January 17th, 2016
GameWick News, Kickstarter
Our Shuffling Horror Shuffle Board campaign has ended: we did not fund, but we did not fail. Over the course of our 28 day campaign, over 100 backers joined our efforts. Each and every pledge kept this campaign moving forward. From the start, the Shuffle Board maintained its upward climb (right up until the clock struck midnight on its final day). We ended close to one third of our 18k goal.
A pretty amazing accomplishment for GameWick Games’ very first kickstarter campaign.
Since its launch in late December, I’ve joked that the project was my full time job before and after my regular full time job. It was a lot of work, but not at all unexpected. There was never a lack of things to think about, plan out, and dwell upon. And there were a LOT of lessons learned along the way. The feedback I received on forums and the direct messages of our backers was very helpful, too.
One huge benefit in launching this kickstarter was that, once live, it forced me to get all the production details set and ready to roll. The plan was to deliver the Shuffle Board and all rewards within two months after funding. With the final proofs and the token samples behind me now, I’m even more prepared than before.
Alas, funding just wasn’t in the cards this time.
In film speak, this is not “The End”. We will just call this “The Intermission”. Time to head out to the lobby, grab some popcorn, and get ready for what’s next. There will be some exciting relaunch news coming soon.
I want to close by saying “Thank You” to all of our friends and fans who backed our efforts; your support has encouraged this quirky little indy game company onward. Good things are coming.
Keep on shuffling!
Larry
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January 9th, 2016
GameWick News, Kickstarter
This is the last Call from Cthulhu.
No… Really… Only a few days to go! Don’t miss out!
And here are two recent reviews we’re pretty proud of:
Tom Tiernan, The Board Game Clinic: “While other games simply mimic the film or television series they are based on, Gamewick Games go beyond simple imitation. <The Shuffling Horror> game creates a sense of you being a part of the experience itself. You get the feeling that Larry <the game designer> knows these films so well that he can take you into the film to relive it, time and time again.”
Amelia Laughlan , Another Dungeon: “The development of the Shuffle Board seems to be a response to playtesting feedback and GameWick Games’ innovation in seizing the opportunity to improve their game while simultaneously getting the word out about future titles, plus their dedication to their theme all has me deeply impressed.”
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December 19th, 2015
GameWick News, Kickstarter
It’s alive!!! It’s alive!!!
Click on the UFO and get beamed over to our Kickstarter funding page!
For up to the minute news, join our
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November 21st, 2015
Kickstarter, Shuffle Board, Shuffling Horrors
“It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain;
but once conceived, it haunted me day and night.”
The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe, 1843
Back in 2012, GameWick Games released its creepy little zombie game Pittsburgh 68, the first game in the Shuffling Horror series. The game and its title paid tribute to the birthplace of American zombie horror and the 1968 cult classic movie, Night of the Living Dead. The game is designed to be played and dealt in a style similar to poker. As such, Pittsburgh 68 did not need a proper playing board.
BUT… In 2013, I designed a simple demo mat for our summer game convention play: a nylon cloth with card slots on it (shown on left). The purpose of this mat was threefold: (1) it was something to catch a passerby’s eye, (2) it would answer their question, “What the heck game are you playing there?”, and (3) it gave us a nice clean surface to play upon, no matter where we found ourselves playing.
UNEXPECTEDLY… Players loved it. Many inquired if it was included in the game or for sale at our booth. I joked that maybe we’d add a board after we finished the Shuffling Horror series. I still had three more “movies” to make: Roswell 51, Innsmouth 32, and Balitmore 94.
THEN… I trotted the mat out again for our 2014 game events, and, again, the inquiries of our players and fans continued. At this same time, I was trying to figure out a way to launch my first Kickstarter. It finally clicked: the Shuffling Horror Shuffle Board would be a great first project. It would give our fans an opportunity to guide the Shuffling Horror line to its next destination. It would also be a great way to introduce GameWick Games to the Kickstarter community.
AND SO…. In 2015, I spent the year working on the board’s design. I knew this could not and would not be just a board with card slots on it. My goal was to make sure the board elevated game play from its original poker style to a cinematic spectacle.
Most importantly, the board had to add value to the game itself.
Every convention I attended this year found me bringing a new and improved version to play upon. The Shuffle Board progressed from its line art prototype to its near finished form thanks to the feedback of our players, friends, and fans.
(The picture on the left is a glimpse of a Shuffle Board prototype around June 2015; also in the pic is a wicked Cask of Amontillado tiki mug from Horror In Clay’s kickstarter).
Thus ends the first part of The Tell-Tale Shuffle Board. Many more of the Shuffle Board’s dark secrets will be revealed in future installments (to coincide with its upcoming Kickstarter launch).
Stay tuned to our news feed on the
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October 20th, 2015
Kickstarter, Shuffling Horrors
There are just two more *little* things I need to check off before I can submit the Shuffling Horror Shuffle Board project for kickstarter approval: video and shipping. Ok… these aren’t little…
Video: the good news is that the script and storyboards are fleshed out. I laid down the audio narration track last week, mimicking the original Night of the Living Dead movie trailer and doing my best to channel my inner B-Movie horror host. The next step is to sync the audio with various still product images. No small task, but we’re on our way.
Shipping: A daunting and dizzying decision point, maybe the most important decision point. There is much to consider when opening your project to an international audience. Every country or region (such as the EU) can trigger a string of logistic quandaries and financial consequences to you and your backers (from freight expense to customs charges to VAT tax to lost/damaged shipments). While one wants to open their project to the world, sometimes this is just not feasible: the cost of shipping can easily double the price of a backer’s pledge (i.e. the price of the game).
Luckily, there’s a guy named Jamey Stegmaier who has *some* experience in this regard. He blogged extensively about the challenges he faced when launching his 2012 kickstarter game, Viticulture (which gained 942 backers and raised $66,000). Jamey has continued to openly share his knowledge straight through to his current game, Scythe (which, at the time of this writing, has upwards of 10,000 backers and over $1,000,000 raised).
Stegmaier is a guy who knows what it takes to orchestrate a successful kickstarter. Not only that, he is an innovator and leader in the kickstarter realm. His commitment to do things right, share his experience, stay sensible, stay positive, and, most importantly, encourage others along the way is what kickstarter is all about.
Here is the first post I read on his blog (it was not my last). This will certainly give you a taste of what is involved in the background set-up of every kickstarter project:
Stonemaier Games-How To Provide “Free” Shipping
With each successful campaign, Jamey refines his process. Post after post, he lays out what worked, what didn’t, and who he worked with along the way. Fans of his blog respond with their questions and insights, making every post an ideas forum inferno.
If you’re thinking about kickstarting a project,
I highly recommend you spend some time (i.e. LOTS) on his blog.
Stonemaier Games
Stay tuned to our news feed on the
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October 1st, 2015
Kickstarter, Shuffling Horrors
We are still fiddling about with the set-up in Kickstarter; taking us a bit longer than expected to get all the art/content together (as some of our friends warned us it would). We are aiming to launch by mid-October, pending the approval process. If we fund, it looks like our production date will put us around February delivery for your super deluxe Shuffling Horror Board!
Stay tuned to our news feed on the
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Since its launch in late December, I’ve joked that the project was my full time job before and after my regular full time job. It was a lot of work, but not at all unexpected. There was never a lack of things to think about, plan out, and dwell upon. And there were a LOT of lessons learned along the way. The feedback I received on forums and the direct messages of our backers was very helpful, too.
