Preorder your copy of Fossilis to get in on the Kickstarter content you missed out on during the campaign.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
BackerKit Surveys and Game Development Complete
over 4 years ago
– Fri, Nov 22, 2019 at 02:40:12 AM
Hey Paleontologists,
Well, the time has finally come. Your surveys will be sent out tonight EST. BackerKit is just having a final look over it before I can send it to you. It took us longer than we thought it would to prepare because of how many add-ons we are offering. REMINDER: When you are filling out the survey please don't forget to let us know if you want the Spanish version or the English version. Thank you all so much for your patience.
Game Development
I am happy to report that after one final KTBG/David Diaz meeting today, development of the game is complete. The game plays so smoothly. The scoring levels are now right where we want them and feel very competitive whether you are going for perfections, sets, or a mix of both. We have played and finalized all of the expansions (which are awesome), and we decided on final tallies of components. The only things we have left to complete at this point are David Turczi's Solo Mode and the [near] final art and graphic design. I hear that the Solo Mode is nearly complete. They are just putting some final touches on it. We'll keep you informed as more information comes to us. The art and graphic design should be finished very soon.
You are all amazing, and we are so lucky that you chose to be with us for Fossilis!
Until next time Paleontologists ...
Helaina and the Fossilis Team
Game Development, BackerKit, and the Dino Winner
over 4 years ago
– Fri, Nov 15, 2019 at 11:01:14 PM
Hey Paleontologests,
Well, it's been an eventful week for Fossilis! We've been discussing balancing the scoring so that the different paths to victory have similar scoring. We've been working on some of the art that was not yet complete while the campaign was running. And we've also been in contact with so many of you to thank you for being here. This campaign was an absolute pleasure to run. We are still so thankful to each and every one of you for your support.
BackerKit Surveys
By the end of next week you will have all received your BackerKit surveys. The process for distribution is as follows: once the surveys are finalized on my end I will get approval from BackerKit. Once I do, they will send out a smoke test. That means that 5% of backers will get their surveys immediately. Once most of those backers have proven that there are no issues with the surveys, the rest of the surveys will be sent out.
The survey itself will be straightforward. It will ask you some questions, for your address, your credit card information for paying for shipping, as well as how many games you want for your pledge. Kickstarter only collects your money. BackerKit allows us to allocate that money to a product. There will be a 2 week period to complete your surveys, after which they will be locked. Don't worry if you are moving between now and August 2020. We'll only close addresses 3 or 4 weeks before your games get to you.
The Moment You've All Been Waiting For
The winner is Microraptor!!
We've already had Apolline hard at work. Hopefully we'll have an image for you by the next update.
You are all amazing, and we are so lucky that you chose to be with us for Fossilis!
Until next time Paleontologists ...
Helaina and the Fossilis Team
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!
over 4 years ago
– Fri, Nov 08, 2019 at 01:55:37 AM
Hey Paleontologists,
What an amazing end to a truly fantastic campaign. I cannot tell you how much fun the KTBG team has had putting this together and executing it. Congratulations to all of you for helping to make this such a fantastic success. This is where we ended: 4,626 backerspledged CA$ 232,463 to help bring this project to life. We couldn't be happier.
Now the Sappy Stuff
First things first. Without David Diaz, designer of Fossilis, none of this would have been a reality for any of us. It was amazing working with David throughout the development process and the campaign. I feel incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon this game one day at Proto TO (a prototype convention here in Toronto). And even luckier to have had my kids play through an entire prototype that day. That was the defining moment for me; it's what told me how special this game really is. Thank you so much David for trusting us with your game.
Next, Sean, our amazing Marketing Manager who spent all day and all night thanking you in personal messages, and sending beautiful tweets and FB posts out to the world. Sean's work on this game was so important to its success. Wednesday meetings were filled with ridiculous banter and even better game development. Sean, thank you so much for your amazing input and your tireless dedication to everything we do. We are so lucky to be working with you.
Special thanks to our incredible artists. Apolline Etienne whose art made this project come to life in a way I couldn't even imagine. Noah Adelman of GameTrayz, who created the stunning 3D game board and lid, your work never goes unrecognized, and we thank you for your dedication and hard work on this game. Mesa Game labs for generating our 3D minis and animations for the campaign. And the incredibly talented Jon Meitling, whose video blew so many people away, we are sure that some of you backed the campaign just because of it. All of you have made a significant impact on this campaign and our lives.
Finally, Josh, our incredibly talented Creative Director and on the spot image changer. I would say that Josh was the backbone of this campaign (that pun was totally intended). His excitement about it permeated the campaign. He worked morning, noon, and night to make sure that everything was in place, including directing the art, 3D renders, video, and everything else you can possibly imagine. Josh deserves this recognition. He is amazing at what he does and we are all lucky to have him on our team.
