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ILLITERATI

Created by Gap Closer Games - Illiterati

A cooperative survival word game for 1-5 players where spelling is only half the battle. Please visit our store https://gapclosergames.com to order your copies today.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

(Your response is needed) The Pledge Manager is OPEN!
almost 2 years ago – Wed, Apr 27, 2022 at 11:11:57 PM

Greetings Librarians!

We're excited to report these past few weeks have been extremely productive and things are moving along splendidly! Here's a quick rundown of list of what we've been up to since the Kickstarter ended:

  • Imported Kickstarter information into BackerKit and set up the Pledge Manager
  • Finalized the design of all unlocked Stretch Goals (extra books, villain powers, and component upgrades)
  • Rebalanced some of the Books and Illiterati Villain Cards
  • Cleaned up language on cards and proofread everything
  • Redesigned the layout of the Books as well as the Library Card (updated icons and improved layout for better readability). We also updated the symbols to provide better contrast (print was too dark) and changed the "letter symbol" to a tile to make it match our components better. 

Next Steps Before Production: All that remains is a deep dive into the rulebook and to finalize the design of the box art (front and back) before we start sending files to PandaGM for proofing. We're hoping to get through this next month so we can officially start the "Pre-Production" process.
 

The Pledge Manager is Open - YOUR ACTION IS REQUIRED

By this point you should have received an email (or should receive it within the hour) from BackerKit to process your order. Please complete it ASAP. The email will come from "Gap Closer Games - Illiterati" with the subject line "Response Needed — Get your reward for ILLITERATI". Completing the survey is ESSENTIAL. You will have the chance to do the following:

  • Provide your Shipping Address 
  •  Upgrade your pledge
  •  Purchase Add-Ons (any add-ons already purchased through Kickstarter will automatically be placed in your cart). 
  •  Pay for Shipping and Taxes 

The Pledge Manager will be open until June 30, 2022 but the sooner you complete it the better! If you're worried that your mailing address may change after then, don't worry--you'll be able to update your address until about a month before "fulfillment" (Kickstarter speak for "shipping"). If you can't find the email or simply misplaced it, you can use this link to manually retrieve your survey - just make sure you use the email associated with your Kickstarter account.
Remember: If you don't complete the survey, we can't fulfill your order.
 Your order will be locked and charged automatically as soon as your survey is submitted. Once submitted, you will not have access to edit your order except for the shipping address. Please be sure your order details are final before submitting your survey.

 Rival Restaurants Add-Ons 

For those who are interested, in addition to all the Illiterati content, you will be able to add the following items from our first game, Rival Restaurants: the Base Game, the Expansion and the Deluxe Upgrade Pack! We are printing these alongside Illiterati, so all items will be shipped together. If you want Rival Restaurants sooner, you can check our webstore first to see if a specific item is available. We are currently sold out in most regions, so adding it through the pledge manager is the best way to secure a copy in advance.

Troubleshooting

  • As mentioned above, if you can't locate the BackerKit Survey email, you can use the following link to manually retrieve it. 
  • If you are using an Apple.ID email address on Kickstarter, the survey cannot be delivered. Please message us with an alternate email address and we'll get you squared away. More information about this issue can be found here.
  • If you have any other issues, don't hesitate to reach out to us directly through Kickstarter or through our Contact Form.

Thank you again and until next time,

Rob, Jon, Gary, and Audrey

T-H-A-N-K-Y-O-U
about 2 years ago – Fri, Mar 25, 2022 at 01:41:55 AM

Considering we’re the creators of a word game, it’s a little ironic that
 we’re at a loss for words.

7, 196 backers. 2,136% of our initial funding goal. $320,492 raised.

Thanks to you, we (almost) set the record for the most funded word game in Kickstarter history 😅. (Just $6,000 short!) But at the end of the day, we're not out here to chase records. We just want to make great games for great people (like you). 

When we first conceptualized Illiterati and pitched it to people "in industry," there were definitely some concerns. 

"Word games are too niche.” 

“The Kickstarter crowd won’t go for it.”

"Are you sure you don’t want to just make another Rival Restaurants expansion?”

Well, I think we can lay those matters to rest. You all rose to the occasion (and then some) and helped us bring yet another game to life. Thanks to you, Illiterati will (hopefully) become a staple at many a game night in the years to come.

So once again, we just want to say thank you. Anyway, now that the campaign is officially over, it’s time to cover a little housekeeping. If you want to better understand how "the sausage is made," read on! 

Phase 1: Cards Charged and Payment Collected through Kickstarter

Kickstarter will automatically charge the card you have on file. 99 out of 100 times, you don’t have to do anything. However, in the event your card is declined, you will get a notification. PER KICKSTARTER: “If your pledge has been declined, you’ll need to log in to your Kickstarter account and click the “Fix payment” button in the banner at the top of your screen. This will guide you through the process of changing or retrying your payment method.” Kickstarter will send you an email every 48 hours with a direct link to correct the issue. Please note we are not involved in this process and unfortunately can’t do anything to help resolve the issue. Feel free to message us, but most likely we’ll have to redirect you to Kickstarter.

