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Hello there!

I'm one of the writers for the Mercenarium Kickstarter:

https://kickstarter.com/projects/hereticalfunhouse/mercenarium-galaxy-ablaze-5e-campaign

We're bringing you mercenary adventures in a sci-fi universe filled with mechs, spaceships, aliens many other murderous creatures!





Rewards include PDF of the module as well as 3D printing files of the units from the game universe!
Here's a glimpse of what we have:













Mercenarium: Galaxy Ablaze was created with tons of love and care, and we're hoping it is one of many future modules we aim to create. And yes, to those wondering, we aim to create in the fantasy genre as well come future projects.

Please feel free to check out the Kickstarter page, and share it around if you can. Your support, even just supportive words, mean the world to us!

Some more of the designs that we are packing into our project!

Looks interesting so far, likes the mechs for sure.
Good work!

Apple fox wrote:
Looks interesting so far, likes the mechs for sure.
Good work!

Thank you! Glad you like it! We'll be posting more as time goes on

The 3D print files are a nice touch.

The fluff seems well developed, but can you comment more on how all this will work within the 5E rule set?

And it's unclear to me if the scenario/campaign book is included in the pledge tiers or not. Can you clarify?

 schoon wrote:
The 3D print files are a nice touch.

The fluff seems well developed, but can you comment more on how all this will work within the 5E rule set?

And it's unclear to me if the scenario/campaign book is included in the pledge tiers or not. Can you clarify?

Great questions, allow me to elaborate!

The scenario "Galaxy's Gambit: The Mercenary Maelstrom" is part of the main book, so you get the full package with the standard tier. As for 5E we have custom races and classes that are built around 5E ruleset but with a few extra tweaks. Additionally we have a spaceship and mech combat systems that are built with 5E in mind.

Hope this clarifies the setup so far, but ask more questions if you have any!

The mechs and overall thing looks cool! Could you also post a breakdown of what we can get?

MeatMetalMikey wrote:
The mechs and overall thing looks cool! Could you also post a breakdown of what we can get?

Just a sec yup!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Here is a breakdown of all our pledges and stretch goals:

PLEDGES

- "Get The Update" Tier - 10$
Get all the updates and decide whether to back later on!

- "New Blood [Early Bird]" - 25$
The Mercenarium PDF, plus all stretch goals, and your name in the backers credits.
Includes:


- "New Blood" - 30$
This tier is for those that missed the Early Bird. The Mercenarium PDF, plus all the stretch goals and your name in the backers credits.
Includes:


- "Mech-Pilot" - 45$
Become the pilot of the RMS-X01 Rapier mech suit. You get a 3D-printable STL of the model, the Mercenarium PDF, plus all the stretch goals and your name in the backers credits.
Includes:


- "Squad Lead" - 60$
Add a squad of mercenary operatives to your mech. You get a 3D-printable STL of both the mech model and the mercenary models, in addition to the Mercenarium PDF, plus all the stretch goals and your name in the backers credits.
Includes:


- "Heavy Platoon" - 100$
Deploy a reinforced mercenary platoon with mechs, tanks, and infantry. You get a 3D-printable STL of Rapier and Guardian mechs, Sahad tank model and the mercenary models, in addition to the Mercenarium PDF, plus all the stretch goals and your name in the backers credits.
Includes:


- "Raider Squad" - 150$
Design your own mercenary NPC to be apart of Raider Squad and forge you legacy along fellow mercs! You get a custom art piece of your mercenary among the other members of Raider Squad. An RPG statblock for use in game, 3D-printable STL of Rapier and Guardian mechs, Sahad tank model and the mercenary models, in addition to the Mercenarium PDF, plus all the stretch goals and your name in the backers credits.
Includes:


STRETCH GOALS:



Detailed Stretch Goal Overview:

- At $30k, we will work on expanding the cybernetics/genetics system, creating an additional 15 cybernetic/genetic enhancements available to both players and NPCs.
- At $40k, we will create an additional 10 new mechs and 5 new ships.
- At $50k, we will create 20 entirely new creatures to populate the world.
- At $60k, we will develop a new faction, complete with 5 unique ships and 10 new units.
- At $75k, we will develop 3 new playable alien races.
- At $90k, we will release a brand-new new adventure module with a new class to accompany it.
- At $100k, we will release 3D-Printable files for Maghrebian Protectorate, Knight, and AI Hive units.
- At $120k, we will begin work on a 30-page digital comic book centered around Raider Squad, the squad of unique characters made for our top backers.
- At $150k, we will release a new 4-part campaign.

