Update #58 Nov 17, 2013
Boof Minions are in the Bag
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Well, that did not take long! This journey would be impossible without you.

You have unlocked the Boof Bullserker Boxed Game Upgrade and all backers receiving these rewards will be getting two extra plastic Boof Demons in their shipment. We are really pleased with this take on the traditional centaur. It would have been easy to take the body of a bull and combine it with the head of a bull and come up with a … bull. We think we have something better.


The Boof Demons have been placed on the Add-On list, $10 for 2 plastic minis. They were already on the bundle list and if you really need more Bull Demons, the Double Nightmare Bundle is better value. Don’t forget, the Boxed Game Upgrades give you plenty of Bull Demons for use with the Nightmare deck and only the most hard-core gamers will need the Double Nightmare Bundle.

Is there anything else coming? Maybe you have noticed our first Expansion Pack!

Update #59 Nov 18, 2013
Game Play Update #13 – Spawning Demons
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The rules updates are nearly finished. You should have a good idea about controlling the Pilgrims (click here previous updates), so now let’s focus on the Demons.

It’s traditional to start with a short video:
Game Play Video

The video gives a very quick overview of the Demons’ turn and we are not going to be able to cover all the details here today. And please forgive those sideways moves! It has been a while since the video crew watched the movement video.

As you know, there is no “Dungeon Master” controlling the Demons during the game. The Pilgrim players will be controlling them, under direction from relatively simple rules. But no matter how simple and clear the rules are, there will be ambiguities and odd conditions. “Move on the shortest path towards Tripitaka” might sound clear and precise but what if two different paths are the same length and put a Demon in attack position? It is easy to find odd circumstances.

We are tackling this two ways. The rule book will have a large number of graphical examples showing how to handle many different situations. Also we will tell you that when you are stuck, it does not really matter. Journey is supposed to be a fun, fast, game. If you can’t decide between options, just pick one and play on. Double check the rules tomorrow.

Why are we making this point now? Because we know we cannot cover every aspect of the Demons’ turn here in a couple of updates. Remember, you are just seeing the basics now, and we will give you much more information before you play the game.

After the Pilgrims have been activated, the game switches to the Demon Phase:

Spawn Demons from the Demon Gates.
Activate each Demon in turn. Each Demon has 2 Action Points.
So, Demons appear on the map at the Spawn Gates. There are spawn tokens in the box and you can get the 3D scenery version if you want to. We use tokens or markers because the gates are not at fixed positions printed on the Map Tiles. Each Quest will tell you where to place the Gates when you setup. Normally there will be one Gate on a Map Tile, but there can be zero or more than one.

Most of the time, all Gates will be active, spawning Demons immediately. There are times when distant Gates are inactive and times that Pilgrims can close Gates, but for simplicity start by thinking all the Gates are active. (The Quest description will tell you about activating or closing Gates if required.)

Demons are spawned by drawing from the Demon Card Deck, so draw one card per Gate. Most cards have simple instructions, like the card you saw in the video telling you to place two Berrok Bull Warriors. Which leads to the next question, where exactly do you place the Demons?

We have mentioned in passing that the Demons are out to get Tripitaka because the Sutras will give him the power to seal the Demons back in the underworld. We’ll talk a little more about this later, but while spawning they follow this plan too:

Place the new Demons on the Map Tile adjacent to the Gate.
Use the open square that is closest to Tripitaka.
Face the Demon in the direction to move along the shortest path towards Tripitaka.
Poor Tripitaka, sounds like he is heading for trouble.

Coming soon: The Demon Actions.

 kilcin wrote:
I just may add the centipede demon since they have it marked as Kickstarter Exclusive.

 Alpharius wrote:
IS there a definitive and easy to understand list of what I'd need to buy in plastic and in resin if I wanted to get everything that isn't included in the $100 pledge level, including achieved stretch goals?

Update #60 Nov 18, 2013
Journey has Expanded
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We are really pleased at how popular the expansion has proved to be. Honestly, we did not expect this to be unlocked so quickly. We have the best backers! But don’t worry, we really want to make Journey a long lived franchise and have a long range plan. There is plenty more to come, if you tag along with us.


