Explaining an Absence, and Good News Going Forward
about 1 month ago
– Wed, Jan 21, 2026 at 03:00:21 PM
Hi everyone,
First, Happy New Year, and thank you for your patience over the holiday season, and the past several weeks. I wanted to share a clear update as we move into the new year.
I owe you an explanation for the lack of communication during December and most of January. At the beginning of last month, I unfortunately experienced a death in the family. I needed to step back briefly to deal with that loss, and I’m only now in a position to re-engage fully and communicate again.
On top of that, the final stretch of the year was especially intense on the work front. I was buried in multiple end-of-year commitments and worked straight through to the holidays to keep everything on track. That combination is the reason for the quiet period here—not a lack of progress or care for the project.
I’ve seen the frustration with my absence in the comments and messages during this period, and I understand why, given the lack of context or understanding of the circumstances. I hope this explanation helps restore some good will. I know there were some personal messages during this time as well, and I apologize for not addressing them. I’m now working through those, and will be replying directly.
I also want to directly address the investor I mentioned in the last update. He reached out to me again, unprompted, to confirm that he is still interested in investing in the completion of the project. The only change is timing: he’s currently tied up closing a much larger deal of his own and needs additional time before he can move forward with ours. While that does require more patience, it was extremely reassuring to hear a clear “yes, still willing and interested”.
After the last project update, the were some requests for me to create a re-telling of the project’s path so far. I think this is a great idea, and I’ll be putting together a concise narrative that outlines what we’ve navigated, what I’ve learned, and how those lessons are informing decisions going forward.
Thank you again for sticking with this, and for the understanding and generosity you’ve shown throughout. I look forward to having more concrete news for you soon.
More Soon,
Clark
Important Progress on Funding and Fulfillment
5 months ago
– Wed, Oct 08, 2025 at 09:38:31 AM
Hello, Backers —
Sorry this update is coming in later than I expected when I reached out last month. I’ve been waiting on being able to connect on a call with a potential investor, and that call continued to get rescheduled due to a lot of unforeseeable events. But, we were finally able to make it happen. The results were very positive, and I’m cautiously optimistic that we’re on the right road to getting PSYCHE over the finish line.
Over the summer, I’ve also been developing a new creative venture that’s begun to attract serious outside interest. That attention, in turn, helped open the door to one of the funding opportunities I’ve been pursuing — an outside investor who’s expressed clear intent to help fund the completion of PSYCHE. To be clear– this isn’t a signed check yet, but it is a verbal yes — and that’s a major step forward. His timeline requires the completion of at least one of several deals he has in the works that will provide the cash flow needed for us to place our print order. According to him, that could happen anytime between the next few weeks and the end of the year.
If and when that happens, we’ll move quickly. I’ll be using this window to make sure all our production files are press-ready, and that our printer’s estimates are fully updated and locked in. I’ll also share the complete production and fulfillment plan as soon as the investment becomes official, along with what backers can expect to see first. For now, the key takeaway is that there’s real forward motion and a strong chance that the resources to complete this project are finally coming together.
If this particular avenue takes longer than expected or falls through, I’ll be transparent about that as well. Either way, PSYCHE remains a top priority for me, and I’m continuing to work every angle to get it across the finish line.
For those of you who’ve reached out about updating your mailing address, all you need to do is send me a direct message on Kickstarter. Even if we could go to print today, there would still be some months before we’d need to have addresses locked down for fulfillment. I’ll send multiple reminders once we get closer to that stage.
Thank you for your patience, your faith, and even your frustration — I know how hard it’s been to keep believing in this project after such a long road, but I truly believe we’re closing in on the route the will get this project into your hands.
Warm Regards,
Clark
The Update Before the Update
6 months ago
– Fri, Aug 15, 2025 at 08:38:13 AM
Hello, Backers.
I know you've been waiting an inordinately long time for an update. While I’ve been quiet — and I know that’s been frustrating — I’ve been working hard behind the scenes to get this project moving again. Over the summer, I explored several different solutions, and two of them — one involving outside funding, the other a more outside-the-box, “creative accelerator" strategy — have real potential.
These two pieces are connected, and one won’t fully work without the other. I expect to know within the next 7–10 days whether we can move forward. If this comes together, I’ll share the full plan and timeline immediately — and we could be moving very quickly from there.
I know you all prefer regulate updates, even if they don’t immediately solve the problem. I fully own up to getting in my head this summer about not wanting to send another “I’m working on it” message without tangible progress to share. This update is more of a quick check-in than a full reveal, but I wanted you to know that real progress has been made and we’re at a decisive moment now.
That said - this may not work. It may come together, or it may fall through. If it doesn’t work, I’ll be transparent about what happened and keep working the problem. But right now, I’m cautiously optimistic.
Despite not having the definitive answers I’m waiting for, I just wanted to touch base with you briefly to let you know that despite the summer silence, a lot of work and a lot of progress has been happening behind the scenes. I’ll report back in the next week to week and a half.
Thanks for all your continued patience and support.
Warm Regards,
Clark
Tariff Impact Update
10 months ago
– Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 06:50:39 AM
Hi all.
I’ve been waiting to post an update until there was an actual announcement made on tariffs. Then I gave it an additional week to allow the news cycle to settle, in case there were any quick reversals or changes. Now that it looks like these tariffs on Chinese imports are here at least for the near term, we should talk about where things stand with our project.
Impact of Tariffs
This is a development that affects the entire US toy and tabletop gaming industry, and along with every other game company and project creator, we’re caught right in the middle of it. In terms of how it affects our ability to go forward, it’s basically Covid 2.0. Which makes the past 5 years the most wildly volatile and unpredictable period in project creation or international manufacturing I’ve ever heard of in my adult life.
