Black Box?

Piperdog · Post by **Piperdog** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 1:38 am

Can anybody tell me what Steve is cryptically talking about when he mentions the Black Box? He also references a new companion for the white box set in this last update on the home page. Am I getting excited for no reason, or is there some anniversary set about to come out at Gen Con? Anybody know anything about this, or am I reading too much into this?

Litzen Tallister · Post by **Litzen Tallister** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 2:15 am

Sounds like there's something to be read into regarding the anniversary. I'm not sure about a companion to the white box set (which was introduced to me as the "Beer and Pretzels" set, but I doubt the companion being referred to is a six pack and a bag of pretzels

), but it's neat to hear about.

AGNKim · Post by **AGNKim** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 2:23 am

Piperdog wrote:Can anybody tell me what Steve is cryptically talking about when he mentions the Black Box? He also references a new companion for the white box set in this last update on the home page. Am I getting excited for no reason, or is there some anniversary set about to come out at Gen Con? Anybody know anything about this, or am I reading too much into this?

Yes.

moriarty777 · Post by **moriarty777** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 3:41 am

According to Steve in the final hours (?) of the Kickstarter, he hinted at a 'Black Box'. Picture something like the White Collector's box but, instead of more of the same, with a few surprises including material taken / borrowed from the sort of stuff you'd expect to see in the Adventurer's Backpack which allows for a better customization or creation of character classes (new classes?) -- possibly racial classes. It's also to celebrate a couple of important anniversaries ... the game that started it all (40 years now) as well as C&C's 10th.

Very vague on the details but if it happens, it will be a Gencon release.

M

serleran · Post by **serleran** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 3:52 am

They come with an animated hand grasping a scroll bearing the official Seal of He Who Sits on the Elephant's Back which, if taken and read, causes the nearest corpse (within 100 miles) to rise and seek the summoner...

So mote it be.

Actually, no real idea. There have been several thoughts bounced back and around for some time. It will probably be none and all of them.

Warunsun · Post by **Warunsun** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 2:56 pm

moriarty777 wrote:Very vague on the details but if it happens, it will be a Gencon release.

I'd rather see the Trolls focus on fulfilling the two Kickstarters already in production than working on side projects. I am much more excited to see the fruits of the Three Sisters edited and in color.

zacharythefirst · Post by **zacharythefirst** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 3:09 pm

I cannot wait for Gen Con. I will be there, Day 1, ready for whatever this is.

And let's not forget the blurb on the front of the main site right now. 15 years at Gen Con! Doesn't seem that long!

So in the midst of all the echoes that are the battles of Codex Nordica and Three Sisters Kickstarters and the coming battle with Amazing Adventures we are looking across the wide field at Gencon. This is going to be a special Gencon by any account. It was 15 years ago this August that TLG debuted her signature line of adventures and campaign setting. It was Ten years ago, this August, that TLG debuted the white box for Castles & Crusades.

Its something to celebrate! And celebrate we will. Its high time the white box received a companion.

Omote · Post by **Omote** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 3:40 am

I need more digest-sized C&C box sets.

~O

Traveller · Post by **Traveller** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 9:21 pm

Honestly, this is the year that the white box rules themselves should receive a revision, to go along with the rumored black box.

Litzen Tallister · Post by **Litzen Tallister** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 11:18 pm

Omote wrote:I need more digest-sized C&C box sets.

~O

As much as I love the full-sized C&C stuff, the white box set is great for taking on trips where there's a chance of playing a game of Castles & Crusades, but not guaranteed enough to warrant hauling the full-size hardcovers around.

Post by **finarvyn** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:15 am

Litzen Tallister wrote:
Omote wrote:I need more digest-sized C&C box sets.
As much as I love the full-sized C&C stuff, the white box set is great for taking on trips where there's a chance of playing a game of Castles & Crusades, but not guaranteed enough to warrant hauling the full-size hardcovers around.

I'm the opposite. If I take a trip, I can take my C&C as a single volume hardback (the PH; I "wing it" for monsters most of the time) and don't worry about it getting beat up. If I took a boxed set I would be afraid that the box corners would get crunched or something.

Having said that, I'd be interested in learning more about this mysterious Black Box rules set. If it's a GenCon thing, will there be an option for those of us who don't attend GenCon?

moriarty777 · Post by **moriarty777** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 5:10 pm

finarvyn wrote:Having said that, I'd be interested in learning more about this mysterious Black Box rules set. If it's a GenCon thing, will there be an option for those of us who don't attend GenCon?

I'm positive that the fine folks at TLG will have this available to order after Gencon. Very much like the flip-book or even the white box set which don't end up in stores, they are available at their online store.

