Voidpilots Dispatch #15: Production Update
over 1 year ago
– Sat, Apr 19, 2025 at 03:40:44 AM
Hi everyone,
It's time for a quick but important update regarding the timeline for Chronicles of the Stellar Drive Empire™: Voidpilot’s Legacy.
We're Delaying the Green Light
As many of you know, we’ve been preparing to enter full-scale production. With our files nearly ready and our manufacturing partners in place, we’ve made the decision to pause before giving the final green light to start production.
The reason? The current global trade environment, especially international tariffs and import policies, is unusually dynamic. We're closely monitoring developments to avoid a situation where importing the game into the United States could result in a significant and unexpected price increase.
Because more than 95% of our orders are bound for U.S. addresses, any sudden changes in tariff policy have the potential to impact nearly every copy we produce. These changes also influence overall production and freight strategy, so this pause will affect our international backers as well.
It’s important to note that we’ve already paid our initial 50% manufacturing deposit, and we’re fully committed to working with our current production partner. This gives us limited flexibility in changing manufacturing plans, but it also means we’re ready to move quickly once we’re confident the timing is right.
What This Means for You
For now, this means our production schedule will be delayed. We're hopeful this pause will be short, and we’ll continue to keep you updated as the situation evolves. In the meantime, development and polish on the game's materials are still moving forward.
We’re as excited as ever to bring Voidpilot’s Legacy to your table, and we’re incredibly grateful for your continued support and understanding as we navigate these final steps with care.
Thanks again,
Nick and Alex
Voidpilots Dispatch #14: More Pirate Expansion Updates!
over 1 year ago
– Mon, Mar 31, 2025 at 02:08:53 PM
Hi everyone!
We’re back with another quick update on Chronicles of the Stellar Drive Empire™: Voidpilot’s Legacy and the Pirate Expansion.
Production Progress
We’ve officially entered the production prep phase! Right now, we’re formatting all final game files to meet our manufacturer’s specifications. We're working closely with them to make sure everything’s aligned for a smooth and efficient production run.
Once we receive proofs, we’ll be sure to share some sneak peeks—stay tuned!
Pirate Missions: More Than Just Loot
In our last update, we introduced the pirate base mechanics and the new reinforcement phase. This week, we’re diving into how missions shift in the Pirate Expansion.
Pirate players will now draw from a modified event deck designed to emphasize aggression, cunning, and survival. Some missions will offer black market trade opportunities, while others push you into risky hit-and-run raids—perfect for captains with a taste for danger.
New Events include:
- Colony Raids
- Interdictions
- Convoy Ambushes
Successfully completing these missions earns you new resources, which you can spend at Black Market locations to upgrade your pirate ship—or at the end of each run to improve your Asteroid Base and brace for the arrival of Authority reinforcements.
New Artwork Sneak Peek!
Here's some more of Abram Buck’s incredible new artwork:
Colony Raid
Convoy
As always, a huge thank you for being on this journey with us. The game is coming together beautifully, and we can’t wait to show you more.
Until next time,
Nick and Alex
Voidpilots Dispatch #13: Updates on the Pirate Expansion and more!
over 1 year ago
– Fri, Feb 28, 2025 at 09:25:01 AM
Pirate Expansion Updates!
The last few weeks have been incredibly busy as we've been finalizing and playtesting the Pirate Expansion. Believe it or not, we've gone through several iterations to get it just right.
This expansion ended up being larger than we originally anticipated, replacing and modifying several of the game’s core systems. Thematically, it makes perfect sense—pirates don’t have the coveted Stellar Drive, so they won’t be hopping between systems!
Instead, players who take on this challenge will choose between two new pirate vessels and work to build up their pirate base before Authority reinforcements arrive. The period of time before reinforcements arrive are still represented by runs of the game and now include a new reinforcement phase.
During each run, players will face new pirate-themed events that replace the original game’s events. These challenges are far more sinister—expect raids, interdictions, and a whole lot of ship-to-ship combat!
New Artwork Sneak Peek!
Check out some of Abram Buck’s incredible new artwork for the expansion:
Pirate Ship
Black Market Convoy
As with all Kickstarter projects, final rules, concepts, and artwork may change between now and production.
Other Updates
Manufacturing Progress
Pledge funds have been applied to manufacturing, and we’ve begun the necessary setup to begin production.
Retail Distribution
Exciting news! We’ve signed on with Quarter Master Direct, the distribution arm of Quarter Master Logistics (our fulfillment partner). This means brick-and-mortar stores will be able to order Chronicles of the Stellar Drive Empire™: Voidpilot’s Legacy!
Thank you for your continued support—we can’t wait to share more soon!
Sincerely,
Nick and Alex
Voidpilots Dispatch #12: Final Pledge Manager Lock Reminder!
over 1 year ago
– Tue, Jan 14, 2025 at 12:35:05 PM
Greetings Voidpilots!
The pledge manager will be locking in 6 days! This is your last chance to add any extras. Once the pledge manager is locked, we’re moving forward with production and planning fulfillment.
As a reminder, shipping costs will be charged once they're finalized. We'll keep everyone informed as to when that will happen.
To access the pledge manager, please check your email (we just sent out reminders earlier today). The emails are sent to the same email address you used to pledge to the campaign. If you don't see the email, please check your spam or junk folders. If you need to, please reach out to https://www.backerkit.com/contact for support.
Thanks again for all of your support!
Cheers,
Nick & Alex
Voidpilots Dispatch #11: Back to Work and Pledge Manager Lock Reminder!
over 1 year ago
– Tue, Jan 07, 2025 at 11:02:45 AM
Greetings Voidpilots!
We hope you had a fantastic holiday season and a Happy New Year! We’re excited to be back at work and keeping things moving forward on Chronicles of the Stellar Drive Empire™: Voidpilot's Legacy.
Just a quick reminder: the pledge manager will be locking in 13 days! If you haven’t finalized your pledge or added any extras, now is the perfect time to do so. Once it’s locked, we’ll move forward with production planning and fulfillment. Don't forget, shipping will be charged separately as we get closer to that milestone.
To access the pledge manager, please check your email (we sent out reminders earlier today). The emails are sent to the same email address you used to pledge to the campaign. If you don't see the email, please check your spam or junk folders. If you need to, please reach out to https://www.backerkit.com/contact for support.
We’re thrilled about the next steps and are fully prepared to ensure everything runs smoothly. Thank you again for your incredible support—this journey wouldn’t be possible without you!
Stay tuned for more updates soon!
Best regards,
Nick & Alex
