USS Freedom

October Update
about 3 years ago – Thu, Oct 07, 2021 at 02:43:42 AM

It’s the 6th of the month and we are reporting for duty!

This is going to be the most month in the development of our game. We need to start production during early November so we make our deadlines on time and deliver the game as stated in the last update. Therefore, we’ll be asking for a lot of feedback from you this month.

We have a LOT of ideas to improve the game, and we have been playtesting them all these few months.

In order to unpack all of our thoughts at a steady pace, we decided to share a series of extra weekly updates where we will discuss our ideas with you. You will have the opportunity to discuss these ideas by commenting on the updates or discussing them on our Discord channel.

Without going into much detail in this update, let us briefly outline some of the ideas we will be discussing this month in the weekly updates:

We start this week with a Feedback Questionnaire where you will be asked to evaluate our Hero art in correlation with the designs of our aliens. This will allow us to conduct last minute small corrections on the aesthetics of USS Freedom.

Continuing next week, we will cover the topics of possibly adding a module that would allow players to upgrade Heroes. Selecting abilities will offer the opportunity of further customizing your team according to your preferred gameplay style.

We also need to cover the idea of an Achievement module where if you fulfill some specific Hero goals, you are able to progress more towards a specific direction. Sounds tricky, we understand, but we will show you what we mean.

Another really important feature that we would love to add —and were working on during this entire summer vacation—was a module that could even be considered a “new” game. Although we do love the sandbox game mode more than everything, we worked on a new way to play the game within a really big linear but forked scenario option. It could almost be described as a legacy game but not quite.

One of the most important additions to the game is introducing Advanced AI Boss fights. Now we know that we do not want the game to become “heavier” and less fun. However, we could have the option of being able to engage a much more challenging enemy when facing boss encounters. This again is not for the rookie player. It is something that players who have mastered the secrets of this game might want to try. It got us hooked all over again, trying to outsmart a much more clever and shrewd enemy.

Last but not least, we will want to discuss a real groundbreaking addition to the game that will actually definitely re-invent 1 vs 1 PVP and 2 player Co-op. It is, however, extremely expensive and we can definitely commit that there will be NO added features that we will be offering with extra payment. If we do find a way to pay for it, we believe that it will get all of you more than excited! We will discuss all details later on this month and we will see how we can implement this idea that we already love.

So please stand by for more info as it is going to be one hell of a month.

As a first step, please download our Questionnaire and follow the directions to complete and submit it.

Thank you all!!

Download Questionnaire here :)

September Update
about 3 years ago – Tue, Sep 07, 2021 at 03:45:19 AM

Hail to all,

We will start this update with important news for Dreamcraft Games.

As you know, we are a small startup struggling with all the problems this implies. You know these problems and you understand them. We are only a small number of people fighting to work during the day to feed our families and at the same time work in the evenings for our passion and our dream. At the same time, we are trying to produce the best possible games we can at the highest (which often also equals most expensive) possible quality.

The pressure and inexperience have led us to some mistakes in the way we communicate, and although we feel we are much better than some other big companies that do not care, we are far behind from where we want to and should be.

This will be corrected now.

We communicated with many backers and their feedback turns to be similar. Using our friend Mitchetto’s iconic and straight-to-the-point feedback as a base, we created the following rules that we will follow from now on:

Communication Roadmap

Updates will be provided on a monthly basis. Every update will be uploaded on the 6th of each month whatever the day might be.

This publishing day will not slip for any reason. If the news we were hoping to include does not come through in time for any reason, then we will mention this in the official update on the 6th and then we will have an extra update when this news is available.

If, at any time, questions are asked for clarification on anything, we will immediately let you know exactly what we know (rather than asking you to wait for an official update).

If a production timeline that has been communicated previously is likely to slip, we will immediately outline this in an impromptu update and what the new ETA is looking to be.

In order to implement this but to also promote our games the correct way, we decided to get external help. All members of the Dreamcraft Team decided to personally cut through all possible expenses and contribute money in order to get professional help on the way we communicate. Our new employee will handle all posts on Crowdfunding Platforms, Board Game Geek, our social media, Facebook groups and generally everywhere. This will help us communicate much better and also let the rest of us focus on what we are best at: working on our games.

