November Update: Holiday Season Half-Time Report
about 1 year ago – Mon, Nov 27, 2023 at 08:21:32 PM

Well the holiday season is in full swing and of course you all know what that means…

If you’re in the U.S. like I am, this likely means rush hour is now after dark, your neighborhood is being slowly overrun by inflatables and your productivity has come to a screeching… lull.  Your lull screeches at you too, right?  

If you’re not in the U.S., I’m very curious, what does the holiday season look like for you?

After a couple rather productive months, November has been a little less so around here, but it was all expected.  I was able to take some time off and go on a long anticipated road trip up to the Pacific Northwest to spend an incredibly fulfilling week with some wonderful new friends. Less work got done on Nevermind during that time, but the work done refilling my soul was a much needed and well deserved change of pace.

Between my trip and the Thanksgiving holiday, less got done on Nevermind this month than in previous ones, but that was all part of the plan and plenty of progress was still made.

Nevermind The Progress

As I mentioned in last month’s update, the print files for the bulk of the components are now all but complete. I’ve been double-checking everything against the manufacturer’s print specs and have made a few small layout and color tweaks to make sure it’s all going to print correctly.  I’ve also been working with our branding partner Blue Blazes to make some last-minute improvements to the box art - specifically the box back - and make sure I’ve got all the correct marks for the various regions being fulfilled to.

I expect to start the proofing process with our manufacturer partner very shortly and we will be fine tuning those components as I continue to tackle the last major task; the rulebook.

This month, most of the work on the rulebook has been in starting development for the new How to Play / Quick Start book that focuses on presenting the core game mechanics clearly and concisely so new players will be able to get it up and running quickly and (hopefully) with little to no confusion. This can be challenging because different people have different learning styles. If there is one component in the box that needs to work for everyone, it’s the Quick Start book.

To complicate matters further, this game can be somewhat challenging to explain in writing. I’ve demoed Nevermind for hundreds of new players at various conventions and have refined my pitch/explanation over time. Nine out of 10 times or better, the new player understands how it works within the first 5 minutes and has their first unsupervised game under their belt in 15. My focus for the Quick Start book has been to synthesize that demonstration into written form.

The jury is still out on whether or not learning Nevermind will benefit from having a deck of “tutorial cards” to work in conjunction with the quick start book.

Nevermind The Next Steps

In December I will be mainly focused on continuing to write (rewrite) those rulebooks with some little bit of attention on the back-and-forth with our manufacturer partner for the proofing of all things not rulebook. I expect that my productivity will continue to be at lower “holiday levels” throughout December as I balance personal obligations but I’m still shooting for a January completion and production start.

One unfortunate but expected bit of news from the manufacturer is that we’ve officially passed the window for being able to get Nevermind produced and on the water before Lunar New Year in early February. It’s very normal for them to experience a rush of orders trying to make it out for the various holidays and their backlog has increased as expected.  Like I’ve said in previous updates, this doesn’t mean a delay yet, it just means things are looking increasingly likely for more of an on-time fulfillment rather than a comfortably early one.

Pledge Manager

Just a quick reminder that the BackerKit pledge manager is still open for late pledges and/or additions and per Update 20, will remain open into at least late January. I’ll make sure there’s plenty of notice before orders are locked and cards are charged.

Print & Play Backers

For those of you who completed the questionnaire last month, Thank you! The majority of you said that either you would prefer to wait to receive the files with the completed rulebook or had no preference. This was a huge load off my mind and lets me focus on the rulebooks with a little less guilt. Again, I recognize how ridonculously late I am on the original commitment for Print & Play file completion. I am planning to do something a little extra to hopefully help make up for that.  If you are an Initiate Level (Print and Play) backer and have experienced significant frustration over this delay, please contact me directly and I will do whatever I can to make it right.

And now… A Holiday Message

The holidays can be a challenging time of year for many of us for various reasons. With all of the competing obligations it’s easy to get distracted from what truly matters. This holiday season don’t forget to let those close to you know you love them. Don't forget to show understanding and compassion toward your fellow co-humans who are also only doing their best.  Don’t forget to give yourself permission to be human too - Silicon Valley has the A.I. thing covered.

