Smoke Test and Backerkit Surveys
about 4 years ago – Wed, Mar 11, 2020 at 03:54:20 AM

Hi all!

We're almost ready to send our your survey invites! Please read the following for information on how to submit your pledges and for any other FAQs regarding the campaign.

What is Backerkit and Why Does It Matter?

Backerkit is the platform we will be utilizing to manage your pledge information. From Backerkit, you will have access to an account where you can manage your shipping address, pay for shipping, and add any additional items to your pledge.

Please note that funds will not be charged until the lock date in June 2020.

The Smoke Test and Survey Email Invites

To ensure that the backer process goes smoothly, we will be sending a "smoke test" where 5% of backers from our campaign will receive their survey invites early. After we can tell that backers are having no trouble submitting their surveys and that there's no errors in our set up, we will send email invites to the rest of the campaign--usually a few days after the smoke test. Backers part of the smoke test will receive their survey invite within the next few hours. Once all survey invites have gone out, it may take more than a few days before you receive your survey. We expect all surveys to be received by March 21st. Please remember to check your spam folders.

FAQs

When is the charge date?

We will charge credit cards for shipping costs and any add-ons purchased in June 2020. The exact date will be specified at least two weeks ahead of time in an official Kickstarter update.

When will surveys be locked down? What does it mean?

Lock down dates are when we will lock orders from adding any additional items to your survey. The current lock down date is set for June 2020 and will be the same date as the charge date. We'll make sure to give everyone at least two weeks' notice before we plan to lock and charge orders.

When will final addresses be submitted?

We will send a 48 hour final address reminder roughly 1-2 months before we plan on starting fulfillment. This is so that we can forward addresses and order information to our shippers for early preparation. 

I've lost my survey link. How can I access my account?

To recover your survey link, please go here. If you require any additional assistance, please email us at [email protected].

Where are my Kickstarter extra items in the cart? (Chronicle Session Journal and Deluxe Component Set)

The Kickstarter items, The Chronicle Session Journal and Deluxe Component Set will NOT show individually in your cart. Instead, each copy of Oath (Kickstarter Edition) will automatically have these items included inside of the box when you receive it. This is so that packing lists for shippers will be as straightforward as possible. For further clarification, the description of the Oath product page indicates that your items are already included.

How can I pledge for multiple copies?

Backers in the $90 pledge level can add up to 3 additional copies to their pledge by adding the necessary amount of copies to their cart. All additional copies will be listed under "Add-ons". $1 or pre-order backers will simply just add their desired quantity by adding to the cart.

The example shown here reflects a survey with 2 total copies of Oath (one from the pledge itself, and one as an add-on).

How many copies can I pledge for?

Each backer is limited to a total of 4 copies of Oath to a single address. Shipping costs will increase per additional copy added according to the shipping chart from the campaign here.

$90 backers will be entitled to additional copies at the $90 USD ea. Kickstarter-offered price. $1 and pre-order backers will be able to add copies of Oath at $100 USD ea.

Will I be able to switch pledge levels?

As per our FAQ during the live campaign, we will not be allowing backers to upgrade pledge levels. This is due to the increased cost of the game for backers who did not participate at the $90 pledge level.

I'm a $1 backer. Why is it showing a shipping cost if I'm not getting anything?

Due to how we've set up surveys, all pledge levels will show a base shipping rate, even if you have no items in your pledge. Please note that surveys are not mandatory to submit and can be left open. If you receive survey completion reminders and would like to stop receiving these notifications, you will have the ability to unsubscribe from them at the bottom of the email itself. Otherwise, feel free to contact us at [email protected] to manually close your survey for you.

What is the status on the revised shipping cost to Australia/NZ?

We're currently in discussion with a potential partner on lowering our projected shipping cost. We have a meeting with them this week during GAMA and will adjust shipping prices according after confirming. For now, shipping prices are unchanged since the live campaign and will post an appropriate update if we reach something official.

Please note that any Australia/NZ backers who participated in the campaign at the $1 level will be honoured the $90 Kickstarter price since shipping to your region's shipping price is still being worked on.

What is the shipping plan for Europe?

While the Oath campaign was live, we reached out to a shipping partner located within Europe that we will be utilizing for fulfilling Oath. We changed shipping prices based on this new company and will have games sent straight from the factory to this European facility for fulfillment once manufacturing is complete.

Retailers

For any questions as a retailer, please contact [email protected].

Questions or other Support Help?

Please email us at [email protected] for any questions or assistance. Please do not use the Kickstarter messaging system to contact us.

We're unfortunately backlogged due an enormous amount of messages from our ongoing fulfillment for Root: Underworld so please be patient during this time and we'll help you as soon as we can.

Thanks!

