Nova Aetas: Renaissance

Unboxing the Renaissance
7 months ago – Thu, Sep 28, 2023 at 08:28:21 AM

Hello guys!

We are proud to present the first unboxing video of NAR, thanks to the first copies that arrived in our studio yesterday morning!

It was an incredible moment for the whole team! As you know, NAR is our most ambitious project. NAR has a long and complicated history, which required a lot of effort from the entire LMS team, and to finally touch the fruit of the hard work of the past few years was a thrill that is hard to describe!

All of you have contributed to this achievement with your support and of course with your criticism, so we hope that the final version of NAR will reward you for your patience and trust during and after the Kickstarter campaign.

We suggest you start making room in your collection - as you saw in the video, you will need a lot!

But it's not time to rest yet! There is still a lot to do!

Let's start with an update on the status of the shipments:

USA - ETD 26/09 - ETA 16/11 Savannah (Georgia) - Ship Name: HYUNDAI DREAM

AUSTRALIA - ETD 14/09 - ETA 12/10 Sydney - Ship Name: OOCL KUALA LUMPUR

EUROPE - ETD 23/09 - ETA 23/10 Bremerhaven (Germany) - Ship Name: MUMBAI MAERSK

We have informed you about the possibility that at the time of loading some things may change, this was the case for the ship to Europe, the cargo was loaded all together in one ship. The very good news is that all ships are now on their way!

Next week we will be in Essen for Spiel '23, we have some last-minute news that might interest and please those of you who will be at the convention!

According to the factory schedule, the original plan was to have all products available for pickup in mid-August, immediately begin sea freight, and begin the fulfillment phase. Part of the plan was to have a small number of copies of the core game and expansions, English language only, shipped by air to be sold at the Essen Spiel, from October 5th to 8th.

As you know, the factory took a little longer to finish the assembly, so we decided to give you priority: If you have a Renaissance or Titan pledge in the English version, and if you will be at the fair, you can ask for your pledge to be picked up directly at our booth (3B102), and allow you to pick up your pledge in Essen, taking on us the extra costs for the Air freight.

Since we have a very small number of copies available (70 pledges), we will proceed using the answers in this FORM, in chronological order. You have time to fill out this form until October 1st, or until stock lasts.

We will send you a confirmation email for your pickup. Confirmation emails will be sent out by Tuesday, October 3rd. 

Please keep in mind that Core boxes are huge and heavy (12Kg!!), so a backpack will definitely not be enough :).

As we have very limited quantities, please book your pickup ONLY if you are 100% sure to come and pick it up. Please consider your pick-up request carefully. Due to very limited quantities, if you are not able to come and pick up your copy, you will take away the opportunity for other people to pick up their copy. 

We rely on your sensitivity to make the decision :) We will only sell the copies that are not picked up.

That's all for now! See you at the Spiel and in the next update with a post-Spiel report and news about other language production progress!

September Production Update
8 months ago – Fri, Sep 08, 2023 at 07:47:01 AM

Hello, guys!

Just a quick update to let you know the news you've been waiting for: the departure of the ships with Wave 1 for ENG and ITA languages!

The factory took a little longer than expected to finalize production and get everything ready for cargo pickup, which is happening these days compared to the end of August.

Meanwhile, we have booked the ships that will transport NAR to the 3 hubs in the USA, Germany and Australia:

USA - ETD 25/09 - ETA 07/11 Savannah (Georgia) - Ship Name: HYUNDAI DREAM

AUSTRALIA - ETD 13/09 - ETA 25/09 Sydney - Ship Name: OOCL KUALA LUMPUR

EUROPE - ETD 16/09 - ETA 16/10 Bremerhaven (Germany) - Ship Name: MUMBAI MAERSK

EUROPE - ETD 23/09 - ETA 23/10 Bremerhaven (Germany) - Ship Name: MOGENS MAERSK

For Europe, we divided the cargo into two, so that we did not have to wait for all the necessary space on one ship, which would have taken longer.

Also, following the advice of our shipping partners, we have decided not to use the Port of Hamburg to avoid delays due to port traffic, which has unfortunately been the case with shipments we have completed in the recent past.

Please note that these dates may be subject to minor changes, as well as vessel changes just prior to loading, as these things are always subject to change, even at the last minute.

About Asia, VFI will begin picking up goods from the factory after September 18th, so we expect fulfillment for backers in Asian countries to begin soon after that date.

