Sold Out Essen 2012!

Essen: Unboxing preview!

 Winter(Tales) is coming!

ESSEN, INTERNATIONALE SPIELTAGE SPIEL - LUCCA, COMICS&GAMES

Dear friends,
Winter Tales release day is now near!
We are proud and excited to finally touch this game, which required many years of work. We'll all attend Lucca Comics and Games but, thanks to Heidelberger, Winter Tales will be  present (without its parents) at the convention in Essen. 

ESSEN - INTERNATIONALE SPIELTAGE SPIEL: hall 9 booth 108 (Heildelberger Spieleverlag), 18th to 21th October!

LUCCA COMICS&GAMES 2012 at RAVEN DISTRIBUTION booth and in the games area, from 1st to 4th November!

We will be at the RAVEN booth and in the games area for the 4 days, all day long, to try Winter Tales together with you!

See you soon!
WT Team

Rules: Story Cards

Here you have the third post about Winter Tales' rules.
Today we reveal the core mechanic of the game: Story Cards!
Enjoy!

Rules: Battle & Trap

Here you have the second post about Winter Tales' rules.
Today we introduce to you a few pieces of the game mechanics, in particular Conflicts and Traps.

Soon other updates!

Rules: Background & Components

We are finally ready to disclose more details about WINTER TALES' mechanics.
Starting from today, we are going to post the game's contents.
In the document above, you can read the first pages of the game's rules, which contain details about the game's setting, components and the important "Authors' Notes", where we explain the philosophy behind WINTER TALES!

Soon other news about the contents!

Matteo Santus

"Amadeus Cypressus' Tesimony" Oz Bulletin no.90

“My name is Amadeus Cypressus, I have been working for Wintertown Cemetery for 45 years. Our cemetery boasts some of the most impressive and beautiful funerary sculptures of the whole land of Fables. My job is to preserve this place, keep it unvaried and look after it with love. I love my job. I remember the disappearing of the fireflies 5 years ago, a bad presage, according to some. Since then, the cemetery has fallen into a total darkness, especially during the moonless nights. Then came the war, and the fireflies never came back. For years, the cemetery remained in darkness, suffocated by a blanket of gray snow. One night though, while I was trimming the grass, I saw feeble lights gleaming in the southern part of the cemetery. I first thought of the return of the fireflies, and cried. Cried out of happiness. As I looked more carefully, I realized those weren't fireflies, but little lamps, taking over the tombstones, out of control. In less than one hour, the whole cemetery was illuminated by a warm and reassuring light, and my heart filled with marvel. I stared at the lights, spellbound.
Suddenly, I saw her.
I saw the little silhouette of a girl, i saw her appear and disappear over every tomb, i saw her lighting up the little lamps. As I approached her, a little afraid, she looked at me for a second. She looked at me with her big, sad eyes, our looks crossed for one moment, illuminated by the light of the little lamps. Then, suddenly, she disappeared. But the lamps were still at their places.
I don't know if what I saw was real and I don't want to find out. I want to believe she will come again every night, this little match girl, and will lit the cemetery once again and give hope and comfort to those who lost their beloved ones during the war.”

 Source: Oz Bulletin, no. 90, p. 25, Year II A.A.C. (First year after the Autumn Conflict)
                quote: “Amadeus Cypressus' testimony”.

more propaganda!

Patient N367-A Oz Bulletin, no.33

Patient N367-A
Weight: 34 Kg
Age: unknown
Ethnicity: hybrid

October 12, I AAC
Time: 10.15pm


Medical history: The Faun shows an altered state of consciousness, probably due to a former head injury. He claims, evidently without realizing the absurdity of his assertions, that the troops of the Regime treacherously pulled down his forest by command of the White Rabbit, that they killed all the animals living there and that they persecuted and chased him until he was arrested. Pure mental illness. The patient has then been moved to the confinement cell, where he will benefit from the prodigious healing effects of electricity. The confinement in our institution will last until this poor individual will be able to live clear of his persecutory ideals. I do recommend to pay particular attention to his political deliria and I urge the paramedic to pay attention to his words, trying to make him accept our, and his, reality. Winter is reality.
 

Source: Oz Bulletin, no. 33, p. 20, Year I A.A.C. (First year after the Autumn Conflict)
quote: medical report taken away from the Mad Hatter, during a night raid.

"A survivor's report" Oz Bulletin no. 146

“It was one May as we hadn't seen for many years, freezing cold and with no sun, sporadically lit by ghastly rays of light that fell disconsolate from narrow cracks among the imperishable clouds. Clouds brought by the Great Winter, by the war. I used to go out only when I was compelled to, to buy a pack of flour at the market of the dwarves in the neighborhood of the cemetery. I will never forget that day, though. I'd been stopped by a patrol of the soldiers of the regime, fierce wolves in uniforms, dreaded because of their custom of assaulting anyone, even before interrogating him. I started running then, and I got lost among alleys I had never seen. I could hear the panting shouts of the soldiers gaining ground behind me. I ended up in a dead end, no way out. I thought I was lost, when suddenly a passage opened in the floor, under the snow. I saw an old woman with lively blue eyes, exhorting me to follow her. Without thinking twice, i jumped into the secret passage that was closed again right over my head. We started walking among the entangled underground streets of the town, the howling of the soldiers far and far away. I could finally sigh with relief. I thanked my saviour and I asked her were we were going. - To a special place, where we can talk. The last safe house in Wintertown – she said, in a reassuring way.” 

