A servant-focused expansion for the award-winning thematic Euro
+ 2nd printings of the sold out Obsession base game & Wessex expansion
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Locking Addresses, Closing the Pre-Order Store, MPC, and more!
almost 6 years ago
– Sat, Jun 13, 2020 at 08:10:17 PM
Locking Addresses
I need to give my final list of backers, late pledges, and pre-orders to Quartermaster Logistics (QML) soon. This means everything in BackerKit gets shut down on June 21st. Games will get delivered at different times based upon geography; QML provides this helpful update:
Asia with VFI—Based on their current schedule and the expected inventory delivery, we will likely be fulfilling in mid-late July.
Australia/New Zealand with Aetherworks—Ocean does get to Aetherworks a bit quicker, but they have been seeing some delays in customs clearance due to COVID-19 related lower staff levels. It is possible we will see that be resolved by the time this shipment arrives, but to be on the safe side we can estimate that they will receive inventory late July, which would give us an early-mid August fulfillment.
Europe with GamesQuest—Ocean will typically take 4-6 weeks to arrive, which would put them having inventory in early-mid August. Assuming there are no delays or problems with the inventory arrival and based on their projected schedule, we can estimate fulfillment occurring in late August.
United States, Canada & Rest of the World with QML—Similar to Europe, ocean will typically take 4-6 weeks to arrive here which would put us having inventory in early-mid August. Assuming there are no delays or problems with the inventory arrival and based on our projected schedule, we can estimate fulfillment occurring in late August/early-mid September.
For those of you who may be moving this summer, this hopefully provides guidance as to whether an address needs to be updated. ACTION: Please update your address if necessary. If you are unsure, email me at [email protected], and I will get you squared away.
The MPC arrives soon (see below), and it is being sent to ensure everything is perfect. Please note that IF there is an issue that needs to be addressed, there would be a delay. While nervous, I have a lot of confidence in Panda, so I expect we'll be very pleased.
The Consequences of Closing the Pre-Order Store
As of today, I do not have a ROTW retail plan in place. With all that has been happening, my focus has been getting the game to backers and taking care of retail here in the U.S. (which is so much easier for me than other geographies). Non-US locations won't have access to the various Obsession games until sometime in the Fall/Winter 2020.
Result? ROTW gamers interested in Obsession have 9 days to place a pre-order. After that, there will be 4 to 6 months of no availability. Spread the word if you know of any ROTW gamers who are waiting on retail!
MPC
The Mass Production Copy is arriving within 24 hours! I hope to shoot an unboxing video this weekend. Stay tuned!
Cooperative Video
For those of you waiting for additional installments of the Cooperative playthrough that debuted last Update, I have a disaster to report: my daughter's cat that came for an extended visit during quarantine destroyed the entire setup of the game. Reconstruction was too great a chore as I come down to the wire on fulfillment. I will, however, commit to a future playthrough of the cooperative play vs. AI. My apologies!
I truly appreciate everyone's patience with the production and fulfillment delay. It's been an insane year, and I am excited that I will soon see your patience rewarded with an exquisite game that you all helped bring into existence.
Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games
Cooperative Video and Mass Production Game Copy
almost 6 years ago
– Fri, May 22, 2020 at 01:44:52 PM
Cooperative Video
At the request of backer Wesley Jones, I have begun a video series showing cooperative play against the malevolent AI. Besides honoring Wesley's request, I needed to start development of a long-planned Variant Catalogue, which will be an online (ink-friendly) PDF that aggregates all the variants into one file, complete with the official pronouncements of Kayenta Games. The cooperative AI proposed in 2018 needed a facelift given the new servants and market management. This is a work in progress and feedback is welcome!
Mass Production Copy
One of the most nerve-wracking moments in a project like this is the unveiling of the MPC (Mass Production Copies). That will happen within the next two weeks, as Panda is wrapping up production and will be shipping an MPC to me. I will unveil the four MPC on video for everyone to see, nerves and all!
We are still looking at a container shipping date of 6/22; I hope to have an update there in the next week or so. This still suggests an end of July fulfillment start date for one portion of the world and early August for the remainder.
Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games
Production Update, One More Special Thank You, and Other Stuff
almost 6 years ago
– Sun, May 03, 2020 at 11:17:59 PM
Production Update
Now that the presses are rolling, a firmer fulfillment date has emerged, and I am a little disappointed: June 22nd looks to be the date that over 22 tons of games find their way onto various container ships. One word describes the reality on the ground at the manufacturing plant: backlog. The shutdown due to Covid19 is behind us, but an extra two months of projects are competing for production time. One good thing I now realize, however, is that Quartermaster Logistics is more likely to be at full capacity in June. So there is that.
More to come!
Thank You
For your patience, I will now reveal the final bonus tile that you will find in your Upstairs, Downstairs expansion: the Housekeeper's Room. Those of you intrepid gamers who scoured the Upstairs, Downstairs rulebook when I posted it on BGG will have noticed this beautiful tile lurking on the back page.
Why is this tile special? Well, of all the Upstairs, Downstairs servants, the least versatile was the Head Housemaid. Her screening function is excellent, yes, but she had so much more potential. The Housekeeper's Room functions like the Brushing Room in that the tile grants a new ability: the Head Housekeeper may stand in for either the housekeeper or lady’s maid, even if one is available (in doing so, her native screening ability is not active). There are two copies of this tile, elevating it to full SERVICE tile status.
(Of course, she can't cook worth a lick, and Mrs. Puggins has warned her to stay clear!)
You might ask where I found room for these extra tiles. I had some leftover space after the Kickstarter (thus the Renovated Kitchen was resurrected), but I also chose not to offer low VP value Suites Tiles (something I contemplated to go along with the low VP value Monument Tiles for reduced impact on Courtship); this is just so much more useful than a second Lionheart or Queen's Suite.
Video Series Complete
I didn't want to do separate posts for the last two installments of the quarantine video series featuring all of the new stuff. I wrapped it up last week, and it features a rollicking finish!
Season 3
Season 4 and Final Scoring
At 3 1/2 hours, it is about 10 minutes shorter than Ben Hur. LOL.
Helping Hand
Kevin Whitmore from the Game Bistro has compiled an excellent Gentry Roster here. It is something I should have done long ago. He will update the roster to include Upstairs, Downstairs and Promotional gentry as soon as I get off my rear end and get him the info. Thank you, Kevin!
Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games
Quarantine Video #2 and the Upstairs, Downstairs Rulebook Download
almost 6 years ago
– Wed, Apr 15, 2020 at 11:40:09 PM
I am not going to do an update for Season 3 and 4 of this E X T E N D E D (!) playthrough, so please subscribe to my Youtube channel if you want to be notified of the completion of this Ben Hur-like marathon. The last two seasons will be up within the week.
I had believed that a slow, methodical playthrough that ignored common sense conventions about video length would permit me to be brilliant and error-free. Neither of these things have come to pass. But there is good fun to be had...and great detail for anyone looking to see the subtleties of the new servants in action.
Upstairs, Downstairs Rulebook
The final UD rulebook is RIGHT HERE for your reading pleasure. It covers a lot of diverse ground (thus it expanded from the 8-page Kickstarter 1st draft to 12 pages). I could have easily gone to 16 pages (all rulebooks must have pages in a multiple of 4) to provide more examples for the new game modes, but decided against that. I have to be less wordy.
Enjoy! Next update will be when production is firmly underway such that I can make a reliable fulfillment prediction.
Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games
Quarantine Videos and More!
almost 6 years ago
– Sun, Apr 12, 2020 at 02:52:13 AM
This week, I watched Ben Hur. Amazing production in the chariot races! Ben Hur is 3 hours and 42 minutes long. The two-player playthrough video series I've just started will be longer. LOL.
I figured I would do a long, meandering video series because...well, now's the time! The goal with this playthrough is to show off as much of the new components as possible, all while going into ridiculous depth on strategy and tactics.
We all have a little extra video time on our hands...
Production Update
We are well into production of manufactured components, and just about to begin print production. As expected, there is quite a backlog, but we are very close to being next in line. I won't offer a prediction on fulfillment dates just yet (until I know we're printing).
