$125K explanation/mea culpa, $150K stretch goal revealed, and streamlined Beeb!
over 6 years ago – Mon, Sep 25, 2017 at 07:04:24 PM

Hi Kickstarter backer! First off: we have now exceeded the original campaign goal for The Networks. Back then, we raised $103,298. We are currently at $106,157 and climbing, and that's with fewer backers than the original campaign. I'm so thankful for all of you for helping me keep this wonderful game alive!

I know a bunch of you weren't crazy about the $125K stretch goal. Not all stretch goals will appeal to all backers, but this one seemed to cause a stir because there are a lot of you who already have the base game, so you get nothing from this stretch goal.

This is an important stretch goal for me, though. Getting the base game to you earlier means that I can get the base game to distributors earlier as well. Formal Ferret is still a new company, and getting the base game out earlier would make 2018 go much easier for me.

So even if the $125K stretch goal doesn't help you personally, I beg you to overlook that slight. It helps Formal Ferret Games a great deal, and I hope it will help more people learn about the game. I've never kept it a secret that I want to stay in business and keep making board games for a living, and this stretch goal will go a long way in assisting that.

I was hoping that the $125K goal would help me and a bunch of people new to the game, but I never meant to slight my core backers who were first to buy the game. I beg your forgiveness! 

With all that said, here is the $150K stretch goal. It's based on feedback I've gotten over the past few weeks...

When we hit $150K, all backers at $29 and up will get the starter Shows, Stars, and Ads from the base game in a special package, with rules that will let them smoothly incorporate these cards into Networks: Executives!

The Shows (including favorites like "What's In My Pockets" and "Name That Stain") will now all be Genre-less gray cards. You'll shuffle 5 of them into the Pilot Season deck. Their power will be that if you draft one of these Shows, you will get one special Star and one special Ad. These Stars and Ads will give you extra Viewers and money, respectively... but only if they're attached in Season 1.

I'm putting this at $150K because it's 25 new cards, which is a lot. But I think it adds a nice twist to the expansion. 

These 25 cards will not be in the retail box for the expansion. They'll be in a separate mini-expansion, the same one that will include the Gorilla and Continuum executives. Similar to On the Air, this mini-expansion will be available online, at shows, and at select retailers when the expansion comes out. 

It is likely that this will be the final stretch goal of the campaign. Even if we blow past $150K, I don't want to risk late delivery by promising overly-ambitious stretch goals that wind up delaying us because of art and extra logistics. 

Can we hit $150K? I'm certain we can! Kickstarter campaigns usually get a huge push at the end, and I'm confident we can hit (and exceed) $150K. The original Networks campaign made about $30,000 in its final three days. This campaign has already dwarfed the original campaign in terms of money raised, and we will soon exceed the original campaign's total backer count, so we stand a good chance of getting this extra expansion!

Goodbye, Beeb Discs

One thing I've been doing the past few weeks has been... playtesting The Networks: Executives. Seriously, I'm a believer that more playtests is usually a good thing, especially for a game with asymmetric powers.

When I launched, I was still in the process of tweaking the Beeb executive. And for the past couple of weeks, I've been testing alternate rules for them. The existing rules have tracked the number of times players circled the rondel using Beeb discs, and given a players a choice at the end of the season between getting 2x the number of discs collected in Viewers, and 1x the number of discs collected in Viewers and $5M extra.

This worked in testing, but I thought I could streamline it a bit. And it turns out, I could. The rules are now that, the moment you make a lap on the rondel, you immediately score a Viewer. You always gain $5M extra at the end of a season.

Effectively, I've removed the 2x Viewer option. It wasn't justifying its extra complexity. Now, it's much simpler: when you make laps around the rondel, you immediately score. Much more satisfying!

What this means is that the game will no longer come with the 5 Beeb Discs. I hope you don't mind! I know that some folks feel that more bits means more value, but I feel like removing these bits improves the game. 

Another change with Beeb: they now start the game with $5M extra, so they can start skipping spots on the rondel right away!

This expansion has been tested 1-2 times a week over the past 14 months, and we're in the last stages of tweaking now. Most of the Executives are done. There still might be tweaks to a couple of Executives here and there, but they won't be very large, and it will all be done by the time we go to print.

