June Update: Moving into the Next Phase
over 1 year ago – Mon, Jun 26, 2023 at 10:24:22 PM

Ok, it's the Last Monday of June and Holy Cow, has it has really been an entire quarter since the Kickstarter funded?

I hope you are all having a terrific summer so far!  It’s been an abnormally mild one here in the Mojave desert which has been both fantastic and… ominous.

A couple months late, but one thing I was finally able to do this month was go camping up in the cool air where those tall pointy green cone-shaped things grow! Nothing like spending some quality time with Mother nature to recharge the ol’ batteries!

Nevermind The Progress

Camping trip aside, June has been a productive month overall. I was able to clear a couple important milestones and make some good progress on getting a bunch of little business-y things sorted so my desk is clear and I can focus on the big task of developing the final print files. Here are some of the highlights of June’s progress.

Pledge Manager

Launching the PM was a big milestone, and one I’m grateful to have behind me. As of today 80% of backers have completed their surveys and there have been no major (or even minor) issues to speak of. If you missed the pledge manager announcement, you can read all about it in the previous update.

It’s weird but this was the first major undertaking of this whole project where lack of recognition is sort of the goal. After so many hours spent setting up the pledge manager, it was hard not to hope for more fanfare than “Yep. It works”. The fact there have been no issues says it was a success though. Also thanks to quite a few generous backer tipsters I now haveenoughcaffienetolastmethroughtherestoftheproject!

The pledge manager and late pledges / pre-orders will be open until mid-October. If you did not receive a survey email from BackerKit, contact me directly via Kickstarter message and I’ll send you your link.

Branding Update

I mentioned in May’s update that I had been reaching out to some branding and graphic design professionals for help tightening up the Nevermind brand. 

Somehow luck and the stars aligned perfectly and I am beyond excited by the creative team who agreed to help with this. They are responsible for some very recognizable brands in the board game space and I cannot overstate how lucky we are to get their input or how jazzed I am to see what they come up with!

Like I mentioned last month, the one minor downside to this re-brand effort is that it will affect the design of many of the game elements (think box, logo, fonts, etc) so this will all need to be completed before the final print files can be… finally… er…  finalized. 

This should not delay the project overall because of built-in manufacturing and freight contingency but will cause a delay in the release of the Print and Play version, which I originally, and perhaps too optimistically, planned to have done by now. More on that below.

Keep an eye on future updates for more on the new look. I cannot wait to see and share where this goes!

Manufacturing

The manufacturing partnership has been finalized and we’ve officially passed from the “Sales” phase on to the “Project Management” phase. I recently received detailed print file specifications from the production folks and can now move on to building everything they will need in the digital files.

Nevermind The Next Steps

So with all that behind us, what’s in store for July?

The next couple months should settle into mostly quiet time with my nose buried in the computer tightening up the graphic design and setting up the print files. Rather than converting the prototype files to the manufacturer’s specifications, I plan to start from scratch so no weird little amateur errors carry forward. 

These are the kinds of things I’ll be doing in July and August:

• Develop manufacturing print files using correct images, fonts, output specifications, etc.
• Verify image quality, resolution, license and author (for proper credit). Modify or replace images where necessary.
• Incorporate branding changes to game components.
• Redesign box and insert to better address player experience and cloth playmat.
• Coordination of all these with the manufacturer to make sure everything is right.

And of course, there’s that whole rulebook rewrite which I have been slowly chipping away at and will likely remain a work-in-constant-progress right up until the very end.

Schedule

If you’re keeping track of my progress based on the estimated timeline graphic, it may be starting to look like things are slipping behind, so I figured I should address that. The truth is the schedule both is and is not slipping.

As mentioned above, the pledge manager took a little longer than I hoped to set up which pushed things out a bit and deciding to get professional input on the branding has also added some time. I also underestimated the rulebook rewrite thinking since this was the 4th rewrite I should be getting faster with them by now.

