Monsterpocalypse: Umstellung auf Print&Play

Privateer Press haben ein wichtiges Update zu MonPoc veröffentlicht.

THE BIG MONSTERPOCALYPSE UPDATE

This update is long overdue, but not for any lack of effort going on behind the scenes. Following last year’s announcement of our partnership with Steamforged Games and their acquisition of the Warmachine and Iron Kingdoms brands, Privateer’s operations transformed, as we revised the daily processes around game development and manufacturing as a service. Now, eight months later, I’m pleased to say that things are going smoother than ever and the past year’s success of the Strangelight Workshop and Formula P3 Kickstarters, as well as the latest and upcoming Warmachine releases all point to a bright future for these product lines as our collaborations with Steamforged Games continue.

But we know the question many have been waiting to be addressed is, “What’s in store for Monsterpocalypse?” The answer is complicated, to say the least, and we needed time to make sure we had a concrete direction that we could execute on before making any announcements. What I hope to make clear is that the passion and commitment to Monsterpocalypse is alive and well and we sincerely hope to be able to restore support to the Monsterpocalypse community, as well as go beyond the miniatures game in the years ahead.

STEP 1 — GETTING BACK IN ACTION

The first order of business is making sure the miniatures and game components continue to be available to players, and that we do what can be done for those who got burned by Mythic’s Kickstarter.

A major part of Privateer’s function in our partnerships with Steamforged Games is the continued manufacturing of Warmachine models. As such, 100% of our manufacturing capacity is now dedicated to that service. To continue to support Monsterpocalypse, we will be moving the catalog of miniatures to an on-demand 3D printing service as well as offering the sale of STL files for 3D printing at home. The process of migrating the catalog to these online platforms will take some time to complete, but we hope to have the first offerings available within the next few months with the full catalog available by this summer.

See what I did there?

Our decision to take Monsterpocalypse in this direction was also significantly influenced by the Blaster in the room: the unfulfilled Monsterpocalypse board game Kickstarter project by Mythic Games. While we held out hope as long as we could that Mythic would find a way to deliver the project, at least in part if not in whole, we are as deeply disappointed as the many thousands of backers who pledged to the project to be faced with what is now certainty that it will never come to fruition. Monsterpocalypse was licensed to Mythic as an independent publisher to produce the board game. Privateer is not involved with execution of the Kickstarter project and did not benefit financially from the project. And while we would love to find a way to save the day for everyone who backed Mythic’s failed project, we do not have the means to remedy the decisions Mythic made that have resulted in significant loss to many people. But we went into this license with high hopes that it would inspire growth of the Monsterpocalypse player community and so we have explored multiple avenues in an attempt to salvage something from the tragedy that has occurred. One small thing we are able to do is provide the STL files for the Monsterpocalypse miniatures range to the backers of the project. We know this is no substitute for what backers pledged for, and we know that not everyone is in a position to be able to 3D print the models. But it is the one thing within our control that we can offer, and our hope is that it will help bring together some of the people that were looking forward to their new adventures with Monsterpocalypse.

We have obtained the files that were adapted for the Mythic Kickstarter, intended for the board game production. We are currently working through the catalog to create the presupports for 3D printing. This is happening as part of the effort described above and will require several months as we must outsource the support work at our expense. But as we get a chunk of them done, we will reach out to the backer list we have obtained from Mythic with details on obtaining the files once they are available to download. We will also be creating a PDF repository of printable cards and map files where all the information needed for gameplay can be downloaded. Again, this will take some time, but our goal is to be able to have something available within the next few months.

This effort is, at this point, a one-person show, as the staff at Privateer is currently dedicated to the development and production of Warmachine and the Iron Kingdoms RPG, so the tasks of getting the resources online and available to backers and ultimately, the Monsterpocalypse community at large, progresses where I can manage it around my other duties. I know I don’t have much room to ask for patience, especially after a lengthy delay getting to this update, but please know I am working through everything as quickly as I can.

STEP 2 — GOING BEYOND

Holding on to hope that we can get the Monsterpocalypse miniatures game back on solid ground, our next phase will explore everything else Monsterpocalypse could be.

At this point, the current edition of Monsterpocalypse is passing seven years old. And while we had a few things we were hoping to add to the miniatures range, the game is well filled out, and with the card update last year, it’s in the best state it could be. For the moment, we do not anticipate creating new content for the Monsterpocalypse miniatures game, at least not in the near future. However, there were several exclusives that were developed for the board game version that we’ll be able to release as print-on-demand and as STLs, so there are some Alphas and a particular Triton that has been longed after for some time that will eventually get to see the tabletop.

Beyond the miniatures game, there are several other projects we hope to achieve for Monsterpocalypse…

Later this year, we will be launching a Kickstarter campaign for the Monsterpocalypsonomicon — a tome of Monsterpocalypse kaiju for 5e. Whether you want to drop giant monsters into your D&D campaign, play out a whole campaign around them in a modern setting, or you just want the lore on the biggest and baddest characters from the Monsterpocalypse setting, the Monsterpocalypsonomicon will be your singular reference and resource. (We can hear the groans around another Kickstarter, understandably. But please know that Privateer has delivered on every one of the twelve Kickstarter projects we have funded. If the project funds, it will get to you as promised.)

On the slow burner, we have two projects we hope to complete: one that will provide a new variant experience for the current Monsterpocalypse miniatures game, as well as a whole new expression of Monsterpocalypse that will take giant-monster combat to an entirely new level.

Alongside all of that, we are exploring opportunities in the digital space for Monsterpocalypse as well as expanding into fiction and hope to see something moving forward on those fronts in the future.

We will make announcements here and through the Privateer Press Facebook page as progress is made and models and print materials become available online. So, stay tuned for upcoming news.

While nothing is exactly business as usual for Monsterpocalypse, we remain committed to supporting the player community and there are many things we hope to accomplish with it in the future. None of that happens, though, without players who want to keep the game alive and continue to explore new avenues with Monsterpocalypse. We are thankful for your continued support and enthusiasm and look forward to smashing cities with you in as many different ways as possible in the years ahead.

Matthew D. Wilson
Creative Director
Privateer Press

Quelle: Privateer Press