Exciting Update and the Start of the Manufacturing Process
about 3 years ago – Thu, Dec 02, 2021 at 10:33:10 PM

Hello CATastrophe Nation!

Thank you for your patience and continued support. To our friends in the US, we hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! We hope everyone has a wonderful and fun-filled holiday season.

Exciting news! We have submitted our asset files to the manufacturer and are in the process of working with them to start manufacturing the game (woohoo!); more on that in a minute.

A few general notes: 

FLAVOR TEXT CREDITS - If you contributed a flavor text idea for one of the cards during the Kickstarter campaign, then be sure to read further below. Your flavor suggestion might just have made it into the game :).

PLEDGE MANAGER / BACKERKIT SURVEYS - Great news, BackerKit Surveys are 80% complete. Please be sure to complete your BackerKit Survey if you haven’t already. If you haven't received your survey email yet, please double-check your spam folder. If you can’t locate your survey, please email me at [email protected] or message me on Kickstarter, and I will send you a direct link to your survey. Note, the survey was sent to the SAME email address you used to log in to Kickstarter. Please read Update #14 if you have any questions about how to complete the BackerKit Survey.

NOTE TO EU & UK BACKERS - We have not sent out EU & UK surveys yet, so please don’t be alarmed that you have not received your survey. We don’t have any updates yet concerning EU & UK orders and shipping, but we will update you as soon as we have any news.

PRE-ORDER STORE – If any of your family or friends missed the Kickstarter campaign and would like to pre-order the game or posters, then please direct them to our pre-order store HERE (https://catastrophe.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders). IMPORTANT – if you are a backer from our Kickstarter project, you don’t need to make any orders from the pre-order store and instead can update your BackerKit survey if you want to add any additional items to your order. The preorder store is not meant for Kickstarter Backers.

We have accomplished a massive amount of work since Update #13. To name a few:

ART BOOKLET – The Cats of CATastrophe art booklet graphic design was completed. The 16-page art booklet was proofed, edited, and locked as final. Abi and I can’t wait for you to see it. As far as the amount of work goes, this was by far our biggest and most intense Kickstarter stretch goal.

RULE BOOK – We completed all of the graphic design for the rule book. We also spent a great deal of time reviewing, editing, improving, and proofing the rule book. Many of the edits and adjustments will help speed up the learnability of the game and reduce possible confusion.

CARD TEXT & ABILITIES – We finalized all card text and abilities (including all flavor text). We also finished adding card text and abilities to all of the cards and characters added as stretch goals during the Kickstarter.

UV SPOT GLOSS – We created the files to add the UV spot gloss to the game board and front of the game box for the two UV Kickstarter stretch goals.

PRINT ON INSIDE OF GAME BOX – We created the file for the print on the inside of the box, which was also a Kickstarter stretch goal.

PLASTIC TRAY INSERT – We created and then fine-tuned the diagram for the plastic insert tray that will help keep the game organized in the box (this was also a stretch goal).

BACK OF BOX – We edited, proofed, and then finalized all text and completed the graphic design for the back of the game box. We wanted to share the final version with you (this is a low-quality picture). Note, this is the back of the Base Game Box – the back of the Expansion box is very similar but has a few minor differences. 

EDITING & FINAL PRINT FILES – We completed all asset file edits, adjustments, proofs and created the final print files to be sent to the manufacturer. To say that this was a mammoth amount of work is an understatement. We checked and re-checked every word and image in the game, including the rulebook and art booklet, as well as the layout for each card in the game (there are a total of 195 cards in the base game and a total of 270 cards in the base + expansion game).

FINAL QUOTE – We worked with the manufacturer to finalize the quote and ensure that we were on the same page concerning the manufacturing of the games, the total number of games to order, and the type of materials to be used.

FILE DELIVERY & DEPOSIT – We sent all of the final print files to the manufacturer and sent them a 30% deposit payment. This is a massive milestone for the project, and we are so thankful to finally be at this point. We are ecstatic to move forward with creating the games and can’t wait to provide more updates on this.

Art Reveal:

FINAL ART REVEAL – All of the art was completed a few months ago, but we wanted to take a moment to share a few of the final illustrations with you. 

Jenny Parks touched up the Show Cat character that was unlocked as a stretch goal for the expansion. We love how this character turned out.

Below are the final Vacuums illustration and rough sketch illustrated by Jacqui Davis. We love the colors in this whimsical and fun illustration. This was the winning rough sketch from one of our art voting stretch goals.

