Help us create reproductions of the classic Steve Jackson Games Pocket Box titles of the eighties.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
BackerKit Update, "I Want It All" Reward Level, and GPI Visit
about 5 years ago
– Sat, Apr 06, 2019 at 02:35:20 AM
Darryll is close to completing the BackerKit survey, and we may be launching the smoke test in the next week. As you can guess, this is a large and complicated project, and we want to make sure everything is properly prepared before we start the test . . . and we definitely want it accurate before we invite all of you to complete your survey. News to come!
You Want It All?
We've heard your requests for an I Want It All reward level for the Pocket Box campaign, and we've got one coming! In BackerKit, if you wish, you'll have the chance to upgrade any existing reward level choice that you already made to a new $260 I Want It All reward level. What's inside this new reward level? It's easier to state what isn't in the new reward level: Any pre-existing games and expansions (such as The Fantasy Trip titles), no loose, bulk, or packaged dice, and nothing that was not a part of this project. The new reward level will tell you what is included, yes, and we're sure that many of you will find the $260 package an incredible bargain.
In addition to the new reward level, there will also be new add-ons that are boxed collections of various games and expansions unlocked as a part of this campaign. Example: There is a new Illuminati box that includes the Pocket Box, all three expansions, and the two Illuminati-themed pocket folders. This will be illustrated mailer boxes -- like the Munchkin Starfinder I Want It All box -- and were created to make it as easy as possible for those of you who state something like: "I want all of the Ogre stuff!!!" Everything Ogre created as a part of this campaign -- Ogre, G.E.V., Battlesuit, Shockwave, Ogre Reinforcement Pack, four different pocket folders, and even two empty Pocket Boxes -- is just one of the new illustrated mailer boxes that will be offered in BackerKit.
For those who are wondering: Yes, the new I Want It All reward level is a carton that collects these new mailer box add-on packages into a single box. So: Upgrade to the new I Want It All reward level in BackerKit if you want the games and expansions as well as the illustrated mailer boxes.
Off to Boston!
Early Monday morning, Darryll and I fly out to the east coast to visit David and Jason at GPI so that we can review the Pocket Box campaign project specs and schedule. This is a giant, complex campaign, and a day of project review face-to-face will accelerate the process and make it a lot easier to keep the scanning and preparing of files moving forward.
- Phil Reed
BackerKit Update and a Classic Game Accessory Returns
about 5 years ago
– Mon, Apr 01, 2019 at 02:01:16 AM
Darryll has been hard at work on preparing the BackerKit survey for the Pocket Box campaign, working to have everything ready to go live in the next week or so. As you can imagine, this is a large project with a lot of moving parts, so the survey is taking some serious time to prepare. We hope to open the survey before mid-April (maybe as soon as next week); please give us a just a little more time to get everything ready to go.
A Classic Game Accessory Returns
In other news, for those of you who were asking how to get a second copy of the Pocket Box project's $200 reward level, and anyone who enjoys our retro-inspired projects, we have a new Kickstarter campaign: Bag of Bags! This near-exact reprint of an early eighties classic game accessory is now funding . . . but hurry!!! The project closes today, and we have more stretch goals to unlock!
Project Update, Dice Survey Results, Last Chance at Monsters
about 5 years ago
– Thu, Mar 21, 2019 at 12:41:28 AM
We're back from the GAMA show, meaning that we've jumped into cataloging and preparing all of the materials for the factory. As of yesterday, all but two titles have been shipped to the U.S. offices where David and Jason will add the various components to the master spreadsheet and then mail everything to the Hong Kong office for scanning. Additionally, Sabrina and the team have finalized their checks (second round, reviewing corrections) of the first seven titles; we're on schedule!
Dice Colors?
Glow-in-the-dark plastic with black ink and dark purple translucent glitter with white ink win the survey! Each of the 16 Pocket Box titles will include one of each of these 14mm dice . . . but there was a very close third place that cannot be ignored.
When the BackerKit survey opens, we'll offer a set of six pearlized blue 14mm dice with white ink as an add-on item for those of you who want even more dice. We may also have some other dice to choose from; more info when the BackerKit survey opens next month.
14mm prototype die at top, 16mm die in the center, 19mm die at the bottom.
How much work goes into preparing the files?
about 5 years ago
– Wed, Mar 13, 2019 at 11:54:33 PM
Every single one of the games and supplements being produced as a part of this campaign do not exist in a digital form. The work was done decades ago, with components designed and composed by hand, and the act of preparing everything to print is an epic task that is requiring hundreds of hours of work.
Wanna see a before and after? This image shows a copy of an original back cover label (left) beside the scanned and cleaned image (right). Our partners at GPI are doing an amazing job of preparing all of the files, and we would not have been able to tackle this project without their help. If we had handled all of the scanning and touchup work in-house, our capacity would have been overloaded and all other work would have come to a halt for months.
Before. After.
And the above is just one component from one title . . . out of many! Multiply the work involved in the above image times the total number of items being produced as a part of this campaign and you'll understand why we're so happy to be working closely with GPI on fulfilling this project.
When you receive your rewards late this year, please take a moment to silently thank all of the experience and skill that has gone into re-creating these classics. I know that in the office, we're very grateful to have such reliable, dedicated partners as the staff at GPI and the partner factories. We hope that all of you feel the same once you hold the reproductions in your hands and get the chance to replace your long-forgotten games.
- Phil Reed
Status Report
about 5 years ago
– Sat, Mar 09, 2019 at 10:40:16 PM
We've submitted over twenty of the necessary titles to the factory for scanning, completed checks of the jpeg proofs for seven games, and officially submitted the pocket folders and journals to the factory for manufacturing.
Work will slow for the next week; we will have a team at the GAMA Trade Show in Reno and I won't be in the office to coordinate with our reps at GPI. Sabrina, Gabby, and Susan are handling the bulk of the hard parts on the many, many products, but I've been in constant communication with the factory and need to remain involved until we have everything officially out of the scanning and proofing stage.
And even though Pocket Box work will slow in the office for the coming week, GPI isn't stopping. David and Jason are working on a single spreadsheet to track every title and every component, so the GAMA show is actually buying them the time they need to catch up with all of the materials that we've already submitted.
We'll be back in touch after GAMA and should have the results of our dice survey then. Which colors did you vote for?
