Trash Dash (The Chaotic Critter Racing Board Game)

Backerkit Surveys and Preorder Store
1 day ago – Fri, Nov 15, 2024 at 10:12:47 AM

Hey y'all, I hope everyone is doing well! Just a couple quick updates today 👋🏻

Pledge Manager 📝

The Backerkit pledge manager is officially set up, so we're one step closer to survey collection. We'll be sending out "smoke test" surveys early next week to a small percentage of backers to ensure that everything is configured properly before sending them to everyone (more on this below). 

If you're unfamiliar with Kickstarter/crowdfunding, a pledge manager is a tool that helps creators manage their orders and collect information from their backers via surveys so that rewards can be fulfilled accurately. This will be where you enter your shipping address, make any desired changes to your pledge, and pay for any extras you may be interested in. 

You do not need to create a Backerkit account to fill out your survey. When you receive the survey invite email, click the survey link to respond. Answer the questions about your reward preferences, provide shipping information, and purchase add-on items if you like. You don’t have access to this survey link yet, but it will be available soon via email!

After you respond to your survey, you can go back later and change your responses at any time before we close the surveys and get our final counts.

We will be NOT be charging shipping fees yet. That will be collected through Backerkit roughly one month before fulfillment begins next year so that we can give the most accurate and up to date costs.

The smoke test surveys will only be sent out to roughly 5% of backers, so do not fret if you don't receive your survey next week! I'll post another update when the full batch of surveys is sent. 

Backerkit Preorder Store ✨

Late pledges through Kickstarter have now closed and the official preorder store has opened! 🥳

If you know anyone who would love Trash Dash, please share this link with them! The game, expansion, pins, and stickers are all available for preorder on Backerkit for the folks who didn't make it while the campaign was live. 

Talk To You Soon! 

I hope all the Backerkit stuff isn't too overwhelming! If you have any questions or concerns about it, please don't hesitate to reach out to me here on Kickstarter 🙂

Best,

Parker

First Post-Campaign Update 💌
9 days ago – Fri, Nov 08, 2024 at 04:23:17 AM

Hey everybody, I hope you're doing well! 👋🏻

Today marks 3 weeks since the conclusion of the Trash Dash Kickstarter campaign and I want to apologize for the radio silence. I took some much needed rest to recover from the marathon task of running the campaign, spent some enriching time with my family, and caught up on my freelance client work. I'm a one man show here at Shiny Pigeon Games, so I appreciate your patience! 🖤

Where Do We Go From Here?

At the moment, I am working with the folks at Backerkit to put the final touches on the pledge manager system. It's a slow process to get everything set up there, but it should be live sometime next week. I'll send out another update when it's up and let you know when surveys will be sent out 👍🏻

If you're unfamiliar with Kickstarter/crowdfunding, a pledge manager is a tool that helps creators manage their orders and collect information from their backers via surveys so that rewards can be fulfilled accurately. This will be where you enter your shipping address, make any desired changes to your pledge, and pay for any extras you may be interested in. 

We will be NOT be charging shipping fees yet. That will be collected through Backerkit roughly one month before fulfillment begins next year so that we can give the most accurate and up to date costs.

Through Backerkit I will also be setting up a pre order store to extend the late pledge option for folks who learn about Trash Dash between now and fulfillment. More info on that coming soon!

Update Schedule 📝

I want to do my best to communicate frequently and effectively with all of you. You've trusted me with the privilege to create and fulfill this project and I don't want any of you to feel like you're out of the loop! 

So with that in mind, I will be checking in with you via a Kickstarter update on the first Friday of every month 💌 📅

These monthly check ins will include updates on everything that is going on behind the scenes as we work towards fulfillment. That means art progress, development notes, manufacturing updates, etc. There may still be misc updates sent out in addition to these check ins, but I want to guarantee that I at least touch base with you guys once a month 🙂

In Other News

And just a few other notes for this update...