Should we break all of these goals, we will create a new list of stretch goals to reach.

Well, I like the idea/aesthetic of the troopers you've got going on (though they do a have a let's say striking resemblance to Eisenkern), but the level of detail on your vehicles looks more like a first start on Patreon than any sort of product at the $100 price point. The impression I'm getting is that while you may have a good sketch artist and writer/editor, your 3D modelling skills are not where they need to be to get this project off the ground. That your renders aren't on the kickstarter is also telling.
Perhaps you're planning to improve on your modelling and were mainly planning to sell this on the strength of your writing, we'll see.

Irdiumstern wrote:
Well, I like the idea/aesthetic of the troopers you've got going on (though they do a have a let's say striking resemblance to Eisenkern), but the level of detail on your vehicles looks more like a first start on Patreon than any sort of product at the $100 price point. The impression I'm getting is that while you may have a good sketch artist and writer/editor, your 3D modelling skills are not where they need to be to get this project off the ground. That your renders aren't on the kickstarter is also telling.
Perhaps you're planning to improve on your modelling and were mainly planning to sell this on the strength of your writing, we'll see.

Hey there,

The 3D printable designs are a bonus rather than a main center piece of the kickstarter, we are in fact creating a sci-fi setting for D&D fans. However specifically the designs of the Eisenkern that you mentioned and the design of our project fall into a general sci-fi aesthetic, which shouldn't be an issue. The Eisenkern themselves are 28mm scale for example and at that scale the details are harder to see, not impossible as Games Workshop for example has shown, but we are not making a massive miniature wargame.





Moreover the Kickstarter itself is a place to gather financial resources in order to bring the project to its final form i.e. hire additional artists to improve the designs of the PDF and have a nice little bonus of minis you can place on the table.

Nevertheless, thank you for your input!

Week 1 Update and Universe introduction:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hereticalfunhouse/mercenarium-galaxy-ablaze-5e-campaign/posts/3885024

Reach for the Stars

Despite the efforts of the eco activists, carbon taxes, and many other half-hearted band aid attempts to fight against climate change, Earth’s environment has proceeded to degrade at an accelerated rate. As of 2096 there were few places on Earth where water did not have unsafe levels of toxicity. The farmable areas have also shrunk considerably and fewer edible crops could be raised to feed the ever-growing population. Cities, especially in less developed countries, suffered from polluted air to such an extent that their citizens had to invest in respirators and live in pressurized buildings in order to avoid seriously harming their health. At the same time, humanity still created tons of garbage which was not disposed of properly and created extra pressure on the few sustainability measures that were being enacted. With almost 90% of the world's population living in cities and sustainability measures failing, each and every day the human race creates millions of tons of garbage and residues that are not properly treated in any way. More than half of this pollution was caused by industrial sectors and was approaching irreversible and catastrophic levels of ecological damage that would potentially leave nothing for the next generation.

Different governments around the globe were aware of the situation, they were being informed of the projections and given updates by scientific teams whenever new degrading milestones were passed. In such a grim situation, where the alternative was the total extinction of the human race in the next few hundred years, the governments secretly agreed on a plan of action to rebuild human civilization. Private sector tech companies should be financed to develop colonization technologies, citizens of different countries should be secretly divided into those who are useful for survival and those who would be considered dead weight. Additionally suitable habitation planets should be identified and if possible surveyed. And so the “Stairway” project began.

One of the key players in the tech support for “Stairway” and a company called FAFNIR Mech-Tech Solutions, which began as simply that – a small tech company in the late 2070-ies within the confines of Eastern Europe. The company mainly focused on maintenance software for industrial mechs, but as time went on it began to work closer with military manufacturers as well and lobby for lowered taxation using interest groups in different countries. Over several decades Fafnir managed to push itself into multiple industries and to a degree steered the tech development of the entire human race through the “Stairway” project, which by that point was actively deploying its long-range survey satellites and beginning its space expansion phase.

