Meeplesouce Characters Expansion Meeples
18 days ago – Sun, Apr 07, 2024 at 07:45:47 AM

Meeplesource Carriage, Constable, Reverend, and !!!

I was going to wait for my next update, but I think I should get this out there now. Some of you have the Meeplesource meeples. It would be truly distressing if you lacked a matching set of Characters meeples. Worry no more!

The second chance servants are a hoot! That Lady's Maid should be standing next to the Vicar; something scandalous is afoot! And I will bet 100 quid that footman has a flask of gin on his person.

The campaign is here. 

A reminder that I take no compensation from any 3rd party providers of upgraded Obsession components or promotional items like T-shirts or inserts. I choose ethical, responsible partners who provide excellent quality, and I not only pass along their work, I am a consumer as well (I purchased my Meeplesource meeples—I have multiple Obsession copies, one which has everything 3rd party therein just so I see how things fit).

Of course, I have deep affection for our plain wooden meeples! 

Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games

Obsession: Characters Expansion + Obsession Metal Coins (Kickstarter Set for October 17th)
7 months ago – Mon, Oct 02, 2023 at 07:31:22 AM

Greetings, all! It has been 22 months since I sent the last update, and I hope Obsession with the Upstairs, Downstairs expansion has been a gem in your collection. I do not believe in abusing the privilege of this communication platform, so I will venture only this one message letting you know that a new expansion for Obsession is launching on Kickstarter October 17th. 

The Characters Expansion is a project with an enormous amount of content in a small box designed to fit inside your current Obsession 2E box (the Kickstarter will have videos showing this). The expansion adds competitive worker placement actions:

• The Reverend allows you to change your objectives
• The Constable clears unsavoury guests from your hand
• The Dowager's Manor (seen above) is filled with eccentric characters who can ensure your hand is filled with the best connections, and those connections come to you by way of the carriage

The expansion also features:

• New servants who lack references and can be a problem, but also a lifesaver
• New asymmetrical family powers
• New gentry (29) with novel favours (see a sampling below)
• A Variant Catalogue with official variants, including cooperative play
• A new universal Objective Card deck

...and more.  

One of my main objectives is to say Thank You to my past Kickstarter backers who have made Obsession the success that it is. I owe a debt to all of you, and a small down payment on that obligation will be on display during this campaign. The Kickstarer launch page is HERE; click through to follow the project, and you will be automatically notified when it goes live. 

Thank you!

Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games

Useful Box
over 2 years ago – Mon, Dec 06, 2021 at 12:57:50 PM

Greetings! I apologize I am late with this update that follows on the previous announcement about the Useful Box. The chaos of ocean shipments and other logistics has occupied my time.

The Useful Box Is Available

Many of you have already ordered the Useful Box; for those who haven't, this email is to alert owners of this Kickstarter printing to get one soon if you want one. I have about 1000 left, and there will not be a reprint. In summary, the Useful Box contains:

• Replacement cloth bags for the ones that were poorly stitched (and which easily frayed)
• Six of every type of player aid (including a new one)
• An extra cook for the Howard family box 
• Correction of a tile typo (Housekeeper's Room) and three grammatical errors on gentry cards
• There is also some new content: an investment tile, three new gentry (including Ethel Fairchild), and new solo opponents
• The Useful Box is available HERE in the US

For outside the US, it is available as follows:

• Australasia: From Aetherworks 
• Europe: From various retailers (see list here)
• Cananda: From BoardGameBliss 

Obsession in the Top 300

Thanks to all of you for the success of Obsession! If you haven't rated the game, please do; it is the great equalizer for a small publisher competing with large companies. Since I am breaking new ground with the Useful Box, a rating for that strange animal would also be...uh...useful.

Thank you! 

Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games

The Useful Box and Production Update
over 2 years ago – Sat, Aug 21, 2021 at 12:32:56 PM

Greetings! Our Kickstarter finished fulfillment in autumn 2020, and routine communication ceased earlier this year. However, I alluded to an announcement in the comments several weeks ago. The announcement was to introduce the odd thing pictured below called the Useful Box.

Please accept my apology for the delay, although delays have been the name of the game in 2021; production and shipping logistical issues have greatly impacted the gaming industry in general and the third printing of Obsession games in particular. For extensive detail on what is currently happening in our industry, please read my BoardGameGeek post HERE.

The Useful Box

► This Upstairs, Downstairs Kickstarter was a tremendous success, with the 2,000 extra copies of Obsession selling out in 7 months. I therefore planned a new printing in February.

