John D Clair's game of Swashbuckling Adventure returns to Kickstarter-Get the base game and a new expansion featuring new ships & crew!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Pledge Manager is Open!
7 days ago
– Fri, Sep 06, 2024 at 08:53:57 AM
Legendary Captains!
Thank you for backing the Port of Call campaign on Kickstarter!
We have received the funds from Kickstarter and all orders have been imported into the pledge manager for this campaign: BackerKit. It is now time to close your order. Every year we have a small number of backers who ignore these BackerKit messages and end up not getting their Rewards due to not completing their orders. If you do not log into BackerKit and complete your order before fulfillment begins, your order will be cancelled.
BackerKit will send you an invitation to complete your order, which they refer to as a "Survey". That link will be sent directly from BackerKit and not From Kickstarter.
On BackerKit you will be able to change your Reward level, and you will be able to add items to your order. You will also provide your delivery address and you will arrange payment for any balance due on the order.
If you pay via PayPal any balance due will be collected at the time you complete the order checkout process. If you pay via credit card your card will be charged after we close the pledge manager next year. We will notify all backers before credit cards are charged.
We will transmit Updates related to the schedule for closing the pledge manager and ending Late Orders. Generally speaking we close it 8 weeks before we begin fulfillment. The current plan for Port of Call is to fulfill in August of 2025 so we plan to close the pledge manager in June of 2025. If those dates change we will provide lots of notice to the community to ensure everyone is aware.
You can see the current milestones and status of all our Crowdfunding campaigns here:
If you have never used BackerKit before or if you are not receiving email from BackerKit about your order and need to gain access to it we've prepared a page on our website that explains how to use it.
The Free Booty, Sea Dogs III has been added to the orders of all Kickstarter Backers who were subscribers to our Newsletter list as of the end of the campaign on Kickstarter. If you log in to BackerKit, and review your order and you do not see the Sea Dogs III Add-on on your order, and you believe you were eligible to receive it for free, please contact [email protected]. If you were not a Newsletter subscriber or you made a Late Order you can purchase the Add-on for $10.
For various reasons we can't enable a language selection for the Free Booty so we have added Sea Dogs III in English to all qualifying orders. If you would like to change your Sea Dogs III to French or German, please email [email protected] and our team can manually change your order.
We have sold out of German Deckhand base game units and do not plan to make more. If you pledged for this campaign intending to order the base game in German, and you do not want the game in English (or French) please immediately request a 100% refund by emailing [email protected].
Other important info:
All of the inventory that we are going to sell in this campaign is from the production for the 2nd Kickstarter or from this campaign and will be error free. That includes the Deckhand base game in English (the French editions did not have any known defects).
We have a limited supply of replacement Open Seas tiles for people who have the 1st printing of the Deckhand Base Game. When they're gone, they're gone. If you have a Deckhand base game from the 2nd Kickstarter or purchased from us in the past year you don't need them.
All orders (Kickstarter Orders and Late Orders) will ship at the same time, next year, in one wave. We don't do split shipping.
If you have questions about retailer orders, group buys, or other questions involving larger orders please see the FAQ. We have not yet added the Alpha Store items to the system and Alpha Stores should not place orders at this time. You will be notified via email when we're ready for Alpha Store orders to begin.
There are a couple of issues you may encounter while completing your order on BackerKit. The first relates to the weight of your order being too large to ship in one package. We set a maximum weight limit on orders. That means that if your order is too heavy you will need to make more than one order. You will know this has happened if the cost to fulfill your order becomes an irrational number ($1,000,000).
The second issue you may encounter is that we don't ship to your country or region. You may also see an irrational shipping cost ($1,000,000) if you attempt to select a country or region we don't service.
We only ship to the following locations: the United States; Canada; the UK; the EU (plus Norway, Switzerland and Lichtenstein); Australia & New Zealand; and select countries in Asia (China (including Taiwan), Japan, South Korea, and Singapore). If you want to complete your order and you live in any place other than those listed you need to arrange for a freight forwarding service to accept delivery of your order in a country or region where we do deliver.
