Crown of Ash - May Update
5 days ago – Wed, May 01, 2024 at 06:03:55 AM

It's merry May and there are some important updates on production and shipping of the game.

I'm extremely pleased to say production has now completed and the games are in the process of being freighted from the factory in China to fulfilment centres around the world.

As shipping and logistics can be a tricky business I'm working with Naylor Games to get you your game as quickly and painlessly as possible. They're very experienced in this process so we're in very capable hands.
 

Address Changes

Addresses will be locked very soon, just before fulfilment begins. BUT you can still currently update your shipping info through the pledge manager.

Please note that if you have moved country or state, annoyingly it will not let you change this info. So please reach out to me and I can amend it for you. Any additional shipping costs from moving to a new region will need to be covered before fulfilment can take place.

And finally

I hope to have more specifics on shipping in the next update.
In the meantime I have some additional photos and videos of the production process over the last few months, worth checking out if you are interested to see the behind the scenes of board game assembly.

Thank you all for your patience, I do very much appreciate all the support and that you all have given over the last year, especially as we approach the finish line a bit behind schedule. I can't tell you how much it helps when things don't go quite to plan.

Cheers,
Richard

Crown of Ash - April Update
about 1 month ago – Mon, Apr 01, 2024 at 09:26:01 AM

It's April! Marking a year since the Kickstarter campaign finished. Crazy how time has flown by!

Since the last update I'm pleased to say I signed off the mass-production copy of the game and after making a few last tweaks the game is finished printing and about to be assembled. This should only take a few days and it can start the freight process.

The blue minions have been adjusted for clarity and the insert tweaked to better fit the components. 

The most significant issue on the production copy was the colour of the backs of the Fighter cards. They printed too "yellow" making them a burgundy rather than the striking purple colour I wanted. It's pretty minor but I opted to reprint these.

Here's a video from the manufacturer of the amended colours now corrected.

WARNING, VIDEO IS LOUD, TURN DOWN YOUR VOLUME!

Here's a look at the finished Deluxe Upgrade, with the rather beautiful screenprinted bags. I'm incredibly happy with how these came out, so much more crisp than the digitally printed versions previously made.

Finally we attended Airecon in Harrogate UK which was a lot of fun! It was Natalie (my wife's) first convention, hopefully not her last...

Big thanks you to all those who stopped by, always a highlight to meet backers in person.

That's it for another month, in the next update I should hopefully have some news on shipping. Freight is quite unpredictable at the moment but I'll do my best to keep you all as informed as possible as always.

Thank you all!

Crown of Ash - March Update
2 months ago – Fri, Mar 01, 2024 at 09:22:51 AM

With Chinese New Year behind us, production has resumed and the rest of the game is coming along nicely.

I will be receiving the final production copy soon to make final checks before assembly begins and the last stages of manufacturing are complete.

I'm not sure of the exact timeline yet but I'm hoping by the next update the games should be finished. 

In the meantime the factory have sent through a few more photos of the production including the main game board and some of the deluxe components.

Also below, are some alternative payer powers I've been working on.

During the downtime I've been working on some alternative player powers.

These haven't been thoroughly play-tested but should be good fun to try out at some upcoming conventions we have planned. Including Airecon in Harrogate UK this March.

I'm planning on creating a BGG thread that people can add their power ideas to as well to create a bank of additional powers that players can experiment with. 

Here are some of the initial ideas. 

That's it for another month, I'm very excited for the next update as it should have a lot of progress!

Thank you all!

Crown of Ash - February Update
3 months ago – Thu, Feb 01, 2024 at 08:01:29 AM

February already! A lot has been going on behind the scenes with Crown of Ash.

The good news is production has been progressing steadily throughout January, although not without its hiccups and I have received some photos and video of production.

The bad news is, we're definitely not going to finish before Chinese New Year now. Production was supposed to be complete in 45 days from ordering (mid Jan) well in advance. But cold weather and pre-CNY demand have extended that a lot. 

The cold weather caused extended drying times and cracking in the wooden components, as well as heavy snowfall causing logistic difficulties.

Although apparently snow at Chinese New Year indicates a good year ahead, and I think I'm feeling optimistic about it too.

So, the factory will shut this week until the 20th of February for celebrations after which the machines will be recalibrated and everything should be finished by the beginning of March. I'm not sure on the freight times yet, but I will have this info by the next update.

Address Updates

Addresses are not yet locked so if you do need to change your shipping address you can do so by logging back in to the pledge manager.

Here's a look at some of the printed materials from earlier this month, which are fully finished now. We're just waiting on the wooden components now.

WARNING VIDEO IS QUITE LOUD

Thank you to everyone for your patience, I can't wait for everyone to get the game to their tables.

And although production will stop for most of February I'm working on a little something extra for next months update which I think everyone will appreciate so keep an eye out for that on the 1st March.

Catch you all next month and happy Chinese New Year to all that celebrate it.

Richard

Crown of Ash - January Update
4 months ago – Mon, Jan 01, 2024 at 09:26:53 AM

Happy new year!

Things are still progressing well with the manufacturing of the game.

I haven't managed to squeeze out any photos of production unfortunately, but the printed materials have been er... printed. The wooden components are well underway. I hope to have a more in-depth update from the manufacture soon but all seems to be going well!

There is a potential issue however. Chinese new year. On the 10th of February China celebrates the new year and the whole country (pretty much) shuts down for celebrations.

Speaking to my fulfilment partner, it's going to be close and it's possible this might cause some delays. This is because the ports are busier leading up to the new year (as everyone want's to ship before) and also after (as the ports catch up). We're trying very hard to get the games on boats before and I will of course update everyone if this isn't possible.

Something a little different

I knew this was likely going to be a light update, so I prepared a little extra content for the coming quiet months.

I (or more my lovely wife) have written a short story within the Crown of Ash universe detailing the origins of the raisable fighters in the game.

The game being language independent means it's incredibly difficult to flesh out the lore and to be really thematic. But this is definitely something I'd love to explore and expand upon further in the future.

This took a lot of time to produce. As with everything I will produce, absolutely no AI was used. But if it's something you enjoy and would like to see more of, let me know in the comments.

First is the titular Ash fighters.

Thank you lovely backers!