What are the risks and challenges associated with your project?

This crowdfunding campaign is our ninth for Central Michigan University Press, and, as always, there are a myriad of inherent risks and unintended consequences that come with running a crowdfunding campaign. Any number of things could pop up and toss spanners in the works; just look at the recent chaos surrounding tariffs. However, the team behind this campaign does have experience running and fulfilling successful crowdfunding campaigns for games in the last several years. We feel we have a good handle on the pinch points and trouble spots that could emerge and have built in leeway to deal with them.

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For a plain text version of this page, please visit: https://cmichpress.com/2026/06/13/plain-text-version-of-the-blue-way-backerkit-page/

The header for each section is liquid blue, darker than the sky but not deep royal blue. Behind the blue layer is a line of three painted portraits of people looking out at the reader. They are only barely visible. Over this background are the words The Blue Way. The words the and Way are in white, the word blue is in blue. The bottom edge of the header is uneven and looks like the image is dripping onto the rest of the text. Beneath this header is a collection of black text on a white background. Designed by Jason Morningstar. Art by Samuel Araya. One to six players. Thirty to one hundred eighty minutes, about half hour per player. Ages fourteen and up. Beneath this cluster of descriptions is an image of The Blue Way's box with six character sheets, three fanned out on either side of the box. Below the box is a fanned set of three cards, face-down, and two cards, face-up. The Blue Way's box is mostly brown, with two human figures on the front. One is standing behind the other. The figure in front has a face obscured by a dripping sheet of bright blue paint. The figure in the back has only one eye, which is the same bright blue, and stretches out a hand with blue painted fingertips as if painting the face of the person in front of them. The character sheets all feature different painted portraits of Sathani characters in the game. The portraits are painted in soft shades of brown in a photo-realistic way. The top middle of each portrait is marred by a square blotch of blue. Overlaid on these portraits is a nine-square grid with small text within each square. The cards below the box that are face-down show their backs, which have a painted image of an eyeless king figure. A blue crown is painted in spatters and squares above his forehead. The cards that are face-up show a white background with black text. An uneven blue border rims the card. Below these images is more black text on a white background. It reads, The Blue Way is a bleak, gritty cooperative tabletop fantasy storytelling game about colonialism and lost stories. It was previously published by Bully Pulpit Games as a patronage project. This enhanced edition comes to Central Michigan University Press with new art and a companion curriculum guide that includes new decks for game play. Below this text is a wide blue strip with white text. The top, largest text reads, Cross-collab with Chancers by Jaunty Goblin Games. Below this header, in smaller text, it reads, Back The Blue Way and Chancers to get limited edition card sleeves with new art by Samuel Araya and three whorl dice! Next to the white text, there is an image of the card sleeve and the dice. The card sleeve is a painted image of a yellowed skull on a dark brown background. Rectangles made of small blue squares float in the upper right corner and the lower left corner. A solid blue square sits in the center of the skull's forehead. The whorl dice are transparent with magenta numbers and a core that is green and blue. Below this blue strip is another block of black text on a white background. You are one of the Sathani. Your name, your tongue, your faith, your land, your position in your village - this is who you are. Amongst you are leaders, farmers, healers, warriors, and even witches. A year ago, Dusia invaded. There was a war and Dusia won. Your village now belongs to Lord Gjerch Bravn and his wife, Lady Kloyk Bravn. The Dusians want to bring peace, order, and a sense of normality to the village by the standards of Dusia. Only you stand between the invaders and your community. What will you give to stop them? In this game from Jason Morningstar (Fiasco, Zhenya's Wonder Tales, Desperation) with new art by Samuel Araya (Dog Eat Dog, Five Hundred Year Old Vampire), face down your greatest enemy with only one weapon to wield: yourself. With such limited ammunition, every choice counts. In a group, or solo, explore the story of Sathani resistance against their Dusian conquerors. Shape your map, breathe life into your characters -- and prepare for the fight of their lives. Your character sheet is the anchor of your experience, providing the core mechanics, your inspiration for storytelling, and elements which inform the map you will create. After the paragraph about character sheets, there is a wide blue strip. Upon it are images of four character sheets. Each character sheet is mostly composed of shades of brown and features a human portrait behind a grid with text in each square. At the top of each portrait is a bright blue square mark which looks out of place. After this strip, there is more black text on a white background which reads: Each turn, the hard choice is in your hands: bend or break? Tear pieces from your gridded character sheet to combat the latest demands from the lord and lady of the manor -- or swallow their orders and dread what happens next. After the paragraph which describes tearing your character sheet, there is a wide blue strip. It displays a fanned stack of face-down cards, a few face-up cards, and one ripped character sheet. The face-down cards feature a brown background and a humanoid figure in the middle. It has no eyes and its mouth is open in a scream. A bright blue crown is painted over the top of their head. The face-up cards are white with text in the middle and an uneven, bright blue border. The torn character sheet has rough white edges and shows only a portion of a portrait of a female figure with big brown eyes. After this strip, there is more black text on a white background which reads: With each stand, your shrinking character sheet reflects a transformation within your character. Make no mistake: this is a dark game. The fruits of your struggle may be small. But they will matter.

