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Dragonbond: Lords of Vaala | Get all expansions + New one

Created by Draco Studios

New narrative expansion for this action-programming miniatures game plus all previous ones. Play as dragon, hero, or dragonbonded team.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Expedite shipping in progress + Miniatures samples
about 2 months ago – Mon, Sep 23, 2024 at 08:19:50 AM

Hello Dragonbonded!

It has been very busy months with convention season, ongoing development and logistics work, plus internal administrative changes at Draco Studios.  

While we have been around answering comments, this update is very much overdue and I apologize for that. We now enter into a stage with more constant communication. 

Here's a quick summary of what happened these past months:

  • Miniatures samples received. See pictures below
  • Game design and flavor text writing complete. English translation in progress.
  • Expedite shipping started for existing items

Miniatures samples

We are partnering again with Panda GM to bring the new expansion to life with the same outstanding quality they delivered for the base game and previous expansions.

Since mold-making process is typically the longest part of preproduction, they suggested to start early the samples for the miniatures.

You can see all 4 below, but let's start with the first 3 before revealing the 4th one selected from the Backers' choice poll in Backerkit. 

Reganna Fulgen
Itza Chapula
Aellas

And for the 4th miniature, chosen by backers (though a question in your Backerkit survey), we have....

The Weeping Mother. Concept by Chris Seaman. Sculpted by Francesco Orru. Art Direction by Tom Babbey.

The Weeping Mother!

Epics of Valerna gets a Neutral Creature, great news for the scenario card that features creatures.

These character got nearly 30% of the votes, followed closely by Oneteiras and Madranna as you can see in the next screenshot from our Backerkit dashboard:

The Weeping Mother was first featured in a Dragonbond RPG adventure with the same name, where Itza and Aellas also make an appearance. 

This makes Epics of Valerna go even better with this softcover RPG adventure, which is available in our webstore for the US, EU, and MX.

Thanks everyone for voting! As a reminder, we hope to keep Dragonbond: Lords of Vaala alive and might see more content in the future as the line grows. 

Expedite shipping

Since many articles from this campaign already exist (base game and expansions), we offered split shipping in Backerkit surveys for backers interested in getting some rewards soon and just wait for the new expansion and accessories.

Here's the general status:

  • US, MX, EU, AU, Asia zone 1 and 2: Shipments from backers in these regions who added the expedite shipping add-on were dispatched some weeks ago. Most have already arrived but it is possible that a few are still in transit.
  • CA: Items were just collected last week from the US and likely to arrive this week to our fulfillment partner Pick & Pack Logistics. They should arrive soon and within a couple weeks, backers in Canada who added the expedite shipping add-on should get their rewards from wave 1.
  • GB: We sent the backer list to BoardGameGuru two weeks ago, we are waiting to hear back and get confirmation of shipping to backers in GB who included the expedite shipping add-on.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • For support please send an email to [email protected] with the subject: "EoV Expedite shipping"
  • What items are included in wave 1?
    Base Game, Scourge of Valerna, Armies of Nature & Light, Legends of Valerna, Creatures of Valerna, Armies of Blood & Dreams.
    The marbled dice, oversized cloth mat and Epics of Valerna expansion are parte of wave-2 shipping since those are out of stock and will be printed together with the new expansion.
  • Can I still get expedite shipping if I changed my mind?
    Yes! Send an email to [email protected] (you should get a confirmation email from our Zendesk). Once confirmed, our team will include the cost of split shipping in your survey, charge the card on file from the Backerkit account or request payment through PayPal and share the shipping order to our fulfillment partners.
  • I am outside the regions where you offered expedite shipping (US, CA, MX, GB, EU, AU, NZ, Asia zone 1 and zone 2), can I get expedite shipping?
    Yes. It is now possible. Send an email to [email protected], we will let you know the cost for you to confirm or reject. If you confirm, check the question above to understand what to expect.

Project Status

The game is starting translation to English so that we can create Print and Play files for all backers to access and begin mass playtesting, Flavor text has also been written. 

Timeline reminder about ETA

The expected delivery date is in Q2 of 2025.
The timeline graphic in the campaign description is correct and cannot be edited after the Kickstarter campaign ends.
The reward tiers have a mistake on them showing November and this was spotted a few minutes after launching the campaign, they cannot be edited after the Kickstarter campaign launches. Read more details in the FAQ from this Kickstarter project. 
 

