Making the soundtrack - an interview with The Fordj
over 2 years ago – Sun, Nov 19, 2023 at 08:01:09 AM

Hi everyone,

In today's update we' re going to be taking a look at the making of the soundtrack via an interview with Jack Hardy, one half of the team from The Fordj. Before we get into that though, just a quick update on the current fulfilment situation.

Shipping Update

Canada

Many of you have kindly been in touch to let us know that the games have began arriving in Canada. For those of you who have yet to receive the game in this region, you should receive your copies this week. If you have not received your game by the end of the week please get in touch with me through email: [email protected].

South America

There are still a handful of games that are yet to be fulfilled in this region. We are working with our fulfilment partner to get these to you as soon as possible. If you have previously contacted me then I will be in touch once I have an update. If you have not contacted me and you have not received a game in this region please let me know via email: [email protected].

Asia

There are a few games that we're currently chasing that have gone missing. My sincere apologies for this. We're working with our fulfilment partner to fix this situation. If you have not already contacted me, please do so via [email protected].

Europe

To the best of my knowledge, all orders in Europe have been fulfilled. If you are in Europe and have not received your game, please contact me via email: [email protected].

Australia and New Zealand

As with Europe, as far as I am aware all games have now been delivered to backers in Australia and New Zealand. If there is anyone who hasn't received your game yet, please get in touch with me as soon as possible via [email protected].

Interview with The Fordj - Making a Soundtrack for a board game

I speak with Jack Hardy from The Fordj about what goes into making a soundtrack, the background to the project, and of course we play some of the music from the album! It was a fascinating chat for me personally and gave real insight into the work involved in creating such a brilliant collection of music.

Instructions on using the soundtrack

The Fordj have also released a video with tips on making the most of your soundtrack. It's been crafted in such a way that you can almost create your own soundtrack based on what is currently happening in the game.

Buy a copy of the Soundtrack

The Fordj have extended their discount on the soundtrack. If you haven't done so already, you can pick up a copy via their website from the following link: https://www.thefordj.com/shop

***

That about wraps things up for this update. We're approaching the end of these updates now as we're very close to having completed the campaign, which is a bittersweet feeling! I will be posting a big update in the near future that looks back on the entire journey, which is something I'm looking forward to writing. In the mean time, we have set up a pre-launch page for our second game, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blacklettergames/gunpowder-treason-and-plot

It would be great to see you over there when that launches in 2024 :)

Best wishes everyone!

Kris

Blackletter Games Second Game Announcement: Gunpowder, Treason And Plot
over 2 years ago – Sun, Nov 05, 2023 at 08:15:06 AM

Happy bonfire night!

In this update we're taking a moment away from Damnation: The Gothic Game. I'm delighted to announce our second game will be Gunpowder, Treason and Plot, a real time social deduction game for 4 - 8 players.

Shipping Update

Before getting into the update regarding our second project, I want to just acknowledge the situation whereby there are a number of backers in Canada (and a small number elsewhere) who have yet to receive their copy of the Damnation: The Gothic Game. We are working with our fulfilment companies to get these issues sorted for you as soon as is possible and I hope to be in touch early in the week with a positive update in terms of where things are - my understanding is that things should start moving again very soon. I am sorry again for these delays. Thankfully it is only affecting a small minority of backers, but that is no consolation. I recognise this and will be working every day to get this resolved.

Gunpowder, Treason and Plot

On to our major news - I'm delighted to announce our second game will be Gunpowder, Treason and Plot, a real time social deduction game for 4 - 8 players.

Themed around the infamous ‘Gunpowder Plot,’ which took place in 1605, players take on the role of one of the plotters who seek to blow up the houses of parliament, or work against them in this fast paced game of subterfuge.

Taking inspiration from classics in the genre, such as ‘Werewolf’, ‘The Resistance’ and ‘Blood on the Clocktower’, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot distills our favourite aspects of social deduction games into a 10 minute experience that challenges players powers of observation, teamwork, deduction and deception all while working against the clock.

Players are assigned a secret objective at the beginning of the game - either as a plotter, working to blow up Parliament, or an agent, who’s goal is to infiltrate the plotters and sabotage those plans without being detected. 

Gunpowder, Treason and Plot has been designed by Chris Backe, who says:

“I’m really excited to see this combination of 'real-time', 'turn-based', and 'social deduction' out there for the world to enjoy. Each game takes 10 minutes to play at most, and virtually every playtest has led to us playing again almost immediately. Playing again gives you a chance to try a new strategy, a new way of watching people, a new way of sharing information (or sowing lies!)...

Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot is a great mix of chaos and careful observation - you're pulled in by the simple goal of trying to blow up (or save) Parliament, and along the way you're trying to figure out who's not on your team.”

Joining the project is acclaimed artist, Tomas Hijo. Tomas has illustrated over 70 books and has worked on projects associated with Lord of the Rings, Labyrinth, Stranger Things, Dark Crystal and many more. He has also collaborated with Guillermo del Toro, who had this to say:

“Tomas Hijo is, in my estimation, one of the great modern engravers. His work is vital, modern, but stepped in a grand tradition”. Guillermo del Toro.

It’s fair to say that Tomas brings a wealth of experience and it’s not difficult to see that his art style will fit this game perfectly. Tomas says:

“I love the story of Guy Fawkes and I am excited to work on this project with Blackletter Games. For me, real linocut engravings are the perfect way to convey the emotion and setting of this game. I feel lucky to participate in a project that suits my style and imagery so well and can't wait to see the finished game in people's hands”.

I am honestly so excited to be working on this game as our follow up to Damnation: The Gothic Game. It’s already so much fun to play and I can’t wait to bring it to Kickstarter in 2024. Keep an eye out for lots more information about the game and how it plays in the coming weeks and months.

Please support us by visiting our pre-launch page and then clicking the ‘notify me on launch’ button. It really helps us enormously.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blacklettergames/gunpowder-treason-and-plot

Have a lovely rest of the weekend everyone,

Kris

Damnation: The Gothic Game Soundtrack Available Now!
over 2 years ago – Tue, Oct 31, 2023 at 07:21:59 AM

Happy Halloween everyone!

I am very happy to say that the Damnation: The Gothic Game Soundtrack is now available for purchase. This has been a mammoth piece of work by the team at The Fordj and I am absolutely certain you will love it - they have done a truly brilliant job on this and have have pulled out all the stops to have this ready for Halloween.

The following is taken from the Fordj website:

While primarily a board game soundtrack, we wanted to create an album that people could use as a gameplay experience enhancer using music, sound effects and ambient soundscapes to fully immerse players in the world of 'Damnation: The Gothic Game.' However, we also wanted the music to exist outside of the game, free of the added sound design, to be enjoyed as a piece, in and of itself. We knew some people would want one version, some the other version, and some both. Hence... one soundtrack, three versions.

AMBIENT VERSION: 
MUSIC + SOUND EFFECTS

The Ambient Version is the version to listen to while you play Damnation: The Gothic Game (or any other game set in a gothic mansion). The castle is a living, breathing world here, with the constant threat of the unknown lurking around each and every corner. Expect squeaks, creaks, anguished howls, bitter taunts, driving rain and the rumble of distant thunder.

SYMPHONIC VERSION:
MUSIC ONLY

Our soundtrack isn't just just functional but also, we hope, something to be appreciated on its own merits. Here we have removed all sound effects and ambience so our audience can listen, and enjoy the score as they would any other piece of music. This version can also be used as a tool by Game/Dungeon Masters during their own gaming sessions, with the further option of adding any ambience of their choosing to complement the experience.

DELUXE VERSION: 
DOUBLE ALBUM

For those who want the collectors' experience, we have the Deluxe double album, featuring BOTHthe cinematic immersion of the AMBIENT VERSION, as well as the isolated score of the SYMPHONIC VERSION, together on 1 double album. Please note that, due to its size, this version can only be purchased via the shop.

Special Offer

The FORDJ are offering the soundtrack at a discount for the first six days, six hours, and six minutes. So if you're looking for something to enhance your games of Damnation: The Gothic Game there's no better time to pick this up. Here's the link: https://www.thefordj.com/shop

Shipping update

Thank you to everyone who reached out to let me know they're still waiting on their games. This is an issue that is predominantly affecting Canadian backers, although there are a few elsewhere.

Canada

The majority of Canadian fulfilment is complete but there a few that are unfulfilled due to a delay. I apologise unreservedly for this. I am pushing for information from the fulfilment centre on a daily basis and I will contact everyone who contacted me individually as soon as I have an update regarding your orders.

Rest of the World

If you have not received your copy of the game, and you haven't contacted me already to let me know, please get in touch at [email protected].

For those who have emailed me, I will be in touch soon with an update on the current situation.

What's next for Blackletter Games?

