The Official Role-Playing Game of the PLANET OF THE APES

Surveys away...
4 months ago – Wed, Jul 31, 2024 at 04:40:40 PM

Hi, everyone!

Just a quick note to let you know that we have just sent out the rest of the surveys.

You should soon receive an email from Backerkit with your unique survey invitation link. It can take several hours (up to a day) for them all to be sent, so if you don't see it immediately, don't panic. If you haven't received your link by this weekend, send us a message here and we'll help you out.

Only 57% of the smoke test surveys were completed, which isn't quite the 75% that Backerkit recommends, but there were no questions or issues with those completed surveys so far, so we've gone ahead and pushed through the rest.

A reminder: if you used a privaterelay.appleid.com email address for your Kickstarter account, you will need to send us a message with a valid email that can receive messages. If you're not sure if this applies to you, check your Kickstarter account info (particularly if you haven't seen your survey by this weekend...) We'll update your Backerkit with that functional email address and resent your survey right away.

Progress report

We've been working with the factory on the miniature sets, and everything is looking great! They have completed the red-wax prototyping stage and are now moving into mold-casting. Take a look at some of the prototypes so far --

Note that the Statue of Liberty dice tower will come in two pieces with Lady Liberty's arm easily inserted into her sleeve. 😊

Much more is going into production very soon, so we'll certainly have more to share with you in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, please continue to spread the word so we can gather more early players into the game! 

Thanks, everyone!

Smoke test surveys have been sent!
4 months ago – Tue, Jul 30, 2024 at 07:39:57 AM

Hi, everyone!

So sorry for the delay in this announcement. We're back from San Diego Comic-Con and while we were hoping that the surveys would have been approved to start going out this past weekend, we just got that approval late yesterday. So we're now happy to report that the smoke test has begun!

If you're not familiar with the term or process, the "smoke test" is a test phase in which ~%5 of the total surveys are sent out to a randomly selected portion of the backerlist to ensure that there are no critical technical issues or confusing questions with the pledge manager. Backerkit recommends waiting at least 24 hours, or until %75 of those surveys are complete, before sending the rest of the surveys. So assuming things go okay, we should be able to send the rest by end of day tomorrow! We will, of course, let you know in an update.

A few points to mention up front:

1. As mentioned in the campaign, the HIGHER CALLING Miniature Set and the unlocked SOLO RULES Supplement Hardcover will both ship in a second wave in the Spring. So if you have these items in your cart, or if you add them to your pledge, you will notice an increase in the postage. This is to help cover the second shipment in the Spring. If you would like us to hold onto your entire pledge to ship in the spring with the 2nd wave, please reach out to us directly either here on Kickstarter or at [email protected]. We will have to make a note of that request and manually adjust the shipping calculation to a single charge. We don't have a date for that second shipping window yet, but it is looking like possibly March or April. 
2. The Pledge Manager will remain open until September 30th, at which point we will lock orders and collect charges for any balances due. So your payment method won't be charged until the first week in October. You will still be able to adjust your shipping address after that date, but you won't be able to make any adjustments to your order.
3. If there are any special requests or manual adjustments you wish to discuss, send us a direct message and we'll be happy to do what we can to help. 😊

That's all for now -- we'll be back in the next update when the rest of the surveys are sent!

Late Pledge/Pre-order link now live
4 months ago – Fri, Jul 26, 2024 at 06:25:05 PM

Hi everyone!

Hello from the road -- we're at San Diego Comic-Con this week, and as busy as it has kept us (running from meeting to panel to meeting), we were hoping to start sending surveys today. Unfortunately, some unknown delays at Backerkit have held up their review, so that will happen as soon as they switch on the greenlight. As they don't work weekends, that probably won't be until next week now, but if they do happen to work the weekend, we'll send them out asap!

In the meantime, the late-pledge/pre-order store has been opened, so if you didn't back the project or know someone who missed the campaign, now is the time to join in on the action! There is a link button at the top of the campaign page, or you can go directly to https://planetoftheapes-rpg.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders

Orders placed there will be fulfilled along with the other pledged pre-orders this Fall.

If you have any questions, let us know!

APES (campaign) TOGETHER (ends) STRONG!
4 months ago – Fri, Jul 12, 2024 at 05:16:04 PM

WOOT!

Thank you, everyone, for your support on this momentous campaign event!

We've got some celebrating to do, BUT NOT TOO MUCH -- we've got a game to get in your hands! 😜 We're seriously committed to fulfilling this campaign this year, hopefully as soon as October, though possibly as late as December if certain things don't line up as planned. We want this to be a simian Christmas for you! 🐵

The books and slipcases are at the printer, and the factory has been working on the miniatures for several weeks now. As we get some proofs and prototype photos, we'll be sure to share those developments in updates. As mentioned in their descriptions, two of the stretch goal add-ons -- specifically the HIGHER CALLING Miniature Set and the SOLO RULES Sourcebook -- will ship separately next Spring. We're having the factory complete the core items first so we can get them to you this year. 

What happens now?

First, Kickstarter will collect your pledge based on the payment information. If they have trouble collecting, they will send you an email to please correct the matter, and continue trying for two weeks. At the end of that period, any pledge that failed to collect will be canceled. If that happens you will still be able to complete your pledge through the Pledge Manager, but you will have to contact us so we can be sure to help you out.

