Final Hours! Ends 3/31 @ 8:50am CST - New Board Game (Flag Dash) on Kickstarter!

[Captain Kirk]

Hi Redemption friends,

*The Kickstarter ends at 8:58 am CST on 3/31 and has unlocked 3 stretch goals so far, including custom shaped pawns!

Over the past 11 months I have been working on developing a new board game called Flag Dash. Today, I launched a Kickstarter campaign (a pre-order system) for this game. If enough people pre-order within the funding window (March 1 through March 30) so that I achieve my funding goal, then I can create this great new game and ship out copies to everyone who backed the project. If not enough people pre-order, no one pays and I can't make the game. Please consider supporting Flag Dash on Kickstarter and tell family and friends about it. It is especially important that I get enough support in the first few days of the Kickstarter campaign so it will show up on the radar of many websites that only start tracking these projects once they have certain amounts of funding.

In Flag Dash, you play the role of one of several childhood friends that promised to play capture-the-flag again when they grew up. Each player secretly plans actions to outmaneuver your opponents and return home with the flag. (2-4 players, ages 10+, 30 min).

I have had over 500 people play the game and the vast majority of players really enjoy playing it. Kids as young as 8 have done very well with it and many 65 year old also really enjoy playing it.

Please share with others! www.flagdash.com. It's easy to remember.

Let me know if you have any questions about Kickstarter or my board game.

Kirk

[Red Dragon Thorn]

I've supported this project,

I think Kirk's game has a ton of potential - Proud of you Buddy.

[browarod]

Happily added this to my list of backed projects. Congratz on getting 33% of funding on the first day! And also getting the Projects We Love sticker, that should get additional attention for the project.

I'm excited for the custom meeple/pawn stretch goal, really hoping we reach it!

[soul seeker]

Hey Kirk,
   I've got several questions.

1. Can this game be compared to RoboRally?  It looks like it has similar mechanics.
2. On a luck=1 to skill/strategy=10, where is this game on that scale?
      2a. Relatedly, is there a way to mitigate that luck?
      2b. Does everyone have the same exact cards?  One of your descriptions implied that this was the case.
3. Is there anyway to play 6 players (there are 6 meeples) or is there something in the game to prevent it?
4. How long is the rulebook?

[YourMathTeacher]

I'm in. I went deluxe because I want the promos. 

What I really want to know is how to get one of those PieceKeeper t-shirts.

[Red Dragon Thorn]

I'm in. I went deluxe because I want the promos. 

What I really want to know is how to get one of those PieceKeeper t-shirts.

I'll chip in another $40 if I can get a T-Shirt or Polo

[Captain Kirk]

Hey Kirk,
   I've got several questions.

1. Can this game be compared to RoboRally?  It looks like it has similar mechanics.
2. On a luck=1 to skill/strategy=10, where is this game on that scale?
      2a. Relatedly, is there a way to mitigate that luck?
      2b. Does everyone have the same exact cards?  One of your descriptions implied that this was the case.
3. Is there anyway to play 6 players (there are 6 meeples) or is there something in the game to prevent it?
4. How long is the rulebook?

Hi Jonathan,

Great to hear from you!

1) Yes. This game would be most like Robo Rally or Colt Express. When I first created the initial game concept, I drew inspiration from Robo Rally. As a compare/contrast exercise: Robo Rally takes 3+ hours many times. Flag Dash is 30 min. RR plans 5 moves out. FD plans 2. RR is more chaotic as you must take all moves. In FD you may forfeit moves you don't like. You also play on a team in Flag Dash (1v1, 1v2, or 2v2).

2) 10. There is no luck in the game. It is a game predicated soley on outplaying/outguessing your opponents. But you can win without any true "skill" if you play in a way your opponent does not expect. That's why kids often do very well.

2a) No luck so this is a moot point. There is one variant that has luck if you really want luck. Before every move, a random card draw determines if you plans work or not. Then chaos ensues. Speaking of which, there are lots of variants.

2b) Yes, everyone has the exact same cards and tokens. If you play with special abilities, each player has a unique card and/or token or two.

3) The game balance was tailored specifically for up to 4 players. Playing 6 players would require an extra set of cards and tokens, so you would need a second copy of the game. Assuming you had 2 copies, you could do that. However, a key part of the game is sharing a meeple with your teammate. So if you play with 6, you would each only be moving 1 meeple and therefore have less options. You could get around this by putting 2 boards side by side and placing 2 of each colored meeple on the board. Then on your move you could move 1 of your 2 meeples of the same color. This would probably make the game take 45-60 min but since I have not tested that, YMMV.

4) It is currently 2,500 words. It will be on 16 small pages but it could be fit on 12 small pages today. We are expanding it to make it easier to read by having less text on each page. In simpler terms, the rules are on 5 regular Microsoft Word pages right now, but 2.5 pages are devoted to special abilities and alternate ways to play.

Let me know if you have other questions! I'm biased, but I think the game is awesome. And I have witnessed it being played 300+ times and I am still loving it.

I'm in. I went deluxe because I want the promos. 

What I really want to know is how to get one of those PieceKeeper t-shirts.

I'll chip in another $40 if I can get a T-Shirt or Polo

Thanks Tim for your support! Let me check on pricing for shirts and get back to both you and John about that.

