Hey friends! This update is all about end-of-campaign housekeeping details. We'll throw a Letty photo in to try and keep things cute, but this is mostly business-stuffs. We'll try to keep it brief.

- We won't charge for shipping until closer to fulfillment (we're estimating late-summer this year)
- If you haven't already, please finalize your pledge payment before March 13th
- Once everyone's pledge payments are collected by BackerKit, we'll send out the "survey" which will capture your shipping information, and selection for artwork you may have pledged in to get.

The short story is every prototype we've made of the game, isn't a reliable model for how the final product will ship out. It's solid for generating estimates, but until we receive a "proof" or "preproduction copy" of the game, our shipping estimates will remain estimates. With that in mind, and because a large percentage of y'all are international (yay, thanks fam!) we want to get shipping right. So we will be punting collecting shipping charges until we're closer to actually shipping you the product. There are also a lot of Letty's dog-park-friends' parents that are backers. Which means we could arrange for dog-park pick-up of your pledge rewards (or "thank yous") when the product comes in. Similarly: we'll make all of those arrangements closer to when the final product arrives at our "fulfillment center." (cough Which looks vaguely similar to Mr. Nick's living room. cough cough)

We're at about 80% maybe 90% of completing all of the pledges' payments. If you haven't finalized your pledge payment, please do that before March 13th (next Wednesday). As soon as the pledge payments are collected by BackerKit, the next phase of the project can begin. You can click through this update to the campaign (from your email or wherever you're reading this) and tidy up your payment information to keep things moving along. 
 

So by Wednesday next week, March 13th, please have your pledge information up to date and paid for and then we can move on to...

We alluded to this in an earlier update, but we wanted to break it down for those of you new to crowdfunding. We'll over-simplify this part: campaign ends, pledges are collected, then the creator (us) sends out a "survey" that captures information needed to provide the "thank you" (pledge rewards) for supporting the campaign.

This will include the ability to select which illustration backers would want for their art-print, provide shipping information, and the like. Our product has simple components, so we don't expect a lot of complications with this last necessary piece, but it's smooth sailing from this last step - the "surveys" - through to getting your pledges fulfilled. It's not a complicated survey, just a question or two about preferences and shipping information (not payment for shipping, just "where is Mr. Nick sending stuff").

- We won't charge for shipping until closer to fulfillment (we're estimating late-summer this year)
- If you haven't already, please finalize your pledge payment before March 13th
- Once everyone's pledge payments are collected by BackerKit, we'll send out the "survey" which will capture your shipping information, and selection for artwork you may have pledged in to get.

That's all we have for the moment. We'll add this information to the "FAQs" as well. We also created a support inbox we'll be using for support of the campaign for any questions that aren't already in the FAQ or whatever is on your mind. That email is [email protected].

That's all for today! We've a meeting with our manufacturing partner this afternoon, so all our campaign momentum is being directed right into the printer, like lasers. Pew pew pew!

Much love,
~ The Double Bear Rolled team (& Mr. Nick)

Alright, we did it! Congratulations everyone!

Next steps look like this: we'll finalize how the Pledge Manager is setup, then we'll push hard with our manufacturing partner to get the presses rolling. For those new to crowdfunding, the Pledge Manager is how we finalize everything people will get from the campaign. We'll collect shipping information, preferences for art rewards, and a few other bits and bobs.

Campaigns I've supported typically keep their pledge managers open for about a week, and this also allows some folks to pledge late. We'll provide more details on timing and the like as we roll out the pledge manager. We want things to be smooth, clear, and this'll help keep things moving for meeting our timeline.

Today is a Letty play date, day. To shake off the last minute jitters, Letty and I went on a walk, and now we're cuddling on the couch. You'll have to forgive me for the brief and text only update. (BackerKit may have an auto-generated "campaign funded" email fire, too. We're trying to keep emails and updates to a minimum and focused on fun or essential updates.)

Gratitude and as always, much love,
~Mr. Nick 

I owed this kind of update earlier, but we were so excited, I had to convince Melissa to let me have a play date with Letty so we could go on celebratory walks (and maybe enjoy a few treats). Adventuring Letty is happening! And to all of you, regardless of your pledge level, you are a big part of making this happen! We are humbled and very grateful.