An important milestone in the “Stairway” project was the shift in construction philosophies for spaceship design and development. This was due the proper establishment of “MagneField Effect”. The principle behind the “MagneField Effect” (MFE) was to use the interaction between a magnetized fluid and a magnetic field to generate thrust. The MFE drive works by passing a conductive fluid, such as a plasma, through a magnetic field. This causes a Lorentz force to be exerted on the fluid, which in turn generates thrust. That combined with FAFNIR’s ACG-X03, a helium-like gas with highly conductive properties, allowed for a new breed of spaceships to be designed that used Earth’s own magnetic field to propel them into space.

It didn’t take long for humanity to begin properly venturing into the cold depths of space, thus plunging the Galaxy into a technologically-enabled expansionist boom. Thanks to FAFNIR’s Karpatova Drive, which allowed faster than light travel, humanity did what it does best - turned the list of habitable planets into an interstellar Wild West frontier where the different nations and enterprises that had participated in organizing of the evacuation of Earth consolidated, negotiated borders, evolved, merged, fought, split until the human interstellar society became more stable.

The majority of the first phase colonisations were on worlds that required least tech interventions to make them habitable for humanity, but as the expansionist boom went on more hostile planets with harsher climates were also colonised but would force their settlers to constantly endure hardships and require maintenance. What should be noted is that not all planets were colonised by nations or political entities, as the more influential corporations, including Fafnir, did tamper with the planet list, to exclude certain planets that they wanted for themselves.

The colonisation process went on like this, a survey ship would be sent to a planet and evaluate its climate for human habitation. A colony ship would be sent upon receiving positive test results and within several generations a more or less stable settlement would be up and running. The expansionist boom went on for a few decades, but nothing lasts forever and the colonisation efforts are dying down, which coincides with humanity returning to an old tradition of fighting over what they have.

Over the course of several centuries Humanity established colonies in hundreds of worlds throughout the known universe and in order to maintain stable political relations an Interstellar Nations Council was formed (I.N.C.). One of the chief policies that I.N.C. has is the provision that while the council does not have any military of its own it is capable of commissioning mercenary units to act as peacekeepers or other representatives of the council. Unsurprisingly one of such entities is an independent interstellar software/salvage company known as FAFNIR Mech-Tech Solutions.

As with most, if not all expansionist endeavors it is hard to keep momentum. Over-expansion led to infighting between the colonised worlds, political scheming, and claims of independence by several colonies. Now once-united humanity is divided into different groups and factions and an uneasy balance exists between them. Some field their own forces for defense or expansion, others rely on mercenaries.

Hey everyone! We've got a new update and a faction introduction! Check it out: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hereticalfunhouse/mercenarium-galaxy-ablaze-5e-campaign/posts/3888694

Hello everyone!

As our Kickstarter picks up steam we are continuing to give you glimpses of the in-universe factions, technologies and so forth. Today we shall introduce you to the Union of Scientific Republics!



The Union of Scientific Republics is Fafnir’s private state. Created to provide more political legitimacy to the corporation the USR is a two-part system that is one-part republic and one-part corporate-scientific junta. The union citizens live in a republic, vote on policies and serve in the republican military. At the same time the scientific junta aka Fafnir Mech-Tech Solutions create policies, outfit the military and engage in all sorts of social, construction, and research projects in the Union territory. The republican government does oversee such matters as agriculture, commerce, industry, finance, foreign and internal affairs, housing and development, and territorial defence. However at any given time Fafnir’s Office of Scientific Inquiry can interfere in any of those matters and direct them with no oversight from the republican government.
While the government body is made up of the parliament and different departments, Fafnir is divided into three Offices and six sections.

The Office of Scientific Inquiry is the head of the corporation and is divided into the Colonial and Surveillance sections that monitor the republics, develop the infrastructure as needed, police the population and enforce the rule of corporate law.
The Assets Office is the technology department of the corporation and is divided into R&D and Deployment sections. R&D as the name implies researches new tech and tests it. The Deployment Section on the other hand keeps track of all the tech assets in the field and in storage.
The Corporate Management Office deals with both the Union’s political interactions and internal issues. The External and Internal sections respectively deal with those questions.

