"Tell me, Padre, are you a prayin' man?" (Spiel Update #001)
7 months ago – Mon, Oct 02, 2023 at 03:45:20 PM

Hey everyone, I've been at the convention center all day, finalizing some of our booth details, and I haven't had access to my computer to write a proper update but I wanted to fill all of my backers in on what's been going on. 

I anticipated fires on Day 1, I just had no idea how many there'd be or to what degree of heat. Welp, I found out quick and that's why I'm doing this update. However, it's a lot so I'm just going to video it because texting everything on my phone isn't something I can do at the moment and some of you deserve to hear it face-to-face.

Long story short, my mother told me the Devil was going to try and take us down and what we'd need was a lot of Faith and Prayer. So that's what I'm asking of you. If you're the praying type, kindly add a few words for us in your daily ritual as we face these challenges. 

And if you're not the praying type, I hope you're the playing type because regardless of how this goes, we're here to play some High Noon and we can't wait for you to take a seat and join us!

That's all for today. I'll continue to post updates as they happen. Hope to see you at Spiel!

A Monstrous and Electrifying Update (And Something for the Ride or Dies)
7 months ago – Wed, Sep 27, 2023 at 01:45:40 PM

Alright everyone,

As I sit here, alone in a one-room loft AirBnB in Essen, Germany (I’ll get to that later) writing this update, we’ve entered the home stretch, the last few yards to the touchdown. As the title suggests, I’ve promised an electrifying update, so let’s get the part out of the way that everyone really wants to know.

Expansions!

I’ve been in long talks with the factory over the last few weeks. Here’s where we are: All packaging molds are finished, and all boxes are printed. Nearly all assembly has been complete and by October 11, everything will be ready to ship out to our fulfillment centers around the world. This is a promised goal by the factory and – while other targets were missed by a few days or sometimes weeks – I feel good about this one specifically because, despite the demand for an update, I have been holding off until I could confirm with my own eyes that everything was lined up to meet this deadline.

This is also why some of you might have noticed the Pre-Order store is no longer available, as I had to lock it down because new orders currently flow into the backer list and kept messing up my fulfillment logistics. As much as it pains me to isolate the one avenue for me to make money on this game, it's more important that you all get your expansions without a hitch. So if anybody panicked because they thought the website was down or I pulled a rug, don't. The truth is quite the opposite.

Here are just a few of the videos from the factory of latest developments.

All this and more was completed in August, with packaging finally wrapped up in early September.

So why no update?

You can skip this part and move right along to the next big headline, this is mostly therapeutic and to shed some light and transparency for those of you who value that.

August was an absolute whirlwind. Not just for High Noon, but for me and my personal life, my family and my business that effectively keeps the lights on while I pour what I am into this game. There were days where I felt like I wasn’t going to be able to keep it all together, moments where I felt I was going to lose everything. Don’t worry, the Kickstarter was always going to be fulfilled and you were all going to get your expansions. But after that, there was this huge question mark. Would there be a High Noon? Would the expansions and modules and everything I bled into them ever see the light of day? More importantly, would I have a home to come to? More than that, would I have a family? These were very real questions I faced all through August and even into this month (September). I was being broadsided by hits from places I never saw coming, again both personally and in business and they cast a dark shadow on every aspect of my life.

Truth be told – and I said this in the Facebook group – High Noon has been my anchor through it all, just as it was from the very beginning. So, work on the game and on the completion of the expansions never stopped. I couldn’t allow it to, not just for all of you but also because pressing forward to complete it all has been the one constant that has kept me going.

Fortunately, the skies parted a few weeks ago and I was given room to breathe. Without going into all of the details, I finally saw light at the end of a decades-long tunnel. Not an oncoming train, but real Hope for a brighter future that I’d been praying for.

What’s more, that light illuminated my way forward, and with clear vision, I was able to see what I had to do to give this game and its brand the chance it deserves. That’s why I’m here in Essen. But before I get into that, let me share a bit about what I’ve been working on the past two months.

