WE DID IT!!
10 months ago – Thu, Nov 30, 2023 at 09:30:20 AM

Wow!! 

That was intense, I must have broken the world record for page refreshes in the last few hours!

THANK YOU so much to everyone who backed the game and who has supported me, not just throughout the campaign, but over the course of this entire project. 

I am eternally grateful to the support of my family and friends who really went above and beyond and never let me give up hope.

So, what's next?

Well, first thing is that I will take the rest of the week to decompress and have a break from social media.

On Monday I will be getting straight into the next phase with the artist and manufacturer.

I plan to add official monthly updates on Kickstarter and share my progress on social media/mailing list as appropriate. If you want any information in the interim, you know how to find me!

The next time you will hear from me on Kickstarter will be around mid-December where I will update on the Pledge Manager and my first progress update.

For now, a final but very sincere thank you again. What you have done has a real difference to someone’s life and I can’t wait for us to go on this journey together!

Andy

Last 48 hours!
10 months ago – Tue, Nov 28, 2023 at 08:10:22 AM

Slayers!!

Hope everyone is doing well

There are only 48 hours left on the Book of Skulls campaign (where has this month gone?!).

The campaign is 70% funded, WE CAN DO THIS! Do not wait for someone else to back first!

In the last few updates, I have put a character from Eragoth under the spotlight. Today I wanted to do that with myself and my experience with making this game.

For those of you who are new to the project, there is no big company here, my name is Andy and I am the creator of Book of Skulls. I have been told that I represent what Kickstarter was made for, a person who has a great idea, bucket loads of passion, but needs funding to make it a reality.

The journey to this point has been monumental. Around 5 years ago, I arranged a one-shot campaign for my friends, they seemed to like it so I did another. One thing led to another to where I created the world and the now 150+ characters that make up Eragoth and beyond.

For me, this project has been about unconstrained creativity and at the end of it all, I have made the game I wanted to make and wanted to play.

Growing up, I played an unhealthy amount of Zelda, therefore, having boss music seemed like a no-brainer for me. As with everything in this project, I have dreamt big and have hundreds of ideas for the  battle themes.

How many board games can say they come with blast beats?

I have been fortunate to present at conventions over the past couple of years, UKGE 2022 was my first and a real baptism of fire but an experience I will never forget and I am happy to have stayed in contact with many of the people I met there.

I am not an overly confident person and putting myself out here for this Kickstarter was a big deal. I hope my enthusiasm for the game was felt and convinced you of my commitment as I have truly loved making this game. 

I have big plans for the future and hope we can go on this journey together.

Andy

Calling all Slayers! (Update 4)
10 months ago – Tue, Nov 21, 2023 at 02:32:05 PM

Slayers!!

Hope you are all doing well.

Great news, the campaign is 2/3 funded with 8 days to go! A huge thank you to everyone who has backed so far.

As a call to arms, I am calling on you, the Slayers of Eragoth, for your aid!

If you can share the campaign on social media or with someone directly who might enjoy the game, it would be highly appreciated!

There are also now 1300 people also watching the campaign, TOGETHER WE WILL DO THIS!

The last couple of updates have focused on Slayers, today we have an introduction to the final boss of Eragoth, the Skeleton Witch.

The Skeleton Witch’s history stretches back to Ages past, therefore, this will be an abridged introduction.

Daelgar, the Skeleton Witch

It is said that the Skeleton Witch was once a mortal who walked the land of Eragoth, the same land now cloaked by his darkness, his identity lost to time.

In his mortal life, the Skeleton Witch was believed to be a Scrollkeeper of the Second Order, an historian of the Second Age. During his tenure studying ancient texts & occult magic, he spent  much of his time in the deserted land of Moroth.

His research took him deeper and deeper into the dark texts of Baalmorgue (the Infernal God) before his obsession lost his soul to the darkness.

Once practicing the dark arts of blood magic & necromancy, his power grew exponentially, gaining the attention of those that lurk in the shadows.

Whilst attempting to infiltrate the Church of Thelmia (principle religion of Eragoth) under the influence of Baalmorgue, he was apprehended and imprisoned behind a seal of light.

Although still of mortal flesh and blood, the dark aura was so strong within that it is said that he lived for nearly 1000 days before perishing, releasing his soul to the Blackened Kingdom (hell), and to Baalmorgue.

