Micro Update: Production is underway
3 months ago
– Thu, Aug 22, 2024 at 01:48:21 PM
Hey everyone, I hope you had a great summer! Here is a quick update:
Garden Geckos Game:
Production is underway. We anticipate that production on the Kickstarter version and the Abstract Box will be complete by mid-September.
Gecko Magnet Pins / First Player Marker:
Production is complete; the pins are in our warehouse.
The Gecko Plushie:
I have requested some adjustments to the pre-production sample that our manufacturer has made. I talk about the adjustments in the video at the bottom of this page.
If you want a plushie and did not add it to your order, please DM me now.
Bunny Drops:
Production is underway. We are going with a clear plastic tray in the box. Production has commenced, and we anticipate completion by mid September
Production Timeline
Overall, all elements should be completed by mid-September. Our shipping schedule has backers receiving their pledges before the end of the year.
Pledge Manager
There are still 48 backers who still need to complete their pledge manager. We cannot ship without it since WE DO NOT HAVE YOUR ADDRESS. Please complete your pledge manager now. We cannot guarantee add-ons for those who are late to complete this.
Here is the link again: LINK
VIDEO SUMMARY:
If you would like to watch an overview of all the games we are working on, I discussed each in today's live stream. You can skip ahead by timecode:
Cheers,
James.
Tray samples arrived! Artwork is done - on to manufacturing!
4 months ago
– Mon, Jul 15, 2024 at 02:17:20 PM
Hey everyone, I hope you are enjoying your summer so far. This is a quick update:
Tray samples arrived with print-proof sheets from the manufacturer.
They look great! Check out this live video I did today, where I go through each piece.
Gecko Magnet Pins / First Player Marker production has begun.
Gecko Plushie production has begun.
We have a very limited supply. If you want one and did not add it to your order, please DM me now.
Bunny Drops print proof has been made.
In the above video, I walk you through the samples. We have decided to use a plastic tray on the inside for better stability. This tray will be transparent so the box artwork on the inside can show through. This game looks awesome! We will place the production order once I get the new box lid printproof.
Production Timeline
We will finalize our order based on the samples we received today. I expect production to be complete by mid-September.
Shipping Crisis
The Red Sea shipping crisis — a result of Houthi rebel attacks on cargo ships and tankers — is causing hundreds of vessels to avoid the Suez Canal, one of the world's most important waterways. This has added 4-8 week delays for most goods coming from China. Our freight forwarder predicts we will deliver the games by the holiday season, even with this delay. This is still five months earlier than we committed to in our campaign. I will keep you updated.
Pledge Manager
There are still 63 backers who still need to complete their pledge manager. We cannot ship without it since WE DO NOT HAVE YOUR ADDRESS. Please complete your pledge manager now. We cannot guarantee add-ons for those who are late to complete this.
Here is the link again: LINK
Cheers,
James.
Please Finalize Your Garden Geckos Pledge Manager - Cards will be charged on Monday June 17th
5 months ago
– Thu, Jun 13, 2024 at 08:32:20 AM
Hello backers! As promised, we are moving as fast as we possibly can to get this game to you before the holiday season (which is six months early).
We are placing our order next week
Our order quantities will be locked next week, so it is essential that you please fill out your pledge manager today. Shipping and additional add-ons will be charged to your cards on Monday June 17th. Here is the link if you still haven't received it:
Final Box Designs
The box designs for Garden Geckos and Bunny Drops have been finalized. So far, 54.4% of you have chosen the Original box design vs. the Abstract box design.
Thanks again for your support!
James.
More Designmocracy + Final decision on the 1st Player Marker
6 months ago
– Tue, May 14, 2024 at 08:05:36 AM
Happy Tuesday, everyone! Thank you so much for responding to our survey on the box. Frankly, I didn't expect that many people to weigh in. It was amazing feedback and a lot of help.
Here's what we are going to do:
You get your choice of box design. It is the best solution to make the most people happy. 60.2% of you wanted the new abstract design. However, nearly 40% want the original design. That is too big of a number just to make a complete change.
You will get to choose which box you want in the pledge manager. My hope was to launch it last week, but I needed to finalize the feedback from everyone first and get the manufacturer to weigh in on this as well (i.e., Can we feasibly do this without blowing up our cost?).
While we understand the appeal of the original box design for some, we have decided to produce a limited number of them. Please keep this in mind when making your decision.
I also considered the comments and feedback on the abstract box and made adjustments. Here are the current designs:
More Designmocracy:
Can you please fill out another quick survey HERE
For those who liked the original box, the title plate was the part that divided most people. I have created three options. I like them all, so the survey will drive the direction:
First Player Marker
During the campaign, we asked if people wanted pins or magnets to attach the metal gecko to clothing. 99.5% of people wanted magnets. So, we are going with magnets. Another bonus is that the gecko can sit sideways on the magnet if you wish to display it.
Pledge Manager
We are using Backerkit for the pledge manager. We will start to seed that out this week.
Cheers,
James.
PRE-ORDER, PLEDGE MANAGER, and BOX UPDATE?
7 months ago
– Thu, May 02, 2024 at 02:04:41 PM
Hey everyone! As committed, we are moving really fast on this campaign execution.
PRE-ORDER
People who missed the campaign can pre-order until the end of the month by clicking on the PRE-ORDER button on our campaign page. If you want to forward to someone, you can send them this link to the BackerKit pre-order page:
PLEDGE MANAGER
We are using BackerKit as the pledge manager for this campaign. We have completed the build and await BackerKit's review and approval. We expect to send this out by the end of next week.
BOX UPDATE? Maybe...I need your input
During the campaign, one thing that came up with a few reviewers was a comment along the lines of "Don't let the box fool you, this is not a kid's game." or "This is way more strategic and thinky than the box leads on."
We are considering making this box more abstract, a change that could better align with the gameplay experience. We would like to hear your opinion. You can vote here: VOTE
Thanks again for being a backer!
Cheers,
James.