Next Steps (Manufacturing)

Our manufacturer is reviewing all of our files to ensure everything looks good and is in the correct format for printing. They will then create mockup samples for our approval and once approved will start production. They will then send final proofing copies to review for pre-shipment inspection. The manufacturing phase is a bit of a process, and I will send out updates as we make progress.

Once all production is complete, the games will be freight shipped (via container ship) to our fulfillment partners and then shipped out to everyone.

We are also working on finalizing all of the Power Cat poster files. We are working with a separate company in the US to print the posters. Once printed, the posters will be sent to our fulfillment partner and shipped out at the same time as the games.

Estimated Delivery

During the Kickstarter, we estimated delivery would be April 2022. We should have a better idea of the manufacturing, freight, shipping, and delivery dates in late December or early January. The following could significantly alter the delivery date one way or the other.

• Manufacturing – From what I understand from my creator friends, most manufacturing is taking a little longer than usual. We should have more information on how this will look for us as soon as the manufacturer moves forward on our project. We are hopeful that everything will go smoothly without any issues or delays.
• Chinese New Year – Our manufacturer is located in China, and we are in a bit of a race to have the games manufactured and out of the warehouse before Chinese New Year (February 2022). This holiday could have a significant impact on our timeline. Chinese New Year is the most important festival/holiday in China, and the entire country (including factories) basically shuts down for 2-6 weeks. Believe it or not, the largest annual human migration (globally) occurs during Chinese New Year as hundreds of millions of people in China make the journey home during this holiday. Unfortunately, it is possible that the games might not be finished before the Chinese New Year, which would create a significant delay. We should have a better idea of how this looks from the manufacturer sometime in late December or early January.
• Freight & Shipping – We are uncertain what freight timelines will look like in early-to-mid 2022. However, if current freight operations are any indication, we can expect delays when it comes to freight. We just don’t have a good grid right now concerning what this might look like in 2022. However, we are optimistic that the current freight issues will start to reside by the time we freight the games to our fulfillment partners in 2022.

I apologize for not being able to provide a solid estimated delivery date. Though I can assure you, we are working passionately on the project and will send out updates on the delivery timeline as we learn more.

Backer Flavor Text Suggestions and Credits

First, I want to say a big THANK YOU to all of the backers who provided flavor text suggestions and contributions. There were SO MANY fantastic flavor text suggestions! And it was tough to select just one for each card. Abi and I want to take a moment to recognize and thank the following backers and let them know that their flavor ideas made it into the game!

For those who need a refresher, flavor text is at the bottom of the card and adds more purrsonality and fun context to each card.

Tacocat Character Flavor Text:

Each character has a description, a quote, and a few fun facts. We want to thank the following backers for their suggestions:

Tacocat Character Description (Expansion Character): 

• “Fresh, cool, yet warm, you're a tasty paradox, coming or going. But nobody will make a quick meal out of you. When life tries to crunch, you don't shatter.” by Valerie F. (backer #1747)

Character Quote: 

• “IT'S TACO TIME!!! 😍🌮🐱🎉” by Niamh L. (backer #5)

Fun Character Facts:

• “Breed: Spicy” by Christina K. (backer #761)
• “Favorite day of the week: Tuesday” by Janet (backer #1750)

Catthulu Flavor Text (Power Cat):

•  Lori S. (backer #762) inspired the Catthulu Flavor Text: “Who dares to awaken Catthulu?”

Vacuums are after you! (Attack Card). Renamed “THE SUCKY MONSTERS.”

We decided to rename this card to be “THE SUCKY MONSTERS.” This name was inspired by a comment left by Zabet G. (backer #256). Thank you Zabet!

Vacuum Flavor Text:  

• “They’re alive! Run!!!” by Koreen G.-K. (backer #41).

Again, we want to thank you all for your incredible flavor text suggestions. We loved reading them!

In Remembrance of Cole...

In mid-October, Cole crossed the rainbow bridge. We were heartbroken when we heard this news. We have been incredibly inspired by the love and care, Chris and Jess have shown to Cole, Marmalade, and so many other cats (both big and small) over the years.

Cole was an incredibly special cat and will be dearly missed by many. But, we are so thankful and so proud that he is part of our CATastrophe family. It is incredible how much of an impact Cole has had on the world and for black cats.

We believe and know that Cole’s legacy will make a massive impact for years to come and continue to be an enormous inspiration to many. We hope that this game and Cole’s artwork and role in the project will continue to be a small part of his extraordinary legacy as the years go on. We send Chris and Jess and their entire cat family our deepest sympathies, thoughts, and prayers.

We featured a Power Cat Highlight of Cole & Marmalade in update #7, but we wanted to re-share that same highlight in memory of Cole.