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There is a new section header. It has the same composite blue dripping graphic as the first section. White text on top of the blue reads, What's New? Beneath this header is a wide blue strip. White text reads, If you've never played The Blue Way... After this strip, black text on a white background reads, This game is rewarding, challenging, and sad. You will be glad you played it, but the content is not light. That said, it is accessible for first time and experienced role-players! Especially if you like The Quiet Year, you'll enjoy the map creation and storytelling in this game. After this text is a wide blue strip. White text reads, If you've played The Blue Way as a Bully Pulpit Games project, this enhanced edition... After this strip, black text on a white background reads, Features Samuel Araya's haunting art woven into the game components. Supplies multiple gameplay sessions with a tearaway pad full of character sheets! Extends the feel of the game into your play space by oozing darkness from the box art. After this text is a wide blue strip. White text reads, Educators! Look here! After this text, black text on white background reads, Use The Blue Way Curriculum Guide to spark longer conversations with your students. Play with new alternate decks of cards for a tailored educational experience. Tie The Blue Way to your history lessons for an in-depth investigation of the past. While the Sathani and Dusians are fictional groups, The Blue Way scenario was inspired by real historic events. Trust that the content has been peer-reviewed by subject matter and game design experts to ensure that it will perform well in both the classroom and living room. Central Michigan University Press' Scholarship and Lore: Games for Learning series carries the distinction of being the only academic press which publishes peer-reviewed tabletop games. After this text is a wide blue strip. On this strip is white text which reads Game features. After this strip is a list of black text on a white background which reads, Game manual. 40-card deck with new art by Samuel Araya. Beneath the card deck component, there is a card face-down and a card face-up. The card face-down features a dark brown background with a humanoid. It has no eyes, just an open mouth. A bright blue crown is painted over its head. The card face-up is white with black text in the middle and an uneven bright blue border.

A deck full of Dusian commands. Each haunting card is designed to pose hard decisions for you and your fellow players. When will you accept these commands, and when will you object? How will this change your village -- and your character?

After these images, more black text on a white background reads, Tear-off pad with copies of individual character sheets with different art and narratives. Beneath the tear-off pad component listing, there are two character sheets. The one on the left features a bearded male figure with a tattoo on his face. A square of blue on top of the image interrupts the browns and neutral tones that make up the soft portrait. A grid of nine squares is laid over the portrait. The second character sheet features a female figure with red hair and a similar startling blue square in the middle of her forehead. A grid of text is also laid over this image.

The delicate, human art of the character sheets makes them even harder to tear as you play through the story of The Blue Way. Choose to play as the Sathani village leader, a healer, a farmer, a miller, a witch, or a former soldier. At the beginning, all characters share some core features, like the same language and beliefs. As the story progresses, the choices players make literally change their character, as reflected by the lost squares of their sheet.

The Blue Way Curriculum Guide is bursting with new, awesome things for educators! It will include a breakdown of how to use The Blue Way in a classroom space, written by Dr. Raymond Kimball (Eyeball to Eyeball: The Cuban Missile Crisis). It will also include a section with PDF expansions and modifications of The Blue Way developed by academic experts to expand upon aspects of the game and support educators who wish to use games in their classroom. One expansion is The New Way, a new game by Dr. Allen White which examines engineering ethics. Another fleet of expansions developed by Dr. Jonathan Truitt includes a new Dusian castaway character sheet and three alternate card decks which explore complicated facets of colonialism. It is our hope that these "bonus features" in the Curriculum Guide will intrigue people interested in The Blue Way to explore the wealth of stories that the game and its mechanics can tell.

