Welcome to Themeborne’s fourth Kickstarter campaign: Expand the Universe!

Whether you’re a returning backer or just discovering the Escape the Dark™  series for the first time, this campaign is for you.

If you already own a copy of Escape the Dark Sector you can skip ahead to the What’s New? section below, and don’t forget to check the Add-ons section too.

Newcomers, a warm welcome to the community of Escape the Dark players. Allow us to run you through the story so far…

The Game of Deep Space Adventure

The second game in the Escape the Dark series, Escape the Dark Sector is a simple, sci-fi adventure game for 1 to 4 players with a focus on atmosphere, storytelling and player cooperation. It takes just a few minutes to set up, lasts around 45 minutes, and each mission is randomly generated so no two games are ever the same.

Playing as the beleaguered crew of an impounded starship, players find themselves confined to the detention block of a vast space station. Using a variety of advanced gear and weaponry, they will embark on a desperate mission to find their ship and blast their way home.

Along the way, the crew will have to overcome a variety of dangers, traps, and terrors. From cyborg guards and faulty replicators to killer alien organisms, with each challenge represented by a large, lavishly illustrated chapter card.

As these immersive chapter cards are revealed one by one, the game takes on the form of a shared storybook experience, with the players making decisions about what to do each chapter before using a combination of tactical dice combat and timely use of item cards to complete them.

The goal of the game is to recover your starship by completing every chapter in the mission deck and defeating the final boss. To win, you must keep each member of the crew alive – if any player is killed the game ends immediately.

Read:

“A blast from start to finish – 5/5” –WhatCulture

“An awesome box full of Space Drama! Recommended!” –Boardgamemeeple 

“A ghost train ride through sci-fi nostalgia.” –Dicebreaker

“…it felt like a narrative Space Hulk…”  –Tabletop Gaming Magazine

“The perfect sequel.” –There Will Be Games

“A total hit.” –The Dungeon Dive

“An outstanding game.”  –Meniac

“You will want to come back to Sector again and again…” –Zatu

“…gloriously simple in concept…” –BGE Collective

“…masses of atmosphere and replayability.”  –The Broom Cupboard Club

“A Rules-Light RPG Gaming Experience.”  –Casual Game Revolution

“It’s a great game for the beginning of a game night…” –Forbes

Listen: 

“…that’s what makes it fun, it gives you this difficult decision we all love…”

 -Polyhedron Collider

Watch:

After the initial campaign in 2019, we made the Escape the Dark Sector core game along with playmats, books, and an original soundtrack. 

Now we’re back with four new expansions to expand and deepen your adventures in deep space:

•  Mission Pack 1: Twisted Tech
•  Mission Pack 2: Mutant Syndrome
•  Mission Pack 3: Quantum Rift
•  The Collector’s Box

 MISSION PACK 1: TWISTED TECH 

Discover the bizarre and disturbing technology of the far future, where sinister intentions and limitless possibilities collide…

Contains: 

•  1 New Boss: Face-off against an evil uber-genius obsessed with neural implants
•  12 New Chapters: Four per act, exploring the stations tech-skewed terrors
•  10 New Items: Including deadly new weaponry and powerful new cybernetics
•  7 New Dice: Special new Ammo Dice to accompany the enhanced firepower on offer, plus a ‘Tech die’ – used to determine the effects of certain chapters and items, as well as bringing a new challenge to the final battle
•  New Mechanics: Tactical Drone Selection! During setup, choose which drone your crew will take on the mission. The ‘Activate Drone’ action now includes a choice of drone ability to trigger, and is no longer limited to merely healing…

Mission Pack 2: Mutant Syndrome

Exposed to cosmic radiation and mysterious alien substances, the bodies of many station denizens have begun to gruesomely distort – as have your own…

Contains: 

•  1 New Boss: Encounter an advanced and powerful alpha-mutant
•  12 New Chapters : Four per act, plagued by horrific mutant adversaries
•  3 New Crewmembers: Loyal alien specialists eager to join the mission
•  8 New Item Cards: Gruesome crew-mutations, and powerful new cybernetics
•  4 New Dice: Three new crew dice, plus a ‘Mutation die’ used to determine the effects of certain chapters and items, as well as bringing a new challenge to the final battle
•  New Mechanic: Mutations! Crewmembers can now fall prey to mutations during the mission, warping their bodies and bringing about both negative and positive effects…