Featured Power Cat Highlight: Cole & Marmalade

After Cole was spotted alone at an intersection as a young kitten, his human parents Jess and Chris rescued him off the streets and gave him a home. Because they raised him from such a young age, he bonded very closely with them. Cole was snuggly and oh so clever, often besting his parents when they played hide and seek.

When Marmalade was suddenly without a home as a kitten, he joined the family as well, and Cole and Marmalade have been best buds ever since! Marmalade's favorite hobbies are... chasing bugs, talking to ghosts, and trying to steal food from his humans!

Cole & Marmalade can be found on social media along with Cat Man Chris and Jess and they are always up to amazingly fun shenanigans, entertainment, and inspiring messages. Together, they help people to stay pawsitive and bring joy and happiness to many. You can find more about Cole and Marmalade on their IG HERE & FB HERE.

Thank you all again for your support!

We are honored and humbled every time we think about the fact that we get to create a game for you! What a wild and exciting journey it has been so far! Please don't forget to complete your BackerKit Survey if you haven’t already. 

Abi and I wish you and your families a happy and safe holiday season!

With Love,

Josh, Abi, & Indie

BackerKit Surveys are Coming! Everything You Need to Know! 🥳
about 3 years ago – Fri, Oct 08, 2021 at 11:38:51 AM

The Time Has Come!

Hello CATastrophe Nation Backers! Very soon, you’ll receive an email from us with a special link to your BackerKit survey. It’s very helpful if you respond to your survey as quickly as possible since we need this information to fulfill your rewards.

If you haven't received your survey email by Monday, double-check your spam filter. If you don't have it, message me here on Kickstarter, and I will look into it for you. Note, it will be sent to the SAME email address you used to log in to Kickstarter.

Important Note for EU & UK Backers

EU & UK Backers will not be sent their surveys at this time. EU & UK backers, please skip to the very bottom and read the “Note for EU & UK Backers” to learn more.

How BackerKit Works

This update should provide you with all the information you need to complete your survey and navigate BackerKit. I know it's a lot of information, so please read it carefully.

The BackerKit Pledge Manager is the exclusive store for BACKERS ONLY! BackerKit helps us save lots of time by streamlining the survey process, automating data organization, and providing pledge management software to make it easy to process your pledge reward shipments.

In short, your BackerKit experience consists of two parts: a survey and the add-on store.

• You'll complete a short survey by answering a few questions. This will also help us get to know what you want to see from us in the future. Note, items included in your Kickstarter pledge level are already in your cart, and the money you pledged in Kickstarter is already in your account.
• The Add-On store is where you’ll “shop” for additional items. Any items added as “Add-ons” will be in addition to your pledge level items. Just click “Next” if you don’t wish to add any additional items.
• Then, you'll finalize your order, enter your shipping address, and complete your payment information (you will be charged at a later time for shipping and add-ons).

BackerKit imports all of the data from Kickstarter. So, your items and funds from Kickstarter will already be in BackerKit. Whatever items are included in the pledge level, you backed on Kickstarter will already be in your cart in BackerKit (this also includes any add-on items you purchased through Kickstarter). Likewise, the money you pledge in Kickstarter will already be in your account as a credit.

If you pledged more than the cost of your reward during the Kickstarter, then the additional funds will appear as an extra credit in BackerKit and can be used to purchase add-ons, pay for shipping, or towards the Tip Jar on the add-ons page.

If you are not adding anything beyond what’s already included in your Kickstarter pledge level, you can just check out and provide your payment info for shipping.

BackerKit Surveys

•  When you receive the email with the survey link, click the survey link to respond. Answer the questions about your reward preferences, provide shipping information, and purchase add-on items if you like. 
•  You can add items to your order if you want to via the Add-On store.  And if you're going to get add-ons (additional games), you need to add them during this BackerKit Survey process. 
• If you used your Facebook credentials to log in to your Kickstarter account, the BackerKit survey is sent to the email address you use for your Facebook account. If you have a different email address you'd prefer to use, please contact support at https://catastrophe.backerkit.com/faq 

BackerKit Support

If you have any problems completing your survey in BackerKit, please contact their support staff. It will help us significantly to have one channel for dealing with any survey issues, so we don’t miss anything.

BackerKit has excellent support and customer service and should be able to answer all of your questions. If BackerKit can’t resolve an issue you’re having, rest assured they will reach out to us. 

Quick Reference Links

•  Lost your survey? Click HERE. 
•  Need to contact BackerKit Support? Click HERE. 

 If you can't get the help you need, you can always contact us directly at [email protected] or send me a message on Kickstarter (but please do this as a last resort).