For more on The Blue Way, check out Jason Morningstar's interview with Liz Davidson on the Beyond Solitaire podcast:

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There is a new section header. It has the same composite blue dripping graphic as the first section. White text on top of the blue reads, How to Play. Beneath this header, black text on a white background reads, Gameplay centers on storytelling and the transformation of your character sheet. After discussing safety tools, each player selects a prefilled character sheet. On one side is a passage describing a cherished story from the Sathani. On the other is a three by three grid of character traits, such as that character's name, faith, job, etcetera. Players introduce their characters to each other and collaborate to draw their village map.

Below this gif is a section of more black text on a white background which reads, The story kicks into gear. Each player takes a turn drawing and reading aloud a card from the deck. These cards represent the demands of Lord and Lady Bravn or other Dusians.

Beneath this gif is another section of black text on a white background which reads, All players must react to the demand in one of three ways: If the players cast their eyes down, they accept the demand. The narrating player describes how the demand is carried out, orienting it towards their own character and the people and things they care about.

Below this gif is another section of black text on a white background. It reads, If a player raises their eyes, they object. There is no practical reason for more than one person to object or rebel. The objecting player may dilute the demand, but this exacts a cost: the player must also rip a square from the border squares of their character sheet. They then describe how the demand is modified due to their sacrifice.

Below this gif is another section of black text on a white background. It reads, If a player raises their eyes and a fist, they completely rebel against the demand. Their character perishes, but the demand is completely blocked.

After this last gif is another section of black text on a white background. It reads, The game ends when all the cards have been drawn from the deck, or every character is dead. Players take on the role of their characters' great-grandchildren and attempt to read the story on the back of their character sheets. If the story is unintelligible, it is lost forever. If any characters are dead, they rip off all the border squares of their sheet. They read aloud all that remains: their new Dusian identity. Wrap up the game with a debriefing discussion and reflection.

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There is a new section header. It has the same composite blue dripping graphic as the first section. White text on top of the blue reads, Designer and Artist. Above the biographical information for Jason Morningstar is his portrait. He is a light-skinned man with brown eyes. He wears a gray shirt and holds a white cat on his shoulder. Below the image is black text on a white background. It reads, Jason Morningstar (Fiasco, Night Witches, Grey Ranks, Zhenya's Wonder Tales) is a game designer who lives and works in Durham, North Carolina, USA. In addition to tabletop and live action roleplaying games, he has also made games for clients like Google and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His collaborations include the hashtag feminism collection, Fastaval winner The Lesser Players' Tale with Lizzie Stark, Festival nominee Old Friends with Ole Peder Giaever, and the popular Love in the Time Of... games with Matthijs Holter. Jason's games gave been featured at Indiecade and in the Gen Con 50th anniversary museum. He has been a guest at a variety of events, including Ropecon, Gen Con, Lucca Comics and Games, and Dragon Con. Beyond roleplaying, Jason consults on the use of games for teaching and learning, most recently with UNICEF, the University of California, University of Michigan, Kaiser-Permanente Health Care, and the Innovation Learning Network. In addition to design, Jason has written extensively on game-related topics. His articles have appeared in Analog Game Studies, States of Play, Unframed, and the 2022 Knutpunkt annual. Above the biographical information for Samuel Araya is his portrait. It is an artistic representation in black and white. As a figure, he has long dark hair, a mustache, and a goatee. A flat hat with a wide brim shades his eyes. Big curving black marks stand in the background. Below the image is black text on a white background. It reads, Samuel Araya (Dog Eat Dog, Five Hundred Year Old Vampire) is an artist living in the poison heart of South America. His work has appeared in a variety of media, from video games, t-shirts, posters, and records to cards and books -- including five editions of the prestigious Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art annual. As a gallery artist, Samuel has had his work featured in numerous international exhibitions.

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There is a new section header. It has the same composite blue dripping graphic as the first section. White text on top of the blue reads, The Rewards.

You can back this campaign for the following core rewards:

The Blue Way: Physical Edition ($30)

Physical copy of The Blue Way, plus the Print & Play PDF.

The Blue Way: Educator's Bundle ($45)

Physical copy of The Blue Way, plus the Print & Play PDF and the Curriculum Guide PDF (which will include the bonus card decks).

