Closing our 2022 with Progress!
almost 2 years ago – Sun, Dec 25, 2022 at 10:18:07 AM

Hello Pilots!

We hope this update finds you well and that you are enjoying the final days of 2022 CE. We have some exciting news to share with you today!

 First, we are excited to announce that we have been putting a lot of time and love into our HQ. Because SALVAGE: Deep Space is now our full time priority, we needed a space to foster creative conversations. Take a look at where the space magic happens!

In addition to our cool new space, we have also just sent out BackerKit surveys today to gather feedback on your SALVAGE Pledges. Your input is critical, so if you haven’t received one please check your Spam folder. If it still isn’t there, please contact us so we can get you sorted out.

We also have a limited number of Immortalization in Space add-ons still available for pledges. If you’ve ever wanted to see yourself (or a character of your concoction) as a character in a sci-fi tabletop game, this premium pledge will allow you to live that dream! Of the 100 pilot portraits in the box fewer than 50 slots remain. If this sounds like a good idea to you (or a last minute holiday gift) check it out here!

Thank you so much for your support and for being a part of the SALVAGE community. We can't wait to show you what we’ve got cooking. It’s going to be incredible.

With gratitude,

Sean and Matt, 3301 Games

BackerKit Surveys are Coming!
about 2 years ago – Sat, Dec 10, 2022 at 06:41:58 PM

BackerKit Surveys are Coming!

Pilots,

Soon, you’ll receive an email from us with a special link to your BackerKit survey. It’s essential to respond to your survey as quickly as possible since we need this information to fulfill your rewards.

You do not need to create a BackerKit account to fill out your survey. When you receive the email with the survey, click the survey link to respond. Answer the questions about your reward preferences, provide shipping information, and purchase add-on items if you like. You don’t have access to this survey link yet, but it will be available soon via email!

After you respond to your survey, you can go back later and change your responses at any time before we close the surveys and get our final counts.

Due to the volatility of shipping prices globally right now, shipping fees for this project will be calculated at a later date once we have the best estimates for everyone. We plan to enter & charge backers for shipping a month or two before fulfillment when we have better estimates of what it will cost to ship backers rewards. We will alert backers when shipping costs are finalized & before we charge your cards in your BackerKit survey. We will keep you informed all along the way!

If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under “Lost your survey?” on our BackerKit project page at https://salvage-deep-space.backerkit.com.

If you used your Facebook credentials to log in to your Kickstarter account, the BackerKit survey is sent to the email address you use for your Facebook account. If you have another email address that you prefer to use, please contact support at https://salvage-deep-space.backerkit.com/faq.

Respectfully,

Matt and Sean,

3301 Games

PAXU Recap and BackerKit Survey Update!
about 2 years ago – Mon, Dec 05, 2022 at 03:43:39 PM

Greetings, Pilots! We were thrilled to meet so many of you in person at PAX Unplugged this past weekend, and although it turned out to be an exhausting couple of days the energy we got from y'all has us incredibly fired up. Because of PAX, our BackerKit surveys are a little delayed, but those will be along by this Friday!

If you want to see the booth, but couldn't make it, check out this video from Tabletop Misfits! (Sorry Cap's mask kept slipping down.) 

Also, if anyone you know missed the opportunity to back SALVAGE: Deep Space, our BackerKit late pledge store is now open. Here's a link you can share! https://salvage-deep-space.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders

Thanks again, from the bottom of our hearts, to everyone who has and continues to make this dream possible.

What Dangers Lurk Ahead?
about 2 years ago – Sat, Nov 19, 2022 at 06:41:43 AM

We have a status update for you, Pilots, along with a little advanced reconnaissance on some of the adversaries you're going to be up against when you're salvaging out amongst the stars!

We've now received pledges, and we're completing the backer survey spin up with BackerKit--with the plan of getting those to you before we dash off to PAX Unplugged. If you're going to be at PAX we would love to meet you, and to thank you for your support. Come by booth 4136 and say hi!!

What Dangers Lurk Ahead?

The stars are a dangerous place to call home, but it's not just the cold, unforgiving void beyond the bulkhead you need concern yourself with. There will be more than obstacles to block your path: there will be adversaries. They hail from a myriad of companies, conglomerates, renegade factions and coalitions so we've started taken to lumping them into buckets. These are by no means the only foes you'll face in space, but if you're going into the Salvage business, you can expect to deal with Thugs, Bugs, Bots, and Corporate Enforcers. That's for sure.

