Button Shy
patreon
News, news and more news, plus two new select titles.
🕑 Added 2017-12-11 15:27:58 +0000 UTC Hello everyone! Hope all is well. We have a lot to chat about today, and I'm squeezing it all into one monster update. So buckle in!Package Status
The last of the September packages went out over the weekend, and should be arriving this week. If you don't have yours in a week or so, then please let me know and I will look into it. The October, November and December packages are still on track to go out very soon. The postcards and cards arrive today, and the supplemental material is the last holdout (always!). These will all go out in one big catchup package in the next two weeks or so. We plan to have them 100% out the door before the end of the year, starting off 2018 fresh. We're going to talk about 2018 in a moment, but first let's talk some Patreon news.
Patreon Fee Changes
As you may have seen, Patreon updated it's fees (announced last week but effective next week) and they are tacking a fee on the buyer end. There was a lot of discussion about how this is better for the creator, but many of us disagree. I think keeping your community happy is the top goal, and if making more money was my top goal, I have take my own measures to step things up in terms of the quality or the quantity of the items that we offer. (Secret: we're doing that anyway)
Patreon did this on their own and there's nothing we can do to stop it, but here's what I can do to sideline it. For those that don't want to support Patreon, we have a subscription offer through our website.
http://www.buttonshygames.com/products/board-game-of-the-month-club-basic-subscription
Everyone that subscribes via this method will be receiving the same updates that we post here, but in the form of an email list. You;ll also get all of the same content. We're also looking at other services that offer subscriptions, and I'll post those as well, as we get them setup. All of that aside, we're going to do our best to make up for Patreon's downsides by putting something extra in each package next year, and cramming these full of awesome games.
Two New Select Titles
Speaking of awesome new games, we have two new limited games that will be released to the general public on 1/2/18. These are limited to 250 copies and each is hand numbered. As a Patron, you have early access, if you are interested. You also get a special rate on one or both. Here are the details:
Feat On The Ground - A two player, semi asymmetrical tile laying game about terraforming destroyed lands. This is a sequel to Ahead In The Clouds.
Jewelers Row - A 2-4 player gem puzzle game in the vein of your favorite iOS apps. Only here you are gnomes mining gems, and pinning fake ones on your neighbors.
Here are the pre-order links, and much more info on each game at our site:
http://www.buttonshygames.com/products/feat-on-the-ground-patreon-pre-order
http://www.buttonshygames.com/products/jewelers-row-patreon-pre-order
You can use your discount there, and if you want both games, I've setup a new discount code that will allow you to double up.
$1 Patrons - use Patron1 to save $1 on one game. Use Patron1X2 to save $2 on both.
$5 Patrons - use Patron5 to save $2 on one game. Use Patron5X2 to save $4 on both.
$10 Patrons - use Patron10 to save $5 on one game. Use Patron10X2 to save $10 on both.
$20 Patrons - you will get these in your next packages, unless you choose a different game.
2018 Plans
We are wrapping up the last bit of our overall 2018 plans here, but here is what you can expect each month.
Postcard Series - Timestamp
The postcard series for 2018 is a continuous two-player game called Timestamp by Nat Levan. The first module will go out in January and each subsequent month is another adventure in the series. It's designed so that each is a standalone expansion, so supporters that start in March can still join in without feeling lost. In the game, each player controls a group of scientists that are competing to make breakthroughs in Time Travel. Sometimes these things are good, and sometimes they are bad. A time machine is a powerful tool, and only time will tell how it works out. Unlike our previous postcard games, the game will play on top of the card, and we will be offering rules as a digital download and printout when possible. The game is also setup like an actual postcard and can be mailed on its own. All very meta and fitting.
Banned Books
In keeping with our themes of previous year, we have Banned Books, which is a solo game that was designed by me (Jason Tagmire). In the game you control a character from a famous banned book trying to work against the powers to reverse the ban. The base game will be 8 cards, which all patrons will receive, and then each month a new character will appear in the packages. As long as the art is completed in time, this will debut in the January package.
Roll & Write Adventures
Each package will contain a Roll & Write Adventure game by Robin Gibson. Robin is a designer and artist combo package that makes very creative and minimalist games. Everything has a tone and style that feels like Robin, and we just added his Roll & Write series to our lineup. You'll get a single copy of the game in the package, and a link to print more copies to your heart's / printer's content. They are all black and white and nice and easy on the ink.
And then the rest...
