100k! Challenge coins! Nick Halper designer diary!
over 6 years ago – Tue, Jan 16, 2018 at 05:17:28 PM

I have never made 100k from a project, or even remotely close to that in a year of my life, so this is such a cool moment and accomplishment! Thank YOU ALL so much for your support. Just look at the community section of the page:

This number, is unbelievable to me. I'm quite emotional at the moment, as my journey of creating games started just 2 years ago, with the first Kickstarter pulling in 178 backers. I can't think of a cooler way to commemorate this accomplishment than to give out these challenge coins, which will be used at events to trace in for really amazing stuff! 

I'll be personally picking everything, so expect a range of Japanese gems and new creations! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I will continue to dedicate the best time and energy possible into the TOKYO SERIES! (Note: each backer can add on a single challenge coin if they wish for $20, for those who want to keep one and trade one in :)

And now, on to my good friend and business partner:

1 - Can you give a brief overview of what your game is about, and where the inspiration came from? My game is “Kick the Can” which is a common game played in the streets by kids in cities in the US. When Jordan showed me the components of Jidohanbaiki and the current game set, I knew I wanted to make something that rethought how the components were even being used. To me the fun of mini-games is that they all play so differently, so it seemed like a dexterity game really changed the way in which the pieces were used more than anything.

2 - What did you think about designing under the constraints of using only the components provided in the game? I think that creativity is always strongest under constraint. Just the right amount of constraint can lead to some really cool results. For that reason, designing a game with a limited component set and being challenged, in a way, to use those components in new and exciting ways was probably the most fun I have had in designing a game.

3 - If you could make a game themed around anything in the world, what would it be? Definitely neurotrophic factors, the molecules and substances that encourage cells to grow in specific patterns to organize your brain as you grow. If not that, then humanity’s rise to conquer the singularity.

4 - What is your favorite thing about Japan? If you don’t know anything about Japan, what is your favorite thing about Japan? Please answer. The juxtaposition of weirdness and young at heart activities with salarymen lifestyles and extreme professionalism. Also, their recycling programs.

5 - What is something unique about you that we don’t know? Secretly, I don’t love dexterity games!

6 - Please give a short description of what you’re up to next, and where people can find out more about it! In design, I am working on a boardgame for 2-6 that involves a variable stock market and multiple worker pools that require workers to be in specific locations to perform certain actions. I am also working with Jordan on a game, called Curses and Candy, that simulates the fun of Trick-Or-Treating as a kid. For information on either, you can follow me on twitter (@Nick_Halper) or just follow Dark Flight Games (@darkflightgames).

You can also check out some of the cool stuff we are accomplishing in neuroscience here: http://blackrockmicro.com/ephys-newsroom/neuroscience-research-articles/

Thanks for all of your support for the TOKYO SERIES Nick, looking forward to more Dark Flight releases this year! Keep drinking that chocolate milk! 

The JIDOHANBAIKI rulebook is very close to being updated with 20 games! It should be up in the next few days, stay tuned for that and a lot more great content!

I'll close out with a photograph of Shinjuku park on a beautiful summer day, it expresses perfectly how I feel right now!

5th player Metro pieces & the Stefan Brakman designer diary!
over 6 years ago – Thu, Jan 11, 2018 at 12:53:58 PM

We are flying through stretch goals, and this last one had some really big additions! 

5th player added to Metro: There is now a set of 5th player pieces, which means you can invite an extra friend over and setup an extra row of action cards! The 5 player game is extra cut throat and fun :)

Spot UV on cards: Adding spot UV to the cards not only adds a nice texture and aesthetic, but in Jutaku, it gives a physical border to the building site! When's the last time spot UV was used for an actual gameplay enhancement? I'm thinking never! 

And now I'm really pleased to introduce a good friend and designer from the Netherlands:

1 - Can you give a brief overview of what your game is about, and where the inspiration came from? Vancouver Sweat is a game in which you try to pick drinks from the street, bottles are worth deposit, but be careful not to end up with too many worthless cans. All the drinks of different players (colors) are placed randomly in a grid (the street). After that players pick two out of three drinks. Those two drinks will go to the player who had at least two of his color drinks in that selection of three drinks. This means you can "give" the drinks to other players, or take them yourself depending on which three drinks you want to pick from. Getting drinks is easy, but since all cans are worth minus points, winning isn't easy at all. The inspiration for this game came from my visit to a friend who lived in Vancouver at the time. I was surprised by the amount of people that lived off the deposit money they got with picking bottles off the street, called bottle pickers. It's such hard work, with so little pay, you'd have to be desperate or left with no other options to live such a life. I want to include social themes in my games. So with Vancouver Sweat I developed a game in which every player is a bottle picker. It's hard work scoring any points in this game.

2 - What did you think about designing under the constraints of using only the components provided in the game? I loved designing this game. The simple elements can be used in so many ways... But the fact that I could only use these, no more, no less, really pushed me to come up with creative ideas for games and mechanics that could work. 

3 - If you could make a game themed around anything in the world, what would it be? Saving the planet while taking care of the people. 

4 - What is your favorite thing about Japan? If you don’t know anything about Japan, what is your favorite thing about Japan? Please answer. Probably their seaweed. 