We're about to hit the home stretch for The Networks. Thank you to everyone who has joined us so far. Here's to a great final few days!

$100K reached! $125K stretch goal announced, and mega-box resolution
over 6 years ago – Fri, Sep 22, 2017 at 08:03:01 PM

Hi Networks backer! We hit $100,000 yesterday. It's my second project to hit that plateau, and sometime today or tomorrow, we will exceed the amount we raised for the original Networks campaign. Thank you!

Because we hit this stretch goal, your copy of Executives will now come with a fancy new, alternate Season Marker! I've wanted this for a while, so I'm happy it's finally going to come true.

The next stretch goal is interesting, and I think it's going to be really cool.

When I launched this Kickstarter, I was going to ship out the base game along with Executives, on or before July 2018. But at $125K, I will be able to manufacture the base game first, get that on a cargo ship ASAP, and deliver it to you in a separate package a few months before Executives!

In a week or two, I will have a better estimate of when I can fulfill the base game if we reach this stretch goal. Right now, it's looking like we can deliver it on or before April 2018, possibly sooner.

This stretch goal will only affect folks who pledge at $75 and up.

This is a more expensive stretch goal to pay for, which is why I'm going to increment it at $25K and not $10K. Nevertheless, it means you'll have a physical copy of the base game to enjoy before the expansion arrives!

Holding off on the mega-box for now

Thank you to everyone who replied in the poll I posted in the last update, and to everyone who shared their opinions about a mega-box in the comment threads.

In the end, 210 of you told me you'd pay $15 (including shipping) for a mega-box. 141 said you'd pay $20, and 75 said you'd be $25.

These are good numbers, but they're not large enough to warrant a 1500-unit print run. Each mega-box would take up the same amount of space as 2 units of The Networks, and I'd be concerned they wouldn't leave my warehouse.

I'll revisit mass production of a mega-box in the future. I'll also take a closer look at print-on-demand options.

Thanks for all the continued support, everyone! We're in the final week of the campaign. Let's make it awesome!

Let's talk about a possible mega-box!
over 6 years ago – Wed, Sep 20, 2017 at 09:01:33 PM

I've had a lot of folks ask about whether The Networks: Executives will fit inside the base game box. Right now, the answer looks like yes... as long as you don't sleeve your cards. If you're a sleever, you'll need to keep the box for the Executives box.

For a lot of gamers, that'll be fine! But I know it's not a satisfactory answer for everyone, so I'm working to try to find a better answer. One way is to manufacture a "mega-box." This would be a new box for the game that you could buy. It would have exactly the same height and width as the base game, but twice as deep (230 x 330 x 100 mm, as opposed to 230 x 330 x 50 mm). That would fit the base game, Executives, On the Air, and maybe even a future expansion in a single box.

Fantastic, right? The downside is: it's not cheap to produce, and could be a (not kidding here) huge financial risk to me. I want to help you all, but I also want to keep coming out with games next year!

Some gory details: this empty box would have a retail price anywhere from $10-$25 USD (I'm in the process of getting a quote), plus shipping. Shipping is not going to be trivial, as we'd effectively be shipping a box full of air; they would have to be assembled overseas first.

We'd have to print at least 1500. Remember, when it comes to something like this, the cost is always in the setup, and the more we print, the cheaper it gets. Printing only 500 boxes is not a realistic option, unfortunately. Even print-on-demand boxes of the size we need would cost $40 USD (!) a pop - and remember, that's the cost of the box to manufacture, not the final price!

After shipping, warehousing becomes a factor, too. If we print 1500 and sell 500 in this campaign, that's 1000 boxes that would be taking up space at the warehouse. I'd have to pay storage fees and taxes on those, and they'd be unlikely to sell quickly. So these costs do not end at the printer.

With all that said, I would love to offer a mega-box and help accomodate sleevers. It wouldn't make for a realistic stretch goal. I could offer it as an add-on, but only if I knew that enough people were willing to buy it at a good price.