We have unlocked the White Bone Demon Expansion. You have been guessing what is included, and now we can show you that this is much more than a simple miniature bundle. The White Bone Demon Expansion is a real change to what is on offer. 10 more plastic miniatures, new types of Demons and their Demon Boss, many cards, a rules supplement and a Map Tile for Yara’s lair:

Yara, the White Bone Queen, an oversize mini approximately 70mm tall, with a 2 square base.
1 Yagara Bone Beast, an oversize mini approximately 40mm tall/65 mm long, with a 2 square base.
2 Yangu Bone Generals
6 Yataru Bone Warriors
4 Demon Profile Sheets, a new Demon Deck, new Skill Cards
1 new Map Tile For Yara’s lair
New Quests


As normal for expansions, this is not a standalone product. There will be a rules supplement, but it will be based on the Journey rulebook. You will play with some Map Tiles and Bridge Tiles from Journey and the base rules are the same. But the expansion is more than different shaped playing pieces. The White Bone Demons play very differently to the Bull Demons, being faster and harder to cleanse. Faster means it is easier for the Pilgrims to get overrun. With the Cleanse Ritual being less effective, Pilgrims will have to risk more kills and Bad Karma. You will need new strategies to defeat the White Bone Demons.

Finally, there is a new game mechanic. The White Bone Demons are the reanimated bones of long dead warriors. Demon Spirits possess the bones and over time, warp them in to horrific shapes. This separation between the Demon’s spirit and the warrior’s body may explain why the Cleanse Ritual is harder, but it is certainly the explanation of the biggest surprise the Pilgrims will face. Dead White Bone Demons are left on the board and if Yara can attract another Demon Spirit, these piles of bones may spring back to life!

We also intend that some of these new components can be used in the base game. Perhaps not the lair tile and Yara, but Demons roamed the lands and the game will play well if you mix a few White Bone Demons into the Demon Deck and replay some Quests from Journey.

So you all want to know the cost. The expansion is $48 with no extra shipping, even though it adds a lot to the weight. We also have resin Add-Ons:

Yara, the White Bone Queen for $20
1 Yagara Bone Beast for $20
1 Yangu Bone General for $15
1 Yataru Bone Warrior for $10
And a plastic Bundle is available, 1 x Yangu Bone General, 1 x Yagara Bone Beast and 3 x Yataru Bone Warriors for $20. If you don’t want the full expansion but would like some variety or you want to boost the expansion for home brew Quests, perhaps this Bone Bundle is what you need. All Add-Ons contain the cards to play the Demons, but not the new Condition Cards and Skill Cards.

Which brings us to the next Stretch Goal at $300K. We know that this expansion is not for everyone, but it would be great for you all to get a little benefit from this new work. With two Yataru Bone Warriors in the Boxed Game Upgrade (with cards, of course) everyone can get a taste of what these scuttling Demons are like. Bring some variation to your game and get a feel for the expansion without getting it.

Update #61 Nov 18, 2013
Yataru Bone Warriors Abound
2 comments Like 4 likes
We are stunned. We were really pleased with the art for the White Bone Demons, but we did not expect the expansion to explode like this. We are so pleased that this is as popular with our backers as it is here in the Marrow Production office. We have not even had a chance to show you the larger concept art from A.J. Manzanedo. Once again, we must say how pleased we are to work with him.


The $300K Stretch Goal is unlocked, a great milestone for our project. All backers receiving Boxed Game Upgrades will get 2 Yataru Bone Warriors and their game cards. If you get the White Bone Demon expansion pack, you will have a few more minis to use. You will find great uses, but with more minis, you will defer the “out of minis” rule for a few turns as you play with a bigger horde, swarming around the Pilgrims.

If you are thinking of getting the expansion later, at least you get to see one type of Bone Demon miniature now, and will get a feel for how its game stats make the Bone Demons different from the Bull Demons. Just mix the Yataru Bone Warriors cards into the Demon Deck and let then spawn at random in the Bull Demon Quests.

Anyone remember the Alternate Female Tripitaka mini? We said that we could cast her in plastic if we made to $300K. She will be free for anyone that pledges within the next few hours. If you join us before Monday 18, Nov 4:00pm EST, you might get one free:

Beat the deadline and get Boxed Game Upgrades at the end: You get a plastic Female Tripitaka.
Beat the deadline and get Collectors Upgrades at the end: You get a resin Female Tripitaka.
Only one free gift for each backer. The female Tripitaka is used instead of the original mini. Use the original Game Cards.

What’s next? Well, well, well. What’s next? A Collectors Upgrade, the water well.

 cincydooley wrote:
So quick clarification. The dude that was free if you were In before Oct 28 is avail in that $22 soul cleansers set, yeah??

 kilcin wrote:
Another update.

