#7🔓 Timeless Sentry & Sarship tray unlocked - 🔒 Adversary Tray - 🛋️ between mission activities
over 1 year ago
– Tue, Jul 04, 2023 at 01:57:20 AM
Hello Space Adventurers 🚀
How are you doing today?
We've enjoyed chatting in the Comments section over the last few days, but now it's time for a new Update.
Today we're celebrating the unlocking of 2 Stretch Goals! Congratulations on all your prolific support over the last few days 🎉
🔓Timeless Sentry
The 3rd member of the Timeless Trio is now unlocked and joins the fray with its 2 acolytes!
Coming with its own standee & 2 Description cards, you’ll face the dreadful Timeless team across multiple scenarios along the main campaign.
Will you be up to the challenge?
🔓Starship Gametrayz
Along the way into deep space, you managed to get your hands on a fancy gametrayz tray for your starship.
Designed by the famous gametrayz company, this new feature allows you to hold any ship component required for “between mission” activies.
It will also store every starship related components in a safe & functionnal way when tearing down your game between 2 play sessions.
That’s even more practicality for the Deluxe Edition of the game.
🔒 A new Gametrayz solution for Adversaries
While players' heroes have been enjoying a treat since the start of the campaign in terms of optimising their playing area and tidying up their items, their opponents are starting to envy them!
By reaching the next goal of 💰$120k CAD, you'll unlock a new tray specially designed for organising your opponents' cards during confrontations, as well as storing them once your encounters are over.
With so many optimised storage solution, your Deluxe Edition is going to rise to a new level of prestige!
🛋️ Between mission activities
While the main focus of Phantom Epoch is certainly the missions you'll be embarking on, there is plenty you can do between missions to better prepare yourself for the challenges to come.
Learn more, with the following presentation, which activities will be available at the start of the campaign.
🛒 Browsing Different Planets' Wares
In Phantom Epoch, the previous mission's planet determines where you'll be shopping for equipment. Berkav, Orbos, and Thespara, the main planets of our galaxy, each offer unique equipment varieties based on your team's fame on that planet. As would be expected when shopping on completely different planets, the nature of the equipment is also planet-specific.
Equipment from Berkav typically focuses on getting revenge on anyone that dares attack you.
Orbos, on the other hand, focuses on defense, offering armor that can improve your team's durability.
Thespara takes a different approach, providing utility-based equipment, granting your team versatility in their tactics.
🌐 We're going on an adventure expedition!
Between missions, your team has the opportunity to partake in expeditions, designed to deepen your connection with the universe's lore, offer potential rewards, and involve engaging decision-making scenarios. Each planet has its own expedition deck with unique expeditions. After a mission, you may draw an expedition from the deck corresponding to the planet the previous mission took place on.
Expeditions might require collective team choices or individual decisions from each character, resulting in varied outcomes. We've aimed to design these decisions to not favor "right" or "wrong" paths but to acknowledge each choice as a valid option that shifts your team's trajectory.
🎲 Taking the thrill up a notch, many of these decisions also incorporate a dice roll mechanic where players decide which dice to roll after viewing potential rewards.
🎰 Do you play it safe? Or push your luck for a better reward? This mechanic injects the "push-your-luck" element from mission gameplay into expeditions.
🚀 The Phantom Epoch & so much more
The Phantom Epoch isn't just a hub between missions - it's a place to augment your team.
🦾 With upgrades available for your onboard laboratory, surgical room, and workshop, there are plenty of opportunities to boost your characters, innovate new items, and even unlock new dice.
Moreover, these upgrades also allow you to modify the event deck used in missions. This strategic element adds an extra layer of depth, letting you shape your team's future challenges and rewards.
🤫 We won’t say much more in order not to spoil too much of each surprise in store.
We hope this glimpse on how your heroes will occupy their “free” time inbetween missions has teased you enough! Let us read in the comments what you think you’ll discover during these short rest periods?
💬 4th ATA
A new update comes with a new round of questions!
With this “Ask Tyson Anything”, the author of Phantom Epoch wished to cover 2 questions.