The Electrifying!

For months, I’ve been going back and forth between which posse to release after all is said and done here. The Kenzo Samurai have been growing on me. I absolutely love the miniatures and the artwork and how they play. They’re just a blast on the field and create loads of opportunities to troll other players at the table. But it’s just too early for the East to meet the West. Besides, I can’t release the Kenzo without their Okuga shinobi counterpart and I can tell you right now, I won’t be able to afford to bankroll more than one posse this time around.

In the vein of trolling other players, I also contemplated the Governor. A four-man posse with an entirely new way to play by manipulating and bribing other players to do your bidding while enjoying a unique victory condition that completely ignores everyone else. It’s like you’re playing a larger game than what’s on the table. Just like a politician, you are the Chess to all of their checkers. You are thinking bigger than all of these other pawns. It’s such a multi-faceted, multi-layered experience that I can’t wait to bring to all of your tables. I almost did.

But behind all of this chaos, there was one other character that’s been sitting in the back of my brain, in the shadows of all others. Mostly because I haven’t been able to play him for so long because his starting tile was never included in my prototypes, he hasn’t enjoyed a presence on the battlefield in over a year. But he’s no less deserving and he’s been play-tested enough to know he’s ready.

Well, almost ready.

Miroslav Zoric is the next posse in line. And trust me, you’re all going to love him. He has his own unique playing conditions as well, a resource management system with a bunch of super powers and super weapons at his disposal. You can read a bit more about Miroslav in an update I wrote back in 2021 but what I wanted to talk about here was the face-lift I’m giving him before his TBD release. My artist has come so far in his talent that I had him rework all of the art for Miroslav’s cards and the results just blow me away. Below are some before and after pieces.

Miroslav’s biggest strength is his ability to control the board by deploying his mobile Zoric Sentries: towering coils that harness the power of his prototype tetherless generator. These sentries serve as turrets of electric death, capable of channeling not just the generator’s portion of power but also the power of all nearby towers for one supercharged attack that has vaporized even the strongest of foes right off the map.

The towers not only serve as offensive weapons but also defensive powers as well. Two towers can create an impenetrable wall that shields Miroslav from all attacks. This allows Miroslav to move freely, ignoring potential dangers on his flank.

Miroslav is not limited to the powers of his sentries and can generate his own “power shell” to protect him from all attacks. This is a fantastic card to play on the final round, especially when Miroslav is in the lead. It’s essentially like taking a knee in the last 10 seconds. But it’s also a great card to play when you’re short on your hand and need to draw some better cards while avoiding damage.

Miroslav’s gauntlet isn’t just for looks. It also wields the ability to harness his generator’s power and send it smashing into his foes. Those fortunate enough to survive his attack are still knocked back several feet by the sheer energy pummeling through their body.

With some well orchestrated cards, Miroslav can use all of these abilities in unison to annihilate characters in one round and it’s a blast to behold. He’s an absolute beast on the table, a posse I am extremely proud of and while Miroslav’s day is beyond what I can announce, I can tell you all with utmost confidence that you are going to thoroughly enjoy his addition to the High Noon universe.

But that’s not to say you won’t be experiencing him until then, otherwise why would I bring him up at all? In fact, I’ve got something of a “Thanos Introduction” for all of you. Not just my way of expressing my apologies for keeping you waiting this long for the expansions, but also for you to enjoy High Noon like you’ve never played before – yet some have asked from the beginning.

The Monstrous!

Now, this is something I’ve been working on for several months, actually. A lot of you have asked for a co-op version of High Noon and I’ve always said that’s just not the spirit of the game. High Noon is meant to be a brawl between friends. You’re SUPPPOSED to get your aggressions out on the table and it’s supposed to be a battle of wits against each other. Asking for co-op in High Noon is like asking for a co-op version of Chess, or Poker, both of which I use to describe High Noon. At it’s core, High Noon is not a co-operative game and that’s by design.

