Post Kickstarter Joy...

Hello and welcome back to the Purgatory BLOG it's been over a month now after kind of went radio silent after the Kickstarter campaign went live.  What a good decision that was!

So to maintain the theme and style of a typical Purgatory post let's start with the easy bit... here's the latest from Purgatory...

* In case you have been asleep or have absconded from the interwebs, Purgatory reached funding very early in the campaign and managed to end funded. 
* Artists are lined up to bring the world to life.
* Sculptors have been assigned to make the models come to life and on to a battle mat near you, starting already with WIP pictures of Le Vulture.
* The background that accompanies the Rule Book is in the final stages of development.
* Our place at Salute 2017 is confirmed and we can't wait to see you again!

Phew... a small amount of news bit BIG stories to tell...

So how do we feel?

Kickstarting something with as much potential as Purgatory was always going to be intensive. There is so much to offer with out world that often we really don't know where to start.

The obvious and immediate answer is that we are elated to have funded. It means that we are already embarking on the next stage of the process to make our world that little bit more substantial. With rules, cards and the associated gaming equipment alongside a range of 25 models we are now in a place of real substance, if we weren't already.

The support we received during the campaign from Podcasts and from specific individuals was nothing short of humbling. That so many people wanted to see this project take a massive leap could warm the coldest of hearts and if you are reading this we are truly grateful for your support! Thank you!

What went right and wrong?

Some people might say "everything went right, concentrate on the positives" but the truth is very different. The positive as alluded to above is that we funded, what more positive is there?

However we do have some learning points. First and foremost perhaps a rigid and structured launch date is not right for small companies.  When we announced our Kickstarter we done so to give existing fans the chance to prepare for the campaign. We genuinely received a number of requests asking if we would hurry up and launch....

... however when we announced we were one of few but by the time of launch we were up against some real titans that secured funding in considerable excess of their requirement.

We would be naive to think this didn't have an impact on us and simply put as a small start up company, perhaps our offer didn't contain as much value as others, though £115 for over £300 of resin might be considered good value.

And it wasn't like we went against one, we weathered the storm of no less than 4 substantial campaigns! We almost feel like we deserve a badge that says "we survived xyz..."

We also learned that no matter how much you try, so many people want different things and perhaps our campaign was too complicated.  We received some excellent feedback along the way and we committed each piece of this to record so that we can consider it with the next campaign....

There's a next campaign?

Yes! Of course there is.... we promised you at the start that we wanted longevity for Purgatory and it doesn't stop at 2 factions, we will be bringing the Gangbangers and Refugees to KS in 2017 on very short campaigns. You asked for them, how could we not offer them right?

So what's next?

Alot. In fact, one hell of alot. We now are in the process of creating the pledge manager and giving people access a late backer so that you can get involved in the project and get hold of some of the limited stuff. Real life can get in the way at times and we want to give people the opportunity overcome that and get involved.

After that we will continue to work away, getting cards completed, models sculpted and produced ready for you to receive the game at the earliest possible time.

Will we be on time? Yes. Will we be early? Maybe not, we hoped to be, however a number of people defaulted on payment making our funding total alot less so depending on our progress in the coming months will depend if we can get this to you sooner rather than later but rest assured we will communicate our progress every step of the way.

Well that is all from us this time. We will be back in the coming weeks with more updates from the War for Heaven!

All the very best

Team Purgatory

10, 9, 8, 7...... We will have lift off!

Welcome back to Purgatory. 

It’s been a while and the last time we haunted these boards but we felt the time was right to return and give you one last update before the project goes live. Communication is of fundamental importance in any project which is why we are continually announcing advancements and changes to everyone as much as possible.

The important thing is that in the lead up as we count down the days to launch, less than 14 days now, we haven’t experienced any delays or issues. In fact we are very much on target. In the last fortnight alone we have managed to complete the kickstarter page and allow you to preview it, which you can find here: https://goo.gl/g73jPi . We also managed to create a brand new character for you to get free if we reach our funding target in the first 48 hours! There is even another model available at £15k which everyone can get a free version if you back over £10! Not bad. So what else has happened?

• The model of Jack is in progress and the basic outline is complete
• Moloch edges closer to completion and will have options for you to choose, enhancing the value of this model
• Mike and Jess are at the manufacturers, waiting patiently to be created ready for the project
• New artwork has been completed for the kickstarter which sees two characters go toe to toe
• Jack gets the royal treatment in some stunning new artwork
• A new faction has been created and will be previewed during the kickstarter to show you what comes afterwards
• Bobby, Siren and St. Peter stat cards have been released along with the card for ‘The Summoned’

What isn’t listed above is the box itself. We have shown some images of the boxed game and the feedback has been great. We have really crammed it full of quality, which has been something underpinning everything that we do from the start. The artwork in terms of the cards, the rulebook and the box turned out to be exceptional. Combine this with the quality of the models themselves and you really are getting something to write home about. Compare this to the cost and you really are getting great value, even more so if you get in early for the free model and we fund within 48 hours. We deliberately made the early stretch goals rewarding for our backers, it gives you more value early on in the process so that you can add to your collection quicker and start the process of interchanging models within your factions and hunting down those synergies.

