Preorder Oceans, the next game in the Evolution series, here! You'll receive all unlocked stretch goals from the game's Kickstarter campaign, including $39 of content that won't be in the retail version. In addition, you can purchase any of the campaign's add-ons, some of which won't be available after the preorder period closes (on August 5)
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Timeline Update & First Video Play Throughs
over 4 years ago
– Fri, Dec 20, 2019 at 01:53:52 AM
Timelines
Things are moving forward. Please look below to get an update for your region... but first, a few videos that you might want to check out.
Man Vs Meeple - Live Play Through
Watch Jeremy, David, and Ryan play an entire game of Oceans in 45 minutes, and talk about their impressions as they play.
Game Boy Geek - First Impression
Dan played Oceans at PAX Unplugged and posted his first impression of the experience.
Please be Patient
Nick Bentley will be leaving North Star Games at the end of this year. He's been working extra hard to get all of the spreadsheets to Gamerati before he leaves. I have been given 24 spreadsheets of information that I hope to never need to look at. A big, BIG thanks to Nick for doing that! Starting in January, I will be taking over his responsibilities, What does this mean to you? Hopefully nothing. I just ask for your patience on two accounts: please do not message me about your game until after the "start worrying" date. And if you do have to send a message, please be patient as I try and get to you. Thanks!
----- TIMELINES -----
English copies to North America
The timeline from the last update is still correct. I expect the majority of games to arrive between December 26th and January 15th. One of the containers was offloaded at Gamerati yesterday and another container was being offloaded today. Orders should start going out tomorrow (Friday 20th), and continue going out every day until January 10th.
"Start Worrying" Date: January 22nd
English copies to Other Countries
English copies going to Germany, France, Italy, or Spain will be delivered by the partner for that country at the same time as they ship their games.
English copies going to any other country will be shipped by VFI. Games are being put on pallets today and should ship to VFI tomorrow or early next week.
"Start Worrying" Date: to be determined
German copies to Germany
The games left the port in China on Monday December 16th. I do not yet know when they will arrive in Germany.
"Start Worrying" Date: to be determined
French copies to France
The games have been printed, and the manufacturer (as of Monday 16th) is waiting for an address so they can ship the games.
"Start Worrying" Date: to be determined
Italian copies to Italy
The games have been printed, and the manufacturer has been given the address of the forwarder. As of Monday the 16th, the manufacturer was in the process of setting up the shipment.
"Start Worrying" Date: to be determined
Spanish copies to Spain
The games have been printed, and the manufacturer (as of Monday 16th) is waiting for an address so they can ship the games.
"Start Worrying" Date: to be determined
German, French, Italian, and Spanish copies to other countries
These games will be shipped by VFI. Games are being put on pallets today and should ship to VFI tomorrow or early next week.
"Start Worrying" Date: to be determined
------------- -------------
PAX Unplugged
The response to Oceans at PAX Unplugged was fantastic. Here are a few posts about people's experience with the game:
Anna-Maria & Kiki from Girls Game Shelf Network and Paula Deming from Things Get Dicey
My first game of the show was with Mandi, Dan King, and Paula.
Evolution was also featured on Science Friday while we were at PAX. This lead to Science News and Science Magazine reaching out to me to cover Oceans. I'm excited about that.
I can't wait to hear from all of you once you've had a chance to play.
~ Dominic Crapuchettes, founder of North Star Games & co-designer of Oceans
Timeline Update
over 4 years ago
– Tue, Nov 26, 2019 at 01:33:31 AM
First, A Quick Favor...
We will be demoing Oceans at PAX Unplugged. Please click on this link to the BoardGameGeek.com and click on the green thumb next to Oceans. This will help bring attention to our little project baby. Thanks!
English copies to North America
English games will be leaving for the fulfillment company tomorrow (November 26th). They will arrive in Seattle on December 12th and (hopefully) start shipping from Gamerati by December 20th.
English copies to Other Countries
English copies going to Germany, France, Italy, or Spain will be delivered by the partner for that country at the same time as they ship their games.
English copies going to any other country will be shipped by VFI. I will post an update when I get more information about the timeline.
