August Update Part 1: Pre-Gen Con (Short 'n' Sweet)
over 3 years ago – Wed, Aug 03, 2022 at 06:38:32 AM

Due to the behemoth that is GEN CON in August, I've decided to divide up our August update into two distinct parts. Part 1, which is what you are reading, will be quite minimal, with a few hints at whetting your appetite for Part 2, which will be a post-Gen Con, mid-August update!

So, without further ado, here's a brief Part 1 Update:

• GET YER T-SHIRTS HEEEEERE! (and Gen Con Preview)
• PnP in the Wild & Tabletop Audio is now available for streaming!
• On Whisk(e)y Wednesday: Gametrayz, Coasters, and Neoprene Playmat!

T-SHIRTS, GET YER T-SHIRTS (at Gen Con only!)!

I mentioned this in last month's update, but I had a small run of t-shirts made for our fans, and will be bringing about 40 shirts with me to Gen Con. Some of you have already reached out to reserve one, and if you will be at Gen Con (or know someone who will be), I'm selling them at cost ($10) to our Kickstarter backers, and for $20 to everyone else. NOTE: If you want to make sure to get one,  send me a PM ASAP to confirm I have your size, and then reserve and pay for one (supplies limited!)! 👕💰

While I won't have a booth at Gen Con (like I did at Origins), we'll be running 28 separate games of Distilled throughout the con, with awesome support from Jessica and Tim, our game masters. I hope you'll swing by to say hi to them in Hall D. Distilled will occupy tables 47 & 48 of the Purple Zone throughout the con. 

The reason I won't have a booth for Paverson Games is because we don't have product to sell yet, and the cost of booths at Gen Con is so enormous, that I felt it was best to use this year as my "Gen Con Recon" (Gen (Re)Con?) year. I'll be meeting with various folks, playing some games, and cruising the exhibit hall, so that I can be best prepared for a strong showing next year. I really do hope that I might get to meet many of you, so perhaps we'll  bump into each other (I'll be wearing a Distilled t-shirt everyday, natch!).

Printing, Playing, and...Listening!

Two big milestones that support the game came out in the last month, both of which all of you - as Kickstarter backers - got to help support (and now enjoy!). First, we released the long anticipated Print and Play (PnP) build by Martin Gonzalvez, that we talked about in last month's update.  I've already seen hints of it being built by some fans (check out Alexander's, below!), and would love to have any other pictures of this progress posted on our Distilled Facebook group! Thanks again to Martin for crafting such a masterpiece - I know he is hard at work at finishing the Africa & Middle East expansion PnP right now, so for those who also ordered that PnP as an add-on, you'll get that to look forward to as well!

Isn't that PnP above awesome? Alexander, posted these pics (and many more) on Martin's Print and Play Hideaway Facebook group, and I have give him amazing credit for his insert design, as well as the high quality attention throughout the build - it seriously looks like the real thing!

In addition to the sweet PnP files that every single one of you awesome backers got a chance to access (you should have received an email from Paverson Games and Backerkit to access it at a super-secret link, as it is only for your personal use as a backer!), we also made the commissioned, ambient soundtrack to Distilled free and available to all to stream online! Remember, you all got exclusive access to that soundtrack as well (via a similar email), in which you get to have the files as mp3's (and multiple iterations of each track). For the general public, they will just be available on Tabletop Audio's website. Just search "Distilled" and all six tracks will pop up!

Tune in to Pre-Gen Con Whisk(e)y Wednesday TOMORROW!

Our Distilled Facebook group members know that I usually try to do a "Whisk(e)y Wednesday with Dave" about once a month on the Facebook group, just to check-in and give people an update on all things Distilled. If all goes well, I'm hoping to do this from Gen Con on Wednesday (tomorrow) night! Depending on how my travels go that day, it may be in my hotel room, or it may be somewhere in the convention center - we'll see! I also don't know exactly when it will be, but likely around 8pm or 9pm CST.

But what is most important is that I'll be revealing the gametrayz insert and neoprene playmat live on camera, as well as the promo drink coasters. Who knows if I'll have whisky with me, but I thought it would be fun to do this from Indianapolis, before Gen Con really kicks off the following day!

So, there's Last Call on your short but sweet update! I'll be back in a couple weeks with another update, where I'll have pictures from Gen Con, pics of the trays and mat, and other exciting updates! So hopefully this satiated your appetite, and perhaps I'll see a few of you later this week in Indy - let's do a fist bump and grab a pic together! 

Until then, Sláinte!

PS. Remember, I'll have a limited supply of t-shirts at Gen Con - I'll just need your size and also payment via paypal ($10 for KS backers, $20 for others). Send me a PM in case this is of interest to you!

Sizzlin' Summer Update - from Scotland!
over 3 years ago – Sat, Jul 09, 2022 at 05:18:20 AM

Happy July Distillers! 

Okay, there is WAAAAAYYY too much to cram in to this month's update. But I'm gonna do my best. First off, I'm currently writing this while in SCOTLAND (more on that in a bit)! This has been a crazy past month, and will be crazy for most of July and early August too (especially with GEN CON happening in exactly one month from now!!!).

Buckle up, as I take you on a whirlwind update this month full of goodies (but pardon the brevity of words this month, due to SCOTLAND (again, more on that in a bit!)).

• Caledonia (aka Scotland!)
• Origins Postmortem
• Factory Sample Photos 
• Translations Complete! 
• PnP is (almost) READY!

"Caledonia*, you're calling me..." 