Here's where you come in! Let me know how much you'd be willing to spend on a mega-box by voting at this poll. It's very quick, only two simple questions, and the second question is optional. I'll close the poll on Friday, and I'll use the information to determine if a mega-box is feasable.

Once you've voted, if there's more you'd like to discuss, share it in the comment thread below. I'd love to hear what you think about this, especially if you're a sleever.

Thank you for your help and input here!

Two important updates - Essen pickup details, and reduced shipping to AUS, NZ, NOR, ISL, and CH!
over 6 years ago – Tue, Sep 19, 2017 at 09:30:25 PM

Hi Networks backer! I've been doing a lot of work behind the scenes, and I have a couple of updates to share with you. Here we go!

Pick up your copy of the base game at Essen SPIEL!

I'll be at SPIEL '17 in Essen, Germany this year (Hall 2, booth D141), and a few folks who have backed the game asked if they could pick up just the base game at the show. All I needed was some time to work out the logistics, and I think I have a good plan in place. 

Note that this offer is to pick up the base game only. The Executives expansion will not be manufactured until next year. If you backed at $80 or up, you can pick up a copy of On the Air as well, but this would be a copy from the first printing, so its colors may not match properly. It's up to you if you want to snag that copy, or if you want to wait for something whose colors will match the colors from the base game.

If you backed at the $150 or $200 levels and you'd like to pick up the base game at Essen, all you have to do is send me a Kickstarter message. Also let me know if you'd like to pick up On the Air, or if you want to wait for the new printing.

If you backed at a $75 or $80 level and you'd like to pick up the base game at Essen, there's one extra step. If you backed at $75, change your pledge level to the appropriate $29 level, but make sure you are still pledging $75; then send me a Kickstarter message. Remember, Kickstarter lets you pledge more than your current pledge level. By doing it this way, we will save you some money on shipping, and make sure I don't accidentally mail you a second copy of the base game!

Likewise, if you backed at $80, change your pledge level to the appropriate $30 level, but make sure you're still pledging $80; then send me a Kickstarter message. 

Either way, that Kickstarter message you send to me is important. I can't guarantee that I'll have your copy of the game without it!

New pledge levels reduce shipping to Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland!

NOTE: If you're not in any of the countries listed above, you can stop reading here. Thanks for your support!

This has been something backers have asked me since the campaign started, and I'm happy to announce that I was able to reduce shipping for the Executive Vice President and Executive Vice President with Bonuses pledge levels for a few countries out there!

If you've already pledged, it will take a bit of action on your part. Don't worry, it's pretty simple! You'll want to go back to the campaign page and click the green button that says "Manage your pledge". Then on the next page, click the blue button that says "Change your pledge." Then you'll change your pledge to one of the sections listed below.

I've set up four new pledge levels, each with reduced shipping to the countries involved. Again, if you're not in Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Iceland, or Switzerland, this will not work for you. But if you are, read on...

If you've backed at the $29 Executive level, change your pledge to the $29 International Executive level. 

If you've backed at the $35 Executive with bonuses level, change your pledge to the $35 International Executive with bonuses level.

For both of these pledge levels, Australian shipping is now $7 USD, and shipping to New Zealand, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland is now $11 USD.

If you've backed at the $75 Executive Vice President level, change your pledge to the $75 Executive Int'l Vice President level.

If you've backed at the $80 Executive Vice President level, change your pledge to the $80 Executive Int'l Vice President w bonuses level.

For both of these pledge levels, Australian shipping is now $9 USD, and shipping to New Zealand, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland is now $17 USD.

I know my backers come from all over the world, and I'm very grateful for your support. I'm always looking for ways to make things better. Thank you for your help!

90K down, turn order markers unlocked! Also: Some base game Network Card tweaks...
over 6 years ago – Fri, Sep 15, 2017 at 12:13:12 AM

We are TRIPLE-FUNDED! Thank you everyone for your generosity so far. 

Your copy of The Networks: Executives will now ship with these sweet turn-order markers that will resemble little remote controls. With each pledge, our game keeps looking better.

Now take a look what we get when we hit $100K...

That's right, it's a replacement season marker that looks like a TV tower! I've wanted something like this for a while, and I think this is going to make our game look even better.