Mission Pack 3: Quantum Rift

The very fabric of what you consider real is shattered as you hurtle through time and space – coming face to face with legendary dangers of the distant past…

Contains: 

•  1 New Boss: Battle a creature who wields time itself as a weapon
•  12 New Chapters: Four per act, including dangerous historical settings
•  3 New Crewmembers: Versatile alien friendlies, keen to do take up the fight
•  8 New Item Cards: Quest Items, a new type of item card found only in specific time-travel chapters
•  4 New Dice: Three crew dice, plus a ‘Time die’ – used to determine the effects of certain chapters and item cards, as well as bringing a new challenge to the final battle
•  New Mechanic: Time Travel! With every turn of a chapter card, hold your breath as you risk plummeting through a rift in time, coming face to face with deadly threats from the distant past…

The Collector’s Box

Contains:

4 New Bosses: An array of powerful new foes, each unique and devious

3 New Start Cards: Each offering a choice about how to begin your mission

1 Mech Suit: A powerful, full-body contraption comprising 4 slot’s worth of interlocking item cards. This awesome rig grants the wearer immense armour and firepower for a limited time, and at the expense of mobility and tactical flexibility 

2 New Starting Weapons: Alien sidearms with variable-ammo functionality 

4 Ammo Dice: To ensure you have enough on hand for the full arsenal the game offers 

4 Health Trackers with Cubes: A reusable alternative to the medical record pads

1 Dice Bag: Store all the game’s beautiful dice and tokens in one satisfying pouch

1 “Acting Captain” Card: Used to help keep track of who is leading the crew into each chapter

Important note: The contents of this product will be improved by stretch goals. See the Stretch Goals section below

With it’s sturdy, matt black box and minimal spot UV detailing, the imposing exterior of the Collector’s Box hides an elegant organiser within. Now you can store every item in your Escape the Dark Sector collection in one box with ease.

The custom insert features slots to perfectly divide your cards by type, sleeved or unsleeved. Not only is this immensely satisfying, it also cuts down on card handling time during setup – just slide out the desired group of cards when called for (Act 1, Act 2, Act 3, Crew Members, Bosses etc) and your game can be set up and packed away in moments.

The larger cavities are moulded to securely hold all your playmats, rulebooks, scorepads, pencils, dice etc – and as you can see the full set of 4 crew playmats combine to create a pleasing image of the station. 

And best of all, just like the Collector’s Box for Escape the Dark Castle before it, this beauty is designed to fit perfectly into Kallax shelving:

We have organised our pledge levels and add-ons to allow every possible combination of rewards.

Please note that an additional shipping cost will be charged separately in Backerkit after the campaign. The shipping price will be based on your pledge level, location, and any add-ons you choose to include. See our Shipping section below for details. 

Level 1: £15.00

(RRP/MSRP £18.00)

Includes: 

• Your choice of Mission Pack 1, 2 OR 3

You’ll get to make your final selection in Backerkit after the campaign.

Level 2: £20.00

(RRP/MSRP £25.00) 

Includes: 

• The Collector’s Box only (including any applicable stretch goals)

Level 3: £45.00

(RRP/MSRP £54.00)

Includes: 

• Mission Pack 1: Twisted Tech
• Mission Pack 2: Mutant Syndrome
• Mission Pack 3: Quantum Rift

Level 4: £65.00

(RRP/MSRP £79.00)

Includes: 

• Mission Pack 1: Twisted Tech
• Mission Pack 2: Mutant Syndrome
• Mission Pack 3: Quantum Rift
• The Collector’s Box (including any applicable stretch goals)

Level 5: £95.00

(RRP/MSRP £114.00)

All in! Our top level pledge is ideal for newcomers to quickly get your collection up and running. 

Includes: 

• Mission Pack 1: Twisted Tech
• Mission Pack 2: Mutant Syndrome
• Mission Pack 3: Quantum Rift
• The Collector’s Box (including any applicable stretch goals)
• Escape the Dark Sector

Our £25k funding goal will cover the print run and some of the associated logistical costs of this ambitious campaign. But, if we are fortunate enough to exceed that goal we’d like to offer you the following freebies and upgrades:

(All stretch goal targets are in £ GBP)

At this level of funding, all backers will get the Escape the Dark Sector Original Soundtrack MP3 files to download free of charge. 

