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Tank Chess (reprint)

Created by Forsage Games

Outsmart your opponent and destroy their forces in this diceless tactical tank battle game!

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Update #22
about 1 month ago – Sat, Jun 15, 2024 at 12:08:54 PM

After each of our previous, more or less successful, campaigns on Kickstarter, Forsage Games has invested in the expansion and modernization of the workshop. You can read more about our capacities in the second part this UPDATE 

We currently have five full-time employees and use about 100 square meters of space for workshops, offices and a warehouse. This way of doing business (most of the production done by us) allows us, the authors, the freedom to create games according to our own ideas, with respect and implementation of the suggestions we receive from our community. We know from previous experience that large publishing houses often limit the freedom of authors significantly, since they demand that the game fits to their already established standards, and the final product then becomes a compromise between the initial idea of ​​the author and the imposed restrictions of the publisher.

On the other hand, having our own production comes with other types of problems, often unpredictable, and increased capacities also have increased monthly costs. When working on complex and long-term projects, it is often not possible to accurately estimate everything within the schedule, so sometimes, some phases are finished much before the deadline, but it is much more common that there are delays. In order for our company to survive and be able to continue working on the realization of the multitude of ideas we have, we are forced to balance between several projects. That is why the realization of this, Tank Chess reprint project is currently delayed. What we can present you now as the latest completed component are the info cards:

We still have obligations regarding the previous project, Age of Dogfights: WWII, as we expect the last component (the manuals) soon to be finished, after which we’ll start fulfillment. When this happens, all our capacities will be dedicated to the realization of this project - TC(r).

For the reasons stated above, we have just launched another campaign on our secondary Kickstarter profile, Forsage Light Games. This campaign was originally conceived as a reprint of Carom Mini Golf (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2078586680/carom-mini-golf), but shortly before the start of the campaign, we’ve added a new variant: Carom Golf.

As always, we have provided gifts for early pledges (this time, the Garbage mini expansion) and a loyalty gift for all our returning backers: a multipurpose spinner.


About Carom Golf

Carom Golf is a tabletop simulation of golf, played on a modular board made of up to 12 board segments.

The goal of the game is to put the ball from one end of the course into the hole on the opposite side, and the winner is the player who manages to do so with the fewest strokes. The strokes are performed by rolling a die and moving the ball accordingly over the hex grid on the board; this is not a toy nor a flicking game, so dexterity doesn't play a role.

On its path to the hole, the ball may encounter different types of obstacles (provided in the set), with which it interacts in various ways. By carefully choosing the path, however, the ball can bypass any obstacle, and even fly over it, if it gets hit hard enough.

The game is designed for up to 12 players, as there are two sets of 6 balls each provided. It can also be played solo, as finding the best and the quickest path for the ball on any imaginable course is a joy in its own right. 

When playing in company, however, there is a special Carom mode where all players play one stroke at a time on the same hole, and their balls remain on the course at all times. In this mode, it is possible to hit the other player's ball with your own, change its position, and even knock it out of bounds, in order to mess with your opponent’s game. If you’re a competitive bunch, you’ll prefer this mode for sure.

Whatever you choose, you’ll be equipped for hours of fun. See you on the course!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2078586680/carom-golf?ref=661fwd

 


 

Tank Chess video game on Kickstarter
3 months ago – Sat, Apr 20, 2024 at 02:48:04 PM

Production status (physical copies)

As we have said before, we authors are forced to balance between the commitments on the "old" project (AoD:WWII) where reward shipping is about to start, and this latest project (TC reprint) where we should also soon begin delivering physical rewards.

As you know, PnP files are partially delivered. In our workshop, elements for various options of physical copies are still produced. Many more 3D models of tank pieces have received their final forms and their production (printing) is underway. The pieces which are a bit more complex in their shape are printed on our new 3D printer and this investment shows to be very valuable. We are satisfied with the appearance and quality of the 3D printed tanks. The rewards should begin shipping in May.

Computer version of Tank Chess game

We think this news will please all players who already own or are expecting physical copies of Tank Chess – a Kickstarter campaign for the PC version of this game will start soon!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1732812836/tank-chess-video-game

The video game is developed by the company Brave Giant from Novi Sad, Serbia (https://bravegiant.com/). They already have many popular video games (such as Demon Hunter, Queen's Quest and Family Mysteries) and recently they suggested to make a PC version of Tank Chess. We made a deal and they are already working on the project. We are very pleased with the progress made so far. Soon it will be possible to see a demo version of the game on Steam. For now, we only show a few images:

As you can see, the visual design is based on the physical version of the game, so the experience is almost exactly the same as playing with real pieces on a board. The PC game will have its own different modes and additions, about which we will publish more details in the next update.

