Chopping Down International Shipping Costs!
over 4 years ago – Wed, Sep 25, 2019 at 06:58:23 PM

The Shipping Estimates - Status Quo

We've received some questions, comments, and concerns regarding our international shipping rates. Please remember that as we've stated from the beginning our shipping rates are only estimates (officially shipping charges are guaranteed to be equal or even lower) and if/when *fingers crossed* the campaign passes its funding goal we will do our best to subsidize those rates. We want to deliver LumberJerks as affordably as possible and with that in mind we have attempted to address some of our more expensive shipping estimates.

Reduced International Shipping Prices (Some Restrictions Apply)

We've been communicating with Flat River Fulfillment to address the high price estimate for the "Everywhere Else" shipping category in each pledge.  In general, this rate is higher because it covers every possible country (except for the US, UK, China, Australia, and Canada) and it turns out the world is a pretty big place! Therefore, we have created a new category of shipping for our amazing international backers from countries that did not previously have a specific shipping tier.  By focusing on securing rates for another small list of countries (Belarus, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden) we have managed to reduce prices for those backers even before reaching our funding goal. This is exactly the reason we decided to forego shipping through Kickstarter and use a pledge manager (despite the fact that including shipping costs would've gotten LumberJerks past its funding goal already). 

Below is a list of newly modified rates which SHOULD cover all all of our international backers previously stuck in the "Everywhere Else" category. If you're looking at this list and don't see your country, PLEASE leave a comment on this update.  We'd love to drop these rates even further but to do that, we need your help! We may be less than $500 from our funding goal, but every backer beyond that goal will help us soften the blow of shipping and handling. Think of it as stretch goals for shipping! So tell your friends, families, coworkers, and nemeses (they have less than a week before the campaign ends)! Together, we will chop these prices down to size! 

LumberJerks Pledge Level

• Free Shipping to the United States
• +$15 to the UK, Canada, China, and Australia
• +$20 to Belarus, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden
• +$25 to everywhere else

LumberJerks + Misfortune Pledge Level

• Free Shipping to the United States
• +$20 to the UK, Canada, China, and Australia
• +$30 to Belarus, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden
• +$35 to everywhere else

LumberJerks Bundle Pledge Level

• +$8 to the United States
• +$30 to the UK, Canada, China, and Australia
• +$45 to Belarus, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden
• +$70 to everywhere else

LumberJerks + Misfortune Bundle Pledge Level

• +$15 to the United States
• +$50 to the UK, Canada, China, and Australia
• +$75 to Belarus, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden
• +$100 to everywhere else

Solo Mode - Gameplay Video

Now we told you that we would be getting out some more info for our Solo Mode (and some of you loyal supporters have already seen this), but Vorpal Board hosted a fantastic showcase of the mode with the support of Howling Hog teammate Austin. Want to see how you can chop an entire forest by yourself? Click here: LumberJerks Solo Mode with Vorpal Board We will also be adding this video to the campaign page later this evening. Admittedly, this mode is still in the development phase, but it is certainly far enough along (95%) that you can appreciate it and leave us some feedback! Does it seem balanced & fun? We sure think so! Well, except for the pesky Hippy Repellant card (if you've seen the video you know why) which will definitely get reworked or eliminated from solo mode. Let us know! So get out there and keep choppin'!

New Solo Mode Available for LumberJerks!
over 4 years ago – Fri, Sep 20, 2019 at 06:25:41 PM

You're Number #1, So Why Not Play That Way?

Our campaign continues to move forward, money doesn't grow on trees and neither do our backers! We are so excited that the Kickstarter has over 150 supporters.  We appreciate each and every one of you! We've gone out on a limb and asked for your help in sharing this wonderful tree-chopping adventure with friends and family, but you're looking at our updates thinking:

"But Howling Hog, what if my friends and family don't want to play LumberJerks every day like me?"

Well, we've heard your pleas and added a solo variant of play! This new optional style of play is great for a quick challenge even when others are unavailable. All the details are attached below in case you'd like to try it on TableTop Simulator (or inside your own mind palace).

Read The Rules

The Objective: In the solo mode for LumberJerks, your objective is to chop down all 5 trees in sequential order.

The Setup: Place all 5 trees (35 cards total) in a row in front of you on their un-chopped side. Shuffle the entire deck, including the Hippy cards, remove X cards (check difficulty settings) from the deck facedown and return them to the box, and draw 2 cards to start the game!

Easy Mode: Remove 20 cards. Normal Mode: Remove 30 cards. Hard Mode: Remove 40 cards.

The Turn: Each turn of the game is played in exactly the same way as a regular game: Roll, draw a card, and play a card. Your first turn will be with the first tree, your second turn will be the second tree, etc. Once you have played a turn with each tree repeat starting with the first tree.

