SURVEYS!
about 5 years ago – Tue, Mar 19, 2019 at 11:31:36 PM

It's that time of year again, when the Hexakun is wearing a pencil for a hat, and there is fresh fish to be added on to your pledge! Yes, I'm talking about surveys. 

In about 30 seconds I will push a button to send out a 'smoke test' to 5% of you through Backerkit, which will allow you to select your add-ons, input your shipping address, and feel a sense of closure. One step closer to delivery :) 

The other 95% of you will receive an email tomorrow with a link to your survey, after I check that everything has gone according to plan. 

ADD ON NOTES

In addition to the add ons listed on the Kickstarter page, I have also thrown in three new items. Please note that these will also be sold BEFORE rewards for this Kickstarter campaign ship, so if you are eager to get them perhaps it's better to wait until they can be purchased through other means. I have decided to give a slight discount to two of the items should you wish to pre-order them with your TOKYO SERIES games:

•  TOKYO SERIES Enamel Pin: This beauty will let you show your love of Tokyo! Available as an add-on for $10. Every pin features a high quality locking pin back. Sold for the first time at PAX East. 

•  Jordan Draper Enamel Pin: If you like my crazy games, you can show your support with my logo. Available for $5 off when pre-ordering when you fill out your survey. Every pin features a high quality locking pin back. Sold for the first time at PAX East.

•  Nothing To Talk About: This is the first in a line of zine based games. Played between two people, over a messaging app, NTTA has 9 unique games that are wildly different and explorative. I highly suggest this as an ice breaker, experimental brainstorming tool, and all around good time! Release date TBD. Save $2 by pre-ordering.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS

If you have any questions or concerns about surveys or the how the process works, don't be worried! The process is very simple and you'll be guided through everything step by step on Backerkit. I'm also available any time, feel free to email me at [email protected] or reach out through the comments!

Backerkit Surveys, Plush Previews, NTTA, PAX East, & Kickstarter Residency!
about 5 years ago – Wed, Mar 06, 2019 at 05:14:35 PM

BACKERKIT SURVEYS & A SHORT BREAK

I've taken a short break to refocus my energy, balance my work schedule, and move to New York for a residency at the Kickstarter HQ in Brooklyn over the past two weeks. Thanks for waiting patiently for an update, I'm here again and completely recharged, ready to tackle manufacturing! 

As a brief overview of where everything sits, we have near final samples for all of the games, and I'm working to clean up the rulebooks, and finish some final play testing/development. I will have more news with photos over the coming weeks!

Within the next week or so, Backerkit surveys will start going out in waves and you'll have the opportunity to select your add-ons and upgrade pledges.

PLUSH PREVIEWS

I'm currently receiving plush samples from two separate manufacturers to aim for the best possible design and quality. Here are some photos of the variations that have come out so far:

These two beauties were the first two samples, using some optional templates. They have so much character and charm, but aren't quite the right shape. I'm currently awaiting a hybrid of the two.

And uhh, this one! It's on the right track, with some slight adjustments such as a taller body and shorter tentacles, we should be nearly there. 

I'll update more when the next round of samples come in!

NOTHING TO TALK ABOUT

This new A5 zine holds 9 different games for two players, which can be played over a messaging app or phone call! There will be more unique titles coming in the future on this format as well, all with contemporary concepts that challenge what a game is. 

I'm looking to have this available as an add-on when surveys go out, and it will be available for purchase for the first time at PAX East. Stay tuned for more news on this. 

PAX EAST

Speaking of, I will have a booth at PAX East in Boston in just a few weeks with all of the games from this Kickstarter on demo! 

In addition to demoing at the Jordan Draper Games booth, I will be in the Kickstarter Tree Room from 10-12 every day! Come join me for a game :) 

These new pins are also going to be for sale! I'll likely add them to Backerkit if there's demand, and they will be around for the first time at PAX East.  

KICKSTARTER HQ RESIDENCY

I'm very happy to say that I was accepted for a residency at the Kickstarter HQ in Brooklyn, and I'll be stationed here in New York for the next few months. I am excited to have a workspace amongst other talented creatives, and this will allow for a seamless workflow and focus for polishing the games from this campaign. I'm excited and humbled to have this opportunity.

As always thank you for supporting the project, and feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions!

