THE STORY ENGINE

Created by Peter Chiykowski, creator of The Story Engine

Create endless story prompts for writers, DMs, RPG players, teachers, and storytellers of all stripes.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Shipping Progress + Free D&D Adventure + Deck Storage Alternatives
over 5 years ago – Sat, Dec 19, 2020 at 02:29:21 AM

Hi everyone!

It’s been a week of good shipping progress, and I'm pleased to share the headway we've made.

To recap: Group 1 includes backers who are not receiving a copy of The Story Engine Anthology, and Group 2 includes backers who are receiving a copy of the book. 

DM me if you need help confirming your shipping group and I’m happy to help!

  •  US/international: Group 1 shipping continues at a good pace and is currently expected to finish next week. Cargo for Group 2 is expected to arrive next week. Shipping will begin ASAP.
  •  Canada: Group 1 fulfilled in record time (all 240+ parcels turned around in 36 hours on Tues/Wed)! Tracking numbers are being uploaded to BackerKit shortly, but many parcels have already arrived. Group 2 cargo expected to arrive the week after next.
  •  EU: Group 1 finished in October. The rerouted Group 2 cargo is expected in the UK warehouse on Tues, but delivery times have been inconsistent. We are going to try to mail out all of your parcels before Brexit, and are even exploring shipping your books separately if we have to. (Hopefully not!) No matter what, we will make sure you do not bear the financial burden of duty on your parcels.
  •  UK: Group 1 finished in October. The rerouted Group 2 cargo is expected in the UK warehouse on Tues. We are prioritizing EU orders to prevent issues with Brexit and customs, so Group 2 is likely to ship after Christmas or in the New Year. I cannot tell you how sorry I am that we couldn’t get your rewards for Christmas.
  •  Australia/New Zealand: Group 1 and 2 were all put in the mail by the end of November.

Also, I have two other updates to share:

  • I released a free Krampus-themed D&D adventure for punishing your players for all the horrible things they've done this year!
  • I have compiled a number of alternate storage solutions for The Story Engine Deck!

Read on for more!

1) A Free D&D Holiday Adventure

I was losing my mind refreshing my inbox for freight and shipping updates every hour, so I decided to take a break for a day and write a free D&D adventure to help you bide the time while your decks are in the mail. Pedro Galicia, the DM behind the wonderful TTRPG podcast World Walkers, co-created it with me, and I think it's a really fun little piece. We co-released it under the banner of The Story Engine and my new tabletop shop Nat 21 Workshop.

It's called Krampusnacht, and it plugs into your existing long-running campaign like a holiday special episode. In it, you get to punish your players for all the horrible things they did this year. 

Remember when they robbed the shopkeeper over a low-level magic item? Or insta-killed the NPC you spent hours working on? Or burned down that beautiful mountain town before you got to read your painstakingly detailed description?

It's payback time!

Krampusnacht comes with ideas for connecting to the existing threads of your campaign story.

Here it is, 10% free on The Homebrewery, as a packaged PDF, and as a text blog. You can also get it by signing up for the Nat 21 Workshop mailing list.


2) Storage Solutions for Main Deck + Expansions + Boosters

I appreciate everyone who has reached out with feedback about storage for the decks.

To recap: when we unveiled that we were universally upgrading all backers to the “treasure box” design with the magnetic hinge lid, card trays and a play surface, we also announced we trying to design the main box to hold all expansions and boosters at the same time.

This was our goal, and unfortunately, we got the execution wrong.

Around the time I sent the factory the card count each tray would need to hold to contain all expansions and boosters, I also asked them to upgrade all of the cards from 300gsm to 350gsm card stock. I liked the heavier cardstock, and after seeing the treasure box in action, I wanted to make sure these cards could take a beating—especially if they’re being used in a classroom as a teaching tool year after year.

When the factory sent back the box specs, I forgot to double-check if they were based on the old 300gsm cards or the new 350gsm cards. It became clear when we were in full-swing production that it was sized for 300gsm cards, which are noticeably lighter and thinner.

My opa (Dutch grandpa) was a carpenter and always said, "Measure twice, cut once." And I definitely should have measured twice.

As I mentioned in the update where I unboxed the first production copy of decks, the result was a box that holds:

  • The main deck fully sleeved
  • The main deck + all 3 expansions + a couple of boosters unsleeved
  • The main deck + all 6 boosters + 1.5ish expansions unsleeved

But not quite everything. It's actually TANTALIZINGLY CLOSE to being able to hold everything, which makes it all the more frustrating.

The shortfall is the result of adding free upgrades (the extra card thickness) on top of free upgrades (the compartments, treasurebox lid, and play surface), and I think it's frustrating because the design is SO CLOSE to being perfect that the small shortfall really stands out. But when you look at it from the perspective of the value added compared to the original pledge, I hope you'll be able to enjoy the added complementary features we did stick the landing for.