Here they are :
Question 1: ”To me there are two sides of the game that have a bit of a thematic disconnect. Most of the game has a clear fantasy theme if you ask me. But a few components have a distinct sci-fi look, like the ship, the orbs, the nova cells and the one eyed flying guy. (This is not a complaint, since it is obviously intentional, just a question:-)
Is this something you would like to talk more about?“
Tyson replies :”The state of the galaxy at the outset of our campaign is indeed peculiar.
The only known spacefaring species, now referred to as the Vanished, disappeared thousands of years ago. They left behind mere fragments of their advanced technology. No known starships were left behind.
The galaxy's remaining inhabitants, possessing a much more primitive level of technology, battled over these remnants of the Vanished's advanced technology. They were able to use these remnants to crudely enhance their own weapons and tools, yet they could never replicate the technology itself.
At the beginning of the campaign, the players' characters originate from these more primitive worlds. This is why the starting classes have a fantasy theme to them. These characters find themselves at the helm of a Vanished starship, something they had believed didn't exist anymore. They are charged with retracing the steps of the Vanished, uncovering their secrets, and immersing themselves in the Vanished's advanced knowledge and technology.
What happened to the Vanished? Why, after thousands of years of effort, have the people of the galaxy been unable to replicate their technology? Why do the players suddenly have this unique opportunity? These are all questions that will be answered during the course of the game's campaign.”
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Question 2:
“Without giving away any spoilers, what kind of potential future might there be for PE?
Would the game support future expansions, such as additional planets and stories? Or is this more of a one and done project?”
**Tyson replies: *”*There absolutely is room for future expansions, and we never wanted this to be a one and done project.
While the vast majority of our time and energy has been focused on making Phantom Epoch great, every step of the way we've had an eye towards the future and what comes next.
We've been building out more of the game universe than will be shown in the core game, thinking about new gameplay mechanics that could be seamlessly integrated through subsequent expansions, and making sure the core gameplay mechanics are flexible enough to accommodate new elements without becoming obsolete or restrictive.
In short, we're not just focusing on the game we're making right now, but we're also keeping our eyes on the horizon. While we're excited about what we have to offer now, we're equally excited about the potentials that lie ahead.
Thanks to all of you funding Phantom Epoch, you've made not just this core game possible, but much more in the future. Thank you for your support!”
We are reaching on Phantom Epoch's campaign last week and we have a couple surprises up our sleeves left to reveal. We hope you'll be as impatient to discover them as we are of revealing them out!
Have a great day, Space adventurers 🚀
#6🔓Timeless Berserker -🔒Timeless Sentry - ⚙️Game mechanic focus - 💬3rd ATA
over 1 year ago
– Wed, Jun 28, 2023 at 08:31:53 AM
Hello Space Adventurers 🚀
In this update, we'll be talking about the latest Stretch Goal, which you've smashed (as usual), and the new one coming up. We'll also focus on some of the game's mechanics: the AP System, which will define your heroes' turns, and a presentation of the secret upgrade concept for your ship: the Phantom Epoch.
Without further delay, discover the full program of this update!
🔓Timeless Berserker
You've unlocked the Timeless Berserker by reaching the $100k CAD goal - congratulations🥳 You can be sure that this opponent will return the blows when you confront him.
🔒Timeless Sentry
The Timeless Sentry makes its appearance. This 3rd adversary of the Timeless Trio leaves no doubt as to its role in the team: protecting its allies with its enormous bulwark and pre-emptive mid-ranged attacks with its spear!
You'll complete the Trio by reaching the $105k CAD goal... just a little more effort and you're almost there!
This team seems perfectly set up to test your nerves during your many confrontations with them, spread over several scenarios.
☠️ Which one do you fear the most?
⚙️Focus on the game mechanics
Some of you have asked for more details on the use of character cards during a mission: the AP system, as well as the the concept of secret upgrades on your ship: the Phantom Epoch.
We’ll then give you more details on these 2 major aspects of the game.
🎴The AP System :
AP stands for Action Points, a value defining your initiative in the upcoming encounter’s round.
This system is rather unique and a key feature of Phantom Epoch. It will ask for players to do difficult choices while planning their future actions.
At the start of every round, players simultaneously choose which Action cards they're going to play during the upcoming round.
They can choose as few or as many Action cards as they want, provided the sum of the cards' AP is equal to or less than the character's maximum AP.
The character's maximum AP is initially determined by their selected species, but can be modified in various ways as the campaign progresses.