Most importantly, don’t forget to breathe.

I think that does it for this month. Have a great December and I’ll see you all on Christmas Day!

-AJ

October Update: Life Progress with no Lemons
over 1 year ago – Mon, Oct 30, 2023 at 09:02:53 PM

Happy soup weather everyone!  The chilly October wind rolled into the Mojave desert about three days early this year. I don’t know about you but I like this time of year. It’s just cold enough to not waste quite so many hours looking longingly out the window making it much easier to stay productive. The getting dark so  early kind of stinks though.  Anyway, what have you been up to all month?  Here’s what I’ve been doing…

Nevermind The Progress - Life Edition

October has been a very productive month overall. After last month’s focus on updating the graphic design to attempt to live up to the new branding, I was able to take October to jump back into the FOYMO trenches (see Update 17) and finalize all of the cards and assets for Nevermind’s Life Series box.

Life Series Box

The new box design leaves a lot of room for creative differentiation between the various editions of the game.  It has a consistent minimalist style accentuated by a splash of each edition’s color, which is taken from the box's image and carries throughout.  You may remember from last month’s update, the Abstract Series accent color is purple.

The Life Box is Supergreen! (from one of my favorite movies ever) 

Life Series Distraction Packs

For the cards, all the same disclaimers apply as the Abstract Series; these are probably very close to the final images, but I reserve the right to change my mind… again.  So consider this to be set in soft, brittle, timey-wimey stone. 

Box Insert Design

The insert has always been an important part of the game because keeping everything organized is crucial for getting the game to the table easily.  Like I mentioned last month though, the insert has also become important visually as it is the “glue” that melds all the components and the box into an aesthetically cohesive whole.

This was a particular challenge as the insert visually bridges the gap between components that are the same in every box (like the playmat and cloth bag) and the components that are different in each box (the cards, dividers and the box itself).

Anyway, I’m really happy with the way it has turned out so far. 

What do you think? Leave your comments below.

Nevermind The Next Steps

I’m very happy to say that I only have a few things left to do on the box’s back and the insert -which I should be wrapping up this week- and at that point all of the files for manufacturing will be complete! - with the major exception of the rulebook.

This is a big milestone for me because I wanted to be able to tackle the rulebook with a clear desk and 1000% of my focus.  The rulebook is the single most important component in the entire game and will make-or-break your enjoyment more than any other item.  Also, writing rulebooks is hard.

During the prototyping stages of design, I completely rewrote the rulebook from scratch no less than three times. This will be the fourth (and hopefully final time). Luckily, the game mechanics are set, so this is more a matter of finding the simplest and best way to communicate the rules so everyone has the best chance of understanding the game quickly and easily.

Because the rulebook is such a crucial piece of the game, I’m going to make sure it is the best version possible and that is likely to take some time.  I have access to some really smart folks who have offered to help proof it for both logic and readability and I intend to use every advantage at my disposal for this.

Like I said, this is going to take some time to get right and getting it right is important.  On the bright side, our manufacturing partner is going to be spending that time setting up the tooling for our custom card shape and creating the digital and physical proofs for the rest of the game components, so the non-rulebook ball will still be rolling in the background.

New Pledge Manager Schedule

As you may remember from last month’s update, the Pledge Manager was originally scheduled to close in mid-October, prior to the start of manufacturing.  I had planned it this way so we didn’t end up with a situation where added late pledges exceeded the number of units being printed. This has turned out to be a total non-issue.  With a project this small, the number of late pledges will barely end up being a drop in the overall bucket.

To that end, I’ve decided to keep the Pledge Manager open for a few more months, even going beyond the start of manufacturing. There are a few reasons for this.

First, with the holiday season approaching, I didn’t want to have everyone’s cards charged for shipping right when that money is sorely needed elsewhere. The holidays can be tough and it’s the least I can do to help. Also, leaving the pre-order store open for late pledges helps me transition fewer units to whatever online webstore situation I end up selling any remaining inventory through.

So the new plan is to close the Pledge Manager when manufacturing is complete and those shipping funds are needed for… well… shipping!

