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The Story Engine: Deck of Worlds

Created by Peter Chiykowski

A deck of worldbuilding prompts for creating imagined lands, local lore, and story-driven maps for creative writing and tabletop RPGs.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Form to Volunteer for US January Shipping
over 1 year ago – Mon, Nov 14, 2022 at 01:49:33 AM

Since I posted the previous update with the news about delays in US fulfillment, I've been deeply touched by all the kind-hearted US backers in the comments volunteering to wait until January to receive their rewards so we can focus on backers waiting for holiday gifts or decks for urgent projects. This wave of generosity was completely unprompted and unexpected, and has been the highlight of an otherwise challenging week. You're a good bunch of eggs, I'm so grateful to have your support on this project.

I spoke to Bridge Fulfillment about the idea. I was initially hesitant to add another moving part to the task of organizing an efficient shipping queue, but they've told me it would be easy enough to track and implement, and it looks like it would make a meaningful difference in letting us focus on backers who need their rewards urgently.

As such, I've built a quick, easy Google form to register if you're comfortable voluntarily delaying your rewards to the back of the queue so we can focus on backers who need their rewards most urgently.

Form link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScj_ZNW83aGUGCfRsouLwznchNiIx0NWLLWWTjcmIp716d2PQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Unless timelines change, I will keep the form open for the next week (until midnight EST on Saturday the 19th) before closing it off so Bridge can mark the held orders. 

For those volunteering, please know how grateful I am and that we will still make every effort to ship your rewards before the holidays.

Also, please don't feel any pressure to volunteer! In an ideal world, none of you would have to volunteer to accept the delays. I don't want anyone signing up for disappointment or discomfort, but for those who felt they could wait a little longer, I did want to create a mechanism for you to volunteer.

Thanks again!

PS: If you volunteered or volunteer in the comments, I will do my best to match your display name to a backer profile, but the surest way to register interest is via the form.

Big update about US delays; small update about Australia/NZ/Asian early bird cards
over 1 year ago – Mon, Nov 14, 2022 at 12:07:48 AM

Hi backers,

I have two big updates to share, one of which is an unfortunate and frustrating turn of events to run into so close to fulfillment. I'll also provide an updated summary of our regional shipping timelines at the bottom of the update.

Update #1 affects US fulfillment: As freight was arriving in port, our original US fulfillment partner gave us the devastating news that they can no longer fulfill our project until January. We have found a new partner who can start US fulfillment by the end of November, but they can only commit to shipping ~75% of US parcels before December 23. This is disappointing, frustrating, and expensive news, and I'll unpack the details in greater depth below.

Update #2 affects Australian, New Zealand, and Asian fulfillment: Note that some backers will receive their early bird cards as a separate letter mail shipment sent later this month. If you are a Kickstarter backer expecting early bird cards and you don't receive them with your rewards, don't worry. You're on a list to receive them in a separate shipment. More details below!

Update #1 in Detail: New US Partner and Revised US Timelines

It's been a very frustrating week.

Just after the last update, and just as freight was arriving in port, our original US partner let us know that their project queue had expanded and they would no longer be able to fulfill our project until January.

This was devastating news to receive, especially so late in the process and with our product set to unload in their port. Asking backers to wait 2 months when we are weeks away from the original fulfillment timelines did not feel like an acceptable outcome for me.

We've spent the past few days exploring alternative partners. It was especially challenging because we have to solve the problem both of securing a new partner last-minute (heading into peak retail/fulfillment season), and also transporting our product to a new fulfillment location on short notice. I want to especially thank our fulfillment lead Miroki Tong for going into beast mode this week lining up alternatives, reviewing contracts, and solving problems.

Thankfully, yesterday we confirmed that Bridge Fulfillment will be taking on our project. We built a good relationship with them over the summer when we were exploring potential US fulfillment partners and they were ready to go when we approached them about taking on the project with minimal notice. They understand the urgency of our fulfillment needs and how much it matters to me to keep my commitments to backers.

The good news: Bridge has committed to starting fulfillment before the end of November and to finishing 75% of fulfillment by the holidays, which is a Herculean labour given how late into peak shipping season this interruption has pushed us.

The bad news: this means roughly 25% of US backers will likely not have their rewards until January.