Update #61 Nov 18, 2013
Yataru Bone Warriors Abound
2 comments Like 4 likes
...

Anyone remember the Alternate Female Tripitaka mini? We said that we could cast her in plastic if we made to $300K. She will be free for anyone that pledges within the next few hours. If you join us before Monday 18, Nov 4:00pm EST, you might get one free:

Beat the deadline and get Boxed Game Upgrades at the end: You get a plastic Female Tripitaka.
Beat the deadline and get Collectors Upgrades at the end: You get a resin Female Tripitaka.
Only one free gift for each backer. The female Tripitaka is used instead of the original mini. Use the original Game Cards.

What’s next? Well, well, well. What’s next? A Collectors Upgrade, the water well.

Update #62 Nov 19, 2013
Game Play Update #14 – The Demon Phase
Comment Like 13 likes
In the last rules update, we left you with Demons popping up adjacent to the spawn gates, in the squares close to Tripitaka, ready to move towards him (click here). What’s next? In this update we will give you information about the rest of the Demon Phase.

Once spawned, demons are activated in turn and, like Pilgrims, take two Actions each. We recommend that you start with the Demon closest to Tripitaka and work backwards. Play both actions for one Demon and then activate the next.

Demons have a much shorter list of actions that can be performed, actually just two, Attack and Move. And with two action points, they perform actions in that order, Attack and then Move.

So first, Demons attack. We have given you the details for attacking in earlier updates, so you understand the principles. Check the Demon Profile Sheet for the Attack Range icon for targeting and the attack dice you will use, look up the defense dice from Pilgrim’s Profile Sheet and the damage taken by the Pilgrim is the difference in the attack and defense rolls. However, there is one difference! You saw on the Pilgrims’ Profile Sheet, that the Pilgrims select one target in Attack Range. Many of the Pilgrims enemies are powerful creatures with big sweeping attacks. Their Attack Range icon may say All Targets. Yes, the Demon may attack all Targets standing in the Attack Range. Each attack is rolled for separately. Don’t bunch your Pilgrims up together!

The Attack Dice are specified on the Demon Profile Sheet. Most minion Demons use just two red Attack Dice. Tougher Demons, like the three Bull Demon bosses, also roll the black Demon Die, and the results for that die are printed on their Profile Sheet. Think of it as being similar to the unique weapon that each Pilgrim has, controlled by the white Pilgrim Die. A Demon Die result could be as simple as extra damage, but it may produce a more powerful effect, like an ongoing Condition, Poisoned, Burned, Paralyzed, etc.

The second action is to Move. If a Demon does not have a valid target for the first Action Point, the Demon can take a double Move (one normal move with double the MV points). Demons are really trying to hunt Tripitaka, so their move will be along the shortest path towards Tripitaka’s current position. They move just like Pilgrims, one point per square and one point per 90º change in facing. When they move towards Tripitaka, they stop moving as soon as he is in their Attack Range, so the Demons with longer range attacks, will automatically hang back.

The most complex part of the demons move will be selecting the path. Think of them as simple creatures like dogs. They will go round small obstacles (scenery or other Demons, even trying to move around the other Pilgrims to get to Tripitaka). They will also plot longer paths, going around the walls of buildings to a broken door, to chase down Pilgrims that are inside structures. They will also move from one tile to another crossing over the bridges just like Pilgrims.

However, they do not coordinate their attacks like humans. Just start by moving the closest Demon towards Tripitaka. If the first mini rushes forwards and gets in the way of another Demon with a longer or double move, that’s the way it happens. Demons do not organize their movement for the best result.

The rule book will have many examples of moves in more and more complex situations.

So now you can see some strategy in the game. If you leave the Pilgrims bunched up near Demons, perhaps because you ganged up to attack and failed, you risk each Demon making multiple attacks. From the movement rules, you can see that you can lure demons along a certain path. If only there was some kind of neutral creature that would attack anything stupid enough to come too close. Some kind of heavenly creature, perhaps…

There is still some more to cover. Quests, the whole turn sequence and some details of the larger characters.

Update #63 Nov 19, 2013
Last Leg of the Journey
20 comments Like 28 likes
We have posted more Stretch Goals, without full details. You have seen us hide the details of future Stretch Goals before, so this should be no surprise, but today we want to share more information about what is happening.


The Stretch Goals shown at the moment are not the only goals we will post in the next few days, but they are the biggest and most exciting. We are posting them now, so you can plan how you want to finish your journey.

