Secret Weapon Tablescapes - Kickstarter ended @ $311k

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**Earth Dragon**

This might get some bleed-over from deadzone as well. Those damaged streets will be unlocking at the perfect time. Now to get those gridless rules!!

**Aerethan**

Cyporiean wrote:
Aerethan wrote:
Wait, so do I (wargamer level) get the Brushfire PDF?

I'm always down for new rules, and I know nothing about the game.

Everyone who backs get it, once the Rolling Hills are unlocked

Nice. I'd even dare to say that if I like the rules and story I'll end up buying some models for it(if only to paint). A nice low cost cross promotion that adds in value to the KS. Love it.

**Dinamarth**

Sooo tempted by the ruined urban board...

**Cyporiean**

Ruined Streets are in!

Rolling Fields are up next.

**Aerethan**

Come on now people. 40k till I get the set I want!!! Free Brushfire!!!!

**MajorTom11**

Woot congrats Justin, think it is pretty safe to say rolling fields will be in no matter what given the time left and the usual last minute bumps!

**Snrub**

~~Tablescapes has just hit the $160,000 mark. Damaged urban streets are now unlocked.~~ Damn beaten to it and i didn't even notice.

Now onwards to rolling fields.

**Crimson Devil**

Well I'm in. I'm leaning towards scrap yard, but the urban set is very tempting.

**scarletsquig**

Hmm, rolling fields seem a bit repetitive.

Those same 2 craters repeated 4x on every board are going to get really old, really fast... it would be better to go with variations of the plain tile with slight variations in surface texture.

The river is really great, but it would benefit from looking a bit more rounded and a lot less "right angle corner".

**BrotherVord**

So tempted by this as we get closer to the bigger stretch goals...I would love 4x4 worth of tiles to swap out the hill on my realm of battle board...either trench works or a ruined temple would be ideal, but I fear for their availability

**Azazelx**

scarletsquig wrote:
Hmm, rolling fields seem a bit repetitive.

Those same 2 craters repeated 4x on every board are going to get really old, really fast... it would be better to go with variations of the plain tile with slight variations in surface texture.

The river is really great, but it would benefit from looking a bit more rounded and a lot less "right angle corner".

Enough pieces to go across the entire board would be good. Perhaps with fewer craters as the trade-off. 2 straights and 2 right-angle corners isn't really an ideal river/stream/gulch.

**Redemption**

Azazelx wrote:
Enough pieces to go across the entire board would be good. Perhaps with fewer craters as the trade-off. 2 straights and 2 right-angle corners isn't really an ideal river/stream/gulch.

I asked about more river tiles on their facebook page, SWM had this to say:

Secret Weapon Miniatures wrote:We might swap out a flat tile for another river - so that a 16 tile set includes 4 straight river tiles. Discussing it presently, in fact....

Sounds good to me.

**Alpharius**

Update time!

Damaged "Urban Streets" -- FULLY FUNDED!
Update #29 · Apr 27, 2013 · 2 comments

We have officially unlocked all 16 unique tiles for the "Urban Streets" theme -- giving you three options for this set: Clean, Damaged, or Mixed.

The designer is cranking away on the first round of renders so you can see the damaged tiles in 3D as soon as possible. I hope to have those to share with you shortly -- as well as a first look at some of the scatter terrain for "Urban Streets"

The 3D printed masters for the fortifications have shipped and I will have them in molds next week, which means there's a good chance you'll be able to preview a set in resin before the end of the month.

This is the first concept for the "Urban Streets" gate -- although I've asked for a version where the gate opens down instead of in. But I wanted to share this so you can see the progress we're making on finalizing everything.

Of course we already have some of the "Urban Streets" scatter terrain in the shop now -- and you'll be able to add it to your pledge at 20% off of MSRP!

Pledge Calculator - INCOMING!

A lot of people have asked me for an easy way to calculate their pledge -- complete with the KS reward level AND all of the SWM goodies they can manage to get at 20% off during the campaign. I'm testing a simple Google spreadsheet and should have it posted for you this weekend. It includes almost the entire SWM catalog at 20% off of MSRP, including the already discounted pigment and wash bundles!
TWO WEEKS TO GO!

We still have two weeks before the campaign wraps up -- which means there's plenty of time to unlock "Rolling Fields" and keep new themes coming!

**spiralingcadaver**

Realized that I really don't do enough gaming outside of the gaming store to warrant this kind of expense... dropping out of my early bird skirmisher at 12:15 PST (a couple minutes from now), if any dakka-ites want to jump in.

Best of luck to SW, it's a very nice project but out of my budget for now...

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Dropped.

**Alpharius**

Update #30 · Apr 27, 2013 · 5 comments
The Pledge Calculator is here!