Cheers,
Kirk

[soul seeker]

Thanks Kirk!  The answers help in a 2-fold way: advertising and personal interest.
   In advertising, I can give people* a rough idea of the game by drawing comparisons.
      *People = my personal gaming circle (I know well), and the large gaming group in Rochester, NY (I've met once or twice).

  Regarding personal interest, I don't know if you remember but I have 6 family members ranging from 6 to 41.
      I dread playing luck base games, so I'm glad to hear about it's skill level.
      Also, I'm thankful to hear that kids do well, because it seems like it would appeal to my kids.

Random note: I remember when you asked for playtesters for this, so I'm glad to see the product of that work come to fruition.  A little bummed that I couldn't be a part of it because of where I was (somewhat still am) in life.

[Captain Kirk]

You're welcome! That would be great it you let others know about the project. It is doing pretty well, but there is a ways to go yet before it funds.

Regarding advertising, I would be judicious on how you push the "no luck" aspect. Although that is very much the reality, some people could assume it is like Chess or Go where players either become experts or are non-competitive. Because it is an outguessing game all players can be competitive. All kids 8+ have played successfully and all kids 6+ with a gaming background have played successfully so I have no doubt your kids will be fine.

Thanks again for the interest! It's been a fun process to develop the game!

Kirk

[Captain Kirk]

I'm in. I went deluxe because I want the promos. 

What I really want to know is how to get one of those PieceKeeper t-shirts.

I'll chip in another $40 if I can get a T-Shirt or Polo

Hi John,

I can do that for $40. What size t-shirt do you want? Would you like one with the PieceKeeper Games logo or one with a character of your choice and the game logo (like your Facebook profile pic)? In fact, I could probably create most any look you want with the existing graphics for the game or put custom wording on it. Just let me know.

If I was placing a large batch order (20-100) I could get them a lot cheaper but at this point I don't think it makes sense to produce a lot of them.

Best,
Kirk

[YourMathTeacher]

This is my first Kickstarter, so I am curious what happens if the goal is not met. I'm not trying to be pessimistic, I am just genuinely curious. I hope that Flag Dash meets its Kickstarter goal, but would you still be able to make the game if the goal is not met?

[gray0013]

Kirk,

I don't know if you have had it listed on the Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com) but every month they do a kickstarter roundup. It might be a little late, but better late than never. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/52063/crowdfunding-round-lovable-rogues-and-expanding-un

Doug

[Captain Kirk]

Hi Tim,

Great question. It is getting close enough where prayerfully it will fund (there is usually a late push as people can click a reminder button that sends a reminder email at the 48 hr mark). However, if it doesn't fund, my wife and I will have to consider what to do. Kickstarter is an all or nothing deal. So if we don't have the pledge money we would be out over $8k to pay for the minimum production run ourselves (if we did that there are no KS fees, which account for 8-10%). That would be on top of the $7k we have already spent on artwork, design, and marketing.

The bigger question in my mind is how far past the $9,600 will it potentially go. Any amount above that goes towards covering some of our out of pocket costs

Doug,

Thanks for making sure I knew about that! Flag Dash was actually mentioned in last week's edition of that roundup. The guy who posted this week is my rules editor!

Blessings,
Kirk

[YourMathTeacher]

Almost there! One week to go! 

[YourMathTeacher]

Woo-hoo! Kirk has met the goal! Now let's get more support to reach those stretch goals! 

[Captain Kirk]

Thanks Tim! It's really exciting to see God provide for the funding! Yes, hopefully we can now unlock some goals, especially the custom pawns.

Kirk

[Master Q]

This is awesome Kirk! Though I'm not much into tabletop games, it looks very well thought-out and open to players of all skill levels. Congratulations! 

[YourMathTeacher]

Kirk just broke $10,000! I feel like I'm watching the New Year's ball drop in Times Square... the anticipation is exhilarating! 

[kariusvega]

congrats Kirk!! 

[Captain Kirk]

Thanks everyone! It is really exciting to see how far this will go. Please let friends and family know about. As you may have read above, the funding goal doesn't cover out artwork, prototype, and marketing costs so prayerfully more orders will come in to cover more of those costs.

Thanks!
Kirk

[Captain Kirk]

There are less than 18 hours to go and we have unlocked 3 stretch goals, including custom shaped pawns! Thanks to all in the Redemption community who have backed Flag Dash!

Blessings,
Kirk

[jbeers285]

The biggest question is "will the redemption community recognize any of the players being created?"

I'd love to see John Early as flag dash character :-) lol

[Captain Kirk]

The biggest question is "will the redemption community recognize any of the players being created?"

I'd love to see John Early as flag dash character :-) lol

Oh the irony of your post.  I don't even know if you are aware of what I am referring to but there has been some involvement by 1 or more Redemption players into 1 or more characters...

Kirk

[Red Dragon Thorn]

The biggest question is "will the redemption community recognize any of the players being created?"

I'd love to see John Early as flag dash character :-) lol

Well actually

[Captain Kirk]

I guess that is a really good plug for Redemption players to back Flag Dash to find out what we are talking about. 

Everyone's doing it. The newest promo character even has a pet monkey!

Kirk