Ascended Kings Board Game & Graphic Novel

Home Stretch!
over 4 years ago – Tue, Nov 05, 2019 at 05:48:15 PM

Hello Ascendants!

This was originally going to be another giant update, where I told the whole mess of a story that we’ve been going through. HOWEVER, I COME ONLY BEARING GOOD NEWS INSTEAD.

Incarnate Games has reached out to legal counsel regarding the production and manufacturing issues that we identified in our last update and comments. We have made the decision to work directly with the manufacturer to resolve the issues.

Immediately when we started communicating and working with the manufacturer directly, we received a 100% satisfactory production sample of Ascended Kings, and have green-lit for them to complete the order. Also, as of now, the Ascended Kings games order will be on a seafaring vessel setting sail at the beginning of October!

Can you believe it?! I am super stoked! As far as the nature for all the delays and all that nonsense, I must defer to another time, I know many of you will want answers; I will be able to get them to you as soon as possible.

But now is a time to celebrate! Also, CHECK THIS OUT:

THE BOOKS ARE IN!! YES! Check out these beauties:

NOTE: Both the Graphic Novel and Pocket Guide books are actually in our possession.

Once I have confirmation that the boat is on the water with Ascended Kings games on board, that is when the pledge manager emails from BackerKit will be sent! I’ve done it this way because I’ve heard there can be logistical issues that can happen when pledge managers are sent out before a long delay. I know there are different schools of thought on that, regardless, once I confirm the boat is on the water, the pledge manager/BackerKit surveys are sent to you.

It’s an exciting time! I hope you all are ready to kill some kings.

I'll talk with you all again when I get confirmation of the boat's departure!

Jason M. Allen

Manufacturing Update
almost 5 years ago – Mon, Jul 15, 2019 at 12:05:39 PM

Hello Ascendants!

I hope you all are having a great Independence Day weekend!

This update will be long so I will try to be as brief as possible. Since there has been a long span of time that we have been delayed to inform you of the situation, we are releasing the information in this update all at once (it’s essentially 3 updates in 1). Also, given the nature of the issues we encountered with the manufacturer, I hope that you will understand why the update had been delayed this long. As always, I inform you guys of everything that is happening, and I am doing so again now; we had just been placed in an extremely awkward and difficult situation that was out of our control given the behavior of the original manufacturer. I’ll explain:

In early April, we received playmat sheets that were printed by Shuffled Ink directly that we found were finally an acceptable color match for the final playmat boards. They sent these initial approved sheets to China for them to apply them to the playmat boards (as we informed you previously, China wasn’t able to color match our artwork correctly for some unknown reason). So, on May 23 we received the sample of the constructed boards that used these new sheets and we were very satisfied with the quality of these. They even had a very nice linen like finish to them. We were finally able to approve the playmats and move on to the final, mass manufacture of the game. With all of the issues having been solved we thought we were finally on our way to the finished product.

I was preparing an update at that point (end of May) to inform you all of the good news. This is when we received particularly bad news that put us in a very awkward position and delayed any updates. Updates were necessarily delayed until this issue was resolved because it was something like an episode from House of Cards or witnessing a bad divorce…

On June 1, we received an email from BOTH the Chinese Manufacturer and Shuffled Ink.

The manufacturer emailed us stating that after much consideration, they had decided to cease business with Shuffled Ink. They claimed that Shuffled Ink “owed them money and did not want to pay.” They proceeded to offer to produce for us directly. 

This sent us into a tailspin. We only communicate with the manufacturer through Shuffled Ink, who is our intermediary as we are their client. We have no official connection with the manufacturer, and receiving this kind of news directly from the manufacturer, so soon after just giving our final approval, had us scratching our heads determining how to approach this. I decided I would give it a day hoping to receive word from Shuffled Ink about what was going on.

So we did receive word from Shuffled Ink, later that day, informing us that they had a major fallout with the Chinese Manufacturer. He said the manufacturer had delivered several orders (for their other clients) all with major print and/or structural defects which left Shuffled Ink and many of their clients hanging without recourse. The manufacturer had repeatedly refused to fix the situation, and in addition, would not give Shuffled Ink any assurances for any and all other orders (of which Ascended Kings was one). 

I found Shuffled Ink’s explanation to have merit, as you all know, we have had a few instances where the quality (for example the playmats) wasn’t meeting the standard we expected. Also, we were sent screenshots that Shuffled Ink provided which further showed how the manufacturer was cutting corners with their other clients.

