Nova Aetas: Renaissance

Production Update!
about 1 year ago – Tue, May 02, 2023 at 08:26:51 AM

Hello, guys!

Here are the pictures coming in from the factory for the production of Wave 1!

The pictures and video cover the final stages of miniature printing, with gluing operations also proceeding simultaneously.

As you can see, the final mass production phase of NAR has not only actually begun, but is also in a rather advanced state. Our goal of getting the game to your homes by summer 2023 is well underway!

Speaking about the miniatures, from the pictures you will surely notice the high quality of the printing. All the extensive optimization work done together with the factory technicians has paid off, resulting in top miniatures, both in terms of materials and level of detail achieved.

NAR's miniatures are truly spectacular, guaranteed to make your gaming tables impressive, allowing you and your friends to immerse yourselves in the story intensely! And those of you who love to paint will have a lot of fun in the upcoming months!

As for the paper material, as we showed you in the last update, we are continuing to work with the factory on the approval of all drafts, in preparation for printing. The process is very lengthy, given the amount of material, but the timing for mass production will be much faster than for the plastic material. We are currently finalizing the drafts of the English and Italian material and the language-free material (punchboards, tiles, etc.), which will allow us to proceed faster once the other language files are finalized.

In the meantime, those of you who will be at this year's Modena Play (May 18-21) can visit us at our booth and touch the very first production copies we will be showing during the fair days, and try one of the many missions! We look forward to seeing you!

That's all for today, see you at the end of the month with a new Production update!

Let the Renaissance burn!
about 1 year ago – Thu, Mar 30, 2023 at 11:22:38 AM

Update Contents:

• Hyperion Expansion
• Production Advancement

Hello guys!

This month’s update is a fiery one, featuring a fiery protagonist: Hyperion!

The flaming Titan (brother of an old acquaintance of the Magisters of the Lodge) towers in this expansion, not only because of his size but also in terms of importance. In fact, Hyperion is a Crossover expansion between NAR and Black Rose Wars and therefore can be played in both games, taking advantage of all the material inside the box in addition to the beautiful miniatures.

In NAR, Hyperion will drag you into a two-Mission Side Campaign, where the Heroes will have to foil the plans of an insane cult that aims to have the entire world perish in the flames of their fiery master. We won't give you any major spoilers by telling you that the climax of this adventure will see you engaged in a confrontation with Hyperion and his legion of Myrmidons, in a truly challenging and high-risk burn Hunt Mission.

Unlike the other Hunts (which we have told you about in past updates), the Heroes facing Hyperion will have to deal not only with him but also with the Myrmidons, flaming creatures that will greatly increase the intensity and difficulty of the confrontation. Burned Trees, four new 3d elements in cardboard, will also have an active role in the clash, and the Heroes will have to hurry to cut them down so as not to suffer too much from their harmful effects.

But with great risk come great reward (no pain, no gain, right?), and if you can survive you can access the four Reward Cards that make up Hyperion's loot. You will then be able to grab some of the most powerful items in the game, but as with all hunts, completing the set will require facing Hyperion more than once.

In the Black Rose Lodge, Hyperion will have two incarnations, a more standard one, as a Forgotten Evocation, and the other as a new unique Magister! 

Playing with Hyperion is a completely different experience than the regular Magister, not only because of his size but because every time you are defeated you will turn into three Myrmidones completely changing the style of play. 

Myrmidones are basically a Magister made up of 3 models, with all the advantages and disadvantages of that. Being in 3 Rooms at the same time can be very advantageous, but your opponents will also be able to target you much more easily, so you will have to be careful not to feel too omnipotent, because you may face a fast defeat. If you are defeated while you are in the Myrmidones form, you will return to your cell as Hyperion, and so on until the end of the game.

Playing with Hyperion is a truly different experience, both for those who control him and his opponents and we are sure it will create a host of epic situations within the Lodge! Our Playtesters can confirm!

In short, there are really a lot of irons in the fire (LOL) in this expansion, tell us what you think too, and how much you want to try it!

Now let's talk about Production Status! We confirm that everything is proceeding as planned. The factory is working on the production of all the drafts of the paper material (punchboards, tiles, cards, plot books, rulebooks, boxes, etc.), on which we will then make the last revision for the quality check and final approval. Meanwhile the plastic material production process is ongoing.

IMPORTANT: as you know, we have already submitted a while ago the final quantities, so we are at the very last opportunity for those of you who have not yet completed their survey on BackerKit. You will have until next Sunday (April 2nd) to complete it. After that date it will no longer be possible to do so, orders can be adjusted only by our Customer Service, and products could be no longer be available.

We should be able to show you production materials in the next update. Finally we're very close to delivery, the whole LMS Graphic Design Team is working hard to ensure that, as promised, all of you will receive Nova Aetas Renaissance by this summer!

That's all for today!

Fireball!

