Hardcover Edition Available on CoolStuffInc
over 3 years ago – Wed, Nov 25, 2020 at 06:39:57 PM

One year ago, all my physical backer rewards were starting to get sent out. I was so nervous about whether you’d get the rewards in time for the holidays. Although there were some hiccups, the majority of you did actually get your cookbooks in time and that made my holidays much happier.

What a year it’s been since then!

I really hope you’ve all managed to find some joyful moments this year. I made the Edible Games Cookbook to bring childlike joy to people like you via my light-hearted, friendly games that fill your stomach as well.

The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly made playing edible games safely much more difficult, but certainly not impossible. Some (e.g. Flavour Roulette) would definitely work over a digital call. For families and people who have created a bubble together, there are plenty of games that you can play with almost no effort using what’s in your cupboards already (e.g. Taste Bud is Blind). If (like me) you enjoy going a bit over the top with food, there are games (e.g. Patisserie Code) that can keep you busy for a fun day of baking - and that’s before you even start playing the game.

Available on CoolStuffInc While Stocks Last

Thanks to my fulfillment partner, Quartermaster, I'm able to offer some of the remaining hardcover stock on CoolStuffInc. When I ordered for my campaign, I ordered extra in case some were damaged reaching backers or got lost on their way to backers. Since it's a year since I shipped, no backers have popped up to ask about their rewards for months, and it's getting close to the holiday season, it feels like the right time to release the books for purchase publicly. (If you did miss out on rewards, please feel free to message me via Kickstarter about it).

All these copies are in storage in the US, so shipping internationally is likely to be expensive since it's such a heavy book :( I haven't found a publisher and I have no plans to reprint the book right now. I do have a few cookbooks in my garage that I hope to take to physical events when it's safe to do so. You can still buy the Kindle edition on Amazon, if you prefer digital books.

There are not many books available so, if you're interested, act quickly to secure your hardcover edition - whether you regret not upgrading to the hardcover edition or have a friend or family member who would love it as a gift.

Thanks for your support and loyalty. You've been lovely backers and every time I hear about your experiences playing my games I get super excited. Have a happy end to 2020 and may next year bring you more delicious food and happiness.

Final wrap up: So long and thanks for all the gummy bears!
almost 4 years ago – Sat, Apr 25, 2020 at 11:32:02 AM

As of now (well actually a couple of months ago), all backers should have their physical rewards if they ordered them. If you haven't, please get in touch with me either via Kickstarter messaging or [email protected] and I'll get my shipping partners onto tracking down what has happened.

Now Available On Kindle via Amazon

I'm very excited to say that the Edible Games Cookbook is now available on Kindle via the official Amazon website for $25!! It is only available to people who have a Kindle that can handle colour images - ie Fire devices or a phone that has the Kindle app installed.

I am extremely sad to say that I am unable to provide even a single backer with a copy of this version of the book. Amazon doesn't allow me to create free codes of the book. The only way I could get a code is to buy the book myself for $25!! Sure, I'd eventually get 35% of that money back as royalties, but it's still not something I can do given my budget (more on that later).

Playing Edible Games During a Pandemic

Remember when playing edible games it's never good to share saliva. Right now, you should also be cautious of touching other people's food as well. So I recommend using tweezers, gloves, and/or loads of hand sanitiser.

You'll probably only get to play with people you live with and the food supplies you already have. Some of the games are great for playing with a random assortment of food, particularly Taste Bud is Blind, but also Flip 'n Stick, Master Taster and Veggie Land (can become Rando Food Land).

I love seeing photos of you playing and the interesting interpretations you all make. Pretty please share them with me via Twitter or email. It always makes my day and helps me to smile in these difficult times.

Final Budget

Since I'm done shipping all the rewards, I thought maybe it was time to look at where I spent money and how far over budget I went. Many people believe that I had a "wildly successful" Kickstarter campaign, and I did. However, to get rewards to you I went over budget and barely paid myself for the 18 month project. I feel very fortunate and blessed to have been able to absorb these costs from freelance work and personal savings. I'm very proud of what I've done and I couldn't have done it without all of you.

So... Let's look into some numbers then!

From Kickstarter backers, late backers, and conferences paying for me to come and play edible games I received $120,000. I ended up spending $175,000. That is, I went $55,000 or 48% over my budget.

EEK! That's quite scary when I look at the numbers that way. So... where did all the money go? Here's an updated cake budget for you!! 