It’s been an 18 month journey to get here with significantly more highs than lows. It’s been eye opening and interesting to look at how projects are built and I have be honest and admit that if you had asked me five years ago how I’d have felt about making a complete game, with rules to boot, I may have laughed. However, equally I have to say, that even though we are racing to finishing line, putting in as many hours as possible, we have enjoyed every minute of it. I am not sure how many of you saw it, but we posted recently about just where in the world Purgatory models could be found. It was quite far ranging and after sitting there with my daughter working that out, I had to say I sat back relaxed but equally quite humbled.

Creating your own game, world and models is a fantastic experience and both challenging and rewarding in equal measure. Seeing a box on the table, with people opening it up and getting excited by the content and models was great and a feeling that cannot be put into words, so I won’t try. It will just be gushing nonsense but I think you get the point.

So what comes next? Well we know what phase 2 looks like. In fact, we’ll let you into a bit of that further down. The next challenge for us is to reach our reduced funding target and put Purgatory on the map and you can help us do that. Over the next 6 weeks, we will be bringing out new artwork, showing off new models and updating you on our progress as the campaign ticks over. We have our stretch goals and capabilities mapped and we know what you can get your hands on. We have recently completed some play testing videos that will be going live in the next few days so that you can listen to how some of the game mechanics work. These videos are short, between 3 & 6 minutes in duration making them easy ‘lite bites’ to digest collectively or in isolation.

Phase 2 is quite exciting. Whereas phase 1 introduces the characters, the world and the setting, phase 2 brings other aspects ‘on stream’ as Michael and Satan join the fore. Alongside these characters we will see more from characters such as Uvall, Lucretia, Airiale & Marut and their associated cohorts. The portals will be pulsing and will bring elements from other planets within our realm as fresh species will join the ranks of devils and humans on Earth. We plan on bringing ‘Tomes’ out for phase 2. These are books that will collectively store abilities or stats of specific factions whilst allowing you to build your own characters as well as introducing characters that you can interchange between your group which will be backed up by models. Phase 2 will also explore buildings and scenery to make your battleground more unique as you fight for the spoils of war.

The Age of Purgatory is upon mankind and now we fight our most desperate battle to regain control over our destiny before we are enslaved to others and wiped from existence. You have the chance to tip the balance in your chosen favour. Will you save humanity or laugh wickedly as you facilitate its demise?

Thanks for coming back to us and reading our latest BLOG. Watch out for further updates during the kickstarter campaign in all of our media platforms as you never know, you might find a cheeky code or two that will get you some goodies...

Team Purgatory 

With 6 weeks to go, what have we learnt....

Welcome back to the BLOG!

Today we go all reflective as we look back over the last 18 months and see just how far the project has come, but most importantly what we have learnt and applied along the way. But before we do that, let's review the comings and goings of the last 2 weeks in Purgatory.

• We hope that you've seen her, but if not, I am pleased to announce that Jess is complete. And in a first for Purgatory this lady comes with optional heads for her mallet.
• The inbox has been burning bright, with the Apocalypse storming into our laps looking incredible. The concept for these guys really carried forward and if we get far enough, you guys are in for a real treat.
• Literally just in, a version of one of our Devils has emerged!
• The Kickstarter page is on the verge of completion, previews will be up soon.

The last 18 months has been a real rollercoaster of fun. Throughout the process we have met a great many people who have truly inspired the project but also given us some excellent feedback along the way. So what have we learnt?

Traditional vs. Digital - In one of the most difficult decisions, something we have been asked frequently has been about why we went the traditional route. Having just started speaking with a digital sculptor I can safely say that it was down to personal preference. There are supremely talented individuals proficient in both disciplines, but in truth, digital 'masters' are hard to come across in an era of tabletop and board games being exceptionally popular. I am very grateful to the sculptors we have worked with and feel slightly vindicated by the initial choice, if only because I have learnt so much from these people and actually become fast friends.

Something we picked up from Salute was that whilst people liked digital renders as a demonstration of what was to come, people had been 'caught out' in cases where the render was then produced to a low quality en masse. This echoed when people suggested it was refreshing that we as a company were showing people not only what we were doing, but that we were capable of producing high quality models. This was an important moment for us.

That said, we will work with a digital sculptor as our portfolio of characters has some that will truly benefit from this exacting method.

Expectation - It has been remarked of late that in some cases crowd funding can be used as a pre ordering system for well established companies and brands. I don't think this will lead to the market 'downing tools' so to speak but it is being noticed. When we spoke to a number of people in the early days the comment was very much "what do we get for free, like X or Y company offers?"

The answer to that was a hard one. As a small company, funded entirely by a trio of individuals, it was difficult to foresee how this would be possible, it was no small hurdle. However, what we have learnt at Purgatory is that 'free stuff' comes in various guises and at various levels. If you had asked me a year ago what we could give away for free, I am not sure I could have answered. However now, I can confirm that we can and will give things away, including models if we stretch to the appropriate levels. The kickstarter is quite strong and this has been tested against other projects as well as being discussed with a number of experienced backers. We believe there is real value in what we are offering.

Playtesting - I have said it many times. As a creative group, it can be soul destroying to take a broad sword to something you have spent months developing. However you become hardened to it and actually you benefit from it, though you often can only see that upon reflection. Play testing was a considerable amount of fun, watching characters you have created, come to life and do the things you wanted them to do is incredibly satisfying.