Source: Oz Bulletin, n.146, p.4, quote: “A survivor's report” 
Year IV AAC (fourth year after the Autumn Conflict)

The story of King Scarecrow

“Finally crowned King of Oz, the Scare Crow was a fair and wise sovereign and his intelligence allowed him to listen to the heart of his subjects and do them good. But one day, Winter started falling on everything. Countrysides depopulated, greed began to spread in the hearts of men and the devastations of the Conflict of Autumn burned to ashes the former flourishing reign of the Scarecrow. He abandoned his palace and travelled for long, becoming a renown psychiatrist. Everywhere he went, he gave people a spark of happiness. One day, his journeys took him to the Land of Winter: the poor souls of that land needed a big help...”

Regime's Propaganda! - 1

 

“Come, Ladies and Gentlemen!

Come visit our magnificent factories, test the excellent structure yourselves, closely hear the ceaseless roar of the tireless machines and the sweet lament of the workers in action!
Follow me on a tour inside the wonders of modern industrialization! I can personally guarantee that, once inside, you will wish you will never go anywhere but here...!

Come, Ladies and Gentlemen!”

Source: Oz Bulletin, n.86, p.13, Year II, A.A.C. (second year after the autumn conflict)
Quote: The White Rabbit, during a city meeting.

Jocularis

Sketch Scarecrow

 

This is just a little sketch to introduce a new character in Winter Tales. The Wizard of Oz's Scarecrow! The complete background of his "after the fable" will follow in our next post!

Hide

Albe Pavo & Raven

With great pleasure, we officially announce that Winter Tales will be produced by Raven Distribution, as well as by Albe Pavo!  This is the link to the official page on boardgamegeek.com, where you can find previews of other illustrations.

Winter Tales Team

Mad Hatter: making of

The work on the Mad Hatter of Alice in Wonderland led us on a path similar to that we had walked on earlier with Alice, that was the first character we drew for Winter Tales. Compared to Carroll's Hatter, our Mad Hatter had to appear deeply changed, becoming, in our transposition, a crazy psychiatrist that usually tortures his unfortunate “patients”. We had decided though, that the graphic style of the soldiers of Winter had to be more realistic than that used to represent the good Fables. We made this choice for two main reasons: first, we wanted the evil ones to appear less empathic, in contrast to a more marked stylization, as the cartoonish one reserved to the good Fables. Secondly, we could split the job, Jocularis working on the Soldiers and me (Hide) working on the Fables.

Pencils: After some tries, we decided in favor of a particularly disturbing figure, armed with surgical instruments and gentlemanlike coat. Obviously he couldn't lack the hat on his head!

Coloring: After finalizing the pencils, Jocularis could directly proceed with acrylic coloring, and define the stylistc details of the character. The white coat gave the Hatter a more “medical” aspect, while some blood-red spurts perfectly helped make the character's main occupation, and his sadism, undisputed.

Digital Color: After finishing the character design's pencils and hand coloring, Jocularis sent me the files for the final digital retouches. Background, shadow, various effects. And this is the final result!

Jocularis

Hide

Dorothy's Mansion

"In this tiny and tidy sky-blue colored house, Granny Dorothy has welcomed most of the refugees of the Conflict of Autumn. The house is now a warm oasis in the frost of Winter."

Moon W.T.

This image was made using the moon like a brush,
with a high exposure!

Some story 02

I would like to show you some important steps of the realization of Winter Tales, through a series of dedicated posts. You can read the first one about this topic, written by Jocularis, here.

What you can see in the picture is one of the latest BetaTest versions of Winter Tales, a sketch of the board. It used different rules from those of the version we are going to officially present next October...
So many memories!

 

Hide

the Fox and the Cat

"United in their bodies, as well as in their malice, the Fox and the Cat have been cultivating their predatory nose for business and have become merciless entrepreneurs devoted to money and wealth. They were the first to take the chances offered by the Conflict of Autumn and to take advantage of the growing power of Winter. Given their cunning, they have become skillful arms dealers, providing the troops of the Regime with all the new creations of war market. Their ancient vocation remains, though: they haven't lost their inclination to deception..."

Jocularis

4 - Work in progress - Board (Finished!)

I'm finally proud to show you Winter Tales board!

I must admit it, it was a complex work, sometimes tiring because of the methodicalness required by the different working stages. But I don't think there's a better prize than finally seeing my work in its complete shape. Wintry regards to all of you... all invited to meet again soon among the streets of Wintertown!

Hide

Wintertown

"Wintertown leant on a hillside facing east, protected from the fierce, cold winds blowing from the mountains. One fateful day the Regime came and gripped in its evil clutches both homes and people: cold and darkness snuffed out the flame of hope and love. Citizens lurk through the narrow alleys swept by the cold northern winds, trying not to draw on themselves the cruel attentions of the Soldiers. Fables are staging their resistance, working in the shadows to allow the return of Spring..."

We decided to give Wintertown a little darker connotation. The Land is after all in the middle of a Conflict and the soldiers of Winter are strongly present in every corner. The traces of war are all around the country: tanks, ruined and bombed houses, lights turned off or just shyly on. Fables can barely walk in the dark alleys without being intercepted. And everything is covered by a sinister and soft snow. Wintertown's architecture is clearly inspired by the Northern European countries: Bruges, Amsterdam, for example, without their canals. Everything is supposed to have a Flemish taste, with a “World War II touch”. I have observed Avercamp's and Bruegel paintings for a long time, in order to find the right architecture. The great job done by Hide on the board will reflect exactly these narrative cues.

Jocularis