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Ready or Not, here we come Kickstarter!

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I Will Never Gr...
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Into the Black: A Game of Space Piracy cast off is set for June 2nd!

We had delayed the launch of the Into the Black Kickstarter campaign in order to make sure we have as complete a product as possible before seeking backers. The time has come to dip our toes into the proverbial waters and cast off into the terrifying domain of Kickstarter!

Into the Black: A Game of Space Piracy is set to launch in all it's glory on Thursday, June 2nd, 2016 at approximately 6:00 pm Eastern time!

Please be sure to check out our preview of the Kickstarter Page at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/iwillnevergrowup/1534167851?token=66ea951c

Don't forget to click on the "remind me" star to get notification directly from Kickstarter upon launch! (Please note that some details on the page will change prior to launch)

We also have a limited version of the game available as a grey scale Print and Play so you can download, print out at home and try it yourself! This PnP version of Into the Black is not the complete game but should give you a good feel for what it's all about.

Get the Print and Play at the Into the Black Official Homepage. http://www.iwillnevergrowup.com/publishing/intotheblack

We thank you for your time and help denizens of the BGDF. We are very excited and look forward to publishing!

ElKobold
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Some things I've noticed from

Some things I've noticed from the first glance.

I would advise against revealing more than a few stretch goals at a time. It leaves you space for maneuver. And allows you to adjust the rewards/amounts to the actual pace of your campaign.

Do you absolutely have to do it in CAD? Both USD and CAD appear as $. It might make your pledges appear more expensive than they are.

I would expand your "What's in the box" section. Make the text larger, images biger etc. You want to show that there's a lot in there. Cramping it into a packed images won't serve you well.

Good luck!

questccg
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Some confusion

I find the amounts to be confusing:

-It says your funding goal is in CAD. So $20,000 CAD.
-You rewards are in CAD (I assume?) and say $49.00 for the game.
-But on the starting picture you say $37.00 USD for the game.
-And then you go on and talk about $33.00 Euros...

Maybe instead of all that, create a *nice* table, keep the reward level in CAD (since your funding goal is in CAD). But make it clear $49.00 CAD.

Then with a small table list out the approximate prices in each currency. Similar to what you have done for the "Shipping table". You don't have too many reward levels - so the table can be kept pretty small!

It's just a suggestion because I find it a little bit confusing to see all kinds of currency when the backers will be ultimately billed in CAD. It makes you want to google currency exchange to make sure the values shown are correct.

IDK, I have never seen a campaign with so many exchange conversions. Usually everything is in USD. But I understand $49.00 CAD may SEEM HIGH and you want USD and Euro customers to feel like they are getting a bargain...

I remember seeing one campaign that had a currency conversion table. Otherwise I have not seen all these types of conversion.

Best of luck with your Kickstarter... I hope you fund. $20,000 CAD may seem like a higher amount but in truth it's only about $15,000 USD which is REALLY realistic of a goal. I think you should hit that goal IMHO.

Cheers!

I Will Never Gr...
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ElKobold wrote:Some things

ElKobold wrote:
Some things I've noticed from the first glance.

I would advise against revealing more than a few stretch goals at a time. It leaves you space for maneuver. And allows you to adjust the rewards/amounts to the actual pace of your campaign.

Do you absolutely have to do it in CAD? Both USD and CAD appear as $. It might make your pledges appear more expensive than they are.

I would expand your "What's in the box" section. Make the text larger, images biger etc. You want to show that there's a lot in there. Cramping it into a packed images won't serve you well.

Good luck!

Absolutely have to do it in CAD. I have no option to do USD unfortunately (believe me .. I tried as I really would rather do it in USD and not deal with converting all of the quotes I have to CAD and the fluctuating dollar exchange rate).

I can definitely expand the What's in the Box, that's not a problem.

Regarding the stretch goals, I did consider hiding all but the first few, however they are budgeted carefully for those amounts. I will consider changing it though.

