COVID's Impacts, and Possible Solutions
almost 3 years ago – Thu, Jun 10, 2021 at 12:10:00 AM

Hi Guys!

I’m shooting for back to back updates for you this week - one that covers some business, and another that is just a pure look at exploring some of the awesome content.

COVID Changes Up the Game (a bit)

I want to talk to you about how COVID and current events are impacting our project. Any of you who keep up with the news have probably seen articles about international-level problems with the supply chain, shortages of building and manufacturing materials, and a slow down in shipping services. Well, unfortunately we’re right in the middle of all of that.

• Paper and printing costs are way, way up. And so, the budget I created for the project going into the Kickstarter is essentially meaningless now. I’m in the process of getting new quotes for everything.
• Thanks to my current, non-Kickstarter related order for the new versions of Classic Reckless Deck Volumes 1 and 2 (and a new, larger magnetic box), I’ve seen that international manufacturing & freight shipping is both incredibly expensive, and moving extremely slow. I was expecting to have my new, shiny Volume 1’s & 2’s in hand by the end of April. Thanks to current shipping conditions, It looks like it’s going to be more like mid-August. (And so, for those of you asking about the Volume 1 and 2 re-stock, there’s your answer about what's up with that.) 

But don’t freak out. We’re still very much moving forward. All creative work on PSYCHE is proceeding as if there are no hangups at all. And I can assure you, you won’t be getting any project updates saying, “yeah well, everything’s so expensive, and all this is just really frickin’ hard, so I’m pulling the plug”, or some other such nonsense. You people don’t get rid of me that easily.

But, I’m bringing all this up to you for 2 reasons: 

a) Transparency, so you know what’s really going on behind the scenes. 

b) Because I may need to ask you all for an extra helping of patience and understanding as I navigate these new twists and turns. Basically, a lot of the tried-and-true cost benefits of manufacturing in China are up in smoke. Whether that’s temporary or just the new way of things is yet to be seen. Luckily, my printer, Shuffled Ink, has been great about brainstorming and problem solving this situation. As Shuffled’s home office is in Orlando, Florida, we’re taking a look at potentially producing all the card based items here in the US. This has the potential to help us in 2 ways:

• Doing so would eliminate all my costs for freight shipping to the US. What I just had to pay in freight for the V1/V2 order was insane. And that order was very small compared to the total PSYCHE order. Based on current costs, the price tag for the freight shipping for all the PSYCHE inventory has the potential to truly be heart attack level huge. 
• US production would also potentially eliminate the potential 6-10 weeks it would take for freight to travel from China to the US. 

If these numbers work out, I’ll SERIOUSLY be considering this move. Here’s the catch though: If I do this, the foil backs on the cards will have to be changed to spot gloss. Doing foil accents in the US is just prohibitively too expensive. But spot UV is still doable. Now, it’s not my first choice, but with PSYCHE’s maze-pattern card back, I think spot UV has just as much potential to make the card backs spectacular. I have yet to get all the pricing info I need to make this important decision, so nothing’s set in stone. But I wanted to bring the situation up to you guys now, so you’re not shocked about it later. (And yes, my international lovelies - I know I’m still gonna have to figure out freight shipping for you guys in the UK, the EU, and Australia. I haven’t gotten that far yet, but I’ll keep you posted.)

The other big piece of this is: figuring out this new pricing situation and where ultimately we'll be doing the bulk of the production DIRECTLY impacts me being able to open the Pledge Manager. Where we manufacture directly impacts our entire shipping & fulfillment plan. I know it's been a long wait for the PM, and you guys have been incredibly patient. And I love that you've been able to keep the excitement and enthusiasm going. Hopefully, you'll enjoy the upcoming content, design, and artwork reveals while we dodge and weave.

Thanks for powering through that guys - I know it was a lot of gumph with no pretty pictures. I'll make it up to you with the next one.

Cheers,

Clark

A Review of All the Campaign Items
almost 3 years ago – Tue, Jun 01, 2021 at 12:06:11 AM

Hi Reckless Friends!

Happy Memorial Day. One plus to a cold & rainy holiday weekend, I guess, is having the time to devote to writng project updates. Thanks to all of you who read through my last update. It generated a TON of comments, and it was really exciting to see so much enthusiasm & engagement. Several of you requested that I revisit everything that's included in the campaign, now that the actual creation & writing process has led to some changes. I think this is a great idea, and so here goes!