I can't tell you how sorry I am to be sharing this news, and how frustrated I am that we can't meet the original timelines I gave you. In a perfect world, every single one of you would have your decks well before the holidays, but it's been a week of accepting that the situation is far from perfect, and that our available solutions at this point won't be perfect either.

We're currently in the process of arranging transportation of the goods from the port of Baltimore to Bridge's facility in Georgia. We've onboarded onto their fulfillment platform and are sending them our backer data, product data, and additional project details. Redirecting the goods and onboarding a new partner during rush season is going to raise fulfillment costs significantly but it will let us start in November and finish fulfillment around the time we would otherwise be starting it, so the expense is worth it to me.

We will explore delegating international backers' rewards to our UK or Asian hubs to help clear the deck for Bridge to focus on US fulfillment and ensure our international backers do not have to wait.

I'll update you as the new plan comes together. Big thanks to Bridge Fulfillment for stepping in during our hour of need and to ARC Global Logistics for pivoting with us as freight was arriving in port.

UPDATE: After the outpouring of unprompted volunteers in the comments, I've created a Google form for volunteering to receive rewards in January so we can focus on delivering rewards needed for holiday gifts or urgent projects. You're a bunch of verygood eggs!

Update #2 Details: Early Bird Split Shipments for Australia, New Zealand, and Asia

We made a spreadsheet error and under-allocated early bird cards to our hubs.

For the US and UK hubs, we'll be expediting a top-up of early bird cards ASAP and we don't currently think this will affect fulfillment timelines.

For backers in Australia, New Zealand and Asia, we've asked our partners to continue fulfilling rewards after they run out of early bird cards and we will separately mail early bird cards to backers who did not receive them.

If you don't receive early bird cards, don't worry, they will be in the mail from Canada before the end of the month. This will prevent delays in shipping out the main rewards to all of you.

Summary of Fulfillment Timelines and Regions

US fulfillment via Bridge Fulfillment

Estimated warehouse arrival: Nov 22.

Estimated fulfillment start date: Nov 28.

UK and Europe fulfillment via Spiral Galaxy Games

Estimated warehouse arrival: Nov 15-22.

Estimated fulfillment start date: Nov 28-Dec 5.

Asian fulfillment via VFI

Everything has arrived! I was told shipping would likely start this week but I don't have confirmation that parcels have been put in the mail yet. I believe instead they will be starting early next week. See update #2 above re: early bird cards.

Australian/New Zealand fulfillment via Aetherworks

Everything has arrived! Shipping continues at a steady pace. See update #2 above re: early bird cards.

Canadian fulfillment via me (from Ontario)!

Estimated warehouse arrival: Nov 17.

Estimated fulfillment start date: Nov 17.

As always, here are the FAQs.

  •  If you need to update your address, please DM me on Kickstarter ASAP. For US backers, we will prioritize getting your addresses updated given the change in timelines. For other regions, it may be too late to change, but we will do our best to process address change requests.
  •  If you want to access your Digital Downloads, follow these instructions.
  •  If you have any trouble accessing your files, contact BackerKit for help.
  •  If you have a general question about the campaign not covered by the FAQ, feel free to comment below or DM me here on Kickstarter.

Thanks so much for your patience and your trust, and my apologies again to US backers for the disappointing news about delays.

The first parcels are going out!
over 1 year ago – Sun, Nov 06, 2022 at 12:30:30 AM

Hi everyone!

I'm pleased to announce that the first parcels are going out in Australia, and parcels to Asia will begin shipping next week!

For the rest of our regions, the timelines are firming up, with some coming in ahead of schedule (Canada) and some running a little behind (UK/EU).

You'll notice I have locked addresses for all regions in BackerKit. Note that if your address failed to lock (in which case you would have received a BackerKit notification telling you so) or if you filled out your reward survey after addresses were locked, your rewards will be sent at the end of the fulfillment run.

US and rest of world fulfillment via Flying Cloud Fulfillment

Our vessel has reached the eastern seaboard and should be transferring its cargo shortly. Current estimated warehouse arrival: Nov 9-14.

UK and Europe fulfillment via Spiral Galaxy Games

Unfortunately, our vessel has been delayed getting to port. Current estimated warehouse arrival: Nov 15-22.

Asian fulfillment via VFI

Everything has arrived! Shipping begins next week (a little later than originally expected)!