I Will Never Gr...
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questccg wrote:I find the

questccg wrote:
I find the amounts to be confusing:

-It says your funding goal is in CAD. So $20,000 CAD.
-You rewards are in CAD (I assume?) and say $49.00 for the game.
-But on the starting picture you say $37.00 USD for the game.
-And then you go on and talk about $33.00 Euros...

Maybe instead of all that, create a *nice* table, keep the reward level in CAD (since your funding goal is in CAD). But make it clear $49.00 CAD.

Then with a small table list out the approximate prices in each currency. Similar to what you have done for the "Shipping table". You don't have too many reward levels - so the table can be kept pretty small!

It's just a suggestion because I find it a little bit confusing to see all kinds of currency when the backers will be ultimately billed in CAD. It makes you want to google currency exchange to make sure the values shown are correct.

IDK, I have never seen a campaign with so many exchange conversions. Usually everything is in USD. But I understand $49.00 CAD may SEEM HIGH and you want USD and Euro customers to feel like they are getting a bargain...

I remember seeing one campaign that had a currency conversion table. Otherwise I have not seen all these types of conversion.

Best of luck with your Kickstarter... I hope you fund. $20,000 CAD may seem like a higher amount but in truth it's only about $15,000 USD which is REALLY realistic of a goal. I think you should hit that goal IMHO.

Cheers!

I have seen a ton of Kickstarters with currency conversions (USD/CAD/GBP/AUD/Euro) all shown in the pledge amounts. It's actually been recommended many times over by experienced campaign creators so that it's right there in the pledge amount and doesn't have to be searched for. I like the idea of adding a table as well though, just for additional clarity, but I won't be removing it from the pledges (not everyone looks at the whole campaign).

I'll also make it clearer in the pledge that $49CAD=$37USD=$33Euro approx as of the date of launch.

questccg
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I Will Never Grow Up Gaming

I Will Never Grow Up Gaming wrote:
...I'll also make it clearer in the pledge that $49CAD=$37USD=$33Euro approx as of the date of launch.

Sounds good! That should be better and easier to understand.

I would also add that to the background image for your video ($49CAD = $37USD = $33Euro).

If you do it consistently - it will be much clearer.

The Professor
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Some advice

IWNGU,

It's an interesting concept...ala Betrayal at the House on the Hill, but in space. A couple of things, in addition to what ELKobold and Kris have mentioned

- The $20K CAD Goal seems high for a decks of cards and boards. If there's any way you reduce that amount, I highly recommend you do so
- In connection with the first point, $37 US for "What's in the Box" seems like a bit of a disconnect
- Definitely recommend crafting a video which provides a bit more information to potential Backers
- Definitely have a "Play Through" video
- Contact known entities in the gaming community (Undead Viking, Radho, etc) for legitimate reviews

I wish you the best of luck...I'll definitely keep it on my radar.

Cheers,
Joe

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The Professor wrote:IWNGU,

The Professor wrote:
IWNGU,

It's an interesting concept...ala Betrayal at the House on the Hill, but in space. A couple of things, in addition to what ELKobold and Kris have mentioned

- The $20K CAD Goal seems high for a decks of cards and boards. If there's any way you reduce that amount, I highly recommend you do so
- In connection with the first point, $37 US for "What's in the Box" seems like a bit of a disconnect
- Definitely recommend crafting a video which provides a bit more information to potential Backers
- Definitely have a "Play Through" video
- Contact known entities in the gaming community (Undead Viking, Radho, etc) for legitimate reviews

I wish you the best of luck...I'll definitely keep it on my radar.

Cheers,
Joe

Appreciate the feedback Joe.

Regarding the funding goal, the only way to bring it down further would be to reduce everything to cards instead of boards or to charge full shipping on top of the pledge amount instead of including $15.

Speaking of the components, there are only 3 decks of cards, everything else is 1.5mm board (with the upgrade stretch goal to 2mm) and unprinted materials (meeples, cloth bag, dice, cubes).

I am hoping to get a playthrough video done shortly (working on it this week).

