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We're in our last 48 hours and are trying to hit our £23,000 Stretch Goal so have whacked up some crazy stuff, including:
Add copies of Lords of War: Orcs versus Dwarves and/or Elves versus Lizardmen to any pledge above the £12 Battle Mat pledge for £10 each!!!
And remember, there is no additional postage cost for add-ons in our campaign!!!
And when we say add-ons, that includes:
- £8 for the Lords of War Battle Mat
- £10 for the Lords of War Card Tin, 100 Transparent Sleeves and 1 Limited Edition Command Card (either send us a message to let us know which army or wait for the survey!)
- £12 for a Lords of War T-Shirt
Anyway... where were we? Oh yeah!
Lords of War: Templars versus Undead is a standalone card game from award-winning, completely independent, UK-based games publisher Black Box Games.
Although Lords of War: Templars versus Undead is the third game in the Lords of War: Fantasy Battles series, chances are you won't have heard of us. That's because we're a tiny company and we have been around for less than a year. Also, Lords of War has until very recently only been available in the UK!
Thankfully, you don't need to have even heard of the other Lords of War games to enjoy Lords of War: Templars versus Undead. Every Lords of War game has been designed to work on its own, completely independently of the others - that said, if you like, you can mix the decks up or play any of the armies against one another too!
Everything you need to know about the game should be contained in the various sections below - so, what do you want to know?
Explain the mechanic in 10 seconds!
See this diagram?
See how every card has a shield containing a Defence Value?
See how each card has a series of numbers in their Attack Arrows on the edges or corners?
Players play one card at a time from their hand, using their cards' Attack Arrows to exceed the Defence Value on their opponent's cards.
In the above example, the Orc Butcher is DEAD (4 from the Chariot + 1 from the Spearman = 5 against the Orc Butcher's 4 Defence).
That's the mechanic in 10 seconds. There's a lot more to the game, including Spear and Ranged Units, Cavalry and more, but that's the absolute basics. There's a lot more at the bottom of the page about how it works!
In the meantime...
Welcome to Lords of War!
How is the Campaign Going?
We created this bespoke piece of artwork to track the progress of our Kickstarter Campaign. Like an advent calendar, a new section is unlocked (with bonuses at the different stages) as we hit certain targets...
WE ARE FUNDED and have reached our first Stretch Goal of £21,000!!!
EVERY pledger from the £12 Battle Mat pledge upwards will now receive 100 transparent Lords of War card sleeves for FREE!
Also, the internet's largest, independent RPG website EN World recorded this interview with Martin at the weekend! Fun fun fun!
Still to come...
- At £22,000 all Limited Edition Command Cards will become SHINIES
- At £23,000 (NOW REDUCED!) the Lords of War: Terrain & Weather Expansion will become unlocked, and every pledger who has pledged £60 or above will receive the Lords of War: Terrain & Weather Expansion for FREE!
If we hit the £23,000 mark, those who have not pledged £60 will still be able to pick up the Terrain & Weather expansion by adding £5 to their pledge!
And now let's take a look at some new unlockable stuff!
Here's the grand reveal and world premiere appearance of...
The Lords of War World Map!
First in sepia...
And second in bright, bright colours!
Remember, if you would like a digital copy of any of our maps, please email info@lords-of-war.com.
Next, we've brought the Blood Golem into full colour!
And Steve has been tidying up the Templar Longsword!
Looks like we're going to have a very busy Christmas!
Thank you SO MUCH for your support everyone - we can't believe it. We've DONE IT!!!
Now let's see if we can get to that £23,000 mark in the final few days...
Thanks SO MUCH everyone!
Nick & Martin
Black Box Games
With a week left to go, we hit 90% Funded!
Let's take a look at some new unlockables!
Firstly, how does this sound for an interesting offer:
Add £10 to your pledge to receive a Lords of War Card Tin, 100 transparent sleeves and 1 Limited Edition Command Card of your choice!
You message us which of the six armies you want a special Command Card for and we'll send it to you!
And here is the very cool tinny:
And also, of course, the sleeves fit like a GLOVE.
Aside from that, let's take a look at some...
Undead Command Card Rough Sketches!
And, because we were going to show you this at 100% Funded and make it available as a Stretch Goal, but we thought we'd show it to you early just in case we don't make it...
The Concept Box Artwork for the Lords of War: Weather and Terrain Expansion!
Tomorrow we'll be at Dragonmeet in London spreading the word, next week we'll be on The Dice Tower. With all the coverage out there behind us and your support if you pass the news on, we might still make it deep into Stretch Goal territory...