The Union is made up of five Republics, each essentially being a giant department for Fafnir’s research divisions:

Silidor - focuses on software development, offensive and defensive hacking, and is the seat of the Union Parliament
Skol - the Neumat processing center of the Union, an industrial planet with little to offer in terms of entertainment or social life.
Verf - spaceship design and development center as well as the main production hub of the Union.
Takeda - mech and vehicle design and development center, also the university hub of the Union.
Zuyong - personnel hub, that has both the military training facilities, small arms design and production bureaus, and entertainment areas.

The Union is the only political entity that is at peace with the majority of the colonies in the known space mainly due to the fact that Fafnir was one of the main players behind the expansionist boom. Additionally the corporation engages in tech trade and licensing contracts with the Coalition, which makes it an unlikely target for any sort of assault.

-------------------------------------
We hope that this sneak peak into Mercenarium got you even more fired up about bringing this project to life! Once again we are very grateful that you decided to join us on this journey. As always we would appreciate any reposts and links to the Kickstarter campaign. We are hyped to share more content with you soon!

Until next time, forge on, mercenaries!

Hey everyone! We've got a new update, now with renders and a new faction introduction! Check it out: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hereticalfunhouse/mercenarium-galaxy-ablaze-5e-campaign/posts/3890468

Renders from the update:

Hey everyone! We've got a new update regarding the 3D prints, lore, and the pledges! Check it out: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hereticalfunhouse/mercenarium-galaxy-ablaze-5e-campaign/posts/3895818

Also here are the renders of the 3D prints that are included with appropriate pledges:









Additionally we've overhauled the pledge visualization:

Hey everyone! We've reached a new milestone and are introducing you to a new faction! Here is the update:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hereticalfunhouse/mercenarium-galaxy-ablaze-5e-campaign/posts/3902015



Ninaku started as a small medical business in the aftermath of WWII by Juan Ninaku, a person of Japanese descent whose ancestors were members of a XVII century Japanese diplomatic embassy to Pope Paul V. During the embassy some of the Japanese retainers were allowed to settle in what now is known as Mexico. Over time and in big part thanks to the Japanese Economic Miracle the business went global with several high-class clinics all around the world. In the XXI century Ninaku was also actively investing in the tech sector in order to maintain its competitive edge on the medical market.

The real challenge arose when the Project “Stairway” was announced and many medical companies realized at once that the one who secures medical services on an intergalactic scale will reap most benefits. Some companies banded together , others were bought by competitors, but a few, like Ninaku, looked for strategic alliances with other industries. Being one of the biggest players in the medical sector gave Ninaku enough confidence and ammunition to approach another big tech company - Fafnir Mech-Tech Solutions. The proposal was simple, both companies would exchange services and present a united front when negotiating colonization contracts. The resulting corporate powerhouse propelled both organizations to the corporate Olympus from which they struck down any competitive threats to their success.

In the following decades since the strategic alliance Ninaku was able to establish itself as the primary healthcare provider in the Human Sphere. The advantages of such a position were utilized to the fullest extent - all levels of medical services from high-end to the most basic ones were on the menu. If you couldn’t pay in full, they would offer a payment plan, or offer a discount for an opportunity to test stuff on you, either way they would get your money. For the exceptionally wealthy they also offered high-security medical responders - a team of medical professionals that would do their best to save your health and defend you from any potential threats.

Hey everyone! Another week, another update and this one is extra spicy with mech, and spaceship mechanics as well as another faction intro: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hereticalfunhouse/mercenarium-galaxy-ablaze-5e-campaign/posts/3907546

Mech Mechanics:

Mechs are the backbone of any formidable ground force, combining raw power with technology to dominate the battlefields. We're excited to give you a sneak peek into the mechanics that bring these behemoths to life.

All AI Mechs have 1 Machine Personality (MP) from the following list:


Sentinel AIs
Autonomous defense systems tasked with protecting key installations or areas.

Archivarius AIs
AIs dedicated to gathering, analyzing, and disseminating knowledge.


Medic Nexus AIs
Specialized medical AIs used for healing and surgeries.