Phase 2: BackerKit Pledge Manager Invitation

Now that the Kickstarter campaign is over, you might be wondering, “so how do I get my game?” BackerKit, the pledge manager we’re using, gives you the opportunity to verify the items you'll receive from your pledge, upgrade your pledge, add on extras, pay for shipping/taxes, and provide us your shipping address. However, the pledge manager won't be available until around mid/late April. So for now, there's nothing you need to do.

NOTE: The email notifying you about the pledge manager being open will go to whatever email you’re using for Kickstarter and will come from “BackerKit.” Be sure to check your spam folder as it might land there! But don't fret, we will post an update once the notifications go out with a detailed description of how to use the system and how to troubleshoot most common issues.

Phase 3: Production (a brief overview)

The campaign may be over, but our work is just beginning! Over the next several weeks we’ll go through and finalize any unlocked content, clean up the instructions, and proofread everything. Once we are 100% satisfied, we'll hand over the files to our manufacturer which will start the “Pre-Production” process. Without boring you with all the details, what this means is we'll get a final physical sample from our manufacturer, check it for accuracy, and then give them the green light for “Mass Production.” Barring any major delays, this process can take anywhere between 12 and 20 weeks.

Phase 4: Freight & Fulfillment

Once manufacturing and assembly are complete, all packages will be shipped to their respective fulfillment hubs and will start making their way to your doorsteps. Pre-2020, this was a pretty straightforward and predictable phase, but nowadays it’s nearly impossible to forecast. As we move through each phase, we will provide detailed updates so you can follow along and stay in the loop.

Communication Expectations

Post-campaign, we like to keep our Kickstarter updates to about once a month, only providing information that is actionable or valuable to you. That being said, we also realize “no news isn’t good news” when it comes to Kickstarter, so you can always message/comment/email/homing pigeon us between updates and we'll be sure to respond in a timely manner. We also post regularly on social media (IG/FB/Twitter) but we always make sure critical information is shared through Kickstarter.

Late Pledges:

Some of you may have noticed a “Late Pledge” button at the top of the campaign page that takes you to a BackerKit Pre-Order/Late-Pledge Store. If you already pledged, YOU DO NOT NEED TO LATE PLEDGE. This is meant for people who missed the Kickstarter. If you want to upgrade your pledge or add more copies, you’ll be able to do so when the pledge manager opens in mid/late April.

Epilogue

Well, that’s it folks! All that’s left to do is take a deep breath, relax, and let Illiterati make its way to your doorstep, one chapter at a time. 

Thank you again and until next time,

Rob, Jon, Gary, and Audrey

Illiterati is FULLY STRETCHED!!!đŸ„łđŸ„łđŸ„ł Plus, meet your final villain: Absalom Faust, The Glorious Leader. đŸ˜€
about 2 years ago – Wed, Mar 23, 2022 at 05:24:22 AM

Congratulations Librarians!!

You did it. Illiterati is now FULLY STRETCHED! That means this version of Illiterati will be its most ultimate and glorious form—all thanks to you! Seriously though, you guys have been on a tear, knocking down stretch goals as if the world's literacy depended on it. And in a way... it does. 😝

Here's a summary of everything you unlocked!

Everything inside the box has seen a "glow up" thanks to our army of Librarians (5,545 and counting!) and we can't wait for you to see how everything looks and feels in person. 

Villain Highlight

As we approach these final 48 hours, we wanted to once again say thank you (and will continue saying "thank you" for a long time) for your support, enthusiasm and engagement during the campaign. After being cooped up for 2 years working on this game in solitude, it has been such a joy to share it with the world, and to see it received so well! Here's to finishing strong!

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE - 2 BONUS UNLOCKS!

Since we blew our funding goal out of the water, we want to say thanks with 2 BONUS UNLOCKED stretch goals! We had a lot of good suggestions come through comments and messages, and we've decided to proceed with the following:

  • Upgrade Deluxe Edition Bags from Screen-Printed to Embroidered!
  • Add Blank Books to both the Standard and Deluxe Editions.

We know many of you will want to create your own unique objectives, so giving you a canvas to do so is the least we can do.  Just a reminder of the two types of books that can be found in Illiterati:

 We're still firming up exactly how many/what the blank books will look like, but for now, the question is... 

Let us know in the comments below! And here's to finishing our Kickstarter campaign on a high note! We have the Illiterati on the ropes...  let's finish them off!

