Production Status & Delivery Estimates
over 4 years ago – Sat, Jan 11, 2020 at 01:10:17 AM

Happy New Year!

We wish you'll solve even the most difficult puzzles in 2020! In this picture heavy update, we're excited to share with you more samples from the manufacturer, two brand new mass production copies that we have received this week and also the production timeline along with the estimated delivery times.

• Production status — All game components will be finished by the end of the day.
• New mass production copy arrived — Unboxing, quality check, plenty of pictures here!
• Next steps and delivery estimates — Check out what's going to happen during the following weeks.

Production Status

We're almost there! According to the manufacturer, all Project L components were finished by the end of 10 January, which is when the factory closes for the Chinese New Year.

During the last steps of preparations for the production, the manufacturer performed further tests of the scratch-resistant varnish and lamination (see the pictures below) to make sure there are no issues with them.

New mass production copy arrived!

We have received two mass production copies assembled from the finished components and sent the manufacturer our feedback on the assembly process and the placement of the components in the box. It is incredible for us to report that the production issues that affected the puzzle boards are solved, and that the mass production copy looks wonderful!

Pictures from the unboxing and quality check are right below — let us know what you think in the comments. :)

Next steps and delivery estimates

With the components ready, the most important steps ahead of us is the assembly, while our priority is to avoid any further errors and to double-check that all the components are indeed perfect. The games will be assembled after the end of the Chinese New Year (10 February onward), which allows us to fly to China in order to inspect the games in person right before they get shipped to you. The manufacturer was able to schedule this final check between 24-28 February.

Next steps once the games are assembled (from 2 March onward):

• 2 weeks to load the games on ships
• 2/4 weeks of sea freight (US/EU)
• 1 week to unload the games and sort out the customs process
• 2 weeks for fulfillment and deliveries

Estimated deliveries:

• USA: 6 - 17 April
• EU and rest of the world: 20 April - 1 May

That's all from us for now. What do you think about the latest mass production copy?

Thank you very much for your incredible support!

Michal

New Puzzle Board Samples Arrived
over 4 years ago – Wed, Dec 04, 2019 at 12:35:16 AM

Hi,

We have received samples from our manufacturer (PandaGM) that include seven possible technological solutions for the recessed puzzle boards. Let's take a look at the samples in detail, see which one we've picked, and also what are the next steps in the Project L production: 

• Production news — where we are now with Project L.
• Next steps in the manufacturing process.

Production news

The technological samples of the puzzle boards we have received address the dents that appeared in the previous production versions by strengthening the individual layers (You can read more about the production issues of the puzzle boards in Updates #30, #31, and #32.). Therefore, the two most important variables among the samples was the height of the recessed area that you fill with pieces and the structure of the bottom layer.

After examining and testing out all the possibilities, we have chosen to go with the most robust variant of the puzzle boards, which has the following layer structure:

• 1 (top): 200 gsm C2S paper with matte varnish — this is the top layer of the puzzle boards.
• 2 (middle): 900 gsm blackboard — the cut outs in this layer create the recessed areas that you fill with pieces during the game.
• 3 (bottom): 200 gsm C2S paper with matte varnish — this is the layer you can see through the recessed areas on the puzzles.
• 4 (bottom): 450 gsm blackboard — this is the layer that structurally supports the bottom of the recessed areas.
• 5 (bottom): 200 gsm C2S paper with matte lamination — this is the bottom of the puzzle boards.

The improved puzzle board structure in detail:

The backbone of the improved structure is the addition of an extra blackboard layer to support the bottom of the puzzle, which will have 200 gsm C2S paper around it from each side (the top one with matte varnish and the bottom one with matte lamination). While 400 gsm blackboard is enough to prevent dents in the recesses, we went with 450 gsm in order to make the puzzle board extra sturdy.

Another variable in the samples was the height of the recessed areas, created by either 650 or 900 gsm blackboard. Since the puzzle boards are now wider, decreasing the recessed areas was a possible option to fit all the puzzles (including those from the expansions) into the Project L — Base Game box. However, during our tests, the 650 gsm option has proven to create too shallow a recess for the pieces to be kept in place, so they ended up jumping out of the recesses too easily. Therefore, we have chosen to go with the 900 gsm variant because compromising the ease of manipulation with the game wasn't an option for us.

Finally, we're also adding matte lamination instead of matte varnish for the bottom side of the puzzle boards as it produces cleaner edges when the puzzle boards are cut out.

Other improved components:

• Project L — Base Game box will have a scratch-resistant lamination. It will only fit the puzzles from the base game since the puzzle boards are now much sturdier (see the picture above).
• Project L — Ghost Piece expansion box will be a standard two-piece box instead of a tuck box, and will comfortably store all the expansion puzzle boards.
• Player mats will have a scratch-resistant varnish.
• Rulebook's cover pages will have lamination on them.

