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Unbroken: a solo game of survival and revenge

Created by Golden Bell Studios & Altema Games

Survive against all odds facing monsters and other perils in a dark fantasy tale. A quick (20-30 min), tense and unforgiving solo game. Test your survival skills in the dark fantasy world of Unbroken. You are the only one left alive after your group was ambushed by monsters - now you must avenge your friends and reclaim your freedom. Quick to learn, easy to set up and playable in a brief 20-30 minutes, the game will challenge you to make the right decisions or fall victim to the many dangers of the monster-infested caverns. Plan wisely and take calculated risks - you do not have much and must use every resource at your disposal to prevail. Each journey in the dark is unique as you play as one of four different characters and face a variety of monsters and encounters. Your character gets better with experience and so will you - Unbroken is a game that encourages and rewards repeated plays to refine your strategies.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Digital Sample, Production Timelines, Poster Preview and the final Monster Stories
over 5 years ago – Fri, Aug 17, 2018 at 10:42:30 PM

Hey, you awesome Unbroken backers!

Another update to keep you informed on our work to bring Unbroken to you in top shape.

Following the release of the Print and Play in July we had a blast reading about the backers’ experience with the game – including positive reviews, appearances in geeklists and discussions in the Unbroken Facebook Group. So grateful to everyone who shared their excitement and took the time to craft a PnP copy – please keep it coming! Don’t forget to share your game results through this form! (A reminder that if for any reason you are unable to access your Print and Play - please message me and I'll help resolve the issue).

Speaking of updates – the Tabletop Simulator module (available for free on Steam) has also been updated with the latest cards and is available to all those who want to take the game for a spin.

Pre-production sample

But the big news we have to share with you today is a first look at the pre-production copy (also known as the “digital sample”) of Unbroken that folks at Golden Bell received from the factory earlier this week!

The box contains lots of solo goodness!
The box contains lots of solo goodness!
The custom die turned out amazing
The custom die turned out amazing
Dual-layered tracker boards to keep cubes in place
Dual-layered tracker boards to keep cubes in place
Unbroken in all its glory
Unbroken in all its glory

We think it looks amazing and the Golden Bell team is now going over every little detail to make sure it’s perfect before we start the mass production. I will be receiving the sample towards the end of August and will aim to record a playthrough to share with backers using these awesome-looking components.  

Marc and Rob from Golden Bell recorded an unboxing video of the sample that you are welcome to check out here.  

You will note a couple of things about the sample – first – we chose to not use individual “slots” for the double-layered boards and used longer indented rows instead. This was done because during testing picking up the cubes and putting these into a new slot was an annoyingly fiddly process and sliding them within a longer indent felt much more natural. The boards are still very much dual-layered and should prevent the cubes from sliding on the trackers by accident.  

By popular backer demand we have also decided to have the tracking cubes in two colors so that the red ones would be used for wound / armor tracking and the cleaner blues would be used to keep track of all other resources. The blue tokens provided a much clearer contrast against the dark background and so it makes sense to use these for majority of the resources.

Production Update  

The Golden Bell team is applying some final enhancements to the game materials (including adding new unique art to the Encounter cards to minimize duplicate use of the same assets - a preview will feature it in an upcoming update). Once that is done we will be ready to begin the mass production of the game – this will happen in early September, no later than Sep 15.  

The production is estimated to take 7-8 weeks and the first batch of the games should be ready by mid October. We will keep the backers informed on the progress of the production and the next update will include information about the planned process and timelines for shipping of the rewards. We are very excited to move one step closer to getting the games in backer’s hands!

Monster Stories Wrap-up 

Here are the final three monster stories providing the perspectives for some of the most dangerous ladies that you’re likely to meet in the caverns. With each story that we have released we tried to expand and build out the world in which Unbroken takes place – hope you have enjoyed these!

A reminder that the full monster story archive can be found here. With the monster stories completed, our attention turns to the protagonists of Unbroken! Starting with the next update we will release the stories detailing the backgrounds and motivations of the adventurers who comprised the doomed expedition.

Unbroken Poster Preview

We also wanted to share a first look at the poster that will come with some of the rewards. Measuring 11x17 “, it highlights the awesome look of the monsters and characters of the game and should serve as a fitting decoration for the walls of our backers (click on the image for full size).

Next Steps  

Now that we have closed the BackerKit, our focus shifts entirely to the production. The next update, coming your way in mid-September will contain information about the progress on the production run, a preview of the extra card art and the soundtrack as well as the translation to other languages and the plans for getting the games to you! 