Under normal circumstances, Shuffled Ink said they would suggest that we continue to work directly with the manufacturer, as they were so close to finalizing Ascended Kings and getting everything sent to us. However, before this happened Shuffled Ink sent them the rest of the sheets after we approved them to finish it, and the manufacturer refused the shipment! Tying it up in customs for weeks! In addition, based on the dramatic drop in product quality and the manufacturer’s deteriorating behavior and neglect over the last several months, Shuffled Ink could not in good conscience advise us to work with the manufacturer directly.

This led to a phone conversation with Charles Levin at Shuffled Ink, who explained to me in full detail just how bad the situation was. At one point he informed me that the manufacturer had tried to convince Charles to cancel our order altogether because the manufacturer did not want to take the appropriate steps to get our order right. That, in addition to Charles’ offer to provide financial statements proving that the manufacturer was not being honest about the payments they claimed Shuffled Ink owed them, we decided that we could not accept the manufacturer’s offer to produce for us directly.

This has a lot of connotations, obviously, the foremost being what did this mean for Ascended Kings? Shuffled Ink informed us that it would require the migration of the project over to a new supplier/manufacturer. At that time (so far as we knew), the original manufacturer was reluctant to yield all of the die molds and components already produced which meant essentially that we would need to start over with the new manufacturer.

We were very upset and disappointed to learn this. Our project has already been through so much, so to go through something like this in a situation completely beyond our control was nothing less than devastating. In our effort to produce the best product possible, mere days after we had finally reached the point where all components were approved and final for production, the manufacturer backed out!

Shuffled Ink has promised us that they would come through and make this right, that the new manufacturer would have a much faster turnaround time (3 – 5 months vs this unacceptable 2 year period we have waited), but this still doesn’t make this easier and we really want you all to know that we feel for you guys and there are no words to describe just how devastated we have been over this loss. (Please read on as there is better news ahead).

The reason it has taken much longer than it should have to update you regarding this was because, as I mentioned, since the end of May this has all been in limbo and Shuffled Ink has been doing everything they can to get the original manufacturer to release the shipment of the sheets and I didn’t want to jeopardize that by revealing that we would not be considering working with the manufacturer directly, which would risk prompting them to make the situation even worse. This certainly should not be a position that we have ever been put into!

However, all that said, there has been even more recent developments this week. It’s like a roller coaster that we are going through! Here is the latest email that I received from Charles:

“Jason,

We have had a potentially major breakthrough with (the original manufacturer).

I have been able to negotiate for them to release and ship your entire production to our chosen supplier to complete your game.

Assuming he follows through and delivers viable components as promised we should be able to complete this order much quicker than anticipated.

I will keep you posted as to when and if he follows through – should be within 1-2 weeks.

All we will have to do is apply the new sheets to the boards and assemble the finished product.”

I replied that this was amazing news! That after all this, if this pans out, we aren’t going to lose any of our progress as the submission to the new supplier will include everything that has already been produced WHICH INCLUDES the die molds!

I understand this is quite a spectacle and you guys have every reason to be upset just as we are, regardless of the good news. This is why we have worked out a deal with Shuffled Ink to produce The Sentinel oversized boss miniature (that we had for a stretch goal), at no extra cost, in an effort to make this up to  you all. This add-on will be available to anyone who backed Ascended Kings, and will be free of charge to everyone who elected in their pledge to receive a physical item to be shipped to them. No extra cost! 

Here is an image of the WIP (work in progress) for the Sentinel. This is still a work in progress and is currently being finished by Andrew Martin, the sculptor for Ascended Kings miniatures. Knowing Andrew, the final will be cool as ever! I will have an update revealing the final model as soon as it is available. (just fyi, yes, the final Sentinel boss miniature will have a base to stand on)

This was a lot of information all at once, and I know that given the circumstances (and the long wait time) you all have every reason to be upset just as we are. However, I ask again to please remain patient as we stay the course, this will all be for the best in the end!

We will have more realistic estimates for the delivery once the production materials have been confirmed to be in the hands of the new manufacturer. We will keep you posted!

P.S. Just as I was about to publish this update I received a new WIP image from Andrew on The Sentinel. Check it out!

Best Regards,

Jason M. Allen

Once upon a time in China…
almost 5 years ago – Fri, Jul 05, 2019 at 03:00:36 PM

Hello Ascendants! 

In the last update we posted that the new production sample was going to be sent out by the manufacturer on 1/14/19. On that day we received an email that corrected that date to 1/24/19. As of the middle of last week we finally received the long awaited and updated production sample. We were able to open up what we all hoped would be the final production sample with all issues finalized, which could allow us to move into mass production. While I was hopeful that we were going to see that finalized version, I must let you all know that the current quality of the character mats has still not reached the standards we are seeking from the manufacturer. 

