Gen Con Review and Production Updates
over 4 years ago – Sat, Aug 17, 2019 at 03:14:41 AM

GenCon Review

Well it has been non-stop since we got back from GenCon 2019. For those of you who may have missed our news via our Facebook page, one of the main reasons we attended GenCon was to unveil the secret project we have been working on. The secret is out! It's a collaboration with tabletop heavyweights and Kickstarter icons - CMON, and the project, "Zombicide comes to Hagglethorn Hollow". 

CMON and TTG are looking to develop a very unique expansion to the Zombicide world with scenarios custom-designed to play within Hagglethorn Hollow. While development is ongoing with no release date set, we were able to give gamers a first look at the gameplay prototype at this years GenCon at the CMON booth. We could not have be happier with the response to the prototype from both seasoned players and first-time players in the Zombicide world.  

As well as themed game scenarios, our prototype (more images to come) show the idea of how we might release sculpted tiles that Hagglethorn Hollow buildings can be placed on. These tiles have the recognisable grid sections that Zombicide players will be very familiar with. As the demos at GenCon showed us, the integration of the game into Hagglethorn Hollow was quite seamless and level of thematic immersion really was such a fun way to experience the game.

The prototype will be able to be viewed and played at several upcoming conventions and we will be sure to let you know the details when they are confirmed. We will also be putting out a video in a few weeks to show the demo board up close and discuss the project in more detail. 

GenCon also gave us the opportunity to meet around 20 (we actually lost count!) Hagglethorn Hollow backers in person! That was an absolute thrill for us and so grateful they took the time to come visit us. This included James, who is shown below with his son and Johnny. James followed the development of Hagglethorn Hollow from its early inception and was there on day one of the Kickstarter to claim the title of “First Backer!” 

GenCon also allowed us to meet a wide range of creatives from all aspects of the industry, and the opportunities that came from those meetings have been incredibly exciting. While our focus is primarily on the Hagglethorn Hollow delivery and then the Tree Creatures campaign, we came away from GenCon with some exciting future possibilities for TTG.
 

Production Updates

We are nearing the finish line! Well, at least for this first chapter. Next week we head back to our manufactures in China for the final quality control trip. This will include sign-offs on the last items to come off the production line. While we did hope to deliver early, a few late changes to some designs mean that we are anticipating it will now be late September/mid October for delivery. 

The pre-order store will remain open for as long as possible but all items now have limits applied to them. Existing backers will also soon see an email from us to confirm delivery addresses. We are also leaving this as late as we possibly can in case backers have a change of address.

And that is about it for now everyone. Next update from us will most likely be the shipping update, where we should be able to give more accurate delivery times for the regions across the globe.   

Thanks again everyone!

...and yes, the Tree Creatures are coming!

The Fishermans Storehouse, Production Updates and GenCon!
almost 5 years ago – Sat, Jun 22, 2019 at 08:41:29 PM

Hey everyone, it has been non-stop at the TTG workshop with products moving steadily through the production process. Constant sign offs on master sculpts, first casts, paint masters, magnet options, shipping, packaging and much more! It's all coming together as items roll through the production lines. It's an exciting time!

One of our final pieces is now also with the factory going through its production process. Some of our followers may have seen the video we released on our Facebook page showing the "One Day Sculpt" of the figurehead for the Fishermans Storehouse. If not, we have added it below. Enjoy this glimpse into a day in the life of Johnny!

Since completing the figurehead sculpt, it's been scanned, 3D printed to its proper scale, moulded, cast and been attached to the original Fishermans Storehouse sculpt. From there, the entire building was re-moulded and cast to create our Fishermans Storehouse master and is now at our factory. Using tradition sculpting methods and techniques combined with the latest technologies in 3D scanning and printing has really enabled this building to be fully realised to Johnny's expectations. 

So whats next? With most of Hagglethorn Hollow pieces now under mass production, it allows us to make some more progress on the next projects. If you are an avid follower then you will know that besides the 3D STL campaign, we are aiming to have the Tree Creatures out later this year on Kickstarter.  We will showing some sneak peeks of the progress soon. 

Additionally, we also have a secret project that we are working on with a major game industry publisher! All will be revealed at GenCon 2019! So in about 5 weeks time, we will be leaving our island down here at the bottom of the world and heading to Indianapolis. We can't wait and look forward to meeting up with fellow gamers and especially Hagglethorn Hollow backers who are attending. 