Many of you have asked for an easy way to calculate your total pledge with the available add-on items -- and I've found a quick solution that should do the trick.

1) Click through to our Google Docs - Pledge Calculator: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ao3sUUJAALFodFE2WWpVWTJXQmd4endLSTFJMkpsUEE#gid=0

2) Save a copy - you won't be able to edit the original, of course.

3) Edit your copy to reflect your reward level, and then enter a quantity for any of the add-on items you would like to purchase. Your total will appear at the bottom of the spreadsheet.

4) Click on the "Manage Your Pledge" button at the top of the Kickstarter page:

5) Counting only the total of your add-on items from the existing SWM catalog (any category that does NOT have "Kickstarter" in the heading) add the appropriate shipping value. These items will ship to you separately from your pledge from our California warehouse, and not from our international partners.

6) Input the new amount for your pledge by clicking on the $value box, select your appropriate reward level, and then click "Next."

7) Approve the changes and you're good to go!
Thank you!

I have been overwhelmed (literally) by the number of emails and messages I have received asking me how people can pledge more money to the campaign. The enthusiasm for this project is amazing and every time I sit down to catch-up again I do so with a smile on my face. You people are wonderful and together we're going to bring an amazing product to market. Thank you.

Updated Concept Art - Urban Streets - Gate

The gate for "Urban Streets" should finish up at 8" wide, with a 5" wide swing arm. This will allow you to completely block one of the street sections. I have also asked for a 2" wide wall section so you can add them to the sidewalks and use a roadway as a choke-point. The spotlight in the picture will be an optional piece and I hope to offer a variety of goodies for the top of the gate walls.
Bring on "Rolling Fields!"

We've already seen a healthy jump in pledges since we broke $160,000 this morning (and fully funded "Urban Streets!") which means we're on track for unlocking "Rolling Fields."

I will be finalizing the concepts for the theme this weekend and making sure it's going to work as a 16 tile set. The 3D artists are cranking away on the "Urban Streets" tiles and scatter terrain, and the walls are already printed.

We have 15 days left in the campaign -- and new backers joining us every day.

Next week... a preview of the bag from KR Multi-Case!

**RiTides**

spiralingcadaver wrote:
Realized that I really don't do enough gaming outside of the gaming store to warrant this kind of expense...

That's the only thing keeping me from pledging (other than available funds). I usually game in stores and don't have need of gaming tiles really... but obviously, many people game in their houses or like to have a gaming table there "just in case", so there's a big market for it

**misterjustin**

And I'm back. It's getting to be impossible to keep up with everything, but I keep trying!

To the "Rolling Fields" commenters....

THIS IS THE INITIAL CONCEPT ART!

We have not finalized any of the 3D artwork, or the tile mix for the 16 tile set. You can be sure that there will be enough creek to cross a 4' table.

Also, there's no crater. One tile will have a raised rock feature -- not a crater -- but that's the challenge of representing 3D artwork on a rough 2D plate. Likewise to anyone concerned about there being "too much detail" -- don't be. It's going to use our universal dirt pattern and be very simple. That's what people have asked for and it's what we're going to deliver.

Rolling fields will only include 8 unique tile designs, so it's going to be more repetitive than any of the full theme sets. As it's mostly organic it won't be as noticeable, however, especially once you add in all of the scatter terrain and other goodies.

We're making good progress and still have more than two weeks left in the campaign. If you've been waiting for one of the three fantasy themes... JUMP IN!

And now I'll crawl back into my shell and try to keep everything coordinated

**Salacious Greed**

Hey, this to to both SWM and Brushfire, but since Brushfire is going to be at the CMON Expo, will they happen to have one of your tiles on hand? I couldn't make it to Adepticon, but I'll be in Atlanta for CMON's Expo. Thanks.

**Cyporiean**

Salacious Greed wrote:
Hey, this to to both SWM and Brushfire, but since Brushfire is going to be at the CMON Expo, will they happen to have one of your tiles on hand? I couldn't make it to Adepticon, but I'll be in Atlanta for CMON's Expo. Thanks.

I'm afraid that Alfndrate has the tile Justin left in possession of OTLG, and I don't believe he is coming down to CMON Expo. I'll see if Alf can mail it south for the show when I talk with him again on Monday.

**Dinamarth**

What are you pledgers going with; Clean, Damaged, or Mixed Urban Streets? I can't decide.

**Cyporiean**

Dinamarth wrote:
What are you pledgers going with; Clean, Damaged, or Mixed Urban Streets? I can't decide.

If I was getting the streets, I'd go 'Mini-Wargamer' and get the mixed set. I think it'd be nice to be able to easily switch between clean and damaged tiles on a 4x4 board.

