DARK VENTURE: BATTLE of the ANCIENTS 2ND PRINTING!
Created by Rob Lemon
A tactical strategy and adventure game in a dark-fantasy future where players control asymmetric factions engaging in brutal conflict.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Looking Ahead!
9 months ago
– Wed, Dec 31, 2025 at 07:06:53 AM
Hey!
We’re less than one day away from a new year and I wanted to be sure you knew that I appreciate all the support and positive vibes I’ve gotten from you this year.
You are why I continue to create weird and unique game experiences.
I have a lot in store for you in 2026. I’m excited to deliver the second printing of Battle of the Ancients and for you to play Ghosts and Robots. I’m also chomping at the bit to show the new stuff that’s been brewing.
I hope next year is full of great things for you!
Stay safe in 2026 (and for the rest of 2025!),
Rob
DECEMBER 2025 UPDATE: DARK WEEK SALE and Finishing Up Production!
10 months ago
– Mon, Dec 01, 2025 at 09:14:39 AM
Hello!
Hope you are doing well. For those in the US, hope you had a great (and uneventful) Thanksgiving! Where did November go?! I was so focused on finishing up the production of Battle of the Ancients (I'm almost done) that I didn't post a November update! I'm sure you understand ;)
THE DARK WEEK SALE! To kick things off, I wanted to let you know that we're having our 1ST ANNUAL full-site SALE at the Gilded Skull Games Store. Starting today, for 1 WEEK, everything in the store is 20% off (applied at CHECKOUT). CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT!
Production: The components for the Battle of the Ancients 2E Core game and the 2E expansions are laid out and are virtually complete. I had to re-sort the cardboard token pages (the unit tokens are wood, so they are not in the cardboard layouts), and that took the most time. The updated 2E Core rules manual was updated and required a final-final-final review. I'll likely be sending all the digital files to the manufacturer this week.
The Ghosts & Robots expansion is approximately 90% complete. The last remaining component to finish is the rule book, and it is in the midst of editing/review. All other component files are laid out and ready to send to the manufacturer.
Manufacturing: Last week I spoke with the manufacturer, Whatz Games, and got a head start on manufacturing any component that'll need additional time to produce (plastic parts like the "building clips," fences/walls, and the Fallen Star model; wood parts; the neoprene maps; the magnetic boards in Ghosts & Robots; etc.). Everything in this sphere is progressing well.
That's it for now. Thank you for your support!
Stay safe,
Rob
P.S. We are happy/sad to say that we're almost completely sold out of Dark Venture 2E. After a new stock count, the remaining copies of Dark Venture 2E core game and expansions will be listed on the GSG store until they're gone!
Locking Backerkit Pledge Manager on HALLOWEEN!
11 months ago
– Tue, Oct 28, 2025 at 08:07:01 AM
Hey,
Hope you're doing well.
A short note to let you know that we plan to LOCK ALL PLEDGES and PRE-ORDERS on BACKERKIT THIS WEEK. Backerkit will send out a "48 Hour Notice" before locking you pledge and processing your payment. Everything should lock and process on or around OCTOBER 31st (spooky!).
As a reminder: Backerkit is our PLEDGE MANAGER, meaning, it is where you'll input your shipping information and confirm what your getting from the Battle of the Ancients 2nd Printing Kickstarter. Find your survey here: https://dv-bota-2e.backerkit.com/
Shipping for your pledge is charged through the Backerkit Pledge Manager, so please complete your survey so we can ship your pledge to you!
Also, you can add items to your pledge that you missed adding during the campaign. Once your order is locked, items can't be added.
Your address will remain unlocked until we are ready to ship (so if you happen to be moving before we ship, you'll be able to edit your address). I'll let you know when we're ready to lock addresses and ship out your pledge (this won't be for a while).
October 2025 Update: Production and MORE!
11 months ago
– Wed, Oct 22, 2025 at 08:16:00 AM
Hey!
Hope you are doing great. This month I have been working on the PRODUCTION of the game and expansions (specifically the new GHOSTS & ROBOTS expansion). Also, I have a bit of a SURPRISE toward the end of this update. Read on!
PRODUCTION: So, "What exactly is production?" you might ask. Or, maybe you wouldn’t ask because, honestly, it’s not the most glamorous part of making a game (or any printed or digital product, for that matter).
I’ll try to be concise: In the first stage of production, put simply, someone checks all the files to make sure that THE MILLIONS OF LITTLE THINGS that need to be aligned are aligned, that nothing important is going to be chopped off, and that everything that is supposed to be there (text, images, page numbers, borders, etc.) is there!
As part of this, the digital files representing every component of the game are put into “templates” that the people who run the printing and cutting machines at the factory understand. This is what I’m doing right now, the initial production. The people at the factory take these initial templates and reformat them into even more precise (often proprietary) templates for the specific machines that will print, cut, and glue the game parts.
Most of Battle of the Ancients has been run through this process already, however, there are quite a few minor updates to the components (for example, token sheets changed because we have included wood tokens, there are a few additional cards in the core game, the rule books have been updated, etc.), so in order to make sure that everything is 100% correct, we have to do it again.
