Backerkit Invites Next Week and Answering Some FAQS
over 5 years ago – Wed, Apr 10, 2019 at 01:11:59 AM

Hey everyone! 

Just giving an update on when to expect your pledge manager invites and answering some commonly asked questions.

Please note: if you are a retailer backer reading this, please disregard this update. Retailers will NOT be placing their orders in the pledge manager and instead will place their orders directly with our sales manager at [email protected]

What's Backerkit?

Backerkit is the type of pledge manager we're using where you can enter your shipping details, manage your pledge, and add any extra products on top of your pledge level. 

We're expecting to send the manager for review to Backerkit this week with a small smoke test to make sure everything goes well either this week or early next week before committing to sending invites to all backers. We're anticipating to be able to send wide invites some time next week and will post a new update on when to expect it, as well as a "how to" for upgrading your pledge and adding items.

How can I add add-ons to my pledge?

If you pledged more than your pledge level amount to accommodate the cost of the playmats or upgrade kits, for example, you'll get that extra pledged dollar amount as a credit in Backerkit that you can use toward the specific items you wish to add on top of your pledge. We'll post a how-to in another update next week with screencaps before sending wide invites to everyone. 

If you did not add additional funds during the Kickstarter campaign period, you'll be able to still add additional items and get charged for them later. 

I missed the Kickstarter--Can I still late pledge?

Yes! Late pledges will be entitled to the same Kickstarter extras as long as the Underworld expansion is part of your pledge.

Can I upgrade from the $1 pledge level (or another pledge level) to a higher one?

Yes! We'll post a how-to with screencaps next week on how you can upgrade your pledge to a higher level.

My card declined on Kickstarter, will I still get an invite to correct my pledge?

If your card had trouble registering with Kickstarter's payment platform, you'll still get an invite to the pledge manager where you can attempt to correct your payment method. Payment will not be charged until the pledge manager chargedate in September.

When will I be charged for items I didn't pay for yet?

Payment for any items you haven't paid for yet will be collected around 3 months before we expect fulfillment to begin. So currently, our close date is targeted for Sept 1, 2019. Beyond this date, your order will be locked and charged if you added anything beyond your Kickstarter pledge and we'll send another update to give reminder about the closing and chargedate. 

When will the pledge manager close?

The targeted chargedate when cards will be charged for any additional items beyond what you paid for during the Kickstarter campaign, if you participated, is Sept 1, 2019. Orders are expected to cut off Nov 1, 2019.

Other questions, support, or concerns?

If you have any questions that we didn't cover here, please email us at [email protected] rather than use the Kickstarter messaging system. Emailing us ensures that we can organize your request better and not miss your message since we get an overwhelming amount of messages on Kickstarter daily. 

Thanks!

Leder Games

You did it!
over 5 years ago – Wed, Apr 03, 2019 at 01:33:21 AM

I am at a loss for words, but I will still try to write something. I talked to my co-workers, all exhausted with me from PAX East, about how to even approach writing a letter accepting the this amount of money as well as the monumental tasks ahead of us. Had the campaign been a moderate increase from our last campaign, I would have gone in writing thank yous for our current success. Then I would rest and get back to work. 

That isn't what happened though is it?

The past year has been filled with amazing displays of affection for Root. In Brooklyn, there is a weekly meetup for people to play Root. In one of their videos we saw that folks were already playing the Crows from the design I had released on BGG. Seeing rooms filled to the brim with enthusiastic players encouraged us to continue working on new factions. 

And, it wasn't just folks playing the game! From before the game's first public release, we saw dozens of fan made factions, maps, and scenarios. Designing material for Root seemed almost contagious. I was secretly hoping this would happen, but there's no way to know for sure if players will ever make that leap. I think its a credit to the streamlined core rules to Root that this was even possible. I encourage people to keep working on their designs and to know that we are reading them.

Root also seemed to ignite something in players. At numerous conventions people have walked up to us, describing how the game's presentation had tricked them into playing a conflict game—and how thankful they were for the experience! 

Fans have made all sorts of supplemental material: miniatures, box inserts, various tokens, and an impressive body of strategic analysis. We have seen many beautiful photos of the game being played and have been treated to countless reviews praising Cole's design and Kyle's illustration as well as how we delivered the game.

Because of all of this, we knew early on that we wanted to build this Kickstarter campaign around supporting the community. The incredible response has been an incredible validation of this approach. 

As a group we have been taking a more studio-oriented approach to design that capitalized on our talented team. Although Cole oversees the game's growth and development, we have all had a moment where we get to contribute to the game. Being able to test the game rigorously in-house has made the process, in my opinion, much more smooth.

I would like to extend my personal thanks to the following people:

Cole Wehrle: Continues to be the guide of the Root series. As I pulled the factions and maps together I valued his council, and thank him for his hard work on our Kickstarter strategy and helping to put the page together so quickly.

Nick Brachmann: Over the past year, Nick has has grown into a formidable developer. Vast: TMM is a stronger game for all of his hard work, and I can say the same about Root: the Underworld Expansion. He has deeply impressed me with his dedication and hard work. 