If you live in a country or region we do not service and you want to cancel your order, email [email protected] and we will cancel and refund your order.
If you decide after completing your order on BackerKit that the total price including tax and shipping is higher than you were led to expect and you believe the total amount is unreasonable you can email [email protected] and we will cancel your order and issue a full refund.
The final issue we need to address is AppleID. Kickstarter allows you to use your AppleID and Apple allows you to configure any service using your AppleID as private. If you have done so the email we receive from Kickstarter associated with your order is useless to us (and BackerKit). The only people who can use it are Kickstarter themselves. If you have done this you must contact us at [email protected] and we can change the email address on your order to something that actually works. Every year we have a few customers who ignore these requests and have their orders cancelled as incomplete because they never received any notices or reminders about their order on BackerKit.
If you have any other questions or concerns about your order please email [email protected] and we'll be happy to help!
-- The AEG Dead Reckoning Team
Late Orders now Available!
22 days ago
– Wed, Aug 21, 2024 at 11:58:53 AM
Everyone in the New Sea!
We have turned on Late Orders for this campaign.
If you backed the Kickstarter do not make a late order. This is the system for people who missed the campaign to create an order and join the armada.
The Pledge Manager for Kickstarter backers will open after we have received the funds from this campaign from Kickstarter. That typically takes 6 weeks or so from the end of the campaign. We will make another Update when we are ready to open the Pledge Manager. Until then, if you are a Kickstarter backer, take no action. Every campaign we discover some people who make both a Kickstarter order and a Late Order and are dismayed to realize they've paid twice and receive two non-refundable orders.
We have a number of important pieces of information for people who are making Late Orders.
You cannot order French or German items from previous Kickstarters at this time. Quantities of those items are extremely limited and we are going to allow Kickstarter backers the first option to buy them. After we have opened the Pledge Manager for Kickstarter backers and they have had some time to make orders we will turn on these items for Late Orders (if any supplies remain). That may not happen until November or even later.
You will be able to immediately order Port of Call and Sea Dogs III in French & German. We will print those to order and will make as many as needed to meet demand for this campaign.
We have sold out of German Deckhand base game units and do not plan to make more. If you don't have one, you won't be able to order one regardless of being a Kickstarter backer or not. If you pledged for this campaign intending to order the base game in German, and you do not want the game in English (or French) please immediately request a refund by emailing [email protected]
All of the inventory that we are going to sell in this campaign is from the production for the 2nd Kickstarter or from this campaign and will be error free. That includes the Deckhand base game in English (the French editions did not have any known defects).
We have a limited supply of replacement Open Seas tiles. When they're gone, they're gone. If you have a Deckhand base game from the 2nd Kickstarter or purchased from us in the past year you don't need them.
All orders (Kickstarter Orders and Late Orders) will ship at the same time, next year, in one wave. We don't do split shipping.
If you have questions about retailer orders, group buys, or other questions involving larger orders please see the FAQ. We have not yet added the Alpha Store items to the system and Alpha Stores should not place orders at this time. You will be notified via email when we're ready for Alpha Store orders to begin.
No Late Order will include Free Booty. Free Booty (Sea Dogs III) was a promotion limited to Kickstarter backers who were subscribers to our newsletter list as of the end of the campaign. Free Booty will be automatically added to all Kickstarter orders prior to opening the pledge manager. You can purchase Sea Dogs III if you are making a Late Order for $10.
We only ship to the United States; Canada; the United Kingdom; the member states of the European Union (plus Norway, Lichtenstein and Switzerland); Australia & New Zealand; China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. If you want an order delivered to any other country or region please use a freight forwarder.
If you see an extremely high charge for shipping & handling it is because either you have selected a delivery address we don't ship to, or your order is too heavy to ship in one order.
End of Campaign and what happens next
about 1 month ago
– Fri, Aug 09, 2024 at 04:52:38 PM
Legendary Captains!
We have sailed safely into port, our cargo secure, our crew alive and our weary bones ready to rest. The third Dead Reckoning Kickstarter has ended!
