Project L is a fast-paced, tile-matching strategic game with triple-layer puzzle tiles and lovely acrylic pieces for 1 to 6 players.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Production Update, Deliveries, and Essen
over 4 years ago
– Sun, Sep 08, 2019 at 12:46:13 AM
Hi,
The amazing ride that the Project L campaign has been is slowly coming to an end. Thank you so much for being so supportive along our journey together. In this update, we want to share plenty of important news with you and outline what's ahead of us along the road. In short:
Production update — A message from Panda GM, the manufacturer of Project L.
Updated delivery estimates
Essen pickup option — Get in touch with [email protected] by September 20.
Essen SPIEL 2019 — Come meet us at Hall 2-C144!
Production Update from Panda GM
First, we're happy that we can share with you a message from Kathrin Ulbrich, an invaluable and remarkably helpful project manager at Panda GM who oversees the production of Project L from the manufacturer's side. She wanted to let you know how the production is going and update you on the progress.
Dear Backers,
Today a few updates from me, the project manager at Panda working on Project L.
It has been some very exciting months with this project, and we’re getting closer and closer to the finish line. Sadly, we are a bit behind schedule, which is why I am writing this update today. We are working hard trying to catch up, but there is no denying that we have missed the target the Boardcubator team was aiming for. We are very sorry for any delay this might cause in getting the games to you.
Hopefully, the waiting won’t be too long, and we believe the extra time we have taken was well spent to get all components as perfect as possible. Therefore, let me show you where we’re at with the project.
Let’s start with some great news. All the smaller items, the glass stones for the Line Clear variant, the metal coins for the Ambassador Pack, and the cloth bags are already finished. Below are a few pictures of the final pieces you will get in your games. We hope you like them.
Samples of the finished components.
Production on the plastic pieces and all the printed components is in full progress as mentioned in the last update and is estimated to finish at the end of September. It took us a little longer than we expected to get to this step though.
We had to go through a few iterations of the puzzle tiles ensuring a good fit between them and the plastic pieces. We wanted to have a fit with as little a gap as possible but also ensure that the pieces can be put in and taken out easily.The first mass produced puzzle tiles will be ready next week, and we will then test the fit again to ensure everything sits and plays as expected.
Beside the fit with the puzzle tiles, we have also been working a lot on the plastic pieces themselves, trying out different polishing times to see the effect on the edges and on the mold line. It was quite a difficult task to find the right spot where the mold lines are as barely visible as possible, but also trying to have the edges not fully rounded. In the end we decided to have the edges slightly more rounded than initially intended to make sure the overall look and feel is nice and that the pieces are kids friendly, without any sharp edges.The Upiece was the one taking the longest to get right as we had to revise the mold to ensure a perfect fit between this piece and all the other pieces.
We will soon be able to show you the plastic pieces in the final colors as well. Polishing on the colored pieces has started and, we’re excited to see the result when all the great colorful pieces come together.
The next step for us is to prepare an early mass production copy for the Boardcubator team so that they can see and test all components before we start the assembly. This will be by the end of next weeks. Therefore, expect more pictures and updates from the production shortly.
Again, I want to apologize for the delay we might end up with in this project. We all will do our best to get the games to you as fast as possible, so that you will soon be able to play and enjoy the game.
Have a great weekend,
Kathrin and the Panda Game Manufacturing Team
We're really grateful for all the hard work that Kathrin does to make sure Project L will be produced in the best possible quality, and we're looking forward for more news and photos so we can share them with you.
Updated delivery estimates
We are excited that the production is moving forward at a great pace now. That being said, we had to reevaluate the shipping options and update the delivery estimates accordingly. The result is that the majority of games will travel from Shenzhen on a boat to either Hamburg or Los Angeles, after which they'll get through regional hubs towards to the last mile delivery process. We'll share tracking for both ships so we can all propel them forward with the combined power of our minds, and once the final delivery companies process the packages, you will get a tracking info for your copy of the game.
Updated delivery estimates:
USA, China: 2nd half of November
EU, Canada, Australia: 1st half of December
Rest of the world: 2nd half of December
*Essen pickup*: see below
A note for UK backers: As you know, the situation concerning Brexit along with the various Brexit options and deals is quite unpredictable at this moment. We are monitoring the situation and we will keep you posted. However, you don't have to worry about any additional fees because Project L will remain UK friendly even in the case of a no-deal exit.
We have counted with the fact that all backers would receive their games by October 24 when Essen SPIEL starts, which we will unfortunately miss as the project will be delayed for a few weeks. However, because we will be able to get a limited number of copies available for Essen SPIEL, we have worked out an Essen pick-up option so everyone who will be attending the convention will be able to get their game there. If you would like to get your copy during Essen SPIEL, send us an email to[email protected] by September 20 so we can arrange it.
Essen SPIEL 2019 - Hall 2-C144
As the largest board game convention in Europe, Essen SPIEL plays a vital part in building the amazing community that emerged around Project L and Boardcubator. We sincerely hope you understand that having Project L available at Essen is essential for the growth of the project, and we will be super happy if you stop by our stand so we can meet in person, play the Project L together, and even try the Project L — Finesse expansion that we are working on.
