Dying Hard on Hardlight Station: Anthology Edition

May Update: Pledge Manager… with a Vengeance!
2 days ago – Wed, Apr 29, 2026 at 04:30:07 PM

Hi everyone,

Big news: the BackerKit Pledge Manager for Dying Hard on Hardlight Station: Anthology Edition is opening this week. The initial Smoke Test will go out tonight to 5% of backers to make sure everything is set up correctly. If all is well, I will send the remainder of the surveys tomorrow. Once they arrive, please complete your survey as soon as possible to lock in your rewards, confirm your details, and grab your first round of digital rewards.

In this update I will walk through the steps to make sure you get everything you ordered, along with answers to some common questions.

First Things First: What You Need to Do

When you receive your survey email, click the link and:

• Confirm your reward selection
• Provide your shipping information
• Add any add-ons you would like
• Access your available digital downloads

You do not need to create a BackerKit account to complete your survey. Simply follow the link in the email and fill out the required information.

After submitting your survey, you can return and make changes at any time before surveys close and final counts are locked in.

If you do not receive your survey email, check your spam or junk folder first.

Your Digital Downloads Are Ready

A few days after surveys go out, likely Friday, I will begin distributing the first round of digital rewards for the campaign. These will be delivered through BackerKit, including:

• Hardlight Anthology Adventure Preview (Backer Exclusive)
• NCID Fleet Guide Pamphlet (for first 48-hour backers)
• All PDFs for any add-ons or back catalog adventures you selected, including titles like Awaiting the Burning Gods, Nirvana on Fire, and The Cleaning of Prison Station Echo

Still to come for all backers:

• The complete Anthology with all station and sector locations
• The stretch goal Fleet Guide additions

New Add-On: Physical Fleet Guide Zine

One new item you will see in the add-on section is a physical zine edition of the NCID Fleet Guide. This version will collect all of the unlocked stretch goal ships, expansions, and bonus tables into a single printed package, along with a few extra surprises to round things out. If you are excited for the digital pamphlets unlocked during the campaign and would like a physical copy to bring to the table, this is the way to do it. 

Even better, this physical version is significantly discounted for campaign backers, so if you want one, now is the best time to grab it.

A Note on Pay Over Time

Quick reminder for anyone using Kickstarter’s Pay Over Time option:

Backers who selected Pay Over Time will receive their survey and access to digital downloads once their final payment has been completed.

If a payment fails in Kickstarter, the pledge may be temporarily marked as dropped. In that case, you will still receive a BackerKit survey where you can complete payment and restore your rewards. So no worries, just reach out if anything goes wrong.

What About Shipping Fees?

Since shipping rates fluctuate, shipping will be charged closer to fulfillment. I will post an update ahead of time so everyone has clear notice before any charges are processed. In the meantime, I will do everything I can to keep rates reasonable and within expectations set out on the campaign page.

The Pre-Order Store Is Open

If you are reading this but missed the campaign, or know someone who did, the pre-order store is now live.

Late backers can still jump aboard, and existing backers can share the link with friends who want to join the crew. The pre-order store will remain open until orders close and production begins.

That is all for this update. Keep an eye on your inbox (and don't forget to check the junk folder) for your survey, and get ready to download a whole bunch of adventures.

Until next month,

Dave

WE DID IT! Hardlight is back… with a Vengeance!
28 days ago – Fri, Apr 03, 2026 at 08:37:58 PM

Hi everyone,

Let me just take a minute to say… 

WOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!

We did it!!! 

Thank you so much for being part of this record-breaking campaign. Personal records, but still ;-). This was a hell of a ride, and my favourite part was the good vibes and positive buzz I saw in the comments and across social media while it was all happening. I am truly thankful to have such a fun and supportive community built around my adventures.

Also, congratulations on unlocking the audio logs in the literal final minutes. That was a close call, but I am pumped that Golden, myself, and a few talented friends will get to return to the mics to create a whole slew of new audio aids to augment your Hardlight playthroughs and make the sector just a little more real and horrifying for your players.

What’s Next

More details on each of these milestones will come as we reach them, but in the coming weeks you can expect:

One to Two Weeks

The Pledge Manager opens. You will be able to confirm your address, add any add-ons you may want, and pick up the Hardlight Anthology Adventure Preview PDF.

The Late Pledge store will also open at this time for anyone who just missed takeoff.