Some things I got pretty close in my estimates: photography, Kickstarter & other backer fees. Some things were under budget: my salary, illustration. However, some categories were definitely over budget: printing, shipping, design & layout, taxes, testing, and a "miscellaneous" category.

I believe printing & shipping were more than I expected because costs on these things change constantly, my book ended up being 100 pages bigger than my initial 300-page estimate, and making small quantities of the gourmand edition items was more expensive than even my initial pessimistic guesses were.

Design & layout were more expensive because of the added length and also miscalculating how many back and forths we would need to get something to a final polished and printable stage.

Taxes were higher because I hadn't included standard business operating yearly taxes and city licence fees in my budget. The miscellaneous category includes: other general company operating costs, conferences and booth expenses (these games show best in person, so I tried to travel a lot to show them off), marketing (mostly during the Kickstarter campaign), other contractors (a small amount to people who helped me out).

The testing category contains items that aren't really "testing", but seemed to fit best in that category. It covers: research (conferences and buying other cookbooks), entertainment (buying food for people who helped me at conferences), and a big one... baking and food supplies. That last one is something I failed to budget for at all! It seems strange since my book is all about food, but I forgot that buying food, equipment, and props so that we could photograph something actual adds up to a significant amount of money!

Thank You

So there you have it. I wish I'd been able to make this more profitable or at least break even in the budget. But at the end of the day, I'm very happy with the product(s) I've created (with the exception of those crazy cookie cutters). 

I'm also very happy at how everyone has reacted to their rewards and the book. I received many messages from people saying it was even better than they expected, and they were expecting something pretty amazing.

Given the financial implications of this project, I'm unlikely to be able to do much more with edible games in the near future. I hope one day to find a financially viable way to continue designing, baking, playing, and sharing edible games with you and the wider world.

Thank you so much to each and every one of you - my lovely backers. You have always been kind, patient, and welcoming of me. May you have fun playing with your food and sharing food with family and friends for a long time to come.

Cookie Cruncher Cutter Saga
over 4 years ago – Sat, Nov 30, 2019 at 10:53:05 PM

GOOD NEWS: Backers in Australia are starting to get their books!

BAD NEWS: The cookie cutters are still not in Australia with my fulfilment partner, but will be soon. It’s been a REALLY long saga to get them to you.

We’ve been strung along by a factory who couldn’t live up to their promises and who didn’t respond to communication. We’ve finally got 10 cookie cutters heading to planes, even though 1 is barely distinguishable as what it's supposed to be.

Hopefully won’t delay European & American orders further. Australian Gourmand Edition and all Asian shipments will begin as soon as the cutters arrive. Read below for a both ludicrous and painful read. If you ever thought of running a Kickstarter campaign, remember that this is just one of the possible things that could happen to you!!

If you are getting physical rewards, I will hopefully be able to give you email notification via BackerKit with tracking information as it's getting sent, but since we’re rushing to get everything out you might not (priority is for shipping not paperwork).

Reminder: European, American, and “rest of world” backers probably won’t get their rewards in time for Christmas. If you would like a hand-written card from me, please fill out the form by the end of 1st December. If you prefer to print your own, you can download them from the bottom of my online resources page. All cards include the rules to a bonus 14th edible game called Potluck Storytime, perfect for the holiday season. 

The Full Saga: March - November!

I’ve been hoping and hoping that this would all resolve itself even with all the delays it has caused, but sadly not. So here is what’s been going on behind the scenes…

• March: Tried to find someone who could do only 500 batches of cookie cutters. Was told the minimums are usually 1000. Worked out that I could manage the costs on that.
• 18th April: The factory doing the oven mitts and chocolate moulds said they could do the minimum of 500. Told they would be able to complete them within 35 days of getting the final artwork.
• 23rd April: Sent final confirmed files to the plant.
• 24th April: Plant confirmed my files were fine and no issues found with manufacturing as shown. 

