Happy New Year to Ars Magica fans from all of us at Atlas Games! Here are some updates.

Add-On Shipments

Numerous add-on shipments have gone to folks. In some cases these are POD book sent directly from the printer. For others, we have shipped from our warehouse in Proctor. I pushed through shipping notifications yesterday from Backerkit, which may have given you a message about something that you in fact received a week or two ago. But if it tells you you should have received something and you didn't, let us know so we can fix it!

We are in the process of sending another batch of add-ons from Proctor. These included Saga Journals that were manufactured in the US and sent to us, and which we are sending along to various backers, including ones in Canada and Australia, and some where a backer was getting both one or more Saga Journals and one or more of my hand-cast medallions.

For all of the print-on-demand items, I have to stay cognizant of the tax and customs issues. We can print in the UK and ship to the EU as long as a shipment is under 150 euros in value (the IOSS limit); but shipments over that are a problem because our POD vendor doesn't offer DDP shipping. So larger EU shipments need to be sent from the USA, where we can choose a carrier and method that pays VAT/duty at the border and bills it back to us. Similarly, for shipments to Canada we need to send them from the USA so that we can ensure that the recipient doesn't get handed a tax and service fee bill.

With 5,000 backers and dozens of add-ons, as well as dozens of destination countries, this is all quite a lot. The campaign promised delivery of things when the Definitive Edition itself is available next summer, but we are continuing efforts to deliver whatever we can sooner. Given uncertainties about international trade with the incoming US administration, we want maximum flexibility on Definitive Edition fulfillment when the big book itself is all done.

Medallions and Antiquing

I've made and sent quite a few of the Ordo Hermae and Bonisagus medallions and keychains.

In the comments, Colin Jones asked about methods for antiquing a medallion. Ones I've sent people have varied from a bright silver freshly cast look to the well weathered. If you don't do anything, zinc will oxidize over time to some shade of gray to white. (Zinc oxide is, after all, a staple for white pigmentation.) If you want to accelerate and customize the process, there are a few approaches. One is to leave it in a cup of vinegar overnight. Another is just to put it outside in the elements for a few days of rain or snow.

After you get a level of antique dullness that appeals, polish the high spots to make them shinier again. I like using a very fine grit sanding sponge or sandpaper. It doesn't take much abrasion to remove the film of oxidation and reveal the shiny metal underneath. Heck, you could just use a scouring sponge in your kitchen. Steel wool, wire brush, or even an old toothbrush can also touch it up. The one I keep in my pocket with my car keys tends to stay brighter on the high spots just from handling. If someone wanted to polish it to a bright silver and keep it that way, it would require some kind of clear coat that would prevent contact with air/oxygen.

You could also paint your medallion, using any traditional gaming minis/models techniques -- say, painting it gold, applying a dark wash, then dry-brushing the highlights and sealing everything with a clear topcoat. I've just been trying the natural/chemical processes, but enamel/paint offers some intriguing colorful possibilities. More authentic than using a paint wash is to just rub it with dirt, grime, ash, whatever. Maybe a little vegetable or mineral oil. After smearing it all over, clean it up just by wiping (rag, paper towel, etc.), and leave the grime that gets into all the fine recesses.

Have fun! It would be neat to see what people do with them, if anyone wants to share pictures on the Atlas Games forums.

Recycled Dice

We now have a mold for the recycled Ars Magica dice. Here's what it looks like:

We've tried it out in our benchtop molder with recycled polypropylene. These are the initial results.

We need to experiment now with inking techniques to make the numbers clearly visible. Having some actual rough molded dice in hand, we are now thinking about redesigning the faces for better legibility. We'll keep you posted as our research & development continues!

-John Nephew
President, Atlas Games