Critical Core

Timeline Update: Project Delays
about 4 years ago – Sat, Sep 19, 2020 at 07:13:41 PM

Hello everyone,

Over the past several months we have made tremendous progress on getting Critical Core ready for production, however, every day presents new obstacles and challenges to overcome. We’re getting better at anticipating these challenges, but still encounter obstacles which force us to make a difficult decision to revise our schedule. This update is to let you know that the current shipping schedule will be 2 months later than the plan we last communicated. This means that, based on the current timeline, physical Critical Core package arrivals will be in March or April 2021.

While moving the shipping date back is frustrating, our primary responsibility is our commitment to delivering you a product that you’ll love using. Our standards are extremely high and uncompromising because we care deeply about the investment you’ve made in us and the Critical Core experience you’re eagerly awaiting.

Your valuable feedback uncovered aspects of the modules that could drastically improve and simplify your experience running Critical Core. We were excited to incorporate that feedback, but doing so required several rewrites to the modules you reviewed as well as extensive rewrites to Age of Green which you haven’t had the opportunity to review. We wanted to make sure the modules were extremely consistent and easy to read and understand. This meant that several cycles of rewrites and editing are required. This also impacts the layout design of the modules requiring additional work/edits from our layout designer. We are a very small team, so we all had to pivot to work on these rewrites which delayed some of the other work required to send Critical Core off to the manufacturer in time for you to get your shipment within the timeline we provided.

Fortunately the manufacturing and shipping timelines won’t keep you from enjoying Critical Core within the November-January timeline that we had previously communicated. Everyone who backed the Kickstarter will be sent the Critical Core digital materials shortly after it is given to the manufacturer so that you can have it several months before the physical product.

We’re proud of the product we’ve created so far, and we really appreciate you sticking it out with us. We’re grateful for the good-will you’ve extended us and I want to be very clear that we’re still working diligently to get this product to you as quickly as possible. We’re getting close to a home stretch. We look forward to sharing more progress with you in our next update. Your support and feedback for Critical Core has already had a tremendous impact on the product, and will help bring that positive impact to the world. We’re very excited to continue to bring you on this journey, and share it with you when it’s done.

Warmly,

Adam Johns

Game to Grow Executive Director

Nearly Finalized GM Screen!
about 4 years ago – Fri, Sep 04, 2020 at 02:12:12 AM

Hello Everyone,

We’re moving along, getting closer and closer as we prepare for the final hand-off to the manufacturer.

As we finalize the materials we’ve been having conversations with our manufacturer and shipper about timeline and shipping methods. Once those two are finalized we’ll have an actual estimated date for when we can expect kits to start showing up on people’s doorstep. So exciting!

I wanted to share the design of our nearly finished GM screen, that I thought you might all enjoy.

We’ve talked a bunch within the team about what we want to have on the game master’s screen, and what would be the most helpful, especially to brand new game masters, though obviously much of it may be useful to game masters of all levels.

You can see on the second page that the GM screen can be written on, but it is awkward to write on a vertical screen in the middle of a game, so it is designed for you to fill out some of your player character’s information before your session begins.

That is all I have for you this time. I hope that by next update I’ll have some specific dates to share with everyone. We’re getting very close to this hand off and the next phase of the project. Thank you all for sticking with us, and as always, thank you for your support!

Warmly,

Adam Johns

Game to Grow, Executive Director

What Critical Core Means to Me
about 4 years ago – Fri, Aug 21, 2020 at 02:59:35 AM

Hello Everyone,

We’re still very much in crunch, so I don’t have too much to share with you. We’re on target, but there is still LOTS to do. Which is, I guess, the nature of crunch. Right now we’re working on finishing the layout design of the cards and the GM screen, rewriting some sections of modules that were confusing or needed clarification, and doing the next round of edits on the third module. All of that while going back and forth with the artists for the maps and the final artwork.

I do want to share some of my own personal feelings around this project. Something that I’ve done in comments or talks, but never in an update.