Oh Yeah, and About those Holidays!

Like I mentioned above, the Pledge Manager as well as its associated pre-order store in BackerKit, will be open and collecting orders throughout the holidays.

If you know of anyone who is interested in meditation, likes board games or could use a little more chill in their lives, I think Nevermind will make an excellent gift. Feel free to spread the word -and the preorder link- around while you are thinking about unique gift ideas this holiday season.

Preorder Nevermind The Distraction

(I’ll try to update the links to show the new box design soon.)

Print & Play Backers

With all of the game components (except the rulebook) soon complete, this means the Print and Play version is basically done and just waiting for that dang rulebook.  Now, the game hasn’t actually changed mechanically since the last rulebook was written, so the old rulebook is technically still functional, just in need of a lot of improvement before mass distribution.

So the question I have for you folks who backed at the Print and Play level (and have been waiting so patiently for it) is this:

Would you rather wait for the final official rulebook to be complete before the PnP rewards are sent out, or would you rather get everything else much sooner and have the new rulebook follow when it is done?

Again, the old rulebook is functional, but the learning experience is likely a rockier one.

Click the link below and answer the short survey so I can collect your thoughts.

https://forms.gle/JvqqQ1mTbgrwC7oq7

The Spirit Fire Campaign is Live - and crushing it! 

My good friends at Orange Nebula launched the Kickstarter campaign for their new game Spirit Fire last Tuesday and the campaign is doing insanely well! I am so excited for this game and I suspect many of Nevermind’s backers may be interested in it as well. There are still two weeks left in the campaign so check it out! 

Ok, I think that wraps up this month. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to message me on Kickstarter, email me at [email protected], or reach out to me in the Nevermind Discord.

Happy Halloween and I'll see you all next month!

-AJ

September Update: Nevermind The Makeover and Setting Spirits Ablaze
over 1 year ago – Mon, Sep 25, 2023 at 07:59:37 PM

I know you’re thinking “But September isn’t over yet!” and technically that’s true with a week still to go, but this is the last Monday of the month nonetheless, so it’s time for the Nevermind update and this will be a big one with lots of really exciting things to share!

So usually this is where I talk about the weather here in the desert or current events or whatnot, but since this is going to be a long one, I'll jump right to the fun stuff.  That's what you came here for anyway right?  Let the fun commence!

Nevermind The Progress

As you probably noticed from the previous short and sweet update, the last couple months have been crunch time here at Zentrovert Games studios (ok, the desk in my loft) as I’ve been working hard to get the final print files finally finalized to start the final proofing process with our manufacturer partner, finally.  I hit a bit of a wrinkle with this, but a good one overall (you’ll see below, I promise), and I’ll talk more about that in a bit.  First, the cool stuff!

One of the things I’ve been teasing for months is the fact that I engaged a branding expert to help sort of “knock the amateurish edges” off of the Nevermind The Distraction look. I’m not actually a graphic designer, I just play one on TV.  Ok, not really, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night. Ok, not really, but I did ask some experts to help, and Blazes did they!

My intent with Nevermind has always been to help introduce meditation and mindfulness in an accessible way to a wider audience.  They say to “Begin as you mean to go on” and I’ve tried to do that with this game as much as possible by preparing in advance for its life after Kickstarter fulfillment. At this point, I have no idea if it will ever make it onto retail shelves but since that would give it the widest audience, I sure hope so. 

My intent with this rebranding exercise is to give Nevermind the best possible chance at holding its own on a retail shelf so that more people can learn about meditation in a fun way.

Those of you who are deeply integrated into the board game hobby will probably have heard of the wonderful folks who have been helping me with this branding exercise, but since their work speaks for itself, I’ll let the new look introduce them first. 

The Blazing New Hotness

Without further ado, I give you the Zentrovert Games brand and the new box design for Nevermind The Distraction:   

Part Yin-Yang, part Möbius strip and all introspective. Gotta say, I'm Loving that logo. 

But I know what you really want to see... 