Note that the images above are mock-ups. The final components may look different.

Base game Network Card tweaks

I haven't made it a secret that I can't help but tweak my games. And after hundreds of demos of The Networks after hundreds of playtests, there are a few Network Cards I've found could use a bit of attention.

The next printing of The Networks base game will update the powers of four existing Network Cards: Market Research, Daytime Soaps, Advertising Push, and Flexible Schedule. I'm also going to clarify the text on Audition, but its power will not change.

Market Research

New text: When Developing a Show, play to require 1 fewer Genre Icons for a Genre Bonus that turn. Get a Genre Bonus if eligible, but skip your next Genre Bonus.

In other words, this card will work exactly the same as before (with more clearly-written text to make its use more obvious), but is now nerfed a bit; using the card's power will cause you to skip your next Genre Bonus. We're updating the rulebook to suggest rotating the Market Research card 180 degrees instead of immediately discarding it. The next time you'd get a Genre Bonus, you'd discard the rotated Market Research card instead.

I've tested this a bunch, and I'm much happier with how this works. For advanced players, this card was a no-brainer. Now, it's still extremely useful, but is much more situational.

Daytime Soaps

New text: After scoring Reruns, you may spend $1M to keep 1 Rerun from dropping into Archives. Discard and spend $1M at game end to score 1 Rerun during endgame scoring.

I've dropped the cost of using this card from $3M to $1M. It's much more useful now, and testers are using it a bunch more. We're also clarifying its endgame/discard power, to call out that it works on only one Rerun at the end of the game.

Advertising Push

New text: Get 3 Viewers for free, or spend $5M to get 10 Viewers.

I've dropped the cost of the second choice of this card from $10M to $5M. That makes it much more interesting for a trailing player to pick up (or Underground, if they can afford it!).

Flexible Schedule

New text: Play during Show scoring to consider all Shows in your lineup as being in their preferred time slot this Season.

Flexible Schedule now works across your entire lineup, not just on one Show. It's a little more situational, but I wanted the card to be worth more than its current maximum value of 5 Viewers.

Mini-FAQ about the replacement cards

Wait, I already own the game!

That's OK! if you back at the $29 or $35 level, you'll get replacement copies of these four cards for free (8 cards in all). You don't need to pledge anything extra, not even for shipping! I'm not including it at the higher levels, since those levels come with a new copy of the base game, which will already have the updated cards.

If you would like additional copies of these replacement cards, they'll be available as add-ons in BackerKit for free, plus a small shipping charge, likely around $1 USD (but may vary based on where you're located).

Will the cards exactly match my printing?

If you own the second printing or later, yes, these cards should exactly match your printing, barring any manufacturing defects. I'm working closely with my current manufacturer, Panda, to make sure we won't get any surprises.

If you have the first printing, I'm afraid there may be small color differences in the card backs of the replacement cards. We switched manufacturers after that first printing because my first manufacturer struggled with color consistency within the same game, so it didn't even match itself! 

Because of this color inconsistency and different manufacturer, I'm going to get as close as I can to the first printing, but I can't guarantee it'll be the exactly the same shade.

Of course, with The Networks, since the cards are usually face-up, the differently-colored card backs are not much of an issue. I know some people find it suboptimal, so I want to mention it right now.

How can I tell what printing I have?

Flip your box over and look in the bottom-right corner, above the barcode. If it says "Second printing," then you have the second printing (or the third printing, because we didn't get a chance to update the back cover before we hit the presses the third time). If it doesn't say "Second printing," then you have the first printing.

Will you include the new version of Audition?

I'm not including Audition in this pack, because I'm making only a minor text tweak on that card. Its power is not changing.

I want to try these updated card powers now!

There's nothing stopping you from playing with the original cards, and just house-ruling their powers to the updated versions. And if you use a Sharpie, or sleeve them with a piece of paper showing the updated rule, that works too!

OK, that's the news! I have some more exciting news coming up next week that I'm still working out the details for, plus some more stretch goals I hope we can hit soon.

What do you think of these card tweaks? Love 'em? Hate 'em? Of course, I hope you love 'em, but I want your honesty, as always. Let me know what you think!