After all players have selected their Action cards, they reveal them simultaneously, then draw cards for the adversaries: one for the adversary's species, and one for its class. Like Character Action cards, Adversary Action cards have AP values on them (the numbers in white below).
Initiative
Turn order for the round, or Initiative, is then determined by the sum of the AP of each figure's selected Action cards. For adversaries, this is the sum of the AP on their Species card and the AP on their Class card action that corresponds with their base color.
The round is then played with each figure taking one turn, starting from lowest initiative to highest, with all selected Action cards being played during the figure's turn.
AP Strategies
With this AP system, players need to carefully consider their options and make strategic decisions each round. Do you play it safe with a low AP cost card, or take a risk with multiple cards with a higher AP cost that could potentially give you a bigger payoff?
The key to success in Phantom Epoch is finding the right balance between risk and reward. You need to be mindful of your character's abilities and equipment, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the adversaries you're facing. A well-timed use of a special ability, equipment, or attachment could make all the difference in a tough battle.
🚀Ship secret upgrades
⚠️The following may contains light spoilers! Read at your own risks⚠️
Presenting this important and exciting concept of the game, while at the same time retaining the secrecy that is its very essence, is quite complicated.
We won't go much into the details of what you'll unlock or the things you'll encounter as you upgrade your ship's rooms.
We will, however, tease out what it's all about.
When the players first start the campaign, their starship, the Phantom Epoch, is in rough shape. Every room in it has been destroyed. It can fly, but not a whole lot else.
By following the Vanished footsteps, on the course of their adventure, player’s will find assets that could help them repairing some damaged elements to restore the Phantom Epoch’s rooms to their former glory.
That’s 4 rooms in total bringing each brand new mechanics, scenario plots & events for you to discover. The task might feel harsh, but the rewards are great!
In the Deluxe version of the game, the ship board comes as a dual layer one.
Its top layer displays the destroyed rooms, with checkboxes indicating what's required to repair each one of them.
Once all requirements of a room are met, players will remove this room’s top layer from the board to reveal the fully repaired room beneath, displaying new instructions on what was unlocked and how to use this new area.
Some secrets unveiled by repairing the Phantom Epoch include new items, new events, and so much more for you to discover!
Thanks for keeping on supporting us by following, sharing and subscribing to our various medias.
Though many of you played along, we gave our targets some thoughts and considered we might have been a bit too greedy on them.
We would really love for our supporting backers to benefit from these Extra PnP (and digitalized) missions for Phantom Epoch.
Sooooooo … we decided to lower our Community goals a bit.
NO that ain’t cheating, that’s called adaptation! And the result of it is that you can benefit from 2 extra missions more easily. Since when don’t backers like fancy gifts ?
Here are the new Community Goals Target
This means we are now 97 subscribers away from the BGG special PNP mission, so Click that Button !
Remember you have to subscribe to the game page and not simply clik on the “like” button (which is also greatly appreciated of course)
You are also 50 members away from the Discord extra PNP Mission! By joining Phantom Epoch’s Discord server, you’ll join a community of passionate players and have the opportunity to talk directly with Tyson,the game’s author.
Is there a better way to have your question featured in our next ATA ?!
Though the Facebook & Instagram extra mission has already been unlocked, liking them will help the campaign page shine even brighter and attract more backers, lost in the deep & dark space!
💬3rd ATA
For this third “Ask Tyson Anything”, we stumbled upon a very interesting question which we really wanted to share with you all.
“I've been thinking of different class combos to try. Warrior/healer seems the safest, but also the most cookie-cutter. Does the game require a high-hp "tank" and/or a healer? Or are all all class combos effective in different ways? Would a ranger/arsonist work, for example, or would that be like playing on hard difficulty?”
Tyson’s reply:
“Extensive playtesting has shown that different combinations rarely affect win/loss rates.
In the example you gave, a defensively focused warrior/healer combo does have a lot of survivability, but they also take longer to defeat adversaries, so the adversaries end up getting more attacks in that the characters need to be able to survive (just a quick sidenote here that warriors don't have to be defensively focused, so even within class combinations there can be different approaches). Whereas a ranger/arsonist combo in general is going to be able to survive far less hits against them, but they have the potential to take out the adversaries faster, so they don't need to be able to survive as many hits.
