Enigma Kickstarter has Ended - Thanks Eager Readers!
4 months ago
– Thu, Feb 22, 2024 at 03:02:58 PM
Thank you for your support!
We just wrapped up our Kickstarter for Enigma Gamebooks. You helped us reach an outstanding $66,072. That's 1321% over our funding goal! So this is us sending our most sincere thanks to everyone who supported the project!
We can't wait to get the books sent off to press. We expect those to be shipping out to you in July, but digital versions will deliver to you in the next couple weeks. So just a few more weeks until the puzzle-solving and storytelling can commence!
Until then, don't forget about the digital freebies. Every Enigma backer is eligible to download that file. See our first backer update for the link, if you haven't downloaded them already.
What’s next for us …
As we wrap up Enigma, we get closer to our next big crowdfunding project forCatStronauts: The Board Game! Based on the graphic novel series by Drew Brockington, the CatStronauts board game offers cooperative gameplay for two to four players. You'll play as one of the characters from the CatStronauts series, adding modules to the space station before time runs out!
This stellar adventure comes to Kickstarter on May 14th. Click here to sign up for a launch day announcement and learn more about CatStronauts!
Thanks again!
The Enigma project wouldn’t have been possible without your support. Thanks again to each and every one of you who shared, liked, and backed Enigma Gamebooks!
- Audrey DeLuca
Marketing Coordinator
Producing Enigma is a puzzling experience!
5 months ago
– Wed, Feb 14, 2024 at 06:29:04 AM
The Playtesting Process
While we playtest all the games we publish, most don't require nearly as much playtesting as Enigma has had. The authors playtested with their own gamer victims … er, friends … as they wrote the books, and again before final turnover. Then we did ANOTHER three rounds of testing in-house!
Michelle Nephew, Atlas Games Co-Owner and Enigma Producer, comments, "Enigma has taken an incredible amount of playtesting, more than any game I've produced, in fact! The puzzle gamebook format of Unhappy Birthday and Cryptid Hunt is just so different from an RPG or a boardgame rulebook. Since the puzzles are so interrelated, every tiny change you make to one has the possibility of breaking others, so we've had to double check every layout tweak. Our staff was an incredible resource, and really stepped up to make the books as perfect as we can make them!"
Here you can see the lengthy art progression of just one puzzle from Unhappy Birthday:
What Our Playtesters Say …
"It was the most delightfully dreadful birthday party I've ever attended!" quips staff playtester Jenae Floerke. "In Unhappy Birthday I got to follow clues, solve riddles and puzzles, and really think outside of the box. I loved exploring the creepy Castle Slogar and getting to meet all of my favorite Gloom characters along the way."
"I love the map at the beginning with all of the cryptids," says Atlas Games staff Ross Waataja, who playtested Cryptid Hunt. "I personally am a sucker for a good map. Not only is the artwork fantastic, but it was really helpful for visualizing the journey of the cryptid hunter, and at the end when narrowing down the cryptids." Ross also says his favorite puzzle was the Bigclaw Map Puzzle. "It was the perfect level of difficulty. It was challenging enough that I made a few mistakes while doing it (I didn't just solve it immediately), but it wasn't so difficult that I had to get hints."
A Family of Fans
The enigmatic excitement of the Kickstarter is infectious in the Nephew household, too. The kids of Atlas Games Co-owners Michelle and John all got a chance to see the books as they developed, and chimed in with suggestions that make them more approachable for younger readers. Check out this Unhappy Birthday fan art from Sophie Nephew, age 14. Isn't Grogar so cute?!
Enigma Closes Next Week!
Remember - the Engima campaign ends on February 22nd at 5:00 PM Central! Please share the link with your friends, family, and other puzzle lovers NOW! Thank you for your support!
Have you ever played a puzzle book like these? Tell us your experience below, and let us know which of the Enigma titles you're looking forward to most!
-Audrey DeLuca
Atlas Games Marketing Coordinator
100% Recycled Plushies!
5 months ago
– Mon, Feb 05, 2024 at 10:35:47 AM
If you know anything about Atlas Games, it’s that we take our environmental commitment seriously (have you heard of our Replay Workshop, yet?) So we’re thrilled to be able to offer plushies that are both recycled and super cute!
I’ve been wanting to do a Grogar plushie forever, because how could anyone resist his creepy cuteness!? And Dream Travel just cries out for a D20 plushie die that’s actually rollable!
The pieces all fell into place when John and I were at the ASTRA trade show last spring. There we met the folks from We Are Little Rebels, who make Shore Buddies toys. That’s right, these folks were producing stuffies from recycled materials! Here’s the display that caught our attention …
Cute AND environmentally friendly! That’s a winning combo in my book.
If you agree, please share our Kickstarter link with like-minded friends. Thanks for your support, and I’ll watch the comments for your suggestions of other plushies you’d like us to make! A big thanks to everyone who has backed Enigma and supported Atlas Games.
-Michelle Nephew
Atlas Games Co-Owner
FUNDED in 90 Minutes! Thank YOU!
5 months ago
– Tue, Jan 23, 2024 at 10:26:11 AM
Wow! You’ve all blown us away by funding this campaign so quickly! We’re excited that YOU’RE excited!
If you think this project is amazing enough to fund in 90 MINUTES, then your friends will too! Please take a moment to share the project by passing along this link!
Tell Us What You Think!
We want to know what YOU’RE most excited about in this campaign! A new Gloom adventure? A chance to explore the world of cryptid monsters? A bedtime story generator that’s sure to give you and your kids hours of fun? Let us know in the comments below!
10% Off Gloom + Digital Freebies Download
If you haven’t already seen it, be sure to check out Backer Update #1. It has a backer-only coupon code for stocking up on Gloom at 10% off. Plus it has info on how to access your digital freebies NOW. Thank you for your support!
-Audrey DeLuca
Atlas Games Marketing Coordinator
Gloom Sale + Digital Freebies!
5 months ago
– Tue, Jan 23, 2024 at 08:03:18 AM
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