There he took the form of the Skeleton Witch and his given name, Daelgar, which translates to Majesty of Night.

At the right hand of Baalmorgue, Daelgar honed the ability to move between realms, spreading pestilence and chaos across Eragoth and beyond…..

In combat, the Skeleton Witch is like nothing else you encounter across Eragoth. Slayers be warned, it will take everything you have to defeat him!

Lastly, thank you to Richard from Card Noir for helping with a couple of recent updates on the page. For those who have followed me for a while will know I am a big fan of his work and game Crown of Ash. Who knows maybe you will be able to acquire a Crown of Ash as an item in Book of Skulls……

See you for the next update!

Andy

We're half way there (Week 2 update)
10 months ago – Tue, Nov 14, 2023 at 02:12:56 PM

Slayers!!

Hope you are all doing well.

We find ourselves now around the midway point of the campaign. It has been an emotional rollercoaster so far, you could tell me it has been 2 hours or 2 months since going live and I could believe you….

Funding wise, we are at about 50% of the target, 50% of the way through.

I have been transparent throughout this process, cancelled pledges have reduced funds by around 10% of the target, therefore, we would be clear of 60% and, who knows, higher.

To my knowledge, Kickstarter does not collect cancellation information, therefore, I can only assume it is because the game had not funded in X days so far.

To those who have stood firm, a very sincere thank you! 

There is still a lot of time left and I am confident we will do this. If you know anyone who might be interested, please consider sharing the page with them or on social media and together we will get there!

There are currently over 1200 people “watching” the project, my question to those is what do you want to see?/what do you want to know?

The project needs less than 10% of the watchers to fund! 

I wanted to finish this week's update by putting another Slayer in the spotlight, this week it is Gogon.

Towering at over 14ft tall, Gogon is a mercenary hailing from the now destroyed Skyreach City.

He roams the vast continent of Eragoth capturing criminals for gold, often repurposing the shields of his bounties as extra armour for himself.

Before his life as a bounty hunter, Gogon was a guard of Skyreach City. During the attack on Skyreach, Gogon was able to evacuate some of the vulnerable using his huge frame as a shield, though he could only save a few. To this day, he blames himself that he could not do more.

A once joyous talisman of his community, he now cuts a jaded figure who is no longer happy in the life that he leads.

Gogon believes that helping to put an end to the Skeleton Witch will atone for those who he could not save.

In combat, Gogon's primary role is to protect his fellow Slayers, use him as a tank to reduce damage and aggro to your team. In addition, he offers a damage dealing option and, when at high HP, he will offer a party-wide bonus. 

See you for the next update!

Andy

Week 1 update & new Slayer art!
10 months ago – Tue, Nov 07, 2023 at 10:52:18 AM

Slayers!

Hope everyone is doing well.

We are at the end of week one with a great start, sitting just under 50% with 3 weeks left to go!

Again, an Eragoth sized THANK YOU to everyone who has backed so far! Please know how much I appreciate your support and together we will reach the goal! 

I wanted to mark the occasion of closing week one by unveiling new Slayer art, introducing Erothorn.

Erothorn is an Alryn (Al-ryn), the Eragoth version of an elf (if the ears were not already a clue.)

Character art by Jurijus Chitrovas

Erothorn is a leader of the Alryn people. His home, Havenwatch Forest, now withers in decay as the Cursed Forest, plagued by the demon Gorgonoth.

Burdened with the anger and sorrow of losing both his homeland and people, Erothorn is on a quest of vengeance taking him from the forest to the Foreverdark.

The Alryn share a special connection with the forest spirits, a connection built on vocal calls and songs. It is said that Erothorn is the most skilled of all Alryn, hence his ability to summon the great power of “Doombringer”.

In combat, Erothorn will be on your team to deal high amounts of damage. In addition to his damage capabilities, he is able to self buff, increasing his own damage and offer a team buff  when facing a certain type of Demon.

I think his character art looks awesome, it really fits his playing style and backstory.

Away from Eragoth, Book of Skulls has officially crossed the boundaries by being featured in the metal press, namely on Global Metal Blog and Bravewords. A very cool moment for me to see Book of Skulls transcending both board games and metal worlds!

https://www.globalmetalblog.com/l/book-of-skulls-slayers-of-eragoth-metal-inspired-boardgame/

See you for the next update!

Andy