The Networks: Executives

Back from convention season... and news about the $150K stretch goal!
over 6 years ago – Tue, Nov 28, 2017 at 11:42:44 PM

Hi Networks backer! I'm back from BGG.CON, the last show of convention season. I've spent the past week with my family for the holidays (American Thanksgiving), and I'm finally back in front of my computer, ready to send this darn project to the printers!

So here's where we are...

First and foremost... I've decided to unlock the $150K stretch goal! You're all going to get 15 extra cards: all 5 starting Stars, all 5 starting Stars, and 5 starting Shows. 

Here's the detailed version. I want these Shows, Stars, and Ads to do something special. So we're going to take 5 out of the 15 base starting game Shows and let you shuffle them into the Pilot Season deck. These 5 Shows will all now be genre-less. 

If you select one of these Shows, you get to draw one of the Stars and one of the Ads from the base game and put them in the Green Room. These Stars and Ads are now conditional; they do better if you attach them in Season 1 (and I'm still playing with some that do better if you attach them in Season 2). 

This means that of the 15 starting Shows in the base game, we'll only bring 5 into the stretch goal set (because 15 is too many, and it would be weird to print 15 and only put 5 in if they don't have any different effects). So I'll need your help again! What shows should we bring?

Here's a poll where you can choose your favorite 5 shows. I'll close this poll this Friday at about noon EST. 

Make sense? Let me know what Shows you'd like to bring in!

In other news, Heiko and I are now finishing up graphic design. I'm still tweaking a couple of the Executives, but the finish is in sight. We're likely going to be done in mid-December, and we'll start work on the PNP right around then. That should be complete by the end of the the year.

I'll send out another update on Friday, once I've closed the poll.

One last bit of news. I don't normally link to other Kickstarter projects in my updates these days, but I think I can make an exception for projects that feature my game design work! Book of Dragons is a game system made up of beautiful cards that only have images of dragons; no text, numbers, or icons. The system's designer, Robert Burke, asked several designers (myself included) to come up with games you could play with these cards. It was a fun challenge!

My game in the system is called Dragon Pass, and there are also games from Martin Wallace, Mike Fitzgerald, The Bamboozle Bros. (Jay Cormier and Sen-Foong Lim), Jonathan Gilmour, David Short, Daniel Solis, Ken Shannon, and more. For you aspiring designers, they're also taking submissions for new games, and they'll include up to 2 publicly-submitted games in the final product!

Thanks everyone for your support so far! That $150K stretch goal doesn't happen without your support, your input, or your fantastic suggestions and overwhelming enthusiasm to include old cards in the new game. I'm so grateful for your excitement and feedback for my games! Here's to good things in 2018.

Off to BGG.CON!
over 6 years ago – Tue, Nov 14, 2017 at 12:05:24 AM

Hi Networks backer!

Just a quick note that I am off to BGG.CON tomorrow morning, so I wanted to make sure you know that I may respond slowly to comments and messages over the next week. I promise to reply to anything you ask!

There's a lot of work to do when I get back, but I will *finally* have all my conventions for the year behind me. Expect updates on the PNP, the ongoing graphic design work, and the final decision about the $150K stretch goal in the next few weeks.

Thank you for filling out the BackerKit surveys! It's making things on my end a lot easier.

And thanks for being a backer! If you'll be at BGG.CON this year, please come by to the Aviators room and say hello.

Modified shipping prices for some add-ons, and a reminder about add-ons!
over 6 years ago – Thu, Nov 09, 2017 at 05:33:00 PM

Hi Networks Executives backer!

First off, a reminder: you do not need to select add-ons in BackerKit unless you want extra copies of stuff. BackerKit should only ask for your credit card number if you are ordering copies of games beyond what you're getting for your pledge.

Second: after getting feedback from you, I've taken another look at the shipping costs for On the Air and the replacement Network Cards, and I've cut them to something more reasonable.

On the Air will now cost $2 to ship in the US, $3 everywhere else. Replacement Network Cards will now cost $1 to ship anywhere in the world.

Note that these reduced costs don't apply to those of you in Brazil or Russia. Sadly, shipping there is still quite expensive.

Again: These shipping costs will only apply if you order extra copies of On the Air or replacement Network Cards, beyond what you're getting in your pledge. You already got reduced shipping for what's coming to you in your Kickstarter pledge.

Thanks again everyone for your feedback! This is an example of how you all make this a better campaign.

BackerKit IMPORTANT NOTE!
over 6 years ago – Tue, Nov 07, 2017 at 10:39:34 PM

Thanks to all of you who have filled out your BackerKit survey so far!

I want to make sure everyone's clear on something: You do NOT need to enter your credit card info into BackerKit if you are not adding anything to your pledge!

BackerKit knows what's included in your pledge. If you pledged at $29, it knows you're getting a copy of Executives with all the stretch goals, and that you've already paid for it through Kickstarter. You don't need to manually add a copy of Executives, unless you specifically want a second copy.

I don't want anyone to accidentally order extra copies and pay money they didn't mean to. So if you've entered your credit card info into BackerKit, please make sure it's because you want additional product. Otherwise, go ahead and remove the add-on product. 

And as I mentioned yesterday, I'm not actually charging anyone's BackerKit credit cards for a few months. So you have time to make changes if you need to. You can do this by performing the following steps...

• Go to the "Add-ons" step of your survey,
• At the bottom, there's a box for "Add-on Items," with a button for "Edit Add-ons." Click it.
• Look for the "Add-on items" section on the right of the page, and clicking the trash can icon next to any products you added but don't actually need. (You'll see the items you're already getting in the box just above it.)

If you have questions, BackerKit's customer service is very good, and will help you with any issues that come up. They will likely be better at answering specific BackerKit questions than me, so I suggest you reach out to them first.

I know BackerKit can be a bit of a headache, and I appreciate your working with me on it. This is my first campaign with a lot of add-ons, and I'm learning a lot too. Thanks!

BackerKit surveys sent!
over 6 years ago – Mon, Nov 06, 2017 at 10:47:09 PM

Hi folks,

Check your emails! You should have received a BackerKit survey. 

The BackerKit survey is where you tell me your address. You'll also get to order additional products, like extra copies and such.

If you order anything extra, your card won't be charged for a few months. You're allowed to make changes to your order until about March, at earliest. And you'll be able to change your shipping address until then, too. I'll let you know through these Kickstarter updates when these deadlines will be; they'll depend on the speed of manufacturing and shipment of the games to our warehouses.

If you're ordering add-on copies of On the Air, and you're in the US, note that the shipping price is incorrect. It should be $3 shipping, not $5, in the US. I should be able to fix this in a day or two, once I hear from BackerKit what the best way to fix the error is.

I'll be at BGG.CON next week, if anyone wants to say hello! Look for me in the Aviators vendor hall.