I’ve already tried once to circumvent global manufacturing and shipping crisis by moving production to the US. While I was able to get some product manufactured and satisfy some backers (which was a huge win), the effort was extremely expensive. And while I’m happy with the quality of Complete Boxed Set I have to offer now, the process of getting it to where it is–and then the subsequent fulfillment process–was far from a smooth or premium experience. There were serious quality issues, and initially, the packing procedures and damage precautions were either shockingly lazy or missing entirely. There were backers who complained of never receiving their sets even though I received a spreadsheet that had their shipments listed as confirmed. So the high costs of manufacturing in the US didn’t level us up out of easily avoidable production and shipping issues.
Prior to the tariff announcements, I had reached out to a new printer in China that came very highly recommended from a trusted source, and they sent me pricing that was very workable. Based on these numbers, I had several paths towards securing the remaining funds we need. However, all of them required me to file my taxes first. Based on their workload, our accountants put us on an extension, and we will be addressing filing our returns as soon as they return from their brief, post tax-day break. The plan was to submit a business loan application as soon as the taxes were filed.
But with these tariffs now in place, moving forward with overseas manufacturing is effectively on pause.
When Covid threw us for a loop, I scrambled to find a solution–and by the time I was ready to act on that agreement, it was already obsolete. So this time, I’m not committing to any new direction until I have more clarity—and until I can observe how other companies and creators in our space are navigating this exact same terrain.
My goal at this point is to get the taxes filed, and get everything in place for a potential loan. The design files for the manufacturer are already ready to go. And then, as soon as the tariff situation is alleviated in one way or another, immediately file the loan paperwork, and get production moving ASAP. Again, I’ll be looking very closely at what other project creators do in this situation, and be watching for potential solutions as they arise.
Communication
I’ve seen a lot of comments on previous project updates, and in the project comments section expressing frustration over communication. I want to address that directly.
I read every message that comes in. If you have a clear question, I will always do my best to answer it. Sometimes directly, or sometimes, if the question applies more generally, I will turn it into a topic for a project update. That said, many messages I receive are general expressions of frustration with no actual question for me to address. Or, they ask for a personal update instead of reading the ones I’ve posted. I understand the emotion behind that, but I can’t respond personally to every message that simply says, “Do you know how long it’s been???,” or “I don’t want to read this wall of text, just tell me what’s happening.”
I also receive occasional messages that are hostile or disrespectful. I won’t be engaging with those. I get that delays are upsetting—but abuse isn’t productive. This project is still something I care deeply about. I’m working toward a resolution, even when it’s slow and behind the scenes.
If you have a change of address, please send it via Kickstarter message. I process them in batches, and since we don’t have rewards shipping at this moment, it’s not imperative that I address it immediately. Rest assured, when we have inventory to ship, I will go through and thoroughly check all the change of address messages I’ve been sent, and be very vocal about asking you to send me any and all new address changes.
If you’re interested in upgrading to the Complete Boxed Set, I can definitely help you with that. I’m offering all US backers the opportunity to fold their previously paid shipping into the cost of the upgrade, and to get free shipping on the Boxed Set. For international backers, though I can’t offer that same shipping arrangement, I will still do my best to try and absorb some of the cost.
Final Thought
A quick note to those who choose to post negative or personal comments on my content elsewhere online: I can’t stop you—but please know it doesn’t help you. Every bit of visibility and goodwill I’m able to create moves us towards securing the remaining funds and getting you your rewards. And this is important: I have more than enough existing inventory of original Reckless Deck and Psyche Boxed Sets in the warehouse to close the funding gap we need to complete the project–if I can generate the sales. Sabotaging that doesn’t punish me—it slows down the resolution for everyone.
I’m still here, and I’m still working. I still care a great deal, and I’m still trying to add value to the creative community with Reckless Deck despite ever-shifting conditions, and still owing most of you your rewards from this large undertaking. I have every intention of continuing to show up, and getting it done.
Regards,
Clark
Q1 Project Progress So Far
12 months ago
– Fri, Feb 28, 2025 at 03:17:35 PM
Hi everyone,
I appreciate your patience, and I want to provide a long-overdue update. While unexpected freelance obligations and tight deadlines have kept me busier than planned, progress has been made on the project, and I want to share the latest developments with you.
Funding Progress
I recently had a productive meeting with a representative from the Rhode Island Small Business Development Center regarding the loan I’ll be applying for to complete fulfillment. He has extensive experience with this specific loan and has helped many entrepreneurs navigate the process successfully. Right now, I’m working on the necessary financial documents, including my 2024 business taxes, and finalizing application materials. Once everything is in place, we’ll be looking at multiple lending options to ensure the best path forward.
Manufacturing Update
I’ve received updated pricing from DoFine Games, the new manufacturer I’ll be working with. Their rates are in line with the estimates I received last fall, which is great news. They come highly recommended by trusted industry contacts and by GPI Games (the company now handling our coins and anthology). I’ve personally inspected their work and am very confident in the quality of their production.
Addressing Backer Concerns
I know this has been a lengthy, rocky process, and I want to acknowledge that. I continue to work with individual backers behind the scenes on customer support issues, including assisting those interested in upgrading to the Complete Boxed Set (which is in stock and ships immediately). If you’ve reached out to me and haven’t heard back, please don’t hesitate to follow up—I want to make sure no concerns slip through the cracks.
The project is moving forward, and I remain fully committed to fulfilling it. I appreciate everyone’s patience, and I’ll continue to provide updates as more concrete progress is made.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.
Thanks,
Clark