Some of you are probably saying "wait, Dave is in SCOTLAND!?! Did he take the Distilled money and run, drinking his way through the country, from distillery to distillery?!?" 🥃 Oh how I kinda-sorta wish you were correct! No, I am actually working as part of my main (real?) job! I'm currently teaching 23 students who are about to start their journey as college students at UW-Stout in the fall. It is a new program we've developed called "JUMPSTART: Scotland", where I'm teaching a class about Design Thinking in Scotland, and my colleague, Dr. Mitch Ogden, is teaching Scottish Storytelling. We're having a great time, but boy is it a lot of work to be simultaneously teaching 23 students and also trying to continue to move Distilled along! The experience runs through July 22nd, after which I'll be returning to the states (and taking a looong nap). 

Bad news: not much (if any) game playing right now, and not much whisky drinking either! 😭

Good news: The final project for the students is to design a game about or inspired by Scotland, so I'll get to play some game prototypes at least!

Overall, me being here - three years after I created Distilled in this very country - has been a wonderful experience, even if it has added a bit of stress to things ;) 

 PS. And one more awesome thing that happened: I finally got to meet Richard, our developer, in person! We got together for an awesome weekend of gaming in the Lakes District of England, and while Richard beat me at pretty much every game we played (no surprise there!), it was still a blast! Here's a picture of Richard and I with Peter Rabbit, as there is loads of Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit-themed attractions there that our families really enjoyed. 

*Caledonia is another name for Scotland, and here's a beautiful song about it too ;)

ORIGINS Game Fair Report

Lordy be, where to begin with Origins? It seems like a lifetime ago, but really it was only a month in the past! In short, it was abso-freakin-awesome! I got to meet so many cool people in person, had Kickstarter backers come by my booth to say hi, and we spread the Distilled gospel to the good people of the Midwest and beyond! We had TWENTY EIGHT sold out games, all being run by the amazing Amanda, John, and Jason, and our booth was constantly busy, with awesome support from the fantastic Holly and even some help from my brother! The visuals created by Erik for the booth and game tables really popped as well, drawing people in from afar. I could go on and on, but to keep things short, here's Origins by the numbers, as well as some pics from the great event:

• 28 four-player games of Distilled played
• 83 games sold as pre-orders
• 112 T-shirts sold (or given away)
• 222 Distilled shot glasses sold (or given away)

We gave a free shot glass to every person who played the game, and a shot glass and shirt to those who pre-ordered the retail version of Distilled (only you fine folks get the KS goodies!). The glasses aren't the same high quality that you'll get as Signature Blend backers, but it is close (I printed these myself through a company in the states). I had the t-shirts made and sold at cost ($10) to our Kickstarter backers, and for $20 to everyone else. NOTE: I'll have Distilled t-shirts at Gen Con as well, but only if you send me a PM ahead of time and reserve and pay for a size! 👕💰

Factory Samples are here!

June was also a crazy month for getting some amazing stuff from the factory! This came in the form of both the all-hallowed "white sample" as well as color proofs of all printed paper in the game. As you'll see from the photos below, this was a SUBSTANTIAL step forward in having Distilled become a reality!

What is a white sample, you ask? Well, it is the ENTIRE game's paper products (box, cards, boards, etc.), all cut out and wrapped up, but without any printing. This is important to have and review, for a variety of reasons:

• checking the die-cuts on all cardboard and tokens
• measuring everything for length, width, and depth (thickness)
• estimating the weight and volume of the product
• understanding what the punchboards will look like
• reviewing the dual-layered and other boards for quality

As you'll see below, you really start to get the idea of the scale of Distilled, and exactly how much you'll be getting packed into this box! This also helped us measure the Gametrayz samples, which I'll be revealing next month (and boy do they look awesome!). 

But nothing can communicate the sheer size of Distilled like the pages and pages of color proofs. At roughly the same time as the white sample arrived, I also received giant tubes with every single card and other printed element showing up at my door as well. This consisted of GIANT color prints of the cards, boards, tokens, rules, and boxes for us to examine. 

Erik and I investigated things thoroughly, and found no errors, but did decide to make some final changes for accessibility (to make it easier to read) on a small collection of cards. Otherwise, things looked fantastic. Erik's artwork really shines, and pops out from the page over and over again!

 Finally, Richard suggested I lay everything out on the floor and take a picture, so you can see the serious, serious size of Distilled.  I can't believe that is all going to fit in a single box, and wow will it be phenomenal when you get it!

Watch your Language!

On the language front, I'm happy to report that ALL LANGUAGES have been translated and completed! This is another massive milestone, as it has occupied countless hours of my time over the past few months, and represents a lot of work by some talented translators and graphic designers. I am sad to report that the first print run will not be including Japanese or Traditional Chinese, as those localization partners were unable to complete things in time (but fear not, they will be coming through in the next print run!). As a reminder, neither of these were connected to the Kickstarter campaign, so it does not affect anyone's pledges or rewards. Special thanks to Michael at Meeple on Board Vanguard for helping to navigate some of these tricky localization issues. I've included a few samples below, to help you see how Distilled will truly be an international experience!

PnP Dropping Soon...

Some of you might remember that we have been looking out for our friends in the Print and Play (PnP) community since the very start of Distilled's journey. Now, this goes beyond offering a free "lite" version of the game for download during the campaign (which we did). We also offered the PnP as a backer tier, and have thrown in the PnP version of the game for free to all of you backers of the physical game as well.  

