Tak: The Final Day, Final Questions, and Final Announcements

We’re in the final hours of the Tak Kickstarter.

As I write this, our total stands at a staggering $1,100,000, and we’re so close to 10,000 backers that I can taste it.

Thursday night(It tastes like sweat and peppermint, if you were wondering.)

Almost immediately after I posted up the Tak FAQ earlier this week, I started thinking of other questions I wish I’d answered. So I’m going to do those now.

  • How much time is left?

The kickstarter ends TODAY (Friday the 20th) at 8:00 PM PST. That’s 10:00 Central. Or 11:00 if you’re in New York.

So odds are there’s only hours left if you’re reading this.

Here’s a link if you’d like to jump over and back it right away.

  • AAAAHHHH!!! Some of us don’t have credit cards, and Kickstarter doesn’t take Paypal! I know I can buy the game later, but I want to buy it sooner. And some stuff is kickstarter exclusive, it sucks that I’m going to miss that!

[Edit: We can’t take Kickstarter orders anymore, but we now have the pre-orders up for sale in The Tinker’s Packs, so you can order them there.]

Ah hell. I’m so sorry. I thought we’d already set something up to fix this. I’ve been doing a lot of things lately in addition to the kickstarter, and I’m guessing this is one of the things that slipped through the cracks.

Here’s what you can do. Email us. We’ll take your order as if you were part of the kickstarter, except we’ll let you pay with paypal. That way you can grab the kickstarter-exclusive stuff like Devi’s the double-sided Devi’s Board…

1a5e006cecaa06cf2593880636d5887a_original

…or the full-blown Devi’s box with the Bloodwood pieces. You’ll also be able to order the stuff that isn’t going to show up in game stores, like the cloth board, the travel set, the Arcanist’s board, Crazy Martin’s piece set, etc etc.

Does that sound fair?

  • How cool is it that you broke a million dollars?

I’m not going to lie. It’s pretty cool.

But the truth is, the thing I’m most excited about is how much people are enjoying the game. I’m excited because y’all are excited.

But it’s also fun to be number 1.

Screenshot_2016-05-19-20-31-27(Courtesy of Kicktraq)

  • Do you have any more stretch goals lined up?

First off, you can get the best, most detailed information about the stretch goals over in the kickstarter itself. A lot of them have been unlocked, and it’s really leveled up the content and quality of the hardcover companion book that’s part of most of the backer levels. There will be a lot of information about the culture that surrounds Tak. How it evolved through the history of Temerant, and how it’s played in different parts of the world.

But do we have any more big stretch goals we’re looking to spring on you right at the end? No. We really don’t. James and I decided early on that we didn’t want to constantly dangle carrots in front of you like that. We just wanted to make a good, quality game, and let you come in and buy it.

That said, once it became pretty clear we were going to hit $1,000,000, we decided to add some things to the Classic Set to let you know we appreciate you. A bit of a present to thank you for helping to get us here.

Some of the Bonuses:

1. Everyone who comes in at the Merchant level or Higher will get an extra, kickstarter-exclusive capstone.

Right now, we’re calling it the Royal Capstone. It will be from Renere, and it will be a different shape, shade, and possibly a different wood than the other capstones.

There will be more in the companion book about the culture surrounding capstones. But one of the big upshots is that what you pick for your capstone is a matter of personal pride. People have special capstones made, or they play a certain capstone to indicate a political orientation or show that they’re from a cerain culture. It’s not uncommon to collect them, or win/lose them when you’re playing a game.

And there’s no small amount of personal flair involved, too.

2. Something secret.

I’m not allowed to talk about yet because we haven’t worked out the details. But I’m hoping it will work out. And it will be cool. Just trust me. Seriously.

Edit: I just confirmed with James that we can do the Secret thing. And that thing is that we’ll be including rules for a Tak predecessor game that *I* came up with on my very own. It won’t be as elegant a game as Tak, but I’m honestly proud of how the gameplay works as a historical precursor to Tak.

So Yeah. We’re doing that thing.

3. We’re making the gameboard in the Classic Set double-sided.

This is more expensive as it requires extra printing costs and extra art. But we’re springing for it. One side will be the relatively simple tavern board, while the other will be more ornate, decorated with selas vines and flowers.