**Snrub**

Dinamarth wrote:
What are you pledgers going with; Clean, Damaged, or Mixed Urban Streets? I can't decide.

I'm thinking of getting a mix, leaning towards more ruined tiles.

Unless the trench system unlocks. Then i'm getting that.

**Joyboozer**

Will the damaged urban include tiles that have the universal dirt pattern so they could transition into scrap tiles?

**Lansirill**

What I'm wondering is what makes these plastic tabletops so pricey. It may just be the size of the darn things, the non-EB prices are around $7-9 per tile which seems pretty reasonable... it's just that when you need 24 of the dang things it adds up. I like the idea of them, and I think they're looking good, but I'm left scratching my head as to if it's a good idea or if I'd be better off building my own. I don't mean to be a ray of negativity, I'm just trying to see the value because I really do like the idea.

**MajorTom11**

Plastic is the most expensive material to produce products in for all intents and purposes. The cost of just milling the steel molds alone for each theme is $80000. Justin is literally asking for each KS to cover the tooling costs and that's it.

This does not take into account R&D, design, sculpting, testing, printing costs of the tiles, the materials cost, infrastructure, internal payroll, warehousing, shipping and distribution etc etc. Once you start doing the math on all of that, you start to easily understand why these things are 7-9$/square foot... easily.

Now, can you create your own board? Absolutely you can! Could it be even better than either ROB or Tablescape? Absolutely! But do you have the skill to do that if you are a stickler for aesthetics? How much is your time worth to you, it will take many, many hours to create a table that isn't a felt matte on the kitchen counter. Is it worth it for you to spend your time doing it or is it smart to get a pre-made solution? Last question would be durability... do you need to travel with your board, or put it away periodically at home? Plastic should obviously be as light and more durable than any of the tradition DIY materials like foam, plaster, milar or coroplast.

In a world where we pay 25 bucks for a plastic model, I don't think 7-9$ for a comparitively GINORMOUS plastic tile is expensive when you really stop and think about it right?

At the end of the day you certainly have very viable options to create one yourself, no sarcasm at all. As I said, it is simply these three questions:

1. Will the result look as good as you want it to?
2. Is it worth the considerable amount of your time needed to create it?
3. Do you need a board that can be transported or put away easily?

**Earth Dragon**

Whoever the thread operator is needs to posts the 20% off the entire SW range if heading. That is awesome. So much of this is golden with these boards. Love the barricades, and will be getting lots of sandbags.

**MajorTom11**

Just a small clarification just in case it comes up - plastic has a massive, massive up-front cost and very specific production issues that stop the majority of the non-GW market easily using it. However, it has a far lower per-print cost than resin or metal. So, if you are lucky enough to be successful, in the long-term you will eventually start making increasing returns on the investement once you pay off the mold creation. It's a smart move to go plastic, IF you can get the expertise needed to create viable model designs for the material (undercuts) and IF you can come up with the capital.

**Necros**

Lansirill wrote:
What I'm wondering is what makes these plastic tabletops so pricey. It may just be the size of the darn things, the non-EB prices are around $7-9 per tile which seems pretty reasonable... it's just that when you need 24 of the dang things it adds up. I like the idea of them, and I think they're looking good, but I'm left scratching my head as to if it's a good idea or if I'd be better off building my own. I don't mean to be a ray of negativity, I'm just trying to see the value because I really do like the idea.

When it comes to plastic, it's not so much the piece itself that's expensive, it's actually fairly cheap, but the costs of the molds is insane. We've been looking into plastics for Blackwater Gulch, just just to compare one quote for a 4x6" mold is $8000, 6x8" around $12,000 .. so I would imagine a mold for a 12" square would be quite expensive. So if you have 8 molds for 1 set of tiles, the cost to get 1 set produced is probably ginormous. And then the manufacturer will have a minimum order on top of that, so maybe they need to order 1000 copies no matter what. So between that and the price of the molds, the sets gotta be priced in a way that they make money in the end too. All things considered, I think these tables are quite fairly priced.. I wish I had more cash to get more sets, but can only afford the 1 for now.

**MajorTom11**

Earth Dragon wrote:
Whoever the thread operator is needs to posts the 20% off the entire SW range if heading. That is awesome. So much of this is golden with these boards. Love the barricades, and will be getting lots of sandbags.

Where does it say 20% I thought it was 10??

**Cyporiean**

MajorTom11 wrote:
Earth Dragon wrote:
Whoever the thread operator is needs to posts the 20% off the entire SW range if heading. That is awesome. So much of this is golden with these boards. Love the barricades, and will be getting lots of sandbags.

Where does it say 20% I thought it was 10??

The recent update that included the pledge calculator spreadsheet.