• April - May: Finalising art for chocolate mould with my 3D designer.
• 3 May: Sent final chocolate mould art
• 10-20 May: Issues with the format for the chocolate mould art. Had to try and convert it into a different format - not an easy thing to do for a 3D file. Needed someone in between the factory and my designer to convert the file.
• 23 May: Confirmed cookie cutters would only take 35 days for manufacturing.
• 24 May: Paid invoice I received that day which meant that manufacturing could officially start
• 4 June - 21 June: More problems with the chocolate mould files.
• 21 June: Told chocolate mould would take longer than expected - 6 weeks.
• 21 June: Plant completed veggie cutter samples. When asked for an ETA on how long the cookie cutters would take there was no/delayed response.
• 13 August: Told the cookie cutters were “complete” except for issues with 3 of them. Was told those other 7 were going to be shipped out “tonight/tomorrow”. Was given new options for the final 3 cookie cutters with modified shapes:
   

• Late August: Received samples of the chocolate mould and the veggie cutters. I think “surely the cookie cutters are the same as the veggie cutters, just bigger, so how much longer can it take?”
• Early September: Decided not to wait for samples of cookie cutters before ordering the mass production because it would delay things by at least 2 weeks to send to me for approval.
• 16 September: Everything other than the cookie cutters arrived with the plant that was supposed to split up the items into smaller shipments worldwide.
• 18 September: Was given photo of the 7 completed cutters. Was told the rest would be getting shipped out of their factory by 30 September so they’d be able to make a boat sailing with everything else. 

• 19 September: Everything else starts getting split up in the hope that the cookie cutters would just be able to join everything else as a last minute thing.
• 24 September: Everything else was finished packing and the cookie cutters still hadn’t turned up. Starting locking in and booking boat space - something that takes a while to wait for a boat that has the right amount of space.
• 1-7 October: China goes on holiday for a week
• 3 October: Told the cookie cutters would be ready to ship “soon”.
• 11 October: Told the cookie cutters were “done”. Still no photo of them all.
• 11 October - 6 November: Almost daily emails to the factory and still no word from them.
• 17 October: First boat leaves the ports heading to USA. Due to arrive on 19 November to start to clear customs.
• 21 October: Boat leaves for Australia. Due to arrive and start clearing customs on 2 November.
• 23 October: Boat leaves for UK. Due to arrive and start clearing customs on 17 November.
• 6 November: Got photo of 1 of the missing cutters and a pile of completed cutters
   

• 17 November: Made decision to start shipping the books to Australian backers who only got the books, since that is the majority of the backers. Just in case the cookie cutters get further delayed - which they did!
• 20 November: Told the cookie cutters were finally finished and would be on a plane by Friday 22 November.
• 22 November: Cookie cutters were not on a plane
• 25 November: Got a photo of the dragon cookie cutter
   

• 26 November: Got a photo of the final cookie cutter. It’s supposed to be two gingerbread people holding hands. It clearly is very far from that. At this point I have no confidence in the factory to create anything better. These cutters are for my game called Cookie Cruncher where you have to bite them. So maybe you can all try to bite them into a shape? Or use them as a Rorschach test?! I’m so sorry!
   

• 28 November: Books start arriving with Australian backers!!
• 30 November, ie today: Finally got a photo of all 10 cookie cutters together. Got word that the cutters have officially left the factory that has been causing all the problems.
   

What's next?

• Cookie cutters will go to Shanghai, and then onto planes to Australia, Europe, and US. Estimated to arrive by next week.
• Australian shipments of cookie cutters will hopefully arrive by Christmas, please cross your fingers and toes.
• Europe & American orders will start to go out around mid-December and may not get there in time for the holidays.

Why didn’t I say anything about this sooner?

I didn’t want to believe that these could be so delayed and that they would end up affecting everything else so significantly. There was always the promise of just scraping through and getting it working.

Lessons Learned

• Order samples well ahead of time before you need to put in your actual order.
• Don’t believe promises until you see photos.
   

Locking Addresses! Rewards On Boats! Win an Original Illustration!
over 4 years ago – Thu, Oct 24, 2019 at 05:48:51 PM

After what seems like an excessive amount of time, I am very happy to finally be able to tell you that all the rewards are finished manufacturing and currently on their way to warehouses across the globe from which they will be sent directly to you.

Locking Postal Addresses on 31st October

I'm going to be locking everyone's postal addresses on 31st October so that my fulfilment partner can prepare your orders before the rewards arrive at their warehouses.

!!!**ACTION NEEDED - UPDATE YOUR POSTAL ADDRESS**!!!

ALL people getting physical rewards need to check their postal address.

If you have moved since you completed your BackerKit survey, you need to go back into BackerKit and adjust your address. You should be able to log in to BackerKit from the email you got from them or from here.

If you haven't moved, you should still check your address for any issues.

Once you've checked your address, you become eligible to win an original signed illustration when you enter your information on my form (more details below).

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to me and I'll try and help you out.

About the Massive, Unexpected Delays

I've spent the past two months expecting manufacturing to be finished and expecting items to be on boats to you all. I've stressed and worried as more and more delays creep in. These delays have been due to the manufacturing plant having issues with my files, not answering emails, taking longer than they said, national holidays in China, and more!