Leder Games

PAX East, Late Pledges, and Design Update
about 4 years ago – Tue, Feb 25, 2020 at 01:28:33 AM

Hey Friends!

I just wanted to stop by and post a quick update to let everyone know what the team is up to since the close of the campaign! So let's jump right in...

PAX East

Most of the Leder Games crew is heading out to PAX East this week! For those attending, make sure to find us in the tabletop section at booth TT41 to grab a demo of Oath, Root: Underworld, Vast: The Mysterious Manor, and Fort. Oath will also be playable in the Kickstarter Room every day of the convention from 4 pm - 6 pm and in the First Look area!

Backer Kit

Caryl will be posting a more detailed update about Backer Kit next week, but I want to include a small update that starting tomorrow we will send out a smoke test to around 5% of the current Oath backers. If you don't receive anything from Backer Kit this is fine and normal, your survey will be sent at a later date. 

Design Update

The design has been moving along very well and we hope to have updates to the Print-and-Play and Tabletop Simulator Mod to reflect the new design changes in late March, Cole will also be writing a designer diary/update at that time. 

Questions and/or Support?

Please note that we will be attending a convention from 2/25 - 3/2, we will have limited access to emails and messages so please be patient if you require any assistance. Otherwise, if there are any questions or concerns regarding your pledges or anything else, please email us at [email protected].

Thanks again for all the support!

- Gates

Thank you again
about 4 years ago – Tue, Feb 11, 2020 at 12:25:58 AM

Has it been 3 weeks already? I returned from paternity leave on January 13th, the day before we launched. While I was away, everyone had been hard at work getting the campaign ready, executing on a marketing and crowdfunding strategy that we've been building for years. On the eve of the launch, the studio was filled with anxious energy.

Then, you all showed up and the campaign blew past our expectations. The fact that this campaign made more than a million dollars and brought together over 12,000 backers cannot be understated. Not only have you all made the production of this game possible, you have validated our whole approach to game-making and our vision for what the industry can look like.

Among other things, you have all proven that:

• You don’t need miniatures to have a million dollar campaign.
• You don't need stretch goals and can start by offering backers the highest value possible.
• You don't need exclusives or to manipulate your customers by preying on their fear of missing out.

Early in our history, we adopted the studio model of game production. This means that we try to own as much of our commercial and creative infrastructure as possible and try to create sustainable jobs for the members of the studio. Each individual working here is expected to own the work that they do, and we are all enfranchised in each other's success. The Oath campaign offered a test of the strength of the model. The game was larger than anything we've yet done and didn't build on our games directly. It's success tells me that it's possible to grow while still protecting our core creative processes.

And without you all that's simply not possible. We could not produce these types of games  without your support. Thank you.

Everyone at Leder Games has contributed to the campaign and I would like to use this as an opportunity to thank each of them.

Cole Wehrle

Without Cole this game would not have been possible. He has worked many more hours than the rest of us getting the game ready for the campaign and the campaign ready. In addition he has personally again raised the bar I view my own work through. From the first pitch, to this day has been an exciting ride. Thank you very much, Cole.

Kyle Ferrin

Somehow Kyle reached down into himself and brought forward a new look and feel which he applied to the Oath universe. From fantastical balloons to rival khans to sassy deer the range of topics in Oath has been a special challenge that Kyle was ready for. 

Gates Dowd

Brought the marketing hammer down on this campaign. She coordinated the events, wrote the copy, and generally made sure things went smoothly. While all of that was going on she got our booth ready for PAX U and got our ground team into PAX South, while planning PAX East! Wow!

Pati Hyun

Thank you Pati for building all of the renders and images for the KS page and the ads. She spent the most time of all of us making sure the project looked amazing.

Nick Brachmann

Helped Cole with development and card content. In addition while we were doing this he got Fort ready for publication.

Caryl Tan

Thank you Caryl for providing us with all of your customer success help as well as working diligently to get the shipping prices down. If you received a message from me during the campaign, statistically speaking it was actually Caryl. She also made the amazing header video!

Marshall Britt

Planned the logistics of getting the game produced. This is important as it set the price for the game and the tone of the campaign. His work with the production team freed up both my own time and Cole's. He also made the lovely animated gif on the Kickstarter page.

Clay Capra

Clay provided help to all of the retailers trying get in on the Kickstarter. Kickstarter has provided us with many opportunities but in the long term we need to consider the value of strong relations with our retail partners. For this I am happy to support our retail partners and thankful for all of the hard work Clay has done managing those relationships.

Ted Caya

Our shiny new accountant. He was excited to be along for his first Kickstarter. Ted brought a lot of analytic power to our planning meetings and helped us keep expenses in check.

