Successes
Since the launch of the game in 2015 World’s End Publishing has delivered a 175-page rulebook, both in PDF and hardback, three supplements, and small, but growing miniatures line. Most of has happened in 2016 and frankly we have had a great year.
Our success is built upon the holy trinity of familiar, yet solid, game mechanics, above-standard production quality, and a respect/maniacal love for our players. TNT was built and designed to be a campaign warband game that would let the hobbyist play out their love of Fallout, Gamma World, etc. on the table top with whatever miniatures they want. On this goal, I think we have delivered quite well.
The big push for the year was obviously the Kickstarter. My initial assumption was that we would raise about $5,000 and maybe do a run of a 100 books. In fact I had only written stretch goals up to $10,000.00. We cleared them in the first 6 hours. By the end of 30 days we had raised over $45,000.00 with 500+ backers from all over the globe. The Kickstarter has been the most successful part of 2016 by leaps and bounds, and I think pushed it TNT to the next level. Let’s be honest though. No one gets rich off of Kickstarters by the time you pay for everything, but despite that, it did provide some cash that is being invested back into the game for more art and miniatures, but more on that in a bit.
Challenges
No company is perfect and we are big enough to admit that. I know we still have some folks waiting on their Kickstarter packages, and the wasteland spirits willing, they will show up soon through the holiday shipping bottleneck. Also, I had hoped to release more material this year, such as the Wasteland Companion, but as one-man business, sometimes things get pushed back when real life intrudes. But this does have the added benefit of putting out a more polish product, so it’s not all bad.
Acknowledgments
The Kickstarter
For the Kickstarter, I really want to thank a few key players. First, you the backers for coming out in droves and pushing use to the very end. Second, Dave Taylor for his expert graphic work and awesome turnaround time. If you think our Kickstarter looked professional, it was him. Dave is the man. Third, our fulfillment partners. For the most part, these guys were volunteers. Rhys Knight in the UK handled Europe and despite a major hiccup with customs, still managed to get things rolling very quickly. For our Australia and New Zealand folks, Viv and the guys at Knights of Dice stepped up. I don’t think there is anything Mr. Chandra can’t do; between binding his own copy of the rules, running a company that sells some of the best damn terrain you will ever see, to just being a stand-up gentleman. Finally, the local folks who helped us pack all those little baggies: the Mastbergen clan, Paul M.M. Jacobus, Evan Siefring, and Jonathan McKenzie. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
The fans
One of our biggest points of growth this year was our community. Whether over at Lead Adventure, or the Post-Apoc Forum, or in our Facebook groups (there are several now), folks have been awesome and enthusiastic. What started with a small group of helpful friends has since grown into a small army of supporters. It’s amazingly rewarding to see the awesome terrain and model builds, uniquely written fan material, and just the wacky wasteland weirdness our fans produce. I would like to specifically highlight the work of Paul Coleman and Dakota Howard, just not for their quality of work, but for the crazy volume of it. Amazing work fellows.
Media
Another group I would like to single out is our wily YouTube friends to the north; Ash Barker of Guerilla Miniature Games and his steady piggy opponent Jay Griffiths. If one vector has delivered us the most fans, this would be it. Everyone has a YouTube channel now a days, but few do it as well and with so much enthusiasm and professionalism. I could watch Ash narrate paint drying and still give him money on Patreon. You guys are amazing and I do not take your support lightly or for granted. I have a bit of a treat coming up soon for Ash, so stay tuned for another addition to the wasteland pantheon soon.
I would also like to thank our podcaster friends over at Skirmish Supremacy, Behind Enemy Lines, and In the Garage. Keep up the chatter guys, we really appreciate it.
PAX Australia
Two other heroes who needs to be heralded are Jayden Barr and Jake Biasci. Both of these Australian brutes ran demos at PAX Australia for us. Jayden in 2015 and Jake this year. Both years featured amazing and constantly running demos and fantastic tables. For 2016 we partnered with Knights of Dice and the quality of the tables was through the roof. While I donated some small support and giveaways, these folks did the real work. Guys you have my deepest thanks.
Toys for Tots
This year we also participated in the Toys for Tots auction for Fall-in and the NOVA Open Charity auction. Five different painters donated their time to paint up over 30 miniatures that raised over $400 for a great charity. Paul Coleman, Chris Felder, Randall Davis, and Tom Harryman really stepped up for Toys for Tots. TNT Chief Enthusiast Chris Layfield donated a fully painted peacekeeper warband to the NOVA Open auction and it did quite well indeed. Thanks to you all for being great human beings.
Miniature Sculptors
No game is complete without miniatures and these are some of the industries’ best. Thank you to Ernst Veingart, Patrick Keith, Anton Ducrot, Shane Hoyle, Ywan Manyver, and Sean Bullough for working with me to expand the TNT miniatures line. Most of these will show up next year and hopefully be available soon.
Artists
Adding to the greats from last year are Dario Jelusic, Zack Dolan, and Michael Patrick. Dario has been spearheading some great pin-ups and covers and Michael did the great cartoon stickers we gave away during the Kickstarter. Zack did the black and white artwork for Kickstart the Wasteland. Great artists all around and expect more from them in the future. Don’t worry David Arenas, who did most of the art in the original book, will be back as well.
Playtesters
A quick thanks to Matthew Caron, JD Dibrell, Dave Taylor Miniatures, Chris Layfeld,
Chad Mastbergen, Harold Crossley, Evan Siefring, Cory Szabo, and all the other playtesters who go over everything with a detailed eye. Thanks for making it look like I know what I am doing!
Now that that’s over, let’s get to the good part.
What to expect in 2017!
First, the miniatures. We will be officially releasing our Kickstarter miniatures including the Heal-o-Matic, raider bot, Wasteland nurse and helper dog, and the new peacekeepers. We also have a full warband by Sean Bullough for the cannibal mutants based on the idea of a deranged nuclear family. Also rounding out the new releases are full warbands for both the tribals and preservers by Anton Ducrot. You guys are going to like these and they also fill a niche that is not easily available elsewhere. Anton is also working on some cool power armor and a certain two-headed cow. Of course we had to our own version of this wasteland trope and Anton’s version is incredible. Did we mention the scorpion tail?
Second, new rules. Our next supplement will be the Wasteland Companion which will introduce two new warbands, settlers and renegade Reclaimers, a variant warband for tribals, more skills and mutations, warband ranks, and even more zaniness. Next after that will be the official vehicle supplement. While not going into full autoduel territory, warband building will take a “turn” to the dramatic with new ways of getting your warbands across the wastes. This will represent one of our biggest pushes for the year so expect big things around time for Adepticon.
After that things get a bit hazy, depending on scheduling and other factors, but more is definitely be planned. We know folks want robots, new relics, and a more robust campaign system.
So there you have it. That is where we have been and where we are going. It’s been a crazy you and it’s only going to get crazier.
Happy holidays and see you in 2017
Joey McGuire
President and Head-Janitor
World’s End Publishing