JAPAN! GOALS! TOKYO UMBRELLA LOCKERS! TOKYO CAPSULE HOTEL! TOKYO SUMO! THANK YOU!
about 5 years ago – Wed, Feb 13, 2019 at 12:45:41 AM

WE DID IT! What a campaign! I'm feeling great, and I hope you do too, we've pulled together and brought 6 amazing new games to life, helped out some very talented Japanese designers, wait wait wait, let me bullet list this it will be much more exciting! Here's an incomplete list of our accomplishments:

• Created 3 new TOKYO SERIES games!
• Brought 3 games from Japanese designers to the world, and helped support them!
• Discovered that trucks, washing machines, and rice cookers have value! Plus they are FREE for you (a $25 value)!
• Birthed a Hexakun and a Tsukiji Ghost Crab!
• Added an RPG laundry character sheet and SPOT UV cards to Coin laundry!
• Made 2 new markets for Tsukiji Market, and increased the wood depth!
• Got a challenge coin for all backers!
• Added a host pin to Game Show, and 5 new glow-in-the-dark game show games!

What a list, and that wasn't even everything. THANK YOU immensely to everyone not only for your support, but also for helping to spread word of the project. I see you and appreciate you all! I should also mention, that you help me to eat food, and that means a lot too. Thank you.

So how about that final stretch goal?? It was a photo finish, we crossed the $200k mark with less than 7 minutes to go! Originally this was going to be up to a vote, between the two final stretch goals. I've decided that as there is a split opinion, and we all worked together on this campaign, it will be best to give both stretch goals with just some slight adjustments:

•  DESIGN COMPETITION: The design competition is happening! I've lowered the prize money to $400, but I will also add in some Japanese games that I pick up at Tokyo Game Market in the future to sweeten the deal ;) Everyone who submits at minimum a playable, decent game will have their rules hosted on my website, and the top 3 winners will have their games included in the final core rulebook that will be released with the final Kickstarter, and receive prize money and bonus Japanese games. I'll have more on the rules and timelines for this in the future!
•  SPOT UV TSUKIJI MARKET BOARDS: We will also be getting SPOT UV on the Tsukiji Market market boards! There wasn't much to cover on the harbor boards, so I removed those for now, but I'll still consider them after the final artwork is finished. We have however locked in all of the markets to receive the beautiful finish, I can't wait!

DRUMOLL.....

....

.......

... and now 

Introducing the next three titles in the TOKYO SERIES, TOKYO UMBRELLA LOCKERS, TOKYO CAPSULE HOTEL, and TOKYO SUMO! I am SO excited about these games, they are pushing my limits as a designer conceptually, mechanically, and especially functionally. 

TOKYO UMBRELLA LOCKERS should utilize real closing metal lockers, miniature umbrellas, number tags, and a whole lot more! This will be the next game to continue the guest designer game type in the series as JIDOHANBAIKI and COIN LAUNDRY have before. Don't know what umbrella lockers even are? They are only in Japan (as far as I know?), and you can have fun with google for the next few minutes ;)

TOKYO CAPSULE HOTEL was covered in a previous update, so you can read more on the mechanics there. I am eager to begin play testing with some very open ended ideas, if you want to be part of the process you can sign up to the beta testers list here.

TOKYO SUMO will be a 2 player only game (although I'm toying around with an optional third player as a Gyōji (行司), no promises yet) and has some very unique aspects to it. I can't give too much away now, basically because I've gotten insanely ambitious, but I'll leave some bread crumbs for now *cough* sandfoobdags *cough* physikeypossitioans *coughing more*... Sorry about that. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

In a week or two I will send out a survey through Backerkit, which will allow you to select your add ons, or add on more items to your pledge. You will also have the ability to add a shipping address, but there will be a lot more time before we need to lock that in. I'll also be posting updates here every few weeks with progress, and you are welcome to email or message me if you have any questions.

Ok! I'm very elated, one more final thank you to YOU, you know who you are, people who love Japan and board games as much as I do. I like you. 

72h Left, KS Live, and Q&A with Naotaka Shimamoto!
about 5 years ago – Sat, Feb 09, 2019 at 04:27:17 PM

The final 2 days are just around the corner! We still have amazing stretch goals that are in reach, if we can spread the word I'm sure we can unlock them! I would love to design some special new games for TOKYO GAME SHOW.

On Sunday, Feb 10th, at 16:00 CET (10am EST) I will be hosting a Kickstarter Live hour! I will bring out all of the games, components, and talk through both the inspiration and development process. I also have some fun stories and unique games I picked up at Tokyo Game Market that I want to share with all of you.