I think my intention was to have today's "24 hours to go" update really be focused on more of the design decisions that went into the game, maybe even feature a little bit about the longer roadmap for the game, and something more personal about why I'm even doing any of this game stuffs, but let's keep this one short. I'll share a few ideas with y'all.

First, crowdfunding enables us to manufacture and deliver the game to our "fulfillment center." That's what makes this whole effort - or makes the Adventuring Letty game - feel real. Melissa and I have also discussed how we can give back to our community, support education around dogs, advocate for adoption and animal services and the like. Where we've landed is to make a commitment that a big chunk of the revenue from any copies of the game sold after the conclusion of the campaign will be used to support the Chicago Animal Care and Control group - the folks who found, cared for, and facilitated Letty's adoption by Melissa. Crowdfunding gets us to the first step of having a product, and of course getting you a copy of the game to play.

Everything we do after crowdfunding will have an aspect that ensures other animals who are looking for their forever home can have the best chance at finding their persons, and living long happy lives. We're still in the early stages of sorting out the more mundane aspects of how this will work - paperwork, ensuring we do everything by the book, making sure the way our future contributions will get to the right organization, etc - boring, not fun but necessary work to ensure we're setup to support animals like Letty for the long haul. We're going to try our best. If it wasn't for these organizations, Melissa might not have met Letty, and ---well let's not even go down that route. Letty is great.

Second, let's talk stretch goals. In the beginning, we had left some ideas on the cutting room floor when it came to shaping and designing this product. Some of those things were just out of reach for the minimum order quantity we would have to manufacture, and since I was going to take deliberate approaches to this campaign, some of those ideas would have to wait. As you know we kept our pledge levels low as much of our target audience was new to crowdfunding, but we still wanted to bring a high-quality product. We're not a few folks in a garage tinkering away at a weekend project - we're looking to build out from Adventuring Letty into a wider array of games of all types and themes. We needed to ensure with this first game that we had reasonable expectations and so we didn't go total ham.

That said, if we blast upwards through 20% of our goal - maybe even 15%, I'll need to double check - some of the upgrades to the product will be possible. There's a story for another time about how tight margins are in the gaming industry - more informational than a sob story - and how even little upgrades like card quality or packaging design can have an impact on the manufacturing price. Total rabbit hole: Even changing the quantity of cards in the game, could lead to needing a deeper box, which means fewer copies of the game would fit into the shipping container, and on and on - it's less "house of cards" (ha, puns) and more of a "domino effect" to make small incremental changes. However, as I mentioned, our intention was to make as reasonable and high quality of a product as possible. If you weren't already a fan of Letty (or even Melissa or Mr. Nick) there's a good chance you were drawn into this game based on the illustrations (ha, more puns). We hope our core product will keep that good feeling going straight through to when we land the games at your doors.

So what happens if we make it significantly beyond our goal? Well we've 24 hours, less by the time I'm done editing this, left in the campaign. Let's say if we nudge up 15% past our original goal, we'll put out a poll for what kind of upgrade we should make available to everyone's pledge. No additional cost to any of the pledges, this will be a little something extra built into the final product you'll receive. It'll be something like an increase in card quality, upgraded packaging design, upgraded Letty "token" design, something along those lines. There aren't a lot of components in the game and we don't want a frivolous promise of what's possible. We've options with a slight up-tick in raised funds. Oh and that domino effect I mentioned? We'll ensure whatever options are available to this group doesn't go nuts with shipping. (We won't make a metal-box for the packaging that'll increase the weight of the game to like a backpack of treats, that'd be nuts.) (I also just said "backpack of treats" out loud, and I think she heard me, ha!)

None, and that's good news. Everything we estimated is still the estimate for delivering on this campaign. While all good news, my biggest insecurity if another container stuck in a major shipping route. Post-campaign we'll be very transparent about how the manufacturing process is going, what shipping details look like (to get to the "fulfillment center") and other key details throughout this journey. The goal is still to have Adventuring Letty in your hands before the big end-of-year holiday rush of games starts hitting your inbox. We want you to have time to play our game before your holiday purchases start taking up your game shelves.

