Greetings! I first want to apologize for not launching the monthly newsletter as planned, and let you know it will launch this summer. Life took me on some strange detours away from games, but now I'm back and excited to expand the world of Lagoon!

This update covers:

• GenCon: Promos and Art Decks
• Lagoon Story Game
• Extra Kickstarter Copies of Lagoon: Land of Druids

GenCon

I'm exhibiting at GenCon for the first time this year! Please visit us at booth 2835 in Entrepreneur's Avenue to pick up the new Lagoon promo (above) or any of our past promos.

The new Lagoon game I discuss below uses cards like the one pictured above, and I'm preparing to order some fresh prototype decks now. I thought it would be fun to offer you the chance to get a deck too. There is no game you can play with these cards right now, so at this point you can only enjoy them as jumbo sized art cards (3.5″ x 5.75″).

Here's the deal. You can preorder a deck for $24 and pick it up at GenCon in the 3 Hares Games booth. I'll stop taking preorders at midnight PST on Saturday, July 18. These are print on demand cards, so I won't be printing many decks beyond the preorders. 

Lagoon Story Game 

Last year I prototyped a 54-card Lagoon deck, with one card for each site in the original game. Since then, I've been obsessed with designing a story game using the cards. The archetypal illustrations of Lagoon were intended to be natural building blocks for storytelling. But after countless hours poring over the art that I myself directed, the images of Lagoon remain mysterious and enigmatic even to me. They undoubtedly speak to me, but no matter how many stories they tell me I always feel there are more secrets to be discovered.

And that's the Lagoon I want to give players, a magical wellspring of mythological storytelling possibilities. The character of the world will always be unmistakably Lagoon, but the mythology will be at once both malleable and unpredictable. There will be no fixed or authoritative background story, so players can birth a unique mythology and history of Lagoon with every play.

In the game, each player will guide their druid in exploration of the world, forging a unique destiny for themselves against the backdrop of Lagoon's collective destiny. Your energy karma will influence the nature and tone of your encounters, and druids aligned with the dominant energy will experience a very different world from those whose alignment is threatened by it. Of course, players can shift this balance many times over the course of the game, in addition to forming alliances and breaking them, achieving triumph and suffering defeat, until the ultimate destiny unfolds. 

That's my vision, and I'm passionate about it. It's an ambitious project in early stages, but I have some clever ideas to implement it. I've also been conducting extensive research on mythology, drawing primarily from the genius of Joseph Campbell, his books, lectures and interviews. No one has done more to illuminate the role of myth in human experience, and Campbell's insights are strongly influencing the shape of Lagoon.

Another exciting aspect of a flexible mythology is that there's room for more ideas and interpretations, and I would love for your help developing Lagoon's mythology! Eventually, I intend to setup a website where you can submit ideas and suggestions for the mythology of the sites in Lagoon that speak to you. 

Lastly, I have a larger vision for these Lagoon cards beyond the story game. I am developing an expansion to Lagoon: Land of Druids using the same cards. Having a card for each site in the original game opens up fertile design space to be explored!

Extra Kickstarter Copies of Lagoon: Land of Druids

I have a limited number of surplus Kickstarter editions of Lagoon: Land of Druids, and wanted to make them available to backers. Naturally, these copies include the wooden tokens and the promo tile, and would make a great gift!

Most of the remaining copies are in the US, but there are a handful in Canada, the EU, and Asia. If you are interested in buying any, please email me: support [AT] 3haresgames.com. The following prices include shipping, and will be payable using Paypal:

• US - $35
• Canada - $35
• EU - $45 (ships from within the EU)
• Asia - $55 (could be less depending on destination)

The Lagoon Kickstarter campaign went live one year ago today. I was optimistic, but had no idea the project would fund in just 3 days and eventually blossom to 3,503 delightful backers. The warmth and kindness of backers has been a blessing ever since. I absolutely love meeting backers face to face at conventions, and appreciate all your supportive messages. Thank you for making Lagoon a success and being a wonderful backer community!

