Stretch Goal #7
over 4 years ago – Mon, Oct 07, 2019 at 12:07:27 AM

I am more of a cat guy, so I'll kick my stretching animals up a notch with a lynx.

Goal #7, congrats! A fascinating mix in this group. I think the reverend and Sara Bonetta can go right into the main deck and stay there, no concerns about unsettling the game. The other two are more adventurous! 

New Stretch Goals

You've made the campaign so successful that I am challenged to find compelling new stretch goals.  One is the final four promo cards, posting shortly. 

The new goals will be out today, so stay tuned!

Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games

An Update with Backers' Fingerprints All Over It!
over 4 years ago – Sat, Oct 05, 2019 at 02:09:58 AM

In 2017, this community rallied behind the original Obsession Kickstarter and greatly helped the redesign effort. Seems like that can-do Victorian attitude is still alive and well! Three stories of backer collaboration:

Holmes? Pah! 

"Do not make me resort to the Code Duello, American!" snapped Chris Dorrell, a backer who lives < 100 miles from Alderley Hall (if it existed). The Holmes photo chosen by yours truly (see the KS page stretch goals) was clearly that of...*gasp*...an American!

When local knowledge speaks, it is wise to listen. Chris then recounted how one Joseph Bell (1837—1911) was the inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary character. So the young Joseph Bell himself now steps in as Sherlock in a redesigned promo card.

MOAR Milestones

The milestone stretch goal was reached what seems like months ago. However, 2017 KS collaborator Mariya Meshcheryakova subscribes to the gaming philosophy of "if you can have four, then ten is better." She then stepped in and proposed the following six milestones, which join the four stretch ones, making the box yet again heavier. Well done!

I will probably do black silhouettes of the new servants to stick with the motif.

Guess away at the developer's arcane and baffling symbology (there will be an aid, of course).

At Your Fingertips

A newcomer to Obsession with a Jane Austen-loving wife (hey, I know one of those) has produced a Victorian reference that is as thematic as it is comprehensive. Peter Lazzaro now makes this available to this community. Wonderful work, Peter! Due to my intimate familiarity with the game, I often have a blind spot for such quality references. 

 Click the image to download (this is a public Dropbox download; you do not need a DropBox account to download the PDF).

Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games

Stretch Goal #6 (it's a big one!)
over 4 years ago – Thu, Oct 03, 2019 at 11:32:42 PM

The Box Storage System is here! 

However, if you recall in my video Update #14, I said: "I want everyone watching the video to know that this is a prototype idea and subject to change if the final accounting does not work out."

Over the next few days I thought, "What kind of jerk hedges like that?! These people are all in for Obsession, so damn if I'm not all in for their box storage system!" 

Panda is still working out a quote (they do great work, but man they take a lot of long breaks—it's Chinese National Week right now), but given the trajectory of the campaign, I will make this work out.

So the storage system will be as seen in the video:

• One side of the main box will feature six family-crest boxes, three on the bottom, three on the top.
• The other side of the main box will feature two deep boxes for multi-purpose storage.
• All boxes will have lids.
• There will be a gap between the boxes that will hold the organisers and stabilize the box layer.

Congrats to all and thanks for making this happen! The game will store beautifully.

Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games

Stretch Goal #5
over 4 years ago – Tue, Oct 01, 2019 at 07:03:41 PM

Four more promo cards are in the barn...yes, that Barn.

HOWEVER, a penalty flag has been thrown across the pond from fair Lancashire into my lap. I was informed that Sherlock Holmes is not, as his photo indicates, "a smart American detective," which I will speculate is the basest of insults. I have tasked this gentlemen with seeking out a more representative 19th century photo. We shall judge him strictly.

As mentioned, new stretch goals are on the way this weekend.

Thanks all!

Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games

Mid-Campaign Grab Bag
over 4 years ago – Tue, Oct 01, 2019 at 02:31:40 PM

No flowery prose here. Time to take care of some business, rapid-fire:

Storage System Stretch Goal in Reach

We are 99 ratings away from our stretch goal of the box storage system presented in Update #14. If you have not rated the game on BoardGameGeek or recorded your KS pledge with a pending rating, please do (here's how). We are close!

New Promo Card Stretch Goal 

Check out the stretch goal section for the next round of 4 promo cards along with a diary today introducing Sir Charles Fitzwilliam, Bt. The last four promos will go up this weekend along with two new stretch goals (non-card related).

BGG Contest and Campaign Finish

We are in the mid-month quiet time before the campaign finishes, so it appears the new stretch goals will be difficult to reach. Note, however, that almost all campaigns follow the same crowdfunding pattern (a symmetric bimodal histogram—statisticians correct me if I am wrong): 

There are exceptions, but this is the norm; even million dollar projects tend to follow this pattern: 

So every stretch goal < 180K will be VERY much in reach! And we are not sitting still.

There will be a BoardGameGeek contest starting on Friday. Those contests usually result in a game climbing the Hotness bar (on the left side of the home page). Upstairs, Downstairs will also be featured in the BGG Crowdfunding Weekly mass emailing shortly after that. And saturation advertising is planned for the last two days of the campaign.

Tableau Obsession—A New Obsession Game

I will be a little delayed with the rules and round track PnP PDF that I promised would accompany the Tableau Obsession playthrough video posted on the KS page on Sunday (presented below). This is a variation on the base game of Obsession that focuses on building your estate in a race to MAX reputation. It is a 15-20 minute game when 7 reputation is the MAX. Very tense! 

Solo Estate Challenge—A New Solo Game

I will be posting a complete playthrough of the Solo Estate Challenge this weekend, which is different from the game in the video above. It's my new, favourite solo variation, and I think experienced Obsession players will LOVE this.

Travel—Limited Communication

I will be traveling the next two days and my response time to KS messages, emails, and comments will be slower than normal (I will get to you!). Also, after updating the $115,000 stretch goal later today, I will not be posting until Thursday.

Thanks, as always!

Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games