M

moriarty777 · Post by **moriarty777** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 5:19 pm

Warunsun wrote:
moriarty777 wrote:Very vague on the details but if it happens, it will be a Gencon release.
I'd rather see the Trolls focus on fulfilling the two Kickstarters already in production than working on side projects. I am much more excited to see the fruits of the Three Sisters edited and in color.

There is only so much that can be done to move this along quicker... the PHB is done and has started to appear in the wild. The Codex Noridica is just about to ship out as soon as they receive the books from the printers (they outsource the hardcover print jobs). As for the rest of the latest Kickstarter, if not actually being printed, the majority of the work has to do with color for the artwork and layout. The edits are likely already in place (and this was in the works for weeks before the Kickstarter even launched).

So, why not do a bit more if they can at all help it? Provided that it is done well, I will be happy to see this little box and other surprises for GenCon and the months that follow.

With all that said, I certainly think that the 'three sisters' are the number one priority since it would just be that much more of a solid boost for them to have all three books available for GenCon.

M

alcyone · Post by **alcyone** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 5:45 pm

Anything from Arcana Creations in the pipeline to capitalize on the new C&C books?

moriarty777 · Post by **moriarty777** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 1:47 am

Aergraith wrote:Anything from Arcana Creations in the pipeline to capitalize on the new C&C books?

A very good question and the short answer is yes.

Sadly, things have been clogged in that pipeline for MONTHS.

It's no secret that I have planned no less than 2-3 releases this year and that, ideally, they should have been out by now. While I have considered crowdfunding this the general sentiment and growing backlash against certain projects like Kickstarter due to bad experiences that many have had, I have tried to stay away from this altogether. What this means is that I've been trying to do everything out of pocket like a responsible hobby-publisher but, with bad luck and a shoestring budget, haven't managed to raise the capital to get the art done and other necessary bits. The writing is done and editing is done on two of the three modules. Even layout has been done but is likely to get revamped one last time.

So, despite my efforts to avoid it, I will like be forced to go the Indiegogo route (as opposed to Kickstarter) to finish up the projects and get this into the hands of interested gamers.

But who knows... it a few things work out for me in the next few weeks, the time table may be advanced considerably as to what I had planned to do.

M

Relaxo · Post by **Relaxo** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 4:11 pm

Thing is, Indegogo sort of sucks. I can't find the article I read breaking it down, but giant 2" foam dice ran on Indegogo and failed, then repeated on KS and hit like 1000% of goal with not a single difference in how they ran the campaigns (they say). it's 90% that KS has the market on crowdsourcing. KS projects just see more eyeballs.

of course TableTop prooves me wrong, but that's TableTop.

I'm assuming the draw is the flexible funding option vs. the all or nothing with KS.

Whatever you do, I'm in!

moriarty777 · Post by **moriarty777** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 7:42 pm

Relaxo wrote:Thing is, Indegogo sort of sucks. I can't find the article I read breaking it down, but giant 2" foam dice ran on Indegogo and failed, then repeated on KS and hit like 1000% of goal with not a single difference in how they ran the campaigns (they say). it's 90% that KS has the market on crowdsourcing. KS projects just see more eyeballs.

of course TableTop prooves me wrong, but that's TableTop.

I'm assuming the draw is the flexible funding option vs. the all or nothing with KS.

Whatever you do, I'm in!

Indiegogo vs Kickstarter:

True... Kickstarter is a win for the number of people it draws to it. But it isn't just the flexible funding option I was considering, it's more about the flexible payment options that I'm concerned about.

Indiegogo allows for Paypal which is huge advantage and the problem with Kickstarter is that Amazon Payments is *not* used for projects created outside the US. You still use a Credit Card but not through the convenience of Amazon and that is a big one. I have seen some people in the US turned off by the lack of the Amazon Payments option.

Frankly, the way around that would be to have someone in the US create and handle the project for me but I really would rather not. Besides, the one person I would be comfortable to do this with in the States currently is still trying to fulfill an unrelated Kickstarter and it's taken long enough time and there has been a lot of backlash as a result. I fear that it would could negatively impact this one as well.

The situation kind of sucks but my goal isn't to make TONS of money on the project (though that would be nice), it's to fund what's needed to get the project completed and delivered to backers. Once 'out', it will still be available via POD for anyone looking for physical copies and, there may even be an initial print batch done for proper distribution depending on the overall success of the campaign.

Of course, you surely realize that very first module I'm talking about funding to complete is yours right? I'm certain I already have your support on that endeavor.

M

Piperdog · Post by **Piperdog** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 12:01 am

Troll Lord,
any chance you can give us some of the juicy details on the black box yet? I am insanely curious at this point!

Relaxo · Post by **Relaxo** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 9:53 am

moriarty777 wrote: Indiegogo allows for Paypal which is huge advantage and the problem with Kickstarter is that Amazon Payments is *not* used for projects created outside the US. You still use a Credit Card but not through the convenience of Amazon and that is a big one.