Update Survey or Change Shipping Address

• If you need to change your survey responses, review your information, pledge status, or update your shipping information, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://catastrophe.backerkit.com/ 
•  You can change your address up until we are ready to ship. So don't worry if you end up moving from your current shipping address. You can continue to go back into your survey and update your shipping address right up until the game is ready to ship.

Charging Credit Cards

• Please be aware that your credit cards won’t be charged for any additional funds you may owe through BackerKit until after we lock down your order.
•  You will get a notification from BackerKit when the lockdown date approaches. Until we lock down the surveys, you can continue to go back in and make changes to your order, such as adding or removing items or changing your payment method.
•  We will run the credit cards after we lock down surveys. We will determine the exact date we will lock down surveys and run credit cards in the near future. If, for some reason, you want us to run your credit card sooner, please contact BackerKit customer service, and they will be able to do that manually.
•  This charge will appear on your bank statement as “CATASTROPHENATION.COM.” If any issues arise with your payment, you’ll receive an email letting you know to correct your payment information.

 Note for the $29 Base Game Reward Level Backers 

You can upgrade your pledge level. If you would like to upgrade your "CATastrophe" $29 Base Game Pledge to also include the Expansion, you can switch to the $44 Base Game + Expansion Pledge Reward Level by following the graphics below, which explain how to do this. 

You can upgrade your pledge level in one of two ways. 

Option One:

The easiest way is on the very first screen of your survey, where you'll see a small link to "switch your pledge level".  IMPORTANT: Once you switch your pledge level, you will not be able to switch it back.

Or Option Two:

You can also do it from the Questions or Add-Ons screen by clicking on the link under your pledge level at the top of the screen (Step 1) to open the "Switch Pledge Levels" pop-up.  

Step 2: Select "Switch Pledge Levels" to upgrade your pledge level. 

Step 3: Select Your New Pledge Level ($44 Reward)  

Step 4: Select "Switch"

You will then be prompted to confirm that this is what you want to do. Select "Ok" and you're done! 🎉  

 A Few Final Notes: 

Pre-Order Store

• We will be opening a preorder store soon. There is no reason for you to have to use the preorder store in addition to the pledge manager survey. If you backed us on Kickstarter, please only use the pledge manager (BackerKit) to make additional orders or add-ons. Please don’t use the preorder store in addition to the pledge manager survey. If you do this, you will be charged twice for shipping and will be creating two completely different orders. 

Split Shipments

•  You can split your shipment between two addresses. If you are getting multiple copies of the game and want them shipped directly to numerous people, you can split them up. However, you cannot do this on your own. You will need to contact BackerKit customer service. They will then split your order into multiple orders for each separate shipment. You can then assign a different shipping address for each shipment. (Note: You will have to pay a separate shipping fee for each address.) 

Note for EU & UK Backers

If you are a backer from the EU or UK, please know that you will not be sent your BackerKit survey (pledge manager) yet. First, I want to reassure you that you will either be getting the game you backed or a full refund.

Even though it was listed within our FAQ and Shipping section on our Kickstarter page that shipping would not be available to the EU & UK, we still had over 100 backers from both regions combined!

We are so thankful for your support!!! And greatly want to be able to deliver your games to you. Instead of automatically sending refunds to EU & UK backers, we decided to hold off in hopes that we would be able to make shipping available to these areas.

Thankfully, we think we have found a solution. Nothing is locked in or guaranteed yet, but I believe we will be able to ship to the EU & UK and not have to cancel and refund these orders. If this uncertainty is not acceptable to you, we fully understand. Just send us a message or email, and we will issue you a full refund.

We will update our EU & UK friends as soon as we know more. It may take several months until we have all of this sorted out. Once sorted, we will send you your survey to complete. Thank you so much for being so patient.

That's All, Folks!

As promised, we wanted to keep this update BackerKit focused. We appreciate your patience as we have been preparing these surveys for you. This is the next essential step in the process of getting your games and/or posters to you!

In closing, we recognize that Kickstarter and the Pledge Manager is a highly non-traditional process. But it’s truly what made CATastrophe possible. 

We feel extraordinarily fortunate to have such an incredible group of backers behind our project. THANK YOU for your loyalty and support! So much has been going on behind the scenes, and we can't wait to share more with you in our next update!

To Catfinity and Beyond! 😺 🚀

Josh & Abi

The Good News, Bad News, Good News, Good News Sandwich!
about 3 years ago – Tue, Sep 14, 2021 at 02:33:38 AM

Hello CATastrophe Nation!

Before we get into the Good News, Bad News, Good News, Good News Sandwich, we want to first thank you for your patience as it has taken longer than anticipated to launch the pledge manager (BackerKit), more news on this in a minute.