And a closer look at the new wordmark… 

An absolute Thing of Beauty isn’t it?  Of course, that’s no surprise considering the source…

Yep, as some of you may have guessed, Nevermind The Distraction’s makeover is being facilitated by the branding studio Blue Blazes, the sister company and same creative team behind the powerhouse game designer/publisher Orange Nebula.  If you are a fan of board games and are not familiar with Orange Nebula, you should be. Their award winning titles Vindication and Unsettled are world class fun and sit on the Top 10 lists of virtually every board game reviewer in the hobby. I predict their upcoming Spirit Fire will do no less than revolutionize the entire industry (more on that below).

The Blue Blazes side of the house is a force to be reckoned with in its own right. If you’re a board gamer, I’m absolutely certain you’ve seen their work as they have been behind the branding for some really big names in this industry. I can’t begin to tell you how excited and lucky I feel to have such heavy hitters helping with Nevermind The Distraction.

Now if you actually read waaaayyy down into the bottommost fine print of the Nevermind Kickstarter page, the name Orange Nebula may ring a bell...

After backing their Kickstarter for Unsettled back in 2019, I was so blown away by the spirit and enthusiasm they engaged their backer community with, I became a fan and started listening to their podcast The Outpost.  Their whole deal is discussing design and encouraging and enabling people to find and nurture the creative spark within them.

The summer of 2020, during Covid lockdown, as I was looking for a way to help the burgeoning mental health crisis, it was Orange Nebula’s podcast about “design that makes a difference” that sparked the entire idea of Nevermind The Distraction.  Three years later, I can’t put into words how much joy it brings me to have met and actually be working with the very people who inspired this endeavor.

They say you should never meet your heroes and maybe that’s true sometimes, but not this time.  It turns out the folks at Blue Blazes/Orange Nebula are human after all, but darn it if they aren’t collectively some of the best examples of humans I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. I hope they find this project to be worthy of their considerable inspiration.

Nevermind The Excuses

So about that wrinkle. It turns out there is a bit of a downside to be prepared for when asking professionals to help “knock the amateurish edges off” your design.

They do.

As soon as I saw the new box direction for Nevermind, I knew there was no way I could put the old game components in it without disappointing literally everyone that opened the box. Blue Blazes had done exactly what I asked them to do, they raised the bar.     

I mean, they really raised the bar.  Let’s look at that beauty again: 

After wiping away tears of both awe and humility, I knew it was time to get to work.

So in a sort of designer shuffle, I took a couple steps back, a slide to the side and a huge leap forward. I went through every single component in the game and did my very best to make them worthy of the new box. Change can be hard, and I’m not going to lie, this was a little painful at times as I’ve had to step outside my comfort zone, stretch myself as a graphic designer and learn new techniques. There were some things I was attached to that no longer worked and I had to let them go.

In the end though, I have to say I’m extremely happy I did.  I hope you agree. Below are some examples of changes I’ve made to the components to help live up to the considerable promise the new box makes.

Cards

I’ve always liked the idea of plain white card backs to signify a calm mind, but often felt they lacked an elegance and even had one playtester say they felt a little bit prototype-y. The new cards are all overlaid with the same subtle white texture as the box art. This both represents the sort of “fuzzyness” of the mind and brings a sense of elegance that was missing.    

The fading shadowy outline is a subtle addition to the Distraction Card faces and is more subconscious than overtly noticeable, but again reinforces the idea of these being “thoughts” from inside the mind while adding a more professional flourish.  

No two ways about it, the new Mind Cards are just a straight up improvement all the way around.   

This is one of my favorite changes overall. The new Title cards serve the same purpose as before; both keeping the packs separated in the Timer Deck and providing a visual index of which cards belong in each pack, but now they feel like they belong, no longer breaking immersion when they come up in the Timer Deck. My favorite part is I can now say conclusively that the instruction “breathe.” is quite literally the only word printed on any game component. Since this is basically the entire instruction manual for life itself, this makes me very happy.  

The new Dividers still have the index grid and artists credits but now match the design of the box better and each includes the image from its box on the tab so people who want to mix and match their boxes will instantly see which series their packs came out of.  

The playmat and tokens have been lightened to be consistent with the lighter color palette of the game which now has a less earthy but more clean,  elegant and hopeful feel.  The chunky linen cloth bag probably doesn’t work with this new direction, so I’ll need to work with the manufacturer to pick something else. 

