Into the Godsgrave

Poland Playtests & Manufacturing Milestones
10 months ago – Wed, May 28, 2025 at 11:08:36 AM

Hello Mortals,

2 weeks ago, I ventured to Warsaw, Poland, to meet some of my Lucky Duck colleagues for the first time. 

More importantly for you guys, while I was there, I had the chance to playtest the latest gameplay from Into The Godsgrave with Grzegorz Nowak, one of the writers behind the game.

Now that I’m back, I can share what’s going on in both the technical and narrative aspects of the project, as well as some behind-the-scenes photos of the latest prototypes.

Let’s get started…

It’s Playtest Time

You’ll see from the photos below that I got to try out a rough version of one of the stretch goal scenarios. Obviously I don’t want to give too much away, but plenty of fun was had battling harpies, crossing mountains, and rolling very, very, bad dice combos.

We did the maths. I got a 1 in 1296 roll. I blame the dice. (More on those later.)
 

Featuring Grzegorz with the laptop, manually doing the job of the app, (for now!) Michał on the right, and then me with the colour-coordinated bottle and hoodie.

Our paper ‘print and play’ map tiles on the right vs. the larger and prettier full scale map tile prototypes on the left.

Tokens, dice, decks and more!

Expanding The Godsgrave Universe

The stretch goal scenarios have been the latest focus for the development team. They've added new points of interest, rebalanced enemies, adjusted location distributions, and updated the accompanying in-app narrative text to bring it all together.

It’s worth noting that although this might sound complex, the implementation of all of the above has been pretty smooth. With the base game’s scenarios already written and integrated, there’s a solid foundation to work with within the app’s engine, making these additions much simpler.

Manufacturing Milestones

We’re getting closer and closer to a major milestone - the start of production.

DTP is set to start at the end of Q2 - starting with the Noble and Trickster packs, which the team are in the process of finalising. 

The base game and Forgotten Song expansion will follow soon after, which will include 500+ cards and a whole mountain of tokens. There’s a lot of stuff packed in this game!

In case you don’t know, DTP stands for Desktop Publishing, and it involves last-minute preparation of all the assets of a board game for printing, including finalising the layouts of cards, punchboards, and so on before the files are sent to a manufacturing partner.

One thing we know plenty of you are excited about are the minis. The good news is we’re anticipating that the moulding process will begin in early Q3, and as soon as we have photos or videos to share with you from the factory, we’ll let you know!

Dice, Dice, Baby

Let’s talk dice.

We’ve had a few backers asking if the original dice could still be made available, since they preferred their look to the redesigned ones revealed a few updates ago.

While I was in Warsaw, I took the opportunity to dive deeper into the manufacturing world and ask about the prototypes in-person.

One of the main reasons for the redesign was the symbology. It just wasn’t readable enough in physical form, let alone the app.

But what became even clearer during my visit was the number of quality control issues present in the original prototypes. You’ll see some of these flaws in the photos below.

The original prototypes might have looked great in the renders, but on the table, not so much.

When you rolled them, which is kinda the point, the problems became clear:

They were prone to chips and scratches, and even without those, the finish looked rough - especially when the light caught them. (Cue the Pacha meme from The Emperor’s New Groove…)

When the sun hits your dice just right… ✋😌👌 

(Note the cracks in the finish, and other imperfections. The team wants to make a quality product, and this just doesn’t cut it.)

The team had a choice:

• Try to fix the original dice, with no guarantee they’d improve
• Redesign the dice for improved legibility and durability

When you consider that every revision takes weeks of back-and-forth with the factory, plus ~$600 in costs, plus added time to update hero cards, planning cards, the rulebook, and everywhere else the dice were featured…

It didn’t make sense to add further delays to the project, so the team went with a design where there was much less margin for error:

It’s important to note that this isn’t the final version of the dice (they are prototypes after all) but it’s a much more accurate representation of what you can expect in the finished game.

The Forgotten Song Expansion = Written

Wrapping up this update with some additional exciting news: The Forgotten Song expansion has now been completed in terms of gameplay, now it’s just the rulebook that needs writing.

So, what’s next for our writers?

They’ll be putting their heads together to move forwards with both stretch goals and The Ultimate Trial. The advancements made in these aspects of Into The Godsgrave will be included in the next update!

Things Are Moving

We know from month to month you don’t get to see everything going on behind the scenes, but I hope this update provides you with a little more of an idea that things are moving!

We’re currently in contact with our fulfillment partners to get up–to-date shipping fees - that should serve as a sure sign that we’ll be moving forward with the next phase very soon.

Thank you for sticking with us on this journey.