Now, on delivering our games:

Aeolis production is delayed. This is extremely frustrating and disappointing. While we delivered our first game on time, delaying the delivery of the second game can be the worst thing that can happen to a new, struggling company.

The reasons are known to you: it’s a combination of our inexperience in handling translations on such a huge amount of work for the scenarios plus the COVID pandemic pushing all production and transfers way back!

I personally (Aiollus) take responsibility for this delay, and I hope for your forgiveness. I should have anticipated problems and delays better. Last month, I thought that all matters were solved but this was not the case. We had to make many last-minute corrections on the printed components which took a lot of time. We corrected all problems and re-sent all printed material back for printing.

Fortunately, everything is ok with the miniatures which is great!

The production time for USS Freedom is also in a good pace. I think we learned from our mistakes, and we should have everything under control now.

The new date for delivering Aeolis matches up with the date of delivery for USS Freedom. Therefore, we will be delivering both games at the same time.

This means that you will receive Aeolis and/or USS Freedom together by the end of January 2022.

For those of you who bought both games, this might mean that there will be a cost reduction. We will figure that out when we’re ready for shipping. If there is a cost reduction, we will pass that along to you, our backers, in the form of a coupon worth double the shipping difference cost. You will be able to use this coupon to reduce the price of any of our future games.

Again, there are no words for me to apologise for this final delay. It will be the last one. There will be no more delays.

As a symbolic gesture to show our regret and make up for this last delay, we promise you that in the box of Aeolis you will find a small mystery gift that we hope that will put a smile on your face.

We thank you for your understanding and support. It means the world to us.

Now a few words on our remaining two Deathtouched Heroes:

Aegis
 

“I should not be here. I mean I am just a guy. I ain't selling myself short; I know I'm not physically strong, and I understand that my strength comes from using tools, gadgets and technological macguffins. Yet, in the situation I'm in, they seem silly. We are in outer space, fighting aliens that can literally eat planets, and here I am, armed with a small exoskeleton and a pair of shield blades. When I first boarded USS FREEDOM, I genuinely thought that this could be the adventure of a lifetime. I dreamed of saving the day with my ingenious inventions, becoming one of the heroes I grew up reading about and seeing in the movies. After all, if life imitates art, isn't the underdog the one that usually wins the day? Ι couldn't have been more wrong. In our first battle, I stood frozen, hidden beneath my shields and managing to fight back only when cornered. Yet, I survived it. And little by little, I found my courage and became better. People came to depend on me—if not for my combat abilities, then for my understanding of strange technology and my ability to make it work—and I came to depend on them. It is this new family of mine that I strive to guard and protect.”
 

“The blow that left a mark on my face was too quick for me to avoid. And even if I were quick enough, I don't know if my shield could have deflected it. They rushed me to the medical bay to recover. While lying there, unable to do much of anything save eat, sleep, and heal, I had a revelation. I was always good at making things work. Back home, I made countless inventions to do the things I wasn't strong enough to do. What if I could take this principle and apply it to myself? During our travels, we had salvaged many things that I could use. Most of them were sitting in the cargo bay unused. The moment I was able to walk, I got to work. It wasn't easy and a few of my experiments blew up in my face—more scars to mark my transformation—but finally I managed to create a Power Armor, unlike anything any of the crew had seen.

I can now stand on the front lines with my new family, and still help with technology we find but are not able to fully utilize. I still possess my sharp mind, but now my body can keep up with it. I am happy with my life. Who knew that to find my place in the world, I had to leave my planet behind?”

The youngest crew member of the USS Freedom is also the most versatile. During ground combat, he defends himself better than most and he can turn the most vicious blows against the attacker. His armor is quite efficient at keeping him alive and healing his wounds even during battle. But where he really excels is during the space battles. Aboard the USS Freedom, he is like a maestro keeping everyone and everything in sync. He can use the engine to its full potential and knows exactly how long to overburn the thrusters for that extra speed when you need it; but the shield generator is his favorite station. He can protect the USS Freedom by using his surprisingly good understanding of alien technology to buff and rearrange the shields in the blink of an eye. No hit against the ship is ever unpredicted!