That said, in most cases I built a lot of wiggle room into the schedule and at this point I’m still confident we can start manufacturing in October and barring no major unforeseen setbacks in manufacturing or freight/shipping can still be fulfilling ahead of schedule.

So essentially it’s sort of slipping but per plan, if that makes any sense.

With one exception.

Print and Play Delay

Since the biggest part of what has slipped behind, schedule-wise, is the creation of the final print files, and those are used to create the Print and Play, that part of the project is indeed behind schedule.

As of Saturday this week it will be late, and I sincerely apologize for that.

A bit of this is due to my underestimating the scope of the the rulebook rewrite and a bit more is my overestimating the time I would have (in between everything else) to tackle it.  The biggest factor however, was my late decision to have this professional branding pass done, which was not on my radar at all back when I was running the Kickstarter.

Since this additional time is being used to improve the game, I hope that my asking for your forgiveness and patience will be balanced by your having a better experience with the final product. 

That’s all for 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.

Stay safe and cool this summer!

-AJ

Pledge Manager Launching in T-minus…
over 1 year ago – Mon, Jun 05, 2023 at 05:38:44 PM

Yep, it looks like the Pledge Manager will be going live on BackerKit in the next day or so, and I thought I’d let you all know what to expect.  The "Smoke Test" will happen tonight, so around 5% of you will see those survey emails shortly.  Please complete your survey so we know everything went okay before going fully live tomorrow.

I’ll try to keep this update brief and informative, but this is important stuff and can be confusing if you’ve never done it, so please bear with me.  If you’re a pledge manager veteran, you know the drill by now and can skip ahead to the interesting bits.

What is a Pledge Manager?

The short answer is that Kickstarter doesn’t give project creators enough information to fulfill your rewards.  I have your money, your email address and your pledge level, and that’s really about all.  A pledge manager is a third-party service that lets you fill in these blanks for me so that I can actually send you your reward. 

The most important thing to know is this:

If you do not complete your survey, I will be unable to get your game to you!
 (you know, mailing addresses being kind of essential)

This is where BackerKit's Pledge Manager comes in.

On your end, BackerKit is essentially a digital storefront that should feel just like any other online store. You will answer questions that place your chosen rewards in your cart, which has already been credited with the funds Kickstarter collected from you.  You will then provide your shipping information, place any add-ons you want in the cart, pay any remaining balance and you’re good to go!

After you respond to your survey, you can go back later and change your responses at any time before we close the pledge manager to get our final counts. Even after that there will be plenty of time to change your address and keep your information up to date for fulfillment.

For those of you who are new to this, I’ll try to walk you through the steps to complete your BackerKit survey, hopefully simplifying the process for you:

How to fill out your BackerKit Survey:

Step 1.  Be on the lookout for an email from AJ Plank - Zentrovert Games via (BackerKit) that looks something like this:  

Step 2.  Click the button in the email and you will be taken to a Welcome Screen with your email address and the pledge level you backed the Nevermind Kickstarter at. Confirm your Country (and in some cases State/Province) - this is used to pre-calculate shipping fees for your cart. Then click the Get Started! button.  

Step 3.  You will be taken to a series of questions confirming your Pledge Level and asking which version of the game you want to receive (Abstract or Life) with images showing the differences.

Note for 2-copy Distraction Pledge Level Backers: Though the Kickstarter indicates you will receive both the Abstract and Life Series, this is not automatically the case. You will need to indicate this in your survey answers. Also, it is perfectly ok to get 2 copies of the same version if you wish!

Step 3b. For those of you who pre-paid for add-on copies via Kickstarter, you are next taken to a screen that will ask you to confirm version preference for each additional copy you purchased.

Step 4. Next is the Add-On page that lets you add more copies of the game. Additional copies beyond the second are much cheaper to ship ($2 each in most cases and free in the US) so feel free to add more, though your entire order will be capped at 6.  

Note for $1 Backers: Add-ons are disabled, but you can upgrade to a pledge level with rewards by clicking the Switch pledge level link.

