Hello folks,

It's been too long since the last 'monthly' newsletter.

So what's been happening? I thought I'd give a little update on each of the projects announced previously.

NFT: The Card Game (Released)

Because we live in a society, it's very important to listen to the market.

In this case the market told me again and again "Oh a satirical card game about NFTs and climate change? I don't know what that is but I hate it. Please get off my lawn."

And that's okay. I really want Long Tail Games to experiment with, well, experimentation. In this case the experiment was a super weird theme. I thought I could make up for that niche audience by reducing costs and doing everything myself - graphic design (minus the box), game design, illustration, editing.

When social media interactions proved that audience was even more niche than imagined, I decided to release it print-on-demand via The Gamecrafter.

NFT was a fun project - and I'm glad I can point to a game that's made entirely by me - but ultimately I'm happy to move on.

Tiny Library (Kickstarter August 31st)

It's wild to look back at the previous update where I thought I could release Tiny Library in July.

Why the delay? I've discovered the project might actually have an audience. Like, Tiny Library is building buzz and getting media coverage and everything.

So I'm taking a bit more time to produce preview copies, build that name recognition, and make sure the logistics are ready just in case it truly explodes.

And speaking of logistics...

Cardboard Monster (Live Now)

It is truly incredible to me that Cardboard Monster wasn't even mentioned in the last update.

While investigating logistics for Tiny Library (and A Brazen Crown) it became clear I needed to become one of those people with hundreds of boxes in their garage. That's because the economics of print-on-demand mean I only want to use it when absolutely necessary or creatively fruitful.

So I pivoted the upcoming projects to traditional production. And if I'm going to have like a hundred boxes in my garage, I thought I may as well make it a whole thing, with distribution and retail and proper inventory.

That's Cardboard Monster: a vehicle for importing, distributing and selling tabletop games in Australia. You can get in touch if that sounds interesting.

A Brazen Crown (November 2021?)

There's a question mark here because Kickstarter has started preventing creators from launching a campaign until their previous has been fulfilled. So the exact timeline here depends on the scale of Tiny Library, and whether 2021 has any more curveballs to throw the tabletop games industry.

However, as you can see above, the first card game based on MÖRK BORG (a pitch-black apocalyptic fantasy RPG) is coming along nicely.

We've released a playable prototype on Steam and will be slowly working on improving that public rulebook over the next month. Illustrations for the first box are 95% complete and I'm blown away by the overall look and feel of this game. Definitely more to come in future updates.

Sunderwald (January 2022?)

Richard Kelly
Joana Solà Ballester
Jean Verne

Drumroll please... I'm very excited to reveal the first illustrations for Sunderwald!

These beautiful pieces will adorn a set of tarot cards that guide the players in shifting from traditional roleplaying to the game's legacy elements.

Combined with the uncertainty around fulfilment on Tiny Library and A Brazen Crown, this more elaborate aesthetic means significantly pushing back the project's release date into 2022. This also gives the designer more space to tinker and playtest what is already a finished game.

So overall I'm happy to let these things develop on their own schedule. Believe me: Sunderwald will be worth the wait.

***

That's all!

Please feel free to get in touch if you want to learn more about the upcoming projects, or think maybe we can work together in future.

- Ash

Cardboard Monster

Tiny Library: Modern Fantasy is now crowdfunding!

A Brazen Crown is live on Kickstarter

Sunderwald joins zinequest!

Most creators don't want to be publishers (February 2022)

Tiny Tome announcement (January 2022)

See all posts from Long Tail Games