For those of you who don't know, Naotaka Shimamoto is the talented designer from itten who is responsible for games such as Tokyo Highway, Tribe, Here Comes the Dog, and now Cactus. 

I asked him a few questions to get some insights into his process, and now I can share them with all of you!

Where do you look for inspiration when choosing a theme for your games?

I find inspiration regardless of time and place. If I’d say “where” in a more abstract sense, there are two things that come to my mind. One is my interest towards human activity and perception. Two, I find inspiration in appealing forms of objects.

What are some challenges working with wood, and dexterity based games?

Wooden pieces in board games represented mostly in the so-called “meeples” contain in them both the abstract and the concrete. They are what guide us into the magic circle (of the gaming experience) and make us feel the mystically of table games. I personally feel a special attraction to the contrast which arises when new gameplay and theme have been realized through the use of natural wooden pieces that are conventional in table games.

About the “dexterity” aspect

I like it when an object is chaotic yet you find a certain beauty in it, and I often wish that I could create that (kind of experience) in table games. If you are making a tangible physical object, it needs to comply with the laws of earth, gravity, so the game inevitably turns into a dexterity game. That is to say, making a dexterity game isn’t my primary goal in design.

Do you have any advise for designers looking to create unique games?

What’s most crucial is the sense that the theme or the system you have in mind is something you can feel special about. Taking mine as an example, when I make something based on what I myself feel special, it often turns into a game that many people would see something unique in it too. That said, it is also important to have an objective view to your game in order to make it enjoyable by many others. It would greatly help you if you could find someone who understands you well and give you good advise in design.

Back to Jordan: Thank you again to everyone for supporting creative work in tabletop games! It is your choices that allow our ideas to grow :) I hope to see you on the live stream, and look forward to a strong finish! 

Final Week, New Game Rules, and PAX East!
over 5 years ago – Mon, Feb 04, 2019 at 07:16:21 PM

It's the final week, the $25 metal currency will only be free until the end of the campaign! Let's pool together and share the project on social media, so we can push through the amazing stretch goals we have in our sights! 

I can't wait to send out this new currency, CURRENCY TORAKKU, and all of the games you will be able to play with just the bag of trucks, washing machines, and rice cookers. 

I'm thinking over a game now where you play as Hexakun monsters (by using the blind box figures), stampeding through Tokyo while other players attempt to transport drinks, washing machines, fish, and rice cookers between pick up and delivery points on a grid made from Jutaku cards and buildings. :o. 

Exciting news, there are three new game rules arriving from guest designers! First up is a TOKYO COIN LAUNDRY game from itten, a 2 player only game that utilizes mechanics of strategy, bluffing, and memory. The goal is to do your laundry before your opponent! Find out more by clicking on the rulebook link on the campaign page, or squinting at the blurry photos below.

Next up we have a co-design CURRENCY SAKANA game in the works from the talented Travis D. Hill and Cliff Fisher (Travis is also currently running his own Kickstarter for an RPG zine you should check out here). This is a 2 player abstract game, that has players using very strategic placement of currency pieces to surround pieces with the correct total denominations of yen in order to gain higher coins and bills. The game escalates nicely and has a lot of depth! There will be rules up soon on my website at here. 

We also can't keep Stefan Brakman from sharing his passion for game design, and he is at it again with his new CURRENCY SAKANA game! In this game, you will play as a single type of currency unit: 100, 500, 1,000, or 5,000 yen. There are unique rules for what each of the abilities and goals for scoring are for your currency type, and how you are allowed to place your pieces. The map evolves into a beautiful algorithm. This game will also have rules hosted soon on my website.

Finally I'm excited to announce I will have a booth at PAX East in Boston, and I will be joined by a talented and passionate team that includes Maya Coleman, Andrew Marks, and Freddie Watkins! If you'll be attending please come say hello, try some of the new games, and trade in a challenge coin if you wish to! Some of the trade in items will include TOKYO WASHI GAME CATS, Norwegian candy, and a double-or-nothing game challenge against yours truly! 

I will also be running TOKYO GAME SHOW sessions daily, so if you've always wanted to be on a Japanese game show this is your chance! 

Thanks again for all of your support on this campaign, it means the world to me! I can't wait for a strong finish, let's all do our best to achieve stretch goals!