⚡ Kleos - What's Next? ⚡
over 2 years ago – Fri, Dec 31, 2021 at 08:53:57 PM

Hey everyone,

What an exciting ride!  The games have shipped and that is a wrap for this Kickstarter campaign, but it is only the beginning for Kleos.  As we approach not only the end of this campaign, and also the end of 2021, I wanted to share 'What's Next' for 2022.  Thanks again for your support and excitement for all things Kleos!

Pictures & details for the next Kleos game, as well as a couple of future projects are included below:

Additional Solo Content

First, an intro solo scenario has been finished and will be sent to the graphic design team today.  I hope to have it posted by the end of January.  You play as Atalanta on a very special hunt in Artemis' sacred hunting grounds.  

Second, I plan to start a monthly solo challenge, with the first one (hopefully) posted on January 15th.  Stay tuned in the Kleos Facebook Group HERE for more updates.   I plan on having a small prize for one lucky participant in the first month's challenge.  

Videos

While visiting Kleos' co-publisher Giga Mech Games in Georgia, we filmed a 'How to Play' video, which is in the process of being edited.  Also planning to work with a couple of reviewers / content creators to make "how to play" videos soon.  Is there any channel you personally like the best?  Shout out in the comments!

Future Games

Kleos: 3 Realms (Working Title) -  The next Kleos game will feature the Olympian elders and royalty (Poseidon, Hera, Hades, and Demeter).  It will be a 1-4 Player full standalone game, that can also be integrated with the Kleos base game.  This means it will have a new game board, 4 new gods, a new Fates Deck, at least 20 new Epic Minions to recruit, and a few other surprises.   

The artwork is ~75% done, and I have the game crudely built in TTS for testing.  I've been heavily testing the new mechanics and divine decks this week and plan to open it up to public testing ~February.  Hoping to launch it on Kickstarter in Q4 2022.  Here is a quick preview of a few cards with art by the wonderful Enggar Ajar Adirasa:

What's Next? - Greek mythology was my original inspiration, but there is so much more to explore.  There are many mythologies and cultures in the world that are not well known and have not been explored heavily in popular culture.  My plan is to explore some of these wonderful and vibrant mythologies, while doing right by the cultures they represent.  

The next game after Kleos 3 Realms is going to represent Balinesian mythology from Bali, Indonesia.  It is a beautiful combination of Pacific Island animism (think Moana) and Hinduism (the stories without the harsh caste system).  

I was lucky enough to go there and was entranced by the stories, the dances, and most of all by the people who still practice the religion to this day.  Enggar is from Indonesia, and we're both excited to tackle this project.  

There will be similarities to Kleos, and it will be modular with Kleos, but it will also be a different game to capture the unique feeling of the culture and mythology.  Stay tuned for more on this!  The art is not being created yet, but here are a few photos to get a feeling for it:

Something Different - I've been developing a game about finding joy in life in your own way and overcoming obstacles.  It originally came about while talking with a therapist who was disappointed that there aren't any/many good games they can use in practice.  It was suggested that sometimes patients don't want to talk about their problems, and a game can be a useful tool to indirectly reflect on certain topics.  

The plan is to have the game tested with licensed psychologists and publish it in conjunction with a charity, offering 100% of the funds to support that charity and mental health efforts/awareness.  I have a prototype made, but keeping it a bit quiet until we have some feedback from licensed professionals in the new year.  More info to come in 2022!

Wishing you all a happy and healthy start to the New Year!

-Jim ⚡⚡⚡

⚡ Note to Canadian & Australian Backers ⚡
over 2 years ago – Thu, Dec 23, 2021 at 03:05:45 PM

Hi everyone,

Quick but important update today for Canadian and Australian backers.  

I was notified today that the Kleos shipments to Canada and Australia were mistakenly shipped DAP (Delivered at Place) instead of DDP (Delivered Duties Paid).  It seems that the wrong box was checked while the shipments were prepared and this cannot be changed during transit.  As a result, you may receive a notification from DHL requesting payment for clearance services in order to deliver your shipment.    

As you know, I promised customs friendly shipping to Canada and Australia along with the EU.  To keep this promise, I'll be reimbursing these costs with proof of payment.  

Please reach out to me via Kickstarter or e-mail ([email protected]), and we'll figure out the best method.  My apologies for any inconvenience this may cause, and I am here to help!

EU fulfillment completed a couple of weeks ago, I believe all games have delivered to the USA this week, and games are starting to arrive in Canada.  I am hopeful that games will arrive to all backers globally by the end of the year. 

Thank you to everyone that has been sharing their feedback, pictures, and excitement in the Kleos Facebook Group!  If you feel like sharing your joy, please also consider leaving a review on the Kleos Boardgamegeek page HERE, which will help gain momentum for the next campaign. 

Lastly, I plan to make an update just before New Years announcing plans for the future of Kleos and another game in the works.

Thanks again for your support - Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season ahead!

-Jim ⚡⚡⚡

⚡ KLEOS USA Fulfillment Begins! ⚡
over 2 years ago – Wed, Dec 08, 2021 at 07:49:25 PM

⚡  THE CONTEST BEGINS!  ⚡

Get excited!  Kleos is now fulfilling to all backers around the world!  Kleos arrived at the USA fulfillment center a few days ago.  My hope is that you will all have your games in time for the holidays.  😊  

Thank you all for being a part of this journey, and I can't wait to see Kleos hit your gaming tables.  Once you get a chance to play, I would love to see pics and stories from your games!  Feel free to share them in the Kleos Facebook Group.  