We should have the Pledge Manager set up in the next two weeks, and surveys will likely go out the weekend of Friday July 26. Granted, we'll be at San Diego Comic-Con that weekend (getting the special bookplates signed by Bill Sienkiewicz and talking about the project on Mangetic Press's panel on Thursday afternoon (2pm))... but we'll be sure send them out from the road!

We'll have more news to share as it develops. In the meantime -- 

GROUP PHOTO!

SOLO PLAY RULES unlocked! New Add-ons added! ONE DAY LEFT!
4 months ago – Thu, Jul 11, 2024 at 02:12:53 PM

Hi, everyone!

BIG NEWS (with one day to go) – 

SOLO PLAY Rules have been unlocked!

As described in the previous update, this new sourcebook will allow players to experience the fun and excitement of a PLANET OF THE APES roleplaying adventure without an LG (GM)!Filled with Lawgiver Emulator Charts, Tables, & Adventure Decision Trees, this sourcebook will let you generate plots, problems, hazards, events, encounters, allies, rewards, twists, and entire storylines or multi-part campaigns with only some dice rolls and your imagination. 

Unlike other TTRPG emulators, this Solo Play Sourcebook is themed specifically for the PLANET OF THE APES setting and made specifically to utilize the D6MV system. And, as a bonus, the contents of this sourcebook can be useful for LGs looking for quick plots, encounters, or adventures for use in group play!

This newly unlocked expansion will be FREE with all pledge packages as a digital PDF. 

PSI and OMEGA packages will receive a hardcover edition for FREE. All other tiers who wish to own a physical copy can also grab a hardcover edition as an Add-on to any package. (Note: these will be available to ship in the Spring of 2025, along with the expansion Miniature Sets that will ship in a second wave approximately 6 months after the initial order shipment. Additional shipping may apply.)

We’re barreling toward the faux-leather Gorilla dice pouch that will be unlocked when we hit $300k. These will be included FREE with all orders for packages in level “Delta” and above. This black faux-leather dice bag is textured and emblazoned with the Ape Service glyph as seen on gorilla police and soldiers in the films! Just one day left…!

MORE ADD-ONS NOW AVAILABLE!

We realized (to our surprise, shamefully late in the campaign) that there were two items that hadn't been made available as Add-ons yet: extra Mutant minis and extra Character Sheet Pads. While these had been part of various preorder packages, there may very well be those among you who would like (or need) more of each to get the most out of your adventure ideas!

You can add these to your existing pledge by clicking on the "Manage Your Pledge" link at the top of the campaign page, then re-selecting your tier -- the available Add-ons should then be presented for you to complete your pledge update.

Extra Mutant Minis 4-Pack

Mutants were missing from the additional minis add-on packs, so you can now increase your mutant armies with these three extra Mutant Vanguards and an extra Mutant Exile for $20. 

Extra Character Sheet Pads

Several of you have requested them, so here you go! Additional Character Sheet pads are also live on the Manage Your Pledge page. While all physical package tiers include one pad of 24-character sheets as a stretch goal bonus, those of you who would like an additional pad (or two) can now add more to your pledge at $5 per pad. These won't be available at retail, so jump on them now!

Rounding out the team

Last, but certainly not least, we want to introduce two administration members of the team without whom none of this could have come together. Their contribution may have been more organizational than creative, but there’s creativity in organization, too! And without guardrails, a project of this scope can easily jump the tracks…

ToniAnn Marini, Project Manager

ToniAnn Marini is the Project Manager for BLAM! Ventures. Her first credits were on the Anderson Entertainment editions of Space: 1999 - To Everything That Was and Space:1999 - Aftershock and Awe.  She handles the care and feeding of creative folks at conventions and manages the administrative tasks behind the scenes to make things run as smoothly as possible on each project she is involved in. Having watched the original five Planet of the Apes films for the first time in 2023, she was glad to be surprised at the ending of the first movie. A native of New Jersey, ToniAnn currently lives in North Carolina with her spouse, cats, dog, and two of her favorite wayward travelers.

Mike Kennedy, Publisher

Magnetic Press’s Publisher, Mike Kennedy, began his career in the Video Game industry, producing and art directing projects for 3DO, Namco, and Electronic Arts while also writing comics for Dark Horse. With a number of licensed books under his belt, including several STAR WARS stories, ALIEN V. PREDATOR books, AEON FLUX, LONE WOLF 2100, and a number of DC hero crossovers, he stepped away from his 20-year run in Video Games to focus entirely on comics, first as Publisher for Archaia Entertainment then as founder of Magnetic Press. Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Magnetic’s debut in 2014, he’s excited to return to his gaming roots with Magnetic Press Play.

These next 24 hours are going to be exciting! Will we unlock the dice pouch? It can happen! If you haven’t convinced your friends and fellow gamers to check out the campaign, now is the time! If anyone reading this has been watching the project from the sidelines, uncertain about whether or not to jump in – do it! With all of the campaign-exclusive stretch goal bonuses and the unlocked SOLO PLAY Rules, this game really does offer something for everyone! 😊

See you all tomorrow at the finish line!