However, what was also by design is the concept of High Noon being whatever you want it to be…for a modest fee, of course. That’s why I have posses of all types, playstyles and genres. You choose what you want High Noon to be for you. I even went so far as to advertise in the 2021 update that one module will convert High Noon into an RPG. I spent all of last year play-testing that with my gamer circle and it was a massive success. That’s still in the works, but the mechanics are there and everything gels perfectly.

But there’s a timeline for all of it and every new release needs to pave the way for the next release so it’s all fluid. By design, and following the included storyline campaign of the RPG, players will be working together. To effectively work together, they’ll need to have practiced a bit before that all comes to fruition. All this to say, the concept of co-operative play in High Noon was always on the map, but as an optional module – not as its core component.

I’m writing all of this to tell you, I’ve gone ahead and done just that. I’ve created your co-operative component in the only way the High Nooniverse knows how to introduce it: A Boss Monster.

Meet, Miroslav Zoric’s latest creation:

This walking behemoth smashes, crashes and electrifying flashes through posses like a searing blade to butter, wreaking havoc across the battlefield. With a myriad of deadly abilities, there’s no way to avoid the sense of dread you and your friends will feel, especially in the first few rounds where it absolutely has its way with your more squishy characters.

Try as you might to outwit the Machine, there’s no avoiding the pain it’s going to deal to you and your pals at the table, and the more players you add, the more powerful it becomes!

The Machine's rules are simple, straightforward, and easy to pick-up. I’ve done my best to make it make the most sense, while giving it flexibility to accommodate anyone at the table.

We’ve been testing various scenarios to great effect. The first week of playtesting was just me and my father, a much-needed father/son bonding experience. To say it was a spiritual moment would be an understatement. But what I can say is we both had an absolute blast and that was only followed by several other sessions with friends and family who had no idea what they were about to experience. Try introducing this to people after they’ve set up the map thinking they’re fighting each other only to be interrupted by this walking monstrosity hellbent on obliterating everyone without predjudice.

The Machine’s 3d File includes separated pieces so you can print the cylinder and window in clear resin.

It also has a removable top with a detailed interior for you to place figures inside for a totally immersive experience. Also, feel free to use The Machine in any RPG or tabletop game you wish!

There are two ways to play against The Machine (Co-Op and Semi Co-Op) with three different difficulty settings (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced). I am still working on the rulebook and waiting on two pieces of artwork that should be delivered by the end of the Month, then it will be ready for release.

Ready for the best part?

The Machine is ABSOLUTELY FREE!

That’s right! I’ve made this comprehensive, entirely new way to experience High Noon, along with the printable 3D STL files of The Machine into a completely FREE Print-and-Play module that you will all receive in your inbox as soon as it’s ready, provided you are a backer of the Kickstarter campaign.

What’s more, I’ve been working with the team over at The Game Crafter to create a beautiful version of the module that you can buy at cost, which will include a huge neoprene play mat, acrylic standee, acrylic attack cone, cards and more. So even if you don’t have the acumen of a hobbyist or a fancy 3d printer, you will still be able to enjoy the module.

I anticipate The Machine to be released and available to all of you by the end of October at the latest, but until then, let’s talk about Germany…

Why am I in Germany? I’m in Germany because something else that is very important is also in Germany…

SPIEL ESSEN

As many of you familiar with the board game industry are aware, one of the biggest events in the world is Spiel Essen, a trade show dedicated to board games, boasting an attendance of 150,000+. Many of the attendees are distributors, retailers and vendors, all looking for new games to get out into the world.

As some of you might be aware, High Noon has faced tremendous challenges in getting out into the market. Much of these challenges have been largely artificial, arbitrary barriers created by certain members of this space that pride their authority over others rather than the purity of a game table for everyone. While much of this has been the experience in the USA, High Noon has found an unexpected home in Europe where the game thrives ono the tables of board gamers of all origins.