The main aim of the game was to apply a new spin on something familiar. No a single familiar thing but a collection of them. The difference, or USP so to speak was to apply something wholly and completely fun, something tongue in cheek and skirting on the boundaries of the mildly risqué. To hear comments like "I am not playing a game without those cards (Gods)" or "The core rules are tight" and "I can picture exactly how this character is supposed to play" are but some of the comments we have had. However in flip of that, complete sections have been removed, reviewed and changed on comments received during play testing. The end result being that the rules are even better and more complete than before.

Listening - Having great ideas, doesn't mean that everyone will or should like it. Listening to peoples feedback is fundamentally important and it is one of the single most things I would recommend to everyone. However you must ensure that you hear what is being said. That rules tweak, change to a pose, adjustment to a character or ability or even the size of the board, they all count and none should be dismissed.

Challenges - We have faced many challenges along the way, but none sterner than the issue of equality and perception. We have a diverse team within Purgatory and actually we had considered this from the very beginning. However 'Pin Ups' have been an area of attention for our project as people have posed questions on certain characters. I would say luckily, but actually, thankfully for us, we considered that whilst the market for pin up characters was prominent, we would not set our stall up around it entirely. By being able to demonstrate this, it has allowed us to mitigate attention with awareness of our range. However, the rise in open criticism on this topic is something the industry has experienced before but perhaps not on this scale.

Why are we telling you all of this?

We are on the cusp of something exciting, in less than 10 weeks we will know if Purgatory will be taking the next step, where you can enjoy games at your local gaming club and at home with friends and with family. A whole fresh wave of new models will be available to paint and play with to hone your skills with the blade.

Equally important however is to openly communicate with our followers. So that you have a true understanding of how we have progressed and the key areas that defined the approach of Purgatory, where learning is shared and improvements embraced at every turn.

Because of this, we are able to offer more models, more content, more opportunities for free items, improved sculpting, options on models, tighter rules and deeper backgrounds for you to fully immerse yourself in what we believe is a truly unique world, unlike anything else created by anyone else and we hope you agree.

Look out for the newsletter coming next week, which if you haven't already you can sign up to on our website. This last edition before Kickstarter launch will be a bumper issue and will include a list of the pledge levels and the some clues as to the stretch goals so that you can plan out exactly what you will be wanting to ensure you get hold of it.

Until then, we look forward to bringing fresh art and background information to you in the weeks leading up to launch!

All the very best.

Team Purgatory

#WARFORHEAVEN

Inbox madness

Welcome back to Purgatory!!

This week is brought exclusively to you, live from the Rockingham Arms in Elephant and Castle, London.

It's now officially 2 months to the day that we launch so what better time than to talk to you about what we are up to right now.

In the last 2 weeks we have kicked out all manner of information.  The painting team is furiously working on tweed madness and Jess is well and truly on her way. But it's the inbox that's red hot right now!

Arriving this week has been two of the four members of Apocalypse! We will talk more on these in a bit. Also arriving is the first true hybrid from the game in our Halloween special that features as one of the early stretch goals for the project and he is quite literally insane. 

Full colour artwork of Jack has been commissioned this week alongside the afore mentioned Halloween special. This is being done by Dario, the same artist that brought you Erishkigal and Moloch!

Apocalypse Now!

The four horseman are infamous in history. Whilst Conquest and Death are the two that are more commonly referred, Famine and Pestilence also feature as harbingers of doom. Initially this brought us a quandary, Death was already a character in our world so we had to think smart and quick. But don't worry, real life intervened and the answer was simple. Death got a better job and resigned her position. Let me tell you, finding a replacement was hard, the interviews were long and drawn out but eventually a candidate stood out and the position was filled... phew...

It would have been very easy to simply copy and paste the typical feel for these guys. You know the black stallion with flaming hooves and eyes, with a marauder like conan sitting on the back... but well, this is Purgatory and unless you didn't notice, things are a bit different around here ;)

The design phase for these guys was quite intense as we ultimately ended up with 4 characters that represent a modern slant with some comedy elements whilst retaining a sort of nastiness and viciousness that backs up their credentials. To explain this in more detail...

Conquest, who was one of those to arrive is sat on reclining sofa with a decent foot stall. This sofa is being carried by 4 slaves that are chained to the chair and forced to carry him around the battlefield. He looks bored, the fun in killing has gone with the dawn of new technology. The mace, well it's just too much work these days. So, instead he has a customised remote control that in a nutshell just zaps people into atoms. Though the war mace is readily available as the remote doesn't quite have the same effect in hand to hand. This guy isn't your beefcake uber warrior either. Mainly due to the fact that he is carried everywhere and doesn't swing the mace as much as he perhaps would have.

The character is designed to reflect the slob/lazy culture we have developed that is heavily dependant on technology. Purgatory is no different and in tradition we have challenged the preconceptions and added a modern spin. As we do.

Don't be fooled however. The image of this character as well as the others doesn't detract from their ability in game. These guys can only be fielded together and even then you can't field all 4, you get 3 in a standard point game. This allows players the option of playing larger scale games so that all 4 can be used at once.