This evening Snakes & Lattes in Chicago is hosting a "Game Designer Night" where aspiring folks like myself will bring their concepts or fleshed out products to test them out with random (unbiased) players. While we put a good 200+ hours of playtesting into Adventuring Letty, it's still fun to play - even with my bias - and watch others play. We'll have one of our demo copies of Adventuring Letty there and be making an effort to teach and play with others. If you're in the Chicago area and want to play some games, stop on by. I'll literally be the only person in an eyepatch unironically, come say hi. (But if you do, I'm going to entice you to play.)

More text than delightful imagery in this update, I'm afraid. Though, I realize if you just read that, it's probably too late, you've already gone through the text. Derp. The post-funded exhale of stress I think might be affecting me - maybe I just need a nap. And a cuddle. And if Letty could type, she'd add "and some treats, please, Mr. Nick."

Gratitude, humility, and excitement cannot be overstated. You helped make this a reality, and I appreciate you.

Much love,
~ Mr. Nick

My inboxes have been riddled with family and friends asking about which Art Prints they can choose from - the add-on that shows up as you're setting up your pledge. For simplicity's sake, that add-on only shows three pieces of art, but throughout this campaign, personal appeals, and even some of the previews, y'all have gotten glimpses at the illustrations Bea Joy Javier put together for this game. I'm a storyteller, and as you can imagine, I could type and talk about these illustrations for hours. But my words will fall short of expressing the gratitude and enthusiasm I have for Bea and the work she's done to bring Letty's everyday adventures to life in this game.

(I may also be at a point where 'adventures' has that semantic satiation - that thing where you say a word too much and then it sounds funny? But moving on...)

I'd like to share with y'all the illustrations we made for this game and briefly call out the story or details behind each. We'll actually do these in the order that Bea and I worked on them, so you'll see a little bit of how our ideas progressed. We did start with a list of cards - or scenes - that we wanted to portray. We didn't focus on any game mechanics, just how to take things that Letty does or experiences and bring them to life in Bea's illustration style. She's awesome, I'll stress that point forever, really.

Nom, Nom, Nom
As mentioned in a previous update, depending on the treat you would offer Letty, she'll run off in celebratory grandeur to enjoy the (bigger) treat. She may be getting wise to  the pattern of giving her a "big" treat before I run off to an errand. Really anything to prevent her from looking back with those "can I go with you" eyes.

Cuddles
If you have a dog, you know. For a long time Letty would share the bed with her mom, usually resting on top of her at the end of the day. Whenever Letty is touching or in contact with her mom, even while sleeping, she seems to be smiling. Those two are truly adorable. Though now, I think Letty believes the bed, the couch, my desk chair, are all hers and takes up all the space; just sprawled out like she owns the place.

Walk in the Park
Bea and I started doing illustrations for the game around Letty's winter season, so many of the reference photos and recent experiences we had was her in her "Melissa-yellow" coat enjoying the snow. (Playing in the snow has to be amongst Letty's favorite things to do.) Ever curious, ever adventurous, Letty in a city park: nailed it.

Belly Rubs
When Letty gets comfortable on the bed, on the couch, anywhere, she goes from a little snuggle bug into a "conqueror of the soft warm places!" And her first decree is usually "pet me!" She only asks for them when she's very comfortable and feeling safe. But yeah, she loves belly rubs.

Fried Egg
Every morning with her breakfast Letty gets a fried egg! I don't presume to know the science or even theory behind it, but it helps her coat - I think - stay soft? She's already a short-haired dog so it's not like she really sheds a whole lot or has a rough coat. Also, she's been getting fried eggs as long as I've known her (since 4 days after she went home with her forever friend), so maybe my frame of reference is missing. She is very vocal when that egg is cooking, she's so excited. I also hear that "Grandpa" (Melissa's dad) makes the "best fried eggs," but I can't tell if Letty's a good judge when it comes to picking one fried egg for breakfast.

