More Staff Badges & Happy Holidays from the Park
over 3 years ago – Tue, Dec 29, 2020 at 10:34:26 AM

Oh goodness it is cold. Especially where we are.

That does mean we have all the more excuses to stay inside, stay warm, and video chat / call / text / internet with our loved ones. We have been playing, chatting, and still building stories and memories in light of all the challenges, and we hope you have been too.
 

Our small production update helped elucidate exactly why our production was slow in November in a way that was unexpected: Dice. We didn't quite understand the delay we got, and didn't really have a reasonable explanation at the time, but we got a nice little follow-up about why, which was that the dice, which are sourced separately, came from a facility that was on lockdown due to the pandemic, slowing down a ton of projects. It doesn't mean much of anything, except we get to know a little bit more about the upstream suppliers of specific components. Beyond that, Danger Park is simply in the freight system. We'll let you know more when I get info on the ship it will be boarding.

Staff Badges Update (2/4)

Previous update said 2/3, which was a mistake (there are 12 cards total), so here are 3 more!

First is Mister Moy, a self-portrait by our fantastic artist, Moy Shin Hung! You may notice similarities between his ability and Finn from the last reveal, but there are some key nuances. Since five single patrons become a group patron instantly, this can be a tricky way to form group patrons on your own rides. There are also a ton of rides that only effect the exiting and movement of single patrons, while group patrons remain immune, allowing his very flexible ability to be used in a ton of ways (such as launching patrons using the Fool Launcher, or using the patrons to track grease around from Prehistoric Peril).

Next is Uncle Gristmore, who is quite the treat and inside joke for our team. Standing in for the picture is our friend Deus, a key source of wisdom and advice for us, as well as one of the first playtesters of every game we make (especially Rosetta: The Lost Language). He used one of those apps that 'ages' you and it did not work properly, resulting in quite the intense image (which we have been sharing around our Discord). This character, Uncle Gristmore, has been the unofficial mascot of Danger Park in our minds, and now he and his neat stage tricks and incomprehensible songs are yours! He certainly knows how to draw a crowd, with a slightly pricier ability that makes it far easier to make group patrons. The catch? They must be on the rides of other players. So be sure you have a plot to close that ride, or at least scare those valuable patrons into your part of the park.

Finally is The Amazing Noelle, based on our good friend and Sacred Rites co-designer Julia Koerwer. She usually insists that she be listed as 'amazing' whenever credited, and we are inclined to agree because she is! Here she is manipulating one of her favorite mechanics: Block tokens. Blocked exits will prevent the movement of patrons, or if all exits are shut off, patrons will instead funnel back to the park entrance and into the top row of rides. Worried about how patrons will be distributed from a closing ride? Want to build a specific path through part of the park? Let the parade block a few intersections and, behold, you have scammed more $$$ out of your guests.

In Case You Missed It:

 With much love and care and hope for the new year,

Jono, Ben, Bobby, & Jakob 

Welcome to Danger Park!
over 3 years ago – Thu, Dec 10, 2020 at 04:50:08 PM

Hey folks! Thank you again for your patience with this project. It has been a joy to make this game, to test, to work with so many people in creating new ideas, mechanics, and jokes to weave into one wacky game. With that said, our big note of the day is...

Manufacturing is done!

That is right! We received the MPC (a sample copy of the print run) and we were happy with how everything looked, so it is all approved! This means the game just needs to be boxed up and shipped on the next boat it can catch. Here is a video of our fantastic Jakob unboxing the MPC and checking out how it will look when it gets to you!

This, sadly, means fulfillment will be end of January / beginning of February, notably off-schedule to our pre-pandemic estimates. Our last major hurdle, though, is competing with the movement of products around the holidays. But with addresses locked, shipping plans in place at our fulfillment partner, and games all set, all that is left is to wait a little. We will still be updating you all and showing off cards in the Uncertain Employment Promo Pack, which will be heading into production soon. This has all been a fantastic learning experience, and we are already discussing what we will be bringing to Kickstarter next November.

With holiday cheer and a ton of appreciation,

Story Machine Games

New hires, holiday deals, and more news from Danger Park
over 3 years ago – Wed, Dec 02, 2020 at 05:11:53 PM

Hey folks! We are still waiting on the MPC (a sample copy of the final game), which has not arrived yet, but we are told should come this week. When it does, we will be doing a live unboxing on our social media (Facebook Live, to be exact) followed by tons of nice pictures for all of you in an update. If everything with the MPC looks fine, then the games will begin freight shipping. We are only grateful for everyone's patience.

Now, you may be saying to yourselves, that seems like a tight squeeze for timing, and you are right- we are holding tight waiting for the MPC before we give a timeline update of any sort, just to be sure.

But, that doesn't mean we don't have some nice stuff to show you!

Staff Badges Reveal (1/3)

First off, we have kept making additional content for the promo pack that will come out in 2021, and felt like it was a good time to introduce you to some of the staff members of the park!