Production Update!
about 1 year ago – Mon, Feb 27, 2023 at 08:51:02 AM

Update Contents:

• Production Update
• Material Preview
• Cards Counts
• NAR in Polish

Hello, Guys!

A blazing February update, including news on the production front and a preview of some of the final materials!

The miniatures production process is underway. We have also started sending out the paper files, starting with the non-language-dependent materials such as Punchboards and Tiles. Here is a preview of the 9 punchboards from the Core box!

Given the amount of material and the size of some very bulky components (mainly the Horologium and 3D Elements), we have tried to make use of all the slots available on each individual Punchboard, without sacrificing the quality of all material.

As delivery approaches, which we confirm is set for this summer, many people have reached out to us to get a total count of all the cards, so they can start setting up the correct number of sleeves.

At this point we can give you a tally of all the cards you will receive with Wave 1, divided by each box. We are using the Euro format for Standard and Mini cards (Standard 63x88mm; Mini 44x67mm)

Core Box + Stretch Goals

• Tarot: 253 + 68
• Standard: 28 + 53
• Mini: 250 + 120

Hyperion + Magister Stretch goals (crossover SGs NAR/BRW)

• Tarot: 17 + 6
• Standard: 4 + 18
• Mini: 22 + 56

Draco

• Tarot: 24
• Standard: 2
• Mini: 26

Minotaur

• Tarot: 6
• Standard: 2
• Mini: 20

Mediceo

• Tarot: 1
• Standard: 3
• Mini: 48

A note regarding the Tarot format cards: these cards don't need to be shuffled and for the most part will be stored in the Mission Envelopes, so it won't be strictly necessary to protect them with sleeves. You will already have quite a few cards to sleeve!

Also, the Plotbook, the book that contains the entire plot of the missions that make up NAR's main campaign, has now its final form! Given the conspicuous increase in pages from the 100 announced in the KS, to almost 200 (!!), we have opted to use a spiral ring binding. This will make it easier to use during your games, allowing you to keep it open on the Mission you're playing and quickly refer to it.

We will also show you an abstract of the Plotbook to explain how you are to use it. Each Mission is identified by a title and a number. Next to the title you will find the name of the Town or Village where the Mission takes place (in some cases, these may also be locations in close proximity to a town or village). Each paragraph you read during a game is divided into two distinct sections. The Plot section (in Italics) tells you what is going on, and immediately below you will find the Instructions (in bold) that indicate the actions to be taken to progress through the Mission, any Tests to be performed, Mission cards to be revealed, and more. 

Instructions should always be followed from top to bottom so that all steps are performed in order. We have invested a lot of time in finding an effective yet simple way to manage the Missions, and we are very pleased with the performance of this method, which will allow you to enjoy each mission in an easy and fun way as you move forward in the story. In addition, with this method we could easily insert new special rules into the various missions, thus making each mission truly unique. We can therefore say that you will never play one Mission identical to another. Because of the large number of choices and options available to you, even replaying a Mission will be an ever-changing experience!

Lastly, today we also formalize great news for the Polish fans of NAR: our partners and friends at Czacha Games will edit the Polish version of the game! They have asked us for the opportunity to run their own crowdfunding campaign to offer NAR with all the material produced for the Polish gaming community. The campaign will start on March 2 on their platform. During the month of March, we will contact all Backers who have selected the Polish language as their preference in the Pledge Manager on BackerKit by email, giving them the choice of receiving the game in English or Polish. 

We are really happy about Czacha Games' initiative, as it will allow all Polish Backers not to have to settle for PDF translations only!

That's all for today! see you in March with a new update!

Renaissance is coming!

The Year of Renaissance
over 1 year ago – Thu, Jan 19, 2023 at 09:07:23 AM

Update Contents:

• New Year communication
• Minotaur Spotlight

Hello guys!

Welcome to the first update of 2023, and let's start by wishing you all a Happy New Year!

2023 will be an important and busy year for us, with the delivery of our two biggest projects, Nova Aetas Renaissance and Black Rose Wars: Rebirth! As previously announced, the fulfillment of both games is scheduled for the middle of this year, and it will undoubtedly be a very hot summer on your gaming tables!

The production of NAR's Wave 1 is continuing, but the factory is temporarily closed for the Chinese New Year, and as scheduled, work will resume in early February.

As we finished the game's development and worked on all of the files for production, we realized the magnitude that this project had reached.  We had considered producing a Retail version of NAR during the Kickstarter and subsequent months, but the final months of finalization prompted us to ponder. We thought that a "lite" version of NAR, without drastically altering it in order to make it economically viable for distribution (e.g., replace miniatures with standees? Reduce the number of miniatures? Reduce the number of missions? etc.) is extremely tough to accomplish.

So we've decided that NAR will stay an LMS Exclusive product for the foreseeable future, which means that after fulfillment is complete, the only method to obtain it will be through our online shop or any other initiatives we may do in the future. We think this is a piece of important news to share with you because it means your pledge will be even more valuable!!