► However, I am a perfectionist, and there were several things I wanted to fix; none of these fixes were related to gameplay, only to production issues or component counts. The current printing corrects these issues, which include:

• The bags were stitched poorly and easily frayed.
• There were not enough player aids for all six family boxes.
• An extra cook for the Howard family box was not included.
• There was a typo on the Housekeeper's Room tiles.
• The 2nd edition Objective Card rules were not clearly spelled out.

► I wanted to create a way that you, my Kickstarter supporters, could get these corrections at no charge. In my mind, it would be unethical to not ensure you had access to these modest improvements.

Therefore, I have created the Useful Box (same size as the Wessex box) to correct these mistakes. The corrected elements of the Useful Box are at no charge, but there is also additional new content (two new tiles, three new guests, new solo opponents, and new AI for solo play). Since I cannot offer a retail no charge product (this would create untold chaos), the price of the Useful Box will be $5 + shipping and all my distribution partners have agreed to honor this. The $5 is for the new content. 

► The Useful Box is presented in great detail HERE (note that the Small Library bonus tile changed a bit from what is pictured in this post). And this video gives a first look at the Useful Box:

Restrictions

This concept of making 5,000 Useful Boxes at such a low retail price is a gamble and comes with some restrictions:

•  One Useful Box per customer. The worst thing that could happen would be for 2nd hand marketers to order large numbers of Useful Boxes and raise the price 5x in the secondhand market. So, if anyone had a bulk KS order, please note that interested individual game owners will have to acquire the Useful Box directly themselves.
•  Shipping, Ugh. In 2021, shipping has, in so many ways, been a disaster, whether it is the transoceanic problems or just local shipping. I cannot itemize the countless delays, lost shipments, incorrectly delivered shipments, and damaged boxes over the last year, let alone the near doubling of cost for this wonderful substandard service. When one expands their view of shipping to include all the international issues and costs increases, well the days of tossing in free shipping are way behind us. The $5 in the $5 + shipping cost of acquiring the Useful Box will likely be the cheapest part of that equation. I apologize there just isn't the ability to subsidize shipping as was done in the Kickstarter. 

Availability

In the video, you saw that I just received my MPC (Mass Production Copy), which I have approved. The games are now being assembled, and I have finally secured shipping space, although the games will not be on the high seas until mid-September. I expect stock to reach destinations around the world in late October, but ALL BETS ARE OFF in the 2020-2021 years of insanity. Note: I will do an Update when stock is actually available.

Distribution

NOTE: IT WILL BE TWO MONTHS BEFORE INVENTORY WILL BE AVAILABLE. 

• THERE ARE NO PRE-ORDERS IN THE US. 
• THERE ARE PRE-ORDERS AVAILABLE IN THE UK/EU AND CANADA (SEE LINKS). 
• THERE WILL BE ONE MORE POST WHEN STOCK IS ON HAND AT THE VARIOUS RETAIL OUTLETS. 
• THIS POST IS TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE USEFUL BOX IS AND THAT IT WILL BE IN STOCK AT THE END OF OCTOBER.

US Distribution. I handle all online retail in the US via my Shopify site. Also, I am delighted to support any FLGS who wants to stock the game, and I currently have about 5 or 6 regular FLGS customers. Your local FLGS can contact me at [email protected] for details.

International Distribution: I have three exclusive distribution partners—Spiral Galaxy (UK/EU), BoardGameBliss (Canada), and Aetherworks (Australasia).

•  Distribution (UK/EU). Spiral Galaxy in the UK has a retail outlet, but they also distribute to any retailers in their region who wish to stock the game. So, if you are in Europe, it is highly likely the larger local retailers will have it available (most larger ones had Obsession available earlier this year). If not, ask them to stock the Obsession games (and inform them to contact Spiral Galaxy, whom they know very well).
•  Distribution (Canada). BoardGameBliss is the sole retailer in Canada using their online store.
•  Distribution (Australasia). Aetherworks has a retail outlet (they don't have the Useful Box up yet), but they also distribute to any retailers in their region who wish to stock the game. So, if you are in Asia or New Zealand or anywhere in that region, the larger local retailers have the same option to stock the Obsession games as their European counterparts (ask them to contact Aetherworks, who they also know very well).
•  Distribution (ROTW). I am sorry, but there is not a lot of good news here. Most geographies not mentioned can get a shipment from Spiral Galaxy or Aetherworks (depending on who is closer), but the shipping will be significant; the good news is that the box is very light and not large. Personally, I have chosen not to ship international retail, although at least 50 ROTW gamers went through Freight Forwarders here in the US (like Viabox) to get shipments from me. I wish I had better news here. 