Halloween Hybrids

We knew as soon as we had committed to dates that a Halloween special would be on the cards. Listening to you, our followers, we took into consideration the impact of a 'kickstarter exclusive' and the negativity this can generate. Not everyone that supports this game will have the ability to do so when we go live and they shouldn't be penalised as a result.

With this in mind we wanted to do something that was unique enough but not limited.

We eventually came up with the concept of a hybrid character for the two starting factions (Murder Inc and Soul Train) that would look and feel like a characterisation of the underpinning themes of both.

We've talked a number of times now about Host and Cohort synergy but this character because of his very nature is aligned to both. Our first true hybrid. In game this means that he can benefit from the angelic abilities of the respective Hosts of these two factions making him worth consideration.

All of his abilities are Halloween inspired to really make him stand out in the game too. And if we are honest, he's quite useful to say the very least.

The artwork will be making an appearance in the coming weeks.

Kickstarting:

As we started with, the project is on track. The rules are finished and now being adapted for the book. The background is now being included and imagery selected for this section of the book that comes in A5 format in the box level pledges.

If truth be told, worryingly everything is currently on track, without delay with the added bonus that we have managed to squeeze even more value into the box and the stretch goals themselves.

There's alot on offer from Purgatory so keep your eyes peeled and watch this space ;)

Thanks for stopping by and we look forward to bringing more exciting news to you over the coming weeks.

Join the War for Heaven!!

Team Purgatory

T minus 3 months til launch

Welcome back to the world of Purgatory. It's been a while, in fact over a month, for that we apologise, though hopefully the news that we have been hard at work with the kcikstarter will make up for the MIA.

So as per normal we bring you the what's new in the world of Purgatory:

• Mike is complete. The really detailed model by Lux Thantor features a pocket comb, zips on sleeves and an untucked shirt but to name a few. You won't be able to get a copy of him though as he will feature as part of the Soul Train faction set.
• Jess is up next and a date has been booked for work to begin on this great piece of art by Lorinda Tomko that was also recently put into a scene by Zinky White. Jess will be available as part of the Murder Inc faction box.
• Moloch has a shape. Fancagne Didier has started to fill this beast out and good progress has been made, we can't wait to see the finished product.
• Siren is quite literally winging her way here as we speak. This Angel is quite the spiteful one and you can grab your copy now from the pre order section on facebook and online.
• Siren, Penemue and Harut are in the final stages of detailing, you will be able to read about them on the website very soon.
• The game is being tested and the results are good so far, though there are some changes to be made, we are pleased with the general response to date. 

That brings us nicely onto the kickstarter itself.

A question we have been asking ourselves over and over again is "what makes a project worth backing?" It's a tough question and one that we have explored, taking into consideration from other people that have made their own projects successful, and even those that have not. We have also looked at other projects and looked at what really makes you guys 'tick'.

The answer is not as straight forward as I had thought. You expect quality to be high up there, along with value for money, as well as content and depth. But it's more complex than that, much more. In fact the community is almost split in two and i'm not talking painters and gamers. It's more profound than that.

The expectation of different people varies widely, some wanting a high quality set of rules that can be held in their hand. Some want high quality models but by the bucket load, with no intention of painting them. Others want a world to immerse themselves in, with rich story lines and characters you can almost drown in. Others want maximum value on return on investment and others want pure longevity.

It's the longevity that surprised me the most, but when I sat and thought about it, I understood completely. In a competitive market place, with projects springing up, left right and centre it is very easy to be distracted by the next cool thing. The bi-product of that however is that everyone does the same and few are focused on any game or system for long enough to establish a community and meet new friends (and adversaries). Purgatory is going to take on that challenge. Included within our project are the infant steps in trying to make not only a range of models come to life, supported by a rich and dynamic world, but also the creation of a community, one that can maybe see you talk tactics and tomfoolery over whether to take Heng-Lo or Keysa and the reasons why.

What we can tell you, as we trip past the 3 month warning point, is that we can't deliver is a perfection of everything. In fact, I would go as far as to say that even a group with serious funding, can't necessarily achieve all of that, because a great deal of it relies upon you.

However, Purgatory will deliver something fresh and it will draw upon each and every aspect of the above, taking the most significant and valuable elements to blend them together, pour them out and forge them on the anvil. And after much thought and deliberation the pledge levels are now in place, the models decided and the stretch goals cast in stone.

The printers are ready, the sculptors are salivating at making our designs come to life, the dice are ready to roll (haha) and the rules are in the home straight ready for you to make war in the name of the heavens.

Even more than that, if we get far enough, we have included a glimpse at phase 2.

So, watch this space over the coming months, as the blogs become more frequent, the newsletter becomes packed with information and the project goes live, we say this:

We are ready....

Are you?

#warforheaven

TEAM PURGATORY

War in Heaven, or is that home?

Welcome back to the world of Purgatory. It’s been a while since we last came to you via the blog. First and foremost, please accept our apologies, for all of the right reasons there has been a lot going on in the world of Purgatory. So let’s update you shall we?

Of course the newsletter will be out in the coming days, this monthly release show cases a lot of art work as well as gives you a glimpse of works in progress as we work closely toward our new goal. Kickstarter in October. The next newsletter will quite the game issue as we drop in depth with how the game will work, specific mechanics, characters and the themes for each of the cohorts. But first off, let’s see what’s in the works at the moment. 