The delays have been so significant for the cookie cutters (part of the Gourmand Edition) that they are going to be shipped to the warehouses via planes. The hope is that they'll meet up with the other items that are getting sent by sea.

The bad news is that with all of these delays, the items are going to be arriving at warehouses in Asia, UK, US, and Australia right in the middle of the busy holiday season. So that means it will take longer for your items to get packaged individually and get out to you.

North America & European Orders Won't Arrive by the Holidays

Although a miracle might happen, it's looking exceedingly unlikely that people in North America and Europe will get their rewards in time for Christmas holidays.

I'm devastated by this news.

I understand that quite a few of you bought the physical book as a gift for someone and now you might end up empty handed. I want to do my best by you all. 

I will be making PDF gift cards available for everyone to download and print themselves before the start of December.

However, if you would like something extra, I would be happy to personally post you a professionally printed gift card signed by me. Sign up using this form and I'll get that in the mail so that you'll receive it before the holidays. As a bonus, you'll also go in the draw to win an original signed illustration from the cookbook (more details below).

See Photos of the Gourmand Edition Items

As manufacturing has progressed, I've been sent samples of the items. Most recently I got samples of the chocolate mould and the vegetable cutters. I had fun taking them for a test run.  

 Check out my newsletter with more photos for your enjoyment.

Thank You for your Patience

As I keep getting hit by delays, I've been amazed by all your understanding and patience. Only a small number have reached out to check on delivery status. And of those people, everyone has been so compassionate when I tell them about delays. Thank you for making my life easier. I will continue to work as hard as I can to reduce or eliminate more delays. With some luck, the majority of people will get their rewards by the end of the year. And with less luck, I'm hoping by the end of January. In either case, I promise I will keep you updated as I find out concrete information. 

Win an Original Signed Illustration!

The amazingly talented Rhonda Conley did all of the illustrations in the cookbook. If you've looked through the digital version you'll be able to see all of the great characters and elements scattered throughout. Rhonda kindly gave me the original drawings she used to scan in and create the digital versions that ended up in the book.

To encourage you to check your postal address and as a thank you for being such lovely backers, I'm giving away 5 of these illustrations to 5 lucky Hardcover Edition or higher backers! Simply sign up using the form below. If you win, you'll get one of the above five illustrations sent to you.

COMPETITION ENTRY FORM

Digital Rewards Available! Start playtasting edible games today!
almost 5 years ago – Sat, Jun 22, 2019 at 02:54:20 AM

Firstly, the bad news: there have been significant delays in the production of the physical goods and it's looking like you won't get your cookbooks until October or maybe as late as December!!! See later in this update for more on what's going on.

Next, the good news: I'm very, very, very excited to announce that the digital rewards for the Edible Games Cookbook Kickstarter are now available!

Download & Play Now!!

Send the invitations, ready your kitchens, find some dice, and answer the rumble of your stomach.... The digital version of the Edible Games Cookbook is available now!! 418 pages of recipes, rules, and beautiful photos!

I've created PDF and ePub versions that you can download from BackerKit. The PDF is suitable for home-printing, reading on your laptop, desktop, or Kindle. The ePub version is suitable for iBooks and many other eBook readers.

3D Printable Oven Mitt

Since we reached our social media stretch goal during the Kickstarter campaign, every person who got the digital version of the cookbook, also gets a 3D printable oven mitt file. Backers who are getting the physical edition of the book will be getting a physical pin sent to them with their book.

For the digital file, use your own 3D printer or send the file to somewhere that can print it for you. Buy a brooch/pin-back or a magnet from a craft store and then glue to the back of your pin. Then all you have to do is to become a Knight of the Oven Mitt by completing the initiation trial for The Order of the Oven Mitt as laid out in the Sacred Tome included in the Edible Games Cookbook. Simple!

Bonus Online Goodies!

While writing the Edible Games Cookbook, I realised that many games would benefit from having easy to access downloads of boards, cards, and other items. So I've set up a dedicated page on my website called Online Resources.

During the testing phase of creating the cookbook, I realised that many people wanted a single list of all the ingredients they need to be able to make a specific game. I couldn't put that in the book itself because it would take up too many pages and also wouldn't be customised to you, your players, your diets, and your food/recipe preferences.

So I also created the Ingredients List Tool. Select the game you intend to make, answer some simple questions and the tool will create a full (printable) list of all the ingredients you need for your recipes in the quantities that you require.