If it were just as easy as "sharing the factory files with you", we could have done that a long time ago, but we're doing this RIGHT.

We're working with well-known PnP builder and designer, Martin Gonzalvez, to deliver the best possible PnP build of Distilled that we can! Martin has been working extremely hard over the past month or so to complete the base game's build (with the expansion to follow shortly thereafter). I'm thrilled to announce that we are just about ready with the PnP version for all of you to download and access! 

Just like with the soundtrack announcement last month, you'll be receiving an email from Backerkit and Paverson Games in the next week or so, with instructions on downloading the PnP file. I've copied and pasted  (and edited) the instructions I gave last month, below, so you know how exactly to access this:

Here's how it will work for you, as a backer, to download these files*:

• If you've already paid for shipping and locked your order (that's 91% of you), you'll get an email from Backerkit and Paverson Games soon, with the title "New Digital Content for Distilled on BackerKit"
• Once you click the link, it will take you to a portion of Backerkit that shows  downloadable zip files (each file is LARGE, around 1.5 GB each), so find a time and place that works to download this larger file!). Note: there is a chance I'll be hosting this offsite from Backerkit, but you'll get that information in the email if so.
• Upon unzipping the file, you’ll see that there are is a README text file that will provide some tips on how to best attack this PnP, written by Martin. 
• Martin has built it for both A4 and US Letter, in hopes it helps both sides of the pond to get Distilled onto the table faster. You'll want to download the one that works best for you.

*NOTE: if you are one of the 682 who have not yet finished your order, you cannot access the above, and you currently will not be receiving any reward for Distilled, so make this a priority and be sure to do that here!

ANOTHER IMPORTANT NOTE: As a backer, you are receiving these files as an exclusive reward. Because of this, I ask that you not distribute them in any other way and keep them solely for your personal use.

But Dave, where would I even begin with making a PnP? For those uninitiated into this world, please know that while it is an awesome avenue to creating games, it can be a lot of work. It could take quite some time, plus ink and paper and other supplies, to make it happen. But many have found this to be a hobby unto itself - crafting and making the games yourself can be a cathartic experience indeed! Just ask all the veteran PnP'rs out there! So, if you're curious, perhaps read and watch below for some great starter tips!

 Great how-to video tutorials, by Martin himself:

• Martin's "how to make print and play cards" tutorial video: https://youtu.be/00h0KFbkViA  
• Martin's "how to make laminated print and play cards" tutorial video:  https://youtu.be/fws1hN782yw 

And with that, it is another last call on our monthly Distilled update! Next month, I hope to share some exciting updates about the premium market neoprene playmat that Erik's designed, as well as the Gametrayz shots! Next time I write, I'll likely be about ready to leave for Gen Con, where we'll be running sold out games of Distilled. I hope I might get to see some of you there, so don't be shy and let's do a fist bump and picture! 

Remember, I'll happily bring a t-shirt for you to Gen Con - I'll just need your size and also payment via paypal ($10 for KS backers, $20 for others). Send me a PM in case this is of interest to you!

Until then, Sláinte!

Final Box Art, Expansion Rules, Soundtracks, and ORIGINS Eve!
almost 4 years ago – Wed, Jun 08, 2022 at 01:36:04 AM

Greetings Distillers!

Is it me or are the months starting to speed up? I swear I just sent an update to y'all a few days ago but here we are in JUNE! My entire month (well, couple of months!) has been completely pre-occupied by preparing for Origins Game Fair - wowzas is it a lot of work to get ready for a big convention like this. From the booth materials to the tax registration to the travel plans, it has been pretty crazy. But here's another month filled with some great updates that I hope will give you a bit more of a peek into the great progress we're making on Distilled! This month, we'll be talking about:

• Final Box Cover Art
• Rules for the Africa and Middle East Expansion
• A Soundtrack for Distilled
• Photos from Prepping for ORIGINS!

Judging a Game by its Cover...

 While the final art for the front of the box has been done for some time, the sides and back (as well as the expansion) were still being finalized. I've included the final versions below, so that you can see the general layout.

I really spent some time trying to envision the perfect box layout, and as always, I feel that Erik delivered 100%. I knew I didn't want to be lazy like some companies, and have the same thing on every side. I also knew that some gamers prefer to stack horizontally vs. how many of us store them vertically (like a book). Because of this, I wanted to make sure that a person's preference could be appeased. You'll see four distinct box sides on the right-handed picture above, specifically for this reason.

The back is especially challenging. You need to grab someone's attention, while also explaining a bit about the game and laying out some components (and don't even get me started on the different safety and legal marks necessary!). Rather than showing the entire game laid out, we decided that it would be good to highlight a handful of components, especially what the player would have right in front of them. We also wanted to make sure that if the box bottom was out on your table, that different characters could be seen on each side of that box. Finally, this is where we included every single documented playtester name on the side of the box as well, so that they can point to their name when playing the game, to demonstrate how they helped this come to reality! 

Oh, and did I mention that the front will have a UV gloss finish on the Distilled title? Classy.

 The Africa & Middle East Expansion was much of the same, in hopes of mimicking much of the base game's design and layout. You'll notice the box shape is different here. That is because this expansion isn't that big - it is roughly 5" x 7" in size, since it is delivering just over 100 new components to the game, with most of those being new cards. 

More Rules!

Two months ago, during the May update, I shared the base game's rulebook and beginner's guide with you. Those were pretty amazing feats by Erik, Richard, and Cody, as I really believe their work will make for an even better gaming experience due to their editing and layout of the rules. 

