We're Making a Game! Thank you!
over 2 years ago – Fri, Nov 19, 2021 at 03:57:34 AM

Greetings, Gardeners. We're making a game!

I've said it before, but I'm going to say it again and again. On behalf of David, Alex, Matt, Todd, and others who have had a hand in bringing this game to life, thank you so much for the support. We are happy you are here. 

Very strong showing over the last two days of the campaign...much better showing than my Atlanta Falcons put on tonight against the Patriots. 

We have a very aggressive timeline and I will say that it is straight to work over here behind the scenes. As with all of my campaigns, I promise to keep you up to date with pertinent news both good and bad as we move through production, pledge manager, and fulfillment. Stay tuned!

Thank you again and have a great weekend. 

- Chad E.

Final Countdown and New Add-on Option
over 2 years ago – Wed, Nov 17, 2021 at 10:19:34 PM

Greetings, Gardeners!

A warm welcome to everyone new to the project since our last update and hello again to our backers still with us. On behalf of all of the folks behind the scenes, we are all so happy you are here. 

We're in the final 48 hours! If you can share the campaign with others, we would be most appreciative as we close out the project here in the remaining hours. 

In our last update, we posed a question for feedback on a potential new add-on option to further deluxe the components of the game. Your input was valuable as we were able to hear overwhelmingly that the metal new components were not as desired as having more wooden ones. Plus we also received some great ideas, including making a wooden version of the resource holder wheelbarrows. We listened and have come up with a new solution that we hope meets those requests. 

Working with the folks at ShipShapeGamer, we are excited to announce a new add-on for two wooden resource holders. These are now available to add-on to your pledge here in Kickstarter or you can wait and add it on during the pledge manager. Either way is up to you. The cost will be $12 and they are the same size as the cardboard versions found in the game. They are stainable, if you choose to do so, and most importantly the assembly requires no glue! Here are some photos of the prototype: 

Know Your Flowers

Continuing our segment on history of the flowers found in the game, let's take a look at the Hybrid Tea Rose. In 1867, Jean-Baptiste Guillot created a hybrid between an old Chinese Tea Rose and a European Rose. Other variation hybrids began popping up in the late 19th Century, but didn't gain significant popularity until the early 20th Century. Their name comes from the scent they give off which smelled like black China tea. 

Thank you again for the support during the campaign and we'll be in touch again after the close. 

Have a wonderful rest of your week. 

- Chad E.

Starting Player Marker Unlocked! Potential Add-on Feedback Needed
over 2 years ago – Sun, Nov 14, 2021 at 10:34:11 AM

Greetings, gardeners! 

I have great news. You have unlocked the starting player marker! This double sided custom shaped soft enamel coin will not be available in the retail edition. Thanks to your support, this fun backer perk will be included in your fulfillment box alongside the game. 

On a related note, I want to say welcome to all of our new backers since the last update. Thank you for joining us!

Feedback Needed

I'd like to ask for your feedback on a potential option we were discussing with our friends at Level Up Dice. One idea we had was to create a set of metal player pieces and a starting player marker. The player pieces would be a comparable size to the wooden versions found in the game and the starting player marker would be a bit larger around 60mm. We will need to sort out the specifics on pricing, but they would likely be around $20 for the set. There is a minimum we'd need to order so I wanted to get a temperature check to see if anyone would be potentially interested in this add-on option. If you would be, can you please leave a comment here on this update letting us know? This isn't committing you to it, but will help us better gauge interest. 

Know Your Flowers

Let's continue our fun facts of the various flowers you'll find in your game of Gartenbau.

This beautiful and unique looking flower dates back centuries and can be found in writings from Shakespeare to Aristotle. Don't let its beauty fool you as this flower is extremely poisonous. Besides Datura, its other common names are Thornapples, Jimsonweeds, or The Devils Trumpet. You'll find it called Brugmansia in modern day nurseries. It was used in Native American as well as East Indian ceremonies as a rite of passage. In Colonial times, possessing the flower was often used as a reason to accuse persons for the practice of witchcraft. 

