Nova Aetas: Renaissance

From Germany with love
over 4 years ago – Sun, Oct 31, 2021 at 01:25:00 AM

Hello, guys!

After the Spiel'21, here we are to tell you how it was!

We are really excited about the convention in Essen, despite the COVID19 restrictions, it had a great turnout! It allowed us to meet many people from our community, including obviously many NAR backers.

During the 4 days, we had the chance to play dozens of Demos at the NAR table, with backers and also with many players who did not know the project or who had lost it. We were really happy with their feedback, all very enthusiastic! The mix of RPG, tactical skirmish, and narrative game convinced everyone who had the chance to try NAR, and its first "public release" was a success!

In addition, one of our showcases was completely dedicated to the complete miniatures range of our favorite game. The miniatures we showed (the same ones we show you in each update) are PU Samples, they nearly match the final quality for the miniatures, I can tell you everyone was impressed by the quality of the sculptures!

Many of you have also asked us about delivery times which, as you know, have lengthened; and on the translations' final quality.

For the first point, those who have tried the game have realized its depth and how huge the work we are doing, not just to create missions, but also to make sure they are well balanced to make sure you will have good fun in playing them. Everyone agreed with us that ruining it to be in a hurry to deliver it would be a big mistake.

About translations, the Spiel was an excellent opportunity for us to meet many publishers who have shown great interest in the production of a Retail version for NAR, so much so that we can say that the realization of this version is becoming very concrete. This means that if everything goes as we hope, the KS version will also be able to take advantage of high-level translations, handled directly by the publishers. We will keep you updated on this topic and hope to give you great news soon.

Speaking about NAR production, with the resumption of the playtests, we are starting to close the design elements that we have developed in recent months, from the next updates we will begin to talk to you more in-depth about the gameplay by showing you the insights on Heroes, Missions, Crafting and so on, to analyze every aspect of the game that has remained hidden so far.

As mentioned before, the work on the miniatures is completed so much that we have managed to show all the miniatures live during the days of the convention, but we will continue to show them here too!

After the spectacular Hyperion model shown in the last update, today we present 3 Crossover models we released during the campaign!

The first is The Inquisitor, from the world of Dark Ritual (Dark Gate Games), who will join the ranks of the troops of Rome to hunt down our Heroes.

We continue with the spectacular model of Aracne, coming from the world of Tanares Adventures, a lethal Hunt that will use all the resources of your party in order not to end up trapped in a deadly web.

We conclude with Sacripante, one of the most characteristic Allies (and certainly much loved by Italian players, given who is the actor to whom he is inspired) who will be able to join your adventures. Sacripante comes from the world of Brancalonia, the spectacular spaghetti-fantasy RPG by Acheron Books. Speaking about them, the Acheron guys are currently on KS with a campaign to produce "Brancalonia - The Empire Whacks Back," check it out!

Let us know what you think about this models!!

That's all for today, guys! We remind you that for any problem or question about your pledge you can contact us by opening a ticket at this Link!

See you in the November update!

Road to Essen
over 4 years ago – Fri, Oct 08, 2021 at 02:39:43 AM

Hello guys!

With a little delay compared to normal, here is the new update that, as you can guess from the title, will also be dedicated to Spiel 2021!

After last year's stop, LMS is ready to participate with a brand new boot full of demo tables, among which of course that of Nova Aetas Renaissance will have a place of honor!

This is the first official release for NAR, and we can't wait to give the game a try to an extended audience like the one we will find at the convention! We hope to meet many of you to let you test your beloved game in advance and show you all the miniatures we have produced in recent months and which are now ready for mass production!

We have produced a new special issue of our Ashes magazine, which will be on sale at our boot and later on our Web Store.

One piece of content that will delight all of you is "The Rose Duel" minigame! Inside the magazine you will find all the "cut & play" printed material, to play a special two-player version of BRW Rebirth! Arianna and Rikkart will compete in a reduced version of the Lodge, always using the rules of Rebirth. A perfect way to pass the time in the months that separate us from delivery, you can have fun trying the new mechanics, one of the new schools (Agony), and know Rebirth/BRW if you haven't done it yet!

To celebrate the return of the convention after last year's stop, you will find Cthuly attached to the magazine! This "tender" mascot of the event, vaguely inspired by ancient and forgotten myths, is a new Promo Forgotten Evocation. Comes with his Forgotten Spell and Evocation card, and a fantastic resin miniature! Of course, Cthuly can also be used in both BRW and Rebirth!  

And for NAR? well don't worry! After the convention, we will publish online the rules to play Cthuly also in NAR as a new hilarious Pet for our Heroes!

