A Good News Update for Castles by the Sea
about 1 year ago – Tue, Feb 21, 2023 at 04:19:55 PM

Greetings, Backers!

We last updated you before Christmas, when we shared lots of pretty pictures of production samples of the game. At that point, we were thinking it was going to be smooth sailing and the game would be off to the races in no time. But, as we mentioned in that update, pre-production copies exist for a reason and we found some issues that we wanted to fix to make the game perfect. Some of those issues were easy to fix, like improving the print quality on the structure cubes. One issue, though, turned out to be a real challenge. When we assembled the game board in certain ways, we'd find bowing in the assembled pieces:

The image on the left here is the old board, and the bowing is obvious. Those tiles don't want to fit in that frame, and that's not an acceptable game board. This problem had the added effect of creating so much pressure on the scallop joints in the frame that they started to warp and degrade quickly. So we had to get this fixed, obviously. What we through would be an easy fix turned into a three-month ordeal of back and forths with the factory until we felt things were perfect. But I'm happy to report that the image on the right is the new board, and it looks great. No bowing. No warping. Healthy airspace in your scallop joints. Thank the sea gods.

This means that you can build Castles to your heart's content and you'll get lovely boards that look like this one:

We've conducted a thorough review of production samples, and we're confident that the problem is solved. The rest of the game looks great and we've given the factory the okay to begin full production. They've assured us that they're going to prioritize this one and we hope to have good news on finishing some time in March. We'll send our next update when production is complete.

We apologize for how long this took. Honestly, it never crossed our minds that this problem could take so long to fix. But we think you'll ultimately be happy we did. The game is near-perfect now, and it is gorgeous. We believe Castles by the Sea is going to give you all the fun and joy you hope for in a board game.

Here's to smooth sailing,

Brother One

Pre-production copy has arrived! And a new Kickstarter...
over 1 year ago – Thu, Dec 01, 2022 at 06:09:17 PM

Greetings Backers,

We got a fun little surprise in the mail this weekend here at Brotherwise HQ. The Castles by the Sea pre-production copy has arrived! Pre-production copies give us a chance to review games for errors, missing assets, and other problems before we pull the trigger on full production. It's also just a ton of fun to see a physical copy of a game for the first time.

As with most pre-production copies though, we did find some issues. We're working with the factory right now to improve the printing on the structure cubes, and we're making sure all the printed components are as sturdy as they can be. We'll follow up with another update in January or February to let you know how production is going!

Empire's End Kickstarter

But for now, take a look at our all new kickstarter! This one is for Empire's End, a reverse-bidding game from famed designer John D Clair. 

 Players bid resources to keep plagues and barbarians at bay, but before too long, your empire will begin to burn. With crisis comes opportunity, and every disaster that hits your civilization comes with an "innovation" that gives you new powers. This is a game with simple rules but deep strategy, where fortunes can rise and fall in the course of a single turn. We can't recommend it enough, and we hope you'll check out the campaign here!

Castles by the Sea files are at the printers!
over 1 year ago – Sat, Oct 08, 2022 at 11:15:29 PM

Greetings all,

It's been a few weeks since our last update, but we wanted to wait to post anything until we had something fun to share. Well, now we can report something: all files are off to the printer and currently in pre-press! With luck, we'll get e-proofs soon and then be able to move into production well before the end of the year!

In the meantime, the file prep process gave us another opportunity to reflect on how beautiful this game is, and just how much gameplay is packed into the box. Take a look at this pieces glossary from the rulebook:

And since you only use one of each piece type in the game, every game you play of Castles by the Sea will be unique, presenting new challenges and strategies with limitless combinations!

And for those of you who backed the deluxe version, we can't say enough about how cool the Riptide Expansion is. This page from the Riptide rulebook explains how the Tide mechanic works, completely changing the nature of the contest in the game.

We'll update again when we have something new to share, but in the meantime, feel free to email us at [email protected] if you have any questions!

And one more storming thing...

If you haven't yet seen it, we encourage you to check out our latest Kickstarter. We're doing something a little different in this one: Miniatures! Specifically, miniatures for our favorite fantasy series, Brandon Sanderson's The Stormlight Archive. If you haven't read this magnificent tale, what are you waiting for? And if you have, check out the amazing minis, figurines, and statue that we've made to honor this fantastic series.

August Progress Report
over 1 year ago – Thu, Aug 11, 2022 at 01:59:04 AM

Hello all!

We just spent a fantastic weekend at Gen Con, where Castles by the Sea was on the demo tables around the clock and there was ALWAYS someone there trying out the game. We can't tell you how cool it looks on the table, especially when everyone's got a good castle going and the board is filling up.

And these are just our homemade, hand-stamped prototypes! Responses at the convention were really enthusiastic, and a high proportion of people who tried the demo immediately signed up for a late pledge on BackerKit.

Now that we're back, we realized we owe you and update and it's pretty much all good news.

Files, Prep, and Printing

We're pleased to report that the game art and graphic design are all finalized! They've been submitted to our localization partners and are now being translated into other languages. As soon as those translations are complete, we'll be sending the game off to the printers!

Preorders

Up to this point, we've kept the BackerKit preorder store open for late pledges. That store will close at the end of this week so we can lock down our order quantities. If you have a friend who haven't yet told about the game, send them to https://castles-by-the-sea.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders ASAP!

Alright folks, that's all for now! We'll send another update when we have a better sense of when printing will be complete! In the meantime, feel free to contact us through the Kickstarter messaging app or via email ([email protected]). We'll be back with another update in a couple of months!

BackerKit surveys incoming!
almost 2 years ago – Thu, Jun 02, 2022 at 01:31:41 AM

The pledge manager for Castles by the Sea is now up and running, so you should watch your inbox over the next 24 hours for an email from BackerKit. This is an important next step that you must complete to receive your pledge rewards.

What To Do Next

Within the next 24 hours, you'll receive an email from BackerKit with your survey link. At that time, here's what you need to do:

1. Open the "Response Needed" e-mail and select "Click Here to Respond."

2. That link will take you to BackerKit, where you'll confirm your pledge level.

3. You'll have the chance to purchase add-ons.

4. Confirm your address and shipping fees, then review and finalize your order.

5. Once you've completed everything, you'll receive a second "Survey Confirmation" e-mail.

Keep an eye on your inbox over the next day. If you don't have an e-mail by this time tomorrow, check your spam folder or go to this link and input your address.

How Add-Ons Work

In BackerKit, you'll have the chance to upgrade your pledge or add other Brotherwise Games to your order. For those of you who pledged at the $1 level, here's what you'll need to do: If you want to change your pledge, look for a link to that option on the "Get Started" screen.

Note that your pledge will be listed as $0, but the $1 collected from Kickstarter should still show up in your account and count towards other purchases. If you want to just do Add-Ons, you can just hit "Get Started," fill out your survey and choose Add-Ons.

For everyone else, simply add any Add-Ons that strike your fancy. You'll pay for these at the same time you're charged for shipping. The Add-Ons include a lot of other great Brotherwise titles available at a discount. Just keep in mind that all add-ons will ship at the same time as Castles by the Sea (Q1 2023).

If you have any questions, just message us to let us know! We're in the final stages of graphic design and file prep, and we're working hard to get this game to you as soon as possible. Thanks so much for your support and have a great day!