Yours in reading,

Rob, Jon, Gary, and Audrey

Greetings from GAMA Expo 2022! Also, all Social Stretch Goals UNLOCKED! Plus, meet Fiora Ironclad, The Welder đŸ”„
about 2 years ago – Sat, Mar 19, 2022 at 07:17:44 PM

GAMA 2022: Guess who's been the talk of the con? 😇

This past week, the Gap Closer team has been at GAMA in Reno, NV. For those who don't know, GAMA is the top trade organization in the board gaming industry and the GAMA Expo is a weeklong convention for industry heads only.  Although it’s only our first time attending GAMA, you can definitely say we've been turning some heads... đŸ€Ł

But really though, there is serious buzz about Illiterati. Apparently the concept of a cooperative, real-time, survival word game is popular with more than just our 4,700 backers (and counting)! We’ve been working around the clock—demoing, networking, attending workshops—all to spread the word about Illiterati and our other title Rival Restaurants. But don't get us wrong... this is the best kind of "work" there is 😁. We're just so blessed that our journey has brought us this far and we're excited to see how far we'll go. Here are some behind-the-scenes looks from GAMA:

The Gap Closer Games SQUAD (Rob, Gary, and Audrey)
Just a few of the dozens of people who LOVED playing Illiterati
⚔⚔ Preparing for battle! ⚔⚔

Release the Bookmarks!

Congrats fam! As of Wednesday, you’ve unlocked all 5 Illiterati Villain bookmarks! We asked you to spread the word and you more than rose to the challenge! 

We'd like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to share about Illiterati on social media with their family, friends, and game groups. Without you, we wouldn't be standing where we are today. (And for those in the comments section who "rallied the troops" this past week--we see you 🧐.) 

If you haven’t shared yet, but would like to, there’s still time! We are exactly ONE WEEK away from the end of our Kickstarter campaign đŸ˜± so it’s not too late!

Villain Spotlight: Fiora Ironclad, The Welder

2 More Books Unlocked!

Coming up next

The DUAL LAYERED Burn Tracker Is UNLOCKED đŸ”„đŸ”„đŸ”„! Plus, the gang is heading to Reno, NV for GAMA EXPO! đŸŽČ🏹
about 2 years ago – Mon, Mar 14, 2022 at 09:07:52 PM

The Burn Tracker will now be DUAL LAYERED đŸ˜±

Here at Gap Closer Games, we take component quality very seriously. In fact, even the components we hope you don’t use (like the Burn Tracker) are choice. If that’s not commitment to quality, then we don’t know what is.

The reason why we say we hope you don't use the Burn Tracker is that it's basically how your team keeps track of failed rounds 💀. A round is considered “failed” when time runs out and there are too many unused letters on the table. For example, in Normal Mode, teams are allowed to store up to 3 unused letters in the Library. If you exceed that Library Limit when time's up (e.g. you have 5 unused letters), then the round is deemed a failure and you must place 1 of your unused letters on the Burn Tracker. Burn too many letters and you lose the game.

Originally, the Deluxe Edition Burn Tracker was simply going to be a card that you place letters on. However, since you all unlocked this stretch goal, the Burn Tracker will now be made out of 2mm chipboard! And even better, it will be DUAL LAYERED (Deluxe Edition only)! This means that burned letters can now be placed into perfectly cut out slots that are sure to satisfy even the most OCD of gamers. 😁

But let's not get ahead of ourselves... remember, the Burn Tracker is something you hope you rarely have to use... But at least now when you do, it’ll be satisfying. 😁

Social Stretch Goals: 3 down, 2 to go!

Another exciting update is that 3 of our 5 Social Stretch Goals have been UNLOCKED! Thank you to everyone who commented, liked, and tweeted our way to unlocking bookmarks for Penelope, Fiora, and Bastille!

Now, we are just 14 Facebook/IG Shares and 49 BGG (boardgamegeek.com) favorites (hearts) away from unlocking the remaining bookmarks! We couldn't have gotten to where we are today without your help, so we're asking that you help us once more by letting your friends know about Illiterati! And lastly...

We are here at GAMA EXPO!

GAMA (The Game Manufacturers Association) is the board game industry's premier trade association and the GAMA EXPO is basically a who’s who of board game publishers, manufacturers, distributors, and other industry professionals. So naturally
 we’ll be here all week 😎. It’s our first time coming to GAMA and the timing couldn’t be more perfect (or chaotic!), depending on how you look at it. Did we plan for GAMA to fall right smack in the middle of our Kickstarter campaign? Not really... but will we try to make the most of it? You bet!

We are sending a three-member delegation consisting of Gary (who actually sits on the board of GAMA!), Rob (our creative genius), and Audrey (our artist extraordinaire) so please wish them well as they rub shoulders with board gaming’s elite. 

The GAMA Expo is not open to the public unfortunately, but if you’re in the industry and you’re here, please make sure to swing by and say hello! We’ll be at Booth #326 but chances are, if you hear a crowd of people having a great time, you’ll find us there. 😜

 Oh yeah...2 More Books Unlocked! 

Coming up next

That's it for now,

Gap Closer Games