German copies to Germany
The games were finished being collated at the manufacturers yesterday (November 24th). I will post an update when I have information about when the games will leave the port in China.
French copies to France
The games will be collated at the manufacturers by December 5th. I will post an update when I have information about when the games will leave the port in China.
Italian copies to Italy
The games will be collated at the manufacturers by December 10th. I will post an update when I have information about when the games will leave the port in China.
Spanish copies to Spain
The games will be collated at the manufacturers by December 20th. I will post an update when I have information about when the games will leave the port in China.
German, French, Italian, and Spanish copies to other countries
These games will be shipped by VFI. I will post an update when I have information about their timeline, but it will be after the games are finished being collated (see above).
We received production copies of the French and German editions last week.
Address Changes
If you have an address chance, reach out to Nick with a BackerKit support ticket as soon as possible. Thanks!
Nick will give the addresses to the fulfilment companies 3 days before they get the games. Once that happens, it will be too late to change your address.
Too Late for Order Changes
Please do not send an email or a BackerKit support ticket asking to change your order. It's too late to change your order and responding to these request takes our focus away from moving the process forward. Thanks!
Rob Dougherty, Debbie, and Katie (from White Wizard Games) playing Oceans at BGG.CON. I met Rob years ago when I played pro Magic.
Tabletop Network & BGG.CON
Oceans was in hot demand at Tabletop Network and BGG.CON. Every time I played, someone asked about where to get the game. I've never designed a game with such great response. It's exciting. I was recently informed that it will be on my favorite reviewer's list of most anticipated games in 2020. I was floating on clouds that entire day.
Talk on Game Design
My talk at Tabletop Network went well. It was about translating real-world systems into a fun game. I broke down the process into 3 things:
Focusing on the Fun
Game Architecture
Game Balance.
Here is a link to the slides if anyone is interested. An audio recording of the talk should be available soon. Thanks for reading!
~ Dominic Crapuchettes, founder of North Star Games & co-designer of Oceans
Timeline for non North American games
over 4 years ago
– Sat, Nov 16, 2019 at 02:24:51 AM
Apologies
I should not have told you to reach out to our partner publishers. That made many of our backers think I was not taking responsibility for their games. I'm also sure our partners don't want to get flooded with a bunch of emails.
I added the section about the non- North American games at the last minute, trying to address the questions that I expected non North American backers to post. I should have thought it through before pushing send. There is a balance that needs to be found between doing things efficiently, and doing things right. In this case, I accidentally fell on the side of doing things quickly instead of doing things right.
The Next Update
I will post another update when I know something about the timeline for non North American games. Here is what I have gathered so far:
It sounds like most (all?) of the components for other languages have been printed.
Some (all?) of the production samples have been sent to our partner publishers.
I have no idea if any of the production samples have been approved yet.
Cheers everyone!
~ Dominic Crapuchettes, founder of North Star Games & co-designer of Oceans
Yes, this is how I feel right now.
Production Sample Unboxing & Updated Timeline
over 4 years ago
– Fri, Nov 15, 2019 at 02:31:52 AM
Timeline:N. America English Edition
My estimate is that the games will arrive between late December and mid-January. It's just a rough estimate. Read below if you want to understand how I came up with this estimate:
I received an update email late last night from the printers: "The forwarder booked us 11/26th sail boat, we will load on 11/22nd, the boat will arrive on 12/12th, thanks." This means the English games are scheduled to arrive in the port of Seattle on December 12th. Although our fulfillment company, Gamerati, is only an hour away, it is likely to take a few days to get there (longer if there is a strike). Then is may take a few days to several weeks before Gamerati starts fulfilling our orders (depending on how backed up they are). After the games and add-ons are organized and packed into boxes, it will take 3 - 5 days to get shipped to the final destination.
Timeline - Other Language Editions
I do not have an estimate on when the other language editions will arrive. You'll have to reach out to the publishing partner of the language you purchased if you'd like visibility on when your game will arrive.
Production Copies
We recevied our first production copies recently! Here is an unboxing video of a deluxe dition of Oceans. You might notice that I'm pretty excited. :-)
Playing Oceans
Here are some pictures of people playing this production copy at a charity event:
The very first game ever played with a production copy of Oceans.
