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Mystery Snacks May update: mystery title reveals and on track timeline!
Hello all!
I'm here with your monthly Mystery Snacks update to let you know how the project is going and give hints about the final work where I can.
This month, all writers got their first drafts in on time, I’ve had a chance to check them over and give feedback, and final draft phase is kicked off with two writers already submitting their final drafts! There’s still a couple weeks before final drafts are due and we kick off final layout, but, in the meantime, I think I can share the working titles for all the mysteries so far as a sneak peek!
Already announced in the campaign, written by Steph:
Per Diem at the Museum, an investigation into missing museum items (and a snack stand raid)
Dude, Where’s My Broom?, a magical college campus and coffee shop conundrum
Ostriches on the Loose, an exploration of farm abductions and cryptid sightings
Working titles and some keyword hints (may change since we’re still in draft phases) from stretch goal guest writers:
A Soup-er Suspicious Situation, soup, mice, and magic
Green Zines & Ham, library, cat, and supernatural
One Byte Too Many, sci-fi, androids, and ice cream
A Sharp Mind Needs a Light, bakery, tinkering, and tech
Wild Goose Chez,geese, breadcrumbs, and chaos
Everything so far is on track, and I’ll keep you updated at our next check in for June!
COMPLETED:
Feb – fund project
Mar – kick off guest writers (send guidelines, formatting + style guide)
Mar – set up pre-order store
Apr – guest writer check in
May – guest writer 1st drafts due
May – review 1st drafts
May – kick off guest writer 2nd drafts
NEXT STEPS:
June – guest writer 2nd draft due
June – kick off layout artist
July – final layout due
July – order proof (round 1)
Aug – proofs arrive, check, review update (round 1)
Mystery Snacks April update: stretch mystery hints and timeline status
Hello all!
The Mystery Snacks campaign is rolling along with guest writers on track for their first drafts! I am LOVING some of the ideas they've come up with, but I don't want to confirm titles just yet in case things change during draft revisions.
So far, I can say though, there have been ideas floating around that have touched on chaotic geese, a ghost writer, a community stew, automotons, and a circus! Like I said, these may change, but, in general, I think the current topics chosen really show a wide range of settings and mysteries, which is what I wanted to see. I'm hoping to share some tentative titles with you next time too!
For completed and next steps, here's a summary of what I'm tracking, and there's a more detailed discussion and update in the TTRPGkids Dev Log #20 on website. Basically, we're on track with the current focus being on drafts:
COMPLETED:
Feb – fund project
Mar – kick off guest writers (send guidelines, formatting + style guide)
Mar – set up pre-order store
Apr – guest writer check in
NEXT STEPS:
May – guest writer 1st drafts due
May – review 1st drafts
June – kick off guest writer 2nd drafts
June – guest writer 2nd draft due
June – kick off layout artist
July – final layout due
July – order proof (round 1)
Aug – proofs arrive, check, review update (round 1)
The Mystery Snacks campaign ended about a month ago, and since then, I've kicked off guest writers and set up the pre-order store!
Also, What if World podcast did do an episode featuring one of the original Mystery Snacks adventures! Check it out for a sneak peek at how one of these mysteries might play, and I highly recommend exploring the other What if World episodes for any kids who enjoy storytelling and games. Check out the post + episode here!
It was AWESOME seeing this hit the goal right at the end, and I am geeked to get to work with Cezar on this!
This also means that the final game will have 8 total mysteries!
Thank you all for your support during the campaign. Because of you backing the project, we are not only able to update the base game into physical format but also more than double the number of pre-made mysteries included AND hire 5 amazing writers to add their XP to the project.
To keep you updated on how we plan to get this game out to you, I have our planned timeline below, and I'll be giving updates between now and fulfillment to highlight what work has been done so far and if there's any expected changes.
Current priorities are in bold and the rest of the schedule is shown for transparency. This may change (for example, if proof copies aren't looking great, we may need to order another round OR if the first proof is good, we may be able to fulfill early), but if it does, I will let you know ASAP and explain any adjustments.
Feb – fund project
Mar – kick off guest writers (send guidelines, formatting + style guide)
Mar– set up pre-order store
Apr – guest writer check in
May – guest writer 1st drafts due
May – review 1st drafts
June – kick off guest writer 2nd drafts
June – guest writer 2nd draft due
June – kick off layout artist
July – final layout due
July – order proof (round 1)
Aug – proof arrives, check, review update (round 1)
You can expect a check in update here in late March where I'll let you know how the bold items above are going and how we're shifting into the next month.