The Good News:

Jenny Parks has finished the final illustrations that were created for the backers who pledged to have their cat in the game. We absolutely love how these illustrations turned out and we hope you do as well. Jenny has a few final minor edits to touch up and then her work will be complete for the project. We shared Mr. Peaches in the last update and today we're sharing the final two and their illustration and real pictures below. You will be able to read their wonderful bios in the Cats of CATastrophe art booklet.

Muffins as Captain Jack Muffins

Ricky Wobbles as Ricky the Super Kitty (@rickywobbles)

The Bad News:

• In mid-August Abi and I had a wild week and unfortunately, the bad news is we had to divert our energy and time away from the project for about three and a half weeks. This has been frustrating, especially considering that we were already running a little behind on our schedule before this delay.

To briefly sum it up, we had a number of personal matters occur that called for our immediate attention and consumed a great deal of our time and energy. While all of this was happening, Abi was finishing up the interview process for a potential new job. We are excited to share that she was offered and has accepted the new job. 🎉

This was great news for us, but the one BIG hang-up was Abi’s new position required us to move to a new city (about an hour north of where we were living). This is ultimately what caused us to have to put the project, and honestly our lives, on hold for a few additional weeks. We quickly searched and found a rental, locked it in, packed up our home of 9 years, and with the help of a few friends, we moved everything (including our wonderful cat Indie) to our new house. We are now mostly unpacked and settled in.

I also want to take a moment to reassure everyone that I (Josh) am working full-time on moving the game project forward and Abi is just shifting from her previous full-time job to a new full-time job. She will still be assisting with the project and contributing in many of the same roles as she was before.

We started back full steam on the CATastrophe project a few days ago. And though we are behind on schedule, we are excited about the direction we are headed in.

These events contributed to us having to delay the BackerKit pledge manager launch (which was scheduled to launch in August). The great news is we are very close to launching the pledge manager.

•  BackerKit is reviewing everything now and making a few adjustments to issues we discovered during pre-testing of the pledge manager that we could not fix on our end. As soon as these kinks are worked out, we will be launching what is referred to as a smoke test. 
• A smoke test means that 5% of the surveys will be sent out to Kickstarter backers for each reward level. As these surveys are completed, they will be used to ensure that the pledge manager is functioning correctly. Basically, it allows us to catch any mistakes early that might have occurred during the setup for our BackerKit page and make any adjustments that are needed before the other 95% of the surveys are sent out. Once this smoke test is completed, every backer will be sent their survey.

The Good News:

•  Abi and I have decided to increase the quality of the Yarn Ball components featured in the game! This is actually rather massive news! 😻
• Before and during the Kickstarter our team discussed adding a stretch goal that would alter the Yarn Balls in the game from white wooden cubes to screen-printed wooden Yarn Balls. We decided not to make this a stretch goal because we were concerned about the cost increase and wanted to ensure we did not make a hasty decision that would endanger the project.
• After looking closely at the project budget and having a few discussions with our graphic designer we decided this was a highly beneficial change. We felt that this would add a great deal of value to the game product and the player experience. We desire to do everything possible to further immerse players into the wonderful and exciting world of CATastrophe!

To say that we want you to have an incredible experience is an understatement! We care deeply about you and the experience that you will have when viewing our artwork (or displaying it in your home) and playing our games.

Abi and I committed, from the very beginning, to make our decisions concerning this project and our business out of the lens of what will be best for the end-user (that’s you)! We're convinced that if we are able to do this in a sustainable way that our business will have great success.

More Good News:

•  All 18 posters of the famous cats will be available to purchase individually within the pledge manager. 🥳 In addition, we will also have the two spooky cat illustrations (Catthulu and Catahorn) that were the winners in the art voting available for individual purchase.
• However, the really amazing news here is that we have decided to add the Catthulu and Catahorn illustrations for FREE 🤩 as a bonus to every backer who pledged at the $179 “The Whole Kitten Caboodle” pledge level. In addition, these 2 extra illustrations will also be included with any purchase of the “The Whole Kitten Caboodle” in the pledge manager and pre-order store. We are thrilled to be able to further show our appreciation to our backers and early supporters by adding more value to this pledge level.

New Updates and other Good News:

• In other good news, the Cats of CATastrophe Art Booklet is coming along splendidly. Brigette, the graphic designer creating the art booklet design, provided us with this amazing sample spread and we absolutely love how it is coming together.

• We will be sending out a shorter update in the near future that is fully focused on the pledge manager (BackerKit).
• We will also be opening up our pre-order store just after the pledge manager opens. So, if you have any friends who missed out on the Kickstarter please direct them to our website (HERE) so they can sign up on our emailing list to be notified as soon as the pre-order store is open.