·         It’s official. Moloch has started work. For those of you following the webpage and sites such as Beasts of War you will have seen the armature with the first level of ‘fleshing’ out by our sculptor. This will be the third model created by the talented Fancagne Didier for Purgatory and it symbolises a lot of what we are striving to achieve.

·         Mike is also in the works as we speak. Yes, there are no pictures online of him at the moment, not even a WIP but as we move closer to Kickstarter, the plan is now to release models as they are completed. So you won’t see Mike now, until he is done (maybe a week or 2) and you certainly won’t see Moloch until KS as we are taking our time with this one.

·         The game rules for BETA are finished. There has been a slight delay and we will talk about that a bit later on. The games group on facebook is established and those of you that are part of this group will have seen much more than the general public. If you want to be involved, email us at purgatoryenquiries@gmail.com and we will enlist you.

·         The pledge levels have been set and we know what will be included in each set when October arrives and we firmly believe you are in for a treat. The funding target has been calculated and we are now putting the final touches on the numbers before we start the fund manager in earnest.

·         Siren’s faction is in development and with the release of Siren in the coming weeks you will be able to pick up some quick reads about this cohort and some of the others as we build the background ready for rule book.

·         Play testing. We are currently exploring a couple of play testing events around the UK. To invite you guys along to come and see the models as well as perhaps play a game of Purgatory. As we do this we will let you know what we are up to and where we are so that you can come along.

Earlier in this article we touched on the delays. We had a delay with Erishkigal which was technically our first and it has been immeasurably frustrating for all parties involved. To give it a fictitious spin, the moons had aligned and we were up against it, for there is quite simply no blame to impart. Holiday’s coinciding with expo’s and production changes Erishkigal experienced some delay of around 3-4 weeks.

To put this into perspective, a delay in the artist, effects the whole process as the great art cards that we include cannot be created ready for the boxes. A delay in the model itself has the same impact and with delays in both, we have had some very lonely boxes waiting for content. Though we are pleased to announce that Erishkigal is in the UK and we will be dispatching these models in the next few days (phew).

The BETA rules also experienced and unexpected delay. The ALPHA rules were always designed to be quite private. Play testing as very much limited to a number of close friends locally so that we could remove those embarrassing oversights that a good gamer would have pointed out. We used this process as a first ‘breaking’ session where we could chew the fat so to speak about the very bones of the mechanics. Quite pleasingly this worked and whilst it was quite amusing shuffling A4 stat cards around with copious amounts of notes on each, it enabled us to focus on specific aspects of the game to refine and hone them to the next level.

Playing with friends though, you have the luxury of standing sentinel over the game and pointing people in the right direction in terms of certain effects and processes. You can’t do that when you dispatch them to the masses and so, we reach the delay point.

Short of designing a game, dreaming up bonkers characters and cohorts plotting a backstory for a world that just has to be different, the talent level is pretty poor, we don’t mind admitting. Though thankfully we have an artist who is as flexible as she is talented and Lorinda has once more come to the fore to assist us with the diagrams that have held us back from releasing to now.

The game is sensible and straight forward but some of the rules for the purposes of sense, reality or just being different require a visual explanation and we figured that you wouldn’t want a picture that looked like it had been freshly drawn by a 5 year old. (No offense to the talented 5 year olds how there) So in the coming days these will be completed and you will finally get a hold of those rules and you can tell us what you really think of our game.

Your patience in our project has been really welcome and now the tables will turn and we will be waiting patiently and probably a little bit nervously as we anticipate your feedback…

Thank you stopping by once more and for following our project ramblings. If you have not already head over to the website and get yourself signed up to the newsletter and look for the exciting things to come.

Team Purgatory

#warforheaven

#maythegodsshoweryouingifts

So what if Salute is like 7 days away.... huh? It's what.....

...'twas the week before Salute and all through the house, everyone was packing boxes, even the mouse....

Hello and welcome back to the BLOG! We hope you are all well and with some luck and a tail wind, those of you going to Salute we will meet only next weekend to say 'hello' and talk about the world of Purgatory.

So as we usually do, let's delve now it what exactly has been going on in our mad world.

• Erishkigal, fallen angel associated with the Soul Train has been finished. The green was completed last week and she will be at the show for the first time on display! (ed: that's provided the postman turns up)
• Siren, fallen angel associated to the.... *wags finger*.... nice try, you won't get that information out us that easily. But all jokes aside, she will be in the final stages or ready by salute. The sculptor is working super hard to bring this lady to bear.
• Moloch has been commissioned. We are not talking about it any more, its just damn well happened and we won't be giving you WIPS. This model will be designed over a number of months so watch out for that in your face reveal.
• The next member of the Soul Train is in progress. He will begin in early May, more information on that post Salute.
• Bobby B is here in limited numbers. We will have 50 boxes of this model at Salute for you to get to grips with so be sure not to miss out. He is event only.
• Hannibal has arrived, atop his war elephant, well not quite atop but they have arrived and the cast is great. Hannibal is available now and will be at Salute as well.
• Parlour Tricks is next up for play testing which will begin early May. The rules for the game are down, the alpha set will be going out after Salute. More on that below.

So we talk about Salute a lot. Sorry about that, however, please allow us to explain.

Salute was our first real marker. Whilst the project has rattled along at a nice place this was always going to be our first real test as to how well the world of Purgatory has been received or even for a popular feedback on the project en masse.