Reviews : I sent out 6 review copies and got one review back (just a quote listed there right now, the video is coming this week). All 6 expressed interest in reviewing, 2 decided they didn't care for the game (which is reasonable as not every game is for everyone and it wasn't there style) and the other 3 just stopped communicating altogether. If by "legitimate" reviews you mean paid, I will not pay for a review. There are far more reviewers out there who will do them for no cost (or a copy of the game) than there are those who will charge excessive amounts. And many of the ones that charge don't have the subscriber base to justify what they charge compared to those who do not charge.

Worst case scenario is we struggle to fund, cancel and relaunch in a few months after addressing issues that people have with the campaign. And that's not the end of the world if that happens, as we all know as a first time campaign it's a great learning curve and experience that can only be improved upon.

The Professor
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Sounds good!

IWNGU,

It sounds as though you've given the goal serious consideration. I'm curious if you're contracted to "buy" 500 or 1,000 units as that will definitely affect the required funding.

As to the pieces, it seems as though you have streamlined what you need for the game, and as it has been identified earlier, keep your Stretch Goals hidden to enhance the surprise value moving forward.

As to the reviews, they need not be paid, but they have to be known. I can write a great review for little or no money (though I offer you, one often gets what they pay for), but I'm known as a developer, not a reviewer, so it doesn't possess the same cache. As to "legitimate" I simply mean someone the community of gamers knows and trusts in that role.

You're right about the relaunch as I use TAU CETI as a perfect example of going back to the drawing board and then knocking it out of the park.

Best if luck to you, keep us informed of your progress, and I'll keep it on my radar.

Cheers,
Joe

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The Professor wrote: It

The Professor wrote:

It sounds as though you've given the goal serious consideration. I'm curious if you're contracted to "buy" 500 or 1,000 units as that will definitely affect the required funding.

Our goal is set to allow us to publish at an MOQ of 500. Once we start to surpass our minimum goal we will be able to order 1000+ which, as you know, brings the cost down. As the cost comes down the quality and quantity of components goes up (stretch goals). It's all been very carefully calculated over the past several months.

The Professor wrote:

As to the pieces, it seems as though you have streamlined what you need for the game, and as it has been identified earlier, keep your Stretch Goals hidden to enhance the surprise value moving forward.

I am giving consideration to hiding the goals in some way. The components have definitely been streamlined and brought down to the bare minimum requirements already. Of course, this is what allows even more stretch goals as well!

I Will Never Gr...
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Must rant a bit ..

So, it appears our "Accepted" (as of April 20th) campaign page isn't really accepted.

I have tried to launch and got a message stating that the verification process needs to be completed (but, it was, back in april, you told me i could launch at any time and gave me a fancy launch button even!).

I then contacted support, who last night told me "It appears you have been since approved and are free to launch at any time", which is clearly not true as it's still returning a a verification issue.

Damn you Kickstarter! Now my launch has been delayed due to this, after spreading the word about the launch on the 2nd, AND my nice neat launch/end dates/times are out the window (not to mention time booked off work ...)

Kickstarter support, round two begins now!

(sorry for the rant)

ElKobold
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It might actually serve you

It might actually serve you well. Supposedly it's best to start on Monday. At least that's according to most blogs and I can probably confirm this from personal experience as well.

questccg
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ElKobold wrote:It might

ElKobold wrote:
It might actually serve you well. Supposedly it's best to start on Monday. At least that's according to most blogs and I can probably confirm this from personal experience as well.

I think this is because Backers are busy on the weekend doing stuff outside of "surfing". Probably more and more true with the nicer weather (USA/Canada)...

I Will Never Gr...
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ElKobold wrote:It might

ElKobold wrote:
It might actually serve you well. Supposedly it's best to start on Monday. At least that's according to most blogs and I can probably confirm this from personal experience as well.

Everything I read says Tuesday or Thursday. The irritating part is the time I already booked off work .. that's now gone and I don't have any more available until next year.

I will not launch on the weekend, nor do I want to launch on a Friday, however, I received yet another email from support saying "Yeah, everything looks good on our end, go ahead and launch".

I may, sadly, have to start a new campaign, get it approved and launch, losing anyone who may have starred this one (and waiting a week+/- to get the new one approved).

questccg
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Sick days?!