WarMind AIs
Battle-oriented AIs, usually embedded within warships or combat mechs


Harmonizer AIs
AIs designed for diplomacy and negotiation


OrgSys AIs
AIs designed for management of storage facilities.


ShadowNet AIs
Stealth and hacking-oriented AIs, specializing in infiltrating networks, gathering secret data, or cyber sabotage.


EcoGuardian AIs
Environmental monitoring and protection AIs.


Additional Rules

Combat Hacking. AIs can be hacked during combat by players and vice-a-versa. The hacker must have a cyberdeck and succeed an Intelligence (Technology) check versus the AI’s Intelligence score. Roll the AI Malfunction Table for Results.

Overcharge. All mechs are able to overcharge their engines/cores to gain temporary boosts from the Overcharge Effects Table. This however comes at a cost. If the mech is damaged and tries to overcharge, roll for a random result on the Overcharge Effects Table.

Special Ability: Use a special ability or feature of the mech, if it has any. The effects of the special ability are determined by its specific rules.

Mech Damage: Every successful damage beyond 25% of the mech’s HP adds a potential negative modifier. Roll for result.


? Starship Battles:

From nimble fighters to behemoth capital ships, our starship mechanics are designed to offer depth and complexity while remaining intuitive.

Each spaceship battle is a conflict between two or more spaceships, each controlled by either the players or an NPC crew. The battlefield is usually a 48”x36” area. The NPC crews differ in their rank and training. There are 5 ranks for NPCs and each comes with its own baseline stat line-up.

Crew Ranks (CR)

Rank 1 - SpecOps

Rank 2 - Veterans

Rank 3 - Experienced

Rank 4 - Rookies

Rank 5 - Untrained

Round Structure:

Each round of spaceship combat follows these steps:

Initiative: Everyone rolls initiative as normal, using their Dexterity modifier. This determines the order of turns within a round.

Turns: On a character's turn, they can take one action. The possible actions are:

Attack: Use the ship's weapons to attack another ship. Make an attack roll (d20 + the ship's attack bonus). If the result equals or exceeds the target ship's current AC, the attack hits.

Boost Shields: Boost the ship's defenses. Make an Intelligence (Technology) or check. On a success add 2 to the ship's AC, while cutting the Speed by 50%.

Repair: Repair the ship's Hull or fix damaged systems. Make an Intelligence (Investigation) or Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check (whichever is higher). The result is added to the ship's Hull or any other score until it reaches its original value.

Maneuver: Make a Dexterity (Piloting) or Intelligence (Technology) check to outmaneuver enemy ships. On a success add 1 to the ship's AC until the start of next turn.

Special Ability: Use a special ability or feature of the ship, if it has any. The effects of the special ability are determined by its specific rules.


End of Round: If all ships on one side have their Hull scores reduced to 0, the other side wins the battle. Otherwise, start a new round from step 1.

Additional Rules:

Proper Crew: If the ship is piloted by one or more players, their stats become the ship’s stats and can be used for checks. The ship can attack multiple times

Commander's Orders: If the ship is piloted by multiple players, the captain of the ship can forgo their action to give orders to the crew. The next actions taken by the crew gain advantage.

Special Equipment: Ships can have special equipment or abilities that provide new options or bonuses in battle.

Critical Hits: If an attack roll results in a natural 20, the damage to the Hull score is maximized (full value).

Optimal Range: Every weapon has an optimal effective range, beyond which the attacks can still be made, but suffer a penalty of -4 to attack roll per 5 spaces.

Upgrades: Different ships come with different amounts of Modification Slots (MS). The slots can be filled by either performing an Improvised Modification Intelligence (Technology) check of 15 or commissioned from a Shipyard Engineer for 10,000 credits.

Ship Damage: Every successful damage beyond 25% of the ship’s HP adds a potential negative modifier. Roll for result.



New Faction Reveal
As is tradition we introduce a faction in every update and this time please welcome - Dusk Industries!



Alex and his crew tackled many challenging jobs before, but their latest acquisition, a massive freighter, promised to be the most difficult yet. They quickly discovered that the ship was malfunctioning. The engines were offline, but still showed fuel reaction when scanned, and the energy grid seemed to be failing. Without proper power, they wouldn't be able to access the valuable technology and materials inside.