Thanks again everyone!

Ike and Johnny

Pledge Manager, Production Updates and the 1M milestone!
almost 5 years ago – Tue, May 07, 2019 at 03:17:45 AM

Thanks to all our Kickstarter backers who locked and finalized their orders on the Pledge Manager via Backerkit. This allows us to set production numbers with our factory and confirm shipping logistics. 

For backers who have not completed their Pledge Manager, we will be in contact to offer any assistance we can for completing your orders and shipping details. You can also contact us directly via a PM on Kickstarter or at [email protected] if you have any questions regarding your order.

At this time, we are also going to be able to leave the pre-order store open; however, there will be limits on products starting to appear as production quantities are locked in with the factory. 

Some of our followers will also know we recently attended the GAMA trade show. This is an industry trade show for gaming retailers, manufacturers, publishers, designers, etc. It was extremely productive for us and our goals for expanding the world of Hagglethorn Hollow and other TTG products. The success of the Kickstarter and the passionate community behind it has definitely been noticed by the industry with many opportunities presenting themselves to us. One such development will be revealed at this years GenCon in association with a major game publisher. We can't say much at the moment as they do want it to be a GenCon exclusive reveal, but we couldn't be more excited about it! 

Retailers have also been expressing a lot of interest in stocking Hagglethorn Hollow, and while we very much want to support local game stores, there are a few factors that present challenges for this to happen. We are confident we will find a solution, but our focus is to deliver all the pre-orders first. If you are a retailer and would like to stock Hagglethorn Hollow, please contact us at [email protected], and we can keep you updated with the developments.

So what's next for TTG? We are planning another Kickstarter this year and have a few options for what it will be but as many of you know, it's likely be the Tree Creature Campaign. The response to the Trees Creatures that briefly featured in the Tested and Kickstarter video was overwhelming. Research and development for delivering this range to the standards we are aiming for is looking very positive. We will hold off confirming exactly what the campaign will be and launch dates as we first want to make sure production of the Hagglethorn Hollow products is complete and on their way to our fulfilment centers for customer delivery.

And lastly, thanks to everyone for your continued support and passion for Hagglethorn Hollow. We started this journey with a Kickstarter goal of 60K and the hope of finding a community who would share in our love and passion for this fantastical world and we have now recently hit the 1 Million (NZD) figure for combined Kickstarter and late-pledge orders! The residents of Hagglethorn Hollow have spoken and are here to stay and with this support, we will continue to grow this world for generations to come.  

Ike and Johnny 

Pledge Manager and Pre Order Store Dates Extended!
about 5 years ago – Wed, Mar 27, 2019 at 02:25:58 AM

We are very pleased to announce we will be able to extend the cut-off dates for the Pledge Manager and Pre-Order store by another four weeks! The new date is April 30th. As mentioned in previous updates, extending the deadline was something we always hoped we could offer to give our backers as much flexibility as possible. The support continues to be greatly appreciated from the gaming community, and we hope this gives you all some more options.

Some avid followers will also know that the TTG team has recently returned from the GAMA trade show. This is a tabletop industry trade show where we were able to meet industry leaders and discuss a wide range of opportunities for the growth and development of Hagglethorn Hollow and other TTG products. We can't wait to share some of the developments including growing Hagglethorn Hollow, new products and a few extremely exciting collaborations that are now in motion. Hopefully we can reveal more soon, or at least drop some cryptic clues.

We also wanted some new images of the newly sculpted ground floor for the Hunters Lodge and Fishermans Storehouse. This is not the final version and only a prototype but, it's very close.

Coming up next will be the one-day sculpt video. This video will show Johnny designing and sculpting a figurehead for the Fishermans Storehouse. From pencil sketches to finding it in the clay. Thanks again everyone!

Pre-Order Hagglethorn Hollow today! Store Link - https://tinyurl.com/ycyukxzg

700+ cities - 30+ countries - 20,000+ pieces in production!
about 5 years ago – Tue, Mar 12, 2019 at 01:27:50 AM

Hagglethorn Hollow now has orders from backers in over 700 cities from over 30 countries with over 20,000 pieces in production!  It's exciting times for TTG and the World of Hagglethorn Hollow. The population is growing every day with pre-orders still available for a limited time via our Backerkit store.

Our latest video update is live now and covers the current state of production with a few new announcements in there as well. 

Thanks again everyone for all your support.