Australian/New Zealand fulfillment via Aetherworks

Everything has arrived! Shipping is beginning now.

Canadian fulfillment via me (from Ontario)!

We're ahead of schedule! Our shipment arrived and cleared early and will shortly be transported to my fulfillment base in Ontario. Current estimated warehouse arrival: Nov 14.

Timeline after shipments arrive

In my experience, once cargo arrives in the fulfillment warehouses, shipping usually starts within 3-10 days, although it can sometimes take longer in outside cases.

As always, here are the FAQs.

  • If you need to update your address, please DM me on Kickstarter ASAP. Depending on your region and state of fulfillment, it may be too late to change, but we will do our best. Note that it is too late to update pledge items.
  • If you want to access your Digital Downloads, follow these instructions.
  • If you have any trouble accessing your files, contact BackerKit for help.
  • If you have a general question about the campaign not covered by the FAQ, feel free to comment below or DM me here on Kickstarter.

Thanks so much!

Our first ships are en route! + new demo video
over 1 year ago – Sun, Oct 02, 2022 at 06:45:26 PM

Hi backers!

Great news! The first of our cargo has left port and is en route and I've received our first port arrival estimates for each region!

Also, there's a new demo video featuring the process of creating a complex microsetting and linking the cues between 2 microsettings. We built an island of trickster rogues living on an active volcano and my dog made a cameo. If you missed the first video in the demo series where we built a secret camp for retired adventurers, you can watch that here!

Freight and Fulfillment Timelines

The good news is that our first ships are en route, we have some initial port arrival estimates, and our timelines have largely held with the schedule from the last update!

With current timeline estimates, Asia and Australia are likely to fulfill in mid-to-late October. The US, UK/Europe, and Canada are likely to begin fulfilling in mid-to-late November with a possibility of fulfillment continuing into December depending on the speed of fulfillment.

Let's go through a more detailed region-by-region walkthrough!

Also, please keep in mind that these are all very loose working estimates that can and will change. Global issues with freight are ongoing and a lot of ports are experiencing congestion right now. Communication around freight also tends to be slow, meaning sometimes I won't receive confirmation of departures/arrivals until after they happen. If a specific date passes without me posting an update, it's likely that I'm still waiting on confirmation myself (or I'm waiting to receive news on multiple regions before I send a mass update).

Okay, let's get into the details!

US and rest of world fulfillment via Flying Cloud Fulfillment

  • Current estimated port arrival: Oct 31
  • Current estimated warehouse arrival: Nov 7-14

UK and Europe fulfillment via Spiral Galaxy Games

  • Current estimated port arrival: Nov 3
  • Current estimated warehouse arrival: Nov 10-17
  • Note: Workers at Felixstowe (the UK's busiest container port) are currently on an 8-day strike. Our arrival port is currently Southhampton, but I have a feeling there could be wider port delays if other ships have to reroute due to congestion at Felixstowe. The dates provided here are qualified by "if all goes well" and are subject to more change than most.

Asian fulfillment via VFI

  • Current status: Awaiting pickup for local transport after the Golden Week holiday
  • Current estimated warehouse arrival: Oct 14-21

Australian/New Zealand fulfillment via Aetherworks

  • Current estimated port arrival: Oct 13
  • Current estimated warehouse arrival: Oct 20-27

Canadian fulfillment via me (from Ontario)!

  • Current estimated port arrival: Nov 10
  • Current estimated warehouse arrival: Nov 17-30

In my experience, once cargo arrives in the fulfillment warehouses, shipping usually starts within 3-10 days, although it can sometimes take longer in outside cases. We have a couple of new fulfillment partners on this project who all come highly recommended, but I'm still learning their rhythms and timelines.

All in all, given the state of the global supply chain right now, I'm happy that we're currently on track to stay close to our original schedule (if all goes well). As always, I'll continue to update you as progress continues! Thanks for your patience in the meantime!

  • If you need to update your address, you can still do that yourself via BackerKit by following these instructions. We will begin to lock each region's addresses as cargo arrives at each hub.
  • If you need to update your pledge contents, DM me here on Kickstarter or via the BackerKit help form. Backers in the US, UK, and EU can still update the items in their pledges.
  • If you want to access your Digital Downloads, follow these instructions.
  • If you have any trouble accessing your files, contact BackerKit for help.
  • If you have a general question about the campaign not covered by the FAQ, feel free to comment below or DM me here on Kickstarter.