Next steps

Now that the final structure of the puzzle boards and the other components is ready, the manufacturer will order the necessary material to complete the production. Once this happens, they will get an estimate for the delivery of the material and will be able to create a timeline for the rest of the production process.

Below is a rough timeline of what will happen once the manufacturer receives the material and starts the production:

• 2 weeks to finish the mass production and assembly
• 1 week to load the games on ships
• 2/4 weeks of sea freight (US/EU)
• 1 week to unload the games and sort out the customs process
• 2 weeks for fulfillment and deliveries

This is all from us for now. What do you think about the improved puzzle boards?

Thank you very much for your incredible support!

Michal

Post-Essen SPIEL News
over 4 years ago – Sat, Nov 09, 2019 at 01:55:38 AM

Hi,

We're back with a post-Essen SPIEL update, and there's plenty we want to share, including the next steps in the production, new community translations, and an article about art direction in board games. Let's take a look:

•  Production status and the next steps in the manufacturing process.
•  Look back at Essen SPIEL 2019 — Check out our Essen SPIEL in pictures post here.
•  New community translations — Seven Project L translations are available here. 
•  Art direction in board games — Read an interview with Marek, Boardcubator's art director.

Production status

In the last two updates (Update #30 and Update #31), we have outlined the production problems that the manufacturer (PandaGM) wasn't able to resolve. During Essen SPIEL, we had several meetings with them to discuss the problems in the production production. In the following two weeks, they should overcome all the issues by finding a solution for producing the puzzles.

Where we are now: The manufacturer came to the conclusion that they are unable to produce the bottom layer of the puzzle boards with a single layer of paper. The solution they propose is to use two layers of 400 gsm paper at the bottom of the puzzle boards, which is the minimum thickness that doesn't get dented in the process (the picture below, on the left). On top of that, they have improved the die cutting blades so the edges of the recessed areas of the puzzles have straight lines and right angles (the picture below, on the right). 

Next steps

We're waiting for the manufacturer to test the new structural design of the puzzles and verify the possibility of producing the puzzle boards like this. After this, we will receive a physical proof of concept. If it will work, the manufacturer will send us a complete mass production sample with the new puzzle boards for an approval. We will also need to be sure the new puzzle boards won't cause other issues in the production both from visual and technological standpoints (for example, the thicker puzzle boards need to fit the insert / box). If we approve the new mass production copy, the assembly will begin, and all the Project L copies will be completed.

We want to be extra careful before we ship finished copies to you given all the production issues that we have encountered so far. At this point, the only option for us is to fly to China to inspect the finished print run and do the final quality control in person before sending the games on their way to you.

Look back at Essen SPIEL

Essen SPIEL was incredible! At times, six tables and a counter didn't have enough space on them for every who wanted to play Project L! Thank you so much for stopping by our stand to say hi and check out the game. The amount of support we got from people visiting our stand was simply breathtaking. You are the best! We had a lot of fun watching Project L being played both by seasoned gamers racking their brains on the best possible moves and by kids having a great time with their parents.

Check out our Essen SPIEL in pictures post where we share a lot of photos from the convention.

Community translations

A HUGE thanks to the wonderful community translators who worked hard on making the game accessible in even more languages! Apart from the six official translations, Project L is now available in seven more languages!

• Japanese
• Chinese
• Polish
• Dutch
• Greek
• Portuguese
• Brazilian Portuguese

All the language versions are available here as PDF files.

Art Direction — There's More to Games than Meets the Rules

Do you like the way Project L looks? Would you like to know more about making games? Then take a look at an article about art direction that we have published. It's based on an interview with Marek, Boardcubator’s art director, during which he talked about the specifics of this role with Michal. It's all about how art and visual design influences games.

•  Read the article here.

It's the first article in a series in which we want to share with you insights about all possible aspects of making games that we've learned in the past years. Let us know what you think about it — is there a particular topic that you would like us to explore next?

This is all from us for now. We will let you know as soon as we have new information from the manufacturer. In the meantime, let us know what aspects of making board games you would like to read more about!

Thank you again very much for all your support.

Best wishes

Michal

Sad News from Essen
over 4 years ago – Wed, Oct 23, 2019 at 03:10:33 AM

Hi,

In the last update (Update #30), we told you we're going to Essen SPIEL this week to check the batch of games that our manufacturer, Panda GM, has sent to Essen. They reassured us that they have sorted out all the manufacturing problems by now, so we believed them and were hoping for the best.

We're here now and, in short, the games the manufacturer sent to Essen cannot pass the quality check. Take a look:

This means that there are no Essen pickups, but if you'll be at Essen, come to our booth (Hall 2-C144) to say hi, play the game with us, and see what went wrong in the production yourself.

