Illuminati Expansion Set 2 Unlocked, Car Wars Expansion Set 5 is Next, and Ogre Storage Solutions
about 5 years ago – Thu, Feb 14, 2019 at 09:48:09 PM

We're now over $120,000 and closing in on the final two weeks of the campaign, which gives us plenty of time to attract more support to the project and unlock more stretch goals. With the $120,000 stretch goal down, we've now opened up the Illuminati Expansion Set 2 Pocket Box, making for a total of 14 different Pocket Box games available as a part of this event. Plus expansions, of course. Lots of expansions.

 Car Wars Expansion Set 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6?

So far, we've included five of the first six Car Wars expansion sets as part of this Pocket Box campaign, leaving many of you asking: Where's Five??? Car Wars Expansion Set 5 includes more printed materials than Set 6, making it a bit pricier for us to produce. Fortunately, the next stretch goal unlocks Car Wars Expansion Set 5 . . . will we unlock that expansion by the end of the weekend?

 Ogre Folder and Sticker?

While exploring the archives yesterday, we uncovered the original art for two classic Ogre titles from the seventies: The 1978 and 1979 Ogre and G.E.V. covers! Both originals are still in great shape, so Gabby took a little time to scan the art and mockup a new pocket folder and a new Pocket Box storage  sticker. We're not yet ready to offer these, but both are on the list of possible items to produce. 

And if you've been wanting more Car Wars storage, we're still exploring the archives and looking for artwork that would look great on folders or stickers. We've not given up the hunt!

Thanks for getting us to this point and for sharing the project with your friends. This has been a phenomenal campaign, and the last two weeks will give us the time to bring in more support and unlock even more stretch goals!

- Phil Reed

New Stretch Goals and Select Pages from the Spring 1987 Steve Jackson Games Catalog
about 5 years ago – Wed, Feb 13, 2019 at 08:33:38 PM

Tomorrow, gang, I'll head to the New York Toy Fair where I'll spend the next week in meetings. Lots of meetings. Some might even say "too many meetings" if they got a look at the schedule. This annual event is an important part of the business; this is where we get a chance to show our upcoming games to distributors, retailers, and the press, and it is as stressful as it is enjoyable. 

Unfortunately, that means that I'll be a little less responsive while I am at the show. The rest of our team will do what they can to continue answering questions as best we can, and I'll still devote time to this campaign each day, so the only big change you may notice is that we're a little slower with updating the project graphics and providing new info on unlocked and revealed stretch goals.

With that in mind, we're going to go ahead and reveal the $140,000 and $145,000 stretch goals. It is better to share a little early -- so that you can see what is planned -- than to find out that I've missed making a new a reveal by hours. With that out of the way, here are the new reveals!

• At $140,000, we unlock the Necromancer 9-inch by 12-inch pocket folder as well as our first alternate cover sticker. If we meet this goal, the Necromancer game will include a second cover sticker -- for the second release of the game back in the eighties -- giving you the opportunity to choose which of the two covers to use for your copy of the game.

• At $145,000, the counters in Car Wars Expansion Set 1, 2, and 3 are upgraded; if this goal is unlocked, the expansions will include both classic counter sheets and die-cut counters!

With still over two weeks to go before the campaign comes to a close, we're far from revealing all of our project stretch goals. Some of you have been asking about the title of one of the Pocket Boxes and making a repeated request that, you may now realize, we just may be able to fulfill before this campaign comes to a close.

1987 Catalog Pages

Earlier during this campaign, we posted a handful of relevant 1983 catalog pages in this BoardGameGeek blog post and asked that you thumbs up, comment, and share the post so that we can raise awareness of the project. Thank you, team, for sharing that post with your friends . . . and now we have a companion post featuring 1987 catalog pages.

As mentioned recently, we will be including reproductions of some of the old catalogs in different Pocket Box titles printed as a part of this campaign. Once we ship your rewards, these images will have less value to you -- you'll be able to flip through physical copies of the catalogs! -- but at the moment, we hope that many of you are enjoying these looks back at the company's history and game titles.

And again, please thumb, comment, and share the post! It is your efforts that have made this project such a success, and we're going to do everything that we can to keep up with your continued and growing support. Thank you!

- Phil Reed

$115,000 Unlocked! $135,000 Stretch Goal for Die-Cut Shockwave and Ogre Reinforcement Pack Counters Revealed!
about 5 years ago – Tue, Feb 12, 2019 at 10:53:25 PM

We've now unlocked two new 9-inch by 12-inch pocket folders, both available as $3 add-ons as well as included in the appropriate reward levels at no extra charge. Better still, moving past the $115,000 mark means that it is time to reveal a new stretch goal!