See you in the next update.

Ben @ Lucky Duck Games

UPDATE 31: Preview of New Card Layouts
11 months ago – Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 06:40:48 AM

Hello Adventurers,

Work on Into the Godsgrave continues at a steady pace across all departments, with design, writing, and visual assets moving forward according to schedule.

This month’s update covers recent progress on two fronts: a new approach to the card layout and the development of additional map tiles. Below you’ll find some early looks at key elements currently in production.

Card Layout Rework

As Into the Godsgrave is heavily card-driven, we’ve revisited the layout design to improve readability across all card types. This includes streamlined visuals and clearer iconography, while keeping the game’s aesthetic intact. 

You can see examples of the revised Event, Item, and Ability cards below. These new layouts are currently undergoing internal testing and final feedback cycles.

Terrain Tile Development

Progress continues on the map tiles that form the game board. While earlier scenarios focused on towns and forests, current work expands into more remote regions…

Godsgrave Location: The tile on the left shows a portion of the titular location—where one of the gods was slain. It pulses with Essence, and will feature heavily in key parts of the campaign.

Swamp Village & River Shore: Additional tiles depict a swamp-side settlement and riverside terrain, providing a wider range of scenario environments and mechanical diversity.

With the modular nature of the board, these additions increase variety and support the narrative and gameplay branches developed by our writing team.

Artwork Production

Visual asset production remains on track. The majority of card and map illustrations are complete, and our lead artist, Amelia Półtoracka, continues to deliver high-quality artwork every week. 

You can view one of her recent timelapse videos on Instagram by clicking here:

Artwork integration into cards and other components is ongoing and aligns with the layout redesign mentioned above.

One more thing! Don’t tell this to our Project Manager, but… 

…almost all artwork for the game is done! Right now the most busy members of the team are our Game Writer and Developer, who continue to write Forgotten Song’s scenarios and test them 24/7.

Tariff Situation

If you haven’t backed our other projects, we wanted to share this with you.

This next section is an open letter from Scott Morris, our Global Brand Director. 

Hello Backers, I wanted to add this section specifically to discuss the broader impact of the current tariff situation to our business, and give you insights to how we are tackling this complex issue.

Currently, the US has imposed a 145% tariff on goods imported from China. Since most tabletop games—including the ones we make at Lucky Duck—are manufactured in China, this has had a massive impact.

To put it simply: if a game costs $10 to manufacture, the tariff adds $14.50 on top of that. So now, that $10 game costs $24.50—before shipping, warehousing, or anything else. 

That is not sustainable.

In the last two weeks, companies have been scrambling: raising prices, adjusting supply chains, pausing launches, laying off staff, and in some heartbreaking cases, closing their doors. It’s not just a “tough time”; it’s one of the hardest our industry has ever seen.

We highly recommend this video, from CNN, where Price Johnson, the CEO of Cephalofair Games, discusses the issues our industry is struggling with: 

https://www.facebook.com/pricejohnson/videos/2536276793419944

To say that this has made things incredibly tough for companies of all sizes is the understatement of the decade. It has also had a ripple effect across the entire global supply chain. There are products landing in ports in the US that are sitting still due to companies not being able to pay the new, unexpected tariffs. This leads to port congestion, which leads to communications delays, which leads to shipping container supply and demand issues, impacting shipping costs… and the list goes on and on. 

The reality for many tabletop publishers is that we are living in a world where our daily efforts are now focused on trying to figure out what can be managed immediately and more importantly, what comes next. All in an effort to maintain compliance within an intense layer of legal complexities.

At Lucky Duck, we’re doing everything we can to navigate these challenges the right way. We will not cut corners or play games with compliance—there’s too much at stake. We’ve explored bonded warehousing, free-trade zones, new manufacturing partners, cost adjustments, and more. There is no quick fix, however we’re committed to being thorough, careful, and most importantly, in legal compliance every step of the way.

For projects in development and/or not in production yet, time is on our side. We’re looking into alternative manufacturing options that can help avoid the worst of the tariffs. That’s not a quick or easy shift though, and even if another country has the capability to manufacture something similarly, there are questions on quality and process to consider. The last thing anyone wants to do, especially in the crowdfunding space, is shift manufacturing for the sake of speed and costs while negatively impacting quality. We’re assessing thoughtfully and with purpose.

Our acquisition by Goliath in 2024 gives us an advantage here. With their support, we’ve gained access to more resources and supply chain options than we would’ve had on our own. It isn’t easy, but we’re in a better position than most to weather the storm and make the best decisions for both our backers and our team. 