I’m still working on the look of the box insert since it has the singular importance of stylistically tying the various components and the box together into a cohesive whole. I’m really excited about the direction it is taking but I think I might keep that one a surprise for now. I’m pretty sure you’re all going to love it!

Nevermind The Elephant in the Room

Of course, all these gorgeous improvements do come at a cost, and that is time. My original goal of having manufacturing start next month is no longer looking likely. As soon as I get the component design and rulebooks finished, I will be switching gears to focus on delivering the Print and Play to those backers who were promised they would get their files before manufacturing starts. I will honor that promise.

That said, and this is very important, WE ARE NOT INTO DELAY TERRITORY YET!

My intention with the schedule was always to build in a very conservative buffer and do my best to beat the campaign fulfillment estimate of next summer. Essentially, under promise and over deliver with “on time” being my internal worst-case scenario. This unexpected “wrinkle” is eating further into the buffer I built into the schedule, but I still think we are on track to deliver early, just not as early as I had internally hoped.

Honestly, I probably wouldn’t even mention it except for the fact that it will change what happens with the Pledge Manager closing and I don’t want there to be any lingering questions. I’ve never done this before and there are bound to be more unexpected things come up as I learn the ropes and, of course, it is possible something may eventually lead to delays, but that time is not yet. I promise to be transparent and forthcoming if it does ever reach that point.

As it is, I personally feel the improvements that have been made to the game are worth far more than the few weeks it has cost my internal schedule and in the end, my first priority is to deliver something really special that you will be glad to own and proud to have helped bring to life.

Pledge Manager

Currently Backerkit shows 88% of surveys have been completed with only about 30 remaining.  Originally, I was planning to close the Pledge Manager mid-October, but I’m going to keep it open until we’re ready to start manufacturing. At some point I will update the Late Pledge page with the new box so anyone late to the party will see the most updated design.

When I have a more definitive date for the pledge manager closing, I will make all kinds of loud noises and big virtual arm-wavey motions for weeks so no one is surprised when their cards are charged.

As always if you have any questions about the pledge manager or your survey, reach out to me directly and I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.

NevermindCardGame.com Interruption

One of the unfortunate casualties of the timing of all this will be the website. The web hosting for our site lapses this month and I don’t want to renew it for next year yet because I need to move it to a more secure host with better infrastructure for a web store for post fulfillment. This is good timing with the new brand direction in that I’d have to redesign the website anyway so having it come down is probably okay. Unfortunately, I can’t afford to take time out of finalizing the print files to design an entire website, so I will most likely have a stopgap “new site coming soon” landing page in place until we go to print and my desk clears off a bit.

And Finally, Something to Set your Spirit on Fire!

Orange Nebula, mentioned at length above, will be launching the Kickstarter for their long awaited third title, Spirit Fire, in the very near future. I can’t overstate how excited I am for this game and not just because it is by O-Neb.  When award winning designers use statements like “The game we were born to make” and “The culmination of my entire career” you know it’s going to be something special.

I don’t want to write too much about it for fear of misrepresenting the details, but the links below should answer at least as many questions as they raise.   

”Spirit Fire is an introspective open-world board game system in which you explore unique fantasy realms on an introspective journey of discovery, wonder, and mystery. YOU are the story, and wisdom is your only weapon.”

Link to Game Reveal E-Blast

Link to Spirit Fire Webpage

The Orange Nebula team is breaking so much new ground with Spirit Fire and its details read like the wishlist for my dream game. It has the real potential of becoming a lifestyle game for me in the way Magic The Gathering or Warhammer is for some folks. As this is primarily a game about introspection and journeying within, it seems like the kind of thing backers of Nevermind The Distraction are likely to be interested in too.

I highly recommend getting on their email list for upcoming announcements. At the very least I promise their Kickstarter campaigns are not to be missed; as community events the vibe tends to fall somewhere between summer camp and collaborative art project.

Ok, I think that wraps us up for this month.  As always, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to message me on Kickstarter, email me at [email protected], or reach out to me in the Nevermind Discord.