In the meantime – please do not hesitate to contact myself (through KS messages or [email protected]) or Golden Bell team (at [email protected]) for any support or questions you may have about the game. Play some awesome games and thank you again for being a part of this amazing project!

Print and Play, Monster Stories and Production Update
over 5 years ago – Sat, Jul 14, 2018 at 01:14:13 AM

Hey you, awesome Unbroken backers!  

I hope you are having a great summer! The heat has been sweltering here in Ontario. The Golden Bell team is unable to comment on weather in Columbus since they've been couped up inside making sure everything is in order for the Unbroken production run :)

Print and Play

I am thrilled for this update because it marks the first major deliverable of this project – the Unbroken Print and Play. Happy that we are able to provide it right on time as promised.

At this point all eligible backers should have received an e-mail from BackerKit with instructions on how to access the Print and Play file. If you have not – please check your spam / updates inboxes. If you are still unable to access the Print and Play – please shoot me a message and I’ll provide a direct link to download the file.

Note that two e-mails were sent - the original file sent yesterday contained some alignment issues for fronts/backs of the cards - these were identified and addressed in the new document that was distributed today. The old document is no longer available to avoid people printing off something that doesn't align perfectly.

The file contains instructions on the printing and crafting of the game (please follow these to ensure alignment / matched backs). The total page count for the Print and Play is 34 pages in full color, most of these double sided.

We can’t wait to see the copies you’ll craft! Please feel free to share the ones you made and we’ll include a few photos in upcoming updates. You can discuss the game and show off your copy in the newly created Unbroken Facebook group. Tagging Altema Games and Golden Bell Studios is a sure way to make sure we can see and respond to your posts.

Equally important is your feedback as you play the game. This form will allow you to record your play results as well as share any feedback you have on the game. The Golden Bell team and myself want to make sure we capture as much feedback as possible for the long-term development of Unbroken. 

Now that the base Print and Play is finished in English - we will start the translation work to make it available in other languages we unlocked during the campaign. There is some time needed to ensure quality translation and layout of additional versions, but we hope to share the Print and Plays for French, Spanish, German and Italian versions of the game in Sep-Oct of this year. The rules will also be available in each of these languages.

For those of you who enjoy Unbroken on TableTop Simulator - the updated Print and Play will be used to create the latest version on that platform that you will be able to continue to enjoy at no charge.

Production Update

We will be able to increase the size of the box slightly to make sure that it fits all cards sleeved. The new box dimensions will be 19x14x5.5 cm

The Golden Bell team will be doing a revision of the rules reference document to make sure it is as easy as possible for people to jump in to the game. The feedback some backers have been providing on this is very much appreciated! Further feedback is always welcome.

The rules file that the Print and Play links to will be updated automatically to new versions of the rules reference as these become available. Note that any changes at this point will only affect the format of the information, not the rules themselves. 

The physical production run is being prepared and we are making sure that all the print files we submit are in order. The best way to ensure that is to prepare a pre-production sample of the game to get a sense how it will look. We can't wait to share photos of it with you! 

Another point to cover is that the 11x17" posters that some of you have pledged for will now be printed and distributed from the same factory that will print the game itself. It makes sure these get to you quicker (at the same time as the game) but will mean that the signature on the poster will be digital rather than physical. I can promise that the gratitude for your support expressed in the signature will be just as heartfelt. We should be able to share a design of the poster in the next update! 

Getting to know our backers 

We are always curious to know more about the people who made Unbroken possible, so hope you can take half a minute and answer this question on your experience level with board games. Are you a seasoned veteran? A casual player? Tell us here! 

Monster Stories

It’s Reptile day at Unbroken Monster Stories! You get to learn more about Troglodyte art and read a petrifying story of an encounter with a Basilisk

Next Steps

With the Print and Play done, our attention shifts to the production of the physical copies of the game – the next update (coming to you in early August) will feature more information about the progress on that front as well as estimated timelines once the production gets rolling. We hope to be able to show photos of a production sample as well. We will look forward to hearing your feedback on the Print and Play and will provide a link to the updated TableTop Simulator module. 

In the meantime – have a great summer and play some great games!

BackerKit wrap-up, White Sample and 2nd round Cube Color Vote!
over 5 years ago – Sat, Jun 30, 2018 at 12:37:36 AM

Hey, you awesome Unbroken backers!  

A fairly short update this time but one with some important milestones!  

BackerKit closes July 3   + final days sale

BackerKit is open for 5 more days. At this point there are only 6% who didn’t fill in their survey – hope you get a chance to do so before the surveys close on Jul 3! Those who do not complete the survey might incur additional shipping charges as their copy might be shipped from a central location rather than from a local shipping hub.

