Rulebook! Media! JACKHAMMERS! We're loving this energy!
about 4 years ago
– Wed, Feb 19, 2020 at 06:09:13 AM
Rulebook Link
You asked, we answered! The link below leads to a prototype version of the rulebook for Chiseled. You'll notice that there are a few blank pages; that is where we're going to extend the diagrams, play examples, and maybe even increase the text size a bit more, to provide the best guide on playing Chiseled in 12 pages that we can!
Remember, Patron of the Arts-tier backers will get their name in the rulebook as a major supporter of Chiseled, in addition to all other tier rewards.
Listen to the pounding of my heart... It's like a Jackhammer!
The Tool Cards in Chiseled are representations of major tools real marble sculptors use. While the majority haven't changed in millennia, one is a truly modern addition to the sculptor's workbench: The Jackhammer is a very powerful yet very risky Tool in Chiseled.
While it is hard to control how far the Jackhammer will pierce into a sculpture, the effect is the same: Trash 2 from the top of your Draw Pile, and if they're similar in style, do it again! I would argue that it's THE most effective Tool for getting rid of large swaths of Scrap if you're lucky... but also for pulverizing parts you are trying to preserve!
The Jackhammer features art by Jason Butera, a great artist based out of Arizona whom I met while in college at Northeastern University, and he was at MassArt.
Media for the Week
Gaming with Sidekicks has been playing a bunch of Chiseled with a prototype copy, and will be posting their review soon. I answered some interview questions from them, which you can read the answers to here.
Last night on Facebook Live, I talked with Bebo of Be Bold Games about Chiseled, its inspiration, and what else I'm backing on Kickstarter right now (check out "10 Gallon Tank", which is ending soon!). Plus, we got to talk about my day job at Omar's World of Comics & Hobbies where I'm the event coordinator. It's a great shop, and if you're ever in Lexington, MA you should come visit! The video is posted below; my shoulder's been bugging me, so my neck is a bit scrunched up, and we had some weird audio issues during the first stream, so bear with us:
Happy Valentine's Day from Copper Frog Games! We love you, and want to get Chiseled to you as soon as possible; please share the campaign to ensure we can! If even half the current backers got a friend or fellow gamer to pledge for $35 - one copy of Chiseled, including subsidized US shipping - we would be funded!
Sincerely,
Michael Epstein
Copper Frog Games LLC
Starting strong, and what to expect
about 4 years ago
– Thu, Feb 13, 2020 at 03:04:22 PM
Welcome to the studio! Here we’ll be updating you on the Kickstarter campaign, answering questions about production, design, and shipping, and going into more detail about what makes Chiseled special. In today’s day-one update, I want to go over some major events happening in the next 20 days, and what you can expect from me and Copper Frog Games LLC going forward:
More Previews
We’ve got several prototype copies of Chiseled out in the wild for previewers and other content creators to try out. This Sunday, 2/16/20, Jeremy Howard of Man vs Meeple will be doing a live stream of Chiseled where he’ll play a solo game or two and show off the new art! Jeremy has been extremely excited for Chiseled for months now, so I can’t wait to see it, and hope you’ll join me in his livestream chat. All videos will be added to the page once they’re available as well.
Tool and Critic Details
Chiseled contains 13 unique Tool Cards for sculpting and 8 Critics from across history to allow for lots of replayability and different strategies. We’ll be doing a deep-dive on these with every update, so stay tuned! Our first one will be posted tomorrow.
As a fun fact, all the Critics in Chiseled are inspired by real people who have worked on Copper Frog Games projects. They’re all good friends and great people, and I hope you’re excited to learn more about them.
Exercise
New Year’s Resolutions are a thing, and mine is to get a bit more fit. I got a stationary bike for myself, and will be using it twice weekly to start: for every backer we get between sessions (Tuesday and Saturday), I’ll add a minute to my typical workout, representing the long hard hours that have gone into making this game the best it can be.
Credits
I wanted to thank everyone who’s gotten us this far, namely the artists, editors, graphic designers, and playtesters for Chiseled. It’s a bit much to put on the main page, but they are #1 in our hearts, so in update #1 it goes!
- Design: Michael Epstein
- Graphic Design: Wendy Epstein, Justin Novelline
- Art: Ali Swei, Tatiana Quigley, Nate Brisotti
- Editing: Jim White
- Playtesting: Duncan Davis, Julia Wlocowski, Howie Thea, The Boston Game Makers Guild
- Special Thanks To: Breeze Grigas, Robert LeBlanc, Emily Hancock, and all the friends and family who have gotten us back here
Thank you for joining me on this journey, and be sure to tell your friends, fellow gamers, and local game stores about Chiseled: A Deck-Sculpting Game! Share the link far and wide, and feel free to contact me with any questions you may have during the campaign.
Michael Epstein
Copper Frog Games LLC
Update 2: Maquette Boogaloo
about 4 years ago
– Thu, Feb 13, 2020 at 03:04:12 PM
As of 10:30pm on day 2, we’re at 69% funding— not bad for a day and a half’s efforts! I sincerely want to thank everyone who’s tweeted, posted, or shared the campaign. 20/54 of the “Chiseled, Pigment, and Deluxe Meeples” have been reserved by backers, and we have 3 Patrons of the Arts slots filled!
Media
I am going to be doing an interview with Be Bold Games Thursday at 8pm EST on their Facebook page to discuss the story behind Chiseled. Tomorrow we’ll be posting the updated rulebook for Chiseled in the evening (we found a few things we could improve ahead of posting, but will also be getting a few other graphic designers to take a stab at it), and this week we’ve got a few other previews going live. Stay tuned for more information on those!
Tool Highlight #1: Maquette
The first tool we’re highlighting is a tool that is great to use at the start of a round: The Maquette.
In sculpting, a maquette is a small “rough draft” figurine that is used by a sculptor to work out pose and flow of a figure. Often made from clay, this allows a sculptor a chance to plan for the future, and that’s what the tool does in Chiseled.
The Maquette lets you partially stack your deck for the next turn or so, and get rid of cards that don’t fit your vision. This makes it very powerful, though not as versatile late-game since you may not want to trash any of the cards you draw, but have to do 2. It also plays well with the Polishing Rag and especially the Polishing Stone, which let you stack the deck with an additional card or up to three. Using it pre-Saw can also limit its impact as you hew into your deck.
Until our next update!
We’re doing great so far; be sure to share the campaign, and if you’re thinking of backing at a higher tier, pledge fast— once they’re gone, they’re gone!
Michael Epstein
Copper Frog Games LLC