Step 5. If you backed at a pledge level with physical rewards, you are taken to a screen to provide your shipping information. This is important because I cannot get your games to you otherwise!  Don’t worry, you will be able to change your address right up until fulfillment begins.

Note about Local Pickup: If you live in Las Vegas, NV, you can save shipping fees and choose Local Pickup. It will be one of the options in the Country drop-down menu.

Step 6. You are taken to the final screen to confirm your order information, shipping information and provide your billing/payment details for any outstanding balance.

Very Important! Your payment card will not be charged yet!

Cards are not charged until the Pledge Manager closes, which is several months away - currently estimated at mid-October. There will be plenty of loud obvious warning before this happens, so if you keep half an eye on the update emails you won’t be surprised by that charge you forgot about from June!

This will give you plenty of time to change your mind about game versions or add-ons and update your shipping or payment information.  

Step 7. Sit back and enjoy the show!  

Shipping Fees and VAT

Shipping fees for 1 and 2 copies have been pre-loaded to match the estimated shipping table shown during the Kickstarter campaign. Shipping rates for add-on copies vary by region, but in almost all cases are no more than $2 per additional copy and are FREE in the US!

For European Backers, you will also be charged VAT per the regulations for your country. This money is passed on to the fulfillment center so your items can be shipped duty-prepaid and you don’t have to deal with customs to pick up your game.

Note for Backers in Norway and Switzerland: Unfortunately there is no VAT pre-paid shipping option with our fulfillment partner and you will likely need to interface with customs to receive your rewards.

Alright, to sum up: 

Pledge Manager FAQ

•  How long do I have to fill out the survey?
  You'll have until mid-October to do this, but the sooner you do it, the less you'll be pestered by Backerkit’s email reminders. Having this info sooner also helps me plan/budget how many copies of each series (Abstract or Life) are desired. 
•  How long will the Pledge Manager be open?
  Several months while the game is being finalized for manufacturing. Currently estimated PM closing is mid-October. There will be lots of advance warning.
•  When will my card be charged?
  When the pledge manager closes, also estimated mid-October. (I apologize for any inconvenience, this is a BackerKit default) 
•  Can I get multiple copies of the game?
  Yes! Just add any desired additional copies in the Add-On Step (be sure to choose which version!) and it will be added to your order. The cart caps the entire order at 6 copies. If you want more, please contact me directly.
•  I like Las Vegas, will there be a Local Pickup option?
  Yes! If you are located in Las Vegas, NV (or plan to be) you can select Local Pickup in the Country drop-down for your address and skip the shipping fees entirely!
•  Why am I being charged Taxes or VAT?
  Mostly for your convenience. If your location’s regulations require VAT to be paid, the options are either that I collect it from you now and ship to you duty-prepaid or your reward gets held up in customs for you to go down and pay it in person (yuck). Since this "customs-friendly" convenience has become the preferred standard in Kickstarter fulfillment, that is what we are doing.  Apologies to those of you who would actually prefer to handle customs yourself as this is not something my fulfillment partner can easily change on a case-by-case basis. 
•  How can I find my survey?
  You can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://nevermind-the-distraction.backerkit.com.  You can also contact me directly and I can resend the survey email.
•  I’m having problems with my survey, how do I get help?
  You can either click the Need help? link on any page of the survey process for BackerKit support staff to help or contact me directly via email (using the same email as your Kickstarter account so I can verify your identity) or via Kickstarter messaging.

Print & Play Version

When the PnP version of the game is completed later this summer, the downloads will be distributed via BackerKit to all backers at the Initiate Pledge Level or higher.  This means you must complete your Backerkit survey even if you did not order a physical copy of the game if you want to access the PDF download.

Note: Initiate level backers who do want a physical copy will need to upgrade their pledge level using the link at the bottom of the first Welcome Screen.

The Nevermind Pre-Order Store is Open! 