Dinner Dreams
When Letty sleeps, she sometimes does that little flinching thing that dogs tend to do. I never know what she's dreaming about, but sometimes I like to think it's about food. This was all I gave Bea to go off of to create this card illustration. While cropped a little bit in this preview, this card features a fried-egg-spaceship beaming Letty down into the land of kibble and chicken amongst the fried egg mountains. So creative, and this end result is among my favorite illustrations in the game.

Tug of Rawr
This is actually the genesis of the whole game. A random afternoon in the fall, Melissa and Letty were playing with Letty's toys before her dinner time. Letty was being a bit vocal about getting food, so Melissa started playing with her by tossing her toys around. Sometimes Letty would chew at the toy - probably more to take it to say "your hands are free, it's dinner time!" - and sometimes Letty would take a toy and run off to gnaw away at its squeaker. Among Letty's favorite toys is "Mr Fox," pictured here.

Bath Time
Betrayal. Every reference photo I have of Letty related to bath time just has her dagger-to-the-heart eyes with a look of betrayal. Letty loves to roll around when she's outside playing, so you can imagine Bath Time is a very regular thing at her house. As you'll see on the campaign's page previews, too, this illustration has perfectly captured that sentiment. Letty expresses that "I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed you trapped me in the tub and got me all wet" kind of looks. But hey, then she's clean and those daily fried eggs means she's extra soft! (I think, again, I don't know about things, like, science.)

Go Get It
When Bea first put together the illustrations for "Tug of Rawr" she gave me two options. They were both awesome, so we said let's make both. The opposite perspective from the genesis of the game as well as the "Tug of Rawr" narrative, sometimes Letty gets a toy and takes off to play by herself. Say any of her keywords ("dubya," "tee-argh-ee-eh-tee," and more) and she'll forget that toy even exists. But until then, she's super happy with her Mr Fox.

Adventure Dreams
There were two "I'm sleeping" cards I wanted to build into the game. And the second one, this one, was meant to capture those times when Letty would do that little puppy park and move her legs like she was running around, somewhere. Again, I don't know what puppies dream of, but I'd like to think it's running around with their friends and family. The days when Bea and I were talking about this illustration, Letty had a run of play dates with her friend Ivy. So naturally we thought it made sense that Letty would be dreaming about Ivy, snow, and other non-descript-friends because "Ivy! Snow!" God, I love her.

Car Ride
Oh does she love car rides. I honestly can't tell if it's because she's with me (or her mom, or both of us), or just to be in the car. The prospect of jumping in the back seat and cuddling into a ball to snooze is just cuteness overload. In Chicago, even without being in the center of the city, there are a lot of lights, a lot of traffic, and things can be stop and go. When that happens, Letty typically perks up, asks politely for some windows to go down, and then smells all of the things of - well - wherever we are. She definitely can tell when we're near her home, my home, or the park.

All My Friends
I know we just had an update yesterday about Letty's friends, but that was more to talk about some of the specific dogs we've tried to bake into the game. Lani, Ivy, Letty, Saint, and Lemon were the core group of dog park friends Letty made when she first started going to the park. I didn't meet all of these dogs at the same time, but I always imagined all of them, ready for adventure - but really excited to go on an adventure together.

Pouty Puppy
Letty is more food-motivated than toy-motivated. When she does get toy motivated, she always seems to get that one toy stuck under the couch. And I don't always notice that her toy is missing. Letty lays down, tail wagging in happiness, staring at the thing she wants or me as a way to get her toy back. She does this, too, when she wants dinner early, or would rather watch animal documentaries than space exploration on the evenings we spend indoors. Actually, on that note, she pouts a lot when I put on those sci-fi shows, maybe she is just impatient for her mom to come pick her up from a play date.

Puppy Park
For this card, I expressed to Bea that I wanted to create some place where she and her friend Ivy would go and play with all of their dog park friends and make some new ones. What Bea came up with was this beautiful depiction of obvious and subtle diversions for the girls. While a bit cropped for the sake of this preview, get this: Ivy and Letty are playing in a ball pit, at a puppy park designed like a tennis ball planet, with a puppy-print footpath, jungle-gym, tennis ball fountain, and dog-bone fence! Bea's shared her creative process with me, but I'll still ask "How does she come up with these creative ideas?!" It's cause she's awesome, that's the real answer.

