Please fill in your surveys! Catcrawl is at the printer's! PDFs are available now! Media!
Hey you cool cats,
First of all: If you haven't filled in your Backerkit survey from the pledge manager, please do so! If we don't have your shipping address, we can't send ...
Hey you cool cats,
The money from the crowdfunding campaign has arrived, so it's time for another update with everything you need to know about getting your zines and PDFs!
...
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Plotbunny Games (Andrea Rick)
about 1 month ago
We did it! 🎉 Next steps!
Hey, you cool cats,
The crowdfunding campaign is done and we're very happy with the result! 137 backers have put 2,657 € into our project kitty, which means we can make the ...
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Plotbunny Games (Andrea Rick)
about 2 months ago
Happy Valentine's Day! (cute card inside)
Apologies for the second email today, but I just had to share this RPG Valentine's inspired by Catcrawl - with much love from me to you! 💖🐾 (Feel free to pass it on to your l...
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Plotbunny Games (Andrea Rick)
about 2 months ago
Only one more week! Recent progress! Other cool games!
Hey you cool cats,
While I can't imagine anyone actually wants more emails in their inbox this Zine Month, I still want to celebrate the fact that we've reached well over 1,...
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Plotbunny Games (Andrea Rick)
about 2 months ago
Catcrawl is funded!!! 🐱🎉
Hey, all you cool cats!
Catcrawl is officially funded, only 24 hours (and 39 minutes) after its launch! Thank you so much to everyone who has supported the project by backin...
The money from the crowdfunding campaign has arrived, so it's time for another update with everything you need to know about getting your zines and PDFs!
🐱 Status of the game
In the past two weeks, the translation of Catcrawl was with Marx Shepherd, our proofreader. I've also set up the PDF with screenreader tags, image descriptions, clickable links, and internal references so it's comfortable to use for as many people as possible. After getting the file back from Marx, I've made all necessary corrections and finalized everything. In other words: Catcrawl in English is ready to print!
The German version with the print error (see previous update) is currently being reprinted and should arrive here within the next week or so.
🐾 Backerkit pledge manager is open!
Now it's your turn! I've set up the pledge manager on Backerkit so you can choose additional add-ons (if you like), pay your shipping fees, and give me your shipping address!
I've just sent out the Backerkit survey to a small portion of backers to make sure everything works as intended. The rest of you should get your survey link within the next 24 hours.
The pledge manager will only stay open until Monday, March 17th, so please make sure to fill in your survey as soon as possible so you can get your zines and PDFs. You won't be able to add any other items to your order after that date, but you'll still be able to change your shipping address until I actually start the shipping process in April (you'll get another update from me then).
I'll charge your credit cards (for shipping costs and newly-booked add-ons) through Backerkit right after locking your orders.
🐈 Pre-order store is also open - for one week only!
I've also set up a pre-order store for everyone who has missed the crowdfunding campaign and still wants to get their hands on a printed copy of Catcrawl. Please share the link around!
The pre-order store will only remain open until I lock the orders for the crowdfunding backers - that is, about a week from now.
🐱 Digital fulfillment through Itch.io
Once orders are locked, you'll receive your Itch.io download keys for your digital files shortly afterwards. They will be sent to you through Backerkit. You will need an Itch.io account to claim your PDF copy.
At the same time, the community copies that were donated by all of you will go up on Itch when the game becomes available for everyone.
🐾 Printing and shipping physical zines
I will send the Catcrawl files off to the printer's next week, right after I lock orders. I expect to receive the printed zines 2-3 weeks later. I will then pack and ship everything myself, since that gets all of you the best deal in terms of both time and money.
I expect to have everything shipped out by mid-to-late April. I will send another update then.
What about tariffs for shipments to the U.S.? You may have heard that Trump has threatened to also hit Europe with a bunch of tariffs for imports into the U.S. soon. Right now, no one knows if these tariffs are coming, and if so, when or how high they will be. Based on the available information, here's what I currently know: Packages with relatively low monetary value (like the ones from this campaign) will most likely NOT be affected by any tariffs Trump may introduce for imports of EU-made products. Yay! But I'm a very cautious cat in matters like these, so I still recommend that U.S. backers brace themselves for additional fees upon arrival of your zines, just in case.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me any time!
