THANK YOU!
over 4 years ago – Tue, Oct 15, 2019 at 11:54:06 PM

Celebration? I had a moment of excitement, but cannot have all this knock-about, what? Tea and a crumpet, p'raps. Those Americans with all their exclamation points. *sniff*

Obsession (2nd edition), the Upstairs, Downstairs expansion, and the Wessex expansion (2nd edition) have been successfully funded. I am deeply honored that you have put your trust in Kayenta Games. The last 30 days have been a journey and now the work REALLY begins. 

I have done an enormous amount of prequalification, but your success in conquering all the stretch goals has created some homework. 

Our shared effort is not over!

Over at BGG, I will be convening storage box design forums, backer tile thematic proofing (and tweaking), and finalization discussions for a number of stretchy components. YOU ARE NOT YET DISBANDED. Be sure to subscribe to the Obsession and Upstairs, Downstairs BGG pages so you will be automatically notified when content is posted.

Thank you again! I think I shall wander my Cabinet in satisfaction. I have two-headed dog from Borneo, ghastly thing, stuffed and whatnot...

 Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games

Big Stretch Goal #10! (And a word about late pledges)
over 4 years ago – Tue, Oct 15, 2019 at 10:25:50 PM

This is a big one, on par with the box storage system. Congrats and thank you! What does this bring us?

• START tiles for the 6th family box in the storage system
• An extra starting set of servant meeples for that same box
• Reputation counters and wooden marker (now the 6th family box is fully stocked!)
• Six player rules (to follow after fulfillment as a PDF)
• A new Team Cooperative mode of play
• A backer-created tile—candidates here—to be voted on this evening at 7:00pm USA EST
•  Solo Estate Challenge AI chits
• A complete second set of Improvement Tiles with prestige ratings of 5 & 6 (this is critical to improve play for the 5 and 6-player counts)

That's some gumbo right there! 

Well-deserved for such great support of the project. Don't forget about the new $200,000 stretch goal (see Stretch Goals in the middle of KS page for an update)! It may be a long shot, but you never know!

Late Pledges

Any backer who carries a pledge from this campaign into the Pledge Manager (PM) will be able to add products on the same terms as during the live campaign (same bundles, same shipping, etc.).

Late pledges directly into the PM will only be able to access games a la carte (no bundle discounts, no Loyalty Bundle, etc.) and will pay full shipping. A late pledge will be better than retail, but not the quality of the Kickstarter backers (who deserve the best for being part of the campaign, IMO).

Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games

Final Stretch Goals—Important Please Read
over 4 years ago – Mon, Oct 14, 2019 at 10:55:59 PM

The final stretch goal is in reach. Thank you everyone for the strong finish!

As described in the stretch goals section in the middle of the Kickstarter page, the final goal features a backer-developed tile that will be included in the Upstairs, Downstairs box. There has been a creative explosion over on BoardGameGeek, and I have compiled the 19 tile designs submitted over the last three days in a GeekList. Please visit this list and view some of these fantastic tiles! Here's a few (but I am neglecting others, go visit):

The voting will take place tomorrow evening (I will send out an update to announce the voting). If we hit $180,000 the top tile will be included in the Obsession universe!

New Stretch Goal

I am announcing a $200,000 stretch goal in this Update: Instead of just one of these great tiles making it into the game, if we hit the magical target of $200,000, I will include the top SIX vote-getters in the Upstairs, Downstairs box!

Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games

Team Cooperative Video
over 4 years ago – Sun, Oct 13, 2019 at 10:46:33 PM

At 44 minutes, I stopped filming just before the end of Season 2. 

Well, even though it is not a complete playthrough, I think it really highlights just how great team co-op is going to be. I had a ton of fun shooting this. You may not have a ton of fun watching it!

Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games

Housekeeping (don't miss this)
over 4 years ago – Fri, Oct 11, 2019 at 03:02:10 AM

Box Storage System

Coming together!

Backer-Designed Tile Ideas and Voting

There is a forum post up at BoardGameGeek for hearing your design proposals for our backer bonus tile (see Update #23) that will be added to the game at $180,000.  The tile can be a fun, overpowered promo-style tile or a serious tile that fits right into the game. I will entertain all serious proposals and develop prototypes, and YOU will decide what gets added to Obsession. I do not anticipate vetoing too many ideas, but I will defend the theme at all costs.

Please provide the appropriate details. I won't be able to do much with "A distillery!"

The Teffy 25

Cued up at #1 (the whole thing is good)!
 

Hybrid Tile Design

Thanks to Bill Buchanan for being tenacious about the Hybrid Tiles needing an indicator of what is on the reverse side (see Update #3). After some back-and-forth in a BGG post, here are two of your new Hybrid Tile:

The background behind the servant indicates what's available on the reverse side. While you can always lift and flip the tile, you'll NEVER forget you have a powerful hybrid in your organiser.

Six Players?!

The capability for six players will be theoretically possible once we hit $180,000, but will it be fun? That is a lot of down time even with experienced players.

This sparked an inspiration. Teams! For those of you who haven't played Cooperative Obsession, you don't know what you're missing! The bad accents, drama, and gossip go from being a solo act to an ensemble. More importantly, the thematic sharing of servants and guests creates a whole new level of interaction.

I believe the best way for six players to play would be three teams of two, with your teammate being able to attend your activities, loan servants and pounds, and otherwise make things happen that would otherwise be impossible. But by scoring the lowest estate, teammates must ensure both houses prosper.

Here's the rub: I've just described (and tried already!) a whole new style of play—competitive co-op—and the rules will not make it into the box. The components will be there, but the rules (which will need playtesting) will follow after the game is on your shelf.

Are you OK with PDF rules for 6 Player Competitive Co-op Obsession?

Video Plan

I am aiming for two videos before the campaign concludes:

• Cooperative play
• The 6 player team play concept I am developing (which could also be played at 4).

My goal will be to get these out over the weekend.

Thanks!

Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games