Production update + microsetting PDF coming soon
over 1 year ago – Thu, Sep 15, 2022 at 05:41:15 AM

Hi backers,

I have an update for you as freight continues to move along, albeit slower than I had been hoping!

Here are the headlines, with additional details below!

  • I held back freight for 2 weeks for an extra round of product inspections. I explain why I decided to do the extra spot checks below, and how the results of the checks were very reassuring: everything's looking fantastic!
  • We are still currently expecting to fulfill on the same timeline as the previous update, with some regions starting fulfillment as early as October and others as early as November, but with a greater likelihood of November for more regions.
  • A bonus PDF of the 13 author/artist-created microsettings is coming next week!
  • A new Deck of Worlds playthrough preview just dropped from author Clare Marshall!
  • Our project coordinator Zach has a card game Kickstarter ending in 48 hours!

Let's get into the details!

I held freight for an extra round of product inspections

Originally we were looking at our finished products being packaged and ready for freight at the end of August. After I spotted a small production discrepancy in the production photos and videos I was being sent, we held the freight so I could inspect all of the mass production samples to be absolutely certain that everything had printed correctly.

One of my mantras as a designer and project manager comes from a family saying from my opa, who did a lot of woodworking: "measure twice, cut once." In other words, whenever you have a chance to do an extra check before passing a point of no return, do it.

The discrepancy I identified from the photos/videos was an admittedly minor detail, but the kind of detail that can sometimes be a flag for other issues that might have been missed: the box printer had forgotten to add the semi-circle thumb cut on the back of the expansion tuck boxes, which is a new feature I wanted to add this printing to make them easier to open. 

We discussed the possibility of redoing the boxes and agreed it would not be worth the additional delays, especially for an optional added feature that wasn't part of the original 2019 printing.

But we also agreed it was worth delaying a week for me to receive and review a final production sample of every item, just in case there are any issues that need addressing. 

The mass production sample arrived and the materials were looking fantastic!

The first complete "family photo"! Seriously, everything looks so good!

Except for one thing: the backs of the Landmark cards on the main Deck of Worlds sample unit did not match the color saturation of the rest of the card backs. I sent sample photos of the card backs to a few collaborators to see if they could notice the difference or if I was being too detail-obsessed, and most people were able to notice that something was different and could spot the mismatched card in a lineup.

(An aside for any print nerds out there: I decided to simulate the issue I was seeing by manipulating the CMYK channels of the print files in Photoshop, and it looks like the K ink on the cards I received was lower than it should have been, desaturating the card and sucking out the drop shadows.)

I flagged the issue to the printer ASAP, along with instructions not to freight any decks until we could inspect a broad sample of the print run.

I'm proud to say that printer responded with the level of care and urgency I look for in a production partner. They expedited me another sample to review while their quality control team pulled hundreds of samples to inspect (armed with my instructions for what to look for).

The good news is that they haven't found a single misprinted deck in their inspection, and they've sent me photos and videos to confirm. It looks like the issue is likely a one-off, and it was a coincidence that it happened to be on the deck they sent me for inspection. To be absolutely certain, they are sending a few hundred extra sets of Landmark cards. In the unlikely event that any other decks have the same issue, we'll be able to replace them.

While I feel a little silly that I delayed 2 weeks to find out that everything was okay all along, I don't regret taking the time to make sure things were handled correctly and to have secured a backup plan with replacement cards.

"Measure twice, cut once."

I'm resting easier knowing everything else is looking fantastic!

No further change to the fulfillment timeline for now

In these updates, I've been trying to provide conservative timeline estimates that include some buffer, and so far the last broad timeline I provided remains the same: I expect us to start fulfilling in October for some regions and November for others, but with more likelihood of November for more regions than before and mid-to-late November being a possibility. There's so much uncertainty in international freight operations right now.

Disruptions can and do happen, so keep in mind that these are working estimates.

Luckily, my colleague Miroki Tong who came on board to help manage production and freight timelines was able to work on confirming our freight arrangements while the inspection was happening, so there has been parallel progress confirming our container sizes, final destinations, packing lists, customs arrangements, and final carrier quotes. The big milestone will be when the boats actually start to hit water. For now, we've been getting closer every week. We're still in a global supply chain crunch, and despite following up constantly to keep our shipments at top of mind with our freight forwarders, we have to accept that much of the process at this point is outside our control.

