Production & Delivery Timeline Update, Convention Schedule, & Metro Map Details.
almost 6 years ago – Fri, Jun 22, 2018 at 12:55:57 AM

Production & Delivery Timeline Update

I've just had a call with Panda at 2am Tokyo time last night (or technically this morning) to get an update on where we stand with the production timeline. Given that there were some complications with the plastics mould for the vending machine, and we needed to iterate a bit further than expected, the new mould has just started to be produced. Making an injection mould takes 30-35 days due to the time it takes the CNC to cut into the metal perfectly, so we are looking at the plastics pushing the timeline back by about a month.

The good news is, all of the other components are being produced now, the fulfillment centers are lined up, and as soon as the plastics are delivered and packed into the games we will hit the ground running. Here is a detailed update and timeline moving forward:

- July 25th the plastics moulds are prepared, and injection begins.

- August 15th ish all mass production is finished, and packaged into pallets for shipping

- August 25th games are put on ships headed for fulfillment centers

- 3-6 weeks following (late Aug/early Oct) games hit fulfillment centers, and are shipped directly to your door! 

In conclusion, because there needed to be a few corrections to the vending machine model and both Panda and I do not want to rush the quality control of the project, a very realistic updated delivery time to your doorstep is the beginning of October.

I'm just as disappointed to be delivering news of over a months delay beyond what was last expected for the production and delivery, but given that we are in the situation we are in, I'm happy that the quality control and product will be 100% top notch and everything else is set to run smoothly. 

If you have any concerns or questions whatsoever feel free to send me a message or comment on the update below. I will leave address updates through BackerKit open until the ships leave for fulfillment in August, and after that you can always message me for updates.

Convention Schedule

I'm happy to announce that I will be attending several conventions before the years end, and would love to meet more backers if you'll also be attending! 

GenCon: I will have a small area shared with Lay Waste Games, where I will have the very first manufactured copies on demo for the Tokyo Series, as well as a new exciting Tokyo Series related item to be announced soon. 

Essen: All backers games should be delivered before Essen, and assuming this goes to plan, I will have the Tokyo Series for sale at Essen, along with the Turin Market reprint and the last few copies of Import/Export. If you wish to pickup your games from Essen as opposed to having them shipped to you, this should not be a problem! Please send me a message and we can work it out. The only thing to keep in mind is that as I will still have to pay to move extra games to the convention for pickup, I won't be able to refund the shipping amount even if you pickup there. I will have something cool for you though :)

Tokyo Game Market: Assuming timelines work out, I will have a booth at Tokyo Game Market shared with another awesome Japanese game company. 

Pax Unplugged: This will be the last convention of the year for me, and should be very exciting! I will have a large space and very fun rewards for the challenge coins, as well as something new. There may even be some familiar faces and games from Japan joining me, stay tuned for more news.

That's all for the convention schedule, I'm really hoping to see you all there if you can make it!

Tokyo Metro Map

Talking with Panda over the past two weeks it came up that there may be a better choice of fabric for the Tokyo Metro map and income track. I've recently received the new sample, and I have to say the printing resolution and quality is very very good. The way I see it is, the Dragoon fabric map that is the current choice has slightly worse resolution, but a very nice feel and texture. This new fabric is a bit thinner, but very durable, and has incredibly resolution and printing. 

Here's a comparison of the two:

As you can see, there is a difference in texture, resolution, and slight thickness. I have sent a few concerns for quality control about the new fabric, and if they can be addressed with a new sample, then I think using it will make sense from a gameplay and clarity stand point. I'll keep you informed as a final decision comes together.

Gaming in Tokyo

On a final note for the update, I want to quickly mention how kind and amazing the board game community in Tokyo has been to me! I have had the privilege to meet and play games with both Jugame Studios and Itten games recently, which were both fun and incredible learning experiences.

All of the designers I have met in Japan so far have really opened my eyes to what is possible in gaming, they are always doing more with less while using materials in a smart way. I am in no way shape or form receiving any endorsement for talking about the following game, but I want to share how amazing my experience has been playing it!

TRIBE by Itten

Some of you may know Itten from Tokyo Highway, which is another phenomenal game, but I want to talk about Tribe because it is truly a special one of a kind experience to play.

Designed by Naotaka Shimamoto, a fearless designer, he was inspired by the different clothes and groupings of people on the street in Tokyo. Tribe takes a twist on dexterity, strategy, and puzzle solving, and then leads to situations like this... 

Where you have a monkey in one hand, a rooster under the other arm, and a fish balancing on your head. This game is beautiful, bizarre, and perfectly executed. I really recommend trying to get a copy if you can.

As always thank you so much for your support and patience, I am really really looking forward to delivering the first three titles in the Tokyo Series to you! The quality and gameplay is well beyond anything I've had the privilege to work on up to this point :) 

Sample Photos, Manufacturing, and Tokyo Game Market!
almost 6 years ago – Tue, May 15, 2018 at 02:16:35 AM

Samples have arrived and manufacturing is now underway! I have been in constant conversation with Panda to make sure the components are exactly to spec, the colors are correct, and we have high quality finishing across the games. 