Personally, the past year has been transformative. Of course I changed careers and learned a lot of new skills in the process. More profoundly though, the empowerment of my Kickstarter success sparked unprecedented personal growth for me. Your support has enabled me to positively alter the course of my life, not just my job, and I'm sincerely grateful for that.

Unpub 5

Next week I'll be bringing two prototype game designs to Baltimore for Unpub 5, a convention dedicated to as yet unpublished game designs. It's totally open and free to the public, so if you live in the area come say hi and try out any of more than 100 different prototype games!

Lagoon Promo Tiles

I created two Lagoon promo tiles that were available at BGG.CON this past fall. There's been a lot of interest in them by folks who couldn't attend the convention. I'm working on making these available to you via a promotion I'll roll out in February. Stay tuned!

Connect with 3 Hares Games

I'm finally starting a monthly email newsletter in February! Each issue offers a Lagoon puzzle, reveals some Lagoon lore, and shares the latest 3HG news. There will also be art previews, like the one above. If you haven't already opted in to receive the newsletter, send an email to support [AT] 3haresgames.com indicating you wish to subscribe.

You can also find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@3haresgames).

Honors and Reviews

• Lagoon was Cardboard Republic's Tactician Game of the Year
• Lagoon made Joel Eddy's list of top 10 Kickstarter games of all time
• BoardGameGeek's top images of 2014 include 10 Lagoon images in the top 25

Below are some recent reviews. If you haven't already, please give Lagoon your honest rating on BoardGameGeek.

• The Long View podcast review (begins at 1:27:30)
• Punching Cardboard podcast review (begins at 59:35)
• Finer Things Review (video review)

Customer Service 

If you have any customer service issues, like missing or defective parts in your copy of Lagoon, please send an email to support [AT] 3haresgames.com. 

This update covers a lot of topics, quickly: 

• BGG.CON
• Shipping status
• Customer service
• Solo rules sheet
• Lagoon storage
• Oddball game tokens

Once you've played Lagoon a few times, please consider visiting the Lagoon BoardGameGeek page to rate the game, review it, or join the discussion!

BGG.CON

3 Hares Games will be at BGG.CON next week -- please visit our booth and say hello! We'll have a range of promos to hand out, including a promo game tile, some promo druids, and promo art cards. And be sure to visit the BGG Store at the con to pick up a DIFFERENT promo game tile, which they'll have for online sale a bit after the con.

Our booth number is 304, in the "Made in Texas" exhibitor hall.

Shipping Status

All orders should have shipped by now, except 4 in Asia that had language issues in the address that are being resolved. 

If you are in the US, Canada or the EU and have not yet received your rewards, please message me. Backers in other parts of the world should start receiving their rewards very soon!

Customer Service

If your copy of Lagoon has damaged or missing components, I'll replace them. Please take a few photos of any damaged pieces, then email pics and details to: support AT 3haresgames.com

Service Schedule

I regret I haven't been able to respond to every service request yet. My work load has been quite high for several weeks now, and I'm a one person operation. I need to slow down a bit now to rest and catch up on sleep, but I also want to set a schedule so you know what to expect.

By the end of this weekend I will have responded to every service request. Next week, replacement parts will begin to ship out. I'll be at BGG.CON most of the week though, so the bulk of replacements won't ship until Thanksgiving week. If you want me to hold your shipment until after Thanksgiving, please send me a message.

Solo Rules Sheet

In addition to the main rulebook, you will notice a supplemental rules sheet (page 17/18) in your copy of Lagoon. This sheet is intentionally separate, to serve as a handy reference while playing the solo mode of Lagoon. I store this separate sheet in the middle of the rulebook.

Also, if you have questions or comments about solo play, visit this thread on BoardGameGeek.