“Micah, can you hack into it and see what’s up?” the shipbreaker asked.

“On it, boss, it has older systems, so they shouldn’t be as protected”

That turned out to be true and soon they found the culprit - a faulty power coupling that caused intermittent power shutdowns.

“Jozi, cut the panel and see if we can replace the coupling”

Jozi was a class C Imprint, he died young, while piloting a cargo ship and was not able to save any money for a potentially better Imprint class and since Dusk owned the ship his Imprint was owned by them. Despite such a weird existence he was cheerful and quite happy with his new body.

“Boss, we don’t have that type of coupling, but I detached my finger and jammed it in there, the power should be back to normal”

Alex mentally shuddered at that phrase, but his mouth only said: “Good job, kid”

With the power back online they were able to vent it and begin the process of dismantling the freighter. They started by examining the ship's structure, looking for designated cut points around the hull. They found the engines, radars, and other gadgets attached to the hull, but they were not at the usual cut points. The freighter was heavily armored and had additional layers of protection, making it harder to access. They carefully decoupled the mechanisms and systems, taking care not to trigger any engine failures.

It was then that they heard a loud bang and the entire ship shuddered.

“Crew! Status report!”

“Jozi here, the engine reaction Micah picked up earlier, it ate at the engine stabilization compartment and ignited the stopper fluid. It….”

“What else?”

“...Jake’s dead…a part pierced his helmet…”

Jake was tasked with decoupling the engine section, a pretty experienced salvager, but in this line of work people can never be too experienced. The crew was silent for a few minutes. Alex, who has seen this happen before, contacted the Dusk managers. As per the company policy the team continued the salvage operation and finally, the freighter was fully scrapped, and the valuable technology and materials were recovered and sent to processing.

It was then Alex notified them that Jake also did not have enough savings and only qualified for a C class Imprint body. Thankfully, said the company manager, he would be shipped to them in two days, so they could take paid leave till then. Something that, despite the situation, they welcomed.

At the beginning of the expansionist boom there arose a need for two things - space ship salvaging and manufacturing. Different corporations, big and small, were producing their own designs with varying levels of quality. Dusk Salvaging Services was one of such companies, but it primarily focussed on breaking down space wrecks and occasionally building salvage drones. With its base on Ido it received a healthy traffic of ships and managed to make a profit but nothing too major.

A sheer coincidence however allowed the company to considerably expand its operations. During one of the routine salvaging operations the drone operators stumbled upon an information cache that contained compromising information about Fenrir’s bribery to secure certain planetary locations for early colonization. While there was an option to present this to the I.N.C. and launch a full-scale investigation, the owners of the company instead went directly to the corporation and handed over the sensitive data, which earned them favour from the CEOs.

In order to cement the relationship with the salvage Fafnir ended up donating its production capabilities on Ido to Dusk, thus propelling the relatively small salvage company into a significant entity in the ship design and manufacturing field. Using its experience in building utility drones Dusk Industries went on to design and build cheap and effective space craft - haulers, personal ships, freighters etc. Over the following decades it firmly established itself as a cheap and competent solution for all utility needs the colonies may have. Additionally it cultivated its tech partnership with Fafnir and entered the private security sector with a universal guard bot project called “Jagatai” that has seen moderate success in Independent Colonies.


How You Can Help:
We're making great progress, but there's still a universe of potential out there. Here's how you can help us reach our stars:

Spread the Word: If you have friends or fellow gamers who'd love the sound of deep space battles, mechs, and expansive factions, share our Kickstarter page with them!

Stay Updated: We'll be hosting more live streams, AMAs, and more to dive deeper into the game's mechanics, art, and lore. Make sure to tune in!

In closing, every backer, every share, and every word of encouragement moves us closer to our goal. Let's set the galaxy ablaze together!

Until next time, forge on, mercenaries!

Best, Heretical Fun House Team

Hey everyone! We have a new update: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hereticalfunhouse/mercenarium-galaxy-ablaze-5e-campaign/posts/3924594

? Hello everyone,

We wanted to take a moment to update you on our project's status and share some thoughts on how we might proceed, based on current trends.