For the future, however, we anticipate that NAR will not stop with this KS! We already have numerous ideas for expanding the universe of NAR, thanks to many of your suggestions and requests: new expansion boxes, and also "virtual" expansions that will provide additional material on our Web App.

Clearly, one step at a time! For the time being, our priority is to get Wave 1 to your tables as soon as so that you can appreciate all of the hard work that has gone into making NAR a one-of-a-kind experience!

Let's now take a look at another of the expansions you will receive with Wave 1, the mighty Minotaur!

This expansion adds a new Secondary Mission of the Hunt type to your campaign. As we mentioned in Update #65, you can participate in this Hunt by drawing the relevant Event Card during a Travel Phase. If you don't want to wait to draw the Event, this expansion adds the Bounty Rule, which allows you to start the Hunt by visiting the Inn during a Rest Phase. This way, you may track down the Minotaur whenever you feel ready to face this dangerous foe.

Once on the battlefield, the Minotaur will use the Hunt rules we explained in Update #62. You will then have to deal with a powerful enemy who will use its Action Cards to defeat you!

If you defeat it, count the remaining Action Cards in its deck, and depending on how quickly you defeated it, you can draw one of the four Reward Cards from its set at random.

To obtain the whole set, you will most likely need to battle the Minotaur multiple times. Taking all of its loot in a single battle will be a huge task, but if you succeed, you will be able to brag about being the best player in NAR history!

If you're also a fan of BRW/Rebirth, this expansion adds a new Forgotten Spell: "WIld Fury", which you can use to summon the giant Minotaurus into the rooms of the Lodge and unleash its fury on your opponents! Simply add the card included in the box to the Forgotten Spells deck, and you will have this new and exclusive Evocation at your disposal!

That's all for today! See you in the next Update, with new spoilers and news straight from the renaissance!

Fireball!

Holidays Journey
over 1 year ago – Tue, Dec 27, 2022 at 02:48:26 AM

Update Contents:

• Rest Phase
• Travel Phase 
• Happy Holidays!

Hello, guys!

We have made it to the Christmas Update, and today, as promised, we are going to take a look at some of the as-yet unexplored mechanics of Nova Aetas Renaissance: the Rest and Travel Phases!

For both of these Phases, you will need to use an important component of the game, the Travel Map. This large sheet depicts the Map of the section of the Italian peninsula where the Campaign takes place on one side and all the Shops that can be visited during the Rest Phase on the other.

At the end of each Mission, you will normally be instructed to complete a Rest Phase in the Village or Town where the Mission took place (or nearby), and will then direct you to the Town or Village in which the next Mission will take place.

During this phase, each Hero will be able to visit one (and only one) of the Shops, to take advantage of its services. Each Shop has its unique effect, and they range from the Craftsman, which is required for making new equipment, to the Hospital, where you can treat your Injuries, or the Marketplace, where you can acquire Reagents for Crafting.

It will be especially crucial to schedule this Phase carefully because not all Shops will be available at all times. This is determined by the town or village you are in, as well as the Town/Village Cards you unlocked during the Kickstarter campaign.

If the next Mission is set in a different city/town than the one you are in, you must go through a Travel Phase before you may play it, at which point you must use the side with the Map of Italy.

Starting from the town you are in, you will have to choose a route to your destination. Each route will direct you to draw a certain number of Event Cards, which you must resolve before playing the next Mission.

These cards will put you in a variety of situations. You may come across traveling merchants (our favorite is the Wandering Magister, who will sell you priceless Spells), unpleasant Atmospheric Events, and so on.

Some Event Cards may instead grant you the opportunity to complete Secondary Missions or Hunt Missions. These missions interrupt the Main Campaign for a brief while, but they provide a welcome opportunity to obtain special Reagents and Rewards... not without risk, of course!

The Bear Hunt is the only Hunt Mission in the core box, however, the Minotaur, Hyperion, and Draco expansions, as well as the Chimera and Aracne Stretch Goals, will each add their own Event Card to those you can find walking across Italy.

Hyperion and Draco go even further, actually kicking off two Secondary Campaigns, a sort of mini-campaign, consisting of a few missions and culminating in a very dangerous Hunt with a boss-fight flavor!

Because you are unlikely to collect all of the loot from a Hunt Mission on your first try, after you have faced Prey for the first time, note the title of its Hunt on your Campaign Sheet. As a result, every time a Hero visits the Inn during a Rest Phase, you can choose to battle it again and try to take all of its loot.

These are broadly the rules of these important phases of NAR, but believe us when we say that this is only the tip of the iceberg!

We are really eager to let you know every aspect of the game and what your opinions are, so don't hesitate to give us your feedback!

That is all for today, all that is left is to wish you happy holidays and a happy new year, and to thank you as always for the support and affection you have shown for NAR!

See you next year - the year of the renaissance!