Production Update
over 4 years ago – Sun, Sep 08, 2019 at 03:09:04 AM

The Stygian Society is still at the printer, but as of last evening the ball is in my court to verify all of the digital proofs. I have asked the printer for the most accurate dates we have for the rest of production. 

I'll update this graphic in my next post with the dates they provide. As you can see, it'll realistically be late Nov or Dec before games are fulfilled. That's a few months later than we'd hoped for, but to be honest, this project took a lot more time than anyone foresaw. I hope that you think it will be worth the wait!

Expansion Rules

I have uploaded the final rules to the Stygian Society page on the APE website, as well as on BGG.

 Download The Stygian Society base game rules

 Download The Tower Laboratory rules

Download The Cursed Library rules.

There is still time to add games to your order. The pledge manager will close just before the games ship. If you're not a backer, you can pre-order the games here. If you backed the Kickstarter and want to add to your pledge, you can go to The Stygian Society page on Backerkit and recover the link to your custom pledge page.

Stygian Plastic Proofs
almost 5 years ago – Sun, Jun 30, 2019 at 12:55:03 AM

We got plastic parts from the factory this week.

This comes in 8 parts - four corners and four rails, and requires a one-time assembly by pushing the rails into the corner holes. Unfortunately though, the corner holes are a tiny bit too large, so the rails can come out between plays if they're not packed away properly. The factory will correct this issue.

Also, note that the corner pieces stand above the table here because they have small posts on the bottom that will insert into holes in the game board.

The tower here has the same problem as the crypt, which is that the fit between the cardboard and plastic pieces is a bit loose. This could be because the cardboard doesn't yet contain printed paper (containing the tower brick texture). Confirming with the factory. 

Also, note that they didn't send all of the internal levels, but you can see how the second level (on the right) will poke out of the side to accommodate the miniature climbing the tower.

Finally, like the crypt fence, the plastic tower connector has slots on the bottom to fit snugly into the board. You can see this on the top and middle connectors.

I think that I've shown you the knight before, but here's an actual version from the printer. No issues found.

There will be 18 enemy figures in the game - six each in each enemy color: red, yellow, black. No issues found.

I love that weapon! No issues.

May Shelley looks less intimidating than the other miniatures, but don't let the bookish librarian appearance fool you! No issues found.

Stygian Society at Gen Con

If you're going to be at Gen Con, stop by to see the game(s). We'll run demos continually in our booth, and I think there might still be spaces available in numerous Stygian Society events.

Production Update
almost 5 years ago – Wed, May 22, 2019 at 05:56:36 PM

It's been a few weeks since the last update, and that's too long - sorry.

I mentioned in the comment section that all of the files for The Stygian Society are at the printer and have gone through the first review. I've made the appropriate changes or clarifications and am waiting for the second round review. 

Those waiting for pictures of the production cube tower will have to wait a bit longer. However, here is a picture from about a month ago from the factory that shows the close-to-current design. We are confident that this will be robust enough to handle the rigors of shipping and repeated play. 

Board Game Tariffs

Like most of the industry, we almost always print our games in China. Board and card games are on the list of possible items to be included in the next round of tariffs. It's not certain that they'll remain on the list or if there will even be a next round of tariffs. However, this is something we are watching very closely.

BGG Con

Stop by the APE booth at BGG Con this weekend. Either Allie or I will be there to demo a huge variety of APE games including Rice Dice, Petrichor, Moa, Dark is the Night, Major General, The Great Dinosaur Rush, and duck! duck! GO! And you'll be able to take most of these games home with you at a nice discount!

Whew! This One's a LOT of Work!
about 5 years ago – Wed, Apr 03, 2019 at 02:34:31 AM

It's been a few weeks, so I wanted to give you a quick update. I'm working hard to get the last of the art to the printer. I got all of the character and boss art for Cursed Library, so the only piece I'm still waiting for is the high-res Cursed Library cover. Here's the Dracula main boss mat.

 We're closing in on getting the rest of the components out. I anticipate it will be just 1-2 more weeks, but that might be optimistic.

I'll keep you posted!

Well This is Good News!
about 5 years ago – Sun, Mar 03, 2019 at 12:49:59 AM

I got news this week that I can afford to add a miniature to both The Tower Laboratory and The Cursed Library expansions. Here is the mechanic from The Tower Laboratory.

And here is author hero Jane Austen from The Cursed Library expansion.

These miniatures are used when playing the expansion to mark the floor that the party is on, like the knight in the base game. They will be included in the expansions at no extra cost to you!