I've worked out a few solutions/recommendations to tide you over while I work on a master box design, which I'm aiming to have ready for early 2022. (A long way off, but this projected has taught me to be a lot more to be more conservative with my production/logistics estimates.)

Here are my recommendations:

Option 1: Main + Boosters in Box w/ Expansions Separate

This is what I do, and there are two ways you can approach it.

I've been storing my boosters in their folding packs on top of the main deck so I can easily mix and match, and then keeping one booster + the 3 expansions separate. 

This is still really manageable for throwing the deck in and out of backpacks and satchels. The box is the size of a large laptop and weighs 1 kg (2.2 pounds), and each expansion is about the size of a Macbook charger, so it's still in a good range of portability.

I have hiked my deck up mountains this way and found it wasn't cumbersome.

Or if you keep all your expansions and boosters mixed together (which is also encouraged!), you can unpack the booster boxes and 1 expansion into the main deck box and just use two of the expansion booster boxes for overflow.

Option 2: Remove Tray and Use the Box

Some backers have removed the tray from the box and stored the cards in the full space of the box. They all fit, and if you add a little padding or zip-lock the decks, they won't jumble around. 

As a designer, a little piece of my heart breaks thinking of the beautiful black matte utility tray being ripped out, but I won't be precious about the way I intended the box to be used, ESPECIALLY because I didn't double-check the specs, so you have my blessing to rip away.

Here's a photo of this configuration courtesy of backer Reinhard, who thought of this idea and made it work very well!


Option 3: Wine Box

I'm a scotch drinker, and I stored the early prototype of the deck in the box of Talisker Storm (a fine smoky dram if you're not snooty about age statements).

It got me thinking that wine boxes would be even better for storing these square cards.

If you find a nice wine box with a 3" x 3" square interior, you should be able to fit the cards beautifully. (Note it needs to be  at least 3" x 3" INSIDE, and most wine boxes only list their exterior dimensions, so be careful searching or eyeballing the right boxes.)

The cards are 3" x 3" (78 mm x 78 mm). A stack of 100 cards is 40mm tall. All 468 cards in the main deck + 3 expansions + 6 booster sets = 19.5cm unsleeved.

I always recommend trying to buy local when you can, but if you're looking for a SKU to start searching for, I found some wine boxes from Amazon and other retailers that appear to have the right dimensions.

PLEASE NOTE: I haven't had a chance to test-order these myself. If you test one and find it does/doesn't work, please report back and I'll share an update!

Option 4: Craft Box

I've tracked down a few folding boxes in the right size. Some of these have to be bought in packs of multiples, but are really cheap, so you may be able to use the extras for boxing gifts or storing other components. 

Note: I haven't had a chance to test these myself but the dimensions check out! 

Option 5: Custom Boxes

I know one of you was working on designs for a 3D-printed box which we might be able to make public at some point. I hope you'll share it when you're done!

I thought I would provide the card specs in case anyone else wants to build a custom box or explore custom storage solutions.

Card counts:

  • 180 cards in the main deck.
  • 180 cards between the 3 expansions at 60 each.
  • 108 cards between the 6 boosters at 18 each.
  • 468 cards total if you purchase all the decks.

Measurements:

  • The cards are 3" x 3" (78 mm x 78 mm).
  • A stack of 100 cards is 40mm tall.
  • All 468 cards in the main deck + 3 expansions + 6 booster sets = 19.5cm unsleeved.
  • If you want to allow room for the expansion/booster boxes as spacers, each box is a 79.5 mm x 79.5 mm square. The expansion boxes are 26.5 mm deep and the booster boxes are about 11.5 mm deep.

Please feel free to share your findings or designs and I'll pass those along!

That's All For This Week!

Shipping continues as quickly as possible. I appreciate your patience, your feedback, and your excitement as decks arrive.

If you want to share your creations on social media, you'll find me as @storyenginedeck on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

As always, if you have any questions, get in contact through the comments or the contact page and I'll get back to you ASAP.

US/international Group 1 shipping started yesterday! Canadian Group 1 shipping prep is underway!
over 5 years ago – Sat, Dec 12, 2020 at 09:10:44 PM

Hi everyone,

Good news to report this week!

Also before I get into the details: if anyone in any region has an address change, contact me immediately and I will do my best to get your change processed. Group 1 changes are tricky but still do-able for some region regions. Group 2 address changes are easier to make, but the window on those is closing and I'd like to be ready to ship those as the books come in.

US/International

US/international Group 1 shipping by Funagain Logistics started yesterday! I have seen a few of you leave comments that you received your shipping notifications, and I am thrilled we are finally making concrete progress!