I would absolutely strongly recommend just playing the characters that you think sound the most fun, rather than worrying about what sounds like a perfect combo, as they all can be effective in different ways.”
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That concludes this update. Thank you all for following us, for sharing your thoughts about the game on Kickstarter or Discord, and for your unfailing support for this adventure!
You really are Space Adventurers 🚀
#5🔓 Timeless Archer - 🔒Timeless Berserker - 🥇 Kicktraq Hotness - 💬2nd ATA
over 1 year ago
– Sat, Jun 24, 2023 at 12:40:43 PM
Hello Space Adventurers 🚀
I hope you're all enjoying the fine summer weather!
The cruising speed of our interstellar voyage continues at a leisurely pace, as is customary after 10 days of a crowdfunding campaign.
Nevertheless, your support, combined with that of the new backers in this campaign, has enabled us to unlock a new Stretch Goal: the Timeless Archer.
🔓 Timeless Archer
This impressive trio's first opponent is the Timeless archer. Watch out for his fearsome ranged attacks.
⌛Who are the Timeless, you might ask ?
The Timeless are a complex and enigmatic adversary. They appear to be a blend of flesh and machine, part organic and part synthetic, which hints at an unknown origin and advanced technology. Their appearances borrow elements from familiar species but are distorted in ways that make them seem alien and unsettling.
These adversaries first make their appearance in the depths of space, fostering many questions about their origins, goals, and reasons for hostility. Their designs vary, with some resembling known species like Slinks or Humans, adding to the intrigue and mystery surrounding them.
The unique nature of the Timeless introduces a compelling layer of narrative depth and strategic challenge to the game, as players must learn their behaviors, weaknesses, and strengths while delving deeper into their background to unravel their story.
🔒Timeless Berserker
In order to protect his ally attacking from afar, the Berserker rushes towards you and prepares to throw fists ... or rather claws, at your Heroes.
By reaching the $100k CAD goal, you'll unlock the second member of this Timeless Trio.
This Stretch Goal will enrich the Standard and Deluxe boxes with a new Standee featuring this opponent, as well as its 2 Description cards.
We look forward to reading your speculations on the archetype of the 3rd Timeless fighter that will be revealed once the Berserker is unlocked!
Let your imagination run wild!
🥇 Kicktraq Hotness Challenge
Many of you have asked us in comments how to keep supporting Phantom Epoch once you've pledged one of the campaign's rewards.
As we explained in our previous update, you can share the campaign page. You can also like/follow/subscribe on the Facebook, Instagram, BGG pages and Discord to give our campaign even more exposure.
🥳Oh by the way, Congratulations on reaching the first Community Goal with Facebook / Insta follows! That's a first extra print & play mission for you all! It will be accessible in the digital mission book too!
There's another way to raise the profile of our campaign: Hotness on Kicktraq.com
🌐By visiting our campaign page via the Kicktraq website and sharing it on your social networks, you're helping to move our project up the Hotness list 🔥
As a thank you for your daily support, we've decided to offer you a new kind of challenge :
For the rest of this campaign, every week Phantom Epoch reaches Rank #1 on the Hotness, we'll add an extra print & play mission to the game (also available in the Digital Mission Book)!
That's potentially up to 3 new missions 🎯 for you all.
💬Ask Tyson Anything #2
For this second part of our : “Ask Tyson Anything” concept, we received a question related to dice mitigation & precisions on how to retry a failed mission.
Question:
“Is there dice mitigation in the game at all? Also, I can see that if you fail a mission you can try again. If you are stuck on a particularly tough mission then is there anything you can do to improve your chances, for example going off and doing something else to build up your characters a bit, or perhaps returning to the ship and setting up a different party with different skills and equipment?”
Answer: ”Yes to dice mitigation! This includes equipment that helps on the defensive side (negating enemy critical strikes against you, for example), and weapon attachments on the offensive side (allowing you to continue attacking if you roll a fumble, for example). Many classes also have access to action cards that help manipulate the dice results (the ranger has an action card that when played in conjunction with an attack causes fumbles on that attack to count as critical strikes, for example). These are just a few examples of what's available.