This section covers the CARDS ONLY & PASSPORT tiers. Everything here will be available in for individual add on in the Pledge Manager as well. 

The Core Set (200 Core cards, 200 CONTEMPORARY Companion cards)

Core Set Expansion (100 cards)

7 Companion Decks (200 cards each)

1. EPIC FANTASY
2. STEAMPUNK & VICTORIAN
3. SCI FI & CYBERPUNK (was Cyberpunk only during the Kickstarter)
4. LOVECRAFTIAN & NOIR
5. HORROR & URBAN FANTASY
6. DYSTOPIAN & POST APOCALYPSE
7. ESPIONAGE & BLACK OPS
8.  Removed: URBAN FANTASY (was combined with the HORROR companion post Kickstarter) 

5 Mini Companions (60 cards each)

• VIKINGS (included in all pledges CORE SET and above)
• TRIBAL & NOMADIC
• BLANK CARDS
•  Added: FOLKLORE & FAIRY TALES (was added post KS) 
•  Added: EPIC FANTASY DARK (replaces PIRATES from the original Kickstarter lineup) 
•  Removed: PIRATES (replaced by EPIC FANTASY DARK) 

That concludes the CARDS ONLY Tier. The following section continues the PASSPORT tier. All of the following will be available in for individual add on in the Pledge Manager as well. 

8 Coins (all with choice of antiqued gold, silver, or copper finish, except HORROR and ESPIONAGE, which have set finishes as part of their designs)

• PROTAGONIST/ANTAGONIST
• STEAMPUNK
• SCI FI / CYBERPUNK
• LOVECRAFTIAN
• HORROR / URBAN FANTASY
• POST APOCALYPSE
• ESPIONAGE / BLACK OPS

1 Hold Everything Box (was choice of 3 designs, now is 1 design only)

1 Playmat (choice of 3 designs)

1 Set of 8 PVC Category Dividers

1 Paperback Short Story Anthology

1 Downloadable PDF of the CORE SET (free for all backers)

1 Downloadable PDF of the EPIC FANTASY Companion (free for all backers)

That concludes everything from the Kickstarter. The following are the post-campaign add on items you will find available in the Pledge Manager. There is only one confirmed post KS item so far.

• CONTEMPORARY: MATURE AUDIENCES (60 card mini-companion, $10 for all backers)

I am also working on an 8" PSYCHE magnetic box as an add on. It is NOT CONFIRMED, because I'm, still waiting on pricing. It was a campaign stretch goal we didn't get to. It would be the ideal place for you guys to create & store your custom decks that combine your favorite cards from all across the system. It also would also be the perfect spot to put your PVC category dividers in play. 

In addition,  I'm trying to include a couple of Classic Reckless Deck add ons. Manufacturing and shipping is proving to be slow moving and seriously impacted by COVID right now. There are things I want for classic RD that I am trying to add to this manufacturing order. 

Also, please know I have no plans for any additional PSYCHE card content. The CONTEMPORARY: MA deck proved itself to be an important necessity: the best way include the most mature content without freaking out younger teen users (or their parents), or users who didn't necessarily want to go there. It certainly wasn't just an idle "hey, this sounds kinda cool" decision.

There were also some concerns voiced that separating the intense content out meant that I was somehow turning this into a "YA deck", or worse, a kids' deck. That is SO not the case. What I'd like to do next is some updates that offer you a look at some of the card content we've come up with since the Kickstarter, so you can get a closer look at the personalities of every category, and all the different Companion decks. I think this will ease any of these kinds of concerns, AND get you guys pumped about all the awesomeness we've come up with!

If there are any more questions about the rewards I listed above, ask away. Happy to answer.

Thanks guys! You may now feel free to return to your cold, wet barbecues.

Clark

Some Play Testing-Related Changes
almost 3 years ago – Sun, May 30, 2021 at 12:03:58 AM

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Excuse the holiday weekend intrusion. I wanted to get this out to you sooner, but I wasn’t able to make it happen. There’s a lot of activity to update you on - so much so that I’m going to break things up into several updates. Bear with me as I walk you through some stuff.