In the last update I said that this next one would include a history of the game's development as well as a teaser of what comes next. We're going to hold off on the history of the game for now, but I can give you a little clue as to what comes next:

Remember, remember, the 5th of November...

Have a wonderful Halloween everyone, whatever you have planned! I'll be in touch soon and please do support the guys at THE FORDJ (you won't regret it).

Kris

Damnation: The Gothic Game is now available to buy from our website
over 2 years ago – Sun, Oct 29, 2023 at 02:59:39 AM

Hi everyone,

I'm delighted to say that Damnation: The Gothic Game and the Night of the Vampire expansion are now both available to purchase via our website: www.blacklettergames.com/store

The core game is on sale for £60 and the expansion is £20. We're currently offering a package of both together for £75 - these prices don't include taxes or shipping.

The increased price from the Kickstarter reflects the enormous rise in costs that we encountered across every aspect of production and fulfilment, which thankfully we were able to avoid passing on to backers.

Shipping is currently restricted to Europe and North America. If you'd like a copy of the game and your outside one of those regions, please contact me directly and we'll explore the options of getting it to you - [email protected]

Retailers

We are open to working with retailers and distributors, so if you're interested in stocking Damnation: The Gothic Game please contact me on [email protected]

Shipping update

I took the decision to postpone selling the game via our website until all copies had been shipped to the backers first. We're now at that point so if you haven't received your copy of the game yet please contact me on [email protected] and I'll look into it for you.

Soundtrack coming soon

The team at The Fordj have been hard at work finalising everything for the soundtrack for the game. I can tell you, what they have put together is absolutely phenomenal and beyond being a board game soundtrack, is a fantastic album in its own right. It should be a matter of days away, so watch this space!

***

I want to say another big thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this project. There's certainly been some ups and downs, but seeing people's positive reactions across social media and on here to the game has made everything worthwhile.

The next update I post will take a look back through the development of the game, as well as announce the release of the Soundtrack (fingers crossed). It might just also tease what's next for Blackletter Games ;)

In the mean time, here's that link to the store again www.blacklettergames.com/store

Have a wonderful Halloween everyone,

Kris

Shipping update and how to play video
over 2 years ago – Thu, Sep 28, 2023 at 10:54:42 AM

Hi everyone,

I have a couple updates to share today, including an important one on the current status of fulfilment. Without further ado, let's get into that:

UK and Europe

You should have received your order by this point.Important: If you have not received your order, please contact [email protected].They will be best placed to support you with finding out what's happened to your order if there has been a problem. 

Australia and New Zealand

These orders began fulfilling last week, so most of you should hopefully have received your copy by now. If you've still not received your copy by the 6th of October, please contact [email protected] and they will be able to assist you.

Asia

We're working with VFI Asia to fulfil these orders and they're due to begin fulfilment in the next few days. The way they work at VFIA is that games from different Kickstarters are grouped together and sent out at various intervals throughout the month. This means that orders to different countries could be sent at different times. 

I will keep all backers notified via the comments section of this update as well as via the general comments section when I hear that fulfilment has started in a particular country.

US and ROW

These orders will begin dispatch from early October. They won't all be sent on a single day, but will be staggered across several days, so don't worry if you see that some people have received a notification and you have not. Also, please keep an eye on your junk folder just incase the notification ends up in there. As soon as they start being sent out I will post a message in the comments section. So you should start to receive notifications from the end of next week.

I'm sorry for the delay on delivery to the backers in this region. I know it's been frustrating. The good news is that we will start to see movement on this from next week. I'll keep in touch on the comments section and let you know as soon as fulfilment starts.

How to Play

The lovely people at Die Rollin have posted a 'How to Play' video for the game, which you can watch here: 

There have been some questions around the implementation of certain rules. I have created a page on our website to compile answers to any questions like this, so hopefully that will be a useful resource for future reference. Here's a link to that page: https://www.blacklettergames.com/how-to-play-damnation

Obviously if anyone has any questions then please feel free to ask in the comments and you can also email me directly on [email protected]

Nearly there...

I must say, it's been utterly amazing to see the game make it into backers hands after all this time. And of course, to hear that people have been enjoying their time with it too, it just makes the whole thing worthwhile. Thank you to everyone who's got in touch to give me feedback, or even to let us know their copy has arrived safe and sound. It's been absolutely lovely to read your messages.

For those backers who haven't received the game yet, if I can just ask for a little more patience one final time - we're very close and we'll get there soon.

Thanks everyone.

Kris