Usually you'll have 2-4 missions available to you at any given time, so if one is proving particularly challenging, you can definitely go do another, or multiple others, to build up your characters before trying the challenging one again. And yes, you can swap characters in and out during the campaign to try different combinations for sure. Equipment is freely tradable between characters as well, so when you swap a new character in, you don't have to start completely from scratch.”
Thanks everyone for following these updates and supporting our campaign. We hope you’ll help us bring Phantom Epoch first on the Kicktraq Hotness, and way past our next Stretch Goal ! See you soon, Space Adventurers 🚀
#4🔓 Trained Lypran & more Gametrayz Unlocked - 🔒The Timeless Triad - 💬1st ATA !
over 1 year ago
– Tue, Jun 20, 2023 at 09:32:16 AM
Hello Space Adventurers 🚀
What a pleasure to have you back in this new update! I hope you've had a great Weekend, as summer approaches!
There's a lot of news to cover in this update, so let's find out without further delay what new surprises Phantom Epoch has in store for you! 👀
🔓 Trained Lypran & more Gametrayz Unlocked
👽The alien threat from the treetops now joins all Standard and Deluxe rewards of Phantom Epoch! Remember to look up to the sky if you don't want to be caught out by these agile creatures.
🎲But that's not all, as in the meantime you've unlocked a second Stretch Goal: a new Gametrayz insert with a lid that lets you neatly store all the game's Resource, Condition and Map tokens! Thanks to this, it'll be much easier to install📤 and store📥 your game between two play sessions!
We're sincerely delighted to see new backers joining the campaign and unlocking so many Stretch Goals. Keep up the pace 🚄
🔒The Timeless Trio
Phantom Epoch's universe is full of mysteries 🤐 ... and threats 😈, as you already know.
The upcoming trio of Stretch Goals heralds some fearsome showdowns. Despite their deceptive name, every moment counts with them – the clock is ticking 🕑
The Timeless Archer is a new adversary as vicious as he is deadly. He masters a ranged technology you've never seen before. You'll learn how to protect yourself against it as you discover, at your own expense, the incredible abilities it conceals!
🔒This new Stretch Goal unlocked from $95k CAD brings to the Standard and Deluxe rewards: 1 new Standee, 2 Description cards and 10 Timeless Action cards.
If I've tipped you off by mentioning “Trio”, you can imagine that he might not come to battle on his own!
📈How are Community Goals progressing today ?
You are only 44 follows on Instagram & FaceBook away from unlocking your first Community Goal, adding one extra mission to the game !
With no more than 267 new members on the Phantom Epoch Discord’s channel, you’ll unlock a second extra mission.
The BGG page of the game does require a bit more subscribers in order to unlock this 3rd mission for free & for every backer of the campaign !
Keep on sharing, space adventurers 🚀 as you are so close to making the infinity of space even bigger🌌
💬Ask Tyson Anything #1
Welcome to the first edition of our new concept: 💬Ask Tyson Anything, where any backer can ask for more details on the game lore & development, or on the author himself.
Tyson has chosen a very interesting and pertinent question he was asked in the Kickstarter's comments to shed a little more light on it 💡
Thanks to "Mathias Jilken" for asking us this question:
“Considering how open the character creation is what can we expect in the form of backstories and just general fleshing out of the lore? I am hoping for an interesting story arch with that menacing threat in the background but I also want some character progression. Can you elaborate a bit on your ideas and thoughts on storytelling in the game?“
Tyson’s Reply :
“This is a really great question, and one that I (Tyson) grappled with and went back and forth on quite a bit during the early stages of development. Given that character creation is an important part of the game, rather than having pre-made characters, I wanted players to be able to fill in their backstory, much like in a TTRPG. The early iterations of the character sheet even included space for this. But the struggle with that, especially with a new IP in the board game space, is enabling people to jump right into the game without needing more than the briefest overview of the lore in the world of Phantom Epoch. This makes it challenging for players to create their characters' backstories when they aren't yet familiar with the world.
In the end, I settled on giving each character class the skeleton of a backstory, presented on the back of the class board. Here's a snippet from the Rogue's, for example:
"The Phantom Epoch's Rogue was selected shortly after a successful heist that would have seen them set up for life. Embarking on a heroic mission is really not their style, but how are they going to enjoy their riches if the galaxy is wiped out? Besides, people are idiots, and the job is only going to get done if the Rogue does it themself."