The second game ever played with a production copy of Oceans.
I got to play in the second game. I'm happy to report that its still fun even after hundreds and hindreds of games.
Tabeltop Network, BGG.CON, and PAX Unplugged
I will have this copy of Oceans at the Tabletop Network, BGG.CON, and PAX Unplugged. Reach out to me on twitter (@DCrapuchettes) if you'd like to try to set up a time to play it with me. Most of my schedule is packed, but there are still a few open slots. I will also have a prototype of Paint the Roses if you'd like to see what's on the horizon for us.
One Quick Favor
We will be demoing Oceans at PAX Unplugged. Please click on this link to the BoardGameGeek.com and click on the green thumb next to Oceans. This will help bring attention to our little project. Thanks!
It's Getting Close
Thank you for joining us in this adventure. I think you will be very pleased with how it has turned out. Everything about this game is epic and I love it with all of my heart.
~ Dominic Crapuchettes, founder of North Star Games & co-designer of Oceans
Production Update
over 4 years ago
– Wed, Oct 16, 2019 at 03:30:49 AM
I apologize for my silence recently. It's partly because it's been difficult getting good information about where things stand (though mostly it's because I have too much on my plate). The information below is what I received in an email this morning. The timeline is much later than I hoped. It's frustrating.
English
All of the English printing is completed. The manufacturers are now doing post-printing (cutting, stapling, etc) and producing the food bags, acrylic fish, and card sleeves for the Deluxe edition.
Production samples and safety testing will be sent around October 20th.
Once the safety test reports come back, games can be shipped to the distribution center outside of Seattle. It'll be another 6 weeks after the games leave China before backers in the USA get their English copies. I'm still hoping games will arrive before the holidays, but honestly, I'm stressed about the timing.
All Other Languages
I don't have an estimate for when the non-English games will arrive. Each publisher will use their own fulfillment company to deliver the game. But I can relay information from the manufacturer about where things stand on the printing side of the process...
German
The German files are approved, and production is starting. The German games should be finished around the middle of November. Then the games will be put on a boat to whatever distribution center Schwerkraft-Verlag has chosen to use.
French & Spanish
The French and Spanish files have been approved. They are hoping to start production next week, and finish around November 20th. Then the games will be put on a boat to the distribution center.
Italian
Pendragon Game Studio is currently revising some of the print files. The manufacturer will make physical proofs once those are completed, and hopefully send a proof by the end of next week. If things continue to move forward, the games will be finished printing in early December, and then put on a boat to the distribution center.
FUTURE KICKSTARTERS
This leads me to a decision we've made for our next Kickstarter campaign. We're not going to start the campaign until after the first print run is finished. We'll have to predict demand (which is near impossible and comes with it's own set of problems), but it means we won't have these types of delays in getting games to our backers.
It's not all doom and gloom in the ocean today. Here are a few bright spots in the clouds...
Meeple Source Fish
The Meeple Source fish have arrived. I put them in my prototype to take to SHUX and they look amazing. Unfortunately the fish are too small in these pictures to do them justice. You'll just have to trust me that they draw people into the experience (and from nearby tables).
SHUX 2019
The reception Oceans received at SHUX was well beyond my hopes. The Deep is doing exactly what I want it to do: invoke astonishment, the wonder of discovery, and giddy laughter.
I finally got to play on the last day! I told these two to feast on my species whenever they could. They had a smorgasbord! (but I still squeaked out a win by about 10 points ;-)
Meet Dan. He's a sweet guy, but he has a soft spot for big monsters.
Meet Dan's big monster. He didn't think the Kraken was good enough, so he added Osteodermal Kaiju to the mix! It can attack for 21 population (though it only has space for 10 population). Haha.
Here is a video of Dan playing his first Kraken shortly after discovering it in the Deep.
Lawsuit Waiting to Happen
And here is the exact moment when I realized that our method for choosing the first player in Oceans might be very problematic. Beware: this is a long video. Much longer than I would have liked.
That's everything. Thanks for having patience. I know this process is frustrating for you. We're working hard to bring Oceans to your table as soon as possible.
~ Dominic Crapuchettes, founder of North Star Games & co-designer of Oceans