I'll continue to collect major updates into one of these posts every few weeks, and you may also find me posting mini-updates on the project comments page.

A bonus PDF of the 13 author/artist-created microsettings is coming next week

One of the add-ons I've been most excited about is the set of 13 postcards featuring microsettings created by a team of authors and artists using early alpha copies of Deck of Worlds. You've seen sneak peeks of some of the artwork in previous updates.

The physical printed postcards are included in the two DEVOUR reward tiers, and were available as an add-on. Those backers will receive their postcards along with the rest of their rewards, and the plan was to post the lore and flash fiction associated with each microsetting as a series of free blog posts on The Story Engine Deck website.

But as a fun treat for backers, I decided to go through with the unreached stretch goal of designing the 13 microsettings into a fully designed PDF lorebook. We'll still be updating the blog with stories that are publicly accessible, but I wanted to give backers early access to the resource in its fully designed glory.

The settings and lore came out looking and reading beautifully, and I'm excited for you to experience them!

Get ready for this arriving via BackerKit download next week!

A new deck playthrough preview just dropped from author Clare Marshall

Clare Marshall is a university friend who went on to start Faery Ink Press, write YA fantasy, sci fi, and post-apocalyptic books and release the fantasy serial podcast Wingtorn.

She also releases free tutorials and playthroughs on her YouTube channel showcasing how she uses different creative tools in her process. When she told me about she'd homebrewed The Story Engine Deck + Microscope into an improvised solo RPG system, I knew I wanted her to have one of the alpha copies of Deck of Worlds to blend into her creative experimentation.

Over the weekend she released a Deck of Worlds playthrough preview that touched on something I'm super passionate about.

Clare recorded the video while recovering from a major surgery and talked about taking time for open-ended creative play as a healing activity.

I've always been a big believer in the act of creative expression as a valid, self-nourishing activity that doesn't have to be tied to specific outcomes. Sometimes the point isn't to write a publishable novel or n Instagram-worthy piece of art—it's just about holding time to explore creative play and be open to spending time in our process. We can write or make the art with the same spirit of self-care and open curiosity we might bring to mindfulness exercises or yoga or brewing a cup of tea as a ritual of time spent in the company of ourselves.

Getting to watch Clare play with the deck was a powerful moment in a week that has otherwise been about very structured, directed problem-solving with logistics. Hearing her laugh at the absurd card combinations and get intrigued by the non-obvious cues and end up with a delightfully strange setting of horse-racing/bet-placing monks and a bridge that gives you blisters but heals your other hurts—it's wonderful! I so admire her creative intelligence bravery and energy. I hope she keeps finding time for experiments like these!

In whatever creative state this update finds you, I thought you might enjoy the preview, too!

Our project coordinator Zach has a card game Kickstarter ending in 48 hours

Zach was instrumental in helping me keep up with communications during the Kickstarter, helping design the deck and expansions, and art-directing the microsetting postcards (and illustrating one of them himself)!

He's been running a Kickstarter for his original card game, Wizlords in Space, which I got to playtest at Gen Con. It's a ton of fun! The theme and art are DELIGHTFUL and make it approachable to casual players, but the mechanics let you go super deep with your strategizing. 

Normally I'm very hesitant to promote Kickstarters while mine is experiencing delays, but Zach has contributed so much to Deck of Worlds and I would love to see his first game succeed.

At the time of writing, he's $75 short of his funding goal with 48 hours left. If any of you like fast, fun, tightly-themed battle-strategy games, please take a look and consider picking up a copy! I'd love if one of our backers tipped him over the funding finish line!

That's all for now

As always:

  •  If you need to update your address, you can still do that yourself via BackerKit by following these instructions.
  •  If you need to update your pledge contents, DM me here on Kickstarter or via the BackerKit help form. Backers in the US, UK, and EU can still update the items in their pledges.
  •  If you want to access your Digital Downloads, follow these instructions.
  •  If you have any trouble accessing your files, contact BackerKit for help.
  •  If you have a general question about the campaign not covered by the FAQ, feel free to comment below or DM me here on Kickstarter.