Kyle Ferrin: There is no way to express enough thanks for Kyle's contribution to Root. He has breathed so much life into this world and is an amazing coworker and friend. I am so  excited to show you all what he has cooking for the future.

Josh Yearsley: Thank for your current and future help editing. It's been remarkable to see your thinking about usability develop over the years, and, I think, every publisher in the business should pay attention to your work on Root and Vast. 

Caryl Tan: Our master controller of all things related to the community and customer service. She is amazing, and you should all buy her treats. Or I should.

Marshall Britt: He has proven to be an invaluable member of the team as we juggle our existing projects with those on the horizon. Also Marshall has been helping us with the bots!

Clayton Capra: Thank you for help with retail support and for all of your hard work managing our trip to Pax East during the campaign.

Alex Werner: Our incredible intern! Over the past few weeks, Alex has been assisting this project in dozens of ways. She also has been out hitting the comments as well. Thank you!

Our Playtesting group: Thanks everyone!

And all of the team would like to extend our thanks to the community and our supporters as a whole.

Three weeks is a tight timeline for a campaign and we have been to 2 conventions this month. I need to go into seclusion for a few days to rest with my family. I have ordered my employees to take it easy too where possible. Unfortunately some have had to agree to go later to help finish out the campaign and we all appreciate their support. The rest of us will all be back to it next week as Cole, Nick, Kyle, and I are on a pretty tight timeline to get this expansion through final development and ready for printing.

Take care everyone and I will speak to you all again soon.

Patrick Leder

Creative Director and Owner

Leder Games

Shipping to Brazil
over 5 years ago – Tue, Apr 02, 2019 at 01:48:18 AM

Hi everyone,

After much back-and-forth we have arrived at a solution for potential backers currently living in Brazil.

One of the biggest issues in shipping packages to Brazil is the high variance in cost based on weight. For this reason we couldn't arrive at a single shipping rate in the same way that we could for our other shipping zones. So, here's how we are going to proceed.

If you are living in Brazil and would like to back the game, please pledge at the $1 level. After the campaign you will be able to complete your order in BackerKit. Within BackerKit, we'll be able to adjust you shipping cost based on what you order so no one is overcharged. And, of course, if the shipping costs we offer are prohibitive, we'll happily refund your $1 pledge. 

As always, if you have any questions and concerns, please contact [email protected]. We are all travelling back from Pax East today and many of us are taking a few days off this week, so there will likely be some delay in getting back to you all. 

Exiles & Partisans PNP & New Projects
over 5 years ago – Mon, Apr 01, 2019 at 12:45:42 AM

Hello from PAX East! 

First, I want to say a little thank you to the many fans who have come out to Boston and stopped by the booth. It's been a pleasure meeting you folks and getting a chance to show you the Underworld Expansion in person.

Today we're releasing the final print-and-play kit of the campaign: the Exiles & Partisans deck. The original deck in Root was built mostly as a compliment for the core game design and was, in general, conservative in nature. While many cards could be leveraged in interesting ways, most of them were only good in certain circumstances. In contrast, the Exiles & Partisans deck is built around a completely different ethos. The special powers in these cards are strong and often game-warping. Like the expansion factions themselves, I wanted the deck to push the limits of designs and to offer new strategies to old and new factions alike. 

After things calm down in a week or so, I'll be writing a longer design diary about the creation of the deck and how it works. If you'd like to take a look at it, you can find the new deck here.

One of the best parts of going to a convention is that everyone on the team has a lot of time to brainstorm and work on new projects. Even though shows like PAX are a lot of work, they also function a little like creative retreats for our staff. Over the past few days we've spent a lot of time talking about the future of Root and the kinds of places we want to take the design. There are a lot of exciting things happening behind the scenes right now that we'll say more about later, but, in the short term, it's looking like we may be exploring a fan-driven smaller expansions in the near future, perhaps even a design contest. Details to come! 

Finally, we wanted to let everyone know that our partners for the Root role-playing game, Magpie Games, have a Kickstarter ending today for Wizard Kittens. Normally we don't do any cross-promotion, but, because we were already working together on the role-playing game, it only seemed natural to have Root's most prominent cat featured on a card. You can find their Kickstarter campaign here.

There are many questions popping up in the comments and Kickstarter messages and it is very difficult for us to track. If you have any questions or concerns please contact us at [email protected]. Remember that since most of us are in Boston there will be some delay in getting back to everyone. 

Last 72 hours!
over 5 years ago – Sun, Mar 31, 2019 at 01:54:16 AM

Hey everyone! We are almost down to the last 72 hours of the campaign!

As a  thank you for your support we are adding a new extra to the campaign. We are adding 2 more Vagabonds to the mix that Kyle, Cole, Nick and I have been working on at PAX: East.

The Harrier is a squirrel character that will have a movement based action.

The Adventurer is an Owl character that will have a an advantage while questing.

The Vagabond cards will be in the Exiles and Partisans deck and we will include new meeples for them in the meeple packs. 

There are many questions popping up in the comments and Kickstarter messages and it is very difficult for us to track. If you have any questions or concerns please contact us at [email protected].  Remember that since most of us are in Boston there will be some delay in getting back to everyone.

Thanks again and we will talk to you all soon!