Fast-forward two months, and now I'm excited to share the Africa & Middle East Expansion rules with you! Remember, only you as a backer will get to experience this expansion so early - it won't be coming to retail until well-after all of our backers have had it for a bit! 

 A few things to note about the expansion:

• As you saw with the box, it is much smaller than the base game. So the rulebook only needed to be 8 pages (as compared to 24 for the base game)! 
• The rules introduce a new region, as well as a few new tricks up the cards' sleeves (ingredients in this expansion have some basic effects, while they do not in the base game, for instance).
• You'll see four new unique spirits introduced, as well as a number of new ingredients, items, upgrades,  distillery identities, awards, goals, and tasting flights!

So, if you're curious to read the rules for the Africa & Middle East Expansion, you can find them here.

The Sound of Whisky...

Do you remember when you helped us to nudge past the $340,000 stretch goal, which unlocked a custom soundtrack that was commissioned for Distilled? Well, I'm happy to report that it is FINISHED, and you'll all be getting a separate email inviting you to download the files for free (more on that later)! 

As a reminder, this was purely a thematic stretch goal, to complement Distilled's theme-forward approach.  Now, you might be of the type to not care about a little bit of music or sound effects for your gaming experience, but it is honestly one of my favorite parts about game night. Once I have the game setup, I pull up Tabletop Audio to create a custom playlist that matches the mood and theme of the game. These aren’t vocal ballads, but instead an artful mixture of subtle music and ambient sound effects (another great one is melodice.org, and pulls stuff from YouTube, so it is great if you want soundtracks and other recognizable and popular thematic music). I find that it really helps to create a rich, immersive experience that results in a memorable evening for years to come (bonus: this is also great work/study music!).

So, for this, I commissioned Tim, who runs Tabletop Audio and is a professional independent musician and composer living in Brooklyn (I think there’s something fun about an indie publisher and designer commissioning another indie to create something unique). I provided Tim with a number of different narrative sketches, using words, stories, descriptions, and images to communicate what I was picturing. Ultimately, Tim composed six different tracks, each meant to be representative of elements and regions of Distilled, while also being able to be applied to other games and themes. Because (in the future), these six tracks will be available for the world to access for free, while being labeled with the name “Distilled” to demonstrate that these are part of a curated set that you helped to bring to reality. 

Tim has composed six custom tracks for Distilled that total 60 minutes of audio goodness:

•  Distilled: Cooperage - meant to simulate what it might be like to be in a working cooperage, that crafts barrels for aging whisky. Overlayed with a nice acoustic guitar.
•  Distilled: Backwoods - a glimpse into a moonshine still operation in the Appalachian Mountains of America, accompanied by some nice guitar and banjo pickin'.
•  Distilled: Highlands - a chance to return to where it all began for whisky, in the highlands of Scotland, with an  orchestral ballad complimented by some bagpiping in the distance!
•  Distilled: Warehouse - One of my favorite parts of a distillery is the warehouse. The history and whisky sleeps amongst the barrels. You might even hear a cat's meow while sampling from the cask and enjoying the fiddle's contemplative tune. 
•  Distilled: Tranquility - a track meant to help you relax, perhaps over a sip or two of baijiu, while listening to music inspired by various regions in Asia around a crackling campfire.
•  Distilled: Tropical - a great way to enjoy a cool cocktail while listening to the sound of percussive island music and crashing waves.

Here's how it will work for you, as a backer, to download these files*: 

• If you've already paid for shipping and locked your order (that's 91% of you), you'll get an email from Backerkit and Paverson Games later today, with the title "New Digital Content for Distilled on BackerKit" 
• Once you click the link, it will take you to a portion of Backerkit that shows a downloadable zip file (it is around 500MB, so find a time and place that works to download this larger file!)
• Upon unzipping the file, you’ll see that there are is a README text file (covering much of what was written here), as well as six different tracks. There are also two other folders that contain elements of the full track, but split apart (Ambient only and Instrumental only). Tim does this for his Patreon supporters, and now you’ll have that flexibility too, in case you want to mess around with things yourself. 

*NOTE: if you are one of the 698 who haven't locked your order, you cannot access the above, and you currently will not be receiving any reward for Distilled, so make this a priority and be sure to do that here!

ANOTHER IMPORTANT NOTE: As a backer, you are receiving these files for free. Nobody else will get to download these (instead, they'll be able to stream them on Tabletop Audio in the future). Because of this, I ask that you not distribute them in any other way and keep them solely for your personal use.

So, I hope you enjoy this soundtrack, and be sure to keep an eye out for it on Tabletop Audio in the future!

Origins Prep & Travel

I know I sound like a broken record by now, but OMIGOSH ORIGINS IS HERE! Actually, it really is. I'm sending this update to you on Tuesday, June 7th, and I'll be arriving in Columbus, OH this afternoon! I'm really REALLY excited, but also really anxious. I've been spending most evenings and weekends preparing for this event over the past two months, and still don't know if I'm prepared. I think the only way that I'd feel 100% good is if all 8,060 of you could swing by my booth and give me a high-five. Can we make that happen, Distillers? ;)

 As I've covered already, there will be 28 different games of Distilled being played at Origins, throughout the week. They all sold out within a few days of going live, so I'm really excited to hear how those go. If you're playing one, be sure to snap some pics and put it on social media, or comment on here about how it went! I actually won't get to be running those game events, because I'm also running a booth!