We'll be continuing with the new tiny games, tiny expansions, Nanodaptions, Twin Stars scenarios, and everything else that we've been doing each month. The big difference in 2018 is instead of a lot of different games, we're focusing on a few series of similar games (with some new ones mixed in). This allows us to dive deeper into the design parameters, and work on longevity. I think a mistake or struggle in previous years was trying to do something all new, every single month, with an all new designer and artist.
We hope you'll like the changes for 2018. It’s been a lot of work planning it all around here and we’re excited to ramp things up.
Comments
PiHalbe
I missed Feat on he Ground. Will you let us know when it goes up on your shop for regular order?
Chris Smith
Well, I read this update again, and playing on top of the card of the month could really open up some possibilities. Have you looked at a game option of like an expanding bisrd game of some sort?
Ethan Furman
Will Feat on the Ground and Jewelers' Row go to Kickstarter, or be available as PnP's?
Ryan Bennett
2018's line up sounds awesome! I'm especially excited about the roll and write games and Banned Books! :D
James M.
FYI, I just came across news that Patreon will *not* be rolling out the new fee changes after all. See <a href="https://blog.patreon.com/not-rolling-out-fees-change/">https://blog.patreon.com/not-rolling-out-fees-change/</a>
Natalie
Do you have any idea when the game selection posts for oct/Nov/Dec will be?
Brad Hermann
It was called a “recurring payment”.
Brad Hermann
It was through a creator account for a project under development and it was a subscription. Not a bill pay service. Although I think PayPal also offers a bill pay service.
Jeff Lewis
I think its a bill-pay service they offer, but it may be a subscription service.
Brad Hermann
Just throwing it out there as I don't actually know how it would work for your end but I actually had a subscription service through PayPal from a different creator that just seemed to work basically like Patreon. All I know is that I had $X taken out of my account every X days/months and I could opt out at any time and they could also cancel as well from the creator's end. Might be something worth looking into. Either way, thank you so much for keeping us in mind! I'm also probably of the mind of, "just tell us where you, as a creator, will get the best deal!"
Jeff Lewis
Hey Jason, Gret update! I can now see what you were talking about in our last email exchange when you said you'd be working on streamlining the pipeline. Like I said before though, don't let all that extra time you're going to have on your hands (HA!) go to waste... :). One question I have is about the two new select games. Will $20 subscribers be receiving these games as part of their regular packages, will they be one of our monthly options, or should we just preorder them?
James M.
Thanks for the update. I'll comment on each section, which will make this long, but I'll try to keep the individual parts on the short side. (1) Package status: good to know we'll be caught up soon. It sounds like they might not arrive until January, depending on when one's specific package is sent, but that's OK. (2) Patreon fees: I'll second Lyle's comment -- knowing what's best for you would be good. To be honest, you're the only creator I'm supporting on Patreon and the fee increase here isn't a show-stopper for me, though I'd rather not pay more than I have to (of course). What is kind of annoying is that creators aren't even getting a say in this matter. If you run an alternative service that avoids the additional fees, I will probably switch. If recurring charges there aren't possible, I'm OK with that, but I would appreciate reminders when subscriptions are about to expire in that case, because chances are I'd go for one year at a time if the set-up is like you currently have. (3) Select games: these seem cool, but probably not for me as a primarily solo player. (4) 2018 Plans: Timestamp = sounds good, and I'll just have to convince someone to play with me sometimes. Banned Books = solo = good for me; I'll be looking forward to it! Question though: "each month a new character will appear in the packages" -- what level packages? This will be worth knowing to make sure I don't miss anything. Roll and Write = should be interesting; I've tried some in the recent past and they seem like a good game option. Rest = Twin Stars has always been an interest of mine, as are any Pentaquark additions, and the nanodaptations are kind of cool even if they're not solo and I have trouble understanding them sometimes (e.g., some cards have to be cut into pieces, right?).
Button Shy
Thanks Chris! That means so much to me. :)
Chris Smith
See you in 2018 Button Shy! You guys are pretty much my #1 game producing company.
Button Shy
The website allows for 1,3,6 and 12 month orders. So it's very different in that way and you would need to reorder when the time period runs out. Although, there may be a way for me to also offer recurring subscriptions through the site using a 3rd party app. Let me look into it.
Anthony Ortega
Is the subscription on your website setup for auto renew or would we have to come back every month to purchase the next month’s subscription?
Button Shy
You beat me to it, haha. But all of the links should be contained within that one item. We’re also looking at some other sites that can do the monthly charges, including Kickstarter’s secret Drip service that’s still in Beta.
Angela Leach
Uh, nevermind... I can read.
Angela Leach
Are you going to do a $20 subscription level too?