On behalf of everyone involved in the campaign, thank you for the support. We're so glad you're here. 

- Chad E.

Whoa! Funded!
over 2 years ago – Sun, Nov 14, 2021 at 10:15:12 AM

Greetings, Gardeners. 

This is the first update of the campaign and I'm very excited to say.....WE'RE MAKING A GAME! That's right thanks to all of you coming together we are funded and Gartenbau will be a reality. 

It's been a long and winding journey for this game. To see it finally coming to fruition is quite special. Thank you for being here and helping make it happen.

We have some playthroughs already on the campaign page you can watch, but I wanted to invite you to join in for a live stream coming up on Thursday night at 8:30pm ET. You can learn how to play, chat about this game, or even other games. Our friends at The Charity Boardgamer will be hosting the festivities on their twitch channel, so if you can please tune in and say hello. https://www.twitch.tv/thecharityboardgamer

Know Your Flowers

If you've been around on some of our other campaigns, I like to do little info segments related to the theme. Provide a few interesting tidbits related to what you will find in the game.  I figured discussing the beautiful flowers would be fun for our updates. 

Let's start with the Carnation, one of the oldest and most cultivated flowers, whose history dates back thousands of years to the ancient Greeks. It's origin name means "flower of the gods" and was used in ceremonial events. So it's a perfect flower to start with to celebrate our funding goal! 

It's the official flower of Spain. In the US, the carnation is the official flower of Mother's Day as well as the state flower of Ohio. The flower is also edible and is used to make the French liquere Chartreuse. 

Again, thank you for a terrific first day and please help continue to share the campaign with others. If you have any questions at all please don't hesitate to message me. 

Talk again soon!

- Chad E.

Stretch Goal Announced
over 2 years ago – Sun, Nov 14, 2021 at 10:14:03 AM

Greetings, Gardeners. 

To those who have joined us since the last update, I wish you a warm welcome! We're all so happy you are here. 

For this relaunch campaign, we retooled it to showcase everything right from the get go with the plan being no stretch goals. Part of that retooling switched up the backer free bonus gift to be the silkscreened resource tokens and seed bag. If you were part of our first launch attempt, you will remember the backer bonus item at that time was going to be for double sided enamel custom shaped coin that can be used to mark the first player. The game does not contain a first player marker so we thought this was a cool addition for backers. But we eliminated it from the plan for the relaunch as the bigger gift was put in its place. 

I'm so thankful for all of the quick support you've shown the campaign and I still think this would be a great bonus perk for the project. So....let's bring that first player marker back as a stretch goal! 

This graphic has been added to the page and as of the writing of this update we're really close at less than $2k away. If everyone can share the campaign with your social networks, we can unlock it in no time. 

If you were part of our Tutankhamun campaign, we created a similar backer bonus item. It turned out super cool and is really beautiful in person, so I know this sunflower version will look stunning on your tables. Here is a photo of what the large double sided coin looked like for Tut, which will be similar in style for this stretch goal promo. 

Don't forget that tonight at 8:30pm ET we are doing a live stream play through. You can learn how to play, chat about this game, or even other games. Our friends at The Charity Boardgamer will be hosting the festivities on their twitch channel, so if you can please tune in and say hello. https://www.twitch.tv/thecharityboardgamer

Know Your Flowers

Let's continue our flower info tidbits with a really unique looking flower included in the game called Fuchsia.

This beautiful plant originates from Central and South America. It was first discovered and cataloged by western science in the 17th century. A French botanist named the plant after Leonhart Fuchs, a German botanist. To date there have been over 100 different species of hybrids created from this flower. They are often associated with the symbolism of confiding love or truth. 

Thank you again for being here and let's unlock that stretch goal!

- Chad E.