All other issues as we mentioned before have been resolved. However, as frustrating as this news may be, we are going to have to continue working with the manufacturer in order to get the printing of the character mats right. We are just not happy with the printing quality for this particular component; it is not up to the standard that we wish for it to be, and therefore we believe that it is not yet the product that all our awesome backers deserve or should expect from us. 

Incarnate Games strives for the highest quality possible, so we are giving them one last try to get the printing quality right. I have included an image that clearly shows what needs to be done. To the left you can see the “new production sample” that we received, and to the right you can see a sample that we had printed from a prototype company. It should be noted that as this issue has been raised again, it seems that more people are being brought in to resolve the issue with the manufacturing team. I am hopeful they will get it right this time.

All that said, if on this final attempt the manufacture is again unable to provide the above results (at right), my business partner and I have decided that we will be personally going to China to sit down with them until they do get it right. At this point, this most likely means we will have to wait until after Chinese New Year to see the next results, but until then I want to thank you all again for your support and being a part in this journey with us.

Stay tuned for another update next week as we will be talking about the pledge manager (Backerkit) that will be going live as well as discussing the new lettering for the Graphic Novel which is well underway! It’s looking really cool!

Best Regards,

Jason M. Allen

End of the Year Update
about 5 years ago – Thu, Jan 31, 2019 at 08:20:23 PM

Hello Ascendants!

Tidings of comfort and joy! We have finally gotten the news we have been waiting for, so we are happy to share the new information with you before the holidays. The manufacturer has contacted us this week with an update regarding the delivery of the color matching samples for the character mats. Here is what they had to say!

"The player boards will be finished and shipped by or before 1/14/19. Once this is completed and in your hands and approved, believe it or not, we will complete and ship your order."

This is good news for all of us. Now that we have an idea of the timeline we can finally get the pledge manager sent out to you all so we can organize all of your orders. As mentioned during the campaign, we will be using BackerKit as the pledge manager service. Keep a lookout for information regarding the pledge manager after the New Year! This will be a great way for us to start out 2019!

We are so close now, I'm really excited! This is great news to hear especially since there has been some concern regarding whether the project would be completed before the Chinese New Year. Of course, I cannot make that promise just yet, but the chances are looking very good that it will happen before then. 

Again, I would like to thank you all for your patience and support during this journey! You guys have been awesome. Everyone at Incarnate Games wishes you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We will talk to you again in 2019!

Merry Christmas!

Jason M. Allen

Graphic Novel Status Update (New Content) & The Final Issue
over 5 years ago – Tue, Dec 04, 2018 at 10:15:09 AM

Hello Ascendants! 

I am excited to share new progress with you all. We have a couple of updates, so it is essentially 2 updates in one. I was advised to post them separately but as I already told you guys in the comments that I was combining them, I decided to put them together for this Update #21. First is an update about the Graphic Novel, which we will get into right away, and second is an update on the production samples.

A couple updates ago (Update #19) we let you guys know that we received all the “final” artwork from Ray Dillon and examined his decision to inform us that he would be unable to finish all the edits we needed. We don’t know why it took so long to get art with things like eyeballs missing from some of the characters, but we are done dealing with that and have spent countless hours ironing out all the errors to get a book you folks will love. Ok, let’s just jump straight to the solution that is today's update.

Thanks to advice from Nick Macari, the author of Ascended Kings graphic novel script, we hired Walter Ostlie (artist, comic creator, writer) to finish the necessary edits that were needed to complete the art and color work portions of the graphic novel. HE DID A REALLY GREAT JOB!! Needless to say, I won’t be detailing every edit that was needed here as it was already a substantial amount of work between Nick Macari, Walter Ostlie, and myself. However, I will be giving you all a good idea by sharing some before/after images to show the basic nature of the various types of edits we had to tackle.

There were various types of edits that were needed, some were just simple color changes to things like a certain feature or a character's eye color. A few were large color edits like one of the examples below of an entire scene that was the wrong atmospheric tone. Other than color edits, there were also several clothing textures that were missing on certain pages which had already been established in previous instances of the same character. Finally, there were several missing artwork components that needed to be added, most notably were things like kings missing their bloodstone rings, or characters missing irises. I chose specific examples to demonstrate these edits side by side in the following images. For these examples, I decided to also reveal some never before seen artwork as this is a good opportunity to show you new content!

The images on the left side are original “final” submissions. The images on the right side are the "official final" art pages showing the same artwork but with the final additions/edits applied. I show the image, then comment about the image in the text below it.