Thugs

While a modicum of order has slowly begun to return to the people of Sol, the system remains a wide-open and supremely dangerous place. Gone are the powerful navies of the old-world who had largely worked together for the common goals of mankind. As the governments of Mars and Epoch station have rushed to recover lost assets and reconnect with old bases, there has been a marked rise in armed-looting and even space piracy. Often consisting of individuals that live on the periphery of Sol’s recovery, these desperate opportunists often make no distinction between those working directly for the power structures of the new-world and those who, like themselves, are merely trying to survive.

Bots

Much of the savagery of The Event was its suddenness. In an instant and seemingly without warning, the central hub of humanity’s communication, supply-chain, and overall infrastructure was annihilated. Throughout Sol, a countless number of automated systems ranging from agriculture, to filtration, to navigation, to security, became isolated from their control procedures. As people scrambled to survive these automatons were neglected and forgotten. For some systems, this meant little change as they were isolated enough to carry on their tasks per normal. Others became dormant, while others still became something else entirely. As humanity has worked to reclaim locations that were lost due to The Event, one thing has become certain - be wary of what was left behind.   

Bugs

In the decade preceding The Event something miraculous happened. First discovered on a handful of supply carriers in the shipping lanes around Mars, an insectoid species of unknown origins emerged and began to quickly multiply. To the surprise of scientists, this new species spread as rapidly as it had been discovered. This surprise turned to horror as this spread led to the introduction of new subspecies each more aggressive and more adaptive than the last. As humanity scrambled to address and contain this sudden development it became clear to many that these ‘bugs’ were heavily concentrated on and around Mars. The term ‘Xenomartian’ began to take hold, an idea and phrase that the Martian government actively tried to suppress. As mankind has emerged from The Event one of its looming questions is - what is the answer to the alien menace? 

Corporate Enforcers

During the ‘Second Golden Age of Space’ (an informal term used to describe the years 2080 - 2150 B.E.) much of the world banded together in the production of Epoch Station. This massive undertaking of humankind was celebrated as much for its incredible technological abilities as it was a symbol of unity for a species that had just emerged from another major armed conflict. While heavily influenced by nearby Earth, the station was created with a mandate for autonomy with a government that sought to correct if not perfect the similar multi-state governments that had previously existed. Since the Event, that cohesive and utilitarian vision is largely gone, having caved to the practical rise of Fife Co., one of the last remaining mega corporations from the old-world. As this new power structure continues to solidify and expand its influence, the people of Sol System are at a crossroads - step in line and contribute to the new order or get out of its way. 

Stretch Goal: The Sample Party
about 2 years ago – Sat, Nov 05, 2022 at 05:51:47 AM

Happy Friday, Pilots.

We are excited to share with you an overview of the stretch goal you made possible, the full 6 Pilot Sample Party!

As teased in a previous update, the Sample Party is more than just an example of six starting exo-pilots. Baked into the game’s progression and narration will be tips, suggestions, and further guidance on how these pilots may evolve including choices on suit upgrades, cybernetics, and additional Qualifications.

Included in the Story Book will be robust character histories and art that will further contextualize the world of SALVAGE: Deep Space! For now, please enjoy the bios of our six sample pilots, including the three newest additions.

•  Salvage Pilot: Jan
•  Suit: K-23 Centaurus
•  Background: The Workman
•  Qualification(s): Enforcer
•  Starting Cybernetic(s): Razorblade Defensive Implants