The Rules: There are only a few changes to the rules from a regular game:

• #1 You cannot choose to skip your turn to remove Wildlife from a tree. However, you are still forced to skip a turn and remove all Wildlife from that tree if it has -4 Wildlife or more in it.
• #2 You cannot play Wildlife or Grow cards on the tree that corresponds to your current turn.
• #3 When every card on a tree has been successfully chopped that tree is removed from the game. Place these 7 cards in a pile nearby, you will need them at the end of the game.

The Ending: There are three ways to end the game:

• #1 Chopping and removing the leftmost tree until there are no trees left (a perfect score!).
• #2 The draw pile is empty when you go to draw a card (out of time!).
• #3 Chopping down and removing any tree other than the leftmost tree (losing with style!).

The Scoring: After the game you receive one point for each of the tree cards removed from the game and each of the chopped cards on your leftmost tree. Scores range from 0 to 35 points.

Watch Vorpal Board Play The New Solo Mode!

If you're like us and think that sometimes words get too wordy, then stay tuned! Next Monday (September 23rd) at 9PM EDT our friends over at Vorpal Board will be showcasing this new format on their twitch channel (Vorpal Board Twitch) and the next day we'll be adding that video to the Kickstarter page for your viewing pleasure. We will post another update next week so that you can help us establish some point thresholds in solo mode (fun category names) that will identify who's a logger and who's a slogger! 

Comment below and tell us what you think! Thank you for your continued support!

Five Thousand in Five Days!
over 4 years ago – Sun, Sep 15, 2019 at 05:12:33 PM

LumberJerks: A Grassroots Campaign

Five days into the campaign and we are looking good! Now we know what some of you loyal fans are thinking, "Hmmm, the campaign seems to have stagnated a bit this weekend." You know what? You're right! This is totally normal. Campaigns always have a bit of a mid-drive slump and this slump is always at its worst on the weekends. Now we know what you REALLY loyal fans are thinking, "What can I do to help?" SO MUCH!The more each of you start a conversation about LumberJerks, the more Kickstarter's "secret-gnome algorithms" will kick us up to the top of their "magic" project rankings. Remember, a kickstarter project is like a fairy if you don't believe in it... it dies! *cue dramatic music* 

Below we've listed out some of the most efficient ways you can make our logging day a little easier:

• Comment on the Kickstarter campaign and tell us what you think! 
• Go try our game in Tabletop Simulator! After you do, leave a comment and/or a rating on the LumberJerks BoardGameGeek Page .
• Follow us on Twitter or Facebook! 
• Share our posts and tweets!

Basically, gather as many people as you can, to come check us out! Because if a tree is chopped in the woods and no one is there to hear it... Well, you know. 

P.S. Stay tuned this week! Hopefully we will be announcing something fun very soon!

A Tree: Half Chopped or Half Grown?
over 4 years ago – Wed, Sep 11, 2019 at 12:32:57 PM

Woah, We're Halfway There!

What an incredible start! We've already reached 50% of our goal in less than 24 hours! Great job everyone and thank you for the support! For those of you who are new to Kickstarter, throughout our campaign (and a little afterwards), we'll be posting updates filled with news and tree puns to keep you fully aware of any developments. We also want to take this time to tackle a few questions that are sprouting up. 

The Curse of Misfortune Lane - Shipping, When?

If you order a bundle of copies that includes our previous Kickstarter, The Curse of Misfortune Lane, you will ultimately receive TWO deliveries. One round of shipments for The Curse of Misfortune Lane will be sent out immediately upon completion of this Kickstarter as these games have already been manufactured.  LumberJerks will be delivered within the next year, once manufacturing is completed. Last year, we delivered several months sooner than projected, and we'll be doing our best to beat expectations once again. 

International Shipping: Estimates, Why?

Speaking of expectations, some international backers have voiced concerns regarding our projected shipping costs. The numbers currently listed for your shipping serve as top-end limits. We will be doing our best to lower this shipping cost as much as we can based on the success of the Kickstarter, but we guarantee they will not be above what is listed there. Feel free to pledge for the standard pledge amount right now, when the campaign is finished, shipping will be reduced as much as we are able, and if this is not to your satisfaction, you will have the opportunity to withdraw your pledge and receive a full refund for your pledged amount.  There is no risk for waiting so don't miss out on a chance to get LumberJerks until you've seen the final numbers!

That's It For Now, Keep Chopping!

Please share the campaign page with your friends, family, neighbors, and mortal enemies! Post on your wall, tweet your birds, insta your grams, snap some chats, and just get the message out there. Every bit of support early in the campaign makes a HUGE difference. If you have other questions that are not yet answered, don't hesitate to reach out! I promise we won't leaf you hanging! :D