First up is Stanley Stan, one of the two employees you can see on the game box. He has a convenient ability to remove danger and create sick patrons. At $1 a shot, this ability can be used super often, and at just the right time, be very powerful. One of your patrons leaving your ride for an opponent's ride? Maybe some other space is just one danger from closing? Just be careful you don't make other rides too safe in the process.

Next is Mel, who also shows up on the game box. Her ability affects the entry of patrons back into the park at the top row. This might not seem like much, but the key element is 'as if it was your turn'. This lets you, at least a few times, cut in and make the decision of how to distribute these patrons on those rides. If you have Mel fixing up the tickets, you better invest in building a lot in the top row!

Finally, for this reveal, is actually one of our favorite office visitors: Finn! He will faithfully lead group patrons (and their huge amount of $$$) around the park with some convenience. Just be careful- an 'exiting' patron is always moved by the owner of that ride, so be sure to set up a bit of a trap with rides and blocked exits just to make sure you get those paying customers.

Quota, Rosetta: The Lost Language & Sacred Rites

It would be remiss of me not to point out that it is holiday season, and folks are shopping around for gifts and special somethings, and that applies to us as well. We have excellent deals up for our small games, including Quota, a meta-game of improv and sneaky conversations; Rosetta: The Lost Language, a cooperative and creative translation game that recently was named a top game of the year by Popular Mechanics; and Sacred Rites, a fast-paced social deduction game of rituals and outsiders. Learn more by checking out our store.

Swindler's Row & Production Progress
over 3 years ago – Wed, Nov 11, 2020 at 04:36:32 PM

Hey folks! Things continue as per usual here at the office, as well as at our manufacturer. Manufacturing is getting close to finished, so our next step is to receive the MPC (mass production copy) that shows that everything came together and gets our final thumbs-up. Assuming nothing is funky, the game will be assembled and be ready to load up for shipping!

As some of you may have noticed, everything on Backerkit is locked up and charged, with Funagain Logistics helping prepare the final elements of the shipping plan, especially for international backers. If you know anyone who is still interested in the game, our standard pre-orders are still available on our website, although we will be fulfilling those after we complete fulfillment of Kickstarter pledges. When the MPC arrives we will be sharing some unboxing shots with everyone, as well as sharing information on which ship will be handling the initial transport of the print run as soon as we know more.

But, without further ado, let's check on Swindler's Row

We have settled on a final ability and text for Swindler's Row, as well as having art completed by the fantastic Moy Shin Hung!  We have been really enjoying playing with the Staff Badges, and cards like Swindler's Row allow for more long-term strategies that use this new card type. You may notice the flavor has adjusted a bit—this came out of some humorous playtests that helped expand the meaning of the previous quote.

Improvements: Still Under Construction

We got some really cool suggestions from folks for Improvement cards based on sideshow games and attractions, and we are still experimenting with what is just right for gameplay. The form is still up if you have any suggestions, but we are looking forward to showing these off soon!

Locking Orders, Charging Cards, Swindler's Row, and Throwing Stuff
over 3 years ago – Tue, Oct 27, 2020 at 12:02:31 PM

Locking Orders & Charging Cards

Hey folks! All is progressing nicely. As we near shipping, we are confirming our final numbers, especially for arranging international shipping. This means closing up the pre-orders on Backerkit, locking in addresses, and charging shipping costs. We will be locking orders this Thursday, October 29th, followed by charging cards for shipping and pre-orders on November 1st. We will also use the alert feature on Backerkit to send a separate message to this effect. If something comes up, you can still message us directly about changes, and we can see what we can do!

Swindler's Row

Thank you for your submissions- we really liked them, and wanted to highlight some of the responses! We liked the 'Rigged n' Robbed Midway', 'Second-Rate Arcade', and "Robber's Way', but we ultimately chose Swindler's Row. We also liked a bunch of the quote ideas, including 'You'll either lose your money or your fingers!', 'I can make your money disappear...', and 'You play them, we rob them!'. We ultimately liked the Staff Badge tie-in that came with 'We have to pay the staff somehow.' Thank you again for your ideas and contributions. In the meantime, while we continue to polish up the Staff Badges, we have a sketch of Swindler's Row from Moy Shin Hung, our fantastic artist.

Throwing Stuff???

The final component of the Dubious Employment Promo Pack will be THREE Improvement cards. We were really inspired by two of the Improvement cards submitted by Sideshow Entrepreneur backers, shown below:

We have reset the survey form for you to enter ideas for the three Improvement cards going into this pack, and we wanted to stick with the theme set by Swindler's Row: What other 'mini games' can be added to Danger Park for a brief moment? Three cup shuffle? Dunk tank? Duck fishing? Strength test? Ladder climb? Hoop shots? What do you want to see, and better yet, how would you make it part of the game? We will happily find a way to make something work if it seems spectacular, as well as ensure it is appropriately balanced in strength or effect. If you need a refresher, the rulebook is on our website.

Head to the form here >>>