Lagoon Storage

Unsure how best to organize and store your Lagoon components in the box after punching them out? I share my storage scheme in this thread on BoardGameGeek, which includes alternate suggestions from backers as well.

Oddball Game Tokens

You may have noticed some oddball tokens are included with Lagoon. There was extra space on the punchboard, so we had fun making special tokens that may see use in an expansion, or not. 

The white player marker, for example, can be used as the marker for one of the upcoming promo druid circles. And backer Jeshua suggests using the 3 Hares tokens to mark havens on the board if you want to make them stand out more. Great idea!

Shipping - US, Canada and Europe

Rewards should have shipped by now for all backers in the United States, Canada, and Europe. If you live in one of these regions and haven't received your reward by Monday, please let me know and I'll check on the status of your order.

Shipping - Other International

4PX tells me rewards should start shipping on Monday! Thank you for your patience as I've worked through an exasperating series of delays with 4PX. 

Whereas my other fulfillment partners have been easy to work with, 4PX provided inaccurate documentation, a buggy client website, and a surprising array of challenges. I've been staying up until about 4am most nights the past few weeks so I can be online during their business hours and go back and forth with my account representative to clear as many hurdles each night as possible. 

Customer Service

If your copy of Lagoon is missing any parts or has any damaged components that need to be replaced, I will fix it. Please send an email to support AT 3haresgames.com with details, including photos of any damaged pieces. These photos will help me document the issue with my manufacturer. If you've already emailed for service, I should get back to you this coming week if I haven't yet.

There seems to be a higher than normal defect rate with the wooden tokens, some of which are sticking together. The vast majority of stuck tokens can be easily separated without damage by twisting to separate them. A smaller number are peeling the paint off when separated. My manufacturer is researching this issue, and has pledged to make it right.

Lagoon's Street Date

At the beginning of last week, I decided to set Lagoon's retail street date for Monday, November 10. Due to distribution lead times, the decision has to be made in advance. When I made the decision, rewards were already shipping to backers in the EU and Canada, and the games were imminently due to arrive at my fulfillment partners Amazon and 4PX. I had a reasonable expectation rewards would have shipped to all my backers well before the street date, as I pledged. Things with Amazon went well. 

But unfortunately, as explained earlier in this update, things with 4PX have dragged on in ways I never would have imagined. The most recent setback is that, despite being a global fulfillment company, they told me yesterday that they don't have any shipping boxes that can accommodate Lagoon's modest box size. They say the next box size up is too large, and are forcing me to buy my own shipping boxes from another vendor in China. I gave them the exact dimensions of my product more than 2 months ago, and have stressed repeatedly how important it is that my goods are properly packaged in boxes. It shouldn't be this hard, but it has been.

Regardless of the frustrations I've had with 4PX, the responsibility for delays is mine. I apologize for not delivering fully on my pledge to ship all backer rewards before the game is available in retail stores. I'm sorry for disappointing you on this.

This is a very short update to inform you on the status of shipping.

United States

The games were delivered to my fulfillment partner Amazon.com on Tuesday, right on schedule. Today I got an email advising me the games are available for fulfillment. I've uploaded all US backer orders to Amazon, and shipping will probably begin tomorrow and take a few days to complete. Their system seems to be temporarily underreporting the number of units on hand, so exactly 1 backer order is on hold due to "insufficient" inventory. If this glitch doesn't resolve itself by later today, I'll file a customer service request with Amazon.

Canada

My fulfillment partner Snakes & Lattes has been shipping games all week, and should finish by tomorrow I believe.

European Union and Vicinity

My fulfillment partner Spiral Galaxy has been shipping games all week. I'm awaiting word on whether they have finished shipping or not.

Other International

I know Panda has begun applying the necessary 4PX labels I provided them last Friday, but I don't know yet if they have finished or whether pickup by 4PX has been scheduled. I'm sending regular emails to check on the progress, but that's the latest news I have. The moment I discover when shipping will begin, I'll immediately send an update!