Micro Bots and Micro Dojo – Late Pledges

The pledge manager for Micro Bots is now live on Gamefound, allowing you to late pledge for a copy of Micro Bots: Duel (for just £10/$12) or add the Power Up expansion (for a total of £18/$22).

Check out the page below for more details:

Micro Dojo & Express Shipping

If you missed the previous campaign, or simply want to buy extra copies, Micro Dojo (along with the expansion Loyalty & Deceit) is also available as an add-on through the pledge manager.

An ‘Express Shipping’ option is also offered for those that want to receive Micro Dojo immediately, and have Micro Bots ship later during regular fulfillment.

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Micro Bots Print-and-Play on itch.io

The Micro Bots Print-and-Play files are now available on itch.io. Check out the Prometheus Game Labs Print-and-Play section for details on all of the available games.

Micro Bots Live and Funded!

I’m so happy to announce that Micro Bots has funded, and so we can guarantee that some little mint tins will be packed full of fun and making their way to you in future.

If you’ve already backed the campaign then thank you! From myself for being with me again on this journey, and a huge thank you from Simon for helping bring to life his first published game!

If you haven’t yet pledged, you can pick up the base game for just £‎10 (~$12), or get the Power Up expansion included for just £‎8 ($10). As a mint tin game, shipping worldwide is super cheap, so don’t miss your chance for another great pocket sized game!

Back it on Kickstarter

Micro Bots Launching in 24 Hours

Tomorrow, I’ll be hitting the big launch button and the campaign for Micro Bots will be live. You can pick up the base game for just £‎10 (~$12), or get the Power Up expansion included for just £‎8 ($10). As a mint tin game, shipping worldwide is super cheap, so don’t miss your chance for another great pocket sized game.

The campaign will launch will be at the following times, and I look forward to seeing you there!

Americas: 4-7am (UTC-8 to UTC-5)
UK/Europe: 12pm (GMT)
Middle East: 4pm (UTC+4)
East Asia/Oceania: 10pm (UTC+10)

Follow on Kickstarter

Micro Bots launching 1st February 2023 (Press Release)

Prometheus Game Labs is launching Micro Bots, by Simon Beal, on Kickstarter on February 1st 2023. The campaign is running for 23 days, during which backers can pledge funds to support production and in return receive a copy (or multiple copies) of the game. The game fits into a mint tin, and offers a head-to-head duelling experience for two players in around 20 minutes. Designed to pack a lot of game into a small (and cheap to ship) package, Backers can pledge from just £10 plus shipping, or add the Power Up expansion which is launching alongside it for a further £8. Print at home digital versions are also offered as part of the campaign.

Micro Bots is complete at launch, meaning there is no long post-campaign development and production cycle. Shortly after the campaign ends, files will be prepared to go into manufacturing, and backers will receive the game in the same year (with a general distribution release soon after).

About the Game

Micro Bots is a game of duelling robots with big lasers, that fits into a mint tin. The game, designed by Simon Beal, is reminiscent of early video games where players each choose a bot with unique abilities and cards to do battle against each other.

Players choose to play either weapon or support cards which increase in power the more these cards are played. When combat occurs, and there’s a lot of it, players choose from a set of power tokens to boost their attack or defense. These tokens are limited until a player spends a turn to ‘Recharge’, and so carefully using these power tokens to out-think (and out-play) your opponent is crucial. Micro Bots delivers a tense, tactical experience within 20 minutes and packs away into a pocket sized box.

Number of Players: 2
Game Duration: 20min
Age: 10+

Website: https://prometheusgamelabs.wordpress.com/games/micro-bots/
Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/prometheus-gamelabs/micro-bots-duel-and-power-up
Media Pack: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rX1ssu1S5KPEnbfbDKvfvH0IyQ-Jhk0r&authuser=ben%40prometheusgamelabs.com&usp=drive_fs

Backer Centred Crowdfunding

Board game crowdfunding is vital for a lot of creators to be able to publish their games, but it requires an awful lot of trust and patience by backers to pay money for something well in advance of it being finished, produced, and shipped to them. For new creators (or creators attracting first time backers) that trust hasn’t yet been established, and instead we have to fallback on the trust of crowdfunding in general. For a lot of people, that trust is deteriorating.

Recently, Doomsday Robots (creators of Zoo-ography and Bridges to Nowhere) posted here about what it calls Backer-Centred Crowdfunding. Highlighting some of the problems that have caused this trust to erode, Doomsday Robots sets out policies that it intends to abide by that it hopes to improve not just their own backers experience but also trust in the system.