Ahhh, I had no idea about this.

Frankly, the way around that would be to have someone in the US create and handle the project for me but I really would rather not. Besides... I fear that it would could negatively impact this one as well.

I believe you are right about this.

Of course, you surely realize that very first module I'm talking about funding to complete is yours right? I'm certain I already have your support on that endeavor.

I had assumed/hoped.

I'll pledge as much as I can :LOL:

Sir Ironside · Post by **Sir Ironside** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:17 pm

moriarty777 wrote:Indiegogo allows for Paypal which is huge advantage and the problem with Kickstarter is that Amazon Payments is *not* used for projects created outside the US. You still use a Credit Card but not through the convenience of Amazon and that is a big one. I have seen some people in the US turned off by the lack of the Amazon Payments option.

This is a problem for me for sure. I don't have any credit cards and refuse to get a credit card. So, if I want to participate with Kickstarter I have to do it offline, which TLG has been very gracious about doing, even though I know it is an extra layer of hassle for them. So, I've been apart of TLG Kickstarters but I've never officially signed on to Kickstarter itself.

moriarty777 · Post by **moriarty777** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 10:27 pm

Sir Ironside wrote:
moriarty777 wrote:Indiegogo allows for Paypal which is huge advantage and the problem with Kickstarter is that Amazon Payments is *not* used for projects created outside the US. You still use a Credit Card but not through the convenience of Amazon and that is a big one. I have seen some people in the US turned off by the lack of the Amazon Payments option.
This is a problem for me for sure. I don't have any credit cards and refuse to get a credit card. So, if I want to participate with Kickstarter I have to do it offline, which TLG has been very gracious about doing, even though I know it is an extra layer of hassle for them. So, I've been apart of TLG Kickstarters but I've never officially signed on to Kickstarter itself.

Well, I would be very interested in hearing *your* opinion in this matter. Assuming that what was being developed / crowdfunded was something that you were interested and had confidence in, would Indiegogo be a preferred option for you or would you prefer Kickstarter as long as there was an 'offline' or Paypal option after the fact (either during or after the Kickstarter)?

M

Piperdog · Post by **Piperdog** » Mon Jul 21, 2014 5:59 pm

Any news on this? I will know soon enough I guess once I hit the Trolls booth at Gencon, but dang! I want to know NOW.

Omote · Post by **Omote** » Mon Jul 21, 2014 6:32 pm

You tell 'em Piperdog!

~O

zacharythefirst · Post by **zacharythefirst** » Tue Jul 22, 2014 12:53 am

This is currently #1 on my list at Gen Con....I HAVE to see what is in this.... I GOTS TO KNOW.

Piperdog · Post by **Piperdog** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 1:33 am

Gaaaaaaah! I need to know!

seskis281 · Post by **seskis281** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 6:39 pm

It's a simple black box containing:

1. A can of Dr. Pepper
2. Roll of duct tape
3. 1-sheet pamphlet with suggestions for use of both

Arduin · Post by **Arduin** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 6:44 pm

Sir Ironside wrote: This is a problem for me for sure. I don't have any credit cards and refuse to get a credit card. So, if I want to participate with Kickstarter I have to do it offline, which TLG has been very gracious about doing, even though I know it is an extra layer of hassle for them. So, I've been apart of TLG Kickstarters but I've never officially signed on to Kickstarter itself.

Every bank ATM I've seen in the last 15 years (USofA) is a Visa or MC for purposes of using for something like Kickstarter. But not really a CREDITcard...

Sir Ironside · Post by **Sir Ironside** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 9:14 pm

Arduin wrote:Every bank ATM I've seen in the last 15 years (USofA) is a Visa or MC for purposes of using for something like Kickstarter. But not really a CREDITcard...

I live in Canada and bank ATM cards are just that ATM cards. Either way, it doesn't matter I don't own a ATM card either. I also have my money in a credit union.

To be honest I'm really not all that much up on the type of banking cards that are available here in Canada. Maybe there is one like you say the U.S. has. I know there are "faux" gift card's that act like credit cards available in different denominations, but those cost much more than what is printed on the card.

Rigon · Post by **Rigon** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 10:54 pm

Piperdog wrote:Gaaaaaaah! I need to know!

Piper, not sure if you read the blog, but Steve has been posting excerpts from the "Of Gods and Monster of Aihrde" which also says "Black Box". I wish one of my good friends going to GenCon would pick me up a copy of the Black Box and mail it to me.

R-

AGNKim · Post by **AGNKim** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 1:43 am

seskis281 wrote:It's a simple black box containing:

1. A can of Dr. Pepper
2. Roll of duct tape
3. 1-sheet pamphlet with suggestions for use of both

I'm glad the cats out of the bag. Did Steve reveal this to you?

Troll Lord Games

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