Everyone wants friends. Luckily, YOU have a bunch of loose body parts RIGHT HERE. Can you bolt, screw, and rivet them together to construct viable friends for you to enjoy spending time with? NOTE: They CAN have no feet and five heads, IF YOU WANT.
Bolted is a fast-paced puzzle game where players race to assemble bizarre creatures -- or as I like to say, "make friends" -- by piecing together mismatched body parts.
I'm the creator of Wondermark, a comic strip I've been making for over 20 years by assembling vintage illustrations into something new.
Now, you can do the same! Each piece of art in Bolted is sourced from authentic 19th- and early 20th-century magazines, newspapers, and catalogs -- ready for you to mix, match, and create.
Bolted is a game for 2–4 players, plays in about 30 minutes, and contains no adult content -- unless you count it being deeply weird.
This campaign has now fully funded! Which means I'll print the game this spring, aiming to get copies in backers' hands by late summer or early fall 2025.
For over 20 years, I've been making the comic strip Wondermark.
Wondermark #1058; In which a Trade is brokered
Wondermark is a unique comic: all the images are sourced from Victorian- and Edwardian-era newspapers, magazines, storybooks, and catalogs.
I take these images apart in Photoshop, rearrange them, and give them new life as comics that tell a new story:
The front page of Beadle's Weekly, Feb 7, 1885 becomes Wondermark #1495
Bolted takes this same process and turns it into a game -- where YOU'LL be the one creating bizarre combinations from mismatched parts!
Every image in Bolted -- just as in Wondermark -- comes from authentic vintage sources, carefully adapted (IMPROVED???) by me to become the cards in this game.
A page from Illustrated Police News, 1886, and an image from a 1910 hardware catalog combine into a Bolted "Left Hand" game card.
The result? Every game results in a new collection of delightfully weird abominations. Just the way we like it.
Hooray! So glad to see the project has fully funded -- thank you so much!!
You're gonna get an awesome game. BUT, now is the part where we can have fun. The more orders we receive, the easier it becomes to add special treatments to the production run.
In addition, the more orders we get, the more likely we can use more economical shipping methods that will save you money.
I don't think the game needs to get bigger or more elaborate -- the number of cards feels right for now, and I've already committed to using high-quality card stock and full-color printing. But we CAN do some additional things to really make it pop.
Later on, should we reach additional stretch goals, I've got some cool things I want to give away so everyone gets even more value for their same pledge! STAND BY FOR THAT.
Back this project and get Bolted in the way that suits you best!
🖨 JUST BITS | $5
Get a print-and-play PDF version of the game! Supplied for both US Letter and A4 sized paper. Enjoy your time with that paper cutter!
🔩 THE BOLT | $29
One printed copy of the normal printed game + the PDF files too, because why not.
🔩🧲 BOLT & POLES | $44
The game ✨AND✨ a set of die-cut magnets featuring Bolted body parts! Make friends on any ferrous metal surface! (The magnets are a cool plaything, not an actual playable copy of the game.)
🔩🖼 BOLT & INK | $49
The game ✨AND✨ a signed print of your favorite Wondermark comic! (Or, any Wondermark comic strip. It doesn't truly have to be your favorite. I have no way of verifying.)
🔩🧲🖼 BOLT & FRIENDS | $59
The game ✨AND✨ the magnets ✨AND✨ the signed print! All three, baby!!!
🔩🔩 TWICE THE BOLTS | $55
Two copies of the game! If you want this for some reason! Want the magnets or print too? Grab them as add-ons.
📦 RESALE BOLTS | $99
Retailers: Get a case of 8 copies at wholesale pricing, plus a shelf-talker promo card.
💀 PICK YOUR HEAD | $199
Everything in BOLT & FRIENDS, plus: a one-on-one video call! We'll browse my collection of vintage artwork and YOU will choose a head (or other body part) to be included in the game!
🔧 MAKE THE MONSTER | $299
Everything in BOLT & FRIENDS, plus: Work with me to influence the design of a special bonus set of 10–20 additional cards. I'll print this set with gold foil embellishments and other premium materials. The only copies of this expansion ever made will be exclusively for backers at this tier -- no reprints, no future availability. Each set will also come with a print of the full card set, signed & framed.