This campaign exceeded our projections and for that we are extremely thankful. Your support allows us to continue to make new content for Dead Reckoning. Every pledge counts and we are very grateful you chose to back this project. We can't wait to fulfill your Rewards and fly high into the sky and delve deep into the lair!
In the following few days:
Kickstarter will charge your credit card. If your card fails to process, Kickstarter will retry it several times in the following week
Late Orders for those who missed the campaign will open as soon as we have completed setup with BackerKit. We expect Late Orders to go live next week but it may take a few days longer. We will post an Update when the Late Orders goes live. DO NOT MAKE A LATE ORDER IF YOU MADE A KICKSTARTER PLEDGE
The Pledge Manager for Kickstarter backers on BackerKit will be opened three to six weeks from today, with the exact date depending on when Kickstarter transmits the funds from this campaign to us. You will receive an Update and an email from us and emailed notification from BackerKit when BackerKit is ready to being processing your Kickstarter orders. Until then, you do not need to take any action.
We’ll Update you periodically over the next year when the campaign hits a major milestone. The next major milestone will be when we begin the production process by approving files; that will happen several months from now.
Please visit alderac.com/kickstarter for the most up to date info on this and all our campaigns; that site is your best source for progress information and anything else you need to know about the campaign and we update it every time we have any new information to report.
When BackerKit is ready to allow you to complete your Kickstarter order, you will be sent an email from BackerKit with a link to access your order. Use that link to complete the checkout process. You can change your Reward, and include add-ons with your Reward. The system will calculate the amount due for shipping & tax and present you with a final total at checkout.
BackerKit does NOT charge credit cards at the checkout step. It does process PayPal payments immediately. For people paying by credit card, we will charge your card in the future; we’ll email you to let you know when we will be running those credit card charges before we do so.
APPLE ID USERS: Please note - if you use your Apple ID to access Kickstarter and you chose to have Apple hide your email, the email address we receive from Kickstarter is useless. Neither we, nor BackerKit can contact you via email about your order. Please email [email protected] for assistance if you have your account configured in this manner.
How To Get Your Free Booty
If you are a subscriber to our newsletter as of the day we open the Pledge Manager on BackerKit for Kickstarter orders we will add this content to your order for free. One Free Booty will be added for free per order. If you are not a subscriber to the newsletter, or if you want more than one, you'll be able to purchase them for $10 each.
If you don't know if you are a subscriber or if you want to subscribe, please visit this page:
If you sign up and you're already a subscriber, there is no negative effect. It's safe to subscribe to be sure.
At any time if you have questions, concerns or comments please email [email protected]. We will monitor the Comments channel periodically but the best way to get a response from our team after the campaign ends is via email.
-- The AEG Dead Reckoning Quest Team
A peek at some new Sea Dogs
about 1 month ago
– Thu, Aug 08, 2024 at 08:28:38 AM
Ahoy Buccaneers,
We're here to give you a sneak peek at some of the Free Booty Sea Dogs you'll get with your reward if you are signed up for our Newsletter. If you haven't already, subscribe here, and when we're ready to ship we'll crosscheck our subscriber list with all backers and ship them free with your reward!
Yesterday I previewed some of the new Ships you'll get with Port of Call. They are double sided with a different ship on each side. Well, there's one Commander who's a bit of a strategist and wants to take advantage of both sides.
You can start the game with a very Piracy driven ship and when you're ready to switch gears, you can flip your ship to a whole new setup. You'll get to keep all your cargo, coins and Ship upgrades and move them to new spots, even unstacking upgrades if you have room. I envision this like an old A-Team montage where the crew breaks down the ship and gives a whole new setup to help defeat the bad guys.
A-Team, anyone? Anyone remember that? :D
The Old Salt has been studying the new exploding cannon technology and when he gets to Level 4, he'll turn all his cannons into Exploding versions. If you thought battles were crazy before, wait until you string together 4 or more exploding cannon shots!