Paverson Games got lucky with their booth placement, and we are neighbors with Mindclash and Thunderworks Games, two awesome publishing companies! I'm trying my best to make our lil' 10x10 booth look professional, but I know we have a long way to go. I tried mocking it up the other night with my tables, and my daughter took it over within 10 minutes, turning it into a newscast ;) 

 The booth isn't just about tablecloths and banners though. It is about the awesome people who are helping you throughout the con. I'll have a few heralds helping me at the booth, which I'm really excited about, as well as my brother coming up to help out, so this is truly a family affair now! To keep those people hydrated and energized, I've gotten snacks, drinks, and lots of cough drops stocked up for distribution. And remember, all Kickstarter backers get a t-shirt at cost, for only $10, so swing by to pick yours up at Origins before I run out! The booth materials continued to grow in my living room, and I was able to somehow pack the entire thing into a minivan I rented for the trip. 

Renting a minivan enabled me to pack all of the necessary equipment, but also allowed me to bring my family along for moral support! I'm actually from Ohio, so this was a great opportunity to leave a bit early and visit with relatives I haven't seen for 2.5 years, due to the pandemic. I was born in Dayton, OH and I grew up outside Columbus (in Granville, OH). While I'll be really busy at Origins, I'm  hoping to squeeze in some family reunion time at night, but we'll see how I'm feeling!

PS. I'll be posting photos and doing some live videos of Origins, all to the Paverson Games Facebook Page and to Distilled's Facebook group. Be sure to join ASAP to follow-along!

 And with that, it's the Last Call!  Although the progress chart may not look like much has changed, our 10 translation partners are nearing completion of their work, Erik is finalizing the neoprene playmat market and drink coaster designs, and we are also about to receive a white sample of our game any day now. So I think next month will be filled with lots of exciting updates! While we thought the Print 'n' Play of Distilled would ready, it's proving to be quite complex due to the number of cards, and we should have that ready next month for you instead. So, lots of exciting things bubbling up, and most importantly, ORIGINS starts tomorrow - please stop by to say hi at Booth 626!

Sláinte,

Dave Beck, Distilled Creator

Paverson Games

Prepping for ORIGINS and Say Nǐ hǎo to Whatz Games! 👋
almost 4 years ago – Wed, May 04, 2022 at 12:27:19 AM

May is probably one of my favorite months. It marks the end of another school year at my job, which usually gives way to a summer that is filled with research (i.e. designing new games!), family time, cons, and travel. I'm hoping to do all of these this summer, but I'm getting ahead of myself! You want to hear about DISTILLED! So let's get to it! In this update, I've got a few new things for you:

• and the Meeple's Choice Award goes to...
• (Short) Game Development Update 
• Prepping for ORIGINS 
• Introducing Whatz Games!

MEEPLE'S CHOICE!

Remember last month, when there was a contest over at Board Game Revolution to determine the best of the best for 2021? Some of you might have even voted (🙏). Regardless, I'm thrilled to announce that DISTILLED HAS WON BEST CAMPAIGN OF 2021!!! What fabulous news, and of course, this is largely thanks to all of you 8,000 backers for making July of 2021 one of the most memorable times of my life!

Not only did Distilled fare well, but we found ourselves amongst some amazing peers. How many of the below did you vote on, or do you own? I can't wait to play Ark Nova, which is currently sitting on the Gamenerdz hold queue for me!

Briefly, Distilled

Due to all the "business" you'll see below, there isn't as much to report for the actual game development of Distilled this month! As always, I have the latest progress chart at the end of this update, but with the files being with the translators until mid-May, things are on a bit of a pause right now. 

A few quick updates:

I've been extremely thankful of our translators, as we've had friends from Czechoslovakia, Germany, and Korea all point out grammatical/imagery errors in the rulebook that we had missed! They continue to chip away at the massive project that is Distilled, and I'm confident we'll start receiving those final print-ready files from them soon.

A week or so ago, I shared all print-ready English files with the factory, which allows them to start reviewing files for production. Due to their graphic designer being ill *and* there being lockdowns in China right now, some of that has been delayed, but I'm hopeful that they'll start reviewing things this week!

There are three final assets that still need to be completed. These are the Gametrayz insert, the neoprene playmat add-on, and the drink coasters in the Signature Blend. Bryce from Gametrayz is VERY close to finishing the insert, and we can't do much more until we have component samples in hand for him to measure with calipers and finalize the design. The playmat and coasters will be designed by Erik, and likely done after UW-Stout is finished in a few weeks, so I'm confident I'll be showing you some examples of those in the next update!

DISTILLED @ ORIGINS: JUNE 8-12 IN OHIO!

For me, 2022 is the year of toe-dipping, regarding Paverson Games' presence at cons. Spending A LOT of money on a con, to rent a booth, buy supplies, run events, organize volunteers/workers, travel, etc. is a daunting task. This is especially the case when YOU DON'T HAVE A GAME TO SELL YET! I mean, seriously, I won't likely be selling Distilled at cons until 2023, so most of the money that goes into a con will be purely for "promotion" this year. 

Because of that, I've decided to dip my toe in the water at Origins, to learn the best practices of convention-going for an indie game company. This is the only major con where I'll be having a booth this year. But that doesn't mean I'm not taking it seriously. 

