Networks base game on Tabletopia, delayed response time for next 2 weeks
over 6 years ago – Mon, Oct 23, 2017 at 08:27:08 PM

Hi everyone! Two more notes that frankly should have been in the last update...

The Networks base game is now on Tabletopia!

Play it here! It's just the base game for now, but hopefully we can expand on that soon...

I'm on the road for the next two weeks; count on delayed responses!

I'm about to fly out to Essen, and I have Metatopia the week after that. So I may not reply too quickly to messages or comments. Don't be surprised if it takes a few days to get back to you.

Thanks, and hopefully see you soon!

Surveys will go out soon!
over 6 years ago – Fri, Oct 20, 2017 at 11:48:29 PM

Hi Networks backer!

I wanted to let you know that the surveys will go out soon. These surveys will come from BackerKit, and they will be how you'll let me know what address you'd like me to ship to. You'll also be able to add on products (like extra copies of the game, or the updated Network Cards I've mentioned previously) through this survey. You'll also be able to update your address or your pledge in BackerKit until I freeze the surveys next year.

I'm going to send out surveys to a small percentage of backers on October 31, the day after I return from Essen (assuming no delayed flights!). If all goes well, the remaining surveys will go out on November 6. 

Until then, I'm continuing to work on pre-production for the base game. That should hit manufacturing very soon. Then, after Essen, we're going to start finishing up the final rules tweaks and graphic design for Networks: Executives. We should also have the PNPs ready to go around the end of November as well.

Things are a little scrambled right now as I prep for Essen Spiel '17, but I should be able to get all my tasks done by then. I hope I get to see you at Essen, Metatopia, or BGG.CON in the near future!

Pre-orders open, upcoming conventions, and work continues behind the scenes
over 6 years ago – Sat, Oct 14, 2017 at 01:16:19 AM

Hi Networks backer!

I just wanted to say hello and let you know that despite my recent silence over the past couple of weeks, we've been at work on the game.

Travis' artwork is complete. Heiko will resume work on the graphic design of Networks in a few weeks, once he and I are done with the storm that is Essen Spiel '17 (the largest tabletop game convention in Europe, and one of the largest in the world).

I'm tying up the final balance and usability testing now. Still some tweaks to make here and there. My current focus is making Generic a little ergonomically easier to play and a bit less disruptive to other players, and making Starryeye a bit more forgiving for new players. That should be done by mid-November, as we finish tying up the graphic design.

In the meantime, we are proceeding on the print run for the base Networks game. We hope to start production on that by the end of the month.

I've also opened pre-orders! If you know of anyone who missed the campaign, they can pre-order here. Pre-order customers will get all stretch goal, but their shipping rate will be slightly higher.

Finally: conventions! I am going to a ton of conventions; 4 in the next 6 weeks!

I'll be at FalCon in Stamford, CT this weekend. This is a relatively small event, only a couple hundred people or so. But I really like the people who attend, as well as the people who run the show.

On the weekend of October 26-29, I'll be at Essen SPIEL '17, which is enormous! It's one of the biggest board game events in the world. I'll be selling copies of The Networks base game (if you backed for at least $75 and you'd like to pick up your copy of the base game there, message me), as well as Wordsy, my word game (along with a translation kit so that people can play in German.

As a bonus, my friends at Board & Dice will debut the German version of The Networks! Unfortunately, I can't offer their edition of the game as part of this campaign, but you can pre-order it with Essen pickup here.

Of course, I won't have any copies of Networks: Executives to sell, but I will bring my prototype copy if you'd like to try it!

On the weekend of November 2-5 (that's right, the week after Essen!) I'll be at Metatopia, a game design convention in Morristown, NJ. I'll be speaking on four panels (here's the full panel schedule, if you're interested), and I'll have stuff I'll need help playtesting. 

And finally, I'll close out the convention year in Dallas at BGG.CON, November 15-19. This will be my 11th consecutive BGG.CON, and my third in a row as a vendor. I'll be selling copies of The Networks base game (again, pickup available for backers at the $75 level and above), as well as my word game Wordsy.

So it'll be an eventful month and a half. I hope we'll get a chance to meet and say hi!

Our most successful Kickstarter campaign yet, thanks to you!
over 6 years ago – Fri, Sep 29, 2017 at 11:01:44 PM

We did it, everyone!

I'm so excited to be able to move forward and bring this expansion to life. It feels like forever since I first hesitantly tested the expansion, and now it's going to be made. Thank you!

We didn't make that final $150K stretch goal, unfortunately. Some campaigns generously give these stretch goals away anyway if they get close enough, and that's a possibility here; I will know for sure in the next couple of weeks, when I get the latest quote from my manufacturer.

If I can't include them because of costs, backer @Danimal13 suggested making them available as an add-on later. So that's a possibility too! I'll know more in a couple of weeks.

So what now?

First off: Kickstarter will attempt to charge your credit cards. If the card doesn't work for some reason, you'll get an email from Kickstarter. Follow those instructions to make sure your pledge clears. You'll have two weeks to do this; after that, Kickstarter will give up trying your card. You'll be able to fix this later in BackerKit, our pledge manager, but it'll be easiest if you fix it in Kickstarter.

After that two-week period, I'll send out the surveys in BackerKit. These are where you'll give me your address, and where you'll be able to select add-ons. You'll be able to change your address as much as you need to until I start locking the surveys. If there's anything extra you'd like to add to your pledge, you can pay in BackerKit.

If you pledged at $150 or $200, you should have already received a link to a poll where you can enter your submissions for your custom names. I'll close that poll on October 9, so Heiko and I can start working on incorporating them into the game.

Sometime around November, if you pledged at $5 or up, you'll get a link to download the print-and-play files for Networks, Networks: Executives, and Networks: On the Air. I'd like to deliver the PNPs for the base game and OTA a bit sooner, but I'd like to make sure that they have all the changes we need them to have first.

Here's where it gets a bit complicated: if you pledged at $75 and up, then sometime around March, I'll be locking your surveys and (if necessary) charging your cards for add-ons in BackerKit. Then I'll send out your base Networks game around then. Of course, I'll have a more accurate timeline as we get closer to delivery. I'm hoping to have the Networks base game delivered around April at latest, but hopefully we can get it out the door sooner.

Sometime around June, I will lock surveys for everyone else and charge your credit cards in BackerKit for add-ons (if necessary). Then we will deliver the remaining copies of Executives and On the Air to everyone who pledged for them.

That's the news for now. I'll send out an update over the next few days in case anything changes. Thank you again!

Only one stretch goal left to go...
over 6 years ago – Thu, Sep 28, 2017 at 09:52:33 PM

Hi Networks backer! We just hit $125K. That leaves us with one stretch goal left before tomorrow night at midnight EDT, when the campaign ends. I think we can hit it; I really like this extra module with the old starter shows, stars, and ads, and I'm hoping we can include it!

Thank you again for spreading the word about Networks: Executives! Here's to a strong final 32 hours...