Regarding the FR/GER/ESP/POL production, the proofreading of the translations has been slower than expected given the complexity and size of the project. The good news is that we now have all the FR/GER/ESP files, and our friends at Czacha Games will be sending us the POL files around the 20th of September. We will then publish the rulebooks on our Web App within a few days, so you can start familiarizing yourself with the rules!

The process of creating and approving the printing drafts begins, followed immediately by mass production. The factory has already printed all the miniatures and all the language-independent components (tiles, punchboards, trays, dice, etc.), so the process will be faster than the first part of the production schedule. We want to be able to ship everything by the end of October, but we will have to wait until we receive confirmation of the work schedule from the factory for a more precise timeline. We will keep you informed!

We will publish a new update at the end of September to give you new information about the ships, the remaining production, and information about our booth at Essen Spiel '23, where NAR will be a big star!

See you soon!

August Production Update
9 months ago – Tue, Aug 08, 2023 at 06:10:58 AM

Update Contents:

• Boxes
• Plotbook
• Mass Production Advancement

Hello, guys!

We are now in the final stages of mass production of Wave 1! 

We are waiting for the final versions of all materials to arrive at our studio. In the meantime, we have received videos and pictures from the factory to preview the final result, and of course, we are sharing everything with you to show you what to expect!

Let's start with the massive Core Box, after the last update's Plastic Trays binge, today we can also show you the actual box, which has reached the remarkable weight of 8 Kg!

And now here are two videos of the final in-boxing tests of two of the most anticipated expansions, Hyperion and Draco!

Hyperion:

Draco:

We also got the famous Plotbook! As you can see from the final version, we decided to use a ring binder, very roomy and sturdy! This will allow you to collect all the missions in one book, even those from the expansions or those we will release on our Web App. And finally, when we release variants and new options for Campaign Missions, you will be able to add them directly to the Plotbook and keep it constantly updated!

We are thrilled with what they showed us, we can't wait to have everything here in our studio so we can touch all the materials and show them to you in even more detail, in the meantime tell us if you are also happy with these results!

As for the end of production, we are on schedule, everything should be finished in about 10 days, so the pick-up of the goods from the factory, for ENG and ITA versions, should happen by the end of August. We have already started booking the ships.

For FR/ESP/GER/POL versions, we confirm mid-August to deliver all files from translators. This means that we can confirm what we mentioned before, i.e. all materials will be ready for pickup and shipping by the end of September. We will continue to keep you updated on the progress of this second part of Wave 1 production.

That's all for today, see you in the next update. 

July Production Update
10 months ago – Tue, Jul 11, 2023 at 06:10:31 AM

Update Contents:

• Plastic Trays
• Mass Production Advancement

Hello guys!

Here we are with a new update on the progress of NAR's Wave 1 mass production.

In the past few days, we have received the production samples of the plastic trays of the boxes that make up Wave 1 and we are giving you a preview of them!

The plastic trays allow you to conveniently and intelligently store all the components, ready for use during your adventures. All the mission envelopes are contained in one compartment.

The core box also contains all the many Stretch Goals that were unlocked during the KS campaign. In this regard, the "crossover" Stretch Goals between BRW and NAR deserve some attention. These SGs will go to all NAR backers as well as backers who have supported us with a Magister Pledge.

Therefore, we have created the "Magister Box", which for NAR backers will be inserted directly into the Core Box, while for Magister Pledge backers it will be a separate package, but both will have the same plastic tray.

Of course, you will be able to store your cards in sleeves ;).

As for the timeline for the end of production of Wave 1 in ITA and ENG, the factory has confirmed to us in mid-August! We are already hard at work researching the ships and will keep you updated as soon as we have news!

For Wave 1 in GER/FRE/ESP, we will receive all translated and revised files by mid-August. Since the production of the language-free material (tokens, tiles, etc.) and plastic will be finished by then, we are quite confident that we can keep the production of just the printed material for these 3 languages relatively short and aim to have the goods shipped from China by the end of September.

Before we close, we would like to remind you that the NAR rulebooks in ENG and ITA are available on our WEB APP to help you get started in the world of Nova Aetas!

That's all for today, see you soon for new production updates

June Production Update!
11 months ago – Thu, Jun 08, 2023 at 09:28:51 AM

Update Contents:

• Mass Production advancement
• Rulebooks
• Convention Reports
•  Ashes #7 & Cosma 

Hello, Guys!

A brand new update with new information on NAR's mass production, reports from the conventions where we presented the final game material previews and a rich new issue of Ashes magazine!

Let's start with the topic that is surely closest to your hearts, the progress of mass production.

As you can see from pictures, miniature production is continuing at full speed, on schedule for the end of operations, set for the second half of June.