Those who cannot physically be at the Spiel need not worry! Ashes and Cthuly will be available on our Web Store after the convention.

In this special issue, you will also find articles dedicated to the ongoing projects of LMS, two previews about our projects for 2022.

We look forward to meeting you at our 2E112 boot, where in addition to having a chat with us you will have the opportunity to try Rebirth, Nova Aetas Renaissance, Divide Et Impera, and Chambers of Wonders, as well as being able to admire the many miniatures that we will show during the 4 days of the convention!

Let's move to speak about something more NAR-related! We have finally received the PU sample of one of the miniatures we have been waiting for, another of the really big guys in our game!

Hyperion! Finally, we can appreciate one of the most beautiful miniatures of the entire NAR range! Not only is her size truly stunning, but the quantity and quality of detail are insane!

Without risking being arrogant, this is one of the best models ever produced for a board game!

With him also came the model of the Burning Legion, Hyperion's faithful minions who will join him in the fight against your heroes, giving life to one of the most flamboyant boss fights in history!

Not to mention that playing BRW/Rebirth with Hyperion will make you feel truly omnipotent, and nothing can be saved from your purifying flames!

That's all for today! Also, keep an eye on our Social channels to get updates on the Spiel and join us in this new adventure!

See you in Essen!

Designer Diary #7 - A bite to the Magister Pledge!
almost 5 years ago – Fri, Aug 27, 2021 at 05:18:01 AM

Hello Guys!

As long as PU samples are coming, sent by the factory, and Summer is getting hot and hotter thanks to Black Rose Wars: Rebirth, we decided to show all Stretch Goals miniatures, included in both Renaissance Pledge and Magister Pledge, which means all the models playable in both Nova Aetas Renaissance and Black Rose Wars, also intended in REBIRTH!

We’ll start, obviously, with Agorix and his pet Anacleto. The Druid trained by Kormak is ready to rumble and he will contend for Rebecca's title, as the best Mage in your party!

As opposed to Rebecca, he can choose the spells to prepare for the battle, by Druidic and Transmutation schools…Yes! You read it in the right way! During NAR development we introduced the Schools also for the Mage Heroes in NAR, like Agorix and Rebecca, but we’ll spoiler this in a future update! ;)

The next miniature we’ll show you is one of the coolest: Jack O’ Lantern is a constant threat in your adventures, a miniboss who can appear at any moment during your quests, trying to impede in any way possible. His Forgotten Spell allows you to evoke him in Black Rose Wars and in Rebirth!

Keeping a creepy mood, The Boogeyman and his Dolls are also a threat for the party in Nova Aetas adventures, but you can also use the Boogeyman in the Lodge as a Mage and the Dolls thanks to His Custom Spell!

Onamor, straight from Sword&Sorcery Universe, will be a powerful miniboss in Nova Aetas Renaissance and a Mage for Black Rose Wars and Rebirth!

We cannot end this characters’ gallery without show a brand new Big Guy in NAR Collection: the beautiful and threatening Manticora!

If you want to get its magical drops and equipment you have to take its Hunt, and trust me when I say that it will not be a newbie hunt… and… please, please, please bring with you a lot of Antidote flasks! I warned you!

Evoking it in the Black Rose Lodge, thanks to its Forgotten Spell, is for sure safer than fighting it… so pray that you’ll be the one!

We are really satisfied with the final result of miniatures production: NAR miniature standard is very high, more than our last productions (a really high level indeed) and we are sure you’ll appreciate these too!

And, as long as we have quoted Black Rose Wars: Rebirth all these times, we want to remind you that the Second Chapter of the Black Rose Wars saga is now Live on Kickstarter!

This new Core Box continues the story for 25 years, and will see 4 Mages battle it out in the ruins of the Lodge to become its savior and thus be elected the new Great Magister!

Taking up the mechanics of the first BRW, Rebirth is completely compatible with the original game, so much so that you can mix all the materials of both games to increase replayability and variety in your games! And remember that all the stuff included in the Magister Pledge is fully compatible with both BRW and Rebirth!

Don't miss your chance to get one of the best games out there and the mountain of extras and Stretch Goals we have prepared for this campaign!

You still have some time for the Pledge Early Bird, which will get you the Avatar Jukas (yes that Jukas!)for free!

Take a look at the KS page, it will be worth it!

Black Rose Wars: Rebirth Kickstarter Page

See you in September with a new Update!

Designer Diary #6 - Big Guys!
almost 5 years ago – Mon, Aug 09, 2021 at 02:51:44 AM

Hello Heroes!

New Nova Aetas Renaissance update with big news and important information regarding the state of work and production.

