As we build up to the final stand of The Big Squeeze on BackerKit, we wanted to share a quick look at where the project stands, what will happen post-campaign, and what still needs to happen before going to print.
What Happens After the Campaign?
The biggest creative ingredients of The Big Squeeze are already in place: gameplay design is complete, art is complete, core components are ready, and manufacturing/fulfillment planning is well underway. All remaining work is final polishing and production preparation. Many of these early steps are concurrent.
Stretch Goal and Mini-Expansion tuning + final base game balance passes
UI/UXupdates: Another accessibility pass for cards, boards and rules.
Pledge Manager setup for name, and address and shipping collection
Final quote and print file creation
Manufacturing: this part takes the longest, typically 4+ months.
Freight, AKA your game drifting across the ocean to you. The closer we get to the date, the easier it is to predict how long this phase takes.
Shipping the games to your place!
In other words: thanks to backers like you, The Big Squeeze is happening! So the next stage is ensuring the final version is as clean, accessible, fun and production-ready as possible before it's time to print. Our current goal is still February fulfillment, and we'll update you as we move through each step so you're not left guessing. We love some fun and suspense... but when it comes to shipping, we're aiming for the most predictable fulfillment news possible.
Introducing the Digital Rindfall Registry
Surprise! We've decided to host a digital Rindfall Registry as just one extra thank-you to all of you bringing The Big Squeeze to life on BackerKit.
While we collect names in the Pledge Manager, each backer will have the option to opt into the official Rindfall town registry, with a reasonable name or username of their choice. This registry will be live on our website and in online versions of the rulebook as part of the official history of Rindfall.
The names on the Collector's Edition sleeve remain their own special physical reward for qualifying backers. But regardless of tier, we wanted to ensure you had a chance to prove to your friends you were here from the start!
Character Highlight: Carol Johnson
As promised, it's time for our final character highlight from the Lemonade Stand-Off. Here it is:
Carol has dealt with her fair share of lemons in life. She was beginning a career swap into something she was passionate about — becoming a rescue pilot — when her family at Johnson Farms called her back home instead. They needed her (and her airplane) for crop dusting to help the lemon grove. Then they needed her to repair the lemon spinner. Then they needed her plane engine to replace their machinery...
Carol's plane has been in disrepair for years now, but she still has the goggles.
The rumors started during The Second-Greatest Rinddale Heat Wave. A batch of parachute-wrapped lemonade had mysteriously appeared in the town square, rescuing dozens of townsfolk from the heat. Since everyone only knew one parachute owner, people began whispering that Carol was secretly 'the Santa of Rinddale'. Despite a broken airplane, word around town spread that she flew around at night, delivering lemon-aid to any good children who left seeds on their windowsill.
Lemon-Aid has everything you need! Assuming you just need lemonade.
It wasn't long until Carol signed up for The Big Squeeze festival, stating a desire to put some earnings towards repairing her airplane. Maybe she wanted to further help the farm, or live up to the rumors in town. Or maybe she's planning to recapture the dream she lost. But this year has some tough competition, and as a mere pilot / tree-planter / lemon spinner / sales rep / machinist / engineer, Carol has quite the challenge ahead of her. Let's hope she's secretly a mixologist too!
Of course she is.
Carol specializes in increasing lemon production, at first! But after the flip, her horizons expand. While she can certainly grow armfuls of lemons, her true power is reliably completing wasteland bounties no matter what hand she's dealt. While she can sometimes struggle to gather non-lemon resources, Carol's ability to fly over opponents when taking occupied spaces — and her built-in ability to stash ingredients — means you can never count her out of the race to victory!
Small Town Vibes or Scrappy Sanctuary?
You may have noticed that the characters in The Big Squeeze aren't necessarily having a bad time after the apocalypse. Some are worse off, while others are actually thriving.
What about you? Would you do prefer the structured and peaceful small town of Rinddale, or the ragtag community and adventure of post-apocalyptic Rindfall?
Thank you for standing against the apocalypse with us, as always!
Warm regards, AC Atienza PS: If you've been following along but haven't pledged yet, we're now in the final few days before the campaign ends on June 2. If you'd like to unlock one more character from the final stretch goal, now is the time to jump in!