Some of you know Adam Davis and myself as the founders of Game to Grow, and previous to that, Wheelhouse Workshop. It has now been nearly 9 years since I started using role-playing games to help kids and teens build social skills, work that I consider both my passion and my calling. I’ve had a chance to see players at my table grow up, go through both middle and high school, and move off to college. I’ve watched them learn how to make friends, resolve conflicts, and face challenges and frustrations. At my tables I’ve had players laugh, cry, and form relationships and experiences that will stay with them for the rest of their lives; and I’m honored to be a part of their process. When the opportunity came up to put together Critical Core we knew that this would be important.

This is a chance to get work that we’ve been doing for a long time into the homes, schools, and community centers of people around the world. I can’t claim that Critical Core will help shape the world, but I do know that it has the potential to change the way that people understand social capacity development and the use of games in therapy practice. Our philosophy is that the game is a tool to help you provide guidance and learning. Just like any tool it is only as impactful as the person who is using it, but it sure helps to have the right tool for the situation.

My hope is that Critical Core inspires you. That it gives you the boost that you need to help you help others. I hope that the people who use Critical Core gain an opportunity to engage, in their own communities, with neurodiverse individuals, or to find a new way to engage with their friends and family members that creates a common play space for them to share.

I believe in a product that can be both useful and fun, and that those two things aren’t diametrically opposed. Learning and growing together can be rewarding, and I want to help more people have the amazing experiences that I’ve been able to have.

So however you intend to use Critical Core, I hope it represents positivity in your life, and that you can share that positivity with others.

Warmly,

Adam Johns

Game to Grow Executive Director

CRUNCH TIME!
about 4 years ago – Sat, Aug 08, 2020 at 02:10:09 AM

Hello Everyone,

The whole team is working to finalize the different pieces of the project in preparation for the material hand off to the final layout design team.

Here’s a quick overview of some of the things that we’re finishing up.

Artwork: The artists are working hard to finish the finals for the remaining artwork before the hand-off. I’ll share some of these in future updates. We’re excited about the great work we’ll be getting from them in this final crunch.

Age of Green: The module is written, it is now going around the team for editing and review. We’re sending the map briefs to the map artist this week so they can get those together too.

Extra material (GM screen, Cards, tokens, etc): Most of the important decisions have been made about these, but we’re still tweaking the layout so we can make sure it will be functional and enhance the play experience.

Otherwise, we’ve been connecting with manufacturing and shipping to make sure that they will be ready once the final layout design team has finished. As of right now we’re still on track with our timeline.

Thanks for the support everyone!

Adam Johns

Game to Grow Executive Director

Phase 2 Development and Artwork Briefs
about 4 years ago – Fri, Jul 24, 2020 at 02:13:01 AM

Hello everyone,

I want to, once again, thank everyone for all of the great feedback. As we’re incorporating your suggestions and edits into Critical Core, it is obvious just how helpful all of you have been. Also, you’ll all be happy to know that right now we’re still on track for our November - January delivery window.

We’ve been focused on three main pieces of Critical Core over the last couple of weeks:

The first is getting the most important parts of the remaining modules put together. There is one more module, The Age of Green, that we are still in the process of finalizing. We’ve also started mapping out the plot-lines of the digital modules. We’ve met with Jerry Holkins from Penny Arcade and we’re meeting with Shanna Germain from Monte Cook Games next week. I’m really excited to share more details with all of you as those projects progress!

The second piece that we’re working on is making some key decisions about the extended material. We’ve had a lot of discussions as a team to balance what we can afford, what kind of weight we can have in the kit so that we’re not killed with shipping costs, and what is going to be most useful to the Critical Core users. There are still a few answers that we need from our manufacturing and shipping partners before we can finalize those decisions, but it has been great to get those decisions going.

Lastly, we’ve been working on art briefs. We’re arranging our briefs this week to go out to the artists so they can get started. It will take a few weeks, including back and forth with us, to get those final versions, but I’m certain that they will be worth the wait, and while they are working on those, we’ll be finalizing some design and text choices for the remaining extended kit pieces.

Over the next two weeks we’ll be working on incorporating the feedback into the materials, finalizing the artists briefs to share with the artists, mapping out the outlines for the stretch goal video content, and completing the third module; The Age of Green.

Thank you all for your support!

Warmly,

Adam Johns

Game to Grow, Executive Director