As in almost all our projects, in agreement with Brave Giant, we will probably provide a gift for backers who pledge in the first 48 hours. It will be a digital add-on for the computer version of the game.

Additionally, all backers who pledged for a physical copy of the game in this project (TC reprint) will get a special gift! This will be a Tank Chess mascot figurine, an enlarged Medium Tank.

comparison with a standard sized TC piece

This gift will be shipped by Forsage Games, together with the reward from project "Tank Chess (reprint)".

The campaign for the video game should start in the first half of May.

We hope that the campaign will be successful and that the company Brave Giant will collect enough money to develop a complete computer version of the game. The agreement is that the work on the development of the game will continue in the coming years after the campaign, so that all the game elements will be added gradually, such as various obstacle types and pieces from the Fun Set, Fun Set Plus, Airborne and others.

We believe that the computer version will significantly contribute to the popularization of this game in the world. Players who already own a physical copy of this game probably have trouble finding a partner to play with. Unfortunately, almost all of us live at such a pace that we rarely have time to relax and have fun with a quality game. Soon, when the computer version of Tank Chess is available for online play, the problem of finding partners will be solved. Over time, a large base of gamers will be created and a ranking system will be created, so that it will be possible to find opponents of similar skill.

We will publish a new update with more details soon.

Update #20
4 months ago – Wed, Mar 20, 2024 at 07:38:25 AM

As we announced earlier, the realization of this project will be delayed a bit because we, the authors, have been focused on writing the rules for the Age of Dogfights: WWII game for much longer than planned. That rules writing is finally finished (as posted in the previous update), there are only some auxiliary obligations related to that project, but in the meantime the production of many elements for various variants of Tank Chess has been organized.

All boxes, boards, and most other elements for the basic game and light edition of TC have been made.
 


All boards for the Portable (12x12) and Extended (24x24) variants have been completed. Today we received sheets from the printing house for boxes and inserts and their assembly has begun.
 



Although we thought it was impossible, we managed to create an interesting board scheme with only 6 x 5 squares, which fits on the insert of the Portable box. The games on this miniature board are tense, from the very beginning every move can be a sure way to defeat or an unstoppable march to victory. I think backers will like this addition, where it is possible to play short, exciting games in a minimal space (on the lap, in the bus, ...).
 
Prototype of the 5x6 board
Escapemate in 7th move, without a single destroyed piece


The production of pieces for Fun Set Plus on 3d printers has also begun, but not all 3D models are finalized and prepared for serial production yet.

A review of the Kickstarter campaign for the game Flying Saucers

We had announced the Kickstarter campaign for the game Flying Saucers in the previous update. According to the contract from 2016, the Kickstarter project for that game (which is completely our author's work) was prepared and managed by a team of our friends and associates from Spieltrieb from Germany (on Kickstarter profile Nic Steele). Unfortunately, the response from the backers was very weak, so the campaign was canceled after a few days, when it was already obvious that it would be unsuccessful. In the following period, we will analyze the reasons for the failure. In agreement with our collaborators from Germany, we will in due course launch a new campaign prepared by our Forsage Games team on our Kickstarter profile. We believe that, as in all our campaigns so far, we will manage to find the right way to attract a sufficient number of backers so that the project will be funded. Our belief that it is one of our best games remains unchanged.

New project: Flying Saucers
5 months ago – Tue, Feb 20, 2024 at 09:44:35 AM

In this update, we are informing you about two things:
 
1) the Kickstarter campaign for the game Flying Saucers
 
2) the Tank Chess production status
 
 

FLYING SAUCERS

We want to inform you that the campaign for our board game FLYING SAUCERS is live on Kickstarter.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nicsteele/flying-saucers-0?ref=17y3sk

This time, the campaign was prepared and will be led by our friends and associates from the German publishing company Spieltrieb, and they will also handle the entire production and subsequent distribution of the rewards.

Flying Saucers is probably our best game, and certainly the most original one. The first version of the game was created and released back in 2007. Since then, the game has been improved several times, and all game mechanics in the Kickstarter edition are identical to the ones our author team submitted to the German publisher for testing. The last version of the rules was written just before the Essen Fair 2019, when our team had a guest appearance at the Spieltrieb stand.

We like to make games with short, clear and simple rules. The best example is the diceless game Tank Chess (4-page rulebook) in which several types of tanks (each one with only three characteristics: speed, firepower and armor) fight each other. The first edition of the game Flying Saucers had only four types of pieces and even simpler mechanics – only two piece characteristics are important: strength (which combines both firepower and armor) and speed. This is kept the same in the first level of the final version. Originally, it is also played without a die, which was added later as optional, to introduce luck into the game.