The image above shows an example of a page that needed a simple color change (there were many pages that had instances of this). One of the twin princesses, Kashiera Kynazarr, is known as the 'Golden Rose of Kynazarr.' Her armor features Rose motifs on the pauldrons and on her cape. The rose on the cape was never supposed to be white, and gold was called for in the script. You can see that change has been made. You will also notice on this page an instance of missing artwork, too, i.e. missing roses on the pauldrons (shoulders); this has been corrected as well. (Note: I’m pretty sure this is a never before seen page, I decided to share the whole page as it features Kashiera, a beloved character to the Omega Mundus Series.)

This next image (above) is an example of an entire scene that continued from a previous page but both pages were intended to show the same location. The previous page (not shown) was a dark blue atmosphere but then changed to this copper like tone shown at the image on the left. It is unknown why the original color artist decided to completely change the atmosphere of the scene even while it is taking place in the same location. Regardless, Walter did a fantastic job of matching the tone of the scene to the appropriate dark blue tone to that of the aforementioned previous page. ALSO, on this page, you will see the color of the irises for two of the characters have been corrected. There were A LOT of instances of incorrect eye colors throughout the book. This actually was one particular aspect of the artwork where we struggled with the original color artist the most, for some unknown reason. Eye color is a very important part to the lore of Ascended Kings as it carries a lot of significance to the character’s identities. The script clearly denoted the color of every character’s eye color throughout the entire script, yet, for example, King Khadrius Zhoth’s (shown above) irises changed color multiple times from page to page and I have no idea why. Anyway, all characters have their correct eye colors now! (Note: This is a never before seen page, I cropped it down some making it more of a teaser page.)

Moving on to other types of edits, we have this action scene with missing textures shown above. I believe we shared a portion of this image across social media during the Kickstarter campaign, I’ve decided to reveal the rest here today. This sequence features the Varan guard, Duru, and the prince Hunzuu Vara fighting creatures known as the Vadeem. This page shows an instance of all the textures to these characters garments missing. Walter has corrected this fantastically. Eye colors to the Vadeem and Hunzuu were corrected, as well as Duru’s missing irises.

This cropped image above is an example of missing artwork where one of the Ascended Kings, Sar Zhoth, was missing his bloodstone ring. Walter Ostlie has made the correction you can see in the bottom left corner of the image at right.

This last image is a sort of “bonus” image I debated on whether to tease or not. This is the first time we have actually ever shown the Dire Revenant appearing in the Graphic Novel! It's zoomed in quite a bit and cropped out heavily to avoid spoilers. You can see on the image at left the Dire Revenant is missing his halo completely. This was one of the more elaborate edits that had to be done, and MAY OR MAY NOT have been needed to be corrected in other panels. I am super pleased with these types of corrections that Walter Ostlie was able to complete for us! Great work, Walter!

So, that demonstrates for the most part what the edits entailed. I am happy to announce that all the art and colorwork is finally DONE and in a FINISHED state. Now we are moving on to lettering. We decided to also completely redo the lettering work as the previous letterer did not reach the level expected. We have chosen and are in contact with a new letterer and I am getting the final TIFFs over to him presently, I will have more updates to come.

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We also have a follow up from the last update regarding the production samples. As you may recall from Update #20, there were 4 final issues that needed to be addressed and resolved. I will briefly list them here again and then comment on each to their status.

1. The character mats need accurate color matching. This is actually the final issue that needs to be done, the next 3 have already been resolved! (spoiler lol). We are waiting for the character mats to arrive, I am not sure what date they are planning on sending these, but as always I will keep you informed.

2. The quad-fold board needs to be a BiFOLD board. ALAS! This arrived in the mail this week. We have looked them over and can confirm this issue is finally resolved. Here are images of the new final Bi-fold boards! (seeing these now, apologies for the poor lighting)

 3. The card/gem trays that were made of weak material. This turns out to have been resolved without further ado. Lol, by this I mean it turns out that it actually wasn’t an issue as this is how the manufacturer responded: “The trays in this previous sample were handmade. (The manufacturer) was just wanting the shape and design to be approved. He has assured that the actual quality of the plastic will be of much higher, standard quality so that there are no holes, etc.” YAY!!! Very nice :D

4. This was regarding the U shape being cut out roughly, and this is also resolved just like number 3 by extension. Continuing, this is what they had to say: “In doing this, we will also fix the U-shape issue so that the mold matches what the original tray sample was like.”

So with that, we conclude this update. Only the last issue remains, with that of the color matching the character mats! I’m excited to receive them; I will keep you all updated as soon as we do!

Best Regards,

Jason M. Allen