It took us a while, but APEX: Collected Edition is now LIVE on Kickstarter! Thank you for being patient, giving us feedback, and sticking with us while we sorted out all the details to give this the biggest chance of success as possible. We appreciate it!
Thank you!
We’re well aware that we’ve had multiple announcements for the launch of APEX: The Collected Edition on Kickstarter and apologize for that. We were excited about getting the game back out there and we made announcements prematurely.
To that end, I wanted to talk a bit about why we’ve delayed the launch several times and address some concerns that were raised.
It is no mystery that Outland has had trouble with delivery of past Kickstarter projects. We recognize this and admit to having post-Kickstarter issues with getting our products in backers hands. With that in mind:
In terms of delays to the launch of this project specifically:
As it stands, we have all the feedback from backers and have made changes accordingly.
We have all the numbers in.
We have engaged a fulfillment company that can provide friendly international shipping.
And now, we’re just waiting for the holidays to wrap up.
We’ll be launching Tuesday, January 7th, 2020.
Once again, our apologies for the delay on the launch. We’ll see you in January!
Thank you!
I know that we announced the hard launch date for the Kickstarter for APEX: Collected Edition yesterday.
When we announced that, we felt pretty sure we were ready to roll, but we had a significant amount of feedback on the campaign. Because of how the first two campaigns were run and the fact that not everything was delivered on time or at all, we are being extremely cautious about launching this project before everything is locked down.
There is no doubt that some of you are frustrated with the continued delays and we apologize for that – but we have to make sure that what we offer is not only the best possible product for you, but that we will get it to you in a timely manner and at the best rate possible.
To that end, we’ve adjusted a lot of the campaign based on feedback, which has required that we get new quotes on a few items. That said, we’re really, REALLY, close. We just want to make sure that everything is locked down before we press the launch button.
Again, we apologize for the continued delays.
In the meantime, please feel free to continue to comment and make suggestions! We’re taking all comments into consideration!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/apexdeckbuildinggame/795323121?ref=ag6cpc&token=0a9bf845
Thank you!
We finally have news. We’re planning to launch the APEX: Collected Edition on Tuesday, December 10th. Here’s a preview of the campaign that you can check out before launch!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/apexdeckbuildinggame/795323121?ref=ag6cpc&token=0a9bf845
This is a hard date – we have everything we need to launch. Thank you for being patient with us!
And by all means, let us know your thoughts!
Hello everybody!
A quick update on the status of the upcoming Apex Theropod: Deckbuilding Game Collected Edition Kickstarter.
We had expected to launch the Kickstarter last week, but it took a little longer than we anticipated to get all the details in from the printer. We want to make sure we’re doing this absolutely right so we can deliver as soon after the campaign as possible. The only way to do this is to make sure that everything we can possibly consider in terms of cost of printing and shipping is as close to accurate as possible.
Right now, we’re expecting the remaining details from the printer to arrive early next week and depending on that info, we’ll move forward accordingly.
Our goal is to launch within the next several weeks and we’ll keep you all updated as we find out more news.
Thanks!
Hello everybody!
We just wanted to share the news that the Apex Theropod: Deck Building Game will be launching on Kickstarter next week.
Right now, we’re planning to call this the “Collected Edition.” This version of the game includes a new box with all new box artwork and collects not only the BASE GAME, but also the three primary expansions, STOMPING GROUNDS, SAUROPHAGANAX, THERIZINOSAURUS, and the PHD exclusive SUCHOMIMUS deck.
Additionally, we’re offering the option to get a couple Kickstarter exclusive decks that are only available through the Kickstarter campaign and nowhere else! The MEGALODON and PROMETHEAN WARS decks!
The game has been off the market for the last couple years and this is all about getting it back out into the world. Since Outland took over the project from Herschel Hoffmeier, we’ve received many inquiries from folks looking to find their own copy of the game. Your inquiries have not fallen on deaf ears!
We’re going to be keeping this project pretty simple and direct. We’re raising funds to do another print run on the game, which is what will be going out to backers and, after we deliver to everybody, we’ll be putting it back out on the market as well.
A couple other items, just for clarity –
We will be working with a company called KickCTRL. We’ll be the first to admit – we’ve not always done the best at managing our Kickstarter campaigns (in fact, we’ve been pretty terrible). We’re working to turn that around. KickCTRL will be running the campaign, coordinating response, managing the funds, production, printing, and shipping. This is their sole focus! We are incredibly excited to be working with them on this project!
KickCTRL has also very thoroughly quoted out the prices to print and ship the game. Our goal for the KS allows us to do a substantial print run and deliver the games as soon as they are printed. This is the same printer that printed the second edition of Apex, so they are a known quantity in terms of quality and delivery. Furthermore, they have an amazing warehouse in Chicago that can pack and ship all the games to the backers.
So, dependent upon a successful campaign, we will be able to immediately order the games as soon as the campaign completes. It’ll take about a month to print everything and a month and a half to ship it to our warehouse in Chicago, so we fully expect to start shipping games tentatively no later than April, 2020 (with a bit of a buffer built in for any potential delays).
