game...I’m viewing it more as a $150 expansion set for another game.
Nice!
It's funny that, at first, I was thinking "wow, $150 is a lot to pay for an expansion!"
Then I remembered how much I've already sunk into Kingdom Death Expansions, and the fact that I'm likely to order even more come the Black Friday sale.
Heh...Kingdom Death. I was all in the first time, and all in the second time. Add in each new release since then and my KD collection is vast. As mostly a wargamer (Darklands and HH primarily) I don’t think much about the costs of minis...just game packages. And I still think my Mine Cart Pledge was one of the best deals I’ve ever gotten off KS...next to KD of course.
Ghool wrote: Is it just me or has this campaign been puttering along at a snails pace compared to most CMON campaigns?
Several sf (and two dungeoncrawler) KS were and are scheduled in October and November. I think at least three are/were horror-sf. Additionally, BF sales have already started, OLGS and otherwise.
I guess you've also got to consider that this is a re-print of an existing game,
some potential backers will already have it
those that are more into the game and not the minis may well prefer to pick up the old version cheap when this new once hits retail and existing owners not on KS decide to upgrade (or even now if people are selling to buy this)
and general fatigue for SF after ZC:I, (and Starcadia Quest)
I also wonder if the licence is factor? more people to pay = less money to spend on free stuff for backers
I wonder if we'll see a "Chinese backers just unlocked x/ retailers got you guys y" type deal for stretches they wanted to hit but didn't manage.
It's happened in the last few campaigns. Wouldn't surprise me now. Really not liking this pattern of fluffing up expansions instead of the main campaign.
The final offerings still seem a bit lackluster. Not a single mega boss in sight either...
I dropped my pledge to a dollar. It's possible they'll slam enough great freebies into the main pledge by the end...but not likely. I thought Zombiecide Invader was going to be the nadir of CMON big boardgame campaigns, but boy was I wrong.
If I'm going to throw my money at a shady company's cynical attempt to manipulate my fear of missing out and lust for minis-per-dollar, from now one I'll go with Archon.*
* I recently played Vanguard of War with Highlord, Barzam and their cousin; the diversity and quality of the sculpts and exclusives were far superior to anything SmithCMON has released.
The main box has gotten stretch goals every $30K through the whole kickstarter. That hasn't changed. (well there was one SG at 25K and the next one at 35K, but then it settled down at 30K again)
The expansion box stretch goals are inserted between the main box stretch goal, but not a single main box SG has been replaced by expansion box SG.
Those expansion box SGs are put in to make the add on more attractive offer. You get more for your money. This is bad... somehow?
It's bad because it makes the main deal look less attractive and the campaign feel more frustrating than exciting. CMON is usually on top of both of those factors, and yet here they aren't.
Yes, the empty box is highly important, with most early CMON kickstarters there are a ton of miniatures and stuff one needs to find boxes to fit them in.
The empty box to fit the extra stuff in is highly sought after mostly because of the practicality it offers.
CMON need to start putting realistic shipping estimates on their KS but I know they won't because if they advertise the actual cost up front people won't back. If you've already committed $100+ up front your probably less likely to look for refund now.
I guess they will be getting $1 from me the $40 shipping on the $100 pledge is to pricey for my liking, adding the Zc:I cards adds another $5 that's some heavy card stock they are using. From now on it's $1 in and see what the shipping cost is before committing further.
They have not put an official update for some reason, but admitted in the comments section the store calculations were bugged and was fixed today, people may try again to see if their shipping costs are fixed.
I had already completed my PM. I opened it again and then closed it. Got a bit over $6 lower shipping quote (i.e. I would have gotten some money back to my PayPal account). I added the alien allies add on back instead.
So, if you have already completed your pledge, re-open it and go through the PM again. You propably get some refund money.
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DaveC wrote: I guess they will be getting $1 from me the $40 shipping on the $100 pledge is to pricey for my liking, adding the Zc:I cards adds another $5 that's some heavy card stock they are using. From now on it's $1 in and see what the shipping cost is before committing further.
The cross-over back contain regular cards AND some hero cards for PE, which, I think, are thick cardboard instead of normal cardstock. So the add on pack might actually weigh a bit more than if it was just a pack of regular cards. Anyway, the shipping costs seemed to have been wrong with this pack and are now fixed to a lower amount?
Col Hammer wrote: I had already completed my PM. I opened it again and then closed it. Got a bit over $6 lower shipping quote (i.e. I would have gotten some money back to my PayPal account). I added the alien allies add on back instead.
So, if you have already completed your pledge, re-open it and go through the PM again. You propably get some refund money.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
DaveC wrote: I guess they will be getting $1 from me the $40 shipping on the $100 pledge is to pricey for my liking, adding the Zc:I cards adds another $5 that's some heavy card stock they are using. From now on it's $1 in and see what the shipping cost is before committing further.
The cross-over back contain regular cards AND some hero cards for PE, which, I think, are thick cardboard instead of normal cardstock. So the add on pack might actually weigh a bit more than if it was just a pack of regular cards. Anyway, the shipping costs seemed to have been wrong with this pack and are now fixed to a lower amount?
Zc:I cards shipping is now 99 cent. I wonder how many paid the higher shipping rates I doubt they will get refunded unless they contact CMON about it. Does the PM do refunds or do you just end up with credit to use on more product?
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