Following decades of increasingly violent social unrest, Mars now teeters on the precipice of a  great revolution. Caught between the stability of the old power structures and a growing populist movement focused on addressing the new realities of the common people, the red planet is unquestionably entering a defining moment in its young history. Loyal, faithful, and strong, Jan was born amongst the laborer-class of the Eastern European Coalition of Mars. A descendant of the famed Rokkey Stakhanov, a hero of Martian Labor, he earnestly believes that any problem can be solved if he works harder. Having spent most of his life as a drudge (or a ‘popy’ as they are colloquially known on Mars), Jan has a penchant for mechanical tasks and is most comfortable performing routines that many would consider beneath them. His earnest disposition and endlessly positive outlook can be disarming for some, but those that know him see him for who he truly is - a gentle giant who is quick to call one ‘przyjaciel.’ Jan’s voice and most notably, his laugh is described by his friends as an entity that exists in a higher atmospheric level than what other humans communicate on, giving it the ability to carry head and shoulders over the noise of almost any crowd. While he has limited martial training, Jan makes an ideal guard and enforcer where his sheer size and confident demeanor are natural deterrents. It is for these reasons that the working people of Mars have entrusted him with an old relic, the K-23 Centaurus suit, a walking-bunker equipped with heavy crowd control and enforcement capabilities.

•  Salvage Pilot: Badette
•  Suit: B-13 Aries
•  Background: The Iconoclast
•  Qualification(s): Mechanic
•  Starting Cybernetic(s): Medici Dermadisc

In the annals of Martian history it is written that the original colonists of the planet were a coalition of people that emerged from one of the great conflicts of Old Earth. Disenfranchised with the cycles of wanton violence they sought to establish a charter outside of the existing world order and turned their collective eye to the celestial body that had long been a source of fascination for humanity - Mars. Organized by influential families with powerful ties to the old world, the colonists traveled aboard the legendary Pakt Horyzontu before beginning the grueling, multi-generational work of colonizing their new home. Born Badette Rákóczi to one of the wealthiest and most influential of the Staré Rodiny, Badette or ‘Badi’ showed an early inclination and fascination towards machinery. From an early-age Badette was given schooling that focused on an eclectic range of subjects not afforded to the vast majority of Martian citizens. Despite these emphases, they terrorized their hired care-takers with their propensity to run and dissappear within the noise and grime of the family-owned smectite plants. After prolonged searches, they were most often found to be confidently holding court amongst the plant operators who were delighted by their precociousness and enthusiasm.  As Badi grew they became known for their mechanical brilliance and rebellious nature, showing complete disinterest in the mercantile aspect of the family business. As the social strife on Mars has heightened they have made their values clear by denying any involvement in the Staré Rodiny, an act that led to their estrangement from their family. As a final act of defiance before leaving their status comforts for good, Badi procured something special from one of the old family storage facilities - a Salvage Suit. The B-13 Aries is believed to have been the oldest of the Salvage suit models designed by the EECM. With wide-ranging utility and a diverse set of practical functions it perfectly encapsulates the Martian engineering emphasis of pragmatism over form. It is the perfect suit for Badette who plans to unlock its true potential in service to the people of Mars.

•  Salvage Pilot: Allivur
•  Suit: UH-16 Pegasus
•  Background: The Mender
•  Qualification(s): Pilot
•  Starting Cybernetic(s): Mobility Enhancement Fibres

Like so many of the impoverished youths of his cohort, Allivur looked to the vastness of space and hoped for something more than the subsistence living that plagued the disenfranchised communities around him. Like many of his peers, a deep resentment began to take root within him. Alli’s life changed the day he came across an unmanned and seemingly unguarded transport skiff of exceptional quality. Feeling the now familiar pang of anger, he quickly jumped inside and took off, giving little thought to the fact that he had no training or familiarity with the vessel’s functions. Allivur drove the skiff deep into the station’s underbelly, weaving around piles of debris, before violently crashing amongst the old abandoned streets. As Alli laid there broken and dying he remembers thinking that at least he had done something to break up the monotony of poverty. To his surprise, he awoke in an unfamiliar place, strapped to a med-bed, while being watched over by a Mech of wondrous proportions. As the shock of his new situation subsided, he realized he was being slowly nursed back to health by one of the fabled Salvage Suits, piloted by a caring yet stern individual who identified themselves as Deazell. Allivur quickly learned that it was Deazell’s skiff that he had stolen. Throughout the long, uncomfortable, healing process Allivur also learned that Deazell was a Freelancer. The Freelancers or ‘lancers’ as they are commonly known are one of few Epoch Station organizations that survived and re-emerged from the darkness subsequent to The Event. A closed, paramilitary group that maintains relative-autonomy, they are known as a powerful work-for-hire entity that continues to operate solely out of Epoch Station. The Freelancers have their own code and ideals which inform the type of work they are willing to take. After seeing the latent good that existed within Allivur, Deazell offered to mentor the youth. The offer was not without conditions. Deazell promised to see Allivur through the healing process and his training if he promised to use his new life to help people. Over the course of several years Alli was granted the title of Striker, a designation for someone outside the lancer family, but a trusted ally and helper. As a result, Allivur received some of the finest pilot training offered at Epoch Station. When the day came for Deazell to leave Epoch Station it was clear that their partnership and Allivur’s position as a Striker had come to an end. As they said their solemn goodbyes they reminded Alli of his promise, before leaving the Salvage Suit, a UH-16 Pegasus, under his care.