When we set out on this journey, our hope was to make the most out of a 60-day funding period. We believed that this span would allow us to gain the most traction and attention. But as the saying goes, the best-laid plans often go awry.

To shed some light on our budgeting decisions:


Principal writing: 25%

Promotion of the project: 15%

Writing of the adventure module: 15%

Emergency funding: 5%

D&D mechanics tester: 10%

Art commissions (artists we have negotiated with - Thisnorthernboy, Nicolas Poitou, Krispyartboi): 30%

Outside of the allocated 30% for art commissions, all other portions were designated to compensate specific individuals. Our core principle was that nobody should work for free, recognizing the passion and hard work that each contributor brings to the table.

As of now, we are at 29% of our funding goal with just 5 days remaining. It seems improbable that we'll meet the target of $15,000 within this timeframe. While this is disheartening, it has spurred us to think creatively and consider alternative paths forward.


? Our Proposal:

Considering our circumstances, we are thinking of relaunching the campaign after it ends on IndieGoGo, but with a twist:

- The funding goal will strictly cover the artists' commissions, but it will be whatever we can get model.


Our team deeply believes in this project, so much so that we're willing to absorb the other costs ourselves to see it come to life. But this is a significant decision, and we believe it's essential to involve you, our backers, in the process.


What Do You Think?

Please share your thoughts on our proposed direction. Would you be supportive of this new approach? Do you have any concerns or suggestions? Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we want to ensure our next steps align with the wishes of our community.

Regardless of the outcome, we are incredibly grateful for your continued support. We remain steadfast in our commitment to bringing this project to life, and we'll do everything in our power to make it happen, with your continued encouragement and feedback.

Stay tuned for more updates and, as always, thank you for being a part of this journey with us.

Warmly,

Heretical Fun House Team

Hello, everyone!

First of all, thank you for sticking with us! You've stayed with us despite the low funding situation, so we will not disappoint!

We have launched a flexible funding campaign on IndieGoGo - https://igg.me/at/mercenarium/x/7150191#/

It is set to only our art costs and is flexible, so whatever you give, we will get. All the rewards are still there, so you can choose the same pledges and back with the same amounts and we will be funded.

Thank you once again for being part of this thrilling journey. Together, we will make Mercenarium: Galaxy Ablaze a reality, and you'll be right at the helm as we blast off into the unknown!

Until next time, forge on, mercenaries!

Best, Heretical Fun House Team

Hey everyone! Wanted to share some of the page prototypes we have for NPCs, ships and monsters:







As always we invite you to support us on IndieGoGo - https://igg.me/at/mercenarium/x/7150191#/

Hey everyone! We have a new update:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mercenarium-galaxy-ablaze-5e-campaign/x/7150191#/updates/all

Hello, everyone!

We are in our final week and are pleased to inform you that we are at 23% funding on IndieGoGo!

As always here is the link: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mercenarium-galaxy-ablaze-5e-campaign/x/7150191#/

This update also serves as a reminder that you can still help us by spreading the word about the campaign and backing if you're still on the fence. Additionally this update also brings forth new lore about the interstellar tech behind the Human expansionist boom!

Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only Karpatova Drive!

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Ksenia Anatolievna Karpatova was born in the Ukranian Federative Union in 2078 and initially dreamt of becoming an astronaut. However, her family could not afford it, as her father was a construction worker and her mother was a housewife and a freelance writer, so they convinced her to settle for becoming an engineer instead.



Ksenia started her engineering education at age 14 at the Kiev State University of Engineering and Transport. She struggled with the coursework at first but persevered and excelled later on. After receiving her bachelor's degree, Ksenia decided to pursue her PhD at the same university under Professor Aleksey Belskiy. She received her doctorate at age 22 and published her thesis on plasma formations under laser flows within two years of finishing her degree program.

Upon graduating from university, Ksenia was scouted by FAFNIR and invited to join the newly established air mech division. She quickly rose through the ranks at FAFNIR and became one of its top engineers. She proved herself an excellent engineer by designing and then improving new air mech engines for FAFNIR's multitude of clients. By doing so, she saved the company millions of dollars while also preserving her career path in engineering.