To thank everyone for their awesome support and excitement for the campaign Golden Bell and I are happy to offer a special flash sale of an additional $5 off on an extra add-on copies of Unbroken or Cauldron on BackerKit, as well as the Unbroken Poster. This discount is available to all Kickstarter backers until the BackerKit closes on Jul 3. Another reminder/clarification that all prices you see on BackerKit are in $USD, not $CAD - this is necessitated by BackerKit / Golden Bell being in the US.

To access the discount please log in to your pledge on BackerKit (https://unbroken.backerkit.com/) - you will need to use the e-mail your Kickstarter e-mail as log-in or use a survey invitation link that was sent to your e-mail. You will be able to see and add discounted copies to your order.  

This is a final opportunity to add games to your order if you want for a friend or to use as a gift – once the campaign closes our focus will shift production and delivery. If there are any questions about these discounts, and if you need any help, guidance or troubleshooting - please email [email protected] who will be able to help you sort things out.

 Unbroken white sample

Thanks to the efforts of Golden Bell Studios and some quick turnaround from our partners in China, we have received the white sample of the game, so I’m excited to share with you some photos. (I promise it will look even better with stuff printed on these! :) )

some solo heavy-hitters for size comparison
some solo heavy-hitters for size comparison
The cards of Unbroken - poker-sized, tarort-sized and large monster cards
The cards of Unbroken - poker-sized, tarort-sized and large monster cards
the dual-layered tracker sheets (note cubes won't be translucent in the final product)
the dual-layered tracker sheets (note cubes won't be translucent in the final product)

We worked to make sure Unbroken is as compact as possible and we have also heard that many of our backers like to sleeve their cards. The current box fits the cards sleeved, but it's a bit of a tight squeeze, so we are introducing a last-week "pop goal" to give us some extra motivation in the final stretch. If we hit $50,000 in extra BackerKit orders (we are at $41,000 now with 5 days to go) - we will increase the height of the box to fit all cards sleeved comfortably. Let's see if we can knock that down! (we might or might not make this change anyways but it's fun to set and achieve goals :) ).

Print and Play on the way!  

We spent the last few days pouring over all the final files catching every last typo and inconsistency and are now ready to finalize everything. The files will be sent to the printers and a Print and Play will be distributed to the backers by Jul 13. The Print and Play files will be distributed through BackerKit but in case you will not be able to receive it for any reason (there were a few cases where folks just were not able to get their survey invitation by e-mail) – I will be happy to provide the download link via KS message.  

Final cube color vote

After the first round of the vote (and almost 4,000 votes!) we had a couple of leaders emerge – Blood Red was the top pick for 33%, while 25% preferred the cool feel of Dusk Blue. Additionally – lots of people expressed support for the original blue, which was not an option on the first vote. So we are going to have a second round of the cube color vote for the final decision – this time with only three options.

Monster Story

Just one this time (since it's only been a week since the last update). Enjoy learning what drives the Gnolls of Unbroken to scour the depths for anything of value.

 A reminder that you can view all stories written so far in one place here.

Next steps 

The next update (along with I’m sure another survey vote!) will be coming your way Jul 13 – by that point all backers who pledged for a Print and Play will receive the file. We will also have more monster stories and an update on the production status of Unbroken!

BackerKit, Rulebook, Production update and the Cube Color Vote!
almost 6 years ago – Fri, Jun 22, 2018 at 01:26:05 AM

Hey, you awesome Unbroken backers,  

The project is moving ahead and we are getting close to the first major milestone – the beginning of production and distribution of the Print and Play files! Let’s cover some important points.  

BackerKit  

Everyone should have received their BackerKit surveys to confirm their shipping address. If you did not – please contact me to get access to it. At this point 90% of backers filled out the survey so if you haven’t done so – please make sure you do. Filling the survey is a mandatory step to receiving your rewards.  

We ran into some issues with the BackerKit, all of which should be resolved at this point. Here are a few clarifications / pointers on what to do if you experienced them.  