Conventions

As mentioned at the beginning of the update, we have been busy with multiple topics, including convention season. We were present at MegaXP in Mexico City, Gen Con in the USA, and a few of us are getting ready to fly to Essen Spiel in Germany with Detestable Games. Thanks everyone for stopping by to say hi. It is always a great pleasure to meet our backers in person!

We had our best Gen Con ever in every aspect! And Lords of Vaala received a lot of enthusiasm! 

We also had a dedicated space for everything Dragonbond at MegaXP in Mexico, including the debut from the resin-cast factions for the wargame Battles of Valerna.

Come and say hi to Essen Spiel at Hall 3 Booth 3U112

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Mass playtesting coming soon for Epics of Valerna

As mentioned above, we are getting ready for the next stage of the project and would like to invite you to join. We will be preparing Print and Play files as well as Tabletopia and TTS mods to playtest Epics of Valerna so that you can help us fine tune every aspect. There's no action needed at this stage but next update should have the info ready to participate.

Thanks again for your support! Feel free to reach out to us via email if you need support or in the Kickstarter comments too. 

Backerkit surveys sent! Pledge manager is live!
5 months ago – Wed, Jun 19, 2024 at 10:29:22 AM

Hello Dragonbonded

Great news! We have finished setting up Backerkit, our chosen pledge manager which has more features and tools for you to seamlessly customize your pledge and enter all the info we will need to fulfill when the rewards are ready.

As you know, the previous expansions had limited stock because we are not entering into a reprint at this stage. On Backerkit we were able to set the available quantities of each language so it is likely that you are able to grab one of the expansions you missed while this Kickstarter was live. Be quick to answer your survey! Note that you won't be charged for shipping, taxes, and add-ons until mid July.



If this is your first approach with a Backerkit survey, you will find a detailed guide at the end of this update. First, we want to share a couple of topics that are relevant to all backers:

  • Voting for the 4th miniature
  • Expedite shipping for items ready to fulfill

Vote for the 4th miniature

As part of your Backerkit survey, you will find a question where you are able to choose the miniature you like the most. This way we make sure that most backers can participate. Voting will finish on the same day as the survey deadline: July 15th

We covered them briefly on the previous update but below you can take a closer look at them, with a reminder of their gameplay role/faction at the top of the image. Renders are in grey but the miniatures will be in their respective faction color. 

Expedite shipping add-on

By popular demand, we are including this add-on for backers who are expecting the new Epics of Valerna expansion but selected a pledge tier with items that are already available. Since the base game and most expansions are already produced, you can benefit from receiving them way ahead of time, in about 6 weeks from now. 

This way you can start playing soon and even contribute better to mass playtesting event for Epics of Valerna, which is still expected to arrive on 2025!

Expedite shipping is only available in US, CA, MX, GB, EU, AU, NZ, Asia zone 1 and zone 2.

Guide to answer your Backerkit survey

We sent a smoke test 2 days ago, a random 5% of backers in each tier received an email to access their survey in advance. They reported some minor issues and helped us to fix them before sending the rest of the surveys.

In your Backerkit survey you are able to include optional buys (add-ons), and privately share your shipping information with us so that we can ship your rewards when the time comes. You are also able to pay for shipping fees and taxes (if applicable).

1. Check your inbox for an email with a link to your personal survey. You don't need to create an account but make sure that you don't share your personal link with anyone. If you ever miss the email, you can enter here to retrieve it: https://lords-of-vaala-epic.backerkit.com/

2. Confirm or update your pledge level and country.

3. You'll be taken to the questions section where you can choose the language of the items included in your pledge tier or vote for the 4th miniature.

4. Next, you will arrive to the add-ons section where you can add any expansions you missed as long as they are visible in the language you are looking for. 

5. The next section requires you to enter your mailing address where we need to send your rewards once they are ready. You will still be able to modify your address until fulfillment is around the corner so it is best if you can fill it already and update later if needed.

6. Finally, if you need to pay for shipping, taxes, and add-ons, you will be required to enter you card. It won't be charged right away but until mid July. Make sure to read our Terms and conditions and click on the green button "Place My Order". If you don't click this button, your order will not be marked as complete.

You will still be able to modify your pledge during the next few weeks, even if you have already placed your order. After July 15th, you will only be able to update your mailing address until we start fulfillment.

Need assistance with your survey? You can reach out to [email protected] if you have any issues with your Backerkit survey and they should be able to help with most problems, they will reach out to us if there's something beyond their scope.

A note about language versions...

The plan is still to translate the new expansion to FR, DE, and IT with the help of volunteers and uploading an official crib sheet in BoardGameGeek. 

