The exact dimensions will be 3.75 x 5.0 x 1.5”. These boxes are the same size as our card game boxes, but half again as tall. The display that holds the full quartet will be the same size as the display boxes that hold 6 Fluxx decks. The boxes are exactly the same size as our time travel games from last year, Time Breaker and Star Trek Chrono-Trek. The boxes are about the size of a box of baking soda.

Last updated: March 06, 2020 04:22

No, the Looney Pyramids have been around much longer than the Cones of Dunshire. In fact, these little pyramids were used to represent the Cones of Dunshire in the prototype! You can read all about it here: https://www.vulture.com/2013/12/cones-of-dunshire-parks-and-recreation-game-oral-history.html

“Coleman Charlton (project director, Mayfair Games): One thing we wanted was to have hexes, so it implied Catan. So I started by putting a bunch of hex tiles on a board in a big spiral with crossover plays and adventures on each of the corners. Of course, I didn’t have any big cones lying around, so I used little pyramids.”

You can see them all over this image from the above article: https://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/vulture/2013/12/18/cones-of-dunshire/Cones-of-Dunshire-1.nocrop.w710.h2147483647.2x.jpg

Last updated: March 06, 2020 04:18

Yes!

Last updated: March 06, 2020 04:22

We have not built out the pledge manager yet, so we don’t have a definitive answer - but let’s say MOST, not ALL. We won’t include every little thing, but lots of the stuff that sells the best for retailers will be included, so you can plump up your order to get the extra discount and free shipping!

Last updated: March 06, 2020 04:22

Yes! The Nomids card will be included at all pledge levels since we have hit the stretch goal - so you will get the card even if you just back for the single copy of Martian chess.

Last updated: March 06, 2020 04:22

No, the Homeworlds Turn Token will just be printed cardboard. That nice metal coin is very expensive and it would have required the Homeworlds set to have a higher price tag, which we really wanted to avoid since we wanted all the sets to be the same price. But the cardboard version is actually pretty cool… like a Pog, it will be full color on both sides, and it’s kind of exciting to finally be using the original, colorful design for the turn token. We’ve been using cardboard prototypes of this turn token for awhile now, and they’re cool! Nice though the metal version is, there’s a lot to be said for full color.

Last updated: March 06, 2020 04:22

In 2003, when the first version of Zendo was published, the set included 16 rule cards. Each was very specific, with the idea being that they were just to get you started. After your first 10 or 15 games, players were expected to think up their own rules, a challenge which we thought added to the fun for the moderator.

However, thinking up a good rule isn’t as much fun for players as we thought it would be, and instead we’ve found that many a game has been ruined because the moderator chose a rule that was much more difficult than they thought it would be. It’s also just a lot better/easier for the moderator to have the exact details of the rule written down.

So when we republished Zendo in 2017, it was very important to include a robust set of ready-to-use rules. We came up with a set of 40 cards, most of which have multiple options which the moderator chooses between and locks in by attaching a pair of clips to the card. Those 40 cards together create over 200 unique rules, plus in 2018 we released Zendo Expansion Pack #1, containing 10 new cards, providing another 52 rules. Each rule has a difficulty rating (Easy, Medium, or Difficult) and an index number.

The standalone Zendo set is one of our best-sellers, but since it features a unique set of pieces — blocks and wedges along with pyramids — players who’ve been continuing to play the game using Looney Pyramids have been missing out on getting to use these excellent cards.

Translating these cards to the language of the pyramids was mostly straightforward. Many rules (such as total number of pieces in the structure) work fine with no changes, and most of the revisions required were obvious (changing choice of shape to choice of size being the most common). However, a handful of the rules in the standalone version just do not translate well into pyramids. For example, structures that require a piece to be upside down are easy to build with blocks, but very difficult to achieve with just pyramids. Then there are rules like #8, which refer very specifically to non-pyramid shapes. But by that same token, there are rules you can create with pyramids that do not work with the trio of shapes.

As mentioned, each rule card has an index number. The new cards will have matching index numbers, with a notation to help Zendo enthusiasts easily compare the two sets. Rule cards that are identical in both sets will simply have the same number. Rule cards that have a straightforward change (shapes -> sizes, etc) will have the same number but with a plus sign to indicate it was changed. Lastly, rule cards that are significantly/completely different will have a double plus indicator (++).

Among the original 40 rule cards, only one needed a ++ replacement. But half of the ten in the first expansion pack had to be replaced with other ideas.

More recently, we’ve been developing cards for Zendo Rules Expansion #2, and if we hit the stretch goal, we will also include pyramidized versions of those new cards in the deck, bringing the total to 60 cards!

Last updated: March 11, 2020 20:02

First the bad news: we can’t do what we were originally hoping for, which would be a very shiny chrome coating done with a process called electroplating. Unfortunately for us — although it’s better for the environment — new regulations in China (regarding waste paint removal procedures and so forth) have made this process unavailable to our manufacturers.

Instead, the silver pyramids will be done with a spray-mask process, i.e. they will be painted. The underlying pyramids will be molded in a color that matches the paint color as closely as possible, since the silver coating will only be on the outside of the pieces. The manufacturer will use ASTM adhesion testing to ensure production coatings are as permanent as possible.

Last updated: March 11, 2020 20:02