Anyhow - thanks for your support everyone. The next big reveal will be at 100%, so here's hoping it's not too long until we're updating the page again!
Nick & Martin
But before we go any further, on December 3rd, the fantastic online sitcom Board With Life released this...
Which blew our minds. Incredible.
Anyway - where were we? Oh yes:
Whoa! We hit 75% Funded!
Thank you so much everyone - this is incredible! Let's take a look at a tonne of new stuff!
Let's start with a Templar character sheet...
And now let's talk a little bit about mechanics. Well, one mechanic - the NEW mechanic.
Let's talk about Attack & Move Arrows!
Those who have been following the campaign will be familiar with this character - the Zombie Gnasher. Well, let's take a look at him in his card frame...
Now, just to emphasise, this card is NOT FINISHED ARTWORK. It's just a very simple mock-up - there's plenty more to do on him!
Anyway - what you've probably noticed is the new Attack Arrow variation: Attack & Move.
What this symbolises is that this card, once played, can:
If the player chooses to and the card is unengaged, the Unit may move into an unoccupied space as indicated by its Attack & Move Arrows.
These cards cannot move more than one space per turn. If their Attack & Move Arrows do not point backwards then they cannot retreat. Players do not have to move their cards if they do not want to.
And that is that...
Now, onto the main event. The deck itself is still locked up until Stretch Goals, but let's talk about...
The Lords of War: Terrain & Weather Expansion!!!
Let's take this a little bit slow - there's heaps to talk about!
First off, let's look at some Terrain...
Terrain is laid as a pre-game to a Lords of War battle. The cards are landscape-oriented and can be laid to form Skirmish Scenarios - a kind of story battle - or in a range of ways dependent on player preference.
Some terrain, such as Castle Walls or Gates can form structures for sieges, Goldfight! (or Capture the Flag) matches or King of the Hill games.
For today though, we're talking about three Terrain types and how they effect the game.
Each Terrain type has two effects:
Hill
Ranged Units placed on this card enjoy +1 Damage from their Ranged Attacks.
All Units placed on this card enjoy +1 Defense.
Marsh
No unit placed on a Marsh card can be attacked by Cavalry and Cavalry cannot be placed on a Marsh card.
Units placed on Marsh cards cannot move or be retreated.
River
No unit can be placed on a River and no unit can cross a River.
Any Ranged Attacks which cross a River suffer a -1 penalty.
Sound fun? Puzzled? Let us know!
Moving on to Weather:
Unlike Terrain, Weather Cards are played during Lords of War matches.
At the start of the game, after initial units are laid by players, Player 2 draws two cards from the Weather Deck. He looks at both cards, chooses one to play and discards the other face down.
The chosen Weather Card then comes into effect and lasts for every player's turn until it play returns to Player 2. At this point, Player 2's Weather Card is placed on the discard pile and, if it is a two player game, Player 1 draws two Weather Cards (or in a 3+ player game Player 3 draws two Weather Cards).
The cycle continues until the Weather Deck is depleted, with each player taking turn after turn to draw and play from the Weather Deck.
Once the deck runs out, the Weather Deck is shuffled and play begins again.
Anyway, let's get specific about some Weather Effects:
Thunder
During Thunder, Cavalry units deal no damage and Ranged Weapons cannot be fired.
Mist
During Mist, no cards may be retreated and Berserker Units enjoy +1 Defense.
Beating Sun
During Beating Sun, all cards suffer a -1 Defense penalty (cards with 1 Defense do not die automatically).
Obviously these are just three examples of many - but they're a taste. If we can get this campaign into Stretch Goal territory then making this deck could become a possibility.
Thank you so much for getting us up to 75% everyone - we're over the moon! Let's keep the momentum up!
Nick & Martin
We're over 62% of the way there now!
It has felt like this week has lasted forever - £12,500 has seemed so close yet so far away! Now we're here, and thank you for your support.
It's time for a bonanza of unlockable stuff!
Firstly, let's take a look at our first sheet of character sketches. Meet some standard Undead units!
Next, let's take a look at the Lords of War: Templars versus Undead Battlemat. This baby is full size and made of high-quality foam rubber.
Add £8 to any pledge above and including Hell Is Full... to make the Custom Battlemat yours!
And, lastly, here's the last continent map we'll be unlocking. This is Tusk, the setting for Lords of War: Templars versus Undead!
And, of course, for a digital copy of this map please email info@lords-of-war.com.
Also, just to confirm - when it comes to the Lords of War T-Shirt:
Just add £12 to any pledge above and including Hell Is Full... to make the Lords of War: Templars versus Undead T-Shirt yours!
We just leapt up to over 50% Funded!