Neighborhood Stroll
This is my favorite illustration from the core game. Melissa takes Letty on long involved walks. cough Mr. Nick? Not so much. cough cough We typically do a few blocks around home, or a lap around the dog park. It's not far, but there are plenty of smells and things to explore. The colors of this illustration, adding of the tulips (a favorite flower), and even the butterflies, all create this composition that I'll be putting on my wall after the campaign ends. I love it. (Did you read the bit about Letty's relationship with butterflies? It's in the backer-exclusive portion of the first update, check it out.)

Head Rubs
I won't even pose to you such an obvious question. Letty. Letty's a good girl. From boops on the nose to ear scratches to head rubs, Letty loves affection. I think her mom knows of that "perfect spot" behind her ears, too. Letty'll ask me for head rubs, but when she's home with her mom, there are different satisfied grunts and kisses Letty gives her mom from head rubs that I don't seem to manage. Aww, writing all of this without Letty here with me now is making me miss that girl.

Munch, munch, munch
Similar to the "Tug of Rawr" and "Go Get It" cards, the two treat cards, this being the second, highlight Letty's behavior when offered a treat. There are these frozen duck and beef treats that she really enjoys and - if I'm being honest and hoping her mom doesn't read this - I will shower Letty with those treats. So that became the concept for this illustration! View from inside the bag of treats raining down on the best girl in the world!

Come here love
Oftentimes before a nap, Letty will do her "big stretch" as she climbs up onto the couch. Sometimes that stretch turns more into Letty teasing if she wants to play or cuddle up on the couch. In either case, it brings Letty closer, and who wouldn't want to be closer to Letty?

Up, up, up
Yes, ok, sometimes she needs extra encouragement to come hang out. And yes, also, ok, Bea made two adorable adaptations of what I was going for in this illustration and I just said "all of them, please!" I don't know if it's happy or hopeful, but inviting Letty to do anything (without saying her keywords) tends to put a smile on her face.

Template of Treats
There was a higher-end pet supply store near me that I would take Letty to after we'd go to the park. Even with her mom in tow, we would spend time at the park, maybe grab a coffee, but stop off at this store to get some Letty supplies. (Fine, I admit it, I mean "treats" but I'm going to say "supplies" so it doesn't seem like I spoil her. I realize what I just wrote, yeah.) When we would go, there was one staff member there who developed a relationship with Letty. Letty would always be happy to see her, and would obey all the right commands because she knew this staffer had a big jar of treats behind the counter. Letty would behave so well it was like she was at her place of worship. So, naturally, Bea and I tried to come up with a slightly different presentation of this card that celebrated one of Letty's favorite places.

Play Time
The Letty "token" is this two-sided card that passes between players. The one side features "Play Time" which informs players when they can play particular cards. We tried to dream up what the pose or scene would be when Letty was saying she's "ready for play time." Bea came up with this idea that Letty was mid-roll at the park, looking up at you saying any variety of "can I roll, more?" or "can I have belly rubs?" or even "no, I don't need a bath, come play!"

Nap Time
Similarly, the other side of that two-sided "token" is when Letty is tuckered out. When either of us are working from our respective homes, Letty has a very specific places, blankets, and nesting rituals to get comfy and settle down for a nap. In this illustration we used the design from her mom's "Letty-napzone-area" and the blanket from "Mr. Nick's office" to paint the picture that - hey, this girl is tuckered out and snoozing. 

That's a bit behind the illustrations that are in the game. Each of these illustrations is in the core game at differing frequencies (based on the mechanics of each card). However! Each of these illustrations will be an available option for those opting for any kind of art-related add-on or pledge. Naturally after this week when we have the pledge manager available you'll see each of these options.

We have more bits and bobs to share out this final week of the campaign. Thank you all for supporting Adventuring Letty and if you haven't already, share the campaign with your friends so they can enjoy Letty's adventures, too!

Much love,
~Mr. Nick