✂️ HAND-CUT | $499
Everything in BOLT & FRIENDS, plus: I will create a one-of-a-kind, handmade collage of a Bolted character, assembled from actual vintage pages (not digital). You'll get the finished collage, signed & framed. I guarantee I will hate doing this and I will record myself moaning about it. I did a this once before (for Hendrick's in 2011), and it was fun, but also extremely painstaking to get right:
Some pieces I cut out for the Hendrick's Box project in 2011
🧐 ONE OF EVERYTHING | $599
This is just an enormous box with one each of everything I have currently for sale. Games, books, puzzles, pins, stickers, greeting cards...you name it. If you already have some of it, I can make various adjustments. Of course this ALSO comes with all the items from this campaign (the game and all bonus items).
➕ ADD-ONS
Are also available, including copies of my previous games! Just feel free to throw a bunch of stuff in there! (Shipping of add-on games is to US/Canada only. They're just too heavy. Other stuff besides the games, such as stickers, pins, and books, ship worldwide.)
There are three bonus cards you can claim in this campaign!
EARLY BIRD BONUS CARD
Back this project in the first 48 hours, and get a freeGax head bonus card! This will go to all printed game backers who pledge by 9:59am Pacific time, Saturday, March 15.
REPEAT BACKER BONUS CARD
If you've backed one of my past crowdfunding projects (as identified by Backerkit via your email address), well hello there, it's great to have you back! Join us for this campaign too, and you'll get a freePiranhamoose antlers bonus card.
How do I know these are Piranhamoose antlers, and not just regular moose antlers? Simple: they're wet.
CROSS-COLLAB BONUS CARD
As part of Pocketopia, I was collab-partnered with the fine Finns behind a similar build-a-creature game called Centipede.
Unfortunately, Centipede did not successfully fund, and their game will not be produced.
However, the Centipede bonus card is really fun to play with, so I will promote the Centipede bonus card to a REGULAR GAME CARD and it will be included in the base game!
Backerkit will track all these incentives using their expensive computers! The bonus cards will be added to your pledge automatically when the time comes to ship your game.
What you see here isn't the final art -- it's only going to get better.
Right now, my focus has been on playtesting and refining the game's mechanics. As I continue moving forward to finalize more of the artwork, I'll be sharing progress updates along the way.
If you know Wondermark, you know I love making beautifully printed products. This game will be no exception. Expect a high-quality, well-crafted game that's a joy to play and collect.
Here's the plan:
I aim to have the artwork finished and sent off to the printer by the end of May 2025.
Completed copies should then become available for shipping starting in September 2025.
I'm working with a trusted overseas factory who's successfully printed several of my past projects. They produce great quality work and are highly reliable.
I'll share any schedule updates with you throughout the process!
The pledge level pricing is for the PRODUCT ONLY. We will collect an additional shipping charge later, when you confirm your shipping address.
This is because shipping conditions are presently quite volatile! Also, the shipping services we use will depend on the ultimate performance of this campaign. If we get a lot of orders, larger-volume shipping solutions become feasible.
But just to give you an GENERAL sense of what the shipping costs might end up being, here are some ESTIMATES:
ALL TIERS:
$5 - US
$8 - Canada
$12 - Europe / Australia / NZ / China / HK / Taiwan / Japan / South Korea
Add-ons (if you add them) might increase this cost by some reasonable amount. There will be no additional cost for adding on pins or stickers; there may be a slight increase in cost for heavier things like books.
Besides the regions listed above, we are not shipping to other locations at this time. We will not be responsible for import costs or tariffs on the delivery end. (We will be dealing with enough of that on the manufacturing end.)
The digital-only tier, of course, requires no shipping and is open to backers all over the world! We will supply the digital files formatted for both US Letter and A4 paper.
In Bolted, players race to make the very best friend -- but finishing first isn’t always the best move!
NOTE: Final refinements and balancing are ongoing, and the final game may be subject to minor changes before production.
*️⃣ COMPONENTS
There are 5 types of cards in the game:
1️⃣ SETUP
4 Reward cards are placed face-up. These offer bonus points if you fulfill their conditions while building your friend. These represent the idle rich, indulging their twisted whims.
Deal 5 Parts cards to each player. The rest of the Parts cards form a draw deck with a face-up discard pile. (Tools are part of the Parts deck.)
Players are dealt 3 Body cards and may choose which one to use for this game. Bodies are the foundation of your friend.