 Concerning the paper material, we are completing the final revisions of the English and Italian language drafts these days and kicking off the printing of cards, rulebooks, punchboards, and boxes. Given the huge amount of material to be revised and rectified in the various steps leading up to printing, it has been very long and hard work. 

As for the French, German, and Spanish versions, the translations are nearing completion, but considering the time it took to check and revise the ENG and ITA versions, we have to anticipate a longer timeframe for the start of printing for these languages.

For this reason, we decided to carry out a first shipment of Wave 1 of the ENG and ITA versions as soon as they have been printed, approximately between the end of July and the first half of August. On the other hand, the second shipment with FRA, GER, and ESP versions will be scheduled to start by September. We will try to reduce the gap between the two shipments as much as possible, we are printing all the language-free material (miniatures, plastic trays, tiles, and punchboards) now, so everything will be ready for assembly as soon as FRA, GER, ESP cards, and rulebooks are printed. However, given the amount of material to be inspected and the importance of this step, we prefer to keep a more cautious estimate for the time being.

As mass production progresses we will be able to give you a more precise date for the departure of the two shipments.

As for the Rulebooks, you will find ENG and ITA versions of NAR's Rulebooks in our Web App from today! The first to be published will be the Tutorial, the Handbook, the Rulebook with the Stretch Goals rules, and the Magister rulebook. In the coming days, we will upload all the others, including the Analytical Rulebook and all the rulebooks of the expansions.

With the Tutorial, you will learn how to play NAR quickly and easily. You can play the tutorial mission or just read this rulebook, and you will have everything you need to manage and play a NAR Mission, turning to the Analytical Rulebook to delve into a specific aspect of the game and learn the rules for managing the Campaign.

The Handbook is designed to be consulted during a Mission to read the icons and learn about the effects of generic Skills, Traits, and Tokens.

The Stretch Goal Rulebook is organized into modules that you can add to the Campaign as you wish and includes all the rules for the 4 additional Heroes, Enemies, and Hunt Missions unlocked during the Kickstarter.

Finally, the Magister rulebook contains all the rules for using the NAR crossover material in Black Rose Wars and Rebirth!

With these 3 Rulebooks, you can already prepare for the coming of Nova Aetas and get an idea of what to expect!

Now let's move on to talking about game conventions! The largest convention in Italy, Modena Play 23, took place at the end of May. LMS participated in a huge booth, where hundreds of players took turns on the tables of our games. NAR was present with both a demo table and a wonderful showcase entirely filled with all the Wave 1 material! 

 The lucky ones who stopped by to visit us were able to experience first-hand all the final material thanks to the pre-production samples sent to us specifically from the factory. At the Demo table this time we had the Minotaur Hunt to try out so that we could give a first taste of this mode as well.

We were very pleased to receive enthralled feedback from backers who stopped by to take a look. They were especially impressed with the quality of the miniatures and the amount of material in the box, which could completely fill an entire showcase! 

 Another big star of the event was the 7th special issue of our magazine, Ashes, which this time came with a wonderful Deluxe box with a new promotional miniature: Cosma!

This dark character will be one of the protagonists of Requiem, a new LMS project that will see the light of day in Q4 of 2023 (after the delivery of Rebirth and Nova Aetas Renaissance). With the components inside this luxury box set you can add Cosmas to NAR's Side Missions and confront him in hopes of beating him and seizing an exclusive Reward Card. Cosma also happens to be a powerful Lodge Magister, and in addition to his stunning PVC miniature, included in this elegant package were his Mage Card and 3 copies of his Personal Spell, so that you can include him in any BRW or Rebirth game! 

We know that most of you were unable to stop by Modena Play to secure Ashes #7, but fear not!

Here you have 2 options to buy the new issue of Ashes (only in English!) with Cosma:

1 - You can order Ashes #7 on our shop and have it shipped directly to your home, shipments will start from June 15.

2 - Until June 11, 2023, if you have a Rebirth Pledge or Late Pledge, you can order Ashes #7 on our shop and add it to your order, along with all the rest of the NAR items of the Wave 1, without additional shipping costs! Simply, enter the "BACKERSNAR" coupon at checkout.

Choose the best method for you and get ready to welcome Cosma into Nova Aetas! 

Our booth was pretty much stormed for all 3 days of the Convention, and it was a pleasure to meet friends, old and new, and show the people all the material from the games being delivered in the upcoming months.

A giant THANK YOU to all of you who stopped by to meet us and to those who didn't stop by but would have liked to!

That's all for today! See you in about a month for new updates on Mass Production!