We have a meeting with the manufacturer later today so we will have more information then. We'll keep you updated.

Best wishes

Michal, Jan, and Marek

Project Status & Essen SPIEL
over 4 years ago – Mon, Oct 21, 2019 at 02:14:53 AM

Hi,

In this update, we want to share with you the current state of the production process and also show you why the last steps of Project L’s production have taken a bit longer than everyone expected.

•  Project Status — Check out the production process and what’s ahead.
•  Essen SPIEL 2019 — Meet us at Hall 2-C144.

Production Process

The production of Project L has been an exhausting journey. On the way towards the recessed puzzle boards, for example, we, and especially the manufacturer, needed to tame several innovative technologies that have proven to be much more stubborn than everyone involved had imagined. For this reason, it was essential to be extra careful and double or even triple-check the components the manufacturer had sent us. Here is what usually happens before mass production gets the green light:

Step 1: Receive a pre-production copy (PPC) from the manufacturer, which is a prototype of a near-final quality that is used before expensive mass production processes, such as offset printing, are put into action. Check all the components and identify problems that need to be resolved before the mass production starts.

Step 2: The manufacturer starts the mass production and assembles a Mass Production Copy (MPC), which should usually have all the problems already resolved, so the creator can approve it. Once it is approved, the manufacturer will finish assembling the whole print run.

The production is stopped only if a serious problem appears in the Mass Production Copy. Well..

This week, we have received Mass Production Copy #4 (yes, this means we had already sent three versions back for reasons that are outlined below), and we still weren’t able to approve it because of one final unresolved manufacturing issue. That being said, we were reassured by Panda GM that the last issue only affects the copy that was rushed to our office and will not appear in the rest of the games. We sincerely hope that’s true and that MPC #4 was the last iteration we had to send back. We will know this for certain next Wednesday, right before Essen SPIEL begins.

Current Project Status

We are happy that the four iterations of manufacturing improvements within the different mass production versions we have received made a palpable leap in the quality of the components. Now there’s only one thing waiting for the final approval, as it was still in a state that we can’t imagine was according to the expectations that both you and we have from the game.

In other words:

• Box ✔️
• Insert ✔️
• Rulebook ✔️
• Glass Beads ✔️
• Ambassador Coin ✔️
• Player Aids ✔️
• Cloth Bag ✔️
• Pieces ✔️
• Puzzles (to be approved)

What Happened to the Puzzle Boards?

There is nothing we want more than to get the games into your hands, but — as you can see below — not like this. There were serious issues that appeared on the MPCs that didn't affect any of the pre-production copies we had received and checked:

1. The recessed areas were heavily dented and damaged. For an unknown reason, the back side of the cards were also printed as a mirror image to what we had initially approved.

2. Corners of the recessed areas had acute angles (instead of right angles) while the edges of the recessed areas were far from straight. This created anything but clean geometrical shapes.

3. Some puzzle boards came with their back sides switched. This means that easier puzzles that should have been white were black and vice versa, which would completely change the game.

Next Steps

Next Wednesday, right before Essen SPIEL starts, we will check the mass-produced batch that the manufacturer assured us does not have any imperfections left. If that’s the case, everything will start moving forwards. In next week’s update, we will let you know what the Essen SPIEL batch looks like and what will happen next.

The mass-produced batch we talk about is the limited quantity of Project L copies that the manufacturer had sent to Essen SPIEL. The final check will take place between Tuesday and Wednesday, right before the convention starts.

Delivery Estimates

Without an approved Mass Production Copy, it’s difficult to predict the time of delivery. However, below is a rough timeline of what will happen as soon as we see a Mass Production Copy that has all the manufacturing issues resolved:

• 2 weeks to finish the mass production and assembly
• 1 week to load the games on ships
• 2/4 weeks of sea freight (US/EU)
• 1 week to unload the games and sort out the customs process
• 2 weeks for fulfillment and deliveries

We will let you know next week if the batch in Essen SPIEL is ok. If you'll be there, come check it out!

Meet Us at Essen SPIEL — Hall 2-C144

We know that many of you are looking forward to Essen SPIEL 2019, and we'd love to meet you there in person! We'll have a stand at Hall 2-C144, and we'd love to talk to you about all the Project L news and play the game with you!

Stay up to date: In case you cannot make it to Essen, keep an eye on our Facebook page where we will post regular updates not only from the convention, but also from the three days leading to it!

Meet Adam, creator of the original Project L idea: Adam will join us at our Essen SPIEL booth (Hall 2-C144) during Sunday morning! Come challenge him in the game if you dare — he would just love that! :)

These are all the news for now. Next week, we’ll post an update about what’s happening at Essen SPIEL and about the state of the games we’ll see there.

Thank you very much for being so supportive! We can’t wait to meet as many of you as possible in person!

Marek, Michal, and Jan