Chroma Arcana - January Update (Charging Cards!)
4 days ago
– Thu, Jan 16, 2025 at 09:38:47 AM
Greetings fellow mages!
This is an exciting month for us! We're thrilled to announce that game production is about to begin with our manufacturer after they resolved all issues raised last month. As part of this process, we'll be charging all cards through BackerKit soon. Don't worry—you'll still have time to update your address if needed!
Full-Scale Manufacture
We received our final prototype at the end of last year, and while there were a few hiccups to address, we’re happy to share that our manufacturer has resolved all of them! We’re now ready to begin production.
To recap, here are the issues we tackled:
- The inlay has been upgraded to a premium material and updated to match the colour of the box interior.
- The cardstock has been fixed, and the final finish has been selected and thoroughly tested.
- The card sleeves fit our cards perfectly! For those who have bought the add-on, we're including enough sleeves for the entire game (with plenty of extras), and we've ensured that the sleeved cards still fit in the deck boxes.
- The neoprene mat add-on has had its print colours adjusted to better match the player board colours.
Before production begins, we need to do one final pass of the rulebooks to catch any errors. If you'd like to lend a hand, we'd greatly appreciate your input—join us on our Discord to get involved!
Charging Cards / BackerKit Payment
We’ll be charging cards at the end of this month—31st January—via BackerKit. This will include shipping, add-ons, and VAT.
If you need to double-check your payment details or have questions about the process, now’s a great time to do so.
Indie Spotlight
At UKGE last year, we had the pleasure of meeting Dan and Rick from Creation Distortion, who introduced us to their game: Singularity Hex. This is a co-operative dungeon-crawler set in a gripping sci-fi horror universe—and it needs your support!
Your support would mean the world to them (and us!). Check out their Gamefound page and follow their project—let’s help bring this incredible game to life!
Next Steps
As always, if there's anything you'd like to see covered in the next update, please comment below and we'll be sure to include it!
Mo & Alice @rocnestgames
Chroma Arcana - December Prototype Update
20 days ago
– Tue, Dec 31, 2024 at 11:08:52 AM
Greetings fellow mages!
This is part 2 of our December update. As we mentioned on Discord, we received the prototype copy on Christmas Eve. We have been playing with it for the last few days and have submitted feedback to the manufacturer.
Receiving the prototype has been a long-awaited moment, and we’re thrilled to finally see all the pieces come together. Here’s what stood out to us:
The Highlights
When you receive the game, we want it to take your breath away - and the box does not disappoint. We think it's gorgeous! One of our stretch goals added holographic foil and UV spotting, and this not only highlights the intricate artwork, but also gives the box a tactile and luxurious feel. It's these details that make all the difference to us. It glistens just perfectly in the light, providing a subtle enhancement to the box as a whole. While it's difficult to photograph, here's what it looks like:
If you want to see a video that shows off the foil and UV spotting better, head on over to our Discord!
The deck box solution we implemented works very well. You'll be greeted to a rainbow of colours when you first open the game. Each box has a beautiful image to give you a feel for what is inside, and has helpful text to show you how to put cards back in their correct place after each duel. When you want a specific colour to add to your deck, you'll know where to find it and what it does just by looking at the deck box.
The gemstones we received are so bright and easy to see on the cards, which means you won't lose them in the heat of a duel.
The art prints! These came out so well, and we're really excited to frame them and put them on our wall. Thank you for voting on your favourite pieces!
The Grimoire pin badge is a thing of beauty. We are really proud of this, and will request a few extra just in case anyone wants to add it to their order:
We also received the neoprene mat, and the quality is great! Cards move smoothly on it and the material has a very premium feel. We have used it several times in duels over the last few days, and we find it really elevates the playing experience.
Tyrant Hunt, the expansion, is so beautiful we might have to hang it on our wall. It's a good size, too, but we've made sure the Tyrant Hunt contents also fits into the core box in case you want to save on storage space.
Almost all of the components are consistently high quality - something that is incredibly important to us. While we're thrilled with most of what we've received, there are a few areas that need some fine-tuning.
