The Phantom: Treasures of Drakon is LIVE!!
At 4:30 this afternoon Australian time (AEDT), the highly anticipated Kickstarter campaign for The Phantom: Treasures of Drakon board game went live and started collecting pledges. You now only have until the end of April to get involved, pledge to buy a board game, and help get this unique Phantom collectible produced!
The newly commissioned Frew Games department of Frew Publications just needs to raise a modest $51000 to fund production. Every buyer adds up and contributes, but we all need to help out if it's going to happen.
Game designer Alex Wynnter and writer Dale Maccanti, together with artists Glenn Ford, Jamie Johnson, Paul Mason and Daniel Picciotto, are offering us a wonderful opportunity to immerse ourselves in the world of the Phantom, enter his universe and actually experience his adventures!
Inspired by the Pirates of the Red Dragon saga, the game gives anywhere between 1 and 6 players the opportunity to play as The Phantom and his allies or as the Red Dragon Pirates, as they fight for dominance over the pirate island stronghold, Drakon.
Play with your phriends!
The Chronicle Chamber team can vouch for the entertainment value of playing "Drakon", as we had a crack at the prototype version at Sydney Supanova in 2018. We were absorbed in game play within two turns - it really is a lot of fun!
This is a game that you'll be able to pull out after dinner and enjoy with a few quiet milks, or enjoy with the kids. Even those of us who have not touched a board game since the great Monopoly meltdown that one Christmas holidays will be able to learn the game and have a great experience in no time at all.
Admittedly, the $99 price tag will possibly surprise some phans. Let's face it, it's not cheap. But you cannot compare this game to the boring $25 Scrabble you might pick up at Kmart, or even the dodgy $39 restickered Monopoly: Fortnite (Yes, that exists). This is not cheap and nasty - it's a high quality game that the whole family can sit down and enjoy together. "It's a really good style for people that don't play many games. They really get into it," explains Alex.
"Drakon" is more comparable to European gaming like Settlers of Catan which will set you back $125 to get the base set as well as the expansion pack for 6 players. It's all-inclusive, with everything you need from solo play, cooperative play, or competitive play for up to 6 players.
Collectible!
Beyond that, there is the collectible appeal. This is a once in a generation opportunity to own a Phantom board game, and the contents of the box are extraordinarily cool.
With each element of the game "Phantomised", collectors will have countless cards, playing boards, tokens and of course the Glenn Ford illustrated game board to marvel at. Many will probably want it for the collectible value alone, let alone anything else. (The only solution? Order two!)
And then, of course, there are the playing pieces.
The team here at Chronicle Chamber are particularly impressed with the miniatures. They're unlike anything we've seen before in the Phantom merch universe. As Dale tells us, "The poses we chose were to make sure they doesn't look like the standard and boring arms crossed. We've seen it 100 times before. All of them are dynamic. They're super hard grey resin which can be painted. So it works on a worldwide scale - if buyers want to, they will be able to paint them whichever colour they choose."
Just watching the 60 second video of the minis below is enough to get your mouth watering! At 35mm high (55mm if the stretch goal is reached), these would make an awesome addition to the collection just on their own. And consider... if the minis were priced at $15 each, many collectors would pick them up just as they were...
The miniatures are incredibly detailed and painstakingly crafted. Designed and created by the talented Melbourne sculptor Julian Briones, these are a must-have in and of themselves and well worth the price of supporting the campaign.
For the hard-core collectors, there is even the opportunity to own one-of-a-kind pieces associated with the game. Prototypes of the minis, as well as original artwork from the cards and game board are up for grabs!
Own the artwork!
Frew cover artist Jamie Johnson has contributed a great deal of the artwork for the game, and is excited to see it come to life. "Dale, Glenn and Alex have cooked up an epic adventure that I know 'Phans' are going to love! I have had the privilege of contributing a variety of dynamic art for various aspects of the game.
"For the true collectors out there,100% of all my original art will be available to own through the Kickstarter! Sizes (of the pieces) vary, but all art has all been created traditionally using India ink and brush. As a bonus, there will be time lapse footage capturing the creation of each piece.
"This will be a must have in any respectable Phantom collection.. one to play, one to display!"
Paul Mason is also looking forward to seeing his Kid Phantom in board game form. “It was an honour to have been asked to contribute to the game in the form of illustrating for the Kid Phantom events and elements; Glenn and Frew Publications have been so supportive, and I always admire their initiative and drive to bring all sorts of projects to life in order to appeal to the spectrum of Phantom phans.
"The game that Alex and Dale have created with Frew looks like it’s going to be fantastic; from my end it was fun to draw comics in strip form like the classic Phantom artists, and I look forward to seeing it all come together with Jamie and co’s work. A worthy Australian stamp on a classic international comic character. I wish the Kickstarter, Frew and the creators all the best.”
Jamie and Paul's artwork, alongside Glenn and Daniel's, is available at the highest tier pledge level that you can make. As you'd expect, it costs more to pledge at this level ($349) and truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity to own original Phantom artwork that features in a board game. How many of us can currently claim that?
There are only 45 pieces of original art available, that will be sent out to pledgers at this level on a random basis, so get in fast or you will miss out.
Even more rare are the 3 pieces of art created for the associated Phantom's Universe cards, or the handful of minis prototypes that are available at the lower tiers of $249 and $199 respectively.
A new trade paperback!
And in all that, we haven't even mentioned The Red Dragon saga trade paperback that comes with all higher pledge levels! It brings together full colour versions of the original Norman Worker and Georges Bess 1979 Pirates of the Red Dragon trilogy, Dale and Jason Paulos' two-part 2018 prequel Rise of the Red Dragon, and a never before published two-part sequel The Adventure of the Dragon's Leg by Australian author Julie Ditrich and Brazilian artist Wendell Cavalcanti.
With a flat postage rate of $20AUD to anywhere in the world, there really is a lot of bang for your buck!
So your job now?
Go to the Kickstarter campaign now and make your pledge to purchase a game! Remember - you only have until the end of April to get involved.
Tell all your friends and share on all your networks.
Make lots of comments on the Kickstarter page, and respond to other people's comments. The more comments the more popular the campaign is.
There will be a kicktraq link. Click this 3 times a day.
Doing this will help Kickstarter's algorithms promote the campaign up the leaderboard, and put it in front of more people.
Remember, until we help Frew Games raise the $51K, no game will be made. So it's in all of our interest to share the info and get more people pledging until we get the game over the line. (Then, we can worry about the stretch goals!)