I have not yet received an update on the book cargo, which means it's safest to assume it's still clearing customs. My guess is it will clear shortly before we finish Group 1 shipping and we can move fluidly into Group 2.

Canada

Canadian Group 1 pre-packing is underway and the decks are arriving shortly! 

I am refreshing the tracking info for our freight truck literally every hour. Assuming no disasters in transit (and I'm learning not to count on this), the decks should arrive early next week. In the meantime, the shipping team is getting ahead of the curve by test packing, constructing boxes, and importing shipping labels so they can blitz through the parcels next week. 

For Canadian shipping, we're doing all orders by UPS Canada except for those going to PO boxes, which require us to use Canada Post. We've consulted with carriers and it's clear that the Canada Post delays this year are very severe and we'll have much more reliable delivery times with UPS.

If your address is a PO Box and you'd like to change it, contact me by 7pm EST tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 12) through the contact page.

If for any reason you would like us to use Canada Post instead of UPS, you can also contact us by 7pm EST tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 12) to request Canada Post handling, but I'm recommending UPS this year as they are managing the holiday rush better.

UK/EU

I am still waiting for an updated arrival time on the books for the UK/EU for Group 2. I have sent follow-up emails and am told they will let me know as soon as we have an ETA in the warehouse.

Australia

All parcels for Group 1 and 2 went in the mail by December 2 and it's been so lovely to read your feedback in the comments!

I understand usual shipping times for Aus/NZ are 1-2 weeks, but I imagine there are COVID delays down under, like everywhere. If you don't receive your parcel by the end of next week, get in touch and I can check on it for you and make sure it gets to you.

That's All for This Week

You've been incredibly gracious about the delays, and I am so excited to be reporting progress again. Thanks for your ongoing patience!

Weekly Shipping Check In
over 5 years ago – Sat, Dec 05, 2020 at 10:56:13 PM

Hi everyone,

It’s been a week of mixed news, and I’m still waiting on a few follow-up details, but I wanted to check in anyway and give you the updates that came in this week.

Here’s the quick version:

  •  US/International: Group 1 did not start like I'd hoped, but is about to start. Group 2 cargo has arrived in port, but some delays are expected.
  •  Canada: We are still waiting on the US partner to freight the Group 1 decks. Group 2 cargo has arrived in the US port, but some delays are expected.
  •  UK/EU: Group 1 is complete. Group 2 cargo has been delayed, and we're waiting on a revised timeline.
  •  Australia: Group 1 and 2 are both complete.

Here’s the more detailed region-by-region breakdown explaining the developments.


US/International

The decks arrived in the warehouse just before Thanksgiving and l processed all change of address requests that came in over the weekend and sent Funagain the finalized backer list on Monday as planned.

Unfortunately, the warehouse was not able to start mass shipping Group 1 this week as we had been hoping, which is disappointing. I cannot tell you how excited I was for our biggest region to start making progress. 

Our partner tells me shipping will start very soon, but they haven’t confirmed an exact date. I will let you know as soon as I have one.

The good news is that this gave us time to accept and process the change-of-address requests that trickled in after the deadline this week.

The other good news is that the books for Group 2 shipping have arrived in port. The logistics industry as a whole is seeing fairly unprecedented delays this year, so I’ve been told to expect that the usual estimates of 1-2 weeks to arrive in warehouse may not hold accurate. I’m crossing my fingers it all goes smoothly and will check in when we have clearer ETA on the books in the warehouse.


Canada

The truckload of decks bound for Canada is prepared but our US fulfilment partner has not sent it out yet. Our Canadian partner is ready and waiting to go. All supplies needed to mail everything out are waiting in the shipment centre in Ontario. We are working on securing some extra help so we can get everything shipped faster when it arrives.

The Canada-bound books have arrived in port as part of the US shipment, but as mentioned in the US section above, we don’t have a firm customs timeline yet.


UK/EU

Group 1 is complete.

We’ve received bad news about Group 2 delays, and the Spiral Galaxy team is working on getting us a revised timeline.

Unfortunately, our original port of Felixstowe, England, was so backed up that our vessel had to press on toward the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium. We are in the process of lining up new ground transportation to get the books moved via ground transport to Spiral Galaxy in Telford, England.

I will update the shipping page as soon as we have an ETA on the books.


Australia/New Zealand

I am thrilled to report that Group 1 and 2 are both complete. All orders were placed in the mail by 2 December and should arrive over the next week or two.

We ended up being short by 3 copies of The Story Engine fiction anthology. Aetherworks is checking to see if the error is in the count or if any additional inventory turns up. In the event that we can’t find the additional copies, we will ship your books separately from North America. We will make sure everyone receives every single reward they pledged for.