5 - What is something unique about you that we don’t know? Instead of working on my homework in high school, I wrote a fantasy trilogy. Maybe I should have done a little more homework though, cause it's packed with typo's. 

6 - Please give a short description of what you’re up to next, and where people can find out more about it! Well... designing board games obviously! My next/other current project is Towers of the Sun, a 3D abstract board game that's easy to learn, fun to play, pretty to look at and challenging to win.

Stefan has been amazing throughout the entire project, we've developed some games together and Skype often about new ideas! Here is a screen shot that will surely end up in an art gallery somewhere... Nice setup Stefan!

Lets push hard for the next stretch goal, because it is going to be amazing! Challenge coins that can be traded in for unique Japanese items, made or picked by myself personally.

To close out, this is a shot of the Nakagin Capsule Tower, metabolist architecture at its finest. This is one of the biggest inspirations for me both in terms of architecture and product design.

Free metal currency unlocked, and the Travis D. Hill designer diary!
over 6 years ago – Mon, Jan 08, 2018 at 11:02:31 PM

Thanks to everyones efforts, we've unlocked 1 set of free metal currency for all backers at the $35+ pledge levels! This currency can be used with all the games across the entire TOKYO SERIES, and retails for $25, pretty awesome!

Just to get the logistics out of the way, here are the fine details for the free currency:

• Each pledge at $35 or more will receive 1 set of free currency. If you would like more sets, they will need to be added on with +$25 to your pledge. 
• The retailer pledge includes 1 free set of metal currency as well. if you would like more, you can message me about retail pricing packages for the currency.
• The currency will fit in the JIDOHANBAIKI box, but will also come with it's own storage solution.

Panda Manufacturing

We've also unlocked Panda Manufacturing! That means all of the games will be made with the absolute highest quality. Now lets push for the next stretch goal of SPOT UV cards, and a 5th player for METRO!

And without further ado...

1 - Can you give a brief overview of what your game is about, and where the inspiration came from? I love solo games. Pura Pura is about sorting drinks into separate containers, while dealing with the randomness of a draw pile. But I hate randomness, so I want to mitigate it, per the special actions in the game. The problem with solo gaming is that if there isn’t randomness, then it’s just a puzzle. I don’t like that either, so trying to find the balance is a fun experiment.

2 - What did you think about designing under the constraints of using only the components provided in the game? Love it. I have a problem of trying to do too much, so a constraint forced me to really think about the best manner In which to work.  On top of that, the components are super fun and quirky, which gave even more inspiration.

3 - If you could make a game themed around anything in the world, what would it be? Buying and selling vinyl at a used record store. Or the turn-of-the-century Mexican Revolution.

4 - What is your favorite thing about Japan? If you don’t know anything about Japan, what is your favorite thing about Japan? Please answer. Japanese cinema, everything from Miyazaki to Kurosawa, and everyone in between.

5 - What is something unique about you that we don’t know? I have been a drummer for more than 20 years, playing in Balinese percussion groups, svante garde American groups, and even a long stint as a bass drums in a competition bagpipe and drum band.

6 - Please give a short description of what you’re up to next, and where people can find out more about it! Aside from podcasting on Low Player Count (lowplayercount.com), I also edit rulebooks, like this one! You can find more info at bit.ly/travisdhill. Finally, I produce a fairly infrequent, but short, podcast on introversion called the Space Inside. Come listen. I’m all over the twitterverse @travisdhill, where I talk about music, coffee, and my corgi, Percival.

A special thanks to Travis not only for his design work with Pura Pura, but also for editing the rulebooks on all three of the first titles! Were it not for him, they would not be anywhere close to as clear and concise as they are. Note the Jidohanbiaki rulebook is still being updated.

To close this update, here is one of my favorite photos I took at Ueno Park. This kid was hilarious, running all over the place, and he stopped for this photo.

Fully Funded and great things to come!
over 6 years ago – Sat, Jan 06, 2018 at 10:30:12 PM

WOW! I can't believe we funded so quickly, and are on the way to $50k. A very sincere thank you to all of you. We are so close to the free currency now, lets work together to spread word of the campaign and unlock it for everyone! 

SCHEDULE FOR THE CAMPAIGN:

• Hit tons of stretch goals
• Learn some things about Tokyo, and share unreleased film photos I've taken while living there.
• Showcase the amazing guest designers, and learn about their games and lives through a series of TOKYO JIDOHANBAIKI Designer Diaries! 
• Live stream a walking tour through Tokyo after I get there at the end of January, covering architecture, the metro, and vending machines! This will be a Kickstarter Live experience where I will give a real life tour of how I was inspired to design the games.
• HAVE FUN!

I think that about covers it, this is going to be a stress free, incredibly positive experience. We are all in for a treat with the updates, and if anyone wants to talk to me about anything, I'll pretty much be here 24/7, lets hang out! 

The next update will have the first Designer Diary, stay tuned for the drumming, talented Travis D. Hill! 

And to close out the first update and an incredible first day, here is a photo taken in Tokyo from a very unique train station in the sky:

Virtual vending machine drinks for everyone!