As you can expect, the second Heavenly Creature and the second expansion are Add-Ons. We do not expect most of you to get all these large Add-Ons and we want to give you time to think before the rush of the final day. We want to give you time to decide which ones you prefer. You also have some payment options to consider. We’d hate for you to make a mistake at the end.

Get them at retail. We hope to bring Journey, both expansions and the second Heavenly Creature to retail after the KS Fulfillment. You will not be the first to get them, they might not have the bonus items and they might be a little more expensive, but you will have the advantage of playing the game first and being sure you want them.
Get them by increasing your pledge post project, in the Pledge Manager. There will be a Pledge Manager, it will allow you to add funds and select items, but funds pledged this way will not open new Stretch Goals. We cannot say when the Pledge Manager will open or close right now.
Finally, of course, you could pledge during the campaign as normal and push the pledge total along, perhaps unlocking more goals, improving the game or expansions.
So think of this as a rough road map to help you. Not all the sites are marked on this road map - there might be more Upgrades, Gifts, small Add-Ons and Bundles to come. But the Heavenly Creature and second expansion are the only new, big ticket items.

We know some backers pre-pledge to help open goals. With the last days approaching, be careful. You can only actually get the Add-Ons that have been unlocked.

We were in such a rush when the White Bone Demons came out, we did not have a chance to share all the art that A.J. created for us. Here’s some more, enjoy!

Update #64 Nov 19, 2013
A Place to Recover
8 comments Like 10 likes
We have crossed a lot of ground in the last few days, which is all down to you. We could not do this without you.

Now we are at $320K, all backers getting the Collectors Upgrades will receive one more resin scenery miniature, the Water Well. In the game, the Water Well is used for healing. Pilgrims moving adjacent to the Well can fully heal, but they are only able to use each Well once. Wait until you’re really sick and it will give you the most benefit. Wait too long and, well, don’t wait too long.

It will be added to the resin Add-On list for $3. Like all scenery Add-Ons it is completely optional – you already have color cardboard tokens in the box. You could get one Water Well and move it to the center of the action. But if you want to create a little 3D world on your table top and feel you need more, we would say 4 is a good upper limit.


We said there might be more Stretch Goals to come and here is a new one already! If we get to $330K, we will add 1 more plastic Yangu Bone General to the White Bone Demon Expansion Pack. Who gets it? Everyone getting the White Bone Demon Expansion Pack. The banner is on the front page, but take a look at the Art by A.J. Manzanedo. It’s great!


Finally, the Bone General Expansion Upgrade will be followed by a second Heavenly Creature. More details to come, but there is some confusion in the comments that we did not anticipate. The core game already includes Kei Lun, our first Heavenly Creature. He is the largest miniature in the box, about 125mm high and he is gorgeous. Ray is adding the finishing touches and you will see him soon. But the Heavenly Creature in the Stretch Goal is not Kei Lun, it is a different Heavenly Creature. Be careful, here be dragons.

Update #65 Nov 20, 2013
Expansion Upgrade
11 comments Like 15 likes
As the journey draws to its close, your help has pushed us past one more milestone. Our first upgrade to our first expansion!



By reaching $330K, we have unlocked our first Expansion Upgrade. We can include one more plastic miniature, and the associated cards, with the Expansion – 1 more Yangu Bone General to be precise. So now, everyone that gets the White Bone Demon Expansion will receive:

Yara, the White Bone Queen, an oversize mini approximately 70mm tall, with a 2 square base.
1 Yagara Bone Beast, an oversize mini approximately 40mm tall/65 mm long, with a 2 square base.
2+1 Yangu Bone Generals
6 Yataru Bone Warriors
4 Demon Profile Sheets, a new Demon Deck, new Skill Cards
1 new Map Tile For Yara’s lair
New Quests
Like the other upgrades, this is free and automatic. There is no change in the cost or shipping and you don’t need to do anything to get it, apart from selecting the White Bone Demon Expansion in the pledge manager once the project closes.

Did you read any of that? Or did you just skip to the bottom, looking to see if the Dragon is next? Yes, the Dragon is next! Up next, our second Heavenly Creature, Qinglong. This will be a very large miniature (larger than Kei Lun!), more cards than you might expect and Qinglong-specific Quests.

Qinglong can also be used in the existing Quests. Before we sign off, this teaser is some early concept art from A.J. Manzanedo. More details and art if we reach $350K and unlock him.