First of all: If you haven't filled in your Backerkit survey from the pledge manager, please do so! If we don't have your shipping address, we can't send you your zines! (Please let me get the shipping process over with in one big swoop!)
Here's what's up with Catcrawl right now:
🐱 Physical zines
Zine in English: Now that almost all orders are locked and paid for, the English version of the zine just went to the printer's! If all goes according to plan, I should receive the zines by the end of next week, in time to ship them out by mid-April.
Zine in German: The reprint arrived a while ago and looks great!
Printed zines in both languages can now also be ordered through our website (they will be sent to regular buyers after crowdfunding fulfillment).
Add-on zines (Against the Monster, Viva la QueerBar) have been set aside for you and will be shipped together with your copies of Catcrawl.
Addresses will be locked shortly before I start shipping (you'll get an email about that from Backerkit in case you need to make any last-minute changes there).
🐈 PDFs
Itch.io download keys for backers: Via Backerkit, I've just released the Itch.io download keys for the digital versions of all PDFs (you get the ones you chose as pledges or add-ons): Catcrawl in both English and German, Against the Monster, and Viva la QueerBar. You will need an Itch.io account to claim your PDF copies. To make sure everyone gets their links, I'll send a separate automated email through Backerkit! While you're on Itch.io anyway, it would be great if you'd leave us a 5-star rating or a friendly comment on the game page - it really helps other people to find the game (and it makes us happy, too)!
PDFs for sale on Itch.io: Both the English and the German version of Catcrawl are now available for sale on Itch.io. Please tell your friends!
PDFs for sale on our website: Both the English and the German version of Catcrawl are now also available for sale on our website. Again: Please tell your friends! If you're from Germany, please order them directly from us because that's how we get the biggest share of the money you pay for them.
Community copies: The community copies donated by you are now available on Itch.io as well. I put them all up for the English version because the German version was just available as pay what you want during the German Free RPG Days (Gratisrollenspieltage). Please tell your low-income friends!
🐾 Bonus material:
Apartment map and cat minis: You can find free PDFs of just the apartment map and cat minis to print yourself in the downloads section of our website.
Playingcards.io template: On the same page, you'll also find a template for playingcards.io (in both English and German) to make your online play both convenient and nice to look at (it has its own moveable cat mini and paw prints to mark the squares your cat has visited already)!
Screenshot of the Catcrawl template for playingcards.io
🐱 Catcrawl media in German
If you speak German and would like to see Catcrawl in action, check out this Actual Play session we've recently played over at 3P - Partners in Pen & Paper for the German Free RPG Days (Gratisrollenspieltage):
There's also a new Nerd is ihr Hobby podcast episode where Jasmin Neitzel and Andrea Rick (me) talk about the design ideas behind Catcrawl and more generally about homes and houses in role-playing games and beyond.
Want to watch or listen to things like this in English, too? Please tell your favorite podcaster, video maker, or streamer, or get in touch with us directly - we'd love to be on your podcast, stream, or other media and chat about Catcrawl in English as well!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me any time!
The crowdfunding campaign is done and we're very happy with the result! 137 backers have put 2,657 € into our project kitty, which means we can make the English version of Catcrawl a reality! Thank you so much to everyone who has supported this Zine Month project! 🐱💖
What's next?
I'm currently setting up the pledge manager for you. This is where we will be collecting your addresses and shipping costs (if applicable) and where you can choose further add-ons if you like.
Once the set-up is done and approved by Backerkit, you'll get another email from me with details and a link to your Backerkit survey. Please make sure to fill it in as soon as possible so there won't be any delays in you getting your games!
Project status
The German version of the game has already been printed and shipped to me. Unfortunately, there was an issue with the print quality, so I'm currently waiting to hear back from the printer about a reprint. I don't expect this to impact the overall fulfillment time.
The English version is currently in proofreading and will be sent to the printer's as soon as I've gotten it back and worked in any corrections.
I'll of course keep you posted about all relevant developments. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out anytime!
Apologies for the second email today, but I just had to share this RPG Valentine's inspired by Catcrawl - with much love from me to you! 💖🐾 (Feel free to pass it on to your loved ones with credit to us!)