We also like to make games about aerial warfare, and our games Age of Dogfights: WWI, and Age of Dogfights: WWII are perfect examples. In the game Flying Saucers, starting from the second level, Bombers, Attackers, Carriers and many more piece types join Fighters, Intruders and Strikers, which make this game perfect for gamers who enjoy very dynamic "aerial" battles.

Various types of flying saucers are fighting somewhere in distant space to collect resources, process them in facilities, and use them to assemble a structure that will ensure their survival (and victory in the game). The following images show some examples from the rulebook.

In addition to the basic tasks that exist in each of the 4 levels, there are a variety of interesting scenarios that provide endless opportunities for creative fun and competition. Some of the scenarios are: Neutralizing Base Station; Breakthrough of Bombers; Return of Voyager; Collecting crystals; Rescue of Nuclear Foundry; Convoy, etc. The following images show diagrams of some scenarios.

Therefore, we, the authors, see this game as layered and complex, that offers players of different interests and preferences something to love. We consider it one of our favorite games, and we firmly believe that its quality will be recognized within the Kickstarter community.
 
Since the campaign itself, production and fulfillment will be led by Spieltrieb, the loyalty gift for the returning Forsage Games backers has to be handled in a different way. We will manually make a list of all of you who decide to back this project to be able, at some point, to find a way to reward you for your commitment to our original board games.
 
 
 

Tank Chess

We previously informed you that the TC authors will be able to fully dedicate themselves to this project only after the Age of Dogfights: WWII rulebook is finished. Unfortunately, the process of writing rules for such a complex topic (movement and combat in 3D space) took too long, and only now we can say it has finally been done, as shown here.

Despite the commitments and full focus on the AoD:WWII, there has been important progress on this Tank Chess project. The authors finished the final layout of the obstacles and the starting positions of the pieces for the Extended board (24 x 24), so the production of the boards started immediately after that, along with the production of the Portable boards.

In the next period we will focus on the TC project. Some options will start shipping relatively soon, but the production and shipping process will take a little longer than what was announced during the campaign. We have to ask the backers for a little patience, as Forsage Games will fully fulfill all its obligations to the backers.

Update #18
7 months ago – Sun, Dec 17, 2023 at 01:35:36 PM

The creative team of Forsage Games has managed to become fully professional since its first Kickstarter project (at the end of 2016) and now the creation and production of board games is our main job. In addition to the two authors, three more employees work in the company, and we occasionally hire additional workers for a certain period of time. From project to project, we have invested in our company: in office space, in machines and tools and in staff training, so that now we have respectable production capacities and are very little dependent on the services of other companies. Thanks to the fact that backers around the world recognized our creative capacity, we have reached the current position, which is good, but also demanding because we have to justify the trust that has been shown to us.

All 8 of our projects were funded, and several of them were hits, with over 100,000 dollars (counting the pledge manager). The success is even greater when you consider that we work in a small country without a gaming tradition and that we have never invested money in any form of advertising. We have had our ups and downs in our Kickstarter career; good moves, but also some misjudgments; good profit, but sometimes losses, but we always delivered to the backers everything we promised, and often more. Age of Dogfights WWII game is currently in the final stages of production and will soon start shipping via UPS (shipments arrive within 2 to 4 days anywhere in the world). We are behind schedule in that project, not because of poorly organized production, but because there was a lot of work on the game rules and the authors decided to significantly improve the game (in terms of the number of components and more comprehensive rules). Instead of the estimated 20 or so pages, the rulebook will have over 40 pages. It is a very complex theme - movement and combat in three-dimensional space, so work on the rules took more time than planned. We learned lessons from that project, so in the future we will not start Kickstarter campaigns before we have at least 90% of the author's work done. Proof of this is our campaign on the Forsage Light Games profile (Carom Mini Golf) that we had at the beginning of this year. We delivered all the games to the bakers well ahead of schedule.

This project is a reprint of the game that had its own campaign at the end of 2017. The new 12 x 12 and 24 x 24 options are only geometrically reduced/expanded editions and a new box and board design has already been done for them. The new two expansions (Airborne and Fun Set Plus) are simple in themselves, just as the whole concept of Tank Chess is simple. The rules for the basic game Tank Chess are on 4 pages, which is many times less than the 40+ pages that Age of Dogfights WWII has, and this simplicity is the greatest virtue of this game. Therefore, the preparation for production and the production itself, and immediately afterwards the deliveries of the Tank Chess game and accompanying expansions will be realized according to our plan - deliveries will start in March 2024. As already mentioned, the current focus in our company is to start shipping AoD2 games, and then we will use all our capacities to produce Tank Chess games and expansions.

In this update, we show tests of several models of tanks from the Fun Set Plus, and in the next updates, further progress on the realization of this project will be shown.