Jan and Filip preparing prototype cards for the Finesse expansion.
Next week, we'll have a first open playtest of Project L — Finesse. We'll let you know how it went!
Thank you again for your truly amazing support. We can't wait to see you in Essen!
Michal, Jan & The Project L Team
Shipping Info & Update Your BackerKit Address
over 4 years ago
– Mon, Aug 12, 2019 at 03:01:56 AM
Hi,
We’re so excited — the big news we’ve all been waiting arrived!
IMPORTANT: Update your address by September 1 — We’re getting close to shipping!
We will lock addresses in BackerKit after September 1 in order to give the shipping information to the fulfillment company. If you have moved, please make sure to change the address by September 1.
click on “Edit Your Address” on the top-right corner of the page
click on “Edit Shipping Info”
edit your address and click on “Next” to submit it
If you encounter any problems, send us an email to [email protected]
Project L, Ambassador Pack, and the Ghost Piece expansion pre-production copies.
Project status
Long story short: The mass production is running! We’ve approved all the specifications and, according to the factory, the games should be manufactured, assembled, and ready to ship from the factory in the week starting on Monday September 23.
Sisi and Klobouk unboxing a pre-production copy of Project L.
Short story a bit longer: Among the last tweaks we made to the game were updating the dimensions of the plastic inset so it perfectly fits the box and makes the manipulation of what's inside of it as easy as possible. We also made sure that the paper components will be printed on a paper stock that is sturdy enough and finalized the dimensions of the recessed areas so they comfortably hold the pieces.
At the moment, we are playtesting the remaining gameplay variants that will be available for download.
Klobouk, Jan, and Filip (picture on the right) playtesting Project L gameplay variants.
Delivery estimate
The current estimate is that you should receive the game between October 21-25. We're doing all we can to make sure the whole shipping process is as fast as possible, which is why we have chosen a more expensive but much faster option — to get the games to our hubs in EU, USA, and China through air instead of on boats. Once the hubs hand the games over to the final fulfillment companies, we’ll send you an email with your tracking number.
Giveaway: What's your take on Kickstarter updates?
We still think about the incredible amount of amazing feedback that we have received from you both before and during Project L Kickstarter. Now that the Kickstarter is finished, we'd really love to know what you think about Kickstarter updates (and give away one of our games).
As you know, Project L updates focused mainly on behind the scenes content about working with different materials and prototypes. On the other hand, updates during the recent Space Race campaign (our other game) rather highlight the thematic ties of the game and its lore through a daily story update. From a creator’s point of view, there’s always something new to try.
As a backer, you see Kickstarter updates from a different end of the spectrum. What is it that you find most compelling to read when backing a game on Kickstarter? Share your thoughts by following the link below.
Line Clear variant — can you handle 4 puzzle rows?
Project Status — What’s New
Whether we're talking about the rules, gameplay variants, puzzle grids, or materials — no matter what part of Project L we're dealing with — we always want to make sure that the what you'll receive will be as good as possible, maintaining the perfect combo of pleasing tactile impression, visual harmony, and intriguing gameplay. And that's exactly what our recent steps were all about.
Line Clear variant: Ready. Check out the Line Clear section of the update to find out more about this downtime-reducing variant as well as what the markers below are for.
Line Clear markers: Ready.
Rulebook: Ready (see the section below).
Cloth bag: .. now that the color of the drawstring (remember Update #26?) matches the color of the L-piece .. drumroll .. Ready! :)
Cloth bag with a color reference (left) and Line Clear markers (right) .. not to the same scale.
Puzzle tiles: We're testing different sizes of the recessed areas inside the puzzles to make sure that putting the pieces in and taking them out feels just right.
Plastic insert: The initial design of the insert is finished. We're now are fine-tuning the measurements in order to make the manipulation with it (such as removing the puzzle tiles and, generally, handling everything that's inside the insert) as comfortable as possible.
Ambassador 1st player markers: Ready! Below are samples in the correct color, including the darkening of the recessed areas to make the mini pieces pop. :)
Ambassador Pack 1st player marker samples.
Rulebook and Updated Print-and-Play Kit
Updated PnP Kit (link here) includes revised puzzle tiles from the base game that went through several waves of balancing as we were making sure that each and every puzzle is just right from the difficulty/reward/game flow perspective!
Rulebook (link here) in EN, CZ, DE, ES, IT, FR is ready for you as well!
Thank you so much for your help! A huge thanks goes to the wonderful community translators (credited in the rulebook) who helped us bring the game to you in several languages! And we can’t forget the amazing people who helped us proofread the English version: Jay Schindler, Kr Se, j mc, Eddie Guida, Nathan Morse, Pseudo Fenton, Miguel Koscianski Vidal, and Jasper Stegen! You are all amazing! ❤️
Line Clear Variant
It’s faster, a bit more furious, a lot of fun, and chops away the downtime by about 50%!