A while back I posted an article on the principles I operate Prometheus Game Labs by, chief of which was to Delight People Throughout the Journey. That includes the crowdfunding part which for many is their first step on that journey. I love what Doomsday Robots has done, and I’m setting out my own intentions for crowdfunding, which will be posted on campaign pages in future:

1. I will not create unrealistic funding goals. If the project funds, I will not cancel it later.
2. I will accurately represent shipping costs – even if I choose to subsidize them.
3. I commit to include backers as partners in the process of creation, and not just pre-order customers.
4. I will give at least one progress update monthly to backers until general fulfillment is complete.
5. Backer funds will only be used for the project for which they are crowdfunded until general fulfillment is complete.
6. I will not sell product via conventions or distribution to non-backers until general fulfillment is complete.
7. The MSRP of games will not be lower than the equivalent pledge amount.
8. I will not censor criticism or frustration by backers (with the exception of abuse), and will respond to comments with honesty and integrity.

I’ll be including this pledge in all future campaigns (you can find me on Kickstarter or Gamefound) so that backers can trust that this is a Backer Centred campaign and hold me accountable.

Note: This page has been updated since the original post to clarify the intentions around sale to non-backers

New Signing: 99 Ninja

It’s been a busy few months, and I’m excited to announce the next, next game from Prometheus Game Labs will be 99 Ninja designed by Matt Ding and Ivan Alexiev, aiming to launch in mid-late 2023.

99 Ninja is a two player competitive tile laying game, where players use transparent cards depicting ninja from 3 different clans to surround (and assassinate) daimyo. Like other games from Prometheus Game Labs there is a lot of tactical play – you will have to time your placement and outmaneuver, but also out think, your opponent! And yes, there are 99 ninja on the cards. We counted.

Matt and Ivan started work on 99 Ninja as a pilot project, to see if they could co-design a game. Ivan first introduced me to 99 Ninja not long after Micro Dojo had launched in 2021, and suggested it would be a great spinoff game (and I could immediately see where we could use some of the cool existing artwork). I loved the clan switching element of the game where, as Ivan put it, both players felt like they were playing 2 against 1. However, at that time I wasn’t ready to take on the responsibility of publishing another designers game.

Later in the year Ivan and I met at Essen Spiel, and in between lots of other games we had a playtest session of 99 Ninja to brainstorm some new ideas for it. It was still on my mind, but the next step to take it forward was a meeting with Matt at UK Games Expo. It was great to meet in person and chat about where we wanted to take the game, as well as see if it would be a good fit for us all.

After that, we spent just over a month having weekly playtest sessions on Tabletop Simulator to see how well we could all work together (and whether my vision of 99 Ninja aligned with theirs). Each time we got together we had a positive development for the game, and I felt really confident that as we continue working on and shaping the game it’s going to be a really great fit for Prometheus Game Labs.

Visit UK Games Expo: Stand 1-1160

Prometheus Game Labs is happy to be exhibiting at UK Games Expo from 3rd to 5th June 2022. Come and visit stand 1-1160 for a chance to play (and win) a copy of Micro Dojo, see the new Loyalty & Deceit expansion in person, and try the next game from Prometheus Game Labs – Micro Bots.

Late Pledges Open at Gamefound

Following the success of the Micro Dojo: Loyalty & Deceit Kickstarter campaign, the pledge manager (Gamefound) is now accepting Late Pledges:

Get your copy of Micro Dojo here

There are 3 different versions of the pledge you can pick up. The Complete Edition contains everything (so far) for new players, whilst the Deluxe Edition and Envelope Edition offer the Loyalty & Deceit expansion to those that already have the original Micro Dojo.

Complete Edition

The Complete Edition for Micro Dojo is the perfect edition for new players, as it includes everything from the Deluxe edition plus the original game. That means

• 2 game boxes (for both Micro Dojo and Loyalty & Deceit)
• 8 Wooden Custom-Cut Meeples
• Punchboard tokens
• Rulebooks
• Solo mode cards
• Setup cards
• Reference Cards

Complete Edition Contents

When pledging through Gamefound, the Complete Edition also includes the Kickstarter Edition sleeve for storing both game boxes together:

Kickstarter Exclusive Sleeve

Deluxe Edition

One of the requests during the original campaign was for a box as an upgrade, and though it wasn’t possible to include in last years campaign I’m delighted to be able to include one now. 

In addition to the box, the Deluxe Edition has some exciting upgrades to the components:

• 2 boxes (for both Micro Dojo and Loyalty & Deceit)
• Wooden Custom-Cut Meeples
• Triple-layered player board   

Deluxe Edition Upgraded Components

Envelope Edition

Just like with the original, Loyalty & Deceit is ultra compact, fitting on a single sheet of token punchboard sized to fit perfectly into a protected envelope. In the envelope you’ll receive:

• Punchboard sheet with pieces
• 1-page folding printed rulebook in English
• Resealable plastic bag for holding all components
• Setup and Reference cards 

Envelope Edition contents

Micro Dojo published in Hungary by Reflexshop

I’m excited to announce that, along with the support of Meeple On Board – Vanguard, Micro Dojo will be published in Hungary by Reflexshop!

Keep an eye out later this year for translated copies appearing in Hungary.