Most of you should have received a little surprise in an envelope sent by mail.  Enjoy!  If you haven't received it yet, it may take some extra time with the holiday season upon us.  I sent the international letters ~2 weeks ago and just started to see them arrive as of yesterday.   USA letters started delivering a few days ago, but they may take some extra time as well.  

Also, this guy is now known as.... Party Marty! 😆 Many thanks to Ghost for the awesome name.

Having great partners goes a long way!  One of the only reasons the games arrived in the USA before the holidays is thanks to our co-publisher Giga Mech Games.  They have a logistics contact that was able to get this shipment expedited onto a boat, and into port despite the global logistics crisis.   

All games should be dispatched to backers within the next week.  We were hoping they would all ship before PAX, but the late arrival to the warehouse and a major web services outage yesterday unfortunately made it impossible.  

Lastly, PAX!

If you are attending Pax Unplugged this weekend, visit booth #3313 to play Kleos and say hello!  I'll be sharing a booth with Giga Mech Games and running Kleos demos all weekend.   I look forward to meeting any backers that will be at the show.  

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season!  

-Jim ⚡⚡⚡

⚡ It's Time!! EU Fulfillment Begins! ⚡
over 2 years ago – Sat, Nov 20, 2021 at 09:09:57 PM

⚡ Mount Olympus quakes with anticipation! ⚡

BIG NEWS TODAY!  The EU shipment arrived at the fulfillment center.  EU fulfillment will start next week.

The USA shipment also arrived at port.  That will take a bit longer though.  With current port delays, it is likely going to be at least another week or two before the games arrive at the USA fulfillment center.   Thankfully it is on the East Coast, which is not nearly as delayed as the West Coast.  That said, the time is drawing near!!!

⚡ Hmm, What Could It Be?! ⚡

I have one last small surprise for everyone, but it won't be in the game box.  Keep an eye on your mailboxes over the next couple of weeks!  😊

⚡ Note to UK Backers ⚡

There is one headache with the EU shipment.  When I chose my EU fulfillment site in March 2021 (post-Brexit), they said it would not be an issue to deliver DDP (Delivered Duties Paid) to the UK with all taxes and duties covered.  It seems that this changed over the last 6-8 months.  I was told at the extreme last minute that while they can still deliver to the UK without issue, they can no longer deliver DDP to cover the duties.  I am not sure if this was complicated by the EU tax & customs changes in July, if the border situation between the UK and EU has continued to evolve since March, or if I was simply misinformed.  I talked this through with their team, and there does not seem to be any wiggle room.  

What I will say is this...I am here to help.  They have assured me that they can deliver to the UK but that there may be some duty charges for backers.  UK backers - Feel free to start a discussion in the comments and/or message me directly.  I apologize for any inconvenience this will cause, and I will work with you to make sure the games deliver properly.

I will be at PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia from December 10-12.  Come say hello!  I'll be demo'ing with Kleos' USA co-publisher, Giga Mech Games, at their booth #3313.  It is our hope that fulfillment will be completed by then and games will be in everyone's hands.  Hope to see some of you there!

USA backers, wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving next week.  To all other Kleos' backers around the globe, I hope you have a nice start to the holiday season.

-Jim ⚡⚡⚡

⚡ Locking Addresses & Digital Artbook! ⚡
over 2 years ago – Tue, Oct 19, 2021 at 08:34:47 AM

Hey there fellow Olympians!

Shipping details first, followed by a link to the Digital Art & Mythology e-book below.

⚡ Most importantly, I'm going to lock addresses through Backerkit this week. ⚡

For the EU, this is on schedule.  For the USA, it is a bit earlier than I mentioned in the last update since I need to lock all the addresses at once.  You will receive an e-mail later today providing 48 hour notice to update your shipping address if needed, along with a link to do so.  This is essential to receive your copy of Kleos!  You can also visit backerkit.com and login with your email address if preferred.  If there is any issue while making updates or after, send me a message on KS and I am happy to help.  

Currently, the EU shipment is expected to arrive at the fulfillment center in mid-November, and the USA shipment is expected to arrive at Bridge Distribution ~November 22nd.  This is subject to change based on customs & port scheduling, but either way, we are currently on track to fulfill these games by the end of the year.  Fingers crossed that it stays that way!

⚡ DIGITAL ART & MYTHOLOGY BOOK ⚡ 

Lastly, here is a Google Drive link to the Kleos Digital Art & Mythology book.  This is essentially a compilation of all the Mythic Monday Facebook posts along with art for each character in the game.  It was a lot of fun putting this together, and I hope you have a nice delve into the mythology behind Kleos.  As a side note...Canva's free service is amazing and made this so much easier than I thought it would be.

 KLEOS ART & MYTHOLOGY - Google Drive Link 

DISCLAIMER:  Please be kind and remember I am not a professional writer.  😅

Enjoy!  Shout out your favorite character or myth in the comments!

-Jim ⚡⚡⚡