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Our pledge manager is officially opened. Don’t hesitate to take a look at our selection of items and snag what you can while it’s available.
Existing backers of this campaign can retrieve their survey with this link:
https://middara-trilogy.backerkit.com/
If you're a brand new customer looking to check out the pledge manager, or you're a backer that would like to start a fresh order, this is the link you'll need:
https://middara-trilogy.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
Awesome, let’s get into it!
Shipping is really tough for everyone right now. For this reason, and considering we ourselves have been getting frustrated backing games, the team here at Succubus Publishing has decided to wait and charge shipping when the product actually ships out.
This will prevent us from over-charging and from under-charging.
The cost of shipping to you will be the closest thing to an actual cost we can have before we charge cards. We will make sure to give everyone at least a 30 days heads up here on Kickstarter, Backerkit, and via an email before this occurs.
We understand a lot of people want an estimate, but the reality is that we don't know. Shipping has been wild lately. Some months its fluctuating by as much as 20% in cost.
If you're interested in a more in-depth, but still broad overview, go check out King of Average's video on it.
We missed our deadlines for Lupercalia this year. But it’s better late than never. Our kits were done long in advance, yet our dedication to getting this Kickstarter delivered put it on the back-burner.
However, with so much progress being made on Act 2 and 3 that I feel now is the time.
Driven by the Heart
Martin laughed, but his friend Lucas only looked somber. He stood stiffly, one hand poised on his hip, defiant in the face of Martin's mocking chuckle.
“I’m not joking. It really grants your every wish, within those limitations, of course,” Lucas said, his face darkening.
Martin's grin only widened. “No way. So I could ask for anything I wanted, and I’d get it? What’s the catch? There’s always a catch with this sort of thing.”
Lucas peered down at the instructions in the small leather-bound notebook. It was clean, uncreased, and had a neat black and burgundy tassel attached to its spine to keep track of the place inside of its ruled pages. It reminded him of those black pocket notebooks you could buy at bookstores back on Earth. Yet, this one laid open easily despite its lightweight.
Flipping from page to page, he found that each one showed wildly different handwriting. The book’s pages were littered with scribbles. Some were barely legible, others immaculate and verbose. The markings were from different writing instruments. Some were made with a pen, others were made with a pencil. A few were drawn with a finger and something that was dried and brown, their large letters were sprawled across an entire spread. One page even sported a neon pink ink. But every one of them shared something in common. Each page was filled to the brim with every possible white space filled with sentences.
These were from each of the book's previous users. Each page held their wishes, written out of compulsion. Each one was an intimate and vulnerable insight into the deepest parts of people he never knew.
Lucas shifted uncomfortably. “Yup. Well- you don't really ask for anything. It knows what you want if you use it.”
“It knows what I want?” Martin’s smile faded; he wasn’t even sure what he would ask for yet.
“It can see into your heart. It knows what you desire, even if you don’t. Those are the wishes it will grant.”
“So… what’s the catch?” Martin repeated, worried now.
Lucas sighed, his eyes scanning the nondescript book on the table between them.
“No catch. You just have to make sure that you know what you truly want before you use it. I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure that my hidden desires should be indulged.”
A New Esper and a new Adventurer
Sublime in Self-Indulgence
A matronly woman nearly dropped her silverware as she looked on in horror. She was seated in the outdoor section at the restaurant. Her mouth hung in disgust and her eyes mirrored the emotion with a disapproving squint.
Ember didn’t care.
She had seen this look hundreds of times before, and by now, she was learning to enjoy it. She wasn’t going to let it stop her from getting something good for lunch.
The monster behind her flanked so closely that she could feel its multitude of hands lightly caressing her sides as they walked. Its alien presence calmed her. It filled her soul and washed over her body like a wave that tamed her anxiety and stimulated her endorphins.
This woman's scorn would have no effect on Ember’s mood. Little could.
“Can I help you?” the host said calmly, looking up at the creature behind Ember. It was obvious he’d seen much worse working in public service. He wasn’t shaken, only amused.