“But Pat!” I hear you cry. “How can you possibly have Selas flowers on the board? Aren’t they fictional? Haven’t people been asking you what they look like for years, only to receive frustrating and vague replies?”

Well, yes. All of that is true. I’ve tried to come up with a good representation of the Selas flower for years and failed for many reasons.

But that was before chatting with the fabulous Echo Chernik.

Selas(She did this.)

I want to say that she pulled this out of my head. But that’s giving me more credit than I deserve. I didn’t have anything this cool in my head. This is a perfect version of the selas that lives in my heart. I’m so happy to finally see it.

So. Yeah. Even though you didn’t know, the game you already backed just got cooler in a couple different ways.

  • EEEE! I don’t have the money to back the kickstarter right now! I don’t get paid for another week!

I’ve heard this from more than a few people. For some folks it’s the end of the semester. For others it’s just a tight time between paychecks.

But here’s a potential way around the problem. If you don’t have the money now, you can back the kickstarter at the $5 level. Then, in three weeks when the pledge manager comes out, you can add what you’d like to buy to your order.

Yes. Even the kickstarter exclusive things. Easy peasy.

  • Are you going to make an App for Tak?

Probably not.

We considered it. But creating a *good* app would cost a lot of money. And, generally speaking, people don’t pay for apps these days. That’s a bad combination. So we decided to just focus on making the game itself available.

What’s more, there’s such joy to be had sitting down and experiencing a game with another human being.

Don’t get me wrong. I love video games. I’ve played apps. They’re convenient and fun.

But they’re also solitary. I really want people to be able to sit down and enjoy this game with a friend. To talk and laugh. To feel the pieces in their hands and hear the sound of the pieces as they touch the board. To look at someone’s face.

It’s easy to forget it these days, but we are physical creatures. It is good for us to exist in the physical world sometimes. There is much joy to be had here, and that’s where I think this game really belongs.

*     *    *

That’s all for today, folks. Thanks for coming on this ride with us.

Last chance to click over to the kickstarter before time runs out….

Be good to each other,

pat

This entry was posted in cool things, FAQ, gaming. By Pat25 Responses

25 Comments

  1. Joppe54
    Posted May 20, 2016 at 6:03 AM | Permalink

    Will the set become available in the Netherlands after the kickstarter ends? Really hyped,.

    • Posted May 20, 2016 at 1:12 PM | Permalink

      Certain pieces of the kickstarter are *only* going to be produced for the kickstarter. Like Devi’s Board and Box.

      Other things probably won’t get turned into products that show up in game stores. Things like the cloth board and the traveling set.

      After the kickstarter is fulfilled, other stores will probably be carrying the Classic Set. But I’m not sure if there will be a version getting produced in your particular country. Which means that you’ll probably have to find a store here in the US to order it, and then you’ll still have to pay to get it shipped out to you….

  2. Kimberlyand
    Posted May 20, 2016 at 9:38 AM | Permalink

    The Selas flower is exactly how I would have imagined it, if I were creative enough. It’s perfect!

  3. MrPensees
    Posted May 20, 2016 at 1:27 PM | Permalink

    I’m so excited that I got to back this! I back every kickstarter that you’re a part of, but this is my favorite. After I backed it I text messaged my boyfriend and told him that he has to learn a game with me. My best friend is really excited for it too! Watching you and Amanda play got me even more excited. Thanks for letting us deeper into your world <3

  4. Holmelund
    Posted May 20, 2016 at 1:38 PM | Permalink

    I really wanted to buy the 65$lvl pledge, but after shipping and toll its a 170$ pledge total. I simple cant justify that to my wife :(

  5. Claudio Yanez
    Posted May 20, 2016 at 2:14 PM | Permalink

    Oh, thanks for this post. I don’t have a credit card, so I could only use Paypal, and by ordering via email I was able to back Tak (heh, back Tak).
    Sadly, and just like Holmelund, I wanted the $65 pledge, but shipping is so high. I wonder if there are any lucky people who ordered a Tak board here in Chile.

    • Posted May 20, 2016 at 4:04 PM | Permalink

      I’ll mention to you (And Homelund above) that I addressed this in the preveious FAQ.

      If you can find a friend or two and make your order together, you can save a lot on shipping by bundling your orders into a single package….