It's really exciting to say that we are currently manufacturing most of the components, and the final pieces (just plastics in Jidohanbaiki at this point) are just around the corner as final measures are taken for quality control!

Here's some visuals for hand made sample versions of the final components..

Despite being hand made samples, theses boxes look and feel amazing! The SPOT UV finish on the top really stands out, and you can feel the texture of the black areas as they are lower than the raised UV cured surface. 

Here's a quick preview of the inside wrap printing in the box lid, which came out great. I think these extra details bring the overall finishing to the highest possible standard, and I'm very happy with the results. Look for the other inside wrap images when your games arrive ;)

Shown are the master models of the drinks, which will be in the correct colors with the actual game. These forms are just to show a preview of the actual models, and the detailing is very impressive! すごい！

 Jidohanbaiki!

 Chits!

Here are a few (there are more on the back side not pictured!) of the vending ads that will be included in the game, please use these when you play the guest designer games! All the designers who participated are incredibly talented, and their games are 100% worth owning, so go check them out! Find a full list in the rulebook HERE.

And nowwww, SPOT UV LINEN CARDS! I was blown away when I got these, they are so cool! It's a board game designers dream component haha. I'm very happy with them if you can't tell.. I think you will be too!

The pieces are perfectly laser cut, and now even sealed with a clear coat, something that I had never been able to do with the past version. These components are incredible, the quality is seriously inspiring, just look at the wood grains.

 The architect tokens also came out perfectly, I couldn't ask for a better result.

Here's a shot of the site cards. 

 Another shot of the pieces, I couldn't help myself!

It may be a small-ish box, but Metro is a huuugggeee game. You'll see what I mean when you open it, I could barely splay the pieces on the table. 

First up I want to showcase how well the player pieces turned out, especially the stretch goal gold colored 5th player pieces. We even got a free upgrade, since the wooden station pyramids couldn't be cut correctly, they are now resin station pyramids and they feel nice and heavy! 

You can also see the nice and thick fabric map, which for anyone who is wondering, is the exact same material as the new Dragoon map from the latest edition. 

Resource tokens and train income markers, both look perfect.

Cards cards cards cards cards, beautiful cards.

The Metro couldn't function without the trains!

Or the yen! (Note these are laser cut prototypes, and the final die cut versions will be slightly different)

I didn't forget about the currency, which I probably included too many coins into each set, but too late now! Enjoy the extras :) Look at the finishing on these, the colors are perfect. I'm very very very happy with them, and you got them for free! Nice work!

The challenge coins turned out really nice too, with this natural copper finish. I already have the first trade in item planned, and it's really cool! Stay tuned for details.

Phew! That was quite a visual jog we just took. I am so excited for these games to be delivered, and everything is running smoothly. Thank you again to everyone for your support, I am going to deliver the best quality I can, plus, some really fun and crazy games!

And I'm sure the question on everyones mind is.. when do we get the games?! Well things are going surprisingly to plan, and we should have a very early August delivery if everything continues as it is. I'll keep you updated!

Tokyo Game Market

I had the opportunity to host a booth at Tokyo Game Market with Quality Beast last week, and it was really fun! During the event I was lucky enough to meet some of the backers, as well as the guest designers in Tokyo Jidohanbaiki. Here are a few photos from the event:

Two of the talented designers from Jugame studios, Yu and Hiroshi, were kind enough to trade their new game with me for copies of Import/Export. If you haven't played Perfect Hotel yet, you are missing out! I'm very excited to try their new games, especially the brand new release from Yu, Grand Opening.

Here I am with Takahiro, a very stylish backer of the Tokyo Series and a great person! I'm happy we were able to meet, thank you for coming by the booth :)

Here I am with Kota Nakayama, the designer of both Lost Bottle and Battle Shipment in Tokyo Jidohanbaiki. I hate to play favorites, but I have to say, Battle Shipment is such a clever fun game! It's definitely at the top of my list of games in Jidohanbaiki. If you haven't seen Nakayama sans work, look to nononon factory for some great titles.

And here I am with one of my oldest and best friends, Mina! Mina is a talented Japanese artist and designer, who I was fortunate enough to design a new small box game with, Mayolama. It's a game about a llama that loves Japanese mayo! 

We hand made just 13 copies to sell at Game Market and had a lot of fun demoing the game together. More exciting news on this soon! If you want to hear more about Mayolama and some other small box Japanese designer games coming later this year, sign up for the newsletter at jordandraper.com ;)

Last but not least our team photo! On the left, helping at my booth, is Menma, myself, and Mina! On the right are two main members of the Quality Beast team, Dylan and Josh! 

What a great event, I cannot wait to do it again and buy another bag full of Japanese designer games XD 

As always, thank you for believing in my game endeavors, feel free to comment below or send me a message if you have any questions!