While I can't imagine anyone actually wants more emails in their inbox this Zine Month, I still want to celebrate the fact that we've reached well over 1,700 € by now and have gathered almost 90 backers for Catcrawl! Thank you to everyone who already contributed to this, especially during the past week where I've had to deal with some health issues and couldn't post on social media as much as I'd have wanted - you're the best! 🐱💖
🐱 Recent progress on Catcrawl
I can also announce that I've finished the English translation and layout (complete with PDF functionalities to make everything suitable for screenreaders and comfortable digital use of the game) and have passed on the files to our proofreader Marx Shepherd. They'll also point out any remaining oddities caused by me not actually being an English native speaker and sometimes forgetting how prepositions or sentence structure work in this language.
The German version of Catcrawl is already at the printer's so we can distribute it in time for the local Free RPG Days (Gratisrollenspieltage) in March. Which means I've also finished its layout, Camilla Kutzner has proofread it, and the PDF functionalities are fully set-up as well.
Most recently, I've started setting up Backerkit' pledge manager so there's as little delay as possible between now and you getting your copies of Catcrawl! I will share further details about what's next shortly after this campaign has wrapped up.
🐱 Other games you may enjoy
Finally, I want to draw your attention to some other cool Zine Month projects (and one non-Zine Month one) that you may also be interested in. After all, if you're into Catcrawl, you seem to like zine culture and indie art as well as games by queer/trans and continental European creators!
I've sorted these by their end date and marked whether they still need funds to be realized at all (**) or to actually pay their creators for their work (*). I've backed most of these myself or will do so in the next few days - come join me so other game designers can realize their projects and get paid for them, too!
RPG Design Zine Two by Nathan D. Paoletta -- A cut-and-paste zine about tabletop roleplaying game design. Taps into my own pre-computer zine-making nostalgia and feeds my interest in game design. (Funded, ends Feb 19).
Gay Games To Play In The Car by Allison Kyran Cole -- Small games, gay games - what's not to love? (Funded, working on stretchgoals spelled out in one of their updates, ends Feb 22).
**Bonds Between by Jonathon Boyle and Lucas Zellers -- Cute square book, cat-sized dragons, and you get to mess up/glow up a deck of cards as you play! (Still needs funds, ends Feb 27).
Imagine Queer Worlds by Jaclyn Lewis -- Still kinda new to this queer stuff? This guide helps you build queer characters and stories into your TTRPGs and provides you with examples by a variety of contributors. (Funded, working on stretchgoals, ends March 1).
*Drink My Sweat by Dora Dee Rogers -- A storytelling game about a fight club for queer women. The messy, dirty sister game to the much sweeter Sapphic Slumber Party (which is amazing!) by the same designer, inspired by the movie Bottoms. (Funded, working on actually paying the designer, ends March 4).
*Broken Oaths and other small games by Nimaël -- Three small narrative TTRPGs about exploring a dark temple, taking care of the knights you travel with, and trying to share a secret with your lover by a fellow European game designer. (Funded, working on actually paying the designer/contributors, ends March 4).
**Games for an Ordinary Life by Jacob Wolf Lefton -- A zine with very short lyric games and minimalist linoleum block print art from a game designer who I've just found out also lives in Berlin, Germany. (Still needs funds, ends March 8).
**Going For Broke by Avery Alder -- A sitcom game about making rent by the amazing game designer who also brought us Monsterhearts, The Quiet Year, and Dream Askew (the latter of which we're honored publish in German this spring through Plotbunny Games!). Ill-conceived plots, one of which will always fail as the other one succeeds? Sounds like my kind of RPG drama! (Still needs funds, ends March 11).
🐱 Please keep supporting us!
In the remaining week of this campaign, please keep telling people about Catcrawl - especially those who like cats, GM-less or solo TTRPGs, innovative mechanical recombinations, and/or human-made artwork! It would be really cool if we could make it to 100 backers and 2,000 € or even more!
You can find our own social media posts on Bluesky and Mastodon. We've already been shouted out in a bunch of articles and one video, all of which you can find in the Media section on the crowdfunding page (there's also a link to our press kit). We have further Catcrawl Actual Plays and interviews in the works for you -- you can look forward to them closer to the release of the game!
Once again, thank you so much for your support in this final week! 🐱💖