Retailer Pledges! Please check your inbox and respond to my confirmation message 📬

Rubbish Royalty Pledges! Please check your inbox and provide your shipping info (if you haven't already) so that I can send out your pre production copy of the game 📦

Salty Seagull lovers! The manufacturer samples of Myrtle's character piece arrived this week and I am so hyped that we unlocked this winged menace. More updates on her artwork coming soon! 

Have a great weekend y'all! ✌🏻

Best,

Parker

Fan Favorite Critter Contest Winner! 🏆🎉
29 days ago – Sat, Oct 19, 2024 at 11:03:44 AM

Thank You! 🥳🥰

This Kickstarter campaign has been a wild ride and I'm so appreciative to each of you who have stepped up to support the project!

I've successfully run and fulfilled a smaller Kickstarter selling enamel pins before, so it's not my first experience with the platform. Scaling up to this large of a project has certainly been a heavy lift, but a remarkably rewarding one! I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for the outpouring of support from the community and I'm so excited to move forward onto the next steps of this project with y'all 🖤

I'll be sharing periodic updates here on Kickstarter as we make progress on the production/manufacturing side of things, as well as the remaining artwork that needs completed. Not sure on the specific cadence for those updates yet, but I promise not to bug y'all too much! 🙂

You can also join our email newsletter if you'd like! 📬

Late Pledges and Pledge Manager

Late pledges have officially opened, allowing folks who discover the game post-campaign the chance to join the party! This option will be open through the end of November and will feature the same items, but at regular MSRP. If you have any questions about late pledges, feel free to reach out! 

The pledge manager will be opening soon. We are partnering with Backerkit, one of the leading pledge manager services, and will have the system up and running soon. Here you'll be able to confirm your pledge, adjust add ons, and submit your shipping information. More info on this soon! 

Fan Favorite Critter Contest Results 🏆🎉

The people have spoken! With a hefty 27% of the votes, the official Fan Favorite Critter is...

Madam Penelope the Awesome Possum! 👑✨

The mighty marsupial absolutely DOMINATED the competition in this popularity contest! I'm not entirely surprised by this, as she's been a consistent favorite with players at demo events and conventions 🖤 

Penelope will now be immortalized with a bonus promo character card featuring a third unique ability! I had additional thematic abilities ready to go for whichever character won, but I'm especially excited that she is the winner because I absolutely love her new effect. 

Here's a look at Penelope's new power:

"Play Dead" was an ability that she had for the majority of the playtesting process over the last two years, but was cut when we decided to make each critter have similarly themed effects on their A and B sides to help balance the characters (Jet likes to Dash, Chloe is all about Attack, Winston loves Trash cards, etc). 

Penelope ultimately took on the Scare tactic with "Opportunist" and "Frightening Hiss" to focus on discarding opponents' cards, leaning into the real world possum intimidation techniques. But I'm so excited that this specific ability gets to make a comeback with this promo card since it's one of the most iconic behaviors associated with possums! 😲😵

It may sound a little overpowered, but it's a risky move to drop a bunch of cards from your hand. While blocking a 3 Attack is definitely appealing, losing 3 cards out of your hand is a high price to pay! You'll have to use this ability wisely or else you'll be forced to Rest pretty frequently.

This card will also have an alternate illustration as well, showcasing the marsupial in a thematic pose that ties into her fresh new ability. I'll share sketches soon! 

The card will not be a Kickstarter exclusive product and will be available to folks even after the campaign. However, each copy of Trash Dash sold during the campaign will receive a FREE copy along with it as my way of saying thank you to you early supporters! 🖤

Big thank you to everyone who voted during the campaign through your comments and add on purchases! All the queen of the trash heap! 👑

Best,

Parker

Final Countdown! 📅⏰
30 days ago – Fri, Oct 18, 2024 at 05:00:29 AM

Hey y'all, it's been a whirlwind the last few weeks and Trash Dash is officially 257% funded with 700+ backers! 🥳🎉

What YOU'VE Accomplished ✨

This campaign has overfunded to the point that every one of our stretch goal objectives have been unlocked! All of the component upgrades have been applied to each copy of the game and we even unlocked a special seventh playable character that is available as a $5 add on - Dirty Myrtle the Salty Seagull 🏖

To learn more about the Salty Seagull Expansion, check out Kickstarter Update #9.