Jordan

Backerkit Lockdown, PAX East Talk/Demos, and EN/JP Rulebooks!
about 6 years ago – Sat, Mar 31, 2018 at 08:24:14 PM

BACKERKIT SURVEYS FROM KICKSTARTER ORDERS WILL LOCK DOWN ON APRIL 2ND

If you've filled out a Backerkit survey and wish to change your order or add-on more items, you will have until April 2nd to do so. You will still be able to update your address after this, but cards will be charged on the 2nd. *Note if you haven't filled out your survey yet, you will still be able to do so for a bit longer after they close. The pre-order store will also remain open for new orders following the same time frame.

If you have any questions feel free to send me a message!

PAX EAST!

I'm very excited to be attending PAX East to demo the TOKYO SERIES games at the Kickstarter booth daily! If you'll be there please stop by to play them or just say hi.

I will also be giving a talk in the main couch room (ROOM 103 of the BCEC) at the Kickstarter booth on Sunday titled "Creative exercise for game design and a healthy mind", it will last 30-60 minutes and should be a lot of fun! 

On top of this, you are welcome to try out the games yourself in the first look section at PAX, which will have hand made versions of all three games. Be sure to tell your friends to stop by and order the games if they like them :D

Finally, there will be ONLY 10 copies of the Captain Edition of Import/Export for sale at a special price of $70! You can pick one up at the Lay Waste Games booth, TT51. There are very few copies left of Import/Export, so if you or someone you know are looking for a copy, this is the time to get it. 

English and Japanese rulebooks

The English and Japanese rulebooks have been finalized and are now available on my website here: https://www.jordandraper.com/tokyoserieslibrary/

I am also excited to announce that translation work is already underway to create digital PDF versions of all of the rulebooks in Greek, French, Spanish, and German! There will likely be more languages to follow as well. What's more, there are new additional game rules being prepared for digital download from the same webpage. You'll never be bored again with TOKYO SERIES games in your library!

Stay tuned for sample photos and manufacturing updates :)

Backerkit Surveys, Furoshiki Wrap, Coin Masters, and Jordan Draper Website Update!
about 6 years ago – Fri, Mar 02, 2018 at 12:01:14 AM

By then end of this week, you'll be receiving an email with a link to Backerkit, where you will be able to add on items and fill in your shipping info! And on that note, there's a very exciting new item in the add ons section:

What is a Furoshiki you ask? Furo means 'bath' in Japanese, and traditionally when walking to take an evening bath, there was no convenient way to carry your supplies with you. Hence the Furoshiki. From a beautifully printed square linen cloth, a simple wrap and tie can carry just about anything, inducing three TOKYO SERIES games :) 

This special Furoshiki, designed with graphics from the first titles, is a traditional 70 x 70cm size that fits all three games together perfectly! See the image below for an example:

Still not convinced? Watch this video for how to wrap any standard sized games from the Jordan Draper / Dark Flight lineup:

Get this fabric wrap for only $10 as an add on to your pledge when you fill out the survey! It's not only good for wrapping and carrying games, but also for giving gifts, bringing groceries home, or becoming more Japanese by putting it on your head. 

We are on schedule and moving forward quickly into production! Just a few days ago, I received the master forms for the metal currency, and they are looking amazing!

I will plan to submit all of the artwork by this Sunday, moving us quickly into sample copies of the final games (which I will share photos of of course!) and then it's to the presses and a July delivery date!

 

In the mean time, head over to the brand new jordandraper.com website for more of my work, including film photography from my travels and other adventures. This will also be the home for new game rules on the TOKYO SERIES, so check in for updates as games are submitted! If you want to submit rules yourself, you can email me at [email protected]

There will also be some exciting small scale game projects there soon, including a completely clear 3D printed game, in collaboration with another game designer. 

That's it for this update, I'll keep everyone posted on news as it happens! If you don't hear from me for a week or two, it's because amazing things are happening in the background and I've got my head down working for you. Thank you again for the encouragement and opportunity to make the TOKYO games!

Jordan

SUCCESS!! A huge thank you, and what's next!
about 6 years ago – Mon, Feb 05, 2018 at 12:10:55 AM

WE'VE DONE IT! I can hardly believe how much support my very niche and unique ideas have received, it's all thanks to you that the TOKYO SERIES has launched! This wild success is great for everyone, as it allowed for many cool stretch goals, and also gives me the opportunity to explore future themes and components further than ever before. Prepare for an amazing year with exciting news on the series to come! 

So, what happens now? I've teamed up with the great people at Backerkit to make sure pledge upgrades, pre-orders, surveys, and fulfillment delivery goes as smoothly as possible! In about one week you will receive a link to a survey, which will allow you to provide your address (you can always update it later before games ship), add on extra items, and pay for shipping. 

I'll keep everyone up to date on the survey, as well as how the games are progressing in their manufacturing. Currently samples are on the way to me, and I'm approving artwork files, so we are on schedule for a pre-GenCon delivery. This also means I should have the option to pickup games at GenCon or Essen should you choose to do so.

Amazing work everyone, I'm still in awe, and SO excited to deliver these games and get the next titles ready for another exciting Kickstarter next year :)

All the best and talk to you soon, 

-Jordan Draper