Lessons From Play Testing

Play testing has taught us a thing or two, and it’s led me to a decision that’s had a real ripple effect. As we’ve put the content for the CONTEMPORARY Companion (included in the Core Set) in front of our testing friends and colleagues, we’ve gotten a lot of GREAT positive feedback. So good to know we've got a winner on our hands! But, there were some other really telling bits of feedback, as well, like: “wow, some of this is really grown up”, and, “some of this is really triggering”. The takeaway? My goal is for PSYCHE to be challenging, not triggering. And, as a dad, I’m extremely aware of all you backers who are parents, who either backed this for your kids, or as an activity to do with your kids. And while I certainly won’t promise this about all the Companion Decks (cough cough, Horror & Urban Fantasy) I think its important that the Core Set specifically can challenge adults creatively while at the same time being appropriate for a 13 year old to get as a birthday present. Which has lead me to make some changes in our lineup.

A Whammy You Didn’t See Coming

As a way to break off some of this more intense & mature content from the Core Set, I’ve decided to create a 60 card mini companion called CONTEMPORARY: MATURE AUDIENCES. And, to make room for it, I’ve decided it will be replacing the PIRATES mini in the lineup. I love historical fiction & nautical adventuring, but the truth is, as I’ve been working on PIRATES, I haven’t felt like it’s found a unique voice the way the other sets have. And I have a hard & fast rule when it comes to RD content & expansions of any kind: NO WEAK LINKS EVER, all the best content we had prepped for PIRATES that related to actual smuggling and pirating will be split between STEAMPUNK and SCI FI. I can see already that both those Companions will be even  stronger for it (I mean, can anyone here name a Sci Fi smuggler character who’s really popular? Yeah, me neither). I personally LOVE this content going into CONTEMPORARY: MA, but it’s for sure is the most controversial, current headline-driven, and mature content we’ve come up with. I think it’s important to still make these cards available, but I also think a bit of a buffer between it and younger or more conservative users is not a bad thing.

Hello Darkness My Old Friend

BUT, after all my advocating for the new MATURE AUDIENCES mini, its NOT the one that will replace PIRATES in the Cards Only and Passport Tier levels. Nope, it’ll be an add on in the pledge manager, and here’s why: because I had a bit of an add on surprise waiting for you (one of several, actually). Thanks to my stellar writing team, we truly have has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to compelling content for Epic Fantasy (attention, all you D&D players) and I wanted to create a way to get you an extra dose of some of that. So, let me introduce you to EPIC FANTASY DARK: a new, post-kickstarter 60 card mini devoted to all things necromancy, demon, and undead-related! Now really, what I want you to want is the new CONTEMPORARY: MATURE AUDIENCES companion, but because I know you SO WELL, I’m betting EPIC FANTASY DARK is the one everyone reading this is pumped about. So, In the Passport and Cards Only tiers, PIRATES is getting replaced with EPIC FANTASY DARK, and the CONTEMPORARY: MA 60 card companion will be available as an add on. And for those of you who didn’t back one of these all-inclusive tiers, both EF DARK and CONTEMPORARY: MA will be available for you to add on if you wish.

One Last Change

With the introduction of EF DARK, there’s another outlet added for creepy content. And so the DARK FOLKLORE 60 card mini will be re-named FOLKLORE & FAIRY TALES. As we're creating the content for this one, I'm finding what's more important for it is content with a sense of whimsy and wonder, and callbacks to objects, characters, and situations to classic fairy tales. Will some of it still be a bit dark and twisted? For sure, as are many fairy tales. But the name of the deck will be changing slightly to make room for EPIC FANTASY DARK.

There! You’re up to date on all the changes coming out of the play testing process so far.

I’ll touch base with you in a couple of days with more developments.

C

Anyone here like STAR TREK and Striptease?
almost 3 years ago – Mon, May 24, 2021 at 07:46:52 PM

Hi, Reckless Friends!

This time, I’d like to share news about a new project by an old friend of mine from my NYC days that’s currently live on Kickstarter, called BOLDLY STRIPPED. Her name is Hazel Honeysuckle, and she’s a burlesque performer from New York currently starring in ABSINTHE at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. She and her fellow burlesque performer/photographer friend Dangrrr are producing a 52 page publication that will feature a dozen-plus photoshoots of her dressed up - and decidedly undressed - as aliens from the STAR TREK universe.

