Ready, Set, Hold on . . .
I’m was all set for the Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse Kickstarter and the game itself has been ready for months.
I got obsessed with offering a “deluxe” reward of a mini game mat and a boxtopping-style score journal and those were ready for July 14th and for reviewers (albeit they’d only get it 2 weeks before the Kickstarter) but now I’m pushing that into August.
So why the delay?
I blame serendipity and passionate game video blogger ExcalibursZone. =p
I’ve not been 100% happy with the mini game mat design and was tweeting about it yesterday to which Excalibur tweeted back
@subquark If you did multiple mats as stretch goals, each with different objectives/missions/rules/etc. based on the environment.
Creating full-on missions and rules for this now would mean pushing the KS back a few months because new missions and rules would need lots of playtesting. It’s a phenomenal idea and one I’d like to pursue (and maybe the game community will come up with their own too).
However, a tiny change to the game mat graphics could move the game mat from being a “deluxe” thematic element to being a true expansion. As an expansion, the core game doesn’t need to be modified (lots of playtesting has led to the base game being simple yet fun while allowing for different strategies).
Plus, Nick Shaw has really fun solo, 3 player, and 4 player variants already created (to which I’m doing soundtracks to support Nick’s timed variants).
Making a small change to the mat extends the game now, and in the future, creating more playability. Win-win!
But . . . the Imitable Kate chimed in at dinner last night and said “what about adding a coin?”
She knows I’m obsessed with these US-minted brass tokens. =)
Within a few minutes, we came up with the coin being a manhole cover and part of the expansion.
Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse Manhole Expansion!*
The $19 US reward doesn’t go up in price but it now adds the coin as a modest stretch goal.
More importantly, the “deluxe” level becomes a true expansion and adds real game value.
This means adding (and editing) the expansion rules to the score journal and designing the coin, thus pushing the KS back. A benefit is that it also gives reviewers more time.
The last 18 hours have seen an awesome “value add” worthy of a new Kickstarter date of August 11th. =)
* – LOL, I’m such a little kid that I leave “cover” out of the name to be sophomoric! derr! =D
While the mat doesn’t fit in the tin, the coin actually does! \o/ for serendipity! =)
Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse vs. Mint Tin Pirates
Part of our Kickstarter project consideration is assembling the game itself. Especially since were all “maker movement”, “sourced local”, “100% US vendors”, and all that feel good blah, blah, blah. =)
We don’t figure any hourly labor rate into this, however game assembly needs to be realistic.
For Mint Tin Pirates, there’s a video online showing most steps:
- Inspect each tin inside and out, and test hinges.
- Spray each lid, peel label, place jig, apply label, squeegee label, wipe label, and let dry overnight.
- Inspect each meeple (7) and bag (all must lay flat).
- Inspect each die (2), inspect cubes (3), and bag (must be in one row).
- Inspect card deck shrink wrap and place deck in tin.
- Fold meeple baggie with 3 on one side and 4 on the other, place in tin.
- Roll up cube/dice baggie, place in tin, close and place tin into 4 mil baggie.
Mint Tin Pirates – total active game components: 13
Pretty involved but not so bad and it works out to 20 games per hour for one person.
For the upcoming Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse we have a huge space challenge. We wanted the game to fit in a mini tin which is less than half the volume of a normal tin. o_O
Here’s are the assembly steps:
- Inspect each tin inside and out, and test hinges.
- Position tin on arbor press, emboss lid, and remove.
- Peel and apply game sticker to tin bottom.
- Inspect each meeple (11) and sort into bags.
- Stretch Goal: stamp each monster meeple (one side).
- Inspect each die (5), inspect cubes (2), and sort into bags.
- Stretch Goal: stamp each cube (one side).
- Print, score, cut, fold, and place instructions in tin, close and place tin into 4 mil baggie.
- Bag the mini game poster poker card.
- Place all bags into one larger bag.
Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse – total active game components: 19
Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse has more components to inspect and the components have to be precisely arranged to fit in the tin. Meeples have to stand or or be stacked two deep on top of each other – this adds significant time to a longer process than assembling Mint Tin Pirates.
I’d like to use that time, hopefully, for the “maker movement” stretch goals.
Mint Tin Pirates and Mint Tin Aliens each Kickstarted for $14 with US shipping and Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse will Kickstart for $10 with US shipping.
Add the Kickstarter a “deluxe” version and Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse becomes a bigger game to manage.
After much lamenting, we made the decision not to assemble the final game for two reasons:
- Time. We want to get at least 1,000 out early like our first Kickstarter.
- The second came from consultation with Nick Shaw – the Mint Tin Games’ master variant creator. He brought up a good point – in Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse the “game box” is also an active game component – it’s the End of the World Shelter (EWS).
With Nick’s perspective in mind I thought about one of the things I like to do with a new game – punch out cardboard and organize.
While I am rationalizing the assembly time, I do like the thought of people setting this up in their own way and making it their own – there are countless possibilities how you can arrange the bits in the box. =)