For those folks who missed the Kickstarter campaign, it’s not too late! One of the features available to BackerKit pledge manager customers is a Pre-Order store, which I am taking full advantage of. The Kickstarter Page has been updated to include this link as well. 

Like the Pledge Manager, Pre-Orders will be open until mid-October.

Thank You!

This Pledge Manager step can be confusing, even daunting, to those who are new to crowdfunding.  If you still have any questions, feel free to contact me directly and I will do everything I can to help out.

Good luck!

-AJ

May Update: Pledge Manager Approaching
over 1 year ago – Mon, May 29, 2023 at 08:57:18 PM

Well, it’s the last Monday of May already and things are starting to heat up! 

The days are getting longer, the kids are getting out of school for the summer and you can finally feel the sun on your skin. It’s the perfect time for graduations, weddings, picnics, road trips and...

Kickstarter updates?

Nevermind The Progress  

Pledge Manager

As expected, the bulk of my time in May was spent neck-deep in the fancybits of BackerKit getting the Pledge Manager set up. Also as expected, it’s a lot.

The bad news is, I missed my goal of having the pledge manager launched by today. The good news is, it is very nearly complete, so I didn’t miss it by too much.

I have just a few more days of tightening things up and then I can send it off to the BackerKit team for final review.  Barring any major unforeseen issues with their review, I fully expect the Pledge Manager to launch within the next 10 days or so.  

Be on the lookout for another update from me soon with detailed instructions on how to access the pledge manager and complete your surveys once it goes live.  You will also receive an email from BackerKit with links and instructions.

I will also be opening BackerKit up to late pledges so there will be plenty of opportunity over the next several months for folks who missed the Kickstarter campaign to jump in on this weird wonderful wagon. If you know of any such lucky souls, consider yourselves ambassadors of Nevermind and spread the word!

Beside the pledge manager, I am continuing to fine tune quotes with the manufacturer, and will likely have a contract signed with them before the next full update as well.

I have also enlisted the help of professional branding and graphic design experts to improve the marketing presentation of Nevermind. My hope is that they can refine some of the amateurish elements and help give it a more polished look that will make you all proud to display it on your shelves.

Finally, I have been continuing to collect feedback from playtesters, especially on the more advanced stages of the game and I’m happy to report everything is looking very good on the final game development end.

Once the pledge manager is open and manufacturing contracts are signed, the focus for the rest of the summer will be on getting final print files to the manufacturer and tackling that dang rulebook rewrite.

Oh yeah. About that…

April’s Poll Results

First off, let me just say how completely blown away I was by the thoughtful responses to the poll regarding your game learning preferences. Thank you all SO MUCH for the insightful feedback! 

So many of you made a significant effort to communicate your feelings with a level of depth and richness I was not expecting. Your comments have definitely helped give me more insight into what makes you tick as gamers, which is invaluable to a new designer.

Unfortunately, as edutaining as the responses were (don't worry, I didn’t know edutaining was an actual word before now either), the poll didn’t really help in terms of providing an obvious direction.

Some snippets from the poll for you data nerds:

• 35% of you consider yourselves veteran board gamers (and 80% ranked themselves 7/10 or higher).
• 68% of you prefer games with a complexity of 6-8 out of 10.
• Only about 15% of you actually look forward to learning a new game.
• Reading the rulebook is the most popular learning preference, but only for 48% of you. The other half are scattered all over the place.
• The second choice in learning style had no clear preference, and was fairly evenly split among everything except forum posts (BGG / Reddit) which no one seems to like.
• Around 65% of you are very likely to use a tutorial deck if it is included.
• Around 65% of you would rather have an additional Distraction Pack than a Tutorial Deck.
• In your written responses, some of you expressed a strong preference for tutorial cards to be able to teach the game to new people while others expressed as strong a preference of not having them because they don’t serve a continued purpose once the game has been learned.

So what have I learned from this exercise?