Joshua Yearsley

Josh has been contracting for us since Vast: The Crystal Caverns, first as an editor and then as a usability editor. He has gradually taken on an expanded role and I appreciate his efforts. For Oath he will be providing usability testing and coordinating feedback and I could not be happier to have him on board.

Again I would like to thank all of the staff for allowing me to take 2 months off during a very busy time for us. The end of our pregnancy was almost catastrophic and I appreciate the time with my family and new son.

I would also like to thank Brooke Nelson. Brooke came in during the campaign and provided us with some much needed temporary help with customer service. We would all like to thank her for flexibility and resourcefulness when faced with problems.

I should also mention the importance of our many playtesters. We have been receiving good data from our playtesters as well as enjoying the games that have been broadcast. The data you provide will help us ensure we will deliver a quality experience. Thank you all!

Finally, thank you again backers! I like you believe in Oath and I am excited to see what the future brings us. My staff and I remain committed to keeping you up to date about the project and I look forward to what games we can create for you in the future.

If you have an issue with payment I would recommend you start with Kickstarter as they handle the payment. As usual if you have any support issues please contact [email protected]. It is easier for us to manage one point of contact.

Passing a Milestone and Info About the Bot
about 4 years ago – Sun, Feb 09, 2020 at 12:39:48 PM

Hello everyone,

Thanks to your incredible support, Sunday night the campaign passed the million dollar mark! This is a huge milestone for all of us at Leder Games. Oath is our first big-box game and it is also a very different type of game for us. It's also set in a totally new world that doesn't lean on either Vast or Root. Going into this campaign, there were a lot of unknowns. It's been humbling, to say the least, to see the amazing response that the campaign has generated. In the coming days, Patrick will be writing much more about the campaign, but I just wanted to say thank you all the same.

Today, I want to draw your attention to the designer diary I posted this morning on Board Game Geek. Since we launched this campaign, I've received dozens of messages from prospective backers about how the game's solo and two-player modes will work. This weekend I had time to put my thoughts in order and work through both the general design philosophy behind the bot and describe a couple of its key systems. If you have any questions about the solo mode or would like to learn more, I'd encourage you to read the diary here.

I should add that this will be my last diary of the campaign. Over the past few months, I've published sixteen entries, which almost amount to a short book! Though there's a lot I still want to say, it will be a at least a month before I return to writing them. Right now I'll be turning my attention full-time to the game's development. Once that is a little further along, I'll be sure to post development diaries from time to time that will take you all through the completion of the game. I also imagine I'll be tapping our editor, Joshua Yearsley to write a little about his processes and the game's usability testing. And, of course, I'll try to post a little from the backlog as well, including other suit spotlights and maybe even a longer process piece on the creation of the game's insert. We'll do our best to keep everyone here updated when those diaries are published.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]. Please refrain from using the Kickstarter messaging system so that we may better assist you.

Thanks for all the support!

What's In The Box?! Live Play-through Today!
about 4 years ago – Sun, Feb 09, 2020 at 07:50:25 AM

Hey Friends! 

Today I wanted to share our mockup of the insert and how we plan to everything inside the box! Even though Cole is still working on wrapping up the design, the creative team felt like they were in a place to start visualizing the layout of the components and usability of the insert. Compared to Root, Oath will have over 2 times the amount of components, cards, and just sheer amount of "stuff" that will need to fit inside the box. By starting on the insert now, we can get ahead of any manufacturing problems and design an insert that players will want to keep. 

Just a note before we go on this journey: the insert, components, and art are not final and are subject to change. These are 3-D mockups for planning purposes. In these images, the deluxe favor coins and resin magic tokens are being represented over the cardboard versions.  

Important things we considered when designing the insert were being able to have space for sleeved cards, that the neoprene game mat wouldn't be rolled too tightly, and the deluxe components would also be able to be stored neatly and in a tray to be played out of. The insert is also built to be able to "save" your game state in between sessions by having a separate slot for your world deck, archive, and a place to display the order of the suit supplies when going into your next game.

I hope that these images help visualize that not only the amount of physical stuff in the box, but also a sense of the sheer scope of this project in terms of design and production. By any metric, this is our most ambitious project yet!

Reminders

This afternoon at 2 PM CST the Leder Games office crew will be streaming two games of Oath back to back on Twitch and Facebook.  A recording will be posted on YouTube tomorrow. 

Tomorrow at 11 PM CST Cole, Patrick, and Nick will be taking part in an AMA over on the boardgame subreddit, answering questions about Oath and everything Leder Games!  

Lastly, the Print and Play and Tabletop Simulator mod were released on the 28th, and we've really enjoyed seeing everyone's printed kits and reading the session reports. If you happened to have missed the update here is a link to where you can access the kits.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]. Please refrain from using the Kickstarter messaging system so that we may better assist you.

Thanks for all the support!

- Gates