I want to stress that last point, making the best decisions for both you, our backers, and our team members and colleagues. We have a responsibility to you, our backers, to deliver the quality products you backed with us. You put your trust in us to make these dreams come true and we want the results to be the best they can possibly be. We also have a responsibility to our employees. Our team members are dedicated to making these dreams come true, and it is up to us to make decisions that are financially sound for our company long-term, and their livelihoods. That is a balancing act, and one we take seriously. 

These past few weeks have been some of the most challenging our industry has ever faced. I am confident we will find a way forward, however it will bring long-term change (both good and challenging changes) to the landscape of tabletop gaming. Our commitment to you is that we will always focus on you, our consumers, and our employees, in a balanced approach, to continue to deliver the best possible products, making memories for you, and yours, at your tables. 

We appreciate any kindness you can extend to us and the broader members of our industry.

We appreciate your patience during this time as we find solutions. 

We appreciate your questions and engagement, as our community is the heartbeat of our work.

We appreciate you, as without you, there is no us. 

All my best,

Scott

Hello to Ben

Hey everyone. 👋

I’m Ben, and I’m excited to be taking on the role of Community Manager, dedicated to our crowdfunding games, here at Lucky Duck Games. 

I’m a board game lover and backer just like you, so please know that I’ll be doing everything I can to provide the same information I would want in your shoes! 

I’ll be acting as your go-between/messenger/investigator, answering questions, addressing concerns, and ultimately keeping you posted with any and all relevant ‘stuff.’

I’ll do my best to keep you in the loop wherever you are (here, BGG, YouTube, etc.) so keep an eye out for me in the wild.

Looking forward to speaking with you all!

A Little Extra Something…

As the newest ‘duck’ in the Lucky Duck Games crowdfunding team, I wanted to kick things off with something a little different…

So I’ll be hosting a Q&A session with the legends that are Scott Morris and Guillaume Poueys (Our Global Brand Director and Global Brand Manager)

If you have a question about crowdfunding, Lucky Duck Games, the tabletop industry, tariffs (😬), or just want to find out a little more about Scott and Guillaume (or me 😉) then let us know!

Send us a question on this form - and if we have time, we’ll answer it! 

Note: If you have any questions regarding this campaign, leave a comment on this update or in the general comments section. We’ll get back to you a lot faster that way.

Thank you for your continued trust and support,

Ben @ Lucky Duck Games

Base Game Is Written, Off To Expansions
12 months ago – Fri, Mar 21, 2025 at 07:22:13 AM

Hey everyone,

We're making steady progress on many fields, this update will give a good overview of what’s been going on this month...

Game Design Progress

The base game and class packs are now finished from a game design perspective. The rules, cards, characters, and quests are done and thoroughly tested. The only remaining piece is the map tiles, which are still in the artwork phase. Meanwhile, our main writing effort is now focused on the "Forgotten Song" expansion.

Artwork Progress

We’re thrilled with the latest batch of artwork—check out some of the newly illustrated items below.

Map Tiles Tell a Story

Last month, we shared the first scenario using the new map tiles, which you might have seen in the gameplay videos. That was just a preview of the level of quality we're aiming for, and we're pushing even further. Since our tile system allows for endless combinations, one scenario will take place entirely within a single massive building.

"As part of their journey, the heroes will explore the ruins of a fortress once belonging to a powerful relictor who practiced forbidden rituals. His actions were so horrific that the Wardens, guardians of the godsgraves, launched a massive assault to stop him. Though the fortress now lies in ruins, it remains shrouded in mystery and fear."

And this is just the beginning! The game will feature a diverse range of maps and environments. Below, you can see how the map looks during gameplay, along with the all-new dice. On the left, we have Wojciech—expansion developer and writer, known for his work on Toriki and the Chronicles of Crime series. On the right is Iga, one of our project managers.

Glyphs – A New Card Type

Glyphs are sacred symbols used by the Executors, representing the teachings of the Triad—the deity worshiped in the Triarchy. They will be introduced as a fourth type of card that players can use to build their decks, available exclusively to the Triarchy Executor character from the Forgotten Song expansion.

Each glyph enhances another card, granting it unique properties. You’ll be able to empower your weapons, perform special attacks, or manipulate your hand in exciting new ways.

What’s Next?

With a solid number of scenarios written and rules finalized, we’re preparing to implement everything into the app. The user interface and visuals will receive a significant upgrade compared to the Kickstarter review version. Expect plenty of screenshots soon as "Into the Godsgrave" enters the digital development phase.
 

Thank you for your continued trust and support,

The Lucky Duck Games Team

Our Art and How It’s Created
about 1 year ago – Wed, Feb 19, 2025 at 05:25:34 AM

Hey, everyone!