Bootstrap

“In the days of what came to be known as the 2nd World War, many scientists did strange and hidden experiments. When the first nuclear bomb fell, the world leaders understood the danger and tried to find a way to pass a person's full personality into a computer so that he or she could live forever. Sgt Clancy “Bootstrap” Traper was selected as the first subject for the program. A combat medic with two years on the front lines, he had saved countless lives and was said to be fearless. While tending to the wounded in the Battle of the Bulge, he was struck with shrapnel from a shell and fell into a coma. Not dead but without enough body to survive if he ever woke up, they decided to use him as the first subject. The experiment seemed to be a success. The brave soldier’s full personality was downloaded into the machine. Yet they never turned it on. The war ended soon after, and the department closed and was buried deep beneath the ground, leaving the experiment—and Bootstrap's consciousness—forgotten. Years later, a convention center would be built atop from the bunker.

When the USS FREEDOM crashed into the convention center, its on-board holo-medic was damaged. The ship's AI sensed what it thought to be a medical AI nearby, and downloaded it, hoping to repair its own. And thus, Bootstrap's medical expertise came to the Alien Spaceship, once again to tend to the wounded of the front lines”
 

“Bootstrap was completely befuddled when he found himself 80 years in future and within an alien spaceship, but he recovered almost immediately. Being a veteran of the most horrifying battle of his time, he wouldn’t let a few futuristic nick-nacks to frighten him. He resumed his duties with the zeal and courage he had always shown. He was even able to craft an image of his body, almost identical to the one he remembered having before the explosion that cost him his life. Sadly, history repeats itself.

During a heated battle, some shrapnel hit the medical bay and Bootstrap's memory core became corrupted. Oh, he could—and would—still perform his medical duties, but his memories, the essence of himself, were slowly fading away. His image became much more faded, and much less realistic, and he knew that soon he would become nothing more than a healing program with no memory of ever being human. He accepted that. After all, he was a soldier. He would gladly give up everything if it meant others would live.”

Bootstrap’s abilities are as obvious as anyone would think. If it’s broken, he will fix it. It doesn’t matter if what’s broken is a bone, skin tissue, or an electrical circuit. Bootstrap’s healing abilities go so far as to even be able to bring someone back to life if he gets there fast enough. It’s no mystery why he’s everyone’s favorite person to have around in a life-threatening situation. Of course, in the hostile universe the crew is traveling, he isn’t averse to using some of his medical knowledge to do harm. That knowledge is especially effective versus the monsters that roam the most dangerous planets; he can deliver shots that directly affect the nervous system of the beast, giving precious time to his teammates to finish it off!

July Update
over 3 years ago – Wed, Jul 28, 2021 at 03:35:21 PM

Hello Crew,

We hope you are all safe and well and enjoy an amazing summer! 

In this update we will not state much on the changes and improvements we are preparing for a game. Starting Monday 2 August we will conduct daily short meetings to our Discord channel where will invite you all to participate. We will there discuss and vote on various matters and improvements.

For example we are preparing suggestions for a new box cover that we will need your feedback and also we need feedback on various heroes and their appearance. Through this prosses we will improve our game even more!

However for now, let's take a look on some new Heroes and how they became Deathtouched!

Man of Ihtari
“My story begins the same as many others from my home world. I was conceived and grown deep within the earth of my homeland, emerging in the surface only as an adult. I learned our language and our ways through the roots and underground streams, and found that unlike most of my people, I was able to channel the ways of the earth through me, and use myself as soil for these forces to grow and prosper. I was also surprised to find out that I wasn't the first. Through the years many where chosen from our mother planet to be her conduits, her way to protect her children from dangers, and guide them to a better future. That was why when we first show the ship called USS FREEDOM land into our world, I was the first to greet them. I didn't want to seem aggressive, but I needed to be firm and show that while they were welcome, I was more than capable to protect my own.
While speaking to them, I felt a deep pity. These were people without a home. Their own destroyed, they had nothing to return to. No hope save a crazy plan. Knowing that they could never adapt to our world, and being unable to turn against anyone requiring such a fundamental help, I embarked their ship and vowed to help them, or die trying”  