Basically confirming what I already suspected. Gamers are a wonderfully diverse group of passionate folks who each approach the hobby in their own special way and trying to design a teaching system that will work perfectly for every type of gamer would be impossible even if I were a magician.

Also, I’m no magician.

The one takeaway that excites me most is that the diversity in answers tells me Nevermind seems to be attracting attention from all types of gamers. I love the idea that this project will end up with its own quirky little market niche that just happens to be a genre-bent cross section of gamers of every class and breed.  

Everyone is welcome here!

Anyway, with no clear direction emerging from the poll results, I find myself falling back on one of the core principles of the game, accessibility, which in my mind also translates to learnability.  I’ll focus on doing my very best to teach the game in every possible medium anyone might prefer to learn it in. Though I will probably have to draw the line at interpretive dance. Sorry.

Bottom line is, if I feel the tutorial cards offer a valid learning perspective that the How to Play book doesn’t end up providing, I will include them. However, if the tutorial in the How to Play book ends up making the Tutorial Deck redundant, I’ll replace it with another Distraction Pack, or… maybe some miniatures.

That’s a joke.  There will be no miniatures.

Print and Play Delivery

For those of you that backed at the Initiate pledge level for the print and play version, June was the original estimated delivery of the completed PDFs. However, as mentioned above, I have undertaken to have some actual professionals look at the branding and suggest how to make the game presence more… uh, present.

It is possible these changes could affect graphic elements within the game components, though certainly for the better. I will be working to incorporate any such changes into both the Print and Play and production version of the game in tandem so both versions end up graphically identical. The down side is this could push the delivery of the final Print and Play files out a few more weeks, possibly into July.

If a delay in delivery of the PnP version is a concern for you, the current prototype PnP version is available to download here. If it’s really a problem, please contact me directly and I will do whatever is necessary to make it right.

Also, my current plan is to use BackerKit’s platform to distribute the digital downloads, so when the pledge manager launches, even if you backed for just the Print and Play version, you’ll still need to complete the Backerkit survey to get access to download those files.

Ok, that’s all for 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.  And look for those pledge manager survey emails very soon!

Wishing you all a fantastic start to your summer!

-AJ

April Update: Getting Ready to Get Ready!
almost 2 years ago – Mon, Apr 24, 2023 at 07:20:09 PM

Alright, which one of you miscreants stole April?   

It feels like I clicked the Publish button on the last update, stood up to stretch my legs (and appease my fitness watch) and sat back down to figure out next steps, only to realize…

April is gone!

I looked in between the couch cushions and even in the refrigerator but can’t for the life of me figure out where it went!

Luckily, though it flew by, I was still able to take care of all but one of the major tasks for this month, and the only one I didn’t get to was that “much needed break” we all knew was more of a wish-list item anyway.

Nevermind The Progress

So, with plan “post-campaign rest and relaxation” a total failure, what actually has been accomplished this month? Fortunately, quite a lot, unfortunately, almost none of it very interesting. 

As I mentioned in the previous update, it takes Kickstarter a couple weeks to collect and process the campaign funds before it gets to me, so most of my efforts in April were doing things I didn’t need money for.  

Essentially, a whole lot of preparation.

The most important first step in this venture is making it official and, you know… legal, so the majority of the month was spent setting up the company I will be publishing Nevermind The Distraction out of,  Zentrovert Games LLC.

This means lots of fun stuff like corporate filing applications, business licenses, permits, opening bank accounts… 

OK, so when I say fun, feel free to read that with ironic “finger quotes”.  None of this is really fun at all, just a lot of paperwork, bureaucracy, fees, bureaucracy, waiting, bureaucracy… you get the idea.

Also, don’t let the whole “Corporate LLC” thing mislead you, it’s still just me. The whole point of this to give us all some peace of mind that I’m keeping things nice and separated from my personal life and not paying for things like global freight from the same bank account I buy socks with.

Anyway Zentrovert Games is now officially launched and funded, so that hurdle has been cleared!