  • Please note that all prices for extras that you add on in the BackerKit are in US$, not $CAD. Wanted to be perfectly clear about this. This only applies to extras, not your KS pledge (including extra copies), which was collected in $CAD. This is necessitated by both Golden Bell and BackerKit operating in $US. 
  • Folks who have pledged for extra copies had trouble getting the copies at KS pricing. This issue has been fixed and you should be able to add your extra copies at the special discounted KS price that you pledged at (you will see two options to add extra copies – make sure you use the $25 option). My thanks to Marc from Golden Bell for organizing a same-day fix for this issue. If you pledged for extra copies during the campaign and are having trouble accessing the KS pricing – please contact me and we’ll figure this out.
  • The system was incorrectly charging shipping for some of the items (e.g. the Conjurer pledge and some of the non-physical rewards like the “name in the rulebook”). This was resolved very quickly, but in case it impacted you and you think you were inappropriately charged– please use the “contact support” button on BackerKit explaining your situation. We have instructed the BackerKit team to provide refunds in these cases.
  • For anyone that has added on “special thanks in the rulebook”, we will be reaching out shortly to get your requested name in the rulebook. Revenant and Nemesis backers - if we do not hear from you about name preference by Jul 3 through BackerKit - your Kickstarter nickname will be acknowledged in the rulebook instead.
  • All pledges can still be upgraded/changed to a tier with a physical game using Kickstarter pricing (in $US). You can even choose the Unbroken Potion Master Ultimate Bundle that features both Unbroken and Cauldron as well as the poster, name in the rulebook and other cool stuff. Do not hesitate to contact me if you are experiencing any issues upgrading your pledge.

If you have any other issues with BackerKit – please get in touch with either myself or Marc ([email protected]) and we will make sure everything is in order. If you think that you have been charged for something that you shouldn’t have been charged for or would like a refund for an item added in error – please use “Contact Support” on BackerKit to explain your situation and a refund will be issued. It might take a few days but it will be done.  

The surveys worked well for vast majority of the backers (almost 15,000 have filled it out) but there were still some unfortunate hiccups, so my apologies for any inconvenience this has caused. To thank our backers for their patience while we resolved these issues, we are upgrading the custom die in every box of Unbroken from screen printed to engraved. It was important for Golden Bell and myself to find a way to thank you and make sure you remain excited for the project.  

Production update and Rulebook

For the past month we have been working hard to bring all the files ready to be sent to the printers and we are getting very close to that point! The final revisions are being applied and then the files will be sent to the factory AND will be used to create the official Print and Play for Unbroken that the backers will get. The Print and Play will be ready in July as we expected - the exact distribution date will be finalized in the next update.

I wanted to show you some of the new Encounter cards featuring the additional art unlocked as the stretch goals.  

You can also preview the near-final rulebook in case you want to start learning the rules right away :)  

We have received the blank white sample from the factory and I will provide the detailed photos of it in the next update to give you a sense of how the game will look and feel. Golden Bell has had it the past week during Origins and has mailed it out to me to do a final review.  

Cube color vote  

I was glad that majority of the backers were comfortable with us reverting to standard cubes to use as tracking tokens. Something that I found interesting during that discussion was the variety and richness of opinions about which color these should be. As with everything else – we would love to get you, the backers to decide this through a POLL! (honestly, I seem to be unable to offer an update without a backer poll :) ). Please head OVER HERE and vote for which one of these colors you’d like the cubes in Unbroken to be. Tell us what was your favourite and why in the comments!

The vote concludes at 11 AM EST on Jun 25.

Monster stories

Say hello to Monster Stories 17 and 18, giving some insights about the Goblins of Unbroken and a retelling of a deadly encounter with a Wyvern.  


As was requested a few times I have posted all 18 stories written up to this point in one place so that you can browse these at your convenience – Unbroken Monster Story Compendium. Writing these out has been very rewarding and really helped me think of the setting of Unbroken as a living and breathing world. Hope you are enjoying these too!

Soundtrack Sneak Peek

Here is a brief preview of the soundtrack that Golden Bell team has been rigorously working on for the game. Note that it’s an early draft and only meant as a sneak peek. The final track will be ~20 min in length. One of the things we are trying to capture with the sound track is the dynamic of more mellow Travel phases punctuated by the high-stakes Combat phases. Tell us what you think! 

Next up 

The next update will be on Jun 28 - it will contain the date of Print and Play availability as well as photos of the white sample and an update about starting production and expected timelines. Please make sure your BackerKit is filled out, play some awesome games and enjoy your summer!

BackerKit is up!
almost 6 years ago – Wed, Jun 13, 2018 at 01:10:29 AM

Hi everyone,  

Unlike our regular updates that are filled with production info and  game-related content, this one will focus on a very important step that you will all need to take to ensure that you get the Unbroken rewards that you pledged for. Specifically – the filling out of the BackerKit survey that were sent out today.

Please note - the e-mails are still going through the BackerKit system and it might take 1-2 hours to get all of the invites out. If you can't locate yours immediately - please try again in a couple of hours - if it still doesn't work and BackerKit can't recover your e-mail - please get in touch, we'll figure it out.