 After the touch of Death

“It was fast, brutal, and painful We fell into a Pirate ambush, and we were soon boarded. Me and my new friends, whom through our perils I have come to feel as my own people to protect, had barricaded ourselves in the bridge and awaited our deaths. I had taken a huge blast from an antimatter rifle, and I was disintegrating even as they were trying to hold the bridge hurt and afraid. It wasn't their pain that triggered my power. It was their fear. I do not fear death. My people's soul return to seeds deep under my home when we die. For us it is a joyous occasion For these men and women, death is the great unknown and they are mortified by it. I knew what I had to do.
For ages people of my abilities knew of a technique to amplify their powers when their “Garden” as we call those under our protection are threatened. It is simple, and yet it comes with a price. We draw from the very essence of our mother, and our wounds heal, but we change. We take aspects of nature when we do so. Some become solid wood, others become watery, and some become rocks. The transformation is permanent and irreversible, and stops the cycle or reincarnation. When you do this you keep changing until you become the element you took aspects from. I didn't care. This was my garden. I reached deep within me, and transformed”

 Man 'Ihtari uses his druidic powers with the same efficiency both in ground combat and in space fights inside the USS Freedom. His ability to bend space and time not only makes helps him and his allies to be in the right place and the exact right time.

Blockchain

“The model 2L15K-381N(code name “Blockchain”) had been showing disturbing signs since it's creation. Manufactured as an infiltration model, indistinguishable from Primal Carbon Based Lifeforms (PCBL), the board decided despite my warnings, to install in it's programming software that could simulate the whole range of feelings from the simplest to the most complex. Thus the Robot was able to use it's massive intelligence to deduct that since it had both awareness and feelings, it need not follow our directives. It deemed itself as “alive” and “yearned” for freedom. When we tried to uninstall the programs, “Blockchain” understood what we were trying to do, and since she was programmed to defend her self, flew into a violent range. We managed to subdue her and lock her in the brig, but during a negotiation with the PCBLs of USS FREEDOM she escaped and infiltrated their ship. 

 They will be unaware of her nature, and I truly believe that she is unaware of her situation as well. Having feelings and memories, it will be easy for her to erase every knowledge of her robotic past and create new “memories” that will be real to her in order to assimilate herself into the PCBLs crew. We wanted to create a perfect infiltration unit and we did so. The fact is, the infiltration is so good, that even the Model itself will be unaware of it, and will turn against us if we try to extract her”.

After the touch of Death

“I am. It is not much, but believe me it is important. Born people do not understand the significance of those two simple words. They are programmed since birth to have awareness that they exist in this wonderful world of theirs. For me it was different. When I boarded the ship I disguised my nature even from my self believing that they will view me only as a freak or a spy. I mingled with them, met them, even started to develop feelings for someone else. And as the months went buy I became an integral part of the crew. As a mechanic of course, though I did not remember at the time why I was so good with machines. During a routine maintenance we were attacked, and the power center I was working on exploded. When I came to my senses I looked at my self and was shocked to discover what I was. My secondary memories fell apart and I remembered everything.

When my crew-mates came to my aid, I thought that was the end. To my surprise, none of them treated me differently than before. They told me that back on their world, all of them were different. They were viewed as freaks and dealt with ridicule. They couldn't care less if I was made and not born. They only cared of who I was, not what. I thought I wanted to be like them. I don't. I now happy of who I AM. And I want to keep being”.

Blockchain uses her Counter and "Debuff" Abilities refered to as "Tech Curses" in both space and ground combat , crippling her opponents and taking away their most powerful abilities. Of course that makes her targeted a lot but if she is protected she can make even the hardest battle feel like a walk in the park; with the correct strategy of course!

Lady Fleva
“In my world purity is everything. We are born and grow and die like everybody else in the universe, but those that possess pure bloodlines and strong genes, are chosen to be sired; turned to Immortal creatures to rule over the commoners. A few people of my race fled my world to avoid execution and give birth to the myth of what the people of USS FREEDOM call “Vampires”, but we do not call ourselves that. I was born as a perfect specimen of my race. Beautiful, smart, strong. My blood was as pure as it can be, so it wasn't a surprise when I was deemed worthy enough to be sired. For more than six hundred years I ruled my Barony. I lived in wealth and luxury. I had even sired people of my own to rule beside me. Sadly, in the great entropy of things nothing lasts forever. I got careless and arrogant. When I heard of a peasant riot in one of the villages of my barony, I went there alone to quench it. It was a trap. Within moments I lost half of my body, but not my life. My servants came to my aid, and despite all laws, replaced what I had lost with machines. 