While the base game and previous expansions are available in those languages, we had a poor experience working with localization partners from the previous Kickstarter, who didn't stick to translation deadlines and/or completed payment for production of language versions. 

We can't commit to translate ourselves given that the minimum of 200 backers per language was not met. While this is discouraging for us, we believe we need to be financially responsible with the project before making further commitments. 

We are still interested to work with professional localization partners in the future who can commit to fulfill their part of their job on time and pay upfront for their copies, and will let you know if any localization agreements are made. 

——

That's all for today, remember to answer your survey as soon as possible, you are still able to modify it for the next 4 weeks and you won't be charged until then. 

Next time we will have more news about the 4th miniature and mass playtesting!

End of campaign!
7 months ago – Thu, May 02, 2024 at 01:34:46 PM

Dear Dragonbonded, THANK YOU!

Thanks to your support, our desire to keep this game alive with more content is possible. We will work hard to deliver a fantastic expansion for you all.

For those of you new to Dragonbond: Lords of Vaala, we hope you love the game and the universe of Dragonbond as much as we do, we are very excited to have you here and see the community grow. You can join our Discord server where many members of our community discuss about Dragonbond and share pictures or stories of their plays with Lords of Vaala.  

Let's share some unlocks from the end of the campaign:

Since we were so close and expect some extra funds as late pledges or add-ons in the Pledge Manager we are unlocking another of the scenarios with its art, development time and cards.

We will keep track of late pledges to determine if we can unlock the 3rd one but we will also need your help though community playtesting to speed up development and balancing. Stay tuned!

 We will also work with volunteers like we did in the early years to offer a PDF crib sheet in German, French and Italian for the new Epics of Valerna expansion. While we can't produce physical copies in the translated languages due to the plate change and translation costs with a professional studio, we want to at least offer a digital translation to refer the cards effects.

Finally...

As mentioned before, while developing Epic Player Boards we found that characters could benefit from new Epic Character cards. These will be included for free in Epics of Valerna for all current characters (16). This allows you to always have a ready Vaala spell or ability with a Vaala glyph which in turn affects how each character plays. More details soon but we wanted to let you know that there's more content included in the new expansion now!

Choose the 4th miniature... on the pledge manager

We have decided that the best way to keep track of such an important decision is to include a pledge question for all backers in the pledge manager, which should go out in a few weeks.

We will share more details of each option when we are closer to the Pledge Manager stage but for now, this is the lineup of options: 

  • Weeping Mother (Neutral creature, enemy in The Weeping Mother RPG adventure)
  • Oneteiras, Dream Phoenix (Neutral creature)
  • Margur, Sea Ogre (Neutral creature to roam sea regions)
  • Madranna, Tyverian General (Support character in The Rise of Itza graphic novel, Adrael's niece)
  • Zuma, Nahuac General (Antagonist in The Rise of Itza graphic novel)
  • Berila, Ysval General
  • Brother Guthen, Ysval General

You'll be able to vote in the Pledge Manager in a few weeks!!

What's next? / What's a pledge manager?

For those who are not familiar with Kickstarter, here's what you should do or expect in the next weeks:

  •  Kickstarter will process payments this week and will deposit funds to our account in 2 weeks. Backers with errored pledges must fix their payment (more about that below) within the next 7 days after the campaign ends.
  • We will finish setting up our chosen Pledge Manager (Backerkit) to send your surveys in around 8 weeks. Here, you will be able to add extra items (from the ones still available) with the same pricing that was offered on Kickstarter or vote for your favorite option to determine the 4th miniature. Most importantly, here you will let us know where to send your rewards when production is ready as well as pay for shipping fees and VAT (where applicable). 

In case you know someone who missed the campaign, we will accept late pledges until fulfillment starts and will consider them to keep unlocking that 3rd scenario. Our backers always get the best deals, so the new expansion costs a couple dollars more for late pledges and there's no bundle pricing like in the Kickstarter tiers (which were limited on Kickstarter anyway), but can still get any items separately. 

You can share this link to your friends if they ask:https://lords-of-vaala-epic.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders

Errored pledges

If you had issues from Kickstarter charging your credit or debit card, (you can tell if you received an e-mail about it) follow this steps:

  • On a web browser (not in the app) go to https://www.kickstarter.com/ and log into your account.
  • You will see a red banner at the top of the website saying you have an errored pledge. Click on "Fix Payment" 
  • Enter card details and proceed.

Most of the times, especially for foreign countries, you need to try a couple times until it works (A backer from a previous campaign reported that it worked on the 5th attempt). Other cards require a digital PIN.