These goodies should improve your experiences making and playing my edible games.

How Do I Get My Digital Copies?

You should have received an email from BackerKit notifying you that your downloads are ready. Each email relates to a specific digital file: the PDF version, the ePub version, and the 3D-printable oven mitt. Click the link from inside an email, log in, and you'll be able to download your files from your survey completion page.

Having issues? Contact me via Kickstarter direct messages or email me at [email protected]

What about the Kindle Edition?

I spent a lot of time working with my layout person and other helpers trying to figure out how to get a version optimised for Kindle. Unfortunately, the best I can do is the PDF version. This is because Amazon makes it hard for people to self-publish to Kindle AND give free keys/codes to people (ie you, my backers).

If you're interested in the full details on what's going on, here it is:

• There are many free digital formats that Kindles support and allow you to sideload/get on a non-Amazon/Kindle book on your Kindle device. However, all the available formats are meant for text heavy books where the layout doesn't matter much. My layout expert wasn't able to get a version of our book that remained readable in those formats.
• We were able to use Kindle Create to develop a version suitable for Kindle. However, that format can only be uploaded using Amazon's Kindle Publishing tools. From there, to get keys to someone I need to pay full price for the book. I can't make the book free unless I want everyone in the world to get it free and that wouldn't be fair to either you or me. My budget doesn't extend to buying copies of a book that I already own and have the rights of and can distribute to you all via BackerKit.
• Using PDF on Kindle means that the pages are readable and have formatting true to what the book should look like. So this seems like my best available option right now.
• If I find a way to get a better Kindle version available to backers, I will release that.

Note that these issues are some of what caused delays in me getting the digital edition to you. The other delays were in setting up the online resources site for you (it was more complicated than expected).

Can I share files with ...?

All digital files are for personal use only. Please do not distribute them to other people who did not back the project. If you bought the book as a gift for someone else, you can obviously send the file(s) to them.

Can I share photos?

Don't take detailed photos of the contents of the book.

Please feel free to take photos of your own creations and share them widely and publicly wherever you like. Use #ediblegames and maybe I'll be able to see your photos too! I can't wait to see what you all create.

Where are my Physical Goods?

The hardcover version of the Edible Games Cookbook is currently being printed and the Gourmand Edition extras are getting manufactured, both are due to be shipped later this year.

Sadly there have been unforeseen delays in the manufacturing process and rewards won't arrive in your hands until October at the earliest and maybe won't get to you until early December!! I'm really disappointed in these delays, I know there always are delays, but it's so disappointing when it happens on to your own project.

Here's the latest estimated timeline, which of course may change if new delays appear :(

• Next 4-7 weeks: Everything getting printed and manufactured.
• 19 July - 9 August: All production finished.
• 3-4 weeks duration: Items are sent to a central location in China to be split up for freight shipping around the world.
• 9th August - 6th September: Items leave China.
• 5-8 weeks duration: Items travel from China to warehouses around the world.
•  LOCK ADDRESSES: As items are getting shipped around the world, I'll ask everyone to double check their addresses via BackerKit.
• 13 September - 1 November: Items arrive at warehouses in US, UK, Australia, and Canada.
• 2-3 weeks duration: Items are processed and packaged to be sent to backers.
• 4th October - 6th December: Items arrive in your hands approximately.

In my last update I was overly optimistic about how long it would take for manufacturing. I'm really, really sorry about that. Nothing would make me happier than getting the books in your hands sooner.

Right now, there's nothing more I can do other than make sure I respond to the occasional email from the manufacturers when they ask questions or clarifications. Otherwise, it's just a matter of time before everything is finished.

Last year and earlier this year I concentrated on getting the book contents completed, not realising how difficult it was to get all the other components ready. I thought that the item that would take the longest to make would be the books. Some of the other physical items take equally as long to manufacture. On top of this, it turns out there was a lot more back and forth getting digital files in the correct formats ready for printing/manufacturing and getting samples shipped to me.

This process has been a big learning curve for me. I'm a game designer and that's what I'm good at. My background has been more digitally-based games and, although I knew there would be delays, I did not realise the magnitude of the delays. I'm so deeply sorry.

On the good news front, I have been getting some samples and production files of the Gourmand edition items which look awesome. I also got a final proof of the complete cookbook. Check out my latest newsletter for all that information.

I will update you all as the timelines get locked in and as shipping from China begins. I will also email everyone when postal addresses get locked in.