If High Noon is to have a fighting chance of being a success, it’s here and it’s in Spiel Essen. So I’ve thrown everything I have into this event. I’ve sold some of my prized possessions and yes, even real estate property, to pay the exorbitant bill required to have not just a presence at this event, but also to have games to sell and orders to take. I’ve even put a hefty down payment on something special for my Ride or Die posse, but I’ll get to that in just a moment.

A lot of stars aligned for this beyond what money I had left in my personal bank account. As a Christian, I firmly believe God had a hand in what’s happened, as we didn’t just secure one booth for sales, but – at the very last second – another booth strictly for playing the game with everyone. I’ve spent the last week locking down furniture for everything, as well as every other element that goes into operating a functional booth at a trade show.

High Noon will officially be attending Spiel Essen and you can find us in Hall 2, booth 2D133. Refer to the map if you plan to attend.

And we hope that you do attend! Not just to buy stuff but to meet me and the team, to sit down and play a game or two and just fellowship. It’s always been my desire to meet each and every one of you who made this campaign possible, and to give you my heartfelt thanks personally.

I hope to see you all there, especially my Ride or Die folks because I have something special for you. Take a look. Do you know this is?

That’s right, that’s your All-In Box, packed to the gills with all of your expansions, everything we’ve made for High Noon up to now. And do you know why you’re seeing that? I’ll tell you why…

It cost me an extra arm and leg, and I was on the fence about doing it, worried about how everyone might react to the thought of it. I know some won’t be happy about it, but at the end of the day I truly feel it’s the right thing to do.

You all - not just the Ride or Die backers, but everybody, all of you – put a lot of trust into what I was selling. You put a lot of money into it, cash you knew you wouldn’t get back. Whether that’s $300 or $3, the principle of it is the same. You put faith in me. And up to now, you’ve had little to show for it. It’s time I prove to all of you that this campaign is for real, that the expansions are coming and it’s not just hype.

I know the game is fun and I know the expansions are awesome. I’ve seen enough random people play with the prototypes at conventions for hours and even days, and come back for more, to know that what we have is truly special. But now it’s time to prove that it’s real.

So I took out what little extra money I had left in my personal account and I paid the factory to pull 12 All-In boxes from the assembly line and air freight them to my apartment here in Essen. From there, I’ll be personally hauling them to the convention, where they will wait for the first Ride or Die members to show up.

I couldn’t do this for everyone and I couldn’t afford to fly in everything but I could personally afford this and I think – for those who went All-In – this is something I’m within my rights to do. So I didn’t ask for permission from anyone, I just did it. So if you’re one of the Ride or Die members and you show up to my booth and you can present proof that you’re a Ride or Die member and there haven’t already been 12 other Ride or Die members who claimed a box, then you’ve got one waiting for you. Come and get it.

That said, I don’t anticipate 12 Ride or Die members to show up. I could be wrong, but I don’t expect it. So if 12 don’t show up, the remaining boxes will be sent to the fulfillment center in Europe where they will await the rest of the European shipment and go out on schedule. I’m not pulling from those boxes. They’re yours. This is just to show good faith that my word is my bond to all of you and this project is as real as the air we all breathe, because to me, this project is the air I breathe.

So that’s it. That’s the update I’ve been working on.

For those of you who are in Germany and attending Spiel, I sincerely hope to see you, to shake your hand and tell you thank you from the bottom of my heart, face-to-face.

And for those of you who aren’t here or can’t make it, don’t worry. Just sit tight. The best is yet to come and we’re all going to share in it together.

Thank you. I love you all. Until the next update,

Let’s ride.

High Noon July Update!
9 months ago – Fri, Jul 21, 2023 at 03:01:44 PM

Howdy y’all!

I want to apologize for the late update. I try to push out at least one per month, but June was a slammed session for me and this month has been no different. I’ll keep this update brief and to the point.