CATastrophe Nation Newsletter

Are you signed up for our newsletter yet? This is the best way to stay up to date about CATastrophe, new posters, expansions, future games & projects, convention appearances & more! We plan to send a newsletter update once every 1-2 months. Sign up at www.catastrophenation.com

You can also follow us on Facebook & Instagram. Don’t be a stranger, drop us a line. ...or a picture of your cat! 😉

Featured Power Cat Highlight: Samson aka Catstradamus

Samson, aka Catstradamus, is a purebred Maine coon born on July 11, 2012. He weighs in at a whopping 30 pounds and is known for being New York City’s largest cat. Maine coon’s are typically 15-25 pounds, but Samson tips the scales with his long and broad frame. Samson and his human left Brooklyn for sunny Florida a few years ago. He is an incredibly loving cat with a big heart and a kind soul. He’s timid but has a strong paw when he needs to assert himself. Samson is a gentle giant who loves to be hand-fed and groom his human and his nephew Dante.

You can find more about Samson HERE.

 Finally, we’ll leave you with a fun riddle! 🐟

A fish has 479 scales on each side, which side has the most scales? 

Do you know the answer? We’ll reveal the correct answer in a comment on this update tomorrow (9/14/21)! No Googling allowed. 😉 Good luck!

As always, we are incredibly humbled by the support of this amazing community of backers. THANK YOU for being on this journey with us, for believing in our project, and for supporting our dream of creating a game for you! We are excited and invigorated with a fresh wind of energy to continue working on this project. We can't wait to share more with you as things continue to progress! 

To Catfinity and Beyond! 😺🚀

Josh & Abi

We've Been Busy! (Updates, Next Steps, & New Art)
over 3 years ago – Mon, Aug 09, 2021 at 08:17:05 PM

Greetings CATastrophe Nation!

We’ve been hard at work behind the scenes on all things CATastrophe and we’re really excited to give you an update and show you some of the amazing new artwork Jenny has completed for the game!

First, Let’s take a look at what we’ve been up to since our last update...

Josh has been working non-stop to stay on schedule. But alas, there are some things that inevitably end up taking longer than anticipated. However, we are thrilled with how everything is coming together. We are committed to ensuring that the game you receive is absolutely gorgeous, fun, and delightfully entertaining. We will not rush the process if it endangers the quality of the final product. So, we’ll be working quickly, but we won’t be cutting any corners.

New Updates!

Cats of CATastrophe Art Booklet

This art booklet was a Stretch Goal unlocked at $105K 🎉 and will highlight all the real-life cats featured in CATastrophe with their real picture, game illustration, and a brief bio (with their social media handles and website). Believe it or not, this has been a LOT of work to put together.

Over the last month:

• We’ve communicated with each famous cat owner, those who pledged at the “Get Your Cat in the Game” level, and our pre-KS giveaway winner for their cat’s bios, their approval on wording, and picture selection, etc.
• We’ve collected, written, and edited 20+ cat bios. This has occasionally felt like herding cats with having to keep track of 20+ different email threads 😹.
• We’ve formed and organized the outline and general layout for the booklet which will be 16-20 pages.
• On Tuesday of this week, we met with the graphic designer who will be creating the art booklet design. We gave her all the information and documents she needed to get started. She is starting on the design this week and should have a mockup design by next week for us to review!

Back of Box Layout and Wording

• With the direction of our graphic designer, we have decided on the general layout for the back of the box. And have also selected which game cards/illustrations will be included. We are currently working on the final wording.

Infographics for Base & Expansion CATastrophe Cards

• Our team has reviewed all 104 CATastrophic Event Card files with a fine-tooth comb and gave feedback for corrections.
• Jason, our graphic designer, has reviewed the feedback and has just completed the files for these cards as of this last Tuesday!

These cards usually involve all players and could be anything, such as a dice dueling event, a malicious mini-game, or a wild challenge. We used infographics to help make these cards understandable and easily playable. There are 52 in the base game and an additional 52 in the expansion. Below is an example of a couple of CATastrophic Event Cards.

Pledge Manager (BackerKit) and Pre-Order Store

• We have been finalizing the shipping prices for the various regions that backers are from (which are required for the Pledge Manager).
• We locked in which 11x17 Power Cat Posters will be available for individual purchase.
• We are working on various aspects of the Pledge Manager and while we are a little behind, we aim to have it open this month. Once it is ready, BackerKit will email you a link to the Pledge Manager. There you will be able to add items to your order, finalize your order, pay for shipping, and enter your mailing address.

