Hey everyone,
This is a heckuva long post, but I know that there has been areas that we have needed to address and it just sometimes is hard to get to everything with the smaller crew that we have on our end. That being said, I want to formerly announce our overall goals for 2023 to give you an idea of what we are thinking, and what to expect. Some of it will feel a little more behind the curtain than I normally reveal…mostly because I am a rather private person with reservations on humanity lol. But, enough babbling!
What we will cover today…
- Upcoming releases
- Infantry models
- WLM Website
- How-to Play Videos
- Price increase on .stls
- Updating Revelations novels and new stories coming
- Revelations: Warfleet
- How you can help
Upcoming Releases for Revelations: Skirmish
Coming in 2023:
- More ORCA/ Haven models
- Faust Union will be a playable faction
- Ethral Kingdom is entering the fight
- Zyd’s Rough Riders will be a new playable mercenary sub-faction
- Callidar Across the ‘Verse installment (mercenary world)
- Eth Across the ‘Verse installment (Ethral Kingdom world)
- Laconia Across the ‘Verse installment (Faust Union world)
- Mercenary Primer
- Entire previously released catalog updated with pre-supports
- Infantry being updated/ redesigned
Infantry models
Some of these are pretty obvious as to what they are. However, the last entry above is a big clue as to where our focus is this cycle. I want to firmly establish Revelations: Skirmish as an alternative combined-arms game in the market. To do so, I need to make sure that our infantry models are up to a better standard.
I have known for a while that there are problem areas of some of the infantry and it needs to be remedied. The reason for why they were released as they were was simple… I was a less knowledgeable business owner/ creator and only had so much money and skills to work with. We have been experimenting with ways to make the files we have right now stronger, and I think that everyone will appreciate the improvements. I have a new modeler working on an upcoming infantry model and I am already seeing a far better approach to the design than what we have had in the past. Strangely, it is actually quite difficult to find a modeler who can model at our scale while not making the soldier look all inflated and squishy.
You can look forward to updates for all of the infantry models coming in the next month or two. We have to make adjustments, test them, and then pre-support to an adequate level before releasing them to all of you. But, the update is coming!
WLM Website
We have known for some time that we have needed to sit down and tackle the beast in the corner that is the WLM main website. While I would like to see this addressed at some point this cycle, my primary focus is going to be updating the shop so that it is visitor friendly. I had made the mistake of falling into the thinking that the store is just a store…when I should be viewing it as a portal that someone takes to get to Revelations.
My plan in the next few weeks is create a proper location for visitors to really feel like they understand what Revelations: Skirmish is and feel adequately able to grasp the Revelations ‘Verse without feeling either overwhelmed or that I have given them the task of figuring it out all on their own. This will happen through a new intro area, pages for lore, and more. Details to follow.
How-to Play Videos
Another element that I have known for some time that is entirely lacking is official video content on how to play Revelations: Skirmish. I have been trying to lockdown the equipment needed and feel confident that we are very close to beginning to rollout some new content to teach new players how to play the game. These videos will be posted onto our YouTube channel when the time is right.
Price Increase on .stls
Effective as of February 28th we will be increasing the price of all of our .stls across the board. We have big plans for 2023 from new artwork, models, game-supplements, and more and that all needs money to be invested. We are trying to expand our team and how much we can occupy their calendars, and that all costs money. We’re hobby gamers just like you so we know how much price increases stink. But, we recognize the financial situation many are in and will be doing our best to keep that in consideration when revaluing our products.
Updating Revelations novels and new stories coming
Another big hurdle I know that has needed to be addressed is for me to finish updating all of our current novels both digitally and physically. We already have updated versions of the stories here on the shop in PDF format, but I need to invest the time in updating the physical versions along with the books on Amazon. This isn’t a “hard” task, but it certainly will be time consuming. However, it needs to be done and I know that being on the other side of it will be better for everyone interested in those stories.
Speaking of which, we have new stories on the horizon. I realized it has been far too long since I released a new novel…and frankly I am a bit rusty at writing. So, instead of promising a bunch of new novels, I will instead release the first Shards in Time which is a new compilation series for Revelations short stories. Part 1 will include some stories that you have already seen before (even some revised to be lore accurate from cycles ago), but will also bring along some new stories never before released. Best yet will be that they will be available in print format so you can hold them in your hand.
Revelations: Warfleet
This is still in development. We basically are at the point where it needs funds to finance the artwork needed to begin the modeling process. I won’t lie…it isn’t in the budget at the moment. I would really like for this to change, but I am uncertain of what can be done short-term. My goal was to launch a Kickstarter campaign around April or May, but that is rapidly becoming delayed. I don’t want to launch a campaign with essentially a video and a rulebook. I want to be able to show something that shows Warfleet is worth backing.
So…this project is something I really want to achieve. But, without an influx of cash to move further along in the development side of things, I’m not sure what else can be done with it.
How You Can Help
This last section is probably the most important of them all. I am committed to doing all that I can to improve not only R:S but also our outward appearance to newcomers as well as keep working diligently on new products. The unfortunate side is that I am only human. There is a lot of pressures in my private life, from my family and business, and like many of us, times are tough. I would love for this to be the cycle that I can finally say goodbye to freelance work. Not because it would be great for me, but because then I can afford to devote more of my time to Revelations as a whole. I believe in our business model (tweaks needed aside), the future of 3d printing, and I am encouraged by the number of people who say they genuinely want to see Revelations succeed.
The biggest element that would help us is sharing Revelations with your gaming buddies. Print some of our models (or buy prints from us), paint them up, and show them off. As a gamer myself, I totally understand the difficulty in finding someone to play a new game with. I get that we are a small developer, but we have been at this for cycles now. July will be our third cycle of R:S being on the market, and we have so much potential of new stories, characters, game engines, and more that can be made. Revelations is not at all stagnant or devoid of a future. But there are limits to what I can do on my own (excluding the freelancers who assist us).
I am the type of person who doesn’t pride himself on doing things on his own…but more that it is just how life is. As a business owner I struggle with finding the bridge that spans from the side of the chasm of solopreneur to the next level. Thankfully Kirsala has agreed to join along with me as he can which is a tremendous help in putting the finishing touches on models and more, and Woah77 has also stepped up for blog writing assistance. I hate appearing frustrated or “down”, mostly because I loathe the idea of making anyone in our community feel like I am looking for the door or something. I’m not. If I were to be handed a billion dollars right now I wouldn’t ride off into the sunset to enjoy an eternal vacation. I would dive headfirst into Revelations and build out even more of the ideas I have been trying to.
Where we are right now, I don’t need more suggestions on ways we could improve or critiques (this is literally aimed at no one in particular so don’t get weird about things if you read this). There is a time and a place for that, and I do appreciate constructive/ positive feedback. But what Revelations as a whole needs is new life to our community. Honestly, it is the part I wrestle with the most. I’m an introvert by nature so my brain just struggles with identifying how to advertise efficiently. I hate bothering people, so I never want to come off as an annoying salesman just trying to make a buck. Being in business has its absolute joys, but it is hard. Even though it is so challenging, I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. I’ve thought of putting together a patreon that would give backers our lore and game supplements or something as they are created. But…idk if anyone would really want to back that. Idk…
Either way, as I have said before, and I whole heartedly believe right now…the future for Revelations is bright. I am beyond excited for the Faust Union models, and can’t wait to share those with all of you!
Thanks for reading this far lol,
Rick