  6. MrPensees
    Posted May 20, 2016 at 3:24 PM | Permalink

    Can someone verify the upgrade timeline that I have in my head? I want to save up to upgrade to Devi’s box. I have until approximately July 10th to save up the difference in cost, yes?

    • Posted May 20, 2016 at 4:06 PM | Permalink

      That sounds about right to me, but you probably want to confirm that by asking James directly over on the kickstarter….

  7. chrishikes
    Posted May 20, 2016 at 5:31 PM | Permalink

    I was the 10,000th backer!!
    http://postimg.org/image/4ces7t45d/
    http://postimg.org/image/4tidd7lfl/

    So thrilled to push this incredible game over a huge milestone. I’ve been playtesting with a friend for 2 months now, and it just doesn’t get old (and yet it feels centuries old…). Congrats!

  8. Adriene
    Posted May 20, 2016 at 5:36 PM | Permalink

    Can’t wait to play Tak! Just wondering if the Twitch video of Pat and Amanda playing Tak will be moved to a YouTube channel so it doesn’t disappear? It would be helpful to refer back to it later for the rules…

    • Posted May 20, 2016 at 6:55 PM | Permalink

      It will be. Though we’ll probably break it up into two videos….

  9. Twitch
    Posted May 20, 2016 at 6:45 PM | Permalink

    Pat, maybe I missed it, but can you list the number of pieces used for each size game? I figured out 44 for the 5×5 (21 for each player and a capstone) and 62 for the 6×6 (30 + capstone), but how many for the bigger 7 and 8 square games respectively? Thanks so much for the awesome game!

    • Posted May 20, 2016 at 6:56 PM | Permalink

      All the rules are over at Cheapass games’ website.

      • Twitch
        Posted May 20, 2016 at 7:10 PM | Permalink

        Yep I just missed it. Thanks!

  10. John
    Posted May 21, 2016 at 3:18 PM | Permalink

    Hi Pat!

    So the other beta testers may hang me for this, buuuuut. 2 things
    1) Tak has a subreddit (no surprise there. Heck, my dog has his own subreddit)
    2) We made a beta app. It works, its not published. It may never be published, but a small subset of the tak community beat you to it and made an app version of the game.

    • thefourthphilosopher
      Posted May 21, 2016 at 8:59 PM | Permalink

      Oooo can I try it??

  11. thefourthphilosopher
    Posted May 21, 2016 at 8:58 PM | Permalink

    So excited to get the moneylender’s pack!!

    If you read these comments, I have a super great suggestion; an app. I know it would be kind of difficult because the pieces also have a height factor to them that needs to be easily accessible when playing, but not all of us have easy access to other humans willing to play. An app would be a really cool thing to create in the future! And I’m sure there will be third party apps, but why not make your own to beat those ones out? Make it cost like 4-5$ or something and maybe send a code to get it for free to people who were in the Kickstarter?

    Can’t wait to play on Devi’s board!!

    Ps: Like a blind idiot, I scrolled all the way to the bottom of the page without realizing that the blog was set to scroll. I haven’t actually visited your blog in like two months…. So you’ll see an identical comment on a blog post from February… Heh

  12. EricMaGo
    Posted May 22, 2016 at 1:59 PM | Permalink

    Any idea when TAK will return to be on sale ?

  13. Posted May 23, 2016 at 3:45 PM | Permalink

    Ah, a Selas flower visual. I can finally sleep at night!

  14. AlPik
    Posted May 24, 2016 at 2:36 PM | Permalink

    So, if one has not yet backed the Tak Kickstarter, is the chance of getting any Kickstarter exclusive items over?

  15. arachnid
    Posted May 25, 2016 at 11:15 AM | Permalink

    I’ve been spending a lot of time on playtak.com, and I love the fact that the game is developing its own terminology. Recently “Tinue” (as in “road to Tinue”) has emerged as the term for an inevitable win (at least with roads); previously the term was the somewhat derivative “takmate”.

  16. Jfalgate
    Posted June 12, 2016 at 3:42 PM | Permalink

    I’ve fluffed it! Totally missed the end of the KickStarter! What is the time frame to have a board in the shops?

Post a Comment

Your email is never published nor shared. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • RSS info

  • Visit Worldbuilders!

  • Our Store

  • Previous Posts

  • Archives



  • Bookmark this Blog!

    (IE and Firefox users only - Safari users, click Command-D)