It’s been a few weeks since Devon’s departure, so this update comes from the entire crowdfunding team rather than just one person. We’ve been working tirelessly on the game and have plenty of new content to share—some of which has never been shown before. Let’s dive in!

New miniatures

During the campaign, we didn’t showcase all the models in the core game. Some were still in development, without finalized designs. That’s been changing over the past few weeks, and we’re excited to introduce several new enemies you’ll encounter in Into the Godsgrave.

Please note that these models are now with our manufacturing partners, and while minor adjustments may be made for production purposes, their overall design is locked in.

Steady Progress on the Artwork

Our artists have been hard at work bringing the world of Into the Godsgrave to life. We’re proud to announce that all the artwork for the Core Game and Class Packs are now complete! With that milestone reached, we’ve shifted our focus to illustrating the expansions. The next step for these illustrations will be a graphic design process to prepare them for print readiness (card layout, character sheets, tiles….)

Take a look at some brand-new card illustrations that we haven’t shared before. These pieces continue to expand the game’s immersive visual style, capturing the epic adventures that await.

Behind the Scenes: How Our Artists Work

One of our talented artists, Amelia Połtoracka, has been documenting her creative process on Instagram. If you’d like a closer look at how Into the Godsgrave’s artwork comes to life, check out her account here!

https://www.instagram.com/jameliart/

All-New Map Tiles

We’ve completely redesigned the map tiles to better align with the updated interface and enhance their level of detail. Below, you’ll find a preview of the first scenario setup, as seen in various Let's Plays during the Kickstarter campaign.

Some details, such as terrain type symbols, are still in development. Since these icons will be used across cards and the app interface, we’re ensuring they are as clear and effective as possible.

What’s next?

As mentioned in last month update, our team’s focus for Q1 is completing the base game scenarios and continuing development of the game’s expansions scenarios.This is on track and you can see a picture of playtesting below, including members of our project management and design & development team.

Timeline-wise, the below view is the same as we presented last month, and the team is maintaining momentum leading into the upcoming milestones.

Best,

The Lucky Duck Games Team

Onward and Upward
about 1 year ago – Fri, Jan 17, 2025 at 08:53:04 AM

Happy New Year!

Hello to all of you wonderful people 🙂 I hope the winter break was full of games. Those are the only things we need, right?!

It likely won’t come as a surprise to you that January will be a lighter month for updates with all of the personal leave and holidays. Never fear, though. I’m here to bring you the latest crowdfunding news and to offer that soothing balm of a data dump and progress report. Something to tide you over until the next step in the campaign.

2025 Timeline

In September of last year, we shared the following graphic for the revised timeline.

In the last four months, the game’s development has adhered to expectations, and we’re in the final stages of design for the base game scenarios. The team has designed 9 of the base game scenarios and is working on the tenth as we speak. That means over half of the 16 scenarios between the base game and expansions have been designed! Concurrent work is being done on the expansions, and that will carry us through Q1 of this year.

As we get closer to manufacturing later in the year, we’ll start to provide estimates for the shipping and delivery windows.

Scenario Development

Playtesting among the development team has continued to go well. Strengthening the mechanical and thematic layers has been the primary focus, so that the narrative overlay pairs nicely for a memorable gameplay experience.

The development cycle for the expansions waxes while the base game wanes, and the team is excited by what will be presented in the extra content for Into the Godsgrave 🙂

I can’t wait for the full story to unfold on your tables!

Art

It’s nice to see the world take shape as more and more art is finished. Here’s the latest from the art team.

Farewell

Everyone, I wanted to be the one to tell you that this will be the last round of updates I’m writing as the Crowdfunding Specialist at Lucky Duck Games.

I wanted to be proactive and address my departure rather than have you wonder where I went all of a sudden. This is my decision to focus on other creative and professional opportunities :)

I will be leaving you in the capable hands of Guillaume Poueys and Scott Morris, who will be handling crowdfunding communications until a suitable replacement has been found. Guillaume (my manager) has been involved with the Game on Tabletop projects in France for Lucky Duck for 4 years. He’s done great work there with those projects, bringing amazing games to the French market with the team. Scott, who’s been a manager and mentor for me these last two years, has over a decade of experience in the industry. You may know them or you may not, but I wanted to make sure you knew who you'd be hearing from in future updates and comments until a new community specialist is brought in.

Treating all of you with honesty and respect has always been my goal, and I know that Guillaume and Scott share that sentiment.

I wish you all the best, and I hope that your tables are filled with good games and great memories 🙂

Best,

Devon @ Lucky Duck Games