Thank you SO MUCH everyone for the massive drive that's currently underway, and particularly to our friends at Arcane Tinmen for their very generous pledge!
Now, let's celebrate by nerding out with another continent map - Nuviel, where Lords of War: Elves versus Lizardmen is set - and the Lords of War: Templars versus Undead box design, which is below!
For a digital copy of this map, please email info@lords-of-war.com.
We hit 37% Funding! To celebrate, here is another thing of beauty...
For those of you with a keen sense of memory, Krod Klouthammer and his rabble of Dwarves live in Ragnar's Folly on the west coast.
If you would like a copy of this map sent to you by email, please drop a message through to info@lords-of-war.com.
Once we were 25% Funded the Undead General was roused from his slumber!
Please feast your eyes on the Character Artwork and Origins Story for the Undead General and the Templars versus Undead T-Shirt design!
To read Asul's back story, please check UPDATES.
Much credit for us reaching this recent goal must go to Richard Bland and Richard Cederberg who both pledged £500 to have themselves immortalised as Templar Command Cards. 3 now remain!
Thanks again everyone - every share, every comment and every pledge counts for so much. Please keep up your support!
Nick & Martin
At 18% Funded we unlocked the Character Artwork and Origins Story for the Templar General!
To read the Origins Story for Father Nicodemus, please check UPDATES. Otherwise, here he is in all his glory!
When we reached 10% Funded The Undead Origins Story was Unlocked!
To read about how the Undead came into being, please check in UPDATES. Also, take a look at this lovely piece of newly unlocked Undead concept art!
Thank you for getting us this far everyone! Please keep spreading the news - this is so scary and so exciting!
At 5% the Templar Origins Story was Unlocked!
To read about who the Templars are, please check in UPDATES. In the meantime, look at this lovely piece of newly unlocked Templar concept art!
Oh, and, here's an initial concept for the box cover, alongside the Orcs versus Dwarves and Elves versus Lizardmen versions...
Why Kickstarter?
The success of Lords of War in the UK means that we're expanding, which is great, but we're a tiny company - just two teachers! - so while we would love to self-fund Templars versus Undead there's no way the game would see the light of day for at least another year if we didn't have help from you!
That's why we need your help!
Your support is fundamental when it comes to getting the game out into the world, helping us to build a global Lords of War audience whilst maintaining our independent status.
We really believe in building a community around the game, with tournaments and prizes and all the rest. Without your help, frankly, it might not happen. So this campaign really matters - and we're so excited about it!
What is Lords of War, because I've never heard of it!
Lords of War is an award-winning card game from Black Box Games in the UK.
It sees fantasy races engage in dynamic, tactical card battles which surge across your table top, taking between 30-45 minutes per game.
Each of double-deck pack is playable out of the box and contains two complete armies, all of which are ready and eager to engage in gratuitous acts of fantasy mayhem. The game also scales up from 2 to 6 players, with multiple rule sets including Basic, Intermediate and Advanced.
The Lords of War armies are differentiated by their exclusive cards, which feature distinctive playing styles according to the characteristics and qualities of that particular fantasy race, and each card boasts stunning original artwork by award-winning artist Steve Cox.
To see the a bit about what comes in the box, here's the ORIGINAL unboxing video we recorded back in November 2012 (with the Digital Proof cards). Note the square corners!
Is it any good though?
We would like to think of ourselves as a safe pair of hands!
So far, Lords of War has won the award for Best Strategic Card Games at the UK Games Expo - the UK's largest gaming convention - as well as being reviewed very positively by several websites and magazines.
Click on the following names to read some reviews from these reputable websites - The Geek Syndicate, Beasts of War, Polyhedron Collider, The Little Metal Dog Show and Boardgames in Blighty.
Or, alternatively, here are some testimonial quotes:
"This is a great game that is perfect for first timers or hard-core gamers because of the rules, the design, the art and the fun factor. 5/5"
- The Geek Syndicate
"Plenty of tactical depth and oodles of replay value... I can quite honestly say this is one of the best-looking games you'll ever play."
- Beasts of War
"Lords of War is shaping up to be one of the best games of the year and is just starting its journey; I suggest you get on board."
- Polyhedron Collider
"It demands a lot more thought than some games ten times the size and four times the price, but one thing you won’t need to consider is whether to grab a copy or not – your answer should be a simple yes."
- The Little Metal Dog Show
"Lords of War absolutely SHINES at what it is trying to be. The design is tight and the restraint shown to keep it simple and fast playing is to be commended."
- Boardgames in Blighty
Also, to listen to an interview with Martin on The Little Metal Dog Show podcast, the UK-wing of The Dice Tower Network, please click here.