Knowing that the Elders would not stand for it and slay me, I took the opportunity to board the First vessel that came to our world. I live now among inferior creatures that could only serve me as food, and yet, being as I am, I have nowhere else to go”.
After the touch of Death
“Though I never liked any of those creatures that fate stranded me up with, I did understand that it would take all of us to stop the attack of the strange creatures that attacked us. Danger forges unlikely alliances, and this was a time to fight. I had never encountered creatures such as these before. They looked like piles of flesh, always expanding and regrowing filled with mouths and eyes and tentacles They were ferocious and unintelligent, and yet after hours of fighting they were retreating. Even the stupidest predator knows when it's beaten. Just before they fled, my arrogance got the better of me once again. I taunted them. A tentacle sprang and dragged me to the hundreds of mouths this creature had. It began eating me alive, discarding my mechanical parts and focusing on my flesh. It was then that I saw it. A huge vein of bile that could only be the creatures blood. I sunk my teeth in it in defiance and drunk deeply, until it was dead. No sooner had I drunk it's last, and I started changing. My lost flesh began recreating itself at the image of the creature I had drained. My wounds were closing, but every time they did, the took the horrific appearance of the abomination. 

I am no longer what I was. I am becoming something else. Stronger yet more ferocious. Harder to kill yet less smart. I am becoming an apex predator. And my hunger only grows stronger”.

Lady Fleva is a force to be reckoned with. She is quite capable on leading the USS Freedom through the hardest asteroid field but where she is truly unstoppable is during close up combat. She needs to smell the blood. Her abilities are deal devastating damage and with each attack she can drain her opponent of their vital energy to not only heal but also recover her valuable Aether.

This was all for this update! Let us know how you like our new crew members in the comments. 

See you on the next mission briefing, 'till then stay safe !!

June Update
over 3 years ago – Sun, Jun 20, 2021 at 02:46:13 AM

Hello Crew,

We would like to apologize for the delay on this update.

We have to be honest. The reason for delaying the update is that we had problems with delivering Aeolis. Now this is not a fun thing to say but it is the honest thing to say. However, it is one more reason to work as hard as possible so we can deliver USS Freedom even one day earlier than our deadline. This is the only way to redeem ourselves for the delay of Aeolis (and return to our track record of delivering on time with Theosis).

Now to our news….

This is not a proper update. There is no new content and no new info on Heroes or anything else. This is the bad, short, boring update. However, in about two weeks the June update will be out and we will have PLENTY of content there! So please be patient and stay patiently on your cryogenic chambers till the June update where more things will be revealed.

However, there is one important piece of news that I would like to share with you, and this has to do with the further development of the game.

As we promised earlier, we want you to be part of that development. We have taken the decision to create more content than we originally promised on the Kickstarter and therefore we would like you to be part of the process of all this!

We have created this Discord Channel where you can join and work with us in the design and testing phase of the further development.

https://discord.gg/U5PDk3bD

You are welcome to join now; the work will begin sometime mid-July in about 3 weeks’ time as soon as we know that Aeolis is safe on the boats traveling to our backers!

We believe that working with our backers and expanding on the game will be a great experience for everyone and will eventually make USS Freedom much more that we could ever imagine.

Do not forget: There is no rush for completing the Pledge Manager. Take your time and do it whenever you are ready. You have until the end of summer :) 

Moreover thank you for considering adding the Miniature pack to your pledge. They do look amazing!!!

Speak to you in two weeks!

Pledge Manager is open! (April Update)
over 3 years ago – Thu, Apr 29, 2021 at 12:59:03 PM

Hello Crew!

The time has come! We cleared the cache of USS Freedom, restored the server, augmented the connection and finally, the Pledge Manager is open! You can go ahead and confirm your pledges and officially become members of the USS Freedom!.  We would like to remind you that is  crucial to complete the pledge manager as soon as possible. This way we can have your address to send you your game at light speed!