Players will become familiar with the lore of Phantom Epoch while playing, directly through the missions they engage in, and also through the expeditions they undertake between missions. Players draw from a different expedition deck depending on the last planet where they played a mission. These expeditions serve several purposes, but possibly the most significant one is to flesh out the galaxy. Much like expeditions/events in other games, players face a decision during each expedition; however, unlike other games (that I'm aware of), many of these will be resolved on an individual character basis, rather than by the entire group. As such, characters won't be forced into doing something that's out of character for them but in-character for another member of the group.
As players familiarize themselves with the lore of Phantom Epoch while playing through the campaign, my hope is that they will flesh out their classes' skeleton of a backstory themselves. I want their characters to truly feel like their own and to become attached to them, much as they would when playing a TTRPG.
Without giving away spoilers, I'll also mention that players will make choices throughout the campaign that reflect the nature of their characters and will impact the galaxy as a whole. They will also make some discoveries directly related to their characters' backgrounds.
Sorry for the long-winded answer, but I hope it answers your question! If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask!”
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That wraps it up for today’s update!
Be sure that we will meet again soon as your enthusiasm at seeing the game enriched with further & more Stretch Goals seems insatiable ❤️
Have a great day ahead and see you soon, Space Adventurers 🚀
🔓 GameTrayz Unlocked - 🔒 New Threat - 🔥 Focus on the Arsonist
over 1 year ago
– Thu, Jun 15, 2023 at 06:32:13 AM
Hello Space Adventurers 🚀
I hope you are all doing fine today. On our end, we sure are, considering you effortlessly smashed another Stretch Goal !
🔓 GameTrayz Unlocked & 🔒a New Threat
Backers of the Deluxe game will now enjoy the pleasure of setting up & tearing down their game in a snap with a brand new, elegant and functionnal GameTrayz insert for your base components. Thank you everyone!
However, I can already see a new threat on the horizon that seems just as dangerous, but a little more alien than the wolves!
The Trained Lypran is a new unlockable creature for Phantom Epoch.
By reaching the $80k CAD goal, the Standard and Deluxe editions will integrate these creatures, enriching the bestiary you'll have to face!
🔥 Focus on the Arsonist
As new backers join our campaign, you may be wondering how you can support Tyson's project even more?
That's what Add-ons are for. Let's take a closer look at the Arsonist Add-on 🔥
Whether servants to the flame or masters of it, Arsonists have a fascination with fire. They would gladly light the world on fire, just to watch it burn. No sane person would ever view an Arsonist as a hero, but when the cold dark approaches, who better to chase it away?
The Arsonist's deck creates both thrilling and hazardous combinations. This class has the power to quickly reduce its foes to ashes and ignite destructible objects. However, it must tread carefully - mishandling its own fire can lead to self-inflicted burns or even harm nearby allies. A word of advice: give your Arsonist some room.
Despite being a ranged class, the Arsonist operates at a much shorter range than the Ranger. It's perfect for those who wish to feel the intensity of the battle while maintaining a safe distance. Still, when enemies get too close, the Arsonist is sure to make them regret it.
As you can see, the Arsonist class brings a distinct dynamic to Phantom Epoch. It offers a unique gameplay experience filled with risks and rewards, adding another dimension to our game's strategic depth.
❓ Ask Tyson Anything (game related 😛)
Thanks to your support and sharing, more and more enthusiastic players are joining Phantom Epoch's extraordinary community.
We're delighted to welcome all our new members, whether they follow us on Discord / Facebook / Instagram or BGG.
Some of you are very curious about the development of the game, the world of Phantom Epoch and the mysteries surrounding it.
That's why Tyson, the game's author, is inviting you to send him your questions about the project on Phantom Epoch's various platforms and in your Kickstarter comments.
He will select some of your questions and answer them with each new update!
We hope you're happy with this opportunity to share your thoughts with Tyson! He looks forward to receiving your many questions.
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We look forward to seeing you in the next update to share even more Phantom Epoch content with you!
Until then, we'll be keeping an eye on your comments and responding to them daily!
Have a wonderful end of day and may your explorations be rich and instructive, Space Adventurers 🚀 !