Next Steps

Once the Pledge Manager is underway, I will get to work on the station section, with finishing touches coming in over the next few months. The goal is to complete the draft by the end of June and send it to Jarrett for editing.

I will continue to update you on progress and developments along the way. Expect monthly behind-the-scenes check-in as things move forward.

On your end, if you bring the adventures to the table, share your stories. I would love to hear how things go. I will also likely create a typo-catcher and feedback document for the keen-eyed among you who want to report any errors you spot. This is always helpful, since you can catch things that I, Jarrett, and my other proofreaders (my wife - though she is good) might miss before we go to print.

That is all for this short and sweet update. Time to celebrate, everyone. So get out there, get comfy, and heck, play some Mothership!

All the best, and with enormous gratitude,

Dave

Week 4: Rapidly Approaching the Final 48 Hours
about 1 month ago – Mon, Mar 30, 2026 at 09:48:14 PM

Warning, warning, massive event horizon approaching. The final 48 hours of the Dying Hard on Hardlight Station: Anthology Edition campaign are almost here.

Unbelievably, we are nearly at the finish line, and what a long way we have come since leaving our home port at the start of the month. With over a hundred new crewmembers since the last update, I am confident we will crack that 2,000 backer goal in the next one. So today, let me dig into a little more of what is coming.

Fleet Guide Cross Collab

I am excited to announce that for our next round of ships we will have another guest collaboration, this time with two familiar faces: Chris Airiau and Josh Domanski, who will be contributing a series of shuttlecraft for your crews to escape sticky situations, make rough landings planetside, or simply go for a pleasure cruise around the Hardlight Sector.

They will be pulling inspiration from their new adventure Paramour, launching in less than two days for Orbital Blues Month on BackerKit. A moody heist module set in the rundown remnants of an outlaw city. If the contents of Paramour live up to its fantastic, evocative cover art, I am in. I will be there on day one to check out the big reveal, and you can join me by signing up here.

Backer Exclusive Adventure Collection Update

Speaking of exciting things happening in the coming weeks, I thought I would chime in with an update about the exclusive backer adventure PDF you will all be receiving after the campaign closes.

More details to come, but in short, once the pledge manager opens to collect your addresses and confirm your backer info, you will have access to the Backer Exclusive Hardlight Anthology Adventure Collection.

I have been working behind the scenes with Vil and Golden to get everything ready, and I am excited to share that every art piece for the ten included adventures should be ready for launch, so you can see the full technicolour vision of the alien worlds, abandoned hulks, and corporate hideouts we have in store for you.

Furthermore, Golden informs me that the PDF itself will come in at over 180 pages, including:

• All ten adventures (other than the rewritten version of the original Hardlight Station, coming later this year)
• The pre-campaign preview content
• The new Interstellar Opportunities Temp Agency (IOTA)

I designed IOTA as an easy framework to get your crews playing through the many adventures the book has to offer in a fun, easy to manage, campaign you can dive into with little preamble. Crews head over to the Agency, sign up as contractors, and gain access to increasingly challenging and lucrative jobs as they complete missions and gain clout and experience.

Just a few short weeks after the campaign closes, the pledge manager will launch and the eager among you can get playing now without having to wait for the hardcovers to hit the printer. That means your crew could be running Hardlight just weeks from now.

Next Stop: Final 48 Hours

That is all for this update. Do not forget to keep spreading the word and building excitement as we fall into the gravity well of the final 48 hours. Here is to cracking 2,000 backers and beyond.

See you on the other side,

Dave

Hardlight Anthology Week 3 Update: Unlocking, and Never Stopping
about 1 month ago – Fri, Mar 20, 2026 at 03:02:16 PM

With week 3 nearly dusted, we are approaching the final leg of the campaign, and man oh man we've come a long way. Let's dive in to see where we've been and where we are heading in the home stretch. 

200K GOAL REACHED!

Unbelievably, we've surpassed the 200k mark, not only making Dying Hard on Hardlight Station: Anthology Edition Magnum Galaxy's biggest project ever but also the Mothership 3rd party scene's second most funded project behind the excellent Hull Breach. That is amazing and I couldn't have done it without you all so thanks for making history with me. And! WE ARE STILL GOING! 

So what do we get for hitting that big 200K milestone? 

The Record Keeper: Ribbon Book Mark Unlocked! 

