Hi all-
All the files were delivered to the printers today. It'll take a few weeks for them to set it all up. Next, I'll be sent a proof. This will let me check that all the cards are set correctly and things like the plastic cards line up correctly.  

Once all the files are approved, it should take around seven weeks to manufacture. From there, it'll spend another six to eight weeks on a ship getting to the US. Once I know they are shipping, I will send out the backer survey that will let you tell me your shipping address, pay for shipping, and include any add ons. 

I plan to get the print and play files completed in the next few weeks and send those to backers. Also, anyone who backed in the first 48 hours will be receiving their secret communique from The Establishment.

So lots of great things to look forward to. Thank you again for helping make this a reality!

Hi all-
It's been a while since my last update, but I wanted to let you know that I've been busy. Our artist has sent over all the final artwork and I've placed all our new influencers into the game. This also opened up the ability to reuse some of the previous artwork to create the sixth faction. So I have been doing a lot of layout work in putting all the influencers in, making sure I get the counts right, and have all the cards proper. I'm going to send them over to the editor to double-check all the content by the end of the week.

In the meantime, I'm just finishing up getting all the storyteller level rewards in there. If you still owe me your piece of the story please send it as soon as possible because once the files go to the printer, I won't be able to make any changes. My hope is to finish all of that by next week and get the cards to the editor and off for proofreading. 

The next step will be compiling everything for the printer. I'll keep you posted!

Hi everyone,
Just a quick update to let you know where we stand. I've finally finished the fourth storyline which focuses on the government set up on Ceres. The document is off to the editors for review. Once I get it back, then I can put it into the card layout and make any final edits for the length and clarity.

I have a few more Storyteller level people that I still need to hear from. If you haven't gotten back to me about what you'd like to see in the stories, let me know. I've worked quite a few into the fourth storyline, but now I'm going back and tweaking some of the older storylines to fit in the Backer's ideas.

Clarissa, our artist, is nearly done with all the portraits for the cards. It's taking a little time going back and forth with the Backers to make sure it's to their liking. In between tweaking storylines, I'll be placing those portraits into their correct factions.

I anticipate that I should have this done in the next 2-3 weeks, so expect an update near the end of February.

Thanks again for your support!
- Amanda

Happy New Year everyone!  We've got an incredible start on the additional art that will go into the game. I'm including three of the newest members of the secret cabal in this post. 

I'm also about halfway through creating the 4th storyline. I had the bones of it from a storyline I started during playtesting and never finished. So now it's about working out the details and adding in some bonus content, including information from our Storyteller backers.

As always, I'll keep you updated on the progress, especially when I think everything might be ready for the printers. That will be a huge milestone!

Hi all-
In working on getting the survey ready, I discovered it would actually be better to wait to send it out, mostly due to shipping.

I will be offering a local pick up for anyone who would like to get it from me and to avoid the shipping cost. We will be having a launch party at our local friendly game store, The Adventurer's Guild. I can also bring copies to some of the cons that I visit for distribution there.

However, for those who won't be able to arrange a pickup, there will be a shipping charge. This was noted in the pledge level, although its often missed. So for two main reasons, I want to wait on getting the survey's out. 1. I don't want to add an extra cost this close to the holidays. 2. I'd rather wait closer to actual shipping so that I can better estimate the cost.  Likely the cost will be $8 for US and $18 for elsewhere, but who knows what could happen in the next few months to change that.

If you have any questions on that, please feel free to comment here for any clarification.

I also wanted to share some progress. I've received responses from most (but not all!) of the backers who are adding content to the game. Our artist, Clarissa, is working on a few of the portraits now. I'll be happy to share once we have some drafts.

In the meantime, I've been working on the fourth storyline. Without giving too much away, the image below is the starting point for the branching storylines. It's going to have an establishing government angle since that was the most popular option back in the poll. Also there will probably be plenty of ideas to gather this upcoming year being an election year in the US.