1) Production Update

We are pretty much finished with production of all of the expansions. There was an issue with the box sizes of Father Franklin and Grizzly Greenwood that had to get worked out and the final print of the Marketplace and Minis Crate packaging had to be approved. Here’s their official mock-ups.

2) Website Update

The rules section of the website has been completely overhauled to host every rules book we will be publishing. Now available on the site are the rules for the Marketplace, Elevation and Father Franklin. You can now get a heads up of how each of these expansions will affect the overall game. Consider it a preview of sorts. Also, if you want to use the rules to jump ahead of the arrival of the expansions, create your own temporary (or permanent) assets and get your feet wet, feel free!

Once you've checked out all of the new rules and errata, head on over to any of our Social Platforms and join discussions with other High Noon fans, discuss strategies, events, fan concepts and more!

3) Shipping Update

The part you’ve all been waiting for. Shipping! Where are we at? We are officially in the onboarding stage! All fulfillment partners have been notified and have sent over their onboarding paperwork that I now get to fill out. Wheeee!

So this next week, I will be...

• Updating all outstanding shipping addresses
• Going over each pledge to ensure everyone who purchased 2 or more expansion posses gets the upgraded tile artwork.
• Segregating the list of backers to their appropriate fulfillment partners
• Arranging shipments to those partners

We still have a little bit of work left to do there. If your address has changed and I have not confirmed with you that it has been updated in our system, please reach out via direct message and let me know what your current delivery address is and I will work with you to update it.

I know I always say it, but it’s never been more true. We are getting very close, folks! Thank you for your continued patience and support!

May-be an Update! (And Building Partnerships)
12 months ago – Thu, May 11, 2023 at 09:24:58 AM

Howdy y’all!

It’s that time again as we near completion! I don’t want to waste a bunch of time with text because we have SO MUCH CONTENT to share with you! First off, late last month, we approved the blister molds for the packaging, this was the final stage of production and mass production is officially complete!

That means...

• All packing is finished 
• All minis are finished 
• All instructions are finished 
• All game tiles are finished 
• Character sheets and new cheat sheets are nearly finished
• Minis crate and chips and gold are in progress.

The factory anticipates everything will be assembled this month! 

The only exception to this is the marketplace expansion. This has been a challenge from the start, because of its unique nature. However, it looks like the factory is pushing along there as well. As a short anecdote, I have been very concerned about the components for this expansion because it was designed as the first “puzzle” asset in the game, meaning it would need to be assembled with multiple pieces and those pieces would need to be sized just right to they fit together with minimal adhesive or other outside resources. Here is an example of one of the prototypes.

The factory advised the set be made of less pieces and that it actually be mostly assembled through folding, rather than gluing. I had no idea how that could possible work, so these big brains went and showed me!

As you can see in these two videos of the die-cut assembly, everything fits together and locks in place. At the very end, they even do a light drop to show it doesn’t fall apart. I was blown away! So it looks like everything might be sent out all at once after all!

I’m still not a fan of overpromising, which is why I haven’t given a shipping date – because we really won’t have one until we have one – but given the status of the project and the confidence of the factory, it sounds like we have a very real chance of seeing the rest of the High Noon expansions ship out within the next 2-3 months. This definitely puts us well within the timeframe of my promise to have you everything before Christmas. So please keep those fingers crossed and hands clasped in prayer, send all the good vibes you got because this train is about to leave the station!

But wait! There’s more!