Produced by Panda from high quality materials and modern methods, every copy of the Hardlight Anthology will now include both durable, functional and aesthetically awesome smyth-sewn bindings, as well as a built in cloth ribbon book mark to keep your exact page at the table or between reading sessions at home.

Now I just need to decide what colour to make the ribbon and cloth binding. What are your thoughts? Since people loved engaging with last week's poll so much, I'll suggest a few colours and you can vote for your favourite. 

Speaking of Polls... 

Nightmare on Somerset is the winner of the "most excited for" adventure poll from last week. 

I'm not at all biased I swear, but I am stoked so many of you are excited for my daylight-horror depth crawl: Nightmare on Somerset. I really enjoyed writing and playtesting this one, and love that I got to bring in some of my major inspirations, including big doses of Alex Garland's Annihilation, and Emmy Allen's seminal Gardens of Ynn. There's also a little DNA from the horrific film Midsommar as well as the Lovecraftian classic At the Mountains of Madness. Plus, Nightmare on Somerset is one of the handful of anthology adventures featuring otherworldly alien intelligences and creatures. 

So, this is where we've been. Now you may be asking: "What's Next?"

New Stretch Goal: Expanding the Fleet Pt. 2

Keen eyed observers may have already noticed, but I'm adding on one more Fleet Guide PDF with two additional ships. And, since people have been asking, I am planning to make physical copies of the pamphlets available as post campaign add-ons. I'm thinking $5 if you want the print version of each as I'd love to make it an easy add for those interested. 

Also, since we are late in the game here, I will admit to having one last big thing planned for the Fleet Guide should the campaign really knock it out of the park between now and our final hours. But! Let's make sure we crack that 2000 backer number first and see where we land shall we? 

Alright, that wraps this week's update. Thanks for following along thus far and here's to a strong finish. As always, questions, comments, pure expressions of excitement? Leave them in the comments and I'll get back to you asap. 

See you next week, 

Dave

Friday Update: 190k and Rising!
about 2 months ago – Fri, Mar 13, 2026 at 06:57:13 AM

Yippee-ki-yay, Mothershippers,

We’re rolling into our second weekend and I couldn’t be happier with the amazing progress we’ve made. At $190k, this is Magnum Galaxy Games’ most funded project ever by a long shot, and we’re not even halfway through the campaign!

Thank You!

We’ve had a ton of great support along the way, and I’d like to take a moment to thank all of you who have joined the ride so far and shared this campaign with friends and in your communities to help spread it far and wide

I’d also like to thank Sean and Alan at Tuesday Knight Games for featuring us in their latest newsletter, and Egg Embry over at EN World for including the campaign in the latest EN World crowdfunding roundup. It’s awesome to see this project finding homes with stalwarts like EN World as well as newer communities.

Stretch Goals: Past, Present... and Future?!

With the wind at our backs, we are rapidly approaching the $200k mark where we unlock the ribbon bookmark, the third of our book upgrades, and boosting every copy of the Anthology from deluxe to premium.

And we aren’t done yet. Because out there, at the dark edge of the horizon, something looms. Something huge, grand, and terrifying. An old enemy, or ancient friend, ready to resurface, bigger, louder, more horrific, and more... immersive than ever before.

Adventure Collection PDF Poll

I also want to remind everyone who has backed so far that when the Pledge Manager opens shortly after the campaign closes, all ten original adventures will be available to download.

Vil is currently wrapping art for Chris Airiau’s warzone extraction mission “Perihelion Crossfire” before moving on to the final adventure to be illustrated: Haig Morrison’s catch-’em-all interplanetary scavenger hunt “The Planets of Dr. Gennero.”

With the adventures arriving in just a few short weeks, tell me: Which one are you most excited about?Share your thoughts in the poll below!
 

That’s all for this week. If you have been following along but have not backed yet, now is a great time to jump and help us crack 200k before the weekend is out. For those of you already aboard, don’t forget to share the campaign on your favourite social media channels to spread the word and push us toward the next milestone.

Wishing you all a happy Friday and a wonderful weekend,

Dave Kenny
Magnum Galaxy Games

PS. If you want to check out a great Mothership podcast, with a little conversation about this very project from two of its writers, head over to the latest episode of Ansible Uplink, where Chris Airiau and Reece Carter review the Mothership adventures, On Axionic Wings, and fan favourite, There is a Goblin Loose on Icarus Station and chat a little Hardlight along the way.