Again, THANK YOU for backing the project and helping us to not only fund but expand on the original game. I appreciate your support, and I am excited to get Mystery Snacks into your hands soon!
We will now have 7 full pre-made mysteries in the book!
And...
We're on our way to another stretch goal on the final day!
Our fifth stretch goal is to add Cezar Capacle, creator of systems like Push and Triple-O (which is currently the #1 Zinetopia project), onto Mystery Snacks to write another scenario for the anthology!
This will probably be the last stretch goal for Mystery Snacks, unless there's a MASSIVE rush at the end, and I also think that there's a decent chance we could reach this on our last day as folks are checking out projects before they end! I would love to work with Cezar on this and bring his creativity to the project, so... fingers crossed!
Bundle highlight time!
As we get to the end, I want to just remind folks that I do have a few discounted bundles available in the campaign so you can get previous TTRPGkids projects along with Mystery Snacks.
There's a digital bundle for $50 and a physical + digital bundle for $115 that gets you this game and 6 other books/games. It also includes the voice actor narrated click-to-choose slides for A Construct's Nature in addition to the book.
And... my next update for you will be tomorrow! I may have a quick update in the morning depending on how the campaign is going (and how many Backerkit-generated emails I see the platform sending out between now and then), and I will DEFINITELY post an update after the campaign closes so I can go over final results and let you know when you'll be getting status updates between now and fulfillment.
As always, THANK YOU for helping to make this project happen and finding interest in the work, and... happy gaming!!
FINAL DAYS! $6 from stretch goal, tier highlight, poll results
Hi all!
We are in the FINAL DAYS of the Mystery Snacks campaign!
And we're $6 from a stretch goal!
The number has booped up and down around this goal over the past couple days as backers come and go, which means that joining now or reserving an add-on for your existing pledge can have a big impact on the project and make sure that this stretch goal is securely funded.
If we reach this goal, we'll also see if we're able to do a final push to hit stretch goal #5 and bring Cezar Capacle (who is also running a Backerkit campaign, Triple-O) to the Mystery Snacks team too!
Poll results are in, and you've chosen chaos!
It was close, but ultimately, mischief won out! When I make my collab 1-pager, it will be focusing on our goblins finding funky ingredients and trying to mess with the humans.
Speaking of cooking up trouble, I want to highlight one of the big tiers for the campaign....
Cook up a mystery with me!
If someone backs this tier, it will add a whole new mystery to the zine FOR EVERYONE, and I'll meet with that person to discuss what it is they want the mystery to be about!
If you have an idea for a caper but aren't sure how to make it happen, want to make your mark on the project in a big way, or think it would be cool to chat and brainstorm ideas, make sure to check this out before the campaign ends! This tier will not be available as part of the pre-launch shop, so now is your only chance to (cook)book it!
With that, I'm planning on having updates for you tomorrow and Friday as we run the final sprint, and thank you for all the support in this project so far! I cannot wait to make an awesome game for you all!
Made to capture cozy, silly, and exciting mystery novel and Saturday morning cartoon vibes, Mystery Snacks gives you all the ingredients needed to set up and solve a satisfying enigma with your tabletop RPG group!
This game will come in both PDF and zine booklet formats with a small section covering optional mystery solving mechanics followed by system agnostic adventures (with just a dash of a fun food twist).
All mysteries are all-ages friendly and span from a museum caper to a cryptid quest to chaos on a magical college campus... with more to come if stretch goals fund.
Layout is designed to reflect that of a cookbook, the titular format for quickly looking up ingredients and methods mid-action, so you can easily find what you need while running a game and can keep the flow rolling.
Check out our partner project too! If you back both Mystery Snacks AN One Page TTRPG Bundle during the funding period, you'll get a bonus 1-page TTRPG from us each!
There's many bonuses to be had (early bird + collab + Zinetopia event), so stay tuned for more details on what other ways you can get extras!
Sign up for Mystery Snacks today today to prepare for l(a)unch and get a bonus recipe for a chocolate, almond, conconut biscotti (that pairs well with a particular mystery)!