I’ve also been collaborating with manufacturers doing some final quote iteration to get all the I’s crossed and T’s dotted before making final decisions and signing contracts. I’m currently waiting on more samples and trying to push to get the most premium quality components possible within our manufacturing budget.

Aside from that, I’ve been collecting feedback on the rulebook from some very helpful backers so I can start to make decisions on which direction to go with the rewrite.  As mentioned during the campaign, the rulebook rewrite is by far the biggest single task left in the project, and this may take some time to get right. Luckily it’s one of the last things the manufacturer needs files for, so taking the time to get it right should not slow down the rest of the project.

I’m almost certainly going to break the rulebook into two parts; a How to Play and a Rules Reference. As I said, I’m still collecting feedback on the best way to present the “teach” in the How to Play.  I’ve linked to a survey below to collect more information about your preferred method for learning games which would help me out a lot.

Nevermind The Next Steps

So with April behind us, what will I be working on next and what progress can you expect for May?

The next major hurdle is to get the Pledge Manager launched and I’m working with Backerkit starting this week to get that kicked off, though I expect it to be a long process as well.

For those of you who don’t know what a pledge manager is, it is essentially a third party service that lets me connect with you, the backers, to collect the things I still need to be able to deliver your rewards.  This is necessary because Kickstarter doesn’t give me some very important things like your shipping address.  The pledge manager will also be where you will pay for final shipping and taxes, which were not included in the campaign pledge.  This is described in more detail in the Logistics part of the campaign page which is still up.

My goal is to have the pledge manager ready to launch by this time next month and to have detailed instructions on how to complete your Backerkit surveys in the next update.  That said, I have backed many games on Kickstarter and updates from the most recent ones lead me to believe this process is often underestimated.  I’d say more than half of the games I have backed in the last 6 months have had delays in pledge manager launch due to unexpected setup complexity.

So while my goal is to have Backerkit surveys sent out in May, it will not surprise me (and should not discourage you) if it takes longer.

Luckily, there is still plenty I can be doing in parallel with building the pledge manager to keep things moving.  This will include engaging the manufacturer and starting the pre-production process of converting all of the prototype design assets into print files that are formatted for their specific printing equipment.

New Update Schedule

I know first-hand (being a backer myself) that frequent and honest communication is the single most important thing any Kickstarter creator can do to keep their backers satisfied.  The vast majority of backers would rather have a project deliver late but have frequent and honest communication than have one deliver early after months of radio silence.

My plan moving forward is to send these updates out on the last Monday of each month and be honest about any progress (or lack of) that has occurred. This is a huge priority and I fully expect to be held accountable if I ever come up short!

Nevermind The Poll

One question has come up regarding the Tutorial Cards. The current version of the game has a deck of 14 cards you stack on top of the Mind Deck for your first play and it walks you through a few example rounds step-by-step, teaching the game. This was particularly helpful with a long and… let’s face it, wordy rulebook. The downside is, these 14 cards become dead weight once you know the game.

However, now that the direction for the rulebook is leaning toward a separate, shorter, How to Play book, the tutorial cards may be redundant.  Getting rid of the tutorial deck entirely and replacing it with another Distraction Pack may end up being better bang-for-your-buck.

With all these looming questions about the best way to teach the game, I decided it may actually be helpful to hear it directly from the horse’s mouth, you being the horse!  So I created the short survey below to collect some more information about how you prefer to learn games. I’m hoping these insights will help steer me toward the right solutions so when you get your game, learning it is an enjoyable experience, not a chore.

If you would take just a few minutes to fill out this short questionnaire, it would help me out tremendously.

https://forms.gle/YA42RW2oXPnTWEC49

That’s all for this month!  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.

Have a wonderful May!

-AJ

Wow, Talk About a Nail-Biter!
almost 2 years ago – Tue, Mar 21, 2023 at 05:58:17 PM

I am honestly still speechless... 