That said, production is going well and I should be done soon!
SURPRISE: Okay, about the “surprise.” As the Kickstarter for the 2nd printing was coming to a close, I re-discovered an idea I had when developing the concept of Battle of the Ancients: VICTORY SIDE QUESTS. They’re directly related to the original Dark Venture, and could have added an interesting facet to the game, but there just wasn’t time to add them to the first printing. Immediately after the 2nd Printing Kickstarter I returned to the idea, wrote new prototype cards, printed them out, tested them…and they were awesome.
Here’s how they work: Victory Side Quest cards provide another way to earn Victory Points in a Victory game. They are optional, and if you do use them in a game: draw 4 VICTORY SIDE QUEST cards and place them near the map. They can be completed by a PLAYER or AUTO ENEMY on their turn for their faction to gain the amount of VICTORY POINTS noted on the card. At the beginning of your turn, if you don’t like a VSQ card, discard it to draw another. Simple as that.
The large Victory Side Quest rule card and a few sample side quest cards (don't want to spoil too many of them!)
I’ve decided to add these new VICTORY SIDE QUESTS, 30 mini-cards (with the side quests) and one large “rules reference” card, to the Ghosts & Robots expansion. I’m adding them to Ghosts & Robots because, while they are not necessary to the game, they are a nice “quality of life” addition. There are other “quality of life” additions in Ghosts & Robots (like the “Terrain and Resource Reference” cards, and “Map Rule” cards, for example), so it makes sense to add Victory Side Quests into G&R too. I hope you enjoy playing with them in your games ;)
That’s it for now, back to production! Thanks for reading, stay safe.
Rob
September 2025 Update: Writing, Editing, Designing, Details!
about 1 year ago
– Tue, Sep 23, 2025 at 07:32:20 AM
Hello!
Hope you are doing great! I’ll try to make this short (no promises) as I need to get back to work: This month I’ve been finalizing components, testing, editing, and working out manufacturing details. More on that below!
A Battle of the Ancients VICTORY GAME in progress, GHOSTS vs. ROBOTS! Components pictured are prototypes and could change.
Firstly, here are some of the GAMEPLAY RELATED things I’ve been working on this month:
1. GHOSTS AND ROBOT AUTO-ENEMY DECKS - These decks are tricky, as both of these factions require a lot of player decisions (for the Ghosts, POSSESSING and controlling other players units can be key; for the Robots, deciding when unit upgrades and tech are utilized can be very important). I’d like the AE to make decisions that a player might make, and they should be somewhat difficult…but beatable. This requires a lot of testing and retesting!
(What is an AUTO-ENEMY DECK, you might ask? Each faction has a unique AUTO-ENEMY deck, specific to that faction, that contains a series of rules to control that faction in a game. Great for SOLO games and if you'd like to add an additional challenge. Cards are numbered, mostly 1-7 cards per deck. Complete everything you can on a card then flip it, read the next card, continue until the deck is flipped and the Auto-Enemy turn is over.)
2. MAP RULE CARDS - This past month, I've written/designed 2 double-sided Map Rules cards for each available map (including the smaller EGG KING’S CASTLE map that attaches onto the right side of the core game MAIN MAP), that's 10 Map Rules cards total. These (optional) cards include various rules that add enemies, treasure, and special events to Victory Games.
I can’t overstate how much variety these cards provide to Victory Games! They also list unique placements for ITEM and ACTION card draw tokens (in the upper right corner of each card). Changing these cards to "double-sided" allowed me to flesh them out, add more “things that can happen" on each map. This small deck took a lot of work, but adds a lot of value!
3. Cleaning up the Ghosts & Robots rule book, initial editing - I’ve pulled the G&R rule book together and have begun to typeset and edit it (for content and volume). It looks great so far. The next step will be to finalize my edits and have it reviewed by both our RULES EDITOR and CONTENT EDITOR.
In addition to working on "game design," I have been preparing for manufacturing and have started production. I’m pulling the final order numbers together to send to the factory (the final number of games, expansions, and add-ons we will need to manufacture) and I'm laying out the digital files for printing. I’d like to put in our factory order in a month or so, please review and finish your Backerkit survey as soon as possible!
ALSO: HEAR YE, HEAR YE! WE HAVE A FEW COPIES OF DARK VENTURE 2ND EDITION LEFT! - After sending out the copies of Dark Venture: Adventure Card Game 2E to backers who ordered them during the campaign (if you ordered, please complete your survey and we will send your copy out if we haven't already!). I have recounted our stock and we still have a few copies of DARK VENTURE 2nd EDITION and EXPANSIONS available! (We're sold out of the Dark Venture 2E CORE GAME in the EU/UK, but still have a few EXPANSIONS).
Check out the GILDED SKULL GAMES SHOP if you're interested in picking up a copy of the core Dark Venture 2E game or an expansion:
DARK VENTURE: Adventure Card Game (2nd Edition) - A game in mid-play.
That’s it for now. I'd like to reiterate: please, when you have a sec, complete your BACKERKIT SURVEY: the faster they are completed, the more quickly we can determine the exact number of games we’ll need to manufacture.
