Manufacturing Decisions . . . Soon.
over 5 years ago – Thu, Aug 30, 2018 at 10:05:31 PM

I spent yesterday with David Blanchard, our factory rep from GPI, reviewing the project and discussing our options and, most importantly, estimating the final Legacy Edition package size. Typically, when we're planning a game, everything fits into one of our established box sizes and deciding "how do we package this?" is more of a sales and marketing question than it is one of functionality and necessity.

The Fantasy Trip, as you likely guessed, overrides the sales and marketing needs and is demanding that David and I use our best tricks to pack everything neatly into as compact a box as possible. The 10-inch wide by 12-inch tall box that we were planning looked workable, for a few hours, but then we started to explore ways to better secure all of the Legacy Edition components in transit . . . as well as make the box functional once it is in your hands.

The first casualty in the "let's focus on functionality" campaign were the boxes for Melee, Wizard, and Death Test/Death Test 2. To reduce the number of map folds in Melee and Wizard, we finalized those boxes at 5-inches wide by 8-inches tall by 1-inch deep. This also gives the games a better shelf-presence at retail and we adjusted our specs for the point-of-purchase display; we'll share images once we have finalized the design.

The change to the Melee, Wizard, and Death Test boxes automatically shattered our planned Legacy Edition box; those three games would burst the seams of the larger box if we attempted to shove them into the 10-inch by 12-inch dimensions. We're currently looking at two possible sizes and will make a decision soon; both Legacy Edition sizes we are exploring come in at 5-inches deep, so no matter our final decision, this will be one hefty box.

In addition to the boxes, we also visited all of the counter sheet and booklet specifications, making adjustments here and there so that the finished package aligns with the Kickstarter campaign. Items such as the poster maps, packaging the megahexes, the GM screen, and the character pads were just some of the pieces we addressed yesterday; after seven hours of work, every single component packed inside the Legacy Edition box was reviewed and adjustments made to the project quote as necessary.

The final item in yesterday's meeting was a second look at the design drawing for the eighties-inspired Pocket Box. We examined the box specs and made a few final decisions that will improve the package, and that illustrate why this is an "inspired by" box and not an exact copy of the original Pocket Boxes. 

• We increased the box depth to 1.25-inches. This gives us more flexibility when we look at using the finished box for future projects.
• We are removing the hang tab from the design. It isn't all that necessary.
• We are revising the tabs that hold the box closed.

And that is it for changes to the box. This won't be an exact copy of the original design, but it will be comparable and, we think, an improvement over the original Pocket Box. And yes, we will be sure to produce some empty boxes for sale for those of you who want extras for your own projects and storage needs.

Melee and Wizard Playmats

In other news, we have the 99%-completed coloring for the Melee and Wizard playmats, and both of these are going to look spectacular printed and at full-size. Dyson's artwork, combined with Sabrina's color work, meld together to give us playmats that will be tough to miss once we get them on the table. These playmats will be great for demos at conventions as well as for your home games!

- Phil Reed

Megahex Prototypes!
over 5 years ago – Mon, Aug 27, 2018 at 11:28:20 PM

We've laser-cut some prototype megahexes in the office, and Steve has given them a once over to make sure they're on the right track. He created a little layout just to give some scale to the size of map you can make with these things:

Pen for scale, of course. As you can tell, we're trying to give players a little room to work with. Of course you can condense the layout to tighter, less sprawling map. That's the best part about megahexes; they give you a lot of options.

We'll keep plugging away and update when we have cool stuff to show off! Currently, we're waiting for the Kickstarter funds to process, which normally takes a week or two. After that, you'll be getting a preliminary survey looking for general info, then a BackerKit survey with the full shipping and all that info. Keep an eye out in a week or two! 