Hazel is also a model, costumer, and big time nerd (to which I can personally attest.) Her burlesque street cred is about as hard core as it comes. She spent years in New York’s burlesque scene, where she meticulously crafted her own costumes for club performances based on her favorite sci fi and comics characters, like Treebeard, a D&D Beholder, and Seven of Nine. This new project of hers is clearly a major labor of love for her, combining over 10 years of burlesque stage experience with her deep well of knowledge of geeky STAR TREK lore.

There’s a PG-13 version and an, um, not PG-13 version of this book, as well as a softcover and more tricked out hardcover option. I’m sure this book is gonna be full of elaborate sets and costumes, as well as gorgeous, TREK-accurate prosthetics and body painting. And also, it’ll have Hazel’s personal brand of combining nerdy with naughty, and "playful & silly" with "Lower East Side dark & smoky". As both a personal fan of Hazel’s and a longtime TREK geek myself, I’m psyched to be a backer - and since I know Reckless Deck’s audience tends to run in geek culture circles, I thought you guys might be into this, too.

Here’s the link to see more of Hazel and BOLDLY STRIPPED:

Update on Card Progress and the Pledge Manager
almost 3 years ago – Wed, May 05, 2021 at 11:59:19 PM

Hi Creative Friends!

I know from the last 2 updates it may seem like "all coins all the time" over here. But that's totally not the case, and I have plenty to share with you about progress on lots of other fronts as well.

Layout Underway

A lot of the card content, the acessories designs, and the anthology are now all in the hands of our new LAYOUT DESIGNER, Mary Ann Guillette. She's attacking this project with a lot of zeal - and clearly a lot of skills & expertise - and is cranking out play test copies of all the Companion sets that are ready for editing. And, this connects to a question that has come my way a couple of times lately, regarding the state of the digital copies of the Core Set and of Epic Fantasy Companion. These play test versions, once edited down to the best 50 cards per category, will transition pretty effortlessly into these digital PDF versions. They'll be available for download to every backer who backed at the Core Set level and above, and should be ready along with the opening of the Pledge Manager. 

Pledge Manager

And speaking of the Pledge Manager! As you know, the completion of the coin designs was a major step towards getting the Pledge Manager open. Mary Ann is completing the designs for the Hold Everything Box, the playmats, and the premium dividers. On my end, I'm managing the completion of my own art, as well as the images coming in from other artists. And, I'm working on getting all the shipping info for your respective regions in place. The work on all of this is close to completion, and once it's done, we can open it up! I'm aiming to get the pledge manager completed and open in 2 to 3 weeks. 

Another thing I've been hearing about from backers is concerns about being able to change their address. To this I say, "didn't you people know that in backing this Kickstarter, you agreed to stay in one place until your rewards were delivered???" Hah. Just kidding. No, in actuality, if you're a backer that needs to update their address, totally don't sweat it. Once you get on to the pledge manager, updating your address should be very easy and straightforward. 

Update on the Large Box

I do have some new information for you regarding shipping that affects a few things. Namely, I learned through my existing order for the print run for the 3rd edition of Classic Reckless Deck Volumes 1 and 2 that freight shipping rates are extremely high right now. And the part of the order that included the new 8" Magnetic Box showed me that empty boxes that take up a lot of physical space are particularly expensive to ship. As a result, I've had to make the boots-on-the-ground decision to eliminate the 3-choice design option for the Hold Everything Box, and limit it to just one single design. To be able to get a decent price on multiple designs, I was going to have to order a TON of units. And now, it's very clear that in addition to the cost of running multiple design options, freight shipping for all those empty box options would cost the project a fortune. So, The Hold Everything Box will come in one design only.

What's Next

Here's where we go from here (once the Pledge Manager is open, obviously.)

• Finish the outstanding card content
• Final pass on card background designs
• Transfer finalized card content into finalized card design layouts & send to printer
• Layout and cover art for package designs
• Interior art for the short story anthology  

Of course, I'll continue to keep you all posted, and will be showing you new art as it comes in.

Talk to you all soon,

Clark