Given the non-standard launch of Ashes Reborn through our new PDP system, there is the potential for confusion. Find answers to commonly asked questions below!

 

How do I upgrade my current Ashes collection to Ashes Reborn?

If you already have Ashes cards, all you need to do is subscribe to the Ashes Reborn Subscription. The first Ashes Reborn subscription release is the Ashes Reborn Upgrade Pack, which contains all of the cards that have been changed.

Once you have the Ashes Reborn Upgrade Pack your old collection is fully updated. From that point on, you’ll receive a new expansion every three months as long as you stay subscribed, and the cost will always be $29.95.

Will the Ashes Reborn Upgrade Pack be available outside of the Ashes Reborn Subscription?

Assuming that subscription numbers remain strong and production levels are reached, the Ashes Reborn Upgrade Pack and future expansions will be available at some point after subscriptions are fulfilled via the Plaid Hat Games Store and, likely, distribution channels outside of the United States.

Will every Ashes card eventually be changed and reprinted?

No! The only cards being changed and reprinted are those found in the Ashes Reborn Upgrade Pack. After that, it’s all new content.

Will the expansions be reprinted?

Yes! And when an expansion is reprinted, it will contain the updated Reborn version of any of its contents that were changed.

Can I subscribe to Ashes Reborn if I am outside of the United States?

Yes! We ship worldwide. Given that we are shipping product from the US, shipping will scale accordingly. You can estimate your cost during subscription checkout.

Note that the first release, the Ashes Reborn Upgrade Pack, will be the heaviest release, so it will carry the highest shipping cost. After the Upgrade Pack has shipped, the shipping cost on your subscription will automatically be lowered as appropriate for the lighter expansions.

Many international players are pooling their play-group into one subscription in order to have it all shipped together in one package, lowering shipping costs. The Ashes Online Facebook group is a good resource for this.

In addition, as long as subscription numbers remain healthy and production assured, Plaid Hat will be working with distributors to distribute product outside of the United States.

Will Ashes products be available through standard retail channels?

Retailers who wish to carry Ashes can reach out directly to Plaid Hat Games. Ashes products may go through traditional retail channels in the United States if subscriber numbers are strong enough, but those products will not reach retail shelves until ~3 months after their release through the subscription.

When will the first new Ashes product release?

Once the production threshold is reached, we estimate 3-5 months for the Ashes Reborn Upgrade Pack, and then every three months for a new expansion after that.

Will the art style be the same?

The game will continue with the art style and graphic design that made it so notable to begin with, and Isaac Vega is still doing the world building and art direction as he has from the start.

Will there be organized play for Ashes?

Organized Play will be pursued by Plaid Hat Games once production of Reborn is underway and stable.

I saw something about Ashes 1.5. Are 1.5 and Reborn the same thing?

Essentially, yes. Reborn is the new line of products that use the updated 1.5 ruleset. Everything moving forward will simply be referred to as Reborn.

We have amazing news to share. Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn, the well-loved expandable card game from Plaid Hat Games, is getting a second chance through a new variation of our Covenant Subscriptions service we’re calling the Player-Driven Production model.

The concept is simple. If enough people sign up for our Ashes 1.5 subscription, Plaid Hat will reboot the game – starting with an Ashes 1.5 Upgrade Pack ($29.95) that contains rebalanced and streamlined reprints of ~30% of the Ashes 1.0 card pool – and new expansions will continue to be produced every three months as long as there are enough subscribers to meet the production threshold.

If you would like to see Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn return, sign up for our Ashes 1.5 Reborn Subscription!

We interviewed Colby Dauch (CEO of Plaid Hat) at GAMA this year where he spoke about the concept of a “minimum viable audience,” and our off-camera discussions quickly shifted to Ashes as a perfect example of this idea.

An expandable card game from a smaller publisher doesn’t have the volume needed for the traditional three-tier system and demands shelf space from retailers. Similarly, a game with smaller, affordable expansions make expandable games a bad fit for Kickstarter. That’s why these games so often never get made or get lost in the noise after their initial hype dies down.

Instead of accepting that fate, we’ve partnered with Plaid Hat to pioneer this new Player-Driven Production subscription model and to give dedicated fans – assuming there are enough of us – the ability to make Ashes 1.5 a reality.

The only way this happens is if at least 1,000 subscribers are onboard via the Ashes 1.5 Reborn Subscription. One subscription with a quantity of 20 does count as 20 toward the goal of 1000.

Given the unique and impressive art and personas in the game (thanks Fernanda!), how encouraging Nick Conley’s 1.5 development approach has been, and how highly we rate the game, we think that goal is absolutely in reach.

You can find out more via Plaid Hat’s press release and our live stream announcement (it’s probably stil processing), and we hope it goes without saying that all of us at Covenant, as well as the team at Plaid Hat, would love to have you as a part of this new Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn community.

As a little proof that this project has been actively in development for months, take a peek at the pending Ashes 1.5 Upgrade Pack design! It isn’t final, but it should provide an idea of what to expect.

We’re only able to do something like this because of the amazing support from our customers, viewers, and supporters over the years. We can’t thank you enough for being a part of Covenant. Some of you have been following us for over a decade, and we hope that our trajectory is in line with your expectations.

Now, let’s go get Ashes back.