(Returning backers already have this – this is here to welcome our newcomers!)

At this level of funding, all backers will get the Mission Log short story collection PDF file to download free of charge. 

(Returning backers already have this on the way- this is here to welcome our newcomers!)

At this level of funding, all backers will get the Death in Deep Space book PDF file to download free of charge.  

(Returning backers already have this on the way- this is here to welcome our newcomers!)

At this level of funding we’d like to replace the Health Tracker cubes in the Collector’s Box with something more thematic: Metal ‘Galactic Alliance’ logo tokens perhaps…

The Collectors Box includes a ‘first player’ card to keep track of who is leading into each chapter. Given the chance, we’d like to upgrade this to a chunky, metal, ‘Acting Captain’ token. 

No space crew would be complete without an android. At this level of funding a new android member of the crew along with their crew die will be added to the 

contents of The Collector’s Box.

An app to track the health of crew members, replacing the medical records/health trackers with app featuring atmospheric sound and animation to compliment the tabletop experience. This will be free to all backers of this campaign, but may not deliver at the same time as the other items – we’re learned the hard way that software takes a LONG time to get right. You can check out what we’re doing with the Castle app here. 

We can dream. While the best way to experience Escape the Dark Sector will always be on the tabletop, we can’t deny the idea of making a digital version has massive appeal. This will be free to all backers if we reach this level of funding, but may not deliver at the same time as the other items in this campaign – we’ve learned the hard way that software takes a LONG time to get right. 

How does it work?

To include add-ons in your pledge, simply add-up the value of all the add-ons you want and then pledge that amount on top of the cost of your chosen pledge. At the end of the campaign you’ll be given access to our pledge manager, Backerkit, which allows you to see exactly how much you pledged, add more funds if you wish, and then browse the following items in your own time to select exactly which ones you want to get.

Important note:

Ordering add-ons may in some cases increase shipping costs beyond the estimates shown on the charts in our Shipping section. We’ll calculate your shipping total in Backerkit at the end of the campaign (based on the total weight of your order).

Important note: 

Many of the items in this section are already available for immediate shipping on our website (excluding bundles). If you order these items as add-ons they will ship with your pledge rewards when this campaign fulfils in 2021 so that everything arrives together. 

Add-ons for Escape the Dark Sector

Planning on getting a Level 4 or Level 5 pledge? Then why not grab this discounted accessories bundle to fill out your Collector’s Box…

Sector Accessories Bundle – £50.00

(RRP/MSRP £66.00) 

Includes: 

• Mission Playmat
• 4 x Crew Playmats
• 2 x Pack of Large Sleeves
• 2 x Pack of Small Sleeves
• Death in Deep Space book
• Mission Log book

In case you don’t have it yet, or in case you want more than one copy (a great gift idea!) , we’re offering additional copies of the main game for a discounted price 

(RRP/MSRP £34.99)

Luxurious card sleeves specially designed to protect your Escape the Dark Sector collection.

There are sleeves for both sizes of cards: A6 (large) and A8 (small). One pack of each is enough to completely sleeve the core game, and two packs of each is enough to sleeve everything.

Take your game to the next level of desirability with our beautifully illustrated neoprene playmats – transforming your play area into a computer terminal. Each mat serves one member of the crew, so you’ll want four of these if you intend to play with the maximum player count. 

There is a lot going on in the mission area during a game of Escape the Dark Sector. Add a bit of ‘mission control’ to your experience with this evocative playmat.

A soundtrack specially composed by Escape the Dark Castle co-designer and illustrator Alex Crispin to perfectly accompany gameplay, housed in a luxurious sleeve. A must for collectors, offered at a reduced price if ordered as an add-on (RRP/MSRP £19.99)

Prepare to immerse yourself even further into the Dark Sector with Mission Log – a collection of short fiction penned by published game-writer and co-designer of Escape the Dark Sector, Thomas Pike. Delve into the background stories of the crew and their ill-fated mission, and learn what little is known about the game’s vile adversaries.

Add a new narrative dimension to your games with Death in Deep Space, containing a contextual ‘death scene’ for every chapter card in the game capable of killing you, and of course for the bosses too.

No matter which chapter card finishes you off, you’ll be able to flip to the corresponding page and read all the gory details of your demise. What better way to end a game of Escape the Dark Sector?