The Blue Jackets tap into the new setup that Port of Call gives you as well. Since there are 2 sets of Sailors to choose from now when each player sits down to the table, and they are not designed to be mixed, John snuck in a way that will let you do just that. Once per game you'll get swap out one of your current crew cards with its alternate version at the same level. This lets you strategize with alternate sailor abilities in mind!
This Master Gunner is probably one of my favorite Sea Dogs ever. I LOVE mechanics that let you tear down or take damage as an alternate cost to gain some benefit. It's a fun and thematic thing to work around. I envision this crazy master gunner yelling at fools like Mr. T to teardown that mast because he's got a plan... (I'm sure some of you have seen the A-Team, right?)
And finally, we have the Quartermaster, always looking for an edge that his crew can exploit. The other Captains may have been counting on those points from an Achievement they've been working towards since the start of the game, but you've had other plans. Now you can flip that achievement to something that only you've been building towards, because every edge counts on the high seas!
That's all for today, I'll save the rest of the Sea Dog for you to discover when you get the product in your hands. Tomorrow is the last day of the campaign, and we want to thank all of you for backing and enjoying Dead Reckoning!
-First Mate Kirk
Port of Call - Asymmetrical Ship Boards!
about 1 month ago
– Wed, Aug 07, 2024 at 12:29:19 PM
Ahoy Buccaneers!
First Mate Kirk here to share some information about the contents of Port of Call!
We're nearing the end of this voyage and we thought we'd share a few of the new asymmetrical ship abilities, while keeping a couple closely held as surprises. If you'd like to keep them all a surprise, tread no further!
There are 4 new ship boards that are double sided (8 new ships total). At the start of the game these are randomized and 1 ship board is dealt to each player. Each player gets to choose which side they use during the game. Note: If using Sea Dogs, the ship boards are dealt out first so players can see what 2 options they have and then Sea Dogs are drafted. This gives you more flexibility in drafting your Sea Dog and building a winning strategy.
John D Clair has provided some iconography to categorize each ship a bit to help suggest what type of strategy each ship starts out leaning towards, but you can always customize each with Ship Upgrades to combine, or change strategies as you play.
The crossed cutlasses indicate ships with more of a Piracy start, the yellow coins indicate a more Merchant start, and the Telescope is for more of an explorer's start to the game. There are 3 Piracy Ships, 2 Merchant Ships, and 3 Explorer ships.
The Pétardiére (Spitfire in French) is shown in the Rulebook, and is obviously a very offensive ship to begin the game. You begin the game VERY strong with 3 cannons and 2 sails, but you lack cargo capacity. Also, as the game progresses, upgrading your ship means deciding if you want to keep a cannon or sail, and merely upgrading to increase your cargo capacity, or changing the makeup of your ship and shifting strategies mid-game. Or just remain a ruthless captain and fight, fight, fight 'til the end!
The Scallywag is a Merchant captain's dream! The built in ability to drop an influence cube every turn makes island control and production a very strong strategy. You start off a little slower (fewer sails) so you'll want to upgrade your crew and ship with more sails to begin exploring further islands to trade with. Astute captains will notice that the Scallywag has an extra Ship Upgrade slot at the back of the ship. All of the ships in Port of Call, except the Pétardiére above, have this extra slot, giving you more customization during your adventure.
The Höllenshlund (Hellmouth in German) lets you stay out to sea and explore, needing less trips into port to pick up cargo as it will scoop up 2 cargo every turn for free. There's an interesting tension with your cargo capacity as you can store those first 2 free, but hoarding without upgrades will cost you movement. Easily one of my favorites, I love being able to pick up advancements for my crew without having to head home as often!
And finally, since the Pétardiére was basically spoiled in the rulebook, We'll share one more Piracy themed ship, the Indomptable (Indomitable in French). With the ability to repair 1 damage every turn, you'll want to be picking fights early and often, racking up those Piracy Achievement points.
We'll save the details of the other 4 ships for when you get Port of Call into your hands.
Tomorrow, We'll share some of the new Sea Dogs from the Free Booty giveaway! Until then, stay salty you scurvy dogs!