On top of the stretch goal unlocks, we were also able to secure all four of the Mystery Trash Cards! These special items will now be included in every copy of the game thanks to the community members who helped achieve our social goals. 

Learn more about the Mystery Trash Cards in Kickstarter Updates #2, #3, #5, and #6. You can even offer suggestions of what kind of trash item you think would fit the card's ability!

So What's Next? 🤔

Late pledges will be open on Kickstarter through the end of November, allowing folks who stumble onto the game after the campaign to still participate. All items will be available to these late backers, but everything will be at retail pricing. 

Also! The Fan Favorite Critter Contest will be concluding at the end of the campaign, so keep an eye out for the winner announcement on Saturday! 🏆🎉

Again, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has helped make this campaign such an enormous success! You are legitimately part of making Shiny Pigeon Games a reality and I can't express just how much that means to me and my family. Y'all take care and have a lovely weekend! 🙂

Parker

Track Naming Brainstorm: Chloe's Signature Track 🏁
about 1 month ago – Wed, Oct 16, 2024 at 09:02:11 AM

Alrighty y'all, it's time for the final track overview! 🏁

I've been loving the creative responses I've been getting on these updates and I appreciate everyone who has participated so far 🖤

I'm looking to have a variety of name types across these tracks. Most of my ideas have been street names, city districts, restaurant/business names, or just something goofy. Here's a few that I've come up with so far: Back Alley Blitz, Trash Heap Highway, Bin Bandit Boulevard, Trash Can Turnpike, Backstreet Bistro, Pigeon Plaza, and Dumpster Diver District. 

Trash Dash Tracks

So here's how the signature tracks of Trash Dash work. 

The six tracks are broken up into two tournament circuits of three races each, Uptown and Downtown. Tracks can vary between 1-4 required laps by using the two double sided lap tracker tiles and can range from 5-12 track tiles. With that structure, tracks can have a variety of setups that offer a unique flavor to each race. 

Each of the signature tracks corresponds to one of the six playable critters and leans into that character's specific playstyle. Today we'll be looking at the last track of the Downtown circuit and by far the most brutal, Chloe's signature track! 

Chloe's Signature Track

12 tiles, 1 lap (24 spaces total). Tiles needed: LT1, SB, 11A, 1A, 12B, 2B, 4A, 8A, 7A, 6B, 13A, 3B, TA

"Get ready for the most grueling alleyway in the city! This track’s long sections of Spills make every Attack a major threat and each step forward a huge task. Do you have what it takes to conquer Chloe’s brutal track?"

Chloe's track is by far the most challenging in the game and can push even the most confident players to their wit's end. Boasting 24 spaces over the course of a single lap, this track is the ultimate endurance test! 

Wrapping up the Downtown circuit with a long, intense track is no coincidence. I'm sure it's obvious that this track pulls inspiration from the iconic, lengthy Rainbow Road courses from Mario Kart and I hope it creates the same dual responses from players - either maniacal delight or absolute loathing. 

Building from the double Spill feature of Flipp's track, this track has multiple slip hazards to frustrate its racers. But along with the irritating Spill loop traps is a bounty of Trash Can spaces to arm you with the powerful items you need. It's more important than ever to use your Trash cards wisely and one simple misstep might cost you the win! 

Chloe thrives on her home turf and her special abilities turn this track into a back alley beatdown. "Territorial" may not be terribly intimidating on other courses, but on a track where players will be sharing spaces frequently due to the frequent Spills this ability is devastating. And remember, her effect doesn't just happen on her turn. Other players can use her as a weapon if they push her onto another opponent! 

This harsh alleyway does offer some reprieve around the halfway mark, allowing players to grab some Trash cards, refresh with much needed Recycle Bins, or just take a minute to catch their breath in the single Big Ol' Box space. 

What do you think? Will you be one of the players that loves this brutal track or will you join the growing list of players that groan when they see it set up? 😼

Now that you've got the vibes of this track, what kind of name comes to mind? Let me know in the comments! 🤔🧠⚡️

Parker