These shirts are made with 100% organic cotton sourced via the Fair Wear Foundation and they are PETA approved Vegan, so you can feel good on the inside while you’re looking good on the outside. Offered at a reduced price if ordered as an add-on (RRP/MSRP £19.99)

If you choose to pledge for the Join the Crew add-on, our incredible game artist Alex Crispin will hand draw an exclusive crew portrait – of you!

How it works:

Pick the crew member you’d like to become, then submit a photo of yourself which meets our simple guidelines (we’ll send these out after the campaign). We do the rest. You’ll get two copies of the card – one to use and one to keep pristine or frame as a rare collectors item. The cards will be produced to full game specification, and will be fully playable when paired with the die of your chosen character.

Imagine the satisfaction when you Escape the Dark Sector personally!

Escape the Dark Castle Bundles

Missed out on Escape the Dark Castle? Catch up with these great value bundles…

Bundle A – £85.00

(RRP £100.00)

The full monty – perfect for those just starting out who want to get up right up to date. Includes the main game and all expansions released so far. 

Includes: 

• Escape the Dark Castle
• Adventure Pack 1: Cult of the Death Knight
• Adventure Pack 2: Scourge of the Undead Queen
• Adventure Pack 3: Blight of the Plague Lord
• The Collector’s Box
• The Kickstarter Upgrade Kit

Bundle B – £60.00

(RRP £70.00)

Already have the Escape the Dark Castle core game and thirsty for more adventure? This bundle includes all Castle expansions released so far. 

Includes:

• Adventure Pack 1: Cult of the Death Knight
• Adventure Pack 2: Scourge of the Undead Queen
• Adventure Pack 3: Blight of the Plague Lord
• The Collector’s Box
• The Kickstarter Upgrade Kit

Bundle C – £45.00

(RRP £56.00)

The complete accessories pack for Escape the Dark Castle. Pairs perfectly with Bundle A or Bundle B. Includes enough sleeves to cover all the cards released so far, playmats for a full compliment of 4 prisoners, and luxuriously embossed print editions of both books. 

Includes: 

• The Death Book
• Tales from the Dark
• A6 Clear Matte Sleeves x 2 packs
• A8 Clear Matte Sleeves x 2 packs
• Prisoner Playmats x 4

How does it work?

You can combine any number of these bundles if you wish. For example if you want to get absolutely everything from the ETDC range for a fantastic dicsount, you can add both Bundle A and Bundle C. 

And remember all of the items in these bundles are available to order individually as add-ons (listed below), allowing you to tailor your own combinations if you prefer –  including the much sought-after Become a Prisoner (which works the same way as Join the Crew described above). 

For more detail on any of these times, visit our website.

To make sure your game is delivered promptly and with expert care, we’ll once again be working with our expert fulfilment partners Quartermaster Logistics (for the USA and Canada) and Gamesquest (for the UK, Europe and Rest of World*),  both of whom have done us proud during previous campaigns.

We are EU, USA, CA and AU friendly, ensuring backers in these locations will pay no extra customs charges beyond the shipping cost itself**.

 *Unfortunately we do not ship to Brazil or Russia.

** For deliveries outside of these locations, check the rules and regulations on importing goods to your region before you pledge.

Shipping Charges

Shipping will be charged separately after the campaign in our pledge manager, Backerkit. 

The chart below shows an estimate of the shipping charges based on your chosen pledge level and your location. This charge is in addition to the cost of the pledge itself.

In this volatile world, please understand these prices are subject to change between now and our estimated delivery date of August 2021.

Please note: Ordering add-ons may increase your shipping charge above the estimates shown here. You final shipping total will be calculated in BackerKit after the campaign.

Themeborne is an independent design studio based in Norwich, England.  

Founded in 2016, we make immersive tabletop games with approachable rules and uncompromising artwork. 

Visit www.themeborne.com to learn more.

Are you a journalist or content creator? We’ve got assets for you here. We’ll be adding more as the campaign progresses, so check back regularly, and if you can’t find what you need please get in touch and we’ll see what we can do: contact@themeborne.com

If you have any questions you can reach us by email:

contact@themeborne.com

Alternatively, we’d love to hear from you via the following online platforms:

Themeborne website: https://www.themeborne.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themeborne

Twitter: https://twitter.com/themeborne

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themeborne

BoardGameGeek:  https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/280748/escape-dark-sector