The Hiccups
The inlay has two small issues: its colour, which we’ve asked to be changed to white to match the rest of the box, and an extra third slot that feels unnecessary. We’ve instructed the manufacturer to remove this, which should make storing all the components easier, including the expansion content.
While the card thickness is correct, there was an error in manufacturing that has resulted in the cards being more flimsy than expected. We've been assured that this will not be an issue in the final product, but we've requested a sample with the correction so that we can get a good feel for the cards.
Speaking of cards, the prototype was missing our card sleeves. While we're confident that our cards will fit sleeved into each of the deck boxes, we want to verify this. We will be receiving sleeves along with the new card samples to make sure everything fits right.
Finally, the neoprene mat, despite being high quality, has printed significantly more yellow than expected. This is due to the fact that the prototype was printed in RGB instead of CMYK. We have informed the manufacturer to ensure the colour remains consistent with the player boards in the core box, and have requested a sample with those corrections in place. The adjustments should be simple, and ensure the final product matches the polished aesthetic of the rest of the game.
Fortunately, these are the only issues that arose with our playtesting and inspections. We expect them to be fixed quickly and we will be receiving the new component samples with expedited shipping in the new year.
The Timeline
All in all, we're happy with 90% of this prototype!
The four hiccups should be easy for the manufacturer to fix, and once we receive the components that we have requested, we will hopefully be able to confirm the start of manufacture.
Due to needing to request the new samples, we're now expecting to start production by the end of January. This does, however, coincide with Chinese New Year, which could affect timelines. That said, we're doing everything possible to minimize delays. If all goes as planned, you can expect the game in your hands by April or May.
While we hope to avoid further delays, we are committed to making sure you receive a final product which meets our high standards. Thank you for your patience and understanding - it means the world to us!
Next Steps
As always, if there's anything you'd like to see covered in the next update, please comment below and we'll be sure to include it!
Mo & Alice @rocnestgames
Chroma Arcana - December Update
about 1 month ago
– Wed, Dec 18, 2024 at 09:38:35 AM
Greetings fellow mages!
Welcome to our monthly update for Chroma Arcana.
Prototype Update
While we had hoped to share images of the prototype with you this month, a delay with one of the components has set things back slightly. The good news is that the prototype is being dispatched to us tomorrow, and we're eagerly awaiting its arrival—hopefully by the end of the year!
Once it's in our hands, we'll dive into a thorough review and share a more exciting update (complete with pictures!).
Expected Shipping Dates
If the prototype meets our expectations, we'll green-light mass production right away, with manufacturing expected to begin in January. However, the timeline may be affected by Chinese New Year. While we're uncertain about the full impact on shipping dates, we'll keep you informed as soon as we have more information.
At present, we still expect the game to be in your hands before the end of April.
Indie Spotlight
December tends to be a quiet month for indie games and Kickstarter releases, and thus we haven't backed any projects. That said, we'd love to hear from you! If you've backed any games that you're excited about, share them in the comments—we're always on the lookout to support fellow game designers!
Next Steps
As always, if there's anything you'd like to see covered in the next update, please comment below and we'll be sure to include it!
Mo & Alice @rocnestgames
Chroma Arcana - November Update
2 months ago
– Mon, Nov 18, 2024 at 09:57:08 AM
Greetings fellow mages!
Welcome to our monthly update for Chroma Arcana. This is a relatively light one as we eagerly await the prototype from our manufacturer, but there's still plenty of exciting news to share!
Awaiting the Prototype
The (hopefully final) prototype of Chroma Arcana is currently being assembled by LongPack, our manufacturer. This includes the core game, Tyrant Hunt, and a few other components - we're excited to see it all come together!
Once it arrives, we'll thoroughly quality-check all the components, play a few games with it, and show it off to everyone! After final approval, LongPack will begin full-scale production of Chroma Arcana.
Once manufacturing starts, we'll share an updated timeline - but as of now, we're still on track for an early 2025 fulfilment. LongPack estimates about 8 weeks to produce all copies, and distribution will be handled by our fulfilment partner, Back Office (by Naylor Games).