It will be the first time people will be able to come and chat to us and ask questions, review the artwork as a whole and see the line of freshly cast models standing together for the first time.

In honesty, we are all excited by the prospect but there is that feeling of nervousness inside of us. itching for the day to arrive simply because so much time and effort has gone into it. For example, for each model purchased at the show, your goodie bag will include:

• The model(s) you chose to buy
• Reusable Purgatory Bag
• Short story, focusing on Jazz and Keysha
• Limited edition comic, detailing the moment Bridezilla was recruited to the RoR
• Bag of Purgatory Sweets
• Redeemable code for the Kickstarter Project
• A free copy of the Alpha Rules*

*this will be distributed by email to everyone signing up to the newsletter. This will be early stage rules and will feature characters from the Soul Train and Murder Inc. so that you can play a game.

The starting line on this blog, could not have been more accurate. We have worked ourselves silly to try and bring the best experience to you on the day, so that you can see as much as humanly possibly about the world of Purgatory, how we got there and what's next for our game.

So, if you are going to Salute, be sure to pop by and say hello, we will very grateful to meet you. If you can't make it but absolutely love the Bobby sculpt (I can assure you the cloak is stunning) he will be on sale for the weekend of the 15th to 18th of April, so don't miss out.

I would like to leave with a thank you now. This is to all of you that have followed us along this journey spanning almost a year. Special thanks to all of those people that have shared the page, talked about us, recommended us, painted our models and supported this project by word of mouth or more.

We really appreciate it!

Team Purgatory

Updates and Upgrades

Hello and welcome back to Purgatory!

The halls of Purgatory are busy with the hustle and bustle of activity as we rapidly approach Salute 2016, our first expo. We can't wait!

Our stand has been allocated and we are on TK27 at the top of the hall.

So what has been happening at Purgatory exactly. A lot, let me tell you... come on over and listen in :)

• Hannibal, Apostle of Murder Inc. With his trusty elephant has been cast as a master! It looks great. Sculpted by Lux Thantor, at 32mm to the eye, Hannibal comes with his pet elephant and a specific base. Produced in high quality resin by GRX this model will be available slightly in advance of Salute.
• Bobby B, alternate Apostle to Soul Train (as an event only model) this 32mm to the eye model was against sculpted by Lux Thantor and is created by GRX in high quality resin. The model comes with an event only playing card and is only available between the 15th and 17th of April initially.
• Keysha, footslogger from the Soul Train is available for pre order now and we expect her at any time in the next week. Keysha is 32mm to the eye, sculpted by Fancagne Didier of Kaha Miniatures and comes with a unique base and in 5 parts (including the base). You can grab your copy of Keysha from the Facebook store.
• Walking seamlessly into this subject the Facebook store has been launched. You can get all 3 of the currently available models from the store and we will be adding more as they come out.
• Play testing has begun and more on that below.
• Parlor Tricks has joined the Refugees of Religion in game testing and will be debuting this week as we attempt to test our first truly ranged faction that is Gift of God cards attuned.
• Erishkigal is in the works with Gautier Giroud and WIP's are starting to come through as we look to bring the next model to the range!

So there has been a lot going on. Parlour Tricks will be going to the artist in the coming week as we look to finalise our compliment for Salute to give you a broad view of what we are bringing to the party.

Talking of party, ours has got bigger, with over 600 likes at the time of writing we are pleased to thank you for sharing the word of Purgatory amongst friends and fellow gamers! We are humbled by the following we are developing and look forward to bringing something fun to you in the coming weeks.

So let's talk fun and maybe some specific mechanics of Purgatory.

The stat card is straight forward and we will discuss this today. So we have the following:

M - Movement. With the game being alternate activations, AP can be used to move. There is the mechanism to triple move to keep slower characters in play. Its worth remembering that we have angels and these guys can fly which adds a nice depth of movement values to keep people guessing.

Ma - Melee Attack. When you enter the melee in Purgatory, this attack, following a standard table will demonstrate your proficiency in close quarters.

Ra - Ranged Attack. This shows your proficiency in ranged attacks. Some of the cohorts are more proficient at shooting. Watch out for Parlour Tricks in particular.

Ca - Casting. Most characters are '0' however this does not stop them. This stat is used for the Gift of the Gods cards and allows players to boost their chances of achieving the casting value on any given card. The Gift of the Gods cards are drawn each game turn at the start and can give you the upper hand. There are 2 of 30 different cards for you to choose from which will enable you to build your own deck and tailor it to your faction.

S - Strength.

D - Defence.

HP - Hit Points.

Dex - Dexterity. This is probably an interesting part. In other games, you have a number of saves that work in different ways. Dex is a version of that. If an ability should cause harm and states that 'no armour saves are allowed' then you would use the Dex save. This represents a realistic spin on our world, because lets face it, a 70mm cal tank round to the face and most armour just won't cut it, no matter how holy you might be. So Dex represents instinct and reflexes as you hear a bang and think oh sh......

AS - Armour Save. It's the other mechanism to Dex. However represents where armour might actually be beneficial. So is used when 'normal armour saves are allowed'.