For starters, I've scheduled 17 separate gaming sessions for Distilled*, of which the public can sign-up to play for free throughout the con (these will be played in the main game hall, amongst dozens (hundreds?!) of other games going on). If you're going to Origins this year, I hope you'll sign up to play Distilled, so you can get a sneak-peek of the game that will be arriving at your door in the future! Registration opens up for those games on May 21st, and it will be first-come, first-serve for all events (for Distilled, we'll be running games for up to 4 players each session). I've listed all of Distilled's session times below, to give all of you a sneak-peek (*note: these have NOT been approved yet, but I'm hopeful and confident that they will! I'll be sure to update in these comments if something changes).

But I'm not stopping there. For Origins, Paverson Games will have our very own booth on the expo hall floor, joined by a few hundred other amazing companies! I was very fortunate to get a booth in a space way beyond my price/fame range during the lottery. Paverson Games will be at booth #626, which will be around the corner from Wisconsin's own Thunderworks Games as well as directly across from one of my personal favorites, Mindclash Games! 

Of course, one doesn't simply just show up to a booth space. You have to do some thought and design into how the booth will look! After visiting the GAMA Expo and seeing the amazing booths and banners there, I've decided to invest in a few banners and tablecloths for Distilled, which arrived this past week. The banners are essentially giant aluminum frames with a lycra-type fabric that slips over it like a sock. The display is clean, and storage and transport equates to managable-sized duffle bags. 

I set them up in my living room this past weekend, to make sure everything worked and looked good. Boy am I lucky to have a vaulted ceiling in our living room, as I don't think the 10x10 banner would have fit otherwise! Special thanks to my son, the first official Paverson Games roadie, who helped me put them together :)

 I knew that I wanted the box design for the big banner, but wanted to mix it up a bit with the characters for either side of the smaller banners, and Erik helped create some simple and effective layouts. While I'll eventually want to have a "Paverson Games focused booth", it is Distilled that people will recognize right now, not Paverson Games. So it is my goal to gently introduce the Paverson Games identity over the next few years, as (hopefully!) more games are released under the title. 

 Finally, one might ask "but Dave, what the heck will you be doing at the booth?!?" Good question. While Distilled will be played in the main game hall, I'll have a copy or two of the game on hand to demo at the booth, and I'll also be doing a small amount of sales, in order to cut my teeth on the "point of sale" process that involves taking credit cards with a card swiper and handling cash with a cashbox. I want to be sure I've worked out kinks before I've got stacks of Distilled boxes to sell to all those "late to the party distillers" in 2023! 🤣

Since I won't have the physical game to sell, I'll be taking pre-orders for the non-KS version. I'll also have Distilled shot glasses for sale (if you are getting one with the Signature Blend or as an add-on, this is an early prototype of that). Finally, I've decided to have a short run of t-shirts made, and if you swing by the booth, I'll happily sell you a Distilled t-shirt at cost for just $10, as a thank you for being a Kickstarter backer! The shirts are black with two-color screen-printing on both the front and back (fancy!), and will look like the below design. And before anyone asks, while I'd love to just send them all over the world, this is going to be an in-person-only perk for our KS backers, so if you're not able to make Origins, perhaps we'll see each other at a future con!

So, if you can't tell, I'm really jazzed for Origins. I was born and raised in Ohio, so this con and location is particularly exciting for me. I'm actually renting a minivan to haul all the stuff, and driving my family down to see relatives earlier in the week. So it will be some vacation, work, and hopefully game playing, all wrapped into one! So, I really hope I get to meet some of you at Origins, so don't be shy - let's get a picture together!

Meet who's making Distilled in China!

On Monday, April 25th, I went to my local bank and wired $145,000 to China. This was simply just the deposit for manufacturing Distilled, and officially marks the first financial transaction between Paverson Games and Whatz Games, with whom we have signed a contract to manufacture Distilled! This was a very nervous, yet exciting moment for me, but I'm absolutely thrilled to be working with this company who has been communicating with me for over a year, sending me revised quotes, factory samples, and providing fantastic customer service. 

I thought it would be fun to introduce all of you to Whatz, so that you can picture how and where Distilled is being manufactured over the coming months. I've got some photos they've provided me with below, but wanted to first kick off with this awesome video from Whatz that is being publicly debuted here, as they will be featuring it on their redesigned website soon! Pro tip: be sure to have your sound on for this fun little ditty!

Whatz makes high quality games, and I've found their customer service so far to be the best out there. I'm excited to continue to provide you with updates about Whatz, which will hopefully include photos and videos they shoot for me about Distilled! Below are some professional shots they use for promotional use, but hopefully still paints a picture of how clean, professional, and BIG they are!

And with that, it's the last call! I'm very excited about next month, as we may just have a hot-out-of-the-oven, freshly-baked Print 'n' Play of Distilled ready for you! I've also asked Martin (our PnP guru) to do a little guest post as well. Cross your fingers for that, as well as some things from our Africa and Middle East expansion, artwork updates on the playmat and coasters from Erik, and final box art. But until then Distillers, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your May and I'll see you at Origins!

Sláinte,

Dave Beck, Distilled Creator 

Paverson Games

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almost 4 years ago – Fri, Apr 08, 2022 at 05:20:57 AM

Happy April, Distillers!

And OHHHH WOOOOOWWWW is this a month! I'm so excited about a few big milestones to share with you! But first, the bulleted outline, for easy reading:

• NOW LOADING...
• GAMA (recap) and Origins in June for YOU!
• Rules of the Game
•  Still Unique, Thx to You! 
• Fool me once...

PS. please plan to make it to the end of the update, as I have a favor waiting there that I'd like to ask of you!