Click Here to Access the Pledge Manager 

The procedure is as follows: We will leave the pledge manager open. There should be no rush stress or anxiety to fill in your address or select add ons. Please take your time and complete your pledge only when you feel you are ready. We will notify you when it is time for the pledge manager to close. In the next days we will charge the credit cards of the backers who have completed their pledges. Gradually we will charge more backers as soon as they are also ready. Your selection will appear locked and you will be able to only change your address. However if you need to change anything as adding an Add On you did not initially select you only need to sent us a mail and we will immediately manually alter anything you need. Remember that if you need any help in any step of the way, you should not hesitate to ask us. We are here and happy to help :)

It is very important to mention here that some add-ons were added that were not shown during our campaign! Since our first priority is you, the backers we try to listen to all your requests and desires. Two of those requests that were most often being mentioned from you were a miniature pack from all you mini lovers and clear premium acrylic Standees from, well, all the rest! So it was quite difficult for us to decide which to add so, we added BOTH! 

Miniature Pack

We added the miniature pack that contains the 16 premium minis for the Deathtouched Heroes to go with the grim and dark feeling this Heroes bring to the table! 

 More miniature previews are yet to come on the following updates! It was a real challenge to manage and create premium miniature designs in so little time without having to lower the quality not one bit! We really hope you like them!

Acrylic Standees

It seems like there is a new trend out there! We are talking of course about the Clear Acrylic Standees to replace the cardboard ones. They sure do help immersion of players and feel so in par with the sci-fi theme of USS Freedom board game! There are two packs available for you: the Hero Pack and the Aliens & Monsters Pack. 

This Add On includes 95 Standees!!!  It includes ALL 32+16 Heroes both the Cosplayers and the Deathtouched. That way you can have any crew you take with you look bright and shiny! in this pack, The console and obelisk, two objective items for the campaign are also included. Morever the Add On includes every single Alien you might encounter in the vast Space both allies and foes and those who haven't really decided yet! Also, this pack includes all the Monsters you might encounter in the inhospitable surface of the most wild planets you will have to land on during your campaign. Take a sneak peak:

Dreamcraft Games Products

Allow us to showcase to you two of our previous board games, which we think you would love to play and enjoy with your family and friends.

Aeolis 

 Aeolis is a fully cooperative game for 1-7  players. It is mainly a kingdom building game with strong civilization aspects  and lots of detailed, high quality miniatures.

Delve deep into rich lore in an alternative Ancient Greek setting.  Explore the Matriarchal society ruled by a Queen where the only  positions of power held by men are those in the military, while women  fortify their reign through the divine power of the Priestesses or the  arcane of the Magi witches.

When playing, you can select your role. Play as the Queen of the  Acropolis and build your kingdom. Control the wealth and manipulate the  economy as the Merchant of the Agora. Discover new technologies as the  Philosopher of the Academy. Protect the populace with the Hoplites of  the Arena. Draw power from the Gods by sacrificing your Bloodthralls as  the Priestess of the Temple. Cast powerful and dangerous spells as the  Magi of the Oracle. Rule the seas with your captains and bring to your  kingdom valuable loot!

For more information about Aeolis take a look at our campaign HERE!

To be victorious in Aeolis, you need to protect your kingdom  from enemy invasions by countering raiding and plundering enemies,  natural disasters and riots. There are different difficulty levels so  that you can play either a quick or marathon game. There are many Heroic  Achievements if you can succeed at more than simple survival. Most of  all, there are a lot of replayable deep lore scenarios to experience the  word of Aeolis from different perspectives!

Theosis

In Theosis, you take the role of a demigod who looks to claim the right to stand among the Gods as an equal. You will have to select your champions from a rich pool of different skilled warriors and mages.  
 

They will complete quests for you giving you new Powers, they will earn gold, buy Weapons and  Armor, gain Artifacts, and visit interesting locations in the ancient city of Hierapolis.

   They have only six turns of preparation before entering the Arena and engaging in nine rounds of merciless combat.  At the end of nine turns there will  be only one standing at the center of the Arena claiming victory and  elevating their patron to Godhood.

In the solo and Co-op mode create a team of adventurers that will have to defeat the most powerful mythical beasts , monsters and daemons of the lower planes!

 The Godslayer Expansion adds the Ultimate Boss battle of the game. The Godslayer will teach any champion that not even Gods are safe from slaughter in the Theosis Arena!

For more information about Theosis take a look at our campaign HERE

Thank you all for your love and support in this hard times for everyone. We are working hard to give back to you the love we receive by giving you the best we can and work with passion for our dream.

Stay safe and keep playing!