Oh Yeah, the Stretch Goal
We did it! One last one!!!! And this is a fun one.
What's Next For Us (all of us, including you)
Paleontologists, the next few months are going to be the hardest because of the wait. But never fear; we will be updating you every step of the way.
What You Can Expect Over the Next While
Tomorrow we rest. And then, back to work.
Within the next two weeks you will be getting our BackerKit surveys. In these surveys we'll ask you a few questions and then we'll find out what pledge your money is going toward. BackerKit will also be taking your payment information for shipping and any other add-ons you would like. I will send an update to let you know exactly when the surveys will be closed and you can no longer order anything new. I will also let you know the date we'll be charging your cards for shipping and add-ons, as well as when we are going to close the surveys and end shipping address changes.
After we finish with surveys, we'll be working towards finalizing game development and visuals, and sending in our print files to the manufacturer. The sampling process will take about 1 month from when we submit files to when we finally get the sample of Fossilis to show you.
The next stage is the longest. It is the waiting stage while manufacturing and shipping happens. That will take many months. But once it's done we'll be shipping to various regions of the world, and finally to your doorsteps.
Rest assured, Paleontologists, we will update you every step of the way. Transparency is a very large part of who we are.
You are all amazing, and we are so lucky that you chose to be with us for Fossilis!
Until next time Paleontologists ...
Helaina and the Fossilis Team
This is the End, But Not Before ...
over 4 years ago
– Fri, Nov 08, 2019 at 12:44:44 AM
Hello Paleontologists!
Well, you have really blown us away with your enthusiasm. We've just been on such a roll for the last 36 hours. It's hard to believe we've got 3 hours to go on Fossilis. Thank you so much for your support. We really can't believe that we are at $224,358CA pledged, 1246% funded 4,461 backers, and still 3 hours to go. So what do you think we can we accomplish in these 3 hours?
First, What We've Uncovered
Some of you thought it would never happen. But it did, and we're so happy about it. We know you're so happy too! Congrats everyone.
One Final Stretch Goal
We couldn't just leave you hanging. We're so happy and we know you are too. And we know that no one is expecting this, but we just had to give you a parting gift. Check out this LAST Stretch Goal:
This one is up to you. You choose the dinosaur, you choose the bones, and you choose the points. You'll even get to name it. Early in the campaign some of you were asking for fantasy species of dinosaurs. Well, now you can choose to either choose a real one or create a fantastical one. This is our way of saying thank you for making this campaign so spectacular.
You are all amazing, and we are so lucky that you chose to be with us for Fossilis!
Until next time Paleontologists ...
Helaina and the Fossilis Team
Last 36 Hours! And an Amazing New Stretch Goal
over 4 years ago
– Thu, Nov 07, 2019 at 01:43:04 AM
Hey Paleontologists!
We are just blown away by your amazing support!! From backers who said that they decided to jump on because the campaign is just too irresistible, to those of you who are actually Paleontologists and just must have this game, we can't thank you enough for being here with us! With $ 178,020CA pledged, 989% funded, 3,563 backers, and STILL 35 hours to go, we are really rolling!
What We've Uncovered
It's been so amazing watching this unfold. We've had the Ice Age under wraps for quite some time. We were bursting at the seams to tell you about it. And it has already been uncovered. This mini-expansion is a great addition to Fossilis.
What We're Working On
Scorpion!? Another MINI!!!! Yes, when we get to $200,000CA we'll unlock this amazing Stretch Goal! The best part about it is the extra element of excitement it brings to this already amazing game.
Having an image up on the front page gets the campaign more attention, which gets us more backers. The more backers we have the closer we get to that Scorpion Stretch Goal. If you haven't already done so, thumb the image here, to help keep this image on the front page.
Language Confusion
Backers, we wish we could make this game in every language for you. But the reality is that if we don't have a partner who is willing to distribute the game in your language, we just don't have the means for it.
As we announced, anyone who wants their game in Spanish will be able to get it in our Pledge Manager (BackerKit) after the campaign. You'll just choose Spanish language and we'll take care of the rest for you.
We are still waiting to hear about the French version of the game. At the very least we will have a downloadable pdf of all of the components with gameplay text, for you on BGG and from our website.
Those of you who wish to get their game in German or Italian will also have access to a downloadable pdf of all of the components with gameplay text, for you on BGG and from our website.
Final Thoughts
I leave you with this photo of Josh (our amazing creative director) editing this update. He insisted on having our kids' Wooly Mammoth and Castoroides in this photo with him.