One of our original backers has been working with us over the last year to produce some incredible content for you all and we’re finally ready to share it with you. 3D-DZYN is the creator of amazing buildings and scatter debris for wargaming. Frankly, it’s some of the best I’ve ever built. The kits are of grade A material, the instructions are easy to understand and the way everything is put together, it’s truly uncanny. I’ve built their sets side-by-side with other vendors, even popular ones, specifically to test the overall quality before choosing to partner with them and I was beyond surprised by the sheer difference of the overall experience of building 3D-DZYNsets over the others. No need for super glue, everything pre-painted, most pieces just *fit* together, no clunky metal parts that – WHY ARE WE EVEN USING METAL PARTS WITH WOOD KITS?! – and FURNITURE?! You mean this building isn’t just a façade produced by a lazy company that doesn’t actually make buildings but just glorified BOXES?! You mean when 3D-DZYN says something is a bank, it’s ACTUALLY A FLIPPING BANK?! With DESKS and CHAIRS and a VAULT and EVERYTHING?

Yes, my friends. 3D-DZYN truly is the holy grail of wooden kits and now we are pleased, honored and thrilled to officially announce our partnership with them to launch official High Noon 3D Kits to amplify your gaming experience to the next level. Starting with the Sweetwater set, available kits include the Bank, Jail, wagons and loot crates, all designed for super-easy assembly and each add a whole knew and unique flare to your game sessions!

The loot crates alone add a whole new dynamic with various ways to handle loot. Do you want to build the crates so they advertise what’s inside? Or do you want to keep it all a secret until you get there? Maybe even throw some gold in the crate for added easter egg bonus! The possibilities abound.

We gave the sets a test drive a few weeks ago and the consensus was overwhelming. One player even stated, “this is how High Noon was meant to be played.” And I gotta say, I was always adamant to the importance of the open space style of play, without the use of 3D buildings, but now I totally get it. I absolutely agree. High Noon was designed to be played entirely flat. 3D was always just an option – and it still is. True to form, you don’t need these kits to enjoy the game. But having them on the table just adds another level of play experience I’m losing words for.

What does this mean for the future? 3D-DZYN is our partner of choice. They are currently working on designing buildings for the expansions and even buildings and assets of their own imagination to add to the universe. Over time, the library of kits will begin to expand to encompass not just what we have planned, but all sorts of fun kits to spice up your table.

Oh, and in case you didn't notice, all of the floors are etched with a grid, so they’ll be 100% compatible with all grid-based tabletop games – something I haven’t seen anywhere else!

For those of you in our All-In Ride-or-Die posse, I didn’t leave you out of this partnership deal. A lot of effort went into ensuring not just that the quality was top notch, but that you got to benefit from your commitment to the cause.

Because we don’t own this business and we are not the ones producing these sets, they aren’t ours to give away for free. Our vendor makes all kits to order and still has to keep the lights on. That said, they have generously agreed to produce the kits at cost for you (our Ride-or-Die members) on your very first purchase with them! We’ll be rolling out an email to you on how to take advantage of that opportunity, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, check out the High Noon kits and all of the other awesome kits 3D-DZYN has created.

April Pyrite!
about 1 year ago – Sat, Apr 01, 2023 at 06:23:39 PM

Howdy y’all!

No jokes today! Just a good ol’ fashioned monthly update.

The factory worked on some solutions for the issue with the gold bars but unfortunately they were unable to solve the noticeable bump (seen in this update) without recreating the entire mold, which would have incurred significant additional costs and time to produce.

They did, however present a different gold surface and - after comparing it side-by-side - we’re going to go with this option. It’s not as glossy but it shines and looks great.

In other news and speaking of things that look great, take a look at these chips!

I know a big complaint from players was the difficulty in telling the colors apart. Hopefully that won't be a problem any more. With these approved, the chips and gold are nearing completion and should be packaged and ready soon.

And in other news, the starter set upgrade tiles arrived!

They looked so good, we couldn't help ourselves and just had to play a round.

Hate to leave that little episode on a cliffhanger, but as you can see, the grid and image alignment is on point 🤠

These are finished and ready to be shipped with everything else so we are that much closer to fulfillment.

As a reminder, if your pledge includes 2 or more expansion posses, these tiles will be included in your shipment absolutely free 😊But if you just want a set to go with your starter set, you can pre-order them here!