FF - Fight or Flight. Will you run or will you stay. It's a version of leadership and primarily works in tandem with psychology or 'scary shit' as we call it. In addition, in Purgatory, you can take a 'savage beating' which requires a FF test if you lose more than half of your wounds in one activation. It acts as a mechanism to react to changing circumstances.

Other information:

Merc Cost - This value represents the cost  to synergise between the cohorts. Like we said in other publications that we will be allowing freedom to players to mix cohorts to generate unique and bespoke synergies to suit your playing style or your preference of model. The merc cost is there as a balance against some of the synergies you can create. There is a further downside to mercs. they cannot benefit from a differing Host's FF or benefit from their specific angelic ability so be careful to offset the AA vs the synergy on offer.

Angelic Abilities. There are 4 and each Host can bestow this ability for 1 AP cost to any member of her specific cohort.(I.e. Erishkigal and Soul Train) Heavenly Grace allows you to recover a lost wound for a non host model. Sinister Possession allows you to bestow an additional AP on a model that has already activated or not. Bounty of the Gods  will allow you to draw 2 Gift of the Gods cards and choose the most suitable one for you this turn and finally Undying Legion boosts character stats for a whole game turn. All of which have their benefits.

Other things shown on the stat card are the abilities themselves, alongside some unique character special abilities.

This BLOG could go on forever listing these but as a flavor, with Hannibal being one of the foremost generals in history, it was only fitting that 'King of the Aps' should allow this apostle to redeploy d3 models after your opponent has full deployed. Just as a taster.

So, that is probably, well definitely, the biggest single piece of information on the game that we have released.

And there is more, oh so more because we have played now 6 games, with Soul Train leading the win table with 3 victories. We will keep adding to this table and over the coming weeks will publish these results to give you a feel of how each faction matches up.

So what do you think? Interest piqued? We hope so....

Catch you next time :)

Team Purgatory

Game Changing

Hello,

Welcome back to the Purgatory BLOG. So much has happened in the last few weeks since we last posted that it might just take up the whole screen. Just kidding. (But it might)....

So what's happened since we last wrote?

• Keysha is finished. The model which was sculpted by Fancagne Didier of Kaha Miniatures was completed in last January. The model is now over at GRX creations and will be available in the next 2 weeks. We can't wait to get our grubby little mitts on this Disco Diva.
• Hannibal, this Apostle from Murder Inc. is on the table with Lux Thantor (sculptor of Death and St Peter) and is 95%, I've seen the proof of its existence. With his mighty, yet quite tiny, elephant alongside him, this guy offers something different to the gaming world.
• Bobby B, this is the limited edition character for Soul Train. This event only model is 95% done and is being completed by the aforementioned Lux Thantor. This guy will be on sale at Salute and will be available on the day only to people online, so set the date as a reminder for your diary. Bobby comes with an event only playing card so don't miss out.
• Erishkigal has just been started. If you follow the newsletter you will see some more updates on this lady later today. This is the fabled Host from the Soul Train and is the 2nd angel to feature in our world. This model is being sculpted by Gautier Giroud and will be available to buy in the lead up to Salute and on the day.

And that is not all....

• The game rules are now at version 2. Yep, if you are following Purgatory then you will know that we are now playing live games. The rules are in place and Soul Train are taking on Murder Inc. with growing frequency.
• Beasts of War are following our project alongside Tannhauser Gate Studios and the Hairy Bikers which is fantastic news for the project and we are extremely grateful for their continued support.
• Items are starting to drift in for Salute, tables, banners, leaflets and fliers are all starting to arrive and it is getting very exciting with less than 2 months to go.
• 30 Gift of the Gods cards are in design with 3 artists
• A comic strip especially for Salute has been commissioned
• Gangbangers are in the final stages of the design process
• Refugees of Religion are out there and ready for some love!

Game Changing:

If you have been following these posts since the beginning you will see quite the journey. Having never gone through the process of designing, sculpting, producing and distributing models it was quite the eye opener but we have all taken it within our stride. Making a game however, that is intense and it's quite the learning curve.

When you make a game, you have to give it an identity. Doing this is especially difficult given that there are a multitude of high quality games out there already as well as up and coming. There is a big danger here when trying to establish your own identity and that is to make something so intricate or complex that actually you end creating a monster, or something very complicated to play. Which can ultimately turn people off.

Side stepping this Mario Kart sized banana was the most integral part of our design process and we believe we have done this well. The key to Purgatory as a game was not to create something absolutely box fresh and hot off the press, but to refine existing core mechanics, making them personal to Purgatory but also add that little bit of flavor that makes it our own.

But why?

A goal of Purgatory is for you to be able to acquire the knowledge swiftly, to enable you to quickly process the mechanics, turn sequence and character identities so that you can immerse yourself in a game quite early into your investment. We buy table top games so that we can play them with friends, not to let them sit on the shelf and gather copious amounts of dust.

With that in mind we have used some existing mechanics in our approach so that there is a familiar feel to the game you are going to play. Most gamers have played some of the longstanding traditional systems and as such they have a bedrock of understanding that helps them translate new rules or gaming systems as they come out. It's like you guys have a skeleton key, you just need to work out which way to turn the lock.

The edge...

The game flows smoothly thus far (famous last words), the turns work and actually there is enough going on to keep you interested. With most battles being at around 500 points, it's looking like you can get between 6 and 10 models in your contingent which means, it's not even a huge investment to play a game.