• Salvage Pilot: Frinkly
• Suit: UC-43 Draco
• Background: The Seeker
• Qualification(s): Collector
• Starting Cybernetic(s): Armis Prosthesis

Born to a pair of Tekkie parents in the Machining Quarter of Epoch Station, Frinkly grew up around the wondrous sounds of her family’s mechanic bay. To the delight of her small community, from an early age she quickly developed a child-like fascination with the mechanical nature of the world around her and displayed an uncanny intuition for technological understanding - ‘the spark’ as it is known. Over time this fascination gave way to a serious appetite for technological discovery and reclamation. No longer content with the confines of Epoch Station Frinkly began to look to the rest of the recovering Sol System. As she grew her loved one’s knew it was only a matter of time before she left the Machining Quarter in pursuit of the wanderlust that had gripped her. When the time came Frinkly’s pocket-community of Tekkies revealed a marvelous gift - an old Salvage suit in a state of extreme disrepair. She was lovingly told to take this, make it your own, and use it to find whatever it was she was looking for.

• Salvage Pilot: Khen
• Suit: F-3 Chameleon
• Background: The Operative
• Qualification(s): Educated
• Starting Cybernetic(s): Neural Comms Transducer

As humanity continues to claw its way out of a near-extinction crisis, there is no shortage of orphans. Some of those lucky enough to survive that display a baseline of particular qualities may find themselves in the Guardian Angel Industrial Organization. Designed, funded, and run by Fife Co., this system serves as an educational and preparatory tool to curate promising individuals to eventually aid humanity through the Corporation’s specific vision. While there are those that view this as dangerous indoctrination into an ever-increasingly powerful structure, Khen grew up in the system and is a true believer in the trumpeted corporate-narrative. If humanity is to truly survive, let alone one day prosper, it will be on the collective effort of those with enough vision and reach to lead. Upon graduation from the GAIO, Khen was recognized for his scores in communications, social engineering, and technological surveillance with a significant award - a Salvage Suit. Khen’s directive was simple - using the skills you have acquired, make your way in the system as you see fit. However, in this time of extreme vulnerability, always be on the lookout for those that seek to work against Fife Co.’s best interests. After all, what is best for the company is best for humanity.

• Salvage Pilot: Minurva
• Suit: A-3 Perseus
• Background: The Defender
• Qualification(s): Leadership
• Starting Cybernetic(s): Mk2 Ocular Implants

As humanity pulls itself out of annihilation and begins a new era amongst the stars there are looming questions around who we were, who we are, and who we will become. In the centuries leading up to the Event it became increasingly difficult amongst the pervasive pain, chaos, and uncertainty to not observe these questions in bleak fashion. As humanity emerges from the darkness it is still the widespread belief that humanity will never recover, if not numerically than spiritually. And then there are individuals like Minurva. Born from a family that can trace its roots back to the proud tradition of Epoch’s one-time defense grid, Minurva’s family installed in her an implacable sense of duty and service to those around her. As an adolescent she often returned home bloodied and battered, the results of dustups with neighborhood bullies. While naturally slight of frame, she was tenacious and rigorously trained in the pursuit of her dream - to one day re-establish the independent Epoch Defense Grid. Eventually, most of the bullies dried up and Minurva traversed Epoch Station as a respected and known martial adversary. In an age where cynicism seems to be an innate part of human existence, she believes in the goodness of people. An inseparable part of Minurva’s character is the steadfast belief that more significant than any particular action or deed she commits is how she commits them - with integrity and empathy. In recognition of her promise and goals a handful of the old military families gifted her a treasured relic in the form of a Salvage Suit. Now Minurva dons the fabled A-3 Perseus Suit not for herself, but for those that have none.