See you again in five Mondays!

-AJ

August Update: The Gift of 10 Extra Minutes
over 1 year ago – Mon, Aug 28, 2023 at 10:37:01 PM

Well, it’s the end of the month already and we are deep in the no-news-is-good-news phase of game asset development, so this one is going to be short and sweet.   

TLDR: So far, everything still looks to be on track to deliver ahead of schedule.

It’s been a busy month and much progress has been made, but there is still much to do. With a couple exceptions (box and rulebook) most component graphic assets are near 90% complete but all still need minor tweaking so I’m going to save showing them off for a later update. I expect next month’s to be a big one.

The new box size, insert design and all materials have been finalized with the manufacturer and now only final print files are needed to start the proofing process. I’m working diligently to get those done, but I’m also determined to work at the speed of quality and the last 5% of any task is always the most important.

And that’s basically all I've got for this month.

I encourage everyone to make good use of the extra 10 minutes you didn’t have to spend reading an unnecessarily long “nothing new to report” update. Spend it doing something fun with someone important to you.

Life is short. Celebrate every precious minute!

-AJ

July Update: From the Graphic Design Trenches
over 1 year ago – Mon, Jul 31, 2023 at 07:32:20 PM

Well, it’s the last Monday in July and it turns out that abnormally long spring of ours was ominous after all because WOW did summer land with a wallop!

Though it’s a hotter one than normal this year in the desert, we are still mostly used to it and know how to adjust (there’s a reason desert animals are nocturnal). However, if you find yourself in one of those places throughout the world hitting record temperatures you aren’t used to, please take extra good care of yourself. Stay safe, stay indoors and stay hydrated!

The upside to it being hot enough to bake cookies in the mailbox is that there’s not much reason to go outside other than checking the mail… or the cookies. This makes it easy to keep the head down and nose to the grindstone without being distracted by things like the call of the great outdoors. So needless to say, this month has been a busy and productive one on the game design front!

Nevermind The Progress

As promised in the last update, this month has been mainly focused on graphic design and creating the print files used for manufacturing. That will continue to be the case for August as well. There’s still a lot to do, but I’ve been able to put a decent July-shaped dent in it.  

Here is some of the progress that was made in July:

Pledge Manager

BackerKit is showing 85% of backers have completed their pledge manager surveys but there are still several months before that closes, so no need to rush yet if you are one of the stragglers.  I will let you know.  Please reach out to me directly if you need the link to your survey resent.

The Late Pledge / Preorder link through BackerKit is still live, so if you know of someone who may want a copy of Nevermind, feel free to spread this link far and wide:  https://nevermind-the-distraction.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders

Updated Abstract Series Distraction Packs

Besides creating the print files and doing boring graphic design stuff like confirming the correct resolution and color model, one of the things I’ve been doing is taking a final pass through all of the Distraction Packs and replacing some of the art with better images so the final version is the best it can be.  This led to an interesting (to me anyway) little anecdote about designing and mental health that I thought I’d share in a peek-behind-the-curtain sort of way:

A little over 5 years ago, I quit social media cold turkey when I realized the time I was spending on Facebook was creating quality-of-life issues and my mental health was suffering greatly.  

Some of it was personal reaction to the content the algorithms were pairing me with but a lot of it had to do with the sense of addiction creeping in. It manifested itself in a sort of FOMO (fear-of-missing-out) where I would become afraid that if I didn’t keep scrolling until I got “caught up” I might miss something important that would be forever buried in the newer posts of my feed. In short, I couldn’t stop scrolling.

Needless to say leaving Facebook was one of the best things I’ve ever done for my mental health. I don’t miss it one tiny bit (though I do forget birthdays now).

Fast forward to a few weeks ago.  I’m scrolling through Pixabay, Unsplash and Pexels looking for better imagery to update the Distraction Packs with and I suddenly realize its been HOURS and I’m still looking at photos for the first pack!  I had saved dozens of possible new photos to the library but I

couldn’t.

stop.

scrolling.

because maybe the next one would be the perfect one.