There was quite a lot of work involved in getting these set up and the Golden Bell team has done a bang up job of making sure everything is functioning – my thanks for their efforts!  

You should have all received a BackerKit invitation at this point. If you can’t seem to find your it in your inbox – please ensure you’re checking in the e-mail account that’s associated with your Kickstarter account. Then, if it’s still nowhere to be found – check the Spam inbox (or Promotion / Updates inboxes if you’re using Gmail). If the invitation is still avoiding you – please contact myself or Marc at [email protected] and we’ll make sure the BackerKit gets to you. Alternatively you can use the "lost your survey" function directly from BackerKit to have the survey re-sent to you.

What is BackerKit?

It’s a flexible platform that allows us to collect the shipping addresses for all backers and ask a few questions. 

  • You must fill out the BackerKit to receive your rewards. 
  • Nemesis and Revenant backers have to provide their names the way they want them to appear in the rulebook. Please keep these under 30 characters and spell these out in English.

In addition, it provides an opportunity to switch to another reward level and add extras to your order. Finally – it offers an opportunity for people who missed the campaign to get a copy of Unbroken. The BackerKit will be live for three weeks and will close on 11:00 AM EST on Jul 3. Please make sure you complete it prior to closing.  

If you are happy with your pledge  

If you are not interested in any extras and just want to receive the reward that you have pledged and paid for – simply enter your shipping address and answer the questions in the survey. The information will be saved and there is no additional charge for you.

If your pledge contained money for additional copies – these will be available to you to add to your order at the KS-specified price – please do so within BackerKit so that your order is updated. If you have any questions about this step please do not hesitate to contact Marc at [email protected] – he will be able to help you resolve any issues with your pledge.  

We are hearing that for some backers the extra copies do not show up at the KS pricing - if that's the case for you please contact Marc at [email protected] or message me on Kickstarter and we'll figure it out.

If you’d like to switch to a different pledge level  

You can switch to a different pledge level – if you do, you will be charged the price difference between what you already paid and the new pledge tier.  

Good news here – we have re-opened the Revenant pledge, so if you have been itching to get your name in the rulebook – we have doubled the space available in the rulebook for that!  

If you’d like to add extras to your order 

There are a bunch of extras that you can add to your order including additional copies of Unbroken, my previous game, Cauldron, poster, rulebook mentions etc. BackerKit allows you to add these to your order. Please note that you will be charged shipping for these items as well. Any physical add-ons will be shipped at the same time as the Kickstarter items.

The pricing for the add-ons and shipping is different from what was available on Kickstarter campaign. The KS pricing was always intended to be a special offer to the folks who helped make the game possible and does not extend to the add-ons available through BackerKit. 

Shipment Tracking

The base shipping of Unbroken does not include tracking functionality (to keep the shipping costs down, which many backers seem to have appreciated). The Golden Bell team have rightly pointed out that some people just really like to know where exactly their package is – we want to make sure that option is available to those interested. There is a surcharge to apply tracking to your shipment, but we wanted that to be an option for backers to decide. 

BackerKit Stretch Goal!

If we hit $100,000 in additional orders placed through BackerKit (counting both funds from newcomers and extras added to KS orders) - we will include an extra custom die in every Unbroken box. Just in case you want to have a spare of the awesome-looking slash marks design that our designer came up with. This will officially be the last Stretch Goal of this campaign :).

Open to non-backers

Anyone can place an order on BackerKit, so if you have friends who missed the campaign and want to get a copy - they can do so by visiting the BackerKit pre-order page.

Here to help 

Do you have any further questions about BackerKit? Do not hesitate to contact either myself through KS message or Marc at [email protected]. We’ll make sure your questions are answered. Marc is also here in the comments section today to answer any immediate BackerKit questions that come up. 

Coming to Origins?

The Golden Bell team will have a booth set up at Origins (booth #1121) – stop by and say hi if you want to try out a PnP version of Unbroken or take a look at the fresh-off-the-press blank sample that we have just received from the factory! (More on that in a content-oriented update coming next week). You can catch Marc there to answer any questions you might have about Unbroken plans or just say hello. The team will be there until as late as 1 AM so stop by whenever you feel. 

More solo gaming on Kickstarter! 

If you are looking for another solo-playable game – check out the Krilling Field that launched on Kickstarter today. It’s a rogue-like game of marine exploration where you get to play as a whale on a quest for pearls and glory! 

Next up

Next week we will have an update on production with photos of the blank sample, more monster stories and a vote to pick the colour of the wooden cubes that the game will come with! Until then – make sure you fill out these BackerKit surveys!