The Longpackians Have Arrived!
Hello again, Light Seekers and Quantum Travelers. That noise you hear in the distance isn't thunder (we're in space!), it's the gravitational lensing effect of a serious dog star going super nova, as Quin hits Ludicrous Speed for the home stretch toward Earth. ETA 10, 9, 8, 7 . . . (we don't actually know if those are Earth-weeks or light-weeks, but such is the nature of the Ludicrous Drive).
Interstellar kidding aside, we've got some meat for you (this is lab-grown from the replicator, but it's protein all the same). This first prototype from Longpack Games is the best Quin yet. Evolution, we love ya! Our hands-on testing resulted in a full set of photos which we're psyched to make available for you here.
Longpack's production quality is top notch. We've played a lot of board games over the years, and while it may be a stretch to say this is the best-manufactured game I've ever set my hands on, it is in the upper echelon of what I've personally experienced as far as base quality of components. We are in the right hands at last, and will be partnering with Longpack for all future projects. The colors are spot-on, cuts are clean, everything fits in the box properly and feels great. The product was clearly checked and packed with care even though it is only a prototype. This is how it's done.
First, the Board. The magnetic action is powerful enough to hold a Quin Tower even at a 90 degree angle or upside down, but the individual magnets are small enough still that you can't hardly tell they are there at all when you run a hand along the surface. Going from the full magnetic plate of our previous designs, to the 90+ individual magnets placed precisely at every playable space, has also resulted in a much more lightweight game package. This required a clever workaround to enable the First Sight and Iris spaces to function properly, so the board is now folded at an offset of about 1/2" inch from center, also executed precisely on the first try. The Zero Gravity Player Boards are made of the exact same stuff, resulting in a look and feel that is consistent across the table.
Let's talk about that Tower. In this package we received just one of the new Towers to test, prior to setting molds. The full set of black and whites you see in these photos is from the best prior prototype we had (from our original manufacturing partner), and while they work well enough for the photo shoot to demonstrate how this is all coming together and should look in the end, there are multiple reasons they were not ready for mass production, leading to a few minor but precise design changes, which Longpack has followed through on in style. Stronger magnets. A notch at the top of the Face plug, to ensure they are always placed right side up, even by people unfamiliar with the piece logos. A fingernail groove on the sides of the head, to allow a tight fit and easy removal both, for young and old players alike.
We've iterated on that groove a couple of rounds now, to perfect the slimmer size, just big enough but not too large.
Matching colors across materials is not easy! But Longpack's engineers have come through better there as well. We've been promising a beautiful game all along, and intend to do nothing less than follow through with something that will in fact shine on your table, and make your friends go, "Hey, what game is THAT?"
Here's a reboxing montage for you (note that sleek black molded insert, and those gorgeous deep blue Tower bags):
It functions every bit as solidly as it looks (much more X-Wing than Millennium Falcon, so to speak). From our humble kitchen in Michigan to your table, Quin is closing in at last. Here's a quick rundown of what's left:
The Board erroneously magnetized the outer blue dots on the Horizon. While we've considered making these playable in future versions, the decision was made to keep them decorative so as not to confuse new players. The logo keys on the Board corners were slightly too dark, so the colors have been updated for better contrast. The 5 Step Start Guide's internal pages aquired a strange rose tint during the printing process, and this has been rectified by using a different file format. The Towers, while awesome, did not hold their Faces tight enough to prevent falling off when they were inverted even partially. This has been fixed by including the aforementioned fingernail groove and tightening the fit to match. One design element on the Box sides somehow became inverted in final designs, and so has been fixed now. This gave us an opportunity to update the foil color to match the new gold tones used elsewhere in the set. The Coasters were warping after repeated use, so the material for them has been upgraded to a hard wood. The Quin T-Shirt shipping with the Deluxe Editions is in process, as well as the International Rulesets that will be available online, but neither of these is delaying the game's production. We have included a new QR Code Card that points international players to the appropriate web page for the translated rules.
The vast majority of the Quin Family has been nothing but supportive and true throughout the entire lifespan of this project, clearly understanding we are just a couple of indie artists working mostly for free out of our own home (day jobs intact, to be sure). We're imperfect no doubt but absolutely dedicated to this game, and we couldn't be more grateful to you all for the endless support and patience. None of us foresaw things taking this long, but the end result here is worth the process. We've had a handful of backers "back" out, and there are no hard feelings there. If a couple more months is too much to ask, just shoot us a line and we'll be happy to put through a refund. We're not here to hold anyone hostage (grab the branch, Boba!). That said, with fulfillment now on the horizon (or at least sling-shotting around Jupiter) we are officially closing our returns window for Kickstarter backers, as of two weeks from the delivery of this Update. Anyone with any personal needs or issues, please do just let us know via Kickstarter or direct email at info@quinthegame.com
We'll be manning the Comms in the comments and updates sections, if you have any questions or thoughts from here, but rest assured, as soon as the next steps are clarified, we'll be in touch. *Chk - chk!* "Strap in for gravitational decompression!" "Ludicrous Speed!" "I think that's a copyrighted phrase, Captain. And you're clearly mixing canons with fan fictions . . ."
"All rights reserved by their respective owners, planet-side or in the wormhole, Wesley. Don't be ludicrous! Now get me that coffee, STAT! We're not out of this just yet . . ."
(Edited February 8, 2024)
Quin Tabletop Strategy Boardgame Manufacturing Longpack Production