If the issue persists after multiple attempts, identify if there's another problem: 

  • 1. Your card has insufficient funds: Transfer funds to it. 
  • 2. Another Kickstarter project you backed ended on the same day: Your bank blocked the card for security by thinking it was a duplicated charge. 
  • 3. Your card is incompatible with Kickstarter US charge hub: Try using a different card (yours or from a friend)

Backers with errored pledges have 7 days to fix it and Kickstarter will automatically retry at the end of the 7-day window. If you are not able to fix it within that time, your pledge will be automatically marked as dropped. Don't worry, you will still have 2 opportunities to fix it in th pledge manager:

  • The first will be when we send the surveys (in about 8 weeks). 
  • The next will be some months after the surveys are sent, once we enable PayPal.

We are here to provide support. Rest assured that your pledge info is still on record and you will have some opportunities to fix payment in the future. However, it is better to fix the payment in Kickstarter so that you still receive the project updates directly.
 

A project we love

Click to visit project

Level up your game transport and displays with Ultimo

Here's a project we love that would like to share with you all, specially because your Lords of Vaala miniatures should be at display, not stored in boxes... The Ultimo Case Building System a great solution for creating professional looking display cases, carry cases, and enclosures for your miniatures, board games and accessories.
It’s designed to be easy to assemble and loads of accessories have already been unlocked to
further expand the functionality of the system.

We especially like the printable CARRY version of the case as it is ideal for transporting our
board game, the miniatures, cards and dice to your next games night and, when not in use, it
doubles as a display case you can hang on the wall.

It’s ending soon, check it out here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/linton/ultimo-3d-printable-modular-case-building-system?ref=22sa4x

That's all for now! We will be in touch soon. Thanks again for all your support!


 

Details about scenarios + art preview
7 months ago – Sat, Apr 27, 2024 at 12:03:33 AM

Hello Dragonbonded!

This update came a little later than expected because we have been attending some fulfillment tasks related to 4 past projects that have been fulfilled from January to April. As usual with fulfillment, some regions find a couple of hiccups and that's where my attention shifted this past week, but overall it is always a delightful moment when we deliver rewards to backers!

Nonetheless, I've also been working with Draco members to progress on working files for this expansion so that we can have community playtesting after the campaign ends if you would like to participate in blind playtesting! 

And there's something exciting regarding the Epic Player Boards that I want to share with you in full detail once we have it nailed down, but here's a teaser: we are looking to add alternate "Epic character cards" for all characters which combine with the Epic Player Boards. These cards will make every character's Vaala glyph feel unique so that there's always a chance to play a unique Vaala ability even if you don't have Vaala cards in hand or have no Power tokens to pay cost of Vaala cards in your hand. More details soon but I'm really excited about this!

You have unlocked a new scenario card through stretch goals!

So let's talk a bit more about scenarios, which are the core of this narrative expansion.

  • Each scenario offers a base card with additional rules for setup and gameplay and 3 stage cards.
  • At the start of the game you take 2 scenarios, combine their stage cards.
  • After an Event card is resolved, you reveal a stage card and resolve the effect which is related to a scenario.
  • These bring more player options to the game, whether as objectives or as threats.
  • All cards include beautiful art and immersive flavor text with the universe lore. 

At the time of campaign launch, the expansion included 5 scenarios—now 6 thanks to the unlocked stretch goal. 

Please note all are placeholder names to describe that will be adjusted with our lore team once. The 5 core scenarios are the following...

  • Rebels in Valerna: There are many realms in Valerna, but not everyone wants to swear fealty with them. This scenario brings more neutral units and also affect Power tokens in the game board (adding or removing a couple of them).
  • Vestiges of the Null: In Valerna, the null is the greatest threat. This scenario brings portals and Null creatures that are hard to deal with for any player.
  • Red Wave: Dragons invade Valerna every 27 years. This scenario brings neutral dragons who are also trying to collect Power, can be a threat or can bond with a General player.
  • Strongholds: There are many notable landmarks in Valerna, some of them being impressive fortresses. This scenario brings an extra layer to cities so that it becomes more relevant to keep control of their region, or a greater reward for other players to destroy them.
  • Legendary heroes: There are many storied characters across the whole continent of Valerna. Similar to the Red Wave scenario, this one brings a natural leader with their own agenda but who can also bond with a Dragon player.

In addition, all backers are receiving a Kickstarter promo scenario tied to one of the expansions, Creatures of Valerna.