The Line Clear variant lets two people play at the same time because there are two separate puzzle rows instead of just one. Sounds simple? Don’t be fooled! Every time you get to play, you take puzzles from rows of a different side so thinking a round or two in advance will start getting a bit more… brain-burny. :) Can you handle it?
What do you think? We'd love to hear your thoughts about the updated puzzles and the Line Clear variant!
Thank you very much for your incredible support! 👍
Michal, Marek, and Jan
More Samples!
almost 5 years ago
– Wed, May 22, 2019 at 01:57:50 AM
Hi,
To cut a long story short, May’s certainly been a busy month for us!
We’re working hard on finalizing the sampling with Panda (the manufacturer) and we’d love to share insights into the process with you!
The other project we currently have on Kickstarter, Space Race, has entered the last 48 hours, so it’s the last chance to check it out, if you haven’t yet. ;)
Now to the Project L sampling process
Plenty of things have been happening recently with Project L. Besides working hard on setting up all the printing pre-requisites for the box, rules, and other stuff that’s not very picture-friendly, we also have a lot of other components to share with you. Let’s just dive into it!
The Coin
We have spent a lot of time tweaking the shape of the coin, and—after several iterations—we have finally received a prototype that we’re almost happy with! The color of the coin and darkening of the recessed areas is yet to happen, but we’re *so* looking forward to seeing the final version! What do you think?
The Pieces
Below are preliminary samples of the pieces. These are mainly used to check how comfortably they will work with the puzzle tiles that we have showed you in the previous update. Panda has tried several degrees of intensity when polishing the pieces. This process mainly removes the mold lines but also increases the radius of the edges. We now have to analyze the results to see what will work and look best with the puzzles.
We’re also awaiting color samples (we’re so looking forwards to get our hands/eyes on these!). But until then, we have a color picker already available (see below). Honestly speaking, it’s already shining more than we have expected!
The Bag
When it comes to the bag, it was quite a story, actually! We spent like years trying to identify the specific color to be used for drawstrings! We’d love to see it in the same color that’s used for the “L” piece in Project L — the one the whole game is named after. However, it seems we have yet a job to finish there, because it’s still not perfect. It’s just not what we would like it to be, but we’re on it! Until then, below’s a current sample you should check out — with a super-fancy embroidery and, as already mentioned, certainly not the final drawstring. ;)
🚀 Space Race 🚀 — Last 48 Hours
Our other project, Space Race, is just entering the last 48 hours period on Kickstarter. So far, a community of almost 3000 backers has successfully unlocked 30 stretch goals, including a Master Box to store all the campaign stuff and unique silk screen printed astronauts! Go check it out if you haven’t yet!
That’s it for today. We hope you’ve enjoyed the update and the progress so far. We’re working hard in order to see the Project L boxes run out of the assembly line! We hope to be back soon with more in-depth pictures and making-of stories!
Thank you for your support!
Jan, Marek, and Michal
Production Underway!
about 5 years ago
– Tue, Apr 30, 2019 at 02:27:20 AM
Hi,
Are you enjoying the wonderful spring weather? We have some wonderful news to make your day even better!
Project Status — Production underway!
Giveaway — Win a deluxe Kickstarter bundle of our upcoming game Space Race!
Production Underway!
First of all, thank you very much for your amazing help and feedback on the rulebook! Your eagle eyes have spotted many things that we were able to improve to make it even better! We feel so grateful that such an incredible community has gathered around Project L!
Project status
Pieces: Mold making process is ongoing, will be finished this week.
Puzzle tiles: Finishing production of white sample tiles.
Puzzles and game box data: Ready.
Rulebook data: Currently being approved.
Cloth bag and Line Clear variant tokens: Specifications ready, samples will be produced in two weeks.
Ambassador 1st player markers: Samples are being produced now.
Plastic insert: 3D layout based on the final specifications of the print files is in progress. After that, samples will be produced.
The picture below shows white pre-production puzzle samples used to check the layer composition. Note that these were made with a plotter machine while the final production puzzles will be die cut, which will make them even better looking. This specific variant is made of 300gsm Clay Coated News Back on top, 900gsm blackboard as the core, and 300gsm two-side coated paper serving as the bottom layer.
Project L puzzle board detail — white samples to approve the material.
During the whole production process, we are keeping the quality in check to make sure you’ll get the best game possible. One of such things we are we are working closely on with the Panda GM product designers is making sure the cutouts for the pieces to fit in are just the right size. We want to make sure there is a perfect balance in making the pieces easy to take out while also minimizing their wiggle room.
We can’t wait for the samples to arrive so we can show you more! :)
Space Race Coming On Kickstarter
If you like Project L and the attention to detail we have for its components, elegant looks, and rewarding gameplay, we think you could love Space Race as well! It is an engine building game for 1-4 players and will launch on Kickstarter on May 6 (you may check out the campaign preview here).
To celebrate the launch, we are giving away 6 all-in deluxe bundles of the game! There’s also a launch event scheduled on Facebook for all those who’re interested in Space Race.