Secondly, like many of the best games, Lords of War is simple to pick up but very hard to master. Plus, it's pocket-sized, so you can take the battle wherever you like!
Plus, everything you need to start playing comes in the box!
Over the last year, we've made tonnes of instructional videos about how to play the game, all of which are available here, and since Lords of War: Orcs versus Dwarves launched in December of 2012 we've had everyone, from 6 year old girls to 66 year old hardcore gamers playing and enjoying Lords of War.
Here's an interview Martin gave almost a year ago, to UK gaming website EN World, at the launch of Lords of War: Orcs versus Dwarves.
And to see a brief mention of Lords of War on On The Table, please skip to 8 minutes 28 seconds of this:
Compared to Lords of War: Orcs versus Dwarves and Lords of War: Elves versus Lizardmen though, this new double-deck pack offers lots of new stuff - not least, new, original, awesome artwork by the award-winning illustrator Steve Cox!
So, what's new in this pack?
Lords of War: Templars versus Undead was developed at the same time as Lords of War: Orcs versus Dwarves and Lords of War: Elves versus Lizardmen. It was our hope to release all three at the same time, but as we've funded Lords of War ourselves so far that just wasn't possible!
In fact, if you want to learn more about the development of Lords of War, check out the Crafting of a Card Game series Martin has been writing for Beasts of War, which details some of the challenges involved in the process!
Like Orcs versus Dwarves and Elves versus Lizardmen, should this campaign be successful, Lords of War: Templars versus Undead will contain two complete armies, plus a brand new (and enhanced) battlemat and some all-new instructions.
Our original thinking was that Orcs versus Dwarves, Elves versus Lizardmen and Templars versus Undead would offer 'Easy', 'Medium' and 'Hard' modes of Lords of War respectively. That's because, strategically speaking, Templars versus Undead contains a new mechanic - our first-ever 'moving' units - as well as crazy new combinations of attack arrows, the addition of which will be game-changing!
In terms of how they behave as armies, the Templars are the most heavily armoured army to appear in a Lords of War game so far (that's right - even tougher than the Dwarves!) with some new, super-long range archers.
The Undead, meanwhile, are just plain weird - the most varied army in terms of their shield and attack values, with some hard-as-nails units designed to suck up attacks and others that are all about the vicious multi-kills!
Of course, like all the Lords of War armies, the cards are ranked and balanced, meaning the game is still fair and the armies can still be tweaked or blended together.
Have no doubts though - these two new factions are forces to be reckoned with!
What about the Lords of War extended universe?
Of course, as with Orcs versus Dwarves and Elves versus Lizardmen, the release of Templars versus Undead would be supported by the release of a new season of 10 short stories telling the back story to the conflict (and tying their war into the Lords of War world).
Furthermore, as the Kickstarter campaign progresses, new elements of the Lords of War Extended Universe will become unlocked - provided things go well!
To read the Orcs versus Dwarves stories, please click here.
To read the Elves versus Lizardmen stories, please click here.
Additionally, as those who follow us on Facebook will know, we would love to create a Lords of War graphic novel, some Lords of War animations and to release a Lords of War audiobook.
If the Templars versus Undead Kickstarter campaign is successful, all of these things, and much more, could become possible as part of our Stretch Goals...
Lords of War isn't available where I live! Tell me more about the Lords of War races which are already available...
Here's some short introductions we filmed about the races we've released so far:
And, lastly, I want someone who isn't you to teach me how the game works...
Your wish is our command! Here is Mark Grimtree of Grimtree Games with an instructional video. Take it away Mark!
Risks and challenges
There are three main stages to releasing Lords of War: Templars versus Undead, and these are:
1) Finishing the Artwork
We have a painstaking attention to detail when it comes to the artwork - we believe each card should be really unique and special. We have already started roughing out the cards, but it will take some time to take everything to colour and make it print-ready.
Our goal is to get this stage of the project completed in February.
2) The Printing Process
Depending on how successful this campaign is, we will need to inform our printer as to quantities, ensure that we're happy with the finish (so, signing off on the 'proofs') and pack up the various different combinations of Pledge Rewards for all the different people who have supported the project - hopefully from all over the world. This will take some time, but we hope that we will have this stage of the process done and dusted during March and into April.
3) Shipping!
Depending on where everyone is across the world, we will send out Lords of War: Templar packs as soon as we can. We would expect everyone to have them in April, with the main launch of the game taking place at the Salute Wargames Show in London on 12th April 2014.
Learn about accountability on KickstarterSupport
Funding period
- (38 days)