Game Artwork

Josh has been in communication with all of the backers who pledged to have their cat in the game and has been working closely with them on the details of their cat’s illustration. Together, they decided on a theme and discussed all facets of the illustration. Once the notes are final, they are sent to Jenny and she starts creating the illustration.

Jenny Parks has been hard at work on the final Power Cat illustrations and we wanted to share what she has accomplished so far. These illustrations have turned out wonderfully and we hope you love them as much as we do!

Fun fact: Did you know each Power Cat illustration takes Jenny between 20-30 work hours to create!?

Catthulu!

This is the final illustration for Catthulu which was the #1 winner from the Spooky Cat art voting. We are blown away by Jenny's talent!

Catahorn!

This is the final illustration for Catahorn which was the winner of the 2nd round of Spooky Cat art voting. We don't know about you, but this gives us goosebumps! We are in love with this illustration! 😻

Mr. Peaches as Mr. Peaches The House Cat!

Mr. Peaches' family pledged at the "Get Your Cat in the Game" level. This is his game illustration. You can see his real picture below and you will be able to read his incredible bio in the Cats of CATastrophe art booklet. 

Worldwide Shipping & Freight Crisis

We wanted to take a brief moment to mention the current shipping & freight crisis going on in the world right now. The games are being manufactured in China and must be delivered as “freight” via container ship to the various countries that backers live in.

If you have not heard, there is a shortage of crewed container ships, crew & port personnel, containers, and various other factors that have all led to freight costs that are 600-1000% higher than usual and still climbing. There are a number of reasons for this but ultimately COVID-19 is the main contributing factor. This is also causing many delays for other creators who are fulfilling their Kickstarter projects.

We are uncertain of what delays this crisis might cause in 2022 but we will be sure to monitor the situation and keep everyone updated.

Here’s an interesting video on what’s going on in the world of shipping and here’s a terrific video about how the shipping crisis is affecting many Kickstarter projects and board game companies.

What’s Next?

Here are just a few of the items we will be working on during the next 4-6 weeks:

• Jacqui Daviswill finish the illustration for the “Vacuums are after you” attack card within the next two weeks.
• Jenny Parks will finish the remaining game illustrations and a few miscellaneous edits.
• We will finalize the layout and wording for the back of the box and the graphic designer will start the final design.
• We will finalize the writing and graphic design for the Cats of CATastrophe Art Booklet.
• We are reviewing blind playtesting notes and will apply feedback to enhance the rulebook and overall game.
• We will review, edit, and finalize the game cards, text, stretch goal content, rulebook, and begin finalizing the files for the manufacturer.
• Open Pledge Manager (BackerKit) & Pre-Order Store

CATastrophe Nation Newsletter

Are you signed up for our newsletter yet? This is the best way to stay up to date about CATastrophe, new posters, expansions, future games & projects, convention appearances & more! We plan to send a newsletter update once every 1-2 months. Sign up at www.catastrophenation.com

You can also follow us on Facebook & Instagram. Don’t be a stranger, drop us a line. ...or a picture of your cat! 😉

Featured Power Cat Highlight: Oskar & Klaus

Oskar & Klaus are a feline odd-couple whose heartwarming and often-goofy antics have been shared with millions of fans across the world for the past ten years. Born in 2000, Klaus is a former stray who was adopted from a no-kill shelter in Nebraska in 2006, while Oskar was found as a kitten in 2011 living on a small farm in Iowa. 

Oskar was born completely blind with a condition called microphthalmia, meaning his eyes never fully developed. Although fans knew him as Oskar the Blind Cat, his lack of eyesight never defined him or slowed him down one bit. He was always eager to have an adventure and often pulled his reluctant buddy, Klaus, into the fun. Oskar & Klaus are also the heroes of two award-winning illustrated children’s books, one of which was read by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station! You can find more about Oskar & Klaus HERE.

Finally, we’ll leave you with this fun cat riddle!

Can you figure it out?

The Big Cat & The Little Cat Riddle

Two cats are sitting on a windowsill, a big cat and a little cat. The little cat is the son of the big cat, but the big cat is not the father of the little cat.

How is this possible?

We’ll share the answer in a comment on this update tomorrow (8/8/21)! No Googling allowed. 😉 Good luck!

We are so thankful for this community and are honored to be creating a game for you! We are working hard and will continue to share more updates every 4-6 weeks as things continue to progress. Stay tuned!

To Catfinity and Beyond,

Josh & Abi

Thank You and Next Steps! (Plus: Spooky Cat Winner, New Art Reveal, Simon the Sphynx Highlight, & More)
over 3 years ago – Sun, Jun 27, 2021 at 08:28:14 PM

Thank you for an incredible campaign!

