Plastic Tests
about 4 years ago – Fri, Jan 24, 2020 at 01:17:53 AM

Here are the three different plastic tests from the factory. Out of our choices -- ABS, HIPS, PVC -- we've selected the ABS plastic. ABS has the best mix of detail and durability without the slight droop that can infect PVC miniatures. (Which one is the ABS test? The bright green mini!)

Why did we use Spark for our tests? The car has several protruding bits and some of the more complicated undercuts, so this was miniature that would tell us the most about how the different plastics would handle the designs. ABS is the winner!

- Phil Reed

New Factory Sculpts, BackerKit Update
about 4 years ago – Wed, Jan 22, 2020 at 10:33:31 PM

It has been a few weeks since the Kickstarter campaign came to a close, and in that time we have:

• Sam and Randy have been going over all of the cards once last time as Gabby works on the card layouts. We may end up shifting a few cards around to improve the mix in the sets, plus Sam and Randy have a new approach to concealed weapons that we're looking at. It appears to add some tactical fun to the concept of concealed weapons. We just need to check and double-check things before we say "yes, this is better." News to come.
• Brandon Moore is at work on more artwork for the game, including a new cover for one of the two different two-player sets we're planning for distribution release in 2021.
• I spent several hours with GPI working on revising and finalizing the project specs and the pricing. David and I almost have a complete solution on how to pack the Double Ace rewards (along with one copy of the core game); if this works the way we think it does, there will be an option in BackerKit to buy one big box of stuff.
• Speaking of BackerKit, Darryll and I have been going over all of the components and packages and he is at work on the survey. It will mid-February before we open the surveys; we need time to collect all of the specifics and make sure things are working properly. (If we can wrap things up and open the surveys earlier than that, we will. Regardless, the surveys will remain open for a few months once everything is set.)
• The factory sent us four new prototypes of miniatures, just getting those minis out the door before they closed for Chinese New Year. They also sent us plastic tests for the minis in ABS, HIPS, and PVC. We'll share pics of those later. For now, below are photos of the four new prototypes that reached our office this week.

- Phil Reed

Finish Line!!!
over 4 years ago – Tue, Jan 07, 2020 at 12:52:38 AM

Thank you, everyone, for making the new Car Wars Sixth Edition game line bigger than it would have been without you. Your support has unlocked several plastic miniatures, several cards, the road tiles expansion, and more! You've pushed the project to over 800% of its goal and all of us at Steve Jackson Games will do what we can to complete and deliver the game on schedule.

Since the work on this project started after the close of the Ogre Designer's Edition project back in 2012, this new edition of Car Wars has gone through several revisions and been subjected to countless playtest sessions. The final version of the game looks nothing like some of the early stages (though by late 2015, early 2016 some of the details were starting to come into focus), but every hour that was invested in design, playtesting, and development was vital to getting us where we are today.

What's next?

Tomorrow, we jump into the heavy part of the project: Wrapping up the work on all of the material that has to go to the factory. Some parts of this campaign -- like the Vehicle Guide and the web scenarios -- will come later since they won't require the months of manufacturing time that the rest of the game requires. (They'll still deliver on schedule, our team just has a little more time to complete those than we do the rest of the game.)

We will, of course, share updates with you so that you're aware of our progress. And we will even post pics when we have some fun stuff to share with all of you.

As soon as we complete the last of the work needed to fulfill this campaign, then Sam and Randy will jump into motorcycles so that we can move forward with that unlocked stretch goal and bring a cycles expansion to Kickstarter . . . well, we don't know yet. But as soon as work starts, we'll be sure to share pics and info of the process in updates to this campaign.

Thank you!

- Phil Reed

$640,000 Stretch Goal Unlocked!
over 4 years ago – Mon, Jan 06, 2020 at 09:36:41 PM

Later today, the Car Wars Sixth Edition campaign comes to a close on Kickstarter and, thanks to your support, it will close successfully! Over four dozen stretch goals have been unlocked and our creative team now has a lot of work to complete so that we can send the game (and many expansions!) to the factory and start moving everything closer to your table.

The $640,000 stretch goal has been unlocked and added four more cars to the Car Wars Vehicle Guide; this optional add-on item (increase your pledge by $15 if you want the book; you'll make your exact add-on selections in BackerKit) will include a total of 20 different car designs. 

What will the pages look like? Each car will be a two-page spread and include artwork, miniatures photo(s), in-world information on the car, as well as card lists for two values: a low-point version and a high-point version of the car. With the Car Wars Vehicle Guide, the number of pre-designed vehicles you have at hand jumps dramatically over the record sheets that will be packed into the core game.

If you have any questions about the Vehicle Guide, or any part of the Car Wars Sixth Edition game line, please ask in the comments and we'll answer as best we can!

Up next: The $650,000 stretch goal!

- Phil Reed 

Car Wars Sixth Edition Rules Draft
over 4 years ago – Mon, Jan 06, 2020 at 08:57:44 PM

As we come down to the final hours, the creative team is ready to share the draft of the Car Wars Sixth Edition rules. This is the 24-page book that will be packed in the core game. Please note that there are still corrections and changes to be made to these rules; these are not the 100% final rulebook.

• Car Wars Sixth Edition PDF Draft

BackerKit Schedule

For those who have asked, we will open the BackerKit survey in a few weeks, possibly the last week of January. We will then keep the survey open for a couple of months to give everyone time to complete their surveys. We will lock inventory limits around March 1st, so please finish your survey by then so that you can get the items you want. After that date, the survey will be open, though there may be some limits on items.

For those unfamiliar with the process, you may increase your pledge today for any items that you may wish to add to your rewards. It is in the BackerKit stage where you'll let us know exactly which add-on items you want to add to your package.

Manufacturing Schedule

Tomorrow, our creative team starts the heavy lifting to complete the game and accessories. At the same time, I'll work with our rep at GPI, David, to finalize our manufacturing plans including how we will pack the Double Ace rewards. There's a good chance that we will turn the Double Ace rewards into a larger storage box; we'll sketch out the rough plan tomorrow and Wednesday, and then finalize the details the week of January 20th.

Fantastic Campaign!

Thank you, everyone, for being here for the launch of this new edition of Car Wars. In addition to the possibility of motorcycles in the future, we also have ideas for continuing campaigns, more miniatures expansions, and arenas, and we'll dig into those concepts just as soon as we complete this Kickstarter campaign and send everything to print.

- Phil Reed