 DISTILLED IS 99.9% COMPLETE!* 

*While I'm tempted to say "100% Complete", we all know that there is always a few tiny tweaks one needs to make in that home stretch.

What a momentous month, March has been! Erik has been preparing dozens - no, hundreds - of files to get ready for our localization partners, as well as for manufacturing (and Richard, Cody, and I have been proofing each of those as well, often times multiple back-and-forths between Erik and us, to make sure things are perfect). 

I'm now happy to say that we are pretty much FINISHED with all the files for the Distilled base game, Africa & Middle East Expansion, and KS Mini-Expansion! This has truly been a feat of epic proportions, and I take my hat off to Erik - I'm guessing this has been the largest project he's ever worked on in his life, and he has been a CHAMP about it. To see how he takes it in stride, check out what he posted a few days ago on his social media account, comparing a web comic he drew in 2003 to what he's been up to for the past month or so. As he aptly put it 'The more things change, the more they stay the same.'

 So you might now be saying to yourself: Hurray! Distilled will be showing up at my door any moment! I'm afraid not, my wonderful backer. Nor will it be there tomorrow...or next week... or next month! Remember, our estimated fulfillment date is December of this year, and that is going to be a streeeetch in itself, thanks to the pandemic, supply chain issues, current lockdowns in China, and ocean freight issues (but we're gonna still try!). This even goes for things like the Print and Play (PnP), in which you'll get the files to print and make the game on your own. This also takes time, as Martin G. (who has graciously offered to be our PnP author) will need to set all of these files up for you!

But this does begin some major new pathways for Distilled's journey towards becoming real and on your table, as it now diverges into two very important parallel paths: localization and pre-production. This month, we'll talk about localization.

Localization allows for games produced for a certain country or language to be expanded into other  cultures, countries, and languages around the world. Since Distilled was lucky enough to be picked up by TEN different companies that focus on a specific language other than English, that means that we need to figure out how to have that produced for that language. It begins with a contract between the publisher (Paverson Games, aka me) and the licensing company from another country. These agreements were handled by Michael Raftopoulos of Meeple on Board Vanguard, in which he connected me with various licensing companies and helped to draft up a contract for both parties to sign. Michael essentially acts as my agent or rep when involving these foreign language publishing companies.

This contract essentially says that - after receiving all files from me via a custom Google Drive folder I've created (which I sent them last week!) - this company will agree to translate all words in the game (on cards, boards, boxes, rules, etc.) and have a graphic designer lay out the newly translated content as well. This process takes between 45 and 60 days total, and they will then send me the final translated files, and I will print them along with the rest of the languages (including English) in the same print run. They will pay for a set price per game, which usually equals the cost of printing and a bit extra, as they are essentially buying all copies of the game and the rights to worldwide distribution in that language.  

As an example, a company may want to have 1,000 base games printed. After receiving the files from them, I'll have those 1,000 games manufactured, and then they pick them up to distribute and sell however, and wherever, they please. 

As you can imagine, if 10 different languages request 1,000 games each, we're now printing 10,000 more base games! So, while it is quite expensive to print other languages (you have to pay for what is called "plate changes" to print the same components of your game in different languages, or just do a very small print run which can be even more costly), it allows you to increase the overall quantity of games printed, thus expanding the reach of your game, worldwide! 

For instance, without the help of our localization partners, we'd likely be printing between 10,000 and 15,000 games. But now, we are looking at printing up to 30,000 copies of Distilled!

At the same time as our licensing companies are working on translations, I'm also speaking with the factory - almost daily - to move the project along, which I'll talk about in more detail next month.

It's Convention Season (sorta)!

So, the advent of spring usually marks a time of year every gamer can appreciate - the beginning of convention season! Many of the biggest cons happen during the summer months, with a few great ones sprinkled throughout the year as well. I knew that Distilled needs to make a big splash when the time comes, so I've designated 2022 as the year to dip my toes into this world as an exhibitor, in preparation for the big con push in 2023. 

I started this training by traveling to Reno, NV for GAMA Expo (Game Manufacturers Association)  in March. I was lucky enough to be invited by Funagain Distribution (formerly Hit Point Sales) as a featured game at their booth. It was an opportunity to have Distilled on display for retailers and media from around the country (and world) to visit. I was able to connect with some of the fantastic folks who helped bring Distilled to the spotlight last year, such as Alex of BoardGameCo, Devon from Quackalope, ThinkerThemer, and I even got to share a delicious whisky with Nelson from Fantasy and some Flights and meet Grant Lyon (from Grant's Game Recs), who mentioned Distilled as the runner-up for Best Theme of the expo on his channel!

Funagain is a sort of "one-stop-shop" for Distilled, as they will help fulfill the Kickstarter in North America as well as help warehouse extra games for future retail supplies. Their new distribution arm acts as a rep or agent for indie publishers like me, in which they can sit at the same table as the bigger publishers and distributors, representing dozens of lil' indies like us at Paverson Games.

 Furthermore, it was an opportunity to personally connect with friends who I've made online over the past few years. Whether that be George of Oniro who made our Kickstarter video, Sam of B.A. Games and Chris of  Stone Age Distractions - both of whom I've met via various Facebook groups like Board Game Design Lab, or Susannah from Stonemaier Games - who I knew through the Nights Around a Table discord channel, it was so wonderful to meet these folks in person for the very first time! Full disclosure: GAMA had a masks-at-all-times policy, but we removed these just for pictures.