- Hunter Shelburne

Success!!!
over 5 years ago – Fri, Aug 24, 2018 at 11:20:58 PM

And that brings the campaign to an end! Last month, on July 23, we started on this journey and, as a group, we've taken The Fantasy Trip to the beginning of a new adventure with over 3,000 supporters, over $300,000 in funding, and enough gaming goodness in the Legacy Edition box that hours and hours of gaming can happen without even a single new expansion.

Fortunately, though, we have more than one new adventure already in the works and, with your continued support, a lot more than just adventures. For now, though, it is time for three things:

1. Please continue to chat about The Fantasy Trip and stay engaged with us on the creative team and all of the other project backers. You can join in the official forums to continue the conversation, and please note that we'll be back here regularly with project updates as we prepare the game for publication.

2. Steve, Ben, Guy, Gabby, and the rest of the team will continue to work on the game components as Darryll prepares the BackerKit pledge manager. A lot of steps stand between us and delivering the game to you, and we're going to take those steps one at a time until we're finished. They won't all be easy, but in the end, the Legacy Edition is going to be remarkable and unforgettable.

3. I'm out of here! I'm cheating a little and taking off on a short vacation tomorrow, separating from the office for a quick break before my next big task: Finalizing all of the manufacturing plans. Don't worry, because I'm also visiting our rep at GPI while I am on vacation next week. David and I plan to go through all of the final components and then calculate our final expected weight and box depth. We will let you know what we learn about the estimates once we're happy with them.

Thanks for the support and encouragement, gang, and we will be back in about a week or so with the survey schedule and information on when the first PDFs will be delivered. Until then, please don't forget to join the forum and keep sharing information about The Fantasy Trip with all of your friends!

- Phil Reed

All Stretch Goals Unlocked!
over 5 years ago – Fri, Aug 24, 2018 at 08:49:10 PM

With about three hours left to go, you have broken that final $300,000 stretch goal: You have unlocked everything we have to offer! Those of you who have backed at the I Want It All reward level will now get a classic-inspired Melee/Wizard Pocket Box included in your order and, as promised, we have opened the Pocket Box as an add-on item.

We're Not Finished!

This is only the beginning. As revealed in the Daily Illuminator, Steve and Guy are already at work on expanding The Fantasy Trip; Guy has five authors at work on PDF adventures that we plan to offer for sale on Warehouse 23 before The Fantasy Trip ships in March (but not until after we deliver the Legacy Edition PDFs in October).

And in addition to those PDFs, we're already in the early stages of planning for two possible Kickstarter projects for The Fantasy Trip in 2019. What are they? Too early to reveal those details! For now, let's just get out there for these final hours and boost awareness of The Fantasy Trip; the more support we lock down, the more potential players we have for, hopefully, many more years.

Thank you.

- Phil Reed

Final Day and One Stretch Goal Remains!!!
over 5 years ago – Fri, Aug 24, 2018 at 08:45:09 PM

In less than ten hours, this Kickstarter project closes, and the serious fun begins. We've unlocked the $285,000 stretch goal, adding a second 9" x 12" pocket folder to all I Want It All rewards and opening that second folder as a new add-on item (for those of you who need extra folders). Steve and I are still discussing what is printed on the pockets and back covers of both folders; if you have an idea for what should be printed on the folder pockets and back covers, please leave a comment!

With less than $15,000 to go before we unlock the Pocket Box, we'll need to get out there today and share The Fantasy Trip project with all of our friends. We're close to achieving that final stretch goal, but we'll only get there if we bring in new supporters and expand the game's reach. So, please, get out there and start talking about The Fantasy Trip!

One place that you can discuss the game is a recent BGG blog post: "Melee+Wizard: I back a Kickstarter for the 3rd time, for nostalgia" by BGG user Russ Williams. Jump in, comment, and let Russ know that he's not alone in looking forward to the return of Melee and Wizard.

Thank you for helping us to raise awareness of the game. And on a personal note, thank you to everyone -- especially Steve! -- who helped my own small Kickstarter project meet the goal. That one closes later today as well and, thanks to Steve and the backers, will succeed. Thanks!

- Phil Reed