Mothership Update - Surveys sent out this week!
almost 10 years ago – Thu, Jun 30, 2016 at 12:46:51 AM

Hey everyone! 

Surveys Sent out this week

If you selected any reward level from the Print and Play ($1) to the Group Buy ($187), expect to get an email from BackerKit in the next few days asking what you pledged for. Here's a few things you might need to know about how BackerKit works:

• If you want to change your pledge you must do it from the first screen before clicking get started. If you selected PnP or Dice only pledges and want to buy a physical copy of the game you must change your pledge.
• After clicking get started you'll be asked a question about what future colours you prefer.
• Step 2 is add-ons. If you ordered a copy of the game it will already be added to your cart. Then select any add-ons by adding them to your cart. Only if you go over your pledged amount will you be asked for any credit card info by BackerKit.
• Step 3 is shipping. You can change this address a few months before we ship.
• All pledge levels can add the PnP to their cart.

 If you have any questions about BackerKit please let me know :) The surveys will run for a month or two before I lock them down and the orders are finalised.

New Stuff

I've been working around the clock to get all of the new material finished. I'm pleased to show you two new action cards added from the social goals:

The new board art is coming along nicely and I've made solid progress on the rule book redesign. I'll focus on doing that first as I want everyone to have heaps of time to read over it and ask questions so I can make changes before the final print.

I'll be back with an update in another week or so. Thanks everyone :D

- Peter

Week 1 - Work Continues
almost 10 years ago – Wed, Jun 22, 2016 at 12:07:03 AM

It's a little bit of an understatement to say that the campaign was exhausting. I almost wanted to title this update 'Week 1 - So Very Tired' but decided against it. Appropriately, that is the subtitle for Star Trek XII which fits in with my whole sci-fiction theme...

 I'm sure we all remember that one. Anyway! What have I been up to?

New Planet Design

I've revamped the planets to look more distinct. I was never really 100% happy with the old version, but I'm much happier with this one:

 It looks good from any angle and will be much easier to paint (if you're into that sort of thing). No word on extra colours yet, it's on the list though!

Progress on New Board / Tray / Cards / Rulebook

I've started the artwork for the other side of the board. I'll send out an update when it's finished, it does take a while so I wouldn't expect it to get a sneak peak for a few weeks.

The tray is being revised due to the way the vacuum molding process works. This was expected so I'll show you the final copy when the manufacture signs off on it.

Via social goals I'm adding nine new cards to the game. The break down will be: 4x new action, 2x planetary artifacts and 3x new resource cards. I'll post when I have the cards done.

As most of you who read the rulebook noticed, it was formatted for 4 player games only. The updated rulebook will have a new design and all of the recent additions such as the Planetary Exploration expansion, the Event D6 and Victory Point rules and of course 6 player layouts.

BackerKit Surveys

Kickstarter finishes gathering all the pledges by Tuesday the 28th and I'll receive the funds soon after that. Once that happens I'll send the surveys out through BackerKit. 

You'll then be asked what you pledged for and will have an opportunity to select add-ons or upgrade to Premium etc.

That's all for now, I'll check in again in about a week. If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to message them through :)

- Peter

Thank you! Campaign Closes with 5 Stretch Goals Unlocked!
almost 10 years ago – Wed, Jun 15, 2016 at 12:06:11 AM

WOW that was a crazy 48 hours! 

It has been so much fun seeing everyone get caught up in the excitement over the last 31 days. I am especially appreciative to each and every one of you that backed Mothership. The game I've dreamed about making for the last 3 years is now about to become a reality thanks to you :)

Okay, enough of that! What did we unlock? :D

In the end we made it to the special event D6, plastic tray, double-sided art and the plastic capture marker!

We also cracked 3 social goals which will add 9 new cards to the game. Thank you to all those pushing for the goals, it really helped get the word out.

What Now?

Over the next 14 days Kickstarter will charge your cards for the pledge amount that you selected. After all processing has been completed I'll send out surveys to ask each of you what you pledged for. If you have any questions during this time, please feel free to contact me.