Digital Artbook
While we're waiting for the prototype, we're turning our attention to completing the stretch goal of the digital artbook! This will include beautiful illustrations, behind-the-scenes commentary, and insights into the world of Chroma Arcana.
We plan to deliver the artbook around the same time as the physical game.
Sneak Peek of our Next Game!
At UKGE this year, we had the pleasure of meeting two incredible designers, Gloria Lau and Alfie Wright. They shared their passion project with us, a charming game named Smallfolk, and we fell in love with it! We are thrilled to announce that we've officially partnered with them to bring it to life!
Smallfolk is an cosy engine-building card game about storytelling, with influence from real-world mythologies. We plan on launching it on Kickstarter in late Spring, 2025.
While we're incredibly excited about this project, rest assured that it will not affect the production or delivery of Chroma Arcana. Our focus remains on making sure that Chroma Arcana gets to you as soon as possible!
Indie Spotlight
Lastly, we couldn't resist shining a light on a delightful game we recently discovered: Dragonlings! Created by the talented duo Chris and Erinn, the artwork caught our attention and we're very excited to get a family-friendly game like this on our table!
Next Steps
As always, if there's anything you'd like to see covered in the next update, please comment below and we'll be sure to include it!
Mo & Alice @rocnestgames
Chroma Arcana - October Update (Locking Preorders!)
3 months ago
– Wed, Oct 16, 2024 at 08:51:05 AM
Greetings fellow mages!
Welcome to our monthly update for Chroma Arcana. We're locking pre-orders this month, so if you only read one thing, please let it be this!
Locking Pre-orders
We will be locking all orders at the end of this month! If you know anyone who wants to grab a copy of the game before then, they can still place their pre-order on BackerKit!
There are still 133 surveys that need to be completed, and we will send out an email reminder to you shortly after this update comes out.
If you're having trouble accessing your survey, check your email for the subject line "Roc Nest Games", or contact us and we'll help!
Art Print Polls
We've received the final results for each of the artwork polls. Each copy of Chroma Arcana will feature a print of:
- Sansiia's Obliterate
- Nadine Jakubowski's Final Encore
- Ver Fadul's Drain Essence
- Kim Diaz Holme's Cha-hac
Finished Deck Box Designs
Last month, we talked about the new deck boxes! Chroma Arcana will include 10 boxes (1 for each colour, including Chromatic, and 1 for the Egos), all of which will fit inside the Core Box. Tyrant Hunt will come with 2 extra boxes (1 for the shared Tyrant cards and 1 for the Tyrant-specific cards), which will also fit into the Core Box.
All of those deck boxes been designed with full artwork and will be easy to recognise at a glance to help you dive straight into each game!
Testing & Printing
Our manufacturer should have our files by the end of this month for a test print, ensuring everything fits together perfectly.
Currently, we have an editor combing through our rulebooks and cards with a fine-toothed comb to ensure everything is ready for release.
Additionally, the boxes are being updated with necessary testing information (UKCA and CE markings). This has been a bit of a challenge, but it's imperative to make sure our mages in the EU can receive their copy of Chroma Arcana!
Indie Spotlight
This month is exciting for Kickstarters! We are backing four new projects and encourage you to check them out!
Sakana Stack is a fast-paced game for 2-5 players from our friends at Huff No More! It's a lot of fun in a small box, and we've have the pleasure of playtesting it at several events - including UKGE! We even mentioned it during an accessibility talk, praising it for its easy-to-read card design!
Quest Snakes has been popping up in our social media feeds, and we recently backed it. Real Fake Games has done a great job showcasing the game in fun ways, and we're excited to have our own copy arrive next year!
Parks & Potions is something that we've been eagerly waiting since we started talking to the team over at Moon Saga Workshop. It's a lightweight game with beautiful artwork, and we can't wait to get our hands on it soon!
Finally, Necromancers of Monastis brings a treasure trove of content for your next D&D game! With a book of lore, spells and rituals, and a menagerie of miniatures, Brave Alice Games knows how to grab our attention!
Next Steps
As always, if there's anything you'd like to see covered in the next update, please comment below and we'll be sure to include it!
Mo & Alice @rocnestgames