Interview

Liz Davidson was kind enough to let me ramble on for almost an hour in an interview from about a month ago. You may find some of the details interesting as we dive deep into theme, history, literature, and other interesting topics.

BGG Rating

Obsession has reached the top 350 board games all time thanks to all of you!

If you haven't rated the game, please do. As always, BGG is the great equalizer for a small publisher.

So sorry for the long post and thank you!

Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games

Obsession State of the Union (and important news)
about 3 years ago – Sat, Apr 17, 2021 at 05:50:06 PM

In Brief

• Thank You
• Success
• Meeple Source Kickstarter Features Obsession Meeples 
• Sir Meeple Obsession Apparel
• Announcement That There Will Be a Big Announcement

Thank You

Greetings! I foresee two more Updates before this Kickstarter goes fallow. Both of them will contain an expression of gratitude, but no hugs, no unseemly emotion, just typical (deeply felt) Victorian reserve: 

Success

Know, however, that all of you are the reason for Obsession's success, which has been substantial. Obsession now sits just outside the top 400 games of all time.

Obsession made it to the Geek Madness 2021 Tournament (that mimics the NCAA basketball March Madness tournament) as one of the top 64 games voted on by members of BoardGameGeek. Sadly, the legendary Puerto Rico ran us off the court, but it was a thrill to make the dance!

As of next weekend, there will be no more Obsession 2E games available anywhere in the world, except 2nd hand (I have 65 remaining). The 3rd printing is underway, and the world will be resupplied in late July, early August. I will have detail on this resupply in the final Update.

Meeple Source Kickstarter Features Obsession Meeples 

A sign of success is that quality businesses in our hobby seek to collaborate. Right now, the leader in game accessories, Meeple Source, has a Kickstarter for meeple upgrades that funded on the first day. In it, Obsession meeples reminiscent of characters in a certain beloved TV series are featured! 

I have consumed an embarrassing amount of Meeple Source in my day (wonderful materials to help with game design), and I am flattered to see Obsession meeples presented alongside meeples for Scythe, Wingspan, and Architects of the West Kingdom.

There are a large number of meeples in Obsession, so the whole package can be pricey, but there are options for a solo set, 2P set, and a 4P set, depending on how you play. And we are into Victorian excess, are we not?

(Note that I receive no compensation for this project, but have collaborated with Meeple Source on these wonderful designs that delightfully promote the brand; they have been great to work with. Cynthia is very active in the Kickstarter comments, and she will get rapid answers to your questions about the different configurations.)

Sir Meeple Obsession Apparel

Obsession apparel a bridge too far? I thought so, until I saw these:

Holy smoke, how cool! Similar to the custom meeples above, I am not financially compensated by Sir Meeple, but I do get T-Shirts! The proprietor, Tim Kulynych, contacted me because he is a big fan of Obsession, and he had an idea for a T-Shirt line. I couldn't imagine what he was talking about until he generated these images. Here's the amazing thing: he can take any art from Obsession and put it on a shirt for you. So, if the Riding Stables are your thing, viola! 

(Note that this shade of green is carefully chosen to reflect the tile color, as with the Cabinet of Curiosities above.) 

His store features some great initial designs, but as mentioned he will also reproduce game art of your choice (he is committed to designs that are faithful to Obsession game art, so freelancing is not in the Whist cards). The quality of the shirts for the right tile/graphic combos and the customizable process take these out of the realm of the discount rack, but for good reason. You are an aristocrat, what?

To celebrate this launch, Tim is offering Kickstarter backers free shipping on orders of $50 or more! Use the discount code FAIRCHILD during checkout.

Announcement That There Will Be a Big Announcement

I have a special treat for all of you that is being produced in the current printing, and this treat includes new content. Within the next week or two, I will announce what that is, so stay tuned! In the meantime,  consider supporting Cynthia and Tim, big fans of Obsession who have put their love of the game into fascinating new designs.

Stop...One More Thing

If you haven't rated the game on BoardGameGeek, please help a small publisher compete with the big ones by rating Obsession and it's expansions (if you have them). I can't tell you how much this matters to the entire staff at Kayenta Games (me).

Thank you again!

Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games