But the fun doesn't stop there, and in fact, I'm hoping to meet YOU in June at ORIGINS GAME FAIR in Columbus, Ohio from June 8th-12th! I'll have a booth for Distilled, we'll be running game events throughout the con, and I'll even have a bit of schwag for sale (and the Distilled retail version on pre-order for all those late-to-the-party folks!). I'd absolutely love it if you'd stop by to say hi and get a pic with me. Even more, if you are interested in potentially being a part of the Paverson Games exhibit and demo team, please reach out to me via a KS message, as while we are currently working with Double Exposure to recruit folks to help, I'd love nothing more than to have some fans helping out too!

You might ask, but Dave, how does that work exactly, and what is Double Exposure? And how are you able to have people helping you in the booth and running game events? Great questions! Over the past few months, I've been hearing more and more about Double Exposure's Envoy program, and decided to sign Paverson Games up for this service to help get the word out about Distilled at conventions and friendly local game stores. Double Exposure is the brainchild of Vincent Salzillo, and is a program that supports publishers in getting their game out into the public eye, through the help of hundreds of passionate gamers who are excited about pushing the industry forward and introducing it to others. I'm working with Double Exposure for both Origins and Gen Con (no booth at Gen Con).

The way it works is simple: people like you - who are passionate about games and like to introduce and teach new games to new players - are part of this large community who is called upon for major gaming events. They are called Heralds, and these individuals get to choose specific games to teach and demo, and in return get free con passes, money towards hotel rooms, and a free copy of the game they demo or run! It is a win-win for everyone, and I'm really excited to work with Double Exposure for Distilled. If this is something that sounds interesting to you, feel free to hop over to the "request more info" page. Heck, if you're fast on the draw, you could become one of the very first Heralds for Distilled!

It's a Whopping 24-pager! 

Here's one I'm really excited to share with you - our rulebook and beginner guide is complete, and ready to share in digital form! I've included links to view and download both documents at the end of this section.

I gotta say, this thing not only reads well, but it looks fantastic! Erik has done an amazing job, and I really believe it is going to be one of the best looking rulebooks coming from a first-time indie publisher. Our rules and dev team of Cody and Richard were phenomenal with their eye for detail, and Blake's flavor text scattered throughout really allows the theme to soak into the pages.

I've done a few mockup shots below, to show off Erik's amazing work.

 The front of the rulebook reflects the game box, but we wanted to have the back serve as a quick reference guide for players at the table. This includes an icon glossary, sequence of a round, endgame scoring, and an index of common rules and sections in the rulebook.

 It was Erik's idea to have the setup page look as if it was on a wood table with whisky glasses - a perfect touch in my opinion! 

  The rulebook is TWENTY FOUR PAGES - there is a LOT to pack into this sucker, regarding information and visuals, but I think Erik has done a great job of breaking things up with imagery and visual examples from the game.

  We also wanted to be sure to teach players about the 15 amazing spirits from all around the world, that you can make in the game. So, working with Blake, we created the "Spirits of Distilled" spread, which will teach you the pronunciation and a brief fact or two about each spirit, divided by regions!

 As mentioned earlier, we also have the separate 12-page beginner's guide, that we've named First Taste, and will be found in every box of Distilled. This is meant to hold the hands of new players, especially if they don't usually play medium-weight strategy games (but they most likely enjoy a good whisky!). Designed by Cody, Richard, and I, it is a curated first-round experience, meant to be narrated by a more seasoned player (or someone who has already read all of the rules). After participating in this guided walkthrough in round 1, players are let loose to play the rest of the game on their own. 

•  View or Download the Distilled Rulebook (PDF Preview) 
•  View or Download the Distilled First Taste Beginner Guide (PDF preview) 

 Still Going... 

Remember when we passed $360,000 raised in the campaign, and unlocked this big stretch goal?

Well, the time has come to show you what we've come up with, and boy am I excited! Each player will get a different looking distillery player board (visually different, but all are identical for gameplay). It will have a unique color that will pair with that player's scoring token (see below) and also a unique still design! Heck, there might even be a distillery cat or dog living in your ol' abandoned distillery, if you're lucky ;)

 We deliberately chose different styles of stills that would both represent various cultures, regions, and methods for distillation, throughout the history of crafting spirits. We hope that you'll enjoy these fun, thematic additions towards making this a unique, top-shelf experience for you and your friends!

Distilled - Flask Edition!

Yeah, yeah, we haven't delivered the actual game you've backed yet, but who cares!?! Let's cram all 665 components into a 6 oz. flask and dump it on Kickstarter! 🤣 

 While I created this as a joke for April Fool's Day this year, I actually did get a number of people saying "ummm I'd totally buy that!". While I love the idea of a travel size Distilled, half-inch tall cards would be a recipe for disaster, I think (especially if they accidentally become soaked in whisky!). I posted this on social media, but for those who may not have seen it, I wanted to include this here 😁

A Favor...

Okay, you've made it to the end - huzzah! I have one teensy-weensy favor to ask of you! This will just take 3 minutes of your time, and help you to contribute your board game opinions to some of the "Bests" of 2021. Boardgame Revolution's annual Golden Meeple Award survey is open, and you get to have a voice by casting your votes! You might even see an opp to vote for the Best Crowdfunding Campaign or write-in for the Best New Creator ;)

And with that, another update comes to an end. I'm hoping to do some more fun reveals next month, including some things from our Africa and Middle East expansion, final box art, and potentially a behind-the-scenes look at the manufacturing process. But until then Distillers, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your April!

Sláinte,