After five years of working at FAFNIR, Ksenia was able to setup her own in-house research lab- FERRA (Fundamental Research In Aeroengines). The crowning achievement of the lab was the Karpatova Phase Drive.



The drive works by creating a singularity in front of a spaceship. This creates a temporary anti-space-time barrier that decelerates and propels the ship forward at speed. Karpatova and her team used theoretical and computational methods to create the first interstellar phase drive.

They presented their results at the International Astronautical Congress in Beijing in October 2105. After some changes the drive revolutionized space exploration and travel, allowing humans to reach new planets and other star systems thousands of light years away from Earth.

In preparation for interstellar travel, several space agencies have started building interstellar spaceships with phase drives. One such ship was the Belunis III-B, which was completed by FAFNIR around 2114 AD. This ship set several records for planetary landings and space exploration, including our own Moon and Mars.

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More to come, so stay tuned, and once again, from the deepest corners of the galaxy, thank you for your unwavering support.

Until next time, forge on, mercenaries!

Best, Heretical Fun House Team

Hello, wonderful backers!

We quickly approaching the final hours of our funding campaign and are pleased to inform you that we are at 28% funding!

As always here is the link: https://igg.me/at/mercenarium/x/7150191#/

This time we are showing more design stuff in addition to lore concerning Humanity's AI advancements! Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, Dr. Hideo Kashimiya!


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Dr. Hideo Kashimiya was born on Mars as a 3rd generation colonist. From an early age he exhibited interest in cybernetics and programming, which led him to study AI development and machine-learning at the Martian Academy of Sciences.

His research into pilot AIs led to him being scouted by FAFNIR and eventually brought aboard to work on battleship AIs. After several years of service he became one of the senior AI researchers at FAFNIR and was responsible for developing an AI assistance interface for military spacecraft also known as Main Battle Guidance Systems (MBGS). MBGS main purpose is to aid the ship's navigator, giving him advice and instructions to improve combat performance. The system relies on a wide selection of open-source military data.

Due to his research in the field of Artificial Intelligence, he received many awards, including the title of "Hero of Science", the highest scientific award given by the Union government. At the behest of FAFNIR he also collaborated with Ninaku Medical Incorporated to develop medical AI systems, which assist brain-damaged people. A result of such collaboration is a system called "Imprint" which will allows humans brains to be imprinted on AI structures that preserve them while medical intervention is needed to save the biological brain.



The Imprint Technology

The expansionist boom was not without tragedies and deaths, many colonies had harsh environments and this pushed Humanity’s medical development further than before. While it was impossible to bring back the dead, a particular breakthrough allowed previous versions of the dead to be brought back to life thanks to project “Imprint”. At its core the project allowed human brains to be imprinted on AI structures that preserve them while medical intervention is needed to save the biological brain. However, in case of the physical death the saved image of the brain could be uploaded to a mechanical suit, creating what is commonly referred to as “Imps”. Depending on the personal situation at the time of death, some Imps are free to do whatever they want, while others are corp property that are able to earn freedom.

Imps are divided into 3 classes:

A - The most expensive and fully independent class, that allows the individual to own their new body and continue living their life without worrying about corporate or governmental oversight.

B - The mid-tier solution, which provides almost as much freedom as class A, but requires the individuals to submit to periodic ID checks and info-scraping by the manufacturer of their Imprint.

C - The free tier. Those with no means to cover A or B options end up with these classes, which are owned by organizations are are usually used in one or more of the following areas:



Workforce: Imps may be used as workforce, renting them to companies as a form of labor, with different pricing for different types of jobs.
Entertainment: Imps are sometimes used for entertainment, for example, as performers in music or theater.
Companions: Not as often, but some Imps do find themselves to be sold or rented out as companions, for example, as pets, lovers or assistants for people living alone.
Bodyguards: Imps with good military history are often used as bodyguards for VIPs or high-profile businesspeople.


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Juun Ship Designs(WIP)

We've begun commissioning the artists for the some of the ship designs and we are happy to show the progress on the Juun!



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As always we're are thankful for your continued support, whcih allowed for this progress and any additional help would be simply grand! Stay tuned for more!

Until next time, forge on, mercenaries!