Thank you again for backing. Looking forward to keeping you updated on the progress.
- Manda

Hi everyone,
Backerkit is wrapping up the payment processing on their end either today or tomorrow. That will give me a final list of everyone who successfully backed the project. 

My next step is to finalize the backer survey. This'll collect vital information for me to continue the process. I need to complete the setup and have it go through a review process with Backerkit. Once they give their go ahead, we do a smoke test. This means the survey is sent to a few people to make sure it works how we anticipate. Once everything is good, the survey will go out to everyone.

I'll be reaching out to those who backed the upper levels starting this week to gather photographs. So look out for a communication from me on that and start gathering your images.

I'll keep you all updated as things progress, so you know the project is on target.  Thank you again!

Thank you to all the awesome backers that made this campaign a success. It officially closed in the middle of the night yesterday with $8,7161. That's nearly $2,000 more than our original goal, and includes three stretch goals.

You should all be getting an email soon (if not already) from Backerkit that the campaign has ended and reached its funding goal. At this time, Backerkit will be charging the credit card that you entered to collect the funding. 

The next steps are that in a few weeks, I will send out a survey to everyone to collect information needed to fulfill your pledge. This will give me important information like where to ship or if you'll be picking up locally. You'll also have the option to add-on anything you might have missed during the campaign.

I'll be reaching out to those who backed the higher-end pledges to get some photographs so we can get our artist working on your illustrations. I will also need to work with all those who chose Storyteller level to get their choice into the game. From there I can wrap up the game and get it sent out for production. I will keep you posted every step of the way.

Stay tuned for more information soon. Thank you again for your support!
- Manda

I've received some questions about how to add the playmat to the game. At first, I was going to wait until the pledge manager but received some advice it might help to add it now. It also will give me a better idea on how many I'll need to order.

There is now a Playmat add on available. You can modify your pledge to include the playmat if you know you want it. Thanks all for bearing with me while I do my very first crowdfunding campaign.

- Manda

Well we did it! We hit $8,000 which means we'll be adding a fourth storyline to the game. Vote on the poll to voice what you'd like to see, or leave a comment with your suggestions.

The Establishment includes all sort of references to real life events that happened in the past as well as some popular conspiracy theories. I'd love to hear your suggestions so that I can incorporate them into an all new storyline.

Also remember there are still Storyteller level pledges available if you'd like to name something in the storyline. It can be a person, place or event. I'll work with you to weave it into the game for everyone to enjoy. You can upgrade your level on Backerkit if you're already a backer, or if you haven't joined us yet this might be the perfect level for you.

Can't wait to see where these next few days take us!

We've reached over $7,500 which means we made our first stretch goal of adding play mats! We're only $225 away from our next goal of adding a fourth storyline. This storyline will be added to all copies of the game. It'll allow you to mix up which three storylines you choose, adding replayability to the game. 

As always thank you for sharing and spreading the word about The Establishment!

One week left to go and we’re announcing our stretch goals!

If we reach $7,500, we will unlock a playmat as an add-on product. Unfortunately, the cost of production will not allow us to include playmats at no cost, but we heard your desire and will add it as an add-on option for $15. 

At $8,000 in pledged funding, a new storyline will be included. This will bring the total number of storylines in the game to four, which means more potential combinations and increasing replayability. 

At $8,250, a completely new faction will be added to The Establishment. This faction can be used in place of any of the original five or could be used to add up to 6 players in the game.

Thank you all for sharing information about The Establishment and for backing the game!

-Manda

We did it! You all helped me reach my goal of $7,000! 

With 10 days to go, we can keep building The Establishment. I’ve decided to add stretch goals to encourage more backers. A few days ago, I asked you which stretch goals you wanted to come to the campaign. Playmats was the number one answer, followed by more storylines, premium cards, and finally more factions. The poll is still open if you'd like to vote.

Keep your eyes on the project in the next few days for more information about the stretch goals.

Thank you all for sharing information about The Establishment and for backing the game!

-Manda