BackerKit, Pre-orders and PayPal

I'm happy to announce that I have locked in the $69 price for all those who pledged during the campaign! So if you selected any reward type you will be able to buy the Premium version for the Kickstarter price. To do this though, you will need to wait for the surveys to be sent out in a week or so.

For all those who missed the campaign, you can still order a copy of Mothership with any add-ons using the pre-order button on the project page or from the Mothership website.

If anyone wants to pay via PayPal please message me through Kickstarter.

People to Thank

There are so many people to thank so I'm going limit it specifically to those who helped out with the campaign side of things (as opposed to the game itself), sorry if I miss anyone -

Everyone who gave me a plug on their site: Michael from NVS Gameplays, Alex and Nathan from Delve, Mark from The Final Roll, Bill from Game On

These people are especially awesome: Mike and Stan from Outer Limit Games, Karl from Ark Angel Games, John Wrot from Gate Keeper Games

Thanks to my very good friends (featured in the pitch) Bjorn, Bianca, Graeme, Brendan and Nathan who were involved in some way but I forget how.

The biggest thanks goes to my wife Alkira who's had to put up with me being very distracted for the past 31 days.

My To-Do List

Now that I'm done selling Mothership I'm going to get on with finishing the few things that need to be done. Extra cards, extra board art, updated planet miniature and updating the rule book.

I'll try to do an update every 2 weeks from this point on to give you guys a heads up on our manufacturing schedule, new graphics and any cool photos from the production period.

Once again, thank YOU dear backers for checking out the game and supporting it. I know each and every one of you are going to enjoy playing Mothership for years to come :)

- Peter

24 Hours Left!
almost 10 years ago – Tue, Jun 14, 2016 at 12:21:42 AM

Hello to all our new backers that have joined us in the last day! 

We've unlocked two stretch goals since the last update which is the Plastic Tray and the Planetary Exploration expansion! It looks like we are well on our way to the double-sided art and one of my favourites, the upgraded plastic Capture marker.

Also it's your last chance to pledge and get the cheapest price. After tomorrow the price is going up to $79 USD.

Thanks to everyone getting involved in the comments sections and chatting to me via messages. Not long now! :D

Peter

48 hours left!
almost 10 years ago – Sun, Jun 12, 2016 at 11:21:01 PM

With 48 hours to go until Kickstarter funding closes, do you think we can break some more stretch goals? I think so!

The Special Event D6 has been unlocked and we're really close to the awesome plastic tray. If any of you have been holding out raising your pledges, now is the time! It's also important to know...  

What Won't be Available at Retail

The Kickstarter Exclusive items will not be available in the retail version. That includes:

• Silver Embossed Box 
• Silver Embossed Asteroids 
• Mothership Custom Die Set 
• Special Event D6 (the extra cards and mechanic will still be in the game, just not the custom die)

Because of the overwhelming popularity of the 6 player Premium Edition, we won't be offering the 4 player version after the Kickstarter. In other words the 6 player Edition will be the normal version going forward including the one sold to retailers. 

The campaign will continue for a month or two after the Kickstarter has ended via the pre-order button on the project page. What does this mean for you? This means I can continue to raise funds to go towards some of the stretch goals we miss over the next 48 hours. Keep in mind, the pre-order price will be $79 USD for the 6 Player version. So pledge in the next 48 hours to get Mothership at the lowest price possible!

BackerKit

Some have been asking about what BackerKit is and how it works. BackerKit is software used to send out the Kickstarter surveys which will help me collect the information needed to put together everyone's orders such as what you pledged for and what your shipping details are. Through this process you can also change your pledge level, add other extras or change your address easily if you move house between now and when the game ships in January.  

BackerKit is also used to take extra pre-orders after Kickstarter ends, so for those who miss out you can still get in on the initial print-run although keep in mind the price will be $79 USD for the Premium Edition. 

Development Photos

I found some more photos of the early Control Panel and board.

Originally the Control Panel had just the Mothership stats and the Colony Station health was separate. One of the best changes I made was combining it all into the same card. Players now only needed to go to one place to find out what their ships can do and how much HP they had left.

Once again, thank you all for pledging early and believing in Mothership. Let's spread the word and get as many backers crammed into the last 2 days!

Peter