As Always, I’m Here to Help

I wish I had either clearer estimates or more progress to report. I’m watching my inbox like a hawk for check-ins from our fulfilment partners, and I’m updating our shipping page to fill in new information between these weekly check-ins.

If you have any questions or concerns, just reach out via Kickstarter DM or the contact page and I will get back to you ASAP.

Thanks for your incredible patience!

—Peter

Address updates extended until Monday + info and a special deal on postcard subscriptions!
over 5 years ago – Sat, Nov 28, 2020 at 04:48:48 PM

Hi everyone (and happy Thanksgiving to my backers in the US)!

I'm just following up on yesterday's update with two more mini-updates!

To recap the good news:

  • Group 1 is complete in UK/EU, happening now in Australia, about to start for the US/international, and starting next week or the week after in Canada.
  • Group 2 is on track for the latest estimates as well according to the latest reports. (And it's already underway in Australia!)

There are just 2 things I wanted to add to yesterday's update!

1) I'm extending the deadline to update addresses for Group 1 US/international backers until noon EST on Monday,  November 30.

Funagain said they'd prepare to start shipping as soon as decks arrived, which happened yesterday. But as a Canadian who has been living in Europe for the past 2 years, I totally forgot to account for American Thanksgiving!

Given the high volume of update requests that came through after yesterday's update, and the fact that not much is likely to happen with shipping over the long weekend, I'm extending the address update window until Monday.

I want to give everyone a chance to update their address and make sure everyone gets their rewards delivered exactly where they want them. I've already handled the first batch of requests that came in.

Just contact me via DM or the contact page with your new address!

2) I now have details on how backers can renew their "postcards from the future" subscriptions!

For subscribers (or for anyone who didn't subscribe but wants to receive a postcard-sized short story signed by me and mailed to your door every month on premium matte cardstock), you can get a year's subscription for 10% off by using the discount code KICKSTARTER!

Click here for the renewal link.


This is actually part of a brand-new website called Nat 21 Workshop that I just launched to manage subscriptions and to make up for all the conventions I had to cancel due to COVID this year. I've also set that code to give 10% off to Kickstarter backers site-wide as a thank-you for your patience!

In addition to The Story Engine/The Shortest Story, I make comics, and a highlight of my year is doing the comiccon tour and getting to meet the creative community that's grown around my work. I also love getting to see people read my stories, comics, pins, and T-shirt designs and react, right there in front of me.

I really missed that this year! So I put together Nat 21 Workshop, a new hub for my creative designs and projects! It's not the same as hanging out at my convention booth meeting all you lovely people, but it's the next-closest thing right now, and it's a spot people can get their hands on T-shirts, dice towers and enamel pins.

If you're looking for a comfy hoodie to get you through winter, or a gift for a writer, D&D player, or something fun to give a pet owner, please consider checking it out!

You also might enjoy this fun little video PSA I made about lost dice and dice towers.

The 10% discount code KICKSTARTER is good until Monday at midnight EST, so help yourself!

That's all for now!

If you have any questions or concerns at all, reach out and I'll get back to you!

I'll continue to update you on shipping, and I'll follow up soon with an update on alternate storage options for the complete deck, which a lot of you have asked about.

Group 1 shipping progress + last chance to change addresses
over 5 years ago – Fri, Nov 27, 2020 at 07:38:56 PM

Hey everyone!

I wanted to give you a quick Group 1 shipping check-in and share the latest news, which is good news for all regions!

The US decks (also the decks for international destinations) arrived in the warehouse! They are just inventorying and packing some test boxes. Shipping in earnest should hopefully begin tomorrow. Group 1 backers have until 9am EST tomorrow (Thursday) to make any final address updates. DM me your new address or message it to me through the contact page to get your address updated. Now is your last chance before shipping starts!

The Canadian decks are being loaded now so we can ship them up across the border and begin shipping, most likely next week. Canadian Group 1 backers have until Monday 9am EST to DM or contact me with any address updates.

The Aus/NZ decks AND books (that's both Group and Group 2) are currently being shipped out!

I haven't heard any news either way re: the cargo vessels with the books for Group 2 in the US, Canada, and UK/EU, but I've got a standing order for the fulfilment partners to update me on any delays. Hopefully, that means our skilled sailors have placated mighty Poseidon with offerings, or else outwitted him with Odysseus-like tricks. 

If everything remains on course, all book cargo should land in port between now and the end of next week, taking 1-2 weeks to clear customs and arrive in warehouse,  after which we can start shipping Group 2.

I have some more news and info to share re: renewing postcard subscriptions, but it's going to have to wait for another day as Kickstarter's image uploader seems to be broken today.

Thank you all for your patience! We're making great headway and I can't wait for you all to have your rewards in hand!