I spent several hours last night prewriting this whole sort of “concession speech” update and was all ready to post a see-you-all-on-the-next-go-round graphic at the top of the campaign page.  I woke up and had my morning coffee and meditation before even picking up my phone because I thought it was all a foregone conclusion.

But thanks to a flood of new overnight backers, several of you wonderful existing backers doubling, tripling, -even quintupling!- your pledges and a rally in the last 20 minutes by some close friends and family…

We’re Making a Game!

I’ve always known this game was for a smallish target audience with both the solitaire aspect and meditation theme. With very little else out there like Nevermind, it was hard to guess what to expect from this campaign.  Last year, when I was deciding project feasibility, my market research and instincts (having personally backed a lot of Kickstarters) told me it was possible, if barely.

So possible, if barely, was what I conservatively built the project budget around (including a significant amount already set aside in subsidy) which ended up being almost exactly right.  This honestly leaves me feeling good about the future of the project knowing both my due diligence and instincts ended up pretty much spot on.

If any of you are wondering if you should be concerned about the game because we barely funded, the answer is no. The entire project was planned around this eventuality, and unless we have another unexpected global catastrophe which turns the entire market on its ear, I am fully confident in being able to deliver.

So What’s Next?

Your cards should have been charged today by Kickstarter and I believe there were less than a handful that had errors, so if yours was one of the very few cards not debited, check to see your card information with Kickstarter is current. 

I'm told it usually takes Kickstarter up to three weeks to collect the funds, take their cut and get the rest sent over to me.  I won't be able to start the Pledge Manager process or engaging the manufacturer until that happens. 

So in the meantime, considering the preparation and running of this campaign has taken virtually every waking (and some sleeping) second of my free time for the last six months, the first thing I’m going to do is take a much needed break.

The weather is getting nice and I’m hoping to get out into nature and do some camping and enjoy some time with my family. (Incidentally, you wouldn’t believe how hard it is to get your fingers to type the word “camping” after months and months of writing “campaign”)

After that, I’ll be getting back to work following the steps in the timeline graphic posted on the campaign page.  The next couple months will be devoted to getting the Pledge Manager open (and able to start collecting late pledges) and that whole Rulebook rewrite I mentioned in the last update.

Time permitting, I’ll also start juggling in some pre-production coordination with the manufacturer to try to get ahead of the deadline. I would absolutely LOVE to be able to fulfill early, but quality comes first.

Finally, I plan to continue to build the brand and get the word out as much as possible so I can start pointing people to the pledge manager for late pledges once it is open, though this is a lower priority. 

If anyone has suggestions for spaces I should be trying to connect with, please let me know.

Update Schedule

I will keep the current schedule and continue to send out project updates every two days for the…

JUST KIDDING!

I’m sure you are all as exhausted by my rambling as I am, so I promise to bug you a whole lot less while I have my nose to the grindstone making this game a reality.

I will revert to the one-per-month update required by Kickstarter that seems to be the normal standard. The next time you hear from me I will have figured out the exact schedule that you should be able to set your clock by moving forward.

Nevermind The Discord

In an effort to build a community around this game and its vision, I have also decided to create a Discord server for Nevermind The Distraction. It has always been on my someday list, but the Kickstarter had the priority. Now that the campaign is over but still fresh in everyone’s mind, this seemed as good a time as any.

If you’re the Discord type and would like to hang out, chat about the game and help shape where it goes next, talk about mindfulness and meditation in general, share insights and recipes or just shoot the breeze, every one of you is welcome there. Make it your space. I hope to see you all there!

Discord server invite:  https://discord.gg/VbnnXzcZ2x

Finally, if anyone wants to reach out to me directly with any questions, comments, concerns, suggestions, celebrations or rants, you can email me at [email protected].

Thank you all so much for your unwavering enthusiasm and support these past few weeks (and some of you from long before that!). 

This has been one heck of a ride so far, but we are just getting started and this is the first stop of many.  Next stop... Final Development!

Humbly yours,

-AJ