“Just one, outdoors please,” Ember said, giving a subdued, toothy grin. The Rapturasque's influence sent another pulse of pleasure through her body that raised the hair on the back of her neck. The tingling twitched at her fox ears, and even the hair on her tail involuntarily poofed at the sudden release of oxytocin.
“Of course, policy wouldn’t permit otherwise,” the server said, leading her to her seat.
To Ember’s elation, it was near the woman who was gawking in detestation.
The woman angrily rose and went to the host to get her seat changed. During the exchange, Ember overheard the words “devil worshiper”, “evil”, and even “whore”.
Ember wasn’t mad. In fact, she enjoyed watching the altercation. It added to the entire experience, like a rare spice shaken over her day to make it complete.
She loved that woman and the show she put on for her.
Ember slumped in her seat and happily read the menu.
Desire’s Form and Function
The White Club was thumping loud music that reverberated through the air. The whole atmosphere made them feel like they shouldn’t be here, though, perhaps they wouldn’t be if it weren’t for friends like Nyx. She was off on official business at the club. This left the three of them unsupervised and free to relax.
All of them kicked back the shot glasses in unison.
“Oh, Jesus!” Jace said, wiping at his mouth. “That one was foul!”
Ember coughed, took a shaky breath, and smiled through gleeful, yet slightly teary eyes. “I can’t- I really can't do another one that isn’t from Earth. Another one of these otherworldly alcohols might actually kill me.”
Ephram wobbled, blinking from the burn of the shot. He looked to the Esper in front of him and held up one slim finger to make a point. “It’s my turn for a request, then. At this point, I’m already gonna get laid out in the dirt. Might as well go big if I know I’m already going home.”
The Esper was Taiga, a flamboyantly dressed woman that reminded Ephram of some sort of heavy metal magical girl dropout. Taiga bounced in excitement, waiting for the next request.
“Anything then?” Ephram slurred, steadying himself on Jace’s shoulder.
“Anything… always free,” Taiga promised, licking her lips with a tongue far too long and pointy for anything human. Her sharp teeth accented her grin in a way that made it look too wide, creating an air of unease that betrayed the sincerity of her joy.
“Bruichladdich Black Art. None of that new shit. I’m talking at least thirty years old.”
“Whoa, didn’t your dad back on Earth have some of that?” Jace asked.
“It was Mom’s actually. I never got my hands on it. Now’s my chance,” Ephram said. The others laughed, but he was serious.
Taiga cocked her head, her almond-shaped red eyes gleefully searching Ephram’s mind for the object in question. Then, a moment later, her eyes rolled back, her mouth opened revealing even more razor-sharp teeth further back, and her throat bulged like a snake devouring a vermin three sizes too large for its body.
The bottle came out, causing Taiga’s jaw to drop far wider than looked comfortable. The bottle was pristine, albeit a bit wet with saliva.
Ephram took the bottle and worked to peel off the aluminum tab that hid the cork.
“Best Esper ever,” he said.
Anything for a Friend
Leena would do anything for her; she loved her. Leena had covered up all the horrible things Sarrie had done to her father. She was even willing to go to prison for Sarrie if she had to. Leena was her best friend. She was her sister.
She was so important to Sarrie...
So then, why was Sarrie so goddamned afraid?
Sarrie looked down at the black notebook. It was so unassuming, clean and ruled. Yet, the page she looked at was stained with blood. A red thumbprint was smeared near the bottom of the page. Its white ruled interior was scribbled with all the little things Leena always wanted. All the desires she ever had were laid bare on the page. An intimate journal magically etched to show her friend's soul inside and out. It was a deep dive that took her beyond places even Leena knew existed.
It was a violation of their friendship to even read this, a violation of Leena as a person, as a human being. It was vile and profane. Sarrie hated having to read it. She hated doing any of this.
But she’d do anything for Leena, right?
“Are you really going to do it?” Jeremy was as shaken as her. The truth of their past, their lies, their crimes, all of it was written here. He’d seen it. But did he believe it? If so, Jeremy hadn’t asked. He was too wrapped up in getting Leena back.
Sarrie couldn’t help but frown at the young man’s fear. He and Leena were engaged now, but with college and work, Sarrie wondered if the marriage would ever really happen. And now- now it was crumbling around them. For Jeremy, for Leena, for her.