For greater flexibility in choice, here's the additional pledge tiers in this campaign:

Generous Benefactors ($1)

Backing at this level gives you our thanks and access to the Pledge Manager after the campaign ends.

The Blue Way: Print & Play PDF ($15)

Print & Play PDF of The Blue Way.

The Blue Way: One for You, One for a Friend ($55)

Two (2) physical copies of The Blue Way, plus the Print & Play PDF.

Additionally, if you are a retailer looking to obtain copies of the game before street date, we have a retailer bundle:

The Blue Way: Retailer's Bundle ($60)

Four (4) copies of The Blue Way, at 50% off the expected MSRP ($30). In addition, you gain access to special retailer/wholesale pricing for the entire CMich Press list in the Blue Way Pledge Manager after the campaign ends.

And for those looking for a collection of games to deploy in a classroom, here's the tier for you:

The Blue Way: Classroom Bundle ($180)

Six (6) copies of The Blue Way, plus the Print & Play PDF and the Curriculum Guide PDF, for use in the classroom.

There is a new section header. It has the same composite blue dripping graphic as the first section. White text on top of the blue reads, Stretch Goals.

We are delighted to announce an exciting array of stretch goals! These will be revealed as we progress towards (and past!) our initial goal. Let's go!

$13,000 - UNLOCKED - New character sheet!
- The Castaway – Twelve years ago, you and a handful of others shipwrecked off the shore near where the Sàthani reside. You thanked your god for saving you, but shortly afterwards, the Sàthani captured and enslaved you and the other surviving crew members. Most of your crewmates died or remained enslaved. You, however, found solace and peace in the Sàthani way. In a few years you gained your freedom and became the adopted son of the past Reeve, Peigi. You even married her daughter, Ennae. You now believe that it wasn’t the god of Dusia who saved you but rather the half-mad Àdatan. After all, only a crazed god would send a Dusian to help resist Dusia.
- The character sheet is already included with The Blue Way Curriculum Guide as a print-and-play asset, but this stretch goal will make it physically part of the game!
- This new character sheet arrives with new art from Samuel Araya and a special set of rules! Since this player was a Dusian, they cannot resist the Dusians directly. Instead, when Sàthani players resist, the Castaway may support their resistance. When the player chooses this action, they will remove one of their squares in place of a Sàthani character removing one of theirs.
- The Castaway character is based off the real story of Gonzalo Guerrero and his life with the Maya.
$16,500 - LOCKED - The New Way and an Alternate Deck!
- Once we unlock this stretch goal, Backers will access a new game AND a new alternate deck for The Blue Way! These items are already included in The Blue Way Curriculum Guide as print-and-plays. Unlocking this stretch goal will give all Backers the chance to play with these awesome additions in a physical form.
- The New Way, designed by Dr. Allen White, is a role-playing game about engineering ethics. It shares some bones with The Blue Way but is a completely different experience! Players step into the roles of employees at a fictional biomedical component supplier under new -- and unscrupulous -- management. It will be made into a deck of cards (instructions and reflection included) with new art in a tuck box!
- The alternate deck for The Blue Way provides players with more opportunities to explore the nuances of the relationship between the Sàthani and Dusians. Colonialism comes in many forms, and focus is often on violence and repression, but historically colonialism is far more complex. This new deck of cards adds the daily lived experiences of the people, portraying the colonialism by including seemingly simple cultural exchanges like food, games, and developing inter-racial relationships between the Sàthani and Dusians. The deck was designed by Dr. Jonathan Truitt, a professor of Latin American history who researches Spanish and Indigenous interactions during Mexico’s colonial period.
- To expedite play and demonstrate the impact of character choices on the broader culture, this second deck includes alternate rules and access to a printable pre-drawn map (optional for game play, but reduces playtime). Players combine part of the core deck and part of this alternate deck to play, enhancing replayability. In standard gameplay, there are consequences when a character resists or rebels, but in this version, players track the impact of acceptance by slowly coloring the map blue every time a character decides not to resist. At the end of the game, the merging of Sàthani and Dusian culture that results through player choices is visible, providing an additional dimension of gameplay and discussion.

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There is a new section header. It has the same composite blue dripping graphic as the first section. White text on top of the blue reads, The Fulfillment.