We’re very excited about this and we’re looking forward to getting the game into your hands!
Thank you!
Before I purchased my first miniature, my concept of tabletop RPG “bling” was best evidenced by my collection of gaming accessories. With a total value of $4.62, this collection consisted of four items: an 80-page college bound spiral notebook, with several pages of unfinished homework in the front; a yellow #2 pencil, with a complete set of dental imprints; and a set of polyhedral dice, minus the d12. It was with this paltry arsenal that I marched– uphill both ways, to the best of my recollection – into my earliest gaming sessions.
Perhaps this is why the sudden acquisition of 162 unpainted miniatures came as such a shock.
Finding oneself buried in an avalanche of miniatures isn’t an 
While my first encounter with miniatures was lackluster, my second was awe-inspiring. Delivered into my subconscious through a full-page advertisement in Dragon magazine, this was the first time that I had heard of Dwarven Forge (Master Maze at the time). Fortunately for me at the time, painted resin terrain wasn’t something that I could purchase, even irresponsibly (despite a generous on-and-off allowance). The advertisement faded from my memory well before I had disposable income to waste (That’s a figure of speech. It isn’t a waste, it is awesome.).
Then Dwarven Forge had their first Kickstarter campaign.
I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to purchase two “Dream Toys” from my childhood. The first was a high-end Traxxis radio-controlled car. The second was Dwarven Forge terrain. Since I didn’t own any miniatures at the time, the second came with an (extremely) bourgeois, (embarrassingly) first-world problem… which brings me back to the sudden acquisition of 162 unpainted miniatures, and the fact that I’ll need to learn how to paint miniatures.
Since the Reaper Bones 2 Kickstarter is responsible for the sudden influx of of miniatures (that’s right, it is Reaper’s fault, not mine), I’ll be starting with advice from their website on supplies, and painting advice from someone who survived the first Bones Kickstarter. I’ll be compiling a collection of other resources, from tutorials to painting services, from the perspective of a complete beginner here as I attempt to paint, purchase, or otherwise procure a collection of miniatures for my Dwarven Forge terrain.
Tabletop roleplaying games face a multitude of barriers in any attempt to be taken seriously as an art form. The first of these barriers is reaching an audience wide enough that critics outside of the tabletop RPG community will argue their status. What We Can Learn from Video Games: Tabletop Roleplaying Games as Art discussed several approaches to expanding the medium to reach a larger audience. Here are four tabletop RPGs that have expanded the medium
Amber Diceless Roleplaying Game
Amber Diceless Roleplaying Game is set in the fictional worlds of Roger Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber. Mechanics for the Amber DRPGs conflict resolution involves comparing four attributes –Safety, Strength, Endurance, Warfare–the highest attribute wins. Removing the randomness of dice rolls increased the level or roleplaying in the system, shifting focus away from conflict and towards what leads to those conflicts.
Prince Valiant: the Storytelling Game
Prince Valiant: the Storytelling Game was written by Greg Stafford as a game for novice players. Based upon the Prince Valiant comics and published in 1989 by Chaosium, its simple rules and art design also made it a game that was accessible to younger players. Significantly focused on the narrative aspects of roleplaying, Prince Valiant used only two attributes and a selection of skills that ranged from agilty to alchemy.. Differentiating itself from other narrative games Prince Valiant utilized these attributes and skills for both simple and complex resolution rules.
Dogs in the Vineyard
Dogs in the Vineyard is a narrative RPG that utilizes game mechanics to explore characters beliefs and desires when faced with questions of morality. Written by D Vincent Baker, the award-winning RPG places characters in an imagined frontier setting based (loosely) on the early years the LDS Church in the west. Mechanics for town creation helped create moral frameworks for characters to interact with, inserting a morality into the game that set the system apart.
Dread
Dread is a horror RPG that uses a simple mechanic that, when one considers the game’s theme, is exceedingly elegant. Winner of the 2006 Ennie Award for Innovation it is sometimes referred to as “the Jenga RPG.” Dread requires players to pull blocks from a Jenga tower as a form of action resolution. Mirroring the progression of horror films, the fear of players increases as the game progresses, eventially leading to the characters deaths.
These series of posts will discuss tabletop roleplaying games as a medium for artistic expression. The first article in the series can be found here: Why Roleplaying Games “Don’t Get No Respect” The second article in this series can be found here: What We Can Learn from Video Games: Tabletop Roleplaying Games as Art.
Welcome to our site relaunch! It’s been a long time coming, and we’ve made a few important changes to our organization. Here’s what you need to know now:
Much has changed, but the important things remain the same. We’re still dedicated to bringing projects to life with our quality creative services: art for hire, storyboards, colorwork, and more. We’re still passionate about telling stories in fresh, innovative ways. We look forward to meeting new creators, recruiting new talent, and publishing the best new authors.
Welcome!
JM