How about you using 1-2 company sick days???

There are multiple options here:

A> You have a cold and you need to see a physician.
B> You are having bowel problems and need to flush your system.

I get B> every now and then... I usually don't take off work, I take medication and it's better. But I could easily take a day off when I'm having "one of those days". Got to flush the system... It's more of an irritation than anything.

I also need to visit a physician multiple times a year. A consultation could be considered a sick day also. I actually have these problems so I would not be lying about it... But it gives you an option, if you know what I mean?!

Cheers.

I Will Never Gr...
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questccg wrote:How about you

questccg wrote:
How about you using 1-2 company sick days???

Lol. I don't get sick days unfortunately.

I can take days off unpaid and I get 2 weeks vacation per year right now (both of which are gone).

Whoever said union jobs are better? ;)

Back on topic however, I am setting up a new campaign just in case.
This means waiting for the approval, but hey, I'm already waiting, right?
It also means I lose anyone who starred the existing page for notification on launch, which is incredibly unfortunate .. but if they can't help me at KS support, there's not much else I can do.

I Will Never Gr...
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Finally fixed and we are

Finally fixed and we are live!

Www.iwillnevergrowup.com/publishing/intotheblack

jonathanflike
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Congratz

Yay congratulations, here's to a successful Kickstarter. Sending good vibes your way.

lockey25
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Goodluck

Goodlck guys, will be following your campaign and might take a leaf from it too. :)

The Professor
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Best of luck!

IWNGU,

Best of luck to you...you definitely want to see at least 50% raised in the first 24-48 hours. It appears as though you have lowered the Funding Goal and made some other changes to the site...I wish you the best.

Cheers,
Joe

Glide5
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Good luck to you. Looks like

Good luck to you. Looks like a fun game. I hope you reach your goal, because you are running this kickstarter well.

I Will Never Gr...
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Glide5 wrote:Good luck to

Glide5 wrote:
Good luck to you. Looks like a fun game. I hope you reach your goal, because you are running this kickstarter well.

Thanks!

I have the sneaking suspicion that we won't reach our funding goal (10% funding in the first 4 days does not bode well) but that's ok and only time will tell. We can always reevaluate, refine and relaunch later.

I had thought I secured 60 people to pledge on launch .. sadly that turned into 10, so there was a big hit right from the start. (60 people would have been 15% funded right away). I might need new friends and family! ;)

I Will Never Gr...
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Campaign Update - Final week!

The Into the Black Kickstarter Campaign is struggling with only 8 days to go and 14% funded.

Retreat? Probably! We have some media coverage hitting right now, so let's see how that goes!

Surrender? NEVER! Plans are already under way to improve the game, improve exposure of the game and reduce the cost of entry to get this thing published!

I've learned a LOT throughout this process and will definitely take those lessons and make things that much better next time around.

In the meantime, I'm currently working on what was intended to be an expansion but will be included in the base game instead: The EPIC ENCOUNTERS deck! This deck will consist of 16+ additional high powered encounters to deal with during a game of Into the Black! Encounter more powerful, dangerous enemies, potential allies, aliens and creatures as you explore the star ship. Each encounter has a number of choices to make with their own benefits and drawbacks. Choose wisely based on the situation at hand!​

TMH_Games
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I appreciate you posting your

I appreciate you posting your Kickstarter process for this game! I have a WIP that I'll be looking to fund through Kickstarter down the line and it's good to see what struggles I may have as it comes closer to launch time.

I commend you for your bravery and perseverance!

Keep up the good fight!

I Will Never Gr...
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TMH_Games wrote:I appreciate

TMH_Games wrote:
I appreciate you posting your Kickstarter process for this game! I have a WIP that I'll be looking to fund through Kickstarter down the line and it's good to see what struggles I may have as it comes closer to launch time.

I commend you for your bravery and perseverance!

Keep up the good fight!

I'd be more than happy to share my experiences. I do write a designer blog as well, but I havn't been updating since the launch (so busy). I will be writing more about my experience there too. www.iwillnevergrowup.com/publishing/blog

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