What adds more flavor and a certain edge is the synergy between hosts and the cohort. Because in Purgatory you can field absolutely anyone alongside your host, finding that balance adds some depth and flavor to your contingency selection process. The discovery of certain synergies may lead to the creation of very competitive contingents being fielded when the game goes live.

Add to this, the Gift of the Gods cards that you draw each game turn you have some variety that can see a winning position swiftly turn on its head if you use the card in the right way.

An adult theme!!! 18 Rated?

It's not quite that bad, in fact it is not at all. But Purgatory does have an adult theme. For example, what would be called Psychology in other games is quite simply 'Scary Shit' in the world of Purgatory. There are some moves that have an adult theme from some the female characters, though when used they are blended with a humorous tone that brings a smile to the face instead of a frown.

We can't have a world where angels are murdering people by the thousands and mankind is waging a gutter war amongst itself without having a darker side to it. This is what Purgatory as a game portrays.

So what next?

Well alpha testing will continue for the coming months, bringing Parlour Tricks, Refugees of Religion and Gangbangers online to test against the first two contingents and we can't wait to show you the results.

Thanks for coming back and following this project and we would love to here your thoughts.

All the very best and watch out for angry Angels in a sky near you.

Team Purgatory.

2015.... how was it for you?

Welcome back to Purgatory and a Happy New Year from the team. We hope that 2016 is a successful one for you and that all of your hopes and aspirations are achieved. Go get 'em tiger.

So, it's been a while right? You probably thought we had deserted you right? Nope. You could not be more wrong on that front. In actual fact, I have moved house and well, that kinda strangles things with Christmas coming at the same time. Carnage.

But a lot has happened in the world of Purgatory, let's bring you up to speed:

• Salute is 4 months away and we are in full on planning mode. We have the backing poster, it's a 6 x 4 beast of one of our most iconic images! We will have the book of cohorts and hosts as well as some great artwork and 5 models!!! Yep you read that right, Death and St Peter will be joined by Keysha in late January and in March Hannibal and Bobby B will be landing just in time for Salute with Lux being the provider! We can't wait!
• The game is 96% done, I say 96% as a deliberate point to say, it's literally on the cusp. We almost alpha tested on Saturday just past but it was just shy, so e hope by next week this first battle in the #warforheaven will commence!
• We have found our third sculptor and with that our plans for the models after Salute are in place, Erishkigal will be making an entrance. This important host from the world of Purgatory will be making her arrival known and this has been a long wait but we are excited!
• The first 50 of Peter didn't quite sell out immediately but it wasn't far off, we have around 6 left and will be ordering the next batch in the coming weeks. Come get your copy!
• Gift of the Gods cards are in development...

2015 saw the start of the #warforheaven. It's the year it all 'began' from a business point of view and let's look back at how it's fared.

Starting something like this is not easy. When you first start up you convince yourself you can do this quite comfortably. You would be wrong lol. However, that is not a bad thing, you become swamped and entrenched by it, but you live it and much like the astronomican there is a light pulling, guiding and dragging you in the right direction. That light is delivering something really cool. A range of models that are unique and diverse and we think we are making serious headway with that.

Looking back I could never conceive that I would have a 50 page set of rules in my hand, ready to play an actual game.

I never thought I would work with talented people and I will name them all:

Lux, Lorinda, Ania, Dario, Sarana, Nicholas, Fancagne and more to come in 2016

You plan for it for, you almost dream it, but little compares to the moment when you sell your first model. That someone pics your model and says "hey, I would like to paint this" but here comes the best bit of the year for me. It wasn't:

• Receiving the email with the finished Death sculpt
• Selling the first model
• Setting up the company
• Launching some of the artwork
• Making a rulebook

No. The honour goes to a chap called Alex Barkley. Other than the Purgatory team, he was the first person to paint Death and showcase her. There is quite simply no words to describe the feeling when someone puts their time and effort into something you have created. The moment it came through, we were hyped and proud in equal measure. We had achieved some degree of success.

Second only to that was a chap called Norm. He sent me a picture of a diorama base that he was making for St. Peter. The model (Peter) was not even finished yet and Norm had created this fantastic scene ready to plonk him straight in the middle. It was made in anticipation, the pride swells (though we are mindful of the dark side, don't fear)

So no matter how many spreadsheets I run or receipts I cross check and store it's moments like that made 2015 a year, that no matter what happens with Purgatory going forward, it was one of the greatest achievements most certainly of my life. (and I got married in 2015!!! shh don't tell the wife ;) )

For that we thank you.

So where does that leave us as we plough through the rainwater and dirge that el nino has brought us at the start of 2016?

It leaves us hungry, keen and more focused than ever. We have increased from a team of two to three and Joe comes on board as of today and we welcome him, his creativity and passion to the fold.

The #warforheaven is only beginning my friends and soon, so very soon, you will be able to choose, are you a Refugee of Religion? Do you have soul running through your veins and choose the Soul Train? Are you a Gangbanger and hang around seedy nightclubs doing the dirty work of St. Peter? Or is magic and science your thing as you perform some Parlour Tricks?

Get ready for some alpha testing in the next month, grab some dice, a template or two and brush down your favourite tape measure because Purgatory is coming to life!