“Of course,” Sarrie said, clearing her throat and trying to sound calm and brave. “She saved me from a monster once, I won’t let whatever this monster is have her either. It just needs some blood, right?”
“That’s what she said,” Jeremy said, clearly uncomfortable. “But, when Leena did it, it consumed her, it took her, the book, it-”
“That’s why I have to do it,” Sarrie snapped. “She’d do it for me. I’ll do it for her.”
Sarrie took a deep breath, poked her thumb with a needle, and pushed it against Leena’s bloody thumbprint at the bottom of her page of wishes.
Manifesting Moments
The massive, opulent doors opened, releasing a dense mist that wafted throughout the dark forest. Three stories up, atop the massive gray arches, the monster watched, its singular grotesque eye darting around, taking in the surroundings, but otherwise still.
Sara held back her excitement, nearly bouncing in place as she watched and waited in the mist. The doors revealed blackness, dark and oppressive. It was as if nothing existed beyond the gates.
But she knew something did exist, something would exist. It eventually did every time. She just had to wait for the monster to do its magic, to call forth its promise, to show Lucas to her.
The young man appeared slowly, walking out with his typical too-cool boyish stride. He was wearing the suit she loved, the one with the rolled-up sleeves that showed his forearms. It was something Lucas had only worn that one time at the school dance. But here, he’d wear it forever.
Sara smiled, holding out a hand. Lucas took it with a sly smile as he brushed away his shaggy brown hair from his eyes.
“You brought me lemon chicken and rice again?” He smiled. “That’s my favorite.”
It wasn’t. It was hers. But this version of Lucas got to like whatever she preferred. But, really, she changed very little about him. Lucas was already nearly perfect in mind, body, and soul. Just some tweaks to the mind and a few more to the body part of that equation, and he truly was perfect.
“Yup!” Sara said, dropping to a relaxed position on a nearby blanket she'd prepared. The nearby grass was cool and comforting. It would make for a great place to eat. A perfect date.
Lucas sat nearby, excited and nervous about being there. Sara giggled at him as he began exploring her handmade meal. It was one she had made with a lot of love,one she wished she could have given to the real version of Lucas. Sara considered that the other Lucas was probably not enjoying himself as much right now.
Sara smiled, thinking about the look on Karen’s horrified face. Soon, that dumb cow would manifest from that door, forced to watch them and seethe. Perhaps she could get Jahzara to up the anguish on her face more this time.
Sara smiled, knowing that she had nowhere to be tonight, and her friends thought she was sick at home in the Elenian dorms. She would have all night with Lucas. All night with both of them.
The monster watched, not judging, just learning. The first handful of times she’d done this, its presence was hard to ignore. But now it faded into the background as much as the surrounding forest.
Lucas ate, excited to be on what he thought was their first date.
A first date she’d been on dozens of times.
This product makes 1.0 and 1.1 versions of Middara compatible with all the new content on this Pledge Manager. This is being given to all customers who might benefit from it for free. This product is being used as a way for us to track and ensure that everyone who needs this gets it.
Important!: If you don't see this in your cart, don't worry, we'll make sure it gets added. After we close the pledge manager (on July 8th), we will be adding it to anyone who still needs it using some back-end automation. This will ensure that we can take care of those individuals with unusual orders (such as multiple Pledges). If you're one of these backers, we will take care of you without intervention or need to be contacted.
Some Facts!
With Middara sold out, we're going in for a third printing. Anytime we do another printing, we fix any problems we find on cards.
The 1.2 Update Pack represents Middara: Unintentional Malum in its final form. We’ve been working for years with our community. And together, we honestly feel that we’ve made one of the best dungeon crawl board games ever made. The 1.2 Update Pack represents a culmination of years of labor and the collaboration of hundreds of people.
Just like the first Update Pack (1.1), this product contains every card printed in Middara. That way, you can easily swap your cards out by taking everything in your game and simply replacing it with everything from this box.
As usual, a full print and play for this product is available for free on our website. This will be the last time we will be printing this product and providing it.
Important Facts!
No. This Update Pack has no bearing on your experience. All new copies of anything purchased on this pledge manager are up to date.