First, we want to thank each of you for your overwhelming support and belief in CATastrophe and for your patience these last couple of weeks after the campaign! We are so thankful for this community!

After the campaign ended, Abi and I took a few days off to rest. We enjoyed some extra sleep and soaked in some sun too! We have spent the last couple of weeks working behind the scenes on various aspects of the project.

A Few Fun Facts!

The CATastrophe campaign ended with 2,769 backers and $145,077 in funding! And all Stretch Goals unlocked! Woohoo! 🎉

According to the tracking website Bigger Cake, you put CATastrophe in the top 1% of all Kickstarters EVER! 🔥🙀😻

In case you’re curious, there have been over 393,500 Kickstarter campaigns. Based on the number of backers, you made CATastrophe #3,321 of all time! THANK YOU for backing our first Kickstarter campaign! 🙌!

Future Project Updates

Moving forward, we plan to post a campaign update every 4-6 weeks.

Updates will:

• recap what we have accomplished since the last update
• highlight what we plan to work on during the next 4-6 weeks
• provide timeline updates
• show final art
• share any potential issues we might encounter
• share any other exciting news

We estimate that the CATastrophe games will be delivered in April 2022.

Update & Next Steps

Since the campaign ended, these are just a few of the things we’ve been working on and will continue to work on over the coming weeks and months:

• Graphic Design and layout for the back of the game box
• The Cats of CATastrophe art booklet (includes pictures and illustrations of all real cats featured in the game and their bios)
• Infographics for Expansion CATastrophe Cards
• Finalizing the game cards and Rulebook
• Pre-Production Steps
• Pledge Manager & Pre-Order Store
• Unfinished art will be completed by Jenny Parks and Jacqui Davis

Pledge Manager (BackerKit):

We hope to have the Pledge Manager available via BackerKit by the end of July or the beginning of August. Once it is ready, BackerKit will email you a link to the Pledge Manager. There you will be able to add items to your order, finalize your order, pay for shipping, and enter your mailing address. We are also excited to share that we will be selling individual posters within the pledge manager.

Remaining Art:

Jenny Parks just finished working on the Meowgician illustration and is in the middle of completing the Catthulu Power Cat now. She will then finish the other Spooky Cat winning rough sketch and work on the illustrations for the three backers who pledged for the “Your Cat in the Game as a Power Cat” reward level.

Jacqui Davis will also be finishing the rough sketch of the “Vacuums are after you” winning attack card.

And The Winner Is… CATAHORN!

Here is the breakdown of votes…

• 1st Place: Catahorn with 193 votes
• 2nd Place: Catsper with 113 votes
• 3rd Place: Cat Dracula with 79 votes

Thank you all for voting and helping determine which of these rough sketches would make it into the game! We know it was not an easy decision as all of Jenny’s artwork is incredible!! We enjoyed reading all of your comments and seeing all of your votes!

The Meowgician! ✨

We are delighted to PURRsent to you the completed illustration of The Meowgician! Inspired by Norman (our pre-Kickstarter Giveaway grand prize winner’s cat). 

CATastrophe Nation Newsletter

Are you signed up for our newsletter yet? This is the best way to stay up to date on CATastrophe & The Original Sasquatch (our publishing company), new posters, expansions, future games & projects, convention appearances & more! We plan to send a newsletter update once every 1-2 months. Sign up at www.catastrophenation.com

We can’t wait to share even more beautiful, creative, and entertaining board games with you in the future!

Featured Power Cat Highlight: Simon

Simon is a blue mink Canadian sphynx living in Charleston, SC. He was born on July 20th, 2017 and has been the star of the show ever since!

Sphynx cats are known for their energetic, playful, and affectionate behavior. They are considered cats with dog-like traits and Simon is just that and more!

His silly, fun-loving self is a mix between a dog, cat, monkey, and human baby. Some of his favorite activities include: jumping on shoulders, hanging out on top of the fridge, cuddling under the blankets, greeting people at the door, being carried like a baby while performing day-to-day tasks, and following you around the house like a little shadow. Simon is the spunkiest fur(less) baby full of purrsonality. He is truly like no other! You can find more about Simon HERE.

Until Next Time

We are so thankful for this community and we can’t wait to share more updates with you as this project continues to progress! Stay tuned for more art reveals and lots of other fun news! In the meantime, we hope you are well and having a great weekend!

Many hugs,

Josh & Abi

P.S. We haven’t revealed this yet and thought you might enjoy seeing The King (by Jenny Parks)! This illustration is on the main deck card used to gain a Power Cat card in the game.