Betrayal Blog: Development Diary #8

Hi all of you,

Merry Christmas and I hope everyone enjoys the holiday season!

Only 43 days until Act of Treason hits Kickstarter! Right now I’m rushing around, making sure all the i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed. This week I will discuss the latest Act of Treason review from Unfiltered Gamer, website updates, social media, and various other things.

Unfiltered Gamers – Acts of Betrayal Review

I’ll start with the most amazing news – Unfiltered Gamer has reviewed Act of Treason, and it looks like they really like it! For those of you who don’t know, Unfiltered Gamer is an independent, third-party board game reviewer. They often review games that appear on Kickstarter to help people figure out if the game is right for them. Overall I liked the review and I am very happy with it. You can watch it below.

Additionally, Unfiltered Gamer will stream Act of Treason live on Wednesday January 17th PST. This is the best opportunity to check it out and see what AoT is all about before the launch date! You can watch the live stream on the Gamers Unfiltered Facebook Page. Be sure to sign up so you get notified when it goes live!

Website Updates

With a new video from Unfiltered Gamer, I wanted to provide an update on the Act of Treason website. I’ve added the following:

• Features Unfiltered Gamer reviews on the front page and also on the feedback page.
• Reveals more rules for the Treason Act in the Rules section.
• Some minor changes and Quality of Life improvements here and there.

Social Media Promotion

I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who signed up for the Kickstarter mailing list. I have seen a significant increase in the number of customers there. The numbers have more than doubled since November 8th, much to my delight, which brings us to a solid ~700 followers. We’re on our way, folks!

As some of you may know currently running a promotion, if we get enough followers before the Kickstarter launch date of February 10th, we will increase the art/marketing budget. I think 4,000 followers might be a high number, but it’s still very possible! If we can make a big enough change then I would definitely consider giving a small bonus as a reward even if we don’t reach the 4k target.

I will work hard to ensure that we try to reach the 4k target collectively! I want to be able to make the best products and 4k will be a very stable foundation.

If you know of a podcaster or third-party reviewer who might be interested in covering the Treason Act to help spread the word, please let me know in the comments or you can contact me directly.

Miscellaneous

I’m not sure if I’ve shared it yet, but here’s the final packaged prototype. The art may change, and the components may be tweaked a bit, but at this stage all the mechanics are pretty much locked in.

It is Emilien Rotivals artwork featured on the back and front of the box. Great artist, you can find more of his work at theartysquid.com.

Front of Box

Back of Box

For those of you who may have missed it, the first article of The Dominant Strategy is now out. It’s called ‘What Makes a Game Fun?’ In it I explore the various reasons why we enjoy games and color in how a game designer can use this information to inform your design choices. If you are interested in game design, please read about it here.

I think that’s enough for this week.

Cheers,
Tyson

Music this week