  • Roaming Monsters: Valerna is home to many creatures, from dream phoenixes, to sea ogres, and more! In this scenario, the creatures from the aforementioned expansion get on the move and they may even initiate combat. 

With the new stretch goal you have unlocked another scenario. These are the ones designed and being polished (again with placeholder names that will be updated).

  • Invaders from the ocean: Sea monsters and pirates are also present in Valerna. With this scenario, some regions get invaders from the sea, Power can't be collected from there while invaded.
  • Crimson Hawk Syndicate: The largest criminal organization in Valerna, known for their spies and assassins. With this scenario, a dangerous network takes hold of some regions and it will be hard to fend them off. 
  • Force of change: Vaala is the magic in Valerna, present in all living beings. In this scenario, some rules change with every new stage so that players have to adapt their strategy and their choice of glyph sequence.

Let us know in the comments which scenario sounds most interesting or exciting to you! And if you are familiar with the lore of Dragonbond, maybe some ideas of particular scenarios... I've been wondering about a scenario revolving around the cult for one of the Daimos from the Hollowdepths!

Art drop

There's always beautiful art being created for Dragonbond directed by our beloved art director, Tom Babbey. Here are some recent illustrations for Dragonbond that we hope to include in the expansion too (art selection is still in progress):

Gemwyrm sighting by Aaron Miller
Magic equipment by Alannah Rose

If you are new to Dragonbond and would like to learn more about the universe, here's a FREE introduction to the setting (with more great art)

That's all for now, but I have another update in the works to share more about the 4th miniature that you will be voting for! Stay tuned...

Funded!
7 months ago – Mon, Apr 15, 2024 at 05:37:42 PM

Hello Dragonbonded! 

We are funded!! 

We are deeply grateful for your unwavering support and passion towards Dragonbond and Lords of Vaala! Whether you are a returning backer or new to the Dragonbond universe, we are excited to see you here and join us on a new adventure!

Personally, this is a game that I adore and can't get tired of playing because every game feels unique to me. Every time I play, I can perfectly imagine the story and narrative arch of my chosen character. It is extremely exciting to know that with the new expansion, that narrative will unfold even more!

Today I wanted to share some questions asked in the BoardGameGeek forums about how the scenarios and player boards work...

Scenarios 

Scenarios act like a separate event deck. 
They both resolve at the beginning and end of each round. 
Some scenarios alter the core rules, others bring new threats or objectives to the board.
They include beautiful art and lore from the world of Dragonbond, like this piece from 

An Ysvalian character using Galadyan Light to confront the monstrosities from the Null. Art by Daarken.

The next couple of stretch goals will increase the amount of scenarios included in the game to provide even more variety!

Epic Player boards

These work with any Dragon or General character. 
Turn Generals into heroic leaders with stronger stats for them and smaller armies (followers). Level up Dragons outside of the archetypes from their brood stats.

Generals can upgrade the following aspects in Epic Player boards:

  • Combat Value (for the General miniature)
  • Lethal Wounds (the amount of hits needed to injure a General)
  • Vaala affinity (Reduce the amount of Power needed to play Vaala cards)
  • Harvest (Easier way to gain Denizen cards)

Dragons can upgrade the following in Epic Player boards:

  • Combat Value (of any given Health slot)
  • Wound track (increase health slots)
  • Vaala affinity (Reduce the amount of Power needed to play Vaala cards)
  • Hoard (Heal additional wounds)
  • Essence track (flip spent Power tokens on your board and heal) 

New characters / miniatures

More characters with their unique Vaala cards are making a debut...

The game is highly modular...

First you choose whether to play as a General or Dragon.
Then you pick a faction to choose your home realm as a General or you draconic brood as a dragon. Each one offers slight differences.
Finally you select a character from that faction to gain unique Vaala cards and Dragonbonded ability.

The 3 miniatures presented in the campaign are from the graphic novel "The Rise of Itza" and we want YOU to help us choose the 4th miniature. 

We will post a poll soon, but for now, you can comment in the general comment section which models you like. We have a vast library of over 300 miniatures at our MyMiniFactory store

We are looking to include whether a new playable character or a new Monster (like the ones from Creatures of Valerna). But at this stage we are interested to hear any ideas and options from our community! Which one is your favorite? Which one would you like to see as a miniatures in Epics of Valerna?

Let us know in the comments!

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Once again, thanks so much for your support! If you know someone who might enjoy Dragonbond: Lords of Vaala please help us spread the word or post in social media groups!

Until next time!