Nothing else. Act 2 and 3 will be compatible with any older version of Middara. Any new cards you might need will be included in Act 2 and 3. If you purchase any expansion product from this Pledge Manager we will make sure that you receive everything you need to make that product compatible with Middara free of charge.
Everyone who will need it. We will add this to their cart after we close the Pledge Manager. It will be done automatically for you. You do not have to do anything for this to happen other than close out your pledge.
It will be done automatically. After we close this Pledge Manager, we will ensure that each backer who purchased Act 2 and 3 (or other expansion content) will have what they need to play with that product with their existing base game. If you buy a bundle, any existing free cards you might be receiving will be upgraded to include even more free cards.
No problem. You will be getting everything relevant from the Update Pack that you need to play for free upon the delivery of your Wave 2 items. This includes any significant errata that has been done to any card and any updates to Rules you might need.
Middara is huge. With each printing we fix any errors we find. We would like to provide any of these fixes to our customers free of charge when possible. However, the vast majority of changes to cards do not affect gameplay. The most pervasive examples are set symbols, version numbers, and card numbers. This is something that has been added to every card in the game. But of course, this has no bearing on game play. In other words, we don't need to provide a new set of every card to update your game. Having two separate packs provides us with a way to affordably give our customers all the meaningful mechanical updates to the game for free while also providing a way for them to get every new card replaced if they really want their game to reflect every tiny change we've made in the last two years.
Nope. You will only get one or the other. This will be done automatically for you after the Pledge Manager closes.
Nope. The Adventure Book is pretty solid. Any relevant errata will be conveyed both on our web site and provided in print for anyone who receives Wave 2 content free of charge. (Meaning, everyone who will need it.)
You likely don't. The only customers who should consider purchasing the 1.2 Update Pack for $20 (as opposed to receiving it for free via a bundle) would be those who already own Act 1, have no intent on purchasing additional bundles or acts, and also want to swap all their cards out with ones that have Set Symbols, Card Numbers, Version Numbers, and our most recent errata.
Middara 1.1 is an amazing game on its own. It's a full experience that no doubt contends with the best dungeon crawls ever made. Middara 1.2 is the same game. Besides Set Symbols, Version Numbers, and Card Numbers, the biggest differences between the two come in the form of nerdy back-end math changes that affect behind the scenes balance more than your session to session experience. In other words, the differences are only as impactful as your groups existing intimate understanding of 1.1 already is. Besides that, the largest improvements come in the form of clarity of many rules. While the intent hasn't changed on many cards, the rules have been expanded to explain that intent and interactions in greater detail. Don't FOMO into 1.2 when 1.1 is amazing. We have a print and play already available on our website. Additionally, any Errata we've made will be combined into a detailed list that can be printed or observed via a computer or phone.
Middara has seen some significant updates and improvements in clarity, grammatically, mechanically, and in intent since it's original design 7 years ago. If you own or have only played 1.0, the fundamentals are the same. If you know how to play one, you will be able to hop into the other. However, you will notice many more options, tunes, and a smoother and more interesting difficulty curve. Complex combinations of abilities and items and their interactions are easier to grasp and have answers in the Rule Book in all (that we've found so far) cases.
We promised y'all last year we’d be providing any resin kits we make in plastic. This pack includes all ten of the miniatures we made in Resin from our last Kickstarter. This also includes their Item Cards, Combatant Cards, and Adventurer Cards.
That means that this pack adds new Adventurers, Combatants, Espers, Items, and some alternate art cards for the starting four adventurers.
We sold tuck bags via Board Game Geek. They ended up being a really cool addition to the game. They also felt and looked great. We’ve decided to finish out the set by including other characters in our game and sell them as a ten pack.
For those who already have the ones from Board Game Geek, you can also purchase the six you don’t already have.
These bags are deceivingly large. The images do not do them justice. They fit anything your character might get their hands on during our story and store with the drawstring closed all the while not bending your cards.