I started having these weird Facebook PTSD flashbacks, only this time related to the FOMO of missing out on the perfect image for Distraction Pack art!  Once I realized what was happening I had to laugh when I decided it was a sort of designer’s FOYMO (Fear of YOU Missing Out).

Anyway, I managed to set some personal boundaries and get through the exercise relatively unscathed, so without further ado, may I present…

The probably mostly but maybe not totally final updated Distraction cards for the Abstract Series of Nevermind.   

Nevermind: The Gluten Free Vanilla Seltzer Version

July did come with a surprise delivery from the manufacturer; an early white copy version of the game!

Ok, big disclaimer, this is not the final White Copy, we aren’t quite that far along yet. They haven’t started the custom tooling needed to cut our giant rounded corners and the box and insert still need a lot of attention (more on that below), but this did help me finalize a lot of things.  

The purpose of this copy was for me to review the materials and finishes available for the various components and make absolutely sure we were using the right stuff. The rulebooks, token punchboard and dividers were perfect and I’m very happy to report they absolutely nailed it with the acrylic Awareness markers and the cloth bag! The build quality is top notch and definitely retail ready.

Some decisions regarding the cards and playmat required a bit more of a hands-on approach though.  So I set about playing the most dreadfully boring version of Nevermind The Distraction visually possible!   

Because most of the cards in the game are blank white on the back side, the card stock is really important. I wanted to choose the raw material that has the best table presence so when the cards are face down, they have an elegance that feels representative of a calm mind.

Just as important, the cards need to have a coating that resists dirt and grime from handling so those white sides actually stay white. 

The manufacturer sent me 16 different combinations of card stock and finish to choose from and I played through several games to determine the best.  Some decisions were easy as the cheaper card stock had an unprinted side that looked… well, cheap and some coatings were way too shiny.  Other decisions like To Linen or Not were a bit more difficult.  

For the playmat, they sent several different types of fabric to choose from. The playmat fabric has a huge role in the playability of the game, as the cards flip often and having a slight cushion under them makes them much easier to pick up. One of the microfiber fabrics they sent was very close to the fabric I’ve been using for the prototypes and I’m really happy with the result.

So I’m very excited to announce that I have not only held the actual component materials in my hands, but have played several rounds of the game using them and I’m super happy with the quality of what we are getting!

Insert Engineering Here…

One of the things I’m also working on is redesigning the game box to accommodate the playmat in a better way. With the prototypes, the playmat was folded and placed on the top of the rulebook which fit in the box just fine but ended up causing creases in the playmat that I was very unhappy with.

The current plan is to widen the game box by another inch so it will have room for a slot beside the main card well for the rolled playmat.

Changing the size of the box is pretty easy, but there’s a surprising (to me anyway) amount of papercraft engineering that goes into the inserts. This is still a work in progress and I’m sure will require further iterations with the manufacturer but here are some concept images of how the proposed insert will work.  

And yeah, I even got crafty and mocked up my own using the prototype components just to make sure it works in concept. 

Branding Update

The branding update I mentioned in previous months is an ongoing work in progress, but is getting closer every day. I’ve been iterating with the design team behind the updated look and I’m hoping to have something to reveal in a special update.  Stay tuned for awesomeness!

Nevermind The Next Steps

August will probably be July in déjà vu, since much of what needs to be done is a continuation of the same things I’ve been doing.

• Scroll-a-thon for updated card art for the Life Series Distraction packs
• Continue to develop manufacturing print files for printed components.
• Continue to iterate on box and insert design with the manufacturer.
• Continue to iterate on branding changes and incorporate them into game components.
• Continue to chip away at the rulebook rewrite - my hope is by next month's update this is all that will remain. 

Schedule

I’m still feeling confident in the late October date for closing the Pledge Manager and starting manufacturing which should put us well ahead of the final delivery dates estimated in the campaign.  The Print and Play files will go out via BackerKit before manufacturing starts. I plan to do something special for the Print and Play version to make up for missing the mark so badly on that one. Stay tuned.

Ok, I think that does it for the July update. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to message me on Kickstarter, email me at [email protected], or reach out to me in the Nevermind Discord.

See you all next month!

-AJ