URGENT: Do NOT Skip Over This Update
over 5 years ago – Sun, Aug 12, 2018 at 12:11:07 AM

Hello there. 

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This afternoon, I decided to track my container ships and pass along a little story from somewhere in the Pacific about the journey of 5 tons of Obsession games. More importantly, I wanted to prepare each of you for the close of the pledge manager and the address lockdown that will be coming at the end of the month.

I did not see what I expected.

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By the time many of you read this, 600 games and 510 expansions will be on US soil. As of 1:04 EST, the APL Fullerton containing games for the western United States and Canada was right here, less than four hours from port:

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A recheck of my electronic bill of lading showed that I was misinformed about the schedule for this shipment. Fortunately, this is going to result in western North American backers receiving their games in August (hurrah!), about three weeks ahead of my last estimate. The eastern United States and eastern Canada are still on target for a mid-September fulfillment:

• Eastern United States and Eastern Canada: Your ship is the Conti Makalu, and it is off the coast of Baja, California heading for the Panama Canal, where it will pass through on 8/16. The ETA to the east coast of the United States is still August 29th, with receipt of games at the warehouse on September 5th.

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I did discover, however, that the UK/EU/ROTW ship is ahead of schedule:

• UK, EU and rest of the world (ROTW): Your ship is the MSC Reef, and I was surprised to learn it went the other way around the globe. It is approaching the Strait of Gibraltar in a very crowded Mediterranean, and now lists its arrival into Southampton, UK on August 18th! It should reach Spiral Galaxy Games by 8/25. 

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What's Next...

The above schedule is good news indeed! However, this means you have less than six days to change your address, if needed:

• Shipping addresses in the pledge manager will be locked down on Thursday of this week. Consider this Update an early notice—if you have any doubt about your shipping address, visit BackerKit and check your information. All of you should have received a confirmation email with a link when you filled out your pledge survey. 
• On Monday night, a 48 hour notice will be sent from the BackerKit system to offer a final chance to update your addresses. This communication will contain the direct link to your pledge and offer a final grace period to change your shipping address. Both backers and those who preordered the game will receive this notice.

Review Videos

I want to recommend the Ant Lab playthrough review again if you haven't seen it, and also ask you to forward it to fellow gamers. https://youtu.be/1m6BeOhecWI

Seven other reviewers either have the game or will getting their copies soon. 

Rating Obsession

Finally, I wanted to plant a request in your minds: reviewers are very helpful, but it is critically important to the success of the game for each of you to rate it on BoardGameGeek (BGG). I ask for only your honest rating, but I do ask that you take the time to record your rating on the BGG site. If you don't have an account, please sign up. Too many games load up positive ratings before the game is even fulfilled!  I want only real reviews, but boy do I want them!

Play Obsession and then let the world know what you think!

Thanks, as always!

Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games

Ant Lab Games Review and Shipping Update
over 5 years ago – Wed, Aug 01, 2018 at 02:09:38 PM

Greetings! Two things this morning:

Ant Lab Games Review

Anthony and Frances from Ant Lab Games do a complete playthrough of Obsession that is second to none. I have always felt that their approach to board game reviews has a unique utility in that you can watch a real (not simulated) full playthrough and then enjoy a thorough breakdown of the experience. They do a fantastic job with Obsession.

Please visit their YouTube Channel here, watch, and subscribe; Ant Lab Games is a channel that deserves the traffic! 

Obsession Playthrough Review

Shipping and Fulfillment Update

A little fulfillment fact that you may find interesting: the net weight of the Obsession games on the high seas? Just a few pounds short of five tons! 

By a curious twist of shipping-availability fate, the first pallets of games will arrive in Southampton, UK! Could it be destiny that a game about Britain arrives there first? 

Fulfillment for all will begin in mid-September. Another amusing fact: I not only made my August fulfillment deadline, I beat it! A backer living in China received her copy of Obsession on July 14th. Unfortunately for the rest of the backers, it will be early September. Given that my copy of 7th Continent will be about 1 year late, I don't feel too bad.

Thanks, as always!

Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games

Shipping Update and Other Stuff
almost 6 years ago – Mon, Jul 16, 2018 at 08:20:09 PM

Games Depart Hong Kong

I am disappointed to report that the games are leaving Hong Kong this week, about 10 days after the planned date. Of all the complexities in this project, the challenge of freighting 5 tons of cargo destined for three warehouses in two countries traveling across two oceans, in and out of multiple international ports, and overland thousands of land miles proved to be more complicated that a first play of the heaviest Euro-game without instructions.

This later departure date likely means that I will miss my fulfillment promise by about two weeks. My apologies! The UK and EU stand a better chance of making it by 8/31 because the fulfillment destination is close to the port of Southampton, UK, while the US fulfillment centers are a couple thousand miles from the port of call.

Welcome Spiral Galaxy!

Based upon the feedback of several UK/EU backers, I have changed my ROTW fulfillment partner to Spiral Galaxy (located in Shropshire, UK). They come highly recommended by other developers, and I am pleased to have them on board. I am far more "helpless" to resolve international issues; I very much need and want a partner who knows games, has an impeccable reputation, and can make your international experience a pleasure.

Interview

Of possible interest is an interview I did with David Wiley; you will see some early Obsession prototypes (shocking!), see the backers getting credit for helping improve the graphic design, and more. My main motivation, however, is that David does a very nice job (has interviews with the Gloomhaven and Keyflower developers just this month alone!) and deserves the traffic. Please visit and comment!

https://cardboardclash.wordpress.com/2018/07/16/interview-with-dan-hallagan-overview-of-obsession-and-giveaway/

Videos

I am starting a series of 5 minute videos because I ramble on otherwise. Ha. Here is the first in the series. I will be doing several dealing with specific mechanics that can benefit from this type of presentation.

I have finally learned how to upgrade my video quality (I am a slow learner).

Thanks, as always!

Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games

Quick Update�—More Goodies, Shipping from Panda
almost 6 years ago – Tue, Jun 26, 2018 at 10:55:21 PM

Greetings! A very quick update...

More Goodies

I neglected to mention two additional bonuses I added to the game when it was going to production. For a long time, my playtesters beat the drum for player aids, and I relented at the twelfth hour. I created six player references, and here are three:

Next, the Rulebook (already finished at that time) referenced 30 casual guests, but I had 35. What to do? I couldn't decide which five to remove, so I decided not to! They were too cool to leave out...

Production Complete and Shipping Estimate

The games are being assembled and acclimated, and then they will ship from Panda within the next 10 days. We are on schedule! 

BoardGameGeek Promotion

Tomorrow, I begin a month long advertising campaign on BoardGameGeek offering flat rate shipping for those who get in with a Pre-Order before fulfillment begins. This is a big deal. The game now weighs a whopping 6.45 pounds and shipping is substantially more than what will be paid retail in September. Spread the word!

Thanks as always,

Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games

Post-Production Punchboards, Fulfillment Partners, and Instructional/Gameplay Videos
almost 6 years ago – Tue, Jun 19, 2018 at 01:20:06 AM

Greetings, backers!

Post-Production Punchboards

Today, I was very excited to receive post-production samples of the Obsession punchboards, and I am thrilled! Below is a short, 2-minute video that gives a look at the increased tile thickness (2.5mm) and the production quality. It was 6 minutes long, but I was rambling on as if FedEx had just delivered the Mona Lisa, and so I hacked it back to something watchable.

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Fulfillment Partners

I am also pleased to announce that I have chosen ShipMonk to be my North American fulfillment partner and GamesQuest (London) to be my ROTW partner. We are moving closer to the date when I will need to finalize shipping addresses; expect an email from BackerKit in mid-July to lock down the location where your copy of Obsession will be sent.

If you have any questions/concerns about your shipping address, contact me directly via the Kickstarter message system.

Videos

Now that I have the post-production quality tiles, I will be launching a series of Obsession instructional/gameplay videos to replace the ones that used prototype components. I may remove the old videos from BoardGameGeek, but they will remain on my YouTube channel for those interested.

I do not want to overuse the Kickstarter Update system to announce each video as they are posted; please check BoardGameGeek for new releases or subscribe to my YouTube channel.

As always, thank you!

Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games