Profane Occultists Made Immortal
“Toxie scrubbed the blood from her hands, noting idly that she had nailed the color when choosing her crimson fingernail polish. In the far corner of the abandoned warehouse, a half dozen corpses, all still bound hand and foot, lay in a heap as testament to her night’s labors. Her final victim lay sprawled on the concrete floor behind her, still breathing shallowly through his broken, twisted mouth. She hadn’t actually been planning to pull out his teeth when she started questioning him, but then Luperci and Tixie had radioed in that they cleared the enemy’s hideout, and that Mena was one of the captives they had freed. Threatening the Faun was one thing; dragging an innocent child into it was something else altogether.
Toxie dried her hands gingerly, then turned around to consider her captive. He was definitely dying; even if someone found him now, there weren’t enough surgeons or drugs on Earth to save him. But Toxie had to meet up with her pack to run down the last of the heathens who had escaped with the Faun, and she didn’t like leaving jobs unfinished.
She hunkered down next to him and saw with satisfaction that his eyes were still open, though only just through the swollen wreckage of his face. She blew him a kiss.
“You get a little mercy now,” she crooned as she gently stroked a blood-free patch of skin on his forehead. “I’m late for an orgy, so I can’t really wait around for you to die. You know how it is. . .”
She turned to her gear bag and considered her options. She wanted to use her favorite, but, of course, it had to be the messiest of the lot and she had just finished cleaning up. Eh, what the hell, she thought. Grinning, Toxie grabbed the pink handle and turned back to finish the job.
Outside the warehouse, an early morning train rumbled past, just loud enough to mask the roar of a chainsaw.”
Lupercalia beckons.
Through decadence and debauchery these lustful figures can be called from the depths of Earth’s history. Espers made manifest only through esoteric quiet whispers shared amongst the elite.
Such coveted creatures are called upon for far more than combat. Yet, their true names and seals are clutched closely to the hearts of those who covet them most. Jealousy worms its way into the heart, and rots at the very soul of those who know these secret combinations.
Those lucky few able to overhear their betters slip such forbidden knowledge during inebriated tales of past forays find themselves more than excited to let their soul wear away at the chance to even behold such monstrosities.
The Lupercalia 2021 Pack includes a plastic set of:
We've added 6 new new play mats for a variety of characters featured in Unintentional Malum. Show off your style with these beautiful play mats! We're selling them in a set of 10, a set of 6, and a set of 4.
These play mats are and always will be an outrageous value.
Existing customers who already have the original 4 playmats can choose to finish up their collection by purchasing the six new ones.
New Customers can choose to purchase the either the original 4, the new set of 6, or splurge and get all 10.
With Act 2 and 3 delivering, we have new Tiers and in turn, new Dice!
We are now selling an extra set of dice for Act 2 and 3. If you already have extra sets of the other dice, this set can be purchased alone to finish up your collection.
If you're a new customer, this full set of extra dice takes your characters from the lowest levels of scrubdom, all the way to the highest echelons of greatness.
Don’t get caught slippin’, get yourself an extra set so you don’t have to pass those dice.
Nearly every product from our previous Kickstarter is for sale on this Pledge Manager. The exceptions are our Custom Etched Dice and any Resin Kits.
However, the Resin Kits are now available in plastic. We might provide them in Resin again in the future.
The Cursed Etched Dice were a struggle. However, we may provide them in the future again.
We've been releasing sneak previews of new cards in Act 2, 3, Bounties, and Pirates of Elenia on Discord for feedback from the community. If you're part of the community already, we appreciate your support, if you are interested in giving feedback, don't hesitate to join our Discord and send SP_Ian or SP_Brooklynn a DM to be invited to see the new content.
Even if you don't join the Discord, you'll be able to get some sneak peaks as we'll be releasing regular content updates over the next 8 weeks to show off some of this content. We plan on giving everyone a deep dives into the scope of Act 2, 3, Pirates of Elenia, and the Collector Bounty Pack.
Middara is being featured at Anime Central in Chicago this weekend (May 20th - 22nd). If you want a demo, or if you are interested in seeing the game in person, don’t hesitate to stop by the Japanime booth and say hi to us. Our wonderful and amazingly talented cohort Ken is representing Middara at the Japanime Booth. If you got questions, he’s got ya covered.
We love you guys, thanks for your continued support. We couldn't have done this without you.
Stay Sexy.