2️⃣ ON YOUR TURN
Draw 1 card (from either the deck or the top of the discard pile), then take one action:
🔩 Add Parts -- Attach any number of parts to your body, but only on one branch at a time (i.e., the neck, one shoulder, OR one hip).
If your addition completes the conditions on a Reward card, claim it now for bonus points! You can claim one reward per turn.
OR...
🪚 Break off Parts -- Remove any single part and discard it. If there are any parts connected to it, any downstream parts also break off,and are discarded.
OR...
🗑 Discard & Refresh -- Get rid of any number of cards to clear out your hand. Draw that number of replacement cards, then discard 1 more to end with 5 in your hand.
OR...
🔧 Use a Tool -- Tools let you add or rearrange parts in certain special ways.
OR...
⚡️ Awaken Your Friend!
If your friend has: ✔️ At least 1 Head ✔️ At least 3 Ends (hands/feet/etc.) ✔️ No open connectors
...IT’S ALIVE!! 🎉
When you've decided you're done adding parts and want to throw the big cartoon switch, draw and place a First Words card to complete your friend’s envivification!
Awakening a friend also triggers the final round. Every other player now gets one last turn.
(Awakening is also a free action after adding any parts. So you can add parts, and then awaken right away in the same turn.)
➡️ HOW TO ADD PARTS
Parts may be placed on your friend anywhere they can fit.
To fit, they must match the correct connector type (rivet, screw, or bolt), or else have a universal joint (wild card).
🦾 Limbs connect anything to anything. Neck-limb-head-limb-hat? Easy.
🔱 Forked limbs must be placed single-side inward, forks outward.
🎩 Caps can be placed anywhere, to close off a connector.
💀 Heads can be placed anywhere, but some give bonus points if attached to the neck.
🤟 Ends (hands & feet) score extra if placed correctly (e.g., left hands on left sides).
🛠 Tools can be used for their ability (and then discarded), or can be added to your friend as a part!
3️⃣ GAME END & SCORING
Once a friend is awakened, every other player gets one last turn to maximize their score.
Your total points consist of:
✅ The point value of all parts on your friend, including any bonuses for placement.
✅ Any bonus points from completed Rewards.
❌ Any open connectors or other parts missing from an unfinished friend incur a penalty of -2 points each!
The highest score -- the best friend -- wins!
If you like, keep a cumulative score and play a series of rounds -- for example, giving every player a chance to go first. You can do what you want in your own home!!
🆒 STRATEGY & FUN
The key tension in the game is the push & pull in the race to finish your friend.
You'll get more points by building bigger and more elaborate friends, with forked limbs and hats everywhere. But you might not be the first to finish, and you might end up leaving open connectors, which will cost you!
You'll have to keep an eye on the other players to see how close they are to finishing, or if they are obviously going for any of the reward bonuses in a way that you can frustrate.
Or you can just try to finish your friend as quickly as possible, hoping you'll catch the other players off guard and without a chance to build many points.
Even though there are only 3 connector types, it can be surprisingly tough to get exactly the parts you need, so you also have to decide whether it's worth waiting to get the perfect parts... Or go ahead with sub-standard parts just to get the dang thing done. Just as in any real-life craft project!!
Also, aside from the strategy... I'm the creator of this game so perhaps I'm biased, but I'm endlessly charmed by the weird characters that result from putting these cards together in different combinations. I hope you enjoy Bolted too!!
🎲 WELCOME TO POCKETOPIA—a celebration of portable easy-to-learn tabletop games featuring 50+ creators launching together on BackerKit from March 13 - April 3!
🏆 Here’s how you can earn exclusive event rewards:
Cross-Collab Freebies: Look for projects marked as Cross-Collab partners! Back both projects to earn a FREE reward from each creator. The more pairs you support, the more freebies you collect!
Pocketopia Dice Bag: Back 6 projects or more to unlock this exclusive reward, surveyed and shipped by BackerKit.
⚔️ Rewards at a glance:
2 FREE rewards for every Cross-Collab pair you back (one from each creator!)
1 FREE limited edition Pocketopia 2025 Dice Bag when you back 6+ projects
⭐ PRO TIP: Maximize your freebies by supporting Cross-Collab pairs! For example, support 3 Cross-Collab pairs (6 projects) to earn up to 6 exclusive freebies while unlocking the Dice Bag!
*Only pledges to physical reward tiers or main digital offerings (if no physical items are offered) qualify towards earning these limited FREEBIES. Please refer to individual project pages for unlock requirements.