New PU Samples are coming from the factory where the pre-production phase of the miniatures is continuing at full speed, and in the last package received we found a really ... huge surprise!

Well yes! As you can see in the pics, the absolute protagonist of this new PU sample shipment was your beloved Draco! We too were impressed to see his physical version! We knew he was going to be big, but finally seeing him live and not on a screen really blew us away! 

We are sure you too will appreciate this truly remarkable model that perfectly embodies the Dragon-Dinosaur mix (not surprisingly renamed "Dinodraco" by the community) characteristic of the Nova Aetas setting! When you face his Mini-Campaign, you will discover numerous details about the origins of these powerful and ancient beings that will also reveal to you why the dragons of the world of NAR have this so original aspect!

But the surprises don't stop there! We can also show you, two other models, very much anticipated by all of us and you!

Also the mighty Minotaur is definitely impressive in his physical form! The miniature has undergone a little restyling compared to the one shown during the KS Campaign, its size has also been increased to make it towering over the playing field, be prepared for a no-quarter battle when you will meet this fierceful beast in your campaign!

We conclude this roundup of PU samples with one of the most loved models by the community and certainly one of the most successful "inspired by" characters in the history of LMS.

We are obviously talking about the Mediceo! Finally, we can admire his physical form, and in this case as well we are really proud of the final result.

The pose and tension of the original concept have been kept to perfection in the miniature that shows us this hero as one of the coolest characters in NAR's entire collection of miniatures.

What do you think? Are you already in love with these miniatures like we are? Give us your feedback and expect more miniatures in the next updates!

Production Update

As many of you know, the production of a game like Nova Aetas Renaissance goes on two main lines that move in parallel, one linked to the production of materials, in particular miniatures, illustrations, and graphic layouts, another linked to the development of the game, of the narrative campaigns, of the rules, of the balance of the various missions.

The production of the materials is proceeding well, as per the original plan, and with quality levels that make us really happy with the final results. The development of the game is instead making more effort, unfortunately lagging behind the predetermined plan.

COVID-19 restrictions applied in Italy from December 2020 to mid May 2021 have completely blocked external playtesting, a fundamental activity for the development of a game as vast as NAR. To overcome this issue, we tried to use tools to manage playtests remotely (video conference, TTS, etc.), but the results were not up to the need.

The good news is that playtests have finally restarted, and thanks to the resumption of this activity, lot of the material developed in the previous months is finally under review. Unfortunately, starting the review about 6 months late compared to original schedule, will inevitably lead to a delay in production times and consequently, we will have to postpone the delivery of NAR compared to what was announced during the KS.

We could try to speed up all those processes, or eventually even cut the number of playtests & review cycles, but this would more likely translate into a loss in the quality of the game experience. Announcing a project delay is never pleasant, but as we've always said, the priority for us is to deliver a game that is not only beautiful to look at but also great to play. 

At the moment we can estimate a delay of about 6 months for final delivery, hoping to be able to work without other hitches and shorten these times if possible.

As always we will continue to keep you informed of all developments and thank you for the support and trust you are giving us!

See you with the next update within a couple of weeks with new miniatures and previews!

Happy summer everyone!

Pledge Manger Update and....Miniatures!
almost 5 years ago – Sun, Jul 25, 2021 at 04:17:31 PM

Hello Heroes!

As announced in the last Update, the Pledge Manager of Nova Aetas Renaissance officially closed on July 18th.

As we said, the closure of the PM will not prevent latecomers from completing their survey even from now on, but consider that with the start of mass production, we will sign with the factory quantities of the goods to be produced and commit to that production locking the costs of raw materials. Those quantities will be based on orders closed on Backerkit, plus an extra quantity to cover some potential additional orders and replacements.

This means that we will have an extra availability for each item, which can be used to cover some late orders that will arrive from now on. Once this extra quantity is over, orders will be definitively closed.

This means that if you have not yet completed your survey, you can still do it, but we invite you to act as soon as possible, to avoid potential stock issues.

For any problem or question, as always, please contact our support service at this link:

LMS LITE SUPPORT CENTER

And now a quick update about the production.

Despite the problems caused by the Covid-19, the work on the miniatures went on without particular problems, and therefore we are very happy to show you the first PU samples for Catacomb expansion models!

PU samples are the first copies of the models that the factory produces and sends us for the final approval on the material and details quality, before the start of mass production.

We are very satisfied with the results, therefore we are happy to share with you the pictures of these models and let you appreciate their quality and level of detail. We are sure that you will agree with us that the NAR miniatures will be a real feast for your eyes!

See you soon and Happy Summer everyone!