We will be using Backerkit to collect shipping costs closer to fulfillment, send out surveys, and manage fulfillment after the campaign has ended.

US Fulfillment

For US domestic fulfillment, we will be using a US-based fulfillment partner for warehousing and distribution. We anticipate shipping costs through our fulfillment partner to range between $10–$14 for shipments containing a single copy of each game, depending on a backer’s distance from the warehouse. Backing for additional copies of the games and/or add-ons will increase this cost some, but it should be reasonable.

Worldwide Fulfillment

We will be offering worldwide shipping as part of this campaign, using a combination of our European-based fulfillment partner, GamesQuest, and PirateShip's Simple Export Rate, depending upon where a backer is in the world and which service offers the best rates. We do not have estimates on international shipping rates at the moment, but our previous crowdfunding campaigns have had rates within the range of our contemporaries (for instance, on the Witch Hunt 1649/Making History campaign, our international shipping costs ended up in the range of $13.00–$30.00, with a few outliers for large orders). However, as always, if the final shipping cost ends up too much for you, please message us, and we'll cancel and refund your pledge, no questions asked.

Tariffs

Our expectations for shipping costs were calculated as of the start of our campaign. However, US tariffs continue to fluctuate, which can change the cost of manufacturing significantly. We will do our best to mitigate or absorb these tariffs, but in the event that we cannot, backers living in the US should be aware that we may need to include a tariff surcharge if there are significant changes between now and shipping. Backers with US shipping addresses will be notified and charged (should it be necessary) as we get closer to the shipment of the games.

VAT and EU LVI

For most European backers, we will be collecting and paying VAT on your behalf as part of offering customs-friendly shipping. This will be done in its own line item in Backerkit when the time comes. This is a change from our previous practice of wrapping VAT charges into the overall shipping costs. Please also be aware that as of July 2026, the EU will also be imposing a Low Value Import (LVI) customs duty on all small parcels shipping into the EU (currently set at €3 customs duty per HS code on parcels valued at €150 or less). We are working to mitigate the effect of this new duty on backer shipping charges, but also wanted everyone to know that it could be an additional cost down the road.

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There is a new section header. It has the same composite blue dripping graphic as the first section. White text on top of the blue reads, The Schedule.

June-July 2026: Crowdfunding Campaign. October 2026: Files to Manufacturer. November 2026: Preproduction Starts. January 2027: Mass Production. April 2027: On a Boat! May 2027: Fulfillment

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There is a new section header. It has the same composite blue dripping graphic as the first section. White text on top of the blue reads, The Press.

The Blue Way is being published as part of the Scholarship and Lore: Games for Learning series of Central Michigan University Press, which is an academic press that focuses on peer-reviewed games rooted in their designer's academic practice, pedagogical goals, or both.

CMich Press Contacts

Dr. Tracy S. Davis, Co-Director, Center for Learning through Games and Simulations at Central Michigan University – [email protected].
Dr. Jonathan Truitt, Co-Director, Center for Learning through Games and Simulations at Central Michigan University – [email protected].
Dr. Andrew D. Devenney, Associate Director, Center for Learning through Games and Simulations at Central Michigan University – [email protected].
Veronica Gregory, Coordinator of Outreach, Center for Learning through Games and Simulations at Central Michigan University – [email protected].

If you believe that this project is not in compliance with BackerKit’s Community Guidelines or Terms of Service, you can file a report by sending a message via this link: Report this project

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Backing this project and Chancers will unlock free rewards.

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by Jaunty Goblin Games

8% of The Blue Way: A Game of Lost Stories backers also backed this project.

The Blue Way: A Game of Lost Stories

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The Blue Way: A Game of Lost Stories

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A Game About Lost Stories

Components

For more on The Blue Way, check out Jason Morningstar's interview with Liz Davidson on the Beyond Solitaire podcast:

How to Play

Designer and Artist

The Rewards

The Blue Way: Physical Edition ($30)

The Blue Way: Educator's Bundle ($45)

Generous Benefactors ($1)

The Blue Way: Print & Play PDF ($15)

The Blue Way: One for You, One for a Friend ($55)

The Blue Way: Retailer's Bundle ($60)

The Blue Way: Classroom Bundle ($180)

The Fulfillment

US Fulfillment

Worldwide Fulfillment

Tariffs

VAT and EU LVI

The Schedule

The Press

CMich Press Contacts

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