At $135,000, if unlocked, we will include die-cut counters in the Shockwave and Ogre Reinforcement Pack expansions, which will give Ogre players access to all of the classic Ogre games and expansions with both retro-style counter sheets and ready-to-punch-n-play counters. Great news . . . and sets us up for a later stretch goal that the Car Wars players won't want to miss.

As we near the middle of the campaign, it is more important than ever to share the project and discuss these games and expansions on your favorite blogs and forums. Raising awareness also raises support, and more support equals more defeated stretch goals! 

- Phil Reed

$110,000 Stretch Goal Unlocked and $130,000 Stretch Goal Revealed!
about 5 years ago – Mon, Feb 11, 2019 at 10:25:37 PM

Another stretch goal down, this time adding the Ogre Reinforcement Pack to the project. You may add this to your rewards by increasing your pledge by $13 (you'll let us know which add-ons you want when we open the BackerKit pledge manager). Those of you supporting the project at the $175, $200, and $250 reward levels automatically get this expansion at no extra charge! (Though we won't stop you from increasing your pledge if you want multiple copies, which can be handy to have when it comes to the maps.)

$130,000 Stretch Goal Reveal

We've heard your requests for more Ogre storage solutions, and Gabby strikes again! At the $130,000 mark, if met, we will unlock a new 9-inch by 12-inch pocket folder featuring the Battlesuit cover artwork . . . AND we will pack inside the Battlesuit Pocket Box a new label that you can apply to an empty Pocket Box. If we meet this stretch goal, the Ogre players in the audience should have plenty of storage options, yes? (If we know you, the answer is most likely "No!!!!") 

At the moment, the campaign has another 18 days to go before it closes, and that's a great thing since we've not yet revealed all of the project stretch goals!

- Phil Reed

Miscellaneous Papers of the Eighties and Uncle Albert's 2036 Catalog
about 5 years ago – Mon, Feb 11, 2019 at 12:07:14 AM

Something we've not properly explained that's a part of this campaign: Some of the Pocket Box games will include older sales flyers and company catalogs. As a part of making these reproductions as accurate and fun as we can manage, the factory has been scanning and preparing marketing materials as we uncover them and ship them to our reps. 

Each item will include a 2019 reproduction notice and, as you've guessed, none of the offers are valid today. The back cover sheet that we are creating for each game and expansion -- shrinkwrapped to the pocket box or book, or inserted into the ziplock bag -- will include a notice that older catalogs and flyers are for entertainment only and the items are no longer available . . . especially at those eighties prices! 

So far, we've managed to locate a 1982 catalog, a 1983 catalog, and two 1987 catalogs, as well as a small number of single-sheet inserts. (One marketing insert that Susan uncovered was completely new to me; I'd never seen it before this year!) And we're not yet finished digging into the games and archives!

Add-On: Uncle Albert's 2036 Catalog 

We know that some of you were hoping to see other Uncle Al's catalogs offered as a part of this campaign, and we're happy to report that the 2036 catalog is now available as a $10 add-on item. This reprint of the original adds even more wild fun to your Car Wars games; watch out for that anti-power-plant rocket! To add this to your rewards, increase your pledge by $10 and then, in BackerKit, you'll let us know exactly which add-on items you want.

We're now closing in on the $105,000 stretch goal at which point we'll be ready to reveal the $115,000, the $120,000, and the $125,000 stretch goals! Please don't forget to share the project on your favorite forums and blogs! More backers = more unlocked stretch goals!

NOTE: As recommended by project supporter Danny Chamberlin, here's the total amount you need to pledge to get everything offered in the project as of this moment : $282.

That is the $200 Car Wars reward level + $40 for two more Pocket Box games, another $10 for two empty Pocket Boxes (to use with the storage box labels included with Car Wars and Ogre), $10 for Uncle Albert's 2036 Catalog, and $22 more for the Cthulhu D6 Dice Set and Bullet Dice.

NOTE #2: We've had requests for an "I Want It All!" reward level so that you may click one button and know that you're getting everything that we produce as a part of this campaign. We don't have such a reward level at the moment, but we're working on the idea. We'll make an announcement if we manage a solution to the challenges associated with such a big reward level. Thanks for your patience, and thanks for supporting us!

- Phil Reed